Question:

Sounds like a FANTASTIC day on the water,  great report jh

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Peter Charles writes: <great report/info snipped Plans are in the offing for the next trip. Ok, I can’t make it tomorrow, but Friday is open!  d;o) Got home after an 8 hour drive (512 miles) in pouring rain, but every time I thought of those fish, I began to smile. If you’ve  fished with me, you know I don’t move around too well.  Legs and feet are very sore, but hotdamn, ya get an 18 pound salmon on a fly rod and he begins one (1) run that takes you well into your backing, ya hafta fall/leap out of the boat and run after the damn thing.  It ain’t fair.  But, is sure is heart thumping and adrenaline pumping.  And then, the bastid comes running back at you; once your get your line all wound up and clear,  he’s off on another run  into the backing   It is definitely weird to be running downstream in knee-deep water, with your flyrod high and see a fish jump 250 feet in front of you and realize that you are connected to that fish with a hundred feet of line, a hundred and forty feet of backing , 10 feet of 10 pound tippet and a fly that you *know* is gonna go straight any second.  Multiply that by 4 and you have an idea of the day Peter and I had on the Saugeen. I know where Peter lives.  I’ll be back, with a 10 foot 7 weight *with a fighting butt*, a Lamson 3.5 large arbor filled with wf line and as much backing as it can hold.  If not next month, Peter, count on late April/early May.  And this time we open the 18 year old stuff.  <G Dave

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(snip) It is definitely weird to be running downstream in knee-deep water, with your flyrod high and see a fish jump 250 feet in front of you and realize that you are connected to that fish with a hundred feet of line, a hundred and forty feet of backing , 10 feet of 10 pound tippet

(snip)     that whole thing is just crazy.  just freaking crazy.  i can’t imagine such an experience. yfitons wayno

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -wayno writes: (snip) It is definitely weird to be running downstream in knee-deep water, with your flyrod high and see a fish jump 250 feet in front of you and realize that you are connected to that fish with a hundred feet of line, a hundred and forty feet of backing , 10 feet of 10 pound tippet (snip)    that whole thing is just crazy.  just freaking crazy.  i can’t imagine such an experience. yfitons wayno

Save a day next may.  You can sleep in the rv.  I’ll let you use my 8 weight *with* the fighting butt.  I wanna see your scrawny ass runnin down the middle of this water.  <G Louie

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   that whole thing is just crazy.  just freaking crazy.  i can’t imagine such an experience. yfitons wayno

There’s a solution for that . . . . Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Peter Charles writes:    that whole thing is just crazy.  just freaking crazy.  i can’t imagine such an experience. yfitons wayno There’s a solution for that . . . . Peter

He’s used to catching iddy biddy trout the size of his dick, Peter.  He wouldn’t dream of going up and fishing with us.  The largest rod he has is a 2 weight – we’d have to loan him equipment and probably teach him how to cast it.  <seg  This water is meant for PJ and combat fishing. Louie (who hopes insults will move his scrawny ass)

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Peter He’s used to catching iddy biddy trout the size of his dick, Peter.  He wouldn’t dream of going up and fishing with us.  The largest rod he has is a 2 weight – we’d have to loan him equipment and probably teach him how to cast it. <seg  This water is meant for PJ and combat fishing. Louie (who hopes insults will move his scrawny ass)

That small eh?  In that case, I would think a 0 weight would be more appropriate.  If he came, we’d probably need a bosun’s chair just to lower him out of the boat.  BTW, think he can even lift an 8 wt.?  If he ever hooked a salmon, he’d probably throw the rod overboard from sheer fright.    (how am I doin’?) Peter

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It’s late, I’m beat, the pirate is whacked – this TR is gonna be short. Up at 4:30 and, on the road at 5:15, arrived at the store at 6:00, on the water by 8:00 and home by 9:00pm.   Louie before the trip, "I’m gonna take my 6 wt."   Told the Pirate not to bother with his vest or the 6 wt.   Well, we’re at the put-in and John Valk (owner/guide) is going "Nyet" to the 6 wt.  Out comes the 8 wt.  Now I’m looking at Louie and the fighting butt on the 8 wt. is missing, "I took it off." he says.  Silly boy.  By the end of the day, there’s no vest, the 6 wt. never left its tube and he has a hole in his sternum where he had stuck the reel seat on repeated occasions. Best shot of the day – watching Louie’s face as his backing rapidly disappears.  Second best shot of the day, seeing Louie running 100 yds downstream trying to retrieve his backing – after vaulting out of the drift boat. Anyway, a bunch of very feisty chinook was had and all returned in one piece (including the anglers).   Details at 6:00. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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Anyway, a bunch of very feisty chinook was had and all returned in one piece (including the anglers).   Sounds great.  Were there any steelhead in as yet ? Remove "XX" from address

We saw a few but the real run hasn’t gone going yet.  We need colder temps and a *lot* more water. As John fussed with the boat and stuff, there were a bunch of salmon playing in the shallows.  I had a poke at them with the big stick but no joy.  With that experience, I put it away and took out a single hander. Dave got out a rarely used Orvis 8 wt. with a big sinktip that proved to be a difficult line to use in the low water conditions. Dave, by his own admission, was unsure what this fishing would be about and when we found a pod of about 20 salmon cavorting about, he had two silver dollars for eyeballs.   John has a particular way of doing a wet fly swing (he likes the fly oriented north-south – I tend to a broadside presentation) but we both used John’s technique.  We swim the fly in front of the pod and hope that a big, pissed-off male will charge out and nail it.  Frequently, we were not disappointed and Dave got a very lively fish out of this pod within a couple of minutes. Dave hooked up first (a fish probably in the low teens) which promptly peeled off all of his line and a good quantity of backing.  It was a great intro to Saugeen salmon fishing.  He eventually ended up about 100 yards downstream where the fish was netted. A couple of points about these fish.  Credit River salmon are stocked and live in Lake Ontario whereas the Saugeen fish are naturals and live in Lake Huron.  You cannot imagine how much difference this results in.  Saugeen fish, even 70 miles upstream, are fairly bright and in excellent shape.  Credit River stockers are only a few miles up stream and already black and rotting.  The Saugeen fish takes off at a high rate of knots when released, even after a long fight.  He’s usually back cavorting in a minute or two.  Credit River fish often roll over an die upon release after a half-hearted fight.  John told us a story of catching the same chinook three times in succession and it fought just as hard the third time as it did the first. The Saugeen was especially low and clear so the fish were always very obvious.  We drifted over a few steelhead, loads of huge smallies, some browns, red horse suckers, carp, and a few unidentified.  The colours were especially bright in the high sun, and with the warm day, it was a very pleasant trip all-round. Final results were something like four fish each landed and multiple hookups (including one double).  Most of the fish were in the teens but one of mine was over 20 lbs.  We saw and hooked a few bruisers that ran over 30.  All of them took off in long runs.  Some of the fish were quite aerobatic with jumps, lunges and tumbles that often resulted in them being wrapped up in line.  One of mine began to fight funny after a few minutes. On initial hookup, the fish stuck his head out of the water with an open mouthed head shake that told of a fair hook.  By the time we got him landed, the fly was still in his mouth but he had about five winds of line around one fin.  Dave had one where the fly started off in it’s mouth and ended up in it’s tail.  We figured it too got wrapped up in line and then the fly came loose only to reattach. I’ll have a trip on my site by next week with pics that will give some indication of the river and the fish.   It was fun as always having the Pirate up and Thanksgiving dinner will long be remembered for the gales of laughter and the sore sides we had in the morning. Plans are in the offing for the next trip. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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Peter Charles writes: <great report/info snipped Plans are in the offing for the next trip.

Don’t wait too long. Ok, I can’t make it tomorrow, but Friday is open!  d;o)

At the Salmon River, Saugeen next week. Got home after an 8 hour drive (512 miles) in pouring rain, but every time I thought of those fish, I began to smile.

probably brighter than those bright blue Audi headlights. If you’ve  fished with me, you know I don’t move around too well.  Legs and feet are very sore, but hotdamn, ya get an 18 pound salmon on a fly rod and he begins one (1) run that takes you well into your backing, ya hafta fall/leap out of the boat and run after the damn thing.  It ain’t fair.  But, is sure is heart thumping and adrenaline pumping.  And then, the bastid comes running back at you; once your get your line all wound up and clear,  he’s off on another run  into the backing   It is definitely weird to be running downstream in knee-deep water, with your flyrod high and see a fish jump 250 feet in front of you and realize that you are connected to that fish with a hundred feet of line, a hundred and forty feet of backing , 10 feet of 10 pound tippet and a fly that you *know* is gonna go straight any second.  Multiply that by 4 and you have an idea of the day Peter and I had on the Saugeen.  

It was a memorable day fer sure.   I know where Peter lives.  I’ll be back, with a 10 foot 7 weight *with a fighting butt*, a Lamson 3.5 large arbor filled with wf line and as much backing as it can hold. If not next month, Peter, count on late April/early May.  And this time we open the 18 year old stuff.  <G

You mean, like again! Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

Peter Charles writes:

<great report/info snipped Plans are in the offing for the next trip.

Ok, I can’t make it tomorrow, but Friday is open!  d;o) Got home after an 8 hour drive (512 miles) in pouring rain, but every time I thought of those fish, I began to smile. If you’ve  fished with me, you know I don’t move around too well.  Legs and feet are very sore, but hotdamn, ya get an 18 pound salmon on a fly rod and he begins one (1) run that takes you well into your backing, ya hafta fall/leap out of the boat and run after the damn thing.  It ain’t fair.  But, is sure is heart thumping and adrenaline pumping.  And then, the bastid comes running back at you; once your get your line all wound up and clear,  he’s off on another run  into the backing   It is definitely weird to be running downstream in knee-deep water, with your flyrod high and see a fish jump 250 feet in front of you and realize that you are connected to that fish with a hundred feet of line, a hundred and forty feet of backing , 10 feet of 10 pound tippet and a fly that you *know* is gonna go straight any second.  Multiply that by 4 and you have an idea of the day Peter and I had on the Saugeen.   I know where Peter lives.  I’ll be back, with a 10 foot 7 weight *with a fighting butt*, a Lamson 3.5 large arbor filled with wf line and as much backing as it can hold.  If not next month, Peter, count on late April/early May.  And this time we open the 18 year old stuff.  <G Dave

Response:

Sounds like a great trip. Sight fishing for big fish, can’t beat that! Did you catch anything other than the Chinooks?

Nope, we were hoping for steelhead but the conditions were too warm and the water too low.  We saw lots of smallies but with the low, clear water, we saw them when we spooked them.   Not sure I’d call the the Saugeen fish "natural" but the same differences you found here between the stocked and streambred salmon also applies to trout. Even though the genetics might be the same, the stocked fish act differently even after being in the wild for a considerable time. Willi

I used the term ‘natural’ to mean naturally reproducing.  While these chinook exhibit superior characteristics as compared to their stocked cousins, I haven’t seem the same difference between natural and stocked browns on the Grand.  That may have something to do with how the Grand stocking program is managed. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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I thought that Ontario had stopped stocking chinook altogether, but I guess not, eh ?   The strain of chinook used for stocking is one that does not move in until quite late.  I’ve read that what has happened in some cases where natural reproduction has been established is that over generations the salmon have tended to come into rivers earlier and earlier prior to spawning.  It sounds like the Saugeen is one of them.

I’ve always understood that Credit River chinook were stocked as the prospects for natural reproduction were poor.  John confirmed that they were stockers. I’ve not heard about earlier runs but with the Saugeen being farther north, an earlier run is to be expected.  There’s no question that they are much healthier fish. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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      Anyway, a bunch of very feisty chinook was had and all returned in one   piece (including the anglers).       Sounds great.  Were there any steelhead in as yet ?     Remove "XX" from address       A couple of points about these fish.  Credit River salmon are stocked   and live in Lake Ontario whereas the Saugeen fish are naturals and   live in Lake Huron.  You cannot imagine how much difference this   results in.  Saugeen fish, even 70 miles upstream, are fairly bright   and in excellent shape.  Credit River stockers are only a few miles up   stream and already black and rotting.  The Saugeen fish takes off at a   high rate of knots when released, even after a long fight.  He’s   usually back cavorting in a minute or two.  Credit River fish often   roll over an die upon release after a half-hearted fight.  John told   us a story of catching the same chinook three times in succession and   it fought just as hard the third time as it did the first. Sounds like a great trip. Sight fishing for big fish, can’t beat that! Did you catch anything other than the Chinooks? Not sure I’d call the the Saugeen fish "natural" but the same differences you found here between the stocked and streambred salmon also applies to trout. Even though the genetics might be the same, the stocked fish act differently even after being in the wild for a considerable time. Willi

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Question:

  If you see surface disturbances from midging trout does that mean that there is a lot of feeding going on that doesn’t disturb the surface, as well?

Of course it does. That’s why dangling a brassie under an indicator works. There’s nothing to stop you from casting it to the feeding fish that you can see. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

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  Am I missing the boat by not fishing midge pupa & emergers more often? This would generally be blind fishing as the rising fish are on the move and not rising very often so it’s pretty hard to target individual fish. Is it safe to assume that there is more feeding activity going on that does not cause surface disturbance?

I got to do this sort of fishing for the first time last fall.  It is bobber fishing, the line is floating and the leader is hanging at a right angle below the *indicator*.  I got something like 20 strikes but only hooked up with two fish.  My friend later told me that one must lift the rod, not rear backwards in order to set the hook.  Pulling the rod up and back pulled the fly out of the fish’s mouth.  Raising the rod upwards lifted the fly line upwards and consequently the fly moved upwards and the fish is hooked. Mu

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part   Am I missing the boat by not fishing midge pupa & emergers more often?  This would generally be blind fishing as the rising fish are on the move and not rising very often so it’s pretty hard to target individual fish.  Is it safe to assume that there is more feeding activity going on that does not cause surface disturbance? Snoop

Bob, I find I don’t often have the patience to fish small flies to the sporadic risers you mention.  But it depends on definiton of sporadic – I’m thinking once an hour!  These fish, rainbows mostly, are working beats at a fair clip.  But day after day they rise, a good cast (80- 100ft)of the bank in some places, in other right up hard against steep embankments. After some observation, and a little local knowledge you can make a reasonable guess at the beat and fish accordingly. I don’t fish nymphs to these very sporadic fish, I use small lures, 14 or so.  A small Alexandra is my favourite.  The idea being if I get the fly within cooee of the fish I want to get it seen and hopefully eaten.   The size falls in the range of sizes midge the fish are eating and the combination of red, silver, and peacock sword is most attractive to the fish.  Perhaps you have a favorite lure that would scale down to a #14 and be effective. Of course when the water is ‘boiling’ I try pupa, spiders etc. sometimes even with success. have fun filling another flybox Steve

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larger midges (#10 to #16)- called chironomids here in British Columbia are a premier hatch on many stillwaters – in some cases the only real hatch. I commonly fish them with a very slow hand twist retrieve. The idea isn’t so much to move the fly as keep the line tight to the fly. A take is felt as a slight tightening. When sensed just lift the rod. I’ve also used this on the small midge hatches here in the Fraser Valley that occur in late winter. Trout will often fish on emergers and adults. A pupae with a bit of foam at the head or a griffiths gnat are other ways to successfully fish this hatch.

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Some of the most interesting fishing I’ve ever had has been float tubing and using brassies this way, with a spotter up on the rocks directing my casts to the cruising fish. That’s very different from blind fishing a lake with a tiny fly below a bobber, watching the bobber and waiting for a fish.

  Yeah Willi, it’s kind of like watching paint dry.  There really is no chance for sight fishing as the water isn’t that clear.  You can drop a fly on a rise ring and have some success.  Otherwise, it’s blind fishing.  But, isn’t dragging a pair of nymphs through the water kind of the same thing?  You’re just hoping on connecting with a passing fish.  Fine when it works, boring as hell when it doesn’t.   If you see surface disturbances from midging trout does that mean that there is a lot of feeding going on that doesn’t disturb the surface, as well? Snoop — —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Try dangling a small brassie under an indicator, especially when the wind gives the water a little surface ripple. Like Steve says, it’s a boring way to fish. I didn’t say that! It may be kind of boring at times, but it’s far from the MOST boring. Some of the most interesting fishing I’ve ever had has been float tubing and using brassies this way, with a spotter up on the rocks directing my casts to the cruising fish.

That’s very different from blind fishing a lake with a tiny fly below a bobber, watching the bobber and waiting for a fish. Willi

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Some of the most interesting fishing I’ve ever had has been float tubing and using brassies this way, with a spotter up on the rocks directing my casts to the cruising fish. That’s very different from blind fishing a lake with a tiny fly below a bobber, watching the bobber and waiting for a fish.

True. I like to fish to risers from a float tube. It’s fun to try putting a dry fly right into the rise circle before the fish cruises away. It’s even fun to catch stockers this way. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

  Am I missing the boat by not fishing midge pupa & emergers more often?  This would generally be blind fishing as the rising fish are on the move and not rising very often so it’s pretty hard to target individual fish.  Is it safe to assume that there is more feeding activity going on that does not cause surface disturbance? Try dangling a small brassie under an indicator, especially when the wind gives the water a little surface ripple.

Like Steve says, it’s a boring way to fish. Willi

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –   Am I missing the boat by not fishing midge pupa & emergers more often?  This would generally be blind fishing as the rising fish are on the move and not rising very often so it’s pretty hard to target individual fish.  Is it safe to assume that there is more feeding activity going on that does not cause surface disturbance? Try dangling a small brassie under an indicator, especially when the wind gives the water a little surface ripple. Like Steve says, it’s a boring way to fish.

I didn’t say that! It may be kind of boring at times, but it’s far from the MOST boring. Some of the most interesting fishing I’ve ever had has been float tubing and using brassies this way, with a spotter up on the rocks directing my casts to the cruising fish. I think "team" sight fishing is a total kick. Much of the time, because of the lighting conditions and the low sight angle the fisherman has, the fish just can’t be seen by the caster but can clearly be seen by a nonfishing partner. It’s nearly as much fun to spot the fish for your partner as it is to catch them yourself. Toward the end of the steelhead season around Stanley, when I was frankly tired of catching fish, I went to the river and spotted fish for strangers. It was fun. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

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  Am I missing the boat by not fishing midge pupa & emergers more often?  This would generally be blind fishing as the rising fish are on the move and not rising very often so it’s pretty hard to target individual fish.  Is it safe to assume that there is more feeding activity going on that does not cause surface disturbance?

Try dangling a small brassie under an indicator, especially when the wind gives the water a little surface ripple. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

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  I generally use p.t. nymphs, hare’s ears or prince, size 16 to 10 when fishing my favorite lake and have been having pretty good luck.  Of course, they’re going through the motions of trying to spawn and I’m sure that has a lot to do with everyone’s success.   There are a few sporadic rises on this lake at this time of year and there will be more activity as the weather warms.  The fish are swirling on midges, I’m sure.   Am I missing the boat by not fishing midge pupa & emergers more often?  This would generally be blind fishing as the rising fish are on the move and not rising very often so it’s pretty hard to target individual fish.  Is it safe to assume that there is more feeding activity going on that does not cause surface disturbance? Snoop — —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

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Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I bet you that Petah is furiously typing away right this minute, writing something that he will call a "trip report" but that will be nothing but a slanderous document full of lies.  He’ll say that he drank me under the table, that he caught a fish while I didn’t, that I tried to send him down a dead-end lane and almost caused an accident with a UPS truck, and all sorts of other total fabrications.  So I better set things straight right now. First and most important is this nonsense about drinking me under the table.  Well,  well, well, so….. well, maybe it’s kinda true.  But it was just a little table anyhoo, so who cares anyway ?  Everyone knows that Russians don’t drink, so what the hell was I supposed to do ? Now on to that supposed fish of his.  He says he took a picture, no less.  The critical piece of information is that THERE WERE NO WITNESSES.  Heck, I was fishing within 100 feet of the guy all day.  And all of a sudden, he pops up to tell me that he "caught" a fish. Sure.  Everyone who is anyone *knows* that there are no fish in 18 Mile Creek.  Either one of them, actually.  And then there is this malicious fabrication about my driving.  I really don’t want to go down that road, so let’s let it pass.  The UPS truck, that is….

[sounds of furious typing followed by pounding on the delete key] Well I was going to write all about your wonderful hospitality, your generous provision of ample alcoholic beverages while I tried to concentrate on mounting backing and lines on six spools.  Don’t forget sleeping in, nearly jumping (falling) out of bed when I woke you, scrambling the eggs inside and outside the pan.  Then there was the animated sugar bowl.  Especially apropos after you warned me. I particularly enjoyed getting locked out. Getting lost on the way to 18 mile wasn’t bad – especially the, "Are we going east, north, south or west?" bit or my favourite, "Where’s the sun?"  and the always popular, "This spot doesn’t look like it used to.  Maybe it’s the wrong spot?" Oh, don’t forget the seat belt test on Sturgeon Point Road – especially enjoyable while nursing a hangover.  The seat belt works, BTW.  The UPS driver took it all in stride – I think he knew you. Mustn’t forget the Artpark – like let’s park as far away as possible then take the Niagara Gorge obstacle course route to the water.  For a man who falls down on level ground . . . . Best of all, "I caught a steelhead!  I caught a steelhead!  And you didn’t!!!  nah, nah"   That was fun.  When we gonna do it again? Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

That was fun.  When we gonna do it again? Well, now that you’ve worked out the anger, I think that it may be safe for me to think about another one.  You drive next time, tho:  I can’t stand the suspense.

ooooh, I can hardly wait.  Ask Forty.  <BSEG Actually, a thought just occurred to me – Forty put you up to it, didn’t he?  He wanted to see me as a helpless, post-inebriated passenger.  Where’s my shit list . . . (cue the ominous music) BTW, I don’t get angry, I get even. <EG and for the rest of ROFF readership, here follows the real TR. I won’t bore you with the preliminaries as that has already (ahem) been discussed. When someone tells you about a new creek, describes it a bit, one forms a mental image of the place.  The prosaic name ‘18 Mile Creek’ doesn’t do justice to the place, nor did my mental image.  Winding through a gorge cut into the shale, it’s one of the prettiest places that I’ve visited in the Great Lakes area and we were seeing her at her worst – bereft of greenery.  The water was high and off colour, my favourite steelhead conditions, as I find the fish to be quite bold in such water.  We had experienced an early spring snowfall so the creek is full of cold meltwater.  It is a bit busy, being a holiday Friday, but room was found to work. Greg picked a large flat that usually held fish while I scouted for other water.  I was looking for a ’step’ arrangement – chutes or riffles separated by moderate to deep flats or pools.  I find that steelies congregate either at the base of the chute in preparation for their run up, or where the chute tails out into the pool, where they seem to ‘catch their breath’ as it were.  I’ve hooked most of my steelhead from this type of water, I suppose, because the fish are just resting and not otherwise occupied. I have a favourite pattern for this colour water – it’s a large, marabou purple and black spey tied spider style.  On some, I’ll add an overwing of purple crystal flash.  I only had two of these left, one large winged version, and one smaller one, sans wing.  The winged version hooked me a steelhead within about five minutes of fishing – a nice, very fat hen of about 5 or 6 lbs.  She was in her mating colours but still somewhat bright – a nice fish in good shape.  I kept her in water while I took a picture and removed the hook – she was off like a bullet as soon as I moved her deeper. Both of us moved about and Greg tried the other side where another creek flows in to meet the main branch.  I was working close by and hooked another fish on the dangle just as I was about to cast. Earlier, I had lost the winged P&B on a rock, now I lost the small one on the fish as I popped it off when I lifted the rod to cast (didn’t realize I had a fish on.)  Greg had found a really nice spot but wasn’t rewarded with a fish.  We both had some bumps and I found that the P&Bs enticed a few hits, but either the fish didn’t like the other patterns or they had shut down for it was pretty quiet after that. We were having a chat about where to fish next when a family horde descended down the path.  "Artpark" was an instant, unanimous decision.  The Artpark sits on the side of the Niagara River and again, didn’t live up to my mental image as I had pictured the park extending close to that water.  It doesn’t.  This requires either a descent along the side of the gorge wall, or a trek down stairs.  You already know about our route.  I had taken the big stick down, with the Airflo shooting head – a perfect spot for it, I thought. The Niagara River seems boil right in front of us with huge eddies, upwellings and these deceptive flats that are actually very fast laminar flows.  Last time out spey casting with the big stick had been on a beach and a pier.  This was neither.  The jumbled, broken rock thrusts up it’s gnarled knuckles to snare your unsuspecting fly.  Let the line swing on the dangle and it’s snatched away.  Like a witch’s cauldron, the turbulent water sucks the line down – at times I’m retrieving line almost vertically out of the water – so normal line lifts are impossible.  Distance casting isn’t necessary as the fish holding water only extends out about 60′-70′ which is a good thing as the changing currents and other difficulties were making normal methods useless.  I resorted to stripping in most of the head into the guides, roll cast out most of it then spey cast out the 70′ – not pretty but it sorta worked.  Unfortunately, I managed to lose a bunch of flies before I figured this out.   Greg, being the master of the Artpark, was casting away, unperturbed by the conditions.  Greg got a bump but I only felt rock.  So endeth the day. Thank you Mr. Greg. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

Question:

I am seriously considering opening a flyshop, but need help with methods of capture.  I have tried using fly strips, but can’t get a complete fly loose from the strip.  Wings, legs, and various other body parts just peel off the flys.  I have also tried using the fly rod, but I can only imagine that one must be especially adept at hooking flys with a long pole, loose string, and a tiny hook.  I have considered using my hands, but that is so disgusting. Once caught, how does one go about preserving the fly for sale? Any help would be greatly appreciated!  Fishing-Shop Fellow

Response:

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Waldo has this pal Opie that always seems to have flies buzzing about… <g — Charlie…

Response:

Need to work on my stealth posting methods too, I guess? Opie     **Psychic To The Recently Deceased**

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am seriously considering opening a flyshop, but need help with methods of capture.  I have tried using fly strips, but can’t get a complete fly loose from the strip.  Wings, legs, and various other body parts just peel off the flys.  I have also tried using the fly rod, but I can only imagine that one must be especially adept at hooking flys with a long pole, loose string, and a tiny hook.  I have considered using my hands, but that is so disgusting. Once caught, how does one go about preserving the fly for sale? Any help would be greatly appreciated!  Fishing-Shop Fellow

Response:

Need to work on my stealth posting methods too, I guess?

Nah, that’s about the right amount. Too much and it’s not funny, it’s just sneaky. — Charlie…

Response:

Dammit Charlie, I was goin’ for sneaky, not funny.  Who would ever figger that anyone would actually notice my e-address? Opie     **Psychic To The Recently Deceased**

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Need to work on my stealth posting methods too, I guess? Nah, that’s about the right amount. Too much and it’s not funny, it’s just sneaky. — Charlie…

Response:

Just keep your mouth wide open, and remove the contents occasionally.

It will also help immensely if you eat shit. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

Now that’s just down right rude Stevie!  I hope that you don’t eat with that mouth. I hope your horsey has better manners! Opie     **Psychic To The Recently Deceased**

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just keep your mouth wide open, and remove the contents occasionally. It will also help immensely if you eat shit. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

Just keep your mouth wide open, and remove the contents occasionally. TL MC — "If you have tried everything you know, and nothing works, then perhaps it is time to accept that you don

Question:

Great report Steve! I envy you…three years ago I had to spend two weeks staight in Colorado for my new job and a guy in my training class wanted to take me fly fishing (this was before I ever had even held a fly rod).  Since I knew nothing about it, and my friend was not from around there either, I fugured we would spend a whole Saturday just trying to find a place to fish so I declined.  He talked a nice looking young Blonde woman in our class into going (seems she was an expert) and they had the time of their lives. Sometimes I could just kick my own ass!! Tim

Response:

(snip)

 so I declined.  He talked a nice looking young Blonde woman in our class into going (seems she was an expert) and they had the time of their lives. Sometimes I could just kick my own ass!! Tim

David

Response:

I was in Colorado Springs this last week on business, and finding out beforehand that my hotel would be just over an hour from some very nice trout waters, I brought along a couple of fly rods, chest waders, and boots. As it turned out, although I didn’t have much time to fish, the extra baggage was well worth it. I’m writing this post as I sit in the airplane on the flight home. After finishing up my work on Monday evening, I sped off to the nearest fly shop–Angler’s Covey (www.anglerscovey.com)–and bought a three-day license and a few flies. Angler’s Covey is a great little place and the folks were very helpful. They showed me maps of the area and told me that most of the fishing in the surrounding reservoirs and rivers is done with nymphs and streamers. Despite not having done any wet-fly fishing to speak of, I concluded that I’d give it a try, but I bought a few dries to use when I (inevitably) got tired of not catching anything. While I was looking around in the fly shop, I saw that they had Bucks Bag pontoon-style float tubes on sale. I’ve looked for these at home (Raleigh, NC area) and have found that they are either in short supply or are way over-priced. So, I closed my eyes, squeezed the trigger, and bought one. As I sit here, it dawns on me that sometime before this plane lands I’m going to have to figure out how I’m going to hide this latest impulse purchase from my wife. Anyway, by the time I had everything, it was too late to get to any trout waters before dark, so I set my sites on a community lake in the middle of town. I’m told that Quail Lake contains a wide variety of fish–bluegill, bass, catfish, pike, gar, and even trout–but I can only confirm that it contains bluegill. I caught a mighty two-incher on a size 18 mosquito in about an hour of fishing. From what I could tell as I looked across the pond at the handful of bait-fishermen along the opposite shore, I was the only one who caught anything. Under normal circumstances, I would have religiously killed and eaten such a prize fish, but not having so much as a toaster in my hotel room, I had to reluctantly release the fish to its most assured death. Despite my lack of success, I had a great time practicing my roll cast and deepening my relationship with my newest reel (the Bougle I bought from Walt Winter, www.ezflyfish.com). I’ll admit I got a few grins and chuckles from some of the other people at the lake ("what on earth is a fly fisherman doing in a place like this?") but most everyone left me alone. Everyone, that is, except for the old codger who approached me and said "just what the hell are you trying to catch?" To which I responded, "I have absolutely no idea. You tell me." Too bad he wasn’t there to see me haul in that two-inch beauty!! Tuesday night my work ended earlier, so I headed west from Colorado Springs, past Pike’s Peak and along Highway 24 to Eleven-Mile Canyon. Some may say that religion doesn’t play a role in a discussion of fly fishing, and that may well be true, but there are places on earth that reaffirm a man’s faith that a Supreme Being had a hand in the creation of the world. Eleven-Mile Canyon is such a place. It is a narrow canyon formed of ancient running waters, with a mixture of high-mountain meadows and granite rock formations that one must see to believe. Were it not for the beauty of the South Platte river that flows from the canyon, I might have completely forgotten that I had come to fish, and focused my attention instead on the unbelievable boulders and cliffs and mountain air that left me both literally and figuratively breathless. I saw few other people as I drove along the dirt road that follows the path of the river, and indeed it seemed as though I had the canyon all to myself. Rather than descending in altitude at a constant rate as it travels down the canyon, the river (not often more than ten feet wide or more than four feet deep) alternates between whitewater rapids and meandering stream. Regardless, at every turn the water appeared to me to be entirely fishable and I could hardly wait to pull over and make the first anxious casts. Following the advice I’d been given by a nice gentleman at the entrance to the canyon, I drove about five miles up the road and began to fish some of the pools in the faster water with a San Juan Worm and a Woolly Bugger. Earlier in the day I had felt a bit of a fool for bringing along my long-sleeved shirt, heavy hip waders and felt-soled boots, especially with the weather as warm as it has been in Raleigh as of late, but I was glad I had them with me. The water was deliciously cold and the air was crisp. (Indeed, at 8:00pm I observed that the air temperature was 55F.) I worked my way up the stream, flailing away with my strike indicator and nymph, without so much as a clue what I was doing, but having a blast the whole way. But after about an hour of climbing in and out of pools and over rocks without so much as a strike, I began to get a bit intimidated by the speed of the water and my lack of nymphing knowledge, so I decided to head back down the canyon. About two miles down, I came to a meadow I had passed earlier where the water slows and softens, and noticing I only had a few moments of daylight left, I was overcome by the need to make a few final casts. After spending the previous hour amid the loud gurgle of rapid water, I was startled at how quiet the canyon had become. I quickly tied on a dry fly and tried my luck again. My moving-water fly presentation leaves much to be desired–indeed it could be said without too much exaggeration that the length of my drag-free drift is often no longer than my arm–but at least I could see the fly and I could see fish rising to take flies in the twilight. Within a few minutes I had several near-misses and soon thereafter caught a very nice rainbow trout. After a respectable battle, I let the fish go, and upon inspecting my fly noticed that it was pretty beat-up. By the time I replaced the fly (I’m trying to be more deliberate in the way I tie the clinch knot these days), dusk had turned to dark and it was time to go. It would have been nice to catch more than one fish, but as I made the 75 minute treck back to the hotel, my spirits were soaring. I had caught a trout in Colorado on a dry fly amidst the back drop of some of the best scenery this world has to offer. Later that evening, I chatted with George Gerke and told him of my trip. He used to live in Colorado, and he gave me the phone number of an old friend of his who lives in Colorado Springs and told me to call him. Actually, he did more than that. He went so far as to call his friend and upon receiving no answer called his friend’s son. Say what you will about George Gerke, but he has his heart in the right place even if his foot sometimes finds itself where it doesn’t belong. George, if you’re reading this… even though I wasn’t able to make contact with Phil (he was out of town as you know), I sincerely appreciated your gesture and consider you a friend. It showed me a side of you that doesn’t always make its way into your newsgroup posts. Thank you. Wednesday evening I went back up to Eleven-Mile canyon and, arriving later than I had the previous night, went straight to the meandering-water section of the river and fished almost exclusively with dry flies. (I tried a San Juan Worm when I first got there–I would like to get good at nymphing–but as soon as fish started rising I switched over to dries.) I caught two frisky 10" brown trout– both of which after being hooked spent more time in the air than in the water–and I observed that the fish seemed to care much less about what fly I presented than how I presented it. I’m looking forward to the Fall Ball as it will hopefully give me the chance to watch a few of you and learn a few things. As it turned out, Wednesday was my last opportunity to fish and although I’m disappointed that I was only able to spend about five hours fishing during the week, I had an absolutely wonderful time. I caught fish, I soaked in the beauty of God’s creation, and my company paid for the whole trip. Sometimes life is good. Tailing Loops, Steve Zimmerman PS. I’m back home now. My new float tube is still in the trunk. I’m still trying to figure out how to explain it to Julie and how to hide it in my expense report.

Response:

Great story Steve……hmmm float tube eh…. could be those bass down in Cary are in fer a wee bit of trouble. –Walt – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was in Colorado Springs this last week on business, and finding out beforehand that my hotel would be just over an hour from some very nice trout waters, I brought along a couple of fly rods, chest waders, and boots. As it turned out, although I didn’t have much time to fish, the extra baggage was well worth it. I’m writing this post as I sit in the airplane on the flight home. After finishing up my work on Monday evening, I sped off to the nearest fly shop–Angler’s Covey (www.anglerscovey.com)–and bought a three-day license and a few flies. Angler’s Covey is a great little place and the folks were very helpful. They showed me maps of the area and told me that most of the fishing in the surrounding reservoirs and rivers is done with nymphs and streamers. Despite not having done any wet-fly fishing to speak of, I concluded that I’d give it a try, but I bought a few dries to use when I (inevitably) got tired of not catching anything. While I was looking around in the fly shop, I saw that they had Bucks Bag pontoon-style float tubes on sale. I’ve looked for these at home (Raleigh, NC area) and have found that they are either in short supply or are way over-priced. So, I closed my eyes, squeezed the trigger, and bought one. As I sit here, it dawns on me that sometime before this plane lands I’m going to have to figure out how I’m going to hide this latest impulse purchase from my wife. Anyway, by the time I had everything, it was too late to get to any trout waters before dark, so I set my sites on a community lake in the middle of town. I’m told that Quail Lake contains a wide variety of fish–bluegill, bass, catfish, pike, gar, and even trout–but I can only confirm that it contains bluegill. I caught a mighty two-incher on a size 18 mosquito in about an hour of fishing. From what I could tell as I looked across the pond at the handful of bait-fishermen along the opposite shore, I was the only one who caught anything. Under normal circumstances, I would have religiously killed and eaten such a prize fish, but not having so much as a toaster in my hotel room, I had to reluctantly release the fish to its most assured death. Despite my lack of success, I had a great time practicing my roll cast and deepening my relationship with my newest reel (the Bougle I bought from Walt Winter, www.ezflyfish.com). I’ll admit I got a few grins and chuckles from some of the other people at the lake ("what on earth is a fly fisherman doing in a place like this?") but most everyone left me alone. Everyone, that is, except for the old codger who approached me and said "just what the hell are you trying to catch?" To which I responded, "I have absolutely no idea. You tell me." Too bad he wasn’t there to see me haul in that two-inch beauty!! Tuesday night my work ended earlier, so I headed west from Colorado Springs, past Pike’s Peak and along Highway 24 to Eleven-Mile Canyon. Some may say that religion doesn’t play a role in a discussion of fly fishing, and that may well be true, but there are places on earth that reaffirm a man’s faith that a Supreme Being had a hand in the creation of the world. Eleven-Mile Canyon is such a place. It is a narrow canyon formed of ancient running waters, with a mixture of high-mountain meadows and granite rock formations that one must see to believe. Were it not for the beauty of the South Platte river that flows from the canyon, I might have completely forgotten that I had come to fish, and focused my attention instead on the unbelievable boulders and cliffs and mountain air that left me both literally and figuratively breathless. I saw few other people as I drove along the dirt road that follows the path of the river, and indeed it seemed as though I had the canyon all to myself. Rather than descending in altitude at a constant rate as it travels down the canyon, the river (not often more than ten feet wide or more than four feet deep) alternates between whitewater rapids and meandering stream. Regardless, at every turn the water appeared to me to be entirely fishable and I could hardly wait to pull over and make the first anxious casts. Following the advice I’d been given by a nice gentleman at the entrance to the canyon, I drove about five miles up the road and began to fish some of the pools in the faster water with a San Juan Worm and a Woolly Bugger. Earlier in the day I had felt a bit of a fool for bringing along my long-sleeved shirt, heavy hip waders and felt-soled boots, especially with the weather as warm as it has been in Raleigh as of late, but I was glad I had them with me. The water was deliciously cold and the air was crisp. (Indeed, at 8:00pm I observed that the air temperature was 55F.) I worked my way up the stream, flailing away with my strike indicator and nymph, without so much as a clue what I was doing, but having a blast the whole way. But after about an hour of climbing in and out of pools and over rocks without so much as a strike, I began to get a bit intimidated by the speed of the water and my lack of nymphing knowledge, so I decided to head back down the canyon. About two miles down, I came to a meadow I had passed earlier where the water slows and softens, and noticing I only had a few moments of daylight left, I was overcome by the need to make a few final casts. After spending the previous hour amid the loud gurgle of rapid water, I was startled at how quiet the canyon had become. I quickly tied on a dry fly and tried my luck again. My moving-water fly presentation leaves much to be desired–indeed it could be said without too much exaggeration that the length of my drag-free drift is often no longer than my arm–but at least I could see the fly and I could see fish rising to take flies in the twilight. Within a few minutes I had several near-misses and soon thereafter caught a very nice rainbow trout. After a respectable battle, I let the fish go, and upon inspecting my fly noticed that it was pretty beat-up. By the time I replaced the fly (I’m trying to be more deliberate in the way I tie the clinch knot these days), dusk had turned to dark and it was time to go. It would have been nice to catch more than one fish, but as I made the 75 minute treck back to the hotel, my spirits were soaring. I had caught a trout in Colorado on a dry fly amidst the back drop of some of the best scenery this world has to offer. Later that evening, I chatted with George Gerke and told him of my trip. He used to live in Colorado, and he gave me the phone number of an old friend of his who lives in Colorado Springs and told me to call him. Actually, he did more than that. He went so far as to call his friend and upon receiving no answer called his friend’s son. Say what you will about George Gerke, but he has his heart in the right place even if his foot sometimes finds itself where it doesn’t belong. George, if you’re reading this… even though I wasn’t able to make contact with Phil (he was out of town as you know), I sincerely appreciated your gesture and consider you a friend. It showed me a side of you that doesn’t always make its way into your newsgroup posts. Thank you. Wednesday evening I went back up to Eleven-Mile canyon and, arriving later than I had the previous night, went straight to the meandering-water section of the river and fished almost exclusively with dry flies. (I tried a San Juan Worm when I first got there–I would like to get good at nymphing–but as soon as fish started rising I switched over to dries.) I caught two frisky 10" brown trout– both of which after being hooked spent more time in the air than in the water–and I observed that the fish seemed to care much less about what fly I presented than how I presented it. I’m looking forward to the Fall Ball as it will hopefully give me the chance to watch a few of you and learn a few things. As it turned out, Wednesday was my last opportunity to fish and although I’m disappointed that I was only able to spend about five hours fishing during the week, I had an absolutely wonderful time. I caught fish, I soaked in the beauty of God’s creation, and my company paid for the whole trip. Sometimes life is good. Tailing Loops, Steve Zimmerman PS. I’m back home now. My new float tube is still in the trunk. I’m still trying to figure out how to explain it to Julie and how to hide it in my expense report.

– Ezflyfish.com http://www.ezflyfish.com BRBG http://www.abebooks.com/home/BLUEBOOKS P.O. Box 5112  Banner Elk, NC 28604 (828)963-5001

Response:

I was in Colorado Springs this last week on business, and finding out beforehand that my hotel would be just over an hour from some very nice trout waters, I brought along a couple of fly rods, chest waders, and boots. As it turned out, although I didn’t have much time to fish, the extra baggage was well worth it. I’m writing this post as I sit in the airplane on the flight home. After finishing up my work on Monday evening, I sped off to the nearest fly shop–Angler’s Covey (www.anglerscovey.com)–and bought a three-day license and a few flies. Angler’s Covey is a great little place and the folks were very helpful. They showed me maps of the area and told me that most of the fishing in the surrounding reservoirs and rivers is done with nymphs and streamers. Despite not having done any wet-fly fishing to speak of, I concluded that I’d give it a try, but I bought a few dries to use when I (inevitably) got tired of not catching anything. While I was looking around in the fly shop, I saw that they had Bucks Bag pontoon-style float tubes on sale. I’ve looked for these at home (Raleigh, NC area) and have found that they are either in short supply or are way over-priced. So, I closed my eyes, squeezed the trigger, and bought one. As I sit here, it dawns on me that sometime before this plane lands I’m going to have to figure out how I’m going to hide this latest impulse purchase from my wife.

_______  Tell her you bought her this neat new style pillow for the waterbed? Anyway, by the time I had everything, it was too late to get to any trout waters before dark, so I set my sites on a community lake in the middle of town. I’m told that Quail Lake contains a wide variety of fish–bluegill, bass, catfish, pike, gar, and even trout–but I can only confirm that it contains bluegill. I caught a mighty two-incher on a size 18 mosquito in about an hour of fishing. From what I could tell as I looked across the pond at the handful of bait-fishermen along the opposite shore, I was the only one who caught anything. Under normal circumstances, I would have religiously killed and eaten such a prize fish, but not having so much as a toaster in my hotel room, I had to reluctantly release the fish to its most assured death.

Ha!  Love it.  Perhaps you took a picture/release?  Is that C & PR? Despite my lack of success, I had a great time practicing my roll cast and deepening my relationship with my newest reel (the Bougle I bought from Walt Winter, www.ezflyfish.com). I’ll admit I got a few grins and chuckles from some of the other people at the lake ("what on earth is a fly fisherman doing in a place like this?")

_______  Didn’t they notice ‘that desperate look?’ but most everyone left me alone. Everyone, that is, except for the old codger who approached me and said "just what the hell are you trying to catch?" To which I responded, "I have absolutely no idea. You tell me." Too bad he wasn’t there to see me haul in that two-inch beauty!! Tuesday night my work ended earlier, so I headed west from Colorado Springs, past Pike’s Peak and along Highway 24 to Eleven-Mile Canyon. Some may say that religion doesn’t play a role in a discussion of fly fishing, and that may well be true, but there are places on earth that reaffirm a man’s faith that a Supreme Being had a hand in the creation of the world. Eleven-Mile Canyon is such a place. It is a narrow canyon formed of ancient running waters, with a mixture of high-mountain meadows and granite rock formations that one must see to believe. Were it not for the beauty of the South Platte river that flows from the canyon, I might have completely forgotten that I had come to fish, and focused my attention instead on the unbelievable boulders and cliffs and mountain air that left me both literally and figuratively breathless. I saw few other people as I drove along the dirt road that follows the path of the river, and indeed it seemed as though I had the canyon all to myself. Rather than descending in altitude at a constant rate as it travels down the canyon, the river (not often more than ten feet wide or more than four feet deep) alternates between whitewater rapids and meandering stream. Regardless, at every turn the water appeared to me to be entirely fishable and I could hardly wait to pull over and make the first anxious casts. Following the advice I’d been given by a nice gentleman at the entrance to the canyon, I drove about five miles up the road and began to fish some of the pools in the faster water with a San Juan Worm and a Woolly Bugger.

Earlier in the day I had felt a bit of a fool for bringing along my long-sleeved shirt, heavy hip waders and felt-soled boots, especially with the weather as warm as it has been in Raleigh as of late, but I was glad I had them with me. The water was deliciously cold and the air was crisp. (Indeed, at 8:00pm I observed that the air temperature was 55F.) I worked my way up the stream, flailing away with my strike indicator and nymph,

without so much as a clue what I was doing, but having a blast the whole way. But after about an hour of climbing in and out of pools and over rocks without so much as a strike, I began to get a bit intimidated by the speed of the water and my lack of nymphing knowledge, so I decided to head back down the canyon. About two miles down, I came to a meadow I had passed earlier where the water slows and softens, and noticing I only had a few moments of daylight left, I was overcome by the need to make a few final casts. After spending the previous hour amid the loud gurgle of rapid water, I was startled at how quiet the canyon had become. I quickly tied on a dry fly and tried my luck again. My moving-water fly presentation leaves much to be desired–indeed it could be said without too much exaggeration that the length of my drag-free drift is often no longer than my arm–but at least I could see the fly and I could see fish rising to take flies in the twilight. Within a few minutes I had several near-misses and soon thereafter caught a very nice rainbow trout. After a respectable battle, I let the fish go, and upon inspecting my fly noticed that it was pretty beat-up. By the time I replaced the fly (I’m trying to be more deliberate in the way I tie the clinch knot these days), dusk had turned to dark and it was time to go. It would have been nice to catch more than one fish, but as I made the 75 minute treck back to the hotel, my spirits were soaring. I had caught a trout in Colorado on a dry fly amidst the back drop of some of the best scenery this world has to offer.

______  You were in my back yard CodeGuy.  I know exactly where you were.  Every pool, every riffle.  I wish I was there for you. Later that evening, I chatted with George Gerke and told him of my trip. He used to live in Colorado, and he gave me the phone number of an old friend of his who lives in Colorado Springs and told me to call him. Actually, he did more than that. He went so far as to call his friend and upon receiving no answer called his friend’s son. Say what you will about George Gerke, but he has his heart in the right place even if his foot sometimes finds itself where it doesn’t belong. George, if you’re reading this… even though I wasn’t able to make contact with Phil (he was out of town as you know), I sincerely appreciated your gesture and consider you a friend. It showed me a side of you that doesn’t always make its way into your newsgroup posts. Thank you.

_______ Awe shucks CodeGuy, I lost my head.  I’m a sucker for the newborn but your enthusiasm is so dang contagious!!! Wednesday evening I went back up to Eleven-Mile canyon and, arriving later than I had the previous night, went straight to the meandering-water section of the river and fished almost exclusively with dry flies. (I tried a San Juan Worm when I first got there–I would like to get good at nymphing–but as soon as fish started rising I switched over to dries.) I caught two frisky 10" brown trout– both of which after being hooked spent more time in the air than in the water–and I observed that the fish seemed to care much less about what fly I presented than how I presented it. I’m looking forward to the Fall Ball as it will hopefully give me the chance to watch a few of you and learn a few things. As it turned out, Wednesday was my last opportunity to fish and although I’m disappointed that I was only able to spend about five hours fishing during the week, I had an absolutely wonderful time. I caught fish, I soaked in the beauty of God’s creation, and my company paid for the whole trip. Sometimes life is good. Tailing Loops, Steve Zimmerman PS. I’m back home now. My new float tube is still in the trunk. I’m still trying to figure out how to explain it to Julie and how to hide it in my expense report.

your bed.  Go to the front room and wait.  When you hear a blood curdling scream, she found it!  Calmly walk in and ask, "Did you call honey?" Seriously Steve, Great report.  You took me back home.  I would love to take you fishing like you’ve never seen it in your life.  Just drop by. I will show you all the things you’ve always wanted to know. When it comes to fly fishing I can guarantee it.  You have the main ingredient.  You have the passion.  Nothing else matters with me. Again, thanks for sharing.  I absolutely loved every word. — Mr. G.   http://www.gink.com/html  Fly Fisherman’s Chat Site   "Flyfisherman’s Camp Fires Burning" http://www.gink.com http://www.rodbuilding.com http://www.xink.com

Question:

Hello I am from the Azores. Have you ever considered coming to these islands ? Guess what the climate isn’t so bad, the people are great. Nature is still nature. Good for paraglidings, snorkling, fishing, etc. Lots of folk festivals during the summer. The land owners are as a vast majority great. We hava never had major problems with them. Of course you don’t land on a field that has just been plowed or near a place where they are milking the cows, just common sense. Just ask all the world champions that have been here how much fun it was. Even though there isn’t much termal activity there’s still some great flying. There’s no competition, just fly for fun. If it’s not good for flying, no problem let’s all go for a swim in cristal clear waters. Two major paragliding events in the Azores. In June on the island of S. Miguel and in August on the islands of Faial and Pico. Camping is great fun. Inexpensive boarding houses or hotels. Let us know and we can get you settled. E-mail me if you need further assistance or information on Azorean paragliding web sites. Jo

Question:

bellows writes: actually, the reverse of that is what we should be looking for.  we should work to stop the offshore-mixed stock fisheries and work to create selective harvest methods in terminal fisheries.  you are right though, we cannot have both offshore mix-stock and terminal fisheries at the same time.  the tribes didn’t destroy the resource, and they probably take less columbia river fish than alaska and canada (steelhead excepted).  the problem is the method, gill-nets are plain wrong when you have co-mingled fish stocks, which is basically all the time.

Modify or eliminate the dams, and there would be plenty of wild salmon for everyone. CQ

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I want to expand further on what I discussed in my first post.  I didn’t take  the time to go into detail so I came away sounding like a redneck who doesn’t  feel the tribes should have access to the fish.  They should.  Afterall, they  were fishing for salmon long before the first European stepped foot on the  land in North America.  However, I think there are better solutions out there  then running gill nets around the clock for several weeks at a time.

you are correct, there are options.  the state and feds should be trying to develop and encourage selective fisheries when it comes to commercial fisheries, whether they be treaty or non-treaty. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Salmon/steelhead fishing has become a game of who has the most money in our  state.  I despise  politics because of special interest monies way of buying  influence vs. doing the right thing.  That is why I enjoy getting out on the  water.  It is one of the few acts that normally doesn’t involve much in the  way of politics.  Salmon/steelhead fishing is the exception to this.  If your  resources are endanger, common sense says you do the right thing and shut the  fishing down for a year or two to EVERYBODY.  That way, you get your fish  stocks back up  and the resource is boosted.  Cutting off sportsmen in the  least populated section of the state does nothing but tell us where we really  stand.

in most cases, i would agree with that statement regarding closures, but in the columbia river system will closures restore the stocks?  i believe that signifigant strides must be made towards increasing the survival of downstream and upstream migrants through the dams before real gains will be seen in the upper columbia basin.  it’s not just eastern washington getting the short end of the stick (resource).  where i live, along the strait of juan de fuca, communities are going belly up because salmon seasons have been cut dramatically, while commercial fishermen keep netting. One person mentioned that they didn’t think the tribal fishing accounted for  much of the catch.  If I am not mistaken, the tribes are entitled to 50% of  the commercial catch each year.  I may be mistaken on this but those are the  numbers I have heard.

i said that, and i stand behind it.  with regard to salmon the tribes take less fish than the offshore fisheries in alaska, canada and washington. with steelhead they are the only commercial fishers and catch too many wild fish in their nets (goes back to how much we need selective fisheries that allow the live release of wild fish).  the tribes are entitled to 50% of the fish, but they do not always catch the 50%. the problem with the tribal fisheries is that we can see what they are doing.  we don’t see the millions of fish that get caught off the coast, from alaska to the columbia, and the tribes get a larger share of the blame than they deserve (not that they are blameless). Irregardless of catch percentage, you can’t feel very good about seeing row  after row of nets all the way across the river during the main part of the  run.  You know that any type of fish that swims by is getting caught in the  net.   In closing, when you are dealing with a limited resource that is in much  demand, you can’t make everybody happy.  However, it just seems like the  sportsmen are the ones asked to give up their rights first.

the state had no other option but to close the upper columbia.  they have no control over the main problem, which are the dams, and very little control over tribal netting.  the date for listing was oct. 17th, so the state acted ahead of time.  next year will be the test year as to whether the tribal fishing will be restricted also.  another thing that made the closures automatic was the listing of the upper columbia hatchery fish (which heavily outnumber wild fish) as endangered.  this took away the option of fishing for hatchery fish and releasing wild fish, which has been the case for the seasons precluding this one.  I just bought a  new salmon fly rod blank a week before they closed down ALL of the steelhead  fisheries in my area.  I now have to drive 6 hours one way to use it. That  isn’t going to happen so I am building the rod for my sister in AK instead.  At least there she will get to use it.  At least in this round, I am the loser  while the folks who have the loudest voices still have all their fishing rights.

 it’s time to work for true restoration of wild, naturally spawning salmonids in the columbia system.  it’s time for BPA to put some money into wild, native fish management.  it’s time for other groups with loud voices such as the industries that use the columbia to the detriment of the fish to take some hits to restore the once large runs of salmon and steelhead to this river.  i’m willing to pay more money for electricity to help fund measures that help wild salmon.  i’m willing to accept closures to give the fish a break, but only if i see a real effort to restore the runs, not as an excuse to do nothing.  i would love to see the tribes sue the hell out of the government to make them take the steps to restore wild salmon.

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actually, the reverse of that is what we should be looking for.  we should work to stop the offshore-mixed stock fisheries and work to create selective harvest methods in terminal fisheries.  you are right though, we cannot have both offshore mix-stock and terminal fisheries at the same time.  the tribes didn’t destroy the resource, and they probably take less columbia river fish than alaska and canada (steelhead excepted).  

I think it would be fair to say that Canada would support reduced interceptions of columbia River salmon to the extent you can persuade Alaska from intercepting fish bound for our rivers. I believe some action has been taken to protect Columbia River fish off the West Coast of Vancouver Island though I’m not sure of the numbers and it likely isn’t enough – however interceptions by Alaska are the major problem and have to be addressed. It’s an issue that have very broad implications far beyond the commercial fishery and the Pacific Salmon Treaty. Ralph H remove "(take_this_out)" for email reply.

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I had the good fortune of meeting the Director of Fish & Wildlife, Bern Shanks, last night while he spoke at the Renton Chapter of Puget Sound Anglers. His basic message was this: Unless we make some drastic changes in the way our state is managing our salmon and steelhead, we will no longer be charged with that management resposnibility, the Federal Government will. He said that it appears to those in Olympia that the only parties interested in the outcome of this struggle to save salmon are the commercial fishing interests and Washington tribes. Please read my article and contact a commissioner and your elected representatives in Olympia. There is a crucial vote pending before the F&W Commission that will decide on a Wild Salmonid Policy option that will have significant lasting impacts on our future abilities to fish for and catch salmon and steelhead in this state. My article can be found at http://www.nwfishing.com/dweitl/ww1.html Thanks. — David and B.J. Weitl Poulsbo, Washington Washington Statewide Fishing Reports http://www.nwfishing.com/dweitl/ww1.html

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – David, Thanks for the update.  I know many anglers who are mad as hell at the way this  states salmon and steelhead are managed.  Skip Knowles, publisher of the  Washington Fishing and Hunting News, has been an ongoing advocate who has been  trying to raise everbodys awareness and has done a great job.  In my personal  opinion, the sportsman are just fed up with nobody listening to what we have  to say.  It seems that the commercial and tribal fisherman have all their  attention. A classic example of this is the recent listing of the upriver steelhead as  endangered species.  The tribal and commericial fisherman can net the hell out  of them in the lower Columbia, but once they pass a certain dam and are no  longer of interest to these two parties, they become "endangered."  The only  loser here is the sportsmen. Then, to top it off, some clown wants to open the Hanford reach to a commercial  fishing study two weeks later.  (The same fish that are now considered  endangered here would have been exposed to commercial nets!) Fortunately this  was nixed by Senator Murray. I personally don’t know what else to do.  It seems that special intersts have  outbid the sportsman to the the point that we don’t  have much of a voice  anymore. The solution here is simple:  GET THE TRIBAL NETS OUT OF THE WATER AND CREATE A  NON COMMERCIAL NO FISHING ZONE AROUND THE OUTLETS TO THESE RIVERS.

actually, the reverse of that is what we should be looking for.  we should work to stop the offshore-mixed stock fisheries and work to create selective harvest methods in terminal fisheries.  you are right though, we cannot have both offshore mix-stock and terminal fisheries at the same time.  the tribes didn’t destroy the resource, and they probably take less columbia river fish than alaska and canada (steelhead excepted).  the problem is the method, gill-nets are plain wrong when you have co-mingled fish stocks, which is basically all the time. bern shanks is on our side on this issue.  we must force the commision to follow his lead in protecting the resource, not special interests.

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Question:

looking for info on fly shops in victoria, bc.  would appreciate info including name of shop and hopefully a phone #.  would prefer a shop within walking distance from the ferry terminal, even if it’s a long walk. thanks in advance, chris

Response:

looking for info on fly shops in victoria, bc.  would appreciate info including name of shop and hopefully a phone #.  would prefer a shop within walking distance from the ferry terminal, even if it’s a long walk. thanks in advance, chris

Chris, you will have a long walk from the ferryto a fly shop, when you get to town look up robinsons sporting goods, if you go up to cowichan or naniamo, cambell river there are more and better shops to look around. Trevor Hanson’s Fishing Outfitter’s    "just add water" 813 First Street SW Calgary, Alberta T2P 1N3 1-888-522-4489 102-580 Hornby Street, Vancouver, B.C. V6C 3B6 1-800-784-3312 (604)684-8988 fax (604)684-8998

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: looking for info on fly shops in victoria, bc.  would appreciate info : including name of shop and hopefully a phone #.  would prefer a shop : within walking distance from the ferry terminal, even if it’s a long walk. Depends on which ferry terminal. The ones from the US side (believe they come from Port Angeles, Anacortes, perhaps both) dock fairly close to downtown. However, most ferry traffic arrives from the Canadian side, leaving the mainland at Tsawassen (near the border, and about an hour south of Vancouver).  These ferries dock at Swartz Bay, which is a good 20 miles east of downtown Victoria.  However, should you choose to walk ;-^), the first town (about 3 miles) is Sydney, and there are three or four "fishing" shops there.  Most are saltwater-oriented (get yer bait herring here!) but all have a few flies and tying supplies. Trail, BC               voice: (250) 368-9315 Canada V1R 2V7          data:  (250) 368-9341

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Question:

I just tie the dropper leader to the bend of my hook.  This doesn’t work so good if you are tying with barbless hooks because the hump that is created when you debarb keeps the tippet from sliding off the hook.  I to have had two fish on at once a few times and find that the bigger on usually gets away.

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Question:  How would one go about fishing a double rig?  Do you just tie a dropper loop somewhere up the leader, or tie a second leader to the back of the first fly’s hook?  I fished the Middle Fork of the South Platte at Tomahawk SWA yesterday, and chatted with a guy who recommended that I fish a streamer in tandem with the hopper I’d already been using. Says he caught an 8-pound brown out of that small stream with that same rig!  BTW, fishing wasn’t too bad, but a 40 mph north wind cropped up at about 7:30 p.m., just in time to blow away all the caddis flies that had become active… — MORGAN P. BROWN                 Colorado School of Mines                 Rice University                 Phone:   (303) 215-9190 URL:     http://timna.mines.edu/~mbrown                http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~mpbro

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Question:  How would one go about fishing a double rig?  Do you just tie a dropper loop somewhere up the leader, or tie a second leader to the back of the first fly’s hook?  I fished the Middle Fork of the South Platte at Tomahawk SWA yesterday, and chatted with a guy who recommended that I fish a streamer in tandem with the hopper I’d already been using. Says he caught an 8-pound brown out of that small stream with that same rig!  BTW, fishing wasn’t too bad, but a 40 mph north wind cropped up at about 7:30 p.m., just in time to blow away all the caddis flies that had become active… — MORGAN P. BROWN                     Colorado School of Mines             Rice University                     Phone:   (303) 215-9190 URL:     http://timna.mines.edu/~mbrown           http://www.owlnet.rice.edu/~mpbro

Morgan, I used a double rig this weekend at Burrels Ford on the Chattoogga River this past weekend and caught a nice brown.  Grant it a nice Brown for this stream is somewhere around 12 to 13 inches, but it was big around.  I used a Tennessee Wullf with a WD-40 dropper however.  It took the Tennessee Wullf and not the dropper.  My luck with droppers hasn’t been all that great, but I figure,  with another fly in the water I am doubling my chances! Have a good’un! Walt Whitman    

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Question:  How would one go about fishing a double rig?  Do you just tie a dropper loop somewhere up the leader, or tie a second leader to the back of the first fly’s hook?

Around here it is common to simply tie the fly off and then tie another piece of tippet (usually 1x less then the first) directly to the eye again…. I hate ASCII pics…but here goes              where: ——- is line in and out                     ~ are the respective cinch knots                     o is the hook eye This seems awkward, but it is easy and it works.  The idea behind having 1x less on the tip fly is that if it gets snagged, you won’t lose both… Hope this helps… TimW

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[deleted] and not the dropper.  My luck with droppers hasn’t been all that great, but I figure,  with another fly in the water I am doubling my chances!

of getting a snag ! TimW

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Question:  How would one go about fishing a double rig?  Do you just tie a dropper loop somewhere up the leader, or tie a second leader to the back of the first fly’s hook?  

Morgan,       I fish two flies frequently for bass and panfish, attaching the second fly’s leader to the bend in the first hook by a loop.  The loop-to-hook connection seems to be OK for strenght, but ocasionally the leader and trailing fly come off for no aparently reason, so it’s probably more secure (if less convienent) to attach them to the hook with an improved cinch knot.   —

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Morgan, We often fish double rigs in South Africa.  The way that I used to do it is to simply to tie the dropper on to the main leader as a second tippet, using a hard mono such as mason to do it.  This resulted in many tangles.  I then adopted the New Zealand style of tying a second tippet from the eye of the first fly.  This has worked great for me, especially with dry and nymph/buzzer combinations fished on a dead drift on rivers, or drifting with the wind on lakes.  I have twice had 2 fish on at the same time, which is a problem, because the larger one always breaks ! Fishing this method is the reason for my recent queries on flourocarbon. Cheers Bruce

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Question:

Try Pennsylvania Fly Fishing Home Page http://www.easetech.com/pafish/ You can’t go wrong!  Stream reports, county maps, trivia, tips, over 1000 streams identified! Dave Kile

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  Try pointing your browser to my home page: http://www.kings.edu/~lsgorney/index.htm   Hope this helps . . . http://www.kings.edu/~lsgorney/index.htm – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Looking for www home page sites covering Pa fishing in general (fly, spin whatever)..thanks….

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Looking for www home page sites covering Pa fishing in general (fly, spin whatever)..thanks….

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Looking for www home page sites covering Pa fishing in general (fly, spin whatever)..thanks….

Try http://www.penn.com/~fcsc Its the Orvis shop in Tionesta and owner will tip you to where to go and what to use. — John Scherrer/Custom Internet Applications http://www.ncinter.net/~jds "Up to a point a man’s life is shaped by environment, heredity, and movements and changes in the world about him. Then there comes a time when it lies within his grasp to shape the clay of his life into the sort of thing he wishes to be. Only the weak blame parents, their race, their times, lack of good fortune, or the quirks of fate. Everyone has it within his power to say, This I am today; that I will be tomorrow.  -Louis L’Amour (Jubal Sackett)

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