Even though I don’t deer hunt in Missouri anymore I think it’s fun to play with my Bushnell trail cam just to see what’s sneaking around our Bates County property at night. I keep hoping I’ll catch something exotic like a mountain lion or bear, but this eight point buck will have to do for …
Author Archives: BruceCochran
It’s Tweener Time
Once again it’s Tweener Time when we are treated to one of those cartoons that’s too raunchy for outdoor magazines but too outdoorsy for Playboy. The full moon that occurs in the fall is often referred to as a harvest moon or hunter’s moon. Maybe if I redraw this and put undershorts on the guy …
Rockbridge Trout Ranch
Want to feel like you’re a real hot stuff trout fisherman? Spend a few days at Rockbridge Trout Ranch in southern Missouri. Nice people, beautiful scenery, comfortable accommodations, and millions of huge, hungry rainbows finning lazily in the clear water, hoping somebody will throw them a woollybugger or zebra midge. But you’d better use 6X …
Mike George ties for Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing
Award winning fly tyer and Air Force veteran Mike George of Olathe, KS demonstrated his unique technique for working with deer hair for a small gathering of veterans at a Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing meeting Monday night. To learn more about Mike and his tying methods take a look at his web site www.deerhairsculptures.com …
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Catfish Cochran strikes again
Yesterday was the second time I’ve caught a big channel catfish on a fly rod while bass fishing at Kill Creek Lake near DeSoto, KS. I knew immediately it wasn’t a big bass. Bass are close-in fighters. They like to slug it out up close and personal with lots of head-shaking top water acrobatics. Old …
Lake Taneycomo
Country music isn’t all that’s happening at Branson, Missouri. Water from Table Rock dam forms Lake Taneycomo which gets its name from Taney County, MO and provides miles and miles of some of the best trout fishing in the state. If you enjoy fishing from a boat you’ll hope for lots of power generation from …
Early teal season in Missouri
It took until the last weekend of the Missouri early teal season but the little bastards finally got here. After several sweaty and unproductive teal hunts my partner Bob Ritter finally saw something to swat at besides mosquitos. Below: Bob’s Lab Pearl retrieves a blue wing teal.
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing
Project Healing Waters veterans fishing with Capt. Rick Lisek out of Lilley’s Landing recently caught and released several beautiful rainbows and browns at Lake Taneycomo.
Another Tweener
As explained earlier, a Tweener is a cartoon that’s too raunchy for outdoor publications but too outdoorsy for Playboy. It’s in between. This one was close, but maybe it brought back unpleasant memories for the editors. If you’ve ever had a 100 pound Labrador retriever fall in love with your leg on a cold morning …
Larry Bowser 1935 – 2013
One of the most creative guys I’ve ever known, my good friend and long time fishing partner Larry Bowser passed away recently. Larry was one of the first people I met at Hallmark when I went to work there in 1960. We fished together from 1960 until the last few years when Larry’s health deteriorated. …