Tough weather we have been having over the past five days!  Nasty snow on Sunday caused pile ups everywhere you looked.  Nice Monday (sort of) followed by more snow on Tuesday and Wednesday and now frigid temperatures!  Maybe some dusting late tomorrow night with temperatures in the 30s Saturday and Sunday.  Don’t worry, Spring will come!

Until today, we had seen some no generation or very low generation during the middle of the day.  Today it is run those generators at almost every dam in the grid.  I imagine with this extremely cold weather everywhere, they need all the power they can muster.  This too shall pass.

Only fishing news I can pass on is that on this past Monday (the best day we have seen for a while), it fished great with the size 16 lightning bug or a size 8 CQ streamer or 10 wooly bugger, both in olive.  Just enough hits to have fun on a griffith’s gnat, but not the numbers of these other patterns.  These reports come from customers who came in Monday. 

Spring will be here before we know it so let’s use this time to get ready.  Clean those fly lines.  Best thing is to wash them in a non-grease cutting dish soap such as Ivory or a commercial line cleaner/dressing.  If using soap, strip off most of that line and put in a sink or pan with a little Ivory soap.  Wash is down well with a soft cloth then rinse well.  This is a good time to check your line for breaks or knicks by running your fingers along the line after drying.  Any break in the surface of the line will allow water to seep into the core and cause your line to sink.  Check the leader loop area for any signs of a break.  Easy fix by adding a new leader loop or make your own with amnesia or some mono line.  Last, but not least, if your line does not feel as slick as it did when you first put it on, apply a line dressing to help restore some of that slick finish.  Good, clean, slick line is paramount for those nice casts!

Should not complain, at least the temperaturein in the upper 40s.  However, the wind it unbelievable!  Sitting here in my office listening to it howling through the trees and everything else.  The temperatures will continue to be fairly mild for the next few days.  By Tuesday, however, it looks like lower 30s and a chance of moisture.  If the temperature stays in that range, it will probably look a whole lot like snow!  And the forecast past that does not look real good at this time.

We have actually has off generation during the late morning into the last afternoon for the past three days.  I would have an optimistic guess that it will continue this way through the weekend. 

Gina on the water just fishing last weekend and she had a fun day on the CQ streamer.  Lots of fish.  Only complaint (can you imagine?) was that many of them were small.  We have been seeing quite a few smaller fish over the past couple weeks.  However, had a fisher come into the shop today and he lost a nice size fish pulling a streamer in the rebar area yesterday.  He was heading out to see if he could find him again today. 

Today is one of those shiver days!  I think our high might hit 20 and the wind is nasty.  Monday was close to 60.  This weekend is supposed to be in the 50s, then back into the 20s for Monday!   Should not complain…..we could be out East!

We have just started to see a little cut back in generation.  Only one unit for six hours yesterday afternoon.  Actually no units from midnight until 5:00 this morning and we are supposed to see no generation for a few hours this afternoon. 

Stan on the water last Sunday for a catching, training session with one of his customers, Don and his son Mark.  Don just purchased his own drift boat and wanted to work on how to fish from the boat and a little on handling the boat.  Mission accomplished.  Worked the various spots, based on the water flow and caught fish mainly drifting the ruby midge.  Mark is pretty new, so Stan worked with him on catching.  

Monday, Dennis, from Kansas, took a half day float with Stan.  Lots of fish on the ruby, P&P and lightening bug, but nothing of any size.  Talked to several other fishers who were fishing by the hatchery and they said pretty much the same thing.  Good fishing that day, but few, if any, in size. 

Don’t forget the spey/switch rod clinic coming up March 22.  This technique certainly has application for Taney. 

The weather has almost been as erratic as the water flows.  One day it is in the 50s, and the next day in the 30s  Supposed to see a warm day today, but tomorrow looks like 30s.  Back into the 50s Saturday through Monday.  Good news, no moisture in the near horizon.  Lots of 40s next week.

Non-stop generation for a whole week.  Table Rock Lake did come up almost a foot after the last rain we had.  Table Rock is now at 905.4 (915 power pool) and droppping. 

Dave and Chris, from Kansas spent half a day on the water with Jim this past Monday.  Good day for these guys.  Fairly new fly fishers, so Jim had them pulling the CQ streamer on a sinking line.  Water running that day, so this seemed to be the ticket.

Sorry for the very late Happy New Year!  I have been out of commission since last Saturday with some kind of “creeping crud”.  Anyway, I do think I am going to survive and am certainly ready for SPRING!!!!!!  Rain in the forecast for tomorrow (like that….rain…..not ice or snow) with temperatures in the mid to upper 30s.  Temperatures continue to climb.  Friday and Saturday show upper 40s…maybe low 50s.  Definitely low tomid 50s early nesxt week, then upper 40s sliding into the lowe 40s by next weekend……I’ll take it!

We finally saw some off generation during the late morning yesterday and the day before.  Last time we had wadeable water was last Saturday and Sunday, when we had some off time in the morning then generation the balance of each day.  Today we are seeing anywhere from one to a high two units all day. 

Stan on the water the last Monday of 2013 with Patrick and his friend Josh.  This was Josh’s bachelor outting.  With three units and 7800 cfs, the guys had a great half day on the big ruby and an egg pattern.  Good luck Josh.  Hope your new wife will let you come and fish again some day.

Penny – 1/1/14!

A few of the RRWFF “polar group” were on the river again this New Year’s Day.  Some were rewarded more than others as with Penny and this nice rainbow!  It was a fun day for everyone, and almost every everyone caught fish.  A variety of patterns were working, but the best seemed to be either a pink or red San Juan worm dropped from either the big ruby or an egg pattern.  Also, depending on where you were fishing, the big black midge with a size 18 black midge dropper caught a few fish.  What a fun, Happy New Year day.  Great way to start the year.

  Saturday, Stan took Kim, from Smithville, out for half a day float.  Kim throws a good stick and they caught quite a few fish, mainly on the ruby midge.

Nice, warm days Christmas Day and the days after until today.  Today brought overcast sky and dropping temperatures.  The low is projected to be in the mid teens.  Hopefully, tomorrow will see upper 30s to low 40s and New Year’s day is predicted to be upper 40s or low 50s.  Cool down again Thursday in the mid 30s and low 40s to mid 30s for the weekend.

Generation has been non-stop for the past six days.  And, it has been a pretty heavy flow many days with levels 705 and above.  Tomorrow is projected to be pretty much a repeat of today.  The equivalent of two units and levels around 707 feet.

The warm weather brought out the fly fishers.  The day after Christmas, Stan and Carolyn took Dawn, James Albert and Albert out for most of the day.  Little late start to let it warm up.  Slow start to the day, but after lunch, fishing picked up.  The guys were catching on the big ruby and a pink San Juan worm dropper.  Dawn did well on the big ruby with a white grub dropper.

Friday, Bill and Wes, from Arkansas, took a half-day float with Jim.  Good day for these guys on the size 14 ruby midge with a gray scud dropper or a size 10 CQ streamer. 

Stan had Scott, from Illinoia, out for his birthday again.  Fun day for Scott on the big ruby with the P&P dropper.  Kathy and Mark spent half day on the water with Jim.  Good day for these two on the CQ streamer, ruby midge and a gray scud. 

Looking forward to starting the New Year, hopefully, standing in the water.  That remains to be seen.  Anyway, it will be wetting a line!

Temperatures are looking a little cooler for tomorrow than had been forecast a few days ago.  Also, there is a slight chance of some flurries.  Christmas day eve looks like mid 30s with Christmas Day and the rest of the week in the mid 40s.  It will be warm enough to go out and try those new Christmas presents…a rod maybe!?  The weekend looke like low 50 mid 50s with Sunday in the mid 40s.  So far, New Year’s eve day looks pretty good….mid 40s.

Lots of wading time the past three days.  Generation projected for tomorrow with a break in the afternoon.  We’ll see what the projections have to offer this week.  Hopefully, we will be able to start the New Year staning in the water!

JoAnn with brown – 12/17/13

Stan on the water last Tuesday with Robin and JoAnn from Oklahoma.  First t6ime for these two and they had a very good day.  JoAnn did well and landed this nice brown shortly after she had hauled in a nice rainbow.  Robin had to stay up with her so he brought in a beautiful 17-1/2″ rainbow.  Best pattern was the pink lady egg.

Robin – 12/17/13

We hope everyone has a woderful Christmas and a safe, and Happy New Year!

Forecast for today is low 40s and sunny.  If you’re in the area…..get out and fish! Tomorrow MAY be a little different scenario.  Right now it looks like upper 30s but ice changing to rain.  If we have to have moisture, let’s hope it is rain.  Saturday looks pretty good with slim chances of moisture and upper 30s.  From Sunday on into next week, we are looking at some nice temperatures from upper 40s into low 50s.  Just need to get  through tomorrow!

Generation schedule is starting to look wader friendly again.  No generation in the am.m until 6:00-7:00 a.m. then off for 6-7 hours.  Back on near dark….when you want to be off the water anyway!

Bea – 12/11/13

Stan on the water yesterday with Bill and Bea from the Kansasa City area.  These two walked into the shop yesterday ready to go fishing and fishing they did.  Great day for them on the big ruby early (generators on at put-in then dropping) with a black zebra midge dropper.  Once the water settled down, it was the primrose & pearl midge.  Bea’s hands were too cold to hold her nice rainbow!  Several folks out fishing the past few, “cool” days.  Reports are good fishing on several patterns.  Up near the hatchery, the rea or worm brown San Juan worms are doing well while there is fairly heavy current.  Once it drops out, the hot hare nymph did great for Gary yesterday, and one of our other customers caught “a bunch” on a gold beadhead olive wooly bugger.  Sounds like we should bundle up and go fishing!

I not sure about anyone else, but I am ready for Spring!  Enough of this!  Yes, it was pretty….for a little while.  Looks like we are going to start warming up.  Today is expected to be in the upper 30s, and we are seeing mid to upper 30s through the weekend.  Low to mid 40s by next week.  Only fly in the ointment is Friday, when they are predicting some moisture, but with the temperature in the upper 30s, it should be in the form of rain.

Other than this morning, we have seen non-stop generation.  However, this morning the generators were off until 6:00 a.m.  They are projected to go  back on today around 11:00 a.m. and stay off until 6:00 p.m.  With Table Rock Lake below 914, we might just see some off time.

None of us on the water since last Wednesday…..before the wintery blast.  Have had a few customers come into the store and they are experiencing some very good fishing.  One gentleman this morning said he caught 20-25 fish in acouple hours yesterday afternoon on a worm brown San Juan worm.  He was heading back to the water today when they said it will be off.

We have some trips coming up, so we can hopefully give you some first hand information.  Our biggest hurddle to past will be the condition of the boat ramp.  We don’t want to turn our drift boat into a sleigh heading for the river at the bottom of the boat ramp!!

If you need some help with your Christmas shopping, we are here to help.  Lots of good ideas for stocking stuffers.  Just got in several of the new Orvis Encounter Outfit.  If you know someone getting started into fly fishing, this is one of the best values and performing outfits I have seen. 

What happened?  Wednesday is was in the 60s.  By Friday afternoon, we had 6 inches of snow on the ground and more coming.  This morning it was -1 degrees.  Snow has stopped and it is 24 degrees.  The prediction is for low 30s tomorrow and Monday.  By Tuesday, we might see mid 30s and even a little higher as we move into the weekend.  

Needless to say, with this cold snap everywhere, generation has been non-stop.  They had the equivalent of a full three units running this morning (using four units).  We are seeing a low  three right now with the tailwater level in the 707 range. 

Teresa – 12/3/13

Before frigid weather, RB and Teresa spent half a day Tuesday on the river with Carolyn.  RB has been fly fishing for a while, but Teresa was (emphasis on was) pretty new to the sport.  Good, fun day for these two.  With three units going, we had the opportunity to fish a few different places, including behind the long island at the Pointe.  Good day on the big ruby with a lightning bug dropper.  Down the high bank from Lookout Island, we dropped the white grub from the big ruby and continued hooking fish.   

R.B. – 12/3/13

Wednesday, Stan had Don and John, from Illinois on the water for half a day.  Good day for these two, as it usually is, on the big ruby, a lightning bug dropper or a black zebra with a gold head dropper.