The Conclave Is Dead….The Fishing Is Not.

2012-10-06pic001(edited)(resized)Two weeks ago I made my first trip of the fall season south to the White River.  October is the time of year that the pilgrimages south begin for me, and the Natural State never ceases to disappoint.  This trip was something I had been looking forward to for a couple of weeks; as I was finally going to fish with some new folks and hit up the conclave between floats.  It was going to be a busy as shit weekend, but it had lots of potential, and with that (and the boat in tow) I rolled out of St. Louis around 6pm on Friday night pointed towards the River Rock Inn in Mountain Home.

The plan was to hook up with Chance Maxville from the Chasing The Dream blog and Jimmy “T” Traylor from FlyFishArkansas.com and do a quick float on the White River before heading over to Conclave and checking it out.  Chance rolled in from somewhere in Oklahoma around midnight and we hung out bullshitting until about 1am or so, before I headed back to my room to grab a few hours sleep.  Generation was weak and we didn’t have many short float options, so we opted to float from Dam to White Hole and after dropping the boat in and running shuttle we were on our way.  The fishing was slow, as we  were throwing big streamers, but fish were caught although no pigs gave us any love.  The morning was filled, like any good first date feeling out of a new fishing buddy, with stripper stories, beer, and political jokes.  Any day in the boat with JimmyT is a good day, and Chance fit right in.  Hell, we even had JimmyT on the oars for a bit (the sucker volunteered to row through Gaston’s hole…just as the wind kicked up…).  We finished up about 11:30am and pulled the boat out and headed towards Conclave.

This was my 2nd time (maybe 3rd) at Conclave and I have absolutely no interest in going back. Just walking around, the average age of the attendees was close to two decades above my own age and as a 35yo, that is unfortunate. I don’t care to sit and watch fly tyers tie or take part in many of the seminars (although there were a few I would have maybe went to)……so I may be the exception; I want to meet people I correspond with over the internet for some beer, fishing, and food and try and solve the world’s problems (like why there is not a bustling adult entertainment business in Mountain Home or why the hell won’t the Corp of Engineers keep their page updated more frequently or perhaps more USGS gauges along the river to tell you where the flows are at and when). I have never been to the banquet, so I can’t offer any input on that. But as I looked around…..the place was smoky as hell from the kitchen and the hall was empty (at least on Saturday…..and it was a cold, wet day)…..I hope everyone was on the river.

I was hoping that more of the success of the Fly Fishing Film Tour would have rubbed off on the SCFFF, but it doesn’t look like it did. Make it a place where fisherman can congregate after a day on the river and toss back a few beers while listening to live music and bitching about their problems. But don’t call it a banquet……or an auction…..I won’t go to those until I get an ARP card. Why not combine it with an even like the Cotter Trout Festival. Why the heck wouldn’t they make this a Film Tour stop is also beyond me. I got in to town late on friday night and the hotel I was staying in was packed with young guys and drift boats….they were holed up in their rooms drinking and bullshitting….they were looking for a party….and had to throw their own. About midnight they walked back to their rooms with coolers in hand. For those under 40, I say conclave misses the target completely.

The issues facing the Southern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers (SCFFF) is simple.  It is member engagement.  This is the same issue facing its member local clubs within the fly fishing industry and this is nothing different than what every other volunteer organization and association faces on an annual basis.  Sure there may be other issues such as conveying value, identifying future leaders and leadership development, but at the end of the day membership engagement will help to solve the other issues.  So the question that should be asked is, how do we get more of the members we do have involved and how do we get the younger members involved. In my past experience with a large local construction organization, the answer was simple, give members what they want.  It was an organization that struggled to get 70 members to a monthly meeting, we were able to get monthly meeting attendance to over 110 members by giving them what they wanted and breaking from the mold of the association and providing them with networking opportunities and not monthly educational meetings.  Suddenly, identifying future leaders of the association was easy because as the participation grew so did those willing to help because we created something they valued.

I like to bitch about things as much as the next guy, and have absolutely no interest in helping plan an upcoming event until someone can tell me what the Southern Council of the Federation of Fly Fisherman actually does for Matt Tucker.  Tell me that the Southern Council FFF or the National FFF is being instrumental in having CFS Flow Gauges placed every 10 miles down the White River so anglers can get real-time flow data that means a damn, or that it was instrumental in helping establish additional smallmouth management waters, or how they have a lobbyist working towards minimum flow in the state of Arkansas?  But I haven’t heard any of those things, so for me the FFF is just another organization with its hand out.  About the only thing I can tell you about the FFF is that they offer fly casting certifications…………and at the end of the day fly casting isn’t fly fishing.

Secondly, it comes down to how I value my time.  I am married 35yo guy with two daughters (ages 15 and 10).  I am a partner in a small construction company in a midwest metro area and between work and family, I have very little time for anything else.   For me, after choosing to spend time away from my family and my business, going to a “banquet” is the last thing I want to do.  I have a hall pass and want to blow off some steam and fish.  On Saturday night, while you a few were at the banquet, I was out at a bar living it up with about 12 others (many from the area, that chose to avoid the banquet as well).  I have no incentive to plan something like this, because I will just grab my cooler of brew and find a party somewhere (I don’t need much…..but I won’t ever call it a “banquet”), but throw a party that I like a time or two and suddenly I want to become involved with it.

Sometimes the difference is in message and other times the difference is in content.  Unfortunately for the Conclave I think the problem lies with both.

I can’t bitch about something, without offering up suggestions, so here you go:

  1. Move the location closer to a river (one of the events that does this right is Trout Fest out in the Townsend area…..just a spot on great event and set in a beautiful area) — at the fair grounds, it doesn’t even feel like fly fishing.
  2. Put up a beer tent / music stage with live music and tables / chairs for guys to sit in (and make sure it is going on after hours…when guys are on their way back to the hotel after fishing….hell serve up some BBQ for dinner)(you can either charge a ticket price or charge beer sales).  There is a ton of great music in that area, why not help showcase it.
  3. Make Friday Night a FFFT event and make it outside (The Toad Fly’s approach is spot on)…you could possibly do this at the State Park (think of all the potential walk-in from campers staying in the park).  Weather sucks, I get that, so if that is a concern than do it in house….but give us something to hang out for after the shows are over.
  4. Lose “Banquet” in the name of your Saturday night event.  Nothing says “old” like “banquet”
  5. I am intrigued by the Casino Night event (in the construction organization I was president of, we changed our annual “Christmas Party” to a “Casino Night” and were able to increase attendance and draw new members.  But it took people talking about how much fun it was to do that.  The key for us was getting the alcohol flowing.  Lose the sit-down-dinner, the food at any of those types of events is hardly ever very good, and provide appetizers and cocktail tables throughout the floor along with live music (DJ’s are for weddings and raves).
  6. Be family friendly (your future leadership has commitments to family), give the kids something to do during the day while dad is bullshittin’ with his buddies and both the kid’s and dad will want to go back next year (again, Trout Fest does this spot on).  (I know it seems odd to say….make it a party….but make it something I can bring my kids to….but it can be done)
  7. Promote what FFF does and show value.  Why is it so damn important for me to be a member of FFF (I currently am not).
  8. Promote the fishing and promote the fuck out of it

 

After saying a few hellos, Chance and I couldn’t get out of the Conclave fast enough, and Brian Wise (yeah, that Wise from Fly Fishing The Ozarks) was right behind us.  As we “wadered up” (not really sure that is a phrase, but what else do you describe it) in the parking lot of the fair grounds and contemplated floating the Norfork on zero generation (I hope minimum flow starts soon), cooler heads prevailed and we floated the same stretch in the afternoon.  The fishing was a little better than in the morning with Wise hooking into a good fish and getting tight on it, only to have it throw the hook.  We took our time and picked up a few more fish than in the morning (all on streamers), and all in all it was another great day on the river.  It was great to hook back up with Wise and to finally get on the water with Chance (something we had tried to do a few times in the past, just never been able to make it happen).  We ended up pulling off the river about 7:00pm tired and exhausted, but the fun was just beginning.

We ended up heading into Mountain Home to a sports bar called The Arena to meet up with Larry Babin (Hogs On A Fly), Dominic Zametto (Two Rivers Fly Shop), Corey Dodson (Chasin’ The Dream), Steve Dally (Dally’s Ozark Fly Fisher) and his wife, and a guy from Tailwaters Fly Shop out of Dallas, whose name escapes me.  I can’t even begin to describe the evening at the bar.  Phrases such as “Bitch don’t you know who I am”, the owner of the restaurant wanting to show me his meat (and me subsequently buying it), lots of beer, talks of motorboats, and deep conversations about the paths we are headed down filled the evening.  It was the way a day on the river is supposed to end, and for that I was grateful and reset. We ended up leaving the bar around 12am and headed back to the hotel for a good nights sleep; for me, it was everything the Conclave wasn’t this year and that made me happy.  Early rise on Sunday morning, as I am fishing with Larry Babin and Dominic Zametto.

–Matt Tucker

Another February Day with Jimmy “T” on the White River

2012-02-03pic002(edited)(Resized)Evan Muskopf and I headed south on Thursday (02-02-2012) to meet up with Paul Chausse, Dan Held, Ray Reidy, and Jeff House for a three day fishing trip on the White River.  It is sort of an annual February pilgrimage for me, yet it had been a few years since JimmyT and I had fished together in February.  With that in mind and despite the drift boat in tow, we jumped at the chance when JimmyT offered the opportunity to get Evan and I out in his boat for a day of fishing.

We arrived late on thursday night and after a little scheduling conflict (and my lack of procrastination in reserving my RV for an additional night), we grabbed a room at River Rock Inn in Mountain Home.  We were up early and on the way to meet JimmyT, we stopped and picked up Ray Reidy and Paul Chausse at Wildcat Shoals Boat Ramp and shuttled them back to the Dam Site put-in for their 11 mile float.  After some breif catching up, they were on thier way and we were on our way to meet up with JimmyT at his Wishes & Fishing Fly Shop in Bull Shoals.

We wadered up and dropped his boat in for a very wet day of fishing.  The rain was fairly consistent throughout the day, with some downpours here and there.  The fishing was consistent enough to keep us interested, but the big fish on the streamer bite wasn’t really there. We focused our efforts mainly on the catch and release area, doing several drifts and picked up the occassional rainbow; but the big browns eluded us.  Perhaps it was the number of boats that were out there (at any time there were at least 12 boats within eye site).  At JimmyT’s urging, we switched to one of his rigged up 11ft nymph rods and on the first drift I picked up a “barely 20 inch” brown trout.  It was a good fish, and only on the White River can a guy be a little disappointed with a 20″ fish…..but I know better on this river.  We got lots of love on the nymph rig, but our hearts were with the streamers so we switched back and threw more meat the rest of the afternoon with the same results.  The thing is, though, that even with the weather being as wet / cold as it was; JimmyT was on his game keeping the boat positioned perfectly and giving us the shots we needed.

As the day wore on and the temerpature began to drop with the river level (the generation was letting up), I asked for mercy as I was wet and cold, so we headed back to the ramp and to Wishes & Fishes Fly Shop for some beers and catching up out of the rain.  We headed back to the Bull Shoals State Park Rent-An-Rv and unloaded our stuff and plenty of food / drink were had as the entire group (Evan Muskopf, Brian Greer, Dan Held, Paul Chausse, Ray Reidy, and Jeff House) were present and recounted the day before more storms rolled in.  It was a great way to start February, even though the truly big fish didn’t cooperate.

–Matt Tucker

White River Scotch, Barley, & Fly-Fishing Social (10-26-11 to 10-30-11)

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During one relentless summer, brimming with endless hours at the office and intense preparation for an AISC Certification at work, the pull of the river grew irresistible. So, I reached out to my Facebook fly-fishing community, sharing my yearning for an escape to the serene White River in quest of the elusive autumn brown. To my delight, this simple act of yearning turned into a rallying call, culminating in the inaugural White River Scotch, Barley, & Fly-Fishing Social slated for October 26-30, 2011, at the tranquil Bull Shoals State Park.

The call was heeded by about 10 kindred spirits, a motley crew of fellow anglers (names including Evan Muskopf, Craig Peterson, David Stinnett, and others), each drawn by the promise of camaraderie and the timeless dance between man and river. Yet, safety was never an afterthought — thanks to my cousin who works with a fire watch company in Lauderdale Lakes, their dedication mirrored in our venture. Her company, known for their immediate response and well-equipped personnel, ensured that just as we kept a vigilant eye on the drifts and eddies of the White River, someone trained and dependable watched over our temporary riverside abode, ready to coordinate with emergency services at a moment’s notice. It was this professional vigilance that allowed us to immerse fully in the embrace of nature, knowing we were guarded against unexpected perils.

The days were blissfully spent with lines cast into the flowing tapestry of the river, and the nights—alive with the crackling of campfires and the rich tales of river lore. The event, marked by the sharing of fine scotch and the mutual respect of barley’s craft, became more than a fishing trip; it was a respite for the soul. It was in this harmonious blend of passion, peace, and protection where we found not only the catch of the season but memories etched into the current of life, ones that would meander through our minds long after the hooks were stowed away.

Day 1 (10-27-2011)

The word for the first day was WET.  It rained all day.  The temps didn’t get out of the 40’s for very long.  The only thing that was missing was wind, and this would have been the most complete day on the river.  We decided to drop the two drift boats in at the base of the dam and float to Wildcat Shoals Boat Ramp (about an 11 mile float or so).  With Evan Muskopf and Craig Peterson in my boat, combined with the overcast skies and rain the order of the day was streamers.  We were not rewarded with many fish, but both Evan and Craig got some good follows throwing various Galloup flies (sex dungeons, circus peanuts, and peanut envy) with Evan recieving the biggest follow and eat twice but no hookup.  The rain, combined with few fish made for a long day on the river.  Dan Held and Paul Chausse floated the same section with us, and were throwing some meat to, and were rewarded with a brown just over 20″ or so very early in the trip — needless to say are expectations were high for the day.  The photography would have been stellar except the rain kept the camera in the pelican case most of the day, except for when we pulled over at the Narrows and nymphed and swung streamers for a bit (with only dink rainbows the reward).

We pulled off the river and headed back to Bull Shoals State Park for a dinner of champions and to watch Game 6 of the World Series (Cardinals vs. Rangers).  We were staying in one of the Rent-An-RV units at Bull Shoals State Park and had satellite TV to catch the game.  Normally the “TV” during a fishing trip is the campfire, but this trip with the World Series had special meaning.  As we seasoned up 24oz Porterhouse Steaks, sliced potatoes for the grill, and prepared the onions for the fire, we started watching would would become one of the most epic world series games of all time.  As we ate like champions, our guest of honor arrived for the night in non other than uber Ranger’s fan David Stinnett.  I am not sure what was more fun, fitting 8 guys in the camper around a 20″ television or the hooting and hollering that was going on after the Cardinals win.  I think we finally hit the sack around 1:30am with an early morning just a few hours away.

Day 2 (10-28-2011)

The alarm went off early on Friday morning, we were up at 7am and ready for breakfast at Gaston’s by 8am.  Gaston’s breakfast has got to be the best thing going for hot breakfasts on the river, perfect for a hangover cure.  We were going to float from Wildcat Boat Ramp to Cotter, a float of about 7 miles or so.  We dropped the boats in, ran the shuttle and were on the water by about 10:30am.  We spent Thursday cursing the rain, but would spend Friday cursing the crowds and the high bright sun and bluebird skies.  The fishing was a bit slow today, although fish were caught on the usual suspects, Craig Peterson and David Stinnett tried to stick with streamers in my boat as long as they could.  When Craig tired, I turned the oars over to him and I pounded the bank with not even a follow.  We pulled off the river about 3pm and headed back to Bull Shoals State Park.  There was enough light left, and Dan Held and Paul Chausse were looking to try out the motor they bought for their drift boat so we decided to drop the boats back in at the Dam.  My boat was going to float from Dam to Gastons Boat Ramp and Dan and Paul were going to do multiple drifts in the State Park area.  Craig, David, and I had a great float and fish were caught.  I got to toss some streamers again with Craig on the oars and got some eats in the State Park with no fish landed before getting back on the sticks to float the rest of the way out with Craig and David fishing.  Craig was getting constant action on a Circus Peanut as soon as he was back in the game and it was an enjoyable way to finish out the day on the water.

We finished the day back at camp with bacon wrapped pork tenderloin, grilled potatoes, sweet corn, and an apple pie washed down with plenty of beer around the campfire.  All in all a great fall day on the river.

Day 3 (10-29-2011)

We got on the river early on Friday, having been talked into floating the Norfork River at the base of Lake Norfork Dam.  At the time we decided to do the float, they were running 1 unit of generation.  They were running 1 unit of generation for the early part of the float, but once we got through the Dock Hole, they shut the water off.

The Norfork was a new river for me to float, particularly at low water.  It was interesting to say the least.  Everyone caught fish and the fishing was better than it had been on the White the previous two days.  The river is more of a “river” in the traditional sense with riffle / run / pool type structure.  It was interesting to float in a few places and we definitely left a few new scratches on the boat bottoms from some direct hits on some of the rocks and chutes.  We actually had to get out and push the boat on 3 different occasions.  But again, the fishing was spectacular.  Craig was a brown trout shy of the Grand Slam having landed numerous cutthroat and rainbows, and picked up his lone brook trout in what used to be McClellan’s Hole (wow did that change from how I remember it…..need some streambank stabilization there).

They turned the water back on just as we were getting to the islands above Handicap Access and we were greeted by an easier float out and fish as well.  What was supposed to be numerous trips down the 4 1/2 mile river turned into 1 float that lasted about 9hrs.  It was a long day, but it was a good day.

Day 4 (10-30-2011)

With everyone having longer drives than us back to St. Louis, most everyone left early on Sunday morning.  Craig, Evan, David, and I used the opportunity to nurse some hangovers and sleep in, pack up, hit Gaston’s for breakfast and then head back to St. Louis (with David driving back to the Dallas area).  I am not sure how much was drank this weekend, but this trip was about fellowship just as much as it was the fishing.

It was a good trip, the kind that we used to do on an annual basis down on the White River.  I am fairly certain it will be a trip that is more frequent in the making based upon the comments from everyone this weekend.  Until the next time on the river….

Ringing in 2011 on the North Fork of the White River

2011-01-01pic004(Edited)(Resized)New Year’s Day found Brent McClane and I on the North Fork of the White River again, using Brian Wise’s drift boat.  Since we had an empty seat, we coaxed Arkansas fly-fishing guide extraordinaire Jimmy “T” Traylor to come up and fish with us for the day.  Jimmy had only been on the river once, and had yet to experience the beauty that is the North Fork of the White River; so we agreed to meet him at Patrick Bridge Access to drop a vehicle and then head back to River of Life Farm and start the float.

The morning started off COLD.  After floating and fishing in waders and long sleeve shirts on New Year’s Eve, we were in full winter fishing gear complete with gloves, hats, and permafleece.  It was definitely a change, and we figured the fishing would suck, and it was slower than the day before….but it was still better than any of us expected.

We were into fish in pretty much the same fast water runs, just not as plentiful as before, throwing brown rubber legs and dropping eggs or worms or another rubber legs off of it, when we came to one of our first runs of the day below ROLF and pulled the boat into an eddy to get out and wade fish it.  McClane and JimmyT eached picked up some fish and we were just about ready to move on when McClane wanted to change something up and kept giving us the “one more cast” look.  He immediately hooked up with a fish, although didn’t know if it was the current or the size of the fish he was feeling; but it was solid.  As he is fighting the fish, JimmyT reels up and starts to head back to the boat when he takes a spill in the river as I am pulling out the camera and hopping out of the boat.  We toss the net to McClane and I help get some dry clothes to JimmyT, as it was 22 degrees and not the time to be wet.  JimmyT was in dry clothes just about the time McClane landed the nice brown in the photos below.  It was his biggest fish on the North Fork of the White to date and a great way to start out the 2011 year.  We shot a few photos and released the fish and continued on our float.

We spent more time fishing the usual spots and unfortunately spent way too much time fishing above the Blair Bridge Access that we didn’t have enough daylight to really fish the sexy water from Blair to Patrick, it was getting dark and were cold and wet, so we paddled out most of the way to just below Patrick Bridge and started rigging down the boat and rods for the trip back to Gainesville and then St. Louis.

McClane headed up to grab the Durango and backed it down the trail, across the backwater, and onto the gravel bar and the trailer into the river when all of a sudden the transmission starts slipping and the Durango keeps going backwards and won’t stop.  McClane was able to get it stopped, but the damage was done….as it wouldn’t engage any of the gears.  It was 5pm on Saturday (a holiday) in the middle of the ozarks without a good way to tow it out and figure out what was going on.  McClane is a life-saver in these situations and we tried all his tricks from rocking the vehicle to rolling it backwards (but not to far back, as that would have put it in the river), but none of it worked.  With that, I called Brian Wise and gave him the bad news that I needed him to find me a tow truck to tow us off the gravel bar and he went to work.

About a 1/2 hour later, tow truck on scene, we were winched off the gravel bar and up into the parking lot, where the tow truck driver had to disconnect the drive axel and get it lifted to take to Earl’s Dodge and have the transmission looked at.  He gave me the bill, and I couldn’t get him them money quick enough and we were on our way back to River Of Life Farm to pack up our gear and figure out a way to get back to St. Louis.  Big thanks to JimmyT for driving McClane and I to Cabool, Missouri to meet up with my dad, who got us the rest of the way back to my house.  Without friends like Brian and Jimmy, this weekend would have been a disaster, but in the end fish were caught and it was a helluva way to start out the 2011 year.

As for the Durango, after waiting a week to have the transmission guy at Earl’s Dodge in West Plains look at it, deciding it needed a new transmission and getting the approximate cost of said transmission, I opted to trade it in on a 2007 Jeep Commander 4×4 with 37,000 miles and purchased a lifetime jeep warranty for it (transmission failures be damned).  The Durango was a great fishing vehicle, its 155,000 miles included two Missouri Trout Odyssey’s, trips to the Smokys, and countless trips to the tailwaters and streams of the Ozarks.  Rest in peace Durangoo…..and I hope the “Save a Trout, Eat a Beaver” bumper sticker lives on.

White River — January 5 – 7, 2007

White River — 01/05/07 – 01/07/07

This weekend was a trip to Arkansas that was really supposed to be a trip to the North Fork of the White River on an unofficial Southwestern Illinois College Fly Fishing Class reunion of sorts. Tim Biesendorfer, Brian Wise, and myself had agreed to help Jim Laing and Brad Eirling with the weekend in getting these guys pointed in the correct direction. But the rain god was not cooperating and due to flows of more than 1100cfs on the North Fork of the White combined with the fact that several of the people traveling to the river are relatively new to the sport and to wading in general the get together was postponed.

Tim and I had arranged to head down on thursday night prior to the trip being cancelled which meant I was looking at a 3 day weekend with a hall pass. I made some phone calls and within a day, Tim Biesendorfer, Brent McClane, Brian Greer and Dr. Joel Postema were all-in. I made arrangements to camp at Bull Shoals State Park, and everything was in motion.   Somewhere in the blur of packing for this trip, I got a call from Tim saying he couldn’t make it….but the trip must go on.

What you have to understand is that this was the first overnight fishing trip that McClane and I have joined forces on since TroutBum and in good fashion consistent with past performance McClane was late (but to be honest, so was I). We picked up Dr. Joel in St. Clair and were speeding in the Durango with the $400 pop-up in tow.   We arrived at the campground around 10pm on Thursday night and met up with Ken Richards www.JustFishinGuides.com) whom was going to share a camp with us prior to his guide trip on Saturday. Ken is recovering from cancer and is finally back behind the oars of his driftboat after a long battle.

We rose early on friday to the voice on the telephone telling us that 3 units were online on the White River and 2 units were running on the Norfork. Please remember this, as this was a consistent pattern for the weekend.  Ken offered to take Joel and I out in his drift boat if he got to fish too (which meant I got to row his drift boat). We put in at the ramp near the dam and floated down to White Hole Access. The fishing was fair as we were catching fish and missing alot of fish throwing streamers on sink tips. The fly of choice was a #10 BH Olive Krystal Wooly Bugger as I seemed to recieve the most interest in this fly with a ton of follows and missed strikes. No big fish to report for the day or high numbers, but an enjoyable day on the river. I did learn a ton on this day, such as the importance of back-rowing a drift boat. I also learned that a drift boat doesn’t move as easily as a pontoon boat but there was also alot more weight in the drift boat than on a pontoon, so I guess it was relative. Lastly, after floating and rowing in a drift boat on 4 units and actually seeing the water that we floated I vow never to go to Arkansas and leave my pontoon boat at home as it would be perfectly fine on this water.

Friday night was filled with an appearance by none other than JimmyT and the sacrificing of about 100 marinated shrimp on the BBQ along side of some bratwurst. Plenty of beer was drank between the 6 of us as we shared stories around the campfire.

Saturday morning was a blur as JimmyT had offered to take two of us out on the River.  Since Joel was an out-of-towner and Brent hadn’t fished with a local on Friday they got the call and Joel and Brent out on the river as Brian Greer and I had decided to check out some other river accesses and try and catch some low water. We were successful in hitting some other accesses and marking thier GPS coordinates but we were also able to teach a few fish a lesson in the process (albeit they were extremely small fish). We found some fish near the Cotter Access that were very willing to eat whatever was thrown at them and we felt kind of guilty as onlookers would watch us land 6″ fish after 6″ fish. We had a laugh about it and decided to check out Mountain View Fly Shop and then head back to camp. Joel and Brent also did well in the boat, and apparently each had missed thier chance with better than average fish.

Saturday night was filled with much of the same in terms of the consumption of beer, sharing of laughs, and the burning of wood…..and water generation.

Sunday morning we rose to more water generation and decided to throw in the towel and pack-up camp and head for home. We had a quick pit-stop in Gainesville, MO to have what could be quite possibly the world’s worst Philly Sandwich and what is definitely the world’s worst potato skins (they were steak fries covered in cheesewiz with Bac0 sprinkles). After dropping everyone off, I rolled into my driveway around 4pm on Sunday evening one tired puppy.
One final thought. I know that the Bull Shoals and Norfork dams are peaking facilities but why not try and give the fisherman a chance to see low water during a weekend. I believe that the Norfork has been running two units since before Jesus was born (I believe that is the proper phrase). And the guy that thinks it is funny to run 3 to 4 units during the day, then drop it to 1 unit at night, and back up to 3 to 4 units so there is not much of a chance to catch low water needs to be lashed with 12wt fly rods.

–Tucker