Author Archives: mkflyfishing

Fall hasn’t officially expired on the calendar, but winter weather has already arrived. Winter in the Ozarks isn’t the same thing as it is in the north. Mostly, we ride the temperature roller coaster and rarely have to deal with snow. Our springs keep the water ice free all winter and lots of days areContinue reading “Staying Warm”

Its nice to live in an area that experiences all the seasons. Every time of year has its charms, but it’s easy to love the fall. Whether it be the changing leaves, the colors of spawning trout, or the warm glow of the fall sunlight, there’s something beautiful everywhere you look this time of year.Continue reading “Fall Beauty”

The splash of red cardinal flower, the first yellowing leaves and the low clear water on a warm afternoon all tell us that summer’s days are numbered. We still get out of the boat in just sandals and enjoy the sensation with cold spring water that only wet wading can provide. Yes, we’re still inContinue reading “The Last of Summer”

The last few days have been a wonderful, unexpected pause from the normal heat and humidity of our typical Ozark summer. Conditions are bound to get back closer to normal, but we’ve enjoyed some remarkably pleasant and productive days this past week and the forecast continues to look tolerable. We’re also well above normal forContinue reading “A Cool and Wet Break”

For much of their life, trout feed mostly on insects. Identifying what insect they prefer at any given time, and presenting a similar artificial, is one of the most satisfying challenges we enjoy in fly fishing. The challenge can, at times, be a bit daunting. For instance, if we just consider beetles, there are 300,000Continue reading “A Wealth of…Beetles!”

Depending on where you live, you may have witnessed remarkable numbers of periodical cicadas this spring and hopefully, enjoyed some exciting fishing as a result. There certainly are alot of cicada-fattened fish in our area and despite the dwindling population of real cicadas, the fish are still on the lookout. I expect them to stayContinue reading “It’s Not Over”

I suppose the answer depends on your location. Certainly, in many countries you are going to hear the latter pronunciation. I’ve had the great good fortune to fish many “cicahda” emergences in New Zealand and I can report that big trout love them just as much there as they do in the Ozarks. If there’sContinue reading ““Cicayda” or “Cicahda” ???”

if you’ve been reading my posts for a while, you may remember one from a year ago entitled, “Cicada Stragglers.” In it, I recounted the success we were having with big cicada dry flies, and the fish we saw eating the few periodical cicadas that got their calendar a year off. Well, it’s stragglers noContinue reading “The Main Event”

Missouri’s Ozark rivers offer some of the best fly fishing around and are the focus of my guiding. But when overnight rains bring an excess of water for good fishing, it’s time for an alternative venue. Fortunately, we don’t have to look far to find a wealth of ponds and small lakes where hard fightingContinue reading “A Good Backup Plan”

One of the best things about being a fly fishing guide is creating opportunities for people to share quality time with people they love. Husbands and wives, parents and children, old friends and siblings getting together to reconnect. I hear alot of stories, share laughter and see people making time for the important people inContinue reading “Sharing Time”