5th Annual Camp and Fish in the OZARKS

🎥 Location: Sugar Creek / Southwest Missouri

🎣 Target Species: Anything that swims

🌧️ Conditions: Mix of high temps and sunny to cloudy conditions

💬 Drop a comment: What’s your favorite pattern for smallmouth?

The Backcast (Episode Overview): Every year, my good buddy William and I make it a priority to unplug from everyday life and spend a few days camping and fly fishing together. This marks our 5th annual camping and fishing trip, and our second year staying at The Greene’s Campground, nestled along beautiful Sugar Creek near Jane, Missouri.

Before anything else, I want to give a heartfelt thank you to William and his wife, Alana, for making the trip, setting up camp, weathering the storm, and spending time with my family.

It means more than you know. As we’ve gotten older, these trips have become about much more than catching fish. They’re an opportunity to step away from work, disconnect from the daily grind, recharge our batteries, and simply enjoy the outdoors with good friends. We’re even talking about adding a winter trip to the tradition.

This year’s conditions were anything but easy. Back-to-back storms pushed a lot of water into Sugar Creek. The rain was badly needed, but it also scattered the fish and made finding those Ozark bronzebacks a real challenge. I’ll admit—I came into this trip with visions of fish after fish hitting the net. When that didn’t happen, I found myself frustrated and a little grumpy.

Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of what really mattered. Thankfully, William reminded me. (that’s what friends are for) He reminded me that standing knee-deep in a creek with a friend, breathing fresh air, exploring and sharing the experience is the real reward. The fish are simply a bonus.

We all dream about landing the fish of a lifetime, but the memories we make along the way are what stay with us forever. This episode is a little longer than usual because I wanted to tell the whole story. I filmed more than eight hours of footage and worked to condense it into a video that honestly captures our weekend together—the laughs, the challenges, the conversations, the beautiful scenery, and yes… the fishing.

Whether we caught one fish or one hundred, these are the moments that keep us coming back. Thanks so much for watching and for supporting CASTAFLY. We hope this episode encourages you to grab a friend, get outside, and make a few memories of your own. See you on the water!

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#ozarks #flyfishing #missouri #camping