Question:

Practical advice snipped… Patience, determination, something the rod can rest on and be turned (by hand or with a slow motor) while the wraps are being applied and while the epoxy dries.

For a "wrapping station," take a straight, flat piece of 1" x 4" to 8" X 4.5′ to 6.5′ (US meas.) board, plywood, MDF, etc, and cut two 6" or so pieces from one end, notch a "V" into one end of each piece, glue or tack (but if tacking, don’t put the tacks in the "V" but on the sides) a couple of layers of felt into the notches.  Attach these to the base board, in an upright position, with the "V" up and the point of the "V" aligned with the centerline of the base board, about 2 1/2′ apart  Take a bolt of sufficient length and diameter to hold your thread spools, but allow it to "free spool," 2 flat "fender"-style washers, and 6 wing nuts (4 to fasten the bolt to the brackets and 2, with the washers, to control tension on the spool), and a couple of "L" brackets, and attach as a thread holder at a mid-point between the two upright notched pieces on the long base board.and voila, a "wrapping station."  If the above doesn’t provide enough detail, or isn’t clear, and anyone wants more details, I’ll be happy to further describe. HTH, R

Response:

There’s a message board at www.vfs.com that has a rodbuilding section.

See http://www.flyshop.com/centers/rodbuilding/ Has step by step instructions.  Good concise book is LA Garcia’s Handcrafting a Graphite Fly Rod.  Doesn’t really have much more info than the web site but has very good close-up photos.  Dale Clemens’ Advanced Custom Rod Building is the book you’ll want if you really start getting into rod-building. (some of what he says about his own products should be taken with a grain of salt). Good quality blank is a St. Croix SCIV.  If you build your own rods from premium blanks you can figure on saving 40% or so below the factory rod price (with the exception of Winston which sems to charge very high prices for its blanks in comparison with their finished rods). I’ve been pleased with Lamiglas rod blanks (www.anglersworkshop.com is a good place for these). A good value on blanks can often be found when a certain rod is being discontinued. St. Croix, Lamiglas and discontinued Sage blanks have all proven their worth in my experiences as a rod builder.  I did buy a Scott blank for full price.  Expensive but I really love that rod. www.hookhack.com www.anglersworkshop.com www.shofftackle.com www.feather-craft.com Good service all around but the first two are especially friendly and helpful.  I picked up a cosmetic-blem 8′ 4 pc 3 wt Lamiglas from anglersworkshop for $35.  Not even Cabelas can beat a price like that. Mu

Response:

I’m a DIY’er.  Always have been.

me too The last time out on the river, < snipped for brevity—

I came to same conclusion fishing for little grayling and smaller trout-but I went with a 9′ – 4 weight    -what is included when one purchases a rod blank

just that- a blank- 2 piece, 3 piece, or whatever you order.    -what steps are involved in turning it into a rod

a.)spine the rod (i.e. find out what plane it wants to bend in- lots of discussion as to what side the guides go on- on the spine or opposite b.)fit the grip and epoxy it in place c.)fit the reel seat and epoxy it in place d) buff, file the guide feet to eliminate burrs that could damage the blank or create a "crack" in the thread wrap e.)determine the guide spacing and tape or temp wrap the guides in place f.)wrap the guides (do this well – a bad job and your rod works- but its ugly) g.)verify guide alignment and re-align if neeeded h.)verify guide alignment and re-align if neeeded i.)epoxy the wraps j) install tip top k)go fishing Check the VFS (virtual flyshop)- they have an excellent breakdown on the proceedure.  though it takes longer to read than to do it.    -what additional parts/supplies need to be purchased

If you buy a blank- you will need also to buy a tip top, guide set (most manufacturers will provide recommended guide spacing), hook keeper (optional), winding check (also optional) cork grip, reel seat  with spacer, rod winding thread, rod building epoxy for gluing the cork and reel seat in place, and rod wrap epoxy ( I use Flex Cote lite & I like it). Personally-for a first attempt I’d buy a kit- it comes with all of the above, Cabelas, hook and hackle, etc all offer beginner kits and some flexibility as to what blank you want to use.    -what tools/skills are needed

a magnifying light is helpful, some sort of device to cradle the rod while you turn the blank to wrap the threads ( look at various websites – its no prob to build these things- my first cradle was a bent up coat hanger- I built my latest contraption out of plywood with felt cushions)., something to tension the thread (many run the thread between the pages of the phone book and find that this adequately tensions the thread). You will need something to sand the inside of the cork handle to allow it to fit the but of the rod–I use sandpaper taped to a broken section of an old fly rod chucked into a cordless drill  (use garnet paper- not wet/dry–if the sandpaper comes off your mandrel inside the grip, garnet paper will fall apart if you hold it under the faucet- wet or dry just giggles-ask me how I know).  It is really nice to have a low rpm motor to turn the rod while you epoxy the wraps- it allows the epoxy to self level and keeps it from sagging.  I bought just the motor and made a cradle for the rod from cabelas.    -which particular blanks represent a good value

I’ve built a 2 St Croix rods (SCIII & SCIV), both 9′ 6 wts -I like them both- and I’ve built 2 GLoomis GL3 rods that I really like (9′ 4 wt and9′ 5wt). I am about to try a blank from hook and hackle 9′6 8wt Pointers to any printed material would be appreciated too.

print out the instructions from virtual fly shop- its all you need- cabelas kits also come with step by step instructions. I bough a 5.00 book at a local flyshop printed by Guidebrod (I think). Thanks! Bill Bill- its a fun project- not terribly difficult, and you can get a pretty good rod for some savings over a factory- but its yours, built to your specs- whatever grade of seat, guides , etc you want.  go for it. John

Response:

    -what is included when one purchases a rod blank

The rod itself without tiptop, guides, thread, color protector, slow dry epoxy for wraps, cork grip, reel seat, quick dry epoxy (for grip, seat, tiptop). The blank price includes none of that stuff. I’m guessing that some blanks come with sock and tube, but only the high-end rods I believe. Otherwise you have to buy those yourself.     -what steps are involved in turning it into a rod

Assembling the stuff above.     -what additional parts/supplies need to be purchased

The stuff above.     -what tools/skills are needed

Patience, determination, something the rod can rest on and be turned (by hand or with a slow motor) while the wraps are being applied and while the epoxy dries.     -which particular blanks represent a good value

Compared to the cost of a new finished rod, all blanks are pretty much a good value if your time is worth nothing or if you enjoy DIY. If this is going to be a "keeper" rod, you might wanna go to a fly shop and find the best rod to meet your casting style and then order the blank. Closeout rod blanks (Sage SP and LL, for example) are especially a good deal but are sometimes hard to find. My opinion: if you’re gonna buy a no-name blank to save money I think you might as well just consider purchasing an already-finished Cabelas 7.5′ 4wt Stowaway or 3wt Three forks rod for much less money than you could build one. If you really wanna DIY, I’d recommend purchasing an inexpensive blank or even a kit for your first project and treat is as a potential throw-away. Learning how to get the wraps to look good isn’t rocket science but it does take a bit of practice. Pointers to any printed material would be appreciated too.

There’s a message board at www.vfs.com that has a rodbuilding section. Browse the archives and you’ll find way more than you need to know. Be extremely careful, though, because once you build one rod you’ll find that it’s *very, very* hard to stop HTH, –Steve

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Hi- I’m a DIY’er.  Always have been.  As I mentioned recently, I’ve begun tying my own flies, which I find enjoyable.  I like to tell myself that I do these things out of frugality, but I fear that it has more to do with a stubborn notion of "jeez, I’m *sure* I could do that just as well myself!"  Of course, I usually can’t, but I have a good time trying anyhow. The last time out on the river, while landing yet another 10" trout, I got to thinking that perhaps it might be more fun with a lighter weight rod.  I currently fish a 5 weight.  My fishing has yet to find me with any fish larger than 14" on the other end, and I think I’ve had one run line off the reel twice.  I’m thinking about a 3 weight, perhaps 7.5′.  I fish streams more frequently than rivers and normally am more concerned with casting the fly "right there" rather than "waaaay over there". That got me to looking through the catalogs, which, in turn, got me to thinking about rod blanks.  I’ve seen mention of these suckers here on ROFF, but am now more intrigued about what exactly is involved in turning one into a fishable rod. Could someone outline:     -what is included when one purchases a rod blank     -what steps are involved in turning it into a rod     -what additional parts/supplies need to be purchased     -what tools/skills are needed     -which particular blanks represent a good value Pointers to any printed material would be appreciated too. Thanks! Bill

Response:

Hi- am now more intrigued about what exactly is involved in turning one into a fishable rod. Could someone outline:     -what is included when one purchases a rod blank

The blank.  The graphite and nothing but the graphite…. …unless you buy a rod building kit which usually includes all of the parts needed (guides, reel seat, grip, tip, etc).     -what steps are involved in turning it into a rod

It’s actually quite easy. – glue the reel seat on. – glue the cork grip on. – wrap all the guides on – varnish/epoxy the wraps – glue the tip on.     -what additional parts/supplies need to be purchased

All the stuff listed above if you don’t buy a kit. Epoxy and/or varnish, guides, reel seat, thread, cork grip, tip top, hook keeper     -what tools/skills are needed

No special skills are needed.  A rod turner is really handy to have for turning the rod while the guides are drying, but other than that nothing else is absolutely needed.     -which particular blanks represent a good value

Who knows, it’s pretty much up to your values. Try a bunch of finished rods and buy a blank of the rod you like.  Hook and Hackle has some inexpensive blanks, but who knows if you would like them. Have fun,      - Ken

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hi- I’m a DIY’er.   That got me to looking through the catalogs, which, in turn, got me to thinking about rod blanks.  I’ve seen mention of these suckers here on ROFF, but am now more intrigued about what exactly is involved in turning one into a fishable rod. Could someone outline:    -what is included when one purchases a rod blank    -what steps are involved in turning it into a rod    -what additional parts/supplies need to be purchased    -what tools/skills are needed    -which particular blanks represent a good value Pointers to any printed material would be appreciated too.

I don’t say this to be rude or flippant, but mainly because you start off the post with the words "I’m a DIY’er." If you are like all DIY’ers I know, you are the type who not only learns "better" and faster by "tinkering" and doing, but enjoys the learning process more when doing that way.  If I’m incorrect about this, post as such, and I’ll offer more specific advice if I have any that seems helpful. That said, if I may:   There are numerous websites, a www.google.com search ought to keep you busy for weeks, and there are quite a few books out there as well, and of course, ROFF is a decent source.  Dale Clemens has a book, which IIRC, is called _Fiberglass Rod Making_ (I don’t have it handy at the moment).  I like his books, but some find them a bit too advanced (and some find it dated) – YMMV, of course.   As to the actual work, go get an assortment of REALLY used cheap rods (like the 1-5USD ones at charity stores, tag/garage sales, etc.) – fly rods, bait-casting rods, spinning rods, whatever.  Just try to get an assortment of types, and try to make sure most have cork handles. Condition, brand, etc. isn’t really important, even broken and incomplete rods are fine.  If you happen to stumble over something that might be a restorable "keeper," just put it away for now.  Once you have several "project rods," find a reference source you like, be it online, a book, or here, and start taking the rods apart, noting how they were assembled.  Then simply reverse the process, finishing the rods and learning while you go.   Use the worst of the bunch first, even broken rods, knowing full well they are simply learning projects.  You’ll likely have specific questions, and feel free to ask them on ROFF.  You’ll find lots of info here, some good, some not-so-good, and some, well, let’s just say it’s there. HTH?? R – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Thanks! Bill

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Question:

Have planned a week here during  early July 2002 and would love to know if there are any opportunities to do any flyfishing. Your wisdom and experience would be appreciated !! Thanks,

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Have planned a week here during  early July 2002 and would love to know if there are any opportunities to do any flyfishing. Your wisdom and experience would be appreciated !!

Thom, I visited St. Lucia in 1992. I had a great time, but never went flyfishing. If you are into scuba diving and/or snorkeling, you can’t beat the coral canyons  there! I wish I had more info for you. It’s a beautiful island nation. Be sure to take your camera and a polarizing filter. The waters off the island are truly tropical. Good luck! Danny McMillin — Danny McMillin — Remove XX from email address to reduce spam.

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Question:

I’m heading to see my brother for a few days and will be in the Boulder area.  Can anyone recommend some areas/ types of flyfishing.  My preference is drys but just want to enjoy some great scenery.  Wild fish preferred! thanks much! Bruce

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<snipped Bruce, I know Mike Medintz lives up in that area.  I went up there a month ago and fished the Big Thompson with moderate success.  I was using a black midge with a red bead head and got some good action.  We started fishing just below the dam at Estes(?) Park in the early morning, then drove down about 4 miles and fished a really good stretch with a lot of big boulders breaking up the water.  Nice area. bc. — Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. -Benjamin Franklin

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Question:

This past summer, my wife (god bless her) brought home a mint-condition model 1498 Pfleuger Medalist from one of her garage-sale sorties. It is loaded with backing and line in what appears to be unfished condition. Question: Is there any way I can figure out the weight of the line? There are no markings on it. Why don’t line manufacturers mark flyline anyways? It would seem to be a simple manufacturing step. Thanks Joe

Hi Joe, A 1498 was the biggest Medalist and was for rods from #9 and larger. It might have a shooting head on it? If you pull it off for about 20 feet you will notice that it is either a level line or has a front taper for the first 6 to 12 feet. This means that it is a tapered line and if it is a light color, then it is probably a floating line. At about 30 plus feet, but before 40′, it gets smaller again, then it is a weight forward. If it stays large for more that 40 feet it is probably a double taper. If you go  back to about 20 feet from the front and measure the diameter with a micrometer, you can get a pretty good idea what size it is. If I remember right, about ~0.048" is a 5 weight floater?  Email me some more info or put it on the group and we can determine what it is. PS: If that is an old Pflueger that was made in the USA and is in good condition, it would be great for some heavier fishing. Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 800/4000FLY www.kiene.com

Response:

Sorry to hammer the point one more time…… It’s NOT the LAST 30′ (unless of course its a double taper, in that case you can weigh either end) It’s the FIRST 30′ ( the end you tie your leader to,……. but don’t weigh the leader!) David

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David, First and last is not a good description because either end can be first or last depending on whether you are talking about going on or coming off the real.  The end you tie your leader to is a meaningful description. — Ernie Harrison Fly Fishing Books, Blood Knot Machine Wading Boots, Making Rods, Fly Tying Box Go to:  http://users.ccnet.com/~emh – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sorry to hammer the point one more time…… It’s NOT the LAST 30′ (unless of course its a double taper, in that case you can weigh either end) It’s the FIRST 30′ ( the end you tie your leader to,……. but don’t weigh the leader!) David

Response:

Joe, all the handling characteristics of a fly line are determined by the line’s plastic coating. Based on what we’ve seen with Cortland’s LazerLine, I’d have to guess that good ‘printability’ and good handling are not common in the same line. I’d expect the 1498 to be spooled with 7wt or higher. Try casting it on an 8wt rod and see how it feels at 30 feet.

Response:

Thanks for correcting my error Don and Dave all the rest of the sharp eyed readers, that’s what happens when you buy a cheap keyboard. — Ernie Harrison Fly Fishing Books, Blood Knot Machine Wading Boots, Making Rods, Fly Tying Box Go to:  http://users.ccnet.com/~emh – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Question: Is there any way I can figure out the weight of the line? There are no markings on it. Why don’t line manufacturers mark flyline anyways? It would seem to be a simple manufacturing step. Thirty years of experience suggests either it is not simple or there is insufficient market demand. Weigh the last 30" of the line. That should be the last 30′ (not ") excluding taper. Most people find it easier to try the line on a rod of known type and see how it feels. — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

Response:

 Weigh the last 30" of the line. — Ernie Harrison Fly Fishing Books, Blood Knot Machine Wading Boots, Making Rods, Fly Tying Box Go to:  http://users.ccnet.com/~emh

I think Ernie means " the FIRST 30 FEET" David

Response:

This past summer, my wife (god bless her) brought home a mint-condition model 1498 Pfleuger Medalist from one of her garage-sale sorties. It is loaded with backing and line in what appears to be unfished condition. Question: Is there any way I can figure out the weight of the line? There are no markings on it. Why don’t line manufacturers mark flyline anyways? It would seem to be a simple manufacturing step. Thanks Joe

Response:

Hi: I had a similar problem when I found a full shoting head when steelhead fishing last winter.  I took into my local fly shop to see if they could help.  The owner simply weighed the line and checked a catalogue he had to identify the weight.  Give this a try. Chris Brown – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This past summer, my wife (god bless her) brought home a mint-condition model 1498 Pfleuger Medalist from one of her garage-sale sorties. It is loaded with backing and line in what appears to be unfished condition. Question: Is there any way I can figure out the weight of the line? There are no markings on it. Why don’t line manufacturers mark flyline anyways? It would seem to be a simple manufacturing step. Thanks Joe

Response:

Weigh the last 30" of the line. — Ernie Harrison Fly Fishing Books, Blood Knot Machine Wading Boots, Making Rods, Fly Tying Box Go to:  http://users.ccnet.com/~emh – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This past summer, my wife (god bless her) brought home a mint-condition model 1498 Pfleuger Medalist from one of her garage-sale sorties. It is loaded with backing and line in what appears to be unfished condition. Question: Is there any way I can figure out the weight of the line? There are no markings on it. Why don’t line manufacturers mark flyline anyways? It would seem to be a simple manufacturing step. Thanks Joe

Response:

Question: Is there any way I can figure out the weight of the line? There are no markings on it. Why don’t line manufacturers mark flyline anyways? It would seem to be a simple manufacturing step.

Thirty years of experience suggests either it is not simple or there is insufficient market demand. Weigh the last 30" of the line.

That should be the last 30′ (not ") excluding taper. Most people find it easier to try the line on a rod of known type and see how it feels. — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

Response:

This past summer, my wife (god bless her) brought home a mint-condition model 1498 Pfleuger Medalist from one of her garage-sale sorties. It is loaded with backing and line in what appears to be unfished condition. Question: Is there any way I can figure out the weight of the line? There are no markings on it. Why don’t line manufacturers mark flyline anyways? It would seem to be a simple manufacturing step. Thanks Joe

Send me your shipping address and I’ll send you a bottle of PZ Line Dressing.   This is A MUST!  Do not attempt to cast this line until you dress it with PZ and get the placticizers back into the plastic coating. After you do this, you simply need to put it on a six weight fly rod which is the average weight used today and try it. Next, after you determine the weight fly rod the fly line is designed for, (and many times you can tell by when you have the fly line stretched out between ’stops’ so you can clean and recondition it.  (Let it set over night so the dressing has time to work before whipping it down and reloading it on the reel) Take an Indelable Marker Pen and a foot above the butt section ON the fly line, (if it is a seven weight for example) put a wide marker band for the number 5 and two narrow dot bands for the number one and then two add up to SEVEN.  I will try and use this key board to show you an example:  ___ _ _  = #7 WT  ___ _  = #6 WT   ___ = #5 WT  _ _ _ _ = #4 Wt Going the other way:  ___ _ _ _ = #8 WT If you want to remember if it is a DT or a WF fly line you can simply assume it is a double taper unless it has, six inches up the line another mark   _  to indicate Weight Forward because the extra mark is forward of your line wt.code. As you may well know, marking pens have a wide felt tip and a pointed one. But you get the idea and frankly, if you do this from now on, it is a system that will never let you down. Hope you like it.

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Question:

This weekend I will be staying 4 days in Acadia/Bar Harbor, Maine and I have no idea where to flyfish, and what is being used. Please help.  I am not familiar with the area, and I will not have a boat.  Just a pole, me and my waders..the way I like it best. Mac

Response:

Hi There, I fish that area of Maine a lot during the summer, but I have a boat.  You might try Long Pond, just outside Somesville.  It’s a beautiful lake with landlocked salmon and smallmouth bass.  You can rent canoes there too so you can actually get out on the water.  The bass take surface poppers during the early hours in the summer.  You might try in the middle of the lake in what’s called the "narrows" between the Eastern and Western arms.   You also might want to try fishing for smallmouth on the Union River, just north of Ellsworth.  I’ve never fished the river, but the lake (Graham) is pretty good.   If you want to go farther afield, you can try the Penobscot north of Bangor.  There are plenty of places to get down to the river.  The fishing will be mostly for smallmouth bass.The ride is about an hour and a quarter from Bar Harbor.   Hope this helps. Mac Rubel

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This weekend I will be staying 4 days in Acadia/Bar Harbor, Maine and I have no idea where to flyfish, and what is being used. Please help.  I am not familiar with the area, and I will not have a boat.  Just a pole, me and my waders..the way I like it best. Mac

Mac, In the park, try upper and lower breakneck ponds and witch hole pond. Also, bubble pond can be waded but I’ve never had much luck there.  I know of no good streams in the area.  If you find any please let me know.  Good luck, Rick

Response:

This weekend I will be staying 4 days in Acadia/Bar Harbor, Maine and I have no idea where to flyfish, and what is being used. Please help.  I am not familiar with the area, and I will not have a boat.  Just a pole, me and my waders..the way I like it best. Mac Many ponds in the park although I don’t know if they are Open or not.I

think all ponds in Maine are open until the end of Oct. but I am not sure of this.If you are serious about getting some good fishing in you gotta get to the Kennebec River.About 2 hours from Bar Harbor. The Fairfield Area is a good base of operation.Stop by Flyfishing Only and ask Mike whats working.This area has Browns,Rainbows,Brookies and Salmon. Downriver from Fairfield about 20 miles is Augusta and I understand the Stripers are really hot right now.Just fish anywhere below the Edwards Dam. Good Luck

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This weekend I will be staying 4 days in Acadia/Bar Harbor, Maine and I have no idea where to flyfish, and what is being used. Please help.  I am not familiar with the area, and I will not have a boat.  Just a pole, me and my waders..the way I like it best. Mac Many ponds in the park although I don’t know if they are Open or not.I think all ponds in Maine are open until the end of Oct. but I am not sure of this.If you are serious about getting some good fishing in you gotta get to the Kennebec River.About 2 hours from Bar Harbor. The Fairfield Area is a good base of operation.Stop by Flyfishing Only and ask Mike whats working.This area has Browns,Rainbows,Brookies and Salmon. Downriver from Fairfield about 20 miles is Augusta and I understand the Stripers are really hot right now.Just fish anywhere below the Edwards Dam. Good Luck

You might look for the book: "The Downeast Guide to the Lakes and Ponds of Mt. Desert" by William P. Newlin.  ISBN 0-89272-270-3  Downeast BooksP.O. box 679, Camden, ME 04843.  Best luck fishing.

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Question:

Hello, I have read various suggestions about using Albolene, a cosmetic product, and Scotchguard to waterproof dry flies.  My question is has anyone tried to use Albolene to condition and waterproof a floating fly line?  Furthermore I am curious if anyone has used Scotchguard to further waterproof a floating fly line.  After several hours on a stream or river, and alternating between nymphs and dries, I find that my floating line becomes a sinking tip, hence I have to work to fish the evening hatches. I use an Ultra 3 #6 floating line.  Does anyone have any experience with these two ideas?  Thanks, G.

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My question is has anyone tried to use Albolene to condition and waterproof a floating fly line?  Furthermore I am curious if anyone has used Scotchguard to further waterproof a floating fly line.  

Neither is likely to work.  To get any chemical supposed beneficial (because of low density or waterproof-ness) into the coating of a fly line, you would need to use a solvent.  If you found a solvent you could use (e.g. that operated on fly line plastic at room temperatures) it might indeed transport beneficial chemicals into the plastic — but you could not then remove the solvent, so there would be a high risk it would either turn the line sticky (non-shooting) or continue to dissolve, i.e. releasing other plastic chemicals into water. In manufacturing, liquid components of plastic fly line coating are not merely dripped onto the core.  They are also "cooked" at controlled temperatures and pressures, so as to make the plastic, or at least its outer skin, as inert as possible.  The home tinkerer can easily alter this outer skin with solvents — but is not likely also to be able to render the outer skin inert and suitable for fishing for weeks or months. — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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writes: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hello, I have read various suggestions about using Albolene, a cosmetic product, and Scotchguard to waterproof dry flies.  My question is has anyone tried to use Albolene to condition and waterproof a floating fly line?  Furthermore I am curious if anyone has used Scotchguard to further waterproof a floating fly line.  After several hours on a stream or river, and alternating between nymphs and dries, I find that my floating line becomes a sinking tip, hence I have to work to fish the evening hatches. I use an Ultra 3 #6 floating line.  Does anyone have any experience with these two ideas?  Thanks, G.

First off, a dry fly and a fly line are two diferent things! Do not wse the mentioned dressing materials on a fly line you want to use anymore, unless you have checked them out on a piece you have cut off the line. second, if you properly sealed the end of your fly line it will remain a floating line. If you did’nt seal it, cut off the end and seal the cut end with flexament(or a simalar product) then put on a loop attachment and you will find that your line will not soak up water by way of the cut end. Bryant

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Question:

I have a customer going to Bend, Oregon, from June 10 to 14th. I’d appreciate any information anyone could supply regarding fly-fishing opportunities. Please e-mail me directly. Thanks in advance. Jim McKay Henry Weston Outfitters

Response:

I have a customer going to Bend, Oregon, from June 10 to 14th. I’d appreciate any information anyone could supply regarding fly-fishing opportunities. Please e-mail me directly. Thanks in advance. Jim McKay Henry Weston Outfitters

There is a great book on fishing Oregon." Harry Teel’s No Nonsense Guide To Fly Fishing Central & Southeastern Oregon". Published and distributed by David Marketing Communications, 6171 Tollgate, Sisters, Oregon, 97759.  It has all the good spots and has lots of info. William Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA

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Question:

 So, again, is there any outfit that sells new/used military Jeep trailers or similar ones here in the states?

I know of a place in Ogden, Utah, just north of Salt Lake where there is huge junkyard.  They have a different area there where you can get all kinds of army trailers, sorry but I don’t remember what the place is called. But you can see it from the freeway on the West side. Joe

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That would be Smith & Edwards Surplus I mentioned in my previous post…. — Scott Weiser ****** "I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend upon my friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" ****** The opinions expressed are my own.  If I was a laywer, you’d be paying big bucks for this.  All complaints should be

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Now that I nolonger have the luxury space of my Bronco with the Wrangler; I’m in the market for a new/used military jeep trailer. Does anyone know where I can purchase one? The Army did away with the Jeep trailer when they went to the Hummer, so I know there has to be thousands of them out there somewhere. The local Army/Navy store had some well used ones a couple of years ago and was selling them for $350.00. I suspect with the rust and artic camo paint job that they came from some units in Alaska. So, again, is there any outfit that sells new/used military Jeep trailers or similar ones here in the states? TIA, Dennis 4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4 Dennis Noes, 95 Jeep Wrangler 4.0L SE, Atlanta, GA.,USA UNFWDA-SFWDA Four Wheel Drive Education Awareness Rep. Member of United FWD Assoc., Southern 4WD Assoc., Tread Lightly and Georgia Bounty Runners 4WD Club 4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4

Try No Excuses, Inc. located in New Eygpt, NJ. # 1 800 923 JEEP (5337) or  609 758 3833 This is the best place to go for hard to find parts for Jeeps.

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Dennis, I placed my order for one of the last 4.0L YJ’s last July.  While waiting for the promised October delivery, I faced with the same dilema of where to put my camping goodies along with my wife and kids when the Jeep arrived.   I went looking for a trailer.  Used military trailers, I soon found, are very difficult to come by.  I found a company north of Sacramento (Helter Mfg. or something like that) that makes a very well designed Jeep trailer.  However, the $2400 price sent me back to scouring military surplus lots with little success. In early August, while fly-fishing in Idaho, I stopped for a meal at Smitty’s in Idaho Falls.  After ordering, while waiting for my food, I looked across the parking lot and there was an army surplus store with a 1/4 ton military trailer parked in front. About that time my food came,  I woofed and went over to investigate.  As I walked in to the store, a guy was writing a check for the trailer.  When I asked if any more were available, I was told to call the next day and talk to Dana the owner. To make a long story shorter, Dana had purchased 75 of these M146 trailers from a base in Montana.  All were in very good shape and were priced firm at $450 a piece.  At the time he still had "several" left in his other warehouse in Shelly, ID.  Apparently a Las Vegas 4×4 club had purchased 10 sight-unseen and were on there way up for them later that month.   I purchased a nice brigadier general’s trailer complete with a star on the back and a pintle hitch for another $30.  The trailer was built new in 1967 and still has the origonal rubber.  My biggest problem was adapting the 1 1/4" mini receiver hitch on my minivan to pintle hitch.  With a little engineering and a little help from a friend in Island Park we rigged up the hitch.  I pulled the trailer down to my home in the S.F. Bay area with no problems. My first purchase for my YJ when it finally arrived in mid November was a Tomken Machine bumper with a 2 inch receiver.  It is a well engineered bumper.  The trailer pulls great and I am in the process of completing some minor body work and giving it a paint job.  They are a well engineered trailer with a parking brake and the full pivet pintle eye.  I have been told that the springs, shocks and hubs are all interchangable with an M38A1, but I have not been able to confirm that.  I can confirm that I still get 20 mpg pulling it behind my Grand Caravan. I was back in Idaho Falls in early October.  Four trailers were parked in front.  I can’t remember the name of the surplus store, but I imagine that a call to Smitty’s Pancake house would get you their number.   It’s a long way from Georgia, but good luck. Bill

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Sorry if this is redeudant. I missed the ezrlier part of this thread. I can lead you to scads of 1/4 ton military jeep trailers. I got one myself with a surge break system (!) for the excellent price of $400. Best place to find dealers is Military Vehicles Magazine. See my earlier and I’ll send you the detalis on the mag and maybe a few dealer names. I am kicking myself for not jumping on a 3/4 ton with surge brakes for $850 a few months back, but storage and ready cash were a bit of a problem then. These things are dynamite-like having a pickup truck at your disposal with no holding costs and very minimal maintenence costs. Oh well, maybe in the future.

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By the way, I paid $325 for the trailer and $20 for a brand new spare tire on a rim at DRMO.

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Check with any local Air Force or Army base and ask for information on DRMO. They’ll know what your talking about. I bought mine up here in Alaska. I’m in the AF and this is where me and my friends got ours along with spare tires for the trailers. I’ve had mine for two years now and it’s still in good shape. It was made in 1964 and has a little rust but it’s only on the surface, it can be sanded off easily. They are excellent for towing off-road or on the highway. I can hardly tell that it’s behind me.

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Now that I nolonger have the luxury space of my Bronco with the Wrangler; I’m in the market for a new/used military jeep trailer. Does anyone know where I can purchase one?  The Army did away with the Jeep trailer when they went to the Hummer, so I know there has to be thousands of them out there somewhere. The local Army/Navy store had some well used ones a couple of years ago and was selling them for $350.00. I suspect with the rust and artic camo paint job that they came from some units in Alaska.  So, again, is there any outfit that sells new/used military Jeep trailers or similar ones here in the states?  TIA,  Dennis 4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4  Dennis Noes, 95 Jeep Wrangler 4.0L SE, Atlanta, GA.,USA  UNFWDA-SFWDA Four Wheel Drive Education Awareness Rep.  Member of United FWD Assoc., Southern 4WD Assoc.,  Tread Lightly and Georgia Bounty Runners 4WD Club 4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4×4x4

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So, again, is there any outfit that sells new/used military Jeep trailers or similar ones here in the states? TIA,

Dennis Hopefully some of these places may be able to help, check out our new Military Vehicle Digest as it develops online: http://www.4×44u.com/pub/k2/mvd/mvd.htm PS – Dennis, we’ve wanted one of those ourselves! Antelope Valley Equipment and Truck Parts 44532 Trevor Lancaster, CA 93534 (805) 945-6788 Sarafan Auto Supply 23 North Madison Ave. Springvalley, NY 10977 (914) 356-1080 Ordinance Unlimited 20945 Osborne St. Canoga Park, CA 91304 (818) 700-2905 Thomas W. Murry Box 214 Dover, DE  19903 (302) 736-1790 Brentmullins Jeep Parts PO Box 9599 College Station, TX 77842 (409) 690-0203 Frank’s Surplus PO Box 555 Bryn Athyn, PA 19009 (215) 947-5616 Military Vehicle Locator Service PO Box 1562 Fort Collins, CO 80522 (303) 221-4920 fax/phone Rapco Parts Co. (817) 872-2403 All American Military Goods 726 West Michigan PO Box 143 New Carlisle, IN  46552 (219) 654-8081 Army Jeep Parts PO Box 1006 Bristol, PA 19007 (215) 788-6012

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Try: U.S. Surplus Expediters PO Box 158 1000 East 1700 South Clearfield, UT  84015-0158 801-825-3489 They have numerous M-101 1/4 Ton trailers, some better than others, a couple were pretty cherry with little or no rust.  They also have some M-105 trailers, the larger ones with 110"x 83" ID on box, used with the deuce & 1/2, which have 9.00 x 20" Budd wheels, good for HUMMERs with a bit of lowering to get the pintle to match up and a new axle with electric brakes. Tell them I referred you. Also: Smith & Edwards Surplus 3936 N. Hiway 126 Ogden, UT 84404 801-731-1120 They have *acres* of trailers and old military surplus. Don’t buy one sight unseen unless you are willing to put up with rust, body damage, etc. and repair it.  Insist on pictures and serial number verification.  Better yet, grab a plane to Salt Lake and inspect it yourself, or hire me to go out and broker for you.  If you are *really* interested, let me know e-mail *this weekend*, as I am going out to Salt Lake on Sunday the 7th. I’m sure we can work something out as far as inspecting/brokering/shipping. Don’t know where you can get the even smaller M-100, which is the genuine "Jeep" trailer, but if you have an immediate need, I can check with a couple of sources.  The key is how much you are willing to pay, how fast you can jump on the deal, and how much you trust the dealer.   I got an absolutely cherry M-105 rebuilt and repainted in 1989 with *no* rust for $450, was quoted $450-650 on M-101’s, and once paid $2000 for an M-101 with HMMWV hubs and a hydraulic surge brake.  As you can see, quite a variance. Regards, — Scott Weiser P.S.  *Always* insist on proper title paperwork, with the proper signatures of the original purchaser at the government auction and the proper chain of title for each owner after. I bought a trailer with the "original" DRMO paperwork from a guy in California, only to find that the DRMO listed someone else, a guy in Utah for which my guy was selling the trailer, as the "owner of record", and Colorado refused to title the trailer, citing the "shadow ownership" as title fraud, a felony. I had to send the paperwork back to the guy I bought it from, pay sales tax in California (twice what I would have paid here), and pay for California plates and registration which I never used, all to get a valid California title which Colorado would accept when applying for re-titling in Colorado.  Cost me about $200 extra. Some states are not as rigid, but you’d better check *first* to see what you need in the way of title papers for an out-of-state purchase of surplus government vehicles.  Make proper titling part of the *written* sales agreement, so you have an out if you can’t get it titled for some reason. ****** "I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend upon my friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" ****** The opinions expressed are my own.  If I was a laywer, you’d be paying big bucks for this.  All complaints should be

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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:

I will be in Oregon in early Nov. about 45 min. east of Portland. I am new to fly fishing and I’ll appreciate any info I can get. I will be bank fishing, and understand that Oregon has some good small mouth fishing, any in this area? Thanks

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writes: I will be in Oregon in early Nov. about 45 min. east of Portland. I am new to fly fishing and I’ll appreciate any info I can get. I will be bank fishing, and understand that Oregon has some good small mouth fishing, any in this area?

Get a copy of Henning’s Guide to Lakes, Rivers and Streams in Oregon.  It lists every place that you can find fish in OR.                                                 Roderick Mac Farlane

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