Five years ago, when I first began fly fishing, many wise men of the water forewarned that picking up a fly rod was only the first step of the life-long addiction I was undertaking. The evolution of a fly fisherman to a fly tier, they said, is an inevitable aspect of the sport.

They were right. Today, I find fly tying as rewarding and exciting as a tight line with a hungry brown on the other end. But whether you’re a trout bum like me, or brand new to fly fishing all-together, fly tying is a natural progression that almost every fly fishermen arrives at before it’s all said and done.

At first, the thought of actually tying my own flies seemed unrealistic and daunting. So many bugs to identify, hook sizes, colors and patterns to match, tools and vises and thread and beads, etc. And then there’s the technique of actually tying. I didn’t have the luxury of one-on-one lessons or tips and trainings from pros.

 Come inside for the full trout tying kit review. 

The big change is that felt soles are slowly disappearing from the shops. The agent for this change has been didymo, the invasive alga that has infected the White and Norfork over the past few years. Once introduced to a stream, there is no known way to eradicate it. Only one cell of didymo is required to start a colony and felt soles are considered to be the most likely culprit in the spread of the alga. Felt is porous and difficult to clean. Because of this several states have outlawed felt soles. As of March 31, 2012, it will be illegal to wear felt soles in Missouri. Will Arkansas be next?

The most common replacement is Vibram, a tough, well wearing rubber sole that has been used on hiking boots for decades. It is much easier to clean and doesn’t absorb water like the old felt soles. The felts were popular with waders because it gripped rocks well and provided sure footing in streams. The vibram soles do not grip the bottom as well as the felts did and are a bit more difficult to wade in, particularly on bed rock.

Come inside the Arkansas Hunting and Fishing forum for the full article from Arkansas fishing guide John Berry

With Arkansas 2011-2012 duck season starting up in 2 days, take a few minutes to read the full story; it’s worth it.

Remember if you need Arkansas WMA Maps, Arkansas NWR maps, or want to see the Arkansas Duck Migration Map, bookmark Arkansas Outdoors Online. The Arkansas Duck Migration map is now integrated with the Delta Waterfowl Migration Map. Users can submit reports from our website or the iPhone app.

In preparation for opening morning on Nov. 12, I scoured the internet this weekend for chili recipes and decided to test out a few small batches of some recipes that sounded appetizing. While I definitely have a couple of trusty recipes in my aresenal, I always love finding new recipes I’ve never tried before, then catering them with my own dash of this and that to make them my own.

However, with this chili recipe, it came out pretty much perfect. And yes, I considered leaving out the oddly included cup of coffee. But don’t do it; it adds a perfect smokey flavor!

I will say, if you like a lot of heat and spice (I do!), then make sure to toss in some of your favorite peppers, add a tad more red pepper, or go heavy on the chili powder (I use Chipotle Chili Powder), because this recipe, while delicious, isn’t on the fire hot side like a lot of people like it.

Come inside to see the full chili recipe.

It’s a common misconception among hunters that a white-tailed deer’s antler size will tell you all you need to know about his age. However, that’s simply not true. Rack size is more about food and nutrition, genes, and overall health than anything else.

A 2.5 year old buck could indeed have wider and/or taller antlers than a buck twice his age if all of the aforementioned factors play a big enough part. The same goes for a deer’s body size/weight, hoof size, gray on the face, or any other misconstrued theory you’ll often hear from even the most seasoned hunters. These factors simply shouldn’t be used to indicate relative age.

In reality, the most accurate method of aging is via tooth analysis. Over time, deer will lose certain “baby” teeth, and they’ll put a lot of wear and tear on their remaining pearly whites. By examining and studying this wear and decay, hunters have a fairly precise method to all this aging madness. But don’t think you have to be a wildlife biologist or even an experienced hunter to age your buck; there’s a very handy tool available to make things much easier.

Read more about the Deer Aging Tool in the Arkansas Hunting Forum.