I Fished Two Lakes in One Day with Two VERY Different Experiences

Ray County Lake

About 10 days ago, I had the pleasure to fish an unfamiliar lake with my buddy Eric.  I had scouted the area earlier this summer and I felt like it had some potential to be a good fishery.  The lake has a nice boat ramp, lots of points, some brush piles, and some cover along the bank.  In other words, it just looked fishy.  I was excited to fish this lake with the hope that I had found a lake that I could add to the other lakes in the area that I like to fish.  I'm always looking for a lake that has quality fish that are plentiful.  

To make a long story shorter, Eric and I had minimal success on this lake.  We caught a largemouth, a few bluegill, and a small crappie.  On my way home, I considered all of the factors that could have contributed to our poor performance.  It was the middle of the summer, the water temperature was warm, and the water was pretty murky.  One or all of these components could be the cause of a low catch rate.  The other factor that I kept coming back to was the simple fact that maybe there just aren't many fish in the lake.  That's the hypothesis that I am hanging my hat on.

Eric and I have been fly fishing for years and between us, we have a lot of strategies and techniques.  The fact that we both struggled on this lake fueled my belief that this just isn't a good fishery.  Even with the water temperature, water clarity, and time of year, we should have done better if there were fish to be caught.  As I drove home, a need to test my hypothesis was created and intensified with each turn of my tires.  (Keep scrolling for pictures and info about the rest of my day).

 

Tobacco Hills Lake at Guy B. Park Conservation Area

My wife has a part time job at J & S Pizza in Liberty, Missouri.  She works every Monday night and it just so happened that she had to work on the day that I visited Ray County Lake.  She headed to work at 4:45.  I walked her to her SUV in the driveway, gave her a kiss goodbye, and watched her pull out of the driveway.  As she drove away, I turned around to head back inside our house.  My truck which was still connected to my boat in the driveway softly called to me.  I mean that metaphorically.  Neither my truck nor my boat can actually talk.  I ignored my impulse to go hit another lake and went inside the house.  

My self control lasted for 30 minutes.  I was all caught up on house chores and didn't have a single thing to do.  As I pondered places to visit and whether I should try to redeem myself, he nail in the coffin was when I asked Waylon if he wanted to go fishing.  He ran to the front door, spun around a few times, and gave a small, pathetic whine.  Did I know he was going to behave that way?  Yes I did.  Was I looking for some sort of extra nudge?  Absolutely!

We arrived at Tobacco Hills Lake at about 6:30.  I have fished this lake many times in the past and have had a decent amount of success.  I tend to catch nice sized bluegill, small bass, and crappie from time to time.  The fish tend to be holding to cover and structure and will gladly take a fly down.  As I headed to my first spot, I noticed that the water temperature was actually warmer than Ray County Lake had been earlier in the day.  I thought this was noteworthy because if I DID end up catching fish, then I couldn't blame the water temperature for the lack of success earlier that morning.

It didn't take long before I started to catch fish.  I caught some small bass, some medium-sized bluegill, and some bluegill that were 8 inches.  The action was steady and the fish were cooperative which solidified what I believe to be true about Ray County Lake.  Admittedly, I could be wrong.  Maybe I just caught Ray County Lake on a bad day.  Maybe my techniques that I employed were the wrong ones to use.  Maybe I caught fish at Tobacco Hills because I am more familiar with the fishery.  The sample size that I have for Ray County Lake is small and the sample size is greater with Tobacco Hills.  

While all of those things could be true, I feel like Ray County Lake is a dud and Tobacco Hills is reliable and fun to fish.  So the next time that I decide to hit the water and I mentally run through my list of fishing spots, Ray County Lake will not be on the list.  However, if you have any experience fishing this lake, I would love to hear your about your experiences as well as your opinion.  Feel free to leave a comment on this post or shoot me an email at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.  I have no problem admitting that I am wrong about something, especially when it comes to fishing.

This Blog is NINE YEARS OLD! WOW!

Recently, this blog celebrated its 9th anniversary of existence.  I started this blog because a fishing journal that I used to write in ran out of pages.  A coworker suggested that I create a blog to document and share my fishing experiences with others.  I was apprehensive at first because I didn't know if others would appreciate what I had to share.  I decided to take a small leap of faith based on the idea that I wanted to document my experiences anyway and if others could benefit from what I had to share, then it was just icing on the cake.  What has happened over the last 9 years has been nothing short of life changing and I cannot thank you enough just for reading these words.  

Aside from this blog, other endeavors have been created.  Some of them began to support the blog while others became entities of their own.  I'm now on YouTube and TikTok so I can share videos and Instagram to share pictures.  I sell flies on Etsy and I've published a book.  I've had the fortune to be a guest presenter for groups, sold flies at fly fishing shows, and have experienced some amazing opportunities because of wonderful folks that have supported me.  However, none of these things would have happened if it weren't for this blog.  Please don't take what I previously stated as being boastful or some sort of "humble brag".  None, and I literally mean "none," of these things could have been possible without support from others.  Readers, followers, subscribers, customers, and good-hearted folks like you have made my life better.

Fly fishing is a huge part of my life and it is a pleasure to get to share my passion with other like-minded folks.  Most anglers that I run across are passionate and enthusiastic.  They want to share their stories and work on making new memories.  That's what I love about the fly fishing community!  We are willing to help one another, appreciate others, and support one another.  So thank you, all of you, for whatever support you have sent my way.  Maybe you've read this blog once or twice or maybe you've bought some flies.  Regardless, I appreciate all of you that encourage me at whatever degree you provide.  

While this is not a tradition by any means, I often like to celebrate the anniversary of this blog by sharing one of my favorite videos.  I think this video shows the beauty, reverence, and nostalgia that fly fishing provides.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I have no less than 50 times.  Thank you again for your support and hopefully we can enjoy another 9 years or more!

My New Echo Lift 6 Weight

Recently, I received an Echo Lift in the mail which came as a result of Waylon sitting on my Echo Base. The Base was discontinued and the section that was broken was not able to be replaced. The Lift was provided through the Echo warranty program and it feels good to have my fly rod collection complete again.

The only step that I had to take to make sure the rod was in proper operation, was to pair it with the right reel and line.  I took all of my reels to see which would balance with the rod while at the same time offer the correct amount of line and backing capacity.  I then had to see which line would pair best with the rod and my casting abilities/tendencies.  I wanted to make sure that the rod loaded in the "Goldilocks Zone".  I didn't want to overwhelm or underwhelm the rod.  I went by both touch and sight to accomplish this and finally ended up at the right combination.

The endeavor took a little time but it was worth it.  The need to pair a fly rod with the right fly line cannot be understated.  A fly rod is probably going to be the largest investment and most important tool to an angler.  In my opinion, the second most important factor is the line.  The line can help determine casting distance, casting accuracy, and how the rod feels when it is operating.  While fly lines sound like a "one size fits all" type situation, I can assure you that is not at all accurate.  A weight forward, floating, six weight line from Rio might make your rod function differently that the same type of line from Scientific Anglers.  

Like so many aspects in fishing, it is important to experiment with rod and line combinations.  As anglers, we change flies, depths, and locations to get the best experience.  Doesn't it make sense to do the same thing with our rod, reel, and line set-ups?  If this is something that you have never considered, hopefully I have given you something to think about and consider in the future.  If you already understand the principles that I have mentioned, you might consider testing out your rods with different combinations of line that you already have at your disposal.  Regardless, it's an important and fun undertaking...especially when the fishing is slow or you just can't get on the water!

Upcoming Book Selling & Signing Event- Saturday, August 17at Rainbow Fly Shop

This is going to be a great time!  On Saturday, August 17, 2024, I will be at Rainbow Fly Shop from 10:30-1:30 selling books, signing books, and selling flies.  Like so many things that have happened to me over the last few years, I never imagined that I would be so fortunate to experience something like this.  I have been so fortunate to fish some amazing fisheries, catch some memorable fish, and meet some outstanding people.  I've gotten the chance to tell stories, hear incredible stories from others, and share the water with new friends.  I would really like to meet you at Rainbow Fly Shop and if you want to buy a book, have one signed, or buy some flies from me that would just be icing on the cake.  

Additionally, Rainbow Fly Shop will be open for business as usual.  Rainbow Fly Shop is an amazing place that I have frequented for over a decade.  Matt, the owner of the store, is an extremely knowledgeable guy with a great sense of humor.  He understands fly fishing techniques and patterns in a way that I am envious of.  The store has a good variety of new and used rods as well as reels.  There are fly tying materials and tools available as well on top of other fly fishing/tying equipment.  It's a great store with a great reputation as well as the only fly shop in the Kansas City area on the Missouri side of the border.  

If you have any questions about the event, please feel free to shoot me an email at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.  It will be an open house format so feel free to come and go as you please.  There won't be any formal presentations or anything as Matt and I just wanted to keep things casual.  I hope to see you there and please feel free to introduce yourself.  For a lot of you, you might be more familiar with my face than I am with yours so please don't be a stranger.

Project: I Replaced the Carpet on the Floor of My Boat

I don't know what got into me.  I'm usually a pretty calculated and measured person that thinks things through before I act.  While the carpet in my boat had been coming up for awhile, I didn't have immediate plans to replace it.  But when I started to investigate how easy it was going to be to pull up the carpet, I just couldn't stop.  Before you knew it, I had pulled all the carpet out and had thrown it in the trash.  I didn't have a choice but to get to work a little quicker than I was planning.

Thankfully, the previous owner of my boat had already installed a strong floor in the bottom of the boat.  From there, I simply purchased some carpet from Home Depot, cut it to the right dimensions, and started to prepare the surface for glue.  Once that was done, I installed the carpet and waited for the glue to cure.  While that was happening, I cut some pieces of straight and angled aluminum to act as brackets that would help the carpet stay in place.  After the glue cured, I installed the brackets with self-tapping metal screws and trimmed the excess carpet.

It was a pretty simple process and really didn't take that long.  I was anxious about trying to complete a project that I had never attempted before but advice from friends, internet research, and YouTube videos helped guide me through the process.  I will readily admit that this is a temporary fix and not what I want my boat to look like forever.  I have plans to extend the front deck, add some storage, and recess my trolling motor pedal.  I plan to tackle those projects this winter when the fishing season is over but for now, I'm pretty happy with how this project turned out!

 

Lost Luck! Luck Found?

While this will be the final post that I share which details a trip that my sons and I took to Roaring River State Park, it just might be the best story from the trip.  But before I get to that story, I have to tell another one first.  To read the full version of this story, feel free to read Chapter 1 of the book I recently published which can be found by clicking here.  The short version goes like this.  About 10 years ago, I won a fly rod in a fishing competition at Bennett Spring State Park.  I chose to give this rod to my oldest son, Mason, (the youngest wasn't born yet) and to make this rod his first fly rod.  I gave the rod the moniker of "Lucky" so I was fortunate enough to win the rod and I hoped that some of that luck would be passed along to him.  While he isn't as passionate about fly fishing as I am, he has become fairly proficient with the rod and appreciates the story behind it.  Because of this and other factors, that's why I felt so bad when disaster struck and it was all my fault.

After doing some fishing and sight seeing at the head of the spring and around the middle of the stream at Roaring River, I decided to show the boys where the park ended.  My truck was parked near the catch and release/swimming area.  I decided that we would jump in the truck and head to a parking lot that is located just outside of the campgrounds that are furthest downstream.  I was putting some gear in the bed of the truck and organizing it for transport.  Cody, my youngest son, was talking to me about who my favorite superhero was, I was trying to be careful with the rods, and I wanted to make sure our vests were secure for the drive.  In other words, I had a lot on my mind.  Apparently, I had so much on my mind that I forgot that I placed Lucky on the ladder rack on my truck and forgot to place the rod in my homemade rod holder.  

I backed out of my parking spot, pulled out of the parking lot, and headed to our destination.  It was only after I parked in the new spot that I noticed that Lucky was missing.  I quickly figured out what I had done and we retraced our steps.  We didn't find it after driving back, look along the side of the road, and asking strangers if they had found a blue fly rod.  We inquired about any lost and found rods at the hatchery office, park office, and park store.  After apologizing to Mason, profusely and repeatedly, we started to accept the idea that the rod might be gone for good.  What made me feel worse was when I asked Mason if the rod was that big of a deal to him.  His exact words were, "Yeah, a little.  I mean it was a gift from my dad."  I almost broke down and cried right there but I wasn't ready to quit searching.

At the end of our last day at the park, I decided that I was going to check with the park office and park store right before we left.  We caught some fish, cleaned some fish, and broke down our campsite.  We headed back to the park and went to the park office.  The office knew us by now and knew what we were looking for.  They informed us that a blue fly rod had not be turned in but they had my phone number and would call me if the rod was turned in.  We were down to our last option which was check with the park store.  

We walked into the store and headed for the back where tags are sold and where waders/rods are rented.  There was a young man that was working behind the counter and I asked, "Is there any chance that a fly rod has been turned into lost and found?"  He smiled really big and said, "A young man just brought in a rod as a matter of fact."  I quickly turned to Mason you could feel the hope and optimism that we shared.  I quickly tried to temper our optimism and told him that it might not be his rod but I sure hoped so.  When the young man peeked around the corner of a storage room and said, "Is it blue?"  I came unglued!  There is was, the rod that I had won, gifted, and lost...and it was back where it belonged.

During the time when the rod was lost, Mason and I talked about a lot of things.  We talked about the idea that maybe the rod was broken after it fell out of the truck and that someone just tossed it in a trash can.  We talked about how maybe it fell in the stream as we drove over a bridge.  The most discussed scenario though, was that someone had found the rod and kept if for him/herself.  We talked about how there are inconsiderate and selfish people in the world.  We talked about how there are good people that do the right thing as well.  We talked about how we hoped that the rod would find its way back to him but that hope wasn't a plan/strategy.

What we found and were blessed with was the generosity and thoughtfulness of a perfect stranger that we will probably never meet.  I wish that I could have found the young man that turned in the rod, tell him how important the rod is to us, and give him some sort of reward or gift to show our appreciation.  If you read this and by some chance or luck know who turned my son's fly rod into the park store at Roaring River, please put me in contact with that young man so we can properly thank him.  If we never get a chance to properly thank him, then I hope this story spreads like wildfire and shows everyone in the world, especially anglers, that there are indeed a lot of good folks in the world that are considerate of others and do the right thing when given the chance.

Roaring River Hills Campground and Cabins

Link: https://roaringriverhillscampgroundandcabins.com

In my last post, I purposefully left out the name of the campground that we stayed at because I wanted to dedicate a stand-alone post to our host.  We stayed at Roaring River Hills Campground & Cabins in Cassville, Missouri.  In the past, I have either stayed at the lodge or the campground inside of the park.  Since Mason wanted to camp and the campground in the park was full, I had to venture outside of my comfort zone and stay somewhere new to me.

I started with a simple internet search using Google and found a few places that offered tent camping.  When I ran across the Roaring River Hills Campground & Cabins website, I was impressed by the site itself, the pictures of the campground, and the story about the owner.  Sites were still  available at the last minute during a holiday weekend which I was extremely grateful for.  I also figured that if it wasn't a nice place that we could handle just about anything for one night.  

To say that I was incredibly impressed with the entire experience would be an understatement.  The owner was a genuine and polite fella.  The office and store on the property were clean and well maintained.  The campground was quiet and peaceful.  It was obvious that attention had been paid to details and I was thrilled with my choice.  

What impressed me more than anything (and this might seem silly, but hear me out) was the shower house.  I have been in some shower houses in the past that were...less than desirable.  So when it came time for Cody to use the little boys' room, I walked him to the shower house and wanted to inspect it out of curiosity.  To say that I was blown away by the cleanliness, fixtures, and overall appearance would be a gross understatement.  This was literally the nicest shower house that I had ever seen.  In some ways, it was nicer than my master bathroom that I have at home and I don't consider my home to be a dump of any sorts.

In conclusion, Roaring River Hills Campground and Cabins has my full endorsement.  If you're looking for a tent site, an RV site, or a glamping experience, I honestly think that you will appreciate this place.  Please note that I did not and am not receiving any compensation of any sort for this post. I simply like to support small businesses, especially Missouri-based businesses, that are of high quality.  I will be returning to Roaring River Hills again and if you ever find yourself needing a camping spot around Cassville, Missouri, please at least give them an opportunity to earn your business.

Link: https://roaringriverhillscampgroundandcabins.com

Fishing Roaring River with My Boys

With my oldest son being involved in high school soccer and summer workouts, it has been a challenge trying to find a time for us to go on any trips.  However, we had a small window in our schedule last week and I decided to take them to Roaring River State Park to do some camping and fishing.  Both boys had visited the park before but they were so young, they barely remember it.  I was hoping to help them catch some fish, learn some camping skills, and create some good memories.

We arrived last Friday at approximately 3:30 for our one night stay.  We dropped our things off at our campsite and then headed to the park store to buy our daily tags.  After everyone was legal to fish, we rigged up some rods and hit the water.  The fishing is what you would expect during the middle of the summer, in the middle of the day, and on the heels of a holiday.  The fish were picky, spit out flies quickly, and just lethargic in general.  We ended up having to do some sight fishing as a result and we all missed a lot of fish but also caught a few that felt extra rewarding because of the conditions.  

We took a break in the late afternoon to visit the mouth of the spring and hatchery.  The boys and I marveled at the brood stock, read about how the spring has not been completely explored by scientists, and walked a good portion of the spring so they could get their bearings a little.  We next headed to a swimming hole for Cody to play in the water.  While he was swimming (and within my sight) Mason and I fished a little stretch of water at the start of the catch and release area.  Mason was over fishing because he doesn't see the point in catch and release fishing.  He says that it doesn't have a point and thus, doesn't give him any purpose.  While I disagree, I can see his point.  Anyway, I ended up catching quite a few fish that hit aggressively and Mason helped me out by netting the fish.  I brought the net so the boys felt useful and it kept their boredom at bay...slightly. 

The sun was setting and I decided to take the boys to the part of the stream that was considered the end of the park.  That's when disaster struck but I'm going to leave that story for another day.  It's a roller coaster of a story but stay tuned for this in the coming days.

We then headed to our campsite where Mason went to work.  Earlier in the summer, he told me that he wanted to go camping and sharpen some of his camping skill.  I respected this request greatly and inquired about which skills he wanted to hone.  He told me that he wanted to set up a tent and start a fire by himself.  He didn't elaborate any more than that, as teenagers will sometimes do, but I was all to happy to afford him the experience.

Mason did a great job setting up his tent and starting a fire with a minimal amount of help from some lighter fluid.  I struggle with fire starting sometimes and I carry no embarrassment about getting a little help from a foreign substance.  Finally, we hit the sleeping bags for night of comfort and deep sleep.  That's sarcasm in case you missed it.  Mason and I slept terribly while Cody slept like a baby for some reason.  The only reasoning that I could find for this is that maybe since his is small, he doesn't feel like the ground is as hard?!?!  As you can see in the picture below, maybe sleeping on a sandal helps.  Anyway, we were up at 5:30 so we could be on the stream when the horn sounded at 6:30.  

For me, the fishing was GREAT.  I put a few fish on a stringer to take to my dad and let a few go as well.  Mason, who decided to go further downstream, had a different experience.  While he did manage to catch and keep one fish (which I was very impressed by), he was frustrated by the multiple fish that he missed and the knot that he had acquired.  He was mad, and I understood because I have been in his shoes.  After he cooled down, I offered to make some longer casts for him and handing him the rod to take it from there and he agreed.  He then proceeded to miss 3 fish and return to the state of frustration that he had found himself in earlier.

At this point, I decided that we needed to do something different.  Mason was ticked off and Cody was bored.  I decided that it was time to change things up and we headed to the fish cleaning station.  I figured that this would be a good skill for them to learn and would get them off the water for awhile.  While Mason remembered his teaching from a year ago, Cody had never cleaned a trout before.  On the previous day, he expressed his excitement to gut a trout.  However, after watching a couple of fish get cleaned, his tune changed.  When I placed a knife in his hand, he wanted to participate even less.  After some coaching and coaxing, he ended up cleaning 3 fish.  There is not a chance that I will allow either of my boys to be scared of touching or gutting a fish.  I won't force them to fall in love with fishing, but I refuse to let them be squeamish about those endeavors.  

We fished a little more as we walked up the stream and I started to realize that our time was almost done.  Neither wanted to fish or net fish and they had seen the entire park.  They were ready to go home, and even though I wasn't, I didn't want the end of the trip to end on a bad note.  We broke camp, loaded up the truck, and headed home at about 10:30.

I've learned a lot about taking my kids fishing over the last decade.  I've learned to help some but not too much.  They are going to have a learning curve that I can help shorten but not take away entirely.  They have to learn from experience, just like I did.  I've learned that they can't stay on the water as long as I would like, but I have to be okay with that and cater to their needs.  Finally, I've learned that fishing trips need to include things other than just fishing.  Their attention spans are short and they are curious about other things.  While I cannot categorize these statements as applicable to all kids, I know that these are facts that I need to keep in mind when I take my boys fishing.

I hope the boys enjoyed the trip as much as I did.  It gave me some special memories but more importantly, I hope it gave them better ones.  I'm not bragging when I say that I can catch stocker rainbows fairly well.  I've been doing it for over twenty years so I should be good at it by now.  This trip was not for me to inflate my ego but rather give them a positive experience in the outdoors.  I had to remind myself about that a few times and check my wants and desires at the tent flaps.  Only time will tell if this trip made an impact on them but I hope that they smile when they think of our trip.  I also hope they learned a few things that they might be able to use later on in life.  We are fortunate enough to not NEED to know how to catch fish, clean fish, and set up at tent but they are good skills to have in case.  Hopefully the boys find acquiring those skills useful, and more importantly, fun!

 

Fourth of July Shenanigans

While this post does not contain ANY fly fishing related content, I just had to share it.  Also, I'm sorry that this is a little late getting posted but things have been busy around my household lately and this is the first chance that I have had to dedicate to this post.  Without further ado, I will get to the point.

A few years ago, I hand some spare time on my hands and was bored.  The Fourth of July was approaching and while I don't typically spend a lot of money on fireworks, I do appreciate bottle rockets and roman candles.  I can't remember whether I got the idea of how to make these specific fireworks more fun to enjoy from somewhere else or if it was an original idea.  Regardless, I had the idea to create a mechanism to house roman candles and bottle rockets.  The mechanism could be handled by the user to manipulate the angle and direction of the projectiles.  In other words, I made a fireworks gun.  

DISCLAIMER: I CANNOT SPEAK TO HOW SAFE THIS APPARATUS IS.  WHILE MY KIDS AND I USED IT WITHOUT A PROBLEM, MY STEPSON TOLD ME THAT HIS DIDN'T WORK WELL.  THIS IS A "TRY AT YOUR OWN RISK" SITUATION.  

All I did was take some pieces of PVC, cut them to desired lengths, and assemble them in the shape of a gun.  When I completed this project with my kids, they had the chance to spray paint their own guns and drill some holes in the barrel to act as flutes/ports.  We placed bottle rockets on the tip of the guns and lit them.  The roman candles were lit and then dropped down the barrel of the guns.  The boys had a lot of fund with these and the pictures and video turned out really well.  They turned out so well, I just had to share them.  Again, we had a lot of fun with these things and didn't have any safety issues but I cannot offer any guarantee that these are 100% safe.