tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19592942811300016932024-02-19T01:35:42.946-06:00My World on the Fly"My World on the Fly" depicts a collection of experiences deriving from my many attempts to slow down an otherwise fast-paced life through the art of fly fishing.Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-24247728856327085572012-01-05T09:58:00.003-06:002012-01-05T16:47:25.341-06:00The Best Part of Duck SeasonMuch to my dismay, Duck season ended this past Tuesday in the middle zone of Missouri. It was a strange season this year. Things started with a bang but ended with a whimper. We were "covered up," as they say, in early November but with mild weather and a delayed migration December slowed down significantly as the ducks that were here became educated. My focus this year, however, was not wing-shooting. It was the newest addition to the McCarty family, my baby girl Sage.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Kh16iVyD8agIv_81l7rMD4lwzTe3jVQo0G2U86rxogn8MpiqUGKQDAE_kJM8JcOV-5Zi17OGSSxXCUDi3cQrT1Dyf8I0aiNuFPd-kxzMqiabKVKPvLcfNPtM15EDU9S_vRrsmEoh5DM/s1600/Sage+Sun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="610" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Kh16iVyD8agIv_81l7rMD4lwzTe3jVQo0G2U86rxogn8MpiqUGKQDAE_kJM8JcOV-5Zi17OGSSxXCUDi3cQrT1Dyf8I0aiNuFPd-kxzMqiabKVKPvLcfNPtM15EDU9S_vRrsmEoh5DM/s640/Sage+Sun.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Sage was the highlight of 2011 for me, second only to the news that Sara and I are expecting a little hunter / fisherman this Spring--yes it's a boy!! My little girl, on the other hand, is an English Cream Golden Retriever that Sara and I found last March at a breeder just outside of Kansas City, MO. From the moment we picked her up, Sage has been at my side as much as possible.<br />
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This is what she looked like when we picked her up. Doesn't she look like the biggest bad ass of the litter?<br />
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</div>These are her parents, both canine and human. Daddy dog comes from a long line of tracking dogs so I figured, if nothing else, Sage will have a good nose.<br />
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Sage is truly my best friend. She with me on all my outdoor adventures.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">She fishes: </div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Fresh water and salt:</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx-EJRmBaiIQ_eVTuzvgzvGo0NhWO2b1sSMNr2VchIV-87Wbcw57n3rvsdrhel6H2v-oWFZ1naFhh43xAFjtkO8uLcSo8FtEkKwzMyyHLQ0ihNvYXU2YLaTXUDxVOFHDknMcvxQNKhAg/s1600/Salt+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="474" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinx-EJRmBaiIQ_eVTuzvgzvGo0NhWO2b1sSMNr2VchIV-87Wbcw57n3rvsdrhel6H2v-oWFZ1naFhh43xAFjtkO8uLcSo8FtEkKwzMyyHLQ0ihNvYXU2YLaTXUDxVOFHDknMcvxQNKhAg/s640/Salt+2.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div align="center">She canoes:</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center"><img border="0" height="640" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdxqvcRBUYqmnfQlSSIIRTJMWOfZeiivWOyEqq_MstOwBv9rXJ5SwgQkZb5SEB0HujEL8-aiGoSgq9KVAKJMkHBYKzCZC2AZ_DwVJvjAV9Fcfz1_pEakVCzU2lVGZpq1r3XydrfsBMIg/s640/IMGP0764.JPG" width="426" /></div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div align="center">And of course, she hunts:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Teaching Sage to hunt is an ongoing and difficult challenge from a training perspective, but it's also the most rewarding. Sara and I decided from the get-go that Sage was going to be a house dog and that we were not going to send her off to be trained. That meant the onus was on me to get her ready for duck season. I had only a few months as we picked her up in late March 2011 and our season starts in early November, not to mention dove season in September (and early teal season). </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I got started by calling a dog-training, duck-hunting, trout-guiding, Smokey Mountain-dwellin', bad ass friend of mine who told me to read Richard Wolters' "Water Dog." The book was, and continues to be, a great reference, but having Steve on call for my many, many questions that have come up along the way has been invaluable. Seriously, if want to have your dog trained or get into some really big browns down in TN, I highly recommend Steve Sylvis (<a href="http://www.xtremetrout.com/">http://www.xtremetrout.com/</a>). He's truly a great guy. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Per Richard Wolters, Sage and I started with the basics--sit, stay, come, heel, down--she caught on pretty quickly. We also began playing fetch at a very early age. For example, here's Sage with her first Greenhead:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmJOtmCRS82MD1bDUglUJjiWyk7eJx9heVafrVGA9uvSQWfVfogTlLxd30heGWkInbfXCT_M5Z2NUR7fGMCXTSQLMMXXbKfvonogAEUTuNUAdLgxnCzKEwKcwl4FGRUvU9K3jqKX1tqs/s1600/Sage+Duck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMmJOtmCRS82MD1bDUglUJjiWyk7eJx9heVafrVGA9uvSQWfVfogTlLxd30heGWkInbfXCT_M5Z2NUR7fGMCXTSQLMMXXbKfvonogAEUTuNUAdLgxnCzKEwKcwl4FGRUvU9K3jqKX1tqs/s640/Sage+Duck.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>As she progressed, we swapped out voice commands for a whistle. She sits well on the whistle but we're still working on the other commands. <br />
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Another very difficult chore was getting Sage used to shooting. Per Steve, I learned that Goldens are much "softer" than Labs due to years of breeding them as house dogs and not working dogs. They are much more timid about new things and have a tendency to rely on their handlers to a much greater degree. I learned this lesson on an early season teal hunt with two buddies, one 10 month old lab, and my little 5 month old Sage. The hunt went like this. We knew a pack of 50 or so teal were enjoying a nice little slough just off the river. The plan was to walk in intentionally spooking the birds with the hope that they would come back. The plan worked. We as we snuck in, the pack of blue-wings picked up almost immediately and began to circle the slough. After a few passes, they eventually dropped low enough for a quality shot and we opened fire. The first volley wasn't so bad. We dropped two ducks, shooting only twice. The lab went bounding for the first bird and, with an extremely proud father watching, my baby went out after the second bird. As the dogs were in the field, however, the second waive of birds came flying over our heads and we cut lose again, this time each emptying our guns. We ended up dropping three more birds but the second round of 9 shots really spooked my little girl. Despite her being in a state of panic from all the shots and not knowing what to do with three more birds on the water, little Sage brought back the first duck of her life after quite a bit of coaxing and praise. I was the proudest father ever, but Sage was not so happy. Back at my side, my little girl let me know how nervous she was from all the loud noises and confusion by jumping up on me, trembling and whimpering with a look of "Dad, get me the f*ck out of here." The lab of course was not phased at all and was running around the field in circles like a little kid that had just chugged 5 Mountain Dews. While very proud of my girl , I was devastated thinking she would never want to be around guns again. <br />
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On the way home from the hunt, I had a lengthy discussion with Steve and we discussed the temperment of Goldens versus Labs and how I could teach Sage to associate the blast of the shotgun with a successful retrieve and praise, not fear. The plan going forward was simply to be patient and let Sage dictate the hunt. I was out there for her, not me. I felt like I should have known that from the start.<br />
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For the rest of early teal season, when Sage and I went out, we simply watched birds with no shooting. Sage began to learn that "watch 'em" meant birds are in the sky and she'd look up. Here's a shot of Sage intently focused on a pack of teal that buzzed by us several times:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AjxcIjhkF1bBNCUP5yl2FL5opSs-9cbHS7X3fATbmOk2mlzrzzZg2Mwdgm3huz1U7NJLFrcgsDQ1NZ4g1O_bkedzpGPs4EmQHMq6aGzByek8INumBzkh1zvu3PN_Hbws5vp8H1XeaU0/s1600/Sage.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5AjxcIjhkF1bBNCUP5yl2FL5opSs-9cbHS7X3fATbmOk2mlzrzzZg2Mwdgm3huz1U7NJLFrcgsDQ1NZ4g1O_bkedzpGPs4EmQHMq6aGzByek8INumBzkh1zvu3PN_Hbws5vp8H1XeaU0/s640/Sage.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
I think all of our recon missions without firing shots really helped Sage settle down in the field. I also think "watch 'em" has really helped Sage focus on the sky when we're hunting. Several times this season, Sage spotted birds before me which led to a successful retrieve. This is Sage saying "pay attention Dad!"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDr5rZKzuUK7fS1lFgrQECi_OzcS2Av9xozOV-M_fR49bKpoUnojxSW8KKSsCxR6EDgg83aBp61uemaNUvVXP_tIjJrBihHkTGUhQMqo879lqD61h7lQ9qhT9cX7fHUL0-ejZqaqfrih0/s1600/Looking+up.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDr5rZKzuUK7fS1lFgrQECi_OzcS2Av9xozOV-M_fR49bKpoUnojxSW8KKSsCxR6EDgg83aBp61uemaNUvVXP_tIjJrBihHkTGUhQMqo879lqD61h7lQ9qhT9cX7fHUL0-ejZqaqfrih0/s640/Looking+up.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Those first few hunts after "the teal incident" were difficult for me because I don't get to hunt as much as I would like and when I'm out there, like anyone else, I like shooting. Being patient, however, and only shooting when I knew the bird would fall where Sage could see it and retrieve it really taught me a lot about duck hunting (i.e. you tend to kill a lot more birds when you're patient). This year I shot several doubles and my first triple ever. While Sage was not quite ready to start retrieving triples, it wouldn't have happened without her at my side. My patience also allowed my baby dog to get over her fear of the shotgun blast. Now, every time she hears a shot, her ears perk up, her tail starts wagging, and she starts scanning the horizon for falling birds. She loves it!<br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This season I watched my 9-10 month old Sage retrieve 15 ducks. While she found and played with several more, she actually brought 15 back to her daddy in the blind. Now I know this is probably nothing compared to a dog that gets sent off to be trained, but I couldn't be happier with our progress nor prouder of my puppy. That said, we have a lot of work to do and I'm looking forward to it. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Candidly, I really don't care if we get better from here, although I know Sage could be awesome if I put in the time. Really, I just like hanging out with her and taking her with me to the woods, the river, the beach, or the blind. I think Steve put it best when he asked me: "Look man, what is it you're looking for? Do you want a field-trial master champion or do you want a dog that will hang out with you, pick up a duck for you, and sit at your side and bark at you when your indicator goes down?" </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I think the answer is obvious.</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOUuz47nrl4Ngom-ndrUATOr-FI-_tmVPUajTKwiOyLjGJJGllxUHOZse_sgvbsfVcl_Az4JNQk4K0dD8hFDsf7Jl8LpNJBU0ZESCIG5SV2d8_RVSUYGaqDyzyFeF8WAahTyfemts4_8/s1600/Salt+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" rea="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNOUuz47nrl4Ngom-ndrUATOr-FI-_tmVPUajTKwiOyLjGJJGllxUHOZse_sgvbsfVcl_Az4JNQk4K0dD8hFDsf7Jl8LpNJBU0ZESCIG5SV2d8_RVSUYGaqDyzyFeF8WAahTyfemts4_8/s640/Salt+3.JPG" width="510" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div></div>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-88717294108133687322011-06-24T07:58:00.002-05:002011-06-29T15:38:14.694-05:00Pooning 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My fifth year at "Location X" was a good one. Two days on the water, seven fish to the boat and a few more took to the skies. Pictures speak louder than words (and there's just way too much to say about it).</div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">We wait as the sun rises....</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxFbi0EdKNKqxdxyE9yAV5m9X24bFmIy0uFSUbYXA9l08FwRDZ3y5m3117iwAFuFuEREGrOXNWmO4_L9f62fgQIume57PGJ9KqJjBF34w89e_y-OA7NaeZzDoBzTfPw6W-Jhohyphenhypheny64bE/s1600/IMG_2935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtxFbi0EdKNKqxdxyE9yAV5m9X24bFmIy0uFSUbYXA9l08FwRDZ3y5m3117iwAFuFuEREGrOXNWmO4_L9f62fgQIume57PGJ9KqJjBF34w89e_y-OA7NaeZzDoBzTfPw6W-Jhohyphenhypheny64bE/s640/IMG_2935.JPG" width="411" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Fish in sight. 1 o'clock. Cast!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9chHDndIo66aOCP3lm_rD6p6V9dWTHQrrc6XUKw5Vkk0npti-OHMx21NeDoSDoThYrSDib55HXOUojvaKDFQmqPyOyVWH-E86aZV17d5x9cEVvDJOibYW7U-XIpVbKSl0IdSaOxDTAt0/s1600/IMG_3259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9chHDndIo66aOCP3lm_rD6p6V9dWTHQrrc6XUKw5Vkk0npti-OHMx21NeDoSDoThYrSDib55HXOUojvaKDFQmqPyOyVWH-E86aZV17d5x9cEVvDJOibYW7U-XIpVbKSl0IdSaOxDTAt0/s640/IMG_3259.JPG" width="398" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Good shot. Strip, strip, strip.......</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhFDqmcx9iKWGEJavwKMlb1nW8yeIeYeFnXechjLq-5Szh7p2ZJYKxL68qP04JsEd-MwE5czUoMJtbTBv5nFR_p-vZ47amjKrfAvC_ito5XzAovtMPURE_FpOs4mVEY7NJ835JEdpIUE/s1600/IMG_3262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIhFDqmcx9iKWGEJavwKMlb1nW8yeIeYeFnXechjLq-5Szh7p2ZJYKxL68qP04JsEd-MwE5czUoMJtbTBv5nFR_p-vZ47amjKrfAvC_ito5XzAovtMPURE_FpOs4mVEY7NJ835JEdpIUE/s640/IMG_3262.JPG" width="410" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">BANG! Fish on!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCDOr0LfTN-1v1wQtMJmpiCqZaF6N7vsVG_ghQS5sqEZ2Oggy6Hkruor7nyVHZ483WpKoQrM3Rxv6kcwitr_VattoNfRjOVi671X2Y2WYIY78cJpvTSVyQWUzA9EzFOLLVVZnfB_fXuU/s1600/IMG_3062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpCDOr0LfTN-1v1wQtMJmpiCqZaF6N7vsVG_ghQS5sqEZ2Oggy6Hkruor7nyVHZ483WpKoQrM3Rxv6kcwitr_VattoNfRjOVi671X2Y2WYIY78cJpvTSVyQWUzA9EzFOLLVVZnfB_fXuU/s640/IMG_3062.JPG" width="488" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWGFXrY6YyXIQh9G9mao8WA5cq2bd-HSD9yn12y8dGow6vnHhe1TVzxxwy81D70YIgXt-hK09yqGMnSDr0cNGtY6DKOq_7neiLDCreIcnvjYISf9KCfJqOtUbTczTA0nW5wdESi9pEBU/s1600/IMG_3046.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCWGFXrY6YyXIQh9G9mao8WA5cq2bd-HSD9yn12y8dGow6vnHhe1TVzxxwy81D70YIgXt-hK09yqGMnSDr0cNGtY6DKOq_7neiLDCreIcnvjYISf9KCfJqOtUbTczTA0nW5wdESi9pEBU/s640/IMG_3046.JPG" width="618" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0Ua-5ZhuFf0z-nI3dGZI0prxfAbb2Svou2jR1emdxvhU47oXHYjyiS7uMKJYFEJe391pjbSAOXEJs14XdDcvp97GThTZLNFvhmhGsTzUuN3dxgicW7nkSP5injmqx4zFnR2_tXhBMgI/s1600/IMG_2985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="594" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV0Ua-5ZhuFf0z-nI3dGZI0prxfAbb2Svou2jR1emdxvhU47oXHYjyiS7uMKJYFEJe391pjbSAOXEJs14XdDcvp97GThTZLNFvhmhGsTzUuN3dxgicW7nkSP5injmqx4zFnR2_tXhBMgI/s640/IMG_2985.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YIkU-U08yoK5NoA66-rvyk44OKxixR_BM4ccbCF6ClbEcXtee5vDdBnNL-A6oklOwbmzg0UDCS9DXbH6ZO7gFCfX9o4kPDQLHiG_YrmbzrDrKlbettt0AZt8wNNrg-cX5vQK8DWnQY8/s1600/IMG_3188.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1YIkU-U08yoK5NoA66-rvyk44OKxixR_BM4ccbCF6ClbEcXtee5vDdBnNL-A6oklOwbmzg0UDCS9DXbH6ZO7gFCfX9o4kPDQLHiG_YrmbzrDrKlbettt0AZt8wNNrg-cX5vQK8DWnQY8/s640/IMG_3188.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Nice little girl. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXZIPc-2Yx3L74zlhNwqkR4_QMa9V_E0-JmUT25ncLgPaP_BIiWTo6jPzR9K4QPEJpW_ayyDhxm72EzBxNKiHFOAXec2exK2E9DCfbSMfwU7QEj6WU93CGlcHZBCeFrvvjJoYSH2V8Y4/s1600/IMG_3222.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpXZIPc-2Yx3L74zlhNwqkR4_QMa9V_E0-JmUT25ncLgPaP_BIiWTo6jPzR9K4QPEJpW_ayyDhxm72EzBxNKiHFOAXec2exK2E9DCfbSMfwU7QEj6WU93CGlcHZBCeFrvvjJoYSH2V8Y4/s400/IMG_3222.JPG" width="213" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipukETscNhPJCNKcqIylaoEkS2x4rkaJvA4VbzqLTyDj0kudUlkhOK20p217Jq3FGNBAofHxiSoJui0zEx7KQX8ql-FuBuiB-S_hPsWfKNJL1tuZZ5tY-oFd3bQ3rDDfIg2tluoEjspyo/s1600/IMG_3200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipukETscNhPJCNKcqIylaoEkS2x4rkaJvA4VbzqLTyDj0kudUlkhOK20p217Jq3FGNBAofHxiSoJui0zEx7KQX8ql-FuBuiB-S_hPsWfKNJL1tuZZ5tY-oFd3bQ3rDDfIg2tluoEjspyo/s400/IMG_3200.JPG" width="266" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYGTIacds9oYR3N0CwankDubGccSOEn1vnFddM0d26E9-jaLanaZg9VCvwnLsHcOHpwahw5jK2twKujaCSKfZxWAgXYisawYLFx_OAZ79Ih7XPBc2gCuMy_TwrZD8YCGtNL85sBUAxBU/s1600/IMG_3228.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="476" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeYGTIacds9oYR3N0CwankDubGccSOEn1vnFddM0d26E9-jaLanaZg9VCvwnLsHcOHpwahw5jK2twKujaCSKfZxWAgXYisawYLFx_OAZ79Ih7XPBc2gCuMy_TwrZD8YCGtNL85sBUAxBU/s640/IMG_3228.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">On the board!!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDlJyESCST4opPvbob11MZoIhJxC_1rV26O1tf0yIg4lV7dcmbFWAj4RWJYWBzG69aoBHjFvZmF2noi9TJ0HaCPNWf9eu7CrS2HDp76Ne9YPceGAGIva7afh2aCQuyZB004fgm39Cec4/s1600/IMG_3235.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUDlJyESCST4opPvbob11MZoIhJxC_1rV26O1tf0yIg4lV7dcmbFWAj4RWJYWBzG69aoBHjFvZmF2noi9TJ0HaCPNWf9eu7CrS2HDp76Ne9YPceGAGIva7afh2aCQuyZB004fgm39Cec4/s640/IMG_3235.JPG" width="382" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">This mamma was a little bigger.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BXO9VYoHNM0dbrvDSRCKEyQSKay-uzwOyMfnPstJ7VjxDQB-hNWHm2_jQXJ_80fketbHcvmRIHPKhztsOmAAOgDBHFj_81FlrvO0OcUo0eBzJoIgA-_EApEH_o8VuZsmStlk0O7zA_c/s1600/IMG_3277.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3BXO9VYoHNM0dbrvDSRCKEyQSKay-uzwOyMfnPstJ7VjxDQB-hNWHm2_jQXJ_80fketbHcvmRIHPKhztsOmAAOgDBHFj_81FlrvO0OcUo0eBzJoIgA-_EApEH_o8VuZsmStlk0O7zA_c/s640/IMG_3277.JPG" width="532" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8G-0TFUw4Mf9o2OsUbVWjHhKmsIg8UAn_K2dAmama1lDjY2ejNynhhh3RoRwywHKc4DI0pWjhPqYn6gSUFhF6bq4pB17_E-nqgIgyhyphenhyphenK6GsuvEptCunfWu0VQqrNuO67QLtsdf0tXOA/s1600/IMG_3278.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt8G-0TFUw4Mf9o2OsUbVWjHhKmsIg8UAn_K2dAmama1lDjY2ejNynhhh3RoRwywHKc4DI0pWjhPqYn6gSUFhF6bq4pB17_E-nqgIgyhyphenhyphenK6GsuvEptCunfWu0VQqrNuO67QLtsdf0tXOA/s640/IMG_3278.JPG" width="550" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdFfAgnsAT00bMB4NhQ3oIUUmnjlh_uW9pu6cXOwNc88Grz7eWSWWuWYpyD_lthmRkEV8tLvkquuFyV5YQXoZmx_ewBgEcp9D8Od0JKL7e47JtGicQePADoccKj73sWAkg3aAERIj28s/s1600/IMG_3279+0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="622" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdFfAgnsAT00bMB4NhQ3oIUUmnjlh_uW9pu6cXOwNc88Grz7eWSWWuWYpyD_lthmRkEV8tLvkquuFyV5YQXoZmx_ewBgEcp9D8Od0JKL7e47JtGicQePADoccKj73sWAkg3aAERIj28s/s640/IMG_3279+0.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMF7jbnPxiFpuG3JAQPT4vpik22sEPhdXYe1RYlunYFgskl4czEVb-dj2d6KnENvWbCSN0ggW1Qmdnfcw13mHYwrLA3lljeNFu0jOh_u6hmMyXao1DCGEqq-30wUii-XCvglwU65ABFE/s1600/IMG_3282.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikMF7jbnPxiFpuG3JAQPT4vpik22sEPhdXYe1RYlunYFgskl4czEVb-dj2d6KnENvWbCSN0ggW1Qmdnfcw13mHYwrLA3lljeNFu0jOh_u6hmMyXao1DCGEqq-30wUii-XCvglwU65ABFE/s640/IMG_3282.JPG" width="436" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LKFFFYModDLc6JaSRk9sJEel1rSn45cY7vsv_b5pa3G1nLH4AAqqAUnHvAXNPT63moUrmmEweW74uA9aeVE6r07sMejm8r6DqnG2SrpWB6NDlZ7OXAhoMm7aptEq0NWlEtwHl6eNJrA/s1600/IMG_3283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3LKFFFYModDLc6JaSRk9sJEel1rSn45cY7vsv_b5pa3G1nLH4AAqqAUnHvAXNPT63moUrmmEweW74uA9aeVE6r07sMejm8r6DqnG2SrpWB6NDlZ7OXAhoMm7aptEq0NWlEtwHl6eNJrA/s640/IMG_3283.JPG" width="426" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNR4H0FSsxxuV8JsG9o4lWfFHGC4LPjM2VK0prW5B2JmsZyMDsV5bnac0ukfx2YntuDJQrO_zWYtv0zycFUTbGA2tXup8caJrRg8xicfXVISNGVWR8btsqZoZc7bgqYLzruH_o1FR4yxo/s1600/IMG_3284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNR4H0FSsxxuV8JsG9o4lWfFHGC4LPjM2VK0prW5B2JmsZyMDsV5bnac0ukfx2YntuDJQrO_zWYtv0zycFUTbGA2tXup8caJrRg8xicfXVISNGVWR8btsqZoZc7bgqYLzruH_o1FR4yxo/s640/IMG_3284.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLsFPdp8JLymwXbLsUcLExSY9IVEp_S3U4Sm_Dus-nFxMICnCl1H8pgPpTlSExWII3Hsj-MXNHH_HuT8VB4HPDPV4xFPOKMg3-pa__i2nDP7YspYq3MpI6oKUnkSOYzqe8b2V4uUdBRpo/s1600/IMG_3285.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLsFPdp8JLymwXbLsUcLExSY9IVEp_S3U4Sm_Dus-nFxMICnCl1H8pgPpTlSExWII3Hsj-MXNHH_HuT8VB4HPDPV4xFPOKMg3-pa__i2nDP7YspYq3MpI6oKUnkSOYzqe8b2V4uUdBRpo/s640/IMG_3285.JPG" width="580" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlYRJGrO2iY_N4_0bGnHqv-SvfnAwJi_GEXGMqG-NwZZ0QtZybQl_u6ZId_wkOsDB5KL1zwxJLLlbz5oBRJDyVaricuK10P_ZNZ9OekCCWttkRtFfZkS8WU0R8xeLmkZwX5jzv8f6Z38/s1600/IMG_3286.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="398" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlYRJGrO2iY_N4_0bGnHqv-SvfnAwJi_GEXGMqG-NwZZ0QtZybQl_u6ZId_wkOsDB5KL1zwxJLLlbz5oBRJDyVaricuK10P_ZNZ9OekCCWttkRtFfZkS8WU0R8xeLmkZwX5jzv8f6Z38/s640/IMG_3286.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, after a hard fought battle, she won right at the boat. </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYt3VGhBGLUt8e3b2Rakaby-_sAhcOKXCIDYzw7SNVWxwHgad8ADUOMyl3_8MT2tctje6wcMeWchJYA6gh1_G63U8tOXIxVUn7nU-72L09HW42tT8c9TtQeVybc08OxHmfMRgfCkk8Hk/s1600/IMG_3302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="610" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpYt3VGhBGLUt8e3b2Rakaby-_sAhcOKXCIDYzw7SNVWxwHgad8ADUOMyl3_8MT2tctje6wcMeWchJYA6gh1_G63U8tOXIxVUn7nU-72L09HW42tT8c9TtQeVybc08OxHmfMRgfCkk8Hk/s640/IMG_3302.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Fortunately for me, they kept coming. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56eXhQzH6wwJqkBlWyzHl_1aQCpEA06wF7tqyAI4WV8XUELOTU5BO-kv1sMkEY0P1IW-Bnej04iALHDDF_VtVXGpf6kP-OnV8RWv5tzNsEIXb-QHkgVuq-y-m0MidJw-zCEDCfa39sUg/s1600/IMG_3313.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56eXhQzH6wwJqkBlWyzHl_1aQCpEA06wF7tqyAI4WV8XUELOTU5BO-kv1sMkEY0P1IW-Bnej04iALHDDF_VtVXGpf6kP-OnV8RWv5tzNsEIXb-QHkgVuq-y-m0MidJw-zCEDCfa39sUg/s640/IMG_3313.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qpqf0Ika4bQKt4M87RD5kHxYB2rtc90B7aHsNi3jrxlYCImfW4G12CmE69FJ2RjU3dKaFZAod9q3zRxP3NjkXxu_hTii7lSj6kQrb2uYgBFUSuDl2zBDaPuJ1kUzSrKQGL0O3UckJLc/s1600/IMG_2961.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-qpqf0Ika4bQKt4M87RD5kHxYB2rtc90B7aHsNi3jrxlYCImfW4G12CmE69FJ2RjU3dKaFZAod9q3zRxP3NjkXxu_hTii7lSj6kQrb2uYgBFUSuDl2zBDaPuJ1kUzSrKQGL0O3UckJLc/s640/IMG_2961.JPG" width="434" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKKryScxAJZrSg3NAeiXHOTXTe1tJ6zplCm3q45BwelcmHmboN0VaEGBoHw5qG7XITcVIVAgfVnU3YzVG06Z798JGZNPWyBrF2i3w9NYS06cGGIZA86YfGIGKU4nrsaEMs0lOWnEErCI/s1600/IMG_2973.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="522" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicKKryScxAJZrSg3NAeiXHOTXTe1tJ6zplCm3q45BwelcmHmboN0VaEGBoHw5qG7XITcVIVAgfVnU3YzVG06Z798JGZNPWyBrF2i3w9NYS06cGGIZA86YfGIGKU4nrsaEMs0lOWnEErCI/s640/IMG_2973.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIIe0v4INUX80S6Nrdrzk95MWMziiuAaLZSPiE01lviy6u8Z-cdeFGbaEzGw7pmlFRptfCFguJ83emf2P91niELDaInVlKHNK7380IV8VuvtyurWgNVWuHf9-yDcYbF4iw2G41FtvqCE/s1600/IMG_2984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisIIe0v4INUX80S6Nrdrzk95MWMziiuAaLZSPiE01lviy6u8Z-cdeFGbaEzGw7pmlFRptfCFguJ83emf2P91niELDaInVlKHNK7380IV8VuvtyurWgNVWuHf9-yDcYbF4iw2G41FtvqCE/s640/IMG_2984.JPG" width="347" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqfWiuJcxIktUq04zSXShrDSthccbVgCBRA2cESQYepdPeGW58Eq5Tj48pWfPsuwOgACLU56MN5rQmxuV18MRlMjJ_N-nGLNzUjzxM1SmPDnrxQrNhf0OBHK0K3MbD7ySxOfBmZkYArs/s1600/IMG_3318.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="425" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaqfWiuJcxIktUq04zSXShrDSthccbVgCBRA2cESQYepdPeGW58Eq5Tj48pWfPsuwOgACLU56MN5rQmxuV18MRlMjJ_N-nGLNzUjzxM1SmPDnrxQrNhf0OBHK0K3MbD7ySxOfBmZkYArs/s640/IMG_3318.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Last fish of the trip broke my rod. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUguJSEXwE3QxP4vVldnaD6sCe3iQl9xkS9MRNkcCN6rH0QM40FkiJfInPxV2nQ-dis_uhDbQwc7mrRzCOv5xBhZpw-kKsueguDGE3Q_cOkbxZ28nYN0PFXsnrRXzllZIKo7QwUc2aa-c/s1600/IMG_3323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="540" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUguJSEXwE3QxP4vVldnaD6sCe3iQl9xkS9MRNkcCN6rH0QM40FkiJfInPxV2nQ-dis_uhDbQwc7mrRzCOv5xBhZpw-kKsueguDGE3Q_cOkbxZ28nYN0PFXsnrRXzllZIKo7QwUc2aa-c/s640/IMG_3323.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIBp-yXWEUBZhK7P_pujE6nyUsaNiuJ2OxOwS2hGteUCMGwG4Hfk9muBvTsZsmrl-qAuQmCm2EwHzYUGqTa169dU1adeUqJSFWWMwqGvyruxOEtrWeByKE41C3GhTlpx7VpYKrPyIr_8/s1600/IMG_3388.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyIBp-yXWEUBZhK7P_pujE6nyUsaNiuJ2OxOwS2hGteUCMGwG4Hfk9muBvTsZsmrl-qAuQmCm2EwHzYUGqTa169dU1adeUqJSFWWMwqGvyruxOEtrWeByKE41C3GhTlpx7VpYKrPyIr_8/s640/IMG_3388.JPG" width="338" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyfH7lEkWwHlXsqO3Tz8JTwUUTlNAl9bzBA-vc044yWQ9fTtMIj7dLTkqGRbJB-iJC3EoLuSI0UN-Z71JwWHatMMDYQIUNYjYqRrYGr9Du2Z41sODjvX82mmAcdldKyncAJ728DA5kTKM/s1600/IMG_3397.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyfH7lEkWwHlXsqO3Tz8JTwUUTlNAl9bzBA-vc044yWQ9fTtMIj7dLTkqGRbJB-iJC3EoLuSI0UN-Z71JwWHatMMDYQIUNYjYqRrYGr9Du2Z41sODjvX82mmAcdldKyncAJ728DA5kTKM/s640/IMG_3397.JPG" width="588" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrEImuZR-yyocA0sxcF03qRxGPF3PHvEH7gPcejgAy2Dq2ZiNLTUPuJ14XdEWtHHB_ehSdsfulQBiJYT576LUWSGZci9TF6pKKf-5cnzzRvWJhOPxhrxnBizt32tusDt5ylDIqCGwg9Q/s1600/IMG_3168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrrEImuZR-yyocA0sxcF03qRxGPF3PHvEH7gPcejgAy2Dq2ZiNLTUPuJ14XdEWtHHB_ehSdsfulQBiJYT576LUWSGZci9TF6pKKf-5cnzzRvWJhOPxhrxnBizt32tusDt5ylDIqCGwg9Q/s640/IMG_3168.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A nice way to end the trip. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LFkBXutFrZ-B9duHghTnqxqV4hom3UdhEtil0xGk_mLynvIpUHDBmKzHta380Wd0J10l3RTjY-lNTkKxRbmvn9IDIaGP_Weg0ta4B3rA-4DRdGSNac9oA_l_ztVZ0npknYkZ_oClfJA/s1600/IMG_3467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="524" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LFkBXutFrZ-B9duHghTnqxqV4hom3UdhEtil0xGk_mLynvIpUHDBmKzHta380Wd0J10l3RTjY-lNTkKxRbmvn9IDIaGP_Weg0ta4B3rA-4DRdGSNac9oA_l_ztVZ0npknYkZ_oClfJA/s640/IMG_3467.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">AND I CAN'T FORGET....</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Special thanks to my photographer. </div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLLEYMWiyUwk3Lw3VsGbbVDijVys8uVhnfJ8BiELj_c6ArVXpsRXPcuJv_XwsyI6jS601wI1EbhcReq_23JGCWpXTUrkOSNVK0GZySof-jYjO4fP_UUUheyVYE4M0bX25hXEc4FJhu0c/s1600/IMG_3025.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" i$="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKLLEYMWiyUwk3Lw3VsGbbVDijVys8uVhnfJ8BiELj_c6ArVXpsRXPcuJv_XwsyI6jS601wI1EbhcReq_23JGCWpXTUrkOSNVK0GZySof-jYjO4fP_UUUheyVYE4M0bX25hXEc4FJhu0c/s640/IMG_3025.JPG" width="388" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-39325729458263117692011-01-26T10:59:00.001-06:002011-01-26T11:06:01.591-06:00AR RecapI'm back from AR. Actually, I got back about two weeks ago but have been lazy about writing a post. Unfortunately, this year I didn't land anything massive, although Stone and Joe each boated some great browns. Joe landed a solid 23.5 and Stone released a big 24 inch male. Here's Stone's piggy. I don't have a picture of Joe's fish yet. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOj9Kpyt3l1bqK0CNTBbx2qTfI-kTUctY3W0VaVDpSBme6skGwANSGR4QV1FFo0vqjBTpfN6uJrzmp4P3xsSPXaE01MVVPJV1FyG_Dcaj27TroMbxJHvrsvdojoFnKW_QMH3KYEPiVXE4/s1600/Stone+Pig.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" s5="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOj9Kpyt3l1bqK0CNTBbx2qTfI-kTUctY3W0VaVDpSBme6skGwANSGR4QV1FFo0vqjBTpfN6uJrzmp4P3xsSPXaE01MVVPJV1FyG_Dcaj27TroMbxJHvrsvdojoFnKW_QMH3KYEPiVXE4/s320/Stone+Pig.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <br />
During our trip this year, Jamie and Matt asked if I could put together a little video of some of the fish we've caught with them. They also wanted to see some of the POV (point of veiw) footage we constantly talk about. In lieu of writing a long post, I'll defer to the video. I love streamers!! Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/f6mZBqSmZTU?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-89472764111070478422011-01-04T13:11:00.000-06:002011-01-04T13:11:54.465-06:00AR 2011It's been a while since my last post simply because I have not been fishing. Lately, my world has been dominated by deer and ducks. Some great hunts, some boring hunts, but all were worth while. I learned a lot and am already looking forward to next season. I know there's still a few days left to kill a deer with my bow but I have officially switched back over to fishing mode. Tomorrow is day one of the annual trip to Arkansas. I've been at the vice for the last few weeks and finally think I'm prepared. I can't wait. Five guys, five days of fishing on two incredible rivers. No sleep tonight for me. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to share next week. Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-53001309077292038172010-10-05T20:43:00.001-05:002010-10-05T22:41:53.973-05:00The West III: On Our OwnFor Days 3 and 4, Joe, Johnny and I rowed ourselves in Joe's beautiful drift boat. Both days we floated Section 1 because that's the section of river Joe knew the best from his guiding days. The plan was to utilize the same strategy--slam the banks early, find risers in the afternoon, and finish with streamers at dusk. <br />
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On the first day, we had one of the most memorable (and definitely the most valuable) catches of the trip. One thing you have to understand about this crew is that we rarely come unprepared. Actually, we're usually so loaded with gear that half the stuff we lug halfway across the country never gets used. This trip was no different. Here are the weapons we used for day 3. Pay close attention to the rod in the foreground.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DuB3EX-Aj34m-NXxB_UCEbT84Op412Wz4ScV3UJDX-o6q6S56K5HUF16yuk_5prfmdv4YsLGIh8c22CbBdyzntVd8XDbo-Ltht1fpLXZla0YtOj9PV8BCIclri_PyG5dZSDBVlugVKU/s1600/IMGP0521.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2DuB3EX-Aj34m-NXxB_UCEbT84Op412Wz4ScV3UJDX-o6q6S56K5HUF16yuk_5prfmdv4YsLGIh8c22CbBdyzntVd8XDbo-Ltht1fpLXZla0YtOj9PV8BCIclri_PyG5dZSDBVlugVKU/s320/IMGP0521.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Every now and again, having a lot of gear (e.g. extra rods) proves useful. On our first day in Joe's boat, we put in at the dam. Joe took the first shot at rowing, as he was the former guide, and Johnny and I planned to throw some heavy sink tip rods with big streamers to see if we could dig up one of the big, big browns that are often seen hanging out near the dam. We put the boat in the water and Joe rowed hard across the heavy current over to the power house where the current was not ripping. Once we hit the slack water, Joe rowed upstream so we could start our streamer fishing as close to the dam as possible. Joe really earned his stripes for this because even in the slack water, rowing upstream was not easy with the 30 mph breeze that was screaming off the dam directly downstream. Thanks for the effort Joe. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After a hard fought battle, Joe got us in position in the main channel and we began chucking and ducking, literally. I don't think JD got the memo, however, about the ducking part. After about five casts I absolutely drilled him in the back of the head with a very large conehead streamer. I blame the wind, and of course the guide for not positioning us properly. I suppose I had a little something to do with it too. Sorry JD. Anyway, the fly hit Johnny with such tremendous force that he was briefly stunned. He wasn't unconscious or anything, but he was dazed enough that he let go of his $1500 Sage/Lampson rig (shown in the foreground in the picture above) and watched it sink to the bottom of the 8 foot main channel. Joe and I screamed at him to grab the thing as it slowly sank but it's like he couldn't hear us. I'm guessing his ears were ringing still from the shot he took to the dome. There was nothing we could do as the rod sank to the bottom. The current was way too strong to jump in, and, even if it wasn't, the rod was 8 ft down and the water was freezing. I consider myself to be a pretty strong swimmer but this was not an option. </div><br />
Depressed, Joe pulled the boat over in the slack water and we tended to John's wound. After a few minutes, we decided it was worth rowing back upstream, floating the same line, just to see if we could locate the rod. We had no idea how to get it even if we could find it but we went for it anyway. Sure enough, on our first drift, we spotted the silver reel and rod with about 60 feet of fluorescent green fly line waving in the current. We pulled over again and thought: how can we get this thing? Had we been in a salt water skiff we may have had a gaff. Actually, with all the shit we bring on trips, I'm surprised we didn't have one. We put our heads together and formulated a plan. The idea was to rig up the two stiffest rods in the boat, tie on huge, articulated streamers, reel them all the way up to the front guide, and try to snag the rod or the fly line laying on the river bottom. <br />
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Joe rowed us back upstream, and with cameras rolling, the following unfolded:<br />
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After our rod retrieval, karma was on our side. What was not on our side was the weather. We got hit pretty hard on Day 3 with a significant thunderstorm (i.e. serious wind, hail, and pounding rain). With all the gear we had, JD forgot his rain jacket. He was not comfortable. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoL0_7Ecao2nvRaphF4ISBJ7q_-eDL_sfZ92PFQM9RMJeU5aiJx0XFYqfeUM-9zvOgaLUSUXcGJH13w5dC7yQAnjZVjarmorFI8-4K1Q4eXBsvuq6EMHHtsZmkEPgEkpRbd457gErMEk/s1600/IMGP0516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeoL0_7Ecao2nvRaphF4ISBJ7q_-eDL_sfZ92PFQM9RMJeU5aiJx0XFYqfeUM-9zvOgaLUSUXcGJH13w5dC7yQAnjZVjarmorFI8-4K1Q4eXBsvuq6EMHHtsZmkEPgEkpRbd457gErMEk/s320/IMGP0516.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Approaching Weather. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwqKYZ5PQrXDphL05rbJgmDyYwNq67i3wZBa9lqIr17vaINMu8zgeK1KI98ZAXqOrCAiXF7C8R7iHr2Z6xr1Q' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ENOIb7H2HoOvkeszy50v-8Xby3ncFJOwBg3ISaPr9k15n5_dp0etLvd0XFIiWQc_J9YyJFgueGQjDDcP2igtBuPR3CnsoPEjHNEM97qX6jUH1_WGNbgMGee6SIuPO9wFvrW3908ni98/s1600/IMGP0528.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3ENOIb7H2HoOvkeszy50v-8Xby3ncFJOwBg3ISaPr9k15n5_dp0etLvd0XFIiWQc_J9YyJFgueGQjDDcP2igtBuPR3CnsoPEjHNEM97qX6jUH1_WGNbgMGee6SIuPO9wFvrW3908ni98/s320/IMGP0528.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">Uncomfortable JD with no rain jacket. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">After the storm blew through, the bugs continued to hatch and we managed to catch a few fish. Check out the big adult stone. Almost salmon-fly worthy: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkWtJb-P9zm2kMyjWMJLXX_A3PDlOqNJ6aPqyecYUzS4mQCgLFvxWjEW4cSPdg4Du1jN456C42jI9rxinoqcrNMPqh4zgisvpWa_TxZ3NGbl48ZxgTZSAYOryR_5kxBnykP-rMi0G1O8/s1600/IMGP0541.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDkWtJb-P9zm2kMyjWMJLXX_A3PDlOqNJ6aPqyecYUzS4mQCgLFvxWjEW4cSPdg4Du1jN456C42jI9rxinoqcrNMPqh4zgisvpWa_TxZ3NGbl48ZxgTZSAYOryR_5kxBnykP-rMi0G1O8/s320/IMGP0541.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: left;">Unfortunately, the wind never quit. Here's an example of what we were dealing with. <br />
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Once the weather broke, and it finally did, we all took turns at the oars. JD saved me quickly by snagging this little hybrid within the first few minutes of my taking over. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzVU-cUTZh0prER2TYfKi9_4AFAyxVl94TbC_7NfIUnOXGuVImlo8X3dEICX-JV6ZYzn8shPFHiETRXO8niYissxVXX2RF5NAwSElLVzoX4kzxQ6qrGNpeb26CbVNYvqHejx6v3cKN5w/s1600/IMGP0522.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHzVU-cUTZh0prER2TYfKi9_4AFAyxVl94TbC_7NfIUnOXGuVImlo8X3dEICX-JV6ZYzn8shPFHiETRXO8niYissxVXX2RF5NAwSElLVzoX4kzxQ6qrGNpeb26CbVNYvqHejx6v3cKN5w/s320/IMGP0522.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Capt. Joe enjoyed a few fish as well, again from a seated position in the back of the boat.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VBMLG7AFvH_NH8-IJNqgnTKUxVCMy9pdAHCriq1pdJlzD9n7tx-XtylmeA4F0agh6Pn0h9q3tTz4t3a3t6ss5aq15eapckIov84rIPiQhi7W-pe0jh1b8vH7HV-4ZTcM9aoJ_r_cvJQ/s1600/P8070339.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2VBMLG7AFvH_NH8-IJNqgnTKUxVCMy9pdAHCriq1pdJlzD9n7tx-XtylmeA4F0agh6Pn0h9q3tTz4t3a3t6ss5aq15eapckIov84rIPiQhi7W-pe0jh1b8vH7HV-4ZTcM9aoJ_r_cvJQ/s320/P8070339.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The biggest fish of the trip came while former South Fork guide Joe Scott was at the oars. Joe hasn't lost his touch apparently. As we approached one of his favorite banks, Joe told the story of how this bank holds big fish and no one really ever fishes it. John and I were doubtful but didn't open our mouths as we were quite comfortable with rods in our hands instead of oars. We dropped in to the slot along Joe's bank and after a few casts, I nailed this 22' hybrid on a dry. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CiuxaBk5mzZ4dlEjv4y352nfUjVZS18pAtBY3wlXExuOwHaQt5ahAyMT5hjaj09YLzpC4xtXfrKUxyOfC1Vl-oEx1NxGHZHQeC9X-dAWgUQ9TdJYGlMp7-YRzb7YzJJFCkwFxKuuAqc/s1600/IMGP0526.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4CiuxaBk5mzZ4dlEjv4y352nfUjVZS18pAtBY3wlXExuOwHaQt5ahAyMT5hjaj09YLzpC4xtXfrKUxyOfC1Vl-oEx1NxGHZHQeC9X-dAWgUQ9TdJYGlMp7-YRzb7YzJJFCkwFxKuuAqc/s320/IMGP0526.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
Here's a little video of landing this sucker. Listen closely to the commentary between Big JD and I. Always on each other's case. <br />
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Day 4 and Day 3 sort of ran together. We spent a lot of time on a new riffle down near the take out. This is where we caught the majority of our fish on our final days. We stuck some great fish.</div><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As is usually the case, I had a very difficult time leaving the river on our last day. Fish were rising everywhere but it was getting dark and we had a little more river to cover before the take out. Check out some of this video of fish rising on this little flat. One more cast was the recurring theme....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzZYzkK0BMyN99ik9TEIB2KI1N-HqlZbTN43If5okRoj9jfaRwlTGuhJloD59rLDievxY_xDDgWuf4usSL62g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
Eventually we were forced to quit. That night we enjoyed steaks and good red wine and reluctantly packed our things. It was an amazing trip and hopefully will become an annual adventure for the three of us.Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-83192672724871411842010-09-29T14:48:00.004-05:002010-10-05T21:13:13.757-05:00The West II: Guided DaysWe ended up fishing the next four days on the South Fork of the Snake River just outside Victor, Idaho. If you haven't fished the South Fork, I highly recommend it. Prior to this trip, I had only fished the South Fork once--the Thursday prior to my wedding. That year, we were slightly early in the season and didn't catch the really good dry fly fishing. Salmon flies were just starting to show up but the fish were not dialed in on the dries just yet. We did well on the huge salmon fly nymphs and managed to stab a few off the surface on the comparable dry fly pattern but it was nothing like what we experienced this year. August was the perfect time for South Fork dry fly fishing. It was some of the best dry fly fishing I have ever encountered. <br />
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Days 1 and 2 we used guides from the South Fork Lodge. Day 1 we fished with Chris Conant, a local STL angler, and Brett Novik, head guide at South Fork Lodge. On day 2, Brett had to swap out and we fished with Cole Sutheimer. All guides were excellent and I would highly recommend any of them if you're interested in taking a trip to the South Fork.<br />
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Day 1 we floated section 2 of the river. We put in just above South Fork Lodge and pulled out at a private take out only accessible to South Fork Lodge guides. The fishing was excellent. We started by pounding the banks with hoppers, ants, and stimis. This produced a few fish but was really just a way to pass the time until we hit the first riffle where the cuttys were dialed in on PMDs. Once we got on the risers, I understood the why this river is famous for dry fly fishing.<br />
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As we approached the first good shoal, we floated through the deep section on the opposite side of the river that we were going to fish. Hundreds of noses were breaking the surface on the far bank as we drifted by. We slowly slid the drift boat into the eddy below the rising fish, rigged up the Winny 5wt with a PMD and PMD emerger, and went to work. <br />
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Having not fished dries in a while, it took several strikes for me to get my timing back. Once I was back in the zone, it was on:<br />
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Watching these fish work was truly magical. I was amazed I couldn't spot these fish in the shallow, gin-clear water. Johnny and Joe enjoyed similar success:<br />
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As the day progressed, our fish count rose tremendously. It was really an amazing experience. Just about every fish was a 15 to 17 inch cutthroat caught on a little tiny dry fly. I was in heaven. <br />
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Chris and I closed out Day 1 in search of a big brown on a streamer. Mr. Conant had stuck a pig off the bank just above the take out a few days before and that's where my best fish of the day came. Big 20+ inch brown on a black and yellow marabou jig. Nice work Chris!!<br />
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Day 2 was almost a carbon copy of day one. We started by slamming the banks, fished riffles all day for rising cutts and a few browns, and we closed with streamers at dusk. Here are some shots from our second day:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03iSH9fO1FVghTKr7ZUXX2DBF9JSFPJl8La_SWVkeShOrwE-CQhusmUMeGPG73gaw0SZctu18XEkiUnLDsMcMUyCK_Cff0zC2Gd7zugH5-_epxizXZY0Qkr-rCZZSeLiIVR9JqnGVoFQ/s1600/IMGP0504.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg03iSH9fO1FVghTKr7ZUXX2DBF9JSFPJl8La_SWVkeShOrwE-CQhusmUMeGPG73gaw0SZctu18XEkiUnLDsMcMUyCK_Cff0zC2Gd7zugH5-_epxizXZY0Qkr-rCZZSeLiIVR9JqnGVoFQ/s320/IMGP0504.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Piggy brown on a #20 PMD. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Great release video. Pay no attention to Davis' cold balls. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzoK4xxTP8HySnAjo5VshElpKB4gGNKjQJYwnYqxhre4ittBHZjhalzuiLjyDimZol2_tFM7mqKOS_BP8-oCQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiut3ZmwZyf4wrjkER90lHkVlXwqFZbF6UQlF6rvZJ2z1EA7t8Ca4pumkW4sEO_tAMK2q7xd0Zr2oeKTnYrDhcYBkrFUEeB_RWBGaL8K9JZi7ycp_HHYUvQHZd27tzuIgA3zew-EutBmtM/s1600/IMGP0512.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiut3ZmwZyf4wrjkER90lHkVlXwqFZbF6UQlF6rvZJ2z1EA7t8Ca4pumkW4sEO_tAMK2q7xd0Zr2oeKTnYrDhcYBkrFUEeB_RWBGaL8K9JZi7ycp_HHYUvQHZd27tzuIgA3zew-EutBmtM/s320/IMGP0512.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mr. Scott--nice brown out of the boat while seated (lazy ass). </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqFiPPAm7EFDLXpTgfNWclabgPvwfAKhtG_klXOkfSV8f2ChINTfEh_xAL80Iqy8QayPb9hEa3lT1pvWPOUQvQwpcpuesvfP-E7Lh566mQFsNLI06f3o4dRezKiuOcXbB3OjJCir4hqg/s1600/P8040006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCqFiPPAm7EFDLXpTgfNWclabgPvwfAKhtG_klXOkfSV8f2ChINTfEh_xAL80Iqy8QayPb9hEa3lT1pvWPOUQvQwpcpuesvfP-E7Lh566mQFsNLI06f3o4dRezKiuOcXbB3OjJCir4hqg/s320/P8040006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">JD--nice looking hybrid (I think).</div><br />
The highlight of day two for me was actually losing a fish. Chris had some intel on a resident brown that had been spotted in a back water behind a series of islands. With the main channel off to our left, Chris and I snuck behind this island where the water was spilling over a very shallow gravel bar into a deep hole with various root wads and overhanging trees. The entire pool was about 60 feet long and about 20 feet wide. It was strikingly similar to some challenging water on on the Current River back home, Chris and my home waters. We approached from down stream through a two foot clearing in the overhanging trees. Due to the very shallow gravel bar at the top of the hole, and the root wads on the opposite bank, we would have to try to guide any big fish out the two foot gap where we accessed the hole. We discussed our plan. The outlook wasn't brilliant. With very few options, our hope was to net the fish before it could leave the seclusion of the back water. Chris and I sat and watched for a moment. I threw a bow and arrow cast at a little cutty that was tucked under one of the sunken trees. Nothing. That was not why we came, however. As I continued to mess with the cuttys, we both noticed a big roll just below the gravel bar in the riffle. This was the big boy.<br />
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It only took one cast with a PMD and a little beadhead dropper. The flies drifted off the gravel bar into the zone and I saw another roll. With a slow hook set, it was on. Before Chris or I could even think about netting this pig, it bolted downstream right through the slot in the trees where we wanted him to go. I began the chase. Chris managed the excess fly line sitting on the water as we passed through the narrow gauntlet so it wouldn't get caught on any branches. Just as the fish cleared the pool, it darted right at a 90 degree angle toward the main channel passing under a submerged log. Oh fuck! I had no idea what to do now. My line was going under this sunken tree and the fish was doing aerials on the opposite side. Quickly, Chris hopped over the log and I managed to pass my rod to him under the submerged tree limb as the fish continued its acrobatics. Chris swiftly handed the rod back to me and I regained control (if that's what you call it). Chris then hopped back over the tree to untangle my excess fly line which was quickly wrapping itself around the submerged log. After a few seconds, we cleared the log and had the fish tight on the line again. How he didn't snap my tippet or throw the fly is beyond me.<br />
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At this point, the fish calmed a little and slid into a quiet eddy on the lower left side of the island. I thought we had him. We approached slowly and got a good look at this monster brown. We estimated 25 or better. This was the fish of a lifetime. Chris and I inched forward. The beast was almost taunting us by not moving and showing us his size. Suddenly, out of nowhere, the fish decided to bolt right at us passing just to Chris' right side. Chris lunged with the net--no love. The fish ran back under the tree where we had brilliantly maneuvered the rod underwater but this time the fish completed his mission of snapping my tippet. He was gone. But what a fight.<br />
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Days 3 and 4 to come....Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-59648903667020027712010-09-29T11:10:00.004-05:002010-09-30T10:20:20.619-05:00The West: Part I: The MadisonBack in early August, Big John , Joe Scott, and I took a 5 day adventure out West. The sole purpose of the trip was fishing and I'd say we accomplished our mission. We fished hard every day, hitting the water by 11 or so and quitting around 10 pm. We had one day of wade fishing on the Madision near Ennis, Montana, and four days fishing out of a drift boat on the South Fork (two guided days and two days where we rowed ourselves). By the end of the trip, John and I were trying to figure out whether our fish count was higher than our Bud Light count. I think the fish count won and that's really saying something. <br />
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We left STL at 6 am on a Tuesday and the wheels were down in Jackson, WY by 9:45 am. I love getting an early start. We had plenty of time to drive to the Madison for our first day of wade fishing. If you've ever flown in to Jackson Airport, you remember the view from the runway as you step off the plane. It's truly amazing and we had a beautiful clear morning to soak in the Tetons. It had been a year since I'd been in Jackson. Last July Sara and I were married there. The place was more beautiful than I remembered.<br />
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Dodging hoards of passengers snapping photographs on the runway, we moved swiftly toward the baggage claim. JD and I took care of the luggage while Joe arranged for the truck. Joe, a regular to the Jackson area and a former fishing guide for South Fork Lodge, keeps a bad-ass Ford Excursion in Jackson. He also has a drift boat and tons of fishing gear in storage. We made good use of everything. <br />
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The baggage / car pick up could not have been smoother. The bags were basically waiting for us by the time we got to the baggage claim (gotta love small airports!) and the truck started on the first try. We had been a little concerned that the cold winter would have taken its toll on the battery but luckily she fired up immediately and we were off toward Montana. <br />
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The drive was pretty cool because we followed world famous trout rivers the whole way. We first drove over the Snake River in Jackson. Next, we headed over the pass into Victor, Idaho and paralleled the South Fork of the Snake for a few miles until merging slightly north along the the Henry's Fork. Once we hit MT, we followed the Madison all the way to Ennis and to the channels where we would wade fish.<br />
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The view from the backside of the Tetons was not bad at all on the drive up. <br />
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Not counting our numerous stops for lunch, gas, beer, groceries, flies, and just about everything else you can imagine, we were stepping into the river right at prime hatch time. We had caddis, rusty spinners, and all sorts of terrestrials. Dry fly fishing for trophy Madison River browns was not a bad way to close out a Tuesday. All three of us ripped a few lips but John and I connected with the two healthiest fish.<br />
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I saw the brown below rise in a long tail out where a riffle slowly tapered off into deeper water along a cut bank. After watching some smaller fish rise, I saw this guy eat an emerger where he barely exposed his nose and tail. The tail was big and I knew he was worth a cast or two. The first cast proved successful and this brown ate an olive caddis emerger. We estimated he was about 19. Long and skinny. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtv30IrTow81aYu5JUsuSHI4wdKeEWa0snju7wxgwZt3mDBiL8ddAkyGg2cNUVabl86Uos8y-oXrNrdoo0h2rXJq-oPbXPa75Wl8UaT43PTnKFhzNrK4-lu_4GgFaF467R2xfbmyfA3u0/s1600/IMGP0478.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtv30IrTow81aYu5JUsuSHI4wdKeEWa0snju7wxgwZt3mDBiL8ddAkyGg2cNUVabl86Uos8y-oXrNrdoo0h2rXJq-oPbXPa75Wl8UaT43PTnKFhzNrK4-lu_4GgFaF467R2xfbmyfA3u0/s400/IMGP0478.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">JD's fish was much bigger but unfortunately, due to a netting error by yours truly, we do not have a photograph of his big rainbow which probably could have eaten the brown above. It was getting dark and JD and I had teamed up on a similar tail out where fish were actively rising. The only difference between JD's hole and the run where I stuck my brown was depth. His hole was 3 times as deep as mine and I'm sure was home to a couple very large fish. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">JD and I studied the run, watching several fish rise prior to throwing the first cast. We threw all sorts of different dries and stuck a couple little fish as the sun fell behind the mountains. The final cast was with a #16 rusty spinner. JD made a nice presentation and we watched a large nose rise and sip the fly. Once Johnny set the hook, we knew it was big as the fish bolted through the deep channel for the faster water below the hole. JD began the chase and I dropped my rod and sprinted to get below the fish with the net. I'm not terribly fast, especially in wading boots, and the fish was winning the race. I kept running but this big bow was in the lead. After 100 yards or so I knew we were running out of time. The fish was sprinting and rolling through a fast riffle no deeper than a foot. He was sure to throw the hook if we didn't act soon. Figuring we were losing the battle, I took a hail mary shot with the net. With the low light I couldn't really see the fish and simply aimed at where I thought he'd be based on the position of John's fly line. I swiped and saw a 24+ inch flash of silver just beyond the reach of my net. John's line curved around the net bucket and suddenly recoiled back toward him. With no weight in the net, I knew he was gone. Great story but unfortunately no picture. Sorry JD. This would have been one of the bigger fish of trip, if not <em>the</em> biggest.</div><br />
I really felt bad that I missed the net job but I wouldn't exactly call it an error. It would be similar to a third baseman missing a short-hop ground ball ripped down the third base line. You shouldn't be penalized for it but it's certainly a makeable play and sometimes it separates AAA from the big show. Looks like I'll be stuck in the minors for a while. Karma is a bitch too because later on in the trip I would lose a hog of a brown on the South Fork that dodged the net as well. Stay tuned.Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-5886821163977922662010-08-16T16:22:00.006-05:002010-08-17T10:53:05.768-05:00Vail: One Year Anniversary TripSara and I took a long weekend trip to Denver and Vail for our one year anniversary. We would have loved to go back to Jackson (the place we were married) but we didn't have enough time to make the longer trek. We decided on Colorado to get our mountain fix and it did not dissappoint. Of course, we had to do a little fishing along the way. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I think Sara has come to terms with my fishing addiction. I hope she has. I fished at our wedding, on our honeymoon, and I bring a fly rod on pretty much every trip we take these days. The one year anniversary trip was no different. </div><br />
The first night we stayed in Denver, met up with some friends for drinks, and had a lovely dinner at a fancy restaurant. Fresh colorado lamb and steak was a nice treat after the 6 month diet I've been attempting. I was not about to count calories on vacation. I think that's actually illegal in some states.<br />
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After dinner we took leisurly stroll through town. Denver is a very cool city. Everyone is very friendly and people seem happy to be alive. I think I could handle living there. I wonder if I'd ever get any work done with the abudance of outdoor activity just outside my door. Doubtful. <br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Early Friday morning we checked out of our Denver digs and headed up in to the hills for some much needed mountain air and, of course, a few trout. When we arrived, we had a bit of time to kill because check-in for our room was not till 4 pm (a little ridiculous if you ask me). We decided to take a leisurly hike along a small mountain stream. I brought two fly rods just in case we got stranded and needed nourishment. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipe_mnU8RhmGFXayuQbkysO-5-2rLlW4ivrqkaMYZyYQ-O0QpSR36k9zYBtXFVGjXSqXri_2eXR2s4M_6Rx4vm4B_XHRnSrETsYURfS1KV04SwdneIoM6FZRf4DaL4ncJ_74U3KszWGA/s1600/IMG_8006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiipe_mnU8RhmGFXayuQbkysO-5-2rLlW4ivrqkaMYZyYQ-O0QpSR36k9zYBtXFVGjXSqXri_2eXR2s4M_6Rx4vm4B_XHRnSrETsYURfS1KV04SwdneIoM6FZRf4DaL4ncJ_74U3KszWGA/s640/IMG_8006.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">It turned out that the hike was a little more intense than we had expected. The uphill climb in the altitude combined with a pack full of fishing gear, rain jackets, water, and snacks made for a pretty good work out. Sara dusted me up the trail although, in my defense, I was carrying the pack which weighed almost as much as her. I really need to work on packing light. By the time we reached the top, I was exhausted. I think I threw two casts before we decided to turn around and head for lower Gore Creek. Gore would provide bigger fish, nice streamside benches and tables where Sara could sit and read, and it was a hell of a lot easier to access. We scurried down the mountain (this time I took the lead) snapping a few photos along the way. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Back near Vail, we managed to find a nice park along Gore Creek to hang out. I fished for an hour or so while Sara enjoyed a book. The fishing was quite productive. While fish weren't responding to dries, I managed to stick quite a few on varrying nymphs including a pretty stubborn brown that should have been a little spookier than he proved to be. The fish was about 5 ft off the bank in shallow water no deeper than a foot or so. I casted several times to him and he wouldn't eat. When I finally got my fly snagged on a submerged log that was litterally laying underneath the fish, I thought, "why waste the fly, this fish is not eating anyway." I crept out into the stream and the fish slid up in the current a couple feet from the log. I could have netted the thing while standing there. He didn't seem to mind my presence. I carefully unhooked my fly and worked my way back to the bank below the fish where I had originally been standing and casting. As moved away from this brown's perferred spot, he slowly slid back to his original position and started eating again. How this fish was able to relax so soon after I was literally standing in his hole is beyond me. There's no way he didn't see me. Check out the bright red shirt. Anyway, I decided to try another cast, this time using a green drake nymph and a little midge pattern. That was all it took. On the first drift the fish ate the drake and ran toward the fast water. After a few minutes, and a yell to Sara who was holding the camera, I landed this nice, dark, Gore Creek brown:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgk2nybhIm1zHVGVaBYv13ACr3E3t5dtqQ4RWVLY5rYGeEFgTwXdMsy9sU5kLAL-oISK-4zAH1n7uMNT9NnR0Jx3pkY9HUGgiGbPDUwq4cbm4_OLtIBjAaT5pHsa20Df1sfxRCnCgUlw/s1600/IMG_8101.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwgk2nybhIm1zHVGVaBYv13ACr3E3t5dtqQ4RWVLY5rYGeEFgTwXdMsy9sU5kLAL-oISK-4zAH1n7uMNT9NnR0Jx3pkY9HUGgiGbPDUwq4cbm4_OLtIBjAaT5pHsa20Df1sfxRCnCgUlw/s640/IMG_8101.JPG" width="640" /></a> </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_zJKlPmYlGb1ulXB0whf6Vlo4pP-J5-0pCe7c-0PnmiO_0jrIlaDscrOiBhK96GIPRtZz2GTo80h8L-hhZibzUsvO1C1pKXCM2UPUqVgHhXPBQ35N8wbVf4d5ny1lrzabWuI6W2TtE0/s1600/IMG_8115.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; cssfloat: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="402" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_zJKlPmYlGb1ulXB0whf6Vlo4pP-J5-0pCe7c-0PnmiO_0jrIlaDscrOiBhK96GIPRtZz2GTo80h8L-hhZibzUsvO1C1pKXCM2UPUqVgHhXPBQ35N8wbVf4d5ny1lrzabWuI6W2TtE0/s640/IMG_8115.JPG" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFbshRCFhUcqaTuKA-X82OQdEhFWsE61LWvFP6zvYVb-RgIX_3kl52810xKXJkBmhJjEl-MdG1efommWIVPOHDx-ru3B76atje85KomXbU4FfWKtaD7KVt0ovHlWK1QEAjh8juZ607j8/s1600/IMG_8127.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAFbshRCFhUcqaTuKA-X82OQdEhFWsE61LWvFP6zvYVb-RgIX_3kl52810xKXJkBmhJjEl-MdG1efommWIVPOHDx-ru3B76atje85KomXbU4FfWKtaD7KVt0ovHlWK1QEAjh8juZ607j8/s640/IMG_8127.JPG" width="428" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6Z_xauzIYeWO1rB52sWidXfzvNSnAMGv47a0ubfkAJrYYXmwV25j5G_7eLPV-Vr8zxQ4XpyeA8UnMQzJHeQwscffASaVzZxRTvTGcAzzL-UcSEgQMWS9uYzltN3U-XyOQp1F9m-bZyo/s1600/IMG_8122.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="368" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjD6Z_xauzIYeWO1rB52sWidXfzvNSnAMGv47a0ubfkAJrYYXmwV25j5G_7eLPV-Vr8zxQ4XpyeA8UnMQzJHeQwscffASaVzZxRTvTGcAzzL-UcSEgQMWS9uYzltN3U-XyOQp1F9m-bZyo/s640/IMG_8122.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxFvSlDc8K9vfPmtgZqUe5H_IdHHvqs1lh-WtRIqnbvFSelev89YGNGeNvlSzfb1lchKyh4Mu6FfaVjQu5WKYfRrphV_pRt6gKRL_LLTqz3arvrMWceoQUAyWKb6H0w38pW-2em-v4SM/s1600/IMG_8130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwxFvSlDc8K9vfPmtgZqUe5H_IdHHvqs1lh-WtRIqnbvFSelev89YGNGeNvlSzfb1lchKyh4Mu6FfaVjQu5WKYfRrphV_pRt6gKRL_LLTqz3arvrMWceoQUAyWKb6H0w38pW-2em-v4SM/s640/IMG_8130.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">After feeling like I accomplished something, Sara and I headed back to the hotel to check-in. To my surprise, Sara had a small wedding cake delivered to the room with a nice bottle of champagne. I did not realize that it's tradition to eat some of your wedding cake on your one year anniversary. Unfortunately (or fortunately), we were unable to freeze any of our original cake due to the destination wedding so Sara, being the thoughtful thinker that she is, contacted a local pastry chef who whipped up a delicious, personal-sized wedding cake for our romantic weekend. With the cake in the room, I had to keep a close eye on Sara so she wouldn't spoil her dinner. She's got a little bit of a sweet tooth. After bear-proofing the fridge, we headed to a fancy restaurant at the base of the mountain. I quietly enjoyed another lovely, romantic dinner with my best friend. She couldn't stop thinking about the cake through dinner. Quite frankly, neither could I. Check this sucker out. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepOQenL8w7Rkn1UZ0aFLhJnh0eFyJWCmbNjf-dEii_-KWHp9t7z_5R0K2ryQnwW-T6EaR3_OV7zOwTLHvfyS9fv1oNU7gm2EH0Kvfqc4SQzAvsNfThEAHZjbY-XonA7iWkWgi9DzlFCM/s1600/IMG_8145.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhepOQenL8w7Rkn1UZ0aFLhJnh0eFyJWCmbNjf-dEii_-KWHp9t7z_5R0K2ryQnwW-T6EaR3_OV7zOwTLHvfyS9fv1oNU7gm2EH0Kvfqc4SQzAvsNfThEAHZjbY-XonA7iWkWgi9DzlFCM/s320/IMG_8145.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3QwzylfkrfeCTOoXEVhV7PLgdkcrOAFJJiuYZoOKIlp_I-MmXYF2CVkb92kWw1GrEi7Kg9_EKXe8KFjMJxM4CKiRgHd-bgY6ZDTm6AXDFea-Tltgayr2JGRZP_EehA5WHPVVV07eZaQ/s1600/IMG_8187.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu3QwzylfkrfeCTOoXEVhV7PLgdkcrOAFJJiuYZoOKIlp_I-MmXYF2CVkb92kWw1GrEi7Kg9_EKXe8KFjMJxM4CKiRgHd-bgY6ZDTm6AXDFea-Tltgayr2JGRZP_EehA5WHPVVV07eZaQ/s320/IMG_8187.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Our first day in Vail ended appropriately with a fire, some delicious wedding cake, and cool glass of champagne. Sara and I reminisced about what we were doing the year before in Jackson. I had fished all day on the South Fork with some members of my wedding party and Sara had her bridesmaids luncheon. By dusk, we were at a cocktail party in Jackson generously thrown by one of my old friend's parents. All the guests had arrived and everyone seemed to be having a blast. How could you not in Jackson? Sara and I couldn't have been happier. All of the preparations <strike>we</strike> she had made were working out perfectly. We couldn't wait for our rehearsal dinner the next day at the top of Rendezvous Mountain. A gourmet BBQ at 10,000 ft complete with a campfire and toasted marshmellows. I know this sounds arrogant, but I've never been to a cooler wedding than ours. Really, looking back there's not one thing I would have changed. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Prior to taking our anniversary trip, Sara and I dicussed possible activities for our brief stay in the mountains. One of the suggestions was white water rafting. I had been white water rafting when I was a kid and I remember it being similar to a float trip (i.e. canoeing in Missouri). You go to the float company, sign your waivers, get on a bus full of people, head to the river, and attempt to look cool when the company takes the picture that you'll later be forced to buy if you want to remember the experience. I wanted something more personal. I also couldn't handle being on the river all day without my fly rod. As I contemplated options, a light bulb went off in my head--we could white water raft and fish at the same time. I'd find a guide who had a raft and could float us through some heavy water during a day of fishing. Instead of spending the day with 12 random strangers on a raft on the Colorado River with boats scattered everywhere, we were going to float the lower section of the Roaring Fork where we could get splashed and catch some trout. Through cunning and a little bribery, Sara agreed to my little adventure. A guided day of fishing on our one year anniversary. She is really irreplacable. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Our day on the water couldn't have started off any worse. We had rain, hail, wind, and very cold conditions. I felt terrible for Sara, although the weather for rafting on the Colorado wouldn't have been any different. Thank goodness we brought our rain jackets. What was supposed to be a beautiful sunny day on the water started out as a windy 50 degree drencher. Sara gutted it out in true Holtsman form and her perseverence proved worthwhile. After a couple hours of grey skies, the weather moved through and we were floating and fishing in the sun. I love mountain weather. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Sara's fishing skills surprised me. We usually fish together a couple times a year but she does not like taking instruction from me. I think this is typical behavior in most husband-wife instructional scenarios for whatever reason. However, with the introduction of a third party instructor, and my promise not to watch her cast, Sara relaxed and really caught on. Her casting improved tremendously and she was able to catch fish on nypmhs, dries, and <em>almost</em> streamers. She would have caught fish on the streamers but she really didn't have the right rig. I was throwing a heavy 7 wt with a sink tip and Sara was working with a lighter 5 wt floating line. The fish were nailing the deep streamers I was chucking but wouldn't rise for Sara's bug. Had she had the right tools, I guarantee you she would have had success. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEBLWrIkPmbuE9vflln_RNorQGJnPMb67ssKb4eOyEOoFg7oUpgj-uD42bgVtYs2lVBHRIAK94AH7cdGLIdUB-1FnhazzdTkx-kqazUiJWtQnfGzzsQREF9L0qqUQk9CrYbWv554eJ5I/s1600/IMGP0340.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyEBLWrIkPmbuE9vflln_RNorQGJnPMb67ssKb4eOyEOoFg7oUpgj-uD42bgVtYs2lVBHRIAK94AH7cdGLIdUB-1FnhazzdTkx-kqazUiJWtQnfGzzsQREF9L0qqUQk9CrYbWv554eJ5I/s640/IMGP0340.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMbuhXCluO2vWRaFT8Bo8QLojuDILXd9tDck_stBDnn7veJLlL4wQCtGrOuhhlq2hqUxI8e3_qUja-witoZOs8YL8Ax81mvvRpDQhyphenhyphenzuNL5elBO_rFlOCAErMYN2uKM-vt4Q9mJjbvTs/s1600/IMG_8203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="428" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNMbuhXCluO2vWRaFT8Bo8QLojuDILXd9tDck_stBDnn7veJLlL4wQCtGrOuhhlq2hqUxI8e3_qUja-witoZOs8YL8Ax81mvvRpDQhyphenhyphenzuNL5elBO_rFlOCAErMYN2uKM-vt4Q9mJjbvTs/s640/IMG_8203.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was super impressed with Sara's fishing skills and I had a blast spending the day on the water with her. No huge fish were landed but we caught a lot. Especially around dusk when the green drakes started coming off. We must have doubled if not tripled our numbers on dries at the end of the day. I really hope she'll get out there with me again sometime. I can't believe how much I enjoyed fishing with her. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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After the rain delay, our day on the water turned out to be pretty long. We watched the sun set behind the mountains and did a little dry fly fishing in the dark. The biggest fish of the day came right at dark near our take out. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We didn't get back to our room until midnight or so. Thankfully, we were able to grab some room service when we arrived. Room service, fire, cake and champagne made for the perfect ending to the day. I was in a good place. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Our final day, we dicided to take the gondola up to the top of the mountain for a quick hike and some high-elevation site seeing. I got up that morning, of course, and caught a few fish on Gore Creek before Sara woke up just so I could say that I caugh trout everday we were in Vail. That morning I actually hooked and lost the best fish of the trip. A big rainbow nailed another green drake nymph and tore upstream performing several aerials just to let me know how big he was. After the short, fast run, he wrapped me around a huge rock in some heavy current and the battle was over. Oh well. At least I got to enjoy the fight.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The top of the mountain was cool but crowded. We hung out for a while, had lunch, and took a few trails. Dodging the hipee brigade playing frisbee golf was fairly challenging but we managed to survive. Actually, one of the "frolfers" was kind enough to take our picture:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Shortly after lunch some weather approached, and Sara and I hurried back down the hill and headed toward Denver. We met up with an an old college / fishing buddy of mine who just had a baby. Sara will do just about anything these days to spend time with infants. This is slightly scary for me but I'm glad Sara has such a strong maternal instinct. Hopefully we can have some little fishermen (or women) someday. I will need to get one of those baby backpacks so he or she can join me on the water at a young age. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">A few quick drinks meant it was time to head to the airport. We got checked in, grabbed a bite to eat, and settled into our seats secretly wishing we had gone to Jackson. What a great way to celebrate our first year. Next year we'll go the distance.</div>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-69970198386782471352010-06-15T14:01:00.001-05:002010-06-15T15:02:43.513-05:00Location X, June 2010<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In the interest of confidentiality, there will be no fish tales. Only pictures. In two days of fishing, I boated 3 tarpon and jumped a fourth. This year was a great success. All fish were in the 80 - 100 lb class. Thanks to my lovely wife for joining me in the boat on the second day. The second day had the most action (landed two and jumped one). Without her, I would not have these fabulous pictures taken on her new camera. For that matter, without her I probably would never have found Location X. Thanks also to my guide who will remain nameless. </div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><strong><u>Fish #1 (jumped)</u></strong>:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginOU3AOwEr48tbkpnTBCZAzF0bOb_VHnOdKQOI5K7Af57bFJR5s53MGwZe53k35lJ3gI8ah58pvlP4nw6zvzQSAySCrLHNwfNPWdJ7CUwGTqGRpoCS-pKtHvLl9qsmeHtzowxb74HxhQ/s1600/IMG_4498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEginOU3AOwEr48tbkpnTBCZAzF0bOb_VHnOdKQOI5K7Af57bFJR5s53MGwZe53k35lJ3gI8ah58pvlP4nw6zvzQSAySCrLHNwfNPWdJ7CUwGTqGRpoCS-pKtHvLl9qsmeHtzowxb74HxhQ/s400/IMG_4498.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiji9laHx1fElBa1-pRTck9rFjnDoy0PoDuRgYuKIOkN4CSn27HZfwTMOqgrvwKsNd76XBOoWzxNM2DJg-f6OnxR1lH_4ByTAmJSySOy50JsYWPybbYu5M2kibUC5_YBq8fTR2rM4gn8CE/s1600/IMG_4499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiji9laHx1fElBa1-pRTck9rFjnDoy0PoDuRgYuKIOkN4CSn27HZfwTMOqgrvwKsNd76XBOoWzxNM2DJg-f6OnxR1lH_4ByTAmJSySOy50JsYWPybbYu5M2kibUC5_YBq8fTR2rM4gn8CE/s400/IMG_4499.jpg" width="305" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0NT6pnzxyv_U7AqrlFH9qAwEEiZmMvSdiYaQ9MMRrFl4ZR_qfrhyphenhyphen5k5UmWTFG_yqjjfLqwXqsPbW_rhyphenhyphen66zGxnNJhOa6wBQSeFI3aHaTFVP2xGybnmci_B-tFi1S2iElgQCpvv0-itfM/s1600/IMG_4500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0NT6pnzxyv_U7AqrlFH9qAwEEiZmMvSdiYaQ9MMRrFl4ZR_qfrhyphenhyphen5k5UmWTFG_yqjjfLqwXqsPbW_rhyphenhyphen66zGxnNJhOa6wBQSeFI3aHaTFVP2xGybnmci_B-tFi1S2iElgQCpvv0-itfM/s400/IMG_4500.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPqSdEK5BRAR33CUB1y2EwFXPR__17YkqfSYTg57ozO4rDZxj3fT-g57zv39R-mWVL-sLro3XTEfc_SgwL8BasHUtsbpRoMKbMvzbQLRyoZ5n1PUQrjynvDDGNtJ1aH3rQsmHKRsDHmU/s1600/IMG_4501.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="333" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlPqSdEK5BRAR33CUB1y2EwFXPR__17YkqfSYTg57ozO4rDZxj3fT-g57zv39R-mWVL-sLro3XTEfc_SgwL8BasHUtsbpRoMKbMvzbQLRyoZ5n1PUQrjynvDDGNtJ1aH3rQsmHKRsDHmU/s400/IMG_4501.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHlTdeZUH67wUCIn5dPkMcVPPhRHLbA0t3rFdBfw-mbaSMKe97QLHNwSaTrIIYOUi0kGQKi8raDMJL8mXxKhJfPC_cbc32jIrxKx7tR5pHS_dy0dnGjRrxmGRR5wXMpXXVZqWpgV9c40/s1600/IMG_4502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="327" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaHlTdeZUH67wUCIn5dPkMcVPPhRHLbA0t3rFdBfw-mbaSMKe97QLHNwSaTrIIYOUi0kGQKi8raDMJL8mXxKhJfPC_cbc32jIrxKx7tR5pHS_dy0dnGjRrxmGRR5wXMpXXVZqWpgV9c40/s400/IMG_4502.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DI9cq0ObJfcvFHbNN-8O6V-Ens4FRvBCd1r7LYS_mDUddXTLv1YB5WTyU4uUi5CUyFAtwR21pluBZLJqNktj_2IuiCozSzI5m5UfZl3iuK5OU2s0xOavDSVzoPXfBCVO5G76gYCvEC4/s1600/IMG_4503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0DI9cq0ObJfcvFHbNN-8O6V-Ens4FRvBCd1r7LYS_mDUddXTLv1YB5WTyU4uUi5CUyFAtwR21pluBZLJqNktj_2IuiCozSzI5m5UfZl3iuK5OU2s0xOavDSVzoPXfBCVO5G76gYCvEC4/s400/IMG_4503.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong><u>Fish #2</u></strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiGKmGfZXLyK_OdgLzpYtp7o9IBk7gl5UeTnM11qSJ-_kTPpcZ2hqHh7iqSIrIgzvaEhmly52E7_wkklb9lJls6P__OuTagaazhrMbRqd6_3j0JFU2dgjLTEuACG2QjmjS4IVCDXPzefk/s1600/IMG_4511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="360" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiGKmGfZXLyK_OdgLzpYtp7o9IBk7gl5UeTnM11qSJ-_kTPpcZ2hqHh7iqSIrIgzvaEhmly52E7_wkklb9lJls6P__OuTagaazhrMbRqd6_3j0JFU2dgjLTEuACG2QjmjS4IVCDXPzefk/s400/IMG_4511.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHm1z1gm9fAaAAPXmykRurGh793IP8-sY093eZ24J3MWp6HvyEMCJlBWeY-7zntD_CxS5bqC7aPqZpym2ZcejA9TEARQHcBrRG1eAYylJN5is44tYDag9r5SGx-iH0k9QU6dAonW4eLuE/s1600/IMG_4539.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHm1z1gm9fAaAAPXmykRurGh793IP8-sY093eZ24J3MWp6HvyEMCJlBWeY-7zntD_CxS5bqC7aPqZpym2ZcejA9TEARQHcBrRG1eAYylJN5is44tYDag9r5SGx-iH0k9QU6dAonW4eLuE/s400/IMG_4539.jpg" width="371" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">You'll notice 3/4 of my rod in the water on this one. Luckily, we were able to run this fish down, re-attach the three sections of my rod that came off, and land this beauty.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETyxDnnyG4ogIz7Qm6O6zAY_bEVgS3q5l2e5vVaiSE6Yo46oWP-9bnu_LnsODIJl9Sdb-7CQzlh2M_3MZlukuO_2pMZ0r6_4yhpln_Y_KfDZhnr60Ek_LnLmnmbKx2w9VuK5GCT3ca2Y/s1600/IMG_4519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="371" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiETyxDnnyG4ogIz7Qm6O6zAY_bEVgS3q5l2e5vVaiSE6Yo46oWP-9bnu_LnsODIJl9Sdb-7CQzlh2M_3MZlukuO_2pMZ0r6_4yhpln_Y_KfDZhnr60Ek_LnLmnmbKx2w9VuK5GCT3ca2Y/s400/IMG_4519.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_T7geEe-otoBYm8uztOJ-j-NE1656dPXLZVvT9hQkxM6xZ5JUdRlcNQ3IAgm62oIYV-_wNVgIU-0t1dQq8jIMO6cN72Gu2ed3qbPxbQknfiEFiJUbvjlOkqfX0HTmh3I0o7KnjC6rbE8/s1600/IMG_4521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_T7geEe-otoBYm8uztOJ-j-NE1656dPXLZVvT9hQkxM6xZ5JUdRlcNQ3IAgm62oIYV-_wNVgIU-0t1dQq8jIMO6cN72Gu2ed3qbPxbQknfiEFiJUbvjlOkqfX0HTmh3I0o7KnjC6rbE8/s400/IMG_4521.jpg" width="366" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAqv5xSS99BS5a78phU8gubmZuK8n7_8I4kfFrDW0sTlLvGd3F0Yo6MKFZzX5a8ejmdRHFgNhvNvqZC-vt5fI0cjvu43u8LzTwL8U0wA2sAOY13X4vc_eQjjFY3Pqlcxlu_q4ZhepCyI/s1600/IMG_4526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXAqv5xSS99BS5a78phU8gubmZuK8n7_8I4kfFrDW0sTlLvGd3F0Yo6MKFZzX5a8ejmdRHFgNhvNvqZC-vt5fI0cjvu43u8LzTwL8U0wA2sAOY13X4vc_eQjjFY3Pqlcxlu_q4ZhepCyI/s400/IMG_4526.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnhwijswj7TQ3VmB7TM9duZWETw89wuUrRO-IZoSYKrDocJjAUUBknYD-b2CMZJnDPDsALrPtrSt3KOKgetzFodGIiz95-sk8QFMCAH3sk6PWc8CbXIqDIZT7_QdyF-thEc-Suj7eEyI/s1600/IMG_4527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="336" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghnhwijswj7TQ3VmB7TM9duZWETw89wuUrRO-IZoSYKrDocJjAUUBknYD-b2CMZJnDPDsALrPtrSt3KOKgetzFodGIiz95-sk8QFMCAH3sk6PWc8CbXIqDIZT7_QdyF-thEc-Suj7eEyI/s400/IMG_4527.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsttHL28xS4M3PFjIoqhhlr8NMa-ZO_oqiYavd7sxEQJbD5VIyXTewDHmGhatTOCOXuNh6GLvTpgGcC1Z4C0iDOstQICltkKeqE5BzGna7fDdRjpiupcP6QzeNFvbbwvKyHc4hWCejjmg/s1600/IMG_4529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsttHL28xS4M3PFjIoqhhlr8NMa-ZO_oqiYavd7sxEQJbD5VIyXTewDHmGhatTOCOXuNh6GLvTpgGcC1Z4C0iDOstQICltkKeqE5BzGna7fDdRjpiupcP6QzeNFvbbwvKyHc4hWCejjmg/s400/IMG_4529.jpg" width="397" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHLG0A19V7am6dW3NcHPLqb3D2RVy89r3NbGMocVEtoc53XGGHXUawPUTyaDO8YdoEIJzHRsAb9H-4s5dTtsJd3CWl8wxnJ19uy6SFPTJVU744BiOak4aEBjj8HurtwxD17DVBKyMS1E/s1600/IMG_4530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="352" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFHLG0A19V7am6dW3NcHPLqb3D2RVy89r3NbGMocVEtoc53XGGHXUawPUTyaDO8YdoEIJzHRsAb9H-4s5dTtsJd3CWl8wxnJ19uy6SFPTJVU744BiOak4aEBjj8HurtwxD17DVBKyMS1E/s400/IMG_4530.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpj-t_VxC8kwOGTaWveHFxlEIn3OoRwPUXcohzJ5dCC9XKZKFfkXN8FIo97GCAywIXJXqy3uNRgF7TxeDBkVcTmBD3DRqLR0asbyhrA9scG1Xr20XwkeF4ZaXvd2vavrcfdAI_rxMTys/s1600/IMG_4541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWpj-t_VxC8kwOGTaWveHFxlEIn3OoRwPUXcohzJ5dCC9XKZKFfkXN8FIo97GCAywIXJXqy3uNRgF7TxeDBkVcTmBD3DRqLR0asbyhrA9scG1Xr20XwkeF4ZaXvd2vavrcfdAI_rxMTys/s400/IMG_4541.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_96oKkvMkaa73ItyPM9Io6cA3Dih5pJL8sAyIdO7vLx55EbeXivG1HGkPzvb2hsyuE06Wo1sS5U9N2UUssihzFm02tcuIiVxJKsJGytLBmI37s7Oh3UdZrAdo3N-gT7Z4O7a83H9LPOc/s1600/IMG_4584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="293" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_96oKkvMkaa73ItyPM9Io6cA3Dih5pJL8sAyIdO7vLx55EbeXivG1HGkPzvb2hsyuE06Wo1sS5U9N2UUssihzFm02tcuIiVxJKsJGytLBmI37s7Oh3UdZrAdo3N-gT7Z4O7a83H9LPOc/s400/IMG_4584.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTVdYqIXjWKUbG7wjEeFlDd1ejBa8RNPUDYxn7W3j_87ulOY2J0OdLCtjR9L7y7Jc4ITf3hlX7cySudFV_PKu_0x2Ac1p3A63MlEQxtldnjdEQ2IQTfYdnn5ztpsarvKKZ7SAJKaZFRE/s1600/IMG_4626.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="267" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNTVdYqIXjWKUbG7wjEeFlDd1ejBa8RNPUDYxn7W3j_87ulOY2J0OdLCtjR9L7y7Jc4ITf3hlX7cySudFV_PKu_0x2Ac1p3A63MlEQxtldnjdEQ2IQTfYdnn5ztpsarvKKZ7SAJKaZFRE/s400/IMG_4626.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Fish # 3</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOVLPEB2fW9Xk2WM1JK3ad_TXm8tmtZUkLrK-Jm3pSD6oyhL6Xq4nitjBBgp4qegDPMqdGjJCnTSf0Xslj5iRt21s4hyphenhyphen-d5ldhoq8qx8fkgTaoGEwj9OdOBSoBYeGpm1toNmIwZDqAk4/s1600/IMG_4668.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOVLPEB2fW9Xk2WM1JK3ad_TXm8tmtZUkLrK-Jm3pSD6oyhL6Xq4nitjBBgp4qegDPMqdGjJCnTSf0Xslj5iRt21s4hyphenhyphen-d5ldhoq8qx8fkgTaoGEwj9OdOBSoBYeGpm1toNmIwZDqAk4/s400/IMG_4668.jpg" width="202" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZsYQLJo5YxhaAqoOz1y1JTcVspwFQeTqa47KVjIJCbpedGguLqrcsRGLTfMD1GxihEyS4GFZUPhrkd9YQS0jnWTy9YpczSTqmb0u6zcLo2FRnrY3BqdT-tOOl9_DZwMi2qBoie84uMh4/s1600/IMG_4670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSdusDfXfG2gWbHrt-WbhXdM0pShB6RQ1jBB49rPLxsMJKxjhj9oiINvi9gkMYvgSKNNfP9OWKBdrUuDLZ9SzcddTh21wHhkhtubjdInpJ332mHaXI_Lwm1nfzZr1WXZlBYXHeesGdLXs/s400/IMG_4780.jpg" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczODhyJU7NzGOAB2NEFRJ4ikuXYha0E62O-EXX6dK3UAOOz9Ge5raclGsZY8ZCGjvrPWLoU-SlyD0S1S0MYVbro1BuzyrAGFipEcpBt6cIt4P50Ov67xdwVr31epNJSoQZWcOyxPBEzw/s1600/IMG_4801.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="273" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiczODhyJU7NzGOAB2NEFRJ4ikuXYha0E62O-EXX6dK3UAOOz9Ge5raclGsZY8ZCGjvrPWLoU-SlyD0S1S0MYVbro1BuzyrAGFipEcpBt6cIt4P50Ov67xdwVr31epNJSoQZWcOyxPBEzw/s400/IMG_4801.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-5112373619841869172010-05-27T01:02:00.011-05:002010-05-27T10:12:01.342-05:00Current River 5-24-2010<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Contrary to the fishing report, contrary to the water level report, contrary to the guide reports, and contrary to the weather reports, we decided to hit the river this past Sunday. The water was up, to say the least. It was the dirtiest, the highest, and the fastest I've ever seen the Current. We paid for it with blood, bruises, broken rods, and big browns. It was a day to remember. </div><br />
John ("JD"), Joe ("Trip"), Johnston ("Stone") and I hit the Current this past weekend. Armed with sinking lines and huge streamers, we went for the big dogs. Our 2.5 hour drive to the river at 6 a.m. could have turned out to be completely worthless but we needed a fix. I needed a fix. It's been since March since I've caught a trout and I didn't really care about the conditions. We rolled out with hopes of hitting it big on heavy tackle and really, really large streamers. We were pleased with the results, despite sacrificing a little bit of ourselves and our equipment to the river.<br />
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</div>Turning the corner and dropping down that familiar decline into Montauk, I couldn't believe how off-color the water was. I have fished the river as high as 1.9 on the gage at Montauk. I'd never tried it at 2.4. The clarity was like watered down chocolate milk that had settled for a day or so. On the banks you could see the bottom but places where the water was more than a foot deep were lost to the heavy colored flow of runoff falling down out of the hills.<br />
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The river was moving. Enough to the point where US Forest Rangers were patroling in a 16 foot john boat powered by a jet outboard keeping floaters off the water. In fact, a large group of floaters (15+) who had come down for a week long float had to delay their departure from Baptist when the "fuzz" motored up stream as they were about to put in. I felt bad for the group. I couldn't imagine anything worse than being forced to delay an amazing float simply because Rangers didn't think it was safe........Oh wait a minute, their layover was on one of the best trout rivers I've ever known. Beats sitting at a gate in the airport. <br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">When we arrived, we decided to stay as far upstream as possible. The thought was that there were fewer tributaries and drainage ditches dumping muddy water into the river. It was a complete gamble. Stepping into the water, I was seriously nervous. I basically convinced these guys that it was okay to go. To spend an entire Sunday fishing on a river that was borderline unfishable. I jumped into lead water thinking that if anyone knew where the fish would be it was me. I wanted to break the ice so everyone knew that we had not made the drive in vain. I casted and casted. I had two pretty sizable fish roll on my streamer, but I didn't land anything. After 200 yards or so of ripping streamers with a couple strikes, I decided to change flies and run the same stretch again. I slid up river past the boys, and Stone and Trip leap-frogged me. That's when the first good strike of the day came. Bang!! Stone was on the board with a good brown.</div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMVdLqFSp9NH1gzB8kyvDCAuxh0Rh1XH5SKB8Cy2I-YRPws53V0BrjhMHMuhuDQxt5dRTNgfawpLx6uZ08H2CeK-qU5dd1Y6uUjoHnneBrCDn5mvgio3xTFH3Qg5ge_qmfAhXti2aF3o/s1600/Stone+May.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqMVdLqFSp9NH1gzB8kyvDCAuxh0Rh1XH5SKB8Cy2I-YRPws53V0BrjhMHMuhuDQxt5dRTNgfawpLx6uZ08H2CeK-qU5dd1Y6uUjoHnneBrCDn5mvgio3xTFH3Qg5ge_qmfAhXti2aF3o/s320/Stone+May.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Trip hit next as JD and I hung out up river enjoying our surroundings.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YTdalbv3s4h61z7f454OQXXjN3ZG-vHQ6yatl_Ame__32XvjxwDH6ge8YroYLKYcNQUQlg8uK9ZvWv2XwxNKugaT8VRtEVlj_m3p-pV-3fKUAdNb4g_CoRKaO7-Chopf9lo5ljHz2fc/s1600/Joe+Brown+May.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-YTdalbv3s4h61z7f454OQXXjN3ZG-vHQ6yatl_Ame__32XvjxwDH6ge8YroYLKYcNQUQlg8uK9ZvWv2XwxNKugaT8VRtEVlj_m3p-pV-3fKUAdNb4g_CoRKaO7-Chopf9lo5ljHz2fc/s320/Joe+Brown+May.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As the day progressed, JD and I got more serious about fishing. It did not pay off. Stone and Trip kept landing fish. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0jQ5VPK7xkjE-48Cyl4xHfl8DQL8yYixj9CUpn3jbh4OYrDQ8-CUcYuI2pOVYmBKK1sDdMzr0mXI5fEahu_x9Xw7WWfjhWuFt3VOJgwJgyrgiWi_qeKialeT7oXSFVCCP2cVG5jvuUM/s1600/Stone+May+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit0jQ5VPK7xkjE-48Cyl4xHfl8DQL8yYixj9CUpn3jbh4OYrDQ8-CUcYuI2pOVYmBKK1sDdMzr0mXI5fEahu_x9Xw7WWfjhWuFt3VOJgwJgyrgiWi_qeKialeT7oXSFVCCP2cVG5jvuUM/s320/Stone+May+2.jpg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yhuGgciyA5rVtq-VPl6JaSTmPTr9oecK2a8sTdAQwk55AVlLIiHZ9v_E4DbdkgQ2tF-hIk_HCkxQb3qqvKuWRKRGEEzab_5F8V7rA5f8HeE3ggLJH0Z35BEoZfrTWutPYsysvZ4n8GI/s1600/Joe+Bow+May.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yhuGgciyA5rVtq-VPl6JaSTmPTr9oecK2a8sTdAQwk55AVlLIiHZ9v_E4DbdkgQ2tF-hIk_HCkxQb3qqvKuWRKRGEEzab_5F8V7rA5f8HeE3ggLJH0Z35BEoZfrTWutPYsysvZ4n8GI/s320/Joe+Bow+May.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The day proved to be particularly bad for me. Despite landing some non-picture worthy fish, I ended up losing the magnet for my net, breaking my 6 wt., and taking a fall so hard on my knee that I missed two days of work this week. Strangely, all of this happened in the same spot on the river.<br />
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After the morning, we moved the car and fished down stream. About 200 yards from the car, I was adjusting my net and the magnet fell off into a heavy riffle. Gone instantly. About five minutes after that, my fly got hung up on a log across a very deep run. When I gave it good tug (and I had 1X flouro on) the fucking rod broke in three places. Must have been a manufacturer's defect right? I scooted back up to the car, grabbed a spare rod, and we fished down stream quite a ways. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">At one of Stone's favorite spots, down from my hell hole, he managed to land several fish including this big 20 inch female.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjse6T0DSYBbhBncBjAWQ2MQSGDCxGtAbyDsdrmp73MPkIx-0ZXZnYudAvH5w8up5wdvGM0rSpS9x_Lo9TzFcODTKLgwcBTB66H_9rJ-Aq7dx3o255wcng-hWikghWdSmbxHQsGdCVDto/s1600/Stone+Streamer+MAY.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjse6T0DSYBbhBncBjAWQ2MQSGDCxGtAbyDsdrmp73MPkIx-0ZXZnYudAvH5w8up5wdvGM0rSpS9x_Lo9TzFcODTKLgwcBTB66H_9rJ-Aq7dx3o255wcng-hWikghWdSmbxHQsGdCVDto/s320/Stone+Streamer+MAY.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">In light of Stone's pig, he and I volunteered to run upstream to shuffle the car so JD and Trip could streamer fish their way down another mile or so. It proved to be pretty productive for them--not so much for Stone and me. We were in a hurry because we both wanted to get another hour of fishing in before we had to go home. We were trucking through the woods. When we got to a place where we had to cross the river, I jumped out in front charging through the water like a fucking grizzly bear. Apparently, I'm not a grizzly bear. I took the digger of all diggers. I tripped on a submerged log and when I fell I threw my hands up in the air so as not to destroy another rod. This caused the entire weight of my body (215 lbs) to land on my knees; specifically, my left knee which happened to fall squarely on a pointed rock. I ripped my wading pants, split my knee open to the point where it probably should have been stitched, and I bruised my knee so bad that I couldn't walk for the next two days. Guess where all this went down? The same fucking place where I lost my magnet and shattered my 6 wt. I think the Current River Gods are telling me there's a very serious fish I need to catch in this hole. Wishful thinking right? </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Anyway, I iced my knee on the way home and, as of now, I should be ready for my tarpon trip this weekend. Back to Location X. I'm really pumped. Hopefully, in a week or so I'll have forgotten about my knee due to a few 100 + lb tarpon on the end of my line. </div><br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">P.S. Never under estimate the power of the Current River. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
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</div>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-22728800387106689222010-05-24T10:54:00.000-05:002010-05-24T10:54:12.976-05:00Bass Weekend at Sayersbrook<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I need to make this quick because our tech guys at work finally limited usage of personal websites. This will be a short one.</div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Last weekend Stuart and I headed to Sayersbrook Bison Ranch in Potosi, MO for a bachelor party weekend. Activities included fishing, shooting, and golf. I was pretty much in heaven. Here are some shots from the weekend. Stuart ended up catching two bass on frog poppers that were upwards of 5 lbs. My big fish, caught on a spinning rod, weighed in at 4.5. Great weekend and a good opportunity to catch some large mouth. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh3tgDa8iNuHDPQjRV7aRKbFv6uUmUrngG9-DKh0AD7ft_Gf6kFd0eJhihezosp6h5oMyZPUm4KA1nFUp-qb5Fk9eEPO4O2wTDYRfHwps2zSXbL2ABuKbZ7Wg62gG8-4A0UkiVPOvQTw/s1600/IMGP0151.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYh3tgDa8iNuHDPQjRV7aRKbFv6uUmUrngG9-DKh0AD7ft_Gf6kFd0eJhihezosp6h5oMyZPUm4KA1nFUp-qb5Fk9eEPO4O2wTDYRfHwps2zSXbL2ABuKbZ7Wg62gG8-4A0UkiVPOvQTw/s320/IMGP0151.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhjXOf08ruMN7t9TrZ7KNmV8k1lA8ETwUmK0sxwRZpAmKK4xxsoTTRbG3K8pfHCPxwzP8r-AqdFMbrpoXZNJ3-vAgWKUNc03BQUUXI1Wh6WW-eU_Yn88LWmi0kS5byXy-R65kq7k6L48/s1600/IMGP0274.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhjXOf08ruMN7t9TrZ7KNmV8k1lA8ETwUmK0sxwRZpAmKK4xxsoTTRbG3K8pfHCPxwzP8r-AqdFMbrpoXZNJ3-vAgWKUNc03BQUUXI1Wh6WW-eU_Yn88LWmi0kS5byXy-R65kq7k6L48/s320/IMGP0274.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qBpu4uleXdVGuQL8XyfnC-1opbGPo7MUoOKxSWUWLJrg0iJXMuaVyTAwKGqY5rh4Ojj50qALwJpY0IXINpJPZl1sa8TcULZO8BAK4ksMnyYX0_rn44YyVkhOuZVzst8LUJoDEqOX6Io/s1600/IMGP0309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" gu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3qBpu4uleXdVGuQL8XyfnC-1opbGPo7MUoOKxSWUWLJrg0iJXMuaVyTAwKGqY5rh4Ojj50qALwJpY0IXINpJPZl1sa8TcULZO8BAK4ksMnyYX0_rn44YyVkhOuZVzst8LUJoDEqOX6Io/s320/IMGP0309.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-63254457717232385432010-04-16T10:52:00.004-05:002010-04-16T11:05:47.730-05:00April 16Well I turned 30 today. I had to update my profile description which formerly said "...an attorney in my late twenties." I don't feel older. I sound older. I still don't think of myself as an adult. Is there something wrong with that? All I want to do is fish and hunt and sometimes play golf.<br />
<br />
I was trying to remember if I had any goals I wanted to accomplish by the time I was 30. Only one thing came to mind. I used to tell myself that I wouldn't get married until I was 30. I guess I screwed that up. Oh well. Getting married at 29 was one of the best decisions I've ever made. I think I found the perfect match.<br />
<br />
Who needs goals anyway? <br />
<br />
I'm gonna leave work today and go fishing.Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-51840406874390551122010-04-08T09:38:00.002-05:002010-04-08T09:40:27.948-05:00In Need of a Quick Fix....<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Unfortunately, my chances of hitting the river this weekend are dwindling. I really want to float and camp but all my so-called "fishing buddies" have bull shit to attend to. I've been trying to satisfy my craving locally after work. Thank God for bass and golf course ponds!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09-GidzB97pnex92EykALoPV41pjJ0EhAnxOO-gYcnMA1PmNDdx56fET7pv-vqYN9ojh-rcXNZ2AYj1AC6_neeaWkN0oG2q8Y0AGizRH2C8I0GwPhVMvKmtnsOpo6SxfEP32OC5E_tzg/s1600/Bass.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09-GidzB97pnex92EykALoPV41pjJ0EhAnxOO-gYcnMA1PmNDdx56fET7pv-vqYN9ojh-rcXNZ2AYj1AC6_neeaWkN0oG2q8Y0AGizRH2C8I0GwPhVMvKmtnsOpo6SxfEP32OC5E_tzg/s320/Bass.JPG" wt="true" /></a></div>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-91452374253253414732010-04-07T13:13:00.004-05:002010-04-07T15:40:06.996-05:00March 2010<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">March was a good month for me. Including the weekend discussed below with Joe, I was able to fish every weekend of the month! My wife is pretty damn cool. Each trip was a little different. I had sunny days and rainy days; warm days and cold days; low water and highwater. I floated and waded; I fished the Current and the Meramec; and I caught fish on dries, droppers, streamers and nymphs. All were great trips. </div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">The second weekend of March (13th-14th), I floated the Current with Eddie. The weather was beautiful. Sunny skies, mid to upper 50s, BUT, we decided to throw streamers anyway. We fished hard and put some decent fish in the boat. In my new favorite spot, Eddie moved two real nice browns--one on a streamer and one on a caddis dry. We each ended up in the double digits after the float.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0KZ61nK0LvVGPwmvFO9oj9jCWHw5j0H0P6j0H6Bb-RdongHQqrW5BuVhd7CjDM5XeGu79BtbmpJ4RxUSu_8-cf3LqburWIFr7dCy-ArpEk8yHjzokLye9RbroAIrsxpz-6DWB6f2pbk/s1600/IMGP0090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ0KZ61nK0LvVGPwmvFO9oj9jCWHw5j0H0P6j0H6Bb-RdongHQqrW5BuVhd7CjDM5XeGu79BtbmpJ4RxUSu_8-cf3LqburWIFr7dCy-ArpEk8yHjzokLye9RbroAIrsxpz-6DWB6f2pbk/s320/IMGP0090.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2XkwU7HLgNDbBtNKDK1h3fD7YjC8Z_kOlWipUPjUBlCQ9BzLcYqc24x9W_LgjbrfWRMWysEWNarnhYc3u9lSo-WRc9ND_IM4V32a7QcUri35mMS4eiqoIIDOA4zdP4hgVcjhQVYjB94/s1600/IMGP0099.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji2XkwU7HLgNDbBtNKDK1h3fD7YjC8Z_kOlWipUPjUBlCQ9BzLcYqc24x9W_LgjbrfWRMWysEWNarnhYc3u9lSo-WRc9ND_IM4V32a7QcUri35mMS4eiqoIIDOA4zdP4hgVcjhQVYjB94/s320/IMGP0099.JPG" /></a></div>At the end of the day after the float, we drove upstream to see if we could catch an evening caddis hatch. We did. We fished for about 30 or 40 more minutes and dominated fish on dries. Nothing super big but we had excellent numbers. Probably a dozen fish each in that short stent. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">March 20th the weather was supposed to be nasty. Highs in the upper forties and an 80% chance of rain. Joe and I decided to try streamers on the Meramec. The river looked great. It's changed quite a bit over the last few years and there appears to be a lot more good trout habitat. All MDC needs to do now is change this to a Blue Ribbon stream so there are a greater number of fish. Joe and I fished hard, sticking several fish on streamers. For example: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84YpfcqG1rM57Z9Jtqzx-zmg46_Msj_1gTcjvclYHLDjYYEI_0hnpi4pXbtDTgup3tsm-9UK9trUR1BtiMuZ1cGSB1347haX3pQ5g6_7fk_1OALvgKtlG9v-4c7gPjyM_eGCvvBhLtp0/s1600/Nice+bow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj84YpfcqG1rM57Z9Jtqzx-zmg46_Msj_1gTcjvclYHLDjYYEI_0hnpi4pXbtDTgup3tsm-9UK9trUR1BtiMuZ1cGSB1347haX3pQ5g6_7fk_1OALvgKtlG9v-4c7gPjyM_eGCvvBhLtp0/s320/Nice+bow.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">As always with streamers, you find yourself trying to make the perfect cast--under logs, over rocks, and on to the bank. These risks do not always pay off. Don't try this at home. This is a good way to end your day quickly:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGA-amovMz_lBHiD3tquW2CghKzvlIlaHraZ5ZCoYhhvzx6YPhG3UubTRQG5ZSni87c7pUEWMJspAbqygzolhq1OKN7cSKlsp3dcsjqOBHhtZufBJeW7hvNMIW1pthtiPb3QaX-MVGns/s1600/Deep+wade.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXGA-amovMz_lBHiD3tquW2CghKzvlIlaHraZ5ZCoYhhvzx6YPhG3UubTRQG5ZSni87c7pUEWMJspAbqygzolhq1OKN7cSKlsp3dcsjqOBHhtZufBJeW7hvNMIW1pthtiPb3QaX-MVGns/s320/Deep+wade.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> When the rain quit, we switched over to nymphs and the bite picked up signficicantly. Joe stuck this beautiful bow in a familiar spot:</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieH-ReOyZq6QTG6C8xpUabT9sWkqiClZZuT57QvMwahBEe6qiQHUBDCU5skvVxR1xrmV92iEFgRW5jO_Xxz_23aEUeyU-nZJ-NnBnteX8o3dRXLWWYvpc2Ldbfgoj-DaOvi8oBg6mc-bc/s1600/Joe+bow.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieH-ReOyZq6QTG6C8xpUabT9sWkqiClZZuT57QvMwahBEe6qiQHUBDCU5skvVxR1xrmV92iEFgRW5jO_Xxz_23aEUeyU-nZJ-NnBnteX8o3dRXLWWYvpc2Ldbfgoj-DaOvi8oBg6mc-bc/s320/Joe+bow.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">All in all, it was a good afternoon on the Mac. </div><br />
The last weekend in March, my boy Doug and I hit the Current to wade fish. This was the worst weather yet, or at least it was supposed to be. The forecast called for heavy rain and storms Saturday night into Sunday morning. We were risking a blown out river by going but I figured rising, chalky water would be good for streamers. We decided to leave a little later in the morning (6:45) to see how much the USGS gauge at Montauk would rise over night. At first glance in the morning, the river looked like it didn't come up at all. Maybe it didn't rain there? It was pouring at my house. Doug and I went for it anyway. The guage never lies right? About an hour and a half down highway 44, I realized that the USGS website was down and it hadn't been updated since 10 pm the previous evening. Considering it had rained all night, I thought we were fucked. <br />
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When we arrived, the river was up probably 6 or 8 inches higher than it had been when I was with Eddie. The water was also slightly stained which was perfect. The risk paid off. We absolutley dominated fish on streamers. It took about a half hour to find out what was hot. Once we did, each of us fished the same fly all day. We caugh fish steadily and managed to land a few that pushed the 18 inch mark.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKENVBp-SaGe-lhyphenhyphen1aR_wUdm3nuR791_bZIF23PswWUWtWOcXtH75xoDMQYHUUGWGXfaY2R-QrIt7EILUSxbm-16_0It-U6GB2yaOkRS5nzCdjmWSVJsnt7nkSl3UAhuESHTJ-W_cnOEQ/s1600/IMGP0104.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKENVBp-SaGe-lhyphenhyphen1aR_wUdm3nuR791_bZIF23PswWUWtWOcXtH75xoDMQYHUUGWGXfaY2R-QrIt7EILUSxbm-16_0It-U6GB2yaOkRS5nzCdjmWSVJsnt7nkSl3UAhuESHTJ-W_cnOEQ/s320/IMGP0104.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnw_tUkXO5GcZ5ukTRJg-ztEMUB0Vou7YWA3KY8CQqEvgZBHshE_TBDCTd55wsd3kQtWbiAzJXVWnyaNja-bAIytml6wuj4M0SrP4d-6d-cBO0XKb-qgFZRNtUeFvJYCG-u8YxEh1Lvf4/s1600/IMGP0108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnw_tUkXO5GcZ5ukTRJg-ztEMUB0Vou7YWA3KY8CQqEvgZBHshE_TBDCTd55wsd3kQtWbiAzJXVWnyaNja-bAIytml6wuj4M0SrP4d-6d-cBO0XKb-qgFZRNtUeFvJYCG-u8YxEh1Lvf4/s320/IMGP0108.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2G1RQuc0LasBx6mOMeFuicN_mw_hNyhkGQpfaxjCUCYwWTjyTiN9uhm1TrQb7mh2U6tnHS-LGlhXsSQCDx-5pj21IJPjE_Ok_U-0gLlvQ-zUPxmkCwY3c4t9zhoSOdeDNl0ikIF9V_N4/s1600/IMGP0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2G1RQuc0LasBx6mOMeFuicN_mw_hNyhkGQpfaxjCUCYwWTjyTiN9uhm1TrQb7mh2U6tnHS-LGlhXsSQCDx-5pj21IJPjE_Ok_U-0gLlvQ-zUPxmkCwY3c4t9zhoSOdeDNl0ikIF9V_N4/s320/IMGP0109.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9U6Zy4giIuFGU5YPb7UkoXGSWGz2q5yC0VG38GAnCywmcFzuK56T6M7vY-hQJ61KroRZua_T6Ia1fEh1Ot5522kBY1yQyjnSwr3_-744HWg9Ejp7G8iaBZwv1w82oLFAao9_VKauHsak/s1600/IMGP0111.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9U6Zy4giIuFGU5YPb7UkoXGSWGz2q5yC0VG38GAnCywmcFzuK56T6M7vY-hQJ61KroRZua_T6Ia1fEh1Ot5522kBY1yQyjnSwr3_-744HWg9Ejp7G8iaBZwv1w82oLFAao9_VKauHsak/s320/IMGP0111.JPG" /></a></div>It was really one of the best days I've had streamer fishing on the Current in a while. I moved at least two fish that were huge (i.e. 22 +), and stuck probably 30 or 40 on the day. Doug, who is relatively new to the sport, really took to streamer fishing. He smoked this 17 inch rainbow all by his lonesome and I think he had a career changing day. <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqPlBbv6gxxbxRYa4T_yasRR9je9Sd8A9ZvvTMUzad9qOrVVmwfJg3YeH1r5FUtc8UFbs8Go4eCDvK6Ep1XdeJ37X2_Tyu-qsj8xn1cHgRGlYii6f9HNYO3CmnbQdN05QJe_shSZvsiI/s1600/IMGP0105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqqPlBbv6gxxbxRYa4T_yasRR9je9Sd8A9ZvvTMUzad9qOrVVmwfJg3YeH1r5FUtc8UFbs8Go4eCDvK6Ep1XdeJ37X2_Tyu-qsj8xn1cHgRGlYii6f9HNYO3CmnbQdN05QJe_shSZvsiI/s320/IMGP0105.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">At about 4 in the afternoon the sun came out and Doug and I switched over to dries. We stuck a few on top to close out the day and hit the road. What an awesome day! What an awesome month!!</div>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-44460789892403600142010-03-11T15:55:00.002-06:002010-03-11T16:05:51.099-06:00Current River 3/7/10This past Sunday was a perfect day for fishing. It was a beautiful day, the water conditions were excellent for dries and droppers, and I had good company to fish with - Mr. Joe Scott. Check out this tight loop:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO11H8KwfQ7B6irnKFq_egImrd9USH0oHhw-wVYBBdINu67S01MLoS0EHIHbe60UuDcw7UENFvrhSjyysorfZ8sA8qrWrHSD4MPHXcP1x28RH7ErUClemf6nZ5xHEdeUJN9TMm4ZqVKA/s1600-h/IMGP0073.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKO11H8KwfQ7B6irnKFq_egImrd9USH0oHhw-wVYBBdINu67S01MLoS0EHIHbe60UuDcw7UENFvrhSjyysorfZ8sA8qrWrHSD4MPHXcP1x28RH7ErUClemf6nZ5xHEdeUJN9TMm4ZqVKA/s400/IMGP0073.JPG" vt="true" width="400" /></a></div>Being that it was the first weekend of trout season, Joe and I decided we'd float to get away from the crowds. It was the right call. We did not see a single fisherman the entire day. I really couldn't believe it. It was also nice fishing out of the boat because we were able to haul our cooler, lunch, lots of tackle, and about 6 fly rods. I love not having to re-rig every time you want to change techniques. We fished with dries, nymphs, streamers - we even through some sinking lines. <br />
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The morning started out pretty slow. We caught fish on varrious patterns but couldn't seem to find the magic bug. The caddis were coming off pretty good and I managed to stick one small wild rainbow on a dry, but the fish did not seem to be into the caddis, or at least not the adult caddis. We tried caddis worms, soft hackles, pupa, emergers, dries - nothing was consistent. <br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">I spent a significant amount of time checking to see what was going on under water. Turning over various rocks revealed caddis worms, several different colors and sizes of mayfly nymphs, stone fly nymphs, sculpin, scuds, etc. I love the fact that Current is such a clean, healthy stream. I also saw a lot of crawdads. This guy was right next to the boat so I decided to snap some underwater shots:</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaEam4GekTdZGEhppvbpw0nLOrOoB8v_5WrK_O6u7GPgReKioWqO7HZ5kvkpHicitlFtPydgCa70cbzgrZXuFErUX5FtpIO7cqOwlsVYboe3uLDjXadqXUf06q2_kB89_DzUln27ONSo/s1600-h/IMGP0078.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieaEam4GekTdZGEhppvbpw0nLOrOoB8v_5WrK_O6u7GPgReKioWqO7HZ5kvkpHicitlFtPydgCa70cbzgrZXuFErUX5FtpIO7cqOwlsVYboe3uLDjXadqXUf06q2_kB89_DzUln27ONSo/s400/IMGP0078.JPG" vt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYo28Q0JEsKog69XpvDzpI3rRScFiQeaYNS05FWvVW4OlLoUQM85SDj24Ch4swQpOQH9E7WEwhuwAz4VkJWl6bVkmmSFj4wQbcWKOBFbVTggSlkbz5-alRSc5GNWOugxq9n1a9FBS_In0/s1600-h/IMGP0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYo28Q0JEsKog69XpvDzpI3rRScFiQeaYNS05FWvVW4OlLoUQM85SDj24Ch4swQpOQH9E7WEwhuwAz4VkJWl6bVkmmSFj4wQbcWKOBFbVTggSlkbz5-alRSc5GNWOugxq9n1a9FBS_In0/s400/IMGP0080.JPG" vt="true" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrxmVGpXAwF9Bh5iBm5vwDzVQQl8JDBCo4xpgr7-MHQ9B4mWUfG7dqHlPrFuZXnmGUVqsghtyZ3CNia1rhNg0HO99vSXet5M_7cEoSaHtRZCDZiieTOTmz4jpNOteXb7k33pub7BRelM/s1600-h/IMGP0081.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDrxmVGpXAwF9Bh5iBm5vwDzVQQl8JDBCo4xpgr7-MHQ9B4mWUfG7dqHlPrFuZXnmGUVqsghtyZ3CNia1rhNg0HO99vSXet5M_7cEoSaHtRZCDZiieTOTmz4jpNOteXb7k33pub7BRelM/s400/IMGP0081.JPG" vt="true" width="400" /></a></div>The coolest bug I found, and this is only the second time I've seen one of these on the Current, was an acquatic worm (i.e. the San Juan Worm). Check this sucker out:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_QPoNimUvj1T9o2KnyDtarf3iSeNWXMOIezD5JdMv_BP31sWh2Kf__2nOT7iHWI0S26vzxKxNVKpJG2azG5tR5bFSxCazAArlwguPPjU9AWCW2wI0DxCVQIrgsSP2Eb4E5kGsMAjqT4/s1600-h/IMGP0077.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip_QPoNimUvj1T9o2KnyDtarf3iSeNWXMOIezD5JdMv_BP31sWh2Kf__2nOT7iHWI0S26vzxKxNVKpJG2azG5tR5bFSxCazAArlwguPPjU9AWCW2wI0DxCVQIrgsSP2Eb4E5kGsMAjqT4/s400/IMGP0077.JPG" vt="true" width="400" /></a></div>I don't know why, but I've always felt like I'm cheating when I'm fishing San Juans. Something about throwing a fluorescent worm just screams trout park. Now I won't feel as bad when I tie one of these on. If this is actually part of the fish's diet, and not just some powerbait-esque attractor, I'll be down to fish it more often. I wonder if I could throw it as a dropper. That would be cool.<br />
<br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Anyway, the further down river we floated, the better the fishing got. Perhaps it was just a time of day thing beause I know the holes in the upper section can fish well, but the fish started nailing caddis and steamers down river. I couldn't believe they were hitting streamers on a bright sunny day with clear water! I was not complaining. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">We stopped and spent the majority of the aftenroon in what I think is my new favorite stretch of river. No chance I'm sharing the location. We ended up netting probably 25-30 fish in the afternoon. Mostly browns but, unfortunately, none were real big. Our largest was probably around 14 or 15. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1cg8wqyWqTz1KtP2JVydeWPJiLwMiHnHlcXv26YdL1YhglHfdg2A4sw1PNLBWpCG3g1wlEXXW7shkEf7SqJo_YcAncxV2mqwWOn46nw4mFrRRQckR-YXx2CYtfY2jkp7p0epeD-pZJU/s1600-h/IMGP0086.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio1cg8wqyWqTz1KtP2JVydeWPJiLwMiHnHlcXv26YdL1YhglHfdg2A4sw1PNLBWpCG3g1wlEXXW7shkEf7SqJo_YcAncxV2mqwWOn46nw4mFrRRQckR-YXx2CYtfY2jkp7p0epeD-pZJU/s400/IMGP0086.JPG" vt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsdq7uqHe9zleQIhJti2R9m-nt6vFnsCAxKdtBrwdUvLHea3DKtYF4ZE9F0XrbKCrvYyIaWI-LN-Y8VYhO6duP8uHyHDBvXUskvjhr_NhJiru63Hrroo1OCMktTLTcu6u7M47X5VM0O4/s1600-h/IMGP0084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfsdq7uqHe9zleQIhJti2R9m-nt6vFnsCAxKdtBrwdUvLHea3DKtYF4ZE9F0XrbKCrvYyIaWI-LN-Y8VYhO6duP8uHyHDBvXUskvjhr_NhJiru63Hrroo1OCMktTLTcu6u7M47X5VM0O4/s400/IMGP0084.JPG" vt="true" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWew6PY6Z39fyc-Cf5Vu2jT6a1bTAV28oBf2TJLD25k2QDfHwO6ztfn-B0kRc-Yy2Uvq7MQLUKqU1f_vt1wct_nbmo_YuLApkonzZSDRKmu-sprirLRQaK0QBA4LCvz9ItgT3IPUcnvmI/s1600-h/IMGP0082.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWew6PY6Z39fyc-Cf5Vu2jT6a1bTAV28oBf2TJLD25k2QDfHwO6ztfn-B0kRc-Yy2Uvq7MQLUKqU1f_vt1wct_nbmo_YuLApkonzZSDRKmu-sprirLRQaK0QBA4LCvz9ItgT3IPUcnvmI/s400/IMGP0082.JPG" vt="true" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">It was a really cool afternoon because it was pretty much all sight casting with dries and droppers. The fish were going ape-shit over the fly too. It would hit the water and they would almost fight each other over who got to eat it. They were very active. I was really digging it. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Great day on the water. It was my first time back to the Current in quite a while. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it. <br />
<br />
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Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-50905825706820441952010-03-05T09:52:00.002-06:002010-03-05T10:45:50.429-06:00White River Feb. 2010 Part II<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Friday evening, Stuart and Billy arrived charged and ready to party. Unfortunately, after a long day chucking and ducking, John, Stone, and I needed a little recharge. When the boys arrived, we grabbed a quick bite to eat, had a cocktail or two, and the three of us hit the rack. Actually, I think Stone stayed up for while as he requires no sleep when he's on a fishing trip. Wouldn't you love to be 25 again? Immune from hangovers, full of energy, and always ready to put your waders on. Stone has a way of wearing you down over a long weekend. He will fish 24 hours a day and force you to have cocktails when there's not a fly rod in your hand. It's always a marathon with him. Trust me. We had a long weekend on the Madison in Montana a few years ago and Stone let me sleep about 9 hours in 5 days. It was a double threat weekend. We were duck hunting every morning and evening and fishing in the afternoons. I had to come home and sleep for week before I felt normal again. Gotta love it!</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">With the full crew at the Lodge, things got a little more crowded. There was a bit of posturing and a few shenanegans surrounding who got the good beds, but we all managed to get some sleep and were ready for day three. That morning we decided to count on a shad kill. The guides had heard that shad were coming through the dam the previous afternoon so we went for it. Worst case, we would get a quick bend in the rod on nymphs and re-locate for the afternoon if the big browns were not active up by the dam. </div></div><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Again, I drew the short straw and fished with Han (Solo) in the morning. My capatin was Mr. Chris Butts. We got along famously. We started on streamers and managed to put a few decent fish in the boat but nothing big or brown was moving. Too much traffic!! Finally, after watching the other boys dominate trout on shad, eggs, and worms, Chris and I caved and rigged up with a bobber. I won't say fish in a barrel, but we caught a bunch once we made the switch. Check out this nice bow:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbmzKtplsTi2g0uXwtkJ4U6jsb4mBLFV2ej0P2_MOleyEoPb9hm8iwEtwPX2kJiigRs9yE1hZH70oZguzIPiNMtjUGPVOzm6ZgN-zBrCGol7OxK_IKU9XwyWnt33RolLOQWFk8r4zSYk/s1600-h/P2140030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkbmzKtplsTi2g0uXwtkJ4U6jsb4mBLFV2ej0P2_MOleyEoPb9hm8iwEtwPX2kJiigRs9yE1hZH70oZguzIPiNMtjUGPVOzm6ZgN-zBrCGol7OxK_IKU9XwyWnt33RolLOQWFk8r4zSYk/s320/P2140030.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"> Davis had the big fish of the morning:</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwT85Zm3VwX11A3wBtqzI_6Wnzg6ThOROxIuiPrNYp_7RFa4N-fwac88bRtiG3v-seZHIuxBZhRjHhuIaCkHCXFS-E-Ht2kwYzTAO858e0u_ho9cwIA-kPqxTIJzZiJXVW8BUzgswyLk/s1600-h/IMGP0033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIwT85Zm3VwX11A3wBtqzI_6Wnzg6ThOROxIuiPrNYp_7RFa4N-fwac88bRtiG3v-seZHIuxBZhRjHhuIaCkHCXFS-E-Ht2kwYzTAO858e0u_ho9cwIA-kPqxTIJzZiJXVW8BUzgswyLk/s320/IMGP0033.JPG" /></a></div>Stone, Billy and Stuart stuck some nice fish that morning as well. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsSugMnFBrHBLJKtG7d4OawIWn13mWVDjoLMmD0kGPhOiiI08z4OfvBO5qBa7o7l6zMVGKSLrkxGxEk2TZmfHY4L_GYdN-s28n2EmUgdqgwKPtJ9z_29COceLsLyPMDydmPy-ouodCZI/s1600-h/IMGP0037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFsSugMnFBrHBLJKtG7d4OawIWn13mWVDjoLMmD0kGPhOiiI08z4OfvBO5qBa7o7l6zMVGKSLrkxGxEk2TZmfHY4L_GYdN-s28n2EmUgdqgwKPtJ9z_29COceLsLyPMDydmPy-ouodCZI/s320/IMGP0037.JPG" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiB4e4Y7AXaM8rR9nVfyKCR_8UxygjCenb9hgs5804d7gFPeGCkF_vkvG_qZqNlllfChdeOLq8z8T9wZA9ux4FjG5thPlVwVuvwslu2Jv003QkTtliDCTbIoGkDqo127W1mXLG98ZLRM/s1600-h/IMGP0052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUiB4e4Y7AXaM8rR9nVfyKCR_8UxygjCenb9hgs5804d7gFPeGCkF_vkvG_qZqNlllfChdeOLq8z8T9wZA9ux4FjG5thPlVwVuvwslu2Jv003QkTtliDCTbIoGkDqo127W1mXLG98ZLRM/s320/IMGP0052.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzh4CnC-EnrWeckDV17QHfQQdODgwk2vyS1Jn0jvYRn0RCgHKmnTWjiF0vJduG-lscDK0RMdUY3qFwQW7Nfz8p_fKvxI8fSnXYtYTv8cNEp8-bRz5DTWgnjTkZy5t2vfgnyXp8SNzOxGg/s1600-h/IMGP0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzh4CnC-EnrWeckDV17QHfQQdODgwk2vyS1Jn0jvYRn0RCgHKmnTWjiF0vJduG-lscDK0RMdUY3qFwQW7Nfz8p_fKvxI8fSnXYtYTv8cNEp8-bRz5DTWgnjTkZy5t2vfgnyXp8SNzOxGg/s320/IMGP0053.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">At noon, we met on the banks of the river just below the dam for lunch. It's somewhat surreal sitting there looking at the huge wall of concrete holding back millions of gallons of water. You can't help but wonder what the fuck you would do if it started to crack. Seriously. There's no way you could out run it or climb fast enough up the hill to get away from it. I think you'd have to get in a boat, point your bow down stream, and hang on for dear life. Can you imagine? Riding giants at BSD. </div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5JmPL7xLZQ50v9-oub15oY6LZASwnLqoLZpjOi80EJtIPaOUVHKDMbn5GpLBTZPrDMPmPFd5z8rNJjPw_RddBB-HJXmzb7hRwUtRtdkoFKE1kQ7APMvzUPPQaQgMZywvq2K2o2hCJyQ/s1600-h/IMGP0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm5JmPL7xLZQ50v9-oub15oY6LZASwnLqoLZpjOi80EJtIPaOUVHKDMbn5GpLBTZPrDMPmPFd5z8rNJjPw_RddBB-HJXmzb7hRwUtRtdkoFKE1kQ7APMvzUPPQaQgMZywvq2K2o2hCJyQ/s320/IMGP0050.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">With visions of cataclysms dancing in our heads, we wolfed down our sandwiches, made Rouse-style with wasabi mustard, pickled red bell peppers, and banna peppers, we trailored the boats, and headed downstream to get the streamer rods back out. Teams for the afternoon session were Stuart and I, Davis and Stone, and Billy and Han. I was happy to get away from the shad-circus.</div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">This was a somewhat difficult decision for the group because Billy and Stuart were new to the streamer game. It's tough getting into streamer fishing because you don't always have success. I remember when I first tried it on my own, I thought I was doing something wrong because I wasn't catching as many fish as I would on nymphs or dry flies. I casted and casted and casted and couldn't produce fish. Looking back, ripping wooley buggers on low water on a bright sunny day was probably not the best equation for catching fish, but I stuck with it. Days, weeks, or perhaps even months later, I finally got the hang of it (or just figured out what the best conditions were for streamer fishing). After that, I fell in love with it and now jump at the opportunity for a good day of ripping streamers. I was hoping Stuart could break the threashold early so he wouldn't get frustrated and want to change tactics. </div><br />
Good ol' Stuey stuck with it and sure enough stuck a bunch of fish. Actually, as the sun fell, Stuart laid into a big brown 22+ that we lost at the boat while trying to net. With all the excitement of watching a big fish chase and attack his fly, Stu forgot that he had to show a little respect to a larger fish. It took less than ten seconds for Stuart to have the fish at the boat, but when that big girl decided to run and Stu kept pulling, she popped his 0X leader like it was nothing. Close enough just to realize what he lost. Stu took his medicine and kept chucking. I think he got a good taste of the streamer buzz. Here's Stu measuring up the fish he lost:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIefi2Yk0_bU369qpXrhZQyYhn0p2sRSpIzQxDJX87HBoSLigG-Gi64vd50K0P3lM3BK0ke9ZUf0wNzLKFvlH_JL5f4HWLr-P_nsi1xrbLCzPL3EwilaPCihNmdd_K1j9M-_L_DZIGcLI/s1600-h/IMGP4108.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIefi2Yk0_bU369qpXrhZQyYhn0p2sRSpIzQxDJX87HBoSLigG-Gi64vd50K0P3lM3BK0ke9ZUf0wNzLKFvlH_JL5f4HWLr-P_nsi1xrbLCzPL3EwilaPCihNmdd_K1j9M-_L_DZIGcLI/s320/IMGP4108.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">As day three came to a close, Jamie took Stu and I down for one more drift along one of his favorite banks. As we pulled into position, Jamie said this bank was the primary reason we motored upstream at the end of the day. I was throwing my 8 weight with a 300 grain sinking line. My fly mimicked a 6 inch rainbow trout. After a few casts, I had a good strike but missed. Two casts later, I caught the fish of the weekend. A beautiful 24 inch beast. </div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tyTeXIGdYf5oFWD5lgGX078qiU2NZf_gJESkYpEL26jWRlvEhNKU91yul9RCCgL8k_AOhc4GSsNrw5RZErxIv3RsNKNs6lQjfhIm4MyqdAbKbr-vr8riPjWMDC_ZylKoG3kza03r8Lk/s1600-h/IMGP0035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8tyTeXIGdYf5oFWD5lgGX078qiU2NZf_gJESkYpEL26jWRlvEhNKU91yul9RCCgL8k_AOhc4GSsNrw5RZErxIv3RsNKNs6lQjfhIm4MyqdAbKbr-vr8riPjWMDC_ZylKoG3kza03r8Lk/s320/IMGP0035.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtWNmv1XKSnMtNX6c0iKh1UQAUw23V55zobtC-FpQg3cSC6zPdsqBERNm9-AD-esze5Xxk2_Uo4mqhThjU2vja20X2r5nyL9oj2CNhqPYaz5w0b1wRo3k3HvZ0dHnBeySrPKeLoo76s0/s1600-h/IMGP0034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAtWNmv1XKSnMtNX6c0iKh1UQAUw23V55zobtC-FpQg3cSC6zPdsqBERNm9-AD-esze5Xxk2_Uo4mqhThjU2vja20X2r5nyL9oj2CNhqPYaz5w0b1wRo3k3HvZ0dHnBeySrPKeLoo76s0/s320/IMGP0034.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKgJYl0acqMwdOKVpfge8qEB4IFIS6qTKzs9lCdlrpG7ZGZbr2lhM-HNrX5OvdvZ2fZ6epuxP9xBoJVZO-P0dEDsxDPFzpbGeRVumm7urcKHt5_AOKynDG16LICJDwZepvRtZZJPgTMg/s1600-h/IMGP0036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvKgJYl0acqMwdOKVpfge8qEB4IFIS6qTKzs9lCdlrpG7ZGZbr2lhM-HNrX5OvdvZ2fZ6epuxP9xBoJVZO-P0dEDsxDPFzpbGeRVumm7urcKHt5_AOKynDG16LICJDwZepvRtZZJPgTMg/s320/IMGP0036.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">While I wish I had been using the 6 weight to prolong the battle, I was pumped to have landed this beauty. <br />
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That evening, feeling lucky, we decided to whip out the poker set. I must have used up all my luck on the water because I was quickly outed. Davis held strong for a while and managed to put together a very rare straight flush (almost as rare as a 24 inch brown....):</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Tj8-8_Tr-bhxi8WN4JxDdYaszmpR6QZoeyxLhWrHgeQwfs_zXj6vwkm-KMpjaGsAniLhMgcyc7QyhrjgeERhmkjXRF0DHINAQ7on1lal8HiF1e_MaKuAFqiUnxg0wj3qbg3LZoEns80/s1600-h/IMGP0056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Tj8-8_Tr-bhxi8WN4JxDdYaszmpR6QZoeyxLhWrHgeQwfs_zXj6vwkm-KMpjaGsAniLhMgcyc7QyhrjgeERhmkjXRF0DHINAQ7on1lal8HiF1e_MaKuAFqiUnxg0wj3qbg3LZoEns80/s320/IMGP0056.JPG" /></a></div>I think Billy ended up taking the pot. I did not stay awake for the close of the poker game. <br />
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The last two days on the water, the weather took a turn for the worse. It was in the low thirties and windchills were in the teens. Waders and guides were freezing immediately (even with de-icer on the guides), finger tips were burning, and you had to keep moving your feet or your toes would lock up. <br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1UQd5B3I20C_APZ5o3X7Da4nM5zkaSRiz9QNziMFA4uAU4pjX5ioYcej_iRMCxKTyxhU5O03So0pfdZZTFqY9saKn3i7aGrLjKS_ssmpOPMwL7ytRiB-H9Ce0hgHp5UJDWgnwHx2GJ4/s1600-h/IMGP0062.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK1UQd5B3I20C_APZ5o3X7Da4nM5zkaSRiz9QNziMFA4uAU4pjX5ioYcej_iRMCxKTyxhU5O03So0pfdZZTFqY9saKn3i7aGrLjKS_ssmpOPMwL7ytRiB-H9Ce0hgHp5UJDWgnwHx2GJ4/s320/IMGP0062.JPG" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Due to the fairly miserable conditions, we decided to stick around Copper John's in case we needed a quick break from the cold. We nymphed hard and managed to put some more nice fish in the boat but, surprisingly, nothing huge ever came out of the water near the dam. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoMUKAlDFKIKLUSxsiRv8xLAfXqBv9wkGTqG1S9I9rvuMedvwUl60WJaG7E7P-KSrFH7rv6LkTCNbP0u6ZhTl13R9widylpWqLDSKiUho7Pmy2dGna1PN0BkEzPmqm7Ms3KdDaCQhEk0/s1600-h/IMGP0051.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCoMUKAlDFKIKLUSxsiRv8xLAfXqBv9wkGTqG1S9I9rvuMedvwUl60WJaG7E7P-KSrFH7rv6LkTCNbP0u6ZhTl13R9widylpWqLDSKiUho7Pmy2dGna1PN0BkEzPmqm7Ms3KdDaCQhEk0/s320/IMGP0051.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQn90ApcDvMcJXjsgb1Jbn2j6u8BreU8nEAop0H2AzADAVjU9bSMRSrdIy8qWKLwpFrETDcIPbAXZ0cXJIRzTChqsI0iSBG-koTO5oWuDX8MRfuI-FNaU5Y4FQHRI2RzZPwy8W0p6-64/s1600-h/IMGP0023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBQn90ApcDvMcJXjsgb1Jbn2j6u8BreU8nEAop0H2AzADAVjU9bSMRSrdIy8qWKLwpFrETDcIPbAXZ0cXJIRzTChqsI0iSBG-koTO5oWuDX8MRfuI-FNaU5Y4FQHRI2RzZPwy8W0p6-64/s320/IMGP0023.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUBfLahcSqz1j5HhS6Sxk0gO0VrREP2zUDEbkJTd4czhuMDMOvrxlBpVwWtVQuoDTOHtUHTZcMhiDb_Gv29OGmykGtj2vIn9d2EXb5maFARDQdowjYx8aJ0OXKkkyESqex0pFJ5m8WfU/s1600-h/IMGP0054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPUBfLahcSqz1j5HhS6Sxk0gO0VrREP2zUDEbkJTd4czhuMDMOvrxlBpVwWtVQuoDTOHtUHTZcMhiDb_Gv29OGmykGtj2vIn9d2EXb5maFARDQdowjYx8aJ0OXKkkyESqex0pFJ5m8WfU/s320/IMGP0054.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Stuart and Billy hit the road Monday morning as Stone, Davis, and I suited up for the coldest day on the water yet. We survived with facemasks, hand warmers, and by making a fire on the bank at lunch. Fishing was decent. Honestly, it was almost too cold to throw streamers because there's no way to keep your hands dry when your constantly stripping line. Wet hands, twenty degree weather, and strong wind are not a good combination. We did, however, catch lots of fish. We had the best shad kill of the weekend on Monday. The birds were going crazy and the fish were locked in on the easy meal. Stone won the day with a 20 inch bow that was fat with shad. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPje34DuctV6rQxM-arsZccPMp2hoQSb5W8TaLq_5XPN83Slh7oDmHOqoLgq1ze-Ai395KqDJmHr499FW9WUXV9fCgJfop3b3dlPSDS_qs60ApNvUkXDx7ZuoNVTBGHPeviJkDDFWvCFY/s1600-h/IMGP0064.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPje34DuctV6rQxM-arsZccPMp2hoQSb5W8TaLq_5XPN83Slh7oDmHOqoLgq1ze-Ai395KqDJmHr499FW9WUXV9fCgJfop3b3dlPSDS_qs60ApNvUkXDx7ZuoNVTBGHPeviJkDDFWvCFY/s320/IMGP0064.JPG" /></a></div><div class="" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">After the close of another freezing cold afternoon on Monday, we settled into the seats of the Navajo Cheiftain with a warm whiskey and witnessed a beautiful sunset as we cruized back toward St. Louis. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwgBKR9nlWl9MEtVC-iV3QuXSy6zMcLKCjcHESrkRNLVAo3qGw_KTwzmevlHRAKr7lHNXnWK2w0uRHPvA1AJKhlsHyUvraQ80rs1UcwUUDNsz3b9TVLCSCcJA9ZvkJTxU7gd-QGQT7WI/s1600-h/IMGP0070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghwgBKR9nlWl9MEtVC-iV3QuXSy6zMcLKCjcHESrkRNLVAo3qGw_KTwzmevlHRAKr7lHNXnWK2w0uRHPvA1AJKhlsHyUvraQ80rs1UcwUUDNsz3b9TVLCSCcJA9ZvkJTxU7gd-QGQT7WI/s320/IMGP0070.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqqrcXSgrk4ZiUyrEH6Kb6VYNhBjZ19eHID-9FW7kHiSK0gh313kzG22-EHdTBFM_xwKLPk26s6SGfvOJJtx7tQPvFLg2mYeKT36ETmvakp9B__G3BVmH0NqdIT1PdFScZQaht9LtMGw/s1600-h/IMGP0071.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" kt="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrqqrcXSgrk4ZiUyrEH6Kb6VYNhBjZ19eHID-9FW7kHiSK0gh313kzG22-EHdTBFM_xwKLPk26s6SGfvOJJtx7tQPvFLg2mYeKT36ETmvakp9B__G3BVmH0NqdIT1PdFScZQaht9LtMGw/s320/IMGP0071.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The trip to the White this year was as good as it's ever been. As a group, we put upwards of 20 fish in the boat that were in the 20+ inch range. We learned a lot from our guides and managed to avoid any major injuries. Thanks to Jamie, Matt, and Chris. We couldn't have asked for a better group of guides. We'll see you again soon. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">For now, it's back to the Current for me. Streamers???</div>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-22777434313759479682010-02-26T15:24:00.003-06:002010-02-27T22:25:23.843-06:00White River Feb. 2010: Part I<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>The second trip to Arkansas this year was a complete success. The crew consisted of Davis, Stone, Stuart, Billy, and me. The guides were Jamie Rouse, Matt Millner, and Chris Butts (<a href="http://www.jamierouse.net/">CLICK HERE</a> for their website). <br />
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</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">Per usual, Davis, Stone and I got the itch bad and headed down early. After the slow weekend we had on the Little Red a few weeks back, we were amped to put a few fish in the boat so we decided to fly which would add an extra day and half on the water (4.5 days total!). We boarded our Navajo Cheiftain in St. Louis around 11:30 a.m. The flight was just under an hour so we were able to get a half day in when we arrived. </div><br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoY2SPjeN-zKnfzgmKCDWiHfA-MVNHYJSxN5vaGUbT6mxSBIixVhGRNKfLBVDHYy684Z1ZxI2pAN9y95xUZIwITAweqQPYZe7MZc0MQtMnvtTitizoHXjASclum8I_XyXmp9l3np24BQ/s1600-h/IMGP0002.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440115280074702914" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMoY2SPjeN-zKnfzgmKCDWiHfA-MVNHYJSxN5vaGUbT6mxSBIixVhGRNKfLBVDHYy684Z1ZxI2pAN9y95xUZIwITAweqQPYZe7MZc0MQtMnvtTitizoHXjASclum8I_XyXmp9l3np24BQ/s400/IMGP0002.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4_a84iYrsG2o3pdhugl9El2UAg0NPnrH7xyVs7feGo-Cziu9IN6y8V8Ey4aaAobol_sE9eMFT8UeHfUK79wgfF46v5NkUwtASdy54Hh-mfKZVmFCSJLUma_qMvppEzCzNR-_sfmPHkY/s1600-h/IMGP0006.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440115394194523730" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr4_a84iYrsG2o3pdhugl9El2UAg0NPnrH7xyVs7feGo-Cziu9IN6y8V8Ey4aaAobol_sE9eMFT8UeHfUK79wgfF46v5NkUwtASdy54Hh-mfKZVmFCSJLUma_qMvppEzCzNR-_sfmPHkY/s400/IMGP0006.JPG" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
After a brief in-flight beverage service, the wheels were down and we arrived at Copper John's, just below Bull Shoals Dam on the White River. Jamie and Matt were already at the place with boats in the water and streamer rods rigged. We suited up as quickly as possible and headed for the boats. I pulled the solo straw and would be fishing with Matt for the first half day. Stone and Davis had Jamie "Hey Dude" Rouse in control of their boat. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySqrDzGFebFfPmg1aCk1JGhFvRqep3Q9Q7O0ngPMzxu-HHz8YNvmVsMkVMLvm-F1V0QTSXE7a6TDU1k_-ubu-ANklrpyaF_MlscSVqPJHk3h4ReFVtMxXhe0mP1jdmCZ4Uy5-c6FeOxk/s1600-h/IMGP0007.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440116378729112354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjySqrDzGFebFfPmg1aCk1JGhFvRqep3Q9Q7O0ngPMzxu-HHz8YNvmVsMkVMLvm-F1V0QTSXE7a6TDU1k_-ubu-ANklrpyaF_MlscSVqPJHk3h4ReFVtMxXhe0mP1jdmCZ4Uy5-c6FeOxk/s400/IMGP0007.JPG" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
The game plan, again, was to streamer fish. I love streamer fishing. I would rather catch one good fish on a streamer than 50 average fish on nymphs. That was the plan this weekend. We would switch to nymphing if shad started coming through the dam and fish stopped chasing the big stuff, however, our primary plan of attack was to pound the banks and rip streamers, big ones. <br />
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Right out of the gates we started hitting fish. My first cast, in fact, I stuck a decent brown that got off. The second cast I had a good chase but no strike. The third cast we netted an aggressive little rainbow: <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41TrAu84ZOAQtaijxc15mapoxZPpvWUZZenXHJyPBmLMIz5kzolSoWufXOAbyPkQpA6gQVcIEWRuCzlKeOIOSbfUsR2lR1tQtpKj8jkn0wPSFIlRdnE9vtPhmyfxRzgbJPiKIJZ-maJc/s1600-h/IMGP0008.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440116140131495762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh41TrAu84ZOAQtaijxc15mapoxZPpvWUZZenXHJyPBmLMIz5kzolSoWufXOAbyPkQpA6gQVcIEWRuCzlKeOIOSbfUsR2lR1tQtpKj8jkn0wPSFIlRdnE9vtPhmyfxRzgbJPiKIJZ-maJc/s400/IMGP0008.JPG" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
Davis and Stone enjoyed early success as well and got on the board with these bad boys: <br />
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</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0E-1lvvk8y7hYT6UwWf_5RcZN0Ik64HsQGTGUGCN42Y4lodOO-G-ZJ7kBcxPInR_3lJeTurUO4YsZkwNFRdqNCO38QMPvSARSJVZzxonwdrhyt2B9SKV2rZrMKZOPLQ1ZE7SCn-sPjI/s1600-h/IMGP0021.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440117706265534754" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm0E-1lvvk8y7hYT6UwWf_5RcZN0Ik64HsQGTGUGCN42Y4lodOO-G-ZJ7kBcxPInR_3lJeTurUO4YsZkwNFRdqNCO38QMPvSARSJVZzxonwdrhyt2B9SKV2rZrMKZOPLQ1ZE7SCn-sPjI/s400/IMGP0021.JPG" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYtoB-xvntSLYBkJJlW4sVsZTv2c5dWg7GNJFMmXdRjUYAlk01fYIGzQhT5vsL1O83JltWcIuDkIGcjFqOcyDRzRDf1d-w_SrVt94mXot7v8f3PcAtmaE4H8nRSUIINoD3eVFoOESsrA/s1600-h/IMGP0024.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440117408183900258" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaYtoB-xvntSLYBkJJlW4sVsZTv2c5dWg7GNJFMmXdRjUYAlk01fYIGzQhT5vsL1O83JltWcIuDkIGcjFqOcyDRzRDf1d-w_SrVt94mXot7v8f3PcAtmaE4H8nRSUIINoD3eVFoOESsrA/s400/IMGP0024.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
Fortunately for me, my boy Matteo decided to take me a little further away from the boat traffic. The heavily bearded 25 year old at the helm gambled and showed up his boss on day 1. We netted these two good browns literally on back to back drifts--one 21.5 inch and one 20 inch. Nice call Mr. Millner!!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhWDNiN9r0bOjqerb7KzX8BuH3chY0LQ-4c0Ka-ET56wzcKRHHsX9z3G9C2R5itpIGmkYtzmUh9UCBE4WflH0DVUuHok7zMpVo89OZfJCNcJTKd2DxL_aX-sYIQAUWp7r6d2ER8soAaU/s1600-h/IMGP0011.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440118240096387250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhWDNiN9r0bOjqerb7KzX8BuH3chY0LQ-4c0Ka-ET56wzcKRHHsX9z3G9C2R5itpIGmkYtzmUh9UCBE4WflH0DVUuHok7zMpVo89OZfJCNcJTKd2DxL_aX-sYIQAUWp7r6d2ER8soAaU/s400/IMGP0011.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoGXb_A8QqSsAYIb8mwMwI1Do54rdOHPKQpt6M8RGtE6GKKD2gDaHcEIrtEaRb_cKW-0ntF7FmDUVJA4cXTVwg4UXtxMZdtBHw9Yw1Y3lNKFN075cu6b2uD5aj_bFXcWmwIFzrn0nJY0/s1600-h/IMGP0009.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440118017592895890" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvoGXb_A8QqSsAYIb8mwMwI1Do54rdOHPKQpt6M8RGtE6GKKD2gDaHcEIrtEaRb_cKW-0ntF7FmDUVJA4cXTVwg4UXtxMZdtBHw9Yw1Y3lNKFN075cu6b2uD5aj_bFXcWmwIFzrn0nJY0/s400/IMGP0009.JPG" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
Our home away from home was The "Lodge" at Copper John's. The place was pretty nice, although slightly small compared to the two story accomodations we had the previous year at Rim Shoals. We had a nice full kitchen, fireplace, sitting area, and three bedrooms--two equipped with queens, and one with a twin and bunk bed. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1I9-C7VEWObQ9hSYewxoGzIipMgUCq-Dor7ibJYEgDSyw4C3OPvBdJrUmyZEgBSShec2dpPF0GyDLwGYpIvG2_AqwH6WLY9hiGMMs5NPPEr9BdMiNSSLAGMqjpluCXTtWLxYG04YSfOg/s1600-h/IMGP0020.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440119204272380066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1I9-C7VEWObQ9hSYewxoGzIipMgUCq-Dor7ibJYEgDSyw4C3OPvBdJrUmyZEgBSShec2dpPF0GyDLwGYpIvG2_AqwH6WLY9hiGMMs5NPPEr9BdMiNSSLAGMqjpluCXTtWLxYG04YSfOg/s400/IMGP0020.JPG" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeWFjhlKlJBl-Izw6g1G96HmqAZVY_qAMpKS36DepQmfDg_28zK7XGJLuCmi2jgNPRbEtvDAcA8Szv8-Xx85IC7-peG3Y9UGqw2ZWH-GRNrAUq4OUg-DymChOpcdl2alax0NA4VPkeDk/s1600-h/IMGP0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaeWFjhlKlJBl-Izw6g1G96HmqAZVY_qAMpKS36DepQmfDg_28zK7XGJLuCmi2jgNPRbEtvDAcA8Szv8-Xx85IC7-peG3Y9UGqw2ZWH-GRNrAUq4OUg-DymChOpcdl2alax0NA4VPkeDk/s400/IMGP0013.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLnMCVO-ZqtLDmsvlCLOghC2LiSvHNg89EQ92EmJvkEklTbST5NczP1q1B_lJDP7Wu81GrWmxtbGjtUMeAS_oBerXUUQytTRBn09_m2qjkTAqhT-XJDy8gqKLoOgiU_ReLbf3BrqjaXE/s1600-h/IMGP0014.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5440118501667287106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKLnMCVO-ZqtLDmsvlCLOghC2LiSvHNg89EQ92EmJvkEklTbST5NczP1q1B_lJDP7Wu81GrWmxtbGjtUMeAS_oBerXUUQytTRBn09_m2qjkTAqhT-XJDy8gqKLoOgiU_ReLbf3BrqjaXE/s400/IMGP0014.JPG" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; cursor: hand; display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a> <br />
Ryan, one of the proprieters, kindly offered free firewood, ice, and propane for our grill. Copper John's runs a solid operation and I would recommend it for smaller groups. <br />
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Day 2 was still the power trio--Davis, Stone and I. After the previous day's success with the larger browns coming away from the boat traffic, we decided to head down river in the trucks for a full day of streamer fishing several miles down river. We chucked and ducked all day and managed to net several more quality fish. A handful of these suckers were in the 20+ range. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOAwjVnEapwqin9EQUeVy0ztiCxQgYrZ3mGqjDJCtoaAegCHAP3MGJtW_4diTMykCATG0lmcg1Qz5hKurWyLEMDjrT5WTzRDOxjUSE19ke4woWFG85mnahw2aD546VrumQg-bsxTuw3M/s1600-h/IMGP0026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOAwjVnEapwqin9EQUeVy0ztiCxQgYrZ3mGqjDJCtoaAegCHAP3MGJtW_4diTMykCATG0lmcg1Qz5hKurWyLEMDjrT5WTzRDOxjUSE19ke4woWFG85mnahw2aD546VrumQg-bsxTuw3M/s400/IMGP0026.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHhYl1xuO9ppx25yopyGhkYZjOqepcLuV0ABssfo2ik_bfJEQubHm0Hyep5BfVPmPmjY_yENuSj2Z1mhV2nV4pQh22gQTPQXUY91DSvvMPbF94xgYJK1Cc0wzA8k8hkeaXDdaoMstnYk/s1600-h/IMGP0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQHhYl1xuO9ppx25yopyGhkYZjOqepcLuV0ABssfo2ik_bfJEQubHm0Hyep5BfVPmPmjY_yENuSj2Z1mhV2nV4pQh22gQTPQXUY91DSvvMPbF94xgYJK1Cc0wzA8k8hkeaXDdaoMstnYk/s400/IMGP0007.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJwJZIUiexeR7AINhU85C-SKjZrSM-jG9LmKht2HGRye9ruc8FjQsTtn8ozQfJBoikKcQtbVBQDpDprRrJzS94gNfRnmZgB02WfnAiSMntSMXXZSw1KkgTr-jv28SgWqWzg0QYyAuL-I/s1600-h/IMGP0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJwJZIUiexeR7AINhU85C-SKjZrSM-jG9LmKht2HGRye9ruc8FjQsTtn8ozQfJBoikKcQtbVBQDpDprRrJzS94gNfRnmZgB02WfnAiSMntSMXXZSw1KkgTr-jv28SgWqWzg0QYyAuL-I/s400/IMGP0009.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjak4s9ZzkwmoV0dbbYZ-YvsrOanMS5rtsRdC4rwrgimzCr1_THw65RkexwYq8lPXUCMKVc6bfIG90PtOSMk4LraHONGc0icUJ4ycQIVr12j_j0CGEdIdUEZE9AfrINFosADyr5ZIAEzo0/s1600-h/IMGP0015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjak4s9ZzkwmoV0dbbYZ-YvsrOanMS5rtsRdC4rwrgimzCr1_THw65RkexwYq8lPXUCMKVc6bfIG90PtOSMk4LraHONGc0icUJ4ycQIVr12j_j0CGEdIdUEZE9AfrINFosADyr5ZIAEzo0/s400/IMGP0015.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrCAfy23LFkztcet7yY9trsXebKNVS_6wePZIzY7une-P5BI5_-Br-7y4Vfx5PzVM1xWh3PpmL5BNdJrbZkhQvcAhsqP9v7GXTijHLv88D8ZC0HK6d_aXk91QruI-e6CDcIDDP6ejaLs/s1600-h/IMGP0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCrCAfy23LFkztcet7yY9trsXebKNVS_6wePZIzY7une-P5BI5_-Br-7y4Vfx5PzVM1xWh3PpmL5BNdJrbZkhQvcAhsqP9v7GXTijHLv88D8ZC0HK6d_aXk91QruI-e6CDcIDDP6ejaLs/s400/IMGP0014.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdszTj7tk5jiquN6IlLFA_cT_PArXAeZY9dMAR7O_XJw6KNKUNu-fTVw2KJ60fvVWm2AoUCdJYU7A6E0pmc1RaAGwj7E4L4Rub7OKsRQdwfruu2C1vFWDgWqaOn6tMAgrrMt7SPrybt8/s1600-h/IMGP0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirdszTj7tk5jiquN6IlLFA_cT_PArXAeZY9dMAR7O_XJw6KNKUNu-fTVw2KJ60fvVWm2AoUCdJYU7A6E0pmc1RaAGwj7E4L4Rub7OKsRQdwfruu2C1vFWDgWqaOn6tMAgrrMt7SPrybt8/s400/IMGP0010.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0cDZMUj1PkU7fRksD90G_lliT1pT6gA9D3QxJMNNtLp6Ow-Z_BcQRVht5Gv2pclVqSJCdDJBeSLPocUaTwdXSTJ1xzCHM5rgW9VkU3zr3RCZHwAPwIqEEO7Ij_866sHL5HYq87o5ZtQ/s1600-h/IMGP0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ct="true" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH0cDZMUj1PkU7fRksD90G_lliT1pT6gA9D3QxJMNNtLp6Ow-Z_BcQRVht5Gv2pclVqSJCdDJBeSLPocUaTwdXSTJ1xzCHM5rgW9VkU3zr3RCZHwAPwIqEEO7Ij_866sHL5HYq87o5ZtQ/s400/IMGP0017.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">You may notice the point of view cameras ("POVs") in some of the shots. When I figure out how to upload video, I'll post some clips of fish eating and the ridiculous commentary that goes on in the boat. If you're lucky, you'll hear an authentic "hey dude....here's the deal." Fish with Jamie or Matt and you'll understand what I'm talking about. <br />
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Each day on the water proved more successful than the last. Many big fish were still to be caught by the group including one 24 inch hog. That's it for now. I need to get everyone else's pictures and start editing some video. There's more to come in Part II. Stay tuned. <br />
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</div>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-69579995668867264272010-02-11T09:19:00.002-06:002010-02-11T09:27:16.927-06:00Heading South....Today is the day. We're headed to the White for trip # 2. I'm currently in the office but obviously can't concentrate. Have to get through work. Will be hard. But have to concentrate, concentrate, concentrate. Hello?? Echo....<br />For those of you that have seen Airplane, that will make a little more sense. <br /><br />There is light at the end of the tunnel. It's not white, however, it's gold and brown with black spots! STICK!!!Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-71329127878287580902009-12-10T13:25:00.011-06:002010-01-26T14:34:58.087-06:00Catching up....It's been a while since I've posted. It's definitely not for a lack of things to say. I been fishing quite a bit. I caught my first bonefish (and almost a permit) on my honeymoon in Belize. I fished the Little Red River in Arkansas for the first time. I had a great second half of the '09 duck season, and spent numerous hours in a deer stand with both a rifle and bow. <br /><br />I'm not real sure why I haven't felt the urge to write. I think once I get behind on posting, I get intimidated by the thought of having to catch up. I'm still embarrassed that it's been a year and a half since I got back from Alaska and haven't written about it (although, I did manage to post the pictures on Facebook). I haven't even written about the fishing I did in Jackson during my wedding week. I need to catch up! <br /><br />What follows is my attempt to get up to speed (minus Alaska). This is the abridged version of what's been going on. I'll try to be better about keeping this more current. <br /><br /><strong>Jackson, WY</strong><br /><br />I got married on July 11, 2009 in Jackson, Wyoming. Sara and I were out there for almost two full weeks so there was NO WAY I was not going to wet a line. <br /><br />The most memorable <strong><em>fishing </em></strong> day was our guided trip on the South Fork. We fished with Worldcast Anglers and I would recommend them to anyone headed that way. Salmon flies were the bug of choice and we ended up boating several nice fish on dries before the day was over. <br /><br />The highlight of the day was landing a 19 inch tagged cutthroat. I was in the boat with Davis and we were both very excited and surprised when we got a glimpse of the tag. We basically equated the tagged trout to shooting a banded duck. After netting, photos, and release, I could tell Big John was a little jealous as this was something he had never done. <br /><br />It did not last long. John, who is basically the luckiest person I know, hooked another tagged fish just 10 minutes after I got mine. It was an amazing turn of events. Seriously, imagine shooting two banded ducks with your best friend within ten minutes of each other. Not bad. Our guide later told us that he had not seen a tagged fish in his boat in the past five years. It was pretty cool. JD and I plan to get a dual mount with both fish and their tags attached. Yes, we kept the tags.<br /><br />I would have posted some pictures of these fish but, unfortunately, shortly after returning from Jackson, my hard drive decided to fry itself and I lost all of my pictures. The official diagnosis for the 8 month old desktop was "defective hard drive." Thanks Dell!! <br /><br /><strong>Deer Season '09</strong><br /><br />Let me give you a quick breakdown of deer season: <br /><br /><strong>Rifle Hunting:</strong> Ryan sits in the stand and doesn't see a deer. Ryan climbs down and drinks with the Holtsman boys. <br /><br />Ryan gets back in the stand and sees a non-legal buck. Ryan gets down and drinks with the Holtsman boys. <br /><br />Ryan gets up in the stand, takes a bathroom break and misses a chance to shoot a doe. Chris shoots a real nice 8 pointer. Ryan gets down, drinks with the Holtsman boys and talks about Chris' deer. <br /><br />Ryan sits in Chris' stand, doesn't see a deer. It starts to pour down rain, Ryan goes duck hunting. <br /><br /><strong>Bow Hunting:</strong> Ryan sits in a stand at Eddie's farm and sees 50 deer at about 200 yards. Ryan gets burned by a doe while watching the other deer. Ryan watches Davis kill a deer through his binoculars. <br /><br />Ryan sits in a stand at Henry's farm and doesn't see any deer. Davis kills another deer in his fucking yard while sitting on his patio with a beer. <br /><br />Ryan sits in a stand at Sara's dad's house, has 4 doe trot under his stand, draws his bow and the arrow falls off the string. <br /><br />I don't know if I just suck at deer hunting or what. Hopefully I'm saving all my karma for turkey season. <br /><br /><strong>Duck Season '09</strong><br /><br />While it started off relatively slow, I would say the '09 Duck Season ended with a bang (no pun intended). I had some of the best duck hunting days I've ever experienced and one day that I will never forget. The day of the year (and my hunting career thus far) came just days after a pretty slow hunt that I had at Raccoon Ranch with Stone. The reason I remember that, and the reason I will never forget the slow hunt, is because I managed to go for a swim submerging my entire body, gun, shells, and camera. My Barretta was on the bottom of the slough, twice (I fell a second time while trying to recover from the first fall). When I got home that night, I was very meticulous about taking my gun apart, cleaning every moving part, and letting it air dry. <br /><br />Just days later, a front moved in. A big front. We had 20-40 mph Northwest winds gusting up to 60 mph. Snow, rain, sleet, and a shit ton of ducks came with it. JD and I geared up and headed out to Duck's Rest. We climbed into D-3 (name of the blind) just in time for first shot. Sure enough, right as we loaded our guns, a dozen mallards dove in. With the wind howling like it was, these ducks were basically stationary in the air as they tried to land, hovering about 20 yards from our blind. Davis quickly tripled. I aimed, squeezed the trigger, and all I heard was "click." I cycled my shell and pulled again---"click." The third shell finally fired and I dropped a mallard. <br /><br />I thought it was a fluke but this continued to happen. Pack after pack of ducks dropped in like they were on strings but my fucking gun would not fire. Davis tripled again and had his limit plus two bonus ducks in about 30 minutes. Eventually, I gave up on my Barretta and used his Winchester to get my remaining mallards. We went back to the "Duk Bus" and I soaked my gun in Gun Scrubber. I guess I didn't use enough solvent the first time because after dousing everything a second time, I didn't have any more problems. What a day in the blind! I learned the hard way how to properly clean my gun. <br /><br /><strong>Belize</strong><br /><br />My duck season was cut short when Sara and I left for Belize. I was fine with trading cammo and waders for swimsuits, sunscreen, and salt water fly rods. The trip to Belize in December was our delayed honeymoon and, like the wedding, it had to involve a little bit of fishing. Sara's blog really details the trip well. I strongly recommend checking out the pictures and stories: <br /><br /><a href="http://runninglawyer.blogspot.com/search/label/honeymoon">CLICK HERE</a> <br /><br />Scroll down to the Belize posts. I promise you'll enjoy them. <br /><br />At the risk of avoiding redundancy, I will defer to Sara's post for the pictures and most of the details. I do have two comments however. First, I need to talk about my shots at permit. My first guided day, we had perfect conditions and saw a ton of permit. Unfortunately, things were not going my way. The last section of my rod kept falling off when I was casting--I needed wax for that ferrule. My fly line kept getting knotted at my feet--I should have changed it out prior to leaving. Twice I hooked bonefish out of the middle of a school of permit--good cast, bad luck. One permit, a good 15 pounder, actually struck and missed my fly altogether--I hope he starves. Literally dozens of fish chased and chased and chased and chased but they did not eat. I guess the elusive permit won the day. Conditions on the second day of guided fishing were terrible for permit. We ended up seeing one or two but nothing like the day before. <br /><br />The second comment I have, and no this is not just ass kissing, is that I have a pretty amazing wife. She really supports my fishing addiction, as evidenced by the fact that I fished at my wedding and on my honeymoon. She's a wonderful companion and I'm really lucky to have found her. Seriously, I fished almost everyday of our honeymoon. Even if it was on the beach in the morning while she was asleep, I got out just about everyday. Trust me when I say that my best catch was back at the room in bed. <br /><br /><strong>Little Red River, AR</strong><br /><br />JD, Stone, Joe Scott and I threw together an impromptu trip to the Little Red to fish with Jamie Rouse. This was the first of two trips to AR this year and I am already jonesing for # 2. For the second trip, we are headed to the White over Valentine's Day weekend. Again, evidence that wife = awesome.<br /><br />Fishing on the Little Red was pretty slow but the trip itself was nothing short of spectacular. First off, we <strong>flew </strong>to Heber Springs on a twin engine Navajo Chieftain. The flight was bad ass and enabled us to get a full day on the river on Monday. Jack Jackson, our pilot, was great and got us to and fro safely. <br /><br />In Heber Springs, we stayed at a place called Fat Possum Hollow. This is a 250 acre farm on the banks of the river that is normally reserved for timeshare holders. Thanks to Eddie P. and his buddy Paul, they let us rent a place for the weekend that was perfect. The lodging was great. We had three bedrooms, a nice fireplace with unlimited firewood, a flat screen with DirectTV for the football games, computer and Internet, full kitchen, grill, etc. The place even loaned us their Mule (the ATV, not the animal) for the weekend so we could cruise around and get to the river for night fishing. They also had a little BYOB bar on the property with a pool table / ping pong table, poker table, and another great fireplace. I gave the crew a lesson in ping pong until Stone finally took a match off me. Once he found his stroke, he was tough to beat. Thanks to Eddie, Paul, and Maurice for letting us crash at the Fat Possum for the weekend. The place was great. <br /><br />Our guides for the weekend were Jamie Rouse and Matt Milner. They did an excellent job and I learned a few new tricks that I will have to implement locally. Unfortunately, the fish did not cooperate. Due to all the rain that's hit the area, we had three days of full generation. Jamie warned us prior to coming down that the Little Red is the hardest of the tailwaters to fish on high water. He was right. Normally, one would think the high water would be perfect for streamers but the fish were just not moving. We fished hard for three days and caught some fish but nothing picture worthy. Hopefully, we're just paying our dues for the White. Can you say Walter II? <br /><br /><strong>Upcoming Events</strong><br /><br />I've got a lot to look forward to in the near future. This Sunday I'm quail hunting with Diamond Joe and Davis. We did this two years ago and it's a great way to spend the day. The quail meat is great and I use the feathers for tying flies. Two weeks after that we go to the White. This is our classic, annual trip with Stu, Billy, Stone, and Davis. We're trying a new lodge this year closer to the dam and have Jamie, Matt, and a third guide, Chris, taking care of us for the weekend. Hopefully, we'll see some low water and get a chance to do some night fishing. In April, I turn 30 and there's talk of going to Vegas. May brings turkey season and Location X. Summer is somewhat up in the air but Sara and I are already discussing plans to return to Jackson for our one year anniversary. It's only fitting that we float the South Fork several times. <br /><br />I love my life....Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-46390738945032822022009-11-23T13:32:00.006-06:002009-11-23T15:27:45.964-06:00Ducks....So far the duck season has been pretty darn slow. The word on the street is that not many clubs are killing large numbers of ducks and that certainly holds true for the few times I've been able to get out. I have bagged a couple, but it's been nothing like years past. <br /><br />One reason is the weather. Aside from one large rain storm that moved through last week, it's been bright, sunny, and calm. Although I am definitely a rookie when it comes to duck hunting, I think most would agree that 65 degrees with a light East wind is not ideal for moving birds around. <br /><br />The hunting did pick up a little during the storm that moved through. John, Peter and I took advantage of this and managed to have a great hunt where the group got 13 birds. The ducks were decoying very well with a little help from the calls of JD and Peter. In fact, one pair of Gadwall dropped in while a vehicle was on the access road right near the blind. They didn't seem to mind the mini truck or the three guys standing there on levee. We killed the first bird and the second one circled around and locked up again on our spread. Needless to say, he didn't survive the second pass. Not a very smart bird. <br /><br />Actually, there were very few passing shots that night. I think every bird killed was cupped and coming down to our decoys. Such a cool thing to see birds locked up and diving down toward you. It's also pretty cool when the guy standing next to you in the blind has been hunting for over 70 years and he smokes a bird before you have a chance to pull the trigger. Nice work Pete! He still doesn't miss a beat. <br /><br />JD got very lucky that evening and managed to drop a black mallard which, I'm told, is very rare for the Missouri flyway. It was awesome being there for this. Apparently, the first duck John ever shot was a black duck with his dad when he was 6 or 7 years old. John has been an avid hunter ever since and this is only the second black duck he's killed since he was out there that day with his father. A great story, great bird, and great evening in the marsh:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEZxFTEisvSNFgRI-AoUPdXcbD8xYZ7IWfpBtVSZidWhSQ4W9sl0EyMk0sO344TbSUKaIMzLfqK56sGTPrcx_SWR7Slt0muW8e63a2RXCM7hI6Ff6d2oij89XqEKL74zDrE_nSW_mi74/s1600/Black+Duck.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcEZxFTEisvSNFgRI-AoUPdXcbD8xYZ7IWfpBtVSZidWhSQ4W9sl0EyMk0sO344TbSUKaIMzLfqK56sGTPrcx_SWR7Slt0muW8e63a2RXCM7hI6Ff6d2oij89XqEKL74zDrE_nSW_mi74/s400/Black+Duck.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5407385390932125122" /></a><br /><br />There's some weather coming in this week: 15 - 20 mph Northwest wind, rain, and colder temperatures. Wednesday and Thursday are looking ideal. Stay tuned.Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-9128618592543448022009-11-05T13:15:00.002-06:002009-11-05T13:20:25.610-06:00Duck Season is Here!Duck season opens Saturday--I can't wait! Of course we have had a miserably rainy and cold October and now that it's time to hunt, we've got 65 degree days with no clouds or wind. Oh well. I am still pumped to get in the blind again. All reports suggest that the duck numbers are up this year and many local hunters have told me that the birds are here. The old Baretta is cleaned and ready. I've got my calls in my truck and have been wailing away for the last few weeks. I can't wait to gear up this weekend. <br /><br />Hopefully, I'll have some feather-filled posts in the near future.Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-34628158639634278532009-08-26T13:16:00.011-05:002009-08-26T14:20:33.306-05:00Current 8/23Stoneman and I put in a long day on the water last Sunday and it paid off. We left STL around 4:45 and were fishing by 7. The morning started with this rainbow that Stone stuck on a large stonefly nymph:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYeDUlwPNs83W0Zsxj4bF4xheCcHnt4wyN3CkYOLtLvCzNO-UNNGgrHNxMGUOgfy_h-ioMMWv4glsRH4lrDbqbrW1lflk8tKczyB5kGBQDs3yRD0N3lyPLeIhnlENTUima3I0tvdB7Oc/s1600-h/IMGP3282.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfYeDUlwPNs83W0Zsxj4bF4xheCcHnt4wyN3CkYOLtLvCzNO-UNNGgrHNxMGUOgfy_h-ioMMWv4glsRH4lrDbqbrW1lflk8tKczyB5kGBQDs3yRD0N3lyPLeIhnlENTUima3I0tvdB7Oc/s400/IMGP3282.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374342937802101490" /></a><br /><br />I stuck a few fish on tricos but couldn't seem to get them in hand. I was using a size 30 black trico pattern and I think the tiny fly was causing problems. I've caught nice fish on these before but it was not working for me on Sunday. <br /><br />As we fished, we had some park dwellers mosey on down the river. I moved down stream in an attempt to block off more water for Stone and I (a standard trick when dealing with crowds), but this husband and wife team did not get it. They just popped right in between us and started casting. You gotta love trout park etiquette. J and I are about 20 yards apart and they don't even think twice about hopping in there. Anyway, it turned out to be a good thing. They were nailing fish on nymphs. The woman, who was decked out in a green Montauk hoody, stuck a good brown and Johnston netted him for her. Thank god she didn't keep it. Stone's kind gesture turned out to be well received and the woman returned the favor by telling us what fly she was using. She said the fish had been crushing scuds all weekend. She was right. <br /><br />After our friendly encounter, we headed down below Baptist to get away from the crowd. It was a pretty cool day and we thought there wouldn't be too many canoers. I actually don't think we saw any canoes. I hope this means the season is done.<br /><br />Stone and I started fishing right at the parking lot. There is a nice long riffle where we spotted several good browns. I struck first with this 17 inch male:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1DnJHnDqHWxjuN_Epar5rbhBnXtAIhyphenhyphenCfbDA27XhhJfh9ddyVMCFef2pOlVhaCIBD1aBYsuLK7sTaDEximJrjX10DgpuwNUII3sLohKtDRu2dFcNFqSVxaoh4CGECNakM2dyRZyxkQE/s1600-h/IMGP3290.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1DnJHnDqHWxjuN_Epar5rbhBnXtAIhyphenhyphenCfbDA27XhhJfh9ddyVMCFef2pOlVhaCIBD1aBYsuLK7sTaDEximJrjX10DgpuwNUII3sLohKtDRu2dFcNFqSVxaoh4CGECNakM2dyRZyxkQE/s400/IMGP3290.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374343615686176210" /></a><br /><br />After releasing this guy, I went back to the truck to get out of my waders. I was going to wet wade for the afternoon. When I came back, Stone had slid down stream a bit and I started spotting fish from the higher vantage point on the road while he casted to them. At this point, Stone was throwing a tan scud under an indicator.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndGEky17y8rRTA80dqoVNAAZ8LLUEsFmqsoDdFNpTF3QZXb4Qzu5zEx048uKb0MgbXLd5t7XWEnb2vjHw30ifsXbs4yaeN9a4ttjsO5z6u4rXVW-zTJwXrvhPnXdN4VhxasvaKUsHJ5E/s1600-h/IMGP3293.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgndGEky17y8rRTA80dqoVNAAZ8LLUEsFmqsoDdFNpTF3QZXb4Qzu5zEx048uKb0MgbXLd5t7XWEnb2vjHw30ifsXbs4yaeN9a4ttjsO5z6u4rXVW-zTJwXrvhPnXdN4VhxasvaKUsHJ5E/s400/IMGP3293.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374344008537621026" /></a><br /><br />After a few casts, stone stuck the big fish I was looking at but, unfortunately, he spit the fly after a short run. There were four other fish in the same riffle that I could see from the road. Stone kept casting. I watched his fly hit the water. Actually, I could see his split shot shine in the sun. The indicator landed slightly upstream of the fly so his scud was actually leading the drift. It was right on line to pass by two browns. When I realized that the drift was in line, my eyes turned to the fish. The first brown turned his head and opened his mouth right at the time Stone's fly was in the kitchen. SET! I yelled before the indicator moved. Stone abided and stuck this good brown:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1w5AFFkn0ojKJSzc5k7sVsLrTat3Aq_RANQiMT8wH2ozIb-1r7lGqHd8wrE3SFQOgDV6fkluTDsjSrfnpCF09VeRd4mPRviSXUzAM-0ZrRGwBjoVE8wPwcVUk5_AuNizHyWJDT1c41ac/s1600-h/IMGP3298.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1w5AFFkn0ojKJSzc5k7sVsLrTat3Aq_RANQiMT8wH2ozIb-1r7lGqHd8wrE3SFQOgDV6fkluTDsjSrfnpCF09VeRd4mPRviSXUzAM-0ZrRGwBjoVE8wPwcVUk5_AuNizHyWJDT1c41ac/s400/IMGP3298.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374346706451449874" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNas55O9xH0MdQrJjhmPe4rRWxE0Pty-GwzTB32I2OHd8Bcfczu5Q4HgW-AjMJ1p_3Q8D4su31LyGoV-EwU_sI1-QLiXWm4_J0YaAucCqZZYhUSLM2Fg4CYV6jesuI8y06ZcMlK4BzQQ/s1600-h/IMGP3300.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNas55O9xH0MdQrJjhmPe4rRWxE0Pty-GwzTB32I2OHd8Bcfczu5Q4HgW-AjMJ1p_3Q8D4su31LyGoV-EwU_sI1-QLiXWm4_J0YaAucCqZZYhUSLM2Fg4CYV6jesuI8y06ZcMlK4BzQQ/s400/IMGP3300.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374347182364824946" /></a><br /><br />The teamwork was awesome. Stone had no idea the fish ate. He couldn't see the fish from his angle. The only reason he knew to set was because I had a bird's eye view and watched the take. It was very cool.<br /><br />The day pretty much continued like that. We stalked the lower section of the river spotting fish, casting to them, and watching them eat. They ate hoppers, caddis, scuds, stone fly nymphs, and PMDs. The lower river is really serene when there are no canoes. In fact, Stone and I had a pretty large doe sneak up on us and cross the river right next to us:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvp2TF554UGuenla1xo3dgmlvetwQdfVxEEs6pKQZLv5Ez4Q1gcK4Q0C-ag5pWhjKH17qzSM0AbdlOC8tq_0vqfycO3aAcFdR5zwC3iCcSo__xE-1Bc0tSvn1HFR2_zB-EoFnIMFwTIHM/s1600-h/IMGP3302.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvp2TF554UGuenla1xo3dgmlvetwQdfVxEEs6pKQZLv5Ez4Q1gcK4Q0C-ag5pWhjKH17qzSM0AbdlOC8tq_0vqfycO3aAcFdR5zwC3iCcSo__xE-1Bc0tSvn1HFR2_zB-EoFnIMFwTIHM/s400/IMGP3302.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5374348126881832210" /></a><br /><br />At the end of the day, we found ourselves in a nice PMD hatch and were able to stick several fish off the surface. It was a great day. 12 hours on the water and, aside from the first fish of the day, I think we caught almost all browns.Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-43008993452302619682009-08-20T15:11:00.006-05:002009-08-21T11:35:19.773-05:00Current River, 8/16I fished with "The Hen" on Sunday. He almost ditched me. He was supposed to be at my house by 5 am. I was up and ready but he was not picking up his cell. I was pissed and left the house without him. He's lucky I stopped at the QT by my house for a coffee. As I was walking in, he called alerting me that he was awake and ready to fish. I was a little pissed that we had to waste 45 minutes on the front end of the trip, but it turned out to be a great day on the water. He also had a decent excuse for being late, although I probably shouldn't mention it on the web. <br /><br />We got to the river around 8. Conditions were money! I can't believe how many fish are in the river right now. I also can't believe how fat all of the fish are. Just about every fish we caught had a swollen belly. I don't know if it's because the river is higher and healthier than normal, or if it's because the park is being heavily fished and lots of guts are drifting down stream for the fish to munch on. I would like to believe it's the former, more natural reason, but either way, I love it. <br /><br />The Hen and I did pretty well, although Henry needs to work on line control and LANDING FISH. Seriously, he stuck a bunch but could not get them in hand. <br /><br />The fish of the day was a pig brownie, but she required a lot of patience. I spotted her first thing in the morning in a shallow riffle. I fished to her for an hour or so but couldn't get her to budge. I'll bet I showed her 20 different flies on 7X tippet but she wouldn't move. <br /><br />I finally gave up, and Henry and I fished downstream sticking some nice rainbows. For some reason the browns were being a little pickier. At about 3, we headed back up to our original position. I wanted a second shot at that porker that I stood in front of all morning. <br /><br />We got back to the spot, and sure enough, that beauty was in the same little slot in the riffle. Unfortunately, I was met with the same reaction. I tried fly after fly and and she didn't budge. <br /><br />Eventually, I decided to try some big dries. Hoppers didn't work, stimis didn't work, neither did a size 10 caddis. The first fly that enticed a reaction was a Chernobyl ant. She came up off the bottom for a look and a chase, but did not eat. This at least kept my interest. After the ant, I decided to go subsurface and tied on a big stone fly pattern. After two drifts, she ate. I fought her for about 15 seconds and she threw the fly. I thought she was done for the day but, despite the fact that she had been stuck, she moved right back to her comfortable spot in the riffle and seemed to relax again. I walked away for about twenty minutes to let her cool off and returned again with the same fly. The first cast she ate again. I yelled down to Henry to come grab the net which was sitting on the bank behind me. He causually strolled up and scooped her:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMGPGiNDOIae01JhBe9rFitplNN1iC7tQoaullY8r25zERYRXwE52Yq9muJ8sx-Q6yatpt-VgOSzy6IaXELPhyj3MWlJ04M28yaAVHXUCWmWUVe8LaErSDWTY5GnCf_Mm1bk9YfL_w5Y/s1600-h/Big+Brown.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTMGPGiNDOIae01JhBe9rFitplNN1iC7tQoaullY8r25zERYRXwE52Yq9muJ8sx-Q6yatpt-VgOSzy6IaXELPhyj3MWlJ04M28yaAVHXUCWmWUVe8LaErSDWTY5GnCf_Mm1bk9YfL_w5Y/s400/Big+Brown.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372143643383387058" /></a><br /><br />She was a dandy. Right at 20 inches but had some serious girth. My uneducated guess was around 5.5 lbs. Awesome fish and a great reward after working so hard for her. I'm headed back this Sunday. I hope she's still sitting there.Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-40676843714585624212009-08-11T16:28:00.004-05:002009-08-11T16:42:31.211-05:00BassI was able to get my fix last night by sticking a few bass on dries. Sorry for the blurry picture. I guess the lens on my camera phone needs to be cleaned. I can't wait to hit the river on Sunday. <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GNvR6Ir-Zzr6R3a-eTbGn88FrH45rJztDgH32B1kwc6_5b0z5iWzpTocK-3uuPR6JTHzy83rIrSSJ0NbBLn13E8sBZVA00vR9xEbktvHD5xV9GKvyuqYRQi4ev1YdCbQuj6LuW94Sww/s1600-h/Bass.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-GNvR6Ir-Zzr6R3a-eTbGn88FrH45rJztDgH32B1kwc6_5b0z5iWzpTocK-3uuPR6JTHzy83rIrSSJ0NbBLn13E8sBZVA00vR9xEbktvHD5xV9GKvyuqYRQi4ev1YdCbQuj6LuW94Sww/s400/Bass.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368821865032487234" /></a>Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1959294281130001693.post-77840223369771863972009-08-10T12:47:00.006-05:002009-08-10T13:27:37.394-05:00Confessions and Congratulations.I must confess that I joined the ranks of those that I hate this past weekend. I was a drunken floater on the upper Meramec. In my defense, due to the sheer volume of people on the river (thousands, not hundreds), I can safely say that I didn't disturb a single fisherman. In fact, no one in their right mind would try to fish this section of river this time of year. I have never seen anything like it. At no point throughout the day could I have walked across the river without having to dodge at least 5 to 10 boats, beers flying through the air, or bodies flying off bluffs and rope swings. I can't beleive how much of an industry floating has become. It's almost depressing. I remember when I was a kid, floating on rivers like the Black and the Meramec and not seeing more than 5 other boats all day. I think the good old days are gone unfortunately. Maybe I'll just have to find more remote rivers where Sara and I can take our little ones in the future (assuming we are blessed with little ones). <br /><br />Anyway, this past weekend was the annual float hosted by two of Sara's friends who are really awesome people. Thanks to both of you for organizing the trip. Sara truly has a great bunch of friends and no matter how obnoxious those around us got, I enjoyed spending time with this group. I am trying to convince everyone to do something a little more tranquil next year. Perhaps mid September on the Current where we can camp alone, fish, and enjoy our surroundings as well as friends. It would truly be the best of both worlds. <br /><br />On a different note, I also need to say congratulations to my boys Eddie P. and Mike H. Both hit the Meramec yesterday and both stuck real nice fish. I wish I could have been there gentlemen. Strong showing: <br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujv6uU4GUoqgRKD63CqUhLNhuXfCZjUHKJ5AYKHa0DzMDVoqlVG4ocjeLOi0YWjOc9erekH3miNZqhcXcUg8ToG8Vd2seJU20kX3JqojpT844NdRMOhl35ZllgIZxbBehBfzu8lF3-ho/s1600-h/Eddiebow.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjujv6uU4GUoqgRKD63CqUhLNhuXfCZjUHKJ5AYKHa0DzMDVoqlVG4ocjeLOi0YWjOc9erekH3miNZqhcXcUg8ToG8Vd2seJU20kX3JqojpT844NdRMOhl35ZllgIZxbBehBfzu8lF3-ho/s400/Eddiebow.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368401438343685874" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDjYhaI4cbXpHfq2hiuwuZnhYm9qmxqWORVQemwBnMfggBSPEd2rVkBkY_vA6WRE8qeOezbBlRskgQS9b6_Z03ei5WZAhfULziZUBXbEAeXXpOJKigsrsRiQ0RdrOoEEYVcr52wOdjKg/s1600-h/Mikebrown.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizDjYhaI4cbXpHfq2hiuwuZnhYm9qmxqWORVQemwBnMfggBSPEd2rVkBkY_vA6WRE8qeOezbBlRskgQS9b6_Z03ei5WZAhfULziZUBXbEAeXXpOJKigsrsRiQ0RdrOoEEYVcr52wOdjKg/s400/Mikebrown.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5368401727380141282" /></a><br /><br />After this past weekend, I'm ready to get a fly rod back in my hands. Bass fishing tonight anyone? I know of a great golf pond.Missouri Trout Stalkerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05342046751863951042noreply@blogger.com0