Summer and Fall 2005

Well, I didn't fish as much this summer and fall as I had planned. I camped for three nights at McLellan's Trout Dock in July only to fish about thrity minutes each day before generation started. I called the powerhouse on my way home to find there was no water running at Bulls Shoals and so pulled over and fished at Wild Cat Shoals. Started slow but ended up catching fish on every cast starting at noon and for about three hours as there were little yellow mayflies coming off. My only other outing was to the Beaver tailwaters last weekend (fished 10-22-05) and caught fish about every cast from noon to 1:30. Fish were taking olive midge pupa, ruby midges, diamond midges and a nymph that I like to tie with a goose biot abdomen and a rabbit hair (with lots of course guard hairs) thorax. I watched a twelve year old girl fishing just up stream from me with her dad catch at least a dozen in about an hour and she was loving it. I think it was her first of many fly fishing trips. Lots of pretty trees. Look for future postings as you are now brought up to the present time and future postings will be more current. I do plan to get out this winter. Anybody want to go with me?

April Norfork trip finds a few nice fish

Well, I had to hit the Norfork again a few weeks later (early April 2005). Fished alone for most of a day in the River Ridge access area, landing a couple of really nice fish late in the afternoon on consecutive casts. These each measured just over 19" and I caught them on a midge pupa pattern of my own design (well, sort of, actually more a modification or variation of a pheasant tail midge pattern). Both fish are mostly submerged in water in these pics and were successfully released to be caught again another day. I had to post the pics because these are my best fish so far here in NWA and it was an exciting day. Nobody to take my picture but the fish are prettier than I am anyway. I saw only one other fisherman all day which added a lot to the experience. Early morning had quite a few fish when cream-colored midges were hatching and fish were taking Miracle Nymphs (#21) and mercury midges (#21). My modified midge has a little band of red thread just below the head as sometimes the fish are attracted to that color and yet there isn't enough to really take away from the fly looking mostly like the natural.

March, 2005 Fishing Trip

This trip isn't so recent as I'm new to blogging and catching you up, but this was a picture worth sharing and I'll write a word or two about the trip. I had the opportunity to fish with a buddy, Scott in March, a true privilege as Scott is a great fly fisherman (catching at least two to my one) and taught me a few tricks on stream. We fished a Fri. evening just below Bull Shoals dam, camped at McLellan's Trout Dock, and then fished at Rim Shoals the next morning and on the Norfork that afternoon. There were caddis coming off at Bull Shoals but we had more luck with scuds and sow bugs. The Y2K Bug was the fly of choice at Rim Shoals when midge pupa patterns were catching only occassional fish. Scott caught this quality cutthroat on the Norfork (River Ridge access) on a small midge pupa pattern and in less than a few feet of water. Good fishing, good conversation, plenty of Napoleon Dynamite quotes shared on this trip.

Eat, sleep, go fishin...

Welcome to the RN fishin site, my site dedicated to sharing my fishing outings with any brethren of the angle and any others who may be interested. I don't enjoy too many things more than fishing (and fly fishing to be more exact). The things I do enjoy more than fishing aren't really things but people--my wife, family, a few close friends, Jesus. Fine cigars and good sipping beer are also nice, but these are easily and often incorporated into the fishing experience and so don't compete with whether I might fish or not. This site does not guarantee or proclaim in any way to make you a better fisherman. At best, you'll see a few nice pictures of pretty rivers, an occassional fish, a meditation or two that came to me on stream. Tight lines mates.