Question:

My wife and I just got back from a week on the Frio River in Texas, we had a great time and caught lots of fish. The magic fly was a bead head olive flashback. My wife actually caught her first fish on a fly rod. She was so excited, and she is hooked on fly fishing now. Tonight she even let me buy a new 4wt Loomis rod. She gets the old one. Those Texas sunfish are a lot of fun. Thanks for the advice on what flies to take with us all who contributed. Jim Barker

Response:

Hi Jim, Your wife gets the old one, huh?  You have it easy.  When I walked in with a new T&T 4 wt. rod my wife was home unbeknownst to me.  Needless to say, when she asked how much I spent while looking at the nice new rod tube, I told her I had just gotten her a present.  A new 4 wt. T&T.  It got me off the hook, but I don’t get to use ‘her’ rod.  She really loves it!!! Pete

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My wife and I just got back from a week on the Frio River in Texas, we had a great time and caught lots of fish. The magic fly was a bead head olive flashback. My wife actually caught her first fish on a fly rod. She was so excited, and she is hooked on fly fishing now. Tonight she even let me buy a new 4wt Loomis rod. She gets the old one. Those Texas sunfish are a lot of fun. Thanks for the advice on what flies to take with us all who contributed. Jim Barker

Response:

I have an in, my wife is getting ready to spend 1300.00 on new golf clubs. My loomis was a small purchase in comparison. Jim

Hi Jim, Your wife gets the old one, huh?  You have it easy.  When I walked in with a new T&T 4 wt. rod my wife was home unbeknownst to me.  Needless to say, when she asked how much I spent while looking at the nice new rod tube, I told her I had just gotten her a present.  A new 4 wt. T&T.  It got me off the hook, but I don’t get to use ‘her’ rod.  She really loves it!!! Pete

Response:

Question:

If one of the products your using is Mucilin , that may be your problem. Mucilin eats away at the coating of newer S.A. lines. Grouse – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I just returned from a trip to the San Juan River (great fishing/miserable weather) and have a problem I’ve encountered before and never been able to solve.  When using good quality, good condition fly line; primarily SA Mastery I can’t seem to get the last 4′-5′ of line to stay afloat.  After a couple hours of casting I always have a sinking tip line.  I always clean the line with a mild detergent, let it dry thoroughly and dress it with a variety of products (one at a time), but it alway starts to sink.  What is the consensus opinion of what I should use and where can I purchase it? Bob in El Paso

Response:

I just returned from a trip to the San Juan River (great fishing/miserable weather) and have a problem I’ve encountered before and never been able to solve.  When using good quality, good condition fly line; primarily SA Mastery I can’t seem to get the last 4′-5′ of line to stay afloat.  After a couple hours of casting I always have a sinking tip line.  I always clean the line with a mild detergent, let it dry thoroughly and dress it with a variety of products (one at a time), but it alway starts to sink.  What is the consensus opinion of what I should use and where can I purchase it? Bob in El Paso

Response:

I just returned from a trip to the San Juan River (great fishing/miserable weather) and have a problem I’ve encountered before and never been able to solve.  When using good quality, good condition fly line; primarily SA Mastery I can’t seem to get the last 4′-5′ of line to stay afloat.  After a couple hours of casting I always have a sinking tip line.  I always clean the line with a mild detergent, let it dry thoroughly and dress it with a variety of products (one at a time), but it alway starts to sink.  What is the consensus opinion of what I should use and where can I purchase it? Bob in El Paso

Before you use a fly line for the first time, seal the end with crazy glue.  You probably have some water seeping up the internal dacron weave. Cheers Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.cgocable.net/~pcharles/index.html

Response:

I just returned from a trip to the San Juan River (great fishing/miserable weather) [..] After a couple hours of casting I always have a sinking tip line.  

well, I keep running into it also. I think there are a couple of reasons: * the tip end being ‘open’ so the water sips onto the dacron core (someone already mentioned this) * dirt from the water collecting by the fly line’s pores all I can think up is keep cleaning the tip end of the line, keep greasing it lightly. — CU, Jay (ICQ# 29249573) — When replying, remove ‘MAC’ from e-mail address in header —

Response:

The best product I’ve ever found for floating flies as well as the end of my fly line isn’t even made for fishing.  "Albolene" is a makeup remover or skin moisturizer or something like that.  I’ve never asked exactly what it was intended for.  It comes in a 12 ounce plastic tub for about eight bucks and can be found in the health care aisles at many drugstores or department stores.  It looks a bit like vaseline, but isn’t nearly as sticky.  It melts easily at normal body temperature.  You simply rub a dab of it between yours fingers until it liquefies and then coat your fly (or the end of your line) with it.  It really is outstanding stuff!  It won’t discolor flies, doesn’t gum them up like so many of the commercial dressings, and really does keep them afloat.  I was originally turned onto this stuff by a guy who had been using it for many years. You can also dissolve this stuff in lighter fluid and dip your new flies in the solution before you store them in your fly boxes.  Then they’re ready to use when you get out on the stream. I clean my lines with Armor All and then coat the tip with Albolene.  Works very well.  By the way, a 12 oz. jar of Albolene will last you and your fishing buddies just about for the rest of your natural lives.  Good luck! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I just returned from a trip to the San Juan River (great fishing/miserable weather) and have a problem I’ve encountered before and never been able to solve.  When using good quality, good condition fly line; primarily SA Mastery I can’t seem to get the last 4′-5′ of line to stay afloat.  After a couple hours of casting I always have a sinking tip line.  I always clean the line with a mild detergent, let it dry thoroughly and dress it with a variety of products (one at a time), but it alway starts to sink.  What is the consensus opinion of what I should use and where can I purchase it? Bob in El Paso

Response:

Question:

Actually, it sounds like it might flow into the esopus.  Excerpt from AWA site: Beaverkill Reach: Turnwood to mouth County: Sullivan/Delaware Length: 32 Class: II-III Reach: Route 212 bridge below Willow to bridge over Esopus Creek near Mt. Tremper County: Ulster Length: 4.5 Class: III-V Notes: Local expert, Daniel Scher, 249 Munsee Way, Westfield, N.J. 07090 (908-232-3129) Tried contacting this guy with no luck. bob

Response:

        There may be some confusion here…..  The BeaverKill is a tributary of the East Branch of the Delaware River.  From Roscoe, NY to its mouth it is at best a class I,  and one of the best known flyfishing streams in NY.  Up above, it might get a little higher, and the Willowemoc, which flows into it, can also.         There is a Beaver Creek which flows in the Esopus at Mt. Tremper.  That is usually a very bony run even if the Esopus is high.  Denis McLaine has run it, but probably not often nor recently.  If there’s any water up there, head for the Esopus.             There are two gages for the Esopus up there, the Cold Brook one being the more useful.. It should be 4.8 ft or higher to run.   I think the reading you got was for the Beaverkill near Roscoe. JP – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Actually, it sounds like it might flow into the esopus.  Excerpt from AWA site: Beaverkill Reach: Turnwood to mouth County: Sullivan/Delaware Reach: Route 212 bridge below Willow to bridge over Esopus Creek near Mt. Tremper County: Ulster Length: 4.5 Class: III-V

Response:

Does anyone know anything about this creek?  It flows into the delaware and the AWA site lists a class II-III section and a III-V section.  It shot up to over 800 cfs last week and caught my attention, but i have no idea what the quality of the river is or what the minimum runnable level is.   thanks, bob

Response:

Question:

To: All Oregon Fly Fishers This is an invitation to *all* who are interested in fly fishing in Oregon to join the Oregon Council Federation of Fly Fishers’ new e-mail listserv. The purpose of the listserv is to create a forum focused on fly fishing in Oregon.  Since snail mail and newsletters to the Oregon Council’s 2,200 members will take some time, I encourage you to forward this notice to anyone interested. To subscribe, send e-mail as follows:      subscribe orcfff-l Note that the subject line if left blank, and the command "subscribe orcfff-l" is placed all alone on the first line of the message body. Soon thereafter you will receive a "confirmation" number which you must return to complete the subscription (it prevents malicious people from signing you on and off the list without your consent). To obtain more information before subscribing, send e-mail:      info orcfff-l In addition to the open "general" list, there is a closed "conservation" list for those deeply dedicated to fish and habitat conservation matters. I will screen applicants to those who actively engage private, state and federal entities in fish conservation matters (e.g. ODFW basin plans, ODF Forest Practices Act, Option 9, ESA, stream gravel removal). The conservation list is "orcfff-cons-l". Thomas Gilg VP Conservation, Oregon Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers Chair, Mid-Willamette Fly Fishers

Response:

: subscribe orcfff-l :

If you’re having problems subscribing, note the following:    - The last character in "orcfff-l" is a lower case "L",      not the number "1" (one).  If your mailer is like mine,      the font is exactly the same    - Unlike many mail lists, the orcfff lists add an      extra step in the subscription process (see *):            with a line in it that looks something like         4) Your subscription should be complete. If you still can’t get through, please let me know. Thomas Gilg

Response:

Question:

I just wanted to pass on this information. I posted here about two weeks ago that I was selling a Bantam Curado reel and received an e-mail from a man by the name of Warren Hansen.  He claimed that he was interested and made me a good offer to buy the reel.  He suggested that we agree on a day, and send the payment check and reel in the mail.  I was wary of this because I didn’t know if I could trust him.  When I e-mailed him saying I would send it C.O.D. thru UPS so that he couldn’t get the reel until he paid, I never heard back from him.  I can only assume that he had no intention of paying me since he bailed out as soon as I suggest a method thatwould force him to pay me.  Just letting you know in case this guy is doing this to other people.

   I’d be reluctant to slander the guy based on the scenario you’ve presented. I wouldn’t go for a UPS COD deal either. No one is home to receive and pay for the merchandise. When I’ve bought/sold stuff on the net the technique was to send the merchandise on receipt of a check or MO. In that case the buyer is at risk, but I’ve never had any problems. — Charlie   Newark, DE To reply by email please remove antispam "TY" from address.

Response:

snip previous post Good point George, Does anyone know if it’s possible to open the package and check the contents before accepting shipment?  This is still assuming UPS COD as the method of transaction.  Is COD payment always in cash? Leny

As far as UPS goes, you can’t open it until you accept it.  UPS accepts checks. — Mark Cahill For E-mail remove the _Remove_This from the reply to address. http://www.geocities.com/Baja/3297/fishing.htm Mark Cahill’s Fishing New Engand -Daily Fishing News http://www.reel-time.com/ The Internet Journal of Saltwater Fly Fishing – Metropolitan Boston Regional Editor

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You were right to be wary. Never do business where the transaction can be costly to you. You made a very good suggestion on how to do it right. However, you should have posted a message describing what happened, leaving out the name. Informing others is useful but wrongly accusing (a suspect he certainly is) an individual is not.                         Cal– ****To reply e-mail remove the "_Remove_This " from the return address. ***** There is always free cheese in a mousetrap.

Nope…still a potential problem.  You are assuming that the seller really has something to sell.  UPS could show up (with a box full of rocks) and collect my cash…then who got cheated?  A con could work either way. Actually, in the original post, there was another unsubstantiated (how’s that for an engineer?) allegation: "He’s doing this to others." (paraphrased).  How does Noah know that? Just a little fodder for thought. George B.

Response:

Please refrain from using profanity to get your point across.  Children read these postings.

Please be advised. If kids are anywhere near the usenet there are far worse things then swear words.  alt.fishing is mighty close to alt.f***ing in my news group list. I have not set up my account on my home system for this very reason.   TimW

Response:

Nope…still a potential problem.  You are assuming that the seller really has something to sell.  UPS could show up (with a box full of rocks) and collect my cash…then who got cheated?  A con could work either way. ……snip……. George B.

Good point George, Does anyone know if it’s possible to open the package and check the contents before accepting shipment?  This is still assuming UPS COD as the method of transaction.  Is COD payment always in cash? Leny

Response:

What is the new group?  Is there a rec.outdoors.fishing.fly.vulgar? -Mark Vinsel In article – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you can’t stand this….then don’t read any of the posting in the New group!!!      And I bet you are encouraging your kids to use vulgarity all the time IF YOU ARE EVER IN DOUBT…….CALL SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU     Steve, Please refrain from using profanity to get your point across.  Children read these postings. Neil McNerney yeah, so if you keep it clean here odds are that they will never hear that kind of talk.

–   new web address:  http://www.vinsel.com

Response:

: Please refrain from using profanity to get your point across.  Children : read these postings. No shit.

Response:

Please refrain from using profanity to get your point across.  Children read these postings. Please be advised. If kids are anywhere near the usenet there are far worse things then swear words.  alt.fishing is mighty close to alt.f***ing in my news group list. TimW

This whole issue of profanity is not to protect the children from learning words they’re going to learn anyway it’s a matter of decency and setting an example.   The more examples children see, especially of those they look up to, the more they are going to repeat the behavior in the examples. They WILL learn those words.  Their behavior with regard to those words will be taught by us. Set a good example. gamma Daniels                                    / /                                   ((o o))                            —oOOo-(Y)<-oOOo— University Computing Services   <`)))<      <`)))<  71533,1011 University of Southern California      <`)))<      <`)))< I love the smell of baitfish in the morning.  Smells like… Saturday!!

Response:

Being of Irish extraction ( 1/2 by blood), I can peel wallpaper with a good cussing but this is not the place for it. — Michael J Barnett

Response:

   ,())))),  ,()))))))),.      huh, huh, huh, huh                       ,—,,,_  ()))))))//((     Hey, Beavis, the guy                    (         )) (\( ))( (/)     said there shouldn’t                   (            ) /(          \     be any cussing on this                 (            ) //       _       newsgroup.                             (_(_((((     ) //    /       /                                         (    ,    )   (.  .      /                                          |   /   )   ) (,     |    ,)                         Yeah. heh, heh.     | /    (   )     ^/^   /                          Well, I don’t       (.(.)    S  )            /                          think there should   /_       )   (-<-) /                           be any sermons    /__)   ^   /      –  /                            in this newsgroup.   /____/    |     __ /                             heh, heh, heh, heh   )______   |      |  |                                                           |  (          )                                                  (          )  |_|AC//DC|_|                                                  |_| MTV  |_|  | |      | |                                                  | |      | |

Response:

You were right to be wary. Never do business where the transaction can be costly to you. You made a very good suggestion on how to do it right. However, you should have posted a message describing what happened, leaving out the name. Informing others is useful but wrongly accusing (a suspect he certainly is) an individual is not.                         Cal– ****To reply e-mail remove the "_Remove_This " from the return address. ***** There is always free cheese in a mousetrap.

Response:

If you can’t stand this….then don’t read any of the posting in the New group!!!      And I bet you are encouraging your kids to use vulgarity all the time IF YOU ARE EVER IN DOUBT…….CALL SOMEONE CLOSE TO YOU     – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Steve, Please refrain from using profanity to get your point across.  Children read these postings. Neil McNerney yeah, so if you keep it clean here odds are that they will never hear that kind of talk.

Response:

Some people just don’t know any better as that is the way they were brough up and live now. — Kent Prescott  D.A.V. & Mr. Mom  Remove the # before replying. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Being of Irish extraction ( 1/2 by blood), I can peel wallpaper with a good cussing but this is not the place for it. — Michael J Barnett

Response:

Please refrain from letting your children read these postings.  Some people use profanity to get their point across.

Profanity is tasteless in newsgroups. Its also a waste of good profanity. Profanity should be saved up for when you lose a good fish. stev — stev_ix_netcom_com is a fake. Sorry, Im tired of all the crap I get in the mail.    

Response:

The scary part is the guy posting with an "EDU" domain has the worst grammar.  Quit reading the news groups and study your freshman English homework. Of course, you could be an engineering student and then we would understand. — Michael J Barnett

Response:

"Mama told me not to come…" Three Dog Night.

Response:

Neil, Please refrain from letting your children read these postings.  Some people use profanity to get their point across.

Yeah, gawddammit! </c

Response:

Profanity is tasteless in newsgroups. Its also a waste of good profanity. Profanity should be saved up for when you lose a good fish. stev

That’s right!!

Response:

Noah- I guess it pays to be a little cautious but my experience has been very different than yours.   I have sold three reels to different people in the past two years.  In each case I insisted on sending them the reel first so they could evaluate and see that it was to their satisfaction. In each case I received a perfectly good check by return mail.   I corresponded with each of these people by e-mail and simply chose to trust the honesty of my fellow man.  I am not saying I would make the same decision in every case.  But after corresponding with each of these people that was the decision I made. It worked out well for me. Michael To reply please remove "nospam" from my address. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I just wanted to pass on this information. I posted here about two weeks ago that I was selling a Bantam Curado reel and received an e-mail from a man by the name of Warren Hansen.  He claimed that he was interested and made me a good offer to buy the reel.  He suggested that we agree on a day, and send the payment check and reel in the mail.  I was wary of this because I didn’t know if I could trust him.  When I e-mailed him saying I would send it C.O.D. thru UPS so that he couldn’t get the reel until he paid, I never heard back from him.  I can only assume that he had no intention of paying me since he bailed out as soon as I suggest a method thatwould force him to pay me.  Just letting you know in case this guy is doing this to other people.                                                         -Noah Rollins                                                          http://grove.ufl.edu/~noahr                              "Should we, or should we not,                        follow the advice of the galactically stupid?"                           -Tom Cruise, "A Few Good Men"

Response:

Steve, Please refrain from using profanity to get your point across.  Children read these postings. Neil McNerney

yeah, so if you keep it clean here odds are that they will never hear that kind of talk.

Response:

You are a little, little man. Noah. People back out on deals all the time — a shame, but that’s doing business on the internet. He did not cheat you. You did not lose your reel….Why slander someone senselessly? For all you know, the poor SOB is in a hospital, after a car wreck, and it’s just taking him a long time to reply to your COD arrangement, since he’s having to type with a golf-pencil taped to his fucking TONGUE!

 Uh, Steve… I think maybe you are getting a little carried away here. Noah was just trying to help.  Maybe you should lay off the Mountain Dew??

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : ….. I can only assume that he had no : intention of paying me since he bailed out as soon as I suggest a method : thatwould force him to pay me.  Just letting you know in case this guy is : doing this to other people. You are a little, little man. Noah. People back out on deals all the time — a shame, but that’s doing business on the internet. He did not cheat you. You did not lose your reel….Why slander someone senselessly? For all you know, the poor SOB is in a hospital, after a car wreck, and it’s just taking him a long time to reply to your COD arrangement, since he’s having to type with a golf-pencil taped to his fucking TONGUE!

Steve, Please refrain from using profanity to get your point across.  Children read these postings. Neil McNerney

Response:

  Please refrain from using profanity to get your point across.  Children   read these postings.   Neil McNerney

Neil, Please refrain from letting your children read these postings.  Some people use profanity to get their point across. -tgades — Tony Gades. Seattle, WA.  USA http://weber.u.washington.edu/~tgades http://weber.u.washington.edu/~tgades/Fishing/fish_page.html email: replace the "this_address_is_wrong" with "tgades"

Response:

I just wanted to pass on this information. I posted here about two weeks ago that I was selling a Bantam Curado reel and received an e-mail from a man by the name of Warren Hansen.  He claimed that he was interested and made me a good offer to buy the reel.  He suggested that we agree on a day, and send the payment check and reel in the mail.  I was wary of this because I didn’t know if I could trust him.  When I e-mailed him saying I would send it C.O.D. thru UPS so that he couldn’t get the reel until he paid, I never heard back from him.  I can only assume that he had no intention of paying me since he bailed out as soon as I suggest a method thatwould force him to pay me.  Just letting you know in case this guy is doing this to other people.                                                         -Noah Rollins                                                          http://grove.ufl.edu/~noahr                              "Should we, or should we not,                        follow the advice of the galactically stupid?"                           -Tom Cruise, "A Few Good Men"

Response:

: ….. I can only assume that he had no : intention of paying me since he bailed out as soon as I suggest a method : thatwould force him to pay me.  Just letting you know in case this guy is : doing this to other people. You are a little, little man. Noah. People back out on deals all the time — a shame, but that’s doing business on the internet. He did not cheat you. You did not lose your reel….Why slander someone senselessly? For all you know, the poor SOB is in a hospital, after a car wreck, and it’s just taking him a long time to reply to your COD arrangement, since he’s having to type with a golf-pencil taped to his fucking TONGUE!

Response:

Question:

I would echo Tom Hewitt’s comment re: standing in a canoe
to flyfish.  Canoes are an excellent platform if you want to develop the skill. I would note, however, that not all canoes
perform equally for this purpose.  As mentioned in Tom’s article
flat, shallow-v, and shallow-arch bottomed boats in general are
better choices to begin with. But keep in mind that your own sense of balance will determine which boat you feel most comfortable in.  Some v-hulled canoes are rather narrow (33 inches and less for 16′ length) and tho stable feeling while sitting, grow inherently less stable as the the center
of gravity moves higher compared to wider (34" up width) boats.
There are several ways to become accustomed to standing in a
canoe to flyfish or pole, or to scout a rapid, etc…  One would be to simply take the boat you have now and start practicing.
The second would be to borrow or use as flat-bottomed a boat as you can find and start at that level.  Progress to a better quality canoe as you feel more capable.  Your progress will be
limited only by your tenacity.  Even so, it is not a hard skill
to learn.
One can also attach sponsons or outriggers to add a measure of safety and security to your initial efforts.  However, these add-ons are not very portable, interfere with the maneuverability of the canoe, and are only necessary if one’s sense of balance is not particularly good.  Purchasing or building
these appertenances is a personal call.  Look in the classified section of Paddler or Canoe and Kayak magazine for info on these products. As to finding a used boat.  Good luck.  Good quality used canoes are snapped up pretty quickly and are hard to find. One suggestion that might pan out is your local canoe club.  Members
are always buying and swapping.  Call the American Canoe Assoc.
member club that is closest to you to get info.  Their web address
is: http://www.aca-paddler.org/
Dave Hadden, Owner
Vision Canoes
http://www.digisys.net/vision — Posted using Reference.COM                         http://www.reference.com Browse, Search and Post         Usenet and Mailing list Archive and Catalog. InReference, Inc. accepts no responsibility for the content of this posting.

Response:

Question:

       I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.                                  Thank you,                                     Penny Acklen

My yellow lab started out bad, but has improved a lot since being a puppy. "Fishing" training in our case started as general training with a tennis ball in the river. Get the dog to sit and hold while the ball floats downstream till you release him (Yah, like that’s easy . Once you’re at this point your fly will be safe. Even though Cass doesn’t chase flies, I still keep her in the truck if anyone else is on the beach. Otherwise I go cast in the rip and she chases gulls down the beach. She did try to retreive a striper I released last year, but I think the 50 yd. ride down the tide rip taught her a good lesson. Another thing that seemed to work for us was taking her into the marshes in a local estuary, where I would have her lay down and stay while I fished, then when I was done I would toss her frisbee in the water as a reward. Again, this is a fairly remote and uncrowded spot. Goldens are more mellow than Labs generally, but I really couldn’t do much real fishing with Cass until she was 4 yrs. old. She meant well as a pup, but…. So my advise early on is to go out thinking ‘dog training’ instead of fishing, then after a couple years you can start real fishing. YMMV of course !                                                                 jc

Response:

Penny, There is no such thing as a good fishing dog.

No kidding.  Mine has a terrible time with her knots – no thumbs – and insists on using San Juan Worms…

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       I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.  

I wonder if a Golden Retriever’s coat acts like marabou when it’s sunk?   I have two field-bred springers.  As much as I’d like to take them everywhere with me (I used to take them to my office before I changed teaching jobs–not the dogs’ fault <g), they’d seriously upset the calm, contemplative quality that enlightened and highly evolved flyfishers demand in their streamside environment.   Cheers, and happy training, David

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Penny, There is no such thing as a good fishing dog. No kidding.  Mine has a terrible time with her knots – no thumbs – and insists on using San Juan Worms…

On the other hand, depending on the color and length of their hair, they might make good flytying material. — John Fereira Isis Distributed Systems – Ithaca, NY

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Get an airedale! Because my eyes are not so good, he ties on my flies. He’s just beginning to learn to double haul.5

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No kidding.  Mine has a terrible time with her knots – no thumbs – and insists on using San Juan Worms…

And you try persuading them to accept C&R… Andrew

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No kidding.  Mine has a terrible time with her knots – no thumbs – and insists on using San Juan Worms… And you try persuading them to accept C&R… Andrew

forget Catch and Release, I’d be happy if my dog would "Fetch and Release"…

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –        I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.                                  Thank you,                                     Penny Acklen   Hi Penny-      Come to the Amazon with us. When the pirahna grab is in full swing teach your pup to fetch a stick. He’ll learn to admire your flies from a distance. It might be easier to simply beat it about the head with a striped bass   All kidding aside, retriever’s are pretty smart and you should be able to train the pup pretty easily. A long lead and a choke collar might make a lasting impression. As you found out, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.   -Ralph —

We’ve got two labs and my wife deals with one, while I deal with the other.   They do pretty well, however we’ve had trouble with the younger one wanting to bite into the fish if you’re not careful.   The other one investigates but doesn’t attempt anything else. We use pinch collars instead of choke collars and find them very effective.   We just keep the leash attached while we’re fishing for the first little while and correct them as needed.    After they settle down a bit, we can generally remove the leads and they’ll stay with us pretty well.   Most of the time, we can get them to lie down and wait on us to move upstream.    Of course, still being pups (the oldest one is 15 months), we have to give them a little leeway once in awhile and let them romp around in the water a bit. As with most endeavors, I think the best advice is to simply practice patience and realize that you won’t always have full control.   When this happens, we stop fishing for a bit and work with them on leads to get them back on track (or we take turns fishing while the other works the dogs). Hope this helps.. Del Duncan

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As much as I would love to have my dogs accompany me on fishing trips, I must agree with one respondent who recommended leaving them home.  In addition to all the stuff they can get caught in (old hooks, etc.), there are two experiences I have had in the past which have led me to leave my dogs home.  The first was when one of my older dogs was with me and slipped down a steep bank on some sticks and rubble, disappearing completely underwater for an instant before returning to the surface to hurriedly swim to the bank of a fortunately slow stream.  We were both badly shaken, and fortunately the hole she fell into was deep enough that she didn’t hit anything and she wasn’t hurt.  On another trip, this same dog was behind me and was accidently snagged with a low backcast.  She was snagged in the flank (fortunately not in an eye) and the day ended there. Again, I would love to bring my dogs along with me on fishing trips, but I firmly believe it is in their best interest to be left (well cared for) at home.

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        I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.                                   Thank you,                                      Penny Acklen

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        I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.                                   Thank you,                                      Penny Acklen

   Unless you are fishing for salmon or something large that has to be turned in the water, teach him to sit quietly on the bank near you, but an unruly dog at lake or stream side is a real hastle — not only for you but for others.  I realize that this is no advice, but too often I see people "out for the day" who ruin it for themselves and others by bringing a dog.                                  Not meaning any disrespect,                                     Chuck

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       I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.                                  Thank you,                                     Penny Acklen

   Hi Penny-       Come to the Amazon with us. When the pirahna grab is in full swing teach your pup to fetch a stick. He’ll learn to admire your flies from a distance. It might be easier to simply beat it about the head with a striped bass    All kidding aside, retriever’s are pretty smart and you should be able to train the pup pretty easily. A long lead and a choke collar might make a lasting impression. As you found out, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.    -Ralph —

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Penny, There is no such thing as a good fishing dog. I have been training dogs for years and I know! The only thing that really helps is to get the ’sit’ command burned into the animal. Put your bag on the ground and sit him near it, so he has a base and you can work out if he has moved. Sit him well back from the water’s edge – once the dog is wet you are in trouble! Pups are relatively easy to teach to sit – just sit him every time before he gets his food and he will get the idea really fast. Keep him sat for thirty seconds  before you let him eat (don’t do this on your best carpet the drooling saliva will ruin it). The key thing is to teach the dog that he has to sit until you tell him to do something else. If he gets the idea that he can wander off after a period of time you will have trouble with him later on. When you take him fishing, be prepared to devote some time to getting ashore and putting him back next to the bag if he wanders. If you let him away with it once you will have wasted all your earlier hard work. Pick him up and carry him back. When he is young and light, carry him back in your arms but upside down, legs in the air (most dogs hate this, big loss of face). Sit him, take hold of one of his jowls fairly lightly, look him straight in the eye and growl at him. Carry a supply of biscuits for when he gets it right and sits until told otherwise. Oh, and when you do tell him he can wander, make sure you go back to him to do it. If dogs get used to you calling them from afar, they anticipate. Once they start doing this, they will interpret almost anything as a call to come to you, including head scratching and catching a fish! You might recover your older dog by going fishing with a friend. One of you should try to catch a fish, the other one pounces on the dog when he moves and goes through the routine. Big confident dogs are a problem to discipline, but if you fold over their ear fur outermost and (gently) bite it, you will reduce most labs to a jellied heap. This is what their mother used to do to them when they were pups – again, big loss of face, go to the bottom of the pack etc. I have never managed to train a dog that would follow me along the bank without coming in yet, and would be interested to hear if anyone here has. Andrew

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Question:

The guy is a snake oil selling fraud. I mean, who couldn’t catch 10 lb bass with regularity in a fish farm? If you are trying to learn how to fish, don’t use butthead Bill as a benchmark! FB — Fishin Buddy  o <<     o  |           These opinions are offered by weight  <     <  o       <J           provocative content may have occurred      <<       <<                    during shipping and handling.

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what caused such a rash against Bill.

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what caused such a rash against Bill.

He’s not a bad fisherman as long as he has his divers hookin’ those toads for him.

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The guy swears by a certain product (Stow Away Batteries)-(Now Champion), (Diawa)-(Now Quantum)and then turns around and talks up a new one when the sponsor antes up more money. He cant even stay with the people who sponsored him through his fishing career and made him what he is today. Just my opinion.

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I have to agree. Bill Dance will push the product that offers to pay him the most $$$. It really detracts from the show and his credibility. Al in NH

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Bill is  no worse than R. Martin, who is open about his "tools" used to film his spots.  As he put it to a friend of mine  - – - " they made Star Wars in a studio with tricks, didn’t they ??"   I guess it just comes with the turf.

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Bill is ALOT worse than Roland Martin. How many times do you hear where Roland is fishing today? Logan Martin, Okechobee, Lanier. Lakes everyone know and can access. And Bill? "We’re here fishing Gump’s Private Pond where trespassers will be shot."

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He is miles ahead of Jimmy, throw the fish in live well from the front of the boat, Houston. — Gert Jensen                         Editor: BACKCASTS 600 Warren Rd.                      VP Communication   Bldg.1, Apt.3-A                     Northeastern Council   Ithaca, NY 14850                    Federation of Fly Fishers Ph:607-257-5796                     ‘Conserving–Restoring–Educating Through Fly Fishing’       See our Home Page: http://light.lightlink.com/ephemera/

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I boycotted Dance for over 4 years after a 1986 episode where he was fishing for smallmouth below a TVA reservoir.  It seemed great at first (99% of his shows were just largemouth so this was a nice change of pace), but then he hooked what he thought was a world record smallmouth.  The fish turned out to be a large drum.  A real fisherman would have been thrilled to have caught something that fought well enough to be a record smallie, but Bill murdered the poor fish by drum".  What a jerk!  Real men know drum are a classy gamefish and a valuable asset to the ecosystem.  Of course drum are too smart to bite lures on a regular basis so Dance, thinking with his wallet, would not get sponsorship $ for intelligent species like drum, carp, etc. The Dancin’ Eel: most useless lure ever made? Stumbling onto his show in late 1990, he seemed to have become a kinder, gentler angler, taking better care of fish, but his shows seem staged. IMHO the only worthwhile Dance show is "The Worst of Bill Dance", 40 minutes of celebrity guests and bloopers.  Dance haters can take pleasure when he falls in the water, bangs his head, hooks himself, etc. Ahti Eric Rovainen

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The best part of bill dance? When in the bloopers episode, his snagged lure flies out of a tree (huge crankbait) and pops him in the croch. YES! Thats funny!

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What!, we all don’t use those bullshit "Nightcrawler Links"? Yes, cheap hotdogs in cherry koolaid.

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I have to agree. Bill Dance will push the product that offers to pay him the most $$$. It really detracts from the show and his credibility. Al in NH

How about Roland Martin??? His show is just an info-mercial for spiderwire the the guide who happens to be on his boat that week! RonM

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I have started watching Bill in the past 9 months. He is one of my favorites. Maybe I am missing something. He has good tips for me. He talks about how to preserve nature. Yes he sells products but are we supposed to stop watching Full House because they drink Pepsi. He has to fund his show. All shows need funding. There are not enough viewers to demand high dollars for a fishing show. This is just my opinion. I do like Jimmy, Bill, Hank, and Bass Masters.

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   I watch Bill Dance’s shows, too.  Every fisherman out there with a show advertises all the time.  That’s how they can pay for the show.  But I sure wish old Bill would just grab those bass out of the water when he gets them to the boat instead of yanking them up in the air so that it looks like they’re jumping.    Dennis  

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Question:

Try Cortland gf1000, not expensive and very feely

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Levine) writes: I find a lot of the fun missing from fly fishing since I gave up (gave away) my fiberglass rod and went with graphite. Would appreciate feedback on specific graphite rods with a more traditional action, i.e. more flex, more like glass or bamboo.

Last year I bought a 7 foot 4 weight, parabolic action rod under the name Versatex. I believe it was manufactured in Pennsylvania. Prior to purchase I was able to compare a Fisher and a Loomis of the same length/weight ratio. Both the Fisher and Loomis were stiff as broomsticks and would not cast over 45 feet. This little Vesatex cast over 65 feet and had a nice medium action feel. I was purposely looking for a slower rod for the little ones on some of the Sierra streams. The price was about half that of the two name brands mentioned. I can’t vouch for the other rods in their line, actually I did’nt like the 9 foot 6 weight at all, but this particular model was so good that 3 other of my club members purchased one after trying mine out. — Guy Manning

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I have a Sage 490 Lightline, their slow action rod in 4 wt/9 ft. Very smooth feel, casts nicely to 60 ft, length makes for great roll casts.  I think it is about $390.  You can buy the blanks for about $150 from Sage and have someone build the rod, which saves a little money.  

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: I find a lot of the fun missing from fly fishing since I gave up : (gave away) my fiberglass rod and went with graphite. : Would appreciate feedback on specific graphite rods with a more : traditional action, i.e. more flex, more like glass or bamboo. Thomas and Thomas heritage series.  Very nice feel, with that slow cane action.  I’ve heard that the Hexagraph rods are also nice, and the winstons are pretty slow for graphite. I still like the T&T ‘tho…..     best, Hans — Hans T.H. Beernink, Department of Biochemistry, University of Vermont

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I find a lot of the fun missing from fly fishing since I gave up (gave away) my fiberglass rod and went with graphite. Would appreciate feedback on specific graphite rods with a more traditional action, i.e. more flex, more like glass or bamboo.

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says… I find a lot of the fun missing from fly fishing since I gave up (gave away) my fiberglass rod and went with graphite. Would appreciate feedback on specific graphite rods with a more traditional action, i.e. more flex, more like glass or bamboo.

        Philip,         That’s easy! Powell makes two series of rod that might fit your casting tastes. The West Branch and the Signature Series are the models. Also, the Scott Rod Co. in Telluride, Co. makes an outstanding rod that has a little more back bone. There is one however that I’ve never cast or seen and that is a Hexagraph. I have seen it advertised in several of the magazines. It claims to be a bamboo rod, but made out of graphite.                                 Good luck,                                 Clint Bailey

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Question:

: Just started fly fishing this past fall ( mostly Greate Lakes Steelhead ). : This Saturday is the opening day of trout season here in NY. : I was hoping someone could recommend some patterns that may work this : early in the season on hatchery type ‘put and take’ type rainbows : ( we don’t practice the ‘take part’ ). —PCR         For stockers some of the classics flies are the best:  Gold Ribbed Hare’s Ear’s, Adams, Wulff dries, Wooly Worms, and Wooley Buggers.  For the nymphs and the dries, you want to fish big, like size 12 and 14.  You can also use stonefly nymphs or hellagrammites in sizes 6-10.  Stocked fish often just like something they can see.  Glo bugs should work alright on the stockers.

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Early season flies that work great in the Syracuse area are pheasant tail, both bead headed & traditional, picket pin, wooly bugger (various colors), and G.R. Hares ear. P.S. on Sunday, I saw some Quill Gordon duns flirting about on Limestone Creek here in Syracuse. G.R. Hares Ear should work, sizes 16, 18. PH – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just started fly fishing this past fall ( mostly Greate Lakes Steelhead ). This Saturday is the opening day of trout season here in NY. I was hoping someone could recommend some patterns that may work this early in the season on hatchery type ‘put and take’ type rainbows ( we don’t practice the ‘take part’ ). Have been having alot of success using glo-bugs and frammus patterns on 3 – 10 pound Rainbows but aren’t sure what to use on the smaller (10 – 12 inch ) stockers.   Thanks in advance PCR

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just started fly fishing this past fall ( mostly Greate Lakes Steelhead ). This Saturday is the opening day of trout season here in NY. I was hoping someone could recommend some patterns that may work this early in the season on hatchery type ‘put and take’ type rainbows ( we don’t practice the ‘take part’ ). Have been having alot of success using glo-bugs and frammus patterns on 3 – 10 pound Rainbows but aren’t sure what to use on the smaller (10 – 12 inch ) stockers.   Thanks in advance PCR

On the 10 -12 inch stockers , you should use PELLET FLIES!!!!!!                Greg

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Woolly Buggers are killers for the stockers.  Black, Olive and "Grizzly" colors are great.  Purple & Black have worked great, too. And, if you really want to catch a stocker out of a put &take stream, tip your wooly bugger with a berkley power grub (eek, did he say "BAIT"?) Yep.  If you want to catch fish. Jim Elias Blue Grass IA H.Y.M.R.

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Just started fly fishing this past fall ( mostly Greate Lakes Steelhead ). This Saturday is the opening day of trout season here in NY. I was hoping someone could recommend some patterns that may work this early in the season on hatchery type ‘put and take’ type rainbows ( we don’t practice the ‘take part’ ). Have been having alot of success using glo-bugs and frammus patterns on 3 – 10 pound Rainbows but aren’t sure what to use on the smaller (10 – 12 inch ) stockers.   Thanks in advance PCR

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