Question:

Turn the Sage (with apologies to Bob Seager *and* Metallica): Here I am, On the road again, There I am, Totin’ the Sage, Here I go, Fishing afar again, There I go, Off to Maine. –Steve

Response:

See ya there buddy….leaving tomorrow night…will be arriving with DT and SF…I know you check the web on the road ( I think )… ND#1  ( good song )

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Turn the Sage (with apologies to Bob Seager *and* Metallica): Here I am, On the road again, There I am, Totin’ the Sage, Here I go, Fishing afar again, There I go, Off to Maine. –Steve

Response:

Sage doesn’t make a bamboo… I was thinking more along the lines… On the road again I just can’t wait to get on the road again. The life I love is fly fish’n with my friends, And I can’t wait to get on the road again T-14 hours and counting. Paul

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Turn the Sage (with apologies to Bob Seager *and* Metallica): Here I am, On the road again, There I am, Totin’ the Sage, Here I go, Fishing afar again, There I go, Off to Maine. –Steve

Response:

There I go, Off to Maine. –Steve

        me, too, zimbo…that is, if i can even *find* raleigh, nc, at this time of the morning.         i plan to plant the regimental flag of the 55th north carolina, army of northern virginia, further north than it has ever been.         wayno – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

Ditto…….T 1 1/2 hours ND#1

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sage doesn’t make a bamboo… I was thinking more along the lines… On the road again I just can’t wait to get on the road again. The life I love is fly fish’n with my friends, And I can’t wait to get on the road again T-14 hours and counting. Paul Turn the Sage (with apologies to Bob Seager *and* Metallica): Here I am, On the road again, There I am, Totin’ the Sage, Here I go, Fishing afar again, There I go, Off to Maine. –Steve

Response:

…         i plan to plant the regimental flag of the 55th north carolina, army of northern virginia, further north than it has ever been.

How quaint. Reminds me of another regimental flag of the treasonous states captured by a Minnesota regiment of the Army of the Potomac and recently found in the vaults of the Minnesota Historical Society. Some bunch of history minded Johnnie Rebs from Ole Virginny wanted Minnesota to return their flag. Gov. Jesse Ventura, bless his pointy little head, told ‘em to forget about it, "we took it fair and square" was his official response. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

Some bunch of history minded Johnnie Rebs from Ole Virginny wanted Minnesota to return their flag. Gov. Jesse Ventura, bless his pointy little head, told ‘em to forget about it, "we took it fair and square" was his official response.

That’s why I really like Jesse. No mealy-mouthed pussy footing around the issues. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

the issues.

I bet he didn’t even have to take a poll before that response either. Damn I miss Barry Goldwater. Big Dale

Response:

. Damn I miss Barry Goldwater.

No shit. He was a true conservative, the kind that made me a R in my younger days. He had crazy ideas like the government staying out of people’s bedrooms, fiscal responsibility, stuff like that. And he was a pretty comitted environmentalist. Oh, no, wait. That’s not the Republican platform. Goldwater must’ve been just another damn liberal! — "Number 3: Put education first."  – from Geo. W.’s campaign website, list of his top ten concerns

Response:

. Damn I miss Barry Goldwater. No shit. He was a true conservative, the kind that made me a R in my younger days. He had crazy ideas like the government staying out of people’s bedrooms, fiscal responsibility, stuff like that. And he was a pretty comitted environmentalist. Oh, no, wait. That’s not the Republican platform. Goldwater must’ve been just another damn liberal!

Don’t forget, towards the end the conservatives talked about kicking him out for his stance on abortion. — Charlie…

Response:

bedrooms, fiscal responsibility, stuff like that. And he was a pretty comitted environmentalist. Oh, no, wait. That’s not the Republican platform. Goldwater must’ve been just another damn liberal!

I prefer to think that he was a liberterian before the tern was invented. He made points with me when he said that he thought Buchanen was a good democrat. Big Dale

Response:

Yeah, though a libertarian won’t do anything to protect the environment (actually, won’t do anything to stop any private citizen from doing anything bad to any other private citizen short of the classic nine common-law felonies). P.S. Free bicentennial brownie button to anyone who can name those nine felonies. Here’s a hint (prepare for nostalgia, you law docs): mr and mrs lamb. Even more extra credit for anyone who remembers the two apple-stealing cases. — "If you want to live like a Republican, vote Democratic" — Harry S. Truman

Response:

Question:

While a Battenkill can be used in the Salt successfully, the Tibor and Abel are lifetime investments that are made by people who are going to use these reels many times a year over a period of years. Even with perfect care the Battenkill IMHO will not hold up to the continued stresses applied by Tarpon, Bonefish and especially Permit. My 2CW.

Response:

Hi, I had a Ross Colorado II go bad on me (defective click-pawl from that year’s model which they promptly fixed at my local flyfishing store).  My buddy, who I recommended the reel to, had a spring break in his Colorado while on the river.  Since he didn’t have a backup reel, he had to hike back to the car and drive to town to get it fixed.  When he contacted Ross later, they told him that it shouldn’t have broken if taken care of properly.  However, the reel was under a year old so that is really no excuse at all.  They eventually sent him another replacement spring just in case, but I would have second thoughts about purchasing another Ross reel because of his experience. Tom BTW, my friend eventually did buy another Ross Colorado I reel for his 3 wt. outfit.  I guess he wasn’t as bothered by the experience as I was. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi: I have Ross reels (a gunnison and a saltwater) and have been happy with them, but recently someone pointed out that the way the reels connect to the drag is a a big weak point with the reel design.  Specifically, there are two thin pins from the spool that lock on to the drag mechanism.  It was pointed out that the weakness lies in that these two pins locking into the drag system seem to be a rather flimsy way of putting things together.  Any comments as I am considering another Ross saltwater.  By the way, Ross claims that they have only had one reel go sour while in use. Thanks, Adam

Response:

It is sad that a reel manufacturing company can’t afford to mail a stupid spring to a customer who already was overcharged for an item made on a fanuc, computercized 3 axis sytem.  The reel took exactly 1 minute and 28 seconds to make, the housing, if they know what they are doing might take 1 minute 14 seconds.  Get the point? I have the Grand American Reel on the back burner Tom and I wish I was in production making the fnest single action reel in the world.  My plans are to be able to offer a $500 dollar reel for $75 bucks.  I just don’t have the machinery anymore. I am simply stating if you  were a customer of mine, you would never be unhappy.  This reel business is so full of shit I can’t believe it. It saddens me to see how these other reel manufacturers are still so arrogant with their customers.  I just might get involved again.  I invented the Marryat, and the Grand American . . . I’m just about ready to make a positive move if any more of this nonsense continues. I’m gone.  I’m listening. George Gehrke Fished hard this eveing for Ironheads, one bump, no fish. rats. But the evening was beautiful.  High cliffs and when the owls started to fly, I went home.

Response:

Hi: I have Ross reels (a gunnison and a saltwater) and have been happy with them, but recently someone pointed out that the way the reels connect to the drag is a a big weak point with the reel design.  Specifically, there are two thin pins from the spool that lock on to the drag mechanism.  It was pointed out that the weakness lies in that these two pins locking into the drag system seem to be a rather flimsy way of putting things together.  Any comments as I am considering another Ross saltwater.  By the way, Ross claims that they have only had one reel go sour while in use. Thanks, Adam

Response:

Hi: I have Ross reels (a gunnison and a saltwater) and have been happy with them, but recently someone pointed out that the way the reels connect to the drag is a a big weak point with the reel design.  Specifically, there are two thin pins from the spool that lock on to the drag mechanism.  It was pointed out that the weakness lies in that these two pins locking into the drag system seem to be a rather flimsy way of putting things together.  Any comments as I am considering another Ross saltwater.  By the way, Ross claims that they have only had one reel go sour while in use. Thanks, Adam

Hi All, I have never seen that part of a Ross reel fail. Many reel manufactures wish they had the dependability record of  Ross. We are talking about reels under $350, so we can’t compare them to an Abel or Tibor that are over $500 and well worth their price. Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 800/4000FLY www.kiene.com

Response:

Hi All, I have never seen that part of a Ross reel fail. Many reel manufactures wish they had the dependability record of  Ross. We are talking about reels under $350, so we can’t compare them to an Abel or Tibor that are over $500 and well worth their price.

I wonder how the Able or Tibor compares to the Orvis Battenkill reels? From what I have seen the drag system seems very good on these reels – especially for the price (around $100)! -Greg

Response:

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just melt the last inch or so of the coating of your line with nail polish remover; open the core of the line with a needle; poke the butt end of your leader into the core; and apply some Crazy Glue.  It will never let go.  The only leader knot you need to know is a blood knot. JB: thanks for the new (to me ) idea… I had just posted my favorite way (fast  nail knot of a piece of mono, then blood knots) when I read this.  It looks  more like an ‘at home’ method, vs. on stream, I think, but has clear  advantages for ease of going through the guides.  I’m gonna do it on my next  connection. thanks, Alan Alan E. Hoover Anglers’ Rest Powhatan, Va        *the trout teach many, lessons*

Has anyone tried this method: A guy I know claims to do the same (melt w/acetone) and then pushes the outer part back. He then loops the inner part; ties it off with a nail knot, etc. Here is the part I’ve had no luck with: he then claims to push the outer part back over the knot and therefore this should make a pretty neat sleeve. He then coats it with Aquaseal. I can’t seem to push it over the knot!!!

Response:

I’m new to fly fishing. I’ve read the instructions on connecting the leader to the fly line using a nail knot or a Duncan loop(same as uni-knot right?). I had a knotless tapered leader with a 3X tippet. Connecting the stiff butt to the line was harder than I thought. I was able to do it but ended up with a kink in the connection. Is this okay? I’m still learning to cast so I’m not sure if it affects proper casting. I finally just connected 30lb mono, which was easier to work with, to the fly line and spliced the mono to the leader butt with 2 surgeon’s loops. Is this better than a kinked connection. TIA for any info.

Just melt the last inch or so of the coating of your line with nail polish remover; open the core of the line with a needle; poke the butt end of your leader into the core; and apply some Crazy Glue.  It will never let go.  The only leader knot you need to know is a blood knot. JB

Response:

Just melt the last inch or so of the coating of your line with nail polish remover; open the core of the line with a needle; poke the butt end of your leader into the core; and apply some Crazy Glue.  It will never let go.  The only leader knot you need to know is a blood knot.

JB: thanks for the new (to me ) idea… I had just posted my favorite way (fast  nail knot of a piece of mono, then blood knots) when I read this.  It looks  more like an ‘at home’ method, vs. on stream, I think, but has clear  advantages for ease of going through the guides.  I’m gonna do it on my next  connection. thanks, Alan Alan E. Hoover Anglers’ Rest Powhatan, Va        *the trout teach many, lessons*

Response:

I’ve been reading this thread since it started, trying to work up the courage to make an embarassing confession. After tying nail knots and loops for many years I’ve reverted to my origional method of tying a simple overhand knot in the end of my line,cinching it down tight, passing the end of the flyline through the loop in my leader and tying another overhand knot.

Jim; The nail-knot was one of the more enigmatic facets of flyfishing for several years: trout are midging?: no problem, hiting emergers and not duns?, not problem, nail-knot?: problem! Lefty showed me a simpler way to tie it without any kind of fancy tubes,and all the nail did was to help add support and to allow the line something *stiff* to wrap around. Borger, though, has, by far, the easiest method to tie nail-knots.  Try this with a rope kit first, though.  All he does is make an over-hand knot with loose wraps, and then twists the line as he tightens it.  The line spirals around itself and makes those great, perfect coils of a nail knot.  Also, he keeps the loops somewhat separated to allow fly line to pinch or squeeze-up through the loops and make a more integral connection. I know probably none of this has helped solve your problems, but maybe it gets you on the right track. Jason Beary.

Response:

Jason, I was hoping someone would come upon Lefty’s method of tying a nail knot….  aka "a fast nail knot’  see also his two books on knots..  I use a large paper  clip, kept in my leader wallet for this purpose.   and have more than once  helped a friend or other on stream in the middle of the water tie a nail knot  onto a fly line.   I prefer to use a piece of heavy mono, the blood knot the  leader to this…. but either will work.   And with heavy fish the nail knot  slides in and out of the tip top and guides without hang ups… at home to  enhance this feature add a bit of nail polish or head cement to round the  edges…. The use of "orvis" loops on the end is ok,  just not as completely satisfactory  as the nail knot system IMHO. There clearly are more than one solution to this… but if folks ever learned  the fast nail knot system, they might not want to do anything else. cheers, Alan Alan E. Hoover Anglers’ Rest Powhatan, Va        *the trout teach many, lessons*

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m new to fly fishing. I’ve read the instructions on connecting the leader to the fly line using a nail knot or a Duncan loop(same as uni-knot right?). I had a knotless tapered leader with a 3X tippet. Connecting the stiff butt to the line was harder than I thought. I was able to do it but ended up with a kink in the connection. Is this okay? I’m still learning to cast so I’m not sure if it affects proper casting. I finally just connected 30lb mono, which was easier to work with, to the fly line and spliced the mono to the leader butt with 2 surgeon’s loops. Is this better than a kinked connection. TIA for any info. Just melt the last inch or so of the coating of your line with nail polish remover; open the core of the line with a needle; poke the butt end of your leader into the core; and apply some Crazy Glue.  It will never let go.  The only leader knot you need to know is a blood knot. JB

You got that right JB, my Krazy Glue connection has held up now for 3 years on my 6 wt, tussled with some feisty smallmouth and looks as good as ever. I will add to the blood knot, the double surgeon’s loop knot  ’cause I can’t tie a blood knot in the smaller diameter tippets. Frank Church Hi Frank.  I didn’t know how that message would go over with the LL Bean crowd that seems to populate the group.  But, I’ve fished with the Krazy Glue method since my buddy in Florida told me about it three years ago.  He fishes sea trout and tarpon.  I’ve caught several 15 – 25 lb Atlantic salmon with it.   I always "put the wood" to fish, and the glue has never let go. JB

Response:

Quoting what I said …  As you do it over the years, other ideas will make more sense and you will switch, but in general it makes fair sense to trust your own judgment as to whether something is reasonable or not…. Jim Robinson wrote as follows: I’ve been reading this thread since it started, trying to work up the courage to make an embarassing confession. After tying nail knots and loops for many years I’ve reverted to my origional method of tying a simple overhand knot in the end of my line,cinching it down tight, passing the end of the flyline through the loop in my leader and tying another overhand knot. I guess I don’t have to tell you it’s not elegant but it’s held a couple of huge carp, a few nice bass and skads of decent pan fish without a failure….

Jim:         Nice to see that one’s words seem to have a certain validity. I am a devotee of the "using a slip-on loop out of braided stuff" on the end of my flyline, but what you do rings a bell because I got to securing the loop with a bit of flexible goopish cement. Well, one time it was really thick on there and I noticed my casts seemed to go out lots nicer. Figured it was the extra weight right there at the end

Question:

I’m going to be attending a conference in Skamania on March 11th, 12th and 13th. The conference goes from 0800 to 1630 and my time after that is free. Is there any place I can go for some evening fly fishing. This is my first time in this area. Thanks,                Rick

Response:

I’m going to be attending a conference in Skamania on March 11th, 12th and 13th. The conference goes from 0800 to 1630 and my time after that is free. Is there any place I can go for some evening fly fishing. This is my first time in this area. Thanks,                Rick

Rick: Check out late steelhead on the Washougal just west up the Columbia. Check you regs. March is a difficult time.  Late for winter steelheading and early for springers.  Had a great trip early April while at a similar confrence several years ago.  Springer fishing started in the darl at 4 AM at Drano Lake east of Stevenson.  Was back for the opening session by nine. Good luck. Bart

Response:

: Check out late steelhead on the Washougal just west up the Columbia. : Check you regs. I remember a day about 15 years ago when the steelhead were actually stacked up side to side across the Washougal.  For hundreds of yards… very impressive.  One could literally walk across the stream on the fish backs. Does it still get that way?  (I think this day was in late summer.) — Rick T. Rick Fletcher   –   http://www.chem.uidaho.edu/~fletcher/ Associate professor of chemistry  |  That’s Idaho, not Iowa.    | ad hominem University of Idaho               |  Upper Left Hand Corner.    | ad hominem Moscow, ID 83844-2343             |  No, I don’t grow potatoes. | ad hominem

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m going to be attending a conference in Skamania on March 11th, 12th and 13th. The conference goes from 0800 to 1630 and my time after that is free. Is there any place I can go for some evening fly fishing. This is my first time in this area. Thanks,                Rick Rick: Check out late steelhead on the Washougal just west up the Columbia. Check you regs. March is a difficult time.  Late for winter steelheading and early for springers.  Had a great trip early April while at a similar confrence several years ago.  Springer fishing started in the darl at 4 AM at Drano Lake east of Stevenson.  Was back for the opening session by nine. Good luck. Bart

The Wind river is RIGHT THERE.  This will be maybe a little early for the summer run fish, but there are native trout as well. The Washougal will have a mix of dark steelhead and maybe a few native springer steelhead, but the runs have been off lately.  The White Salmon has some fish, but may be closed – I don’t know.   I would do the Washougal, and go middle to high on the river.  Note that the river closes at Salmon Falls.  Go to Washougal, and turn north at Wild Willies.  The road will take you along the river, and there is reasonable access.

Response:

: The Wind river is RIGHT THERE.  This will be maybe a little early for : the summer run fish, but there are native trout as well. Hey folks, there is a nifty natural hot springs on the (L) Wind.  Don’t ask ‘cuz I’m not telling.  Just look around. — Rick T. Rick Fletcher   –   http://www.chem.uidaho.edu/~fletcher/ Associate professor of chemistry  |  That’s Idaho, not Iowa.    | ad hominem University of Idaho               |  Upper Left Hand Corner.    | ad hominem Moscow, ID 83844-2343             |  No, I don’t grow potatoes. | ad hominem

Response:

Question:

I’ll be in Georgia for 6 days (visiting in-laws…) and would love an excuse to get out for a spell. They live near Columbus, but I generally fish only in Eastern Sierra (Northern California). Any suggestions? A good fly shop to call? Thanks! — Fish more, Fret less…

Response:

I’ll be in Georgia for 6 days (visiting in-laws…)

In that part of Georgia you’ll only find warmwater fishing. Callway Gardens at Pine Mountain offers some great float tube fishing for large bream and bass. If you can get up to Atlanta, we have the Hooch; and if you have time to get into the mountains, there are too many opportunities to list here. Let me know more about your plans — maybe I can be of more assistance. — Visit Dave Teffeteller’s Fly Fishing Guides Home Page http://www.olfart.com

Response:

Question:

Could someone suggest places to fish and hike in the vicinity of Raton, CO?  What are the temperature ranges in early June?  Any recommendations for flies?  Thanks in advance.                                       Sincerely,                                       Kin Chan

Trinidad State Park and Reservoir is right in that area. I have never been there, but reports indicate that there is fishing for Rainbow, Browns, and warmwater fish. They also have a couple of hiking trails. It’s three miles west of Trinidad on Colorado Highway 12. Call 719-846-6951 for information. The nearby San Isabel National Forest has campgrounds, hiking trails and historic mining towns.Call the Rocky Mountain Regional office at 303-275-5350 for information. There is also a Purgatoire River State Recreation Area there, but I couldn’t find much information on it. Try the Colorado Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation, State Parks department at 303-866-3437. A little Northwest is Monument Lake, known more for its coldwater fish than the warm ones. For general information, contact the Colorado Division of Wildlife Southwest Regional office in Montrose at 970-249-3431. You can also call their fishing information line at 303-291-7534. If you’re willing to drive a little, there is a place a couple of hours away that is like flyfishing heaven. The San Juan River, below Navajo dam, just across the border in New Mexico. Great fishing, great scenery. Check out <http://www.creativelinks.com/recreat/Duranglers.htm for up to date fishing info. It’s worth the trip. Temperature ranges for all these places can vary from 90 degrees to 40 degrees, depending on what weather front is moving in at the time. Usually, in early June, you will see daytime temps in the 70’s and 80’s, but a thunderstorm is always a possibility and can drop the temp to 50 in a matter of minutes. Nice thing is, they normally pass over quickly and the sun comes out again. Hope you have a great time. — | Michael P. Thompson – Liberty Communications | |            * Spreading the Word *            |

Response:

Could someone suggest places to fish and hike in the vecinity of Raton, CO?  What are the temperature ranges in early June?  Any recommendations for flies?  Thanks in advance.                                         Sincerely,                                         Kin Chan

Response:

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We are very pleased to announce the all new, FISHINTERNET AUSTRALIA http://www.fishnet.com.au/ This internet service is dedicated to the Australian recreational fishing scene. Sections cover all aspects of fishing in Australia with excellent information resources, fishing reports from around the country, full directory of all tackle shops, marine dealers, charters, guides, resorts etc. Please let us know what you think of this new service. Regards, David Dryden         Fishinternet Australia         http://www.fishnet.com.au/ I checked your page. It looks good. Can you help me with advice on fly-fishing for Barramundi in the Cairns / Port Douglas area, or even further north into Cape York. I’ve heard this is something of a new frontier in salt water fly fishing and that the Barramunid is excellent quarry. I will be in the area for 2 weeks in September. I’d like to know about seasons, flies, techniques, guides, etc. Thanks. Christopher Payne. Can you assure me of the availability of that nectar of the gods known

as Crown Lager Beer, its to die for. CL – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We are very pleased to announce the all new, FISHINTERNET AUSTRALIA http://www.fishnet.com.au/ This internet service is dedicated to the Australian recreational fishing scene. Sections cover all aspects of fishing in Australia with excellent information resources, fishing reports from around the country, full directory of all tackle shops, marine dealers, charters, guides, resorts etc. Please let us know what you think of this new service. Regards, David Dryden         Fishinternet Australia         http://www.fishnet.com.au/

I checked your page. It looks good. Can you help me with advice on fly-fishing for Barramundi in the Cairns / Port Douglas area, or even further north into Cape York. I’ve heard this is something of a new frontier in salt water fly fishing and that the Barramunid is excellent quarry. I will be in the area for 2 weeks in September. I’d like to know about seasons, flies, techniques, guides, etc. Thanks. Christopher Payne.

Response:

We are very pleased to announce the all new, FISHINTERNET AUSTRALIA http://www.fishnet.com.au/ This internet service is dedicated to the Australian recreational fishing scene. Sections cover all aspects of fishing in Australia with excellent information resources, fishing reports from around the country, full directory of all tackle shops, marine dealers, charters, guides, resorts etc. Please let us know what you think of this new service. Regards, David Dryden          Fishinternet Australia          http://www.fishnet.com.au/

Response:

Question:

In mid October we’re headed from San Francisco up to fish the Olympic Peninsula and then on up to fish the Kispiox in upper BC.  I need a pair of hip boots, 5mm with lug soles (don’t wade deep any more so hippers should do fine).  Gear such as this are not available here in Hawaii. We’ll be going thru Portland.  Can anyone tell me where I can buy such an animal there, the address of the shop, and their phone number. Aloha, |Robert (aka: Bob) B. Graham – NINC-HON [retired]   Office: gone fishing  | |(Nerd-In-Chief Honolulu)                             Home: (808) 395-9360| |City & County of Honolulu         Prodigy: WTKW87A                       | I have a vice, that vice is fishing – time stops, I’m in a different world.

Response:

Im sure you’ve heard it before- but Kaufmann’s streamborn is located in tigard (basically portland) at 8861 SW Commercial in tigard- Just a little ways off of I 5. You can call (503) 639-6400 for more info and directions. Id really reccomend Kaufmann’s – im sure theyll have whatever you need. tight lines -matt petkun

: In mid October we’re headed from San Francisco up to fish the Olympic : Peninsula and then on up to fish the Kispiox in upper BC.  I need a pair : of hip boots, 5mm with lug soles (don’t wade deep any more so hippers : should do fine).  Gear such as this are not available here in Hawaii. : We’ll be going thru Portland.  Can anyone tell me where I can buy such an : animal there, the address of the shop, and their phone number. : Aloha, : |Robert (aka: Bob) B. Graham – NINC-HON [retired]   Office: gone fishing  | : |(Nerd-In-Chief Honolulu)                             Home: (808) 395-9360| : |City & County of Honolulu         Prodigy: WTKW87A                       | : I have a vice, that vice is fishing – time stops, I’m in a different world.

Response:

Bob, I’m going to have to disagree with Mary. Kaufmann’s does not carry hip waders. (They believe them dangerous and/or undesireable). If you are just looking for a place during a layover, then grab a cab and go to GI Joe’s at Jantzen Beach. Any cabbie should know where that is. Actually, I would suggest GI Joe’s even if it will be an extended stay. I might suggest getting felt sole waders, though. The rocks in shallow water are the most slippery, usually. Sean Williams Student, Teacher, Angler Portland, Ore., USA

Response:

You can also check with the Larry’s Sporting Goods in Oregon City or in Gresham.  There is also a GI Joes and another Larry’s Sporting Goods in Gresham, plus one more GI Joes in the Rockwood area (somewhere around 182nd and Burnside) in Portland.  That is presuming they are all still open, it’s been 8 years since I lived in the area. Do you really want 5 mil neoprene hippers?  They’re real warm.  Also, keep in mind that if you are trying to be stealthy around trout or steelhead you can’t kneel down with hippers as they will fill up even in shallow water.                                                                   Dan Dan Gracia Schools Coordinator Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools If you kill that big fish you can’t catch ‘em again.  So what if they eat other fish?  If you kill the big ones there will only be little ones left (funny how that works!).

Response:

Question:

My cocern with Pike would be ythe necessity to use some sort of wire leader to defeat the teeth.   While I’ve never caught one one a fly rod I have caught them on lures and a steel leader is necessary. But what a fight it would be!

        Appropos to the pike and steel leader, last summer I was fishing off a dock in the Rideau River near here. I usually fish trout in lakes and was using a 3# tippet with a small nondescript green wet fly, about #12. I was trying for bass, I think a #7 rod and line. Anyway, I had a hard strike and very soon realized that it was no bass but a small muskie, about 36". Well, I had no expectations whatsoever of landing the fish but fought on valiantly anyway until the fish decided to go under the dock. My attempt to pass the rod under failed and I lost the fish when the line caught in the dock and the tippet-fly knot failed.         What I gathered from all of this is that the fish was hooked in the corner of the mouth and as a consequence, the teeth did not have an opportunity to touch the tippet. I have not been back to the spot again to attempt to test the theory but hope to this summer.         Earlier last year, in attempting to entice a pike in the Ottawa River, I had tied up some gaudy attractor flies on #6 X4 long shanks with a relatively fine coated braided steel snell. Even with the heaviest leaders, these were at the upper level of weight for casting and it was this experience that led me to try the Rideau without a steel tippet. —

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My cocern with Pike would be ythe necessity to use some sort of wire leader to defeat the teeth.  

I’ve caught a lot of them on flies and yes a wire leader is a necessity if you actually intend to land them. Not to say you can’t catch them without the wire, but they tend to snip off even heavy mono tippets. Keep it short, 6" or so and you should be fine. Now if you _REALLY_ want to try something scary, try them out of a float tube!!! The bigger ones are _quite_ interesting to handle in your lap! *** Lance

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Hi All. Pike on a fly rod are *GREAT*!  Here are my suggestions. 1) 7 wt or heavier.  Make sure that you have backing on the reel, and that the drag is smooth.  Trust me on this one.  Most of the time you won’t need it, but every now and then, watch out. 2) You should (must?) use some kind of a shock tippet.  Either wire or 25-50 lb mono.  I used to use about 6" tied to the end of a 0x leader. 3) Generally, use large streamers.  Sometimes the gaudy ones work, sometimes the more realistic ones.  Big muddlers are great.  Mickey Finns are also good.  Size depends somewhat on where you are fishing, but a 15" pike will be able to eat just about anything you throw at it, so size 2 or bigger is not out of the question.  Pike get much bigger than this of course. 4) Fish the streamer in sharp fast jerks along the edges of weedbeds. The strike is usually brutal, but somethimes the pike will just follow the fly right up to the point at which you make the next cast, then nail it just as you start your backcast.  This almost always loses a fly.  Oh well, it’s worth it. Have fun.  By the way, watch out for the teeth – the bites are painful. Regards, John — Dr. John G. Hardie Indiana University Cyclotron Facility

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Pike can be very interesting. Several years ago I was prowling the banks of the North Saskatchewan River (inside the city of Edmonton) and I saw a group of anglers all kind of excited. It was near noon on a bright day in June and some of the group were wearing polarized glasses. They had spotted a fair-sized Pike just hanging in the slack water just past the drop off. They had tried to get a reaction from a whole bunch of spoons, jigs and bait. The old slough-shark just hung there like in mid-air and just ignored everything.  I had a #7 fly-rod and a rather ugly- looking muddler which I had attempted to tie. I was not using any special leader or anything. I catch a lot of pike on jigs with no leader and don’t lose that many because they seem to take it on the lip. Anyway it was no big deal to cast to the pike because he was just six or eight feet from the bank. Maybe the bright light made it hard for him to see because he just basked and didn’t move. I let the muddler drift by him a couple of times and he just ignored it. I them let it drift near his nose and gave it a couple of short, sharp jerks. He nailed it. It was quite a fight. River pike just seem to have a lot more in them than the ones in our prairie lakes. He was about four pounds and a lot of fun to play. He had swallowed the fly and the leader went to the side of his mouth and missed the teeth. I would have let him go but the fly had caused some major bleeding. I gave him to one of the chinese fellows who spotted him in the first place. It is kind of neat to think that fly fishing can be the best way to take a pike. (ps If this message isn’t too clear, please forgive as it is my first posting to a newsgroup)

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You also might try some saltwater streamers, particularly Lefty’s Deceivers. And for a good idea of how to construct a steel tippet, check out a saltwater flyfishing book to see what’s used for bluefish, which have teeth even nastier than a Great Northern’s.

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Pike with a fly?

The largest "trout" I ever caught turned out to be an 11 pound Northern. I was fishing the Wolf river in Wisconsin (nymphs) and thought I had hooked a world record Brown. Great fight. Labbe

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I’ve heard that Duramax kevlar braided stuff probably won’t cut on a pike’s teeth, although it makes a crappy leader because it’s so limp. How about 2 feet of it as tippet, anyone ever used it for pike? In a few lakes out here, pike and pelicans are really doing a number on the trout populations, I’ve heard of people throwing the pike to the pelicans (when they’re of legal size, we have slot limits on pike most lakes) to feed the pelicans and reduce the number of predator fish. First time I saw a pelican in the rocky mountains, I sure did a double take… — Cray Computer Corporation    http://www.craycos.com/~ferguson/ferguson.html Colorado Springs, CO                                     Solely my opinions

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Fear not about "clarity", first poster. Your story was nice, concise, and fun! Thanks. — David A. Calderisi

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Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – <epoxy probs In my dealings with rod wrap and normal epoxy, I have always made several  times the amount necessary.  The reason for this is to reduce the uncertainty  of error in the measurement.  If you’re off .1 ml on .5 ml, that’s 20%, which the manufacturer will tell you is outside the bounds of tolerance for the mixture.  Epoxy is cheap, blanks aren’t.  Increase the amount you make by a factor of three, and the same measurement error won’t hurt. No matter how slowly you stir the epoxy, you’ll still get bubbles. Moreover, you’ll get bubbles merely from air trapped under the threads. What needs to be done is to thin out the epoxy, making your first coat more of a "sealant" rather than a covering. I use 25% resin, 25% hardener (of course) and 50% acetone.  This makes the epoxy water thin.  I make certain the guides are on the bottom of the blank (it’s suspended on each end) — this allows the *slight* excess epoxy to collect in the gap that the thread forms as it passes over the guide foot, essentially locking the guide to the blank. As I drip the epoxy on, I can see the bubbles that come to the surface of the wraps!  It almost foams.  One or two more drips after the foaming stops and all is well. The above information comes from _Advanced Custom Rod Building_, by Dale Clemens. Your humble flyfishing rod-builder, Matt Meola

You know, I never thin my epoxy, and I never have problems with bubbles.  When I mix the epoxy, I get bubbles in the mix, but I apply the epoxy with a decent quality brush, while the rod is turning in the drying motor.  This seems to  brush out the bubbles. I use one of the color preservers as a sealant, so air bubbles from the threads have not been a problem. What one of my woodworking books suggests is that have all the material at a stable temperature is a good idea; that having material that is cold come up to a warmer temperature will cause it to extrude air bubbles as the material comes up in temperature and the air expands. Regards ATB

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For some reason that I don’t profess to understand a hair dryer will remove those bubbles while the epoxy is still fluid. Good luck !

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<epoxy probs In my dealings with rod wrap and normal epoxy, I have always made several  times the amount necessary.  The reason for this is to reduce the uncertainty  of error in the measurement.  If you’re off .1 ml on .5 ml, that’s 20%, which the manufacturer will tell you is outside the bounds of tolerance for the mixture.  Epoxy is cheap, blanks aren’t.  Increase the amount you make by a factor of three, and the same measurement error won’t hurt.

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<epoxy probs In my dealings with rod wrap and normal epoxy, I have always made several  times the amount necessary.  The reason for this is to reduce the uncertainty  of error in the measurement.  If you’re off .1 ml on .5 ml, that’s 20%, which the manufacturer will tell you is outside the bounds of tolerance for the mixture.  Epoxy is cheap, blanks aren’t.  Increase the amount you make by a factor of three, and the same measurement error won’t hurt.

No matter how slowly you stir the epoxy, you’ll still get bubbles. Moreover, you’ll get bubbles merely from air trapped under the threads. What needs to be done is to thin out the epoxy, making your first coat more of a "sealant" rather than a covering. I use 25% resin, 25% hardener (of course) and 50% acetone.  This makes the epoxy water thin.  I make certain the guides are on the bottom of the blank (it’s suspended on each end) — this allows the *slight* excess epoxy to collect in the gap that the thread forms as it passes over the guide foot, essentially locking the guide to the blank. As I drip the epoxy on, I can see the bubbles that come to the surface of the wraps!  It almost foams.  One or two more drips after the foaming stops and all is well. The above information comes from _Advanced Custom Rod Building_, by Dale Clemens. Your humble flyfishing rod-builder, Matt Meola

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I know of no greater disaster in rod building than to apply a poorly- mixed or mis-proportioned batch of epoxy to the finished wraps. (snip) So, I highly recommend using syringes or some other accurate measuring device to ensure good proportions.

(snip) Excellent advice.  I would also add that a *lot* of headaches can be avoided by first testing a batch of epoxy on a section of scrap rod or dowel.  Once you confirm that this batch hardens properly, then mix a batch for application to your rod, making sure you mix in exactly the same proportions as in your test.  The reason is simply that some epoxies have a limited shelf life and will never harden properly when that shelf life is exceeded.  If you’re using an epoxy that you’ve had for a long time, or that (unbeknownst to you) sat on the retailer’s shelf for ages, you could be in for some trouble.  The day or two invested in making the initial test for proper hardening may save you countless hours of grief and cursing later.  An ounce of prevention……     BTW, here are a few tricks I’ve found useful to assure that the epoxy applied to wraps is trouble- and bubble-free.  Do your mixing in a shot glass which has a round bottom inside; the lack of "corners" in the container helps assure *complete* mixing.  Use a long dubbing needle to do the mixing; stir slowly and carefully to avoid carrying bubbles down into the epoxy.  Apply to the rotating rod with a small, flat camel-hair brush, again slowly and carefully, to avoid trapping bubbles.  Finally, to get rid of the inevitable few bubbles that will still sneak into your application, breath a moist film of condensation onto the epoxy; as this (quickly) dries, the bubbles will pop (apparently an effect of differential surface tension between the fluids).  Pricking the bubbles with a needle is less effective and takes longer; I use it only as a last resort, or to move a bubble to a location where I can breathe the life out of it . Brian Tucholke

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I know of no greater disaster in rod building than to apply a poorly- mixed or mis-proportioned batch of epoxy to the finished wraps. Perhaps the only thing that could be worse would be to slip and fall on the blank; thus  snapping it in half. At least in that case, the pain and suffering would subside relatively quickly. (You would simply accept the consequences and shell out a couple hundred $$ or so for a new blank.) Whereas, in the case of putting a bad mix of epoxy on the wraps, the poor results will torment and gnaw at you for hours, days, or even longer. The stuff will never dry; it’s impossible to clean completely off the blank and/or wraps; and it will stick to whatever it touches as if it were the devil’s own snot! I was compelled to stand on the above soapbox by my second such run-in with a bad mix of epoxy which happened to me a few days ago. (Please don’t ask me about the first – I’m *still* agonizing over that one!) This was a case in which I had already laid down a good coat of epoxy on the wraps which had dried beautifully, and I just needed to dot the base of each guide foot with a drop of epoxy to seal them from water penetration. I didn’t have much time, so I thought I’d be cool and just pour the resin and hardener into the mixing cup from their respective bottles and eyeball the amounts to ensure the proper proportions…         WRONGO!!! After two solid days of spinning on the rod drier, the drops were the consistency of honey on a very cold day and every bit as difficult to work with. So, I slaved for hours using an X-acto knife as a spatula to spoon the useless stuff off the guide feet, ruined everything I came into contact with with the sticky glop on my fingers, and generally ended up hating life. The good news is that I was able to get most of the bad stuff off the guide feet and apply a good batch of epoxy in it’s place. But the bad news is the many hours of lost time and the numerous demerits I got from my wife for swearing in the house. What’s even worse is how totally avoidable this situation was. Without wishing to pontificate, please let me offer that it is incredibly easy to get a good mix of epoxy if you simply follow the manufacturers instructions to the letter. (I’ve done so on many occasions.) On the other hand, it’s also incredibly easy to screw it up if you try to cut corners and rush things. In the case I mention above, my error was in thinking I could get the proportions right by just pouring straight from the bottles and eyeballing the amounts. This turned out to be a huge mistake; I took my time and mixed the stuff thoroughly, but was dead from the start because of the mis-proportions I got from pouring from the bottles. So, I highly recommend using syringes or some other accurate measuring device to ensure good proportions. In conclusion, I refer to this article as "revisited" because I know there have been many others who have struggled with this very problem many times in the past, and there will be many others who struggle with it again in the future. I simply hope my rod building disaster story is both entertaining and informative to anyone who is involved in rod building now or who might be interested in getting into rod building at some point in the future. To those of you; may you always mix your epoxy with confidence – but *carefully*! Regards, Fred Templin  

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Quoting roccus609 from a message in rec.outdoors.fishing.fly     For some reason that I don’t profess to understand a hair dryer will     remove those bubbles while the epoxy is still fluid. Good luck ! The heat causes the bubbles to rise to the surface and pop.  There are several small alcohol lamps available that are more precise than using a hair drier. Jim in Southern California `[1;31;43mRainbow V 1.06 for Delphi – Registered

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A suggestion was made to use a small alcohol lamp t provide the heat to get the bubbles out of the flex coat.  Be careful!  That stuff is flammable. I simply exhale into the container with the epoxy and the bubbles largely dissapear.  All that is left are a few tiny bubbles that disappear if the epoxy is applied smoothly to a rotating rod.                                               Dallas, TX                                               Ennis, MT

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   Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.fishing.fly    Organization: America Online, Inc. (1-800-827-6364)    A suggestion was made to use a small alcohol lamp t provide the heat to    get the bubbles out of the flex coat.  Be careful!  That stuff is    flammable. Indeed — moreover, I believe that adding heat to epoxy will accelerate the curing reaction.  Those who heat their epoxy may find the working time diminished, somewhat.  (This information actually comes from some experience in the world of RC modeling…) — Matt Meola NRA Life, Militiaman Don’t tread on me. http://usa.net/~gaulj/Home.html

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Regarding getting rid of the bubbles, a heat gun works better than a hair dryer and and alcohol lamp.  Take short, close swipes and as the epoxy thins brush t e drips away.  Contact me with any other questions re: rod building!

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Hi: I find it is much easier to use a very soft lintless cloth dampened with warm denatures alcohol works even better than a alcohol flame in removing bubbles from a finish. It is very important that the alcohol be at 90 deg to 110 deg and that the cloth is only damp and not wet. Wipe in line with the grain, and only wipe lightly. I also find that finish will not create bubbles if the cane is cold and the finish is warm. I find that dipping at a rate of 1 inch in 30 seconds on dipping and 1 inch in 2 minutes on withdraw will create an almost perfect finish. I use a #110 spar that is heated to 80 deg +/- 5 deg is probably the best finish I have found for proper rod  protection. Catch you later Mike Taylor  (Detruncus1) on AOL

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