Question:

That would sure help explain ROFF…

Even in a parallel universe of one’s own design that would be a very tall order.

Response:

Response # 2 Not really. I profess complete understanding of NADA.

Hey, that’s great Dave!    Can you tell me how much my old ‘84 Isuzu pickup is worth?  :-) Joe F.

Response:

   If it’s your fishing vehicle then it’s priceless.  I wish I still had my old 1970 Datsun pickup.  It had a hundred thousand miles of great fishing memories on the odometer. Ernie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Can you tell me how much my old ‘84 Isuzu pickup is worth?  :-) Joe F.

Response:

  If it’s your fishing vehicle then it’s priceless.  I wish I still had my old 1970 Datsun pickup.  It had a hundred thousand miles of great fishing memories on the odometer.

A truck like this is "priceless" anyway.   It’s too worthless to sell & is basically unsound and unsafe, but to replace it would cost thousands. There’s something great about a vehicle that you don’t have to worry about beating the hell out of.   It got relegated to "farm" use a few years ago. I once carried a round bale of hay in the bed (one of those really big ones).   Damned frame was riding on the axles, the springs having completely given up, and the whole rig was extremely top heavy.  Better than an E-ticket at Disneyland.   Managed to get 42 regular bales piled on it once, too. As it happens, the odometer turned 100K on the way home from a salmon trip a few years back.   Still going strong.   Great truck. Joe F.

Response:

Joe,    My old Datsun pickup had a hellish set of overload springs on it.  I called it Buckshot, because every time you went over a bump it bucked and shot you into the roof. Ernie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – A truck like this is "priceless" anyway.   It’s too worthless to sell & is basically unsound and unsafe, but to replace it would cost thousands. There’s something great about a vehicle that you don’t have to worry about beating the hell out of.   It got relegated to "farm" use a few years ago. I once carried a round bale of hay in the bed (one of those really big ones).   Damned frame was riding on the axles, the springs having completely given up, and the whole rig was extremely top heavy.  Better than an E-ticket at Disneyland.   Managed to get 42 regular bales piled on it once, too. As it happens, the odometer turned 100K on the way home from a salmon trip a few years back.   Still going strong.   Great truck. Joe F.

Response:

Joe In the words of my favorite musical group . . . A little bit is better than nada Sometimes you want the whole enchilada A little bit is better than nada A little bit,  or nothing at all. Dave – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey, that’s great Dave!    Can you tell me how much my old ‘84 Isuzu pickup is worth?  :-) Joe F.

Response:

Actually Bob the Ernie Harrison Knot machine is an incredible devise. Im thinking about buying one to burn a new CPU on my old Intell. In my opinion it will do a fab job. And at virtually no cost.

It’s "Intel", Dave. One "l". I’m not a spelling Nazi, but you keep doing this and it’s bugging me. BTW, I hate Intel and I’ve never bought an Intel product. They’ve been a great investment for some, though. If New Mexico wants to subsidize Intel plants that’s none of my beeswax, since I don’t live in New Mexico. If I did, and if I knew the facts, I might oppose it. Call me crazy, but I find that the Pentium chips they make in the stores aren’t up to the ones that I make better thru my exercise of free will and free market gumption. The fact is that anyone can see that the "chips" made in the store cannot possibly have the care and love that I give mine.

I see. Maybe you should market your chips. Along with your special salsa. One thing you will learn from the computer/software contingent on ROFF: Its OK to make it up as you go. So, economics? Make it up. Behavioral science? Make it up. History, geography? make it up. It is not really important to actually study and learn about these disciplines to be able to firmly assert arguable propositions about them.

These issues are far too complex for any simple solutions we might come up with in ROFF. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

Take me to your leader ? TL MC

Response:

You know how you always wish you had a third hand when you tied blood knots ?  Ernie just tapes an inflated surgeons glove to his plonker… — TimW, Halfordian Golfer "A Cash Flow Runs Through It…" "Guilt replaced the creel…" B.M.P.I.A.

Response:

You know how you always wish you had a third hand when you tied blood knots ?  Ernie just tapes an inflated surgeons glove to his plonker…

Doesn

Question:

  Early one morning on Nokomis Lake (about 60 miles NW of Southend SK/Reindeer Lake) we were startled by a "snorting and huffing" sound in the water, less than 30m away from our canoe… we were paddling 200m from shore, and saw 2 (?adult) otters "standing" in the water for a better view of the "intruder" (us?)…didn’t realize that they were able to raise themselves out of the water quite so high. (As if "standing upright")…the snorting and huffing continued until we were beyond hearing.   I wonder what the "otter-ese" version of this encounter might have been? I don’t think they were as pleased to see us, as we were to mark their "indignation". —Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.—

Response:

We had a family of them under our house several years back. Noisy, messy, smelly. mike

Response:

I saw 3 otters while fly fishing on the McCloud River (CA) in the Nature Conservancy Preserve 2 years ago.  There I was in water up to my chest peacefully working a hole when the calm was shattered by a huge splash, then another and another. Scared the bejesus out of me.  I looked around and saw nothing.  A few seconds later it happened again.  The otters were climbing out of the water onto rocks and then jumping in one after the other.  It seemed like they were just playing.  They swam around and around writhing around each other and periodically popping up out of the water and then splashing back in.  They seemed completely unconcerned about the presence of my friend and I.  This lasted for a few minutes and then they swam off upstream doing the same antics as far as we could see them.  Of course they ruined the fishing but it was a magical moment that made the whole trip.

Response:

I was boogie boarding in Santa Cruz one morning and I felt something nibble at my fin. I turned to look and saw a seal pop his head up and look at me.  He did that a couple more times and I thought he was going to bite me or something and I kept swimming away. Finally after about 10 min I realized he was just playing and I turned to chase him. He ducked under water and came up nibbling my fin again. This went on for over an hour!!! I was swimming figure eights thru surfers but he wasn’t interested in them, just kept playing with me. When I went in to shore, I took off my fin to show my hubbie who had been surfing down the beach a ways…not a mark on them!!! Dee

Response:

– They’re pretty fearless.  In water they have no peers, unlike the sea otters who have to watch out for things like killer whales.  On land the only things that could get them would be coyotes, wolves, or cougars.  And they’ve a reputation for being a bit fierce as fighters, which might tend to make them less desirable as prey by the afore mentioned creatures.  They are members of the weasel family, after all.  They’re efficient at food gathering, so they have time to goof off a lot.  And they’re just cute as all get out.

    I snuck up on a big coon the other evening at sunset. He was sitting on the root of a huge cypress tree right above the waterline catching crawfish for supper. He’d peer intently into the shallow water until he spied one then quick as lightening plunge his paw in and grab it. He was real deft at not getting pinched and grabbed’em just right each time.     During that trip, I also saw Snowy Egret, Great Blue, Great White, and Little Green Heron, Ibis, Oppossum, Diamond Back Watersnake, Moccassin, Nutria, and a Gator. Silent paddling technique allows for successful wildlife observation. Floatin, John

Response:

They’re pretty fearless.  In water they have no peers, unlike the sea otters who have to watch out for things like killer whales.  On land the only things that could get them would be coyotes, wolves, or cougars.  And they’ve a reputation for being a bit fierce as fighters, which might tend to make them less desirable as prey by the afore mentioned creatures.  They are members of the weasel family, after all.  They’re efficient at food gathering, so they have time to goof off a lot.  And they’re just cute as all get out. —– rec.backcountry vixen I only answer my email every few months, on average.   Patience helps.   http://www.visi.com/~cyli

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A neat otter report.  I wish more readers of the NG would post articles like that.  :-)     Thanks Cyli  - Robert

Response:

Thats interesting-a few weeks ago, I was walking my dog along an abandoned road in northeast MN, when I heard an animal running through the woods. I finally saw a long, low animal bounding towards us. I couldnt get a clean look at it because of the underbrush-at first I thought beaver, but beaver dont run that fast. Then I thought fisher, but it didnt look quite right either. Anyway, this thing, whatever it was, was running straight at us and was not slowing down. I figured it could see us, we were less than 100 feet away, and it just kept coming. When it was about to break through the brush at roads edge, I debated hunkering down and waiting for it to come out on the road so I get a clear view of it. At the last second I decided that wasnt a good idea, I wasnt sure what it was, it was behaving strangely (asuming it could see me anyway), rabies crossed my mind, and I didnt want whatever it was to charge out of the woods only to land on me or my 100 lb dog. So I said "Hey" just before it would have come upon us, and it turned and raced off without me ever getting an unobstructed view of it. Later, I walked a trail that headed towards where the animal had come from, and I found a flowage about 200 feet from the road, with abundant otter sign on the banks. I’m not certain the animal was an otter but it seems pretty likely. Perhaps otters dont have great eyesight out of water. Wayne   – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –   Today I was near enough the far edge of front country that only one powerboat passed me (the water’s high here, so motors could get up that part of the river.) and had one heck of a good day trip.  With the water high, I was able to get a mile or two up a creek that’s normally about an inch or two deep and then come back down quickly. Very quickly in a couple of spots. But, back out on the river, I checked out a couple of islands I’d never quite managed to canoe or kayak up to before (usually stopping half a mile short at an island that  happened to be underwater today) and then back down, trying to backpaddle and taking a lunch break to make the day last.  I did manage to be out 8 hours.  About half an hour after lunch and drifting downriver, I saw a small brown animal head making progress across my path.  Thinking it was a beaver, I slowed a bit, as it’s only kind not to scare them more than necessary. But it dove and didn’t tail slap, came up a bit upstream, dove again, and still no slap.  Then started swimming up to the land side of me. I gave it a bit more room, as this is what young beavers tend to do when scared.  They head straight for home, even if it means they have to get closer to the scarey thing.  However, when it got within 10 feet, it dove again and it was obvious it was an otter. I burbled aloud with joy as it rose and fixed me with a beady eye, then turned its head and gave me the other eye.  By then I was cooing at it.  So it swam closer, giving the sniff/look test to me and the kayak.  At just over arm’s length, he aparently made up his mind and started straight for the cockpit, so he could climb up.   Uh.  10 to 15 pounds of soaking wet wild animal in my lap?  With the kind of claws and teeth that can open clams very easily and quickly?  Of carnivorous genes, which I’ve noticed gives animals a tendency to express affection with ‘love bites’? No.  Which is  exactly what I said as I dropped the kayak paddle in his path.  He took offense (not surprising), dove and swam up upstream.   I regretted his going, but not his absence from my lap.  He got about a hundred yards away and then turned back to look at me.  I cooed and burbled some more.  He vanished.   I went downstream.  Looked back for some reason about 10 minutes later and there he was, keeping watch on me from about 50 to 100 yards away again.  He followed me for a good mile and then the wind had picked up enough that if he was still following, I couldn’t see his head any more. I think he was young.  Much smaller than the other otters I’ve noticed (not much of a number, because they do tend to backwaters and quieter places and vanish wonderfully easily).  Obviously not shy, as all but one of the ones I’ve seen have not  been shy.  Or at least only one was so shy that I saw it and then saw it take off, not to be seen again.).  Out of the way friendly, which I’d not seen, though I’ve heard of.   I think he’d never seen a kayak before and was curious about this half log half person thing.  When the smell was right, he was willing to come ride with me.   If he’d headed for even the front deck, I think I’d have let him on.  But the cockpit was obviously the easiest place to climb/leap.  Front deck wouldn’t have been safer. Just felt like it.  The Otter kayak (yes, coincidence rules) I was paddling is only 9′6".  He’d have been nose to nose with me there. Cute.  I felt so Disney (except for not letting him on and him not speaking English.).  A wonderful day that often felt very backcountry and the world cooperated by having very few people out, even with it being opening weekend for fishing.  I only saw about 8 people and all but 3 of them were at one campsite. —– rbc vixen. I only answer my email every few months, on average. Patience helps. http://www.visi.com/~cyli

Response:

St. Croix River. MN/WI border.  Up about 30 miles from Taylor’s Falls (the highest up dam on the river).  My favorite river in my second favorite place to paddle on it.  Rapidly becoming my favorite place as the part below Taylor’s is infested with powerboats and newbbie day trippers who do things like bring along radios and, on one very memorable occasion, a generator. Cyli ;     Great story. otters are a lot of fun to watch, always up to something. BTW where were you. Even what part of the nation would be helpful. Thanks. Floatin, John

—– rbc vixen. I only answer my email every few months, on average.   Patience helps.   http://www.visi.com/~cyli

Response:

Cyli ;      Great story. otters are a lot of fun to watch, always up to something. BTW where were you. Even what part of the nation would be helpful. Thanks. Floatin, John — – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –   Today I was near enough the far edge of front country that only one powerboat passed me (the water’s high here, so motors could get up that part of the river.) and had one heck of a good day trip.  With the water high, I was able to get a mile or two up a creek that’s normally about an inch or two deep and then come back down quickly. Very quickly in a couple of spots. But, back out on the river, I checked out a couple of islands I’d never quite managed to canoe or kayak up to before (usually stopping half a mile short at an island that  happened to be underwater today) and then back down, trying to backpaddle and taking a lunch break to make the day last.  I did manage to be out 8 hours.  About half an hour after lunch and drifting downriver, I saw a small brown animal head making progress across my path.  Thinking it was a beaver, I slowed a bit, as it’s only kind not to scare them more than necessary. But it dove and didn’t tail slap, came up a bit upstream, dove again, and still no slap.  Then started swimming up to the land side of me. I gave it a bit more room, as this is what young beavers tend to do when scared.  They head straight for home, even if it means they have to get closer to the scarey thing.  However, when it got within 10 feet, it dove again and it was obvious it was an otter.   I burbled aloud with joy as it rose and fixed me with a beady eye, then turned its head and gave me the other eye.  By then I was cooing at it.  So it swam closer, giving the sniff/look test to me and the kayak.  At just over arm’s length, he aparently made up his mind and started straight for the cockpit, so he could climb up.   Uh.  10 to 15 pounds of soaking wet wild animal in my lap?  With the kind of claws and teeth that can open clams very easily and quickly?  Of carnivorous genes, which I’ve noticed gives animals a tendency to express affection with ‘love bites’? No.  Which is  exactly what I said as I dropped the kayak paddle in his path.  He took offense (not surprising), dove and swam up upstream.   I regretted his going, but not his absence from my lap.  He got about a hundred yards away and then turned back to look at me.  I cooed and burbled some more.  He vanished.   I went downstream.  Looked back for some reason about 10 minutes later and there he was, keeping watch on me from about 50 to 100 yards away again.  He followed me for a good mile and then the wind had picked up enough that if he was still following, I couldn’t see his head any more.   I think he was young.  Much smaller than the other otters I’ve noticed (not much of a number, because they do tend to backwaters and quieter places and vanish wonderfully easily).  Obviously not shy, as all but one of the ones I’ve seen have not  been shy.  Or at least only one was so shy that I saw it and then saw it take off, not to be seen again.).  Out of the way friendly, which I’d not seen, though I’ve heard of.   I think he’d never seen a kayak before and was curious about this half log half person thing.  When the smell was right, he was willing to come ride with me.   If he’d headed for even the front deck, I think I’d have let him on.  But the cockpit was obviously the easiest place to climb/leap.  Front deck wouldn’t have been safer. Just felt like it.  The Otter kayak (yes, coincidence rules) I was paddling is only 9′6".  He’d have been nose to nose with me there.   Cute.  I felt so Disney (except for not letting him on and him not speaking English.).  A wonderful day that often felt very backcountry and the world cooperated by having very few people out, even with it being opening weekend for fishing.  I only saw about 8 people and all but 3 of them were at one campsite. —– rbc vixen. I only answer my email every few months, on average.   Patience helps.   http://www.visi.com/~cyli

Response:

  Today I was near enough the far edge of front country that only one powerboat passed me (the water’s high here, so motors could get up that part of the river.) and had one heck of a good day trip.  With the water high, I was able to get a mile or two up a creek that’s normally about an inch or two deep and then come back down quickly. Very quickly in a couple of spots. But, back out on the river, I checked out a couple of islands I’d never quite managed to canoe or kayak up to before (usually stopping half a mile short at an island that  happened to be underwater today) and then back down, trying to backpaddle and taking a lunch break to make the day last.  I did manage to be out 8 hours.  About half an hour after lunch and drifting downriver, I saw a small brown animal head making progress across my path.  Thinking it was a beaver, I slowed a bit, as it’s only kind not to scare them more than necessary. But it dove and didn’t tail slap, came up a bit upstream, dove again, and still no slap.  Then started swimming up to the land side of me. I gave it a bit more room, as this is what young beavers tend to do when scared.  They head straight for home, even if it means they have to get closer to the scarey thing.  However, when it got within 10 feet, it dove again and it was obvious it was an otter.   I burbled aloud with joy as it rose and fixed me with a beady eye, then turned its head and gave me the other eye.  By then I was cooing at it.  So it swam closer, giving the sniff/look test to me and the kayak.  At just over arm’s length, he aparently made up his mind and started straight for the cockpit, so he could climb up.   Uh.  10 to 15 pounds of soaking wet wild animal in my lap?  With the kind of claws and teeth that can open clams very easily and quickly?  Of carnivorous genes, which I’ve noticed gives animals a tendency to express affection with ‘love bites’? No.  Which is  exactly what I said as I dropped the kayak paddle in his path.  He took offense (not surprising), dove and swam up upstream.   I regretted his going, but not his absence from my lap.  He got about a hundred yards away and then turned back to look at me.  I cooed and burbled some more.  He vanished.   I went downstream.  Looked back for some reason about 10 minutes later and there he was, keeping watch on me from about 50 to 100 yards away again.  He followed me for a good mile and then the wind had picked up enough that if he was still following, I couldn’t see his head any more.   I think he was young.  Much smaller than the other otters I’ve noticed (not much of a number, because they do tend to backwaters and quieter places and vanish wonderfully easily).  Obviously not shy, as all but one of the ones I’ve seen have not  been shy.  Or at least only one was so shy that I saw it and then saw it take off, not to be seen again.).  Out of the way friendly, which I’d not seen, though I’ve heard of.   I think he’d never seen a kayak before and was curious about this half log half person thing.  When the smell was right, he was willing to come ride with me.   If he’d headed for even the front deck, I think I’d have let him on.  But the cockpit was obviously the easiest place to climb/leap.  Front deck wouldn’t have been safer. Just felt like it.  The Otter kayak (yes, coincidence rules) I was paddling is only 9′6".  He’d have been nose to nose with me there.   Cute.  I felt so Disney (except for not letting him on and him not speaking English.).  A wonderful day that often felt very backcountry and the world cooperated by having very few people out, even with it being opening weekend for fishing.  I only saw about 8 people and all but 3 of them were at one campsite. —– rbc vixen. I only answer my email every few months, on average.   Patience helps.   http://www.visi.com/~cyli

Response:

Question:

Any thoughts on the best of the intermediate casting videos?  I need to debug my casting and would like to try this before investing in an instructor.  mike

You’d be surprised what you local libray might have; and you might be able to put a hold on one that’s not in, or order it from another library.    I’ve checked out a number of them over the years.   Some fly fishing shops also rent them out. Before I teach someone how to fly fish, or even to cast, I always insist they watch the videos, first. Max http://www.inetarena.com/~mwi

Response:

Any thoughts on the best of the intermediate casting videos?  I need to debug my casting and would like to try this before investing in an instructor.  mike

Response:

There are a number of good casting videos.  Some of our favorites are:  "Joan Wulff’s Dynamics of Fly Casting", which is still fairly new on the market.  It covers "from solid basics to advanced techniques." $24.95 And… "Fly Casting with Lefty Kreh" ($29.95) and "All New Fly Casting Techniques", also Lefty Kreh ($19.95) Both Joan Wulff and Lefty Kreh are renouned for their casting ability. I couldn’t give you a clue on how to choose one over the other, as they are all excellent–but different. If you don’t mind spending the $, get Joan’s and one of Lefty’s.  It would be worth it. Lauren Hart, Brazos FlyFishers  http://www.brazosflyfishers.com Check out our Spring Specials posted on our website!!! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Any thoughts on the best of the intermediate casting videos?  I need to debug my casting and would like to try this before investing in an instructor.  mike

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Question:

Here in Colorado, the fish are skitish enough, without a 110 pound dog swimming overhead.  Over the past weekend, I brought him fishing again.  However, this time I fastened his leash to my waders.  This wasn’t a problem because the water is very low.   This method seemed to work really well.  Any training insight, comments, or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I would think catching him on a bad backcast would be risky.   As to suggestions, my own german shepherd has gotten a bit old.  I find that  after a good hour or so of splashing and playing she settles down and prefers  to watch me from the bank.  So I spend an hour playing with the dog and hiking  upstream before I start fishing.

Response:

I have two dogs who love to swim after me on a quiet lake if I let them.   When the fishing is bad and can’t get any worse, sometimes I call them out and let them troll beside my canoe.  However, I don’t encourage this if there are other fisherman in the lake.  When I fish on a river, I just leave them in my van.  They are quite happy hanging out for a couple of hours at a time.  Less stress worring about pissing off other guys.   Besides nothing spooks fish more than a couple of splashing muts swiming around, or having them get caught in the current. C. Carefoot – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would like to start bringing my black labrador fly fishing.  I was curious if anyone has any training suggestions, which may help.  Over the summer, I attempted to bring him fishing.  Being a water dog, I couldn’t keep him out of the deepest holes.  Here in Colorado, the fish are skitish enough, without a 110 pound dog swimming overhead.  Over the past weekend,I brought him fishing again.  However, this time I fastened his leash to my waders.  This wasn’t a problem because the water is very low.   This method seemed to work really well.  Any training insight, comments, or suggestions are greatly appreciated. -Josh josh ( a t ) bankersfyi ( d o t ) com

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Me thinks too many folks are buying into this dog/flyfishing c**p you see on the cover of catalogs, books, calendars, etc..  I like the one photo on my TU calendar where this gorgeous lady flyfisher, all decked in Orvis gear, in her twenties, shows a 26" trout to her black lab.  It’s titled "introducing one love to another". Now here’s reality: if there is a woman, she looks like a Jenny-Craig dropout.  The trout she holds is a SNIT (stocked nine-inch trout).  She wears an "Uncle Buck’s Salmon Eggs" t-shirt covered with fish slime, probably from the stringer of fish wrapped around her neck.  The dog is drowning because he can’t swim, and drooling more water than there is in the stream.  The title would be "Rover finally discovers what fresh fish smells like". Voice of experience – tried training Boomer my black lab to go flyfishing. He ran everybody off the stream.  I had to leave before the sheriff arrived. Fishing is for my enjoyment, not Boomer’s.  Let him get his own rod & Jeep.

Response:

This is gonna be another Swayback Story. One of the members of that fine club has a Newfoundland Duck Tolling Retriever bitch.  Nice dog.  Takes her fishing with him often.   Well, one Saturday evening this guy is fishing the water by my house with the Noof.  He get’s into a fish – maybe 17-18".  He gets the fish into netting range, and damned if the dog doesn’t pounce on the poor thing, grab it in it’s mouth, and take it to shore.  Then the noof sets the fish on the gravel and sits there proud as punch.  Believe it or not, the fish was released, relatively unharmed. As I understand these dogs they’re used as duck dogs in Canada.  They have very strong retrieval instincts it would appear.  But I never thought they were that strong. Personally, I find fishing with a dog, especially a water dog to be very annoying. They can go all over the place, and mess up everything.  Maybe Josh’s dog is a better dog than that – I sure hope so anyway. I would like to start bringing my black labrador fly fishing.  I was curious if anyone has any training suggestions, which may help.  Over the summer, I attempted to bring him fishing.  Being a water dog, I couldn’t keep him out of the deepest holes.  Here in Colorado, the fish are skitish enough, without a 110 pound dog swimming overhead.  Over the past weekend, I brought him fishing again.  However, this time I fastened his leash to my waders.  This wasn’t a problem because the water is very low.   This method seemed to work really well.  Any training insight, comments, or suggestions are greatly appreciated. -Josh josh ( a t ) bankersfyi ( d o t ) com

– </chaz Chaz Clover The Paved Earth Society http://www.rmi.net/~clover/pave_the_earth   "Why Not Just Get On With It?"

Response:

Fishing is for my enjoyment, not Boomer’s.  Let him get his own rod & Jeep.

Sorry, but an enjoyable day on the river *always* includes the dog ! My mutt patiently sits on the bank until a trout is hooked, and then dives in to attempt a retrieve. Lots of excitement – and all he asks for is one quick lick of the fish. So what if he ruins that pool, there’s plenty more within a short walk, and more trout than I could catch in a lifetime. It’s seldom I see another fisherman on my stretch of river, and my buddies get a bigger kick out of watching the dog than playing the numbers game in fish caught in a day. Hunting season’s too short, and time too precious to spend outdoors without my pooch! Andrew Banff Alberta

Response:

I would like to start bringing my black labrador fly fishing.  I was curious if anyone has any training suggestions, which may help.  Over the summer, I attempted to bring him fishing.  Being a water dog, I couldn’t keep him out of the deepest holes.  Here in Colorado, the fish are skitish enough, without a 110 pound dog swimming overhead.  Over the past weekend, I brought him fishing again.  However, this time I fastened his leash to my waders.  This wasn’t a problem because the water is very low.   This method seemed to work really well.  Any training insight, comments, or suggestions are greatly appreciated. -Josh josh ( a t ) bankersfyi ( d o t ) com

Response:

I would like to start bringing my black labrador fly fishing.  I was curious if anyone has any training suggestions, which may help.  Over the summer, I attempted to bring him fishing.  Being a water dog, I couldn’t keep him out of the deepest holes.  Here in Colorado, the fish are skitish enough, without a 110 pound dog swimming overhead.  Over the past weekend, I brought him fishing again.  However, this time I fastened his leash to my waders.  This wasn’t a problem because the water is very low.   This method seemed to work really well.  Any training insight, comments, or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

My yellow lab started obedience training at 16 weeks and was fish_able when she turned 5. She knew all the commands and would obey 99% of the time, but you know labs & water :- At 5 I began taking her to the beach fishing on off tides so she wouldn’t bother anyone (she’s very friendly), or when I’d fish more isolated spots in the marshes and rocks. She did fine, I let her roam within reason, she seems to know her limits and is pretty unobtrusive. At 6 I began taking her to a local river that ran behind a barrier beach. I met a friend there and we decided to wade out to a nice looking flat. Gave Cass the ‘Stay’ command and she sat in a spot in the marsh for the next hour, watching us, not moving until I released her, then she went and chased seagulls for a while, but never came near the water we were fishing. My friend, who used to have a yellow lab too, was amazed. I can let her roam like this because she’s very good with hand signals. After I finish fishing I always do the tennis ball thing with her, so she knows that her patience will be rewarded, that seems to help a lot. So now I have a great fishing buddy, but it did take a lot of time and training to get her there. The point where she really started obeying was when I released a striper into a very strong rip and she dove in to retrieve it, she got one hell of a ride out to sea until she got loose. She never did that again, though I don’t necessarily recommend doing this on purpose :-

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would like to start bringing my black labrador fly fishing.  I was curious if anyone has any training suggestions, which may help.  Over the summer, I attempted to bring him fishing.  Being a water dog, I couldn’t keep him out of the deepest holes.  Here in Colorado, the fish are skitish enough, without a 110 pound dog swimming overhead.  Over the past weekend, I brought him fishing again.  However, this time I fastened his leash to my waders.  This wasn’t a problem because the water is very low.   This method seemed to work really well.  Any training insight, comments, or suggestions are greatly appreciated. -Josh josh ( a t ) bankersfyi ( d o t ) com

my dog is a horrible fishing dog, so she spends my fishing time drooling on my couch.  if you really want to fish with your pooch, i would recommend just spending lots of time with it on and near rivers.  go to areas where the fishing is marginal, so you don’t piss other anglers off while training your dog.  practice your casting while working (it might be tough to concentrate on the fish and your dog) on keeping your dog out of the water (if you own a breed that loves the water, it might be tough to keep it out of the water). remember that non-dog owners can be wary of large breed dogs and that a dog along the river isn’t always welcome by other anglers especially if dog owners don’t pick up after their animals.   good luck and good training, chris

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I would like to start bringing my black labrador fly fishing.  I was curious if anyone has any training suggestions, which may help.  Over the summer, I attempted to bring him fishing.  Being a water dog, I couldn’t keep him out of the deepest holes.  Here in Colorado, the fish are skitish enough, without a 110 pound dog swimming overhead.  Over the past weekend, I brought him fishing again.  However, this time I fastened his leash to my waders.  This wasn’t a problem because the water is very low.   This method seemed to work really well.  Any training insight, comments, or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

I don’t have any insight other than once you find out, I’d like to know. I took my lab fishing this past summer and of course every time I casted, he’d jump in after the fly. I tried tying his leash to a willow bush – he bent the willow over so far that he made it into the water again. When I finally got him tied up good, he’d bark every time I casted – not a good thing when you start fishing 5am and there are other people around trying to sleep. Rich

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I’m a dog trainer by profession & there is no easy, magic way to make a "fishing" dog.  An unruly dog has no place on the stream. The first place to start is with basic obedience so the dog learns the commands of heel, sit, down, stay & come as true commands not just requests that the dog follows when it wants to.  This means alot of work at home before ever taking the dog to a stream with you. However, much of it has to do with basic temperament & personality.  I’ve bred, trained, and owned alot of dogs over the years & I’ve only had two that were what I would call true "fishing" dogs.  One was a Golden & the other a Irish Setter.  They would wadeswim at my side while I was fishing or I could put them in a stay on the bank where they would remain no matter what else was going on. The unique characteristic these two had was that they were into fishing. They could stay with me all day without getting distracted the other exciting things that happen such as rabbits, birds, other anglers etc.  They would intensely watch & get very excited when I hooked a fish.  I would land it, show it to them & let them see it swim away. Great companions.  The Irish, though, would get impatient & would bark at me if I hadn’t caught a fish soon enough for her! I don’t take untrained dogs with me fishing. Training has to be done at stream side.  fishing.  This takes time, patience & discipline. It means working with your dog without fishing. Dogs not under strict control should not be off leash and have no business stream side. I don’t have a "fishing" dog, but I do have a young one that shows some real promise. Willi

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Question:

Stick with the hardwood patches for the planks.  Ignore the loose canvas unless it is peeling off.  (As long as it is well attached along the stems and gunwales.)  Sand lightly (wet or dry) being careful not to sand into the fabric.  Paint with marine grade paint: flat, semi, or gloss … your choice.  Classic Boatworks. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Howdy all!  I need some help here. I own a canvas-covered cedar ribbed canoe [Chestnut Prospector Fort Garry, circa 1970] in need of repairs and paint.  First, any books to recommend? I have borrowed Stelmok and Thurlow’s *The Wood & Canvas Canoe*.  Fine book and great for anybody wishing to restore a canvas canoe, but I would prefer not to "restore" the canoe.  Any other books? Specifically: Some of the planks are cracked.  My father in the past has placed small flat pieces of hard-wood over these cracks and held them in place with marine epoxy. Varnish then covers the works. It appears to have worked well over the years.  I might use small pieces of cedar instead.  I would prefer not to use sheet-metal and have to remove the ribs. The paint is cracked and peeled.  The canvas is a little loose in a couple of places.  Trail-Head in Ottawa painted the canoe for me in 1994 and frankly, I do not think they did a good job. I need to strip it all off and re-paint, I would assume.  How? Wet-and-dry sand paper?  Chemical?  If so, which chemical?  Should I remove the keel before removing the paint?  Use a semi-gloss finish as recommended by Stelmok and Thurlow? I do not believe that the canoe needs to re-canvased.  I use it presently to fly fish for kamloops trout in the Merritt/Kamloops area and it works fine. Cheers, Burnaby, BC

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Check out the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association site and you’ll find all the help you can handle. Rich Briere – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Howdy all!  I need some help here. I own a canvas-covered cedar ribbed canoe [Chestnut Prospector Fort Garry, circa 1970] in need of repairs and paint.  First, any books to recommend? I have borrowed Stelmok and Thurlow’s *The Wood & Canvas Canoe*.  Fine book and great for anybody wishing to restore a canvas canoe, but I would prefer not to "restore" the canoe.  Any other books? Specifically: Some of the planks are cracked.  My father in the past has placed small flat pieces of hard-wood over these cracks and held them in place with marine epoxy. Varnish then covers the works. It appears to have worked well over the years.  I might use small pieces of cedar instead.  I would prefer not to use sheet-metal and have to remove the ribs. The paint is cracked and peeled.  The canvas is a little loose in a couple of places.  Trail-Head in Ottawa painted the canoe for me in 1994 and frankly, I do not think they did a good job. I need to strip it all off and re-paint, I would assume.  How? Wet-and-dry sand paper?  Chemical?  If so, which chemical?  Should I remove the keel before removing the paint?  Use a semi-gloss finish as recommended by Stelmok and Thurlow? I do not believe that the canoe needs to re-canvased.  I use it presently to fly fish for kamloops trout in the Merritt/Kamloops area and it works fine. Cheers, Burnaby, BC

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Howdy all!  I need some help here. I own a canvas-covered cedar ribbed canoe [Chestnut Prospector Fort Garry, circa 1970] in need of repairs and paint.  First, any books to recommend? I have borrowed Stelmok and Thurlow’s *The Wood & Canvas Canoe*.  Fine book and great for anybody wishing to restore a canvas canoe, but I would prefer not to "restore" the canoe.  Any other books?

This book is the "bible" of wood canvas canoe repair and restoration, so don’t be afraid of it. You don’t have to be doing a major restoration to appreciate the techniques and advice that the book has to offer. As for other books, there are books and articles available from and on the WCHA website that might be of some help to you. Specifically: Some of the planks are cracked.  My father in the past has placed small flat pieces of hard-wood over these cracks and held them in place with marine epoxy. Varnish then covers the works. It appears to have worked well over the years.  I might use small pieces of cedar instead.  I would prefer not to use sheet-metal and have to remove the ribs.

Don’t use metal. It’s ugly and not necessary. You can glue/screw on patches over cracked ribs as long as you don’t have too many in a row that are broken. Stain them the color of the wood and varnish over the whole area. It will work out fine.  If you decide to recanvas you may want to try a backside rib repair. This is detailed in a Wooden Canoe back issue available at the WCHA website. The paint is cracked and peeled.  The canvas is a little loose in a couple of places.  Trail-Head in Ottawa painted the canoe for me in 1994 and frankly, I do not think they did a good job.

If the canoe leaks, remember that painting will not help much. Leaks are caused by cracked filler, not cracked paint. The paint protects the filler and if this is cracked, your options are more limited. You can try to fill the cracks with bondo or something similar, but I generally take this as an indication that the canoe needs to be recanvassed. I need to strip it all off and re-paint, I would assume.  How? Wet-and-dry sand paper?  Chemical?  If so, which chemical?  Should I remove the keel before removing the paint?  Use a semi-gloss finish as recommended by Stelmok and Thurlow?

Chemical strippers may eat right through the filler, depending on the formula used. Sanding down to the filler is fine, but be sure not to sand too deeply and expose canvas weave or it’ll leak for sure.  Paint is your choice, but I use marine enamel. Semi-gloss tends to not show imperfections in the filler as gloss does, but many people use gloss paint to advantage. I do not believe that the canoe needs to re-canvased.  I use it presently to fly fish for kamloops trout in the Merritt/Kamloops area and it works fine.

Good, although canvassing is not all that tough. There are a couple of articles and back issues of Wooden Canoe that talk about it. Jerry and Rollin’s book also details it well. You can do it yourself for about $150 in materials and an afternoon’s worth of time. Enjoy your canoe. They make great friends. -Tim — Tim Hewitt – Webmaster Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, Ltd http://www.wcha.org

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Howdy all!  I need some help here. I own a canvas-covered cedar ribbed canoe [Chestnut Prospector Fort Garry, circa 1970] in need of repairs and paint.  First, any books to recommend? I have borrowed Stelmok and Thurlow’s *The Wood & Canvas Canoe*.  Fine book and great for anybody wishing to restore a canvas canoe, but I would prefer not to "restore" the canoe.  Any other books? Specifically: Some of the planks are cracked.  My father in the past has placed small flat pieces of hard-wood over these cracks and held them in place with marine epoxy. Varnish then covers the works. It appears to have worked well over the years.  I might use small pieces of cedar instead.  I would prefer not to use sheet-metal and have to remove the ribs. The paint is cracked and peeled.  The canvas is a little loose in a couple of places.  Trail-Head in Ottawa painted the canoe for me in 1994 and frankly, I do not think they did a good job. I need to strip it all off and re-paint, I would assume.  How? Wet-and-dry sand paper?  Chemical?  If so, which chemical?  Should I remove the keel before removing the paint?  Use a semi-gloss finish as recommended by Stelmok and Thurlow? I do not believe that the canoe needs to re-canvased.  I use it presently to fly fish for kamloops trout in the Merritt/Kamloops area and it works fine. Cheers, Burnaby, BC

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Question:

I am new to fly tying and am looking for inexpensive grizzly saddle hackle for saltwater flies. If you know of a great mail-order house or local store that is worth checking out prices, email me or post. Thanks.

Hi rocdoc Dan Baileys has some fairly good strung saddle hackle that should work for you. Just call them at 800-356-4052 for a catalog or to order. Tight Lines Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Bozeman, MT (96 catalog)

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Almost every flyshop (local or mail order) will have inexpensive hackle of all types. Yes, they are great for saltwater and other flies where size and stiffness are not critical. After some experience with that, high quality hackle makes good sense if the flies you are tying demand it. Don’t forget, ask your fly shop employees for help! They’ve been there too.

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I am new to fly tying and am looking for inexpensive grizzly saddle hackle for saltwater flies. If you know of a great mail-order house or local store that is worth checking out prices, email me or post. Thanks.

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Question:

I’m relatively new both to fly fishing and the Seattle area. Would anyone out there have any suggestions on places to fish around here to fish, THAT ARE LEGAL.  I’m from Florida, and I’ve never seen so many closed and restricted areas in my life. Thanks, Bill Adams

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 I’m relatively new both to fly fishing and the Seattle area.  Would anyone out there have any suggestions on places to fish  around here to fish, THAT ARE LEGAL.  I’m from Florida, and  I’ve never seen so many closed and restricted areas in my life.

Get yourself a copy of _Washington_State_Fishing_Guide_by Stan Jones. It came out recently in it’s seventh edition.   Not only does it tell you how to get to every puddle or trickle in the state, it tells you what swims there as well.  As to what’s open when, if the regs don’t state otherwise, the lakes are open year round. The rivers all vary – you’ll need to check each river of interest in the regs.  There are a number of flyfishing only lakes and rivers and even more single barbless hook venues. Have fun!                       – Jewelee

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Question:

However, there are tons and tons of pre-tied flies sold.  I see folks buying them all the time.  I suspect that a possibly relevant follow-up question is to ask what % of the flies that you use did you tie and what % did you buy. I know that there are lots of folks that buy lots of flies.  However, I do not.

I – and again, everyone I fish with – tie *all* of my/their own flies, whether fresh water or salt water, dry fly/emerger/nymph/popper/diver/whatever… But then, I’ve been a dyed-in-the-wool flyfisher for 29 years, and everyone I fish with has been flyfishing for 15 to 50 years… I agree that all those flies you see binned up in the shops *must* get sold to someone, but them’s ain’t us ;^) /dave <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< < Digital Equipment Corp.    Alpha Server Engineering  < <           "Read this and nobody gets hurt"           < <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

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: Anybody know the percentage of fly fisherman who tie their own flies? : I’d be interested to hear your comments on the percentage. I’d be even : interested in the percentage of your fishing buddies who tie their own. : Thanks, Craig, all the fly fishers I know tie a percentage off their flies. Of these only one is a 100% "my fly only type" the rest will swap buy tie as the need arises. Some guys refuse to tie dries, other won’t tie (or fish in public nymphs. Thats about 8 fellas that spring to mind. hooroo steve ps Perhaps an ancilliary question : "How many only fish with their self tied flies 100%?"

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Anybody know the percentage of fly fisherman who tie their own flies? I’d be interested to hear your comments on the percentage. I’d be even interested in the percentage of your fishing buddies who tie their own. Thanks,

Craig, Of the five people (4 males & 1 female) that I fish with on a regular basis, three of us tie our own .                                         Steve

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Most of the people I fish with tie their own and then borrow some flies when an individual seems to have the "hot pattern" for the day. I would guess that most of the flies fished in my area are tied by foreign teenage girls however. One company is reported to sell 700,000 dozen this year. That is a lot of flies and represents only the largest importer.

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Anybody know the percentage of fly fisherman who tie their own flies?
I’d be interested to hear your comments on the percentage. I’d be even interested in the percentage of your fishing buddies who tie their own.
Thanks,
Craig,
Of the five people (4 males & 1 female) that I fish with on a regular basis, three of us tie our own .
                                   Steve

Out of 5 other fly fishing buddies (6 including myself) I am the only one who ties flies. Darryl Hayashida

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: : I know that there are lots of folks that buy lots of flies.  However, : I do not. : I – and again, everyone I fish with – tie *all* of my/their own flies, whether I buy a fly or two every now and then.  I may see a particularly well-tied one that I’ll keep as a "model", or I’ll get something recommended for local conditions.  But most of the flies I buy are for "models". — Laboratory for Applied Logic    Dept. of Computer Science University of Idaho             www: http://www.cs.uidaho.edu/~foster

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Anybody know the percentage of fly fisherman who tie their own flies? I’d be interested to hear your comments on the percentage. I’d be even interested in the percentage of your fishing buddies who tie their own. Thanks,

I’m a member of a small fishing club in Sweden with approx. 250 members All of them are flytiers. We have yearly studying circles in fly tying for all ages so we can keep up the craftmanship of fly tying. So… all my flyfishing friends are tying there own. Best flytying regards Lars Elfner

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I have only been ff for three years now but I can say that in that time I have only bought maybe 15 flies, total. A month after I started fishing I taught myself to tie. Since then the only time I buy flies is when I need info on a hatch from a local sporting shop ( I have only done this twice). I tie flys for everyone that I go with which is about three different people. On the water, I think most of the weekend hobbiests buy flies, while the Flyfishermen tie them. Eg. on a stocked river that I frequent, all the ff people I talk to buy their flies, while on Hat creek, just the thought of a store bought fly would give you a bad look. As a percentage I would say that more are bought, just by the fact that there are more overpopulated rivers than there are ff rivers.

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The way I do it is. I tie the flies that are known to catch fish in this area. I buy one or two of few patterns that work well in the surrounding areas just in case I get to go out of town.

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Anybody know the percentage of fly fisherman who tie their own flies? I’d be interested to hear your comments on the percentage. I’d be even interested in the percentage of your fishing buddies who tie their own. Thanks,

Half my ff-ing friends tie their own, the other half buy them from me! I bought my flies the first time I set out, then started tying very soon after.  That first batch was the only ones I ever bought. My guess is that most the folks that buy commercially ties flies probably do lots of other types of fishing too, and are not completely engrossed in fly fishing.  I can’t see laying out all the money that I see some people do buying flys.  Yea, I know how much I laid out on my tying equipment and supplies, but that’s different!  :-) Most of that stuff was paid for by selling the stuff I tied.   A sunny day,      a box of midges,         and a wandering stream…   Man, this MUST be heaven!   <    Steve Kulpa    <<

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Perhaps an ancilliary question : "How many only fish with their self tied flies 100%?"

Pretty much everyone I fish with fits this category. Most of us fish with rods we built ourselves too. Cost is a big factor, but I think it’s more of a natural curiosity we have, as most of us tie a box of standards like clousers, then set to tying more "experimental" patterns to imitate mackerel, pogies, eels, etc. Sometimes the winter in Maine seems so long that building a new rod or tying a mess of flies is the only way to stay sane. Well that and writing about yuppies on the net…. :-

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Perhaps an ancilliary question : "How many only fish with their self tied flies 100%?"

That’s me.  I’ve never caught a trout on a fly that I didn’t tie.  Why bother paying $2.00-$3.00 for a fly when you can tie your own for much less and can make a much better looking fly in most cases.  Economics are a main issue here. I am in college and I couldn’t afford to have a well stocked fly box if I didn’t tie the flys myself.  Also the satisfaction that comes from tying your own fly and then catching a trout with it is incredible. Jake

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2 out of 5 tie.                         jamie

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I fish with five guys on a regular basis. Out of these five, four of them tie their own flies. Only two of us tie flies for the situations we encounter. I’m currently tying salmon fly patterns for my trips to the Deschutes River. last Friday night we slaughtered ‘em on size 4 red patterns! Bill Ruddick

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<snip : However, there are tons and tons of pre-tied flies sold.  I see folks buying : them all the time.  I suspect that a possibly relevant follow-up question : is to ask what % of the flies that you use did you tie and what % did you : buy. : I know that there are lots of folks that buy lots of flies.  However, : I do not. A primary reason for buying flies is to get a quick selection of local favourites. New water? – locate a local shop, shoot the bull with the owner, get some local tips, buy a few flies  - both the get a head start on matching local conditions and as a way of "thanking" him for his advice. I tie almost all of my flies, but I haven’t got to the point where I take my tying supplies with me on a trip (my van won’t pull two trailers  ) — 3798 Woodland Drive     voice: (604) 368-9315 Trail, BC               data:  (604) 368-9341

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I tie most of my own, the exception being those special hatches and unforseen occasions. Then, I’ll buy one or two at a time. My four friends are the same way. I have to add that I guess the people on this list would not be a representative sample of the flyfishing world. –sean

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For what it’s worth, I think they’re two seperate activities.  Its just nice that they happen to be related.  As Dave mentioned, most of the people I fish with tie their own flys.   I buy some (I cant tie Wulffs worth a damn) and I occasionally I find some that are different.   By-the-way: I saw a box full of excellent flys this past week They were tied by a shop in New Hartford Conn.  (Classic and Custom Fly Shop – I think) Very nice examples of Conn hendricksons, emergers and some of the old standards tied ‘catskill’ style.  I dont think the fish care all that much, but these were really first rate.

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i tie my own. i bought four or five when i got into this insanity, figured i might as well wade into the deep water, bought a vise, a bobbin, and a small fortune in supplies and have been saving the big bucks ever since.  everytime i see a new pattern, i buy a hundred dollars worth of chicken necks and other assorted parts, (not to mention artificial stuff that sells for who knows what an ounce.  as soon as the ups man leave, i head to my fly room and tie five of ‘em.  hmmm, that would be twenty bucks per.  don’t tell my wife, i just hit her up for a hoffman #2 cream for father’s day!. seriously, i wouldn’t buy a fly now.  i can’t fish worth a damn, but my flies are much better than most of the ones you see in the bins.

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Just thought I’d delurk for a moment and post this in response to this continuing thread.  I enjoy fly-fishing and fly-tying.  Tying my own flies is an extension of fly-fishing and provides a great way for me to relax from my day job.  Since I primarily fish for trout and freshwater fish, I try to tie flies to match the hatches on the VA streams.  Though I don’t fly-fish for salmon often, I tie full-dress salmon flies.  Hunting down materials over the past ten years has added greatly to the enjoyment of tying these flies. I’ll offer this opinion of mass-produced flies.  Often they are produced only for the "fly-fisher," not for the fish.  Though I try to tie flies which match the naturals, the flies in the shops often have too much hackle or do not balance correctly on the water.  Also, many of these flies are not produced in the US, Canada, or the UK. (I’m saying this because these are my fishing areas.)  The flies just aren’t tied correctly and they do not stand up to the wear and tear of the fish.  I also think that regional flies outperform mass-produced ones. For example, a Grey Ghost streamer by a well-known company.  The traditional Steven’s dressing is not followed and the flies are sloppily constructed.  A friend and I were fishing some of the Appalachian lakes and his flies were not holding up for more than one or two strikes. In short, I’d rather tie my own flies for a lot of reasons.  I also like tying for my fishing buddies and helping them and others with flies.  It greatly enriches my fishing experience. DISCLAIMER: The opinions expressed herein are not those of my employer. Loral Federal Systems                                         (301) 470-1957

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Anybody know the percentage of fly fisherman who tie their own flies? I’d be interested to hear your comments on the percentage. I’d be even interested in the percentage of your fishing buddies who tie their own. Thanks, I can’t think of *any* of my flyfishing buddies that *don’t* tie their own.

However, there are tons and tons of pre-tied flies sold.  I see folks buying them all the time.  I suspect that a possibly relevant follow-up question is to ask what % of the flies that you use did you tie and what % did you buy. I know that there are lots of folks that buy lots of flies.  However, I do not. -tgades

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Anybody know the percentage of fly fisherman who tie their own flies? I’d be interested to hear your comments on the percentage. I’d be even interested in the percentage of your fishing buddies who tie their own. Thanks,

Response:

Can’t give you an accurate percentage, but I would be willing to bet anyone who has been fly fishing for more than a year or so probably has started tying their own.  All fly fishermen I know do their own tying (and THAT numbers around 25) Greg

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Anybody know the percentage of fly fisherman who tie their own flies? I’d be interested to hear your comments on the percentage. I’d be even interested in the percentage of your fishing buddies who tie their own. Thanks,

I can’t think of *any* of my flyfishing buddies that *don’t* tie their own. (Hey Harlan, do *you* know anyone that doesn’t tie their own?) /dave <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< < Digital Equipment Corp.    Alpha Server Engineering  < <           "Read this and nobody gets hurt"           < <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

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Question:

I’m going to be in Florida over the next weekend and wonder if there is any possibility of some flyrodding for Snook.  Any advice out there? -old willy

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I’m going to be in Florida over the next weekend and wonder if there is any possibility of some flyrodding for Snook.  Any advice out there? -old willy

Well Willam… depending on where you are going the fishing can be great. Here in SW Florida (Ft Myers) snnok fishing is coming into its primetime. Fly of choice for me is the Clouser minnow in any bright colors. Good luck

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Check out your local fly shops or better yet call them in advance with a small order of flies and they will probably point you in the right direction.  Local knowledge of tides and flies will help you out.                                                           Good Luck,                                                             Reddfin

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Question:

(Fournier Thomas A.J.) writes: Am having trouble casting more than 15 feet without knots in line.

I’m sure you can cast further than that, but I get the point. Usually, excessive knotting is the result of overpowering the cast, thus allowing tailing loops to form. Spend an hour in an open space–not fishing. Watch your cast as you gradually work out line to different distances. I’ll bet you’ll find two things. First, your backcast is breaking down, causing the line to describe something more like a figure-8 than a pair of balanced loops. The remedy is to add a little more power at the start of the backcast and to move your forearm in an upwards direction as it sweeps past you. Second, I’ll bet your loops are *real* tight right now, even with the breakdown. Slow down and open the loop a bit. The line will accept more power (speed) and travel further with less effort. If your loops stand one foot tall or less, that’s too tight and wind knots are inevitable. Try the graduated target method for an afternoon. E-mail me if you need any info on how to set that up. Good luck! JL 8-Wt Editor

Response:

(Fournier Thomas A.J.) writes: Am having trouble casting more than 15 feet without knots in line. Best advice I’ve received — don’t cast with your wrist.  Your wrist stays locked, and tight (almost touching) the pole, and your arm does the casting.  This forces you to move your arm quickly, from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock and back, to achieve the desired result.  If you do this, you’re casting with the strength of your arm and back and not just with your wrist — you get less tired and the line shoots farther and straighter. Ben

Ben is giving you excellent advice here. My local guru gave me a little casting clinic a few weeks ago and got me to break the bad habit of cocking my wrist on the backcast by tying my forearm to the reel seat – he used a peice of monofilament, but a heavy rubber band would work even better.  I can now lay out sixty or seventy-foot casts with a DT 3-wt., where before I couldn’t do much better than forty or fifty feet.  I found that not cock- ing my wrist has also kept the fly off the water (or in the bushes) on the backcast.  I’m convinced this helps in not spooking a pool.  So get a heavy rubber band or one of those spool keepers and practice a while fishing for lawn trout.  I hope it helps you as much as it has me!  Also, if you’re knotting your line it may because you’re starting your forecast too soon. Try laying off until the rod is "loaded", i.e., ’til you feel the weight of the backcast really pull on the rod tip. Cheers,

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(Fournier Thomas A.J.) writes: Am having trouble casting more than 15 feet without knots in line.

MISATTRIBUTION!!! I can cast 15 feet.  Honest.  No, really. Best advice I’ve received — don’t cast with your wrist.  Your wrist stays locked, and tight (almost touching) the pole, and your arm does the casting.  This forces you to move your arm quickly, from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock and back, to achieve the desired result.  If you do this, you’re casting with the strength of your arm and back and not just with your wrist — you get less tired and the line shoots farther and straighter. Ben

Good advice. Keep your stick on the ice. Thos.

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I have a Sage fishing pole and the line seems to be sticking in the bottom loop by the handle.  Is this unusual?

Not sure if you mean the little loop just above the handle cork/foam (which is parallel to the rod instead of perpendicular), but if your line is strung through it, that might be the problem. That bottom loop is just there to hook a fly to while you’re not fishing, to keep the fly from snagging on trees, shrubs, and ears of friends. Not sure if this was what you meant by bottom loop, but I thought I’d pipe up just in case. — Scott Ferguson                          My views are mine; what’s mine is mine Cray Computer Corporation       http://www.craycos.com/~ferguson/ferguson.html

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  I’ve been having some problems casting and I wondered if anyone could give me some advice.  I’m kinda new to fly fishing so any advice would greatly be appreciated. I’ve been having trouble casting more than about fifteen feet without getting knots around my fly or tiring myself out. I don’t understand what I am doing wrong. I’ve followed all the directions they gave me at the fishing school I went to .  I’m afraid it might be my fishing pole that might be the trouble.  I have a Sage fishing pole and the line seems to be sticking in the bottom loop by the handle.  Is this unusual? Does anyone else have this problem?  Is my

Ref. "bottom loop":  someone else has already pointed out fly line should be strung from reel to tip only through fly rod guides, not the hook keeper attached just above the handle. Ref. "fifteen feet": modern fly rods are rated to flex under the weight of the first 30 feet of a particular line.  If less line than 30 feet extends beyond the rod tip, it’s that much harder to get the rod to flex OK.  I.e. it’s (usually) harder to cast a fly 20 feet than 40 feet. Unmentioned common casting error is failure to hold the line in the left hand so that it does not move relative to the stripper guide.  While the rod is moving (false casting) the line length beyond the tip should be held constant by left-hand control.  If the line is travelling up and down the guides, i.e. getting longer and shorter, energy is being lost rather than being transferred from hand to rod to line beyond tip. —  |          Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Rd., Carlsbad         |  |        Springs, Ont., Canada K0A 1K0; tel: (613) 822-0734       |  |  "What I’ve always liked about science is its independence from |  |  authority"–Ontario Science Centre (name on file) 10 July 1981 |

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – writes: Am having trouble casting more than 15 feet without knots in line. Best advice I’ve received — don’t cast with your wrist.  Your wrist stays  locked, and tight (almost touching) the pole, and your arm does the  casting.   This forces you to move your arm quickly, from 10 o’clock to 2  o’clock and back, to achieve the desired result.  If you do this, you’re  casting with the strength of your arm and back and not just with your   wrist — you get less tired and the line shoots farther and straighter. Ben

I would also suggest reading Mel Krieger’s book, "The Essence of Fly Casting" and watching his videos. Gary W. Godden

Response:

(Fournier Thomas A.J.) writes: Am having trouble casting more than 15 feet without knots in line.

Best advice I’ve received — don’t cast with your wrist.  Your wrist stays locked, and tight (almost touching) the pole, and your arm does the casting.  This forces you to move your arm quickly, from 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock and back, to achieve the desired result.  If you do this, you’re casting with the strength of your arm and back and not just with your wrist — you get less tired and the line shoots farther and straighter. Ben

Response:

  I’ve been having some problems casting and I wondered if anyone could give me some advice.  I’m kinda new to fly fishing so any advice would greatly be appreciated. I’ve been having trouble casting more than about fifteen feet without getting knots around my fly or tiring myself out.

Try cleaning your fly line.  I find that if I practice on a lawn (especially a new mown lawn) gunk accumulates that impedes the smooth flow of the line through the guides.  When the line is sticky I have to work harder to shoot line.  When I work hard my timing goes off, I "punch" the line out, and I get wind knots. Keep your stick on the ice. Thos.

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  I’ve been having some problems casting and I wondered if anyone could give me some advice.  I’m kinda new to fly fishing so any advice would greatly be appreciated. I’ve been having trouble casting more than about fifteen feet without getting knots around my fly or tiring myself out. Unmentioned common casting error is failure to hold the line in the left hand so that it does not move relative to the stripper guide.  While the rod is moving (false casting) the line length beyond the tip should be held constant by left-hand control.  If the line is travelling up and down the guides, i.e. getting longer and shorter, energy is being lost rather than being transferred from hand to rod to line beyond tip.

FWIW: I had real problems keeping the energy going as well, until a kindly passer-by pointed out this last to me, and also taught me to "load the rod", as he called it. Just a little yank (4-6") on the line with my left hand just as I begin to go forward on the cast really helps me a lot. Also, I was not waiting long enough on the backcast for the line to go all the way out. I still count "one-mississippi-two", but as my .sig shows, I mostly plug & chug, so I don’t get a whole lotta practice. Anyway, without that guy I probably woulda chucked the whole thing, so thanks guy if you’re out there. (Course, I didn’t have a Sage, either)         /   V  V  V  V  V  V  V  /      King’s Computer Management, Inc.        <   0  0  0  0  0  0  0  (o   1633 NE Hwy 10      VVV              Y                 612-784-8042 (voice)                      VVV Heddon Lucky 13 leopard: the lure doesn’t catch fish, fish catch the lure. Opinions? I’m married. I am not allowed to have opinions.

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* Le 09-25-94, JENNIFER LEIGH BOUGHNER exprimait . ALL le propos suivant: JL   I’ve been having some problems casting and I wondered if anyone could JLgive me some advice.   <deleted stuff JLmight be my fishing pole that might be the trouble.  I have a Sage JLfishing pole and the line seems to be sticking in the bottom loop by the <deleted stuff JLfat part be hanging up?  We used orvis poles at my school and we didn’t JLhave any trouble at all. One thing you might want to verify is the flexibility of your Sage pole compare to the Orvis. If you have a soft pole (or slow action) compare to a stiff pole (or fast action) there might be the source of your problem. You have to wait more before changing direction in your cast, to give the line the time to extend completely and the pole to charge (whip action) to the max. If you do not wait enough, than your doing all the work and not the pole. Furthermore, I noticed myself that when I’m not doing it right there are nots in my line. I hope this help. Au plaisir de vous lire, Denis Lamy Trois-Rivieres (Quebec, Canada) ~~~ * VbReader 2.2 #67 * La pensee n’est helas souvent qu’un eclair dans la nuit.

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   I’ve been having some problems casting and I wondered if anyone could give me some advice.  I’m kinda new to fly fishing so any advice would greatly be appreciated. I’ve been having trouble casting more than about fifteen feet without getting knots around my fly or tiring myself out. I don’t understand what I am doing wrong. I’ve followed all the directions they gave me at the fishing school I went to .  I’m afraid it might be my fishing pole that might be the trouble.  I have a Sage fishing pole and the line seems to be sticking in the bottom loop by the handle.  Is this unusual? Does anyone else have this problem?  Is my line too big? I have the line with the triangle in the front. Could the fat part be hanging up?  We used orvis poles at my school and we didn’t have any trouble at all. Thanks for your help, Jennifer    " In our family there wasn’t a clear line between religion and fly fishing.."                 …Norman Mclean

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I’ve been having some problems casting and I wondered if anyone could give me some advice.

It sounds like you’re trying to cast too fast. One of the main reasons for "wind knots" is too quick a motion through the cast. The loop gets too tight, resulting in tailing loops, wind knots and no distance. A very helpful exercise, particularly when getting used to a new rod, is to set out a couple of markers at ten-foot intervals. Start with the ten-foot mark and lay down just enough line to reach it. Pull the line off the reel and manually lay it on the ground between you and the mar if you have to. Then, without pulling any line back through the guides, simply pick the line up with the rod, swing it behind you and lay it back down onto the ten-foot mark as gently as possible. Do this as many times as it takes until you’re comfortable and consistent. Then do the same with the 20-foot mark. You should be able to pick up 25 to 30 feet of line off grass without having to do more than swing the rod back and forth. This exercise will teach you the rythm of your rod and your own body. Once you’ve found those, casting further should be easy. Personally, I floundered around for months before I tried this exercise. Once I did, casting problems get much less severe. It’s no panacea, but I’ve tried it with other novices and all have found that it helped. Good luck! JL 8-Wt Editor LPM Editor

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