No Idea What Show This Came From But Had to Share It!

No description is needed for this post.  Take what you will from this without my analysis or interference.  It was just too interesting to keep to myself.

Reading's Fly Shop Presents: A Day on the River

I love Missouri.  I was born here, I was raised here, and I will probably die here.  I love to fly fish all over Missouri and I'm proud to say that I learned to fly fish at Bennett Spring and on the Niangua River.  So when I received an email recently to help promote an event on the Niangua River, I couldn't help but turn the info that was shared with me into a post.  It is noteworthy that the Charlie that is referred to in the message is Charlie Reading who owns Reading's Fly Shop just outside of Bennett Spring State Park.  I am passing along what I received in the email so I don't mess something up in translation.  Here is what I got and what I want to pass along:

"Charlie has expanded his "day on the river" to 3 days October 3 to Oct 5, 2025.  This will be at the river front located at Hidden Valley Outfitters, Lebanon MO, just outside of Bennett Spring State Park on Highway 64 at the  Niangua river bridge.  There will be a One Fly Tournament on Saturday morning 9 am to 11 am along with vendors, fly tyers, fishing outfitters, and food trucks.  Call the fly shop for questions or details.  Please see attached flyer for the program."

Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass with Ryan Walker and my Buddy Corey- Part 2 (The Conclusion)

Wow!  Part one of this two part series got a little deep and emotional.  This post, however, is going to be different.  This post will more into the nuances and details of our trip.  So without further hesitation, let's get into it!

First of all, while Corey had been on some float trips in the Ozarks, he had never been on a float down an Ozarks stream where fishing for smallmouth bass was the purpose.  Prior to arriving for this trip, Corey had never caught a smallmouth bass.  I had slightly more experience that Corey but by no means was I significantly more experienced than Corey.  And while I fly fish quite a bit more than Corey, he is no slouch.  He has some serious skills and has years of experience with using a fly rod.  What surprises me is how fast he is and was able to shake the rust off in regards to not casting a fly rod for awhile.

I have had the fortune of hitting the water with Ryan on two occasions before this trip.  Each one was unique and special.  There is a reason that I wanted to fish with Ryan for a third time as well as a reason that I wanted Corey's for smallmouth bass trip to be with Ryan.  That reason is that Ryan is the most knowledgeable and skilled guide that I have ever fished with.  It is an honor to say that Ryan has also become a friend.  He is always helpful when I run ideas by him and encouraging when I share accomplishments with him.  He's also great at sending me some pictures of absolute donkeys that he catches on a routine basis!

Before we launched, it was decided that Corey would be given the front seat of the raft.  That seat is typically the one that sees the most action and that is what Ryan and I wanted Corey to experience.  As fortune would have it, that was exactly what happened.  An interesting side note is that when Corey moved to the back of the boat after lunch, he kept his momentum rolling.  This was definitely Corey's day and it was a pleasure to watch it happen.  His excitement and enthusiasm were genuine and appreciated by Ryan and I.  I'm not afraid or ashamed to admit that Corey out-fished me by quite a bit on this trip and I couldn't be happier.

We caught every fish on this trip on streamers that we cast with 7 weight fly rods.  Most of the time we used sink tip line and the flies varied from 5-8 inches long.  We threw D & D's, Roamers, Murdich minnows and a few other files but the best producer can be seen in the first picture below.  I was surprised to see that most smallies did not come off of structure like laydowns.  A few came around grass that lined the banks and a few came from shadowed spots in the shallows.  We even caught a few that seemed to be holding in the current and smacked our flies when we let them sink (on accident and on purpose) as well as near the boat.

The action was both steady and consistent.  There wasn't flurries of catching a bunch of fish with lulls in-between.  Corey ended up catching the biggest fish that was around 15-16 inches.  It was also a beautiful representative of its species, but then again, a lot of the fish we caught that day were.  Some of the eats were aggressive (which increased our catch rate) and some were more subtle (which caused a lot of misses on my end).  The name of the game was quantity over quality.  If you have spent some time on the water, you know that nature is going to give you what it wants and I was grateful for the gift that we had received!

If I have it my way, this will not be the last time that I hit the water with these two gentlemen.  We swapped stories, laughed, and enjoyed a beautiful piece of water that Ryan graciously guided us through.  I have to say, as much as I love fly fishing for trout, I am quickly falling in love with fly fishing for smallmouth.  You never know, there just might be more smallmouth content coming up on this blog.  In fact, I'm working on a post today that is going to open a lot of smallmouth fly fishing doors for me...stay tuned!

 

Fly Fishing for Smallmouth Bass with Ryan Walker and my Buddy Corey- Part 1

 

Finding a passion is no small feat.  Sometimes it is difficult to find what you love to do and what makes you happy.  For some folks, it takes decades.  Some people never find what brings them copious amounts of joy.  Finding that niche on top of finding a special person, let alone people, is even rarer.  When a person finds a passion and like-minded individuals to share it with, that person has truly found something special.  I am blessed to have found all of those things and they fill my soul despite so many things that seek to drain my spirit of all things positive.  

To say that I am blessed to have fly fishing in my life is a profound understatement.  Being in the outdoors, casting a fly rod, and catching fish on a fly that I tied brings me a joy unlike any other.  I love my wife with all my heart.  She is my soulmate and we have a companionship that I only thought was possible in movies and overromanticized novels.  I love my sons at a depth that only a parent could describe and at a breadth that is not easily detailed.  My stepson, Collin, has brought a youthful vigor to my life that I haven't felt since I was a young man and I love him for that, among many other reasons.  

I don't have a lot of, what I would call, close friends but the ones I do have are given a special place in my heart.  There aren't a lot of open voids in my soul after that much love, but fly fishing, for me, fills some of those gaps.  When an opportunity came along that united so many of the things that I hold dear, I recognized how special the potential opportunity could be.

Specifically, I am referring to an opportunity that arose in my life that allowed me to fly fish for smallmouth bass on an Ozark stream with one of my best friends, Corey, and the most knowledgeable fishing guide that I have ever met in Ryan Walker.  This chance encounter was one of those things that seems to just fall in your lap and if you take a moment to really analyze the happenstance, it just might appear to be something that fate assembled.  I am not the type of person to question fate or the "coincidences" that the universe sends my way, so this trip felt fortuitous.  With destiny seemingly leading this small group down a thin blue line in the Ozarks, there was little doubt that a rarely found joy and unbound happiness lay ahead.  

An unseen, but hard to ignore, energy filled the air the moment Ryan slid his raft off his trailer into the stream.  It was clear to me that this was going to be a special day.  As I have said before, on many occasions, one of the best moments of a fishing trip comes right before hitting the water and this trip was no exception to that idea.  With soaring hopes and grade school-aged idealism, Ryan's craft launched from the pebble-ridden bank and into the deeper water that gently provided an equal amount of optimism and excitement of the unknown.

We, as anglers, revel in the unknown.  Could changing flies produce a strike?  What might happen if we walk upstream and made some casts around the next bend?   Maybe a little longer cast could entice a strike from the type of fish that creates legendary type stories that might be told around campfires for years to come.  The bottom line is that even the best anglers can't predict what will happen on the water.  But that's what creates the type of anticipation and exhilaration that is rarely rivaled by any other activity.  

Flies were thrown and fish were caught.  Each one of them were special and appreciated.  While Ryan has forgotten more about fishing, the conjoined knowledge between Corey and I was essentially the equivalent of a kindergartener, metaphorically speaking.  However, we were students that voluntarily sat at the front of the classroom with sharpened number 2 pencils ready to lay graphite on brand new spiral notebooks which were accompanied by starry-eyed enthusiasm to receive college-level instruction on the ways of fly fishing for smallmouth bass in the Ozarks.  We were vessels that were ready to be filled with Ryan's knowledge and experience.  

Rest in Peace Robert Redford

While he was a Hollywood icon, he also persuaded a lot of folks to pick up a fly rod and cast to a four count rhythm.  Rest in peace Mr. Redford.  Even though I never met you, thank you for showing me beauty that I didn't know existed and introducing me to a passion that I don't want to do without!  Thank you for helping me to be "...haunted by waters."

Shoalnook Cabins on the James River

Link: https://shoalnook.com/

About a month ago, I got to do something that I haven’t got to do in a long time.  I got to go on a fishing trip with my one of my best friends Corey.  We headed to Southwest Missouri to do some smallmouth fishing with Ryan Walker of Ozarks Smallmouth Alliance.  We decided to make the drive down from Kansas City the day before with the hopes of having an easier morning on the day of our float with Ryan.  We also wanted to find a spot to fish the evening before our trip in order to maximize our fishing opportunities.

My plan was to get on the road around noon, arrive around four.  I also planned for us to find a place to crash on the way as we drove towards the Springfield area.  I'm not really picky where I stay and I was more concerned about finding a place that was located near a river as well as a public access point.  I was even fine with camping if that was what it took to get a little more fishing.  I've done this type of thing before and I was fine with the plan.  

What I didn't count on was the fact that Corey doesn't roll that way.  He prefers to have a plan.  Corey likes to have a plan that is comfortable as well as convenient.  I don't mean Corey needs luxury.  I simply mean that Corey likes to find the best case scenario.  This is one of the many reasons I like Corey and consider him to be one of my best friends. 

In true Corey fashion, the day before we left he got to work on finding us a place to stay.  He called me that evening full of excitement and enthusiasm.  He told me that he had found a small cabin in Galena, Missouri, that was located within walking distance of the James River.  It was also located about 10 minutes from where we were going to meet up with Ryan the next morning.  The place owned waterfront property so access to the river was simple.  He sent me a link and it didn't take long to figure out that Corey had stumbled on something special.

From the moment we checked in, we were equally impressed.  The place had everything we needed and nothing that we didn't.  It had an air conditioner, a small kitchen, a loft and a living area.  It was lacking a television, which I actually liked.  There was a shower with warm water, a refrigerator, and a futon.  It was an extremely comfortable stay and we even cooked a simple meal that evening as well.  By simple, I mean microwaved items that we bought at the local Dollar General.  Two cans of Chef Boyardee ravioli filled me up!

While we were unpacking, I called Ryan to tell him that we had made it to Galena.  He asked where we were staying.  When I told him, he knew exactly where it was and told us exactly where to fish.  I have always had faith in Ryan's ability to find fish and yet again, he didn't let us down.  Corey and I both caught a few fish.  Most of them were longear sunfish but I did end up with one smallmouth bass as well to kick off the trip.  More importantly, Corey landed his first AND second smallmouth bass of his life.  I cannot communicate how happy I was for him. 

Corey and I don't get to fish together as much as we used to.  Having young families coincides with bush schedules and we both have kids of varying ages.  This little slice of heaven that we found at Shoalnook Cabins and this stretch of river were enjoyed as much as they were appreciated.  It was nice to spend some time with my good friend, catch a few fish, and stay in a much better place than I would have picked out.  We both mentioned, on more than one occasion, that we will be going back to Shoalnook Cabins.  If you're interested in something like what I have described and what is shown in the pictures, check out the link.  If you like comfortable yet rustic accommodations, you might even consider visiting this little oasis!

Link: https://shoalnook.com/

Community Fly Supply

https://www.communityflysupply.com/

https://www.spacecoastflies.com/

(251) 239-6533

824 Gulf Shores Pkwy Suite B

Gulf Shores, AL 36542

communityflysupply@gmail.com

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

Instagram: communityflysupply

In the final installment of my Gulf Shores, Alabama, yarn, I need to properly thank Community Fly Supply.  Aside from being the cleanest and most immaculate fly shop I have ever stepped into, one of the shop's employees saved my fishing experience on the trip.  While this was a family vacation and not a dedicated fishing trip, I still had some time to fish.  The situation that I found myself in threatened to end my fishing for the rest of the trip.  The solution could only come from a fly shop and they are the only fly shop in the area.  Thanks to Community Fly Supply, I got to fish a lot more.    

I apologize for being so cryptic.  I've given A LOT of thought to how I would word this post so please don't think that I am being strange without a purpose.  You see, Community Fly Supply did something so nice for me that I don't want to put them in an awkward spot.  I don't want to set some sort of precedent in the future because of what they did for me.  In other words, I don't want the store's generosity and kindness to be the expectation.  As Rip Wheeler once said in the television series, Yellowstone, "You do it once, you're being nice.  You do it a second time, and you're a petting zoo...".  

The point of this post is to return a favor.  It is my hope that maybe I can send a little business to some folks that helped me out when I needed it.  If you get a chance to visit the store, you will be blown away by the cleanliness, organization, and knowledge of the staff.  If you don't frequent the area, feel free to browse Space Coast Flies and maybe order some patterns from the online store.  While a lot of fly shops around the country are struggling right now, it would be great if we could support one like Community Fly Supply!