Fishing Report from Jesse James Park in Kearney, Missouri

Last Saturday I got the opportunity to do a little fishing at Jesse James Park in Kearney, Missouri.  This is a great place to visit and the fishing can be decent too!  There is a playground where my youngest son played, a dog park that my oldest son took Waylon to, a walking trail, an amphitheater, and of course, a lake that is currently stocked with trout.  The bite wasn't on fire by any means but I caught between 10-15 fish total.  I landed four rainbows, two bluegill, and between seven and ten crappie.

Every fish I caught came around the dam.  There was a slight breeze blowing into the dam which might have helped a little.  I caught ever fish on The Standard which was about three feet under an indicator.  It is getting to the point that I rarely use anything but this fly when chasing stocked trout in the Kansas City area.  Some of the bites were aggressive and some were more subtle but they were consistent.  I have fished this lake quite a few times and the dam has been the best spot over the years and I rarely catch anything in other locations.  So if you're looking for a new spot to take the family or live in the area and want to chase trout, you might want to pay a visit to Jesse James Park. 

Limited Edition Cyber Monday Assortments!

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

Yes, us fly fisher are hard to buy for but who doesn't like an assortment of streamers and/or jigs?  If you find yourself trying to buy for the special fly fisher in your life and are struggling to find the perfect gift, then allow me to suggest some flies that are tied by yours truly.

These flies are all tied by me and I have fished them all.  They have all worked well for me and are my go-to patterns.  If I didn't believe in them, I wouldn't sell them.  I don't sell flies to catch fishers, I sell them because they catch fish.  While I cannot include a guarantee that they will help you catch a monster, I do give them my full endorsement.  There aren't very many assortments available so if you're interested, you might want to pull the trigger soon.  The "Limited Edition" moniker is not just for effect!

You can find four different assortments in my Etsy store currently.  There is a box of streamers, an assortment of jigs (John Deere and Near Deere) , a collection of wooly buggers, and an arrangement of jigs with a chartreuse theme.  Each assortment comes in a plastic box which has grooves to hold flies in place.  These channels apply pressure on the hooks of flies to immobilize them.  This keeps the foam from getting torn up and will make the box last longer.

I would be happy to send some flies your way so feel free to click on the link below.  I also accept custom orders and can put an assortment together for you with the flies you want.  Feel free to email me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.  Thank you as always for reading this post, for supporting this site, and for being a part of a sport that we both love!

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

Please Consider Black Fly Creations When Holiday Shopping

Link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/F3FD0B5E-FEA3-403D-B7E7-6833813B523F

Seeing how this is Thanksgiving week, I figure that most folks are going to start Christmas shopping for others soon.  If you are looking to purchase some fly fishing related items for a friend or family member, I highly suggest checking out Black Fly Creations.  There are hoodies, t-shirts, phone cases and other accessories for you to browse through with unique designs that you can't find anywhere else!  It is a reputable small business that is ran by my buddy Steve.  I have purchased from the store in the past and I can attest that the products are high quality, the customer service is outstanding, that there is a WIDE range of products.  

Truth be told, I met Steve about a year ago.  I was lucky to win a giveaway on Instagram and we have been in contact ever since.  Steve is a kind and thoughtful guy that is always quick to offer a kind word and has supported all of my endeavors whenever he has had the chance.  In other words, you're purchasing from an actual person that is attempting to live the American dream and trying to carve out a spot in the fly fishing industry.  He's a small business owner and a good guy on top of that!

On a final note, fly fishers are hard to buy for.  What we DO want is either very specific and technical which makes it difficult for the person that is purchasing the gift.  If a friend or family member were try and purchase purchase something for us blindly, chances are we already have it or wouldn't ever use the gift.  With that being said, most fly fishers like hoodies, t-shirts, and phone cases that display our passion for fishing for the world to see!  For me, I like to display my love for fly fishing to show who I am and my love for our sport.  So if you're looking to purchase something fishy for a fly fisher this holiday season, you won't waste your time by checking out this store!

Link: https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/F3FD0B5E-FEA3-403D-B7E7-6833813B523F

Preserving a Buck Tail- Part 1

I was fortunate enough to harvest a buck during the firearms portion of deer season this year and one of my favorite things to do with the hide is to preserve the tail.  It's easy to do and can provide you with cheap fly tying materials.  It also adds to the nostalgic that is inherently present in fly tying.  Most fly tyers appreciate the fact that they are creating the fly that will be used to catch fish.  It helps the angler to feel more involved in the process and adds to the ownership of each fish.  If you tie flies and hunt as well, using the hair from a deer's talk that you harvested, only adds to the reward of landing a fish on a fly you tied.  

Here are the steps that I take to preserved the tail.  They are pictured below.  I will also post a follow-up post that outlines the rest of the steps as I get to them.

1. Cut the tail up along the middle of the bone on the white side of the tail.  This is a whole lot easier if the tail is fresh.  If you had to freeze the tail, make sure it is thawed out before you complete this step.

2. After removing the bone from the tail, attempt to remove all of the muscle and fat as well.  A sharp knife should do the trick here.

3. I like to staple the tail to a sheet of plywood.  A staple gun helps make sure the staple goes through the hide and into the wood.  Make sure the skin is stretched between the staples as tightly as possible.  This process also helps to expose all of the skin and allows me to work a good amount of salt into the hide.  The salt dehydrates the skin and keeps it from decomposing.

4. Allow the salt to dehydrate the hide.  When you feel like the salt is saturated, remove it with a dull knife or spoon.  Your tool can also help to remove remaining muscle and fat.  Reapply the salt and repeat this process until you feel like the hide is completely dry.  

There will be a follow-up post next week (hopefully) to document the rest of this process.

Fishing Report from Krug Park in St. Joseph, Missouri

My buddy Corey and I had the pleasure to chase trout at Krug Park in St. Joseph, Missouri, yesterday.  This would not have been possible without the Missouri Department of Conservation and the winter trout stocking program that they are responsible for.  I have really fallen in love with this program and it extends my fishing season by months!  Sure, most of the fish will just be stocker 12 inch rainbows (although some bigger ones get stocked as well) but at least it is time on the water with beautiful fish that will readily eat flies!

The fishing was pretty good and both of us caught close to 10 fish.  The fish we landed mainly came on jigs under indicators but we also saw a guy doing well throwing a rooster tail on an ultra light.  We caught fish around the waterfall but the majority of our fish cam around the fountain that is on the far side of the lake.  Most of the time the fish hit when the fly was just drifting but on a couple of occasions, they did hit the fly if it had a little movement.  I used a jig called The Standard which has a chartreuse head and black body.  Corey caught his on a few different flies.  Overall, it was nice to be on the water on a pretty day and catching these beautiful fish with a good friend!

This Fly Rod Was About to Go Into the Trash!

It's a heck of a thing to have good friends and coworkers!  I say that because last Monday morning, a colleague of mine told me that he had something for me.  He told me that it was in his car and thought I might have a use for it.  When he returned a few minutes later with a fly rod, my jaw literally dropped.  He told me that he had helped a friend clean out a storage unit the previous weekend weekend and during the process, they ran across some fishing equipment.  When the owner was sorting things out, the dust covered fly rod was placed in the "trash pile".  Seeing as how my colleague/buddy is a very thoughtful guy, he asked if the owner was sure that he wanted to trash the rod.  The owner stood by his decision but my friend thought of me and asked if he could give it to a good home instead.

And that is how a Shakespeare Wonderod wound up in my possession!  I know next to nothing about this rod.  I know it is 7 feet, 9 inches long, fiberglass, and old.  I am guessing it is from the 70's and that it is potentially a 6 weight.  I am going to cast it later today and see how it feels.  I'm also going to do a little research on this unexpected gem and will have a follow up post next week probably.  I am excited about both and am VERY appreciative of my generous  benefactor's kindness and thoughtfulness.  I am so happy that this beauty didn't end up in the trash!

Jack’s First Trout

My youngest son, Cody, is pretty lucky to have a good buddy.  His name is Jack.  He's got a good sense of humor and is a cute little guy.  Last weekend, I decided to take Mason, Cody, Collin, Jack, and Waylon to Capital Federal (formerly known as Fountain Bluff) Sports Complex in Liberty, Missouri, since it was a nice day.  Collin hit some baseballs on the fields, Mason walked Waylon, and Jack and Cody played on some playground equipment.  I took some time to try and catch some stocked rainbow trout at a couple of the lakes that were recently stocked by the Missouri Department of Conservation.

After a while, Jack made his way over to where I was fishing and was hoping to catch something.  The bite was slow so I told Jack that I would make him a deal.  I told him that I would teach him to cast a fly rod on another day, but if I hooked a fish, he could reel it in.  As luck and fortune would have it, I got my only bite of the day a few minutes later.  Not only did he reel in the fish and do a fantastic job posing for pictures, but he also learned how to clean a fish.  I'm also pretty sure that fish got eaten at his dinner table later that night too which was pretty cool.  He was pretty darn excited and I am hopeful that we have ourselves another convert to the fly fishing club!

 

The Shortest Deer Season I Have Ever Had

My deer season was over at 8:00 AM last Saturday morning.  That is by far the fastest that I have ever filled a deer tag but that was only one of the memories that were made in a short period of time.  You can see the deer, and the smiles on our faces, but to only share those would be to gloss over some other amazing moments.

Mason and I arrived at our small, off-the-grid cabin last Friday evening.  We managed to fire up our new generator and get some lights on which aided me in getting a fire started in the small wood burning stove.  A 38 degree cabin sure feels better with light and a fire.  After some Subway sandwiches, we prepared clothing and gear for our deer hunt the following morning.  We got the temperature in the cabin up to about 60 degrees where it stayed most of the night.  I had to add some wood to the fire a couple of times, but it was no big deal.

The alarm went off at 4:30 AM.  We quickly started to get dressed, wolfed down some donuts, and made sure all bodily functions were performed prior to a long sit in the cold.  I have to admit, I moved with the swiftness of a small child on Christmas morning.  Mason was a little more lethargic but then again, he wasn't hoping to be pulling any triggers either.  We were on the road to our hunting spot at 5:30.

We pulled into a cut corn field at 5:40 and had about a half mile walk back to our hunting spot.  The air felt cool when it hit our skin but there wasn't much skin exposed and the walking warmed us up.  We arrived at our destination and quickly set up our pop-up blind.  We were settled in at 6:00 and Mason was asleep by 6:10.  For the next 20 minutes, I simply enjoyed the silence.  The wind was still and the birds were silent.  Most of the time, there wasn't a sound and it was a nice break from the hustle and bustle of daily life.  The shooting started at 6:30 sharp.

I heard 30 gunshots (yes, I counted) between 6:30 and 7:00.  We didn't see anything other than a couple of turkey fly out of a roost but the excitement and optimism of opening day helped us both to focus (Mason woke up around 7:00).  We saw our first deer at 7:05.  He was a young 6 pointer that ended up getting pretty close.  He spotted 4 does up the hill from us and ran up there to chase them around for a little while.  Another four point buck showed up to partake in the shenanigans and a pair of twin 4 pointers (I'm guessing they were 6 months old) showed up and didn't really seem to understand what was going on.

To our right, three more does showed up with a buck that was missing most of his right side.  It looked like he broke it off while fighting and we were both disappointed because his left side had four nice points.  We shook off our disappointment and tried to just enjoy the fact that we were deer hunting and covered up in deer.  As fortune would have it, a nicer 9 pointer walked out of the woods right behind him.  That's when things became serious.

We both felt the tension in the blind and both of our moods changed.  It is important to note here that I haven't shot a deer in a few years and that Mason has NEVER been on a successful deer hunt.  I wanted him to see what a successful hunt entailed before he makes the decision about whether he wants to be the one behind the gun.

The buck was headed right towards us and didn't offer me a shot.  He then started heading for a hillside and while I was trying to calculate the distance between us, he skylined.  I started to question whether I made a mistake by not taking a shot earlier but I knew that I made the right ethical call.  I hoped, and almost prayed, that the buck would head back down the hill towards the other buck and the does.  Thanks to some luck, and maybe some divine intervention, he did just that.

As he headed our way, a tree obscured his view of us and my shot on him.  He turned broadside a couple of times and offered me a shot but branches and brush kept me from taking what I considered a smart shot.  He continued to head our way and ended up stepping out into a clear spot at about 75 yards.  He turned broadside and presented me with the shot that I wanted at a distance I felt comfortable with.  I told Mason to cover his years and I squeezed the trigger.

Bing!  There was no shot fired.  I quickly deduced that there was a misfire.  I chambered another round and squeezed the trigger again.  Bing!  Another misfire.  Another chambered shell and another BING!  Three chances and three misfires.  To this day, I have no idea what happened.  I had one more round in the magazine and racked the last cartridge.  I casually placed the crosshairs on the buck that had shockingly stuck around.  I squeezed the trigger one last time.

BANG!  A shot rang out that surprised the buck, Mason, and myself!  I saw him bleeding as he ran towards some timber.  Just like that, the moment was over and Mason and I were left to figure out what had happened and what to do next.

We replayed the moment and tried to comprehend what had happened and why.  Why had the gun misfired?  Why did it eventually fire?  Why did the deer hang around for so long?  Was the buck down?  Would we find him?

Excitement and curiosity were the topics of discussion for the next 20 minutes.  I had to explain to Mason that we had to wait to look for the deer so we didn't push it further into the brush if it was injured.  I also had to educate him about the importance of doing everything we could to recover the deer.  He was a little surprised when I told him that if we found the deer, that the REAL work would start at that point.  He didn't understand what I meant and I told him that he would.

After what felt like an eternity, we stepped out of the blind and walked to the spot where I thought the deer was standing when I shot.  We didn't see any blood or fresh tracks.  We then headed toward the timber where we thought he had left the field.  No signs there either.  I told Mason that we had to look harder to get a better bearing on where to head next.  After a lack of indicators, I just started to look into the timber.  

It didn't take long until I saw something white on the ground.  It was too far and too obstructed by brush to tell what it was.  I thought that it could have been fungus growing on a tree stump and Mason thought there was a chance that it could be the deer.  I took three steps to my right and saw the unmistakable curl of antlers rising from the ground.  

I grabbed Mason by the coat and pulled him towards me.  Without the ability to speak, I pointed in the direction of the antlers.  He didn't see it at first but when he zeroed in on the sight, he smiled and gave me a hug.  He started jumping up and down and I followed suit.  We had completed our first successful deer hunt together and this was a father and son moment that was special.

We slowly made our way to the deer and found it to me expired.  There was excitement, silence, and a prayer of appreciation.  After the excitement tempered slightly, we got to work.  To make a long story short, we field dressed the buck and took it to my good friend and colleague that wanted the meat for the freezer.  I took the antlers to my high school biology teacher to mount.  I also removed the tail to use for fly tying.

The deer was recovered at 8:00 AM.  This was the shortest deer season that I have ever had.  However, this was a season that created a memory that will last...hopefully...two lifetimes.  

 

Trail Cam Pictures From Our Farm

Last Saturday was the opening of gun season for deer in Missouri.  I had the pleasure of hunting with my oldest son Mason and it was an amazing morning.  I haven't had the chance to sit down and type up the entire story but I will hopefully get to that tomorrow.  

After our hunt last Saturday morning, we pulled SD cards from our two trail cameras that we have on the property.  We got some pretty cool pictures and thought I would share some of the better ones.  We caught a little bit of everything on camera.  It is fascinating to see wild creatures doing what they normally do and oblivious to being watched.  Chances are that you are going to see at least one image that will make you wonder or smile.  I hope you find them as interesting as everyone in the family did!