Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing » 4 rivers, 2 weeks Part III
Part III
Nice reports Warren, thanks. — Charlie…
The Missouri is a lot different than any other waters I have fished. It was a little difficult for me to decipher because it is so slow moving. All the other tail waters I have fished have had a lot more current to them. I am not saying that the Missouri is weak, but it is wide, deep and pretty structureless. I don
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing Rods » Bastard Report
This seems a particularly inauspicious time to post a report about George’s handiwork, but then again when the hell isn’t it. He will piss off most of ROFF every other post. Nevertheless, I promised this report and ROFF will get it. The brown truck arrived this afternoon as promised. This evening, I departed for Spring Creek with a 4 and 5 wt line as well as a comparison rod. I am not an expert on cane rods, although I have two which I fish regularly. One is a 1950’s vintage Orvis with the letter line rating that translates to a 6 wt. That rod was not unsheathed this evening. The other is -at least until now – my favorite. I purchased it at Farlow’s, Pall Mall, London and it is a 7 ft. 4-5 wt. Tony and Mike, among others, will know of the store. When I was there (1989) the cane rods were all stowed across the rafters in the ceiling, while the carbon rods were on display along the walls. I climbed a ladder and picked out several rods, eventually purchasing one without the benefit of casting -which was not possible under the circumstances. That rod, however, is a magnificent fishing tool. I took the Bastard to Spring Creek fitted out with a four weight line and fished it. The rod was a superb fishing tool. At normal fishing distances – for me 30-40 feet – it performed as well as any rod I have fished. Then, I went up on the bank along the stream for some pure casting comparisons and put the 4 wt. line on the Farlow’s rod. After that, back to the Bastard for more casting. At normal fishing distances, the Bastard was better. With a modest double haul I could put out about 50 ft., but that was the absolute limit at my abilities. The Farlow’s rod can get better distance than that – I punched out 60 ft. this evening. But to George’s credit the Bastard is lighter and at normal fishing ranges it peforms better than the Farlow’s rod. Of course, I understand that Wayne Cattanech (sp?)did not make the comparison rod and I am hardly the equivilent of Steve Rajeff. Nevertheless, the Bastard is a fine product that by my standards is all that I could ask for in a bamboo rod. The only thing I would change is to use a cigar rather than full wells grip. Thanks George, and the check is in the mail. Mark Faulkner
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This seems a particularly inauspicious time to post a report about George’s handiwork, but then again when the hell isn’t it. He will piss off most of ROFF every other post. Nevertheless, I promised this report and ROFF will get it. The brown truck arrived this afternoon as promised. This evening, I departed for Spring Creek with a 4 and 5 wt line as well as a comparison rod. I am not an expert on cane rods, although I have two which I fish regularly. One is a 1950’s vintage Orvis with the letter line rating that translates to a 6 wt. That rod was not unsheathed this evening. The other is -at least until now – my favorite. I purchased it at Farlow’s, Pall Mall, London and it is a 7 ft. 4-5 wt. Tony and Mike, among others, will know of the store. When I was there (1989) the cane rods were all stowed across the rafters in the ceiling, while the carbon rods were on display along the walls. I climbed a ladder and picked out several rods, eventually purchasing one without the benefit of casting -which was not possible under the circumstances. That rod, however, is a magnificent fishing tool. I took the Bastard to Spring Creek fitted out with a four weight line and fished it. The rod was a superb fishing tool. At normal fishing distances – for me 30-40 feet – it performed as well as any rod I have fished. Then, I went up on the bank along the stream for some pure casting comparisons and put the 4 wt. line on the Farlow’s rod. After that, back to the Bastard for more casting. At normal fishing distances, the Bastard was better. With a modest double haul I could put out about 50 ft., but that was the absolute limit at my abilities. The Farlow’s rod can get better distance than that – I punched out 60 ft. this evening. But to George’s credit the Bastard is lighter and at normal fishing ranges it peforms better than the Farlow’s rod. Of course, I understand that Wayne Cattanech (sp?)did not make the comparison rod and I am hardly the equivilent of Steve Rajeff. Nevertheless, the Bastard is a fine product that by my standards is all that I could ask for in a bamboo rod. The only thing I would change is to use a cigar rather than full wells grip. Thanks George, and the check is in the mail. Mark Faulkner
Very nice report Mark. But I gotta know, did ya get skunked? walt 
— Ezflyfish.com http://www.ezflyfish.com BRBG http://www.abebooks.com/home/BLUEBOOKS P.O. Box 5112 Banner Elk, NC 28604 (828)963-5001
Hi Walt, My brother is looking for a Cortland Fairplay line in WF4F, I didn’t see one listed on your site…do they even make a WF4F? Come to think of it, all I’ve ever seen in WallyWorld is 5 & 6 wt. Just curious… Frank Church Elkhart, IN USAF RET.
| | This seems a particularly inauspicious time to post a report about | George’s handiwork, but then again when the hell isn’t it. He will piss | off most of ROFF every other post. Nevertheless, I promised this report | and ROFF will get it. | | The brown truck arrived this afternoon as promised. This evening, I | departed for Spring Creek with a 4 and 5 wt line as well as a | comparison rod. I am not an expert on cane rods, although I have two | which I fish regularly. One is a 1950’s vintage Orvis with the letter | line rating that translates to a 6 wt. That rod was not unsheathed this | evening. The other is -at least until now – my favorite. I purchased | it at Farlow’s, Pall Mall, London and it is a 7 ft. 4-5 wt. Tony and | Mike, among others, will know of the store. When I was there (1989) | the cane rods were all stowed across the rafters in the ceiling, while | the carbon rods were on display along the walls. I climbed a ladder and | picked out several rods, eventually purchasing one without the benefit | of casting -which was not possible under the circumstances. That rod, | however, is a magnificent fishing tool. | | I took the Bastard to Spring Creek fitted out with a four weight line | and fished it. The rod was a superb fishing tool. At normal fishing | distances – for me 30-40 feet – it performed as well as any rod I have | fished. Then, I went up on the bank along the stream for some pure | casting comparisons and put the 4 wt. line on the Farlow’s rod. After | that, back to the Bastard for more casting. At normal fishing | distances, the Bastard was better. With a modest double haul I could | put out about 50 ft., but that was the absolute limit at my abilities. | The Farlow’s rod can get better distance than that – I punched out 60 | ft. this evening. But to George’s credit the Bastard is lighter and at | normal fishing ranges it peforms better than the Farlow’s rod. Of | course, I understand that Wayne Cattanech (sp?)did not make the | comparison rod and I am hardly the equivilent of Steve Rajeff. | Nevertheless, the Bastard is a fine product that by my standards is all | that I could ask for in a bamboo rod. The only thing I would change is | to use a cigar rather than full wells grip. | | Thanks George, and the check is in the mail. | | Mark Faulkner | |Very nice report Mark. But I gotta know, did ya get skunked? | |walt | |– |Ezflyfish.com http://www.ezflyfish.com |BRBG http://www.abebooks.com/home/BLUEBOOKS |P.O. Box 5112 Banner Elk, NC 28604 (828)963-5001 | |
Same old story as many others really….
(another tale of woe snipped) Joe – Several years ago I finished fishing Spring Creek at dark, just below Bellefonte, and put my cane rod on the roof of my car while I got out of my waders, had a beer, etc. As you would suspect, it wasn’t until I heard the rod roll off the roof of the car onto the asphalt that I realized the magnitude of my stupidity. Mark Faulkner
Very nice report Mark. But I gotta know, did ya get skunked? Yes. MF
Mark is too much the gentleman to say this, but I understand that conditions are abysmal in PA. Spring Creek has been reduced to a trickle, Penns is a puddle, and Fishing hardly flows. Under such conditions not even the vaunted George could tease up a fish. Peter P.S. We’ll have to have ourselves a little cane shootout once life gets breathed back into that little creek.
Joe – Several years ago I finished fishing
Spring Creek at dark, just below Bellefonte, and put my cane rod on the roof of
my car while I got out of my waders, had a beer, etc. As you would suspect,
it wasn’t until I heard the rod roll off the roof of the car onto the asphalt
that I realized the magnitude of my stupidity. Mark Faulkner
Mark; The three basic rules of fishing cane rods are: when you are thru fishing, 1-take care of the rod! 2-take care of the rod! 3-take care of the rod! follow all three steps BEFORE moving on to removing waders, drinking beer,etc. and your rods will last much longer John Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.
Joe and Jon – Bellefonte is still a nice little town, that has the additional advantage of a first class trout stream running right through it. The story of the six weight deserves to be told. Mark Faulkner – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Mark: I’ve got an uncle in Bellfonte (sp?), and family (with land and creeks) in Brookville. I grew up catching brookies there. Nice area, Ditto that. I used to go there on business and knock off early to fish Spring Creek. Bellefonte is a pretty little town (I thought). Despite driving my car over my 6 wt. there, I’ve always wanted to come back. Joe F.
Joe and Jon – Bellefonte is still a nice little town, that has the additional advantage of a first class trout stream running right through it. The story of the six weight deserves to be told.
Same old story as many others really. I was downstream from Bellefonte toward Fisherman’s Paradise trying to squeeze in just a few more casts before having to be somewhere else. I came out of the stream and began packing up in a hurry. Waders off, shoes on, vest off, etc. For some reason I was distracted enough to leave my rod leaning against the passenger side of the car when I backed up to leave. I heard the rod scrape against the side as it fell and realized what I’d done, but too late. From the position of the rod, I certainly had run over the tip. Surprisingly, it looked undamaged except for a slightly bent guide, so I put it back in the sock and tube and went on my way. It wasn’t until weeks later getting ready to fish the Tulpehocken that I thought to check it out before I hiked down to the stream in my waders. I tried a quick cast on the parking area and; well, lets just say the rod was a bit less stiff than I liked. Joe F.
Very nice report Mark. But I gotta know, did ya get skunked?
Yes. MF
Mark: I’ve got an uncle in Bellfonte (sp?), and family (with land and creeks) in Brookville. I grew up catching brookies there. Nice area,
Ditto that. I used to go there on business and knock off early to fish Spring Creek. Bellefonte is a pretty little town (I thought). Despite driving my car over my 6 wt. there, I’ve always wanted to come back. Joe F.
Hi Frank, The Fairplay line isn’t manufactured in a 4wt., 5wt being the smallest. It is a good line for the money….I have one loaded on a Danica Large Arbor reel and it performs quite nicely. There is a 4wt 333HT but it costs more. However, all the 333 lines are on sale everyday at ez…. –Walt, puttin the lid back on the can. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Walt, My brother is looking for a Cortland Fairplay line in WF4F, I didn’t see one listed on your site…do they even make a WF4F? Come to think of it, all I’ve ever seen in WallyWorld is 5 & 6 wt. Just curious… Frank Church Elkhart, IN USAF RET. | | This seems a particularly inauspicious time to post a report about | George’s handiwork, but then again when the hell isn’t it. He will piss | off most of ROFF every other post. Nevertheless, I promised this report | and ROFF will get it. | | The brown truck arrived this afternoon as promised. This evening, I | departed for Spring Creek with a 4 and 5 wt line as well as a | comparison rod. I am not an expert on cane rods, although I have two | which I fish regularly. One is a 1950’s vintage Orvis with the letter | line rating that translates to a 6 wt. That rod was not unsheathed this | evening. The other is -at least until now – my favorite. I purchased | it at Farlow’s, Pall Mall, London and it is a 7 ft. 4-5 wt. Tony and | Mike, among others, will know of the store. When I was there (1989) | the cane rods were all stowed across the rafters in the ceiling, while | the carbon rods were on display along the walls. I climbed a ladder and | picked out several rods, eventually purchasing one without the benefit | of casting -which was not possible under the circumstances. That rod, | however, is a magnificent fishing tool. | | I took the Bastard to Spring Creek fitted out with a four weight line | and fished it. The rod was a superb fishing tool. At normal fishing | distances – for me 30-40 feet – it performed as well as any rod I have | fished. Then, I went up on the bank along the stream for some pure | casting comparisons and put the 4 wt. line on the Farlow’s rod. After | that, back to the Bastard for more casting. At normal fishing | distances, the Bastard was better. With a modest double haul I could | put out about 50 ft., but that was the absolute limit at my abilities. | The Farlow’s rod can get better distance than that – I punched out 60 | ft. this evening. But to George’s credit the Bastard is lighter and at | normal fishing ranges it peforms better than the Farlow’s rod. Of | course, I understand that Wayne Cattanech (sp?)did not make the | comparison rod and I am hardly the equivilent of Steve Rajeff. | Nevertheless, the Bastard is a fine product that by my standards is all | that I could ask for in a bamboo rod. The only thing I would change is | to use a cigar rather than full wells grip. | | Thanks George, and the check is in the mail. | | Mark Faulkner | |Very nice report Mark. But I gotta know, did ya get skunked? | |walt | |– |Ezflyfish.com http://www.ezflyfish.com |BRBG http://www.abebooks.com/home/BLUEBOOKS |P.O. Box 5112 Banner Elk, NC 28604 (828)963-5001 | |
– Ezflyfish.com http://www.ezflyfish.com BRBG http://www.abebooks.com/home/BLUEBOOKS P.O. Box 5112 Banner Elk, NC 28604 (828)963-5001
steve, by far the best post yet on the whole issue of bastard rods thanks for your time and effort chris smith – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, all. I am the owner of a new Bastard bamboo rod and so I thought I’d share my experiences (and many photos) with you. I had planned to post my story directly to the group, but because the battle has escalated to such an extreme (and embarrassing) level, I’ve decided to post only a link to it. Here it is: http://www.ipass.net/~stevez/gehrkerod/ If you’re interested, check it out and feel free to respond here or directly to my email address. For those of you at the Ball, I’ll see you soon!!! Steve Zimmerman
Steve…. As someone who has lurked more than participated in the Bastard Bamboo Rod fiasco, I was more than a little uncomfortable that such extreme positions were taken on one side or the other. Your report, coupled with photos, is, in my opinion, the best post on the subject to date. It was a fair and accurate report and you did a good job of articulating your opinions and backing them up with photos. Thank you. I think that anyone thinking about purchasing a Bastard Rod will be in a much better position to make a purchase decision thanks to you.. As to those who took "extreme positions" in their posts, I’m not throwing rocks at any of you. If you were not happy with the quality of the rod you received, then all of the feelings attached to such a transaction are going to find their way into your post. Similarly, when George felt that he was being "attacked", his defensive posture also came through in his posts. All of this is understandable. It was nice, however, to see a post like Steve’s Barry
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, all. I am the owner of a new Bastard bamboo rod and so I thought I’d share my experiences (and many photos) with you. I had planned to post my story directly to the group, but because the battle has escalated to such an extreme (and embarrassing) level, I’ve decided to post only a link to it. Here it is: http://www.ipass.net/~stevez/gehrkerod/ If you’re interested, check it out and feel free to respond here or directly to my email address. For those of you at the Ball, I’ll see you soon!!! Steve Zimmerman
Steve, I got to tell you, that was a beautiful well done work. Although I haven’t been around in a while ( I relocated and been busy with the new home), I found a little time to read some post. I must say that the post concerning the Bastard production line held my interest. Although George has his foes, he has a respectable amount of heart. If his rods are lacking (judging by the previous posts), I am sure that they will improve with experience. Chris Fleitman Fisherman by nature-goofball by society.
Steve, Nice pictures. I had wanted to see the tipping wraps. I had a dicussion with George on his chat room one night about and he had told me that they were four threads wide. But on your pictures some of the guide wraps are tipped and some are not. sf
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, all. I am the owner of a new Bastard bamboo rod and so I thought I’d share my experiences (and many photos) with you. I had planned to post my story directly to the group, but because the battle has escalated to such an extreme (and embarrassing) level, I’ve decided to post only a link to it. Here it is: http://www.ipass.net/~stevez/gehrkerod/ If you’re interested, check it out and feel free to respond here or directly to my email address. For those of you at the Ball, I’ll see you soon!!! Steve Zimmerman
will, i got involved with george origionally on VFS. i pointed out an inconsistancy in a statement he made about pricing which included a general insult to a large group of people. i was polite. he replied with venom and vitriol. i contacted him privately. we communicated calmly and civily. he offered to send me a rod to see for myself how well made it was. not to buy, just to try. i said if he’s willing to go that far the least i can do is buy it – if it’s as good a rod as he claimes. sadly the rod he sent was pretty miserable. not suprising since it was one of the rods he’d sent to daytripper. which was returned -which george said was so bad he destroyed it -which he now claims is perfectly fine. i told him i would give him a chance to talk about it privately before i posted my thoughts publicly, which was something i stated i planned on doing right up front. i sent him my review and had no responce. i sent him another request to respond and a time when i would post publicly.from the time i posted to him to the time i posted publicly( 2 days) george was on line responding to and attacking others. my post was polite and truthful with a couple suggestions and best wishes for future success. his responce was typical george-i was made out to be a liar and ignorant. my next reply was georgian. if he can’t take it he shouldn’t dish it. i’m glad codemarine recieved a rod he’s happy with. it’s alot nicer looking than mine. BUT if you look at the cane work you can see there is room for improvement. the flats irregularities show up even in online photos. georges claimes of being better than Granger, Heddon et al are bad for this reason; it blinds george to realization that there is room for improvement in the bastards. if he keeps this attitude about his work and continues to trash anyone who dares disagree with him or finds fault with one of his rods, he’s hurting himself and his business. i for one tried to give the guy a chance AFTER he had ripped into me and look where it got me. on george gehrkes’ ENEMIES LIST. i wish him luck because with him instabilities he’s gonna need it. bob smith . I do believe George is honestly doing his best to satisfy all his customer< —–he has a funny way of going about it—
Steve; A wonderful report on the Bastard Bamboo Flyrod. It’s been extremely interesting reading these posts on ROFF about these rods. I’m a graphite man myself–although I do, on occasion bring out my Orvis Battenkill 8′ 6 wt. circa 1965. I have no intention of ordering a Bastard–and if I did–I’d have to consider that decision quite carefully after reading some of these exchanges. Well done, Thanks! Dave M
Bill: Thanks for a thoughful and conciliatory post. I wish you would post more often. I myself enjoy quite a reputation for my rod building talent (glass & graphite), but hesitate at the challenge of building a bamboo from scratch.
I apologize ahead of time if I should recognize your name/business in a commercial flyrod context, but I don’t. Do you build rods commercially, or just as a hobby? The reason I ask is that I honestly wonder how other people who post here, *and* make a living somehow from flyfishing, feel about George’s commercial use of this group. It has always been shrugged off in the past as the acceptable (to some) price that was paid for all the "contributions" he made to roff. Personally, I’m having a hard time seeing the contributions of late, but maybe that’s just me. Bob Before you buy.
Bob, You really shouldn’t recognize my name/business. I’m just a "have fun" flyfisher who enjoys the sport immensely. I’ve been involved with many Fly Fishing clubs at one time or another and have taught several rod building classes in my time. Lost count of the number of rods I’ve built at around 300 or so and that was quite a few years ago. I just enjoy getting the best performance I can out of a blank. Most of my rods have been donated to good causes or traded for flies. I definitely have a reputation for having built more rods than flies. I did meet George at a show a few years back and I believe him to be sincere although a little sensitive concerning his products. In my opinion, he tries too hard to make everyone satisfied (which is impossible) and then is hurt when someone isn’t satisfied. His commercial posting on ROFF would seem out of place to me if it wasn’t for the fact he seems to be a part of the group. Each group needs a diverse set of personalities. George contributes to the group on a regular basis, providing information, insight, and definitely excitement. You haven’t seen me post very often, because I’m too busy. Life has caught up to me and I had to get an education to change careers. I just graduated with a BS degree in information systems while working 65 hours per week. Lurking on ROFF has helped me keep some sanity in my life during this time that I’ve been locked into my studies. Hopefully not too long now until I can get employed at a real job and will be able to enjoy my weekends fishing again. Bill – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Bill: Thanks for a thoughful and conciliatory post. I wish you would post more often. I myself enjoy quite a reputation for my rod building talent (glass & graphite), but hesitate at the challenge of building a bamboo from scratch. I apologize ahead of time if I should recognize your name/business in a commercial flyrod context, but I don’t. Do you build rods commercially, or just as a hobby? The reason I ask is that I honestly wonder how other people who post here, *and* make a living somehow from flyfishing, feel about George’s commercial use of this group. It has always been shrugged off in the past as the acceptable (to some) price that was paid for all the "contributions" he made to roff. Personally, I’m having a hard time seeing the contributions of late, but maybe that’s just me. Bob Before you buy.
Hello, all. I am the owner of a new Bastard bamboo rod and so I thought I’d share my experiences (and many photos) with you. I had planned to post my story directly to the group, but because the battle has escalated to such an extreme (and embarrassing) level, I’ve decided to post only a link to it. Here it is: http://www.ipass.net/~stevez/gehrkerod/ If you’re interested, check it out and feel free to respond here or directly to my email address. For those of you at the Ball, I’ll see you soon!!! Steve Zimmerman
If you’re interested, check it out and feel free to respond here or directly to my email address. For those of you at the Ball, I’ll see you soon!!! Steve Zimmerman
Steve, All I can say is OUT-FREAKING-STANDING!!! Well done! A truely fair report and analysis. I especially liked the pictures to back up the claims made and to actually receive my first glimpse of a bastard! A++ Warren Riding a horse through a stream and chopping down a tree near you!
Just when we thought it was safe to go in the water
This, I think, says it all. A masterful production, codemarine. My hat’s off to you. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)
A breath of fresh air, a Bastard related post without name calling, well done and informative. Thanks, Jim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, all. I am the owner of a new Bastard bamboo rod and so I thought I’d share my experiences (and many photos) with you. I had planned to post my story directly to the group, but because the battle has escalated to such an extreme (and embarrassing) level, I’ve decided to post only a link to it. Here it is: http://www.ipass.net/~stevez/gehrkerod/ If you’re interested, check it out and feel free to respond here or directly to my email address. For those of you at the Ball, I’ll see you soon!!! Steve Zimmerman
Steve, you are to be congratulated on an excellent report on the B*stard rod, one I consider fair, well done and containing excellent advice for all concerned. I have stayed out of the fray, primarily because I am not in the running for a rod named B*stard, say what you will, but that is an offensive term to me. (maybe someday I’ll get over it) But I digress…I hope George takes to heart your advice, because, notwithstanding his reputation in ROFF, I wish him well. Yours is not the first post stating that you found him to be a personable, decent fellow when not trading insults, etc. on ROFF. Let me say right up front that I believe these were honorable, trustworthy people who sent rods back to George, it is just incomprehensible to me that they would even consider dealing with George in any other way. It is my hope, yes even my plan to someday fish with Dave L., Daytripper, Mudfish and all the ROFFIANS that I can fit in to my fishing life, and yes, even George. Life is too short to spend it in any other way than to enjoy in person those people who I’ve come to know and respect on ROFF. It grieves me to see what has been going on these past weeks, for I’ve been a member of ROFF for over 5 yrs now and although I’m not a frequent poster, this group has jump-started my day (with a cup of coffee) for the past 5 years (when I’m not on the road) It has become a part of my life, instead of having coffee and a donut, I have coffee and ROFF. And, a last special request to George…..read and reread CodeMarine’s advice, step back and give it some thought. As stated before, I wish you well in your rod venture, but you must change your public persona, and stop believing that people are out to "get you" with sabotage or other devious means to hurt your business venture. Until you go nationwide with your rods, these folks on ROFF are all you’ve got to ’spread the word’ about B*stard rods. In other words, be cool George! In my opinion, _you_ are your own worst enemy, and only you can change that. Good luck and remember, regardless of what’s happened in the recent past, I’ll bet 99.9% of ROFFIANS want to see you succeed. I’m on the road this morning to Denver for 4 days, I want to see some positive feedback from you when I return George…..now, get your ass on over to http://www.ipass.net/~stevez/gehrkerod/ and read and heed! Respectfully, – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, all. I am the owner of a new Bastard bamboo rod and so I thought I’d share my experiences (and many photos) with you. I had planned to post my story directly to the group, but because the battle has escalated to such an extreme (and embarrassing) level, I’ve decided to post only a link to it. Here it is: http://www.ipass.net/~stevez/gehrkerod/ If you’re interested, check it out and feel free to respond here or directly to my email address. For those of you at the Ball, I’ll see you soon!!! Steve Zimmerman
A really nice, balanced report — thanks!
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, all. I am the owner of a new Bastard bamboo rod and so I thought I’d share my experiences (and many photos) with you. I had planned to post my story directly to the group, but because the battle has escalated to such an extreme (and embarrassing) level, I’ve decided to post only a link to it. Here it is: http://www.ipass.net/~stevez/gehrkerod/ If you’re interested, check it out and feel free to respond here or directly to my email address. For those of you at the Ball, I’ll see you soon!!! Steve Zimmerman
<<Hello, all. I am the owner of a new Bastard bamboo rod and so I thought I’d share my experiences (and many photos) with you. Great post Steve. Thank god for gentlemen.
<SNIP Excellent. Thank you very much for the effort. I am also glad that you enjoy the rod and am pleased for George. Hope he takes your suggestions to heart. TL MC
Steve, A hearty THANKS from all of us. A positive and informative post is as refreshing as one can get and with pictures to back it up. Kind of verifies what I have thought all along. I don’t believe any "Lies" have really been said on this news group. I do believe George is honestly doing his best to satisfy all his customers. The fact that he sent those rods to Dave and Dave at the last minute is proof of this. However, that was a definite business error on Georges part. He himself admits rods #11 and #12 were sent out in a rush, I think perhaps with a cut back in Quality Analysis to make the deadline. An effort to satisfy a customer at the cost of the perfection George is striving for. Dave and Dave on the other hand having received these rods, noticed some imperfections and felt a need to correct George on these points. An appropriate action to take. An action I believe I would have taken under the circumstances. The blow up seems to have stemmed from this action. I believe George is a man of honor who honestly wants to help people enjoy the sport. And has accomplished that many many times over. However George tends to take on challenges of large magnitude. None of us would take on the challenge of producing a quality production bamboo flyrod. In fact it’s quite difficult to produce a single quality bamboo fly rod. I myself enjoy quite a reputation for my rod building talent (glass & graphite), but hesitate at the challenge of building a bamboo from scratch. I believe George takes great pride in the work he does and as well he should. He has accomplished the close to impossible in the challenges he has taken on. Several posts from satisfied customers verify this. However I’m afraid he strives to perfection to a fault. He wants every product he makes to satisfy everyone perfectly and he won’t stop till he gets there. Unfortunately, no one is capable of perfection, so when a criticism is made it is perceived as an attack. Thus a defensive stance which provokes another defensive stance which then provokes another defensive stance and so on it goes. It is time each forgive one another. Motives were correct from both sides of the camp. Perceptions, however tend to have a life of their own. I’ve heard comments about complaining to ISP’s and such. Come on, bury the hatchet. Let’s enjoy one another as the Roffians that we are. I neither defend George nor Dave and Dave. I simply believe that the majority of all this uproar is due to misperceptions on the part of all. George misperceived Dave & Dave’s comments as an attack and the correction George made to those comments were perceived as an attack. It’s just time to forgive. Bill (the Lurker)
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, all. I am the owner of a new Bastard bamboo rod and so I thought I’d share my experiences (and many photos) with you. I had planned to post my story directly to the group, but because the battle has escalated to such an extreme (and embarrassing) level, I’ve decided to post only a link to it. Here it is: http://www.ipass.net/~stevez/gehrkerod/ If you’re interested, check it out and feel free to respond here or directly to my email address. For those of you at the Ball, I’ll see you soon!!! Steve Zimmerman
(snippage has occurred) Steve Zimmerman
Well thought through and well designed post Steve. However, considering the touchiness of the situation, I will have to see the longer term results to say it was effective in all the areas you intended. I do think your post serves well as a model for resolving intense, sometimes emotional, conflicts on ROFF. — Wayne To fish is human….To release Divine! Before you buy.
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Flyfishing » Fishing in Brazil
I was hoping that someone out there might have some information about flyfishing in Brazil. I was thinking of travelling to either Pantanal or Rio Grande do Sul. I am really beginning my quest, so if anyone can suggest any other areas please let me know. I believe that the Dorado is much fished for as well as the peacock bass in the Amazon, does anyone know of other species? Thank you for your help. Nick Palliser
Nick Try asking on rec.outdoors.fishing.fly which is a mainly US based NG, you should get some good info there, if they can tear themselves away from the catch and release debate for long enough — Regards, Peter Remove nospam to e-mail www.yachthawkwind.demon.co.uk/peters.htm "We are chosen, we are one We are frightened of no-one" – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was hoping that someone out there might have some information about flyfishing in Brazil. I was thinking of travelling to either Pantanal or Rio Grande do Sul. I am really beginning my quest, so if anyone can suggest any other areas please let me know. I believe that the Dorado is much fished for as well as the peacock bass in the Amazon, does anyone know of other species? Thank you for your help. Nick Palliser
Nick: I lived in Bolivia last year. There is a large fish called Serubi(spelling is wrong) that would be a challenge to catch on a fly rig. But if you do your in for some good eating! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was hoping that someone out there might have some information about flyfishing in Brazil. I was thinking of travelling to either Pantanal or Rio Grande do Sul. I am really beginning my quest, so if anyone can suggest any other areas please let me know. I believe that the Dorado is much fished for as well as the peacock bass in the Amazon, does anyone know of other species? Thank you for your help. Nick Palliser
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing Reel » The Big One that Got Away
Mark, Stay loose and keep trying.That’s why they call it fishing and not catching. You were going to C & R anyways. Correct pressure it’s just a matter of experience. You have to take into consideration if the fish is going upstream, down strean, how much string you have out, fish size.Just hang in there,have fun. Capt. Dan **** Posted from RemarQ – http://www.remarq.com – Discussions Start Here ™ ****
Not to rain on your parade, but… <heavy downpour snipped
Most of your points are well taken. However, to make the story as interesting, yet as brief as possible, considerable details and irrelevent narrative were omitted from a long day of fishing. Had I included everything, I have no doubt you would be impressed with our ambassadorship for fly fishing, our sportsmanship, and the number of fish hooked and played by nearby anglers whist we stood by courteously and patiently when it was our turn to do so. You would also have been exceptionally bored. It’s a big river; and we neither monopolized any good holes, caught all the fish, nor substantially interfered with anyone’s enjoyment of the day. It was a fine day fishing for all; this story was but a snapshot of a moment. Lighten up, eh? If you were right, however, you’d have been right. Joe
0] : Everybody see the theme happening here? "Put a little pressure on ‘em?" My : story: snipped: account of fishing for goldens : Still haven’t caught my first golden.. : -Mark : — Goldens aren’t hard to catch in wilderness streams provided they don’t see you first. They are ultra spooky. The whole secret is stealth. A six incher will scarf up a #10 Royal Wulff or just about anything else in your flybox, and there will be no question of being hooked up–he’ll be on. Just keep low, behind a bush or a rock–you don’t need a fancy cast, just get the fly on the water drifting reasonably. Actually I’ll suggest 14’s and 16’s are a more appropriate for the size of the typical golden, and are taken just as enthusiastically as 10’s. Mike — Michael McGuire Hewlett Packard Laboratories (remove x’s from email if not Palo Alto, CA 94303-0971 a spammer) Phone: (650)-857-5491
My buddy and I were fishing the Salmon River (NY) last fall during the annual salmon run. We were there maybe a bit late for the peak of the run, and a lot of the fish in the river had been there a while and were a bit worn out. Not that it wasn’t fun anyway, but once in a while, we’d hook into a really fresh fish with tons of energy. These guys would take off like a freight train, jumping and taking you well into your backing going straight upstream. Using an 8 or 10 pound tippet on these big fish necessarily made for a long difficult fight, but we had learned from experience when we could safely "put a little pressure ‘em" and when to let ‘em run. The spinning rod guys, of course, had a lot less trouble dragging them out with 30# mono and so were somewhat impatient, but generally courteous, when we took our time bringing one in. On the last day of our trip, I worked a faster stretch, and my buddy was working a flat stretch upstream about 50 yards. We were both hooking up fairly often, but he was really nailing them. Every other time I looked up there it seemed, his rod was bent over while the spinning guys stood by with their lines out of the water. I didn’t realize how frustrated some of the other fishermen were with this arrangement until I hooked the big one. Fishing an egg pattern, I saw my line hesitate and set the hook. Instantly, the big salmon sprinted upstream, jumping three times on the way. "Fish coming up!" I yelled upstream, and a half dozen or so other fishermen obliged me by pausing their casting. The fish was so fast and strong, I quickly decided to walk upstream after him. He was already 100 yards away and my drag was still singing. That’s when I saw him. Not the fish, the guy with the net. This fish wasn’t even close to tired, but some nut case, tired of standing aroung waiting for another fly fisherman to land a fish, charged into the river and tried to scoop him out. As tight as my tippet was stretched, even the slightest bump with that net would have cost me the fish instantly. To my relief, he only succeeded in scaring the hell out of it and it sped across to the other side of the river. As I’m running up the shore to stop this guy, he practically sprints across the river (no small feat) in pursuit of my fish. He’s still too far away to stop him when the fish reaches the shallows on the far bank. The fish still has tons of strength left when "net man" get there. He takes one stab at the fish with the net and the fish sprints upstream again. My line wraps around net man’s legs and that was all she wrote. I was still too far away to even curse at the guy. I just walked back downstream and reeled in the slack.
Everybody see the theme happening here? "Put a little pressure on ‘em?" My story: We were fishing in the 20 lakes basin of California. I am new to California fishing and newer to fly fishing, I grew up in Michigan. My buddy Paul and I had no trouble landing a couple delicious brookies the day before in the backcountry, and stocked rainbows from Saddlebag lake to days prior (my buddy Paul makes an excellent trout breakfast scramble). But we’re really looking for the gold.. Golden Trout. We try at several lakes and streams with no luck for goldens (just a brookie or two).. as we head further back into the backcountry, we come upon a stream that looks promising. The bank is about 10 feet above the stream.. and we approach low as the sun is high, though not high enough for us to cast a shadow.. and we see them. Goldens.. moving slowly left to right, slowing to inspect possible food sources (not rising) then continuing. Since we’re backpacking, I’m using a fenwick fly/spin rod that doesn’t excel at either but packs well.. and I tie on my nymphs one by one, throwing them from the bank (I am NOT a good flyfisher.. my casts still have the grace of a collapsing bridge), staying low.. and we watch them ignore our offerings. Paul (with only spinning gear) tosses out spinners and lures 40 feet downstream with no luck either. After an hour or two of fruitless fishing up and down the section of stream, we quit fishing to have some burbon and nutrition.. and we watch the Goldens pass by like we’re in some kind of twisted dentist’s office. Paul tells me about a pool he found downstream that might have a good evening bite.. so after a few hours of short hikes and exploring, I go back to camp, grab my gear and head to the pool. Paul is already there, watching the evening rise.. wishing HE had brought his fly gear. But Paul has proven why I like to pack with him.. he gives me first shot at the shittish rising Goldens with my fly gear. I tie on a caddis, approach low, cast upstream.. and the fly stops dead, ripple, SET HOOK and golden on! He jumps (yep, looks like a Golden, we estimate he’s at about 14-16"), heads upstream, yanking off my line.. all the while I’m having 2nd thoughts about my set.. the timing wasn’t great, didn’t feel real solid. I decide, in order to make sure the hook is in, I’ll "put a lttle pressure on…" to further set the hook. Yep, game over, fishy all gone, we’re done for the evening (even though we didn’t know it at the time). Still haven’t caught my first golden.. -Mark — Particle Salad/ Noom Room Studio http://home.earthlink.net/~psalad
I was guiding a client last year on the Ocanuluftee river in the smokies.The water was high and murky and I tied on one of my prince variations for him on a 5X tippet. After fishing the first eddy I put him on he asked me if this was a joke.By the third eddy he fished he changed his tune.He hooked up about three feet off the bank and said I think I’m hung up! I told him to set the hook harder! He said but I’m hung up! I said It’s a big fish buddy put it to him! He jerked the rod sharply and the fish exploded! I screamed get downstream of him before he makes his run! It was too late! The fish lipped the pool and headed into class five water.He held the rod high as the reel sang it’s song.After about 120 yards the fish parted the leader.He said I didn’t know there were fish like that up this high.I replied’ I didn’t either. Moral to the story"Never under estimate the brown trout and use 2X tippet when the water’s murky! Tim
In my youth, I was a bait fisherman, just like my dad. We were fishing the Chesapeake Bay near the Md/Va line and doing pretty well against some sea trout in about 70 ft of water. As usual, just as the sun starts going down and the wind picks up, the fishing starts getting really good, but it’s time to go in. Just before I reel in for the last time, I feel a bump and haul back on my rod. I got it, but what? Instantly it takes off south, aided by a 2 knot current. I’m using a medium stiff spinning rod and 18-lb line, but he’s just peeling it off at high speed. This is the fish of a lifetime. After what seemed like a minute, but was probably only15 seconds, the line goes slack. I’m deflated. On reeling in, I find lots of nicks in what’s left. Probably a big bluefish, maybe a shark, I’ll never know. Man was that a fish. Joe
I often remember the big fish that I’ve lost, especially from a mistake I made. Any interest in exchanging the tales? Herewith a modest contribution.
(Section deleted) Finally hooked a carp. I can remember fishing for Bluegill in my favorite section of Big Bear
Lake with my 3wt when I hooked into a monster. It took about 20 minutes to get this thing close to me. The largest Bluegill I’ve ever seen. It was absolutely HUGE!! I wanted to keep it as I knew nobody would believe me when I told them how big. I had no net with me, after all who needs to net Bluegill. I couldn’t get my hand around him and being a Bluegill couldn’t put my thumb in is mouth. No way to grab him !!! Finally my 6x tippet gave way. I dropped my rod and tried to grab with both hands, but he just slowly swam away. The following week I heard someone had caught a 4lb 9oz record the very next day. I guess you just can’t win them all. Bill
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Good thread, Michael. Fishing on the Beaverhead two years ago, floating below Dillon with the pontoon boat. Slow day in September, having to pound them up and not much sucess at that either. Dropped a two nymph rig into a drop-off that must have been 15 feet deep, and just let it sink – fooling around, mostly. WHAM. Rod bends straight down (like I was jigging for 10 pound crappies or something). Five seconds later leader pops at, of all places, the nail knot attachment to the fly line. Lost the entire leader. First and only time that has ever happened to me, but now I carry an extra leader. Then there was the time…… (man, I got a load of these kind of stories) Mark Faulkner
Oh Mark, you brought back bad memories. I had been fishing the Bow River in Alberta for three days and my luck had been so-so. it was getting dark and I worked my way up to this flat, just upstream of a spot called Policeman’s. I could see regular rises and there was one large regular one at the tail of an almost imperceptible seam. I drift a #14 Henryville down, the rainbow took it and headed into the current with me hanging on for dear life. I put a bit of pressure on and ping!!!, the leader parts in the middle. Standing there looking at half my leader, I remember stepping on it earlier when releasing a small fish. Must have nicked it with a stud. Damn. Would have been the best fish I had in a while. Peter Email address hacked. Remove -delete-this- to email a reply.
These first few aren’t huge but memorable nonetheless… I guess there’s one every season or so for me, a brown that took a hares ear spider on one side of the river, and immediately bolted for a single snag/branch hanging into the water clear across stream and promptly wrapped the leader around it, I barely had set the hook. Same river, two years or so earlier, a rainbow picked up a damsel nymph hit the main main current, crossed the current to a backwater on the other bank 20 yards downstream leapt and hung the line up in a bush. Then there are the bruisers … usually in backwaters … I did my first and only float trip last year … what a revelation. This damned river Goulburn is much maligned as being difficult to fish and so it is, if you are looking for a swag of fish taken in runs, glides etc. Naturally things are differnt during a hatch, then selectivbity is a problem. On that trip I was broken in a backwater on the strike to a parachute dun, guide reckons "Biig" …hard to tell I guess, but the sight of that dun disappearing is something I won’t forget, damn fish charged it and managed to break the fly-knot on 6 lb tippet when I lifted into him. Man there is some serious recovery time needed after things like that. The best thing about that trip though was I found where the fish were, very few mid-stream, mostly backwaters and hard against the bank near overhang branches and the like. It gave me confidence in the water I knew there where fish and roughly where … so now I fish it with a heap of confidence, knowing that patience will pay off. Two weeks after the float, I returned foot, I watched backwaters relly looked and sure enough, 2lb plus fish accessible form the bank admittedly in tricky circumstances. I spotted a much larger brown cruising a particular back water 6 times , always he’d be coming toward me or I’d be caugth in the open and couldn’t move … on the seven occasion the wind blew and riffled the water as he swam away .. the size 14 heavy wire fiery-brown nymph was taken, I lifted and all hell broke loose in the shallow water. I couldn’t afford to let him run at all because of logs, and you guessed it … the hook straightened. I cursed a little and *laughed* a hell of a lot while untangling leaderr and line from around my ears and hat, checked my watch – one cast in 3 hours and worth every last second of it. That float trip has changed the way I fish ~that~ river forever. Geez …then there a the lake fish …. Steve
I agree, this is a great thread. Last Memorial Day, I joined my Father-In-Law on the Potholes Res. in Central Washington. He enjoys fishing for walleye so was rigged up and trolling for them. I personally don’t care for spiny rays so had my rod rigged with my favorite Wolly Bugger pattern. After 30 minutes the fish finder turns black with fish and I start pounding nice 14 inch rainbows. My next hit, the reel starts screaming and I was totally unpreparred for this size of fish (even though the lake is known to have 10 pound plus rainbows in it.) After about 20 seconds the hook pulls out. I reel in and check my fly and leader and cast it back out. Two minutes later, I am into another monster fish that has the reel on meltdown again. This time I was ready for it and proceeded to adjust the drag while my Father-in-Law cranked up the downriggers and was getting to turn the boat around to give chase. In that short period of time, the fish was within 10 feet of spooling me with the drag cranked all the way down when the fly popped loose again. It never did slow down. Mike Wilson Fishing!! What else is there?
I often remember the big fish that I’ve lost, especially from a mistake I made. Any interest in exchanging the tales?
This is a little long… Jackson and I had spent most of the morning trying to gain access from ranchers to the river. We knew from maps that the state had designated it "Gold Medal Water" but we were determined to get on it somewhere other than the few public acess points. At the time Jackson was tractor salesman for Case power equipment so it seemd he was the right one to go knocking on strangers doors. After all, they all owned tractors. The hard part was guessing who were the Case guys and who were the John Deers!! A fella can be kinda partial to his heavy machinery, right up there with the pickup. And so it went – "No", after "No" after nobody home, when finally we hit paydirt. "Be sure to close the gate!" Always obey this request. We were in. A short drive and we came upon the water – wide and slow, winding through hay fields. We began to walk down current and came to a hard dog leg in the stream. A nice backeddy curled against the current. As we looked the risers became evident. Jackson patted me on the back – a little harder than I liked, but that was OK, our mission was accomplished. There was such an abundance of available food for these fish – terresterials and aquatics alike, that we really didn’t know what to use. One thing was certain – it was going to be dry. I went with a #14 irresistable and proceeded to put down every fish I cast to. Well, not put down exactly, they would simply move five feet ahead of where I could reach after a couple of presentations. Jackson was having the same kind of success. I had started fishing down stream of the bend, but soon found myself standing right in it with the trout now rising behind me. That’s when Mike (Jackson) called me. "Jonnie boy – check this dude!" I climbed out of the stream and walked over to him. From where he was standing I saw nothing at first. Then she breeched. Such a rainbow I’d never been this close to. The rise was stupid big. Just a big old bug sucking spotted maw followed by the back of a buffalo and the vertical tail of a whale. This fish was working less than two feet from shore faceing straight into the current. The assortment of insects seemed to delight him judging by the way he steadily fed. I tried to watch what he was eating but it was futile. There was just too much. I actually watched this pig eat a yellow jacket. Mike offered up the trout to me; he was going to watch. I eased into the current no more than 20 feet down stream and waited. I let this trout rise four or five times before even stripping out line. I wanted a solid bead on his lie, and I wanted him happy. My first cast was short. I waited for one more rise and made a second. It was perfect. The irresistable floated happily right over his lie. Dammitt. Again I waited for him to show. Then I tried to time it – kind of like a surfer counting waves. It was time. The cast was true and it was clear – even before it happened – that this was the cast. Mike knew it too and even called out – just before he struck – "That’s it". He was right. That trout took so confidently that I had to laugh. I did. Then I really started laughing as the fish made an immediate downstream run. Downstream? This I was not ready for. Don’t ask me why. The fish swam right passed me. I could have hit him with the rod. I stripped my wet ass off to keep the line tight and then right back out again and suddenly on the reel. The old Medalist chugged and groaned and I suddenly realised this fish was well on it’s way to spooling me. I clammered out of the stream and up onto the high bank. Mr. fish was an easy 60 yards into the backing when I had this great idea. Instead of continuing the chase on foot I’d: "Put a little pressure on him" Famous last words. The hook had simply pulled free. I fell back into the tall golden grass and held my forehead. Jackson was quick to produce a flask of good scotch. Dam that was a good belt of whisky. JE JE
Wish this was mine, but it’s a good story anyway… My brother in law live in LA, and he’s a fishing nut! I took him to the quality waters here in New Mexico with a guide ’cause the water was flowing at almost 5000 cfm. We’re in Texas hole, and close to the top of the hole. He casts to the rapids, and gets a strike, a big one! He asks the guide what to do, and the guide say’s let him run. He ran about a hundred yards and tied up the line in a tree. I never heard a fly reel scream like that in my life! Sure wish it would have been me….
Michael Goldstein wrote [great thread snipped] Long before I started fly fishing, when I was 12, I fished for bonito from a "bait barge" in Long Beach harbor. I was fishing a live anchovy in the usual manner with no weight…just the free swimming bait fish. (I’ve been told by my marine fishing buddies that this type of fishing is called ‘fly fishing’ … go figure). Anyway, on one particular day I was fishing with my $10 trout rod/reel spinning combo I had bought at Thrifty Drug store…You know, the cheap little spinning jobs where the line is always getting caught underneath the spool and wrapped around the axle. (You probably have to be at least 35 years old to know the cheap little reel I’m talkin about). Anyway, on this one particular day here I was with my bait in the water and the line caught up and wrapped under the spool in the usual fashion. In this situation there’s nothing to do but remove the spool and unwind the tangle. So, while I had the spool off and I’m unwrapping the line, a bonito hits…don’t know how big, but those of you who’ve caught ‘em know how they run when they hit that anchovy. So here I am, with the spool off and the fish pulling away like crazy and my trying to get control and put the spool back on … and the damn fish pulled the whole rig out of my hands and over the rail…rod, reel … everything gone. I was not a happy camper that day! — -dnc-
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I often remember the big fish that I’ve lost, especially from a mistake I made. Any interest in exchanging the tales? Herewith a modest contribution. (Section deleted) Finally hooked a carp. I can remember fishing for Bluegill in my favorite section of Big Bear Lake with my 3wt when I hooked into a monster. It took about 20 minutes to get this thing close to me. The largest Bluegill I’ve ever seen. It was absolutely HUGE!! I wanted to keep it as I knew nobody would believe me when I told them how big. I had no net with me, after all who needs to net Bluegill. I couldn’t get my hand around him and being a Bluegill couldn’t put my thumb in is mouth. No way to grab him !!! Finally my 6x tippet gave way. I dropped my rod and tried to grab with both hands, but he just slowly swam away. The following week I heard someone had caught a 4lb 9oz record the very next day. I guess you just can’t win them all. Bill
While liveing in San Mateo Fl. one of my neibors was going to St. Augustine with his boat to fish and asked me to go along. My only rod at the time was a bamboo 7wt 7′ and I thought a mudler minnow with a straight leader of 20lb test would work fine in salt. We were up under the bridge of lions when I thought I was bottom hung. I started to be able gently to crank in line with just a bit of trouble when this shadow started to show and my buddy asked what the hell I had. As it came up I saw the eye of the most god awful tarpon I had ever even heard of. At that point he decided this was a bit more than a minor nuisance. There was this terrific splash of water and he was gone, my fly rod was broken just above the grip and all I could do was sit there shaking, looking at the busted rod. That was a 14′ boat and that fish was at least half the boat size. That is the truth although I can understand any disbeliefe. John Popp in Sanford Fl.
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – These first few aren’t huge but memorable nonetheless… I guess there’s one every season or so for me, a brown that took a hares ear spider on one side of the river, and immediately bolted for a single snag/branch hanging into the water clear across stream and promptly wrapped the leader around it, I barely had set the hook. Same river, two years or so earlier, a rainbow picked up a damsel nymph hit the main main current, crossed the current to a backwater on the other bank 20 yards downstream leapt and hung the line up in a bush. Then there are the bruisers … usually in backwaters … I did my first and only float trip last year … what a revelation. This damned river Goulburn is much maligned as being difficult to fish and so it is, if you are looking for a swag of fish taken in runs, glides etc. Naturally things are differnt during a hatch, then selectivbity is a problem. On that trip I was broken in a backwater on the strike to a parachute dun, guide reckons "Biig" …hard to tell I guess, but the sight of that dun disappearing is something I won’t forget, damn fish charged it and managed to break the fly-knot on 6 lb tippet when I lifted into him. Man there is some serious recovery time needed after things like that. The best thing about that trip though was I found where the fish were, very few mid-stream, mostly backwaters and hard against the bank near overhang branches and the like. It gave me confidence in the water I knew there where fish and roughly where … so now I fish it with a heap of confidence, knowing that patience will pay off. Two weeks after the float, I returned foot, I watched backwaters relly looked and sure enough, 2lb plus fish accessible form the bank admittedly in tricky circumstances. I spotted a much larger brown cruising a particular back water 6 times , always he’d be coming toward me or I’d be caugth in the open and couldn’t move … on the seven occasion the wind blew and riffled the water as he swam away .. the size 14 heavy wire fiery-brown nymph was taken, I lifted and all hell broke loose in the shallow water. I couldn’t afford to let him run at all because of logs, and you guessed it … the hook straightened. I cursed a little and *laughed* a hell of a lot while untangling leaderr and line from around my ears and hat, checked my watch – one cast in 3 hours and worth every last second of it. That float trip has changed the way I fish ~that~ river forever. Geez …then there a the lake fish …. Steve
I often remember the big fish that I’ve lost, especially from a mistake I made. Any interest in exchanging the tales? Herewith a modest contribution. I often fish a pond near my house in Princeton, NJ which contains sunnys, smallmouth, and HUGE carp, i.e. 10+ lbs. Generally, I’ll try to catch the smallmouth, switching to the carp if I see them cruising. But in a year of hit-and-miss trying, I’ve never gotten a carp on. They are extremely spooky, and even if you get a nymph on their nose while they’re tailing (generally what I’m trying to do), it’s very hard to read a take. It’s late Fall, and the pond is already cold enough that the smallmouth aren’t hitting. Rather than go home skunked, I switch to a smaller streamer that is more likely to catch a sunny (though it still might attract a bass). On the first cast of the new streamer, it stops after a short retrieve. Now, if you’ve ever fished for smallmouth you know that one of the problems with catching them is hooking them. Their jaws are so powerful that even if you try to set the hook hard, once, they may have the fly locked in their jaws, and will spit it out after a few seconds. So, hoping the fish might be a smallmouth, I lock the line against the rod and hit it a second time. The theory here is that, with six pound tippet, it won’t matter if I lock up against a sunny, or even a smallmouth (which on this pond rarely get bigger than 2 pounds). But I want to make sure the hook is set. As I’m pulling on the line, I see a grey torpedo explode from the bottom of the pond near my fly. The acceleration is so rapid that a bow wave builds up in front of it across the entire width of the pond (maybe 150 feet). My jaw drops as I react to the awesome power display, and try to track the streak with my rod tip. It takes me a second to realize I should release my lock on the line, but as I do, the 6 lb tippet parts. Finally hooked a carp.
Michael Goldstein: <<I often remember the big fish that I’ve lost, especially from a mistake I made. Any interest in exchanging the tales? (good story snipped) I was fishing a river in Maine, early in the season which means I was lobbing big streamers with a 6 weight. I had a reel on that did not have the best drag system, and hitched into a *very* big fish. He zoomed across the pool and was headed down-stream to the next pool when I palmed my reel — palmed it too much, that is. The tippet broke and a couple of guys near me gasped in disappointment. About 30 minutes later a local fisherman started fishing and I thought his set up strange: He had a sinking line, very short leader, and was tying on a #10 White Wulff. He cast into the current and when the fly was down stream he retreaved it *very* slowly. On his second cast, He was into a big fish. I left the water, put my rod down and watched him land a 28 inch Togue (laketrout that gets into a river). The togue had my white Zonker in his jaw, right next to the White Wulff! He killed the togue, tied it to his Maine basket, packed up and left. He had his supper. Dave LaCourse
I often fish a pond near my house in Princeton, NJ which contains sunnys, smallmouth, and HUGE carp, i.e. 10+ lbs. Generally, I’ll try to catch the smallmouth, switching to the carp if I see them cruising. But in a year of hit-and-miss trying, I’ve never gotten a carp on. They are extremely spooky, …
I’ve never caught a carp on a nymph or a streamer, only on mulberry flies. When the mulberries get ripe and drop into the water you toss a hunk of purple yarn under the tree. Some folks scatter bread crumbs on a spot for a week or two then use a "bread crumb" fly to catch carp. I don’t, I feel guilty enough about the mulberries. — Ken Fortenberry
I often remember the big fish that I’ve lost, especially from a mistake I made. Any interest in exchanging the tales?
We were camped at Rainbow Lake, about 10,000 ft above sea level on the Doubletop Mt. Trail in the Wind River Range. Finis Mitchell’s book claimed that Rainbow Lake was an excellent fishery. Being a flatlander I was not very good at unlocking the secrets of a high alpine lake. I tried my whole bag of lake methods and being limited to fishing from the shore, (no float tube or boat), I got discouraged and inattentive. I had a muddler minnow that I tossed purposefully but retrieved casually. On one of the strips of the retrieve, while I was planning where to make the next "perfect" cast, something hit that muddler so hard it took muddler tippet and all. I just wasn’t paying attention. — Ken Fortenberry
I often fish a pond near my house in Princeton, NJ which contains sunnys, smallmouth, and HUGE carp, i.e. 10+ lbs. Generally, I’ll try to catch the smallmouth, switching to the carp if I see them cruising. But in a year of hit-and-miss trying, I’ve never gotten a carp on. They are extremely spooky, …
Folklore says that carp can feel the vibrations you impart to the line (movement, heartbeat and breathing). If you want to catch them, get a y shaped stick and shove the straight end into the ground. Prop up the fishing rod with the y shaped part of the stick. If you are using a fly, watch for line movement unrelated to the current flow. The subtle line movement (especially in calmer waters) around the shore will indicate a carp or sucker is on the line. When you see the movement, pick up the rod and set the hook. Failure to do so will possibly mean that your fly rod will be yanked into the water by the carp/sucker. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I’ve never caught a carp on a nymph or a streamer, only on mulberry flies. When the mulberries get ripe and drop into the water you toss a hunk of purple yarn under the tree. Some folks scatter bread crumbs on a spot for a week or two then use a "bread crumb" fly to catch carp. I don’t, I feel guilty enough about the mulberries. — Ken Fortenberry
I often remember the big fish that I’ve lost, especially from a mistake I made. Any interest in exchanging the tales? Herewith a modest contribution.
I’ve got two 12 years or so ago I was fishing the Androscoggin River somewhere near Errol, NH during the famed alder fly hatch. As dark was coming on I was fishing a nice pool and I noticed a fish sipping flies in a back eddy behind a rock, I dropped a fly on him and got a beautiful head and tail rise, to my amazement the fish was quite large, I missed him and he never came back up. The next day I got position in the same pool fairly early and just at dark there he was. I dropped my fly on him and he took it, I setup and my reel began to scream as he headed out into the main current. About 10 yards out he popped the leader. I thought well ok and then the fish leapt out of the water 4 times, each time furthur out in the river, apparantly trying to spit the hook. I esitmate the fish was between 25-30", at that time possibly the biggest trout I had ever hooked. A few years ago fishing for browns in a Maine river at dark I cast on a sipper. I set the hook and my rod bent right to the water, the reel began to scream as the fish ran downriver. I pulled the anchor in the boat to drift with the fish as my partner manned the oars. This was the biggest fish I have ever hooked (I think) the fish stripped me to the backing, turned up stream and came off as the line went slack ( I was stripping in like a madman but not fast enough). I never saw him, just felt the power and dream of a rematch! dave
Good thread, Michael. Fishing on the Beaverhead two years ago, floating below Dillon with the pontoon boat. Slow day in September, having to pound them up and not much sucess at that either. Dropped a two nymph rig into a drop-off that must have been 15 feet deep, and just let it sink – fooling around, mostly. WHAM. Rod bends straight down (like I was jigging for 10 pound crappies or something). Five seconds later leader pops at, of all places, the nail knot attachment to the fly line. Lost the entire leader. First and only time that has ever happened to me, but now I carry an extra leader. Then there was the time…… (man, I got a load of these kind of stories) Mark Faulkner
Then there was the time…… (man, I got a load of these kind of stories)
Yeah, me too. The most painful fish I ever lost…. Last year I went with a friend to fish the classic chalk streams of England. One day we’re fishing the Lodden. The water was off color that day, and nothing was rising. So I start, like any self respecting American fisherman, working a nymph, not realizing it’s not allowed on this river. (The guide is a young chap who’s filling in for the guy who booked the trip, and he doesn’t know either.) Anyway, so I’m fishing to a bunch of fish that have never seen an artificial nymph, and iIt’s a perfect river for this kind of fishing, as the fish have concentrated in some deep holes. In one hole, having taken a bunch of fish — easily 10 in the 2 lbs. class in less than an hour, all stockers — I see a huge shape flash on, then refuse, my bead-head hare’s ear. After a dozen casts, and no further luck, I tie on a "large olive bead head damsel nymph, tied Matuka style". In other words, a wooly bugger. Sacrilege in these parts, even where nymphing is OK. I just happened to have one in my vest, and the guide is helping my friend, so he can’t object. I feel deliciously wicked. I’m fishing on a short line on the dead drift. On the second cast the line hesitates, and I lift the rod. The resistance is so firm, I’m sure it’s bottom. But then the line starts to vibrate. It’s a bloody great fish! The line noses down, then my reel screams as the fish takes off across the pool. Then down again, there’s nothing I can do but let it run. Then upstream 20 yards, with me chasing it along the bank. I get a good look at it, it’s a huge brown trout, at least 30"! Then across to the far bank into the reeds. I put some side pressure on him and the line goes limp! Broken off at the fly. When we were fishing drys, the guide had put on 7x tippet, and I hadn’t realized. With 2.5 pound breaking strength, I’ve been too forceful. To make it even worse, guide points out that this was undoubtedly a wild fish, since the stocked trout are rarely more than 2 pounds, or 20 inches. I feel ill, mentally replaying the fatal sideways pressure, wishing I had shortened the tippet to a 6 lbs. breaking strenght 4x. In the stained water, nymphing, it would have been fine. It takes me about an hour before I have the heart to fish again!
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing » Need Goretex information
: Many years ago, when Goretex first came out, my wife and I bought two top : of the line sets of rain gear. We would be soaked after standing in the : rain fishing all day. We took them back and have not used Goretex again : (using rubber instead). But, is the product really waterproof today….and : I mean standing or walking all day in a good Oregon rain. I still mean a : really good, expensive set. Please advise. Thanks. : : Fred Rickson I had a similar experience with some Gortex Atlantis raingear I bought about 20 years ago. It never was water resistent let alone water proof. I have several other later pieces of Gortex gear which are much better. : : — Isaac(Ike) B. Wilder That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
Well, my goretex waders work. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Many years ago, when Goretex first came out, my wife and I bought two top of the line sets of rain gear. We would be soaked after standing in the rain fishing all day. We took them back and have not used Goretex again (using rubber instead). But, is the product really waterproof today….and I mean standing or walking all day in a good Oregon rain. I still mean a really good, expensive set. Please advise. Thanks. Fred Rickson
Well, my goretex waders work. Many years ago, when Goretex first came out, my wife and I bought two top of the line sets of rain gear. We would be soaked after standing in the rain fishing all day. We took them back and have not used Goretex again (using rubber instead). But, is the product really waterproof today….and I mean standing or walking all day in a good Oregon rain. I still mean a really good, expensive set. Please advise. Thanks. Fred Rickson
Hi All, The original Gore-Tex became contaminated or dirty and then leaked. That was many years ago. Now they have Gore-Tex jackets, pants, gloves, hats, boots and waders. It now has an anti-contamination feature that really made the difference. Gore-Tex, like many long term products has gone through many evolutions. Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 800/4000FLY www.kiene.com
Fred, My wife bought me for Christmas an Orvis Gortex wading jacket. Since that time I have used it on the rivers and lakes from Nova Scotia to Newfoundland. Throughout that period I encountered everything from steady and heavy downpours to biting cold snow squalls. The jacket performed superably trough all and I am continually thanking her for this purchase. The coat has no yet soaked through, though I will say that it does get "heavy" with water after several hours of standing in the rain. The nice aspect of the Orvis coat is that they put an unconditional five year guarantee on the jacket for everything from barbwire tears to leakage…either way they fix or replace. I think some of the other coats on the market such as Simms, Patagonia, LL Bean and even Cabelas own name brand wading jacket are all good quality. Yes, Gortex has improved alot since when it was first marketed. Hope this helps. Cheers, Colin Dartmouth, NS
writes: will easily keep you dry and comfortable in the worst Oregon weather (I lived in Oregon from 1976 to 1987). You didn’t spend all that time living in Ontario or Baker City…did you?
No, I lived in Troutdale and then in Sandy (east of Portland towards Mt. Hood). The main drawback with Gore-tex is the price – they are spendy. The performance now is superb. If you’re still worried about getting stuck, just be sure to buy from a company or a dealer that has a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Have you spent all day walking in a brush field?? In western Oregon?? Does it work then?? If I spend that much money it really needs to work in a situation other than downtown Portland or a tourist on a rainy day walk on a trail. Thanks.
The rivers I primarily fished were the Sandy, the Clackamas (main stem and North Fork), the Salmon, Eagle Creek (the one near Estacada), and the North Umpqua. Once in a blue moon I’d fish the Wilson or the Trask. Also fished the Deschutes, the Williamson, Fort Creek, Spring creek, and Squaw Creek in Southern and Central Oregon. The GPS-2 standard Gore-tex such as the Orvis Tailwaters wading jacket will easily hold up to this type of use. Good Fishing, Dan Dan Gracia Orvis
[deleted] The rivers I primarily fished were the Sandy, the Clackamas (main stem and North Fork), the Salmon, Eagle Creek (the one near Estacada), and the North Umpqua. Once in a blue moon I’d fish the Wilson or the Trask. Also fished the Deschutes, the Williamson, Fort Creek, Spring creek, and Squaw Creek in Southern and Central Oregon. The GPS-2 standard Gore-tex such as the Orvis Tailwaters wading jacket will easily hold up to this type of use.
Not me man…I’m staying right in my dry and warm living room until the GPS-3’s are actually shipping….I can’t believe you actually fished the Eagle in a GPS-2…what were you thinking man ? What kind of waders do you have for those massive balls of yours to even try such a stunt ? — TimW, Halfordian Golfer "Guilt replaced the creel…"
Many years ago, when Goretex first came out, my wife and I bought two top of the line sets of rain gear. We would be soaked after standing in the rain fishing all day. We took them back and have not used Goretex again (using rubber instead). But, is the product really waterproof today….and I mean standing or walking all day in a good Oregon rain. I still mean a really good, expensive set. Please advise. Thanks.
Your right about first generation gore-tex being of poor quality… WL Gore acted quickly to fix these problems completely though..My first set of Gore-Tex raingear was 3rd generation and hasn’t leaked a bit, and my new wading jacket (Cabella’s Gore-Tex) is incredible… — Chris Schmelzer, MS-2 Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI 53208
I wasn’t going to say anything, since the subject was "GoreTex" per se, but I have been absolutely overjoyed with the "Dry Plus" jacket I bought from Cabellas for about half what the competition wanted. Now I want their waders in the same fabric. Again, very competitively priced. Look good, and my wife wants to wear my stuff… Good luck. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Many years ago, when Goretex first came out, my wife and I bought two top of the line sets of rain gear. We would be soaked after standing in the rain fishing all day. We took them back and have not used Goretex again (using rubber instead). But, is the product really waterproof today….and I mean standing or walking all day in a good Oregon rain. I still mean a really good, expensive set. Please advise. Thanks. Your right about first generation gore-tex being of poor quality… WL Gore acted quickly to fix these problems completely though..My first set of Gore-Tex raingear was 3rd generation and hasn’t leaked a bit, and my new wading jacket (Cabella’s Gore-Tex) is incredible… — Chris Schmelzer, MS-2 Medical College of Wisconsin Milwaukee, WI 53208
will easily keep you dry and comfortable in the worst Oregon weather (I lived in Oregon from 1976 to 1987).
You didn’t spend all that time living in Ontario or Baker City…did you? The main drawback with Gore-tex is the price – they are spendy. The performance now is superb. If you’re still worried about getting stuck, just be sure to buy from a company or a dealer that has a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Have you spent all day walking in a brush field?? In western Oregon?? Does it work then?? If I spend that much money it really needs to work in a situation other than downtown Portland or a tourist on a rainy day walk on a trail. Thanks. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
Many years ago, when Goretex first came out, my wife and I bought two top of the line sets of rain gear. We would be soaked after standing in the rain fishing all day. We took them back and have not used Goretex again (using rubber instead). But, is the product really waterproof today….and I mean standing or walking all day in a good Oregon rain. I still mean a really good, expensive set. Please advise. Thanks.
Hi Fred, When Gore-tex first came out lots of people made waterproof rain gear out of it. A lot of them didn’t know what they were doing and either didn’t seal the seams, or sealed them correctly. Gore-tex got a real black eye from this and they quickly changed their licensing agreements so people couldn’t call it Gore-tex if they didn’t follow the Gore-tex approved construction methods. This made a huge difference and they started rebuilding their reputation. However, Gore-tex still had some problems with salt and dirt clogging it up, and also had a problem with some chemicals. About 7 years ago they came out with a second generation Gore-tex that is not bothered by either. The current Gore-tex is an expanded PTFE membrane and works great. When it gets dirty, you wash it with Tide. When water stops beading up on the outer fabric (typical with heavy use after 5 or 6 years), you re-treat the outer fabric with Tectron or Scotchguard. Even if the outer fabric loses its DWR (Durable Water Repellancy) and gets completely waterlogged, you still won’t get wet. You may feel like you’re wet because the water is flush up against the membrane when the outer fabric’s DWR is gone, but when you take it off, you’re dry. Re-new the DWR as needed for best comfort. Gore-tex has a couple of "water repellancy" standards they test designs against. The most stringent is the GPS2 standard. The North Face, Marmot, and a number of other backpacking equipment manufacturers have designs that meet this standard. Orvis has a Gore-tex fishing jacket called the Tailwater’s Wading Jacket that is GPS2 certified. Any products that meet this standard will easily keep you dry and comfortable in the worst Oregon weather (I lived in Oregon from 1976 to 1987). The main drawback with Gore-tex is the price – they are spendy. The performance now is superb. If you’re still worried about getting stuck, just be sure to buy from a company or a dealer that has a 100% satisfaction guarantee. Hope this helps, Dan Dan Gracia Orvis
Fred Rickson schrieb in Nachricht Many years ago, when Goretex first came out, my wife and I bought two top of the line sets of rain gear. We would be soaked after standing in the rain fishing all day. We took them back and have not used Goretex again (using rubber instead). But, is the product really waterproof today….and I mean standing or walking all day in a good Oregon rain. I still mean a really good, expensive set. Please advise. Thanks. Fred Rickson
Hi Fred, I had the same problem, my wife and I bought two very expensive Goretex fishing jackets which we were told was the best there is , we used them a couple of times and then took them back,because we were soaked after an hour or so of solid rain, the dealer said he couldnt understand it, but wouldnt take them back. I would never buy this stuff again. We now have Sympatex jackets, which are lighter, cheaper and WATERPROOF ! Tight lines ! Mike Connor
We now have Sympatex jackets, which are lighter, cheaper and WATERPROOF !
I don’t have anything against Gore-Tex, but I agree that Sympatex is lighter, cheaper and more comfortable to wear. I also have a "Triple Point Ceramic" anorak made by Lowe Alpine that is impervious to wind and rain and is (IMHO) the ultimate for hiking, fishing, etc., in bad conditions. Dan
Many years ago, when Goretex first came out, my wife and I bought two top of the line sets of rain gear. We would be soaked after standing in the rain fishing all day. We took them back and have not used Goretex again (using rubber instead). But, is the product really waterproof today….and I mean standing or walking all day in a good Oregon rain. I still mean a really good, expensive set. Please advise. Thanks. Fred Rickson
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing Guide » AuSable Riverboat
An associate and I are looking for information, books, history, plans, etc. on a wooden, flat bottom, skiff-like drift boat, used for fly fishing. This craft is used extensively on the Manistee, and AuSable rivers of Michigan. It’s been called the AuSable riverboat. Any leads would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance. Damian M. Taulbee On A Fly, L.L.C.
An associate and I are looking for information, books, history, plans, etc. on a wooden, flat bottom, skiff-like drift boat, used for fly fishing. This craft is used extensively on the Manistee, and AuSable rivers of Michigan. It’s been called the AuSable riverboat. Any leads would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.
livery. He has a guide working for him named Roger who builds a beautiful AuSable boat also. Wayne Knight Geneva IL
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing Tying » New Fly Fishing Loop
Thought you all might be interested in a new Fly Fishing Loop of websites. The loop is just getting started, but already has been well received. It’s called the: Fly Fishing Loop Located at: http://homepage.interaccess.com/~tsteele/FlyFishingLoop/ Any fly fishing related website can be in the Loop. This can include, personal home pages, commercial websites (such as a manufacturers with products or services that are fly fishing related), fly tying sites, fly fishing clubs, organizations, links pages, fly fishing publications or periodicals, fly fishing guides, fly fishing shops etc. If it is fly fishing related and has a website, it can be in the Loop. You can get more information, and sign-up online. It takes about 2 mins. Everything you need to be in the Loop will be emailed to you automatically, after you sign-up. I hope that will take a moment to visit the Loop’s home page. The loop is devoted to fly fishing and all things related to the pursuit of fish on a fly. It needs your support. Website that are in the Loop will get increased traffic from the Loop. Visitors to the Loop will be interested in one thing…Fly Fishing. For commercial sites and those in the trade, the benfits are obvious, you get exposure to a specific audience of FF visitors to the Loop. Personal sites, organizations and clubs will get increased website exposure in the Loop, and can use the loop to get their word out, to the right audience as well! The Loop also benfits from the diversity and range of content that the various members have on their sites. Throught the Loop you can navigate all member sites, easily. I hope you will consider joining the loop. Tight lines and light leaders, Thomas Steele The Steelhead Site http://steelheadsite.com
Thought you all might be interested in a new Fly Fishing Loop of websites. The loop is just getting started, but already has been well received. It’s called the: Fly Fishing Loop Located at: http://homepage.interaccess.com/~tsteele/FlyFishingLoop/
Hi, Just tried and got no connection. Could you verify that the above is correct. Thanks. Michael — Mit der Dummheit kampfen Gotter selbst vergebens -Schiller-
Just tried and got no connection. Could you verify that the above is correct.
Works for me … must have been server trouble. Looks very cool and is a neat concept. Thomas Steele The Steelhead Site
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Flyfishing » Flyfishing ftp-sites?
Anybody knows where to get good flyfishing oriented programs? Thanks
Hi, My FlyFish software (DOS) can be downloaded from ftp.geo.mtu.edu by connecting in as anonymous, and changing directory to /pub/fishing/Software/dos. There are two files flyfish.txt and flyfish.exe, please read the flyfish.txt for installation instructions, one thing I forgot to mention was that it must be installed as a top level directory, preferably C: Have fun and let me know what you think, I am working on windows versions at the moment, Regards Chris Cox
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing » Ozark fishing, fly
I don’t know where you’re accustomed to fish, but it’s gonna be tough finding an uncrowded stream. If you want to catch fish, try Montauk State Park. It is a state-run trout park where you can fish in several miles of spring-fed streams heavily stocked with rainbows. There’s a flies-only section that can be somewhat challenging. Downstream from Montauk, the Current River is a popular float-trip destination, so the aluminum hatch is severe on weekends. But there are some sizable browns and rainbows in the upper sections of the river. Montauk has good camping and lodging facilities. Let me know what you do! Bob
I don’t know where you’re accustomed to fish, but it’s gonna be tough finding an uncrowded stream. If you want to catch fish, try Montauk State Park.
I just would like to know what state you are talking about! Thank you,
Missouri
My brother-in-law and I are heading to the Rolla, MO area next weekend. We are interested in finding an uncrowded river with a healthy rainbow and brown trout population. Any suggestions? We are also interested in any information concerning appropriate patterns for spring-time fishing in the Ozarks. Camp sites?
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing » Big sizes-outdoor clothing needed
Greetings all! I am searching for larger sizes (3X to 6X) of sports wear. Desperately need a fly fishing vest, waders and life jacket to fit my *wider* extremities. Anyone know of reputable mail-order vendors in USA which specialize in these articles? Rick Kritikos — I’ve heard all the flames about loosing weight and you can get your clothes to fit… so keep ‘em to yourself… or I will sit on you…
Greetings all! I am searching for larger sizes (3X to 6X) of sports wear. Desperately need a fly fishing vest, waders and life jacket to fit my *wider* extremities.
Rick Cabelas has a number of large sizes up to 4x on many fishing items and clothing as well. I also purchased custom made waders from Marathon through Gander Mtn. Good Fishing JonRC
Rick, I went back and looked up your posting…waders for big or small people are not a problem there are several companies, Hodgeman for instance will make your exact size…Vests are a problem XXL is as big as I’ve seen, however there is a pretty good solution available…a lot of people are offering pack systems that are adjustable for any size- Predator and The Creek Company both offer a pack. I’m not a small person either, so if you run across anything that works for big guys please drop me a note. Drop me a note with your name and address and I’ll send you a copy of our catalog on a disk (or two). We will be sending them sometime in the next week. Tom King King of the Hill Fly Fishing Co P.O. Box 304 Addison IL 60101