Question:

Hi All, September kicks off the Fall season in a few fisheries. The Pit River has the Isonychia mayfly hatch in September and is the best trout stream fishing in California. The Klamath River has a good run of Halfpounder Steelhead in September too. Either of these fisheries could be great places for a Clave. Not much else gets going till October which is one of the top months of the year. — Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento, CA, USA www.kiene.com

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone interested in a Norhtern California Clave in early September? Drop me a line, Dustin Rocksvold

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Keep me up to date… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone interested in a Norhtern California Clave in early September? Drop me a line, Dustin Rocksvold

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Anyone interested in a Norhtern California Clave in early September? Drop me a line, Dustin Rocksvold

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Anyone interested in a Norhtern California Clave in early September?

All depends on whether or not I switch jobs.  That’s the begining of the school year so I won’t be able to get someone to teach for me.  But NorCal is close enough that I might be able to show up for the weekend. Mu

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Question:

Will be in the area of the Umpqua late spring.  Anyone know how the fishing is, season, access?  appreciate any input.

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Depending on how late in the Spring you will be there, the Shad run is usually fantastic. Also, Smallmouth fishing if very good, if the water warms up enough for them to chase a fly… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Will be in the area of the Umpqua late spring.  Anyone know how the fishing is, season, access?  appreciate any input.

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Will be in the area of the Umpqua late spring. Anyone know how the fishing is, season, access? appreciate any input.

–It depends on what area your fishing.   The river has tide water fishing for sturgeon.  Small mouth fishing can be fantastic.  Some of my best days steelhead fishing was on the Umpqua.  And I think it has a fantastic run of fall and spring salmon. Lots of guides fish the river, a couple of the best is Kern Greives guide service or get a hold of the Big K Ranch, they both have web sites. Sharp Hooks, Pat Holdzit Fishing Products Inc. http://www.holdzit.com Before you buy.

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The Umpqua River has pretty big population of Smallmouth Bass in the lower river west of Interstate 5. It also get a big run of American Shad in April, May, June. The Summer Steelhead start showing up in the upper river after the 4th of July and are usually good till it gets cold in October. This is one of the prettiest rivers in the West. Call the Blue Heron Fly Shop on the river for good info: 541/496-0448 — Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento, CA, USA http://www.kiene.com

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Will be in the area of the Umpqua late spring.  Anyone know how the fishing is, season, access?  appreciate any input.

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Question:

Attn:  Warren Funk Warren, If you are still interested in finding background for the knot you described I have found a name and diagram in some of my archives. It is called a Pitzen Knot.  I only have a print out of it that I have collected somewhere off a net site quite sometime ago.  The site probably doesn’t exist anymore.  I may have it shown in my "knot bible" but it is in the boat away from here. The tying technique is somewhat different than you described but I have tied the knot using yours and the diagram and I’m quite sure it is the same knot. I was quite intrigued with your description and technique for the knot and have been using it. The illustration I have on hand is not great but I think it would scan adequately.  I would be glad to do so and e-mail it to you or put it in the binary newsgroup if interested.

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No need to do any of the tasks listed.  Just go to Alta Vista and search for "Pitzen Knot".  I got several hits.  One of which: http://nucleus.agron.missouri.edu/flyfishing/pitzen.html  has a good description and rating on the knot.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Attn:  Warren Funk Warren, If you are still interested in finding background for the knot you described I have found a name and diagram in some of my archives. It is called a Pitzen Knot.  I only have a print out of it that I have collected somewhere off a net site quite sometime ago.  The site probably doesn’t exist anymore.  I may have it shown in my "knot bible" but it is in the boat away from here. The tying technique is somewhat different than you described but I have tied the knot using yours and the diagram and I’m quite sure it is the same knot. I was quite intrigued with your description and technique for the knot and have been using it. The illustration I have on hand is not great but I think it would scan adequately.  I would be glad to do so and e-mail it to you or put it in the binary newsgroup if interested.

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Al – thanks for checking on this.  I would have to try both and see what they look like when finished, but I can guarantee that the way I tie it is a whole lot faster and simpler than the way it is shown on the web site you gave.  I also thought that the Hangman’s knot looked very similar, and may be the same knot at the Pitzen knot. Warren Funk

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Attn:  Warren Funk Warren, If you are still interested in finding background for the knot you described I have found a name and diagram in some of my archives. It is called a Pitzen Knot.  I only have a print out of it that I have collected somewhere off a net site quite sometime ago.  The site probably doesn’t exist anymore.  I may have it shown in my "knot bible" but it is in the boat away from here. The tying technique is somewhat different than you described but I have tied the knot using yours and the diagram and I’m quite sure it is the same knot. I was quite intrigued with your description and technique for the knot and have been using it. The illustration I have on hand is not great but I think it would scan adequately.  I would be glad to do so and e-mail it to you or put it in the binary newsgroup if interested.

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One of the sites I ran into looking for this showed another method, a variation of slinging the lure around the line.  I had opted for this method when using a heavy stiff 20+ACM- line that gave me trouble slinging it around. I let the lure hang down and wrapped the line around the vertical hanging line while holding on to the line and clinching loop. I use the Hangman’s Knot (Uni Knot) and I’m sure it is not the Pitzen Knot. Another one I use is the Scaffold Knot (Centauri).  I tie it by extending my forefinger beyond the tip of my thumb that is pinching the standing line and wrap the loose end 3 times around my finger tip, slip off the coil and run the loose end through the coils in the direction of the standing line.  It can also be doubled at the eye. Warren Funk …wrote … +AD4- …I would have to try both and see what +AD4- they look like when finished, but I can guarantee that the way I tie it is a +AD4- whole lot faster and simpler than the way it is shown on the web site you +AD4- gave.  I also thought that the Hangman’s knot looked very similar, and may +AD4- be the same knot at the Pitzen knot. +AD4- Al wrote … +AD4- +AD4- If you are still interested in finding background for the knot you +AD4- described +AD4- +AD4- I have found a name and diagram in some of my archives. +AD4- +AD4- It is called a Pitzen Knot…

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Question:

I’ll be in north georgia next week and plan to fly fish for trout.  I”m used to fishing Montana, so I’m not sure what to use. Any suggestions on flys or streams?

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<<I’ll be in north georgia next week and plan to fly fish for trout.  I”m used to fishing Montana, so I’m not sure what to use. Any suggestions on flys or streams? Try the Chattooga in the NE corner of the state.  Take Fire Road 646 off of Rt28 to Burrells Ford.  Walk upstream about two miles and fish down. In Helen, off of Alt 75, fish Dukes Creek.  Reservations necessary. Visit the fly shop in Helen on Rt 75.  They should be able to set ya straight.  Then, go next door to the working grist mill and sample Georgia Ice Cream (actually grits). Dave LaCourse A Bay Stater who’s heart is in Georgia (along with 90 acres). d;0)

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I’ll be in north georgia next week and plan to fly fish for trout.  I”m used to fishing Montana, so I’m not sure what to use. Any suggestions on flys or streams?

Take a look at http://www.georgia-outdoors.com/ngto/ — Charlie…

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Can you cast easily in your bathroom?   If you want to get the true feel of Apalachian flyfishing try the Noontootla. The scenery is worth it, but she’s a man-killer. Another spot, if you have access to a float tube or canoe is the tailrace of the Toccoa River below the Blue Ridge Dam (in Blue Ridge GA).  Easy access at the dam and you can get out a few mile down the river at a bridge or at the homes along the bank.  Try to time it so that you are at the dam when they stop generating and turn down the flow.  The trout will start rising as the water drops. The Chattooga is a far more comfortable river to fish, open enough for a back cast all the way to Elliott Rock (which is the NC,SC, and GA border.)  You need a NC license to fish above Elliott Rock.   Good Luck. Patrick

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Question:

What size tippet are you using, and what knot are you using to tie on your fly?  I fish for bass and panfish with a 5X tippet and do fine (bluegill up to maybe 6 inches, bass to about 15 inches).  Used to lose a lot of flies before I switched from an improved clinch knot to a Duncan loop/Uniknot – since then I haven’t had problems with losing flies.  Hope this helps. — Bob Jarvis Mail address hacked to foil spammers! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Help, I am an intermediate fly fisherman who is used to catching pan fish.  Lately I have been doing a little better but am having trouble sacrificing my fly  to the God of fish.  Is there a good techniqe out there for running drag on a fairly light rig when catching a big fish.  I have been using the palm of my right hand to self adjust the drag once the fish is on but seem to have a heavy touch.  Any advice? thanks.

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Help, I am an intermediate fly fisherman who is used to catching pan fish.  Lately I have been doing a little better but am having trouble sacrificing my fly  to the God of fish.  Is there a good techniqe out there for running drag on a fairly light rig when catching a big fish.  I have been using the palm of my right hand to self adjust the drag once the fish is on but seem to have a heavy touch.  Any advice? thanks.

Hi Sky, I set the drag just heavy enough to keep the reel from back lashing or over running when I quickly pull some line off the reel. I then add more drag or resistance with my fingers on the fly line or use the rim control drag. I would then be sure that you have the right size tippet to match your fly size. Make sure that your leader/tippet is fresh and your knots are good. For #10, 12 & 14 dries I would use 5x tippet. For #16, 18 & 20 I would use 6x tippet.(7x later) For #8, 10 & 12 wet flies and nymphs I would use 3x tippet. For #14, 16 & 18 wet flies and nymphs I would use 4x tippet.(5x later) This is a chart I give to anglers that are just getting started. It is just for a rough guide and to get them thinking about using different size tippets with different size flies. Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 800/4000FLY www.kiene.com

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Breakoffs are the result of both reel drag and rod flex at the tip. A slower rod ie more flexible acts as a shock absorber to the fishes sudden movements and cushions the leader and light tippet. The drag is for breaking the fish’s runs (longer distance moves). I don’t know many fisherman that can use the old palm drag technique without just a little too much pressure just for a split secound that gives the fish your fly. Many reels have good drags like Lamson and Abel (and Cortland etc for the cheaper ones) I like the Bauer and other large arbor reels because their drag is the smoothest and most adjustable. I also have a Rhyle (sp?) which is resonably expensive and the drag is terrible. You keep having to reset it with a fish on. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Help, I am an intermediate fly fisherman who is used to catching pan fish. Lately I have been doing a little better but am having trouble sacrificing my fly  to the God of fish.  Is there a good techniqe out there for running drag on a fairly light rig when catching a big fish.  I have been using the palm of my right hand to self adjust the drag once the fish is on but seem to have a heavy touch.  Any advice? thanks.

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You’ll probably get  a response from TimW, Halfordian Golfer on this one… He’s the one that usually works in drag in this NG…. #:)#

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Help, I am an intermediate fly fisherman who is used to catching pan fish.  Lately I have been doing a little better but am having trouble sacrificing my fly  to the God of fish.  Is there a good techniqe out there for running drag on a fairly light rig when catching a big fish.  I have been using the palm of my right hand to self adjust the drag once the fish is on but seem to have a heavy touch.  Any advice? thanks.

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I am an intermediate fly fisherman who is used to catching pan fish.  Lately I have been doing a little better but am having trouble sacrificing my fly  to the God of fish.  Is there a good techniqe out there for running drag on a fairly light rig when catching a big fish.  I have been using the palm of my right hand to self adjust the drag once the fish is on but seem to have a heavy touch.  Any advice?

You are obviously holding harder than you need. Have a look at books on Pennsylvania fly fishing for trout, where tiny flies require light leaders, e.g. Ed Koch’s Fishing the Midge (1972).  There is a consensus there that even with big fish (say 5 lb.) the rod and guides provide about as much drag as the tippet can endure, depending on how high up you point the rod and how much the rod bends.  For this fishing, reel drag is minimal, i.e. just enough to prevent overrun. I.e. drag depends on the bend of the rod more than the resistance of the reel.  You even see this on salmon rivers where fish run 20 lb.  Reel drag setting is secondary to making the bend of the rod tire out the hooked fish. — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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Help, I am an intermediate fly fisherman who is used to catching pan fish.  Lately I have been doing a little better but am having trouble sacrificing my fly  to the God of fish.  Is there a good techniqe out there for running drag on a fairly light rig when catching a big fish.  I have been using the palm of my right hand to self adjust the drag once the fish is on but seem to have a heavy touch.  Any advice? thanks.

A top quality fly reel will have an excellent, working drag.  I use Penn International reels…great drag, great reel, expensive but worth it if you hook lots of big fish. — Don Jordan "The Real Indiana Jones" http://realindy.com

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Question:

Looking for a form or possibly even software on which I can enter all data on fishing trips for future references (ex. date, time, weather, etc.). Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks. Evert

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Looking for a form or possibly even software on which I can enter all data on fishing trips for future references (ex. date, time, weather, etc.). Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks. Evert

Evert, take a look at our FISHbase Anglers Log software, at http://www.terrafin.com You can view sample screens or download an evaluation version. Jeff Gammon Terrafin Software

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Looking for a form or possibly even software on which I can enter all data on fishing trips for future references (ex. date, time, weather, etc.). Any help would be appreciated.  Thanks. Evert

Hello, have a look at http://www.vendel.se/fg.html – The Fisherman

Question:

To what nefarious purpose will these stories be put? Is there compensation for the author or at least ego gratifying recognition? Len Hunter

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I’m starting a collection of fly-fishing stories.  I’d be interested in anything funny, exciting, unbelievable, thrilling, interesting, or just a little odd.  Just email your stories to me.  Please be as accurate in the story as possible. Thanks.

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This story is a fictional compound of several true incidents. Unfortunately, the angler of the lost fly rod was a very nice guy; nothing bad happened to the rude and obnoxious clients.    I knew I was in trouble within a few minutes of meeting the clients. They appeared at the outfitter in full dress–like officers in some weird flyfisherman’s army, brigadiers maybe or Protocol Officers.  In fact, they were arguing over the proper placement of their Backup Nipper. Top-to-bottom Orvis, Sage, Abel, etc.  If they had been paid by the logo we would all have been millionaires.   To be sure, their equipment was glorious.  Several flyrods each, with a lengthy discussion of which was most appropriate (the seven and the eight) and how many the raft could comfortably carry (we agreed on four each, with reservations on the guide’s part.) This despite the fact that we had already covered this ground in phone calls.  Beautiful tackle bags, unmarred. Boxes of flies, in large groups by nomenclature.  I was jealous, I must admit. Even so, I snuck some of my equipment back into the shuttle vehicle; I was a bit worried about payload.     I must say, this was unusual.  Though many of our clients are novices, we rarely see two anglers so obviously overequipped and underexperienced. It’s most usual to see the novice in the care of a more experienced angler. Also, we have no aversion to the inexperienced; our business is teaching, and that calls for patience and flexibility.  This level of confidence belied by the facts was worrisome, though; would the clients’ expectations ruin the trip? Could they cast to the bass, could they hook up at all?  We fish for ten to twelve hours; could inexperienced casters work for that long?  And would they blame me if any of these answers was ‘no’?   We also had to do a lot of preparation, which left me a bit worried about casting skills.  Three of four spools were brand new; it was proposed that we would load spools there at the ramp, while smallmouths chased bait in the shallows around us.  At first the clients were pleasant and relaxed; they said the right things about taking advice and so forth.  We got ready and shoved off.    But as soon as we were feet-wet, things deteriorated.  Tension between the clients became obvious, and I was glad that they sat facing opposite directions.  Their fly choices, casting directions, and retrieves had nothing to do with my advice.  They were in an arms race.  Both were well-tutored by the mainstream fly-fishing press, and they hurled advice at each other like snowballs packed around rocks.  I was in between.   Neither could get their flyline out of the boat.  Half an hour into the trip, drifting along through some of the most spectacular scenery in the East, and they were angry.  Not the best start to a guided trip.  And the smallies were on, too; I saw a lot of surface activity.  When the front angler fought a cast out about three rod-lengths and stripped in the excess flyline, a 14" fish slashed at his dahlberg right at boatside.  That was the only fish they moved all morning.  They changed flies, hung them in brush, on rocks, on the oars.  They debated barbless hooks even as I extracted one from my shoulder, barb fully functional but, thankfully, not quite engaged. They drank single-malt scotch but didn’t like it.   Just for a break, I put them out wading in a shallow, weedy area.  While they hacked and pumped and tied knots, I took a few tentative casts. Smallies to 12" took readily throughout the area. A few minutes later, a shout; one angler hooked, landed, and displayed, with what looked to be a fatal torso squeeze, a nice fish of about 14".  I grew angrier and angrier. In the previous week, tough conditions had limited good, old clients to few fish and few that size.  A few minutes later, with no other fish caught, I mounted them up and rode on.  Things came to a head as we approached a sharp, narrow rapid through a broken-down diversion dam.  The river here is mostly shallow, riffly ledges and rocks, with pools and weeds edges–classic smallmouth water.  As we approached the dam, I told them to pick up and keep their lines in, since the drop required a turn in the throat of the rapid to avoid jagged concrete and rebars that would tear the bottom out of the raft.  Both anglers disregarded this direction, and as we accelerated through the white water the guy in the aft seat hung up.   The boat was in mid-turn, and moving quickly.  I saw the rod go down and bend sharply. The angler called it a fish, but it obviously wasn’t.   "Give line!  You’re hung up!  Drop line!" I yelled.   "It’s a good one," he said.      The boat turned completely so that the flyline ran under, from stem to stern.  He was leaning into my sightline, to his left and my right.  The rod was compounded now, three-guides into the water, and he was holding tight.  I tried to pivot the boat a bit, but I had to hold my direction or risk a wreck.    "Give line!  Your’e hung!  I’ve got to turn.  Your’e going to break the rod!"    He didn’t give line, the rod didn’t break:  he let go of it.  It hung there a weird still second, then snapped straight and dove into the water, hung there a moment, then seemed to zoom upstream as the boat shot down current.  There was a stunned silence, which I welcomed.    As we drifted to a quiet spot, the forward angler asked questions:  He had missed the whole thing.  The aft angler was completely quiet, contemplating the permanent loss of a seven-hundred dollar outfit which had never caught a fish.  The 25-year guarantee didn’t cover loss by misadventure.  Feebly, he tried the Big Fish argument.   I wouldn’t even reply.  Pausing forty yards below the rapid, I was caught in a moral dilemma.    Our river is shallow, but forceful; a young woman had drowned in a canoe mishap against a rock about forty feet from where we sat a few years before. The water was warm, and I knew the spot intimately;  I was fairly sure that I could find the flyrod if the hook still held the snag.  Even if it had come loose, it was highly findable in the hole below, with a floating line and clear water.  But should I?  The angler considered it lost. He had plenty more, and was probably already composing the story for his friends, complete with bronze flash and tail the size of a Bible, no doubt with a supporting role as villain by  Sincerely Yours.  The guy was a mouth and a credit card, who had completely concealed all admirable qualities so far in the four hours we had known each other.  I sat for a long moment, then heaved a heavy sigh and dropped a hook.    "What’s up?" said the angler hopefully.    "You guys sit tight.  I may be able to get it back."    No reply.    I worked my way up to the dam in the slow water, alternately wading and swimming.  The usual friendly smooth river boulders were absent; it was jagged concrete and odd angles.  Careful footholds and a steep lean into the flow.  I couldn’t hope to work all the way up to the main rapid, but the faster water was shallower so I could hold.  Standing waist-deep in it, I stood and looked; sure enough, I saw the but and reel of the rod flare up in the swash.  Decision time.    I imagined how to do it:  Hit the ramp at nine pm, after the glorious dusk whitefly hatch.  Rack up and drop off at 10; drive up here and make the quarter-mile wade in the dark.  Feel through the rapid, hit the line, grab the rod; one sharp pull and I get a $700 tip.  If the day smooths out and the clients turn out OK, return the rod and call it an Abe Lincold honesty thing; if they fulfill their promise as first-class jerks, and especially if they stiff me, then the rod is mine.     The rod rolled up again, almost breaking the surface; I looked back. The forward guy was just watching, but the aft guy was looking away, an odd, vulnerable look on his face.  I realized a lot then, about how the attitude was a veneer, the macho competition covered a softer and simpler person. I couldn’t tell yet if he loved fish or fishing or rivers or boats, but I realized that the loss of the rod was probably fatal to his chances of ever loving any of it.  My guide habits created disdain and disapproval, but my river instincts told me that the river rarely returns something won fairly, and that to abuse the event was bad karma.  I couldn’t resist the impulse.  I gave him a smile and a nod and a thumbs-up, waited for the rod to show again, and leaned forward for it.  An easy catch, a yank and it was mine.  I rode the current back to them, winding up the slack line, and handed him the rod, wet and new.    I’d like to say the event changed the guy and things looked up; it’s half true.  The guy was grateful enough, but he didn’t have the eggs to really see my side of it.  I said, "Now will you listen to me?" and they both nodded, and they took a more relaxed and cooperative approach for a while.  They got their flylines out of the boat a few times, and caught some fish, too.  I got a reasonable tip, though the episode of the lost flyrod wasn’t mentioned again and the tip didn’t reflect the service that day.   I also gained the patience to stick with the difficult clients.  Somehow that day helped me to regain the basic comfort with the river that several years of difficult clients and finicky fish had eroded.  I remembered something that I had forgotten:  a guide is a teacher, and sometimes the best lesson is failure. Davemo18

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Question:

I will be in the Fort Meyers and Naples area in June. Any suggestions as to guides that have experience and interest in fly fishing. Also any areas that I could try without a guide and suggested flies. Thanks-Alex

Response:

Doug Swisher and Capt Bob Marvin run a saltwater flyfishing school and also guide out of Naples.  I’ve fished with both and they are super to spend a day on the water with. Doug goes back to trout in the summer months, but Capt Bob fishes there all year. call Naples information for Doug Swisher or bob Marvin.   you’ll have a ball. Reed

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Question:

oh come on !!! We all now how handy a 9 foot 8 weight comes in at a Klan Rally !   Tim Walker

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Some people bring so much baggage to every sport they miss the very point! If you believe that flyfishing is a white-man elitist sport you are confusing social issues with angler-fish issues,for example. But why do we flyfish ? There are times when spinners, jigs, bait, etc. are far more successful in bringing a fish to the net. In reality flyfishing gear is the most versatile , capable of handling the obvious as well  as spinners, small jigs,  and bait ( sometimes the casting is not so pretty), offers nearly absolute lure control, and provides both visual and tactile strike detection. Finally , hooking, fighting, and landing a fish on a long, light rod with the fish and the angler connected through the line is magical and the guts of the sport. Flyfishing  masters ( even after 30 years / over 3000 fishing trips I am not one)  have used every tool at their disposal and have blurred the edges between flyfihing and spinning in the quest for this magic.

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Question:

The best outfitters, Kaufman Streamborn in downtown Seattle and Bellevue. Warshalls at First Ave and Madison. Would like to fish with you but I live in NSW Australia. Try Mountain Lake on Orcas Island. Brooks, cutthroat anf Kokanee. Tight lines Dick Willis

Response:

Hey!  If everyone is not completely burned out on "I’m going to be …Where can I fish posts?", I have a serious post to post. I am moving to Washington state.  Bellvue to be exact.  

Actually Mark, you need a new atlas.  Bellvue is no longer in Washington State.  It is about dead center of the northern most county of the newly annexed portion of California.  The county name is "Eyefivia", and includes roughly everything thirty miles either side of Interstate 5. i would love to hear where the good spots are, as long as you don’t mind divulging your local hotspot.

I wouldn’t mind, if there were any.  Actually, I can’t fairly say that.  Even though I have to make business trips there often, talk to the locals about their water, and basically, if it aint a salmon, they don’t care about it.   Being a trout man myself, Eyefivia has little appeal. If you do prefer trout, head east to the real Washington, or better yet, Idaho. I am also going to need to find a new fly fishing store.  The one I go to now is impecable.  The Fly Angler, in Fridley Minnesota.  I highly recomend them.  However, they are not good enough to warrant travel from Washington to get outfitted when I run low on things.  So… Any good fly shops in Bellvue?

Don’t be too quick to abandon your shop.  It might just beat the prices anyway.  Valet parking and required Tux’s for Bellvue shops can get spendy, and they’re a hassle.  Besides, if you go with a shop in Yakima, Spokane, or anywhere else to the East of Eyefivia, you have an excuse to get to where the fishing is. Also, I HATE fishing alone all the time.  I have a few friends who flyfish here in Minnesota, but alas, they are staying in this land of ten thousand lakes.  I have no problem with wetting a line by myself on a regular basis, but everybody needs fishin’ buddies.  Is there anyone in the Bellvue/Seattle/Issaquah area who is looking for someone to drown some flies with.  I am house broken (according to my wife), educated (according to my student loans), and way too obsessed with fishing (according to my friends).  So if anyone wants to fish with the nicest guy my wife has ever lived with, let me know.  Any info will be appreciated, and all responses will receive a friendly thankyou from me.   Thanks in advance.

Sorry I’m not from there (thankfully , ‘cuz you sound like you’ld be fun to fish with.  I am often on the lakes of Eastern Washington, so don’t be afraid to holler howdy.  I’ll be the guy in a blue Super Cat (a small pontoon craft sold by Clearwater Anglers in Auburn – about an hour south of where you’re moving to), in the center of a gordian wind knot.  Bring a knife.  You may have to cut me free from the effects of my famous casting ability. – Dick

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Hey!  If everyone is not completely burned out on "I’m going to be ..Where can I fish posts?", I have a serious post to post. I am moving to Washington state.  Bellvue to be exact.  i would love to hear wheere the good spots are, as long as you don’t mind divulging your local hotspot. I am also going to need to find a new fly fishing store.  The one I go to now is impecable.  The Fly Angler, in Fridley Minnesota.  I highly recomend them.  However, they are not good enough to warrant travel from Washington to get outfitted when I run low on things.  So… Any good fly shops in Bellvue? Also, I HATE fishing alone all the time.  I have a few friends who flyfish here in Minnesota, but alas, they are staying in this land of ten thousand lakes.  I have no problem with wetting a line by myself on a regular basis, but everybody needs fishin’ buddies.  Is there anyone in the Bellvue/Seattle/Issaquah area who is looking for someone to drown some flies with.  I am house broken (according to my wife), educated (according to my student loans), and way too obsessed with fishing (according to my friends).  So if anyone wants to fish with the nicest guy my wife has ever lived with, let me know.  Any info will be appreciated, and all responses will receive a friendly thankyou from me.   Thanks in advance.

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There is also "Avid Angler" and "Swallow’s Nest" in Seattle. The Yakima River is just over the hill; in the early Spring Pass Lake at Deception Pass is good.  Then there are the Stillaguamish and Skykomish Rivers.  Or, if you’re into trying the saltwater, there are numerous places to fish for salmon in Puget Sound.  And the good part is – that is only the beginning. Also in the Spring, plan on making trips to the Eastern side of the state for Lenice and Dry Falls Lakes and Rocky Ford Creek.  Many of these are flyfishing only. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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