Wednesday, March 27, 2024

Wendy Fell Out of a Boat



Disclaimer, this story happened last spring while the blog was on a break.

There are good days on the water and there are bad days in the water. Then there are days that seem to bounce from one type of day to another. Wendy had one of those days. 

Wendy’s dad had come to visit us from Iowa and one of the reasons was that he wanted to fish at some farm ponds that I had taken him to in the past.  I was fortunate enough grant his wish and even got to bring Wendy along since she had been nice lately.  We had some good fortune at one pond and decided to press our luck a little by heading to a second pond.  While we were there, Wendy's dad fished from the bank while Wendy, Waylon (important note), and I fished from a recently acquired Jon boat I had bought.  

Wendy and I were both catching some fish and having a good time.  As the sun was setting, Wendy hooked into her 6th or 7th bass at that pond.  She was sitting at front of the boat and on a pedestal seat (another important note).  As she was reeling in her fish, I offered to unhook it and toss it back.  She swung the bass to the left side of the boat while I leaned over the left side of the boat to lip the fish.  Waylon was interested in what was happening on that side of the boat, so he shifted over the left side of the boat as well.  Since we were all on the left side of the boat, the boat began to pitch.  It pitched so much that water started to come over the gunwale.  As the water started to fill with water, it also started to pitch more.  

Wendy was the highest center of gravity and things went from bad to worse quickly.  The next thing that I remember seeing was the button of her baseball hat hitting the water.  After than, she vanished in the murky water.  She popped back up and quickly grabbed the side of the boat.  After securing her floatation device, she handed me the fishing rod...with a fish still attached to the end of the line.  I tossed both into the boat and grabbed her by the arm.  

I instructed Wendy to hold on tight to the boat and that I would fire up the trolling motor and take her to shore.  As we approached the bank, I told her that once she felt her feet touch the bottom of the lake to start walking to the edge of the lake and not stop until she was on land.  My fear was that she was going to get bogged down in the muck and then have a problem to deal with.  As luck would have it, she made it to the bank.  Her dad came running toward her to see what the commotion was all about.  When he realized what had happened, his first response was to start snapping pictures and uncontrollably laugh.  It wasn't to ask if she was alright.  It wasn't to ask if she was cold.  It was to document the events that had transpired.  Even while wet and cold, Wendy still mustered a genuine laugh at him as well as what had happened.

Ladies and gentlemen, that's my wife.  She's graceful in victory as well as embarrassing moments.  And while her day had ended in a fashion other than what was intended, she got a kick out of seeing her last fish swim off as I released it while still in the boat.  Good and bad of a fishing trip can sometimes come together to make a great story!


Friday, March 22, 2024

I Wrote a Book and It Is Available on Amazon!


Link: https://a.co/d/hGwUnNB

I’m here with a big announcement.  It is with a great deal of joy and excitement that I share with you that I recently self-published my first book, Tangled Fly Lines and Untangled Stories.  It has been a dream of mine since the 6th grade to write a book.  Over the last few months, with a lot of support from friends and family, I have worked on assembling a collection of stories about some of the most exciting adventures that I have experienced while holding a fly rod.  Some of the places and species will be familiar to you but there will probably be some of both that are new to you.  Fair warning though, this book is a little unconventional.  Along with my account of events are some pictures to help bring the stories to life and add substance to the tales.  It is my hope that these stories will both entertain and enlighten you.  You can find my book, Tangled Fly Lines and Untangled Stories available on Amazon and I have included a link in this post as well.  The book is available in hardcover and paperback.  I hope you enjoy my collection of stories and that they put a smile on your face.  

Link: https://a.co/d/hGwUnNB

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Not Just a Missouri State Record, But a WORLD Record!


Link: https://fox4kc.com/news/olathe-man-catches-world-record-paddlefish-at-lake-of-the-ozarks/

Missouri can now claim that it is home to the largest paddlefish in the world.  This is pretty amazing and wouldn't have been possible without a good Department of Conservation as well as the Conservation Federation of Missouri.  We are lucky to have some amazing fisheries here in Missouri and this is a testament to proper management of these fisheries.  Aside from that, it's a pretty incredible story, as most record-breaking fish tend to have.

Link: https://fox4kc.com/news/olathe-man-catches-world-record-paddlefish-at-lake-of-the-ozarks/

Monday, March 18, 2024

Lots of New Items in the Fly Shop



Link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheShowMeFlyGuy

The fly shop currently has a larger inventory with A LOT of new flies when compared to the last post about the fly shop.  There are lots of streamers, some jigs, and even some poppers available.  Either spring fishing has already arrived for you or it is headed your way, quickly.  Either way, it would be a pleasure and an honor to send some flies your way.  As always, I tie every fly that I sell and none of them are ever outsourced or purchased from another vendor.  

Link: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheShowMeFlyGuy







Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Tri-Lakes Fly Fishing Expo: Saturday, April 13 in Clinton, Missouri


If you live in The Midwest and you love fly fishing, I highly encourage you to attend the Tri-Lakes Fly Fishing Expo at Benson Center in Clinton, Missouri, on April 13.  There are presentations to attend to educate you.  There are fly tying demonstrations to help improve or introduce you.  There are vendors to help you fill your fly boxes for the upcoming season.  If you have attended this event before, you already know that it is full of good folks that love fly fishing.  If you have not attended this event, I really think you would enjoy it.  

I will be there with flies for sale along with a few other things as well.  If you're not in the market for any flies, I would still love for you to stop by my booth and say hello.  It is always a joy to meet followers of the site and to meet like-minded folks.  Just remember, you might know me and my face but I don't know you or your face.  For that reason, PLEASE let me know if you follow the site or social media content.  It truly is a thrill to meet folks like you.  I hope to see you there and to shake your hand!

I'm Baaaack!

Ok, so maybe that little break turned into an extended break.  I honestly didn’t intend to take so long of a break without posting.  During our time apart, I’ve done a lot of exciting things in terms of fly fishing and other outdoor activities that I’m excited to share with you.  I also have some big news to share with you soon.  The news pertains to an extremely large project that I am about to complete.  It has been a goal of mine since I was in sixth grade, and it appears that it is about to come true.

In terms of moving forward, I am not going to commit to posting every day.  However, posts will become more regular.  I will try to post updates in the Show Me Fly Guy Facebook page as well as on Instagram.  Speaking of Instagram, how do you find the mass of a fish?  You measure it in Insta-grams.  Apparently, my sense of humor took a break as well and is working its way back into midseason form. 

Thank you for your patience while I was gone, but I’m back to posting and will try to provide you with some fly fishing content from time to time.  This blog is nothing without its readers and I am proud to announce the viewership has actually been pretty strong in my absence.  That tells me that people are still visiting this site and that people still want fly fishing content.  As a result, I am happy to oblige.  I am extremely grateful to all views and visitors.  Your support means more than you know!



Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Taking a Little Break


I'm going to be taking a little break from this blog for awhile and I just wanted everyone to know.  I will be sure to announce on social media when I decide to start writing again, but for the foreseeable future, I will not be posting new content.  I'm doing this for a few reasons and if you are curious what they are, feel free to read on.  If not, thank you for stopping by and for reading.

1. Views are down.  I'm not sure why.  Maybe my content isn't what people want.  Maybe fewer people are choosing to read the written/typed word.  Whatever the case may be, I feel that if people aren't interested in the blog anymore, it doesn't seem to make sense to keep putting time and energy into it.  Please don't take that as frustration or bitterness, it's just logic and I get it.  I'm not upset at all.  I just don't want to go the way of the dinosaurs.  If I need to evolve and adapt, I'm fine with that.

2. Honestly, I've just kind of lost my passion for the blog.  It has started to feel more like a chore lately and that seems like a sign that it is time to move on to something else.  I believe that my efforts can be better applied to other things like actually fishing more, video-related content, and fly tying.  By no means do I want to stop sharing information and ideas with other anglers.  I'm just thinking that maybe my efforts might be better suited elsewhere.

3. I have some other projects that I want to work on and I need to pair things down a little bit.  I'm still trying to get a guide service up and running in the next few years.  I'm also thinking about starting my own website that will incorporate all of my content in one place and that includes my fly shop.  While Etsy is a great platform to sell flies on, they really hit sellers with a lot of fees and charges that cut into my profit.  I also have a lot to learn about my new boat, fishing a new lake, and chasing a species that I am not extremely familiar with.  

So there you have it.  I hope that I didn't come off as mad or resentful or anything in between.  Maybe with a little time off I will renew my love for blogging again and there will be a triumphant return.  Regardless, this isn't goodbye, it's just more of a "see you later".  This is not my last post, I promise!  If I decide to call it quits for good, I will write a final post to express my gratitude for so many things!

Tuesday, March 28, 2023

Tying Some Bass Poppers


Tying bass poppers is not my specialty.  I have tied a few, learned from some mistakes that I have made, and in theory, I know how to tie them correctly.  So when I received a request to tie some customers for a gentleman out east, I took the order with a little apprehension.  I made sure to take my time and double check my theories to make the best product that I could.  I am proud to say that the customer was happy and I think the final product turned out really well.  

I tied these poppers on size 6 hooks and hard foam popper heads.  I painted them with acrylic paint, hit them with 3 coats of clear gloss, and drilled holes through the foam to pull the rubber legs through.  Painting the eyes might have been the hardest part.  I used a paint pen to do the white of the eyes and the head of a pin that I dipped into paint to dot the pupil of the eye.  I'm on the fence about whether I am going to offer these in the fly shop but they sure were fun...time consuming...but fun!





Monday, March 27, 2023

A Beautiful Day for a Boat Ride


It was an almost perfect day on Smithville Lake last Saturday.  The sun was out, the wind was almost nonexistent, and it was warmer than what it has been recently.  I also got the chance to take Wendy out on her first boat ride in the new boat.  Waylon is just about used to the new setup and he had a great time as well.  

, I referred to Saturday as being "almost perfect" and the only reason I made that statement was due to the fishing.  We literally saw one fish during our outing.  Sure, we could have fished for crappie but we wanted to sling streamers for white bass.  According to what I saw and what I have heard, the fishing should be getting really good on lakes in my area soon.  The water temps are in the lower 40's and I am excited for those temps to get into the 50's and trigger some good prespawn fishing!  Regardless of the fishing, the three of us had a safe, fun time!  It's always a good day when everyone stays in the boat and the boat doesn't sink!

Friday, March 24, 2023

How I Try to Fish New Water!

It is important to note that I am a Type A personality.  If you don't know what that means, here is a brief definition from WebMD:

The phrase "Type A" refers to a pattern of behavior and personality associated with high achievement, competitiveness, and impatience, among other characteristics.

In particular, the positive traits of a Type A personality include:
  • Self-control
  • Motivation to achieve results
  • Competitiveness
  • Multi-tasking skills
Meanwhile, the more difficult traits that come with a Type A personality definition include:
  • Chronic competitiveness
  • Impatience
  • Aggression
Here is a list of things that I do prior to fishing new water, as a Type A Personality
  1. Buy maps
  2. Print off maps
  3. Join Facebook groups, read posts, and ask questions
  4. Contact friends that have had experience with the water
  5. Maybe hire a guide
  6. Conduct Google searches
  7. Take notes in a spiral notebook, I'm not kidding
  8. Look at Google Earth images
  9. Watch YouTube videos
  10. Visit fly shops and/or bait shops
If my approach sounds crazy, that's because it probably is.  I fit the bill of being a motivated, success-driven, and competitive individual.  I took a similar approach to basketball when I was in high school.  Speaking of which, shortly after college, fishing took the place of basketball for me and is my competitive outlet.  I see it as a competition against a formidable opponent with most of the rules for the game determined by the fish.  Please know that I am saying that my way is the right way.  If you are of a different personality that just enjoys the time on the water, I am envious of you.  Sometimes I wish I wasn't the way I am, but this is how I was made so I embrace it...most of the time.