If That ain't Country...

  Last week a hot tip came in from a friend of mine that the hybrid striped bass were chasing shad in the evenings down at one of my favorite fishing holes.  After several texts and one phone call I felt a bit of responsibility to go down and try to catch a few so I could report back to him.  Fly fishing being my method of choice, I found myself without a suitable shad pattern with which to fish that evening.  I consulted several fellow fly fishers and decided I needed to tie some Lefty's Deceivers, a tried and true salt water pattern that has been used from coast to coast to catch all types of gamefish.  This simple pattern requires only a few materials to tie, including bucktail and most importantly saddle hackle which comes from a rooster.  After locating my tying materials I possessed everything but the hackle.  The closest fly shop with the hackle I needed is located about and hour away so I had to come up with another plan for obtaining the white hackle I needed to tie this pattern.  Fortunately we had a white rooster running around that was wearing the feathers I needed to complete my fly.  Since the camping season is upon us we needed to get rid of our loud roosters anyway, and Little Jerry would have to be the first to go.  After hunting down (not difficult) and dispatching Little Jerry I now had the feathers I needed for my flies, and some meat for the pot. 

 

 



  The next step was to turn Little Jerry, some bucktail, and a little flash into a suitable baitfish pattern that would hopefully fool a careless Hybrid into thinking it was just another shad.  Thirty minutes at the bench and I had several flies that I thought would do the trick.

 

 

 

    As I loaded a kayak and my rods into the truck I hoped that my work would soon pay off with the pull of a large fish on the end of my line.  I quickly arrived at my destination and was unloading my gear when a buddy of mine pulled up in his jet boat to see what I was up to.  After a quick conversation I threw my kayak in his boat and he delivered me upstream to a spot where he had seen some fish earlier in the day.  As I threw boat and gear out I noticed fish rising constantly in a shallow area just up from where I was delivered, with my curiosity being peaked I grabbed my flyrod and went to investigate.  As I quietly approached I soon realized there were hundreds of gar sitting over a shallow rocky area and they were constantly coming to the surface for a reason I could not yet understand.  As I watched the fish I realized that there was a huge mayfly hatch going on and I believe these fish were eating mayflies as they were swimming to the surface.  It is possible I am totally crazy, but this was the only explanation I could think of for this activity.   I tried in vain for 20 minutes to convince one of these gar to take my streamer, but think they really wanted a small mayfly imitation of which I had none. 

     I decided it was time to jump in the kayak and pursue my main quarry so I picked up my spinning rod with a swimming minnow and went searching for hybrids.  Fly fishing from a kayak in moving water is an activity that is somewhat difficult, so when I fish for the temperate basses, which typically school, I like to use a spinning reel to find the fish, and then switch to my fly rod once I have them dialed in.  This day I quickly hooked in to a medium sized hybrid and after fighting it for a few minutes it came off leaving me nothing but a straightened hook on my jig head.  Sadly I had just straightened the hook back up, and while I knew I would be better served to put on a new jig, laziness won out and I ultimately got what I deserved.  I drifted back through this spot with the fly rod to no avail and then grabbed the spinning rod again, this time replacing the old straightened jig.  I drifted on down and picked up a white bass on the swimmin' minnow, and re-drifted this section several more times to no avail.  The reports I had received told me that as I continued down I should start seeing some hybrids busting shad on the surface as the evening wore on.  I continued to drift and cast with my spinning gear, picking up a couple more white bass and one small hybrid, but I wasn't encountering the type of fishing I needed to totally commit to the fly rod.  As I continued to drift through the cold drizzle I had high hopes that the area I was now in was going to give me the action I was looking for.  Just as I was beginning to wonder if any fish would reveal their whereabouts the surface erupted with a shower of shad, followed by the splashes of their larger pursuers.  I quickly paddled to where I had last seen the activity grabbed my flyrod and made a long cast to this area.  My first few casts were retrieved much to fast to allow the fly to get down to the fish, so after taking a deep breath and settling down a bit I placed a cast back into the water and let my sink tip do its job for a few seconds.  Slow steady strips were suddenly interrupted by a violent yank at the end of my line.  I quickly set the hook and worked feverishly to get the fish on the reel so I could take advantage of the smooth drag of my Redington Delta reel.  As soon as I had my slack reeled up this fish let me know it was no run of the mill White Bass.  Line began singing out from the reel as the Hybrid began peeling off line in typical fashion.  The thump, thump headshake fight of a healthy hybrid is unmistakable as they dig for the depths and then run circles around the boat.  A five minute fight ensued as I was pulled around the lake in my kayak working to keep the fish from getting into the rocks, and then keeping it out from under the boat.  Eventually the fish tired and I was able to bring it to the boat.  I let out a victorious holler as my largest hybrid on fly was brought to hand.  A fat 21" hybrid was my reward for the effort I had put forth throughout the day, but the night was still young.   

    I continued to drift through the area this hybrid had been caught, but it appeared as though the school had moved on.  As I began to wonder if my luck had run out another surface eruption occurred not 30 yards from my position.  A quick cast in this direction and I was once again hooked up to a fish.  Line cleared and slack reeled up I soon realized this fish was not of the same caliber as the last one so I quickly horsed in what was a small white bass.  Disappointed I quickly released the fish, repositioned myself, and placed a cast back in the area where the school of fish was last seen.  Luckily the school had not yet moved on and my next cast was met with another vicious strike that I immediately knew was another nice fish.  This fish seemed stronger than the first big one, and I struggled to control the boat and keep the fish off the rocks while I attempted to take some video of the fight.  I soon abandoned the video idea as I knew this might be a new personal best hybrid on fly.  This fish made run after run, and while I kept him close to the boat I could not get the fish to the surface.  Several times I was able to get the start of my 4 foot leader out of the water but still could not see the fish.  After a fight which probably tired me out more than the fish I was finally able to lay eyes on what would be measured as a 23" hybrid which I would guess weighed somewhere in the 7 pound range.  

  



 

 

By this time I was worn out, but still wanting more.  The surface action had stopped and a few more drifts through the hot spots were left unrewarded.  By this time the dark skies were going black and I decided to paddle back up to the truck and call it a day.  I have had many rewarding fishing trips over the years, but I think this one will always stick out as one of my favorites.  I feel blessed to be able to go out and collect my own materials, put them on a hook and turn them into a fish that I will remember as a trophy.  Many people mistakenly think of fly fishing as kind of a snobby, city man's sport, but if this day's activities ain't country you can kiss my ass.

 



One to Remember

For the last few days I have been pressure washing the back deck at the Landing.  It has been a slow process since there have been football games to watch, floaters to return to Sunburst, intermittent rain showers, and a tempermental pressure washer that tends to die for no reason.  Yesterday after fighting the pressure washer for an hour or so I decided to quit and try a little fly fishing in the riffle just above our take-out.  The riffles on the lower end of the river are quite different from those in the blue ribbon section.  Down here many riffles consist of a limestone ledge running across the river with a series of runs from bank to bank.  Right now many of these runs can be fished because the river is low enough to wade through some of them to get to the next one.  This must be done with caution and more often than not I end up on my keister at least once during the day.  I waded up the riffle yesterday throwing a streamer/popper from feathercraft given to me by Brian Wise (I believe it is called a femme fatale).  Anyway, I had a few small fish hit it on the surface but switched to a nymph when I reached the best runs.  Looking at my boxes I decided on Brandon's Turkey Tail Nymph, which he insists is one of his best creations.  I typically don't fish other people's flies since I too enjoy creating my own, but for some reason the Turkey Tail was calling to me.

This fly will not win any beauty contests, but after less than an hour of fishing it yesterday I can attest to it's effectiveness.  My best fish was a fat 15" rainbow in addition to another small bow, and 3 browns that were probably last year's stockers.  Nothing to write home about, but not too bad for less than an hour of fishing.

Today I awoke to a warm, yet drizzly day.  After getting the kids ready for school Amy dropped them off on her way north to pick up some sheep.  Finding myself alone with the weather too poor for any outdoor work related activities, I decided to head back to the Landing and explore the riffles below the take-out.  I had never fished these riffles and really didn't remember how they were set up.  The first set afforded several nice runs and I quickly caught a small brown on the Turkey Tail.  This fish (and those caught yesterday) hit when the sun was out.  Once the sun was hidden behind the clouds it seemed as if this nymph lost it's effectiveness.  After struggling for a while with the Turkey tail I switched to a yellow beadhead princelike nymph that I enjoy tying.

  By this time I had worked my way to the end of this series of runs where I found a nice ledge.  A well placed cast presented the fly along this ledge and I was rewarded with a swift take on the first drift.  I could immediately tell this was a better fish seeing a large flash as the brown headed for deeper water.  After getting the fish on the reel a short battle of give and take resulted in the landing of a somewhat skinny 17" male brown trout.

Several more casts and the fly was lost so I decided to move on in search of the next riffle which I could hear just around the bend.  While walking downstream I found a large root wad blocking my way along the side of the river.  The current had dug out the gravel around this root wad leaving some nice exposed boulders below the surface.  I quickly tied on a Pat's rubberlegs and small dropper and tossed it in amongst the boulders.  I could immediately see several fish come out to investigate, and a small twitch resulted in the first of 2 green sunfish.

After quickly releasing this fish I caught another and then hooked a small bluegill on the dropper, which would be a fly that would produce a number of brown trout in the next run.

Walking toward the next riffle I continued casting a rubberlegs with the dropper as the water was relatively deep and had some large rocks here and there.  One rock looked particularly inviting and a cast just above it produced a nice spotted bass that had several friends with it as I brought it to hand.

Up to this point despite catching a few dinks around the root wad and adding a spotted bass to my creel, the trout fishing had been relatively slow.  Little did I know that the last riffle of the day would change my outlook on the trip.  With the current ripping through small seams across a slippery limestone bottom I had my eye on the main channel located on the opposite side of the river.  Several casts to smaller seams produced nothing as I carefully picked my way across the rocky bottom toward my destination.  I set up on a side channel and began working my rig along submerged rocks and channel edges.  The current here is fast with some of the water being quite deep, large rocks split the current in several places and getting a good drift can be a challenge.  For the hour or so that I fished this 30 yards of stream it seemed as if I could predict which casts were going to catch fish.  I first had to make sure I was in a secure position so as not to fall, I would then determine where I thought the fish would be.  It would then usually take me a cast or two to figure out how I needed to mend to get the proper drift through the area.  Many times a downstream mend was required on half of the fly line and an upstream mend on the other as some of the casts were longer than one would like to make.  More often than not a good drift resulted in a willing brown trout grabbing my fly and putting up a valiant fight in this strong current.  After catching several 12 inchers on the rubberlegs I considered taking off the dropper since they didn't seem to want it.  I had however missed several fish which I assumed had taken the smaller dropper so I decided to leave it on.  Fish after fish continued to eat up and down this riffle and soon I was catching them on both the rubberlegs and the dropper.  Eventually the fishing slowed so I added some weight to see if I was missing a few fish that were sitting deeper.  Sure enough I began picking up fish again, although the added weight soon cost me my dropper.  Fishing on with only the rubberlegs I returned to a boulder where I had seen a larger fish flash a time or two.  Hoping the added weight would change my luck with this fish I laid a cast into some slower water between two runs.  A few mends and my indicator dove for the bottom.  A quick lift of the rod and a nice brown was airborn for a split second before heading downstream.  I knew this was a nice fish after seeing it jump, but after getting her on the reel I began to wonder if it was bigger than I thought.  One big run downstream with the drag screaming and I eventually stopped her bringing her to hand after a few minutes.  I did not measure this fish, but it was a nice fat 17-18" sow brown that I failed to get a picture of due to the difficulty of the wading in the spot where she was caught.  After unhooking her I gently revived her for a minute or so and as I lifted my rod to cast I was surprised to find a nice 12" largemouth chewing on my rubberlegs.  A few more 12-13" browns and I was worn out and ready to head back to the Landing for some lunch.

After the rain we had last night the river is now rising and the runs where I caught these fish should be unreachable to the wade fisherman by morning.  All we can hope is that the higher water will move them out of the main channel and into some of those side seams where another angler can have the kind of success that made this day one to remember.

Great Summer at SBR

     Well it's official, we have survived another busy summer at Sunburst Ranch.  This, our ninth summer, was by far the driest, hottest summer we have endured yet.  Thanks to our loyal patrons it was successful despite less than ideal conditions.  The river dropped to levels that had seldom been seen since the fifties, and even so getting out and walking could be avoided by careful paddling, and packing coolers that weren't too full of beer (some had to walk a litttle). 


     Those of you who did the shorter float are aware that we now have our own private takeout downstream and no longer have to put up with the zoo that is Dawt Mill.  Located halfway between James Bridge and Dawt, floaters only miss one small riffle, and then the dead water that is the mill pond.  This spring's small flood (or a landowners chainsaw) put an end to the rope swing just above Dawt so our takeout does not affect that once popular stopping point.  With a large gravel bar and covered pavillion, Sunburst Landing proved to be a big hit with floaters who enjoyed swimming or relaxing in the shade while waiting to be picked up for the short ride back to Sunburst. 

 
  Amy and I always enjoy seeing many of our favorite campers each summer, as well as those new campers that will hopefully be back.  I was surprised by several of my high school buddies this year, and Amy and I both had other friends and family come visit which we enjoy very much.  Hope you all had a chance to make it down this year, and if not we still have a few months of good weather before things get too cold.  Hopefully the rain will keep coming and the fishing will be good again this fall and winter.

Next year will be our tenth summer so stay tuned as we hope to have a customer appreciation weekend with a band and good food.  Big Smith is no longer together so it looks like we will have to find someone new this time around.

Eli's First Deer

Some may think that 8 years old is too young for a child to become a deer hunter. Most who live in the rural Ozarks would argue that 8 years old is getting a late start. Either way, this year Eli finally talked me into letting him pursue his quarry armed with more than just a BB gun. Being somewhat skittish of loud noises from a young age I had my doubts about Eli actually enjoying the firing of a high powered rifle. Being rather frugal I decided to borrow a rifle from a friend this year to make sure Eli would take to the sport. Friend and fellow campground owner Craig Pettit offered up his .221 fireball (which his son had used the previous 2 years) for Eli to use this year. A week before youth season Eli and I met Craig in his campground for a little target practice, and to see how Eli took to the shooting. After getting set up with a rest and using several cushions and a block of wood to get him up to the proper height the young prospective hunter was ready for his first shot. Ear muffs secured upon his tiny head, crosshairs were centered on the target. "Gently squeeze the trigger when you are right on the red dot" we instructed. The shot rang out along the river valley, and Eli was up quickly. Turning away from us, Craig and I feared he was going to take to the hills running after his first shot. As he turned toward us we were relieved to see and smile on his face as he was ready to examine the target. Half and inch to the right of the bulls eye at 50 yards was his reward, and the groundwork was now set for what would turn out to be the demise of a careless doe. Throughout the week leading up to youth season we spent time target practicing and talking about shot placement. A ground blind was placed in the woods for our hunt, and Eli was even able to watch several deer in his scope one evening on the shooting range.

Finally opening day was upon us, and we met the morning with much anticipation. I had moved the ground blind the previous day to a place we had seen deer crossing on the previous two mornings. They had crossed about 30 minutes after sunrise so we decided to get to the blind 15 minutes before it began to get light. After watching the woods come to life as light filtered through the oaks we were startled by the warning wheeze of several deer back behind us. With the wind at our favor, and no windows on the back side of the blind, the deer must have noticed the blind and recognized it as being something out of place. I was afraid of this, but knowing the deer traveled this route I couldn't resist the temptation to try this spot. Unable to find a good spot to conceal ourselves in this area we relocated the blind to a new spot for the following hunts. Walking to the blind that evening we quietly watched as a lone doe passed in front of us unaware of our presence. Too far for a shot from the small caliber rifle, but a good sign. That evening was uneventful with the typical sightings of squirrels, and a chipmunk that nearly came in the blind with us, but no deer. Day 2 was met with renewed hope due to our new blind placement. Just as the day before we again heard the blowing of several cautious deer behind the blind, but no deer were seen. Fearing Eli was beginning to get discouraged I was happy to see the evening hunt was still a high priority, although I was starting to wonder if success would elude us. After getting settled in the blind once again, we sat quietly for a while and I could see Eli's thoughts were beginning to wander. Armed with the Ipod touch for a distraction, I encouraged Eli to play a few games while we waited. Another hour passed and then I spotted it. Coming slowly toward the opening in the woods where we were set up a doe grazed slowly along the path. I pointed out the doe to Eli and we readied the gun in case we were awarded a shot. I had placed a bench and some blocks in the blind so Eli would have a solid rest from which to shoot. As the doe slowly came into range the gun was steadied on the blocks and Eli firmly pressed it to his shoulder. At 30 yards Eli easily got the deer in his scope and I instructed him on relaxing and making a good shot. As he slipped the gun off safety I urged him to put it behind her shoulder for the shot. "What's a shoulder" he replied. My heart sank, what had our week of training done, the time spent aiming at my archery deer target, watching live deer through his scope, had he learned nothing? Slowly I talked him through this and felt he understood, I then told him to put it on her shoulder and when he was steady he could shoot. No sooner had I finished my sentence than BANG he had taken the shot and the deer was gone. I had seen the deer buckle at the shot and knew he had made a good hit, but being unfamiliar with the small caliber rifle I decided we would give the deer some extra time, just in case. We walked back to my in-laws cabin told the story to the family and watched the video I had taken. After 30 minutes we were back in the woods and while finding no blood we found the deer down not 30 yards from where it was shot. After field dressing and hanging the deer in the barn youth season had come to a successful end.

The next week was spent eating backstraps cooked on the grill (twice) as well as deer tacos, deer chili, and deer meatloaf. With each meal of venison that Amy served you could see the pride Eli took in providing for the family. I could not have been more proud, and was probably more excited than Eli when he finally achieved his goal. I spent the regular firearms season "hunting horns" with Eli in a buddy tree stand, and while we could have shot many does only a few bucks presented themselves. One decent 8 point came in behind us not offering a shot, and the bucks that did offer a shot Eli decided he would let walk since I told him they weren't big enough to put on the wall. We will have one more chance with a late youth season in January, but even if we don't get out during that time we have had a successful year in which Eli learned to become a responsible deer hunter.

Shocking with MDC

This week the Missouri Department of Conservation is conducting their yearly trout sampling on the North Fork River. I was fortunate enough to be asked to join them for their first day of sampling on the upper stretch of trout water. We put in at Kelly Shoals and they went upstream to Lamb Shoals where they started the sample. Hundreds of rainbows were sampled with the biggest being about 22". We also sampled smallmouth which showed up in mass with good numbers of fish between 12-17 inches. We ended the sampling just below ROLF where we got the biggest fish of the day a 26" brown. Several other browns over 20" were also sampled, as well as quite a few bows between 15-18". The young of year rainbows were few and far between, which does not surprise me considering the low water we had last winter during the rainbow trout spawn. It was a fun, yet backbreaking day, clipping fins and measuring fish. Gives me a new perspective on how many fish are in this river, and how few I catch in relation to what is there.

Fishing at Sunburst (fantasy Island)

Here is some video I shot around the island here at Sunburst Ranch. I hope to do more of this on the river so you can get your river fix even in the winter!

Nice Day at Dry Run Creek

The kids had last Friday off so Eli and I decided to head to Dry Run Creek for a few hours. For those who are not fishermen, Dry Run Creek is an area below the dam at Norfork Lake that is reserved for children or handicapped people. It is full of trout and has been landscaped with the best interest of the fishermen and fish in mind. This is a great place to introduce a child to fly fishing, and Quarry Park is located just across the highway so Mom or Dad can fish after the children are worn out. I am trying to include a link to video from that day, but having a little trouble. I couldn't get a direct link, but if you copy and paste this next line to your address bar it will take you right to it. Sorry I'm technically challenged.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdhaZsRGWQM

Wonderful Weather for Whites and Wise

Thursday morning I received a call from friend and guide Brian Wise wondering if I had time to go chase some White Bass over on Bryant Creek that afternoon. We have been trying to put together a trip like this for years so I said sure and hopped on the mower to quickly finish up the remainder of this weeks mowing. A 1:00 rendezvous brought me to Tecumseh where Brian met me, leaving his truck and trailer at the ramp and hopping in for the ride back up to his boat. We arrived at Cook's Landing and after loading the boat and drinking a beer we warmed up our casting arms briefly before setting off for more productive waters. A drift through the mill pond rewarded us with a few carp and walleye sightings but no takers. We eventually floated down through a hole or two and after switching up streamers Brian found the one they had been looking for. Naturally it was one of a kind, and the only one we had so I proceeded to watch him catch several keeper whites and a nice largemouth before we jumped back in the boat and headed downstream. Being the gentleman Brian is he lent me his rod as we drifted through the next hole and I was finally able to get the skunk off with the smallest white of the day. Proceeding downstream we witnessed groups of whites spawning in the shoals but those fish were interested in only one thing and it wasn't eating. Below the spawning shoal we found the fish that were willing to bite staging up in a short run and Brian pulled several fish out while I managed one on a white zonker and one on a prototype streamer that may end up in production later in the year. With a nice stringer of fish in the boat we set out toward the forks as the sun sank towards the horizon. We rounded the bend toward Tecumseh and saw fish breaking the surface near the bank. I masterfully delivered the perfect cast (not hard with splashing white bass all around) and was rewarded with a nice sow to end the day. This was the first time I had pursued whites without my spinning gear along as a crutch and I must say it was much more rewarding than throwing swimming minnows at them. Thanks mainly to Brian I ended up taking home ten nice fly rod whites some of which were fried last night with fresh morels, and a few which made a wonderful fish sandwich for today's lunch.

The Legend of "Happy Ending"

Within the crystal clear waters flowing in front of Sunburst Ranch lurks a monster that only a few have been fortunate enough to see. Prior to April this fish had only been seen lurking amongst the shadows preying on unsuspecting baitfish and crawdads. Occasionally fishermen might see a flash and feel a quick tug only to be disappointed by a missed hookset or sudden breakoff. Last Friday this denizen of the deep would meet his match as gladiator of the fly fishing world Chris Conant would be treading on his territory. Armed with only a fly rod Chris would hook, and eventually bring to hand this legendary trout. A glorious trout wearing a suit of gold adorned with brown jewels and white accents had finally been conquered. My sharp ears were able to pick up the sounds of a skirmish occurring on this field of battle, and I arrived in time to witness the culmination of a vicious fight. I congratulated Chris on his victory and watched as the ousted king returned to his lair. Following this release Chris announced that his week long campaign would end now as no further battles were needed.

Fast forward five days and welcome the arrival of a new gladiator from the other side of Missouri. Kevin Keens had been on a successful week long quest throughout the state of Missouri in search of legendary trout. While a successful campaign had taken place, Kevin decided to go looking for one final battle prior to heading home. Several nice fish had been brought to hand that morning when a jarring strike reinvigorated our weary warrior. An epic battle ensued ending in a well earned victory for Kevin, albeit at least 100 yards downstream from the front lines. I was once again summoned to the river so record of this monumental battle could be burnt in film for further generations to enjoy. As this 23 1/2 " monster was released Kevin raised his fly rod in victory announcing this too would be the final battle of his campaign. As the only one to witness both defeated opponents I am left wondering if this could possibly be the same fish. One would think a king such as this would not fall prey twice in the same week, but the size of the fish and location thereof lead me to believe this could be the case. We will never know for sure if this is the same fish or not but we do know both were released unharmed and continue to prowl the run in front of Sunburst Ranch. Hopefully the next few weeks will provide more battles in his home waters adding to the lore of the fish we now call "Happy Ending".

Freedom!

As I sit here this morning with sore buttocks and shins the memories of a warm wonderful Sunday will hopefully remain fresh in my mind even as a cold Spring breeze blows everything else away. Somehow until yesterday I had not managed to teach my 7 year old son to ride a bike without training wheels. It seems like we took the training wheels off years ago, but a few quick lessons had gone unfinished. As I watched him play his DS yesterday morning something made me decide that today was the day. I asked Eli if he wanted to learn to ride his bike today to which he unenthusiastically replied sure, and off we went. Part of the reason I have been reluctant to teach him to ride is our lack of a good smooth surface on which to learn. This day we started on the gravel road in front of the campground and then progressed to the slight downward grade in front of the log cabin. This spot is on packed grass and is quite bumpy, but provided a soft landing for crashes, while the downhill start provided increased speed for easier balancing. Amazingly, within 10-15 minutes of me helping him to balance he was off and riding. We continued to walk to the base of the hill for easier starts, and within and hour or so he was taking off on his own, and swirving up and down the campground running into the fence twice, the truck once, and the four wheeler several times. The art of breaking still has not been mastered, but I have witnessed good form when bailing off the back of the bike just before big downhill crashes were to occur. Surprisingly I think I feel more beat up today than Eli does from bending over to help him balance and running along side him on those first solo flights. Looks like he may be more coordinated than his old man, seems like I remember more blood, tears, and frustration when I was discovering my freedom.

Winter's Big Project

We have been staying somewhat busy catering to fishermen this winter, but between relaxing and everyday chores we have found time to work on expanding the campstore. The addition will more than double the size of the current "showroom" and will be air conditioned. This new space should add to the available items in the campstore and will also house the highly anticipated Dead Drift Fly Shop. This will greatly increase opportunities for fly fishermen who venture to the North Fork River in search of wild rainbow and monster brown trout. I have been putting together a website for the fly shop and would encourage you to check it out at deaddriftflyshop.net

I have done some fishing this winter and while the river is the lowest I have ever seen it the fishing has still been good. Lots of small rainbows caught on eggs as well as a few decent sized ones coming more often on nymphs. Great time to check out the river and see the bottom better than you have in the past. Bookings for the cabins and RV's are coming in hot and heavy (very few weekends available for the riverhouse all summer). Call early and often to ensure you get your favorite spot and shuttle time. Look forward to spring and another busy summer. Hopefully I'll have some more things to write about in the upcoming weeks and months, I've been uninspired as of late but plan on sharing some more river happenings as the weather warms.

Fall fishing is HOT!

I have only fished a couple times in the last two weeks, but each time have been rewarded with about 6 fish per hour. The water is low and clear and the wading is as easy as it gets on this river. The algae is starting to die off but you will still hook some when you are on the bottom. Caught the pictured brown yesterday afternoon and the coloration and condition of this fish makes me think it may be a "wild" brown. Just a gorgeous fish with white on it's fins and some of the reddest spots I have seen. This fish jumped and fought like a rainbow, and until I got it to me I thought it was just a dark colored bow. Been catching most of my fish on a size 8 rubberlegs type fly that I tie with peacock herl at the head, and a little something special added to the chenille. Olive has been best for the rainbows, while the orangish brown has been best for the browns. Yellow has caught both. I started by dropping a hare's ear from it and caught a few bows on it, but didn't seem to help me catch more fish so took it off to lessen the algae catch. With no rain in the forecast looks like conditions will be like this for a while. Great time to come give it a try as wading conditions are a little easier than many times of the year. The fish are fighting really hard and jumping often with the cooler water, and the leaves should begin to change in the next couple weeks adding a little more incentive to come give it a try.

Enjoying the Bounty of Nature

With the popularity of all of the survival shows on the Discovery Channel it has many of us thinking how we might do if we were stranded in the wilderness and had to survive on our own. If I were stuck anywhere I think along an Ozark stream this time of year would be my best chance for survival. With fish biting, young dumb squirrels gathering nuts for winter, and many edible fruits and fungi ripening I think I could live for quite some time right now armed with a flyrod and a .22 rifle. A few days ago Amy found several different kinds of edible mushrooms growing as well as many paw paws ripening on the trees. In addition walnuts and hickory nuts are also falling adding another enjoyable edible seed to the mix. The mushrooms found their way into a pasta dish last night, and today we hope to find some more so we can add them to the deep fryer when we fry the suckers we hope to gig this evening. What a great time to be a hillbilly!

Good summer at Sunburst Ranch

As the season winds down we are once again able to take a deep breath here in Southern Missouri. Both kids are now in school with Eli turning 7 on Sunday and Molly 5 years old and in Kindergarden. The summer was hot and fairly dry with very few rainy weekends, what rain we did have on weekends was relatively quick and then gone. Weekday buisness was steady and our new rental RV's went over well, being full every weekend and quite a bit during the week. The hot weather really helped cabin rentals during the week as people did not want to sleep outside with lows in the 80's. Campers were very well behaved for the most part, we had a few noise complaints but were not called in the middle of the night at all this year (that's a first). We continue to have more and more repeat customers which allows us to weed out the bad eggs and send them elsewhere. As we look toward off season projects our major renovation will be to expand the campstore. Amy is looking forward to having a bigger (air conditioned) space to show off here wares, and I am looking forward to having an area designated for fishing supplies. Each year we are getting more and more fishermen which helps extend our season later into the year, and starts it off earlier in the spring. Another project will be to put a deck on the back of the riverhouse which overlooks the river, and that paired with last years riverhouse renovations will make it a really great rental house every month of the year. I have added a wood stove in the great room which really heats up a space that before always stayed cold in the winter. With the fireplace and propane heater in the other living room the riverhouse now stays toasty warm even on the coldest nights. We are kicking around the idea of renting the riverhouse like a trout lodge in the winter allowing people to rent it per person, with several groups being able to rent it at the same time. The whole place can still be rented for $150 per night, but also offering it by the person if it is not yet rented might keep it full more in the winter. Let me know what you think about this idea, with 2 bedrooms and 2 living rooms I think there would be plenty of space for like minded trout fisherman to coexist.

Trout fishing has been outstanding the last few weeks, I've been out at least once a week for the last 3 weeks and have been catching several fish per hour every time out. Last night caught 3 rainbows and 1 brown in an hour, and a few weeks ago landed a 21 3/4 " brown on Eli's 4 wt (see picture). That evening was my first time out in months and with my leaders in shambles I decided to use Eli's rod which had good leader and tippet. I hooked this fish right in front of the house and was quickly taken down to my backing. In typical brown trout style he dug deep and bulldogged around doing as he pleased. With no net I was finally able to follow him into shallow water where I could scoop him out, get a few quick pictures and send him on his merry way, one of my biggest fish ever on the smallest rod I have.

We've still been putting a few people out almost every day with Saturdays being 20-30 canoes, but the river has been very quiet and most days I have been seeing less that 5 canoes go by. Great time to get out on the river if you are looking for a nature fix. Hopefully with the rain we have been having it will lead to a colorful fall and not wash the colors out, it has sure been good for the river.

Wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!

Hope everyone who was here for the weekend had a good time. The weather was as good as possible for the weekend with highs in the mid 80's and only a little shower around McKee Bridge on Sunday. The campground was very mellow for the holiday weekend and we kept away trouble makers by charging $14 to camp if you were not renting canoes. People ask why we do this and it is primarily to keep the campground from filling up with people that come here when they see that the free campgrounds are full. This makes for a better experience for those of you who pay us good money to camp and canoe for the entire weekend. This is also the reason that if you bring your own canoes and don't pay us to shuttle you pay the higher camping rate. If you are willing to pay that rate we are more than happy to accomodate you, but generally we come close to filling the campground with people who are renting canoes, and with only about 14 busy weekends we have to make hay while the sun shines. The river was rather laid back as well with water patrol saying they had no major problems all weekend. For those looking for a good weekend to camp I think Memorial Day (at least on the North Fork) is one of the best. One of the next best is 4th of July. Our biggest weekends are the weekend before and after the holiday weekend, with the 4th usually being our slowest of the summer. I think everyone avoids the holiday thinking it will be packed, and it ends up being pretty slow. The three day weekends usually have a few groups that stay all weekend, with many people from nearby staying Friday and Saturday, and those from farther away coming Saturday and staying until Monday. This spreads out the same number of boats we would normally do on a Saturday over 3 days which makes the river seem relatively empty. Looks like we have a nice weather weekend coming up again with a few tent and RV spots left. Weekend after that is full, and it should stay just about as busy through July. Hope to see everyone soon. Oh yeah, fishing was good all weekend even with the boat traffic!

Where the EFF is Greg?

Things here are picking up trying to get ready for the upcoming holiday weekend. I have included a link to a blog from a camper writing about his adventure last weekend here on the North Fork. I was going to write a blog on it myself, but he did such a good job, and had more details to share, so I will let him tell you the story. Please take the time to go and read this, just another story from the river, and this time it is not because of drugs or alcohol that things went awry. Hope you enjoy the story, I sure did! Why a picture of one of our lambs, cause it's so cute, that's why (He'll sure be tasty this fall)

http://web.me.com/backcountry/altitude/Camp_Blog/Entries/2010/5/21_North_Fork.html

Great Fishing!

Here is the latest report from our friend Chris. This came from last weekend.

It seems like every time I go down to the North Fork of the White the fishing gets better and better. The fish god's have shined on me on recent trips. Yesterday I had the pleasure of taking my friends Melvin and Deborah from Jefferson City. Each year I donate a trip in my drift boat for the Capital City Fly fishers Banquet. This is the Mid Missouri FFF chapter. It's my opportunity to play guide for a day with some good friends and raise money for a good cause. Thanks to the generosity and hospitality of Sunburst Ranch, this trip went off without a hitch. I was debating on floating the upper or lower and decided on the lower to get away from crowds. Turned out to be a good choice. We put in at Patrick 9:00 AM and floated until about 6:00 to James Bridge. Overcast skies and flows were around 750 CFS. The day started off great on Pat's Rubberlegs and didn't stop all day. Pat's were the MVP and quite a few on Shop Vac and RU Experienced Caddis Pupa patterns. We nymphed all day and caught more fish than I have ever boated before on the NFOW! The fishing was unreal, it seemed like every likely spot was holding at least one fish that wanted to eat. Melvin and Deborah had multiple doubles throughout the day. One of the lessons from the day was that on lower flows which I would classify 750 as beginning to be "lower" fishing can still be great but overcast skies are the key factor. At the end of the day when the fishing was over, I told Melvin and Deborah that the good news was that we had an Epic Day but the bad news was that it may not happen again for quite some time. Tight Lines,Chris Gates

The only way to have days like this is to get out and try. When you come down please listen to my advice, not that I am a pro, but if you are not experienced on this river you will struggle (like I did when I first started) if you don't do things a certain way! I will share anything I can with you so please ask.

2.06 Inches of Fish per Minute

Remember that you heard it here first. The new Sunburst System for reporting fishing success. I have come up with this system which takes fish size as well as the number of fish caught and puts them in an easy to understand format for determining fishing success, expressed as inches of fish per minute. This system won't get me rich or famous but should soon be taught in schools along with the Dewey Decimal system, and New York's public transportation system. You may ask how this system came into existence, keep reading and you'll find out.

It all started yesterday at about 15:45. My mowing was done, Amy and Molly were in town and I found myself with 45 free minutes before the school bus was due to arrive with Eli. I could either relax and catch the last half of Dr. Phil or sneak down for a little fishing in front of the house. Fishing it was! I quickly donned my waders, grabbed my rod and camera and headed to slippery riffle for a few minutes of chucking and ducking. I entered the water at around 15:55 and on my third drift hooked and landed a 12" brown. At this point it was 15:58 and I was off to a blistering pace of 4" fpm. After a quick release I continued nymphing down this quick run and several minutes later was brought to attention by an explosive take. Now I have caught hundreds of trout a few over 20", but this fish hit like no other I can remember. It took the fly with such force that I immediately looked down to make sure I didn't have my fly line wrapped around anything and as I did so I heard a thunderous splash. With fly line cleared I looked up to see a tsunami headed my way. Granted, this was not a large tsunami, but anytime a fish throws a wave like this when it jumps you must have something good. Wishing I would have seen the creature jump, my mind was racing wondering what was on the other end of my line. Lime green fly line tore off my Galvan reel as my quarry once again showed itself. Shooting out of the water like Shamu at Sea world was the biggest brown trout I had ever seen hooked to my fly. As the fish entered the water it once again took off peeling line as it went. In typical brown trout style this fish settled in the deepest swiftest current and bulldogged it's way around slowly taking back line that I had worked so hard to gain. After a few minutes I fought the fish onto the shallow shelf where I was standing. She quickly showed that this was not where she wanted to be, once again taking off like a bonefish on the flats, again shooting out of the water in an attempt to free herself. This tug of war would go on for what seemed like an hour, and with no net several attempts at grabbing the fish were met with disappointment. Eventually this athlete tired, as did the fish and I was able to bring her to hand. I luckily had a tape measure and camera in my waders and quickly snapped a picture and took a measurement. My worthy opponent, a beautiful female brown trout, measured right at 23" and while I didn't get a girth measurement she was fat, looking like a rugby ball each time she lept from the river. My fishing officially ended at 14:12 only 17 minutes after the trip had started, half of this time spent fighting the biggest trout of my life. Catching 2 fish while waiting for the bus didn't seem that impressive to me, but catching 35 inches of fish in 17 minutes did. While I don't plan on getting a patent for the Sunburst System I hope this blog will make it's way to the history books in the near future as the story that popularized a new way of measuring fishing success.

Big Stones = Lots of Fish!

Took a float in Steve's drift boat with Amy and the kids on Good Friday, and absolutely wore the fish out. I think I even commented to Amy that the fishing was "off the hook" whatever that means. Doesn't seem to be a good phrase to be used when fishing. We put in at Patrick Bridge at about 1200 cfs and Amy had two fish by the time we reached the big island above Riverside. Stopping there for lunch I grabbed a rod and immediately brought in a 13" brown. Two drifts later a beautiful par marked "wild brown" was landed, and within another 10 minutes I had caught a total of 4 more browns up to 15", with several others spitting the hook. The fishing slowed and I decided to eat a sandwich. As I played in the river with the kids we started flipping rocks to see what bugs might be around and under the first rock was a large stone fly larvae. I showed it to Amy and the kids, and we commented on how this must be why the fish were so turned on to the large stonefly imitation we were using. I put the fly back in the water and soon was wishing I would have taken a picture. Not long after, Eli asked me to come over because he had found a "crawdad or something". It was another big stonefly and this time we took the opportunity to get it on film. After an hour or so of playing on the island we set off amidst a flotilla of canoes. Wondering if the canoers would spook the fish we soon had our answer as Amy caught several nice browns drifting in front of Riverside. Battling 20+ mph gusts I worked to row and Amy worked to cast, but every 10 minutes or so our efforts were rewarded with fish after fish falling victim to the fly. By the time we reached James Bridge Amy had boated at least a dozen browns and two rainbows, with many others coming unbuttoned before we could net them. The kids had fun netting a few fish and Amy had fun catching fish after fish. Overall a wonderful day on the river with the family, who knows how many fish we could have caught if fishing had been the number one priority.

Bryant Creek White Bass

A couple weeks ago my father-in-law found a barely used "white river" boat on the side of the road for sale. Because my brother and sister-in-law had recently purchased a house in Norfork he correctly decided this boat would be perfect for fishing the tailwaters of the Norfork and the White rivers which converge in the small village. Yesterday Danny's motor arrived and after having it installed we decided a shake down run up on the lake was in order. It just so happens that the white bass have started to run, which worked out quite well. We put in under the 160 Bridge at Tecumseh and headed down into the lake. The boat performed wonderfully behind the power of a 15 HP Nissan fourstroke. This quiet motor pushed the 20' longboat along wonderfully and we quickly arrived at what appeared to be the honey hole. Ten boats were gathered in a 100 yard stretch of lake so we figured this must be where the fish were. After an hour of fishing we had each caught one nice white bass, and not seeing others catching fish decided to try a different spot. Being a river rat, I convinced Danny that we needed to run up to the confluence of the North Fork and Bryant and see if the fish had moved up there. After a few nervous moments navigating a rocky shoal we arrived at the confluence to find a dozen bank fishermen pounding the water with live bait. We decided to head up Bryant Creek to the first riffle and start there. As we drifted through the last hole on Bryant Creek I quickly hooked a decent male white bass that joined two others in the live well. We drifted down to the confluence with no more hits and decided to try it once more. The fishing was slow but Danny picked up a nice male just as we were about to call it quits. Great afternoon on the water, and while the fishing wasn't great it was good enough to keep us interested, and we even took home enough fish for a good meal!