Southern Trout Ozark Edition Issue 8 January 2018

issue 8

January 2018

Souther nTr out

“Ozark Edition” CLOSE LOOK: Taneycomo

www.southerntrout.com

Editors’ message

T

here can be no better way for Ozark Edition to celebrate the New Year than welcoming Dave and Emily Whitlock as Editors Emeritus. Their legendary contributions have endeared them to fly fishers worldwide.

They are simply our sport’s most accomplished and most recognized personalities. Our long friendship with them enriches our lives and we are pleased to announce that Ozark Edition’s subscribers will now benefit from their expertise in upcoming issues.

Meeting Ozark Edition subscribers and introducing fishermen that have yet to become acquainted with the magazine tops our list of enjoyable experiences. Well, in reality, it’s a close second to being hooked up with a great fish. We’re always searching for opportunities to do both, and this winter is no exception.

You can rest assured that we’ll fish regularly and two terrific events offer a chance to visit

with lots of like-minded anglers. On January 20th the 7th Annual Fly Tying Extravaganza sponsored by the Oklahoma Fly Fishers will be held in Sapulpa, Oklahoma (suburban Tulsa) at the Creek County Fairgrounds from 9 am until 3 pm. We’ll be keynote speakers presenting two warmwater programs, doing some fly tying, and visiting with other fly fishers. On February 10th we’ll be in Ft. Wayne, Indiana for more of the same. The 3rd Annual Fly Fishing & Fly Tying Show sponsored by the Three Rivers Fly Fishers of Fort Wayne, Indiana will be held at the Classic Café, 4832 Hillegas Road in Fort Wayne from 9 am to 4:30 pm. We hope you’ll come by to talk fishing and tying.

Missouri’s winter trout Catch and Release fly-fishing-only season remains open through mid-February at the four trout parks, and the Department of Conservation’s trout stockings of urban lakes offers many opportunities for winter action.

In the November/December issue of Ozark Edition, we included a story about legendary bamboo rod maker Tony Spezio.

In it, we inadvertently omitted the name of Phil Kosmas who designed the beautifully ornate rod grip pictured in the article. We offer our sincere apologies to Mr. Kosmas for the oversight.

We hope that 2018 is filled with many wonderful fishing experiences for all Ozark Edition devotees. Opportunities abound in this beautiful and bountiful region filled with natural wonders and a stunning variety of piscatorial challenges.

We hope to see you on an Ozark waterway this winter. Until then, we wish you many beautiful vibrations.

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 3

Publisher Don Kirk Editors Terry and Roxanne Wilson Managing Editor

Leah Kirk Designer Loryn Lathem Assoc. Editor Adam Patterson Editorial Consultant Olive K. Nynne

For Advertising Rates and general information please call 205-735-9500.

Contributors

John Berry Dave Wotton Boot Pierce Keith Gann Mark VanPatten Tommy DeHart Bill Wilmert Brandon Butler Trent Fleming

Southern Trout Ozark Edition is a publication of Southern Unlimited, LLC. Copyright 2017 Southern Unlimited LLC. All rights reserved.

4 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

THIS ISSUE From the Editors

3

Winter’s Small Streamers

8

Missouri’s Winter 18 Wonderland of Trout Fishing Cartoon

25

Toto, We’re Not in the Ozarks Anymore!

28

The Magnificent Peacock

34

Oklahoma’s Lower Illinois River 46 CLOSE LOOK - Taneycomo

55

Hot Time on Taneycomo Winter Fishing at its Best

56

Featured Fly Shop Plateau Fly Shop

64

Winter Fishing 70

8

36 Featured Fly Tyer Passing Along the Joy

Terry Tanner

78

Featured Artist 90 Mark Oehler: Throwing

the Ozarks

46

90

55

150

Featured Rod Maker

100

Featured Guide Steve Dickey

114

Loss of a Missouri Conservation Legend

120

The State of the Norfork

126

Product Reviews Hardy Demon Smuggler 130 Fly Fishing on the Wild Side SIMMS G3 Guide Jacket

138

River Road Cutters Unique Fly Tying Bench Innovation

142

Loon: Ergonomic Fly Tying 146 Tools

130

Oasis Fly Factory

150

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 5

6 l May 2017 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

www.SouthernTrout.com l STOE l May 2017 l 7

SweetWater Brewing Company • Georgia • SweetWaterBrew.com

Winter’s Small Streamers Bill Willmert

8 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Tied by Kent Stone Photo by Don Newton

s

H

ands down, winter is my favorite time to fish the Little Red. The brown trout spawn is done, and with it, the crowds and the obsessive concentration on fishing for trophy browns on the shoals is over. Schools are in session, and the colder weather has discouraged many of the fair weather anglers. You can find room to fish on almost all of the public access points.

This is the time when a lot of serious trout guys fish midges. Size 20 to 24 flies, 7X tippets, and soft rods are hitting the river all over. I’ve tried with expert instruction. Rick Rasnick took me under his wing. It didn’t take.

I’m mediocre at best. I’d panic when I’d see rises all over and only dustsized bugs on the water or in the air.

I tried several different techniques all with limited success.

Once, out of frustration, I tied on a small streamer. In the next half hour, I caught several fish including a nice brown. I started to fish small streamers seriously and began to refine my technique. A rod, a hand full of streamers and a thermos of hot coffee is all that’s needed.

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 9

10 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Tied by Kent Stone Photo by Don Newton

The Setup

I use a ten-foot type III sink tip line. I think a lightweight sink tip is really important. Without a sink tip, you have to use a long leader. Depth control and contact with your fly is going to vary without a short leader. My leader is four feet long with a twofoot butt of 16-pound test line knotted to two feet of eight-pound test line.

There is no tippet. Tie your fly to the end of the eight-pound line. When fishing flies with active retrieves, I don’t use

fluorocarbon. Generally, I use a fast action five weight rod to cast streamers. This set up will fish water from a foot and a half to six feet deep.

The Flies My favorite flies are the Deena, the Wooly Bugger, a soft hackle version of Whitlock’s Red Fox Squirrel Nymph and a Rabbit Leech with a collar tied out of schlappen.

All of the flies can be size eight to ten on 3X hooks except Whitlock’s pattern. I fish the Red Fox Squirrel on a 1X hook in either a size ten or twelve. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 11

How to fish them

In pools, make a long cast and then strip the flies with very short, hard, and abrupt strips. I try to make the strips no more than three to four inches long, in an irregular cadence and hard enough to make the rod tip jump. I use longer pauses between strips when fishing the Rabbit Leech because that pattern has such delicate action. Often I’ll let the Leech drift eight to ten feet between strips. After the cast make a big upstream mend, then strip fast enough to minimize the bend in your line and to maintain contact with your fly. Always fish the head of the pool thoroughly from the very top to where the current flattens out. Casting upstream will allow you to fish the faster portions of the head deeper. Fan cast the rest of the pool you can reach, then take a few steps downstream and then work the next section of the pool.

In riffles I cast slightly downstream and swing the fly while brisk stripping the fly back. Don’t neglect short casts while swinging flies.

If you start with long casts, you may spook the fish closer to you.

12 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

If runs are shallow enough to wade, fish them like pools. Remember there will be more current in a run than in a pool, so make a big mend before starting your retrieve. Strip fast enough to keep a big bend out of your line and maintain a tight contact with your fly.

Skip flats that are shallower than two feet deep.

Tied by Stan Darnell Photo by Don Newton www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 13

When to Fish

Of course, fish when you have the opportunity, but there are some times that are better than others. In any season, fishing at first light allows you to take advantage of the behavioral drift. Although the drift occurs while it is still dark, fish are still feeding at least for the first hour after sunrise. After that action will slow down. My next favorite time to fish starts around 11:00 am when the sun is high. Midges generally start to hatch then, and the water will warm slightly along with an increase in dissolved oxygen from photosynthesis. I’ll usually start at first light, go home, eat breakfast, have some hot coffee and start fishing again in late morning.

Cold weather fishing can be hot! So, tie on a small streamer and hang on. You just may catch the biggest fish of the season.

14 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Tied by Kent Stone Photo by Don Newton

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 15

BRADYS HANDMADE NETS

www.woolybuggerflyco.com • • • • • • • •

*Huge selection of Wooly Buggers *We carry a large selection of flies for streams Let us help you land *Authorized Redington the next big lunker! and Rio dealer *Flies start at .65, no minimum Discount Code strout for 15% off orders over $20

JCookFlyRods.com

“Your fly fishing BradysHandmadeNets.com specialist.”

For custom designs, please email us at bradyshandmadenets@ gmail.com

Tel: 1-864-216-5878 Location: Spartanburg, SC

Clothing Custom Rod Shop Fly Reels Factory Fly Rods Flies and Fly Lines Fly Fishing Essentials Waders and Boots Fly Tying Rod Building

Huge assortment of flies!

Many starting at 39 cents!!

803 West Scenic Rivers Blvd Salem, MO 65560 573-453-2844

"Fishing With Purpose" T-Shirts from

www.patriotthreads.org

ORDER a shirt and 10% goes to Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Use promo code TROUT for FREE SHIPPING

Missouri’s Wint

of Trout Fishing

by Boot Pierce

18 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

ter Wonderland

he cold crisp November air brings to mind a change in the seasons for most all of us. For some it means deer season, to others it is a harbinger of the holidays, but to many of us it means Missouri’s best trout fishing. Likely started as an alternative for non-football watching outdoorsman, Missouri’s winter “Catch and Release” trout season is a true Winter Wonderland for the diehard trout fisherman.

While Bennett Spring State Park, located near Lebanon, Missouri is not the only trout park open during the winter season, it offers some of the greatest winter trout fishing opportunities without the crowds of the regular season.

T

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 19

20 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Aside from the plenty of elbow room and lots of fish, there are many great things about the Winter C&R season. First off, everything slows down, and nature seems to expose itself. Bald eagles migrate up into the park to fish, and it is not uncommon to have a deer or mink cross the stream within a few feet of you. Sure it may be cold, but the spring-fed water temperature is near 60 degrees and the air around the stream is always warmer than the air in the parking lot.

After the end of regular trout season, the Bennett Spring’s hatchery manager evaluates the stream and estimates the number of fish remaining. Based on that survey he then decides how many fish to add for the upcoming C&R season.

Typically, the number of fish released falls somewhere in the range of 500 to 1500 with most of them during the early part of the season. With that many fish in the stream and a limited number of fishermen it is not uncommon to have a 50-fish day during this time of year.

Where, what, and when to Fish

Bennett Spring is a unique place to fish, and the regulars have their own style of fly fishing. One technique often used is stripping a Crackleback or small nymph straight upstream using a heavy rod (6wt) and sinking line. Basically, you stand at the head of the pool, cast straight downstream, stick your rod tip into the water and strip in three- or four- inch bursts.

Another technique that is always successful at Bennett Spring is drifting an egg pattern or small micro-jig below an indicator. While this technique is not everyone’s cup of tea, you cannot argue with success, and it catches lots of fish.

For the more traditional fly fishermen, as the winter air warms up about mid-morning, Trico hatches do occur and can be quite eventful. Spinners and Duns both work well during this hatch. Drifting midges and nymphs are always a good bet during the winter months, and small zebra midges in a variety of colors and patterns seem to work well. Be ready and pay attention, wintertime strikes can be very subtle.

Winter fishing rules

Missouri’s C&R season starts the second Friday of November and runs through the second Sunday of February. Fishing times are 8:00 am to 4:00 pm, Friday through Monday with the parks closed Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Fishing is limited to “Fly Only, ” and in Missouri that means your lure must be a single hook and constructed of any material (except soft plastic, natural or scented bait) that is tied, glued or otherwise permanently attached. Small jigs and rooster tails are considered flies and may be fished with a spinning rod as long as they have a single hook and meet all other material requirements.

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 21

Releasing fish

No fish may be possessed during the catch & release season, and all fish caught are to be released immediately, unharmed. For the fish to survive, it is essential that proper catch & release techniques be followed. For starters, minimize the time you “play” a fish. A fish played to the point of exhaustion becomes stressed and often dies if not released properly. Secondly, avoid handling fish more than necessary. Handling a fish can damage the protective mucous covering the fish’s body and reduces survival.

Also, when removing the hook try to keep the fish in the water as much as possible. If you have to bring the fish out of the water to remove the hook, wet your hands and hold the fish lightly around the mid-section, then slide it back into the water as gently as possible.

To remove the hook use a pair of hemostats or pliers and gently back the hook out of the fish’s mouth and never pull a hook from the fish’s throat or stomach. Instead, cut the line or hook shank. Finally, have your camera ready and take your photo as quickly as possible.

Safety First

When fishing in the winter ALWAYS put safety first. It can be cold. Wear several warm layers of clothes. Gloves and a warm hat are also needed.

Fingers, toes, and ears can get numb quick. Don’t let your ego get you in trouble. If you get cold, go back to the truck to warm up. If you fall in the water, go immediately to a warm place and change clothes. And never forget your dunk bag of extra dry clothes. Take it from my experience; a dunk bag is as important as your fly rod when fishing during the winter months.

22 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

So how do you find this Winter Wonderland?

Bennett Spring State Park is located off Interstate 44 about 150 miles west of St. Louis and 65 miles east of Springfield. To reach the park, take I-44 to Exit 129 at Lebanon. Turn north onto Highway 5 and travel about 2 miles to the intersection of Highway 5 and Highway 64. At the intersection go straight onto Highway 64 and continue for about 11 miles then turn left onto Highway 64A. This will lead you directly into the park. If you are coming from Kansas City, drive east on Interstate 70 to exit 78A, then south on Highway 65 to the intersection of Highway 64 at the village of Louisburg.

Turn East on Highway 64 for about 20 miles then turn right on Highway 64A.

As one of the largest springs in Missouri, Bennett Spring never really has a problem with the low water. However, if you are ever curious about the stream conditions Missouri State Parks maintains a “Trout Cam� which overlooks the old dam and hatchery at https://mostateparks.com/content/trout-cam and the U.S. Geological Survey has a gaging station just below the spring which can be accessed by visiting https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?06923500

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 23

Where to stay

There are several places to stay when you are fishing the Winter Catch &Release season. Bennett Spring State Park, Larry’s Cedar Resort, and Sand Spring Resort each offer year-round cabin rentals as well as meals and fly shop. I recommend Larry’s Fly Shop for breakfast or lunch. They offer a great hot breakfast and wonderful soups and sandwiches for lunch. If you are braving the elements and want to rough it, one of the state park campgrounds stays open year-round, but water is not available between October 31 and April 15.

Some of the best days fishing I have ever had were in January during the winter Catch and Release season. Missouri’s Winter Wonderland offers great fishing opportunities and plenty of elbow room. While that alone is enough to try it out, there is so much more to winter fishing when nature seems to be amplified in the world around you. So grab your fly rod, warm clothes, and your dunk bag and give Bennett Spring Trout Park a try this winter.

southernao.com

506 W. Main St., Pickens, SC 864-507-2195

Full & half day guided fly-fishing trips

Come fish the Blue Wall with us!

Carrying Redington, Umpqua, Simms, RIO, Rep Your Water 24 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com and more!

Lefty Wilson

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 25

Toto, We’re Not In The Ozarks Anymore!

Keith Gann

I

f you do all of your fishing in the Ozarks, more power to you. I, however, like to travel a bit, especially during the hot months of July, August, and into September. I’ve mentioned before that I like finding small, seldom fished waters with a good supply of undersized wild trout. My fishing partner Bob and I have traveled to New Mexico, Colorado, Montana, Idaho, Missouri, Iowa, Arkansas and Wyoming, all in an effort to find small remote water.

Although we have a method to our searches, sometimes being nice, chance, good luck, clean living….whatever, wins out and we become the recipients of directions to a remote stream seldom if ever fished by another person, without the normal amount of map study.

Several years ago, we were in south-central Wyoming.

A guide friend had given us the directions (because we’re nice) to a branch of a larger stream. The smaller water was located in a Wilderness Area.

28 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

“It’ll take a little walking to get there”’ he said, “but the fishing should be worth it.”

The next morning, we headed south. Once we left the asphalt highway, it was thirty miles of washboard

gravel roads. The road ended at a locked gate to a wilderness area, and we parked the truck, gathered our gear, climbed over the gate and headed down the trail into the canyon.

One hour’s walk down, two hours of fishing, plus an hour’s strenuous hike back up, rewarded us with over thirty small trout, all released, nineteen of which were eight inches or over. They were some of the most beautiful trout that we had ever seen, and we debated as to what species they were. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 29

When we got back up to the wilderness gate, a green truck with Wyoming Fish and Game emblems on it was parked by our truck, and beside it stood two guys in green shirts.

During the ensuing conversation, they told us that the little fish were a pure strain of Colorado Cutthroats, had never been stocked, and that the stream served as a source for seed fish that were being transferred to a stretch of water north of our current location.

They then proceeded to tell us how to get to the place, and how big the fish got in the bigger water (we were being nice guys again), and also about another tiny spring-fed stream out in the foothills that was hard to find, rough to drive to, and also that the stream had one of the highest Colorado Cutthroat counts in the state (lump it all under nice guys, chance, good luck, living good,… whatever). We headed back to our camp, poured over our topo maps, and headed out early the next morning with plans to fish both stretches of water.

The small spring-fed stream was the most distant, and three and a half hours later, we parked the truck on a rise overlooking a winding, treeless valley. At the bottom of the small basin, a ribbon of green announced the path of the stream as it issued forth from a spring up the defile to the west and wound on down the twisting valley. Our twotrack road sped straight down the valley’s side through an expanse of calf-high prairie grass, crossed the stream at a culvert, climbed the other side, then ended at some rustic cattle pens.

We rigged up our six-foot bamboo rods, tied on small caddis patterns with crimped barbs, and hiked down the twin ruts to the stream’s bank. The water was barely nineinches deep in most places. Hardly eighteen inches wide, it occasionally turned, carved a deeper, wider pool, then disappeared under the over-hanging grass again.

Very few casts were made. The final technique we resorted to, was to get above a run of narrow grass covered water, hand feed the dry fly down under the grass for several feet, then slowly reel in. The strike was heard rather than seen, and the hookset followed the sound.

30 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

During the two hours we worked the water, we hooked and released nearly hundred fish, ranging from six to fourteen inches. At three, we called it quits and hiked the half hour back up the valley to the truck.

It was one of those special days that was beyond description. During the hike back, hardly any words were exchanged, the few that were spoken were centered around guesstimates of fish counts. Back at the truck, we opened cold beers and pulled off our wading boots.

As we sat on the rear bumper, the discussion of what we had just experienced came back in spurts and rapid exclamations. Bob pulled two more cold beers from the cooler, and we climbed wearily into the truck and headed it back up the long hill. It was a slow trip. There was no hurry now to get back to camp. The other piece of water could wait until another day. Both of our minds were back at the little stream.

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 31

bamboo for you

There’s an old saying from the folks who came back to the Ozarks from the gold fields of California Gold Rush Days. They told their greeting kinfolks, “I have seen the elephant!” meaning that that they had seen something special that they might never see again.

We surely had “seen our elephant!”

Author’s Note: In July 2017, we returned to the stream. The water was low.

Cattle paths wound down its banks. A crumpled beer can lay in the silt which covered its bottom, along with thick vegetation. We fished several hundred yards of water, and only two tiny minnows were seen. Disheartened and discouraged, we returned to the truck. Cattle, drought, meat hunters? We didn’t know what happened, but we did know that all of us stewards of the waters have to be better than that.

32 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

BRING YOUR KIDS TO WHERE THEY’LL

BRING THEIR KIDS

L A KE TA N E YCO M O

Vacations in Branson become family traditions.

Cast a line, ride a classic wooden rollercoaster and take in an amazing show, all in the same day.

Then enjoy our hospitality as your family decides what to do the next day. And the days to come, together in Branson.

877- BR ANS O N

THE MAGNIFICE

I

n the last issue, we looked at the value of the European Hare.

Following that theme and excluding other feathers we use from poultry; there is no other material that compares to the Peacock.

All be it this is only the term for the male of the species, the peahen being the female.

Most are familiar with the species that originates from Asian, India, Ceylon, and Pakistan. Alongside many of the species of ornamental birds in the pheasant family which also provide plumage, generally for Classic Salmon flies, it is the Peacock that stands well above the rest for many reasons.

No doubt nature perfected this bird’s remarkable iridescent plumage which man has used for 1000’s of years, found this plumage irresistible for the adornment of clothing and decoration.

Davy Wotton

34 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

ENT PEACOCK

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 35

36 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

How, why, and when peacock became of interest for the tying of fishing flies and lures is not clear.

Records show that its use for this purpose is lengthy.

Was it simply the fact that the bird’s plumage provided the initial attraction to use it or was it related to the fact that those who chose to use it were of the mind that its iridescent plumage would attract fish? I guess it matters not. The fact is, as we know today, it is one of the natural materials it would be hard not to have available. In the case of dubbing, synthetic materials that are termed peacock do not demonstrate the same visual effects of the natural material.

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 37

Why peacock is attractive to fish, I cannot give you a direct answer other than the fact that it is very visual under different prevailing conditions. It is related to available light penetration from different angles and the properties of reflected light, such as when fishing over a clean gravel substrate.

However, iridescence does differ in its visual content based on the incidence of light below the water’s surface.

38 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 39

40 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Many years ago when l developed and produced the SLF range of dubbing material, l spent a great deal of time blending different shades of dyed material to represent natural peacock herl.

Peacock herl has a myriad of different colors that are activated by interference from a light source, which is why we see the visual effect of iridescence. That is also the same property we see with many other bird species, insects and so on.

In most cases, it exists for the purpose of attraction to females of the species, and in other cases it is a means to deter predation from other species.

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 41

In the case of the peacock, almost every feather found on the bird has a use for the fly tier.

The tail feathers provide for herl, both natural and dyed.

The swordtails are used for the wings of classic salmon and trout flies. The wing’s quills are used for salmon and trout flies. The body’s plumage is used both for wings and hackles. There is not one type of salmon or trout fly that peacock is not used for, be it dry flies, nymphs, soft hackles, and streamers. You name it. If we subtract from the list of fly patterns we know that incorporate peacock, you would be very surprised how many fly patterns that were removed. I have no doubt many more will be innovated in the future

42 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 43

experience counts for everything Meet Brian Lynch, one of the most innovative anglers and best guides in the business. Professionals like Brian are our first call when we need boots on the ground (and in the water), and our go-to team when it comes to understanding what truly makes a great rod. Their knowledge, their expertise, their understanding is passed on to our craftsmen who strive for perfection and uncompromising performance in every rod we make. To us, Brian and his fellow professionals are our unsung heros. We salute you.

Brian calls Western Massachusetts home and can be found working the Deerfield river virtually all year round.

introducing the new avantt and exocett series from t&t. remarkably light. extraordinarily strong.

est

19 6 9

T H E R O D YO U W I L L E V E N T UA L LY OW N

www.thomasandthomas.com HANDMADE IN AMERICA

T

ailwater fisheries across the United States offer anglers excellent, year-round, trout fishing opportunities. The Lower Illinois River in Oklahoma’s beautiful Cherokee Ozarks is no exception. Flowing from Tenkiller Lake for several miles this large tailwater is known mostly for its trophy striper fishing, but it supports a substantial trout fishery as well. The abundance of fish, numerous opportunities for wading, and relatively minimal pressure make it a good choice for novice and advanced fly fisherman alike.

Winter is easily the best time to target the Lower Illinois, although trout can be caught all year long here the water conditions are significantly better from late fall until spring. In the summer, warm weather heats up the relatively shallow water, and the dissolved oxygen content decreases drastically. When this happens, stocking stops altogether and with that so does the fishing. But with stripers blowing up baitfish in the summer few people focus on the trout anyway.

By Tommy De Hart

OKLAHOMA’S LOWE 46 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

There is terrific access along the first, and most popular stretch of river, which runs about one to two miles downstream from the dam. Two large parking lots right on the water offer anglers the ability to get to popular fishing spots quickly and easily. Further downstream the Simp and Helen Watts Management Area has access for wading anglers along a stretch of special management water where only single barbless hooks are allowed. Just upstream from the Highway 64 bridge is the only boat launch on the river at a public use area and campground called Gore Landing.

The river itself is indicative of many Midwest tailwaters, swift riffles and runs are separated by long, slow stretches where cover is limited to boulders and the occasional old snag. As far as flies go most days typical favorites will work well; scuds, small San Juan Worms, and little midges such as the Primrose and Pearl or the standard Zebra Midge are all excellent choices for nymphing. Targeting the tail ends of riffles, were the water slows down and gains depth, is the best zone for consistent action under an indicator. In the winter fish regularly congregate in the slower stretches to avoid unnecessary effort so nymphing can be a deadly technique here too. These trout will be spooky and may only take flies sight fished or under a “yarn-style� indicator, like lots of winter fishing, this comes down to stealth and patience.

ER ILLINOIS RIVER www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 47

48 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

If fish are laid up in the shallower, warmer water, sight fishing a large nymph, scud, or San Juan worm can produce memorable days.

Using a terrestrial with a tiny midge under it is not only a great way to trick some fish to the surface but also an excellent way to sight fish unseeable flies to trout that almost seem to be tailing like redfish in the gulf. It may be winter but being prepared for a midafternoon midge hatch, with a classic Adams or RS2 is also a good idea. Of course, streamers of all shapes and sizes can be stellar from fall all the way to late spring when big fish are out hunting big meals. Standard wooly buggers, sculpin patterns, and zonker streamers are a good start for winter streamer stripping.

n addition to trout; white bass, hybrids, and their bigger cousin the striper all call this tailwater home throughout the year. These nomadic tackle busters can move in and out of the Lower Illinois from the Arkansas River at any time, but seek the cool tailwater in greatest numbers during the heat of the summer. Unlike trout, which primarily reside in the upper five miles of the river, Stripers are commonly found from right below the dam all the way to the river’s confluence with the Arkansas. If you want a taste of this incredible opportunity, be sure to arm yourself with an 8- or 9-weight fly rod, a quality fly reel with at least 100 yards of backing, slow and fast sink-tip fly lines with short, heavy leaders, and 4- to 8-inch baitfish streamers that suggest a shad or freshly stocked trout. While it is very productive to fish from a drift-style or jet boat during high flows, when most of the larger stripers are caught, it is also viable to access the deeper stretches of the river, by wading or kayak during minimum flow periods. (Bill Butts. 2017) www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 49

Even when fishing conditions aren’t ideal, there is significant fishing pressure given its general popularity and relative proximity to population centers. However, winter weather and hunting season keep a lot of people off the water when the fishing is at its best. Of course, power generation and fluctuating water levels are the biggest factors that can make or break a day on almost any tailwater.

In general, generation in the winter is

drastically less than in the summer which makes for significantly more stable and consistent fishing conditions, but when they are running water it’s difficult to fish at all.

The area itself is classic northern Ozarks with curvy roads and rural towns.

Gore, Oklahoma is the closest community of size and offers enough for any fisherman focused on the fish. Fin and Feather Resort, Blue Door Cabins, and Marvel Resort all have nice, clean cabins just minutes from

50 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

the water. There are also camping options at Gore Landing or the State Park up on Tenkiller Lake. Food in the area is limited but good, the popular Soda Steve's offers a quick burger and fries or spend a little more time for dinner on the water at the State Park Marina.

The Lower Illinois is an excellent escape from tailwaters covered in people, resorts, and tourist traps. Though the fishing pressure is there at times, it is

minimal compared to other popular tailwater fisheries. Consistent stocking, easy access, and predictable water flow make this a perfect winter destination. On the other hand, hitting this tailwater in the summer could produce a trophy trout in the morning followed by a trophy striper in the afternoon, few places can offer that. Overall the Lower Illinois is loaded with overlooked trout in the summer that blossom into excellent fishing in the winter.

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 51

Is Swain County NC a Fisherman’s Paradi Hundreds of miles of native mountain trout streams flow

through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park above Bryson City and Cherokee — freestone creeks with native rainbow, brook and brown trout. Most streams offer all three species.

Trout are also common in our four rivers – the Oconaluftee,

Great Smoky M National

Little Tennessee, the Eagle Nola Chambers Twentymile Hazel Creek Forney Cre Creek Creek Creek Tuckasegee and the Creek Fontana Dam Fontana Nantahala, one of Fontana Cheoah Lake Lake Lake Lewellyn Trout Unlimited’s top Fontana Branch Fontana 129 Lake Boat Village Alark 100 rivers. And now, a 2.2 Cable Ramp Marina Boat Do Cove 28N Boat mile section of the Tuck Ramp Almon Lemmons Boat Pa Branch through Bryson City has Boat Ramp Stecoah 143 been designated delayed 19 Wesser 74 Needmore harvest waters, and Road For more information, Nantahala River promises to have one of contact the Bryson City / the highest trout counts Swain County Chamber of Wayah Road (NC 1310) of any stream in the Commerce 800-867-9246.

Upper Nantahala southeast.

River Public Access

Public Access

rn on at Weste g in o g is g y “Three “Somethin ake that ma L rivers j a n ta n o F ust ou na’s li ro a C p h o rt o tside A pular n N uth o S e th in merica a g in tional h s fi t u o tr ’s most d p t r a o to r u a k just sen e t, suite are tee d id o o g a e b d t ming w for bot t migh angler ith h wad into orbit ...I n o s ry s B , in i a n nd sur g and stay to e c la p r a fl ounde best sc oating book you d by so enery leep in s to e v a h m i ’t n e of th Southe don e City so you rn App ” r. e b I f m e y v o o N a u in l a h re c e aven’t hia. fished your truck th produ t h e quai ctive r nt and ivers o Carolin f W e s tern N a, you orth don’t k missin n ow wh g.” at you ’re

Public Access

ise?

Upper Raven Fork

Straight Fork

441 Clingmans Dome

Mountains Park

Deep Creek

Indian Creek

Raven Fork Trophy Section

Lakeview Drive

19 Tuckasegee River

Public Access

ka ock Alarka Creek nd ark Alarka Road

28S Little Tennessee River

Bryson City

Whittier Whittier Boat Ramp

EBCI Hatchery Big Cove Road

19

441 Tuckasegee River

Public Access

Conleys Creek

Heintooga Ridge Road

Blue Ridge Parkway Cherokee Indian Reservation Cherokee

and eek

Old 288 Boat Ramp

Raven Fork

Oconaluftee River

You be the Judge.

Straight Fork Road

Bradley Chasteen Kephart Fork Creek Prong

74 Conleys Creek Road

Dillsboro

441

Visit GreatSmokiesFishing.com for profiles of all 26 Swain County fishing locations on this map. All are just minutes from Bryson City, NC.

Two mountain lakes The 30 miles of trout offer trout fishing streams on the The 29-mile long, Cherokee Indian 11,700 acre Fontana Reservation are the Lake and its smaller downstream neighbor Cheoah Lake both have strong populations of trout, particularly near the mouths of streams flowing out of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Cheoah is regularly stocked by the State of North Carolina.

longest privately-owned and stocked fishing waters east of the Mississippi. The 2.2mile Raven Fork Trophy section is home to the biggest trout in the Smokies. This specially regulated section is fly fishing only and catch and release.

Natural State Fly Shop is located within walking distance of the fabled White River, just up the road from the Cotter boat launch and public access. A full-service retailer and outfitter, Natural State Fly Shop offer flies, tackle, rental driftboats, shuttles, guided float trips on the White and Norfork Rivers, and guided wade trips on Dry Run Creek. Featuring products by Winston, Ross, Galvan, TroutHunter, Catch Fly Fishing, and many more; Natural State Fly Shop offers everything that the visiting fly fisherman needs.

Natural State Fly Shop Shop: 870-471-9111

102 Blvd. Cotter, AR 72626Arkansas 3392Harding Cotter Road Cotter, Mobile: 870-706-0820

www.naturalstateflyshop.com flyfishcotter@gmail.com

Southern Trout Ozark Edition

CLOSE LOOK TANEYCOMO

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 55

CLOSE LOOK

I

Hot time

Taneycomo - Featured Destination

white-knuckled my fly rod in one hand while clamping my hat to my head with the other. The frigid winter air burned my nostrils and made my eyes water as the boat rocketed forward on the cold waters of Lake Taneycomo. It may be 45 degrees, but that wind chill at 20 knots is brutal. After making our way upstream, Phil Lilley skillfully guided the G3 bass boat, nosing it onto a gravel bar in the “Narrows.�

The Narrows consists of a large 300-yard gravel bar squeezing in on the opposite bank creating a narrow channel. The water at the edge of the channel where we stood varied from a few inches to a few feet deep.

This changes anytime a large flow is introduced into the lake from the dam upstream. This makes this stretch of the lake even more interesting. Each time you fish it, there will be subtle changes to the bottom structure.

The water is clear, and the dark gravel and coble in the substrate make it easy to see the fish. If sight fishing is your preference, then you will enjoy fishing here. This particular spot on the lake is not accessible by road and only receives fishing pressure by anglers approaching it by boat. Some boaters prefer to float through the Narrows while others enjoy stepping out of the boat to wander the edge casting to trout with midges and scuds.

Winter fis

By Mark Van Patten

56 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

on Taneycomo

Featured Destination - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

shing at its best

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 57

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Destination

According to Phil, the ideal situation calls for wind.

If the surface is too smooth, the fish will inspect and hit short. If there is a good stiff breeze, the action really gets hot. Midges, especially thread-bodied midges in size 18 or smaller, are always good. Scuds are also excellent.

The darker colored midges seemed to produce more takes. If you are fortunate to have the wind, then striping Woolybuggers, soft-hackles, and Cracklebacks are equally effective.

Since we were discussing the effects of the wind on fishing success, I asked Phil between landing and releasing another rainbow if the old adage was still true.

“If the wind is from the west, the fishing is best; if the wind is from the east, the fishing is least; if the wind is from the south, the bait will fall into the fishes’ mouth; and if the wind is from the north, don’t bother going forth.”

Phil didn’t think trout cared which way the wind came from as long as it wasn’t from the east. So, I took the liberty to change that sage advice.

“If the wind is from the east, the fishing is least; if the wind is from any other, grab your waders.”

According to Phil, the lake generally turns over within the first two weeks of December depending on the water temperature at the time. Once this occurs, the fish seem to wake up and the action really picks up. If you have fished Taneycomo in the fall, you have experienced the lethargy caused by low dissolved oxygen and high-water temperatures.

The browns disperse throughout the lake after the spawn and as such the triploids move around as well. Your chances of catching one of these monsters are as good as the next person. However, Phil stated something most of us are already aware of, browns are hard to catch anytime, even in the winter when the fish are most active.

58 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Destination - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 59

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Destination

There is one time when your odds of hanging one of the big brown brutes are increased.

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes in February or March the water temperature drops to 42 or below and the threadfin shad start to die. As they sink to the bottom, they get sucked through the turbines and the browns will stack up for a shad snack.

During the shad run you can throw anything white and expect a hit. I like tossing a white wooly bugger at them and just let it dead drift. Some folks use a local fly called a Mega Worm during the shad run. It looks like a fat piece of yarn tied to a hook to me. Just a bit of warning. If you like to fish that particular lure, don’t ask Phil if it comes in Peach! He has them in white and yellow. His thought is, “If you can’t catch fish on those two colors”…well, I don’t recommend pushing your luck by asking for peach.

Phil has a well-stocked fly and tackle shop to meet the needs of any style of trout angler.

As I walked around his store, I noted some hard to find fly tying materials and some accessories I needed. Thank goodness he takes plastic.

60 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Destination - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

Phill offers a “Fishing Buddy” option for folks that just want to get in a weekend of fishing with a couple of fishing buddies. You will have to call Phil to inquire about the rates.

Phil mentioned that the reason they got into this business is that they enjoy hosting people. They have been in business long enough, 35 years, to host third generation guests. Grandpa brought mom or dad to fish as kids, mom and dad brought their kids, and now those kids are booking weekends at Lilleys’ Landing.

For information of room rates, boat rental rates, guide rates and more go to http://www. lilleyslanding.com/

One way to keep up with what is happening on Lake Taneycomo and other Ozark streams is to check out www.

OzarkAnglers.com.

Phil says February through March is the best fishing of the year and I can assure you that he knows. I look forward to meeting you there. We can trade a fly or two and share a tale or two.

May your line be tight with the fight when we meet. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 61

Trout Fishing Capital of Oklahoma

Marval Resort • Cabins • RV Sites (FHU) • Tent Sites • Lodges • Reunion Hall • Clubhouse

800-340-4280

• Swimming Pool • Splash Pad • Planned Activities • Nature Trails • Fishing on River • Game Room • Mini-Golf

www.MarvalResort.com

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Fly Shop

I

ndividuals who are bitten by the sowbug of fishing in Missouri, know that the simple word of “fishing” is far too simple to express the passion, the periodic pull on one’s heart to pursue a fickle foe. Fishing is not one task; it is a multitude of tasks, all providing a mental exercise and a sportsman’s thrill. Fortunately, within Springfield, Missouri, there is a fly shop that can outfit anyone for a variety of fishing forays.

Plateau Fly shop provides fishing paraphernalia for most any pescado be it bass, panfish, musky, walleye, or carp.

64 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Fly Shop - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 65

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo WHITE RIVER Missouri Missouri - Featured - Featured

Fly Fly Shop Shop

Acknowledging the growing interest of fishing in the Ozarks, Plateau Fly Shop’s owner, Ty Ingram, states, “I think we have seen steady growth in trout, but the most growth I have seen is in warm water fly fishing like carp and temper bass.” Thus, as a full service shop, Ty points out, he has to “…cater to a wider variety of fly anglers. Of course, we not only stock the local trout stuff, but we also have gear for the anglers going out West or to a saltwater destination.” The good news is, Ty and his staff have experience to assist with close by fishing, or they can give you advice and strategies to fish farther away destinations.

The mission of Plateau is “to offer good products and great customer service at a fair price with local knowledge to make your outdoor experiences more enjoyable,” said Jim.

Novice fishermen are always welcome at Plateau. “We enjoy helping with the where, when, and the how-to of fly fishing,” said Ty. “We offer fly casting instruction for the novice or someone with experience. We are also very familiar with Southwest Missouri, and we are willing show customers where to and how to fish these locations. We also offer fly tying instructions mostly in the winter months.

Along with instruction, Plateau will “hook fishermen up” with independent guides. With 20 plus years in the area, Ty can provide one with the right person in the right area to make a fishing experience memorable and fun. Usually, Ty is in the shop, ready to listen and help.

66 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Featured FlyFly Shop Shop WHITE - Taneycomo - Missourii Missouri RIVER CLOSE CLOSE LOOK LOOK

As far as flies, because Plateau is not considered a destination shop, they encourage customers to learn to tie flies by offering fly tying tools and materials.

“We offer beginner fly tying classes and we are willing to help with any questions at any time, just stop by the shop or give us a call,” said Ty.

Plateau offers a full line of products from most of the major suppliers in the industry like Scott, Sage, Reddington, TFO and St.Croix. Simms, Patagonia and Fishpond are in stock for soft goods and fly-tying materials with tools from Whitting Farms, Spirit River, Wapsi, Renzetti, Dyna King and Dr. Slick.

Finally, Ty wanted to convey the open arms he has for anyone wishing to learn or further pursue fly fishing. “If anyone has ever wanted to learn to fly fish, our shop is the place to do it. We really enjoy helping the angler learn this sport and devote a lot of our time to teaching. We know this sport isn’t something a person learns in one week, month or year and has it perfected—it’s a journey you start and never really finish.”

So, as Ty says, “We’re here if you need anything.”

One can find Pleateau Fly Shop at 2863 S. Campbell Ave. Springfield, Missouri. 65807 or call them at 417-8896548.

Email questions to ty@plateauflyshop. com. Website: www.plateauflyshop.com www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 67

Trout only live in beautiful places.

Fly Fish the Trout Capitol of Georgia.

With over 550 miles of beautiful rivers and trout streams, Blue Ridge and Fannin County have the richest, most diverse all-season fishery in the state.

For a free Visitor’s Guide, call 800-899-mtns

BlueRidgeMountains.com

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo

WINTER Trent Fleming

M

any fishermen, even those who write about their adventures, are often reluctant to disclose their favorite spot for fear of creating a stampede of competitors and fishing out the hole. For me, my home waters are the entire White River system in Arkansas and Missouri. There are plenty of places that, on a given day, might be my favorite spot. The tip I hesitate to give away is not location, but timing. I like the winter. Anytime after the spawn is finished is fair game to me. So, in a spirit of furthering our sport, I offer my thoughts on winter fishing.

70 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

FISHING www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 71

CLOSE LOOK

Gear

Taneycomo - Featured Guide

As with any outdoor activity, if you are uncomfortable, you will not have as much fun. So it is important to dress properly, and especially when wade fishing, warm and dry need to be at the top of your list.

Good boot socks - I like Browning - will be a good starting point, followed by a layer of insulation beneath your waders of appropriate temperature range. In winter months, I’ve never been too warm under my waders, but you know your own preferences and can dress accordingly.

Up top, layering is key, I usually start with a fishing shirt, add a sweatshirt, and finish off with a wading jacket of some sort. Like many of you, I’m trying to break free from decades of a fishing vest, and that usually means a lanyard in warmer weather. In winter, a wading jacket, featuring lots of pockets, provides an alternative to the traditional vest.

While I believe in a hat - I favor a Tilley - on colder days I generally trade it in for a skull cap. My favorite is a Columbia model that has “space blanket” material on the inside to reflect heat back onto my head. Cold head and ears are a bad combination, so make sure you find a good solution to stay warm. Lots of heat can exit your body through your head, especially if your hair has already left, as is my case.

Glasses are important, and you may want a selection of lenses to help with both bright and cloudy days. In the unlikely

event there is snow on the ground, you may even need mirrored glasses to cope with the glare. I also strongly prefer sunglasses with “reader inserts” that allow me to see well when working with flies and knots.

Finally, consider gloves. I prefer fingerless gloves, wool or neoprene have both worked well, to keep the bulk of your hands warm and reasonably dry, while allowing your fingertips to help with detail work of handling flies and tying knots. My favorite trick is to bring along a small towel - golf towels are great because they can generally be clipped on - with which to wipe your hands every time they get wet.

Conditions

It goes without saying that fishing pressure is down during the winter months, but that’s not the only advantage. Moderate days result in lower electricity demand, and along with less rain, can mean greatly diminished generation schedules, providing not just lower flows, but long periods of lower flows that actually allow the trout to adapt to a new river. In my experience, a 3- to 4-day period of low flow can produce new fishing conditions, as compared to day to day fluctuations in flow. As always, take some time to listen and watch and learn how the river - and the trout - are adapting to these conditions.

72 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Guide - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 73

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Guide

74 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Guide - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

Fly Selection

For winter fishing, I rely on Sow Bugs, Prince Nymphs, and Hare’s Ear Nymphs drifted. I will also use Woolly Buggers, especially larger black ones for night fishing. During the day, medium size Olive Drab works great (again, for me, this is my go-to fly year around) I simply drift them and strip back. As you move into February, the likelihood that a warm afternoon will produce a hatch increases, so make sure you have a selection of smaller dry flies in the event the opportunity arises. Blue wing olives (18-22), parachute Adams (16-20) and Elk Hair Caddis (16-18) are all good choices but don’t hesitate to try something else (or the ever-present “this is what I had in my fly box”) as this is how we learn.

Safety

Wading lower water levels still requires care. The unstable rock, occasional deep hole, or extra slippery bottom all call for vigilance. I’ve begun to consistently use a wading staff (found a nice collapsible one at Bass Pro) and just, in general, paying more attention to my footing. While the water temps don’t vary much, air temperature will, and hypothermia is a real issue if you get soaked. Make sure you have a change of clothes, and a way of getting warm, whether in camp or in your vehicle. If you fish from a boat, don’t neglect good flotation devices - by that I mean actually wear them - as the threat from swift current is ever present, and the cold adds another element of concern. Common sense and a little extra care will go a long way to ensuring that your experiences are memorable only in a fishing sense, not a medical attention sense!

So, at the risk of increasing the population on the river, I will encourage you to plan a winter outing this year. I’m confident you will enjoy learning about your favorite spot at a different time of year. You might even catch a fish! Let me know how you fare!

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 75

Kayak Demo Pond • Extensive Free and Paid Classes Women’s Programs • Wine & Micro-Brewery Beer Tastings Boy Scouts can earn their Fly Fishing Merit Badges

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Fly Tier

Passing Alo Featured Fly Tier, Terry Tanner

78 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Fly Tier - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

ong the Joy F Pine Squirrel Sculpin

rom the time he was ten years old with his dad, Herb Tanner fished for trout around his boyhood home of Ava, Missouri.

With a passion for all things trout and fly fishing, Terry Tanner is today among the Ozark’s Top, most knowledgeable tiers.

“Initially, I fished with my Dad for trout at Hunter Creek (near Ava), below Crystal Lake Hatchery, Rockbridge, Missouri, and at Bennett Spring State Park, near Lebanon, Missouri,” says Tanner. “As an adult, I have trout fished nearly all of Missouri’s state trout parks, its streams, and Lake Taneycomo. I joined the Missouri Trout Fishermen’s Association and through it and its members, I received more guidance and information.”

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 79

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Fly Tier

Tanner is a self-taught fly tier who began fly tying almost as soon as he picked up a fly rod at the age of 10 years old.

“After a year or so, I thought I was pretty good,” says Tanner. “So, I took the cardboard from the back of a Big Chief tablet and hooked a dozen or so flies on it.

I took them Rock Bridge, Missouri, where shop owners, Lile and Edith Amyx would set my fly display on the counter to sell my flies. That really inspired me to continue, and I developed a life-long passion of learning the art of fly-tying. Over the 60+ years since, I’ve built a large library of fly-tying knowledge, materials, books, audio and visual tapes, DVDs, and the like. All have added to my knowledge and enjoyment of fly tying.”

The sport has been rewarding to Tanner. He’s had the pleasure of observing and being mentored by some of those who are experts in the fly-tying world, including Dave Whitlock, Lefty Kreh, Davy Wotton, Jimmy Nix, and others with whom he has had the privilege to know. As a guide employed at Bass Pro Shop, his most notable client was President George H. W. Bush. In 2010, he received the International Federation of Fly Fishers— Southern Council “Tyer of the Year” Award.

In 2012, he won the Baxter County Bulletin Contest for the –Streamer Division, and in 2006, he won the “Brown Bag Tying” Competition at the North Arkansas Fly Fishers Sowbug Roundup.

80 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Fly Tier - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

Terry Tanner and Lefty Kreh

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 81

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Fly Tier

“During my early years, I tied what my Dad and the locals called “Fur Bugs” that represented a type of nymph,” says Tanner. “I later learned to tie Wooly Worms and Wooly Buggers, and Marabou Streamers. I used those patterns because they caught trout at Bennett Springs and the other Ozarks trout streams.”

When fishing the Ozarks and/or Taneycomo, specifically, the five flies he considers to be essential to carry are as follows: 1. Pine Squirrel Sculpin (Natural), 2. Olive Wooley Bugger, 3.

Gray Scud or Shrimp, 4. Partridge & Orange, and 5. Zebra Midge

82 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Fly Tier - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

Tanner’s Crawdad

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 83

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Fly Tier

84 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Fly Tier - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

“When talking about the older, traditional patterns I like to fish and tie, high among them is many of the Old English Wet Flies like Gorgeous George, French Partridge, March Brown, and Endrich Spider. When it comes to small streamers, I like to use the Black Ghost, Thunder Creek, Mickey Finn, and Spruce. For nymph fishing, I like the Hare’s Ear Nymph, Sparrow, Prince Nymph, March Brown, Strawman Nymph, and Pheasant Tail Nymph. For Dry Flies, I like the Royal Coachman, Adams, Pale Evening Dun, Blue Wing Olive, Mosquito, Gray Fox, Black Gnat, Grasshopper, and Griffith’s Gnat.”

Examples of newer patterns and materials Tanner has come to rely on a lot in recent years include using the Stretch Tube Woven Sowbug, Zebra Bead Head Midge, Candy Cane Bead Head Midge, 56er, Tanner’s Crawdad, Schmuecker Bug, Dave’s Sculpin, T.D.’s Pine Squirrel Sculpin, Various Egg Patterns, and Whit’s Fox Squirrel Nymph.

When it comes to tying materials, Tanner does regard himself as a self-sufficient tier who gathers many of the materials used in his tying efforts, but he also relies on commercially available materials.

“I’m also a Missouri hunter, so I do obtain some natural materials,” says Tanner. “However, I also use many natural and synthetic materials from the commercial suppliers. I really do not have a problem getting tying materials for the trout flies I tied here in the Ozarks. We are fortunate to have some really great sources for materials here in Missouri and Arkansas. However, I do have difficulty finding feathers for the married wings of the Atlantic Salmon Flies I tie. I really like the new stuff such as Puglis’ Seafibers, Stretch Tubing, some of the new eyes, tungsten beads, and Zonked Hides (like O’possum and Finn Coon).

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 85

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Fly Tier

While Tanner routinely taught people to tie flies when employed at Bass Pro Shop in Springfield, Missouri, he is not a commercial tier. He has taught a great many children and teens in elementary and high school programs and the Cub Scout and Boy Scout programs. Additionally, he has also taught adult programs at colleges, fairs, Reel Recovery, Project Healing Waters, and programs with the Missouri Department of Conservation.

“I would advise fly tiers to begin tying the basic flies for fishing in their area streams,” says Tanner. “The beauty of fly tying is that you can take it to whatever level you want. But, I always encourage people to keep challenging themselves and keep learning. That is where the fun begins!

One of the best books, if not THE best book on how to tie many types of flies—I still have it in my library—is The Fly Tyers Benchside Reference to Techniques and Dressing Styles by Ted Lesson and Jim Schollmeyer. It’s still available on Amazon. I recommend this book because it explains how to tie a fly with step-by-step instructions and illustrations.

When tyers are beginning and no one is there to instruct them, it is important to tie flies correctly from the start and this book will help them do just that.”

“For me, fly tying and fly fishing have been life-long hobbies and have always been a large part of my life. I also fly fish for White Bass, Stripers, and other types of fish throughout the year, so when I’m not fishing, I’m usually tying flies. I’m so grateful for the friends I have made through my association with both hobbies and the opportunity to share my knowledge with so many others. It’s a privilege and a joy to pass along the art of fly tying and I hope the next generation will enjoys it as much as past ones have,” concludes Tanner.

86 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Fly Tier - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 87

Davy Wot World Class

www.davywotton.com

tton Fly Fishing American International Schools of Fly Fishing Outfitter and Guide Services for the White River region Custom Flies and Fly Fishing DVDs

Office: 870-453-2195 Cell: 870-404-5223

davyfly@ozarkmountains.com

Mark Oehler: Th Mark Oehler: Th

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Artist

O

ne of a kind experiences are those that are cherished and life-giving. Many ne a kind experiences those thatbeen are cherished and life-giving. visitofthe Ozarks and feelare they have touched by one or someMany lifevisit the Ozarks and feel they have been touched by one or some lifechanging experiences. The beauty of the landscape and the way of life changing experiences. The beauty of the landscape and the way of life there often draw folks in to experience again and again a peaceful way of life. Such there often draw folks in to experience again and again a peaceful way of life. Such itit was was for for potter, potter, Mark Mark Oehler Oehler and and his his wife, wife, Nancy.

Nancy. After After experiencing experiencing the the Ozarks Ozarks for the first time in 1971, Mark and Nancy Oehler knew that was the place for for the first time in 1971, Mark and Nancy Oehler knew that was the place for them. them.

He and his wife were teachers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin—he an art teacher He and his wife were teachers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin—he an art teacher and and she a a librarian. librarian. Both Both agreed agreed that that the the Ozarks Ozarks were were where where they they wanted wanted to to be. be. she

90 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

hrowing the Ozarks

Featured Artist - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

hrowing the Ozarks

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 91

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Artist

Yet, that life had to go on hold for a while. When Uncle Sam called Mark into service, he responded and gave 19 months of his life in an infantry division. He tried to return to teaching, but, as he puts it, “The switch had been turned off.” So, what’s a guy to do? Well, Mark made friends with the owner of a pottery studio who encouraged mark to share his studio and sales gallery. “Ungrateful fellow that I was, 2 years later we were on our way to the Missouri Ozarks,” Mark added. “Now, 45 years later we look back with pride of who we are and what we have experienced, not with any regrets.

92 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Artist - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 93

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Artist

94 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Artist - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

geography, geology, heritage, sense of time, botany, animals, birds and water the pottery shop, but also the furnishings, kiln and associated equipment. Also, I www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 95

Pottery a labor of -love as fewArtist ever make their fortune throwing clay.

CLOSEmaking LOOK isTaneycomo Featured Pottery making is a labor of love as few ever make their fortune throwing clay. work has been centered on making utilitarian ware without becoming a production potter making similar items repeatedly. The down side of my approach is that fellow potters make of the same thingsutilitarian and usually much more money than I work has beenlots centered on making waremake without becoming a production

potter making similar items repeatedly. The down side of my approach is that fellow items: vasesthings of alland sizes and forms, cups and mugs, potterslamps, make casseroles, lots of the same usually make pitchers, much more money than I teapots, serving bowls from small to large—all hopefully, one of a kind. items: lamps, casseroles, vases of all sizes and forms, pitchers, cups and mugs, teapots, serving bowls from small to large—all hopefully, one of a kind.

96 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Artist - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

www.omega-pottery-shop.com www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 97

ÂŽ

Don’t go home empty handed! www.sunbursttrout.com

Sunburst Trout Farms Is located below the Shining Rock National Wilderness in the Pisgah National Forest.

Since 1948 they have been growing rainbow trout, and the farm is now run by third generation brothers Wes and Ben Eason.

Sunburst has a long standing commitment to quality. Their fish are hormone and antibiotic free, and the feed is made especially for them containing no mammalian by-products.

All trout are cut to order in small bathces, mostly by hand, thus ensuring all products are of the highest standard.

In addition to Sunburst’s flagship fillets you can also find their award winning caviar, as well as trout jerky, hickory smoked trout, cold smoked trout, smoked trout dip, trout sausage, and even some non trout products, pimento goat cheese and smoked tomato jam.

Be sure to stock up on their Original Jennings Jerky! It’s shelf stable and perfect for those long days fly fishing.

To order go online to www.sunbursttrout.com

314 Industrial Park Drive Waynesville, NC 28786 828-648-3010 • 800-673-3051

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Rod Builder

100 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Rod Builder - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 101

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Rod Builder

A

re re you you the thesort sortofoffly fishermen whowho takes fly fishermen great their fly takespride greatin pride rods, andfly is tired all ofisthe in their rods,ofand factory-made fly factoryrods that tired of all of the are produced overseas? made fly rods that are We’ve no bone with the produced overseas? imported rods We’ve no fly bone withonthethe market today, as they imported fly rods on are theall good, and we have few of market today, as a they theseallgreat rods and ourselves. are good, we If youaever a hankering have few had of these great for custom rod made just rods ourselves.

If you for you no one for else, ever hadand a hankering then we have a tip forjust you: custom rod made J-Cook for you Fly andRods. no one else, near then Located we have a Montauk tip for StateJ-Cook Park and Current you: Flythe Rods.

River in Salem, Missouri, Located near J-Cook FlyState Rods Park is the Montauk brainchild of Jerry Cook. and the Current River in He got tired of factory rods Salem, Missouri, J-Cook all Rods looking thebrainchild same. An Fly is the avidJerry fly fisherman of Cook. Hewith gotan artisticof flair, Cook wanted tired factory rods all somethingthedifferent looking same. other An than afly“factory” fly rod. avid fisherman withAs it turned out,flair, many,Cook many an artistic of Cook’s customers also wanted something wanted that custom different other than built a rod experience. “factory” fly rod. As it

“I out, began building rods turned many, many to sell back in customers 2008. It had of Cook’s beenwanted a hobby until I also thatup custom retired in experience.

2008 and just sort built rod of turned it into a business,” “I began building 102 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Rod Builder - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 103

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Rod Builder

says Cook. “I have made several hundred. I really couldn’t tell you, as I lost count a long time ago.”

“I enjoy working with my customer to determine just what his needs and wants are in a custom fly rod,” says Cook. “What type of fishing he is going to be using the rod for? If they are thinking of a 4-weight for local application or if they do a lot of salmon fishing, then what they really need is an 8-weight fly rod. I get a lot of satisfaction out of building a rod the customer really needs and will use.”

J-Cook Fly Rods is a full-service business that not only will build a rod to your specification, but it also sells factory rods. They carry all of the better-known names such as Thomas & Thomas Fly Rods and Winston Fly Rods, and they offer a huge variety of fly reels by makers such as Galvan Fly Reels, Abel Reels, and Ross Fly Reels to name a few.

“Most of my custom fly rods built on Sage and 104 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Rod Builder - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 105

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Rod Builder

106 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Rod Builder - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK Winston blanks are some of the finest fly rods you will ever fish,” says Cook. “These rods are handcrafted and are a one-of-a-kind rod. If you so choose, a rod can be built to your specifications.

If a warranty is a concern, keep in mind that the blank is warrantied by the factory and our work is warrantied by us.

Break the rod, send it to the blank maker, and they will fit a new piece and then forward on to us at your request for our portion of the work.”

“I work primarily with graphite blanks. I use a lot of Sage and Winston blanks because most of my customers are looking for a high-end rod that is different.

Bamboo is a whole different specialty requiring different skills and tools. I have built a few fiberglass rods, but I prefer the light weight and action of a graphite rod.”

Cooks says that one of most difficult challenges he faces is determining just what the customer wants. From a crafting point of view, the most difficult part is crafting a handle incorporating buffalo horn or some of the exotic www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 107

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Rod Builder

woods that he uses. Also, he difficult part works with a lotis ofcrafting elk horn a handle incorporating and that can be tricky to work buffalo or some of with andhorn get it right.

His triple the that jungleexotic cock woods feather inlays he uses. he specialty works are sort of aAlso, J-Cook with a lot of elkidentifies horn that immediately and that can beCook trickyreally to his custom rods. work withpreference and get it right. has no as to His triple jungle cock length and weight of the fly feather inlays are of rods he builds.

Thatsort is really a that up J-Cook to whatspecialty the customer immediately identifies his wants or needs.

Personally, custom rods.

Cook really he prefers a 9’6” length and has no preference as is a fan of weights in the 3,to4, length weight of the 6, and 8and categories. fly he builds. rods When asked That about is really up to what teaching rod makingtheto customer wants or needs. others, Cook responded, Personally, he prefers a “Yes, I have taught rod 9’6” length and isaa class fan ofat building.

I taught weights in theRod 3, 4, 6, and the Custom Builders 8 categories.

Guild and have also done When asked about one on one teaching.

It can teaching rod making to be very rewarding seeing others, responded, a builderCook progress in their “Yes, I have taught rod skills. building.

I taughtrod a class at

“Custom making the Rod Builders is a Custom rewarding hobby if one Guild and have also done is building for themselves, one on one or if you wantteaching. to do it asIt a can be very rewarding business,” says Cook.

“I have seeing a builder progress a number of tips. First, learn in their skills. your craft well. Second, do “Custom rod making not sell too cheap.

It lowers is a rewarding the perceived value hobby of your ifproduct. one That is building for was a lesson 108 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Rod Builder - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 109

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Rod Builder

110 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Rod Builder - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK I learned the hard way. As or if you I themselves, raised my prices, I soldwant to do rods it as aand business,” more investedsays Cook.into “I have a number more equipment and of tips.took First, also the learn time toyour honecraft well.

Second, not my skills.

You learndo a lot by sell tooand cheap. lowers trial error. A Itlot of what I the perceived value learned and now knowof wasyour product.

That was aand lesson from experimenting I learned way. As learning fromthe myhard mistakes, I raised prices, I sold and some ofmy those mistakes more rods and can be expensive.

But,invested you more into equipment won’t make that mistake a and also took second time.”the time to hone You learn lot by my skills.

“Rod building canabe and error.

A lot ofItwhat I atrial rewarding profession. is and nowtoknow alearned tough business makewas afrom name experimenting in and requires and learning from my mistakes, not only exceptional rod and some of those mistakes building skills, but also can bemarketing expensive. skills.

But, you good won’t make that and mistake Develop your style be a second time.”Be proud of true to yourself. building can a good“Rod product and price it be a rewarding profession. It is fairly,” says Cook. business to make a tough Do you want custom a name requires rod?

Cooks in buildand to order. not usually only exceptional He has some rod building skills, inventory rods but in also stock,good marketing skills.

Develop but the customer shopping your true to for onestyle of myand rods be usually yourself.

Be proud of atogood wants something unique product and price it fairly,” them. says Cook. you want Check Do him out custom at rod?

Cooks build to order. www,jcookflyrods.com He usually has some www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 111

Since 1999 the Smoky Mountain’s #1 Outfitter and Guide Service!

Serving Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, Sevierville, Cherokee and Bryson City.

Half-day and full-day:

• • • • • •

Wade Trips Drift Boat Trips Beginner classes and instruction with the best guides in the Smoky Mountains.

Fly fishing and spin fishing for kids and families Fly fishing merit badge classes Corporate and group fly fishing

We fish the most beautiful trout streams in the North Carolina and Tennessee mountains:

• • • • • •

Great Smoky Mountains National Park The Tuckasegee River The Little Tennessee River Cherokee trophy trout waters Hazel Creek day trips Fontana Lake for bass and walleye

No Experience necessary, we will teach you how to fly fish!

Rates starting at $75.00 per person!

For reservations call 828-488-7665 Or book securely from our website!

828-488-7665 • FlyFishingTheSmokies.net Email guides@FlyFishingTheSmokies.net

Authorized Concessioner

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Guide

Captain Steve Dicke Angler Advantage, I

t’s tough arguing against success. For example, Lake Taneycomo is one of the very best trout fisheries in the United States. Day in and day out one can always catch trout regardless of the conditions. If you’re a first timer on the lake, why wouldn’t you want an experienced fishing guide with a record of taking over 10,000 people trout fishing? And, one that can say that every single person has caught trout including children and persons with considerable disabilities?

The guide in question is Captain Steve Dickey, the founder, owner, and operator of Angler’s Advantage located in Branson, Missouri. We spent some time with Steve and convinced him to give us some insights on why he decided to start guiding on Lake Taneycomo and what his choice to become a fishing guide has meant to him.

“I won my first trout tournament at 7 years old and came through Branson, Missouri on the tournament circuit. I knew instantly that I wanted to live and guide in the Ozarks,” says Dickey. “I’m a life-long, self-taught fisherman. My obsession with fishing began as a small child when we would drive over a bridge, and I could see the fishermen below on the water. As soon as I was able to walk, I was out the door and across the road to the river. When my mother realized I was gone, she called 911 and told them, “I know he’s headed toward the river.” The search party found me in a cornfield just short of the river bank and nearly two miles from home.”

114 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Guide - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

ey Branson, Missouri

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 115

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Guide

Lake Taneycomo has an incredibly healthy trout population. It is almost picture perfect habitat for rainbow and brown trout. The water is icy cold the year round, which the trout love, and while the quality of the water is not perfect, it is pure enough that it is not an issue. Throw in the fact that it is open all year and can be fished day or night, and you have what arguably could the best, most versatile trout fishery in the United States.

“Our fishing guide service is located right on the shore of Lake Taneycomo, just a half mile south of the famous Highway 76 strip in Branson, Missouri,” says Dickey. “Beginners to experts, individuals, families and groups, I will make sure you catch more trout than you ever have and have a great time while reeling in the fish.

In fact, we're so sure you'll catch fish that we guarantee it.

CATCH FISH OR YOUR MONEY BACK! We believe that if you hire a professional fishing guide to take you fishing, you ought to catch fish every time, period. Whether you're on a four hour or an eight hour trip with us, if you don't catch fish we will refund your money 100% on the spot.

Our track record to date is 100%! No one has ever fished with me and not caught a lot of fish.”

Dickey has all of the bells and whistles any fishing guide could wish for. Besides being a fly fishing expert and a casting instructor, he is also a U.S. Coast Guard Certified Captain, U.S. Merchant Marine Officer (the only person to graduate in his class with a 100% at mariner school in Houston, Texas), licensed and insured, certified in Red Cross first aid/CPR and a Lifeguard. In his spare time, he is a Captain for Healing Waters and a Captain for Wounded Warrior Project.

“I offer expert fly fishing instruction for beginners or advanced fisherman. I also have many tips and tricks for spin fishermen that increase proficiency. I have an array of techniques they may have never used to be more successful at trout fishing,” says Dickey. “We fish out of a 22-foot Tracker Bay Boat that is wide and very stable, 116 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Guide - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 117

CLOSE LOOK

Taneycomo - Featured Guide

118 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Featured Guide - Taneycomo CLOSE LOOK or a 21-foot extra wide center console boat.

Occasionally, we also use a 25-foot pontoon boat for larger groups. All of these are equipped with trolling motors and four-stroke outboard engines. I supply everything including waders for all sizes, flies, rods, tackle, boat, and gas.

Everything is included at no extra cost.”

“My most popular repeat trips are four hours,” says Dickey. “These are offered in the morning and early evening, the two peak feeding times for trout on Lake Taneycomo.

The trout fishing is outstanding, I am typically on the water 40 to 50 hours a week so I am very familiar with what they’re biting on and where the greatest density of trout is to be found. Be prepared to catch a lot of trout. The average four hour trip for two people typically produces 40 to 60 trout with an exceptional day netting over a hundred.

“My boats have plenty of room,” says Dickey adding, “to bring a duffle bag or backpack so please bring extra layers, it can be unusually chilly in the summer due to Lake Taneycomo having cool water and being in a deep valley.”

“Lake Taneycomo is an incredible lake and my focus is on customer service. I do not fish myself while guiding; my focus is on the client, helping cast, untangling line, tying on all the flies and lures. There is always a restroom within ten minutes of where we are fishing. It's a very laid back and productive fishing trip, great for families and children. My boat can hold up to six friends or family members.”

Learn more about Captain Steve Dickey at www.anglersadvantage.net

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 119

Loss of a Missouri

By Brandon Butler

120 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

S

pencer Turner was a renaissance man.

A veteran who married his high school sweetheart and went on to fulfill a career in the field of conservation most could only imagine. Spence was an angler in the purist sense of the word. He was also a hunter, naturalist, gifted writer and good old-fashioned storyteller. Spence passed away peacefully, at his home in Columbia, Missouri surrounded by family on August 26, 2016. Though we’ll never run into him on the river again, Spencer’s legacy will live on every time a trout is caught in the State of Missouri.

Knowing his health was rapidly failing, Spence embarked on an adventurous spring and summer. He traveled to see friends and family, attended his annual turkey camp and, of course, fished a few of his old haunts one last time. I was fortunate to spend time with Spence on the water during his summer, along with a number of our mutual friends. Rowing him down Current River, over the backs of the brown trout there because of him, is a memory I’ll hold close to my heart for the rest of my life.

Conservation Legend

Spence left his home state of Wisconsin for Missouri in 1969, when he joined the Missouri Department of Conservation as a fisheries biologist.

“Missouri has had trout here since the 1880s, but when I joined (MDC) in ‘69, that history was pretty well lost. Part of my focus was to change the Department’s focus, so we not only have the wonderful trout parks we manage, but so there was also a diversity of trout fishing opportunities for those folks that wanted something by themselves,” Turner said.

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 121

Former MDC Fisheries Division Chief, Mike Kruse said, “I’ve heard Spence described as the father of Missouri’s modernday trout program and trout fishery, and that’s a pretty good description. Because when Spence arrived on the scene there had been some quote-unquote trout biologists before him, but they hadn’t stayed long and hadn’t made quite as big of a mark as he has. And at that time trout fishing was totally, and completely about raising and stocking hatchery trout.”

Spence quickly went to work identifying rivers and streams capable of holding trout, which require cold water all year. He also set out to rediscover the streams still holding remnant populations of wild trout that had been stocked in the late 1800s and early 1900s. He found them and brought them back to life. But his real legacy is what he accomplished by creating wild trout fisheries in some of Missouri’s greatest waters – Current River, Eleven Point River, North Fork of the White River and Lake Taneycomo.

“We have a multitude of opportunities and some really high-quality trout fishing in Missouri, and we owe it all to Spence Turner,” said avid fly angler, Ron Kruger.

A couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to cruise the entire 22-mile length of Lake Taneycomo with Spence. Turns out that was the last time he saw the lake where he spent so much time turning it into one of the premiere trout fishing destinations in America.

As I ran the boat, Spence sat in the stern and reminisced.

He talked about the projects he’d completed, the people he worked with and the anglers he met along the way.

Spence admired Taneycomo like a father who watched his baby grow up to realize their potential and even surpass a parent’s dreams. And Spence knew how to tell the story.

“Probably the biggest job any biologist has, and most of them never realize it until they have been in a long time, is communication,” Turner said.

Spence was a talented communicator. In fact, he was a professional communicator. He is a founding father of the Missouri Outdoor Communicators and was president of the Outdoor Writers Association of America.

A prestigious position few ever attain. He wrote an outdoor column for the Columbia Tribune for 12 years and freelanced articles on all sorts of outdoor adventures to the largest game and fish publications in existence, including Field & Stream, Outdoor Life, and the Conservationist.

Bobby Whitehead, editor of Outdoor Guide Magazine, said, “Spence contacted me soon after we started the magazine in the early 90s. Quickly he became a major contributor and a mentor for me. Spence was responsible, in many ways, for the early success of Outdoor Guide.”

Spence was the rare total package; a highly successful biologist, superior sportsman, incredible communicator and friend to so many. One of the last bits of wisdom I heard Spence bestow was, “Somebody said if you got a job you love

122 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

to do you’ll never work a day in your life. And to be quite honest, I was there at the right time where I could be autonomous and do things I knew needed to be done. I was able to accomplish what I set out to accomplish, and that’s humbling.”

So many of us are going to miss Spence Turner. I know I’ll think of him often when on the rivers of the Ozarks. Turkey hunting legend, Ray Eye, will miss sharing fall turkey camps on the Big Piney with him. Eye said, “Spence Turner was my friend, my turkey hunting brother. Every time I hear a fall gobble, I’ll think of him. And I’ll toast him around every fire from now until I’m with him again.” www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 123

39 South Public Square Cartersville, GA 30120 770.606.1100 CohuttaFishingCo.com

GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAIN TROUT UNLIMITED IRON MAN FLY CONTEST 2018

Knoxville, Tennessee January 18th 2018 greatsmokymountain.tu.org Twin Peaks Restaurant 135 N. Northshore, Knoxville

E

very great fly fishing guide has a mission.

Jenny MayrellWoodruff, it is to introduce new people to fly fishing, improve the skills of more experienced anglers and work hard to insure that the Lower Mountain Fork River continues to improve as a trout fishery.

“The Lower Mountain Fork River has a healthy population of wild trout and also gets supplemental trout stockings every 2 weeks year-round,” says Jenny. “This tailwater River has a variety of water types from fast and rocky to smooth and tranquil. Unlike other Southern tailwaters, there is quality water that is not affected by power generation releases.”

Located in extreme Southeastern Oklahoma, the Lower Mountain Fork River below the Reregulation dam is a popular recreation

spot. At medium flows, this is an excellent river for whitewater kayaking.

Water quality in this clear, rocky stream is very good, with water temps kept at or below 70 degrees to support a healthy trout population.

“I started out guiding for a local fly shop in 2010,” says Jenny. “At the time I had no intention of becoming a full time guide, much less making a career

www.Southerntrout.com l lOzark OzarkEdition Edition l l September November 2017 l 125 www.Southerntrout.com

THE STATE OF W

hen I say Norfork, I am referring to the Norfork Dam tailwater. Technically it is the North Fork of the White River. The four and a half miles of river from Norfork Dam to its confluence with the White River (the tailwater of Bull Shoals Dam) is the Norfork tailwater.

It is our true blue ribbon trout stream. Let us not forget that it produced a world record brown trout several years ago (thirty-eight pounds seven ounces).

It is my absolute favorite stream. I first fished it about thirty-five years ago, and it was love at first sight. I generally fish it as often as I can. While I say that I fish the White River to catch large numbers of trout, I fish the Norfork to catch larger trout. Every time I fish the Norfork I expect to land a trophy. Early this year it was fishing very well.

Then a catastrophe occurred. This April, we had a hundred year rain, on the North Fork of the White. The stream was ravaged. The flooding and the damage were intense. Tons of sediment and organic matter were washed into Norfork Lake. The debris field on the lake was huge and took months to clear. The high lake levels required all of the floodgates at Norfork to be opened resulting in severe flooding on the Norfork Tailwater. Several docks were washed away, and the river was scoured.

The Norfork was greatly changed. There was heavy gravel recruitment where there had been deep bedrock runs. There are now deep bedrock runs where there used to be a gravel bottom. There was severe erosion at numerous locations along the river. Several spots that were famous fishing locations were unrecognizable. The standard joke was, why should you hire a guide, they don’t know any more than you do.

126 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

THE NORFORK John Berry

John Berry

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 127

Now over seven months after the flood the water is still severely stained from all of the silt that was washed into the river. This is worse than when we had the debacle of Norfork Overlook Estates, where a developer scalped the side of a mountain allowing the siltation of the Norfork on a monumental level. Just like that incident, this will be around for a long time.

To make matters worse, all of the organic matter that was washed into the lake has been breaking down and consuming oxygen in the process. This is commonly referred to as a lake turnover. As a result, you can detect a strong smell of sulfur on the upper river near the dam.

It also caused low levels of dissolved oxygen which has a disastrous effect on the trout.

My wife Lori and I have fished it a few times here of late with poor results. First of all, we had a lot of trouble wading. The river was so stained that we could not see the bottom and therefore we were not sure of our footing. This was made worse by the fact that the stream bed was so changed from what we had become accustomed to. We hardly recognized it. Then with the low oxygen, the bite was slow. We caught very few trout, and we both considered the day a total bust. We were both glad that we were not guiding.

There is not much we can do about the situation. Mother Nature is a powerful adversary, and this situation will not clear up until we have some major rain to flush the lake and river to remove the sediment and clear everything up.

John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirtyfive years. John can be reached at (870) 4352169 or http://www.berrybrothersguides.com. berrybrothers@infodash.com, (870) 435-2169

We’ve got true McCloud trout

Outcastinn.com Come have a

new fishing adventure!

Owner James Burgener

Newburg, MO (573) 762-0196

HARDY DEMON Fly Fishing on

T

he name, Demon Smuggler, really caught our attention. For me, it harkened back to the 1960s when reading about the cat-and-mouse played out in Howard Walden's two classics, Upstream and Down and the fictional Big Stony. The loveable and elusive poacher in the book used a six-piece fly rod that he hid away in his overalls‌ until the very end.

130 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

N SMUGGLER

the Wild Side

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 131

Hardy’s introduction of the Demon Smuggler was not to aid the poaching fantasies of old reprobates like me (at least I hope not). Rather it was introduced as the Demon Smuggler so Hardy could extend its dominance into the competitive travel fly rod market. Over the years I’ve tried them all on backcountry jaunts and was never altogether happy with any of them. Both Orvis and L.L. Bean make a nifty spinning and fly fishing combo. Both are a great value, but they are aimed at those who just want to make sure they always have a rod handy.

Hardy makes some of the very best fly rods in the world, and the Demon Smuggler is aimed at frequent travelers who also want a high-performing rod with fantastic fit and finish.

At just under $650, the Hardy Demon Smuggler is the most expensive travel rod in this limited class by a long shot. It is, however, beautiful, and has noted earlier, we really like its name.

The Demon Smuggler line consists 6-piece fly rods that Hardy offers an 8’ 4-weight, 9’ 5-weight, 9’6-weight, 9’ 8-weight, and 9’6” 7-weight. Its action is medium fast. The Demon Smuggler comes with a sweet aluminum rod tube with the company’s name being quite prominent. If you’re in for a Demon Smuggler, pair it with the can’t-go-wrong Hardy Ultralite CA DD Fly Reel, and you’ll end up with an awesome travel combo. Long story short: If you have the budget, nab a Demon Smuggler and don’t look back.

Most so-called travel rods are a compromise between convenience and performance. Hardy has changed this arrangement by incorporating the Demon Smuggler with the development of SINTRIX® technology. All carbon rods utilize carbon fibers that are bonded together by an adhesive resin. The resin material used in SINTRIX is produced by 3M, and it is a unique and patented material incorporating silica nano spheres which provides two distinct benefits.

First, the microscopic silica spheres are able to evenly surround every individual carbon fiber filament which provides a matrix of strength throughout the rod. Second, being spherical, the silica particles are able to resist pressure and compression from any angle. This is particularly important 132 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 133

134 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

because it is under compression forces, on the underside of a bent rod, rather than tension forces, on the outside of the curve, that carbon fiber is most likely to weaken and potentially break. So, by resisting compression better, SINTRIX rods are stronger.

During 2009 when developing SINTRIX, specialist composite engineers and rod designers spent over two years experimenting with different types and mixes of carbon fibers that were combined with varying levels of 3M nano silica resin. They also discovered that the normal manufacturing processes associated with carbon fiber rods had to be significantly changed in order to get the best from the new 3M resin material. The final results were astonishing with up to 60% increases in strength and up to 30% savings in weight. Driven by this passion and determination to always push the boundaries—part of Hardy’s DNA since 1872—they now offer varying levels of SINTRIX technology across our rod range. Each level brings significant and tangible benefits over traditional carbon fiber construction.

SINTRIX® 330 Technology applied to 6 section travel rods delivering unprecedented durability for the adventurous angler. The Demon Smuggler is available in a range of sizes covering many applications in a convenient travel size package. Features Include American tackle Titanium striper guides, medium fast action with high recovery, and built-in reel seat hook keeper.

The Hardy Demon Smuggler is a better-than-good fly rod. Its quality is superb, and I think that it is a rod that you will enjoy using even if not catching fish. ONE WORD OF WARNING. If using the rod for roll-casting, be very careful that the topmost joints are well seated when you assemble the rod...and check them occasionally. Otherwise, you may well have them follow your roll cast down water. You may want to think about taping the joints.

The rod is very light, beautifully balanced and casts easily and smoothly. Compared with my Zenith #4, I would describe its action as mid flex. I could, without effort, cast the whole length of most of the mid-sized creeks that I fish.

A very nice rod that will be perfect for backpacking into the mountains.

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 135

Float Wade Trek

Experience Exposure Executon Engagement Georgia-North Carolina-Tennessee Guided fly-fishing and conventional fishing for bass, trout, stripers, panfish and more across the waters of the southern Appalachian Mountains

www.ReelAnglingAdventures.com Toll Free: 866-899-5259

W

inter is a great time to catch the largest trout of the season, but being wet and cold is certain to bring misery to the quest. Simms G3 Guide jacket offers the cure by offering a “fishing fortress.” The jacket is made of rugged three-layer Gore-Tex fabric and features seven storage pockets. Two of the pockets are large top load chest pockets with bottom rain ports.

Two more pockets are water-resistant zippered chest pockets, there is an internal stash pocket, and two microfleece lined hand-warmer pockets.

The Simms G3 Guide Jacket has a shock cord waist adjustment, two built-in retractors, and the Simms Fractal fly Patch. A great feature is the Simms Dry-Cuff design which keeps water out of the cuffs when casting in the rain or while releasing a fish. It also has a three-point adjustable storm hood with a tab to lock it down at the back of the collar. It allows the wearer to stay completely dry even in a downpour yet can be removed when not in use. There is a net D-ring on the back, and the center front zipper is YKK. It’s constructed of 100 percent nylon and is 25% lighter, four times more abrasion resistant, and two times more tear resistant than its predecessor.

The G3 comes in three colors: lead, army green, and dark olive, and four sizes: medium thru XXL.

Too often winter anglers are weighted down with heavy clothing incapable of keeping them warm and dry.

The G3 Guide Jacket solves that problem with style and further unburdens the angler by carrying all the fly boxes and accessories that you want. You can leave your vest at home. This season you can be warm and dry while others are forced to abandon the stream. For purchase ask your local fly shop or visit Simms online at www. simmsfishing.com.

138 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

G3 GUIDE JACKET: THE ANSWER FOR STAYING WARM AND DRY

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 139

Yep, it’s just that easy with Western North Carolina’s premier fly shop and guide service. Kevin Howell and his experienced staff have been fishing the surrounding 500 miles of prime trout waters so long, they know all the fish on first name basis. And they’ll be more than happy to make a few introductions.

PISGAH FOREST, NC

GUIDE SERVICES | ONLINE & RETAIL STORE | LESSONS

UNI PRODUCTS J.G. Cote Inc. 1004 Principale Ste-Melanie, QC. Canada JOK 3AO Tel: 450-889-8054 Toll-Free: 1-877-889-8054 Fax: 450-889-5887 Email: info@uniproducts.com

NEW FOR 2017

UNI-GloFloss (Glow in the dark) Light Blue and Light Green

UNI-Thread 8/0 Fluorescent Green Waxed or Unwaxed on spools of 50 or 200 yds

UNI-Soft Wire Royal Blue, in sizes small, medium or large

Look to UNI for the best in spooled fly-tying materials!

www. uniproducts .com

FISH TALES TOLD HERE

Experience the Hardy Effect!

VISITHARDYWV.COM #HARDYCOUNTY Artisan Sporting Buckles and Belts Hand-Forged from 5 Recycled Metals

$60 to $245 • Free Shipping

TygerForge.com Capt. Mark Goodwin • tygerforge@gmail.com

FOLLOW US ON

O

ne of the greatest challenges for fly tiers has always been cutting uniform wings and bodies with natural or synthetic materials. River Road Creations has solved that problem by developing cutters that produce identical wings and bodies.

Handmade in Montana, these quality-crafted cutters utilize durable, double-edged steel blades set in attractively grained hardwoods. Sets include a range of sizes seated in a matching tool caddy that is specially designed to fit them. These sets provide a beautifully organized and safe addition to any tying bench. Each set comes with a pad that allows minimal wear on the cutting edges which enables each cutter to create thousands of wings or bodies.

The River Road lineup includes 6 sizes each of mayfly, caddis, and stonefly wing cutters, 5 each of hopper wings, 3 sizes of spent wing stonefly wings, and 6 sizes of Doug Swisher’s no-hackle wing cutters. The list of body cutters is equally extensive, and they can make custom cutters at a reasonable

River Roa

UNIQUE TYING BEN

142 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

ad Cutters:

NCH INNOVATION

cost. We have appreciated their custom cutters for our own original fly patterns.

River Road Creations also carries a wide range of foam products including 3 colors of “frog foam” for constructing frog bodies, a wide range of solid colors in 2mm for bodies, 1mm for bodies and body parts, and .5mm in both speckled and solid colors for wings.

They offer wing material in two types including their River Foam brand which is an open cell foam that is translucent and floats. It’s perfect for mayfly wings.

When the material is cut into strips, it can be wrapped around the hook to form a buoyant body. The second wing material, River Wing, is less flexible and perfect for caddis wings.

River Road Creations, Inc., owned by Tony and Kathi Tomsu can be contacted at tony@ riverroadcreations.com or call them at (406) 777-1046.

Their products may well be fly tying’s most unique innovation.

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 143

Full Service Outfitter Fly Fishing Trips Rentals Clinics & Classes Apparel Sage . Winston Rod Co. Orvis . Redington Yeti . Rio

79 South Main Street, Alpharetta, GA 30009 . 678-762-0027 AlpharettaOutfitters.com . Alpharettaoutfitters@yahoo.com

ergonom

N

better control eq

ot long ago it became apparent to us that dull scissors and bobbins no longer capable of tension control were causing poorly tied flies. That recognition led to a search for fly tying tools that would actually enhance the quality of finished flies.

It’s an aspect of tying that’s seldom considered, yet our tools are truly at the root of tying efficiency and a neatly completed fly. Paging through

a year’s worth of fly tying catalogs led to a search of tool manufacturer’s websites which ended at www.loonoutdoors.com. The arrival of our order provided all the convincing necessary. Loon’s Ergonomic Fly Tying Tools have been re-imagined and reworked. The tools feature superior powdercoated handles that look, feel, and simply perform better.

146 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

mic fly tying tools:

quals better flies

Let’s examine Loon’s array of fine scissors. The Ergo Arrow Point Scissors are 3½ inch hand honed precision scissors. The Micro Tip Scissors are also 3½ inches but has micro tips for very fine work. Ergo All Purpose Scissors come in 4-inch, one with regular tips and another with micro tips. There are also two razor scissors, one with 4-inch blades and another with 5-inch blades. Both have adjustable tension. Finally, there are the Ergo Hair Scissors that are 4½ inches. They are heavy-duty scissors capable of holding an edge through many hair cuttings. All have ergonomic handles and are simply sharper than other scissors we tested.

The Ergo Bobbin is impressive.

It’s comfortable in the hand and facilitates tension control. The Gator Grip Dubbing Spinner has multiple tips for different applications, and the whip finisher has a sharpened base for clipping thread. Loon’s Ergo Dubbing Brush consists of a Helix Spine dubbing brush with an ergonomic handle which enables complete control by the tier. Loon also offers a bodkin and a bobbin threader.

These tools give tiers better control and consequently, better flies. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 147

Drop what you are doing...

112th 3 t h Annual Derby City Fly Fishers’

Kentuckiana Fly Fishing Show 2018 January 28, 2017 Shepherdsville, Kentucky

Where Affordability – Meets Superior Quality

skimmerskiff.com Info@SkimmerSkiff.com Skimmer Skiffs L.L.C., 2764 Navigator Ave., Bld 138-S, Sanford, FL 32773, P: (407) 402-8295

150 l January 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

The Fly Factory I

f it’s finally time to organize your tying bench, the Oasis Fly Factory Portable Tying Bench needs to be in your future. It’s large enough to handle all of the tying necessities, yet small enough to store easily out of the way at 17½ inches x 16 inches x 5 inches. It’s built using beautiful solid oak and features a non-stick work surface. Seven containers keep hooks, beads, eyes, or finished flies organized and out of the way while 10 brass rods do the same for 20 spools of thread, wire, and tinsel. The right arm of the Oasis Fly Factory is designed for tool storage to keep them in full sight yet avoid clutter. The left arm stores bottles of head cement and other accessories.

There is a vice mount located on the left arm for right-handed tiers, but left-handed tiers can be accommodated upon request. The front of the bench is lined with plastic containers for storage of additional hooks, finished flies or additional materials. The bench has a hackle-plier hanger, a foam insert for bodkins, and a magnet for holding hooks or razor blades.

A cork strip in front provides a place where finished flies can be held while the head cement dries. Two ½ -inch rear accessory holes on each side can be used for a standard swing arm of Oasis accessory products like a book holder, fly dock or sparkle spinner. Oasis also manufactures other pieces of fine “fly furniture” including an eye and bead center, chenille center, spool safe, rib runner, bobbin wheel, and more.

This is a quality-constructed tying bench built by fly tiers for fly tiers, yet is very affordable. You can order the Oasis Fly Tying Factory and other products by going to oasisbenches@theriver.com or get more information by calling (520) 234-7681. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l January 2018 l 151

CONTRIBUTORS

BOOT PIERCE

JOHN BERRY

DAVY WOTTON

Boot Pierce is a geologist by trade and has been a fisherman all of his life. In the early 1990’s he ditched his spinning rod and began fly fishing all the crystal clear trout streams that the Ozarks had to offer. He now travels the Midwest demonstrating fly tying and speaking about fly fishing techniques and destinations. Boot is the owner of Rainwater Fly Fishing, which features fly fishing and fly tying classes, guiding, and public presentations on the sport.

He calls the Blue Ribbon trout streams of Missouri home.

John Berry is a fly fishing guide on Arkansas’ White, Norfork, Spring, and Little Red Rivers for trout and Crooked Creek for Smallmouth Bass.

He teaches fly fishing and fly casting for Arkansas State University and has been a seminar presenter and fly tier at the Federation of Fly Fishers’ National Conclave and many other venues, and served as a guide for Hooked on a Cure. John is a fly fishing columnist for the Baxter Bulletin in Mountain Home, Arkansas and wrote three chapters of the highly successful fishing guide, Home Waters. John was recently awarded the Charles E. Brooks Memorial Lifetime Award by the Federation of Fly Fishers.

Davy’s professional career began in the 1960’s as a professional fly tyer from his home in Canterbury, Kent, United Kingdom. From that he progressed into the mail-order business and in the 1970’s began to both develop and manufacture fly tying and fly fishing products and further the knowledge of fly fishing through written articles for publication. Home now to Davy finds him near the pristine waters of the White River System which was first introduced to him by his longtime friend, Dave Whitlock. Davy engaged now more than ever in the world of fly fishing as the Managing Director of the America.

152 l November 2017 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

CONTRIBUTORS

KEITH GANN

MARK VAN PATTEN

TOMMY DEHART

Keith Gann is a retired manufacturing executive who lives with his wife Martha in the Kansas City area. When not fly-fishing or quail hunting or shooting on the local range, he is building and restoring bamboo flyrods, or making hand-crafted hunting knives. He has been a freelance writer for fifteen years.

He and his wife have three adult children and six very active grandchildren.

Mark Van Patten is a retired fisheries biologist, freelance author, and public speaker who makes his home in an Ozark hollow along the Current River in Shannon County, Missouri. His wife Regina, three dogs, one cat, and 45 chickens fill his days when he isn’t teaching fly fishing and fly tying at Montauk State Park. Mark is a life member of the Federation of Fly Fishers International and the recipient of numerous awards for his conservation efforts with Missouri’s rivers and streams. .

Tommy DeHart is an engineering student majoring in Mining Engineering at the University of Missouri: Science and Technology in Rolla, Missouri. He is the lead author and owner of fishnflies.com, a proactive fly fishing blog and website.

He is also the recipient of the IFFF Southern Council “Junior Fly Tyer of the Year” award and the Sowbug Round-Up “Best Warmwater Fly”. .

www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l November 2017 l 153

A Museum for the Southern Fly Fisherman

The Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians — originally

located in Cherokee, NC — has a new home in neighboring Bryson City where it shares a building with the Bryson City / Swain County Chamber of Commerce.

It’s centrally located on the town square across the street from the visitor center.

The Museum is open Monday thru Saturday from 9 am to 6 pm and admission is free.

The scope of the museum covers an

area with more than 14,700 miles of accessible trout streams — the nine Southern Appalachian States of North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama; the Qualla Boundary, home of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians; as well as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Bryson City, NC

PHOTO BY JIM HEAFNER

Through exhibits and videos you’ll

learn about legendary “Stream Blazers,” the evolution of rods and reels, basic knots, fly-tying, types of gear, types of gamefish, regional fishing waters, and the history of fly fishing in the Southeast.

Whether you are a long-time fly fisherman, or have only attempted or never tried fly fishing, you will find something to enjoy and to learn from in the museum.

FLY FISHING MUSEUM

OF THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIANS

Fly Fishing Museum of the Southern Appalachians 210 Main Street Bryson City, NC 28713 800-867-9241

FlyFishingMuseum.org

Moose Creek Rods and Knives *Classic Bamboo Fly Rods *Custom Sheaths *Bamboo Display Rods and Reels *Handcrafted Knives *Custom Fly Tying Tools *Bamboo Rods *Restored and Repaired kmgann@sw bell.net 913-299-960 w w w.moosecreekrodsandknives.com