Clouser minnow off a weed bed. First cast of the day!

Tom Bie, multi-media magnate owner/operator of The Drake magazine, wanted a taste of Ozark fly fishing, so Russell and I took him down the Kings in the Clacka.


Russell with a catfish that munched a Crazy Dad

Water levels were just about perfect, and we couldn't ask for better weather. All the fish were strong and healthy, and we caught them on everything from top to bottom.



Don't worry-- we showed him a crappy time so he won't spill the beans about how good we've got it around here.

Thanks for rowing once in a while, Tom. And sorry about your thumb, Russell...

--Todd

This big bronzeback absolutely HAMMERED my Clouser Minnow as I twitched it through the slack water along the edge of a fast run!

In between rainstorms, the smallmouth fly fishing has been excellent this spring and early summer! After the last big rain, water levels should be prime by this weekend, so be sure to have plenty of Clouser Minnows, Wiggle Minnows, crawdad patterns, and various poppers in your fly box! If you’ve never fly fished for smallmouth before, be sure to stop by the shop. Todd and I will be happy to introduce you to one of our favorite fish on a fly rod!

Michael

Chris with a massive spoonbill!


Michael with another bruiser spoonbill!

The Davis brothers are always pushing the limits of what’s possible on a fly rod, but this time they may have out done themselves! Chris said that some of the massive spoonbills they hooked actually jumped and tail-walked like tarpon! Congrats boys on some monster spoonbills!

Russell, Todd and I fished the Kings on Sunday, and we had a great trip! The water levels right now are perfect, and the smallmouth fishing is definitely in full swing! We hooked tons of fish on crawdad patterns, Clouser Minnows and Wiggle Minnows—one of the most exciting ways to hook smallmouth, watching them smash the fly as it wobbles its way through the water!

Unless we get a lot more rain this week, the bounce in water levels from last night’s rain should only help the smallmouth fishing for this weekend, keeping the water levels up for good floating. With the warmer temperatures, the popper fishing should really start picking up as well, so be sure to have plenty of Bubble Head and Taco Pescado Poppers in your box!

Michael

Dave and I conducted a WaterMaster® Assault© on a stretch of the Kings River this week.

We got a lot of these:


And several of these (look at the tail on this guy):


This one's as big as Dave-- and Dave's a big boy!


Minnow patterns worked well during the day, crawfish in the evening. Water levels are great for floating and the water temp is nice and warm and fishy.

We severely misunderestimated the distance on this float (or maybe we just spent too much time fishing) and wound up having to crank downstream for a couple of hours after dark. Fortunately it was near full moon and we could almost see all the rapids on our way down. It got very chilly when the sun went down-- I was glad to have an extra layer in my pack.

--Todd

Intrepid anglers "Bob" and "Dan" went looking for some wild trout recently. Looks like they did pretty well.


"Bob" with a big brown



In exchange for the nice photos, we agreed not to disclose the location where they caught the fish, though you could probably figure it out if you had a mind to.



We're just glad you made it back safely, boys. Thanks for the photos.

--Todd

Fished all day in the rain, and man, was it worth it!

Richie

That's a great fish, Richie! Thanks for the pic and the report!

Justin Ferguson reminded us that there's plenty to do after the whites slide back down to the lake. Conditions have been perfect for schooling fish early and late and even sometimes during the day. Justin and his buddy have been wearing them out before and after work. This is one of several stripers they've landed in the past week. What we don't have a photo of is the one that broke him off on 20-pound tippet!

There's a very fat 18.5-inch rainbow behind all those hands.

One of our customers had his sons in town this past week and wanted to get them hooked on fly fishing, so we headed over to Bull Shoals. Thursday afternoon we waded Wildcat Shoals in two units of water and worked on casting and technique (and caught some fish). Friday morning we fished below the dam (in the rain) in 2-3 units and caught some nice piggies drifting nymphs, particularly the Guide's Choice Hare's Ear. I'm pretty sure Aaron and Jim caught the fly fishing bug, and hopefully they'll start sticking some saltwater fish back home in Florida.

Thanks guys for a great trip!

--Todd

The white bass are running full force, and we've also had several reports of hybrids and stripers showing up, so make sure you use a stout tippet and tie your knots well! It won't last long, so get out as soon and as often as you can!