Longview Lake Sturgeon

You ain't gonna believe this!  I don't want to spoil the story, but you have to read this whether you live in the Kansas City or not.  It's a story about an oddity, a mystery, and a fisherman that will have a story to tell for the rest of his life.  So cool!  You gotta read this!

Link: https://mahoneyoutdoors.com/fishing/unbelievable-fishing-stories-longview-lake-sturgeon/

Pick Plastic to Kick Plastic Contest

This is an amazing giveaway that I wish I would have gotten in on earlier, but hey, better late than never.  The principle is simple; get outside (easy), go fishing (awesome), and pick up a little trash along the way (alright, this stinks but you're making the world a better place).  Listen, we've all done it.  We've seen trash around a lake/stream/pond and been upset if not sickened by it...and done nothing about it.  I'm as guilty as anyone, but this idea really has me thinking.  Sure, there is an incentive in this case (and a darn good one) to pick up trash and keep nature in its natural state.  What if we all took a trash bag to the lake from now on?  What if we all just filled a trash bag with items every time we headed to the water or into the woods.  It's really not that hard and doesn't take much time.  On top of everything, it makes you feel good at the end of the day.  Other folks benefit, nature benefits, and YOU benefit.   Everybody plays, everybody wins.  I mean that metaphorically.  Not everyone will win this contest...but hey, why not you?

Link: https://www.repyourwater.com/pages/pick-plastic-to-kick-plastic

Field & Stream Articles- Golden Dorado & Brook Trout

Before I read this article, I thought golden dorado were pretty impressive.  After reading this article, they are literally legendary!  I can only imagine what it's like to catch one of these river monsters on a fly!  A great article to get your blood pumping for sure!

Link: https://www.fieldandstream.com/flyfishing-golden-dorado-fishing-parana-river#page-6

This is a great article that highlights the fact that we, as fishermen, will go to absurd lengths to fish new spots that hold promise.  Great job as always Joe Cermele!

Link: https://www.fieldandstream.com/flyfishing-michigan-brook-trout

How to Fish Streamers in Shallow Water

Wow, there is so much information in this video that I'm going to need to watch it more than once.  This video highlights a wide variety of techniques that I've never considered when it comes to fishing shallow, fast water for trout.  On top of that, it shows a variety of ways to fish a tandem streamer rig for fish that aren't holding in deeper pools or in slower water.  I'll be honest, if a trout isn't rising or nymphing in long runs then I tend to struggle to catch fish.  This video has given me a lot to think about and a lot of tricks to keep in my bag when my go-to strategies aren't working.

Angler Profile- Jon

It's been a while since we had a new angler profile but after a few online conversations with Jon, he seemed like the perfect candidate to answer the questionnaire.  Jon is a Woodard Ambassador like myself and has a great sense of humor as you will see when you read his responses.  He also has some outstanding Instagram accounts (three of them actually) and makes some outstanding videos.  So if you're looking for a laugh, a YouTube channel to subscribe to, and more Instagram pictures to view, then Jon is your man! 

Name (first only):  

Jon

Height:  

5’9”

Weight: 

236 cans of Busch heavy.  

Age: 

34

Years of Fishing Experience: 

Learned to crawl, then walk, then fish, then talk.

Hometown: 

St. Louis, MO

Currently Residing In: 

St. Louis, MO

Earliest Fishing Memory: 

Catching panfish in the pond behind my grandparents condo in Florissant, MO

Favorite Fishing Story: 

Way too many to choose from, but one story that sticks out in my memory is a trip to Kentucky Lake with one of my buddies a few years back.  Let me preface by saying my friend is a novice fisherman and we weren’t fly fishing.  We were both dragging Texas Rigged beavers near a pea-gravel bank off the main channel with steep drop nearby.  That’s Bass Fisherman-Speak for “we were in a good spot”.  My buddy was messing around grabbing a beer and picking out a bird nest or something when I felt a solid hit.  A fish had picked up my offering, so I set the hook.  I fought the 5lb-ish largemouth and landed it at the side of my boat. While my buddy gawked at the size of it, I noticed it had another line coming out of its mouth and another Texas Rigged Beaver it half swallowed… that happened to be tied on my friends line!  While he was messing around in the back of the boat, this fish picked up his lure, cruised a few feet down the bank and picked up my lure, so I could catch it before it had the chance to get gut-hooked by my friend!!  Crazy   

Favorite Fishing Partner: 

Fly Fishing – My Homie, Grady Powell. 

Conventional Tackle – My homie, Ben Asinger. 

One person you would like to fish with (dead or alive): 

Burgess Meredith 

Who/What got you started fishing? 

I was so young I really don’t know.  I assume my first time fishing has to be with my dad (who is not a big fisherman).  He must have put a fishing rod in my hand at some point and the rest is history.

What is your favorite fishing spot in Missouri? 

Largemouth Bass – Night fishing the Lake of the Ozarks in the summer or a couple of lakes in Kirksville I love to fish.  

Smallmouth Bass – Gasconade River

Brown Trout – Current River

Rainbow Trout – Little Piney River

What is your favorite lure/fly/technique?

Conventional Tackle – Pitching and flipping  flooded brush in the spring is hard to beat

Fly fishing – I have become addicted to Euro nymphing techniques for the last year or so

What is your favorite species to fish for?

For me, nothing is as exciting as a massive bass absolutely murdering something on topwater.  It’s intense. 

What percent of the time do you catch and release?

99.99%

What is the weirdest thing that you have seen on the water?

Seth Feider 

What is one place that you want to fish in Missouri, but haven’t before?

The Eleven Point River.  It is completely ridiculous that I have never fished there. 

Please list and/or describe any social media accounts that you would like to promote.

Instagram:

@notmissinglink – My personal diary of family, fishing, fly tying and the great outdoors.  Give me a follow!

@crushbuschoutdoors – Self-explanatory.  Send me some cool pics of you and your crew enjoying Busch beer!

@showmeflyfishing – Dedicated to documenting fly fishing experiences around the Show-Me State.  Submit a pic/story to be featured!

YouTube:

Username: NotMissingLink - https://www.youtube.com/user/yzguy01250

Check out the short film I created that ended up being the winning submission for the Ozark Streams Film Festival!!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fogs9WFpWdk

Myspace:  Just kidding…

Finally, if you have any fly fishing related businesses or ventures that you would like to promote or that might be on the horizon, go ahead and describe anything related here.

 I am an Ambassador for Woodard Rod Company, which is the only fly rod company based in Arkansas!  These rods are made to be an affordable workhorse that can handle anything the Ozarks throw at them.  Check us out…

http://www.woodardrodco.com/

Brian Wise Tying Nacho Heredero's B.I.L.

Brian Wise is back with another video and it's great as usual.  However, now there is a free giveaway involved so pay attention for that.  If you want to leave a like or comment, just clock on the YouTube icon in the lower right corner of the video.  Good luck and I'm excited to see who wins some free flies!

Mouse Eating Trout

Is there a better way to start off a Monday than by watching New Zealand brown trout eating mouse flies?  I mean, I guess it would better if you were in New Zealand CATCHING brown trout on mouse flies, but that ain't happening today bucko!  So lets all take two minutes and forty five seconds to live vicariously through this lucky guy.

First 5 Minutes at Roaring River Video

Earlier this summer I got the chance to go down to Roaring River State Park with my sons and folks.  It was an outstanding three days on the water and we made some memories that will last us all a lifetime.  You can find the link for Part 1 here and the link for Part 2 here.  On one particular morning, I shot some video of fishing the first five minutes after the horn sounded.  I am excited to share this video with you now and if you've never been to Roaring River and you like to fish for trout (spin fishing OR fly fishing), I really think you will fall in love with this place.  If you have any comments or questions, feel free to leave a comment in the section below or on the YouTube page.  If you want to watch the video on an actual YouTube page, then just click where it says YouTube in the lower right side of the video.  If you're feeling especially generous, then feel free to leave a like.  If you want to make a guy feel like it's Christmas morning, then maybe you subscribe and warm the cockles of a guy's heart.

The Show Me Fly Guy YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIE8TFKdv5ivGRG8IwS6IDA

A Kayak Lesson with Some Fishing Advice

About a month ago, I wrote about fishing Rocky Forks Lake Conservation Area near Columbia, Missouri.  If you didn't read that post, then you can click here.  It was a good morning and my good buddy and I caught a good number of bluegill and bass.  We also caught some bass that were in the 16 inch range as well as a 10 inch crappie and 10 inch redear sunfish.  This was the first time that I had ever fished this lake and it now holds some pretty special memories for me as well. 

Speaking of memories, one of the purposes of this blog is to help fellow anglers hopefully make some memories of their own.  It is my hope that by posting about locations, techniques, and other information that YOU might be inspired to do something new and create your own memory that stays with you for a long time.  Maybe it is even something that you can draw from to make a long day at work a little better or share with your friends when you are sitting around swapping stories.  So if you're looking for something new to try (potentially), then I would like to suggest doing a little kayaking on Rocky Forks Lake on July 24 from 6-8:30 p.m.  The Missouri Department of Conservation is offering a FREE kayak clinic in which participants will learn about kayaking safety and techniques.  Kayaks and all necessary equipment will be provided so all you have to do is get there.  The link below doesn't say anything about fishing, but I doubt anyone from MDC is going to tell you NOT to fish.  Space for the class is limited and if you want to participate, there is a link to register for the class before July 23. 

Link: https://mdc.mo.gov/newsroom/mdc-offers-kayak-clinic-rocky-fork-lakes-conservation-area-columbia

ORVIS Presents: Out Of Office

Man, Orvis just gets "it".  You might think that a big corporation with their hands in so many things would be snobby and stuck up...at least I did.  But after seeing some of their employees out on the water and having a good time, it made me realize that they might love fishing as much as you and I.  Sure, they have high profile jobs, make a lot more money than me, and a few of them are internet famous.  However, to see them fishing, having fun, and just enjoying the outdoors, well gosh darn it, I like Orvis just a little bit more now!

PS- I didn't get paid and wasn't given any free merchandise to write this...but I won't turn anything down if Mr. Orvis wants to send me a little something.
#SendTheFlyGuyTheH3.

Fly Fishing: Streamer Tips - Catch more Fish Wade Fishing

This is an outstanding instructional video from Gunnar Brammer on how to fish a streamer while wade fishing.  I'll be honest, when it comes to fishing a streamer on moving water, I'm all thumbs so I found this video to be extremely helpful.  I really liked how he suggests to always keep the fly in the water and "let that fly hunt."  Also, if you recognize the Gunnar's name, it's because he is an amazing fly tier as well.  He does some pretty creative and revolutionary stuff and that's not hyperbole.  Here's a couple of links to check out more of Gunnar's work if you are interested in his work.

YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC39CXkqNdSX98adw6YdyvdQ

Gunnar's Fly Tying Website: http://www.streamersbygunnar.com/

Rainbow Fly Shop- The Home of the Japanese Beetle Dry Fly

If you have a trout fishing trip planned for somewhere in Missouri on the horizon this summer, I would like a suggest a (potentially) new pattern to try.  For the last year or two, Rainbow Fly Shop in Independence, Missouri, has been selling these Japanese Beetle Flies like hotcakes!  I've heard stories of them catching lots of fish, big fish and even things that aren't fish (water snakes).  Also, it rides pretty high in the water too and is pretty easy to see from a distance.  Finally, who doesn't like catching trout on a dry?  To me, it's the most exciting way to fish for trout and seeing a trout come up and take your fly down really gets my heart pumping.  So if you have the means, or you like to fish terrestrials, or you just want to give a new fly a try then head on over to Rainbow and pick yourself up a few of these little devil!

Link: https://www.kcflyshop.com/

West Palm Beach, Florida

Austin, the founder of Fly Fish KC, did a little fishing around West Palm Beach Florida.  From the looks of it, he had a pretty good time.  If you don't follow him on Instagram, you should consider it.  His username is Fly Fish KC.

Link: https://www.fly-fish-kc.com/posts/2018/7/2/west-palm-trip-2018

Casting Tip

Boy can this guy cast.  This is some great casting instruction and shows some great casting form with or without wind.  I don't know about you, but I sure wanted to run and grab a fly rod after I watched this video and practice my hauling!

Link: https://vimeo.com/279125281

3 Year Anniversary

Today is a pretty special day for this website because this little experiment that started out because I ran out of pages in my fishing journal, just turned three years old.  It is hard to believe that three years has gone by so quickly.  What is even harder to believe is that this site has attracted so many views and regular viewers.  When this site first started, I was excited to see that it was being viewed up to ten times per day.  What I didn't realize was that 8 of those views per day was probably me checking to make sure everything looked alright.  After three trips around the sun, this site has been viewed almost 50,000 times and averages right about 2,000 views per month.  Those numbers are mind-boggling to me and it is a joy and a pleasure to see that people are enjoying the content of this page. 

A few other things have happened in the last few years as a result of this site.  To support and promote this site, an Instagram page, a Facebook page, a YouTube channel, and an online store have been created.  Please feel free to visit any or all of these pages should you feel so inclined.

Instagram: @showmeflyguy

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/showmeflyguy/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIE8TFKdv5ivGRG8IwS6IDA

Online Store: https://www.etsy.com/shop/TheShowMeFlyGuy?ref=search_shop_redirect

Also, I have had the fortune to become associated with some amazing companies.  Foundry is a fly fishing apparel company that I am lucky enough to be an ambassador for.  On top of that, I am rep for Woodard Rod Company as well!  Here's how you can get some discounts as a result!

Foundry Website: https://foundryfishing.com/
Feel free to use promo code: FOUNDRYTD15 for a 15% off discount

Woodard Rod Company Website: http://www.woodardrodco.com/
For a discount here, use promo code: TDWRC for 15 dollars off a rod purchase

Finally, I want to thank you, yes the person that is reading this sentence right now.  I'll be honest, if this site didn't get any traffic, I would have quit a long time ago.  Sure, I use this site and the other pages as an outlet for my love for fishing.  However, there is a reward and sense of satisfaction that I get out of sharing information and teaching others.  It is always my hope that the people that view this site walk away learning something new or feeling inspired to try something out that they haven't before.  Since we live in such a fast-paced world that is full of bad news and negativity, it is my hope that this site offers some positivity and a albeit brief respite from everyday, busy, hectic, daily grind.  Thank you for sharing this experience with me and I hope you continue to come back.

Sincerely,
Tyler
aka The Show Me Fly Guy
showmeflyguy@gmail.com

Watkins Mill State Park

If you read yesterday's post, you know that I went fishing last Saturday and the results were a little disheartening.  What you also need to know is that I am a pretty competitive person by nature.  When I was in high school, basketball was my competitive outlet.  In college, I was in a fraternity and there were competitions around ever corner it seemed like.  After graduating from college, I returned to fishing after a long hiatus and adopted it as my avenue for competition.  While I was glad that my buddy Mark caught his first couple of fish on a fly rod on Saturday, there was a bad taste in my mouth in terms of not being able to get fish to bite for whatever reason.  In short, I felt like a loser and to say that I don't like to lose is an understatement.  I've never been one to sit around and mope about a loss and have been taught to pick myself back up and get back in the game.  So yeah, I went fishing on Sunday.

My girlfriend Wendy and I decided to hit Watkins Mill State Park and to fish the 100 acre lake in the park.  The lake is home to largemough bass, white crappie, channel catfish, redear sunfish, bluegill, and hybrid striped bass.  I haven't heard much about folks catching hybrids out there so we decided to go after bass, crappie, redear, and bluegill.  Don't get me wrong, we were constantly on the lookout for shad busting the surface.  However, we chose to target submerged timber, grass edges, and spots that were shaded.  Let's just say that Sunday proved to be productive that Saturday.

We probably ended up putting 60 fish in the boat total (and released them all).  Now don't get me wrong, there were a lot of dinks, but there were some nice ones as well.  We caught crappie, bass, bluegill, green sunfish, and redear.  I'm not sure how many redear we caught, but I can unequivocally tell you that I have never caught so many redear on a single day in all my life.  We were fishing small, bright colored jigs under indicators so picking up some small fish was expected.  On the other hand, I have seen this method catch four and a half pound bass, big carp (oh yeah, there are HUGE grass carp at Watkins Mill), as well as nice catfish and big bluegill.  The crappie were small and some bluegill were little but we caught some 6-7 inch male bluegill, some redear that were a legit 9 inches, and a bass that pushed 13 inches.  Another positive was that Wendy caught more fish on a fly than she ever had.  Her old record was 2 fish and I'm pretty sure she beat that by at least 20 fish.  We came off the water at about 5 and I felt like I had shaken off the beat-down that I incurred the day before.

A New Recruit

Mark, meet your fellow fly fishers.  Fellow anglers, meet Mark.  This introduction is important because Mark is new to fly fishing and landed his first couple of fish on a fly rod over the weekend.  It just so happens that this even coincided with his birthday so it was a pretty monumental day. 

Marks' first fish on a fly!

I have known Mark for quite a while and recently he has been showing more interest in fly fishing.  He made it clear that he wanted to give it a shot and wanted to learn some basics.  I tried to explain to him that there are MUCH better instructors out there other than me, but for some reason he seemed to think that I was the guy he wanted to learn from.  I have no idea why but I was more than happy to oblige. 

To say that Mark took to fly fishing like a duck to water would be a big understatement.  It didn't take long before he was casting about 15-20 feet from the boat at Tobacco Hills Lake.  On top of that, he only got into one knot the entire morning!  If you've ever taught (or tired to teach) someone how to fly fish, you can appreciate how big of a deal this is.  Typically the first time someone tries to use a fly rod they learn more about taking out knots than actually casting or hooking first.  Finally, Mark landed the two bites that he got that morning.  Again, newbies seem to struggle with what to do on their first couple of bites and tend to either miss fish or lose fish as they panic to figure out a few things.  They seem to struggle with how to set the hook and/or with bringing the fish in.  Things like "how hard do I set the hook" and "should I use this reel thingy" seem to run through the heads of a noob.  Not Mark though!  He just seemed to pick things up and brought in both fish like a veteran.

Mark's second fish on a fly!

Another compliment that I would like to give to Mark is that he didn't get frustrated because of the slow fishing.  I brought him to Tobacco Hills because of the large bluegill population and protected lengths of said fish.  All in all, he landed two, I lost one, and landed one.  Usually catching 20-30 fish on this lake is the norm but not on this occasion.  They weren't in the usual placed and biting the typical things.  I can only assume the cold front (I know, a cold front in the summer doesn't seem like much of a change in Missouri) affected the fishing for the worse.  However, Mark's attitude wasn't affected in the least and he just kept casting and trying to learn. 

At the end of the morning, Mark had learned a few things and landed a couple of fish.  I, on the other hand, felt a little disappointed with the number of bites we got and was concerned that the lack of productivity might have soured him on continuing.  Again, Mark's attitude and enthusiasm trumped my concern as he purchased an Orvis Encounter combo later on Saturday on Amazon.  All I can think about is that if Mark enjoyed catching a bass and a bluegill on a fly over the course of a morning, then only better days and more excitement lie ahead of him!  I'm glad to see that Mark is hooked (pun intended) and that he has the bug (again, pun intended).  The world has one more excited, passionate fly fisherman and I couldn't be happier for him.  Now all he needs is a trailer, drift boat, waders, tippet, leader, a landing net, a vest, etc.  I guess his family and friends know what to get him for his birthday next year.

Fly Fishing from a Stand Up Paddle Board

The other day, I checked something off my list of things to do this summer.  I rented a free stand up board from Legacy Park Community Center in Lee's Summit, Missouri, and fly fished off the vessel.  It was a fun, exciting, and nervous experience that I can't wait to try again.  I'm actually thinking of selling my kayak for a stand up board it was so much fun!  Here's the video that I created from the experience and I hope you are able to get on a board soon. 

Link to information about free rentals at Legacy Park: http://cityofls.net/Parks/Facilities/Legacy-Park-Community-Center#319665-free-park-amenities-

Brown Trout on Lake Taneycomo

It seems like I have been seeing more pictures than usual of big brown trout being pulled out of Lake Taneycomo.  Sure, you could make the case that in this age of social media that we just see more fish pictures and get more information about fishing.  However, I would counter with the idea that Taneycomo is a brown trout factory and that maybe the lake has been working overtime to produce big browns over the last few years.  What no one can argue is that Taneycomo produces lots of big browns as well as browns but they aren't easy to catch.  If you want to learn more about targeting trout and specifically brown trout, then this article might teach you a thing or two.

Link: https://mahoneyoutdoors.com/fishing/commitment-catching-big-brown-trout/

How To Fish The Ned Rig

Here at The Show Me Fly Guy, we don't take days off...except for weekends and fishing trips.  Happy Fourth of July to everyone and hopefully you are able to get on the water some on this holiday.  If you are, might I suggest learning about and using the bass fishing rig that is taking the Midwest by storm.  If you haven't heard of the Ned Rig then you haven't been on the water enough.  While this is usually a fly fishing site, I think this trend deserves some respect and some attention.  I'm pretty excited to try this rig out this weekend after chucking streamers at bass that are probably a little lethargic in this hot water.  If you try this rig out or have experience with it, please feel free to leave some thoughts and info in the comments section below. 

HUGE Crappie

You know, sometimes social media actually brings like-minded people together and enhances lives of others.  For instance, the other day I was on the Lee's Summit Area Fishing Facebook Page and ran across a heck of a fish.  A guy named Cody (last name omitted to preserve what will be left of his anonymity) caught a BIG white crappie.  The tale of the tape on this bad boy was 15.5 inches long.  It also tipped the scales at 3 pounds, 4 ounces.  It was caught at James A. Reed Conservation Area on live bait.  Congratulations to Cody on his amazing catch.  If YOU have a catch you would like to share and have included on the Show Me Fish page, then shoot me an email at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.  

Jon Link- The Current River

I was perusing Facebook the other day and ran across a pretty cool video from a pretty cool guy.  I think you will find that he is a good ole Missouri boy that is down to earth and has a simple, heartfelt love for fishing.  Please check out the video he made about the Current River and his YouTube channel as well. 

YouTube Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcd1bh-jgJ3HzXcWq1qSqgA