Pheasant Hunting at Ed Davis Gamebird Farm

Link: https://www.davisgamebirdfarm.com/

Last Sunday, some friends and I went pheasant hunting at Ed Davis Gamebird Farm in Edgerton, Missouri.  If you've never been to a gamebird farm, it is an interesting experience.  The operation goes a little something like this:

1. You pay a certain amount of money.  We paid $100 per person.

2. Birds, in this case pheasants, are collected from pens that they have been living in.  They were born and raised in captivity.

3. The birds are released into the wild by the folks that run the farm.

4. You can either go out with a guide or on your own and you hunt the birds.

If this is a new experience for you to read about, I know what some of you are thinking.  Is this really hunting?  Is is fair chase?  I get it and by no means am I going to argue with anyone's opinions.  What I will state for the record is that we had A LOT of fun.  Some of those in the group can't go on a trip to South Dakota to hunt wild pheasants.  We either don't have the time, the money, or the physical abilities to pull of such a hunt.  This was an experience that was exciting, inexpensive (by comparison), and close to home.  If you're remotely interested in doing something like this, I say go for it.

There were six of us in the group which meant 30 birds were released.  We hunted from about 12:30-4:00 and ended up with around 20 birds.  What is important to note is that birds from other hunts that didn't get harvested have the potential to be taken by hunters as well.  These birds didn't hesitate to flush, run, and make the hunt a challenge.  To me, it felt like a wild bird hunt...but then again, I don't have anything to compare it to so take that for what it is worth.  My average shotgun skills also made the hunt less than easy.

We hunted with Jack who just happened to be my former middle school gym coach.  He is a great guy and always trying to teach.  I think we all learned a lot about the birds and how to hunt them!  He had two dogs that were bird hunting machines.  It was a thrill to watch them point, flush, and retrieve.  If you've never seen a bird dog work, it is a thing of beauty!  

Waylon, my German Shorthaired Pointer, also came along.  He doesn't have any formal training and will most likely never become an outstanding bird dog which I am fine with.  If all he does is run around and have fun, then we are both happy.  He's a great pet and amazing fishing partner which is what I really wanted in the first place.  Thanks to Jack, he also learned a few things in a short amount of time.  He pinned down some injured birds and even tried to retrieve a little as well.

Overall, this was an amazing experience that I can't wait to do again.  To me, any time spent outdoors with my friends, my dog, and doing something that we all love is something that I appreciate more than I can put into words.  I hope you are able to do the same in the near future whether it is in the woods, in the field, or on the water.  Memories like this can last a lifetime!

Link: https://www.davisgamebirdfarm.com/

Hosting a Tying Event at Diddy's Kitchen BBQ and Brewery in Kearney, Missouri

Link: https://www.facebook.com/diddyskitchenbbqandbrewery/

That's right!  Yours truly will be hosting an event at Diddy's Kitchen, BBQ, and Brewery in Kearney, Missouri.  I'm lucky enough to have some good buddies that talked the idea up with the owner (who's a very cool guy) as well as enough passionate outdoors folks that want to see this happen.  And while I have never put on this type of event before, I feel confident that I can pull this off so here are some details.

The event will take place on Sunday, January 23.  It will take place either before or after, hopefully, a Chiefs playoff game.  There will be two tying groups that get to tie and they will be tying 1/32 ounce crappie jigs.  I chose crappie jigs because they are easy to tie and I'm not sure how many folks in the Kearney area fly fish.  On the other hand, I do know that there are plenty of folks in the area that like to crappie fish.  There are also some folks that like to fish at Missouri trout parks and Lake Taneycomo.  I figure if someone can tie a crappie jig, they can scale down the proportions and whip up some trout jigs that could be thrown on fly rods or ultra light spinning rods.

The event will last a couple of hours and I hope to have two separate groups working on flies for one hour each.  Vises, hooks, tools, and materials will be provided so you won't have to bring a thing.  There will be a fee in the 5-10 dollar range, and I will be able to accept credit cards or cash.  I will also have flies, boxes, assortments, and other things to purchase as well.  In terms of food and drinks, Diddy's makes both and makes them well!  If you have any questions or suggestions about anything at all, please feel free to email me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.  I hope to see you at Diddy's on January, 23!

Link: https://www.facebook.com/diddyskitchenbbqandbrewery/

A Great Condo to Rent in Branson

Link: https://abnb.me/9uhNHMmMWkb

Last October at our wedding reception, Wendy surprised me with a small honeymoon.  We weren't able to take a big time honeymoon because of my job, but she planned out a trip to Branson for us.  She planned on us to do some fishing and even found a place for us to stay.  As luck would have it, one of my groomsmen owns a condo in Branson.  He stays there some but also rents it out through Airbnb.  I had never been there before but knowing my buddy Chris, I had no doubt that it would be a nice place.  Chris doesn't do anything halfway.  He's a perfectionist and tries to do everything at the highest possible quality.

From the minute we walked in the door, we were impressed!  Aside from being neat and clean, there were obvious updates that had recently occurred.  The beds were new in the master bedroom as well as the guest room.  My wife instantly fell in love with the bed in the master bedroom and it didn't take long before she started looking at buying the exact mattress for back home.  The carpet was new as well as the backsplash and both were beautiful.  

Speaking of beautiful, there was an amazing view of Table Rock Lake that we enjoyed on the very spacious deck.  If there would have been more than just us staying there, we would have also enjoyed the ample seating available in the outdoor space as well.  There was also outdoor string lights and an intimate nook just for two that was just off the entryway that lead to the master suite.  

The condo is located a stone's throw from Silver Dollar City and also has lake access to Table Rock as well.  There are trails, two available coves, and a nearby marina.  There is a nearby pool, playground for the kids, tennis courts, and a basketball area.  If your family can't have fun here, they aren't trying to have fun!

Other cool touches were an Amazon Echo Dot as well as a six string guitar.  Since our stay, Chris has also updated the condo with a new microwave, new oven, and new cabinets.  There are pots, pans, and everything you would need if you wanted to stay in and cook.  If you would rather have pizza and wings delivered (like Wendy and I did), you can do that too and you won't be disappointed by the local pizza place.  

So if you are thinking about traveling to the Branson area to do some fishing, see some shows, or just relax, I cannot recommended this place enough!  You will not be disappointed with the accommodations.  In my opinion, it is a heck of a bargain as well!  Feel free to click on the link below to see more or even book you stay.  If you have any questions about the place, I would be happy to answer any questions that you might have as well.  Feel free to email me at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.

Link: https://abnb.me/9uhNHMmMWkb

It Was a Black Fly Christmas

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

My lovely wife Wendy sure knows how to spoil me.  For Christmas, she gave me some pretty cool fly fishing items from Black Fly Creations.  They have some amazing designs for fly fishers as well as conventional anglers.  You can find clothes, phone accessories, and a variety of other items on the Black Fly store on Amazon.  I'm also a little partial towards the store because I have gotten to know the owner, Steve, over the last year or so and you will not meet a nicer guy!  It sure is easy to support good folks and I was glad that some of the gifts that Wendy bought for me came from Steve's business.  

So if you're in the need for more fishy stuff in your wardrobe, please consider checking out his store.  I can vouch for both the business and the products.  If you choose to purchase something, I think you will be happy with your choice and experience.

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

New Assortments and More Inventory in the Etsy Store

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

Over the last couple of weeks, I have been working hard to restock the online fly shop as well as create some assortments of flies.  Some are old regulars and some are new but they have all worked well for me and I have full faith in them.  If you like the looks of anything in this post or would like to see more, just click on the link above, below, or here.  I know a lot of folks are going to start filling their fly boxes in preparation for fishing this spring and I am trying to get out in front of that need.  Most quantities are limited but I will do my best to restock when I can.  Thank you as always for reading this post, any visits you make to the store, and for any purchases that you make.  I'm trying hard to grow this small business as well as the Show Me Fly Guy brand and every little thing helps.  

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

Righting Some Wrongs

Last week I posted about some flies that I had tied in the past that I would consider failures.  For one reason or another, they had one or multiple flaws.  I could have still used them and probably caught a few fish, but it really bothered me to have flies in my streamer box that just looked...bad.  I was probably never going to use them.  They were also cluttering up my streamer box and I decided that I was going to repurpose them.  (If you want to read the post that I am referring to, just click here).  

After sorting out the good from the bad ones, the task of stripping the flies of materials presented itself.  I did that very thing last night, and it was a bit of a chore.  Some of the materials were hard to cut into.  I used a razor blade to remove materials and there was a constant concern of slicing myself, which I have done before while performing this very task.  I also tried to cut around coneheads and dumbbell eyes to preserve them.  Sometimes that worked and sometimes it didn't.  At the end of the job, my hands were pretty sore but I had a lot to show for it.  

I wound up with lots of good hooks and some other other components that I will try to reuse.  This experience was much better than throwing them away or giving them away to unsuspecting victims that didn't know better.  I like the idea of taking these failures and giving them a second chance at success.  I have learned a lot since I tied these flies and have become a much better fly tyer in the process.  I'm going to make sure that these flies stay in my possession as well.  Aside from being a little concerned about the structural integrity of the hooks seeing as how they have been in a vise, stripped with a razor, and will be back in the vise for a second time.  I also want the experience and satisfaction of using these one-time-failures to catch fish.  

If you think about it, that's why we tie flies!  We want the added experience of catching a fish on a fly that was made by our hands.  To take a bare hook and turn it into something that can make a fish actually think that is is food, that's pretty amazing.  Most fish aren't dumb.  Every day they attempt to discern between what is food and what isn't.  They use their eyes, their senses of smell, and lateral lines to discriminate.  They can also process what seems like a reasonable meal based on time of year, profile, and speed.  If you can tie a fly that can get a fish to bight after processing all of that information, that is something should feel pretty darn good and should give you an overwhelming sense of satisfaction!

Working on the Cabin

Over the last couple of weeks, my sons and I have spent some quality time up at our family farm in Ray County, Missouri.  The land that my cabin sits on is literally a stone's throw from where my great grandfather lived and has been in our family for over 100 years.  It's a pretty special place with some amazing memories for all of us.  We go there to hunt, fish, and relax.  

The cabin itself, is barely a cabin.  It's more of a glorified shed that has been made to slightly resemble a domicile.  It has a couch, a kitchen table, and a wood burning stove.  There is no running water and our electricity comes from a generator that we tote back and forth.  The interior is only 10 X 16, so yes, it's small.  It's not the nicest cabin in the world but can keep you warm and dry.  It seems like there is always another project or two to complete at the cabin to make it more efficient or more fun.  

Recently, my oldest son and I have been working to finish insulating the ceiling.  This will help to keep the heat that the wood burning stove puts out as we were losing so much through the metal roof.  This has been a chore!  Working with different angles and in small spaces has been tough.  Throw on top of that my minimal education on carpentry and insulation, and that means this project has been tougher than it should have been.  We have two more panels and a little more insulation to install, but the hardest work is behind us.  Leave it to me go be cheap and not buy just 1 more sheet of plywood on my last trip to Lowe's!  

We also did something that I swore I would never do.  I always said that I would never put a TV in the cabin because it is supposed to be a place that reminds visitors of simpler days and means.  However, now that I have a generator and had a free 27 inch TV, I figured it wouldn't hurt to hang one on the wall.  I have yet to try and turn it on or decide how to use it without Wi-Fi, but between a wife, a teenage step son, and a preteen son, I figure one of them will have enough tech knowledge that they will get it working.  

After these two projects get wrapped up, the next order of business is to install some carpet padding.  I hope that this will keep the cold from creeping in from under the cabin and again, add to the efficiency of the primitive heating system.  After that, I want to build another small deck on a side of the cabin.  Like I said, there is always something to do and a project to tackle.  Aside from making the conditions better, I am hopeful that my oldest son is seeing some value in the work and learning a few things along the way.  I know I have and I hope that all of these experiences add to the memories that this special place has created for so many people.

A Whole Lot of Failures

I was going through my streamer box last night, which is about the size of a small suitcase, because I was tired of seeing so many patterns that I am never going to use.  As I was making piles of "keep" and "get rid of," I noticed that latter pile was getting substantial in size.  When all was said and done, this is the mess I wound up with. 

It is important to note that I tied all of these.  I don't say that to brag by any means.  These flies are not good by any means and are full of mistakes.  Some have heads that almost completely close up the eyes.  Some were attempts at improving existing patterns.  Other flies had materials substituted for what was required and ended up looking...off.  Others had bad proportions.  Some flies were just bad ideas from the start.  Some had deer hair that looked like it was spun by a monkey and others had cones that did not have wire wraps behind them.  All of them have one thing in common though; they were all part of a learning process.

Henry Ford once said, "The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing."  Yoda (not sure what his last name is) once said, "The greatest teacher, failure is."  Each one of these flies taught me something.  I either learned something while tying them, after looking at them at the time, or yesterday as I analyzed them.  I also learned that I have come a long way with my tying.  While a lot of it can be chalked up to good teachers and tyers, a lot of credit needs to go to these fly tying disasters.  Sometimes we learn what something is, but learning what it isn't.  

If you got a fly tying kit for Christmas or just decided to start tying, just know you are going to make mistakes.  If you recently got a fly rod and want to learn to cast, you need to be aware that you are going to fail sometimes.  Failure is part of the learning process and that is alright.  You're going to tie ugly flies and you're going to make bad casts.  The best thing you can do is identify your mistakes and try your best not to repeat them.  Finally, remember that the reward from learning from mistakes is greater than the mistakes themselves.  Now, if you will excuse me, I have a date with some ugly flies and a carpet cutter.  You better believe that these mistakes are going to end up as masterpieces!

We Bought a Solo Stove

Link: https://www.solostove.com/

As a Christmas gift, I bought Wendy and I a solo stove.  I have seen these advertised for a year or two, and thought someone would have to be rich and/or crazy to purchase one.  However, some of our friends have ones and we have gotten to see them in action over the last couple of months.  I have to say, I was thoroughly impressed while seeing them in operation.  We both really wanted one so I decided to splurge a little and purchased one for us for Christmas.  We have used ours a few times in the last week and there is ZERO buyer's remorse!

In my opinion, this thing is an engineering marvel!  It gives off a very small amount of smoke once you get it really going.  The amount of smoke that it gives off when starting a fire is what you would normally expect but it goes away as the fire builds.  The solo stove is also really light which makes it portable.  I moved it from our deck to our back yard without much effort.  Finally, this thing is efficient.  This thing cranks out more heat than you would expect from a few logs and there isn't much ash left over at the end of the burn.  Finally, it is pretty darn wind resistant as well since the flame is enclosed.  

The solo stove also has a stand that can be used to keep it off the surface it is on.  You can burn this on a driveway or on a deck without fear of scorching the surface below.  The flame that is produced through the air circulation system is both beautiful and mesmerizing as well.  While the stove and the stand are more than I would have normally spent, the aforementioned benefits make it worth the price to me.  

Link: https://www.solostove.com/

Rod and Reel Maintenance Suggestions from a Fly Fishing Guide

Link: https://www.facebook.com/ozarkssmallmouthflyco/posts/305763828140131

This is the time of year that fly fishers tend to have some time on our hands.  Between the cold and the slow fishing, we are more cooped up than we would prefer.  If you are a tyer, that can keep you busy but eventually the boxes get full.  If you're not a tyer, you can only watch so many fly fishing videos.  No matter who you are, if you are looking to keep your mind busy and your hands full while also being productive, you can consider doing a little maintenance on your fly fishing equipment. 

I try to do this every year but sometimes I'm guilty of two things.  One, I don't know where to start and two, I don't know what to do.  You can read plenty of conflicting ideas and suggestions online, but who should you listen to and trust?  Personally, I would trust a guide.  Even better, I would trust a guide that I know.  Luckily for all of us, Ryan Walker (smallmouth fishing guide out of southern Missouri) has some good advice and tips for cleaning rods, reels, and fly line.  There are visual aids to accompany the concise information which will make for a quick and useful read.  Just think how clean and shiny your equipment will look and how good it will feel on your next outing!

Link: https://www.facebook.com/ozarkssmallmouthflyco/posts/305763828140131