Fishing Report

TightLine Fly Fishing Guide Service for Trout and Smallmouth Bass

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Always Check River Levels prior to making a trip to this area to fish, float or camp. Streams in the Ozark region rise extremely fast and are prone to flash flooding. You can check river levels in this area on my Links Page.

For those of you that have not received the notice, felt soles on wading boots will not be allowed on Missouri trout waters starting March 1st of 2012. BUT this is no way to retire your boots: Not sure if this was a practical joke or if someone decided to leave his mark on the world.

The rain was steady, the temperature was in the low 30s and the flies were hatching. Predominately midges, but there were also micro caddis and BWOs. Dry fly fishing all day in the rain with nice micro hatches the end of January? I love Baetis days for fishing, but I have never done it the end of January.. it usually occurs in early spring. Very little rain and snow this winter has kept the streams extremely clear and low and the wild trout are getting stressed so please leave them alone until they can get some of their strength back. As water levels drop the amount of food in the stream is depleted...less food less nourishment more stress.

Caddis in January? We fished caddis hatches on Friday January 6... dry fly caddis fishing, in January, does not happen, but it we did it. Sure you expect to see Midge activity but not caddis.. Not just one type of caddis, there were three.. the temperatures this past weekend were, needless to say, very warm. The parking lot at TanVat was full, which I expected to see with the warm weather. However, most of these guys were still trying to fish, like they do in the summer, on top of the fish. The longer these fish are away from the hatchery, the wilder they get and you have to adjust your fishing style accordingly, unless you just enjoy beating the water. I actually watched one guy wade down the middle of a hole, then turn around and fish the water he just waded through... he didn't catch anything ????

Winter fishing is cold, wet, drab and water conditions are usually very clear. I think this photo pretty well sums it up... very little or no bug activity except for those tiny little midges that no one over the age of 40 can see without a magnifying glass. But there is solitude, maybe for a good reason, but us old fools really don't care why when you can have a few miles of stream to fish and only share it with eagles and a buddy that is as foolish as you are to him. Notice the drab colors of this fisherman that blends with the background colors. Clothing colors are very important in gin clear water.

If you are accustomed to fishing the Current River or the Meramec River for stocked fish, don't be surprised if you find them spookier than normal. Stocked fish will become wilder the longer they live in the stream. Walking in too fast, standing over them, making splashes with your fly line presentations will send them to cover and the wilder ones will scatter. They won't be as spooky as wild trout, but they won't let you stand over them anymore and beat the water with your casts. The other thing that will change will be the amount of fish in the stream. Without the daily stockings in the parks, natural predation will take its toll on the quantity of fish. Good thing is, as these fish become wilder they will also become stronger so the fights will be longer and more frequent jumps. Look for midgeing activity during the winter... very slow subtle rises in slow water. A midge could be as large as a 14 or small as a 40. Most of them will be size 20-22 and smaller. They can be black, gray, tan, light green, brown, you get the picture. You will have to catch the flies to see what color and size they are.. there is a huge number of genera and species.

©This is what can happen if fishing line is left in the trees, especially if there is something that looks like food on the end of the line, flies, jigs or bait.... zoomed photo isn't too clear, but you can still see that it is a bird... looks like a woodpecker or kingfisher to me. I will get a better photo the next time I go there. (it was gone when I went back)

You can see my latest steelhead trip on my Stories Page.. try not to drool on your keyboard.

As we head into the winter fishing season Please remember to notice the signs of HYPOTHERMIA and take action before it is too late:

Shivering is your body's automatic defense against cold temperature — an attempt to warm itself. Constant shivering is a key sign of hypothermia. Signs and symptoms of moderate to severe hypothermia include:

Shivering, Clumsiness or lack of coordination, Slurred speech or mumbling, Stumbling, Confusion or difficulty thinking
Poor decision making, such as trying to remove warm clothes, Drowsiness or very low energy,
Apathy or lack of concern about one's condition
Progressive loss of consciousness, Weak pulse, Slow, shallow breathing

A person with hypothermia usually isn't aware of his or her condition, because the symptoms often begin gradually and because the confused thinking associated with hypothermia prevents self-awareness. IF you suspect that someone has hypothermia please follow the following treatment;

First-aid care

Be gentle. When you're helping a person with hypothermia, handle him or her gently. Limit movements to only those that are necessary. Don't massage or rub the person. Excessive, vigorous or jarring movements may trigger cardiac arrest.
Move the person out of the cold. Move the person to a warm, dry location if possible. If you're unable to move the person out of the cold, shield him or her from the cold and wind as much as possible.
Remove wet clothing. If the person is wearing wet clothing, remove it. Cut away clothing if necessary to avoid excessive movement.
Cover the person with blankets. Use layers of dry blankets or coats to warm the person. Cover the person's head, leaving only the face exposed.
Insulate the person's body from the cold ground. If you're outside, lay the person on his or her back on a blanket or other warm surface
Provide warm beverages. If the affected person is alert and able to swallow, provide a warm, nonalcoholic, non-caffeine beverage to help warm the body.
Use warm, dry compresses. Use a first-aid warm compress (a plastic fluid-filled bag that warms up when squeezed), or a makeshift compress of warm water in a plastic bottle or a dryer-warmed towel. Apply a compress only to the neck, chest wall or groin.

ALWAYS CARRY A DUNK BAG for winter fishing.. I always throw one in during the winter.. if you don't need it Great ! but if you do and don't have it you are screwed and it could cost someone, including yourself, severe injury death.. What is a Dunk Bag? extra clothes including thick socks, stocking cap, heavy hooded sweatshirt, insulated underwear, gloves, blanket, heavy sweat pants, and a thermos of hot caffeine free tea. YOU should also think about taking a partner fishing with you during the winter, if you don't normally fish with one...you can take care of each other.

This 21 X 15 rainbow was positioned just right for an opportunity for a good drift... 5.9 lb. It took the fly on the second presentation and Jack did an excellent job of playing it with lots of patience.

I caught this rainbow that swallowed a plastic worm and it went entirely through his digestive system. The worm with the hook is coming out of his butt, and the spit shot with a barrel swivel is coming out of his mouth. I took the photo, cut the line at the hook and pulled the line out of his mouth.. This fish was caught about a mile and half below Montauk park.. so either the fish drifted down stream that far, OR someone was fishing illegally in the blue ribbon section with a plastic worm.

Start Them Early And Take A Kid Fishing

I can still remember my first fishing trip with my father and I'll bet that you can remember your first trip. I was using a cane pole and a worm we dug up from my grandmother's garden. It was on the Licking River in Kentucky. I was about 6 years old and we were visiting my grand parents at the time. What was the first fish I can remember catching? A Longear sunfish with brilliant colors and yes we put it on a stringer. I have photos of me holding fish that I caught on the Snake River in Idaho, but I really can't remember catching them, I think I was 4.

When I saw these kids fishing at the bridge in Montauk Park I had to stop and take the photos... it made me smile and still does..

My Fishing Reports will now be called Outings with photos and personal comments

Last Fishing Report

This will be my last fishing report. I have been at this for 7 years and I know that some of you are going to be disappointed the next time you open the report and find No information. I will change this page to a different format. There seems to be plenty of blogs out there, so you will have to find your fishing reports for this area elsewhere. With all the fishermen I have been seeing on the Current River, and there are way too many, I'm sure someone will have all the information you will need.

I am cutting back on my guided fishing trips over the next year and planning more time for my family, my friends and for me to be on the water. If you are still interested in a guided trip I will still be here.. but as soon as I book a trip I will block three days on either side of the booking for that week. I think it will be to your advantage to book your trips early.. I will fill out my open dates for next year the first of December...

I end the reports with a rare fish caught on a fly yesterday. It has only happened to me three times in my life.

"A Bad Day Fishing Is Still A Great Day"

The waters around the area are a little murky this morning with over 2 inches of rain yesterday. The hatches were knocked back by the rains, but they should be returning to normal today.

First trout on a fly rod

The trout below has a scar. Can you see it? Just a little in front of the dorsal fin. The large black spots, like this one, you see on fish are scars. Sometimes from predators sometimes from fish hooks. Usually the ones just behind the head are from Herons and they are usually deep and large which can make a very large area black, sometimes the entire head area. Smaller ones like the one on the rainbow below are usually from fish hooks. I would guess that this fish was foul hooked at one time. Which can occur with a double fly rig. OR it can happen on a hard hook set when there are lots of fish in the area of the set, like at Taney outlet number 2. To prevent foul hooking, don't jerk the fly out of the water to recast. Lift it out...

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We had a pretty good storm on Monday morning, but it cleared off for some time on the water in the afternoon. The photo below was taken last week. Beautiful brown that had a puncture wound on the opposite side with three scratches on the side you see in the photo. We guessed the wound to be an osprey talon.

Don't forget the warm water fish during this emergence, they like the big bugs too.

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You can see in the photo of the Bluegill above, the fly was starting to come apart. But that was after a dozen smallmouth, 3 or 4 Goggleye a half dozen sunfish and another half dozen bluegill so I was fairly pleased with it...

Cicadas - nothing else needs to be said

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Hoosiers getting a taste of our Ozark trout fishing collected 6 flies tangled in one twig - danger to birds

Mahon swinging flies in some dingy water Maurice Visiting all the way from Ireland

22 inch by 13 inch male brown... he was so excited he was still shaking 5 minutes after we landed this one. Another great brown

Japanese clients chasing the Ozark Brown Trout Excellent 22 inch by 13 inch female brown

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Nice female brown caught with a custom made WestRiver float rod. Releasing his trophy

A healthy 22 inch rainbow that would go about 4 pounds

A Great day fishing with my first Japanese clients, Shino and Kei

Fishing Report September 4

I would guess that we probably had over 100 hook ups this week and it would not have been possible without my drift boat. Accessing the locations where we had multiple hook ups and often doubles would not have been possible without a boat. It was a matter of getting the fly to where the fish were holding and then presenting a fly that resembled the food source they were accustomed to seeing. It also helps to know the river and where the fish will be. Something that only happens with experience and multiple outings of hit and miss. Early and late in the day the fishing was much better, but we caught fish all day everyday.... slower in the middle of the day, but they were there and they were taking. Water levels continue to be good for this time of the year. I don't get out during the "holiday weekends" because I don't need to and I don't want to. I prefer solitude and quite not loud voices and boom boxes and I really don't like to be crowded... fly fishing is suppose to be the quiet sport,,,, I prefer it that way. Hit the hatches in the morning and evening and feed them terrestrials or dredge the bottom during the day.

A strong fish in fast water...this one did break off Hitch hikers

On Wednesday the RFFA took the Project Healing Waters ( http://www.projecthealingwaters.org/ ) outing to Bennett Spring. It is rewarding to me to be involved with our troops and helping them to cope with physical and sometimes mental issues they return with from the war. We only had a couple of guys make the outing to Bennett Spring this week but they both had an enjoyable time and were amazed that they had been living close to anything like they were exposed to on Wednesday. They stated that they will return.

"A Bad Day Fishing Is Still A Great Day"

Smallmouth fishing been good and one thing you can count on when fishing for smallmouth with top water flies are the beautiful Long-ear Sunfish.

If you know what the photo above is, then you know what time of year it is. Get out the light rods and tiny tippets and head to the river. If this bug frustrates you, stay home and play golf.

While I was waiting for clients on Wednesday I took these shots because they really say a lot about what our State Parks can offer families.

Isn't this a great photo of getting these young ones stared early appreciating our parks... Notice what is on the backs of the little ones. They went to fish hatchery to see and feed the fish. A great opportunity for family together time and for them to begin to learn about fishing.

Lots of snow down here with minimum about 4 inches and up to 8 inches in places. The temperatures dropped down into the teens and the wind was pushing 12-15 mph. Just the right combination for a couple of OLD FOOLS to be out on a stream.

Two Old Fools Frozen Waders

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Wild 19 inch rainbow male in post spawning colors. Wild 20" rainbow female, post spawn

I would like to tell you that I was able to get out this past week, but I didn't so I can't. Temperatures were mostly in the single digits or low teens during the day and around or little below zero at night. Needless to say, we have not had this type of weather for a very long time. BUT it did allow me to get out on the ice and drill a hole. Something I have not done for about 3 years and then it was too thin and I had to abandon my attempt when the ice starting cracking. The ice, this week, is about 6-7 inches and that is more than enough to be safe. I didn't catch any fish, but I may not have been in the right place. They don't move much when the water is this cold, so you have to be where they are, or you drill a bunch of holes until you find them. My drill is not motorized, so I didn't drill a bunch of holes. BUT I did have some good help on the ice...and an extra 120 pounds to test it for me.

Fishing a rise Keep them close to the water for releases