Jonn Graham

nice...............you will have to try that one in the vermilion next summer.

First good news concerning the IDNR in quite some time!

Congrats Mr. Clifford. Heard it on the radio yesterday driving to the river.

Eugene: Nice fish..............welcome to the Dark Side.

Here are the gloves I have used the past 3 years or so. work great. I know they are youth sized, but the youth sizes fit my hands very nice and snug. The snug fit allows me to tie knots and other duties without taking the gloves off. http://www.rockyboots.com/Product-Details/14278/1600FQ0605155/ROCKY-YOUTH-SHOOTER-GLOVES/ as you can see, they are on clearance

Another great, new product is faux fox. It is a synthetic (fake) fur that comes in hank form and is quite long. It is very, very much the same as craft hair/fur. I purchased three hanks from Pat up at The Fly Fishers. You get quite a bit for the price. If you get some, make sure you don't cut it from the hank. Instead, grab the ends of the materail and pull. After you have pulled out a pinch, the material naturally tapers on one end. What is nice about this product is the length. While you don't need it real long for fnf, it is nice to tie some larger fly patterns. I will have some fnfs for the fly rod tied to see/buy at the show utilizing this material. In addition, I have a streamer pattern that utilizes this longer craft hair and some flashy dubbing near the head. This streamer is my version of Rich Strolis' Beach Comber fly. Here is the link to Faux Fox http://www.theflyfishers.com/fly-shop-details.asp?cat=Synthetics&ID=40&pID=1214

If my opinion is so "severely biased", why would I have spoken so highly on the Old Town Pack and 119? You can count on one thing about me, my opinions are not based on bias. My opinions have absolutely nothing to do with being on the Jackson Team. I have been floating and fishing a long time and utilized many different boats. Some I liked, some I did not. I don't like the Coosa just because I am on the Jackson Team. If I did not like the Coosa, I would not own and promote it...............period. My fishing time is too valuable to be floating in a boat I don't like just because I am on some "team". I have always simply reported on this board what I have found to be successful. I guess I should have simply not replied to Ryan's initial post. Thought I could help Ryan, but it just turned into a mess...............

Mike: Where did Ryan say the Coosa has a tippy feeling? Standing in any canoe or kayak is something any angler has to get used to. Standing in a Coosa is no different, or more tippy, than standing in any small watercraft. I am sure your boat is a great watercraft, but let's not write stuff online about other boats that is simply not true. I am sure you have seen Drew Gregory stand up in the Coosa and fish like a mad man. Heck, he has done 360 degree jumps without tipping the boat. Let's keep things fair and honest.

My father in law has had the 119 for years. Great boat. It does not oil can whatsoever. It paddles fine, especially in rivers.. Ryan: I think you would like the 119, but make sure you also consider Old Towne's Pack. 33 pounds of pure enjoyment. The very first boat I ever bought. Still have it and love it. Very wide and stable and you just gotta love a boat you can pick up with one hand. Sad to hear that you did not enjoy your Coosa. You are right that it is much heavier than a canoe of the same length. This, of course, is a function of a canoe being open inside, while the Coosa is "two sided". Sit on top kayaks are naturally going to be heavier because more material is used vs. a canoe.

My son, Jack, got his first smallie mount delivered on Monday. His grandpa completed the replica of his big smallie he caught back in June. You can read more about it here: http://www.heartlandoutdoors.com/streamstalker/story/another_smallie_for_the_wall/

Got my hands on a new DVD produced by Kevin Feenstra and Jon Ray. It was simply outstanding! You can read my review by clicking on this link: http://www.heartlandoutdoors.com/streamstalker

Very Cool................thanks for posting, John

Josh: Looking forward to our trip on Saturday. I have put together a box full of flies for you and Sheri to take home with you. Not only will these flies catch fish, but should give you some patterns that you can start to practice on. Be careful.........................fly tying is like a drug. The only difference is that fly tying is legal. Great to see you really getting into fly fishing and tying.......................it can be very rewarding. cya on Sat.

Ok..............just returned from the river. Rob...............the back tail section does move and wiggle quite well PROVIDED THE DEER HAIR DOES NOT COVER THE HACKLE FEATHERS OUT THE BACK. In other words, from what I could see, the back hackle feathers give the tail its wiggle. If there is an appropriate length of feather behind the hook and free of deer hair interference, the back section of the fly wiggles much like the back of a prey fish. Is the wiggle exagerrated................probably not, but it definitely moves and wiggles. Put it this way, you could not get a wiggle quite like this from a deceiver that is not articulated. Both parts of the fly do ride in the same plane. Tonite I will make a few more and make sure the back hackle feathers are slightly longer. In addition, a few wraps of lead wire near the head will help the fly get a touch deeper.

Will do.

I have had my eye on this fly for a while. Got all the materials last night, and went to work. This fly is one of Mike Schmidt's creations. As many of you probably know, Mike Schmidt (no, not the 3rd sacker from Phillies), is an amazing tier. While the fly is attributed to Mr. Schmidt, I was able to view a great video tutorial on Brian Wise's site, Fly Fishing the Ozarks. Brian does incredible video work: Going to try the fly out tonite after work. AS ALWAYS........................HAIL TO THE SMALLIE

How about the Looter. Get it..................Tom Loo...................the Looter.

Thanks Tom for the step by step demo.

Huge Congrats, Tom. Your donation of the Coosa was a total class act........................you are now the Bob Clouser of the ISA!

Rob: As far as I know, there is only one series of Maxima. It does come in different colors. I use the chameleon color...............though I think the color of your line makes no difference to a river smallie. I buy it in bulk from Cabelas (much cheaper than the tiny spools offered by fly shops). You are right, it probably over-tests. Using 8 would be fine. I like the ten pound when using heavier, bulkier flies as the ten is nice and stiff and helps turn the fly over.

For fly fishing tippet, use Maxima 8 or 10 lb. You can pull a train with that stuff................very tough. I learned how great Maxima is when I fished with the guides from Tight Lines up on the Menominee River.....................try it, you won't be sorry.

Spelled Coosa.

I have a 2012 Coosa I am wishing to sell. It is only slightly used. It is the Lowland Camo color (very cool color) Anyone interested should call me at 309-399-7055 for price and details. First come - first served.

I went to the site and did not see any new patterns??????????????????????

For me, the whole idea of floating a river is to cover more ground than I normally do while wading. I have seen and understand the "pontoon thing". The big problem with the pontoons is the speed factor. You would work your ass off to cover the normal five miles or more that I cover in my canoe or kayak on a normal float trip. I have watched anglers in pontoons and, when they want to move downstream, they move at least 50 percent slower than I do in a canoe or kayak.