Question:

The 2IC wandered into my office yesterday and noted that the 1IC was detained and wouldn’t be in for the rest of the day … I looked at my duffle bag (which contains accoutrements for annoying fish) looked back at the 2IC and said "I might make it to 3:30 this afternoon …" I didn’t – at 2:50 I teed up the pick-up and we were well on our way by 3:30.  How is it that roadwork crews unfailingly select peak hour to rip up roadways? Does it take them all day to find the road to be ripped up?  Is it their way of making sure the maximum number of rate payers "notice" them? If so, they do a mighty fine job of it. Bugger ‘em. I’d scoped out a pool and glide a few weeks ago that provided some terrific dry-fly fishing mid-morning and that’s where we were heading. It was a bit warm waiting to get through the council induced traffic snarl but the air-con worked well as always – we just opened the windows wider.  Actually the weather looked a bit stormy before we hit the Divide and the cool mountain air. A few spots of rain as we geared up was all the inclemency suffered and the clouds gradually dissipated as the afternoon wore on. As I said, I scoped this stream a few weeks ago, and you guessed it: nary a fish in places I found them previously.  We fished, peeked, snuck, and skulked around and through through some nice looking water only picking up the odd fish.  We weren’t moving fast enough for me though – I really wanted to see that pool and its tailout. Bugger – a couple of fish in side channels. We did our best … he to catch them, me to get a wriggle on.   Columns of midges a metre in diameter and some 3-5 metres high  were evident over some of the backwaters – how many insects in those columns?   They twisted and gyrated like huge schools of baitfish being rounded up by predators.  A combination of the fluky breeze and the midges’ urges drove the column to writhe, twist and seemingly eject adults at the base of the column. There lay a single predator waiting and sipping the evicted with unhurried confidence.  Those that escaped that vortex trickled out of the backwater and down stream past us and into a drop pool.  You have to get your rocks off quick if you’re a midge. At last! The pool. They rose. All of them.  They rose and we cast, and we cast and we cast.  Then the takes started – one, two, three – six or more  missed.  Bigger fly same pattern – its getting dark. _Somebody_ was fairing a little better and had one, the bounder was using a swing I noticed on his second.  Not an unreasonable tactic considering the number of caddis about.  Same dry fly, cast to the same fish, cast across and drawn as it approached a fishes position bought good solid takes and hook-ups.   Certainly my imaginings about the pool had more than been matched by the reality at least on this occasion. A  pleasant surprise and a lovely place to put a bend in a new rod. As for Caddis: to dead-drift or not: that is the question: Whether ’tis nobler to suffer the rings and splashes of short takes, or to take arms against a battery of upstream dry-fly men and, by opposing, offend?  Yet by a swing we end the heart-ache and catch. Steve (humblest apologies to Bill … and any who got this far

Response:

…….(humblest apologies to Bill … and any who got this far

Yeah, well, billy’s on his own.  Besides, he understood the groundlings.  Nice stuff, Steve. Not sure exactly where you’re at.  I was almost enticed into a backpacking trip in the Blue Mountains a couple of years ago.  Any fish there? Wolfgang

Response:

Not sure exactly where you’re at.  I was almost enticed into a backpacking trip in the Blue Mountains a couple of years ago.  Any fish there?

It’s not my neck of the woods, but yes there are.  Small stream’s that you’d be used to, with populations of small browns and rainbows. The Cox’s River is rather larger and had (I haven’t heard much of it in the last few years) a significant rainbow run each winter (at least I think its winter).   Steve

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Not sure exactly where you’re at.  I was almost enticed into a backpacking trip in the Blue Mountains a couple of years ago.  Any fish there? It’s not my neck of the woods, but yes there are.  Small stream’s that you’d be used to, with populations of small browns and rainbows. The Cox’s River is rather larger and had (I haven’t heard much of it in the last few years) a significant rainbow run each winter (at least I think its winter). Steve

Hm…….interesting.  One last questions then.  Ya’ll got any REAL beer down there?      :) Wolfgang

Response:

Hm…….interesting.  One last questions then.  Ya’ll got any REAL beer down there?      :)

Yep, you can also get Bud if you want it.   Steve

Response:

Question:

Well, I’ve hinted at it; and now it’s time to start writing in ink.   I’m proposing a ROFF mini-clave in Altmar, NY to catch a few salmon, drink a few beers, and tell a few lies.   At this late date, accommodations in the entire area should be nigh on impossible to obtain; but I have already reserved two large rooms at Malinda’s for Thurs., October 17 thru the 20th. One room is essentially full already; but the other sleeps 3 or 4 should any intrepid souls want to make definite plans for that weekend. I’m willing to bet that most folks interested will already be familiar with the area; but any questions about the fishing, fly selection, places to eat, lodges, etc. will be cheerfully answered for those who are not; and I’ll even put up a web site if necessary. So consider this a preliminary announcement.   More info will be provided as needed. Joe F.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well, I’ve hinted at it; and now it’s time to start writing in ink.   I’m proposing a ROFF mini-clave in Altmar, NY to catch a few salmon, drink a few beers, and tell a few lies.   At this late date, accommodations in the entire area should be nigh on impossible to obtain; but I have already reserved two large rooms at Malinda’s for Thurs., October 17 thru the 20th. One room is essentially full already; but the other sleeps 3 or 4 should any intrepid souls want to make definite plans for that weekend. I’m willing to bet that most folks interested will already be familiar with the area; but any questions about the fishing, fly selection, places to eat, lodges, etc. will be cheerfully answered for those who are not; and I’ll even put up a web site if necessary. So consider this a preliminary announcement.   More info will be provided as needed. Joe F.

Joe- It’s a really busy semester for me, but I might be able to swing by on the weekend (yeah, I know about the crowds, but it will be for the comeraderie and not the fishing).  Joe Verdone might be interested as well.  I don’t think we’ll be needing accomodations, we’re a stone’s throw away — Scott Reverse first field of address to reply

Response:

Well, I’ve hinted at it; and now it’s time to start writing in ink.   I’m proposing a ROFF mini-clave in Altmar, NY to catch a few salmon, drink a few beers, and tell a few lies.  

Those salmon aren’t, like, trying to spawn, are they? — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

Well, I’ve hinted at it; and now it’s time to start writing in ink. I’m proposing a ROFF mini-clave in Altmar, NY to catch a few salmon, drink a few beers, and tell a few lies. Those salmon aren’t, like, trying to spawn, are they?

They sure are.  They swim right into the loving hands of the folks at the hatchery, where the hens get squeezed like bagpipes and the males are emptied like a tube of toothpaste. Pete

Response:

Those salmon aren’t, like, trying to spawn, are they? They sure are.

In that case, I’m afraid it’s unethical. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

In that case, I’m afraid it’s unethical.

Ethics on the Salmon River are as rare as a 2 – minute steak. Pete Collin

Response:

Pete?  "Flyfishing," is not a generalization sport which is as rare as a 1 minute steak. George Gehrke :  ) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – In that case, I’m afraid it’s unethical. Ethics on the Salmon River are as rare as a 2 – minute steak. Pete Collin

Response:

Question:

This is one of the very few Orvis products that I used with satisfaction in the past.  Since it left the market I haven’t been able to find a good liquid floatant that worked as well (not that I’ve tried too hard).  I can’t remember the reason it was taken off the market, and whether there was a good homemade concoction to replace it (seem to me I heard of something, but it escapes me). I know I’m at risk of opening up some stupid thread-war about Gink, and the like, but looking for a liquid floatant (not a spray either).  Orvis has some new stuff out that your suppose to treat the fly with ahead of time, but really looking for something affordable (I think it was $5 for a half oz) and something I can use "on the fly" (sorry). The Finn

Response:

From the price you quote you’re from the US or Canad (it would be twice as much in downunder dollars).  Therefore you should be able to avail yourself of the opprtunity to try Albolene (scent free) – a hand cream and lubricant with …errr… a myriad of uses.  Many here (roff) use said hand cream for floatant.  This is second hand info though never tried it myself. fingers crossed, Steve

Response:

Ohhhhhhhhh nooooooooo,  not the albolene threads again…. Steve – thanks for the info but looking for a liquid cure,  I think the albolene is ginkish…..or gel, in it’s form. Anyone else??

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – From the price you quote you’re from the US or Canad (it would be twice as much in downunder dollars).  Therefore you should be able to avail yourself of the opprtunity to try Albolene (scent free) – a hand cream and lubricant with …errr… a myriad of uses.  Many here (roff) use said hand cream for floatant.  This is second hand info though never tried it myself. fingers crossed, Steve

Response:

Ohhhhhhhhh nooooooooo,  not the albolene threads again…. Steve – thanks for the info but looking for a liquid cure,  I think the albolene is ginkish…..or gel, in it’s form. Anyone else??

Er, OK, now I’m curious: why does it have to be "liquid form?"  If you simply don’t want a "gel," try Frog’s Fanny, or if you want "homemade," silica (desiccant) dust.  If you MUST have a liquid, get any of the myriad of products out there that come in liquid form. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – From the price you quote you’re from the US or Canad (it would be twice as much in downunder dollars).  Therefore you should be able to avail yourself of the opprtunity to try Albolene (scent free) – a hand cream and lubricant with …errr… a myriad of uses.  Many here (roff) use said hand cream for floatant.  This is second hand info though never tried it myself. fingers crossed, Steve

Response:

Ohhhhhhhhh nooooooooo,  not the albolene threads again…. Steve – thanks for the info but looking for a liquid cure,  I think the albolene is ginkish…..or gel, in it’s form.

  Ah, sorry ’bout that.   Steve

Response:

You didn’t stick around long enough.      We left at 2:30 on Sunday.  What was Skinner doing so far from home? Lost?      Nah, just the usual stuff, like eating my groceries and drinking my booze.

  And damn good booze and food it was!  Even better than the other 20 times I sponged off you. 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:

How was the show?

  I thought it was a great show.  A little bigger this year which made it less crowded.  The crowd was thinner on Sunday.  My favorite part is the "Destination Theaters".  I saw some slides of some really neat country in CO and MT.  Nothing about Wyoming, though.  You know—not much to say about the fishing in this lousy state.   The only downside was having to follow Wilson around the booths with a mop. All that drooling— 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:

Rusty Hook says: I like Loon Hydrostop. It’s a pretreatment, and is a thin liquid. Dunk the flies in it and let them dry overnight…. This just in… Got a new product at a fly fishing expo last Sunday that’s supposed to be even better than hydrostop. The name escapes me at the moment; Gorilla Proof or something like that. I’ll give a full report after the thaw.

How was the show? Willi

Response:

You didn’t stick around long enough.

     We left at 2:30 on Sunday.  What was Skinner doing so far from home? Lost?

     Nah, just the usual stuff, like eating my groceries and drinking my booze.

Response:

Rusty Hook says: I like Loon Hydrostop. It’s a pretreatment, and is a thin liquid. Dunk the flies in it and let them dry overnight…. This just in… Got a new product at a fly fishing expo last Sunday that’s supposed to be even better than hydrostop. The name escapes me at the moment; Gorilla Proof or something like that. I’ll give a full report after the thaw.

How was the show. Willi

Response:

Rusty Hook says: I like Loon Hydrostop. It’s a pretreatment, and is a thin liquid. Dunk the flies in it and let them dry overnight….

This just in… Got a new product at a fly fishing expo last Sunday that’s supposed to be even better than hydrostop. The name escapes me at the moment; Gorilla Proof or something like that. I’ll give a full report after the thaw. — Rusty Hook Laramie, Wyoming

Response:

Got a new product at a fly fishing expo last Sunday that’s supposed to be even better than hydrostop.

   Hey, you weren’t at the show! You said you’d be easy to spot because you’d be wearing a plaid shirt and baseball cap, and there wasn’t anybody there dressed like that (except me and Skinner).

Response:

Charlie Wilson protests:    Hey, you weren’t at the show! You said you’d be easy to spot because you’d be wearing a plaid shirt and baseball cap, and there wasn’t anybody there dressed like that (except me and Skinner).

You didn’t stick around long enough. I finally showed up on Sunday afternoon, complete with flannel cap and baseball shirt, or something similar.  What was Skinner doing so far from home? Lost? — Rusty Hook Laramie, Wyoming

Response:

Just prefer to dunk and run,  less mess and waste.  I’ve tried some of the others, and they sucked,  just looking for some suggestions,…

I like Loon Hydrostop. It’s a pretreatment, and is a thin liquid. Dunk the flies in it and let them dry overnight. My dries go straight from the vise (or the raffle) into the hydrostop, then into the storage box after they dry. About the only thing that defeats the stuff is fish slime, and a quick shake in dry floatant crystals will take care of that. — Rusty Hook Laramie, Wyoming

Response:

Still available here in Australia – I purchased a spraycan only about a week before Christmas.  

It’s off the market in the US, something about cancer risk. I’ll keep an eye out for it the next time I’m out of the country and bring some back. Useful stuff. — Charlie…

Response:

Have you tried ScotchGuard?   That was taken off the market too.

Still available here in Australia – I purchased a spraycan only about a week before Christmas.  However, apparently there is some new "Super ScotchGuard" on the horizon or already out there, but I haven’t come across it yet. — NightStalker Email addy is nightstalker87 at hot(you know).com

Response:

says… Ohhhhhhhhh nooooooooo,  not the albolene threads again…. Steve – thanks for the info but looking for a liquid cure,  I think the albolene is ginkish…..or gel, in it’s form. Anyone else??

Have you tried ScotchGuard?  Spray (yeah – I know) on the flies when they are tied or before the trip.  They float like crazy. — NightStalker Email addy is nightstalker87 at hot(you know).com

Response:

Have you tried ScotchGuard?  

That was taken off the market too. — Charlie…

Response:

Er, OK, now I’m curious: why does it have to be "liquid form?"  If you simply don’t want a "gel," try Frog’s Fanny, or if you want "homemade," silica (desiccant) dust.  If you MUST have a liquid, get any of the myriad of products out there that come in liquid form.

Just prefer to dunk and run,  less mess and waste.  I’ve tried some of the others, and they sucked,  just looking for some suggestions,

Response:

I just use Gink. Whatever you think about the man the stuff works fine for me. Don’t try to get me into an argument or anything.  The guy asked a question, I answered it.  Imagine that. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is one of the very few Orvis products that I used with satisfaction in the past.  Since it left the market I haven’t been able to find a good liquid floatant that worked as well (not that I’ve tried too hard).  I can’t remember the reason it was taken off the market, and whether there was a good homemade concoction to replace it (seem to me I heard of something, but it escapes me). I know I’m at risk of opening up some stupid thread-war about Gink, and the like, but looking for a liquid floatant (not a spray either).  Orvis has some new stuff out that your suppose to treat the fly with ahead of time, but really looking for something affordable (I think it was $5 for a half oz) and something I can use "on the fly" (sorry). The Finn

Response:

Question:

    it wasn’t the dwarf.     the phone woke me from a desperate dream involving my seventh grade math teacher, ms. rogers, and a thong bikini.  i looked at the glowing numbers on the digital clock, and watched in near disbelief as i finally realized that "4:30" kept blinking at me as i mumbled responses to the voice on the other end of the line.  high pitched, youthful, and bursting with excitement, the language predicted an arrival within the hour.  feeling precisely like a character from the beatles’ "sgt. pepper"  (woke up, fell out of bed, ran a comb across my hair…), i gathered my beloved little hamilton bamboo and some ragged remnants of what now seems another life and prepared for the arrival of ol zimbo the earnest.  instead of a knock on the door, i get a cell call.  dude is lost; an easy thing to do in a metropolis such as greensboro, nc.  i direct him unerringly to my new digs, and we are off in a whirl of  coffee fumes and early morning hopes.     after a trip made quick by the always pleasant exchange of ideas between myself and my fellow traveler (not) we arrived at chez waldo, a location made bearable only by the presence of little marie the long-suffering.  we geared up and fell (almost literally) into the very cold waters of the mighty watauga river, all of thirty feet wide.  the bastards were tougher than any stockers i have ever run across, falling only to small pt nymphs driven deep with lead.  yeah, forty, i know, that ain’t trout fishin; but it beats a cedar branch shoved up your anal cavity.     hoping that the water up on grandfather mountain would warm by midday, acting up as of late, so our progress was quite slow even on the downhill trip to the water.  but the trip was well worth the pain.  this creek is breathtaking in its raw beauty.  flowing though a gorge filled with cabin-sized granite rocks, plunge pools, and falls, it is the archtype carolina freestone backwoods stream.  the water was higher than i would have ever thought, and so cold that staying in it for longer than about twenty minutes at a time was an act of courage or foolishness, depending upon one’s philosophy.  as the more mature members of the threesome held steady to a committment to fish as a gentleman, the irrepressible zimbo dredged the long, black runs with his favorite weapons:  tiny nymphs, lead, and a stick-on.  of course, if one is to be an objective reporter, one must admit that he met with far more success than did we.  but in the final analysis, life is about quality, not quantity…i think.     a moment’s excitement was created when a rainbow of over a foot in length, with the characteristic black back and dark red stripe, surged from a seam between very fast water and a foam covered eddy to smash my 16 para adams.  i snapped the 5x as if it were a spyder’s web in my panicked overreaction.  it’s been a long time between strikes.     photography was a more productive activity than fishing, and i can hardly wait to see the prints of my companions and their environment:  weak little primates crawling around and up the pebbles of the gods, waving their foolish sticks and feathers in futility, cradled by the strength of timeless rock and the relentless, indomitable water that flows across its surface.     it was good to be back where trout live. from the beauty of the old north state to all of you, i remain yr obt svt a. wayne harrison

Response:

…..ok, maybe there’s one or two others but still it’s a burden…..

BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Wolfgang cleri……carrio……clariu……ah rats!

Response:

Watch it, wayno. Careless use of ‘native’ ain’t happening in this newsgroup any more.  :-) Welcome the hell back, counselor! "Why can’t everybody else leave everybody else alone?"                               -Hank Junior

Response:

Well, what a coincidence!  After almost 2 weeks of almost total internet blackout (due to technical "difficulties" beyond the grasp of the Wile E. Coyote "support" personnel at Road Runner), I come back looking for something interesting and sure enough I find it.  That primes me nicely for my lower Upper excursion tomorrow, thank you very much.

Response:

   it was good to be back where trout live.

Thanks for a great trip report. I was thinking of you and your son this morning as I just received notice that one of my friend’s wife has just set a Texas state record by catching a 10 1/4 inch redear. Big Dale

Response:

  it was good to be back where trout live. from the beauty of the old north state to all of you, i remain yr obt svt a. wayne harrison

Brilliant prose, thanks Wayne. Good to see the old "Upper Case"free, typing again. The monitor smiles now. — Bill Grey http://www.billboy.co.uk

Response:

   it wasn’t the dwarf.

[a typical nc tr snip]    it was good to be back where trout live. from the beauty of the old north state to all of you, i remain yr obt svt a. wayne harrison

lookit wayno, don’t you ever leave me alone with this bunch of crackpots ever again  - eh!! do you have any idea how hard it is being the sole voice of reason in this loony bin?  ok, maybe there’s one or two others but still it’s a burden.   good to have you back. man Peter

Response:

…  yeah, forty, i know, that ain’t trout fishin; but it beats a cedar branch shoved up your anal cavity. Well, you do have a way with words. Have missed your mellifluous musings, good to see you back.

Meli….melliph…..mellif……damn, I’m LOOKING at that and I can’t spell it!  Funniest way to say smelly old poop I ever saw. Wolfgang dwarf or lawyer…..dwarf or lawyer…..dwarf or lawyer……hm…gotta think about that

Response:

It’s good to see you again, Wayne. Thanks for the report, Herman     it wasn’t the dwarf.

<rest of a great report creatively snipped

Response:

Meli….melliph…..mellif……damn, I’m LOOKING at that and I can’t spell it!  Funniest way to say smelly old poop I ever saw.

No doubt!  Why not just say it the easy: "Ken" <g How was the game last night turd licker? — Warren Findley "The vice or virtue of any form of angling lies not in the method but in the man." Author Hugh Falkus

Response:

…  yeah, forty, i know, that ain’t trout fishin; but it beats a cedar branch shoved up your anal cavity.

Well, you do have a way with words. Have missed your mellifluous musings, good to see you back. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –    it wasn’t the dwarf. HAH! I called it – I *knew* it was you! What’d I win, Z’man?    it was good to be back where trout live. from the beauty of the old north state to all of you, i remain yr obt svt a. wayne harrison The dump has seemed empty without you, wayno. Welcome home. /daytripper (Did I win a Hamilton Rod? Huh? Huh?

Yeah – the dwarf has it….<G TC, R

Response:

   it wasn’t the dwarf.    the phone woke me from a desperate dream involving my seventh grade math teacher, ms. rogers, and a thong bikini.

 <Gratuitous imagery snipped, for the sake of gentler readers Well, if it is a forgery, it’s pretty dead-nut accurate…<G Welcome back, R – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -from the beauty of the old north state to all of you, i remain yr obt svt a. wayne harrison

Response:

    the phone woke me from a desperate dream involving my seventh grade math teacher, ms. rogers, and a thong bikini.

Missed you wayno, not to mention your superb imagery.   Welcome back.   You didn’t miss much (that you haven’t seen in another version.) Joe F.

Response:

   it wasn’t the dwarf.

HAH! I called it – I *knew* it was you! What’d I win, Z’man?    it was good to be back where trout live. from the beauty of the old north state to all of you, i remain yr obt svt a. wayne harrison

The dump has seemed empty without you, wayno. Welcome home. /daytripper (Did I win a Hamilton Rod? Huh? Huh?

Response:

   it was good to be back where trout live. from the beauty of the old north state to all of you, i remain yr obt svt a. wayne harrison

Good to see you back astream as well!  So it took Zimbo waking you from a wet dream to get your tired old bones moving or were you secretely thinking of you and your 7th grade teacher in a foot race pursuing Zimbo in a thong?!!! Inquiring minds want to know!! I shudda known, dry fly purist to the end. Been listening to Walt again haven’t ya?  It musta been early for you to have fallen for Zimbo letting you use his breathables while he snuggled down in those nice warm neoprenes.  Now, get off your arse and come north for some gentlemanly fishing (I’ve got a beautiful 100% wild trout river staked out with nice and easy walking)! Wayne to fish is human…..to release Divine!!  —–  Posted via NewsOne.Net: Free (anonymous) Usenet News via the Web  —–   http://newsone.net/ — Free reading and anonymous posting to 60,000+ groups    NewsOne.Net prohibits users from posting spam.  If this or other posts

Response:

i remain

We certainly hope so.  Nice to have you back Wayno. Wolfgang

Response:

It is nice to have you and your posts back Wayno!  A very nice trip report indeed. Warren

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –     it wasn’t the dwarf.     the phone woke me from a desperate dream involving my seventh grade math teacher, ms. rogers, and a thong bikini.  i looked at the glowing numbers on the digital clock, and watched in near disbelief as i finally realized that "4:30" kept blinking at me as i mumbled responses to the voice on the other end of the line.  high pitched, youthful, and bursting with excitement, the language predicted an arrival within the hour.  feeling precisely like a character from the beatles’ "sgt. pepper"  (woke up, fell out of bed, ran a comb across my hair…), i gathered my beloved little hamilton bamboo and some ragged remnants of what now seems another life and prepared for the arrival of ol zimbo the earnest.  instead of a knock on the door, i get a cell call.  dude is lost; an easy thing to do in a metropolis such as greensboro, nc.  i direct him unerringly to my new digs, and we are off in a whirl of  coffee fumes and early morning hopes.     after a trip made quick by the always pleasant exchange of ideas between myself and my fellow traveler (not) we arrived at chez waldo, a location made bearable only by the presence of little marie the long-suffering.  we geared up and fell (almost literally) into the very cold waters of the mighty watauga river, all of thirty feet wide.  the bastards were tougher than any stockers i have ever run across, falling only to small pt nymphs driven deep with lead.  yeah, forty, i know, that ain’t trout fishin; but it beats a cedar branch shoved up your anal cavity.     hoping that the water up on grandfather mountain would warm by midday, really acting up as of late, so our progress was quite slow even on the downhill trip to the water.  but the trip was well worth the pain.  this creek is breathtaking in its raw beauty.  flowing though a gorge filled with cabin-sized granite rocks, plunge pools, and falls, it is the archtype carolina freestone backwoods stream.  the water was higher than i would have ever thought, and so cold that staying in it for longer than about twenty minutes at a time was an act of courage or foolishness, depending upon one’s philosophy.  as the more mature members of the threesome held steady to a committment to fish as a gentleman, the irrepressible zimbo dredged the long, black runs with his favorite weapons:  tiny nymphs, lead, and a stick-on.  of course, if one is to be an objective reporter, one must admit that he met with far more success than did we.  but in the final analysis, life is about quality, not quantity…i think.     a moment’s excitement was created when a rainbow of over a foot in length, with the characteristic black back and dark red stripe, surged from a seam between very fast water and a foam covered eddy to smash my 16 para adams.  i snapped the 5x as if it were a spyder’s web in my panicked overreaction.  it’s been a long time between strikes.     photography was a more productive activity than fishing, and i can hardly wait to see the prints of my companions and their environment:  weak little primates crawling around and up the pebbles of the gods, waving their foolish sticks and feathers in futility, cradled by the strength of timeless rock and the relentless, indomitable water that flows across its surface.     it was good to be back where trout live. from the beauty of the old north state to all of you, i remain yr obt svt a. wayne harrison

Response:

Question:

Obviously you haven’t been to Elephant Butte. Mind you, the lake’s there as advertised. The camping sites are mostly very primitive, according to my son who has camped there. No trees or other shade. EB might be an OK area if one were staying in a motel in T or C, in an RV park, or on a houseboat, but it’s certainly not a good place to camp in a tent.

I have to agree with you, Pat.  Also, if he believes EB to be a huge lake, he has really been deprived.  By the way, I lived in TorC for several years and my son still lives there. Paul in Portland OR

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Do you know that there is huge lake in New Mexico- Elephant Butte Lake ??? You can fish, sail, swim, jet-ski, water-ski, camping and all of these in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico. Folks are very friendly down there and prices are very reasonable to visit. Check out this web page for more information: http://www.globaldrum.net/rvnewmexico/ Regards,              Alex. Sounds like a place to avoid !

  LOL!!   Jet skiers and water skiers?  Sure, that may be ideal for   fishermen who want to cast corn for carp and watch barely dressed women water ski, but most fly fishermen I know would prefer a tent and 5 miles of uncrowded river to fish.——Muskie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Do you know that there is huge lake in New Mexico- Elephant Butte Lake ??? You can fish, sail, swim, jet-ski, water-ski, camping and all of these in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico. Folks are very friendly down there and prices are very reasonable to visit. Check out this web page for more information: http://www.globaldrum.net/rvnewmexico/ Regards,              Alex. Sounds like a place to avoid !

Why? Your way of camping (which must be in disagreement with at least one opportunity above) is the only way? Seems bigoted to me …

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Bigoted or enlightened?  Most fly fishermen only like big crowds while at the flyfishing shows. I have enough trouble dealing with the "aluminum hatch" (canoes); can you imagine trying to be nice to jet ski riders? Give me a quiet spot, where the only "improvements" are water pumps and maybe a flush toilet.

| SNIP! | | Sounds like a place to avoid ! | |Why? Your way of camping (which must be in disagreement with at least |one opportunity above) is the only way? Seems bigoted to me …

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Do you know that there is huge lake in New Mexico- Elephant Butte Lake ??? You can fish, sail, swim, jet-ski, water-ski, camping and all of these in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico. Folks are very friendly down there and prices are very reasonable to visit. [snip] Sounds like a place to avoid ! Why? Your way of camping (which must be in disagreement with at least one opportunity above) is the only way? Seems bigoted to me …

Obviously you haven’t been to Elephant Butte. Mind you, the lake’s there as advertised. The camping sites are mostly very primitive, according to my son who has camped there. No trees or other shade. EB might be an OK area if one were staying in a motel in T or C, in an RV park, or on a houseboat, but it’s certainly not a good place to camp in a tent. — Pat O’Connell Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints, Kill nothing but vandals…

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Do you know that there is huge lake in New Mexico- Elephant Butte Lake ??? You can fish, sail, swim, jet-ski, water-ski, camping and all of these in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico. Folks are very friendly down there and prices are very reasonable to visit. Check out this web page for more information: http://www.globaldrum.net/rvnewmexico/ Regards,              Alex.

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Do you know that there is huge lake in New Mexico- Elephant Butte Lake ??? You can fish, sail, swim, jet-ski, water-ski, camping and all of these in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico. Folks are very friendly down there and prices are very reasonable to visit. Check out this web page for more information: http://www.globaldrum.net/rvnewmexico/ Regards,              Alex.

Sounds like a place to avoid !

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Question:

  I am considering a trip to fly fish in Cuba. If I go I will be near Camaguay and was wondering if anyone has fished near there. Mostly what I need is the names of guides and water to fish.  Thanks    Phil. Political responses unneeded. —

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  I am considering a trip to fly fish in Cuba. If I go I will be near Camaguay and was wondering if anyone has fished near there. Mostly what I need is the names of guides and water to fish.  Thanks    Phil. Political responses unneeded. —

I don’t know about water to fish but water to drink should be rain water ! — "The true Angler is content to fish alone" Brian Di Carlo

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –   I am considering a trip to fly fish in Cuba. If I go I will be near Camaguay and was wondering if anyone has fished near there. Mostly what I need is the names of guides and water to fish.  Thanks    Phil. Political responses unneeded. — I don’t know about water to fish but water to drink should be rain water ! — "The true Angler is content to fish alone" Brian Di Carlo

Panangling Travel servise has a Cuban destination for fly fishing for bones, tarpon, permit, snook, etc. They have a web page. William Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 800/4000FLY

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Question:

Greenstone lake, the first that you get to, seems to have a small brook trout population but there are so many others that it’s hardly worth fishing.

One of the funnier things I’ve seen while fishing happened here.  A couple of spin fisherman were fishing Greenstone and one hooked about a 6" brookie.  His buddy got the net, which had a handle about three feet long and a rim about 2 feet in diameter.  It was big enough to net salmon for god’s sake. Well, as he went to lift the trout out of the water, it fell through the webbing on the net.  I got a good chuckle to say the least.

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A friend was in at Saddlebag two weeks ago and said the ground was still fairly soggy…..alot of the High Country won’t be opened up this year at all, as fall/winter is beginning to happen already (last week it got down to 35 deg 3 nights straight at 6870 ft. elevation. As far as fishing, it’s been suprising how few trout are actually surface feeding this year in the Sierra (Ralph Cutter- can you shed some light on this and/or confirm/deny ??).   All I’m able to attribute it to is the lower than customary temperature of the water. There *are* hatches, although they are much later than usual, but the fish seeem to be ignoring them. The few that I’ve kept have been **PACKED** with nymphs, hoppers, ants and beetles, but not alot of "surface bugs". I indicator nymphed and worked a pair of ants (one flying, one hardshell) and picked up a few fish….but certainly nothing to boast about. Tried soft-hackele wets for hours with no takers..upstream, down and across and downstream…..started to curse Dave Huges and Sylvester Nemes below my breath, but decided that I’d save that for my third and likely final attempt at this "old New Style" of flyfishing. Don’t know if it would be worth the effort of canoeing and then trekking farther; I’ve heard Mammoth has been pretty good this year, you may want to give it a go instead!!

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At the end of September I’m thinking of heading up to Saddlebage Lake, canoeing accross and hiking around the Conness Lakes/Glacier are to fish for Goldens.  Has anyone been up there lately or at this time of year.  I know it’ll probabaly be a bit cold since its above 10,000 feet. What flies should I bring?  Nymphs, Caddis, Terresterals?  Any advice would be appreciated.  

I haven’t been up there in a few years but this is one of my favorite areas.  I also used a canoe to get across the lake and  then carried it up on the shore a bit and stashed my oars up by a tree a bit up the trail. Greenstone lake, the first that you get to, seems to have a small brook trout population but there are so many others that it’s hardly worth fishing.  The next lake (Wasco) is a little better and I’ve caught fish of a decent size.  Steelhead lake (the biggest in the basin) has been hit and miss for me.  Cascade lake, and the small lake in between it and Steelhead are both real good.  The shallows at the south end of the lake are teeming with brookies in the evening.  There is another small lake (Towser) that is supposed to be a Golden trout only lake and I’ve caught a couple real small ones in it.  Shamrock lake has been one of the best producers for brookies for me and it’s probably the prettiest in the basin.  To the South of Shamrock as you head up the hill there are a couple of other small lakes that are supposed to be Golden trout lakes but I’ve never found them.  At the top of the hill in the center of the basin is Z-lake.  I have caught more brookies in that lake then any of the other lakes.  Helen Lake and Odell have produced much for me and I believe that Odell is supposed to be a golden trout only lake as well. I haven’t fished Hummingbird but I hear it has a large brookie population, so much so that the fish are stunted. There are three lakes up above the waterfall below the glacier that are worth the hike only because they are so pretty.  The first one is almost a tourquiose color.  Unfortunately I was told that these lakes froze solid a few years ago and have not been restocked.  That was about five years ago so it may have changed. If the fish are hitting the surface I have had the best luck with grey hackle peacocks, grey hackle yellows, Sierra brite dots, and coachmens. If they are not,  various nymphs like GR hares ears, prince nymphs, Birds nests, pheasant tails, and a few emerger patterns all seem to work.   I fished all of these patterns with an ultralight spinning rod and a casting bubble.  For the grey hackles, etc, I filled the bubble half full of water and fished them wet just below the surface with a *very* slow retrieve.   For the nymphs I fill the bubble up all the way and then cast and count down several seconds before begining the retrieve. As is the case with any of the areas in the Sierra you should be prepared for any kind of weather.  I’ve been there twice in September when it has snowed.  One time a friend of mine and I drove up and camped at Tioga lake campground because we arrived too late in the day.  He got up the next morning and went out in my canoe on Tioga lake.  He paddled out about 100′ and decided it was too cold.  He knocked on my camper shell window and said that he had to come in and warm up.  We ended up driving around a bit because the heater wasn’t warming fast enough.  It was probably a good three hours before he felt normal again.  Hypothermia is a very real possibility this time of year and it’s nothing to fool around with.  If we had camped out the night before in the basin like we had planned it could have been *real* serious. — John Fereira Isis Distributed Systems – Ithaca, NY

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At the end of September I’m thinking of heading up to Saddlebage Lake, canoeing accross and hiking around the Conness Lakes/Glacier are to fish for Goldens.  Has anyone been up there lately or at this time of year.  I know it’ll probabaly be a bit cold since its above 10,000 feet. What flies should I bring?  Nymphs, Caddis, Terresterals?  Any advice would be appreciated.   "Never get suckered into defending the cost of your fishing habit on a cost per pound basis.  It’ll only embarrass or depress you.  The only measurement that makes sense at all is the cost per cast…So, if you are long on effort and short on results, remember that the more you cast, the cheaper it gets."                                             -Tully Stroud Chris Anderson San Fransicko

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Question:

: Learn to roll cast. Or pay a guide $150/day to put you in a raft. — Rick T. Rick Fletcher   –   http://www.chem.uidaho.edu/~fletcher/ Assistant professor of chemistry  |  That’s Idaho, not Iowa.    |  These University of Idaho               |  Upper Left Hand Corner.    |  opinions Moscow, ID 83844-2343             |  No, I don’t grow potatoes. |  are mine.

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Learn to roll cast.

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oh how I love to fly fish! My partner might even say I’m obsessed with fly fishing, and tying and anything else to do with this marvelous sport. And yes, I am a woman. Been fly fishing for about 5 years now and still consider myself somewhat of a beginner. Always wanting and looking for new stuff to learn. About flies in trees/bushes=simple always buy one for the fish and one or two for the trees. Also, try some creative casting, side arm casting, sling shot or bow and arrow casting, certainly roll casting, etc. Try these casts on an open lawn first, until you are more comfortable with it all. And if you have a fly shop in your area, check to see if there is a women’s group or club and if not, start one. It’s a great way to fish and learn in a safe environment! Most important…have fun! =)

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to lodge my Hook in the raft – and off i go after spending $150! But seriously – i’ll learn roll casting – thanks for the advice!

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Question:

I’m new to this sport and love it!  Wonder where I can go for some good fishing that is in close proximity to home (Bryan, Texas)?  I’d like to be able to get there pretty quick and still spend a couple  hours after work fishing.  Any advice?   Also, I’m going to be down near Corpus Christi in July, any suggestions there?   Thanks in advance for the advice! Mark Klemm

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I’m new to this sport and love it!  Wonder where I can go for some good fishing that is in close proximity to home (Bryan, Texas)?  I’d like to be able to get there pretty quick and still spend a couple  hours after work fishing.  Any advice?   Also, I’m going to be down near Corpus Christi in July, any suggestions there?   Thanks in advance for the advice! Mark Klemm

Mark, almost any place that has fish, you can fly fish.  Don’t think that it is restricted to trout.  If you want to fish for trout however, try the Guadalupe where it comes out of Canyon(?) Dam.  That area is stocked, and is currently getting good press about the success of the program. Also, you can fly fish the same Guadalupe for bass. Small streamers are best, however even large wooly buggers and mariboo steamers will work…..   Dee Crabtree DeeCrab*ibm.net

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Question:

Does anyone know about beaver creek in CA this year or at all? I was there last year late in the summer and the water was realy low. The were a lot of feed bugs in the water, but the water was too low to produce any sizable trout. Any info on the creek would be great. TimFLYFISH Dream of flyfishing, but also let the fish dream. C & R

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Tim, where do you fish Beaver Ck.? in the park or up outa Sourgrass? I would expect the water to be high right now. The Stanislaus at Sourgrass was pretty high and fast a couple weeks ago. As I remember the fish aren’t really big there. This time of the year, due to high, fast water fish close to the river bank. There are some nice holes outa Sourgrass and up the creek where the road crosses Beaver Ck. wish you luck, Bob

: Does anyone know about beaver creek in CA this year or at all? I was there : last year late in the summer and the water was realy low. The were a lot : of feed bugs in the water, but the water was too low to produce any : sizable trout. Any info on the creek would be great. : TimFLYFISH : Dream of flyfishing, but also let the fish dream. C & R —  Remember amateur astronomers: "keep looking for the next Universe"

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