Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dad and Charlie have developed a lovely new habit.  It seems that Charlie likes to curl up around Dad’s head when he goes to sleep.  So when Dad wakes up, he is likely to wake up with a cat literally on his head.  So sweet.  You think. How adorable.  I wish my cat would be that cuddly, you wish. THEN…Charlie lets go of one of his trademark silent releases of gas.  Now, don’t get me wrong, this is one of the sweetest cats going, but that cat is rotten inside. When he releases gas, it can make the entire room toxic.  So imagine Dad’s delight when he is laying there and Charlie is so very close to he smelly parts.  Dad says it is enough to make him cry sometimes.  As long as Charlie keeps his farts to himself, as my father says it, it feels all cuddly wuddly.  Otherwise he wonders if he is part of some chemical warfare. Thought I would share.  And as for Dad exagerrating – he ain’t.  That cat can clear me out of a room! Bridget

LOL! Thank you for that Bridget. I hope you and your Dad have a lovely day. Jeanette

Response:

It seems Charlie and Marble are related. I reckon that in the case of Marble, he has several dead mice stuck up his rear end, festering away which cause the smell. I’m expecting the military to be "adopting" Marble for extract of cat fart to be the next generation nerve gas ;-P Festive cheers, helen s Flush out that intestinal parasite and/or the waste product before sending a reply! Any speeliong mistake$ aR the resiult of my cats sitting on the keyboaRRRDdd

Response:

Thought I would share.  And as for Dad exagerrating – he ain’t.  That cat can

clear me out of a room! Bridget

But can he clear your sinuses? Suz Iron Chef Macmoosette Thank Heavens There’s Only One =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=   =^..^=  =^..^=  =^..^= Chocolate heals all wounds.                  

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dad and Charlie have developed a lovely new habit.  It seems that Charlie likes to curl up around Dad’s head when he goes to sleep.  So when Dad wakes up, he is likely to wake up with a cat literally on his head.  So sweet.  You think. How adorable.  I wish my cat would be that cuddly, you wish. THEN…Charlie lets go of one of his trademark silent releases of gas.  Now, don’t get me wrong, this is one of the sweetest cats going, but that cat is rotten inside. When he releases gas, it can make the entire room toxic.  So imagine Dad’s delight when he is laying there and Charlie is so very close to he smelly parts.  Dad says it is enough to make him cry sometimes.  As long as Charlie keeps his farts to himself, as my father says it, it feels all cuddly wuddly.  Otherwise he wonders if he is part of some chemical warfare. Thought I would share.  And as for Dad exagerrating – he ain’t.  That cat can clear me out of a room! Bridget

I am writting this in haste for if her ladyship Penny found out I would be resting in pieces. Penny is a wonderful cuddly and sweet siamese cat but eeeps. When she breaks wind RUN and I mean RUN away fast. I have talked to the TED and he siad there is nothing worng with her and gave me something to see if it would help, Also Sammy and Penny eat almost the same food so its definitely not the food, I guess some cats tummys are more aromatic than others. Hides this somewhere that her ladyship wont see ~jag~

Response:

—–BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE—– Hash: SHA1 I am writting this in haste for if her ladyship Penny found out I would be resting in pieces. Penny is a wonderful cuddly and sweet siamese cat but eeeps. When she breaks wind RUN and I mean RUN away fast. I have talked to the TED and he siad there is nothing worng with her and gave me something to see if it would help, Also Sammy and Penny eat almost the same food so its definitely not the food, I guess some cats tummys are more aromatic than others. Hides this somewhere that her ladyship wont see

When I was a teenager, we had a cat who had a bad gas problem.  It was aggravated by the fact that he refused to eat anything other than tuna-flavor Puss’n'Boots, one of the smelliest canned cat foods on the market.  When he would let fly, it smelled like a fishing boat that had stayed out at sea for far too long.  He would actually get up and leave the room in search of fresher air, resulting in his shifting from room to room on a steady basis.  Other than stinkiness, however, he was a very sweet-mannered cat. —–BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE—– Version: PGPfreeware 7.0.3 for non-commercial use <http://www.pgp.com iQA/AwUBPhEPKTMYPge5L34aEQKyBACfbqUR+7Ux7DrZan9EBCt/D+FYjacAn3zQ 7o3l+3Xpo7uxJXcUyd1Ewhi3 =cZpW —–END PGP SIGNATURE—– — PGP key available from http://pgp.mit.edu "Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all." — Hypatia of Alexendria

Response:

Dad and Charlie have developed a lovely new habit.  It seems that Charlie likes to curl up around Dad’s head when he goes to sleep.  So when Dad wakes up, he is likely to wake up with a cat literally on his head.  So sweet.  You think. How adorable.  I wish my cat would be that cuddly, you wish. THEN…Charlie lets go of one of his trademark silent releases of gas.  Now, don’t get me wrong, this is one of the sweetest cats going, but that cat is rotten inside. When he releases gas, it can make the entire room toxic.  So imagine Dad’s delight when he is laying there and Charlie is so very close to he smelly parts.  Dad says it is enough to make him cry sometimes.  As long as Charlie keeps his farts to himself, as my father says it, it feels all cuddly wuddly.  Otherwise he wonders if he is part of some chemical warfare. Thought I would share.  And as for Dad exagerrating – he ain’t.  That cat can clear me out of a room! Bridget

Response:

Question:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true…….

Never doubted your veracity myself.  As a matter of fact, it never occurred to me to wonder whether or not any of your stories are true.  Now that the subject has been broached, I am forced to wonder why anyone would concern him or her self with such a question.  There is no doubt in my feeble little mind that "Huckleberry Finn", "Gulliver’s Travels", and perhaps even "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" would fail the test of scholarly historiography.  Should this prove to be the case, I suspect that they would all nevertheless continue to draw readers and furthermore, that it would not detract one whit from the truth contained in these timeless stories. In other words, fuck ‘em.  You go Mike. Wolfgang

Response:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me…

Hi Mike, I do enjoy this stuff: up to your usual form. I have tried to e-mail you privately, but have had no replies. Is it not getting through? Best & Tight Lines, Tony Deacon

Response:

Had a little problem with some software. Maybe that is the reason ?  I saw no posts from you recently. Lookout Distress is once again living up to its name, coupled with the arcane machinations of the German Telecom, it makes Brown trucks look like heavenly chariots. TL MC — "Where fishing is concerned, most anglers are basically manic excessives" http://www.mikeconnor.de – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me… Hi Mike, I do enjoy this stuff: up to your usual form. I have tried to e-mail you privately, but have had no replies. Is it not getting through? Best & Tight Lines, Tony Deacon

Response:

Thanks Chris,  very kind of you to say so. Care must be taken in some instances though, not all of my exploits and methods are suitable for emulation. My track record with poachers for instance is quite abysmal. TL MC – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – —- Mike, I for one enjoy your vast knowledge and experiences.  I never thought for a moment that they did not ring of truth and I have employed some of your past suggestions with success, I might mention.

Response:

I had trouble shooting Teel when I first started duck hunting.  It was because they fly much faster than the other ducks.  I consistently shot behind them.  I finally got so I could hit one, but never could hit a Snipe. Ernie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you spend a great deal of time and energy on something, several things tend to occur. You  become fairly good at it, and you experience a lot more things than if you only occasionally did it. A few weeks ago, I was out duck hunting (OBROFF: gathering CDC feathers.)  I had just flushed a flock of mallards out of a slough, and I was crouched down in the grass hoping some of them might come back, when a pair of blue wing teal appeared out of nowhere, crossed in front of me and settled on opposite edge of the water, out of range. I sat still for another 15 minutes or so with one eye on the teal and one eye on the horizon, where the mallards were still flying.  There was a sound of wingbeats overhead and suddenly there was an enormous redtailed hawk, hot in pursuit of the teal.  The teal dove underwater, but the water was only a foot or so deep so the hawk had no trouble following them, hovering over the water, wings beating furiously like a huge kestrel.  The teal eventually made good their escape, flying right past me.  I suppose I could have shot them fairly easily, but it didn’t seem quite right.  I just stared, filled with awe and wonderment at my good fortune to have been a witness. I would have never seen it happen if I hadn’t been out there, and what possible other reason could I have to be crouched down in the weeds next to a slough out on the prairie?  I think I have posted before my belief that the reason we go out hunting or fishing or whatever is not so much to gather fish or game (unless we seriously need the food), but to gather interesting stories to tell.  The fishing is fun, but it is also a reason to get out of the house and out into the world and let things happen to us. Kevin

Response:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me.  I have attempted to explain this in the past, I seem to remember even on here, but for those who missed it the first time, ( assuming I did in fact explain it before on here), here it is again.

<snipped, but deeply appreciated —- Mike, I for one enjoy your vast knowledge and experiences.  I never thought for a moment that they did not ring of truth and I have employed some of your past suggestions with success, I might mention.  The reason some people may question your veracity could be that the have led colorless lives themselves and are judging your life experience against the standard of being a spector of life instead of participating in life as you have. In a given week, I tend to do a lot of different things.  When someone asked me how I did so many things, I told them, simply, "I do not own a television."  I have a VCR player hooked to a video monitor for some of my instructional videos that I own, but I NEVER watch television.  Since the average American, according to one source, watches an astounding 40+ hours of television a week, it is small wonder where I find the "extra" time to indulge myself in my many varied interests. —- Padishar Creel "I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work…I want to achieve it through not dying."  – Woody Allen

Response:

Thanks Chris,  very kind of you to say so. Care must be taken in some instances though, not all of my exploits and methods are suitable for emulation. My track record with poachers for instance is quite abysmal.

—– So is my experience with Game Wardens, as it so happens <G — Padishar Creel "I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work…I want to achieve it through not dying."  – Woody Allen

Response:

Mike,   Some have doubted the veracity of my many misadventures, but any doubts were laid to rest at the Rappahanock Clave (read Frank meets tent stake).   Your stories are so wonderful because we, as a group, can identify with the situations.  As a whole, I’m sure it would take the combined experience of ROFF to match your own.  We thank you for sharing yours. We will not match yours (thinking about going beak to beak with an owl is a tough way to get into PETA’s bad boy book. Go strangle a pheasant me boyo.  Very proper that.).  We will however, experience that vicarious thrill of looking at the world through your eyes as we slog through the day-to-day life with our commutes and lousy jobs.    Your every story conjurs up the fun of a Guy Fawkesian tale.  You have the unwitting anti-hero (you), the protagonist (the sea,a crazed bus driver, a policeman), an injured victim (an owl or the bloomin bloomerless WI) and a common thread of life just outside of the bounds of control, a train wreck waiting to happen.    I will often piggy back on your stories.  Like stories around a campfire, or more properly, in front of a fire in a ghillie hut, single malt in hand, they become seeds for other stories and ROFF threads. I’m glad you’re back.      Frank Reid Before you buy.

Response:

I would have never seen it happen if I hadn’t been out there, and what possible other reason could I have to be crouched down in the weeds next to a slough out on the prairie?  

That’s an astonishing observation, Kevin. I’ve felt the same thing on many occasions. People who don’t hunt or fish can’t really understand what it’s like to experience this stuff. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

I had trouble shooting Teel when I first started duck hunting.  It was because they fly much faster than the other ducks.  I consistently shot behind them.  I finally got so I could hit one, but never could hit a Snipe. Ernie

Too bad, Keith at Grindstone Angling has been bugging me about finding him some snipe.  I could’ve gotten a pretty penny out of him if you were any good.  :)  I was holding out on him, but he recently got his own computer and you’d never guess who he dug up all by hisself. Mike, truth always has been stranger than fiction.  I look on your stories as a life spent in an endless "Carry On" movie.  There are far worse fates.  :)   A rich life always appears untrue to those who rarely try to extend their lives beyond the poverty of their spirit. Peter

Response:

If you spend a great deal of time and energy on something, several things tend to occur. You  become fairly good at it, and you experience a lot more things than if you only occasionally did it.

A few weeks ago, I was out duck hunting (OBROFF: gathering CDC feathers.)  I had just flushed a flock of mallards out of a slough, and I was crouched down in the grass hoping some of them might come back, when a pair of blue wing teal appeared out of nowhere, crossed in front of me and settled on opposite edge of the water, out of range. I sat still for another 15 minutes or so with one eye on the teal and one eye on the horizon, where the mallards were still flying.  There was a sound of wingbeats overhead and suddenly there was an enormous redtailed hawk, hot in pursuit of the teal.  The teal dove underwater, but the water was only a foot or so deep so the hawk had no trouble following them, hovering over the water, wings beating furiously like a huge kestrel.  The teal eventually made good their escape, flying right past me.  I suppose I could have shot them fairly easily, but it didn’t seem quite right.  I just stared, filled with awe and wonderment at my good fortune to have been a witness. I would have never seen it happen if I hadn’t been out there, and what possible other reason could I have to be crouched down in the weeds next to a slough out on the prairie?  I think I have posted before my belief that the reason we go out hunting or fishing or whatever is not so much to gather fish or game (unless we seriously need the food), but to gather interesting stories to tell.  The fishing is fun, but it is also a reason to get out of the house and out into the world and let things happen to us. Kevin

Response:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me.  I have attempted to explain this in the past, I seem to remember even on here, but for those who missed it the first time, ( assuming I did in fact explain it before on here), here it is again. Well, first of all, for quite a long time, I was so fanatical about fishing, that I often went seven days a week, I did not much care where, or for what, I simply took every available opportunity, and even if none was apparently available, I made one. Sometimes I only went for an hour, school, work, and other things allowing, ( and often even if they did not allow it, school bored me to death, and I rarely attended, I went fishing instead), and sometimes I disappeared for days, or even weeks. During these times, all I did was fish, and read, and what I read was also mostly about fishing. When I first started seriously fishing, the main reason was to catch fish for food. As it was absolutely imperative that I catch something to eat, I did not mess about very much, if at all, I made a point of discovering the best methods, ( for "best", read,  "most successful in terms of edible fish caught "), and applied them diligently, with considerable success. Not all of these methods were equally enjoyable, some were certainly not "fair", although to me all were enjoyable to some extent, (even hauling nets at sea, or longlining, which I also did for a while), but most were extremely successful, when correctly practiced, and as enjoyment was not the main driving factor, this did not really matter in any case. What I am trying to explain here, is that the enjoyment was more or less completely incidental initially. Fishing was not a way of "killing time", or "pursuing an interest", "a hobby", or all the other various euphemisms one often hears for various pastimes. It was a way of obtaining food for nothing, and it was also very cheap, healthy,  and fulfilling entertainment. I never considered fishing, or anything even remotely connected with it to be  work, although I knew a few who did. If you spend a great deal of time and energy on something, several things tend to occur. You  become fairly good at it, and you experience a lot more things than if you only occasionally did it. If the subject also interests you per se, and you also perhaps have a certain talent for it,  then you get even better at it, you really have no choice in the matter, it is a simple progression. One thing leads to another. Before I was twenty years old I had caught more fish, and spent more time on the water, often in the company of experts, than many men will ever do in their whole lifetimes. For years I gave lessons in tying and casting to various local clubs, spent weekends teaching fly-fishing for the local water authority, giving fly-dressing demos at various fairs, ( long before tying became as popular as it is now), etc etc etc. In the years that followed, the frequency of my trips decreased of course, you may play truant from school with relative impunity, but if you play truant from work you will eventually be sacked.( Fired ! ). Nevertheless, I still managed to spend a great deal of time on the water, or involved in some way. I had become firm friends with many other anglers, and people connected with angling, and because of this, I received opportunities which others did not. Anything to do with fishing interested me, and I went out of my way to be part of anything at all where fish or fishing was involved.  All the time my interest remained steady, and I read every book or magazine that I could lay my hands on. When I got the chance, I went fishing with others, some of them already world or at least nationally renowned experts at that time, others perhaps less well known, but experts nonetheless, and of course with lots of other people, who were neither well known nor experts. All contributed to my angling education. Much of what I read, learned, or simply saw,  I immediately put into practice. What I could not buy, I built, ( basically why I started tying flies as well ), insofar as it was within my capabilities to do so. Astoundingly enough, one discovers fairly early on that most things are not that hard to do, what one man can invent or design, another man can build, given reasonable intelligence,  time, persistence,  and materials. Simply attempting this, hones your capabilities automatically, until you reach a point where you find very few things difficult. At a fairly early point during these years, the need to catch fish for food decreased, and eventually disappeared entirely, but my enthusiasm for fishing did not, and I continued reading about it, and fishing a great deal, but now purely for enjoyment, the fish having become an incidental bonus to the entertainment, and so it has remained to this day. Apparently I have a very selective, but almost photographic memory, for things concerning fishing. It took me almost fifteen years before I finally managed to remember my wife’s birthday, but I only have to see a fly pattern once, and it is fixed forever in my memory.  I can not remember my own mobile phone number for more than a day, and constantly have to look it up, but I can remember every single run on every single river or stream I have ever fished with brilliant clarity. Even those I fished over thirty years ago. Although a fairly good navigator, and with an excellent sense of direction, I can not remember a street in a city which I visited last week, but I can find my way across the North York Moors, from any point you care to mention, to any stream or valley within hundreds of square miles with absolutely pin-point accuracy, in the pitch dark, with no moon or stars and in heavy snow or fog. I can do the same here, in the Lueneburger Heide. I have no idea why I can do this, or even how, I just can. I wish I did know, I would certainly apply the talent to something else if I possibly could. I can not remember whether it rained yesterday, but  I can remember  every sizeable fish I have ever caught, where I caught it, how I caught it, and what the weather conditions were at the time. I can "see" these things in my mind, like a film which may be rewound and replayed at will.  I could give more examples, but I suppose you get the drift. Regarding actually fishing, if I absolutely must catch a fish, then I do, I do not find it particularly difficult. Nowadays I do not bother with extremely productive methods much, as I find other methods more enjoyable, even though they are less productive.  The size of fish caught has ceased to bother me very much, although it is nice to catch a large one now and then, as the fight is simply more interesting and challenging. Somebody on here said ( I believe it was Willi actually ), some time ago now, that he had more or less ceased nymphing, as although it was extremely productive in terms of fish, it was hard work, and got boring after a while.  I feel much the same about some methods. It is just too easy, although perhaps hard work, and therefore not worth the bother.  This doubtless sounds extremely arrogant, but it is nevertheless simple fact. Catching one very difficult fish from a challenging position, or for other reasons, ( actually regardless of size ) is much more enjoyable than banging out a dozen in double quick time with an easy method, or because the fish are madly on the feed, and have thrown caution to the winds. Unfortunately this applies to many "new" methods as well. There are not many angling books I have not read, and there are not many methods, tackle, or materials,  I do not at least know something about. Once read or seen, never forgotten. I can even remember shotting patterns somebody once showed me, again over thirty years ago. Often I am quite amused when I read about some "new" method of tying flies, or casting, or a host of other things. Invariably these things are not new at all, and in all likelihood have been around for quite a while, in some cases for centuries. I remember being extremely crushed over thirty five years ago, when I sent in a parachute version of the Greenwell

Question:

Opie writes: Ok, I concede redeye gravy an grits. Opie

Heeeehaaaaa.  A yankee teachin’ a pooh boy how to eat!  Heyyyahhh.  Georgia ice cream!!!!!!   Course, a good vodka to help it along is always welcome.  <g Dave LaCourse

Response:

Jeff,   Those southern guys put gravy on everything.

They just *told* you it was gravy<g. — Charlie…

Response:

Ernie Harrison writes: Jeff,   Those southern guys put gravy on everything. Ernie Hell, there are few things better than good old country ham, red eye gravy and grits (good grits — none of that instant stuff). Dave, whose marriage to two southern belles is obviously showing.

Huh?  I thought they only did that in Utah.  Hey Verrrrrnnnn!

Response:

Jeff, You obviously need a bit more Southern acculturation. Opie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you fellas can’t handle *Grits,* just leave them to us real southern folk. Being a northern guy, I didn’t understand the problem with grits.  Ya see, I thought they were Cream O Wheat, so I just put brown sugar and milk on em.  I always thought grits were fine until I heard about stuff like gravy and butter and salt on em!!! — Regards, Jeff Before you buy.

Response:

Jeff,    Those southern guys put gravy on everything. Ernie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Being a northern guy, I didn’t understand the problem with grits.  Ya see, I thought they were Cream O Wheat, so I just put brown sugar and milk on em.  I always thought grits were fine until I heard about stuff like gravy and butter and salt on em!!! Jeff

Response:

Ernie Harrison writes: Jeff,   Those southern guys put gravy on everything. Ernie

Hell, there are few things better than good old country ham, red eye gravy and grits (good grits — none of that instant stuff). Dave, whose marriage to two southern belles is obviously showing.

Response:

Except *GRITS.* Opie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Jeff,    Those southern guys put gravy on everything. Ernie Being a northern guy, I didn’t understand the problem with grits.  Ya see, I thought they were Cream O Wheat, so I just put brown sugar and milk on em.  I always thought grits were fine until I heard about stuff like gravy and butter and salt on em!!! Jeff

Response:

Ok, I concede redeye gravy an grits. Opie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ernie Harrison writes: Jeff,   Those southern guys put gravy on everything. Ernie Hell, there are few things better than good old country ham, red eye gravy and grits (good grits — none of that instant stuff). Dave, whose marriage to two southern belles is obviously showing.

Response:

If you fellas can’t handle *Grits,* just leave them to us real southern folk.

Being a northern guy, I didn’t understand the problem with grits.  Ya see, I thought they were Cream O Wheat, so I just put brown sugar and milk on em.  I always thought grits were fine until I heard about stuff like gravy and butter and salt on em!!! — Regards, Jeff Before you buy.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I look forward to the Times on Wednesday morning, more so than any other morning of the week, because of the recipes in the Living Arts section. I was shocked, stunned and disgusted to find in today’s paper recipes for…I can barely bring myself to type it Ohmygawd. Grits … in the Times. Shoot me now, I’ve seen it all. Jeffie can have my Budweiser and Waldo my Django Rheinhart records. http://www.nytimes.com/library/dining/042600grits.html — Ken Fortenberry

The way you scoffed buscuits and gravy at Tootsie’s I’d always thought you to be a grits fan.  Thought you’d be pleased when the Times ran it. Don’t that beat all . . . Peter

Response:

If they called it polenta would you be so upset? It’s essentially the same thing. Peter G. Aitken

damn I thought grits was cream of wheat with sand in it…. Flyfish

Response:

If they called it polenta would you be so upset? It’s essentially the same thing. Peter G. Aitken damn I thought grits was cream of wheat with sand in it…. Flyfish

Nah – couldn’t be – cream of wheat and sand actually has FLAVOR!

Response:

Polenta is made from whole stone ground cornmeal. That would imply some flavor to be had. Grits are made from hominy. That’s what is left after soaking corn in a lye solution and removing the bran or kernel. The original "Better eating through chemistry!". I’m from down south and I never could get used them myself. MT

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If they called it polenta would you be so upset? It’s essentially the same thing. Peter G. Aitken

Response:

Buy a good set of gravel guards, keeps the grit out.

I got the neoprene ones with the velcro closures.  Real easy to put on and very effective for keeping grits out but they also make breathing somewhat problematic.

Response:

If you fellas can’t handle *Grits,* just leave them to us real southern folk.  Cream-O-Shit, some comparison! Opie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Buy a good set of gravel guards, keeps the grit out. I got the neoprene ones with the velcro closures.  Real easy to put on and very effective for keeping grits out but they also make breathing somewhat problematic.

Response:

If you fellas can’t handle *Grits,* just leave them to us real southern folk.  Cream-O-Shit, some comparison! Opie

you’re damn tootin! thank god i had me a plateful this morning, o/w i wouldn’t have been able to land that big ‘ole ‘bow from yer drift did you and jeffie (who despises grits, but loves marshmellows) get any more fish after i left? i caught a couple of small brookies twitchin’ the fly back downstream on the way out. waldo

Response:

damn I thought grits was cream of wheat with sand in it…. Flyfish

When I was stationed at Ft. Jackson SC back in the 60’s they would occasionally serve some white stuff for breakfast. If a northener asked what it was the cook would tell him cream of wheat and of course the reply to a southerner was grits. Half the mess hall would put milk & suger on it, the other half salt & pepper. Thank God I was cadre and didn’t have to eat anything I couldn’t identify.      Jim * Sent from RemarQ http://www.remarq.com The Internet’s Discussion Network * The fastest and easiest way to search and participate in Usenet – Free!

Response:

Walt, I can’t speak for Jeff, but my life has no meaning.  Does that answer your question? Opie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you fellas can’t handle *Grits,* just leave them to us real southern folk.  Cream-O-Shit, some comparison! Opie you’re damn tootin! thank god i had me a plateful this morning, o/w i wouldn’t have been able to land that big ‘ole ‘bow from yer drift did you and jeffie (who despises grits, but loves marshmellows) get any more fish after i left? i caught a couple of small brookies twitchin’ the fly back downstream on the way out. waldo

Response:

Buy a good set of gravel guards, keeps the grit out. TL MC — "In order to achieve what is possible, one must constantly attempt the impossible" http://www.mikeconnor.de

Response:

Walt, I can’t speak for Jeff, but my life has no meaning.  Does that answer your question? Opie

yeah… it tells me ya got in the cooler waldo

Response:

I look forward to the Times on Wednesday morning, more so than any other morning of the week, because of the recipes in the Living Arts section. I was shocked, stunned and disgusted to find in today’s paper recipes for…I can barely bring myself to type it Ohmygawd. Grits … in the Times. Shoot me now, I’ve seen it all. Jeffie can have my Budweiser and Waldo my Django Rheinhart records. http://www.nytimes.com/library/dining/042600grits.html — Ken Fortenberry

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I was shocked, stunned and disgusted to find in today’s paper recipes for…I can barely bring myself to type it Ohmygawd. Grits … in the Times. Ken Fortenberry

GRITS!  Wonderful!  Why Ken; don’t you know grits are the closest thing you can have to nothing and still have something??!!  They are the base requirement to serving red-eye gravey! They are also not off-topic to fly fishing.  A good breakfast of grits fortifies the intrepid fly fisher-person for the day with an extra fast energy supply from the starches, sticks with you to aswage hunger, and passes along slowly enough to keep you from having to peel out of your waders around 10:30. — Wayne To fish is human….To release Divine! Before you buy.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I look forward to the Times on Wednesday morning, more so than any other morning of the week, because of the recipes in the Living Arts section. I was shocked, stunned and disgusted to find in today’s paper recipes for…I can barely bring myself to type it Ohmygawd. Grits … in the Times. Shoot me now, I’ve seen it all. Jeffie can have my Budweiser and Waldo my Django Rheinhart records. http://www.nytimes.com/library/dining/042600grits.html — Ken Fortenberry

um…ken, i think you transposed…no way i’m takin the budweiser.  give it to waldo, he’ll drink anything.  but the records might work. jeff

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If they called it polenta would you be so upset? It’s essentially the same thing. Peter G. Aitken

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I look forward to the Times on Wednesday morning, more so than any other morning of the week, because of the recipes in the Living Arts section. I was shocked, stunned and disgusted to find in today’s paper recipes for…I can barely bring myself to type it Ohmygawd. Grits … in the Times. Shoot me now, I’ve seen it all. Jeffie can have my Budweiser and Waldo my Django Rheinhart records. http://www.nytimes.com/library/dining/042600grits.html — Ken Fortenberry

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If they called it polenta would you be so upset? It’s essentially the same thing.

Right, and a lump of coal and a diamond are essentially the same thing. — Ken Fortenberry

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Question:

Late Sunday morning, he’s puttin’ on Teva sandals. That means one of two things, either he’s going to wash the car or maybe, just maybe. Best to follow him around and see what he’s up to. Poking around in the study, this is a good sign. What’s this ? He’s grabbed a fly rod, WE’RE GOIN’ FISHIN’ !

Back to the "taking dogs fishing" thread, are we?  Nice report, Ken. Mark Faulkner

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Late Sunday morning, he’s puttin’ on Teva sandals. That means one of two things, either he’s going to wash the car or maybe, just maybe. Best to follow him around and see what he’s up to. Poking around in the study, this is a good sign. What’s this ? He’s grabbed a fly rod, WE’RE GOIN’ FISHIN’ ! Kipper’s my good fishin’ buddy, he’s a shelter mutt and when we adopted him he was 16 lbs of gangly puppy and the Humane Society told us he was a pointer mix. He looks more like a long legged fox hound to me, but now at not quite 3 years of age and a healthy 60 lbs his pedigree is less important than proper canoe etiquette. We had plenty of opportunity to practice yesterday. Right after we put in a big blue heron took exception to our presence and flew off with a whoosh of the wings and a disdainful squonk. Paddling through the twisty passage between Donut Pond and Highway Pond we surprised a deer that went crashing through the brush and rounding a corner on the far edge of the pond we came upon a nonchalant racoon that by turns ignored us and taunted poor Kipper with a casual strut. He did OK, there was some squeaking, of course but no full throated barking and no running about in the canoe. Much better behavior in contrast to just a few weeks ago when mama goose, papa goose and the little goslings almost caused a capsize. Even after I sternly told him "ENOUGH" and quieted the barking he still felt it necessary to continue grumbling sotto voce at the geese. I caught a bunch of bluegill on a yellow foam ant and a feisty little 1.5lb bass to boot, nice fun on a 3wt. Put the bass back, cleaned up the bluegill and put them in the freezer for the big fish fry. — Ken Fortenberry

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Question:

<Snip  You may want to underline it by one size.  In any case, try some lines on it and see what works best for you in the way of line weight…as the rod will probably throw several line sizes…but with a different action etc. Barry

I would concur with this idea.  In fact, I did just that on my South Bend mod. 59.   The rod’s rated for a 6 weight, but I use a DT5 on it and it casts great.   The rod has a stout "bass action", but I can cast dry flies with noticeably greater speed, pinpoint accuracy, and the delicacy of a two weight.   IOW:  Try it! Good luck… Homey

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<snip Wes Jordan (of Orvis fame) was the master rod builder at South Bend when your rod was probably made.  He started there in 1926.  The Model Number 47 describes the rods action.  In this case, a stiff or Bass Action.   100 series rod were light action, 300 series rods were considered Dry Fly action.

<snip again Al Manchester NH Still fishing a South Bend 359

Hi Al, If the numbers indicate the action, where does the model 59 fit in to this scheme? Just wondering… Homey

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If the numbers indicate the action, where does the model 59 fit in to this

scheme? Just wondering…<BR Hi Homey South Bend made most if not all of thier rods in thee actions. Bass Action model numbers with   *xx* Wet fly or Trout  modle numbers with   *1xx* Dry Fly Action modle numbers with *3xx* This is for the three piece rods. The rods all had the same hardware and wraps, only the taper was different. So a modle 59 would be a fast action rod, a 159 would be a slow or wet fly action rod, and a 359 would be a dry fly action rod – medium to fast. The modle 59’s were made, depending again on the handle and sticker sometime after 1936 and originaly sold for $5.00 to $9.35. If the rod has a grip that has distinct lines in it, and a thumb rest, called by South Bend a Comficient Grip ( comfortable and efficient ) it was made after 1939, which is when South Bend first started using these grips.  The reel seet will also give a clue as to the rods age. You can pick these rods up pretty cheep, around $125 to $150 and they are ok casting tools and good old everyday rods.  I have an 8 1/2 ft  359 that I have completely redone with modern hardware.  It is a fun nymphing rod.  Although it is a bit heavy.  There isn’t much collector interest in Sout Bend rods it seams becasue they were mass produced, made on milling machines and the sections came from different culms of bamboo.   But so were many other companies rods.  Some big names too that just might shock some people.  It is interesting to read in Wes Jordan – Profile of a Rod Maker, his attention to detail and quality when he was at South Bend.  My personal opinion is that these rods are somewhat undervalued and one day just might get some recognition.  This is in part becasue Wes Jordan always worked for a company, and never produced rods under his own name, so the lack of recognition follows..  For right now, if you want to have some fun fishing cane for a not a lot of money, a South Bend rod just might be the ticket.  You can fish them as is, or, if they are in need of some work, replace the hardware with modern stuff and have a decent cane rod.  The ferrules are the keys, make sure you have a good fit and that they are tight to the cane.  My 359 throws a DT 5 very nicely, mends well, and if I fall down and brake it, well, it’s not a Leonard or a Payne.   Mike Sinclairs book, Bamboo Rod Restoration has a chaper in it in South Bend rods, and has some good advice for those wishing to refinish or even resore an old rod.  For $25.00 it is not a bad refference to have around. Well, see, you asked a simple question and got me started )  Hope this helps. Al

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Some years ago I acquired a South Bend No. 47 split cane rod. It is a nine feet long, three piece rod in a cotton rod bag, and marked in the ‘old’ line ratings as suitable for HCH.C or GBF lines. It came with(and still has) a spare top section. I was hoping someone might be able to give me a little history of the rod, in particular over what time was it made, and what would be its equivalent modern line ratings. The present management of South Bend was unable to help. The rod was previously owned by a well known Australian fisherman and tackle dealer named Hank Newman, now dead for some years. Thanks Peter Barda

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(snip) I was hoping someone might be able to give me a little history of the rod, in particular over what time was it made, and what would be its equivalent modern line ratings. The present management of South Bend was unable to help. The rod was previously owned by a well known Australian fisherman and tackle dealer named Hank Newman, now dead for some years. Thanks Peter Barda

Which model of rod is this?  I believe South Bend made several models/price ranges/quality etc.  Also…if memory serves me correctly, the line size that you mentioned is about an eight weight.  The HCH signified a double taper line and the GBF a weight forward.  This was back when they marked line by diameter….and not just weight.  Today’s lines are categorized by weight….as you know.  By the way, my first fly rod was a South Bend rod that my dad gave to me.  I wish I still had it. One other comment on line sizes for old bamboo rods….  Back in the "good old days", we accepted a slower action than is now standard in most rods. Consequently, you may find that the recommended line size is too heavy for your casting style on the South Bend rod.  You may want to underline it by one size.  In any case, try some lines on it and see what works best for you in the way of line weight…as the rod will probably throw several line sizes…but with a different action etc. Barry

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Some years ago I acquired a South Bend No. 47 split cane rod. It is a nine

feet long, three piece rod in a cotton rod bag, and marked in the ‘old’ line ra0tings as suitable for HCH.C or GBF lines. It came with(and still has) a spare top section.<BR I was hoping someone might be able to give me a little history of the rod, in

particular over what time was it made, and what would be its equivalent modern line ratings. The present management of South Bend was unable to help. Peter, Your rod was made sometime after 1936.  If you could describe the grip and the decal,  I could date it much more acurately for you.  It it has the Comficient Grip, with a gold decal, it was probably made after1939.  If the decal on the grip is a yellow rectangle, the rod was made sometime after WWII. Wes Jordan (of Orvis fame) was the master rod builder at South Bend when your rod was probably made.  He started there in 1926.  The Model Number 47 describes the rods action.  In this case, a stiff or Bass Action.   100 series rod were light action, 300 series rods were considered Dry Fly action.  The HCH refers to a modern DT 7 and GBF is the equivilent of a modern WF8.  The rod sold for around $10.00 to $15.00 depending on when it was made.   A good refference for South Bend Rods is Michael Sinclair’s Bamboo Rod Restoration Handbook and Dick Spur’s and Gloria Jordan’s Wes Jordan – Profile of a Rod Maker.  Gloria Jordan still lives in Manchester Vt and runs a fly shop there. Hope this bit of info helps. Al Manchester NH Still fishing a South Bend 359

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Question:

Hello, I was wondering if anyone know how the fly fishing is out in the Ozarks? Is the Missouri side any better than the Arkansas side?  I know they’re just political boundaries, but there may be some latitude-altitide differences that make the north vs. south sides superior for fishing. Thanks for any pointers!                                                 -Yiing Lin

       That’s easy, the south is always best. Don’t listen to them damn yankees.                                                           John Popp                                                       in Sanford Fl.

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Get Missouri Ozark Waterways and the Missouri Conservation Atlas from the Mo. Conservation Comm. Outdoor Library, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City MO 65102.  The Mo. Ozark Waterways is the definitive guide to streams in the Ozarks.  The Conservation Atlas is a Guide to Conservation Commissioned owned property.  They administer all the river accesses. I could make a joke about Arkansas and farm animals and such but I will resist. I posted a long answer to a question like this a few months ago.  You should be able to find it on Deja News.  Don’t have time to write anymore right now. Hello, I was wondering if anyone know how the fly fishing is out in the Ozarks? Is the Missouri side any better than the Arkansas side?  I know they’re just political boundaries, but there may be some latitude-altitide differences that make the north vs. south sides superior for fishing. Thanks for any pointers!                                                 -Yiing Lin

–         –Dan Cytron             Good judgment comes from experience.  Experience comes from bad judgment.                 –Bill Hayes         My skydiving pictures website is at http://www.nightowl.net/~dcytron         SOAR Inflatables, manufacturer and distributor of the         SOAR Inflatable canoe, has a website at http://www.soar1.com.

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Hello, I was wondering if anyone know how the fly fishing is out in the Ozarks? Is the Missouri side any better than the Arkansas side?  I know they’re just political boundaries, but there may be some latitude-altitide differences that make the north vs. south sides superior for fishing. Thanks for any pointers!                                                 -Yiing Lin

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Question:

That’s real interesting!

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but don’t come for the atlantic salmon fishing – the spring season as reported in April Trout and Salmon mag. has been generally very poor with few fish caught, and a lot of excuses (none of which conceal the awful truth of a near collapse of Atlantic Salmon stocks.  Read Fly Fisherman current issue…….tight lines elsewhere guys

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Question:

Im looking for website’s and any other information on the purchase of an 8 foot Pram for Flyfishing. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Tight Lines, Ernest V

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There is a company called Spring Creek on Bainbridge Island who sells an 8′ pram which is the best I’ve seen.  49" beam 16" freeboard, fiberglass, 65#. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Im looking for website’s and any other information on the purchase of an 8 foot Pram for Flyfishing. Any help or advice is greatly appreciated. Tight Lines, Ernest V

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Question:

[snip] Cat fishing there with a fly rod dead drifting a simple worm on the limestone shelves just below the dam at Waterville is probably some of the finest sport known. [snip] Is that really you, George – or is your shadow posting again? Didn’t you recently go ballistic over someone using fly gear with bait, George? Hypocrite, George??

_______HEY MAN, give me a little slack please. How can a boy be a hypocrite at the age of 12? George — MZ

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[snip] Cat fishing there with a fly rod dead drifting a simple worm on the limestone shelves just below the dam at Waterville is probably some of the finest sport known.

[snip] Is that really you, George – or is your shadow posting again? Didn’t you recently go ballistic over someone using fly gear with bait, George? Hypocrite, George??

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Steelhead in the Maumee River now?!!!  Along with the Walleye runs that have been showing up for the last 25 years?  I happen to know the Maumee River like no man alive.  I grew up on it.  Whitehouse, Waterville, Monclova, Ohio area.  Cat fishing there with a fly rod dead drifting a simple worm on the limestone shelves just below the dam at Waterville is probably some of the finest sport known.  Used to club carp there.  Has a lot of drop offs in order to get out there.  Ron Kinkaid in Whitehouse Ohio knows that area even better than me because he still fishes it and you forget things over the years.  The Maumee, named because a crying Indian baby at Turkey Foot Rock was whimpering ma-me, mau-me is how it was named . . . believe it or not.  All the General Anthony Wayne Signs are of my design and invention back in 1953 – 54.  The entire bust and hat and everything.  General Mad Anthony Wayne is the logo for Anthony Wayne High School where I graduated in 1954.  Went directly from H.S. into Flight Training for the U.S.A.F.  Was the first H.S. Graduate in the United States to qualify for fighter pilot school via Chanute Air Force Base in the United States.  I’m kind of proud of that Lee. Yah, I’m an old Buckeye Bronco from Ohio, you betcha!  Used to walk to school (Monclova Grade School) along Swan Creek everyday, even in the winter.  Loved it so.  Chuck Holloway still lives on that road along Swan Creek.  Good place to hunt Wood Duck when the season was in but now not so much as it is basically only a nesting area now, all the way down to Wreckerly Road and where the old county dump used to be, where I used to shoot rats with a .22 single shot.  Great sport!  Rat hunting. Lou Klewer, the ex-outdoor editor of the Toledo Blade lived on Wreckerly Road and I bought my first and most favorite rifle and caliber from Lou. A pre-64 Model 70 in the .220 Swift, which still is my most favorite of all calibers. If God said I had to settle for only one Rifle it would be the .220 Swift.  You betcha!  (Once again) Anyhow Lee, where in Toledo do you live?  I hope this post you aren’t bored with.  You just brought back memories.  I’ll be flying into Toledo Express this spring, a few more weeks or so away.  I have a brother living in Sylvania and Whitehouse, Ohio.  Plus, I always visit Ron Kinkaid.  He lives directly a cross the road from A.W. High School. Have to run Lee.  I knew there was something about you I liked. George Gehrke — MZ — MZ

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Question:

Has anyone ever been up to Packer Lake in the Sierras? It was mentioned along with Upper and Lower Sardine Lakes.  I’ve been to those.  Stocked regularly… boats with electric motors… cabins next door.  Is Packer the one over the ridge and down in the valley? I think probably a couple mile hike.  How does it fish? jeff — Center for Computational Sciences and Engineering  PHONE: (510)486-5348 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory              FAX: (510)486-6900

I would fly fish the Gold lakes basin in June or Oct. In August the fish are usually pretty deep. William Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA

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Fished Packer Lake several years ago. Tough lake to fish unless youi know it well. Stay with lower Sardine in the evenings. Stocked with lots of nice trout and a beautiful lake.

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Has anyone ever been up to Packer Lake in the Sierras? It was mentioned along with Upper and Lower Sardine Lakes.  I’ve been to those.  Stocked regularly… boats with electric motors… cabins next door.  Is Packer the one over the ridge and down in the valley? I think probably a couple mile hike.  How does it fish? jeff — Center for Computational Sciences and Engineering  PHONE: (510)486-5348 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory              FAX: (510)486-6900

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Sorry I’m brain-dead this a.m.  These lake where mentioned in "FishFirst"’s report… Sorry for the confusion.  It’s Friday and I’ve only had one cup of coffee (so far) today. jeff — Center for Computational Sciences and Engineering  PHONE: (510)486-5348 Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory              FAX: (510)486-6900

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