Issue 10 Southern Trout "Ozark Edition" Summer 2018 by Southern Unlimited, LLC

issue 10 July 2018

Souther nTr out

“Ozark Edition”

www.southerntrout.com

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

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GUIDE SERVICES | ONLINE & RETAIL STORE | LESSONS

Editors’ message with their jaws wide open, and properly revive them before the release. We also try to avoid using hook sizes that are not appropriate for the species we seek. Gullet-hooked fish often don’t survive. There will be other summers— let ‘em grow. In our part of the world, summer heat tends to be of the dry variety. While we appreciate the lack of humidity most days, as transplants from the prairie fields of Illinois where even the corn sweats, we quickly discovered that the warmth we longed for all winter is wilting in 90-degree heat. Years ago, while camping with our kids on Big River in southeast Missouri, Terry encountered a fisherman submerged in a riffle with only his face and a big cigar in his teeth exposed to the blistering 100-degree day. Surprised, Terry lamely blurted out, “Hot enough for ool waters, quiet stream banks, and ya?” as he waded within a foot or two of the fishing are all we think about in mid- gentleman. “Not anymore!” the guy answered. summer, and this issue’s articles offer That incident reminded us to slow down and lots of ideas and information about how to wade deeper for an old-fashioned swim in the spend that summer vacation. We’ve included “crick” to guarantee another great day on the lakes, rivers, streams, flies, and an outstanding water. As for us, we’re experimenting with new attraction no one should miss for your reading pleasure. It’s always our delight to help our techniques and testing our new fly creations for future articles. The marvelous thing about subscribers launch new adventures. Summer is the season we dream about our fly fishing has always been discoveries as winter winds howl around the house and that lead to more testing, tying and time on we burrow into flannel sheets with thick the water. We invariably come home with comforters. OK, so now we’re finally warm more than we had when we started even if and ready to go. The destinations we offer it’s bug bites, nicks, and scrapes along with this time around are worthy of fish tales and the optimistic visions for future trips. The treasured photos. As we enjoy lots of fish- locale and the scenery might change, but the catching, let’s remember to be considerate anticipation of the next trip never does. We look forward to seeing you on an of our objectives. Warm waters, even “cold” streams present danger in overtiring fish as Ozark waterway. Until then, we wish you you bring them to hand. Please make sure to many beautiful vibrations. Terry & Roxanne use landing nets, try not to hold them for photos Wilson, Co-Editors, Ozark Edition www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 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 Whitlock Bill Cooper Dave Wotton Keith Gann Trent Fleming Boot Pierce Mark Van Patten Jim Smith

THIS ISSUE From the Editors

Shallow Water Nymphing

The Gold Standard

Observations on a Tailwater River

Cartoon

Featured Artist Laura Wemhoener

Mastering “Wild” Current Rier Trout

A Big Fish Story

Featured Fly Tyer Lou Runnalls

Curmudgeon Crumpler Variant

ON THE COVER

Small Mistakes Can Lose Big Fish

Kinkaid Lake : a Smorgasbord 88 of Angling Opportunities

Featured Rod Buildler Tufts & Batsson

Jig a Jig

102

Great Glasses from Down Under

110

The Poly Wing Caddis and the 120 Poly Wig Caddis Parachute Morningstar Lanyards

128

Featured Lodge 132 Fisherman’s Haven

118

92 158

Featured Guide 140 Damon Spurgeon Featured Fly Shop J-Cook Fly Rods

146

CORTLAND “Big Shot” Classic series Fly Line

152

Cocoons Eyewear 170 Wonders of Wildlife: An Experience Like No Other

162

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Shallow-Wat I t is generally accepted in fly fishing that the most consistent way to catch trout is to fish with nymphs. The most common way to nymph fish is to drift the nymph near the bottom with a weighted and/or beadhead nymph with an attached, buoyant strike indicator to control the depth of the nymph and detect unseen objects that contact the nymph, such as a trout or the stream bottom. However, challenging and very satisfying results can also be had by fishing with nymphs near or at the surface … shallow-water nymphing. That’s because when aquatic-insect are emerging, those larger, selective trout tend to focus on the flies that are near or just beneath the surface rather than those surface-floating adults that require more effort to catch. And, there are times in each hatch when more of the nymphs are concentrated below or in surfaces film, than adults on the surface. The larger fish usually feed where there is the largest concentration of food. My stomach-pumping investigations of the stomach contents of large trout that I’ve taken during a hatch (emergence) show eight to ten emergent nymphs or pupae to every winged adult. That tells me that it’s more productive to imitate the subsurface nymphs and pupae if I truly want to catch the largest hatch-feeders.

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ter Nymphing Dave Whitlock

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I relish these shallow-nymphing opportunities because they present more of a challenge than conventional deeperwater nymphing, often resulting in the same intense satisfaction I get on a good day of dry-fly fishing. I know there are trout fishers who shun nymphing because they prefer to not use split shot, beadheads and indicators, and for those fly fishers, shallow-water nymphing might certainly be much more acceptable. Shallow-water nymphing is best attempted when mayfly nymphs, small species of stonefly nymphs, caddis pupae and midge pupae are emerging. These events are easy to recognize because you’ll see trout begin to show near the surface or break the surface with their heads, backs and tails. Often you’ll see trout bust through the surface hard as they pursue emergent caddis pupae that shoot up like mini Polaris missiles. These types of rises used to stimulate me to take my weighted nymph and indicator off and tie on a dry-fly dun or elk-hair caddis, often only to experience poor success. These fish are just not eating much above the surface, but instead are feeding in the two or three inches below or just at the surface film. Such nymphs and pupae are invisible to your eye 30 to 50 feet away, where you see the surface disturbances of the fish and a few visible adults. It’s really deceiving at first, especially since most of us want to use floating flies so much. 8 l July 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Nymphs, pupa, wetfly, soft hackle

Shallow-Nymphing Methods

There are several methods to shallow-nymph and each relates to the insect species and stage that is most abundant at the time you are fishing. Probably the oldest methods are the traditional wetfly and softhackle techniques, especially the very effective ‘Leisering Lift’ method. Next would be to use various forms of mayfly and stonefly nymphs and midge pupae that float just below the surface film. Then, lastly is fishing with floatingnymph emergers, which ride about one third above the surface, two thirds below the surface film. These three methods simulate the emergence of aquatic insects in three phases. The wet fly and soft-hackle ‘lift’ imitates the swim from mid-depth up to near-surface movement of the insects, especially mayfly nymphs and caddis pupae. Some small stoneflies may also swim to the surface to emerge, much like mayfly nymphs. The second method imitates the more-orless passive drift of mayfly nymphs and midgepupae that have reached the surface area but have yet to penetrate the surface film. And the third, which calls for some small portion of the nymph or pupa to float above the surface film, imitates the first stage of the actual transformation to surfaceriding, air-breathing, winged adults. This stage, the sort of half & half nymph/adult phase is the stage that most trout are taking when it appears that the riser you are watching is eating above the surface. At this very precarious stage the insect is truly a sitting duck to big opportunistic trout! The great advantage to fishing this method is that you can visually track your emergent nymph and see the trout’s nose poke up through the surface and suck down the fly, so similar to what you look for with dry flies.

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shallow water nymphing

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Lift Method

Tackle: Use a 9 to 10 foot rod that cast a 4

or 5 weight floating line. Long rods allow for more efficient mending and fly manipulation. Put a 9 to 12 foot leader on it with 4X, 5X, or 6X tippet. The low visibility and faster sink rate of fluorocarbon tippets works best for this technique. No indicator or split shot is needed. Put a nymph, pupa, wet fly or soft hackle that is weighted (a bead or lead wire) and imitates the size and general color of the emerging insects.

Presentation: Position yourself above and

to the side of the area you wish to fish. Cast the fly so it has time to drift and sink to the depth of about two feet before it enters the feeding area. Then, slowly lift the rod tip to cause the nymph to rise as it drifts downstream. Adding a slight jiggle with the rod tip often helps trigger strikes. Once the nymph or emerger pupa reaches the surface, repeat the lift by dropping the rod tip and letting the fly sink a bit and then slowly lifting it again. Also, try making 10 to 20 one or two-inch strips before picking up and casting again. Generally youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll feel the take or see a flash or a surface splash. Aggressive strikes like this often cause the trout to hook themselves, but be quick to get the rod tip up and establish line contact with the fish. When I first began this technique, I lost a lot of larger fish because the quick, hard strikes and downstream position of the trout puts a lot of extra strain on the tippet and fly. So keep the rod tip high and let the fish take line to avoid my initial mistakes.

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Below-the-Surface Drift Method

The same tackle works nicely for this method, with two exceptions. Regular nylon tippet works better to keep the fly drifting just under the surface and a very small yarn indicator holds it there. Some folks instead like to ‘grease’ their leader and tippet down to inches from the fly to help suspend the subsurface fly without using an indicator. That’s okay too, but the indicator does give you the advantage of knowing exactly where the fly is, the ability to read the drag better and detect a subtle take. However, if the indicator is too large and bright, fish will often either rise to it instead of your nymph or be frightened by it. So keep it as small as possible and use white instead of fluorescent colors. To attach a mini locator-suspender-indicator combo I simply make an overhand slipknot in the tippet near the fly. I then slip a 1-inch section of indicator yarn through the loop, tighten it down and trim it way down to size. Then, to make it float higher and longer I coat it with Dave’s Bug Float (of course). When I want to move or remove the indicator I simply pull on one side of it and it slips out of the slip knot. Then, pulling on both sides of the tippet removes the slip knot loop. Presentation: First, locate visibly-feeding trout and either cast across-and-down or across-andupstream to them. Keep the distance between you and the risers as close as possible so you can read and control the drag and see the small indicator or tippet. Present your fly several feet above the risers and, of course, avoid drag as much as possible. Using a long rod, a well-greased, high-floating line, leader-butt and mid-section helps you avoid drag because it allows for more precise and effective mending. 12 l July 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Now, just let the fly drift naturally downstream. The wavelets of the stream surface will subtly animate the fly as if it’s a natural struggling to reach

Below surface emergers

and penetrate the curtain of the surface film. The rest is pretty simple. Just focus on the indicator, which should be only one to six inches from the fly

and watch for it to stop, wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t skip the hook point twitch or duck out of sight. off his mouth, scare him Strike with a smooth, or break him off. deliberate, but delicate raise of your rod-tip so that if itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a big fish, you www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 13

Floating-Nymph Method Tackle: The same tackle works nicely for this method,

except you won’t need an indicator unless you can’t see the partly sub-merged nymph. Most nymphs like this have a fairly visible, expanding, light-colored wing case that floats above or on the surface. If you can’t see it, then attach a small (about twice the size of a BB) tuft of white indicator yarn 6 inches from the fly. This indicator does not scare or distract most surface feeders and acts like a beacon for your nymph’s location, making it easier to mend out drag and detect the strike. I’d advise you to set the hook when you see a fish nose come up close to your indicator. For my eyes, I need a tiny indicator for size 16 nymphs and smaller

Presentation; Present the floating nymph just like

you would present a match-the-hatch dry fly. Try to pick out an individual fish close to you or the largest riser, focus on a spot upstream of it and present the nymph. Firing directly at the fish or pod of fish is usually about as effective as shooting at the whole covey of quail. As I said earlier, deep-nymphing with bead heads or split shot and larger indicators is still the most consistent way to catch trout year around when there’s no particular hatch occurring But once a hatch commences, those same trout will so often move higher up the water column and feed aggressively on the nymphs and pupae that are emerging. If you haven’t yet discovered the ‘other ways’ to nymph fish, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much more challenging and fun they can be. Using these three shallow-nymphing techniques can really spice up your fly-fishing experience when the opportunity happens.

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shallow water nymphing

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The Gold Standard Boot Pierce

Ozark Stream celebrates its golden anniversary. If you ask anyone living in the Ozarks what is the gold standard by which all rivers are measured the one answer you are most likely to hear is “The Eleven Point.” Located in the heart of Missouri’s southern Ozarks region and surrounded by the Mark Twain National Forest, the Eleven Point River has remained relatively pristine and untouched by development. In 1968, the lack of development and remoteness of the river helped designate the Eleven Point River as a National Wild and Scenic River. Even on its golden anniversary of 50 years, this treasured river is still as wild as an Ozark stream can get and by all means scenic.

Where to go:

The upper portion of the Eleven Point River begins at the Highway 99 Bridge near Thomasville and runs to the confluence with Greer Spring Branch. This 16mile section of the river is a warm water fishery and one of Missouri’s Specialty Bass Management Areas with minimum length and creel for all bass species. Trout fishing begins below the confluence of the Eleven Point River and Greer Spring Branch. Greer Spring, Missouri’s 2nd largest spring, discharges over 200 million gallons of cold water into the river and at that point changes the river to a cold water fishery for the next several miles. 20 l July 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has designated the first 5.5 miles of the Eleven Point River between Green Spring Branch and Turner Mill as a Blue Ribbon Trout Stream. Unlike other Blue Ribbon trout streams in Missouri, Twice a year MDC stocks several thousand trout to help supplement the natural trout populations. As with all of Missouriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Blue Ribbon trout streams, only flies and artificial lures may be used. Soft plastic baits and natural or scented baits are strictly prohibited when fishing for any species. The creel limit for this or any Missouri Blue Ribbon trout stream is one fish over 18 inches. Below Turner Mill and stretching to the Highway 160 bridge at Riverton a White Ribbon Trout stream designation has been given to the Eleven Point. In this 14-mile stretch of river fish are stocked monthly from October through March and according to MDCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s webpage over 16,000 are stocked annually. Any bait may be used in this White Ribbon section, and the creel limit is any combination of four (4) rainbow and brown trout. The rainbow may be of any size. However, all brown trout must be greater than 15 inches. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 21

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To prevent the spread of Didymo, an invasive alga, the use of porous soles shoes, boots, or waders is prohibited by MDC Regulations. Also, the trout spawn in the winter months so please be careful not to step on redds as you walk.

Fly Patterns

When you start talking fly patterns for the Eleven Point River two words come up: heavy and deep. You must get the fly down to the fish. Love them, like them or hate them, one of the most productive patterns on this river is a 1/16-ounce marabou jig fished under a strike indicator. You cannot argue with success as a lot of the deeper Ozark rivers seem to fish well with a marabou jig. I’m not a big jig fishing fan; there are other patterns that work well. Large stonefly patterns such as the Kaufman’s, a unique prince nymph adaptation called a “Bloody Mary” (tying instructions are available on YouTube) or a simple crawfish pattern called “Don’s Crawfish” (pictured on thargrove.com) are all productive flies on the Eleven Point River. These fish spawn in late winter so if you can brave the cold an egg pattern in February can also prove very productive. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 23

Get a boat:

Vehicle access to the Eleven Point River is limited to just that “eleven points.” If you plan on fishing this river, you are going to need a boat. There are a few places to wade fish, but they are very limited and to get to them you are typically in need of a boat. If you are looking for a guide to show you the Eleven Point River there are a few names that stand above the rest; Brian Sloss has been called the “Godfather” of the Eleven Point River. Brian runs a drift boat in both the Blue and White Ribbon Trout sections of the stream. Brian owns Eleven Point Fly Fishing http://www.elevenpointflyfishing.com and guides out of Eleven Point Canoe Rental in Alton. There is some incredible video footage of Brian on his webpage at http://www.elevenpointflyfishing. com/eleven-point-videos. Another drift boat guide on the Eleven Point is Sam Potter at Tightline Fly Fishing. (https:// tightline.biz) Both Brian and Sam are classified as “that guy you know” who could catch a fish out of a bathtub, even if there was a mermaid in it. Last, but by all means not least if a jet boat and spin fishing is more your style, then you need to talk to Mike Jones. Mike owns and guides out of Eleven Point Canoe Rental in Alton. (http:// www.11pointcanoe.com)

Where to stay

Camping is available in the Mark Twain National Forest’s Greer Crossing Recreation Area campground located on Highway 19. The campground has about 20 first come first serve campsites, which

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are all pretty large and level, so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t feel crowded and stacked in like cordwood. This is your typical MTNF campground complete with potable water, vaulted restrooms, and picnic tables at every site. Unfortunately, there are no showers available at the campground. If roughing it is not your style, then check out the campground and cabins at Hufstedlerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Cabins and Canoe Rental in Riverton (https://

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www.hufstedlers.com) or the cabins at Eleven Point Canoe Rental in Alton (http://www.11pointcanoe. com). Both are locally owned and operated by Mike and Wendy Jones who go out of their way to make you feel welcome.

Their rates at the Riverton facility are reasonable at $10 per night per person for an electric hookup that includes showers and firewood. The nearby town of Alton is quintessential rural Ozarks complete with a town square and

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a courthouse. If small town quaintness is your fancy, then check out Eleven Point Cottages. In addition to being one of the go-to fishing guides on the Eleven Point River, Brian Sloss also owns and operates several

cottages in the heart of Alton. These cottages are complete homes within walking distance of downtown Alton. Check them out at Eleven Point Cottages (http://www. elevenpointcottages.com).

When you visit the Eleven Point River for the first time, you will understand why it is considered the gold standard. As it winds through the southern Ozarks, this beautiful remote river offers some of the greatest scenery,

solitude and fishing you will find anywhere in the Midwest. The Eleven Point River is part of the National Park system and while no gold is required to fish it, remember both a boat and heavy flies are recommended.

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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.

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Observations on a Tailwater River Trent Fleming

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everal fish were rising in casting distance, but no other visible signs of a hatch. One more glance backward, one more cast. A hastily tied-on olive wooly bugger, with a hint of flash drifted in the quickening current. As the line tightened and the fly rose, I began stripping it back. A strip encountered resistance, and I raised the rod tip to play the fish. After a short struggle, I brought a nice rainbow to the net, and quickly released him to the rising water. An hour earlier, my meeting had concluded early, leaving me 2 miles from Table Rock Dam. I found a parking spot near one of the boat ramps on Taneycomo, and began to gear up. High water and warm temperatures in early May increased the likelihood of generation from the dam, so I had a sense of urgency. Sure enough, as I entered the water and waded away from the ramp, the horn rang out, announcing an impending release. While entering the water, I saw a cube-shaped rock completely out of the water, about 14 inches high. I marked it in my mind as my sentinel rock and determined that before it was covered, I would be out of the water. So I cast, and retrieved, and watched others who were wading and in boats. There seemed to be a lot of activity. Fish were rising all within my sight line. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 31

As I fished, I thought about how any tailwater river is really several rivers, depending on many factors. I think we sometimes forget that the fish are always there, and still need to eat. As the river rises or falls, so do the habits and location of the fish. If you adhere to my theory of economy, you know that fish will seek out cover from the current, preferably in a location that places them close to food sources. Places that are deeper and well protected, either in holes or behind large cover, such as a rock or fallen tree. Time spent observing during low water can lead you to such places during periods of high water. A boat or a bank fishing opportunity can put you on to good fish in spots you have identified. Of course, the periodic flooding encountered in these tailwaters, especially when gates have to be opened, will reshape the river. But such events provide you with a new river upon which to practice your powers of observation.

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Water lapped at my sentinel rock, and I reluctantly exited the water, to watch the rise and see the change in the river. This day would not bring an hour or two of fishing, with time to observe, match the hatch or wade to that â&#x20AC;&#x153;just rightâ&#x20AC;? spot. But it did bring one nice fish, and another experience to add to my fishing story.

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Lefty Wilson

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FEATURED ARTIST:

LAURA WEM

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MHOENER

t should not come as a surprise that Laura Wemhoener would become an artist. While growing up, she was surrounded by it. Her mother painted beautiful murals on the walls of their home, and her father collected and displayed prints of Charles Russell’s paintings. Laura recalls, “I was VXUURXQGHG E\ DOO WKDW FUHDWLYLW\ ´ 6KH ZDV DOVR LQÀXHQFHG E\ 1DWLRQDO *HRJUDSKLF 0DJD]LQHV 0DQ\ RI WKHLU KLVWRULFDO DUWLFOHV ZHUH ¿OOHG ZLWK artistic representations of life during the period covered in the article.”

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Even as a child Laura was fascinated by the outdoors. Her family always lived near woodlands and she loved exploring in them. As a result of these early experiences, her favorite subjects to paint are riverscapes and landscapes. After retirement, Mrs. Wemhoener accompanied her husband WR D Ă&#x20AC;\ ÂżVKLQJ VKRZ LQ 0RXQWDLQ +RPH $UNDQVDV ZKHUH VKH PHW WKH amazing watercolorist, Duane Hada, who invited her to his upcoming watercolor class. She enrolled in the class â&#x20AC;&#x153;and havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stopped painting since,â&#x20AC;? she enthused. Hada was also instrumental in getting her to do ÂżVK SRUWUDLWV $V D KXJH SURSRQHQW RI ÂłFDWFK DQG UHOHDVHÂ´ ÂżVKLQJ KHU ÂżVK SRUWUDLWV UHĂ&#x20AC;HFW WKDW SKLORVRSK\ DQG PXFK RI KHU FRPPLVVLRQHG ZRUN KDV EHHQ SRUWUDLWV RI ÂżVKHUPHQ KROGLQJ WKHLU FDWFKHV LQ VSHFLÂżF ORFDWLRQV

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All of Laura Wemhoenerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s painting is done in watercolor but each ZRN EHJLQV DV PDQ\ SHQFLO VNHWFKHV RI KHU VXEMHFW EHIRUH VWDUWLQJ WR SDLQW &OLHQWV FDQ HPDLO MSJ SKRWRV WR KHU WKDW WKH\ ZRXOG OLNH KHU WR SDLQW 3ULFHV depend upon the size and complexity of the subject, whether or not it is matted, and its complexity. Generally, prices range between $25 and $300.

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)LVKLQJ DUWÂ¶V PRVW FKDOOHQJLQJ DVSHFW LV WKH Â¿VKÂ¶V H\HV /DXUD H[SODLQV Â³,I \RX JHW WKH H\HV ZURQJ WKH SDLQWLQJ LV ÂµRá&#x201A;&#x2021;Â¶ QR PDWWHU KRZ JRRG WKH UHVW RI WKH UHQGHULQJ LV Â´ 2]DUN QDWXUH ORYHUV DQG Â¿VKHUPHQ FDQ YLHZ /DXUD :HPKRHQHUÂ¶V SRUWIROLR E\ JRLQJ WR KHU )DFHERRN SDJH 2]DUN 0HPRULHV E\ /DXUD :HPKRHQHU 4XRWHV IRU Â¿VK SRUWUDLWV RU RWKHU VXEMHFWV FDQ EH REWDLQHG E\ VHQGLQJ D MSJ DWWDFKPHQW to her email address at ljw@hotmail.com or phone her at 573-729-5373.

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Mastering “Wild” Current River Trout By Mark Van Patten

Mark Van Patten

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anding Current River trout in the wild takes knowledge, skill, and patience Trout parks are excellent places to catch a few trout for supper, but if you're longing for something a bit more challenging and solitary, you might be ready to cast a fly for a â&#x20AC;&#x153;wildâ&#x20AC;? Current River trout. In this article, wild trout are trout that have been stocked but have been in the river long enough to reestablish their wild trout behavior or were actually spawned in the river instead of being stocked. Their coloring and adaptive behavior are different than those freshly stocked trout in the trout parks. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 47

Our state is blessed with fifteen spring-fed trout streams that never close. My personal favorite is the Blue Ribbon section of the upper Current River in the Southeastern Ozarks. It's a trout-fishing experience that will test your skills and bring you closer to the heart of wild Missouri. As you stand knee deep in the cold waters of the Current River, you might be distracted by a mink fussing along the opposite bank or the loud cacophonous call of a Great Blue Heron. But, you need to focus, bringing all your fly fishing skills to bear. The 9 miles of Current River from Montauk State Park to Cedargrove access is classified a Blue-Ribbon Trout Area; the stretch between the lower boundary of Montauk State Park and Cedargrove Access is managed for large brown trout. On this stretch of river, only one trout may be kept, and it must be at least 18 inches long. Lures in the blue-ribbon area are restricted to artificial lures and flies only. These special regulations provide for some excellent catch-and-release fishing and the possibility of harvesting a trophy. Brown trout are stocked each spring and take about two to three years to reach the legal size limit for harvest. In the spring of 2017, 8,000 brown trout averaging nine inches long were stocked within the Blue-Ribbon Trout Area. In the fall of 2017, the river between Tan Vat and Baptist accesses was sampled to study the trout populations. The brown trout population estimate is 186 per mile Below Montauk and above Baptist Access. Fifty-seven percent were larger than 15 inches, and 23 percent of all brown trout were larger than 18 inches in this section of the river. The largest brown trout captured in the sample was 23 inches long, weighing roughly 6 pounds. Anglers chasing rainbow trout will have the greatest success in the stretch between Montauk and Parker Ford. Densities decrease dramatically below Parker. Rainbow trout are not stocked in this 9-mile section; however, they do move downstream out of the trout park. While most rainbow trout fall within the 11- to 15-inch size range, some real trophy lengths are in the river for the entire 9 miles to Cedargrove. 48 l July 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

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You'll need to call on all of your skills to be successful with “wild” trout fishing. It is necessary to “read the water.” This is because you won’t often be able to see fish in the wild the way you can in the trout parks. Reading the water will help you know where the fish are, even if you can't see them. Aside from cold, highly oxygenated water, trout have three fundamental needs: security, a break in the current velocity, and food supply. Since the fish are not the top predators in the food chain, security is its first concern. Through natural instinct, fish sense the need for protection from predators. Places where fish feel protected are often undercut banks, drop-offs, fallen trees, rocks, and other underwater structures. A fish must find habitat where the current is not too strong so it can rest between feedings. Fish will watch debris drift by and then dart out when food appears. The ideal spot for resting and feeding is a protected area right on the edge of the current. These ideal spots are known by anglers as holding lies. Although each stream is different, these features will hold fish in almost any river at various times: riffles, runs, pools, and eddies /pocket water. A successful angler will learn to recognize them. Riffles are the fast, shallow, and choppy parts of the stream. The choppy action is dissolving oxygen into the water. Trout like highly oxygenated water and many of the macroinvertebrates (water bugs, also known as "fish food") also prefer that habitat. So, for the trout, choppy water is a perfect environment — lots of oxygen, and food, too! In addition, the choppy surface water makes it difficult for a heron or other predator to see them. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 51

Eddies are pockets of slower water that form just behind and downstream of rocks. This pocket of slower water provides a break in the stream current and delivers a smorgasbord of food. Eddies are ideal areas for holding fish. Runs are shallow to somewhat deep stream habitats with swift to moderate velocities and minor surface turbulence below the riffles. A deeper run is an excellent place to fish a sinking fly like a nymph or a streamer. My go-to Streamer for the Current is a black or dark olive Wooly bugger size 8. If I am fishing a deep run, I also like dead drifting a larger size-10 black stonefly nymph. Very shallow runs are called flats. Flats are wide with even flow and low to moderate velocities and little or no surface turbulence. Flats often form a transition from the pool to the upper end of a riffle. They are shallow and generally the same depth from side to side. These areas are ideal places for fish to feed when an insect hatch is underway, and fish can easily locate the insects without using much energy. However, with the shallow, slower-moving water, fooling these fish into taking your fly can be difficult. The fish have more time to scrutinize your dry fly. Careful casting and proper is imperative when fishing the flats. Typically, the flats are an excellent place to fish a size-20 or smaller Trico in the early morning before 9:30 a.m. Afternoon will call for a size #16 tan elk hair caddis in the same flats. Later in the year when the cold winds of the coming winter start to chill the air, sizes-18 to -20 Blue Winged Olive dry is the fly of choice. Pools are the deepest parts of the stream. These are great for fish to hold in. Food flows in and out of the pool continually. The narrow, downstream end of the pool is called the tail, and the upper end is the head. Larger trout generally feed at the head of the pool. All the other fish find suitable habitat throughout the pool and at the tail, where the channel narrows and food concentrates. 52 l July 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

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An important characteristic of stream flow is the Transverse Current. These currents form seams, and the helical flow of the currents at that juncture often forms a visible line of foam or debris. More loosely defined, almost any place a trout feeds is a seam because trout almost always hold in slow water and feed in faster adjacent currents. But seams formed by two currents of different velocity are especially useful because they can help you find trout where no bottom obstructions break the current, or where you can’t see the bottom. When two currents meet, there is always a pocket of relative calm within the helical turbulence, and often it is enough to form a place where trout can lie and feed, even when there are no rocks, logs, or other structure. Practice Mending for a Natural Presentation " Mending the line" is using the last part of the cast to throw a belly of line upstream of the fly. This will allow a wet fly or nymph to sink and drift at the same speed as the water at the bottom of the stream before the line on the surface passes the fly on the bottom, dragging the fly at the speed of surface current at which time you pick up and recast. This is also the case when fishing a dry fly. If your dry fly needs to land along the far bank where the water is moving more slowly than the water in the middle of the stream, the fly will quickly begin to drag as the faster current drags the fly line downstream. Mending the line upstream gives the dry fly a longer, dragfree float time. Mastering the various styles of mending the line to deal with different current speeds and tricky cross-currents will increase your fishing success. When you cast and your fly lands on the water, you are making a presentation to the fish. Keep in mind that the fish lives there and knows what its food should act like. Try to make your fly act like a natural insect. A dry fly needs to rest on the surface of the water, so you will need to be proficient at mending your line to allow for a longer, drag-free float. The insects the fish feed on are small and light, and they don't cut a “V” through the stream. The insect floats naturally with the current. If the fish sees the fly drag on the surface, it will turn away or just completely ignore the offering. If you present a wet fly or nymph, you need to know that the water will be moving more slowly along the bottom than it does near the surface. This is because of the friction created by the rocks and logs. You will need to mend your line to let the fly move along the bottom at a speed the fish are accustomed to seeing.

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Practice the Art of Stealth I have had the opportunity to learn some very good lessons through observation. Stealth is one lesson that has really paid off. The big ones are big because they have excellent instincts for survival. A fish's lateral line along each side of the fishâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body is very sensitive to vibrations and movement. The lateral line is a system of sensory structures found in fish and other aquatic vertebrates; they are used to detect movement and vibration. A wading angler can be sensed by the vibrations picked up by the lateral line. When fishing the upper Current River in sections where the stream is approximately 10 to 15 feet wide, it is best to approach a prospective lie (fishing area) from the bank and not by wading in the stream. Keep a low profile and hide behind bushes. This is because a fish can see you when you are up on the bank more easily than when you are in the stream. We all have noticed when you stick something in the water it appears to bend. This is refraction. Similarly, a 6-foot angler on the bank will appear 9 feet tall to a trout. Fish are nearsighted, so the detail is not clear, but movement is evident so any sudden movement from a casting line will immediately alert the fish. On wider sections of the river, it is better to wade. Objects observed at a lower angle to the fish, such as a wading angler, appear distorted and movement is not as easily observed. The nearsighted fish isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure what it is seeing. Trout see color, too. If you show up at streamside wearing a brightly colored fishing hat and T-shirt, your chances of catching fish in natural settings are reduced exponentially. Earth-tone colors are always a good bet for clothing and gear. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 57

Wild Trout Fight Harder Trout in the wild fight harder and longer than the freshly stocked park trout. Knowing this will assist you in landing these flashes of lightning. Let them run and don’t be surprised when they leap from the water several times. Don’t give them any slack line, or they will shake your hook loose. But don’t horse them. They will break your line faster than you can say, “He broke me off!” Missouri's trout parks are great places to fish with family and friends, and the odds of actually catching and landing a fish are high. But if you're ready to match wits with a master survivor, take a trip to the Upper Current River and let the adventure begin.

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Consider Barbless Hooks A wild Rainbow or Brown trout is just too beautiful to catch only once. Practice catch and release and use barbless hooks. Don't Spread Didymo If you're a trout angler, you probably know that Didymo, also known as "rock snot," is bad news for fishing. Not only does this invasive algae's stringy threads snag tackle, it smothers aquatic insects and fish eggs. The nearest infestation is in the White River just south of the Missouri-Arkansas border. Be sure to check, clean, or dry all wading gear and fishing equipment before entering any of Missouriâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s trout streams. Once rock snot infests a trout stream, there is no treatment. Free Missouri Tout Fishing Map Order an easy-to-carry guide with general information, maps, and regulations for all of Missouri's trout fishing areas. Write to MDC, Missouri Trout Fishing Map, PO Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102, or e-mail pubstaff@mdc. mo.gov with your request.

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Trout Fishing Capital of Oklahoma 60 | Southern Trout | February 2013 | www.southerntrout.com

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A Big Fish Story by James Smith, River Ridge Inn May 1, 2018

hen Arkansas Game and Fish Commission changed the trout limits about five years ago, the one regulation that everyone supported, and that everyone was anxious to see the results of, was the increase in size limit and quantity limit for the Brown Trout. The limit went from 2 browns greater than 16 inches to 1 brown over 24 inches. No one expected results to occur overnight. We waited five years to see results. We have owned River Ridge Inn for over

seventeen years and have never seen so many of our guests brag about the number and size of browns that they have caught and released. The stories, taken home and spread around, have resulted in a renewed interest in fly fishing for all trout, but most of the tales express hope of catching that “Big Brown.” On April 30, 2018, one of our guests was Clayton Spoor, from Sunnyvale, Texas, who has come to River Ridge Inn on several occasions over the past five years.

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His guide was Kristopher Bouldin of Norfork, Arkansas. Kristopher has taken Clayton and Clayton’s father, Mike, on guided fly fishing trips on the White and Norfork Tailwaters several times in the past. In fact, both Clayton and Mike argue over who is going to go with Kristopher during the Corporate Outing. That afternoon, when the guides returned to the inn, there was a lot of talk about the number of browns caught and the size of some of them. In one instance, a guide

and two guests landed over 20 browns, all within 18 inches to over 24 inches. This should tell you that the fishery for brown trout has healed and is continuing to grow year after year. When Kristopher and Clayton returned to the Inn, you could tell by the looks on their face that they pulled off something special. The story of the guided trip was better than the smirk coming from

the guide and his clients. They could not wait to tell everyone the story of how their day unfolded. It started off with a bang when Clayton hung a brown that did what browns do. It teased Clayton into thinking this fish was not going to be that hard to land. Kristopher said he thought it was easily a 30-inch fish. Kristopher told him to be ready, the brown had his head down and was getting ready to

take a run. It did just that. Clayton, a bit overanxious, did not react quick enough to give the brown his due. The line snapped, and Clayton was left with a limp fly rod and a thought of what might have been a 30-incher, his first and only 30-incher, and, the biggest trout he had ever seen. The mark of a great fisherman, for that matter, a great individual, is one that will learn from his

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mistakes and a driven desire to get better as a result of mistakes or errors in judgment. Clayton is that kind of “kid.” Kristopher explained to him what had happened that caused the fish to escape. Clayton listened, then began to ask many questions related to catching big fish. All the whys, whats and wheres were explained the best a great

instructor/guide could do. Did Clayton listen? That afternoon, Clayton caught what none of the guides or experienced trout fishermen had ever seen. Clayton caught and landed his first brown over 24 inches, a fat, beautifully colored, hook-nosed male that measured 27 ½ inches. This is a big male, a big male.

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The day was ending. Boats were headed to the ramps. Kristopher’s best guide friend, Brock Dixon, was getting ready to head back in. And then it happened. Clayton hooked what he knew was another really big brown. And it was. Kristopher got excited, the fishing partner got excited, and Clayton tried to remain calm, thinking all the

time of the lessons he had learned earlier that day. Running through his mind was the loss of a 30-incher, the instructions Kristopher had given him and, the answers to all the questions Clayton had asked. Everyone left on the river knew what was happening. The boats stopped running with open throttles, and the attention went to Kristopher’s boat and the angler in it. Kristopher yelled to Brock to bring his better camera. Clayton carefully, and with the most respect, continued to feel the line strip between his fingers, all the time watching his rod orientation. When the fish gave back some of what he had, Clayton stripped the line in, bringing it into the boat and laying it on the floor. Clayton took extra care not to step on the line or wrap it around his leg. Meanwhile, Kristopher got the net, took one look at it, looked at the sow that was tiring and thought,

“This ain’t going to work so good.” The net was too small to take the chance of slipping it under the sow’s belly. He wasn’t about to be the cause of losing this magnificent fish. Kristopher noticed a nearby shallow area next to a shoal and figured it was his best chance of netting the fish. He jumped out of the boat and had Clayton guide the tiring brown over to the shallow water. With one quick jam of the net, it went under the fish, through the gravel, and out the other side, this beauty was now “in the bag.” The female brown measured out to 31½ inches with a 22-inch girth. No weight was able to be taken, but suffice it to say, who cares. Clayton had missed a 30-incher to begin the day. Not counting all the browns caught that day, Clayton had put the two fish in the boat that he and Kristopher will remember, and tell and laugh about for years to come. They

will be forever bonded. Two fish that came in at an inch from totaling 60 inches!!! Two fish that I dare to say you might not have heard about or seen in the last 20 to 25 years: a female brown sow and her mate. What a mount they will make!! The best part for the rest of us is that they are still out there, waiting for that next size16 fly to come their way. Congratulations to both Clayton and Kristopher. This is one fish story in which the teller will not have to exaggerate about how big the fish was. There’s no need to make the “one that got away” any bigger than the two that were landed. Clayton will be back to River Ridge Inn, and Kristopher will still be guiding and teaching his fly fishing skills. Both will have expectations of bettering the best day of trout fishing they ever had. That is what trout fishing on the White and North Fork rivers will do for you.

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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

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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

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.

The Curmudgeon C A

t my age, learning the social media network has been slow. Oh, I had a foundation planted back in the early sixties consisting of the usual basic computer courses offered at a state college that was struggling to keep up with a rapidly changing world by operating a school on a limited budget. I remember punch cards and thesis computations that took a foot-high stack of cards that todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s computers could do in a micro-second. When I graduated, got a job and began progressing up the ladder, I found it easier to rely on the efforts and brains of folks who liked computers rather than to learn about them myself. When I retired, I found that I was twenty years behind in computer use and losing ground rapidly. Enter my adult children.

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Crumpler Variant Keith Gann

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I’m not sure that they like it, but that’s part of the parent-child deal. So, they have patiently brought me up to speed with the new stuff, and when I had a need to join Pinterest, the oldest daughter took care of me. It has opened doors to a new world. If you haven’t joined, then do so, and sign on with “Fly Tying” as an area of interest. A few days ago, I was scrolling through the site’s new flies, and the “Curmudgeon Crumpler” glared back at me. Not only did the fly’s name catch my eye, but also its design. The claim that it was the article author’s favorite fly to use on small, fast-moving streams filled with small wild trout, didn’t hurt either. The author was Jay Zimmerman, a fly fisher/blogger (Colorado Fly Fishing Reports) who has tying steps for the fly and who has modified it somewhat from the original recipe. The original designer was a fly fisher/blogger named Erin Block (Mysteries Internal) who came up with the fly sometime back in 2011. Ms. Block used a Skalka Scud/ Nymph #14 hook on the original design, a white thread tag and a tan thread body. Zimmerman came up with an Umpqua C300BL hook substitute. For reasons that I have a difficult time admitting to, I really like the name. Maybe at age seventy-six, I’ve finally reached the level of “curmudgeon” myself (at least my wife thinks so), and the fly and its name apparently fit my personality. 76 l July 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Recipe: 1. Hook – TMC 10-14 2. Thread – for the tag, Yellow Ultra 140. For the body, Dark Brown Ultra 140. 3. First Wings – Bleached Coastal Deer Hair 4. Legs –Silicon Centipede Legs – Tan 5. Second Wings – Quail Breast Feathers 6. Head – Black Wapsi Life Cycle Caddis Dubbing 7. Hackle – Yellow/Brown Grizzly

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I decided that since I liked the fly so much, spending some bucks on new hooks was not going to be a problem. I had all of the materials in my boxes except wide gap hooks. An email to my supplier soon had me a variety of wide gaps that I doubt that I will use up in my remaining years. Not all were fine or light wire, but they all had short shanks and wide gaps and were the following: Tiemco TMC2487, and TMC2488; Daiichi 1130, 1120, and 1130. Just for the heck of it, I even had them throw in a package of Partridge Klinkhamer X-treme 15BNX (#14). Zimmerman’s substitute hook, the Umpqua C300BL, is a hard-to-find barbless hook. Since I always pinch down the barb anyway, I saw no problem exchanging it for something else. He, however, sticks with the original wings of Montana Fly MFC Material-plain web, a black dubbed thorax, a badger hackle, and turkey wing segments knotted to look like hopper legs. But for some reason, besides the hook, he also changed the body from tan to black, and the tag, from white to tan . As always, some materials can be substituted based on what you have in your materials boxes, and still not get too far from the original design. The key for this fly is the big gap scud/nymph hook, the Elk Hair Caddis like flared elk/deer hair, and the hopper type legs. They should be incorporated in any fly that’s going to share all or part of the original name. Of course, when you start to veer too much from the fly’s original recipe, you should let 78 l July 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

Tying Steps: 1. Form a swelled section with yellow thread, then finish a thin body with brown thread, then coat with “Hard As Hull” 2. Tie on a small clump of deer hair, tapering butts down to back of eye with thread. 3. Knot and tie Centipede Legs on each side and trim to length. 4. Tie on second wings. These are breast feathers backed with Scotch Matte Finish Magic Tape. 5. Tie on butt of hackle. 6. Dub head using Black Life Cycle Dubbing. 7. Wind hackle forward for 4/5 wraps. Tie off. Glue. other tiers know that you’ve taken some liberties. To signal to the world that I made a few changes. I’m merely going to add the word “Variant” to the end of the original name so that Erin Block continues to get credit for the idea, for doing the tedious trial and error design which can be both fun and frustrating, and, in the end, proving the fly’s value. Since I decided to tie the fly myself, I corresponded with Erin the get the history of the fly. She was a delight to trade emails with and was very forthcoming with information. I don’t have a picture of Erin’s original design, but with the exception of his hook and minor thread colorization changes, Zimmerman’s is very close to Erin’s. Build steps and a picture for his, can be found on your computer by clicking on his site, “Colorado Fly Fishing Reports” and looking up his March 8th, 2012 entry entitled “Tying the Curmudgeon Crumpler.”

Erin, we shall always be kindred spirits! www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 79

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Small Mistakes C

John Berry

ou are out there, and everything is going great. You have landed several good trout; then suddenly a big brown hits your fly. You deftly set the hook, and the fight is on. All you need to do is bring it to the net, but it is not easily done. If you make one tiny error, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all over. The key here is line control. You have to bring in the line, but big fish are reluctant to accommodate you. For me, the key is fighting them on the reel, but most of my clients prefer fighting fish by stripping in line. This is my pet peeve. It drives me crazy to have a client get in my boat with a high dollar rod and an $800.00 Abel reel only to try to land a big fish by stripping in the line. I had a client struggle with a 27-inch brown only to lose it because he was standing on the line. I make a habit of landing all of my fish on the reel no matter how small they are. That way, when I hook up a big trout, I am familiar with landing fish on the reel, and it feels comfortable to me. There will be situations where you will have to put the fish on the reel. If you are fishing a woolly bugger or other streamer and you hit a good fish on the retrieve, how do you bring in all of the slack line? The best way is to let the trout do the work. If it takes a run, carefully let the line run through your fingers until it is on the reel. If it is not cooperative, you will have to crank in the excess line. Use your pinkie to put pressure on the extra line as you wind it on the reel. If the line is wound in loosely, it can tangle and cause you to lock up the reel and lose the fish. Another mistake is not having the drag on your reel properly set. It should be adjusted to accommodate the tippet you are using. When I am guiding on Dry Run Creek, I use 4X fluorocarbon tippet to help in getting kids to land big trout and therefore really tighten up on the drag. If I am fishing dainty emergers on the Norfork on 6X tippet, I have the drag set much lighter so that the line can easily go out without breaking my tippet. If you are not sure, you can set the drag by tying the tippet to your vehicleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bumper and applying pressure to it with your rod. The idea is for the line to come off the reel smoothly while still applying as much pressure as possible without breaking the tippet.

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Can Lose Big Fish

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When your trout makes a run, don’t try to keep it from moving. Don’t lock down the line by squeezing the line against the rod or holding the reel handle tightly. If a fish cannot run, it can break your tippet. I try to avoid touching the reel handle unless I am cranking in line. Remember that only one of you can do something at a time. If the trout is struggling, don’t try to crank it in. However, if the trout is running toward you, crank in line to keep the line snug. Always keep the rod bent. Your rod is your pressure gauge. If the line is bent there is pressure on the fish. More bend equals more pressure. If the rod is not bent, that means that there is slack in the line and the trout can spit out the hook. Do not try to horse in the trout. If you put too much pressure on the trout, you can break it off. When you are bringing in a trout, always leave a few inches of line out of the rod. If you crank the end of the line up into the rod, the knot attaching the leader to the line could get caught in one of the snake guides and not allow the fish to pull line if it makes a last minute run. This could allow it to break off. Carefully tie your knot when rigging. If the knot is not properly tied, it can slip and you can lose the fish. If you lose a trout because you lost the fly, look at the end of your tippet. If the end is curled in a tight pigtail, your knot failed. Check your hook often. If it is dull or bent, it can easily come out. To land a big fish, you need a net. A small one will not do in this situation. I always carry a big net in the boat or when wading. Don’t try to net the trout too soon. Wait until it is on the surface of the water so you can easily scoop it. Patience is the key here. If you can remember these tips, you can prevent many of the small errors that can lose big fish. John Berry is a fly fishing guide in Cotter, Arkansas and has fished our local streams for over thirty-five years. John can be reached at (870) 435-2169 or www.berrybrothersguides.com.

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BRANSON FLY FISHING EXPO Sponsored by the Missouri Trout Fishermen’s Association

JULY 27th and 28th, 2018 Friday 9 am – 5 pm Saturday 9 am – 4 pm Lions Community Building 1015 E State Highway 76, Branson, MO 65915 Food and Drinks served by the Branson/Hollister Lions Club Admission - $5.00 per person (children accompanied by adult – Free) Fly Casting Demos - Fly Tying Demos Raffles and Silent Auctions - Many Local Exhibitors INFORMATION CALL: Ron Leggins 912-980-0766, email: ronleggins@gmail.com LOOK FOR THE SIGN

From the Branson Landing – Take State Highway 76 East, cross over Lake Taneycomo, through the roundabout heading east on Hwy 76. Around the bend heading up the hill, on your left you will see the BIG YELLOW Lions Club Community Center sign. You have arrived at the Branson Fly Fishing Expo. Join us for a great time.

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Kinkaid Lake Offers a Smorgasbord of Angling Opportunities

By Bill Cooper Photos by Walter Krause

ocated in southwestern Illinois’ Jackson County, Kinkaid Lake is approximately 5 miles north of Murphysboro and 100 miles southeast of St. Louis. This 2,750acre impoundment offers a wide variety of fishing opportunities. Included species in order of importance to anglers (open to discussion) include: muskie, channel catfish, largemouth bass, walleye, white crappie, white bass, bluegill and carp. The scenic lake is surrounded by sandstone bluffs and rolling hills of oaks and hickories on the edge of the Shawnee National Forest. Kinkaid Lake was created in 1972 for recreation and water supply. John Bishop, formerly of Belleville, Illinois spent many days and nights fishing Kinkaid Lake. “Kinkaid was only an hour away,” he said. “It is a beautiful lake and allowed us to enjoy some great fishing, relaxation and to enjoy being outdoors.” According to Bishop, Kinkaid Lake’s premiere claim to fame is its muskie fishing. “Muskies are a big, powerful fish and of course everyone wants to catch one,” he said. “We like to troll for muskies, much like you would for walleye. Big hair jigs, and big spinnerbaits with hair skirts are our regular baits. Sometimes we go to cut shad.” Bishop and his buddies fish for muskies during the cooler months of the year. “DNR actually discourages people from fishing for muskies during the

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hot weather months,” Bishop said. “The warmer water temperatures are harder on them and they don’t need the extra stress of being caught.” Most the fishing pressure for muskies on Kinkaid Lake occurs at the southern end of the impoundment. According to Bishop the water is bigger, deeper and cooler. “The water near Kinkaid Marina is big and open and offers the best muskie fishing opportunities on the lake,” he stated. “And the most important thing to remember is that muskie fishing is much like walleye fishing, just on a much bigger scale.” The Illinois DNR stocks muskies in Lake Kincaid. Anglers are allowed to keep one per day with a 48-inch length limit. “That is a big fish,” Bishop said. “If you hook into one of those big fish, you are in for the fight of a lifetime!” It is no secret that Kinkaid holds a spectacular channel cat fishery. “That's our primary reason for going to Kinkaid lake,” Bishop said. “We love it. The lake is full of good sized channel cats. We never have trouble catching a bunch of them.” Bishop and friends fish for Kinkaid channels primarily at night for two reasons. “In the summer time Kinkaid gets really busy,” he said. “It’s a mecca for boaters and jet ski fans. Lots of people launch their big boats to enjoy this beautiful lake. Their presence does, however, make it difficult to fish during the day at

times. That’s ok, though. During the summer we enjoy catfishing at night. The channel catfish bite better then and it is much cooler at night.” The Illinois DNR indicates that the Kinkaid Lake channel catfishery is an excellent and underutilized fishing resource. “We never have trouble catching channels at Kinkaid,” Bishop said. “We go after the bigger fish in the 10-to-12-pound class. I generally use a big Penn reel with heavy line and a no roll, flat sinker. My favorite baits include chicken liver, blood-baits and night crawlers, all fished on a King Catfish double action circle hook.” Kinkaid Lake is also well known for it’s excellent crappie fishery. “The lake is well known for growing big crappie,” Bishop stated. “Two pound crappie are caught every year, especially during the spawn. And, at least two 4-pound crappie have been caught there in the last couple of years. A four pound five ounce brute came out of the lake last year.” In a 2016 survey, 49% of the crappie collected were over the 9-inch length limit. Anglers may keep a 25 fish limit of white, black and hybrid crappie each day. Fishing for largemouth bass on Kincaid is considered very good, too. The lake attracts many bass tournament anglers over the course

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of a year. The five largest bass caught in 2017 tournaments included bruisers of 8.56 pounds, 8.06, 8.00, 6.5, and 6.41 pounds. Any angler would be happy with a largemouth caught in that size range. Kinkaid Lake offers four public fishing ramps. Further information may be obtained from the Kinkaid Lake Fish and Wildlife Area, 618-684-2867, or from IDNR Fish Biologist, Shawn Hirst. 618-687-4546. Walter’s Guide Service is another good source of information. Call 618-972-5584 or e-mail krausewalter@att.net. “Kinkaid Lake fishing can really be hot at times,” Bishop said in closing. “The crappie spawn is an incredible time to be on the lake as is a warm summer night for catfish.” 92 l July 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

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TUFTS & BATSON

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ufts and Batson Bamboo Fly Rods located in Maplewood, Missouri (a suburb of St. Louis) are makers of several series of beautiful, highperformance fly rods. The story of how Amelia Tufts and Gabe Batson came to form their company is as unique as their rods. Obsessed with fly fishing and its history, Gabe started collecting books on the subject and learned that most authors sang the praises of bamboo as the best rod making material. That’s when he met Ed Hartzell, a bamboo rod maker who hosted a weekly meeting on the subject. Despite numerous requests to learn from him, “He did not invite me . . .” says Gabe. Finally, after two days of weed trimming on Hartzell’s property, Ed tutored Gabe through his first few rods in 1999.

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Amelia’s path to becoming a rod builder was much different. It’s Gabe that introduced her to fly fishing and lent her books and his rod and reel. After weeks of practice casting in the park, she returned to Gabe’s house to demonstrate her new casting abilities. They began as fishing partners, and soon she was ready to build her own bamboo rod. After starting on that rod, they realized they didn’t have enough bamboo to finish the rod. Amelia noticed a section of bamboo used as a curtain rod which enabled the rod to be finished. Now she most enjoys the part of rod building that she calls “being in the zone,” when time stands still and nothing else exists except you and the task at hand.

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Together they understood that from amateur to professional rod builder is a steep learning curve which led them to their greatest mentor: Daryl Whitehead. Their lessons were well learned. When you pick up a Tufts and Batson rod, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll first notice the finish which is tight and flat. The glue seams are invisible with no gaps or jagged edges. Each rod demonstrates a sense of proportion. Every detail is well thought out so that every rod is consistent. If itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finally time for you to begin fishing with a classic bamboo rod you should begin your search for the perfect fly rod by visiting their very cool website: <tuftsandbatson.com>.

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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 Visitorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide, call 800-899-mtns

BlueRidgeMountains.com

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JIG A JIG Davy Wotton

ishing hooks as we know them today have a very long history from the time when man figured out that by some means a fish could be caught to the present. Historically, the modern fish hook industry whence wire was utilized was based in the town of Redditch, England, the center of the needle-making industry at the time. A fish hook is nothing more than a pointed piece of wire, a cut barb that is shaped to form a bend and a shank profile of different lengths with an eye that in some cases is known as a blind eye. Redditch is known as the center for the hook-making industry; all be it there were a number of other hookmaking businesses in the United Kingdom and the O. Mustad & Son hook company based in Norway in the 1800s. I was at one time a technical director of the Partridge of Redditch hook company based in Redditch, and while there I learned a great deal about hook manufacture and the history related to many of the different variations of hooks, many of which are still in use today. Bear in mind that the English hook companies, along with Mustad, were producing hooks long before the now automated hook manufacturing bases in Asia and the United States. Back then hooks were handmade and still were into the 1990s at Partridge before the business was sold to Mustad.

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Partridge was the company that developed and manufactured almost all of the profiles of fly hooks you may be familiar with today. For example, what we know as a scud hook was the idea of John Veniard. Back then it was called a grub shrimp hook. Vince Marinaro was the one who worked with Partridge to produce the first midge hooks, known as the Marinaro midge hook. There are many others, such as the Capt Hamilton dry fly series of hooks, Bartlett salmon hooks and so on. Of all the hooks produced, fly hooks were at the time the largest range of hooks in the world. There are only two hook profiles that were a radical change from the others. They were the Yorkshire fly body hook and the Draper nymph hook. All others are primarily a variation of profile by way of gape, hook shank length and the angle of the hook eye. While at Partridge, l was amazed at the number of letters we received with all manner of bent wires that were the ideas of those who believed they had invented a new concept in hook design. All received a letter of thanks, very few were ever put into production, and most were dismissed as being of no use. 104 l April 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

The jig hook was one style not produced at Redditch. Historically, as far as l can establish, the concept of a jig was brought about in the early 1800s by one Edward Caiss for saltwater fishing. What took place for the next 100 years, l have no idea other than in the 1920s Lacey Gee began to produce commercial flies on jig hooks. Gee was also the founder of Wapsi Fly, which he later sold to Tom Schmuecker who then moved the company to Mountain Home, Arkansas. Lacey Gee was also the person who first figured out using the fluffy feathers from domestic turkeys known today as marabou. In my opinion, it was one of the milestones in fly tying materials. Back then Gee tied jigs both with marabou and bucktail. They were large flies used for saltwater species. As we know it today, there are many variations of jig hooks available for all species, be they for bait or as tied flies incorporating natural and synthetic materials. Wapsi Fly sold a very large range of these jig hooks. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l April 2018 l 105

We also have the opportunity today to buy very small jig hooks either with a pre-molded lead head or the options for us to add beads of different colors, sizes, and weights. Jig hooks also vary mainly related to the angle of the eye bend, which is also a factor so far as what type of bead we need to use, slotted or regular. (Personally, l prefer a 60-degree angle.) Other factors must be considered such as shank length and hook gape.

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Jig hooks offer many advantages over standard hooks. The hook eye weight allows motion of the jig which creates an action of the lure or fly that can be irresistible to fish, particularly so if mobile materials such as marabou are used and if you also use a jigging action with the rod. That said, you can choose to use a regular hook and add a bead to your tippet or leader above the hook eye to create the same action as a jig hook, a technique l use often. Jig hooks also have some advantages in so far as they are less likely to hang up on the bottom substrate. That makes them desirable for the fly fisher using an indicator in a dead drift method or what is termed the European style of tight-line nymph fishing. In fact, l have also used jigs hooks for dry flies. The jig hook has changed the way in which we angle for trout with our flies offering the options to tie your own or buy from a commercial source.

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asses

Under

Bob Mallard

first came across Tonic Polarized Eyewear as an indirect result of writing an installment of my Gearhead column in Southern Trout called “Best in Class, it’s Still Glass.” The article talked about high-end polarized glass lens sunglasses and featured products from most major United States manufacturers. Soon after the piece came out I was contacted by some folks from down south, south of the Equator that is, who offered a line of high-end fishing sunglasses out of Australia. While they had yet to establish a presence in the United States they offered to send me a few pair of glasses to try out. With no expectations on either of our parts I accepted, and I was glad I did.

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While my common pedigree doesn’t justify it, I am admittedly a sunglass snob. For years I have worn nothing but high-end glass lens products from the big dogs in the industry such as Costa Del Mar, Hobie, Maui Jim and Smith Optics. My relationship with glasses I could barely afford, but always felt I needed, goes back to Specialized Optics who was bought by Action Optics who was in turn bought by Smith Optics. While neighboring New Zealand is a world-renowned mecca for trout fishing, Australia is not a place that comes to mind when I think of fly fishing – or even fishing, or fish. In fact, when I think of Australia I think of kangaroos, koala’s, dingo’s, wombat’s, Crocodile Dundee and Nicole Kidman. So, to say my expectations were somewhat low would be fair. Upon receiving my care package from Down Under, I couldn’t help but notice the quality of the packaging. While I have seen some great products that were poorly packaged, and a few poor products that had great packaging, as a rule good packaging means good product, so I took this as a good sign. As I sifted through the box I found that the cases were equally impressive and arguably the best made I have seen. I also noticed that while “designed” in Australia, Tonic’s products are made in Japan. While it was not always the case, Japan is now known for quality workmanship and materials. Unlike many other countries that manufacture consumer products, Japan is not a country that puts out sub-par products. In fact, their products are often on a par with US made items. 112 l www.sosaltwaterflyfishing.com

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Made from TR90 optical grade plastic, Tonic’s frames are rugged and light. The arms are strong, and the glasses lack the pads that many products have which can fall off and get lost. Hinges are located on the inside and components are made of nickel or stainless steel to prevent rusting. Most frames provide great coverage and protection from indirect light, blowing sand and errant flies. And while more “function” than “fashion”, the frames also look good. What stands out most on Tonic’s glasses is the lenses. I was immediately taken by the clarity, color, contrast, and glare-cutting ability of the glasses I sampled. My go-to for most applications, their photochromic copper lenses are as good as any I have ever worn with a great light-penetration rate in the 14-19 percent range. And their copper neon is by far the finest low-light lens I have ever used, and the glasses I reach for in all but the brightest conditions. Tonic is clearly a “lens first” glass-maker. Unlike most manufacturers who lead with their frames, Tonic leads with their lenses. They make both glass and polycarbonate lenses. Their glass lenses are made from Crystalite Glass, the clearest glass available. Their Gen2 glasses use SLICELENS, which at just 1.7 millimeter are thinner and lighter than most glass lenses on the market today. June 2018

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Tonic uses technical terms like “decentered”, or “decentred” as they say in Australian, referring to how they are able to achieve maximum depth-perception and distance trueness. Their four-color polarizing filter is sandwiched between glass for maximum effectiveness, and they apply an anti-reflective coating to the back of their lenses to reduce glare and bounce-back. Tonic’s lenses are also highly scratch-resistant. In addition to the lenses mentioned above, Tonic offers photochromic grey; and blue, green, red and silver mirror glass lenses. Polycarbonate Lenses come in copper and grey, and while I am admittedly a glass guy they are as good as anyone else’s non-glass lenses. And of course, all lenses are polarized. There are eleven frames to choose from. Frames come in matte black, gloss black and tortoise, with most models coming in multiple colors. My personal favorites are the Rise, Shimmer, Trakker and YouRanium. And if you want to look like a rock star, try the Bono, named after the lead singer of Irish rockers U-2. While I am not sure if the pun was intended, there are the Mo and Jo as well, the latter of which is a pilot style glass which helps keep them fog free. Most frames also come in various lens options, with over forty combinations in total.

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Glass lens models run from $269 to $289 while polycarbonates cost $189. These prices are in line with United States high-end sunglass manufacturers and when you consider the performance and packaging, a fair price for what you get. You can learn more about Tonic sunglasses at toniceyewear.com.au . Or contact them at usa@toniceyewear.com.au or 800-2456752. Tonic sunglasses are also available online from Cabelaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s at cabelas. com. As a guy who has written several articles about fly fishing eyewear and sold numerous brands of sunglasses during the 15 years I had my shop, I pride myself on being somewhat of an expert on the subject. While the United States sunglass market will not be an easy nut to crack due to what is a very crowded playing field, Tonic absolutely has the products and technology to do it. BOB MALLARD has fly fished for over 40 years. He is a former fly shop owner, Registered Maine Guide, blogger, writer, author, fly designer and native fish advocate. Look for his books 50 Best Places Fly Fishing the Northeast and 25 Best Towns Fly Fishing for Trout (Stonefly Press). He can be reached at bobmallard.com, info@bobmallard. com or 207-399-6270. He is a regular writer for Southern Trout and Southern Kayak. June 2018

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The Poly Wing Caddis

Poly Wing Caddis

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and the

Parachute Keith Gann

’m almost ashamed to admit that I have an unusual attraction to caddis flies. Not that it’s reached the fetish level, but nine times out of ten when I set down at the tying bench to work out a new dry fly pattern, somehow a version of a Troth Elk Hair Caddis evolves. Laziness? Familiarity? An old guy refusing to move out of his comfort zone? Yeah, probably all three excuses apply. Anyway, I continue my search for simple patterns that float high, dry quickly, are easy to tie, and ultimately catch fish, especially the tiny wild trout that I chase in small Ozark streams with my little six-foot, four-weight bamboo rod fast in hand. I suspect that I won’t be happy until I find a caddis pattern that’s so light that as soon as it hits the water, a slight breeze blows it away!

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I learned early in my tying career that polypropylene floats while antron tends to sink. “Always use poly for parachute posts, and as a sub for up-wing Wulff’s,” was my standard instruction in all of the tying classes that I taught. The poly wing flies in this article came out of an effort to add a parachute post type indicator on a Troth Elk Hair Caddis. Trying to tie on an elk hair wing, and still maintaining the poly post proved so difficult and unwieldy, that I finally just extended the poly post material as a wing too.

However, to help the fly move back into something that resembles a real caddis fly, I did a Google search for both tan and brown poly. Much to my surprise, I found a new poly material made by Tiemco. TMC Aero Dry Wing poly comes in both regular and fine sizes, its improvement over standard poly is that it’s hollow with three distinct air chambers inside the fiber, which gives it a specific gravity of 0.68 (quite a bit lighter than water). At six to seven bucks per card, it’s pricey and currently seems to be imported only by Umpqua Feather Merchants and stocked by Chicago Fly. Although Tiemco shows the material in ten colors, Ken Nakamine of Tiemco tells me that the colors Dark Brown and Camel are now discontinued (those being the ones that I really wanted), and only six or seven are currently available from Chicago Fly. Several English fly material suppliers stock more colors, but at the current price plus shipping, it might be somewhat expensive until it takes off in the USA and becomes more available both in quantity and colors. 122 l April 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

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Note: use serrated hair scissors for trimming and also, rough skin on your fingertips can create a fuzzy mess. I also learned quickly that one card length of the “fine” material had to be doubled to get a full looking wing on 16’s and 18’s, and on 14 to 10’s, it took two card lengths folded twice to get a full looking wing. After I received the first batch of material from Chifly (which was all fine diameter), I focused on tying a simple Troth Elk Hair Caddis version by merely substituting the Aero Dry Wing for the elk hair. Since the material is so light, it helps to trim down the hackle even with the top of the body before you tie on the wing. This will prevent the hackle tips from forcing the wing too upright. Since the material is also hollow, it flares nicely and is almost perfect as a substitute for elk hair. I quickly found that I needed to wrap the body material right up to the back of the eyelet to help prevent a vertical flare if I left the tie-on area covered in thread only I also found that a single wrap around the bundle and not the shank, then making several wraps around the bundle/shank helped control the material too. After the first tie, I tried tying off the hackle, tying on the wing, then wrapping the hackle three times around the wing tie off point It added a lot more floatability, but went a step beyond the Troth, thus the “Poly Wing Caddis.” Then I tied one using the remaining head material as a parachute and wrapped the tied-off-dangling hackle around it three times instead of the wing tie-off point. Trim the post a little shorter than normal. High wings and high posts can overpower the fly and make it top heavy. This then evolves into a “Poly Parachute Caddis,” which was my original purpose when designing the fly anyway.

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The tan material is very light colored, and on the water, it is easy to see. Trim the wing with a forward taper to better imitate the forward taper of the real caddis wing. Dressing up the poly with a brown felt permanent marker on both flies (with tan and/or orange splotches too) adds to the caddis coloration also (Fig. 6 and 7). Standard 70D thread seems to work fine. Body materials again are your personal choice. Hackle can be any complementary color too. The following recipe was the first one off of the tying bench, thus the materials. Recipe: Hook - any standard dry fly hook. Mustad #94840’s in 14/16 are fine. Thread - UTC tan Ultra 70D. Hackle – Brown. Don’t cut it off until you’ve finished wrapping the tie off point or the post, depending on the fly you’re tying. Body - UTC Brown UNI-Yarn 2x. Wing - TMC Aero Dry Wing tan, regular or fine, 2” long then doubled over on 1816. 4” long and folded twice on 14-10. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l April 2018 l 127

Morningstar

neces the variou wanting to be ets and the fum to consider a lanya

Lanyards, convenient and visible; but not all essary components is m The Morning Star Lanya structed from black, viny loaded with heavy tools tools and accessories th

The Morning Star La a quick-release safe grabber, it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t stainless steel Whether b wantin ya 128 l April 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

r Lanyards

For anglers whose fly fishing addiction must constantly be appeased, simplicity is a ssity. This is especially true of organizing and carrying us tools and accessories needed for each trip. Fly fishers not e burdened with the traditional vest and its multitude of pockmbling that normally attends each search for the right tool will want ard.

tly worn around the neck, keep all your most used tools easily reachable lanyards are created equal. A high-quality lanyard that has all of the necmade by a small Oregon company named Morning Star. ards have one huge advantage over all the others. Their lanyards are connyl coated, stainless steel cable that holds its “hoop shape” even when it’s s. This indispensable element eliminates the twisted, tangled clusters of hat limp lanyards facilitate.

anyards also feature a supportive and comfortable nylon neckband and ety breakaway so that if it’s caught on a tree branch or other outdoor strangle the wearer. There are five swivels for accessories and a clip that secures the lanyard to your shirt when you bend over. boating, float tubing, fishing from a canoe or kayak or simply ng to wade fish less encumbered, the Morning Star Lanard may be the answer to simplifying your next fishing trip. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l April 2018 l 129

ÂŽ

Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;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

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ny angler looking for accommodations in the heart of Ozarks splendor within walking distance of the famous Current River would do well to check out Fisherman’s Haven. It’s surrounded by peaceful wilderness, yet located at the top of the hill at the entrance to Montauk State Park. According to owner Sharon Jeffus, “Fisherman’s Haven has been created to cater to fishermen.”

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Previously, her parents used the property as a summer place until retiring there to enjoy her father’s passion for fly fishing. As an art educator and interior designer, Sharon loves creating spaces for people to enjoy using décor and murals. Her father invited people there from all over the country to share his passion for fly fishing. Now Sharon enjoys seeing people enjoy their leisure time, fly fishing amid the beauty of the Ozarks. “I consider it a privilege that as I retire, I can do my passion for creating his amazing space for fishermen.” Fisherman’s Haven is open year around and anyone who loves fishing and the beauty of the Ozarks will feel at home there. Accommodations include a cabin that is designed for three fishermen. There’s also a larger house/cabin with rustic décor and a large deck with a gorgeous view that sleeps eight guests comfortably. The house’s big deck is a perfect place to relax after a long day of fishing, and since the area has the darkest night skies in the state of Missouri, it’s a great location for stargazers. The smaller cabin has a kitchen and bath while the larger house has two and a half bathrooms and a dining area. The porch has a large dining area as well. The décor includes antique fishing rod and tackle. Guests are provided with homebaked cookies in the morning, and a variety of coffees and teas are available. There is a hot tub and an area for a campfire. The owner can also provide catering for a meal or party as well. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l April 2018 l 135

Aside from the high-quality fly fishing in the trout waters of the upper Current River the area is surrounded by other fishing options that include Montauk State Park and many other streams within an easy drive. Ms. Jeffus also recommends J-Cook Fly Rods located in nearby Salem as “one of the best fly fishing supply stores and training in the country.” Exploring caves, birding, canoeing, biking, and hiking are also popular pastimes here as well as interpretive programs offered at Montauk State Park. Located just two miles away is Bo’s Hollow where you can ride in a Model T or Model A automobile or sample their barbeque. Ashley Creek Large Animal and Wildlife Rescue is just down the hill as well. To learn more or to make your reservation call Sharon Jeffus at 573453-6364 or 573—851-9311. You can also email her at <fishermanshaven@ gmail.com. Then all you have to do is set your GPS for 700 Country Road 6630 in Salem, Missouri and your Ozarks adventures are underway. Visit fishermanshaven.ccom

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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:

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Featured Guide

fter college and a stint in the army, Damon Spurgeon created Cardiac Mountain Outfitters, LLC which books clients through J-Cook Fly Rods in Salem, Missouri. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s received rave reviews from his clients and his reputation as a knowledgeable and well-prepared fly fisher is growing rapidly. Although the nearby upper Current River is considered his home waters, he is equally familiar with the multitude of Blue Ribbon, Red Ribbon, and White Ribbon streams in the area. All are excellent habitat for beautiful, streambred rainbows and brown trout. Since most of these bountiful Ozarks streams are located within an hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive of each other Damon can direct his clients to the most productive water. Excessive rains in one river system may cause a move to another unaffected watershed.

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Damon Spurgeon’s goal is to “make anyone interested in fly fishing feel comfortable regardless of skill level.” He’s able to offer instruction as needed and regularly holds clinics at J-cook’s Fly Rods shop or on the water primarily on various nymphing techniques that cover everything from knots to entomology. Damon is quick to point out that he “wants each and every customer to leave with the knowledge necessary to be successful on the water independently.” Even the most experienced angler benefits from spending a day learning each river from a guide already wellacquainted with the best accesses, the food chain and corresponding patterns, and most productive fish lies. The angler can choose a walk-and-wade trip or a boat trip in his Fly Craft Stealth, which Spurgeon considers “perfect watercraft for these Missouri waterways.” Either choice can be fully outfitted. Damon can supply his clients with Sage rods with Redington reels spooled with Rio lines as well as leaders, tippets, and flies. He also provides snacks and water on all trips and provides shore lunches on request. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 143

On any of these trips, anglers can expect to experience beautiful scenery. Often bald eagles, wild turkeys white-tailed deer, and even an occasional bear can be sighted along the way. In the summer season, boat trips are very popular. They can be customized to between 4 and 9 river miles, and there are plans to offer multiple-day float and camp trips next year. Damon’s deep respect for the sacrifices of our military veterans is very personal, so he offers a 20% discount for all veterans. Spurgeon’s most popular repeat wade trips are the Euro Nymphing trips. Clients can catch fish while Damon explains why the fish hit the fly. Anglers are able to “shrink their site windows and process the feeding lanes better.” These trips are enjoyable for the client and equally fun for Spurgeon. Due to increased interest, he will emphasize Euro Nymphing techniques more in his upcoming clinics this summer. To schedule your South Central Missouri Ozarks fishing adventure call Damon Spurgeon at 573-263-9776 or email him at ozarkflyaway@gmail.com. You can also contact him through J-Cook Fly Rods in Salem, Missouri by calling 573-453-2844. 144 l July 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

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Featured Fly Shop

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-Cook Fly Rods is a full-service fly shop located in South Central Missouri in the town of Salem. The upper Current River, a National Scenic River, is their home waters but some of the Ozark’s best streams for large rainbows, browns, and smallmouth bass are nearby. Just a few miles away are the Meramec, Jack’s Fork, Eleven Point, Little Piney, Big Piney rivers, and Roubidoux Creek, Mill Creek, and the North Fork of the White River. To the west are the tailwaters of Lake Taneycomo. J-Cook Flyrods guides are very familiar with each of these spectacular fisheries. Owner Jerry Cook believes that the Ozarks as a fly fishing destination “is the bestkept secret in the country,” but acknowledges that is changing as travelers to the Ozarks and local spin-casters observe people fly fishing. “They are coming into the shop and inquiring about getting into the sport.” Those folks would be hard-pressed to find a better place to begin their fly fishing adventures. J-Cook’s friendly and knowledgeable staff is eager to explain and demonstrate any of the sport’s nuances or products. You can testcast any rod before purchase, which is the preferred method of choosing the world’s best tool for fishing. You just don’t get that kind of expertise or personal attention in the big box stores or online. Jerry also reports that they regularly serve customers across the United States in the shop and through their website jcookflyrods.com and info@jcookflyrods.com, and they also have many loyal customers from Europe and the United Kingdom.

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J-Cook Flyrods has up-to-the-minute information about any of the nearby streams and state parks. They are always able to provide tips on the “hot” patterns because the staff are all flyfishers. Their in-house guide is Damon Spurgeon (see “Featured Guide” in this issue). The list of product lines carried by J-Cook Flyrods is impressive. The shop offers Sage/Redington/Rio tackle and gear, carries Wulff fly lines, Winston fly rods, TFO fly rods, Simms waders, along with Hatch, Galvan, Ross, and Abel Reels. Fly tying supplies from Wapsi and Hairline Dubbing are also available, and they offer a good supply of rod-building blanks and supplies for the rod builder. Jerry Cook also builds custom fly rods for his customers. As you can see, this is truly a full-service fly shop. Routinely over the course of a month, more than a dozen novice fly anglers purchase an entry level rod, reel, and line and basic gear. In a few months, many are back claiming they are hooked on the sport. Jerry Cook said he and his staff enjoy getting new people involved, “especially kids and women. This truly can be a family sport.” The next time you’re in the beautiful Current Clothing River country or Custom Rod Shop near Montauk State Fly Reels Factory Fly Rods Park stop in for Flies and Fly Lines a visit with these Fly Fishing Essentials friendly folks at 803 Waders and Boots West Scenic Rivers Fly Tying Blvd. in Salem or Rod Building give them a call at 573-453-2844.

JCookFlyRods.com

“Your fly fishing specialist.”

Huge assortment of flies! Many starting at 39 cents!! 803 West Scenic Rivers Blvd Salem, MO 65560 573-453-2844

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

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“BIG SHOT” for Stre

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” CLASSIC SERIES FLY LINE amers and Big Flies T

he evolution of fly lines has been a long and transformative process that resulted in the multitude of specialty lines used today. In addition to the standard floating fly lines, modern fly lines are designed to sink at various rates either in whole or various lengths of sink-tip. Lines have also been designed to perform best in extreme cold or excessive heat, cast with the distances necessary for a particular species or provide the delicate landing of the tiniest flies to discriminating fish. Through much of this innovation, the Cortland Line Company has been on the cutting edge of these advancements. Over a century ago, in 1915, Cortland manufactured the first “tapered” fly line. It is a development that dramatically enhanced the fly caster’s line speed which, of course, added significantly to casting distance and line control. In 1953 Cortland introduced the Classic 333 fly line series, then in 1962 they introduced the 444 Series. Now, using the latest advancements in fly line technology Cortland has introduced a line specifically designed to cast streamers and other big flies. The Big Shot Classic Series fly line comes in a package that pays respect to Cortland’s unique history by utilizing the box design of the 1920’s and 1930’s. The light blue Big Shot Classic Series lines are available in weights 5 through 9. They are a full line size heavier than the industry standard; for example, the 5-weight has a grain weight of 160 which increases incrementally to 280 grains for the 9-weight. Each line is 90 feet in length and has a front-welded loop for easy leader attachment. Cortland’s “Big Shot” is the perfect line for casting bulkier and heavier streamers and handles the windresistant deer hair patterns we often fish for bass very well. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 153

Where Affordability â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Meets Superior Quality

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COCOONS

or those wearing prescription eyeglasses protection from the sunâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s harmful rays has long demanded an expensive solution. Specially made prescription sunglasses carry a high price tag. When the wearerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision changes, those costly ray blockers must be discarded, which results in another expensive purchase. Cocoons Professional Grade Fitover sunglasses change that much less expensively with more style than other brands. They provide 360-degree UV protection, 100 percent polarization, and they feature numerous design elements specifically engineered to deliver maximum durability, performance, and comfort. Cocoons scratch-resistant lenses are available in a variety of optional high-performance mirror coats. The micro-thin metallic layer enhances the glare-cutting properties of the base lens by creating a more reflective outer lens surface. They are also very lightweight and come in a protective case with a soft cloth for cleaning.

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S EYEWEAR There are hundreds of frame and lens combinations to choose from, and the frames are completely adjustable to ensure the perfect fit. Most importantly Cocoons Fitover eyewear not only protects the surface of your eyes from damaging UV rays but by design improve visual performance. The lens system regulates light transmission, eliminates glare, and sharpens

visual activity. No more straining to tie good knots, better fish and structure visibility, and reduced fatigue. Finally, glasses wearers can protect their eyes, enhance their vision and focus on the task at handâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;catching fish! For more details or to order them, visit their website at www. cocoonseyewear.com. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 157

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

WONDERS OF W AN EXPERIENCE By Terry and Roxanne Wilson

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WILDLIFE: LIKE NO OTHER F

or those interested in any aspect of the outdoor lifestyle Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morrisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri, is a bucket list pilgrimage. It is simply the most ambitious and impressive recreation of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s diverse ecosystems ever undertaken.

Visitors travel through the 350,000 square-foot nature and conservationthemed wonderland on 1.5 miles of trails while being exposed to nearly every ecosystem on the planet. The experience is unlike other museums because it is interactive with encounters with live and preserved mammals, fish, reptiles, and birds from around the world. Exhibits include 4-D dioramas in which visitors experience changes in temperature, sounds, and even smell. The level of detail is truly remarkable.

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The walls of this amazing place took six years to paint to depict the landscapes. Each of the three-dimensional drawings causes visitors to wonder where the mounted animals end and the walls begin. In the African savannah, for example, a herd of 150 wildebeasts race toward a dirt cliff. The Amazon rainforest, complete with humidity, engulfs you before you enter a swamp with mangroves and live alligators. The 300,000-gallon multi-storied aquarium is much more than a collection of tropical fish. Visitors walk through a shipwreck; enter a tidal pool where they can pet horseshoe crabs, small sharks, and rays. There are even plans for the aquarium to offer a “swim with the sharks” experience (optional, of course). The saltwater aquarium in the museum and its displays of other sea creatures and shells is extensive. Freshwater fish swimming in their recreated natural habitat are included with interactive screens for education as well. The cave environment can be explored while live bats fly next to visitors behind wire mesh netting. There’s also a barn setting inhabited by owls and a brown bear exhibit where the trail briefly exits the building to display live bears. The “Hall of Bucks and Bulls” enthralls deer hunters as it displays an enormous archway constructed only of deer racks as well as walls covered with countless record head mounts, both typical and atypical. For the avid deer hunter, this room alone is worth the price of admission, 162 l July 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

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Wonders of Wildlife, which is attached to the flagship Bass Pro Shops store, is not only an impressive interactive museum but is also a tribute to the contributions of hunters and fishermen as well as other conservationists. The museum traces the history of conservation in America with an exhibit dedicated to the first great conservators, Native Americans. Another focuses on the expedition of Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery who were the first Americans to document the people and natural wonders of the Missouri and Columbia River valleys. This amazing project was nearly ten years in construction and included partnership with over 40 conservation groups including Ducks Unlimited, the National Wild Turkey Federation, the National Audubon Society, and National Geographic. Conservation is the primary statement of the museum, and many conservation groups have impressive exhibits dedicated to their contributions. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 165

The museum honors President Theodore Roosevelt’s massive contributions to conservation. He established the National Parks system, and he impacted the efforts to preserve threatened species. There’s a wall dedicated to U.S. Presidents who enjoyed fishing which includes Calvin Coolidge, Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, George H.W. Bush, George W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. The fishing boats of notables such as authors Ernest Hemingway and Zane Grey are preserved here as well. The museum highlights contributions that sportsmen make through taxes paid on sporting equipment and through the purchase of hunting and fishing licenses. Their contributions are in the tens of billions of dollars, and those statistics are prominently displayed on one wall of the aquarium. Wonders of Wildlife also permanently houses the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame and the International Game Fish Association’s Hall of Fame. In contrast with most aquariums and natural history museums, Wonders of Wildlife recognizes and celebrates the concept that culling game responsibly has been very positive for the American environment. Wonders of Wildlife’s mission statements states, “In a world increasingly disconnected from the great outdoors it’s more important than ever for people of all ages to connect with nature through fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreation to ensure we can protect wildlife for generations to come.” 166 l July 2018 l STOE l www.SouthernTrout.com

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It’s impossible to imagine someone so insensitive that they could spend a day in this facility and remain unmoved regarding conservation of the wild places so lovingly re-created within the museum. That, of course, was and remains the principal objective of Johnny Morris. Great discounts are available for school field trips to Wonders of Wildlife. Today’s students will become the stewards of the world’s wild places and wild species. Every school administrator in the Ozark region should be encouraged to inquire about tours for their students. Those planning a trip to Wonders of Wildlife should allow an entire day for the experience. One good plan would be to spend the morning exploring the wildlife gallery before breaking for lunch either in the museum’s Fishtales Café or upstairs in Bass Pro Shops Hemingway’s Restaurant before resuming exploration of this incredible museum, aquarium, and zoo. In 2017 USA Today voted Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium as America’s number one ‘Best New Attraction.” If you have yet to plan to visit this spectacular attraction, maybe it’s time you do. By the way, there’s great fishing nearby as well. www.Southerntrout.com l Ozark Edition l July 2018 l 169

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