Mark Sides
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The state of Missouri has a taxation system specifically designated for conservation/wildlife.
It was initiated in 1937(?) where a 1/8 cent excise tax was imposed on all hunting and fishing equipment including stamps and licenses.
This designated income allowed the Missouri Department of Conservation to thrive and become the envy of most other states…an allocated guaranteed income for the specific use of the conservation department to develop and maintain our lands and wildlife.
Over the years the Missouri legislature has tried time and again to raid the fund and each time they have been turned away either by law, voters, or both.I can’t seem to wrap my head around adjusting focus in a computer rather than using a lens, an f stop and actually calculating the depth of field.
Of course I had a hard time accepting a computer with a lens slapped on the front of it (electronic camera) rather than a mechanical mechanism designed to expose a silver halide based emulsion on a celluloid backing (film camera).
The function of taking a picture certainly has become a very different discipline.I may be passing through northern Arkansas in late July visiting relatives. Is the White worth a visit that time of year?
I think it would be…you can wet wade it that time of year as well, but as mentioned a lot is based on what the dam is putting out. There are some good fly shops that can tune you in as to how its fishing.
I can’t remember the name of the fly, a Bunny Whomper or some other off beat title only a fly would have, but I did help tie a few.
It’s built on a Mustad long shank 1/0 hook, (34011?…can’t remember) the body is a hairy-wooly copper/brown chenille with some flash built into it. It gets wrapped past the brass dumb bell eyes with a yellow barred rabbit strip tied in just before the hooks eye. These guys had an impressive offering of large flies to cast.
The big ugly Browns would really hammer it when once they decided to commit. The fly pictured was one of the more forgiving ones to throw….below is a top view and a few other patterns. All of the designs used were about getting down and deep in a hurry and stripping like crazy.
They also hurt like hell when your fishing partner smacks you in the back of the head with one.My fishing gang (me too) went down there this past fall chasing the big Brown Trout.
We were using 8 – 9wt. sticks with fast sinking lines and throwing flies that felt about the same as chucking a wet sock. The time of year kept us fishing underneath the entire trip.
Our deal was primarily floating. We started off wading just below the dam and then floated for the next couple of days.The big focus, what the guides really keyed in on was what kind of volume the dam would be putting out, if any. They told us this was a real influence on the quality of fishing.
I’ll start another thread with some pics so as not to hijack your thread.
Your adventure should be a bit more “colorful”….ours was brown and grey but still a lot of fun, there are some damn big fish in that river, we had two monsters on in 3 days, both hooked up late evening and failed to land either one.This one took a series of serious maulings before I decided to retire it.
I have always used the simple two part epoxy from the hobby shop, coat the head and eyes and let it cure on the drying wheel for about a half hour.Both Simon, I use burned 30lb. hardened mono for eyes as well as EP shrimp eyes.
I like Enrico Puglisi’s (EP) tying materials, he has some very innovative offerings that make the whole process a lot less labor intensive on certain patterns.
Thank you for the kind words fellas.I am assuming you mean the one that mounts on the hot shoe.
The egg crate style has been around for a long time and will give you a even, softened diffused look.You can take it (the diffused look) even further if you clip some diffusion over the fixture or, if you are balancing your “flash” to match the color (kelvin temp.) of your source the gel you use will offer a slight diffusion, but will also limit the lumen output of the flash. Most color correction gels will absorb anywhere from 2/3rd’s to 1.5 stops depending on degree of correction and manufacturer.
Sinking lines, that changes things in overall assessment, at least IMHO. A 9wt. is an excellent choice.
I was lucky enough to fish in SA and in certain areas we were throwing sinking lines as the top water was dead. I was using an older RPLXI 9 wt. and it threw the sinking line with a heavy fly beautifully.If you are not in love with purchasing brand new gear there are some excellent offerings in used fly rods out there that perform every bit as well as the new models and cost a fraction of the new model price.
Let us know what you end up choosing.
Think about narrowing down your fly rod considerations to what you want/need to fish the conditions you are actively pursuing.
You can deal with “the chance of other opportunities down the road” when it presents itself.
Which stick do you handle most proficiently? That in itself should have an influence on your decision.
If you are truly getting a great break on price for your gear purchase could you pull the trigger on two sticks?
You can never have enough fly rods you know… 😉The tippett I use depends on the fishing situation/conditions…similar to what Bob observed, I use the right tool for the job philosophy.
For tailing bone fish in still skinny water I use fluro. Same situation for a slow drift in gin clear water chasing trout…fluro.
Largemouth bass, Trevally and various other species appear unfazed by the line attached to the fly.When the water conditions are active/cloudy/churning I am not so particular because the fish aren’t. I carry a couple of spools of fluro. and use it when the situation (or species) dictates the need for it. Â
Good site, easy to maneuver around without a lot of “site noise”.
Noticed the shot of the GT is the same one that is on the cover of my latest issue of the FFJournal along with the cyclist with a hand full of sticks…well done sir. 😉Scott,
There is some very good Tarpon fishing just outside of San Juan although its been more than a few years since we have fished down there, so I know there have been some changes.
The fishing industry is well developed, some Google searching should help.
Seriously consider getting a guide for a half day to get tuned in to the area….there are good deals to be had with the right guide. A small investment in guided service will take you a long way toward finding the niche you seek in terms of time, location and the type of fishing you choose to pursue.
The rum is worth checking out as well. 😉Planning was pretty straight forward.
Our intent on this trip was for big league top water action. I did the research and having read and heard about the Peacock followed that course.
The important part was timing the trip in accordance with (like so many places) the water level. The objective is to fish late in the dry season when levels are down. There a literally thousands of these huge pools that have been disconnected from the river but are still accessible.We ended up fishing underneath a lot more than we thought we would but the top water was absolutely explosive.
Pretty much a simple matter of doing one’s homework and talking with the right people.Mike…If you ever get the chance, go.
Jason…The popper is an Enrico Puglisi design. I tied all the flies for the trip and purchased a couple of his kits which allowed me to assemble about two dozen of those flies.
Zach…the Piranha was excellent eating, tasted a lot like Walleye.
We did not get into any big Payara but they do have an intimidating mouth, even the small ones.
The other angler shot/w fish is an Arrowana which offered unbelievable jumping/acrobatics. Really a great fish to hook up with.Thank you for the kind words to the new guy gentleman.
