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!  

Fly Fishing In Gulf Shores, Alabama- Part 3- Figuring it Out

At the conclusion of the last post, I was feeling pretty good about how things were going.  I had caught a few fish and had built some extremely important confidence.  I think, a lot of the time, whether you think you will or you won't, you are probably right.  I was riding a wave of confidence and felt like I could keep catching fish if I continued with my technique.  While that is true, and as with most stories, there are always a few bumps in the road.  Life is never that simple.

After my morning of fly fishing in the surf at Gulf Shores, Alabama, I decided to keep fishing the mornings and see if the evenings could be productive as well.  I also started to dig a little deeper into understanding how tides influenced fish behavior and thus, fishing productivity.  What I learned was that fishing was best two hours before a tide and two hours after a tide.  As luck would have it, the mornings and evenings that corresponded with the tide charts aligned with the days that we were going to in Gulf Shores.  In other words, each morning was going to have a high tide and each evening was going to have a low tide.  That meant that I had a window to fish each morning and each evening!

As I fished each morning and a few evenings, I learned that I had a 30 minute window to catch fish with the technique that I was utilizing. Outside of that window, the bites were nonexistent.  However, within that window, the fishing was fantastic.  While I missed a few fish on each outing, I landed at least three fish each time.  This was WAY beyond my wildest hopes and I felt fortunate as well as blessed.

Aside from the joy that came with the takes and hero pictures, I marveled at the fight that these fish had.  I caught one Pompano and the rest were ladyfish.  Even the small fish put up incredible fights.  One ladyfish even got into my backing and I wasn't sure if I would ever land the fish.  Thankfully I did land it as well as a newfound appreciation for the strength and stamina that saltwater fish have.  I had always heard about how strong saltwater fish were, but being from the Show Me State, I had to see it firsthand to appreciate the fact.

Aside from the fishing, I was also fortunate enough to witness a lot of other amazing sights.  I saw some sea turtle nests during the day and my sons hunted ghost crabs at night.  Wendy and I both saw dolphins at various points which was something we both wanted to see.  On a lesser note, everyone on the trip got stung by jellyfish multiple times.  It sounds worse than it was though.  It was somewhere between a bee sting and a mosquito bite and my sons described them best as "annoying".  I also saw Gulf Shores' version of Trout Park Opening Day at Gulf State Park.  Those folks were packed together like sardines!  Finally, I saw my first shark in the wild.  I appreciated the fact that it was about 200 yards away...which was good for both of us!

I want to emphatically state that this will NOT be the last time that I fly fish in saltwater.  Between the scenery, the unpredictability, and variety of species to catch, I am smitten.  Even when some locals told me that they felt bad for me since I only caught ladyfish, I couldn't have cared less.  Even the "bluegill of the gulf" were a thrill to catch and I cannot imagine chasing bigger fish in more scenic areas.  I love aggressive fish that are willing to take down a streamer.  Since everything in the ocean seems to be trying to murder everything else in the ocean, I might have found a new passion!

Fly Fishing In Gulf Shores, Alabama- Part 2- No Clue What to Do

Announcement: I apologize for the lack of posting lately.  I started back to work recently (I'm a middle school teacher) and my time to dedicate to writing has become limited.  I will keep posting, I promise, and after things slow down a little bit more for me, posts will become more regular.  Please hang in there with me and posts will become more consistent!

So there I was.  Standing on the beach of Gulf Shores, Alabama, with a white clouser minnow tied on to a 10 pound leader which was attached to an 8 weight fly rod.  I had never done anything remotely close to what I was about to attempt.  My goal was to catch one fish over the course of the 4 days that we would be on vacation.  I didn't care how big or what species.  I just wanted to catch a fish, in the surf, in the Gulf, on my own.  

I got to the beach around dawn.  While it was pretty much deserted, I noticed some other anglers that were fishing from the beach.  While I knew that they could cast further and that I could not beat the live bait that I assumed they were using, I took a little solace in the fact that I might be fishing where fish were located.  I assumed that these folks knew what they were doing and if that was the fact, they knew that there were fish in the area.  That's all that I was asking for.

As I cautiously stepped into the water, I proceeded with caution for a couple of reasons.  Everyone in the group had been stung by jellyfish on the first day.  It sounds worse than it was.  The stings we got were somewhere between a mosquito bite and a bee sting.  It wasn't that bad and more annoying than anything.  I also have a healthy respect/fear of the ocean.  I understand that everything in the water is trying to eat everything else in the water and I didn't want to be on the menu.

I had been told by some folks to just "cast into the surf" but I still wasn't sure what to do.  I'm a details-oriented guy and I felt like I was missing some info.  Was I supposed to cast into waves?  Was I supposed to cast between waves?  Was I supposed to only cast to schools of fish that were actively feeding?  How far was I supposed to walk out into the water?  Was I supposed to walk past the breakers and fish the deeper water on the backside of the breakers?

After a little trial and error, I settled on fishing the trough on the backside of the breakers and to cast between waves.  I arrived at this conclusion because I know fish like transition zones from shallow to deep.  I also did not see any fishing swimming through the waves so that told me to not cast into the waves.  Casting into the waves also tossed my fly around a lot and I felt that was a less natural presentation.  Fish know how to swim and handle current.  They don't just flounder around (pun intended) like a dizzy person in a bouncy house.

To my utter shock and amazement, my first bite came about 20 minutes into the morning.  I missed it, of course, because I always miss the first of the day.  I wasn't disappointed in the least though.  I knew it was coming and it gave me hope.  I knew that my strategy and fly would work on one fish and if it worked once, it should probably work again.  As fortune would have it, the strategy did work again.  I had a fish hooked and it was fighting so hard that it was peeling drag pretty quickly.  Like the first fish, it came unbuttoned and I didn't land it.  It also took one of my two white clouser minnows.  While I was disappointed, there wasn't any time to pout.  The fish were biting so I rerigged quickly to get back to chasing my goal.  One fish.

It took very little time to get back to fishing and my third bite came almost instantly.  I gave this fish a proper strip set and it felt like it was solidly hooked.  It fought hard but I could tell it was smaller than the previous fish.  All I could think was, "Please don't come off!"  Eventually it tired and I saw that while it was small, it was indeed a fish that had been legally hooked and not foul hooked.  I let the waves bring my prey onto the beach and just like that, I landed my first fish while fly fishing in the surf!

I had no idea what I had caught.  It wasn't big but I was impressed by the strength and stamina that it fought with.  I later learned that it was a pompano.  I suspected that I would be catching a lot of these as the vacation went on.  There are a lot more small fish in the ocean than there are big fish.  Oddly enough, this was the only pompano that I caught on this trip.  That's fishing for you though.  You never know what is going to happen and just when you think you have things figured out, nature teaches you a new lesson.

After that, I started to build some confidence in my strategy and some confidence in my skills.  Before I move on, let me stress that there are few things as important as confidence on the water.  Confidence breeds focus and faith in success.  If you have confidence, you're going to do better on the water...in my opinion.  The edge that this fish gave me bred a mentality that lead to more success!

On this particular day, I landed two more fish!  I cannot stress my utter amazement and joy to this.  Both fish were ladyfish (as I found out later) and were caught on the same fly in the same spot.  Both fought with the ferocity of lions and were appreciated to a degree that few fish in my life have rivaled.  While some locals later told me that ladyfish are the bluegill of the gulf and that they were sorry that I didn't catch anything else, I didn't care.  I loved them for what they were.  They were a sign of success in a situation that was filled with nothing but hope.  The confidence that I gained from these fish fueled me for the rest of the trip and lead to even more catches...but that's a post for another time.