Gavin

Any retailer that caters to fly anglers should have a good assortment of bucktail, bear hair, and other fibers used for fly tying. The trick to tying hair is to measure it against your jig and cut it to size before you tie it in. Trimming the butt ends after you tie it in, makes for a bulky collar and a sloppy looking jig. Have fun.

I'm a float fisherman...and I live near the Missouri Ozarks...Nothing better than floating your canoe down a bluff lined clearwater stream, catching smallmouth, and camping on a gravel bar. The fish run smaller than lake fish, but the total package is hard to top.

Agree, its a redhorse...and a very big one...Great eating if you know how to cook the bones out of them.

Breathable stocking foots and some wading boots..Simms is the best, but the ones from Cabelas arent bad.

Color depends on the background upon which your lure is viewed and water claritiy. If you do the blend in strategy.....Clear & sunny...Chartruse or White on Top...blends in nicely with the blue sky and overhanging vegetation when viewed from below. Middle of the water column & clear...match the bait fish. Deep & Clear, match the bottom color....Stand out or stained water strategy...Black on Top for the best silouette, something supernormal like hot pink, orange, yellow or chartruese fished subsurface. The fish will let you know. Cheers.

Looks like a largemouth to me...Here's a good ID key. http://mdc.mo.gov/fishing/fish-catch/fish-id/bass-identification

I dont mind paying for a good hard bait...but I hate to pay top dollar for plastics. Any stinky salty plastic will do if you toss in the right place.

Try Hwy 8 to Scott's Ford if you want to catch trout and smallmouth on the same trip. Adventure Outdoors (formerly Fagan's) would be the one to call for a shuttle if you need one. Have fun.

Tubes...cast em out and watch you line...then drag em or hop them, and watch your line. You will gut hook allot of bass on tubes if you arent paying attention.

The Meramec, Big Piney, Gasconade, & James are good smallmouth streams. Some sections better than others but you will have to figure that out for yourself..Good luck with finding a Missouri Paddler's Guide...they have been out of print for awhile. If you want more detailed info..Join the Missouri Smallmouth Alliance, and they will send you a copy of Chuck Tryon's 200 Missouri Smallmouth Adventures.

I pack mine individually in bags that I get from the craft store. Look around by the beads and jewelry making stuff.

Thats a beaut...Congrats!

Its pretty hard to find a jerkbait that wont catch fish..Xcalibur makes some very good suspending jerkbaits but there is nothing wrong with a Rogue or a Husky Jerk.

Scotch-Balvenie Double Wood Bourbon-Woodford Reserve Irish-Bushmills Tennessee-Dickle Rum-Pyrat Vodka-Tito's

Spar Varnish...you can pick up a gallon for $40 or so.

Anything over 20" is a quality smallmouth...Catch a 20" from a Lake up north...it might go 6lbs...catch it in a river around here...4.5lbs maybe.

Yes...its easy enough to make your own...use some blue painters tape to hold the weedguard out of the way when you tie them. Have fun!

I do allot of creek & river fishing...Plastic on the bottom will catch allot of fish, but its usually not my first choice...I'd rather cover the water systematically from top to bottom...If they wont eat a walk the dog plug or a buzzbait on top, I'll try something midwater like a fluke, hard minnow bait, spinnerbait or crankbait. No action on top or mid-water...break out the bottom bouncers..Jig & Chunk or your favorite plastics. Cheers.

A bucket doesnt really tell you much...String up a rod and toss those baits in some clear water to see what they do. Access to an inground swimming pool is a plus. Have fun!

Fishing plastic is expensive...Topwater plugs, buzzbaits, floating jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits seem to last for ever and you hardly ever lose one...Diving cranks and suspending jerks are good choices too...but be prepared to lose one from time to time. Have fun!

That 8wt should be fine for lake run browns,steelhead and bass...but its a bit heavy for trout...Get a 5wt if your gonna be doing allot of trout fishing in the future..If you have fly shop nearby...stop in and have them set you with a small assortment of flies and a quick casting lesson. While your there, I'd inquire about any local fly fishing clubs..Allot of clubs offer beginner classes during the winter time. Good Luck!

You will have to measure your rod tip with a micrometer or a dial caliper to find the right size...They are usually sized in 64ths of an inch...so take your measurement in inches and multiply by 64....a drill bit guage will work too.

I've had binding issues with Shimano and wont buy another....The Daiwa Exceller is pretty nice, but has week bail springs...got rid of those too. I'm pretty happy with my current reels...One is a Plueger President. I's been trouble free but I dont like the handle knob. I like my Abu Soron STX better. Cheers.

Walk the dog plug or a big jig...

If you have flathead catfish in your area...use a live bluegill. Channels & Blues seem to like cut bait better.