Blog Posts and Articles
Reflection
As fall slips into the quiet of winter its a good time to reflect on another wonderful year of fishing. I cherish everyday on the water and I know those days should never be taken for granted.…
Autumn Glow
The days have become shorter and the sun stays low on the horizon longer each day. We fish in a glow of light that requires bigger dry flies or brighter indicators to detect strikes. Its mood lighting…
Summer or Fall?
That’s an appropriate question at the moment. A few days of cool “fall” weather last month led to some much needed rain. But now we’re back to hot afternoons and dry weather. A hoodie feels good in…
Summer Livin’
As the old song goes, “Its summertime and the livin’ is easy. Fish are jumpin’…” you know the rest. For fly anglers in the Ozarks it means we get on the water early, leave the waders at…
Welcome to the Jungle
Summer weather in the Ozarks is fairly predictable: hot and humid. To my friends who live in the arid western United States, I tell them its like living in a jungle. The landscape is green, the woods…
High Water-Low Water
One thing is certain in the Ozarks: dry weather will eventually yield to wet. Sometimes, too wet, for too long and fishing suffers. Such was the case through most of June. But hot and drier weather have…
Father’s Day Fishing Trip
One of the most enjoyable parts of being a fly fishing guide is helping families and friends enjoy time together. I get to see the smiles, hear the stories, laugh at the jokes and observe the satisfaction…
Simplicity
Fly fishing is difficult, right? It takes years to master. You need hours of casting practice before gaining any chance of actually catching a fish. Even the terminology is designed to intimidate. I mean, no fly angler…
Caddis Time
A relatively dry, warm, month has pushed spring right along here in the Ozarks. Combined with low, clear flows and our trout are actively feeding on a variety of aquatic insects that have awakened from our rivers.…
Spring Awakening?
At the risk of tempting fate, or maybe just rushing ahead on the calendar, its starting to feel like spring. For most folks, it’s the calling of the spring peepers from shallow ponds, green stems appearing here…
The Gift of Fly Fishing
Christmas is just a few days away. If you still have someone on your list, why not give them a fly fishing trip to enjoy in the coming year? You could introduce them to a wonderful new…
Staying Warm
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…
Fall Beauty
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,…
The Last of Summer
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…
A Cool and Wet Break
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…
A Wealth of…Beetles!
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…
It’s Not Over
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…
“Cicayda” or “Cicahda” ???
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…
The Main Event
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…
A Good Backup Plan
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,…
Sharing Time
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…
Spring Revival
After too many months of dry weather and steadily dropping water levels, we’ve finally gotten the spring moisture we need. Of course it always arrives in big storms and high water when everyone wants to go fishing,…
So Many Options
When spring presents a long string of good weather days and good flow levels in our rivers, the options of where to go and what to pursue are numerous. On such a recent day we took the…
Can’t Wait
Sometimes you just can’t wait to go fishing, even if the river level, personal schedule or weather forecast are less than ideal. But you overlook all those things and go anyway. Spring is full of days that…
A New Seaon
March 1 may not be the first day of spring on most calendars, but it marks the start of spring fishing for many Missourians. Images of anglers standing shoulder to shoulder on a cold morning are easy…
Streamer Time
For the last two years, we have had very dry weather all fall and low, clear, rivers as a result. Trout tend to settle into the best habitat in those conditions where they can hide and stay safe. Catching…
A Warm Winter’s Day
A short float, on a clear river, on a mild winter’s day has a way of brightening even a dull grey sky. Perhaps it’s all the good vibes from the smiles and laughter that come from a relaxing…
International Fly Fishing Film Festival
Other than spending a day on the water fishing, catching a showing of the International Fly Fishing Film Festival might be the best way to spend a Saturday in January. Its a collection of short films that vividly…
The Gift of Fly Fishing
The next few weeks are a time to relax with friends and family and share stories of the year gone by. It’s also a great time to plan quality time with them in the year ahead. If…
The “Off” Season
Now that the World Series is over–congratulations to the Texas Rangers–the “hot stove” season has begun for baseball fans. It’s a time to relive the past season’s excitement and anticipate the drama of the year to come.…
Finesse Fishing
Fall is often a time of dry weather in the Ozarks, but an ongoing drought makes this year a more extreme example. Our rivers are low and clear. Limestone springs, always a mainstay of the water we…
Summer’s End
Recent hot weather has extended Summer’s hold on the Ozarks, but the forecast predicts the end is near. Cool mornings and shady spots in the afternoon still feel good. The rivers still run low and clear. But…
Friends and Family
Surveys of anglers have shown that most people are introduced to fishing by a family member or a close friend. Those surveys also suggest that many anglers go fishing because it is such a great way to…
The Cool of the Morning
A cool summer morning is a magic time on an Ozark trout stream. The rising sun struggles to penetrate the early fog. But as we carefully work our way downstream, the subtle rise of a cautiously-rising trout…
Trout School
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…
Summer Dry Flies
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…
A Quiet Morning
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…
Introductions
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…
Summer Sulfurs
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…
Cicada Stragglers
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…
Seasons on the River
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…
Missouri Fly Fishing Guide 