Bass, Carp & Trout Fishing - Airstreamer by Todd Moen

This guy is living the life!  How cool would it be to spend a few weeks like this?!?!

Fly Fish Arkansas- Full Movie

Woodard Rod Company published Fly Fish Arkansas about a month ago but I only sat down to watch it last week.  While I will readily admit that I have a strong connection to Woodard (brand ambassador) and I am bias towards what the company creates, I will also state that this is an amazing video that I have fallen in love with.  It involves good people with good hearts that live in places that have deep, generous roots.  I watched this film with my three-year-old son and even he found an appreciation for the scenery and fish.  I, however, found a deep understanding of what these people love.  It reminded me that my home waters are sacred to me and the people that I share them with are equally incredible.  While I have only fished the White River in Arkansas one time, it reminded me that my farm ponds, favorite public waters, and Missouri trout waters have a special place in my heart and always will.  They bring me joy and a connection with nature that I struggle to articulate due to their complexities and profound meaning.

Wow!  That got a little deeper than I had intended.  Anyway, if you need something to share with your boys, your girls, or your family on a Friday or Saturday night, then this might be a calming and cool reminder that our beloved sport and location in this great nation is something to be appreciated and recognized.

Ozark Fly Fishing Journal

If you need something to read (and by read, I mean some HUGE brown trout to drool over) you should really check out The Ozark Fly Fisher Journal.  There are some really good fishing reports that might be useful if you have some upcoming trips to the White River.  Also, there is a "How To Series" that might teach you a thing or two as well.  Finally, the site is sponsored/maintained by Dally's Ozark Fly Fisher so you know the info is going to be good and detailed.  This is one of the premier fly shops and guide service based out of Cotter, Arkansas, so you know they are going to know the White like the professionals they are!

Link: https://ozarkflyfisherjournal.wordpress.com/

Dang Orvis!

Wow!  This is a pretty amazing video that Orvis has put out about how fishing trips aren't 100% about fishing.  Why is it almost everything Orivs touches immediately becomes cool?  Mr. Orvis, if you're reading this, you're getting me closer to dropping $800 on a fly rod.  Keep up the good work and you'll get your reward eventually.

Link to Orivs Page: http://www.orvis.com/moments?cm_mmc=orvisemail-_-spm-_-18_05_22_branding-_-watch_button&adv=618921&et_cid=217087&et_rid=8176596

Busy Calendar of Activities Sparks Growth In Participation in Project Healing Waters

By Jim Kissane

Assistant Program Lead

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing - Greater Kansas City

Our Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing Greater Kansas City Program has just finished one of our busiest Aprils ever, followed by an even busier May. And the summer is shaping up to be pretty active, too. Part of the reason is the onset of good weather – winter finally released its icy grip, allowing us to open doors and windows and go outside without the risk of frostbite. But the best reason is that our program is growing, both nationally and locally.

The results are in from the annual Rod Building Competition and the annual Two-Fly Tournament, and we are beginning the first National Casting Competition. All of these national events translate into activities at the local level, so our participants have had plenty to keep them busy. With that has come an increase in the number of participants that have been taking part, growth that we hope will continue in the months ahead.

Stephen Licata Places Third in Rod Building Competition

We are proud to announce that Stephen Licata of our Greater Kansas City Program placed third in Category 2 of the National Rod Building Competition. He built a 10-foot, 3-weight rod for crappie fishing around Kansas City, and also for trout fishing. This was the second rod he has built for the PHWFF competition – last year, he made a 9-foot, 8-weight rod for steelhead fishing.

Steve couldn’t wait to get his rod on the water. Soon after receiving his rod back from the contest judges, he took it to Fountain Bluff to try it out. “I caught a couple of sunnies,” he says. “It worked well!”

Greater Kansas City Program Lead Bob Barnett (left) presents Stephen Licata with a certificate commemorating his third-place finish in the National Project Healing Waters Rod Building Competition. Licata built a 10-foot, 3-weight rod with red, white and blue windings.

Competition began in January and ended in April, with participants competing in three categories: Category 1 was for participants building their first rods; Category 2 was for those who were building their second or third rods; Category 3 was for advanced competitors building their fourth rod or more.

Rod kits for the competition were purchased from The Hook & Hackle Company (www.hookhack.com) through a generous grant from the Bob Woodruff Foundation. Ron Weiss of Hook & Hackle said the craftsmanship of the Veteran rod builders has been getting better and better.

“This year, there was so much outstanding thread weaving that impressed me,” he says. “The Category 1 builders really rocked and the rods as a group were the best I’ve seen in the 10 years we’ve been doing the contest! Congratulations to all the winners and participants who entered their hard work.”

The windings on Stephen Licata’s rod are a pattern of red, white and blue. Steve chose a shimmering thread that gave the windings a holographic effect.

Check out the winning rods at http://www.projecthealingwaters.org/announcements/meet-the-winners-of-the-2018-project-healing-waters-fly-fishing-fly-rod-building-program-and-competition/ and be prepared to be impressed!

 

The finishing touch of Stephen Licata’s winning rod was a POW-MIA medal mounted on the reel seat. Steve’s creation earned third place in national competition with other intermediate rod builders.

Doc Ballard Hits One Out of the Park

By all accounts Donald “Doc” Ballard of our program hit a home run at the National PHWFF Two-Fly Tournament at Rose River Farm in Syria, VA. Doc represented our program in the competition and also was selected to deliver the keynote address at the event. Mixing metaphors like baseball and fishing is bad practice in writing, but suffice it to say that Ballard “went yard” with his address.

He didn’t do too bad at fishing, either, catching 22 fish in the event. Although that wasn’t enough to earn him a place among the tournament winners, there are no losers at this event. It featured one day of bluegill fishing and two days of trout fishing, with each day divided between time on the river and time spent learning fly tying and fly fishing techniques from some of the best guides and instructors from across the country.

After delivering the keynote address at the National PHWFF Two-Fly Tournament in Virginia, Donald “Doc” Ballard entertained Greater Kansas City Program participants with fish stories from his trip. Ballard, Missouri’s only living Medal of Honor recipient, also had a great time fishing, catching 22 fish in the tournament.

“Ed Nicholson (PHWFF Founder and CEO-Emeritus) taught me how to roll cast,” Doc says. “He said the key is to let the rod do the work.

“I had a great time,” he added. “This is really a labor of love for me.”

Ballard, a recipient of the Medal of Honor, is usually on the giving end of events he participates in. He’s not used to being on the receiving end of a fly fishing trip like this one.

“I’m always a giver,” he says. “I’m always giving, helping people raise money for their non-profits, helping others out. This is the first time I’ve ever taken any time for myself.”

Except for the speech he gave.

“Well,” he laughs, “there’s no such thing as a free lunch!”

Casting Competition Set for May 22

Our Greater Kansas City Program of Project Healing Waters will hold its local competition in the National Fly Casting Competition at 5 p.m. May 22 at Fleming Hall, prior to the Missouri Trout Fishers Association Fish Fry. Many of our participants have been practicing diligently for this, the first national casting competition sponsored by Project Healing Waters.

Local programs have until May 31 to hold their competition, with each program advancing one winner to the Regional competition. Each of the 22 Regions will send one representative to the National Fly Casting Finals at the Fly Fishers International Fly Fishing Fair Aug. 8-11 at Boise, ID. While at the International Fair, participants will have the opportunity to attend the many clinics, programs and demonstrations there.

The competitors all will cast a 9-foot, 5-weight rod with a 9-foot leader, using a Size 10 Elk Hair Caddis with the bend removed (a one-inch piece of yarn may be substituted for the fly). Scoring will be based on three phases of fly casting: Round 1 focuses on casting accuracy; Round 2 challenges the competitors’ accuracy in casting around an obstacle; and Round 3 focuses on distance casting. The scores from all three rounds will be added together to determine the overall winners.

Our group has held two formal practice sessions, as well as numerous informal ones. We were also treated to a day of casting instruction from Jim Rogers, concessionaire at Bennett Spring State Park. Jim, himself a Certified Master Casting Instructor, operates the Jim Rogers School of Fly Fishing at Bennett Spring, and is tireless in his support of our program. Thank you so much, Jim!

Jim based his instruction on the scope of the Project Healing Waters competition, which he regarded as both thorough and challenging.

Program Growth and Sustainability

A funny thing happened over the past several weeks of continued activity: Participation went up!

Our regular fly tying sessions every second Tuesday at Fleming Hall used to involve two tables – a beginners table and an advanced “Challenge” table with a dozen or so participants divided between the two. We have now added a third table, for intermediate tyers. Our recent third-Thursday session at Rainbow Fly Shop drew 20 participants.

The addition of a third fly tying table at our monthly meeting makes the room at Fleming Hall a little crowded, but the growth of our Project Healing Waters program is worth the cost in elbow room. The more the merrier!

News of our program is spreading through the Veteran community (I suppose it comes as no surprise that word-of-mouth advertising among Veterans means a lot more then coming from the mouth of another Vet). And, yes, the nicer weather helps.

But the nature of the program sustains itself through its consistency, its dependability. Project Healing Waters is not a one-hit wonder. Our participants benefit from repeated interactions, so they need to know that we’ll be there twice a month, as advertised.

We are grateful for our dedicated volunteers and our MTFA sponsors, for their support of our program and our Veterans.

How to Fish The Upstream Dry Fly - RIO Products

Since we are at the end of spring and beginning of summer, hatches on trout streams and fishing trips are on the horizon for many of us.  I thought this video might be a good primer for some (hopefully) good dry fly fishing in the next few months.

Gink & Gasoline- Fly Fishing for Bass

You know, finding good warm water fly fishing articles and posts is kind of tough.  Most fly fishing stuff you find on the internet involves trout, exotic species, or cold water information.  That's why when I ran across this series of posts from Gink and Gasoline, I had to share it.  Enjoy the pictures, info and stories if you can't get out on the water for yourself this weekend!

Link: http://www.ginkandgasoline.com/category/warm-water-fly-fishing/

Erick's Fishing Journal

I have written about my buddy's son Erick a few times over the last few years and it has been a pleasure to watch this young man grow as a fisherman and get hooked on our beloved sport.  When my buddy showed me Erick's newest undertaking, it was too impressive (and yes, you can call it cute if you want) to keep to myself.  Erick, of his own volition, recently started a fishing journal.  Aside from having the wherewithal to start recording his fishing successes, the little guy is tracking dates, location, and number of species he is catching.  Well fellow anglers, I think my buddy has successfully converted his son into an outdoors man, scientist, and angler all at the same time.  

The "GV" stands for Grain Valley and "BS Dam" stands for Blue Springs Lake dam.  This little guy is on fire!  Maybe he'll be guiding by the time he is 12!

Aside from collecting data from his catches, which is pretty impressive for an eight year old, he also landed this really nice largemouth on Blue Springs Lake last night as well.  His catch will be going up on the Show Me Fish page as can yours.  Send me your pictures to include on the same page as well!  It doesn't have to be a big fish or anything, just something that you are proud of.  Hit me up at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.

Taking Orders Now -- Knucklehead!

I had no idea that Brian Wise of Fly Fishing the Ozarks took custom fly orders, but it would be pretty cool to have a few of this pattern in a streamer box.  Watch the video for more details.

New State Record Bullhead

A two pound bullhead?  Holy cow!  That's a really big, little fish.  Congratulations to Michael Williams on becoming the newest Missouri State Fishing Record holder.

Link: https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/wappapello-angler-sticks-state-record-yellow-bullhead-while-bowfishing

A Fish a Long Time in the Making

Saturday night I got to fish with some friends at Tobacco Hills Lake at Guy B. Park Conservation Area just north of Platte City, Missouri.  This is a great lake to fly fish, especially if you have a boat.  It has some 8-9 inch bluegill that are aggressive and will readily take a fly.  We all caught a few fish here and there without anything big to show, but the big news was the crappie that my friend Ashley caught.

Now at first glance, it might not look like a significant fish.  Actually, at first glance it looks like a woman that is scared to touch a fish, but that's not the point.  Now while Ashley has caught fish in the past, it was about a decade ago that she caught her last fish.  So while you might see a small crappie and cringing lady, the rest of the group saw a fish that took a decade to catch...and a lady that refused to touch a fish!  Congratulations Ashley on your prize fish and hopefully there are more in your very near future!

Here's a few more pictures from the trip:

 

Online Store...Coming This Summer

This summer I plan on working extremely hard to set up an online store through this site and wanted to give everyone a heads up.

My plan is to start taking small, custom fly orders of specific patterns such as The Brave, John Deere, Bluegill Bumblebees, some articulated streamers, and other unique flies that are specific to Missouri.

I also plan to reorder some of the shirts that have been made over the last couple of years and hopefully come out with a new design in the very near future.

Other things that I am considering are custom brushes for flies/streamers, custom fly boxes (modified cigar boxes), Christmas ornaments, a Missouri fishing map, stickers, and photographs to spell your name in fly fishing/tying related items.

I would LOVE to hear from you if you have any ideas on how to set up such a thing or items you would like to see included in the store.  You're input is extremely valuable to me and as always, will help guide my decisions when it comes to running this site.  I was considering other items such as facemasks, patches, or bandanas with the website name, Missouri-themed items, and/or fly fishing related stuff.  Please feel free to leave a comment in the section below or email me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.

I'm going to set up a way PayPal account to allow people to pay with a credit/debit card in an effort to streamline everything and simplify the process as well.

I'll keep you posted on the the progress of the store but just wanted to get on everyone's radar.

Hogan's Red Headed Step Child Fly Tying Instructions

I think it's easy to say without stirring up too much controversy that nymphing is probably the least exciting way to fly fish and probably not everyone's favorite technique.  It doesn't have the beauty or heart-pounding excitement of a trout taking down a dry and the takes aren't as aggressive as wet flies or streamers.  With that being said, it is probably the most effective way to fly fish for trout.  If this is the case, don't we all need a good fly box full of nymphs that we can go to when times get tough?  It is with this very thought in mind that I post today's fly- The Red Headed Step Child.  It's fun, unique, and probably pretty effective!

Very Cool Orvis Site

Orvis does some pretty amazing things.  Aside from building incredible fly rods, they do a lot of community outreach and sponsor a lot of great events.  As if Orvis wasn't cool enough, they also have a plethora of online resources.  Whether you consider yourself to be a novice or advanced fly fisherman, this site has something for everyone.  Check it out and learning something!

Link: https://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/

The Take

A post-take reward

Is there anything more exciting than when a fish takes your fly?  Think about that for a minute and really try to find something that makes your eyes widen and your pulse quicken more than a fish hitting.  It's the very moment that you have been waiting for!  It's why you drove for hours or took off work.  It's why you learned to tie flies and why you filled fly boxes last winter.  It's what you have been hoping for and now the fun can begin.

During the take, you might miss the fish, and while you wouldn't be the first to miss a fish, that doesn't take the sting of disappointment away.  If you ARE lucky enough to hook up with a fish, your mind probably starts to race when you feel your hook sink in deep.  What species is it?  How big is it?  Where is it going?  These are all things that probably pass through your head in a fraction of a second and adrenaline heightens your nerves and sharpens your senses. 

There's an old saying that steelhead fishermen say and it is "The tug is the drug."  That phrase isn't too far from the truth because it sure is addictive.  Whether it's a trout sipping a dry off the surface, a bass crashing a streamer or a bluegill taking down a strike indicator, there is something magical about a take. 

I know, this is after the take, but my hands are full when that happens.

Rio- 2018 Amateur Fly Fishing Film Awards

Voting for this contest closes this Friday so you have some work to do before then!  Watch some fly fishing videos, live vicariously, get inspired, and be less productive at work.  It's Monday after all.  This is a marathon of a week, not a sprint!  You deserve a break so take one!

Link: https://www.rioproducts.com/learn/make-the-connection/rio-film-awards

Missouri Fishing Map

Have you ever wondered about how many places you have fished before?  Maybe it's a lot, maybe it's not much, or maybe you might be surprised by the answer.  That was the very question that I started to mull over after I ran across an old Missouri road map a couple of weeks ago.  From there, a simple idea of attaching said map to a cork board turned into a small woodworking project.  After laminating the map and trimming it to size, I attached it to a 2' X 2' piece of plywood with staples.  I then cut some cheap 1" X 2" pine to use as a frame.  After taking a torch to it and then wiping off the ash, I put on a coat of polyurethane and attached it to the plywood.  Finally, I picked up some large push pins from Wal Mart.  These pins come in two sizes and I found that the larger pins are a little stronger and can handle being hammered into the plywood.  Overall, I'm pretty happy with how things turned out.  I'm excited to mark new places that I travel and will probably remember a few that I forgot.  If you need a project to do for the weekend, you could easily knock this out in a few hours.  Or, if you're an awful planner like me on top of being a perfectionist (I know, weird dichotomy), you might get it done by Sunday night if you start tomorrow morning!  As always, this will be filed away on the "Projects" page for future reference and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.

Plywood

Map attached to plywood.

Plywood and map with frame attached.

Final product.  I used the orange and red pins for warm water fisheries and the blue pins for trout lakes, rivers, and streams.

New State Record

It's always fun to hear a good fishing story and ones that break state records typically have some unique parts.  This is no different.  For me, the interesting part came in the form of a species of fish I had never seen or heard of before.  Congratulations to Bryant and good luck to all you folks out there whether you're fishing for a state record or not.  You never know what is going to happen when you're fishing and breaking a state record is one of those possibilities.

Link: https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/bonnots-mill-angler-snags-state-record-blue-sucker

Alpine Trout Fishing by Todd Moen

If you've never seen a Todd Moen video before, then you are in for a treat.  He does an amazing job with footage, sound, and all things related to video.  Hopefully this is your work-day escape for the day!

One BIG Grass Carp

Sunday night I got a text from my good buddy Matt about a big fish that his dad had caught over the weekend and I had to pass the amazing story along.  Carl Abele was fishing for trout and Crappie on Lake Waukomis in northwest Missouri.  He was using a light action spinning rod and throwing a little cleo lure on six pound test line.  After getting a few hits and missing them, he finally got a good hook-set on the fish that had been pestering him.  It didn't take long to figure out that he didn't have a trout or crappie on the line!  After a fight that lasted 30-45 minutes and almost spooled him at one point, he finally landed the leviathan.  The tale of the tape on the grass carp he caught was 48 inches long and approximately 60-65 pounds according to online data tables.  The fish had been snagged in the tail which probably made the fight harder and longer.  It's really pretty amazing that it was landed at all if you think about it.  The fact that it was light line, snagged, a light action rod and that it could have gotten wrapped, worn the knot out, or taken all the line off the reel makes this a pretty amazing feat.  The fish was also successfully released as well which makes for a happy ending.  Congratulations Carl on an amazing story and a heck of a fish.  If you have a story or pictures that you want to share, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE EMAIL ME.  It is a lot of fun to hear and write these stories so please contact me if you have something to share.  I'll also post your pictures on the Show Me Fish page where your legend can live on for eternity in cyber space!  Here's my email:

showmeflyguy@gmail.com