I'm guessing the bow was 20 - 21" and a little shy of 3 lbs.

I really didn't measure or weigh it, I barely got the picture off because my fingers were so cold at that point.

I have notches carved in my net at 15 and 20 inches. When I laid it out next to the net it was about 1.5 short of 20 so I'm guessing about 18 inches.

Penns Creek and the Little Juniata are the only 2 places that I've ever landed anything that size in PA. Pleasent surprise.

:D

That size fish is fairly "common" in our tailwaters, and I've still only caught a few that large and a very, very few larger than that (22" brown is still my best). Definitely something to be proud of. What did you get it on?

Like that hat, too. I could go for a Yeungling...too bad we can't get it in Arkansas.

Caught it on a size 18 flashback pheasent tail with about eraser size peice of indicator puddy about 4 1/2 up the tippet.

What streams do you fish down that way for trout?

Yuengling: nectar of the gods.

:toast:

Although it's shooting fish out of a barrel, I like Bennett Spring. Caught a 4.5 lb/19.5 in. Rainbow a few years ago off Whistle Bridge before they ruined it by widening it and installing the rails. Didn't keep it. Just wanted the lunker patch.

Black and yellow maribou jig first thing in the morning in zone 2 will get you your limit, if you want the Readers Digest version.......

Bennett Springs is fun. My dad and I used to go there when I was a grade schooler, though we started go’n to Roaring Rivers instead ‘cause he had polio as a kid and a bad left leg from it that doesn’t go well with waders.
Still, I miss our yearly trips to Mizzu (Bennett Springs or Roaring Rivers) and hope we can go some time this summer.

My favorite at either is dry fly fish’n. I make a mosquito nymph that, although hard to keep dry, seems irresistible to rainbows.
I used to make a black and yellow marabou for dad that he could really work and literally pull fish out of holes with. We even expanded this technique to crappie, white bass and some smaller big mouths also. It’s fun catch’n just ‘bout anything on a fly rod.

Arkansas is home to the White River system, which consists of a few tailwaters.

The Little Red River is toward the center of the state, and close to my hometown. It's the place where the aforementioned and pictures world record came from.

The Norfork and White are in the North Central part of the state.
The Norfork holds beauties like this:
http://www.mcflyshop.com/images/repo...Brown2_web.JPG
and this:
http://www.mcflyshop.com/images/repo..._Brown_web.jpg

While the White holds these:
http://www.mcflyshop.com/images/reports/DSC002542.jpg

We also have Beaver tailwaters which is the closest, but not nearly as good as the others. Roaring River trout park in Missouri is also pretty close.

Damn, I may have to start heading south for a couple goes with the ol' fly rod.

Nice, very nice.

Fishing bloopers

more fishing bloopers


A co-worker of mine sent this to me, i am sure that some of you have seen this, but it is good.

Arkansas and Missouri are blessed with some absolutely exceptional fishing. I'd still love to have a traditional Catskill style stream or western freestone stream with smaller water and fish that readily take dries on a consistent basis somewhere nearby. I love fishing here, but I'd also like some trout streams that have a "wild" feel to them. That's the reason that so many fly anglers here are into smallmouth fishing as well, because they're native to the state and exist in some of the wilder, prettier locales.

I got a fishing story for ya.
I went bass fishing on a small lake one night 2 hours before dusk. The only people on the water were myself, one other boat and a fly fisherman that put in the same time I did. He was fly fishing for bass with a mouse fly in a float tube around the pads. After an hour I worked my way down the outside of the pads around half the small lake while the fly fisherman moved out into deeper water crossing in front of me to hit the other shore. He was casting while he was crossing the lake. It was right at dusk when on his back cast his fly hit the water and BAM he hooked one behind him. As he reeled in excited as hell he started screaming at the top of his lungs. Flailing around, smacking his rod in the water and totally flippin out.
He caught a BAT on the back cast!!! It swooped down and snatched it out of the air.
I was laughin my ass off.
Then as I was going into the ramp the other boat that was on the water said that they spotted a 7lber next to the ramp. The fly guy was right next to me as I was loading up so he decided to cast up on the ramp and drag that mouse down into the water where they said that bass was at. On his third cast he threw the damn mouse 15 feet up the ramp and worked it down and before that mouse hit the water a damn racoon came out of the trees down to the bank and ran off into the woods with it. I started crying I was laughing so hard!!
God that was the funniest thing I ever saw.

ROFL

That's awesome. Bats are a well-known hazard while you're fly fishing. The flyline absolutely freaks them out when you're casting. I think there's a video out there of a guy catching a bat while casting. Here's a parody of it:
http://www.getlostmagazine.com/featu...fish/bats.html

brown raoches work really good too just up stream from whistle bridge, at the hatchery outlet, and around the bend a ways up at the CCC bridge.

Edit: love bennet spring, been going there as long as i can remember. but the one thing that always pisses me off, is the big one that always swims through your legs, but can never catch.

It was NewChief, it really was awesome.
I have had some good stories noodling for flats and catching gar on rope but that time was hilarious.
I'll tell ya the easiest bass I ever caught was a 5 lber I hooked on a jig and pig in the middle of a thick brush pile. I got over the top of it and tried to pull it straight up. When I got it up it shot straight out of the water, threw my lure, flipping in the air, came right back down and gored itself on a sharp stick in the middle of the brush pile just like a marshmallow.

two wildlife, on the same trip? man thats some luck. i'd be freakin out. closest i ever came to something like that, was fishin on the lake i grew up on. a mink or muskrat, got me cornered on a dock. they crawled up through the cat walk while i was out on it fishin. now understand, my parents, for some reason, had instilled a morbid fear of these things in me. not so much with any other hazard that comes with a lake such as water moccasins, or drowning. so i bout shit my pants, yelled at my brother, who was just up the sea wall, and that noise scared them away. i can remember thinking, "that wasn't so bad."

He was freakin out man, screaming like a little girl.
LOL
Then just the look on the guys face when that racoon came down and took his mouse. Priceless.

you talkin about me, or the guy i quoted? cause i wasn't screamin.

No not you the guy in my story. He was screamin' and I probably would have been to.

ya, i probably would have given myself a hernia from laughing too hard. it was pretty funny readin it, i can't imagine what that would have been like being there.

Hey Otter :D Simms G3 Pro Guide in the mail. I had some credit card reward thing that I cashed in so it only cost me $22 from L.L. Bean. So it's February and snowing around here, who cares! Spring WILL show up some time. :)

$22 dollars, damn. Tell you what, I'll give ha $44 for it and pay for shipping. That way you'll double your money.

You can thank me later.

As kind of you as that is.......................no. :hmmm:

Pontoon boat: Have any of you ever owned one. I was thinking about making the investment for fly fishing some of those upper mountain lakes this summer. The problem is, I have never owned one and have no idea if they are worth a hoot.

On a side note, I plan to hang some March Browns over some water at some point this week.

Bwana,

I don't own one, but I know plenty of folks who do. They love them. If you want to talk to some people with personal experience, post your query here and I'm sure you'll get lots of specific testimonials as well as advice on make and model:
http://outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com/zeromain?id=8

Post it in the Main/General forum.

Thanks buddy, will do. :thumb:

By the way, if you end up getting one, you should look into a Scadden Skykomish. They seem to be the preferred craft for most fly anglers. Expensive...but....they have a casting platform on them. That's right. You can stand up and cast on one. That's a huge deal to me, because I really hate casting while sitting down.
Here's a pic:
http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/attac...id=55030&stc=1

Their website is definitely worth checking out. Lots of different models, and they have video of their boats in action.

http://www.unclejohns.com/boat/


im gonna build me one of these, its light,its cheap and its small enough to get in and out of the brush,and would fair better in the shallow creeks and bottoms around here.

That’s pretty cool.
I recently got a boat from my dad. Nothing much, just a little 14’ aluminum v-bottom with a Yamaha 25 horse outboard and a troll’n motor. Perfect little boat for fish’n the mud holes we call “lakes” ‘round here, though.

My 3 year old caught her first fish Sunday.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...2/P1010937.jpg

i can still remember fishing w/ my father at about that age.

goodtimes.

there aint alot of water on the Dry Sac and upper arm of the Finley. And since i am a one man operation a 16ft jon or canoe is alot to lug full of fish and critters.

and beer.

figure it will give me the most stability leaning over the side checking traps and trotlines, being that im fat and kinda weeblewoble.

and for 60$ minus the lumber and particulars im gonna give it a shot over the summer. will post pics.

they're great for shallow water. i spent a couple days in south la swamps fishing in one. i tipped it more than once. not fun.
sec

Do. It sounds like a cool project.

She sure looks proud of herself.
I can’t wait to take my boy fish’n, but he’s just a bit young yet. He’ll be 2 in Aug and I just don’t feel safe take’n him by the water just yet. Next summer hopefully.

sec how broad across the beam was the one you were in?

sorry, couldn't say. one time i was in some thick brush and a shrimp boat came shooting up the canal and didn't see me till it was too late. the wake took me up and over. prolly would have been funny if it happened to someone else.
sec

did you see any that were flat across the aft?

Just simply AWESOM RC. WHat a cutie.

Here's where I'm going in mid June.

www.wolverinelodge.net

They've got HAWWWGGGGS at this place :)

One of my older brothers and two good friends are
fishing four days at this place. Its about a 14 hour drive North of Winnipeg. I'm already
stoked for this. Go and check the pictures out.

This place has had over 1,200 Master angler fish
caught in the last 15 years or so. The outfitter says thats just about 1/3 of what should be reported because most of the anglers that go to this lodge don't send in the Master Angler paper work. The outfitter says he fully expects
all four of us to catch 2 or 3 Master Angler (MA)Size Fish.

In order for a Walleye to be MA, it has to be 28 inch's minimum and the Northern's have to be 41
inch's long. I forget how big the Lake Torut have to be to be a MA.

I thinkI'll bring 12 lb test line on this trip. I think
I'll also change my line every night too :)

Oh hell yeah Mo! You will have to post a shot of that bad boy when it's done. I was goign to head out and try to hang soem line out there tomorrow, but it is goign to snow bother Saturday and Sunday. I am Jones'n to fish so bad it hurts.

Still to much fargin snow around here to get out. I am getting cabin fever and if I can't get out soon and sling some line over the water, I'm going crazy. :( It has been nice during the week and snows on the weekend. :banghead: Has anyone been out and has anyone caught some nice ones?

Our white (sand) bass run has been delayed and screwed up due to all the rain and the cold front, which sucks as that's my primary target this time of year.

I did get out on the Little Red River the other day and caught quite a few trout on a #18 San Juan worm (usually don't fish the worm, but the rains had lots of worms washing into the river from tribs, so I figured it was kosher) before they started generating and ran me off the water. Caught about 15 fish in a couple of hours, the nicest of which was a very healthy, broad shouldered 18" rainbow.

Too bad you can’t come to my little corner of Kansas. The Crappy are spawn’n and if the weather’ll cooperate I’m gonna buy some large shiners and hit’m this weekend.
Figured that if I can find a good submerged brush pile where they’re school’n I’ll try drag’n a headless jig passed’em with my fly rod.
Crappy on a fly rod are a blast. :thumb:

Ok, lets hear some updates. I jsut got home from a week on the road. part of that week took me through Jackson Hole WY and part of it took me through Ennis MT. Both of those palces have FANTASTIC fishing in the area. I was pulling out 20 inch Rainbows out of th eMadison River last night. That is the same river where "A River Runs Through It" was filmed. They are soem serious fighters in that river as well. Every one of them came flying out of the water and gave me a nice tail dance.

I hit the Yellowstone on the way home today, but it was a little dirty from the runoff so not that great. Anyone else nailing any?

I'll let you know sometime Sunday night. The wife and I are headed to Truman this weekend. The warm weather we've had this week should have the crappie ripe 'n' ready! :thumb:

BTW, I transferred my pale ale to the secondary last night and I had a little taste of the sample I took to measure the SG. It wasn't too bad so I put the sample in the freezer to cool it down quickly. Damn, I must say it tasted pretty f***ing good for flat beer. This may be my best batch yet!

Well, the great Crappy hunt of ’06 didn’t turn out so hot.
The theory was sound, it’s the practical application that didn’t work out. Weather shifted on my overnight and the fish just stopped bit’n all together.
Oh well, gonna try again tomorrow morning. Gonna drag the boat out to a local mud hole, what we Kansans affectionately refer to as a “lake”, and try it again.

Anyone know of any decent fishing holes around the KC area? Relatively new here, and don't have a clue where to go.

Went back home (north-central KS), a few weeks ago and hit my old crappie pond..... it was right before a big thunderstorm, and the crappie were going crazy. I caught all I could possible eat, and started throwing them back. What a blast.....

what part of town are you in? Smithville Lake up by the airport has some decent crappie fishing. As does Truman Lake down around Clinton. It's less than an hour away if you live south.

Good timing as well with the hot weather right around the corner. I spent the night at my brothers house in Idaho falls two nights ago and had "one two many tasty cold beer beverages. :shake: Had a head like a bastard rat when I woke up. Thank God I made it to the Madison by yesterday afternoon and I was able to heal myself in the blue water trout stream.

I'm in the Waldo district, couple miles straight south of the Plaza. Not really to far for me to drown a worm or 3.

Thanks for the info, I'll see if I can find em, and let you know if I caught anything......

I need to get brew’n again.

Bump:

The Friday fishing report. How is everyone doing on the water? I'm heading out tomorrow to try my luck again.

I once caught two bass on one hook at the same time. Figure the big one was trying to eat the little one who was trying to eat my bait. I have a picture to prove it. It was pretty cool.

I love to fish and drink beer. Just don't get to do it often enough. Fish that is.

Last Sunday at Truman sucked large as far as crappie fishing went. My wife caught 3 small ones and I caught 1 keeper about 15 minutes before we were ready to leave. That was it. There was a front that came through the night before, before that all the fishing reports looked really good. Just my luck. Also, it was windier than hell and I got sunburnt on top of everthing else. I guess I was too busy not catching fish to bother with putting on sunscreen. :shake:

All in all though, it was still better than any day at work. :thumb:

On a more positive note, a friend invited me to head out to a farm pond last Friday night that was overstocked. The crappie were hitting pretty good so I brought home a nice bag of filets.

We'll be heading back down to Truman for some more crappie huntin' next weekend.

Oh yeah, I bent the hell out of my prop last weekend when the wind blew me up on some rocks, so that's gonna cost me $110 to get fixed. :cuss:

ive been killing the goggle eye and some smallmouth ,waiting for the cats to wake up.

I went a few times during the two weeks I was down at my parents' house for the ordeal with my father, since they live on a lake. The fishing sucked for some reason. I did get into a bunch of crappie right at dusk up against a rip rap retaining wall we have on our property. Caught three in as many casts, then broke my fly off. It was too dark to retie and tye mosquitoes were getting bad. The crappie were really small anyway, so I didn't care.

I'm supposed to go out Sunday. I haven't decided what to fish for yet. Hopefully I can get into some white bass, but more likely I'll be targeting smallies.

It's trout season in the east. My best so far was a bow a little over 20" in NY. In NJ it's all the stockies you want (10"-11") if you put in the time. It's been pretty windy making lake fishing somewhat unappealing (to me anyway). I don't mind cold or heat or rain but very windy days bother the heck out of me.

If a turkey dies tomorrow within 30 yards of me, I'll be testing the largemouth population sat evening or sunday.

My son caught this largemouth out at Lake Ray Roberts last weekend. It's his largest bass so far and he actually landed it on his own.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a2...f/Image005.jpg

He's not in the witness protection program yet, so no need to hide his face. ;)

thats a shiteatin grin if ive ever seen one.

51 days until we leave for this place
[url]www.wolverinelodge.net

1,220 hours until I pickup my buddy south of
Ottumwa and head north. 15 hour drive north of Winnipeg,Manitoba.

It was 70 degree's last week and its now snowing.
The Ice is thawing on the edges of the lake and we
could fish in the river today. The warmer the water after ice thaw, the more they fight.

I fish for anything that'll bite my line in the Keys. And brother, lotsa stuff will bite a line in the keys. Wish I was there right now...

The wife and I just got back from just east of Forsyth. We went panfishing (nothing like a mess of fried bluegill with hushpuppies and fries). Got some but was a bit disappointing. The water is way down from normal. We got some but not nearly as many or as big as can reasonably be expected from there. That's OK though...in the morning we will be going to the Gasconade to a hole we know of up by Competition. Bluegill and Goggleye out the wazoo. Soon will be going to Taneycomo to limit out on rainbows and maybe get a few browns as well. I have my best luck there on ultralight and Powerbait eggs (Orange, Yellow or Red). I saw a beginners flyfishing kit in the store today and she had to restrain me. Always wanted to try that......

caught a 2 lb crappie at james a reed a week ago. caught him on my lil 5' spinner, he was pullin like a bass, rod all bent over and shit. funny as hell. I gave him to my bro for his table. only decent fish of the day.

Look at this 3.4 crappie caught at Truman last week. That sucker is HUUUGE!

http://www.osagebluff.com/albums/2006/3-4lbcrappie.jpg











http://www.osagebluff.com/fishrpt.htm

cool

[QUOTE=Dartgod]Look at this 3.4 crappie caught at Truman last week. That sucker is HUUUGE!

http://www.osagebluff.com/albums/2006/3-4lbcrappie.jpg











http://www.osagebluff.com/fishrpt.htm[/QUOTE]

Dang! That is a gawjus Crappie. I drive by Truman twice a day and see all the people crappie fishing and am envious.

that is a nice fish.

I went fishing once; the fish swam right up to me with bibs tied around their necks and licking their chops. I walked away with no bait and no fish. :shake:

A 3 and half pound crappie. As Harry Carry used to say HOLY COW....

Now this is slick! Just type in the lake you want to fish at and the state and you can get a complete map of the area and zoom in or out. Here's an example.

http://mapserver.maptech.com/api/Wat...latlontype=DMS


BTW: I think I am going after bass this afternoon. :) Either that, or I may drive up and see if there has been a hatch up on the upper Stillwater river.

My fishing trips continue to suck. I don't know what's going on with me, but I'm in a major slump. Went out last Sunday for smallmouth, and I caught one dink. I hope to get on the lake tonight as the bass are in spawn mode. Hopefully stripping some streamers into their beds will get me some action.

I seem to go through that every year myself. Hang in there and the action will pick up. If it doesn't, you can always break out the "dupont lure" or the welder. :eek:

Weather’s had’em screwed up ‘round here, we’re just now get’n rains like you’d expect from Kansas in April.
Had some friends that went to Grand Lake in Oklahoma a couple of weekends ago snag’n for spoonbill and since I didn’t hear back from’em I’m assume’n they didn’t catch anything. Without the cold water come’n downstream to trigger their spawn, I’d doubt they were move’n much.
By contrast though, had a buddy pull a 61# flathead out of the Neosho River just outside C-Town last weekend. With the water rise’n from the rain we’re get’n I think they’ll be feed’n and may try it with him this weekend.

Sunday Night my brother and I took my nephew and our friend's 3 year old(who broke his arm and has a cast to the shoulder) fishing for the last hour of daylight sunday.

They were slaying bluegill and the occasional bass with snoopy poles and worms.

The water began to boil on occasion and we wondered what it was....and the idea was confirmed. The 3 year old hooked into a 6lb channel...my brother had to winch it in with a snoopy rod and light test since the boy had 1 arm...and was 3. The line broke at the shoreline but I got the tail.

We no more than had it dry and my nephew found himself in the same predicament. After 5 minutes of smoking plastic gears, whining rod and laughing boy....we landed him(He did it, I held the rod steady) a 5lb channel.

Those 2 now have a fine photo for their man-book.

I'll bet it wasn't a seven canner.

Took my son to Bennett Spring for Spring Break to trout fish. We caught over 100 in 2 1/2 days.
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d1...2/P1010974.jpg

ROFL I’ll bet that was a blast. :thumb:

That's great! ROFL