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Its summer and most students are enjoying a long break from classes. But earlier this week, a group of new anglers enrolled in a course to learn about fly fishing for trout. They were introduced to fly fishing tackle, casting, knots, fly selection and what trout eat and how they live. To practice their newContinue reading “Trout School”

The Fourth of July has come and gone and summer has settled in. The streams are low and clear and the trout are increasingly finding their food at or near the surface. Whether it’s a morning trico hatch or the constant parade of terrestrial insects, our trout are looking up. So if you like fishingContinue reading “Summer Dry Flies”

The beautiful, clear, cold rivers of the Ozarks are a popular summer refuge for many during the hot summer months. That means that anglers must either learn to share the water or fish when others are not there. Fishing early or late or away from popular areas helps avoid the crowds. Fishing during the weekContinue reading “A Quiet Morning”

One of the things I enjoy most about guiding is introducing new anglers to fly fishing. Seeing their satisfaction in the first good cast. Their excitement from the first strike. Their pride in the first catch. Its a good reminder of how it felt for me many years ago. I love new angler trips andContinue reading “Introductions”

In many North American trout waters, some of the most reliable early summer hatches come from a group of mayflies collectively known as “sulfurs.” Whether you are on a Pennsylvania limestone stream, a driftless region creek, or somewhere in the Ozarks, the little light-colored mayflies of the evenings are sure to spark an interest inContinue reading “Summer Sulfurs”

If you were around in 1998, you probably remember the great cicada emergence when two large broods of periodical cicadas emerged at the same time. Every fish in the state was eating cicadas! Another big cicada year is expected in 2024, but curiously, a few are emerging as “stragglers” a year early. Apparently, the fishContinue reading “Cicada Stragglers”

Its Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of summer. The calendar tells us the date, but the river tells us in its own way that the season has turned. The last couple days the river has gotten into the summer routine, giving us happy, feeding fish early and late in the day. Yesterday evening, inContinue reading “Seasons on the River”