Question:

I’ve been lurking around these parts lately.  A while back I saw that ROFF was going to the San Juan.  That’s just over 3 hours from home, and I fish there pretty often, so I hooked up with Bruiser and made plans to be there for the Clave.  I fish lots of waters around northern New Mexico – some because of the fishing, others because of the beauty of the places. Off to the ‘Juan we went.  The SJ is a tailwater, behind a large earthen dam, flowing through a spectacular sandstone canyon in an exceptionally dry and arid region – it gets an average of 8" of precipitation each year.  It’s near the village of Navajo Dam, east of Farmington, at 6000′.  Willi’s pictures were great – but they still don’t capture the beauty of the area. I met Bob and Charlie, Willi, Bruce, and Dan’l when they arrived Friday night.  Chuck arrived in a little while.  We had dinner and a few beers, figured out where/when we’d meet the next morning, and turned in pretty early. We started fishing early Saturday morning.  Early enough to have ice in the guides and to break through ice in the sloughs next to the river. By the time I got my flies tied on, Willi had caught a couple of fish. I understand that’s pretty common.  Everyone caught fish on Saturday. Everyone but me, it seems.  I hooked up with a few, but not as many as I should have, and landing them was almost impossible.  I got tangled, I broke off, it was like I’d never done this before!  Of course, it was still fun, but here I am, on water I know pretty well, not catching much of anything. Sunday I slept in a bit.  I got down to the river at 9:30 or 10:00. Charlie and Bob are in the Kiddie Pool, and Bruiser shows up while I’m getting ready.  Things are going kind of slow, so I put my seine in the water to see what kind of bugs were around.  Lots of light-colored midges and midge larva showed up in the net, so we tied on light-colored patterns.  And fish were on!  I was catching my share, and everyone was having a good day.  We moved around the river, to the big holes, to the fast canyon water, to the flats – pretty much all over.  Fishing was good.  Chuck fished part of the day and went home.  He was replaced by Arni and Scott. One of the big thrills of fishing the SJ is catching large fish on tiny flies.  A 12" rainbow is a tiny fish there.  Most are 14-18".  Lots are bigger, with 20+" fish not uncommon.  And they take #20-#24 midge larva – basically thread on a hook.  We made the regular jokes about fishing a #76 paramecium.  But then we figured out that the fish really wanted egg patterns.  Midge eggs.  That’s about a #84 hook. Two exceptional things happened Sunday.  Fish at the SJ collect behind the fishermen.  They see so many fishermen every day that they don’t spook too easily.  They swim behind you, sifting through the junk that your feet stir up.  I’m fishing in the Texas Hole and a big fish starts tapping on my boot!  He’s bumping it with his head!!  We figured he was trying to tell me to move my feet some more, so I’d stir up some more food. The second thing was when a beautiful blue heron came to our pool in the evening and watched us fish.  He squawked at us for a while, then he just watched. One of the problems with fishing the SJ is the crowds.  It’s become really popular.  The normal rules of stream etiquette just don’t apply, and you’re always fishing in sight of someone, and in the popular spots, with people very close by.  Except between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Monday there wer 8 people on the top ~1.5 miles of the river, from Texas Hole up to the dam (not counting two duck hunters).  7 of them were us!   It was deserted.  But the fish seemed to want to ride the tilt-a-whirl, and with fewer anglers on the river, they viciously attacked our flies.  My flies, at least.  Monday was one of those days you hear about, but seldom have.  Fish after fish after fish.  Big fish.   No tangles.  No break-offs.  Spot a fish, get a good drift to him, and he’d take.  Toss your fly in the water as you waded to a new place, and they’d find it when you weren’t expecting it.  I caught what was probably the largest trout of my life – ask Dan’l how big it was.  We layed it up against my fly rod to measure it.  I measured the fly rod later – it was a 24-25" rainbow – a true denizen of the deep.  I caught at least 4 over 20" on Monday, and lots and lots of the "small" ones. That evening, I walked over to a hole we’d been fishing every evening. I was the only one there – I couldn’t even see anyone else.  By Monday we knew what would work in this particular hole – any midge larva with red in it.  Unable to understand how fish could find such tiny flies in the failing light, I tossed in a #22 Desert Storm and started catching fish.  Pretty soon the blue heron came over to watch me.  Just me, the heron, and the fish.  I caught 5 in ~30 minutes before I decided to call it quits and head for home. It was a great weekend.  Fishing was good to great.  The weather was spectacular – the storm that was predicted went to the south and we never saw it.  Everyone got along well, and there was plenty of comraderie When do we do it again?  I’d fish with these guys any time.  Thanks Bruce, for setting this up.         – Bryan

Response:

Bryan, After a great report like that, you will be in great demand around here. Everyone enjoyed meeting you and fishing with you.  Glad to hear you had a good time.  Once we heard the "everyothercast" echo down the river, we knew you were. And I’ve got some news for you:  next year you’re the co-host! bruce h

Response:

I’ve been lurking around these parts lately.  A while back I saw that ROFF was going to the San Juan.  That’s just over 3 hours from home, and I fish there pretty often, so I hooked up with Bruiser and made plans to be there for the Clave.

    thanks for a nifty report, bryan.     funny how much your experience reminds me of fishing up in the smokies….  :( yfitons wayno

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Bryan, [snip] And I’ve got some news for you:  next year you’re the co-host!

You realize that almost guarantees snow for next year, right? Sure, I’ll help.  If we act early, we can reserve most of Rizuto’s!         – Bryan

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Sure, I’ll help.  If we act early, we can reserve most of Rizuto’s!

  Rizuto’s wins out over Abe’s, don’t you think?  I asked Chuck if he’d give a discount if I could get all of the roffians at next year’s clave booked there and he said yes.  Something to remember.  I knew it was a bad sign when we pulled up to #52 at Abe’s and there was the plumber’s truck sitting in front. Still not fixed after a year:)   Another great clave.  Thanks, Bruiser.  Bryan, it was nice to meet and fish with you.  You fit right in.  (Scary, isn’t’ it?)   As others have given such nice trip reports, I don’t have much to add.  I did discover the joys of studded, felt waders.  Unbelievable traction.  Should have purchased them years ago. I also bought some of that high priced Rio Fluoroflex plus tippet.  5X with a 5 lb. test.  It worked very well and I didn’t break off as many fish.   The first two days were the best for me.  I don’t know when I’ve caught as many big fish.  You couldn’t beat the weather, either.  I had a lot of fun driving down with Willi and Charlie, again.  They weren’t much fun on the way back as I think they slept the whole way.  I only took short naps as I was driving:)  It was great to see my clave buddies again and I’ll see you next year. Snoop — —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

    The first two days were the best for me.  I don’t know when I’ve caught as   many big fish.  You couldn’t beat the weather, either.  I had a lot of fun   driving down with Willi and Charlie, again.  They weren’t much fun on the way   back as I think they slept the whole way.  I only took short naps as I was   driving:)  It was great to see my clave buddies again and I’ll see you next   year. Get those pictures developed and out to me, please. Willi

Response:

Get those pictures developed and out to me, please.

  They’re being processed as we speak.  Hopefully will have them Monday.  Send me your mailing address. Snoop — —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

  Rizuto’s wins out over Abe’s, don’t you think?

Abe’s is part of the "experience."  I’ve experienced the "experience." This was the first time I’ve stayed at Rizuto’s.  Definately nicer. Seeing all those picnic tables around, I think we’ll need to haul a BBQ grill up there and have a Clave Banquet in the parking lot!   Another great clave.  Thanks, Bruiser.  Bryan, it was nice to meet and fish with you.  You fit right in.  (Scary, isn’t’ it?)

Doesn’t that mean I should be flaming somebody?  Everybody? I left one thing out of my trip report.  There were these bait fishermen.  They were fishing below the quality waters, down by the campground.  But they were staying at Rizuto’s, in room #1. AND THEY BROUGHT THEIR OWN SATELLITE TV DISH! [for those who don't know much about northern NM - you only get one TV station in Navajo Dam, and the reception of that one is pretty poor]         – Bryan

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AND THEY BROUGHT THEIR OWN SATELLITE TV DISH!

Sounds like a good idea to me, assuming you have the time to watch TV. The local NM stations are the absolute worst.

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Question:

..by coincidence, and when someone posted about the tattoo convention  I decided to spend Friday checkign it out. Anyone have anything to say about the seminars that day   I lucked out and will be staying at a friends house just right up the street….

Response:

..by coincidence, and when someone posted about the tattoo convention  I decided to spend Friday checkign it out. Anyone have anything to say about the seminars that day   I lucked out and will be staying at a friends house just right up the street….

Strange that you post to both of my two favorite newsgroups AND you’re in my neck of the woods. The seminars are listed on the convention’s site, http://www.evolutiontattooconvention.com/indexsem.html No opinion on the seminars for friday, except the history presentation would be educational rather than the last two seminars which are performances for entertainment purposes. fr0glet

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – ..by coincidence, and when someone posted about the tattoo convention  I decided to spend Friday checkign it out. Anyone have anything to say about the seminars that day   I lucked out and will be staying at a friends house just right up the street…. Strange that you post to both of my two favorite newsgroups AND you’re in my neck of the woods. The seminars are listed on the convention’s site, http://www.evolutiontattooconvention.com/indexsem.html No opinion on the seminars for friday, except the history presentation would be educational rather than the last two seminars which are performances for entertainment purposes.

Mmm one more thing I found on the convention site, 2 decent drum&bass DJ’s if you’re into electronica at all. Nitsuj and Slantooth are both from the 360bpm crew in Seattle, excellent beats. Don’t know about the rest of the DJ’s they have lined up. Sadly the best DJ from the 360bpm crew won’t be there, Zacharia. Also NO FRICKIN EMCEES!!! fr0glet

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<< Strange that you post to both of my two favorite newsgroups AND you’re in my neck of the woods.   hmmm am I stalking you unconsciously?   what particular set of woods is your neck in? I just caught on – you post in the herp group (snakes not VD).  Tiny world. I had seen your posts in the other group, but since I tend to check each group one after another, I just blurred them…      You don’t post in the alt.binaries.gaynazi-flyfishing group also do you? I am in Portland, driving to Seattle in the morning….

Response:

fr0glet wrote… << Strange that you post to both of my two favorite newsgroups AND you’re in my neck of the woods. hmmm am I stalking you unconsciously?

Sweet!! We need more stalkers around here. Lish hogs them all. what particular set of woods is your neck in?

The Skagit Valley woods, further north. You don’t post in the alt.binaries.gaynazi-flyfishing group also do

you? rec.outdoors.fishing occasionally But uh… my ISP doesn’t carry any gaynazi groups I am in Portland, driving to Seattle in the morning….

I doubt I’ll be at the convention, else I’d offer to meet. I’ll be in Portland celebrating at a wake for my mother. Cheers! fr0glet

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I’m sorry to hear about your mother… Mine is still recovering from a brain tumor she had removed 6 months ago; knowing how difficult even thinking about losing your mother can be, i can’t imagine how hard that is for you. greg

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f Sweet!! We need more stalkers around here. Lish hogs them all.         i’m quite sure i don’t know what you’re talking about.         besides, MY stalkers GIVE me stuff. & they don’t know where i live. is that the best or what?#!? lish                                                "please don’t talk. 36.9% / 31                                                RANA 125 / 68

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I’m sorry to hear about your mother… Mine is still recovering from a brain tumor she had removed 6 months ago; knowing how difficult even thinking about losing your mother can be, i can’t imagine how hard that is for you. greg

Glad to hear your mother is in recovery, count your blessings every single day. fr0glet

Response:

..by coincidence, and when someone posted about the tattoo convention  I decided to spend Friday checkign it out. Anyone have

anything to say about the seminars that day   I lucked out and will be staying at a friends house just right up the street….

Do tell what you thought of the convention. My roommate went and said it suuuucked… fr0glet

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<< Do tell what you thought of the convention. My roommate went and said it suuuucked.. well…anytime I spend $20 to get into anywhere I make it a point to try and find the positive so that I don’t sit around pissed about not having that $20 back.      It was almost entirely tattooists, a few piercers and a couple of shirt and sticker booths. If you were going for a tattoo it would be a decent place to shop around, take a look at the wide spectrum of tattoo styles and quality. I picked up a few cards for future reference.  I imagine that if you are intimidated with walking into a shop off the street that this would be a good place to go. I saw some great stuff there.      I also saw some things that distressed me. Without getting specific, I saw some equipment handling and bandage work that seemed less than appropriate. I can’t imagine how difficult it would be to try and impose a standard on a building full of tattooists, but I suspect by the end of the weekend some of their peers  probably set them straight.      I was hoping that there might be some equipment sales but this show catered primarily to the tattoo consumer. I did get to see a number of other lefties work though…      greg

Response:

Do tell what you thought of the convention. My roommate went and said it suuuucked..

I wasn’t overly impressed. I felt like I paid $20 just to look at different people’s portfolios. It was also very hot, crowded and parking was a nightmare with the tall ships show just down the street. Some of the music was ok, but you couldn’t escape it. It was very difficult to have a conversation in a normal tone of voice anywhere in the place.

Response:

Look up some of these guys: http://runarena.com/cgi-bin/ra?id=friedturd hella kewl ppl

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – ..by coincidence, and when someone posted about the tattoo convention  I decided to spend Friday checkign it out. Anyone have anything to say about the seminars that day   I lucked out and will be staying at a friends house just right up the street….

Response:

Question:

This got me to thinking:  At what distance do you normally catch your fish?  For me the answer is less than 50 feet, usually more like 30 feet.  On the rivers I fish, if I drop a dry   100 feet up-stream and I get an immediate rise, I can’t set the hook. Now, this just might be this old curmudgeon’s inability to react in time, but I don’t think so.  

The areas I fish are usually less than 40ft across, so I rarely have out more than 30ft of line out.  When trying to reach a section just off the opposite bank and up/downstream a bit I’ll have maybe 50ft out.  I find that presentation is FAR more important than distance, so I use lightweight slow action rods most of the time. It’s fine by me if everyone wants the extra-fast actions, it makes those the high-end/high-priced models and I can get a slow/moderate action rod for cheaper.  To each his own. Later,      - Ken — "To listen to some devout people, one would imagine that God never laughs."         – Ghose Aurobindo

Response:

<<G  Been there.  Done that.  Possible exception being the Chatooga. Dave

True, but even there most of my casts are pretty short (sometimes just due to other fishermen<g). The only times I’ve really _had_ to cast a long ways have been in saltwater. Like you said, presentation (and line control) are more important to the way I normally fish than distance. — Charlie…

Response:

I got started in fly fishing in a tournament casting club.  I really enjoyed the competition and it greatly enhanced my fishing skills. The advantage of distance casting, I find really depends on the type of fishing your involved in.  As you say, with trout I probably catch most my fish within 50 feet.  However, in the Salt for bonito the longer the cast the longer the retrieve and more water covered.  Sometimes lake fishing I see fish rising at quite a distance and the long cast allows me to catch the fish. I love to fish for Bluegill,  those little buggers are always located way back behind the reeds and I’m fishing from shore.  The long cast with my 4 wt is critical for this type of fishing. The long cast is not always necessary, but it sure is a handy tool.  So I’ll give you my answer to those trying to find a better casting rod.  The better casting rod is found in your closet, the trick is to force it to practice, practice, and then practice it some more.  This method for creating a better casting rod is so good that the rod will even teach the other rods in your closet how to cast better!! Good Luck, Bill — William Endicott – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – At a recent fly fishing show, I saw folks trying their damndest to get as much line out as possible — regular Lefty Kreh’s they were.  Now, double hauling might be important when fishing salt, but I fail to see why *distance* is the primary concern when casting.  Double haulting a 3 or 4 weight?  Presentation is more important than distance (imho) when fishing with light tackle to trout and salmon, yet here stands a guy double hauling a 3 weight and doing his utmost to get to the end of the casting pool, instead of seeing how lightly he can place the casting yarn on the water, how easily he can turn over the leader. This got me to thinking:  At what distance do you normally catch your fish?  For me the answer is less than 50 feet, usually more like 30 feet.  On the rivers I fish, if I drop a dry   100 feet up-stream and I get an immediate rise, I can’t set the hook. Now, this just might be this old curmudgeon’s inability to react in time, but I don’t think so.   When nymphing, my casts are typically only 20 feet, the less line on the water the better, but I may cast farther simply to let the fly sink to the correct zone. I would appreciate your comments.  Why the macho distance crap with light tackle? Dave LaCourse

Response:

Now saltwater, there’s a place you need to cast distance.  Because the thing is, even if you don’t need to throw your whole line, you ned the technique that enables you to.  Why?  Wind.  In the salt, you’re quite often casting into very stiff breezes, where throwing forty or fifty feet of line requires the same mechanics that throwing 80 – 100 feet does.

Response:

At a recent fly fishing show, I saw folks trying their damndest to get as much line out as possible — regular Lefty Kreh’s they were.  Now, double hauling might be important when fishing salt,

There is a difference between "fishing" and "casting".   Are you sure those guys were not just "feeling" the new rod out? A lot of the competition casters would push a new rod to find its limits and get a "feel" for the rod. Whenever I go to a casting pond, I’d work on certain aspects of casting stroke, be it timeing or power snap etc. I’d double haul a 3 wt if I feel I need to work on the timing aspects of the haul etc.. A 3 wt will not tire me out as much as a 5wt or 8 wt, and I get more out of a practice session when I am not tired and fighting the rod all the time. In other words, I practice "casting", not "fishing" at the casting pond. I fish Deschutes all the time, and I rarely think about loop control, timing or any other aspects of casting when I am on the river; it’s all automatic. I also rarely use more than  20 feet of line when I am fishing. In other words, I just fish whenever I am on the river.

Response:

Mr. G. —

Question:

Can anyone help, I’m a British fly fisherman and on a recent trip to the states I noticed how much cheaper fly lines etc. are. I was wondering whether anybody knew of how you can get fly flishing equipment by internet order

Start a search in one of the search engines (Yahoo, Alta Vista, Infoseek, etc.) for flyfishing equipment and supplies. There are many out there on the web to seek out. Also, keep an eye out in this group, people do list their web sites quite often – even though some do object to that. — Jon Porter

Response:

Cold Spring Anglers in Carlisle, PA also produces a nice catalog and does a lot of mail order business (including to foreign addresses).  Their phones numbers are 717 245-2646, fax 717 245-2081.  Their snail mail address is 419 East High Street, Suite A; PO Box 129; Carlsile PA 17013 17013–129.

Visit my mail order info page at http://www.public.usit.net/skulpa/mailord.htm lots of address for catalogs, plus e-mail addresses and urls where applicable. Steve — Steven S. Kulpa Project Leader Environmental Systems Corp. Knoxville, Tennessee http://www.envirosys.com/ Remove NO_S*P*A*M_ from reply address —

Response:

Cold Spring Anglers in Carlisle, PA also produces a nice catalog and does a lot of mail order business (including to foreign addresses).  Their phones numbers are 717 245-2646, fax 717 245-2081.  Their snail mail address is 419 East High Street, Suite A; PO Box 129; Carlsile PA 17013 17013–129. — Anti-spamming measure in use.  To reply, remove one "z" from email address.

Response:

Can anyone help, I’m a British fly fisherman and on a recent trip to the states I noticed how much cheaper fly lines etc. are. I was wondering whether anybody knew of how you can get fly flishing equipment by internet order Paul mannu cambridge UK

Paul: Why not just order from catalogs, etc.?  The biggest disadvantage would be shipping costs, but still, if the stuff is cheaper here, it would probably be worthwhile.  Also, for merchandise that can’t be found in a national catalog (Simms waders, Sage rods, Airflo fly line, whatever else), many stores have web pages and their own "personal" catalogs. Examples here in the East would be AA Pro shop and Tulpehocken Creek Outfitters, (tcoflyfishing.com) to name 2.  Any fly shop would fill your order, even those that do not ususally do such business.  One of the best fly shops in the East is Fred Reese’s.  He does all his own dubbings, dyeing, etc.  Give him an extra $10 US and I’m sure he’ll ship. JB

Response:

Can anyone help, I’m a British fly fisherman and on a recent trip to the states I noticed how much cheaper fly lines etc. are. I was wondering whether anybody knew of how you can get fly flishing equipment by internet order Paul mannu cambridge UK

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Question:

Try Sunset crater the area if really nice, and if I’m not mistaken… It is where some of the Lunar Apollo astronauts trained for a while back in the 60’s. Not too far from Flagstaff either. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I had so much success in my last post asking for this info for the Santa Fe area, that since my travel plans have now changed I thought I’d try again.  I’ll now be in the Sedona/Flagstaff area for 2 weeks in mid-October, instead of the Santa Fe area.  While there I’d like to do some backpacking – I don’t mind wandering some reasonable distance from the area to do it – S. Utah would be OK, too, for example. Does anyone have any tips?  I’m interested in something physically rigorous and wild.  I would think that I’ll have time for a couple of trips in the 3-5 day range, and may have time for a couple of day-hikes or overnighters also.  Have been to Superstition Wilderness before, so some other recommendation would be appreciated.  Ideally, I could fly-fish there, too. Any advice would be gratefully received – thanks, all.

Response:

I had so much success in my last post asking for this info for the Santa Fe area, that since my travel plans have now changed I thought I’d try again.  I’ll now be in the Sedona/Flagstaff area for 2 weeks in mid-October, instead of the Santa Fe area.  While there I’d like to do some backpacking – I don’t mind wandering some reasonable distance from the area to do it – S. Utah would be OK, too, for example.

At Peak to Peak Trail and Wilderness Links (http://home.earthlink.net/~swfry/pk2pk/p2p.html) you will find 15 web sites listed for Arizona and 11 for Utah – each with trip reports and trail descriptions! Does anyone have any tips?  I’m interested in something physically rigorous and wild.  I would think that I’ll have time for a couple of trips in the 3-5 day range, and may have time for a couple of day-hikes or overnighters also.  Have been to Superstition Wilderness before, so some other recommendation would be appreciated.  Ideally, I could fly-fish there, too. Any advice would be gratefully received – thanks, all.

–      Peak to Peak Trail and Wilderness Links   http://home.earthlink.net/~swfry/pk2pk/p2p.html

Response:

I had so much success in my last post asking for this info for the Santa Fe area, that since my travel plans have now changed I thought I’d try again.  I’ll now be in the Sedona/Flagstaff area for 2 weeks in mid-October, instead of the Santa Fe area.  While there I’d like to do some backpacking – I don’t mind wandering some reasonable distance from the area to do it – S. Utah would be OK, too, for example. Does anyone have any tips?  I’m interested in something physically rigorous and wild.  I would think that I’ll have time for a couple of trips in the 3-5 day range, and may have time for a couple of day-hikes or overnighters also.  Have been to Superstition Wilderness before, so some other recommendation would be appreciated.  Ideally, I could fly-fish there, too. Any advice would be gratefully received – thanks, all.

Response:

12 Sept 97 To hike and include fly fishing, try the Lake Poweel area with a day the North Rim of the Grand Canyon is always spectacular. Normally, I’d say spend a few days in Supai, 8 miles into the Canyon with the only Native Americans still living in the Canyon.But flash flooding makes that a bad idea just now. You might give some thought to hiking in Bryce Canyon, Zion (though they might be having flash floods too), and through the Rim country in Sedona. Lots of variety and weather conditions. Usually this would be a great time of year to come here, but the very late monsoons have made every afternoon a potential thunderstorm nightmare. In fact, yesterday, NE of Flagstaff by 60 miles there were 4 funnel clouds spotted while 2 hikers were caught in a flash flood in the Canyon. Perhaps another month will bring some sanity to our weather. Have a great time. If you need books, maps, or equipment let us know. // – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I had so much success in my last post asking for this info for the Santa Fe area, that since my travel plans have now changed I thought I’d try again.  I’ll now be in the Sedona/Flagstaff area for 2 weeks in mid-October, instead of the Santa Fe area.  While there I’d like to do some backpacking – I don’t mind wandering some reasonable distance from the area to do it – S. Utah would be OK, too, for example. Does anyone have any tips?  I’m interested in something physically rigorous and wild.  I would think that I’ll have time for a couple of trips in the 3-5 day range, and may have time for a couple of day-hikes or overnighters also.  Have been to Superstition Wilderness before, so some other recommendation would be appreciated.  Ideally, I could fly-fish there, too. Any advice would be gratefully received – thanks, all.

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Response:

Question:

Hi, I am planning a 1 week fishing vacation in Montana for the 3rd week of September. I am thinking of fishing with a guide for a couple of days and without guides for four days. I don’t know anything, though, about the best rivers to fish in this particular period, about the type of insects I might expect etc. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. – Vittorio Castelli

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I am planning a 1 week fishing vacation in Montana for the 3rd week of September. I am thinking of fishing with a guide for a couple of days and without guides for four days. I don’t know anything, though, about the best rivers to fish in this particular period, about the type of insects I might expect etc. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. – Vittorio Castelli

Where in Montana will you be??

Response:

September hatches include the blue-winged olive and the beginning of the October caddis hatch.  Hopper activity is still high then too.  Browns will be thinking about there up and coming spawning runs.  Missouri and lower Clark Fork are my favorites then. — Brian D. Nelson Missoula, Montana Montana Flyfishing and Hunting Outfitter http://www.montana.com/dno/dno.htm

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I am planning a 1 week fishing vacation in Montana for the 3rd week of September. I am thinking of fishing with a guide for a couple of days and without guides for four days. I don’t know anything, though, about the best rivers to fish in this particular period, about the type of insects I might expect etc. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. – Vittorio Castelli Where in Montana will you be??

Well, as I was saying, I am planning a trip in the generic area of Montana, but I don’t know where. I have no preferred place, having fished there only once and in less-than-optimal conditions. -Vittorio

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I am planning a 1 week fishing vacation in Montana for the 3rd week of September. I am thinking of fishing with a guide for a couple of days and without guides for four days. I don’t know anything, though, about the best rivers to fish in this particular period, about the type of insects I might expect etc. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. – Vittorio Castelli Where in Montana will you be?? Well, as I was saying, I am planning a trip in the generic area of Montana, but I don’t know where. I have no preferred place, having fished there only once and in less-than-optimal conditions. -Vittorio

Big state ya know…around Missoula is good…lower Clark Fork is good…of course the Yellowstone area is good…the Big Horn area is good…lots of good!

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I am planning a 1 week fishing vacation in Montana for the 3rd week of September. I am thinking of fishing with a guide for a couple of days and without guides for four days. I don’t know anything, though, about the best rivers to fish in this particular period, about the type of insects I might expect etc. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. – Vittorio Castelli

Hi Vittorio Missoula will put you close to the Clark’s Fork, Missouri, and the Bitteroot rivers. Bozeman puts you close to Yellowstone Park, Yellowstone, Madison, Gallatin, Missouri, & Bighorn rivers. Billings puts you close to the lower Yellowstone and the Bighorn rivers The 3rd week in September is black caddis time on the Bighorn. Good luck. — Tight Lines Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Bozeman, MT (97 materials catalog) http://www.flyshop.com/Expo/Specialty/BTsPdcts/index.html

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I am planning a 1 week fishing vacation in Montana for the 3rd week of September. I am thinking of fishing with a guide for a couple of days and without guides for four days. I don’t know anything, though, about the best rivers to fish in this particular period, about the type of insects I might expect etc. Any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. – Vittorio Castelli

I had excellent fishing the 3rd week of September, 1996, in the Missoula area, especially on guided floats on the Clark Fork and Bitterroot Rivers, but also wading the Clark Fork and the St. Joe in Idaho (2+ hour drive).  I also floated on a Kingfisher pontoon boat the Missouri both above and below Craig 9/24 and 9/25.  The Missouri didn’t fish as well then as it had in mid-August, ‘96, or mid July, ‘94 and ‘95, but it was a lot less crowded.  Of course, those 2 days in September may just have been off days– cold, windy, dreary. In Missoula I can strongly recommend Missoulian Angler as outfitter– see http://www.ism.net/~mslanglr/index.html  I used them in ‘95 and ‘96 for guides, gear and advice and have been very satisfied in all respects.  The guides are very hard working and will keep you catching fish from morning well into the dark if you’re up for it. Also, the rivers in the Missoula area, except for Rock Creek, are considerably less crowded than the Missouri, Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone Park rivers, which adds to my pleasure. Phil Holt

Response:

In response to the message from me to this newsgroup earlier today about September fishing in the Missoula area, I received the following boldly stated Also, the rivers in the Missoula area, except for Rock Creek, are considerably less crowded than the Missouri, Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone Park rivers, which adds to my pleasure. Phil Holt SO MUCH FOR THEM NOT BEING CROWDED ANYMORE!!!!!  THANKS ALOT!!!!

I admire a person who has the courage of their convictions.

Response:

: Missoula will put you close to the Clark’s Fork, Missouri, and the : Bitteroot rivers. Al, you left out that Missoula also puts one close to Idaho. — Rick T. Rick Fletcher   –   http://www.chem.uidaho.edu/~fletcher/ Associate professor of chemistry  |  That’s Idaho, not Iowa.    | ad hominem University of Idaho               |  Upper Left Hand Corner.    | ad hominem Moscow, ID 83844-2343             |  No, I don’t grow potatoes. | ad hominem

Oh yeah…if he wants a potato! :=)

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – In response to the message from me to this newsgroup earlier today about September fishing in the Missoula area, I received the following boldly stated Also, the rivers in the Missoula area, except for Rock Creek, are considerably less crowded than the Missouri, Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone Park rivers, which adds to my pleasure. Phil Holt SO MUCH FOR THEM NOT BEING CROWDED ANYMORE!!!!!  THANKS ALOT!!!! I admire a person who has the courage of their convictions.

If I identified myself I might have to worry that you would follow me to my favorite and still reasonably  secluded fishing holes!  I can imagine… elbow to elbow!!

Response:

: Missoula will put you close to the Clark’s Fork, Missouri, and the : Bitteroot rivers. Al, you left out that Missoula also puts one close to Idaho. — Rick T. Rick Fletcher   –   http://www.chem.uidaho.edu/~fletcher/ Associate professor of chemistry  |  That’s Idaho, not Iowa.    | ad hominem University of Idaho               |  Upper Left Hand Corner.    | ad hominem Moscow, ID 83844-2343             |  No, I don’t grow potatoes. | ad hominem

Response:

Gee, Bill, as a fellow who makes his living peddling ranch land to developers, I’d think you’d support any effort to encourage people to immigrate to Montana, as you did, or just come to build second homes and enjoy the fishing. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – In response to the message from me to this newsgroup earlier today about September fishing in the Missoula area, I received the following boldly stated Also, the rivers in the Missoula area, except for Rock Creek, are considerably less crowded than the Missouri, Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone Park rivers, which adds to my pleasure. Phil Holt SO MUCH FOR THEM NOT BEING CROWDED ANYMORE!!!!!  THANKS ALOT!!!! I admire a person who has the courage of their convictions. If I identified myself I might have to worry that you would follow me to my favorite and still reasonably  secluded fishing holes!  I can imagine… elbow to elbow!!

Response:

OK, thanks to my stupidity its all out in the open now!  I hope you realize I did this all tongue in cheek…  it is just a small town and I would hate for someone to think I was serious (by the way… I didn’t mean to send it to you direct the first time… I am new to the newsgroups… I meant to post it as a follow up);  HOWEVER, I do take issue with your characterization of my business.  We do not "peddle" to developers!  In fact, we work closely with the nature conservancy and many other conservation minded organizations and individuals hoping to protect lands from overdevelopment.  By the way, do I know you?!?  How did you find out about my business, Sherlock? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Gee, Bill, as a fellow who makes his living peddling ranch land to developers, I’d think you’d support any effort to encourage people to immigrate to Montana, as you did, or just come to build second homes and enjoy the fishing. In response to the message from me to this newsgroup earlier today about September fishing in the Missoula area, I received the following boldly stated Also, the rivers in the Missoula area, except for Rock Creek, are considerably less crowded than the Missouri, Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone Park rivers, which adds to my pleasure. Phil Holt SO MUCH FOR THEM NOT BEING CROWDED ANYMORE!!!!!  THANKS ALOT!!!! I admire a person who has the courage of their convictions. If I identified myself I might have to worry that you would follow me to my favorite and still reasonably  secluded fishing holes!  I can imagine… elbow to elbow!!

Response:

Dear Victorio,  We suggest you visit our guest ranch, Hawley Mountain Guest Ranch.  You can get more details on the ranch at http://www.duderanch.org than go to Montana state to find us.  We have four lodge rooms and three cabins on 155 acres surrounded by a million acres of wilderness 25 miles north of Yellowstone Park.  Within walking distance of our lodge we have a stocked trout pond and 1 mile of the Boulder  River.  Guiding is included in our rates and a 4 day minimum stay is possible in September.  In addition, in September we will be fishing in streams and lakes in the Wilderness that can be reached by horseback.  The best flyfishing in Montana at our altitude (6400ft.) is from mid-July through September. BBlewett

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – OK, thanks to my stupidity its all out in the open now!  I hope you realize I did this all tongue in cheek…  it is just a small town and I would hate for someone to think I was serious (by the way… I didn’t mean to send it to you direct the first time… I am new to the newsgroups… I meant to post it as a follow up);  HOWEVER, I do take issue with your characterization of my business.  We do not "peddle" to developers!  In fact, we work closely with the nature conservancy and many other conservation minded organizations and individuals hoping to protect lands from overdevelopment.  By the way, do I know you?!?  How did you find out about my business, Sherlock? Gee, Bill, as a fellow who makes his living peddling ranch land to developers, I’d think you’d support any effort to encourage people to immigrate to Montana, as you did, or just come to build second homes and enjoy the fishing. In response to the message from me to this newsgroup earlier today about September fishing in the Missoula area, I received the following boldly stated Also, the rivers in the Missoula area, except for Rock Creek, are considerably less crowded than the Missouri, Gallatin, Madison and Yellowstone Park rivers, which adds to my pleasure. Phil Holt SO MUCH FOR THEM NOT BEING CROWDED ANYMORE!!!!!  THANKS ALOT!!!! I admire a person who has the courage of their convictions. If I identified myself I might have to worry that you would follow me to my favorite and still reasonably  secluded fishing holes!  I can imagine… elbow to elbow!!

Ahem, I apologize, I just wanted some information, I really did not mean to start such a discussion !! Anyway, thanks to all of you that sent me notes or replied to my inquiry on the usergroup, I am sort of getting some ideas of what to do and where to go, too bad  the 3rd week of september is not 100 days long …. Going back to the fuss, I am just wondering what would have happened if I had mentioned Orvis in my posting … Just kidding ! -Vittorio

Response:

Will be in Montana 3rd week of Sept. and hitting several rivers. We have to make a decision to fish either the Madison or Yellowstone but not both. Tough choice. Anybody having fished both at this time of year I would like to hear from you. I was hoping some fish might still be on hoppers on the Yellowstone and maybe the Madison around Ennis.  Anybody knowing of any private water fee fishing in either area as a distraction let me know.  I have also been told that fishing in the Slide Inn area has been coming back lately. Any verification on this? Thanks.

Response:

Will be in Montana 3rd week of Sept. and hitting several rivers. We have to make a decision to fish either the Madison or Yellowstone but not both. Tough choice. Anybody having fished both at this time of year I would like to hear from you. I was hoping some fish might still be on hoppers on the Yellowstone and maybe the Madison around Ennis.  Anybody knowing of any private water fee fishing in either area as a distraction let me know.  I have also been told that fishing in the Slide Inn area has been coming back lately. Any verification on this? Thanks.

Hi Glen September fishing on either river will be great. Fish are just starting to take hopper now and this will continue until a hard freeze or two kills them off. Also streamer fishing on the Yellowstone river in the fall is also good. Fee waters in the area include the spring creeks in the Paradise valley. I suggest getting in contact with the River’s Edge in Bozeman (406-586-5373) when you get here to get information, licenses, guides, whatever. If you want a day on the spring creeks I suggest booking soon. Take care & … — Tight Lines ….. Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Catalog,Tips & Tricks, Fishing Reports, & NeverSink at: http://www.btsflyfishing.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Will be in Montana 3rd week of Sept. and hitting several rivers. We have to make a decision to fish either the Madison or Yellowstone but not both. Tough choice. Anybody having fished both at this time of year I would like to hear from you. I was hoping some fish might still be on hoppers on the Yellowstone and maybe the Madison around Ennis.  Anybody knowing of any private water fee fishing in either area as a distraction let me know.  I have also been told that fishing in the Slide Inn area has been coming back lately. Any verification on this? Thanks.

I fished the Madison and the Yellowstone the 3rd week of September 1996.  However, the rivers were not as high as they are this year. There were some, but not a lot of, hoppers.  The nights were too cold. Hoppers did not get active until late afternoon.  A royal trude, size 14 or 16, with a prince nymph or hare’s ear nymph dropper tied directly off the hook of the trude with about 20 to 24 inches of tippet worked well on both rivers.  Humpy, caddis, stimulator, bee, and trude patterns worked well on the Madison,  These were also fished with a prince nymph or hare’s ear nymph dropper.   I would forget the fee fishing and consider trying a float tube on South Meadow Lake out of McAllister if it is accessible.

Response:

Question:

riffling hitch

I’ve now looked "everywhere" for details on the riffling hitch, but to no avail. Not a mention in the knot books I’ve found … a few hits from three different web searches, but no dice on how to tie it. This knot sounds like it would be a good all-around nymphing knot whether for stream or lake, one fly or two. Any clues on where to find it? BTW, as I mentioned in my original post, I tried out my new sinking line last week at Lake Almanor (near Mt.Lassen). I caught, of all things, a very nice sized Squaw Fish (~24 inches) that gave me a vigorous 20 minute fight. I guess these guys can get up to 6 feet long … I’d probably still be there if I’d hooked one of those monsters! Perhaps if I’d been able to employ the riffling hitch … 8^) Bill Howe Boulder, CO

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Gentlemen:     You can find illustrations for the Riffling Hitch on page 55 of <Steelhead Fly Fishing and Flies, by Trey Combs, Amato Publications.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I use two successfully in lakes.  What I change though is the Knot I use. Instead of tying a normal not I use one called a "Riffling Hitch" that I found in the back of an old Steelhead fishing book.  The result of the "riffling hitch" is that the line comes off the side of the head instead of straight out through the eyelet.  this imparts a swimming motion to the flies when you troll them.  It works best when you tie the hitch come of the same side of both flies. Riffling hitch sounds like a good knot.  Never heard of it though.   I agree  with Ed that two is a workable setup when using sinking line.  I have had alot more success with this setup than using a single fly one.  A large fly, say a leech, in front and a smaller fly, like a scud, about 3 feet back seems to work pretty well on the lakes I fish in Utah and Wyoming.   Not only does this have an "attractor affect" but also allows you to find what they are actively feeding on much quicker. David Howell

        I’d like to see a riffling hitch myself. I’ve been tying a nymph onto the bend of the hook with an improved clinch knot. This has worked for me with the last few years with fairly good success. I still break the nymph off once in awhile when struck though. I tried tying to the eylet but, had more trouble with that setup. — -= Fred =-                                                \ [[[[                               \||||                        (         ||||                         (____   [[[[                                                 Fly Fisher

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When fishing a sinking line on deep lake water, does anyone tie on two flies, or is one streamer or nymph the normal limit. I’m going to be trying out my new sinking line on a lake for the first time next week, and realized that the two nymph system I’ve been using on streams for the last couple of years might not be appropriate on a sinking system. While the moving water of the stream gives two nymphs some natural motion, it seems to me that two flies following each other around in the still water of a lake might just scare the lunkers off! Bill Howe

Response:

I use two successfully in lakes.  What I change though is the Knot I use. Instead of tying a normal not I use one called a "Riffling Hitch" that I found in the back of an old Steelhead fishing book.  The result of the "riffling hitch" is that the line comes off the side of the head instead of straight out through the eyelet.  this imparts a swimming motion to the flies when you troll them.  It works best when you tie the hitch come of the same side of both flies.  Going left and then right tends to cause the Ed Green – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When fishing a sinking line on deep lake water, does anyone tie on two flies, or is one streamer or nymph the normal limit. I’m going to be trying out my new sinking line on a lake for the first time next week, and realized that the two nymph system I’ve been using on streams for the last couple of years might not be appropriate on a sinking system. While the moving water of the stream gives two nymphs some natural motion, it seems to me that two flies following each other around in the still water of a lake might just scare the lunkers off! Bill Howe

Response:

I use two successfully in lakes.  What I change though is the Knot I use. Instead of tying a normal not I use one called a "Riffling Hitch" that I found in the back of an old Steelhead fishing book.  The result of the "riffling hitch" is that the line comes off the side of the head instead of straight out through the eyelet.  this imparts a swimming motion to the flies when you troll them.  It works best when you tie the hitch come of the same side of both flies.

Riffling hitch sounds like a good knot.  Never heard of it though.   I agree  with Ed that two is a workable setup when using sinking line.  I have had alot more success with this setup than using a single fly one.  A large fly, say a leech, in front and a smaller fly, like a scud, about 3 feet back seems to work pretty well on the lakes I fish in Utah and Wyoming.   Not only does this have an "attractor affect" but also allows you to find what they are actively feeding on much quicker. David Howell

Response:

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Among the old timers of our beloved sport it it was considered something of a coup to slay a 20" trout with a #20 fly. This is quite a feat, of for no other reason than the size of the tippet that will fit through the eye of a #20 hook; and these guys were fishing with gut leaders, where 5X was about a pound.   How about reversing the hook to fish ratio? What’s the smallest fish you can recall catching on the biggest fly?   Today I hiked up to a small creek at 9000 ft, where the brookies aren’t expected to go much over 6". The rod in hand was already strung up with the rig that worked the last time I fished it, which happened to be a #10 Adams. The challenge immediately became apparent. I left the #10 on and proceeded to fish, determined to hang in there until I hooked one or darkness fell. Well, lo and behold, I began catching brookies by the buckets, some of them as small as 3". BTW, the jaw gape of a 3" brookie is less than the hook gape of a #10 hook, so these fish were all hooked because they charged the fly from head on, and they didn’t have to spread their jaws over the whole fly.   My question to the group is this: Whats the smallest fish you’ve caught on the biggest fly? I expect the salmon, steelhead, and pike guys to come in with the winning answers, simply due to the size of the flies they normally fish with.

Well, mine has to be a brown trout of about 3" on a muddler tyed on a size six long shank. I was fishing for salmon and sea trout on the Sligachan River on the Isle of Skye at the time. I caught several more of his similarly sized breatheren as well. They would come up from the bottom like polaris missiles and come clear out of the water in their eagerness to be the first one there. There was also the 1" dace on a size 10 dry Wickhams fancy, but that dosen’t count as he foul hooked himself. Colin. — Colin J. McPherson B.Eng. Design and Structures Group, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Bath,Bath,U.K.

Response:

Among the old timers of our beloved sport it it was considered something of a coup to slay a 20" trout with a #20 fly. This is quite a feat, of for no other reason than the size of the tippet that will fit through the eye of a #20 hook; and these guys were fishing with gut leaders, where 5X was about a pound.   How about reversing the hook to fish ratio? What’s the smallest fish you can recall catching on the biggest fly?   Today I hiked up to a small creek at 9000 ft, where the brookies aren’t expected to go much over 6". The rod in hand was already strung up with the rig that worked the last time I fished it, which happened to be a #10 Adams. The challenge immediately became apparent. I left the #10 on and proceeded to fish, determined to hang in there until I hooked one or darkness fell. Well, lo and behold, I began catching brookies by the buckets, some of them as small as 3". BTW, the jaw gape of a 3" brookie is less than the hook gape of a #10 hook, so these fish were all hooked because they charged the fly from head on, and they didn’t have to spread their jaws over the whole fly.   My question to the group is this: Whats the smallest fish you’ve caught on the biggest fly? I expect the salmon, steelhead, and pike guys to come in with the winning answers, simply due to the size of the flies they normally fish with.

Response:

Whenever fishing a small brook stream in WVA, small 3 inch always hit a size 10 adult stonefly.  The best was while fihing the same stream with my father, we came across a stonefly fluttering in the grass, thinking this should tempt great grandfather of all brookies, he removed his fly and casted the live stone into a small pocket.  I kid you not the brookie that hit and was hooked about 3.5 inches long.  The stone was approx. 2 inches with a 3 inch wingspand.

Response:

  My question to the group is this: Whats the smallest fish you’ve caught on the biggest fly? I expect the salmon, steelhead, and pike guys to come in with the winning answers, simply due to the size of the flies they normally fish with.

Don’t be too sure.  The bass guys use fairly large flies around blue gill and tiger perch.  I caught a three inch tiger perch on a #6 3x long wooly bugger last night.  Counting the tail, the bugger was three fourths the length of the fish! — Tight Threads,         Charley Renn         Corvallis, OR

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Question:

Great Idea, I would kill the co0kies though.  They are a nusiance and a lot of people like me do not accept them in any case Thanks Gerry

Response:

Good start.  I’d bag the background though:-).  Submitted pattern but could not go back and do a search on the name (Dark Star).  Bookmark it.  Will come back and load up a bunch of South Platte Patterns later on. Keep it Going! — Chaz Clover Art Director, CompuNerd, Inc. http://www.databahn.net "Welcome To Earth!" Will Smith

Excellant idea…will send you the patterns from our present and past publications of the SPAWNER a full colour magazine on atlantic salmon fishing in Newfoundland and Labrador. Should be enough to keep you even busier   Keith Piercey SPAWN (The Salmon Preservation Association for the Waters of Newfoundland) P.O. Box 924 Corner Brook, NF Canada  A2H 6J2

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Good start.  I’d bag the background though:-).  Submitted pattern but could not go back and do a search on the name (Dark Star).  Bookmark it.  Will come back and load up a bunch of South Platte Patterns later on. Keep it Going! — Chaz Clover Art Director, CompuNerd, Inc. http://www.databahn.net "Welcome To Earth!" Will Smith

Response:

Hello, Lately I have had a little free time on my hands, and I got this idea that it might be kind of cool if there was an online database where you can lookup a fly pattern that you wish to tie.  Not finding anything out there like this I desided to try and create such a database. I have it working and now it needs some testing.  So I would like some of you to look at it, try it, maybe add a fly pattern or two and then tell me what you think.  Like I said before, I am testing right now.   It is still under construction.  There are not very many fly patterns in the database right now.  Things I am looking for are:  Do I need to add anything to the submit section, do i need to remove anything from the submit section, and any other ideas you think might help it.  Again please try it out and let me know it you had any problems with it or if you have any suggestion on how to make it better. The page is located at:  http://www.nfinity.com/~hawk/fly/ Thanx for your time Wayne Beck

Response:

Hi Wayne The idea looks good to me.  I’ve bookmarked you web page. — Tight Lines Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Bozeman, MT (97 catalog) http://www.flyshop.com/Expo/Specialty/BTsPdcts/index.html

Response:

Hello, Lately I have had a little free time on my hands, and I got this idea that it might be kind of cool if there was an online database where you can lookup a fly pattern that you wish to tie.  

… The page is located at:  http://www.nfinity.com/~hawk/fly/

I like it.  It’s nice to see someone providing a service like this that isn’t in it for the money. A couple of things that would be nice… I realize that this could could use up a considerable about of disc space but a jpg of a fly uploaded to a directory and referenced from HTML (along with an ALT tag) would be nice.  You’d probably want to limit the size though. Search engines are nice but sometimes an alphanumeric index is good too, especially for those that can’t spell irresistuble. The "Comments" field might be better labled "tying instructions". Actually, a separate field for instructions and one for comments might be useful.  The comments could include information on the best way to fish the fly, and what would happen if gink were applied. Most pattern books list the materials used in order of use when the fly is tied.  I didn’t see any way to specify in which order they should be used.  Of course, that could be described in the "Instructions" section. I didn’t see a field for "ribbing", often a key ingrediant. There wasn’t a field for things like lead weight or bead heads.  Perhaps a field titled "Other materials" would solve this. In any case, it looks good so far.  I hope that people use it. I’ll put a reference to it in my rec.outdoors.fishing.fly.tying FAQ (which I need to repost with a few updates) if you don’t mind. — John Fereira Isis Distributed Systems – Ithaca, NY

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Question:

Can anyone recommend any fly-fishing lodges or camps in Saskatchewan? What is the status of fly-fishing in this area? -Phil Plumbo

Response:

THere are excellent flyin in the Northern part of Saskatchewan.  The best time to fish IMHO is in late May or early June.  Contact the askatchewan tourism borad for a list of outfitters.  Some lakes have only pike, walleye but no Mack’s other have all three and even some grayling.  The depth of the lake determines the type of fish, e.g Mack’s Topwater FF for pike is a thrill and the explosion is like a backfire in the middle of a traffic wait! Good luck on your quest, you’ll love the people of Saskatchewan Cheers Patrick Maxon

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