Question:

I was in Wisconsin this past weekend doing allot of fishing with a buddy of mine. We started out on Fenner Lake at his cabin casting into lily pads and weedbeds for bass on Friday night. They were attacking my Dahlberg Diver but nothing of any substantial size was interested, just the little guys. They were allot of fun though. I’ll ask forgiveness now, I can’t recall any of the stream name, my friend was playing guide but the conditions were about the same on all the streams in the area. On Saturday we went to a little brook trout stream by his cabin and each landed one, but the fishing was real slow. The water was crystal clear and even 6x leaders were spooking them. We had to do allot of hanging over tall grasses and just dipping nymphs in to avoid spooking them. Later that day we hit another stream that was a bit wider and slower. The conditions were the same though. I managed to get one small brown but everything was getting spooked very easily. That evening we went back to the lake to go after pike. I was casting this monstrous streamer that was my buddies concoction. It was basically allot of orange and black fish hair with huge weighted eyes. We were casting to weedbeds right on drop offs. After about 50 casts I had a take, never having fished for pike on purpose the take caught me by surprise. Especially after swinging a 9wt around with that huge fly. I was slightly spellbound and pulled the rod tip up like I was catching a small trout, basically I didn’t set the hook. We saw his side as he turned on the fly. He looked pretty big but was only on for a minute. He’ll turn into my new "the one that got away" story. He was the only taker pike wise. I caught a few bass again and the biggest crappie I’ve ever seen. Now it gets rough. On Sunday we hit about 5 or 6 streams with no luck on any of them. The spook factor was worse than the day before. But on one stream we saw a small fish in his feeding lane. I cast a small hairs ear past him a dozen times and he didn’t spook at all, but didn’t seem interested. So I took my buddies rod, he was fishing a caddis emerger. Again we cast over him a dozen or so times without even an acknowledgement. So now wit our two rods, my buddy would change flies on one and I would cast the other. So we were just passing rods back and forth. After about 20 minutes of this we were getting pretty vindictive against this fish. We had already sent about 15 different flies by him. After about an hour we gave up. So in all my infinite wisdom I decided well I’m gonna at least scare the shit out of this bugger, and went charging up stream towards him. I got about 3 feet away and noticed we spent the last hour pulling our hair out trying to cast to a piece of seaweed drifting in the current. Talk about feeling dumb. We then proceeded to go back to his cabin and drank ourselves into a stupor. Oh well. Tim Apple

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After about an hour we gave up. So in all my infinite wisdom I decided well I’m gonna at least scare the shit out of this bugger, and went charging up stream towards him. I got about 3 feet away and noticed we spent the last hour pulling our hair out trying to cast to a piece of seaweed drifting in the current. Talk about feeling dumb. We then proceeded to go back to his cabin and drank ourselves into a stupor. Oh well. Tim Apple

You coulda done worse – you coulda caught it.  BTW, did it spook? Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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"Timothy Apple" wrote //good report snipped//   . . .I got about 3 feet away and noticed we spent the last hour pulling our hair out trying to cast to a piece of seaweed drifting in the current. Talk about feeling dumb. We then proceeded to go back to his cabin and drank ourselves into a stupor. Oh well.

Several years ago I was fishing a stream in the smokies. I was near the mouth of the stream and saw these HUGE fish cruising slowy up and down the creek. I must have spent at least an hour throwing everything I had at them before I realized they were carp. Bob — http://rwpatton.home.netcom.com/

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I got about 3 feet away and noticed we spent the last hour pulling our hair out trying to cast to a piece of seaweed drifting in the current. Talk about feeling dumb.

That reminds me of partridge hunting (ruffed grouse to everyone else).  When you are looking for birds, every stump and rock looks like a bird. Pete Collin

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Question:

Padishar, when we going fishin’?

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ROFFians, I need a favor. If you are attending the upcoming Denver show and are willing to help me look for something while you’re there I would be most grateful. Send me a private email if you can help. I’ll send you a "blem" hat from the Maine Clave or the upcoming Penn’s Clave to make it worth your while –Steve

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ROFFians, I need a favor. If you are attending the upcoming Denver show and are willing to help me look for something while you’re there I would be most grateful. Send me a private email if you can help. I’ll send you a "blem" hat from the Maine Clave or the upcoming Penn’s Clave to make it worth your while

—– Steve, we have a fly fishing show starting today here in Portland, Oregon…send me a private email if you want me to look for something for you (or any Roffian for that matter) and I would be happy to look…love looking anyway… —- Padishar Creel "I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work…I want to achieve it through not dying."  – Woody Allen

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Steve, we have a fly fishing show starting today here in Portland, Oregon…

I hadn’t heard about the Portland show, where’s it at? Thanks,      - Ken

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It’s at the Oregon Convention Center.  It’s an ISE, not purely FFing. http://www.sportsexpos.com/attendees.html JR – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Steve, we have a fly fishing show starting today here in Portland, Oregon… I hadn’t heard about the Portland show, where’s it at? Thanks,      - Ken

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Outstanding, I can take the train.  Now just have to find the time to go. Thanks,      - Ken

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It’s at the Oregon Convention Center.  It’s an ISE, not purely FFing. http://www.sportsexpos.com/attendees.html JR Steve, we have a fly fishing show starting today here in Portland, Oregon… I hadn’t heard about the Portland show, where’s it at? Thanks,      - Ken

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It’s at the Oregon Convention Center.  It’s an ISE, not purely FFing. http://www.sportsexpos.com/attendees.html JR

—— I guess this is a bit of a ‘trip’ report about the Portland Outdoor Show. The show is somewhat small  (we do have another one in February and it seems to have more emphasis in fly fishing).  Because is was such a smallish show and few attendees, I got to speak with Jim Teeny at length and sat in on a wonderful presentation on Fly Fishing Trout Lakes by Brian Chan.  I talked with Brian for a few minutes after his presentation, a very generous man with his time and expertise.  The fly tying presentations were incredible with nice video cameras and monitors to watch the tiers in action.  The fly fishing books suppliers were in to this show big time and I really enjoyed leafing through the latest offerings from the publishers.  All in all, I had a good time, but I am still looking forward to a large fly fishing show SOON. —– Padishar Creel "I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work…I want to achieve it through not dying."  – Woody Allen

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Question:

Al, you are inviting PETA here?  That is tantamount to inviting meowers here.  Sometimes you are amusing, but now you have gone too far, if this is your intent. —    Go Fishing.  And may your fish be as big as your tales.    Columbia, SC  Lake Murray

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was at walmart last night and i didn’t see Steve (Stoner Lake) there. Walmart is quite the place for tackle. I was looking for live bait harnesses. Couldn’t find any. Probably because there isn’t a big market for them. Is there any instrucions anywhere how to make them for frogs, crickets, grasshoppers, hellgramights, crayfish etc. Also is part of the aversion to livebait the fact that you are sacrificing livebait for fishing. But fishing is hooking fish so what’s the big deal i was wondering what Peta types would think of it. Al

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Bob writes: Al, you are inviting PETA here?  That is tantamount to inviting meowers here.  Sometimes you are amusing, but now you have gone too far, if this is your intent. —   Go Fishing.  And may your fish be as big as your tales.   Columbia, SC  Lake Murray

Bob If i feel like it I’ll invite a peta type who is also a jetskier. How does that grab you? Al

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I was looking for live bait harnesses. Couldn’t find any. Probably because there isn’t a big market for them. Is there any instrucions anywhere how to make them for frogs, crickets, grasshoppers, hellgramights, crayfish etc.

OK Al, here’s something that will help you out, I found it in an outdoor magazine.  The entire ad is as follows: "Bait Stick" is a stretchy, sticky glue that will attach live insects to a hook.  Wrap a match-head-sized glob on a hook and touch the glue to an ant, salmon egg…whatever.  The bug won’t die because the glue is non-toxic; instead, the insect will thrash and kick around.  Can you think of a better fish attractant?  The glue never dries out and continues to work underwater. Insects will even stay attached when being cast with a fly rod.  ($7.50; 734-676-7772) There, now quit worrying about finding a harness to fish your live bait from.  Call the phone number, part with $7.50 US and go feed some fish. Also is part of the aversion to livebait the fact that you are sacrificing

livebait for fishing. But fishing is hooking fish so what’s the big deal The aversion has nothing to do with "sacrificing" livebait.  The aversion lies in the fact that often times while fishing livebait, a fish is gut hooked, rendering them unreleasable, or if you do, there is a strong possibility that the fish will die.  If you are paying attention to the overall attitude of the members of this newsgroup, you will notice that the majority of us would rather fish, catching and releasing them to enjoy another day.  I’m sure that most of us release in excess of 90% of the fish we catch.  It’s harder to do when the fish are gut hooked as happens more often when fishing livebait.  Also, many members feel that there is more skill involved in fooling a fish into striking an artificial than to feed livebait to a bass.  To many of us, it’s not the actual fish being caught, it’s the process of getting the strike in the first place that trips our triggers.  And if you don’t understand that, maybe you should take up golf. i was wondering what Peta types would think of it.

My thoughts on what PETA types would think of it???   Who cares??? —

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I was at walmart last night and i didn’t see Steve (Stoner Lake) there. Walmart is quite the place for tackle. I was looking for live bait harnesses. Couldn’t find any. Probably because there isn’t a big market for them. Is there any instrucions anywhere how to make them for frogs, crickets, grasshoppers, hellgramights, crayfish etc. Also is part of the aversion to livebait the fact that you are sacrificing livebait for fishing. But fishing is hooking fish so what’s the big deal i was wondering what Peta types would think of it. Al

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lso is part of the aversion to livebait the fact that you are sacrificing livebait for fishing. But fishing is hooking fish so what’s the big deal i was wondering what Peta types would think of it. Al

Hello Albert,   Have you ever had a mess of crickets get loose n your truck or had earthworms bust out in your fridge and crawl on the meatloaf or had a minnow jump out the bucket and wedge his way underneath the seat where he would stay and stink for Tommy Rilee

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Hello Albert,   Have you ever had a mess of crickets get loose n your truck or had earthworms bust out in your fridge and crawl on the meatloaf or had a minnow jump out the bucket and wedge his way underneath the seat where he would stay and stink for Tommy Rilee

Tom No i have never had that happen to me. I’ve heard the fridge thing before. Rotting minnows under a seat make a fishing boat smell like what it should smell like. I’m not afraid of the bait or getting my hands dirty. If your afraid of the bait how are you with the fish. It’s best to think like your quarry (fish) then you will have no qualms about the bait. Al

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Al, if you try and analyze what the PETA people think, it’ll drive you crazy, because they are crazy.  I’m not any proponent of hurting animals needlessly, and would never do it purposely.  I used to hunt (a lot when younger) and fished both then and now, and it doesn’t bother me to eat what I shot or caught, which meant having to dispatch them.  PETA nuts equate the equality of animals to people.  I don’t.  That includes live bait.  If you’re interested in live bait harnesses, you can probably find them on line at BPS or Cabela’s. Warren2

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was at walmart last night and i didn’t see Steve (Stoner Lake) there. Walmart is quite the place for tackle. I was looking for live bait harnesses. Couldn’t find any. Probably because there isn’t a big market for them. Is there any instrucions anywhere how to make them for frogs, crickets, grasshoppers, hellgramights, crayfish etc. Also is part of the aversion to livebait the fact that you are sacrificing livebait for fishing. But fishing is hooking fish so what’s the big deal i was wondering what Peta types would think of it. Al

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Question:

Does anyone have any suggestions about flyfishing around Taos, NM. in July, 2000. Thanks Al

also a bit of a drive, but worth it, would be the red river, rio costilla and the vallecitos. there’s also some high alpine lakes around the area. call los rios anglers in taos 505.758.2798.

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Does anyone have any suggestions about flyfishing around Taos, NM. in July, 2000. Thanks Al

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Does anyone have any suggestions about flyfishing around Taos, NM. in July, 2000. Thanks Al

The Rio Grande, the Rio Hondo, and the Rio Chiquito are the "usual". The Rio Pueblo de Taos has good sized trout too, but it’s littered with junk cars and the locals are prone to use the cars for plinkin’ practice. With a bit of a drive you can get to the Cimarron, it’s a stocked tailwater which doesn’t interest me a great deal, but it may be your best bet for catching a lot of fish in July. The fly shop in Taos is EXCELLENT. Don’t remember the name but it’s right on the main drag. They will tell you about some places to catch small wild fish that I won’t. Also, _Taylor Streit’s No Nonsense Guide to Fly Fishing in New Mexico_ by Taylor Streit, David Banks (Editor), Pete Chadwell (Illustrator), David Marketing Communications; ISBN: 0963725661, is highly recommended. Good luck. — Ken Fortenberry

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Question:

I might be in the Ormond Beach area of FLorida and I was wandering what Fly Fishing opportunities are there?  We will be down there maybe in mid May.  Thanks for the advice and help…….Ed

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I might be in the Ormond Beach area of FLorida and I was wandering what Fly Fishing opportunities are there?  We will be down there maybe in mid May.  Thanks for the advice and help…….Ed

Mosquito Lagoon is well worth the half hour drive south. Drop me a email and I’ll send you contact info for some guides that work the area. — SJM

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Question:

Does this mean I need new rings or pistons? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Unless the motor was rebuilt it has high ring pistons. Johnson/evin used these ring from 1977 thru part of 1980 The problem they often self distruct.

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Well many say don’t fix if not broke. I would run the motor myself, if it did snap a ring down the road i would then decide what to do. I would get the motor out for a run before putting much into it. Make sure carbs are clean fuel pump is good water pump is good.  Check oil in lower unit and change. MAKE SURE YOU DON"T BURN 3 YEAR OLD GAS. Out of all the motors I have torn down old gas/oil seems to be the #1 cause of death. You can tell what pistons you have by pulling the bypass covers.

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!!  200 HP Evenrude Rehab, am I an Idiot? I just picked up a 1978 200 hp evenrude outboard.  Am I an idiot? looks very ugly. I think a family of mice has been living in it for about five years. On the positive side the guy packed it up each year with oil ingested through the carbs. The fly wheel turns freely. Any opinions? I’m looking for some cheep power for my 22 ft fishing boat. What are the chances this motor will work out?  Any suggestions for rehabbing procedure? Rick Pickford

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Hi Rick,   You might take a compression test, check the fuel filter, lower unit and so forth but when all is said and done try it out! Hopefully you might be  happily surprised.  Good Luck      Jake

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Unless the motor was rebuilt it has high ring pistons. Johnson/evin used these ring from 1977 thru part of 1980 The problem they often self distruct.

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!!  200 HP Evenrude Rehab, am I an Idiot? I just picked up a 1978 200 hp evenrude outboard.  Am I an idiot? looks very ugly. I think a family of mice has been living in it for about five years. On the positive side the guy packed it up each year with oil ingested through the carbs. The fly wheel turns freely. Any opinions? I’m looking for some cheep power for my 22 ft fishing boat. What are the chances this motor will work out?  Any suggestions for rehabbing procedure? Rick Pickford

I would run the motor until it blows up.  It could last you ten minutes or ten years; you won’t know until you try it.  There are still plenty of motors of that vintage still purring away. Before sinking a bunch of cash in it, check the compression on each cylinder.  I don’t know what the specs are, but I would imagine somewhare between 85 and 115 pounds per hole.  Remember to have the throttle wide open when you do this.  If the compression varies by more than 10 pounds per hole you probably have some internal problems (stuck rings, burned piston, …). Then it is up to you if you should proceed further or just junk it for parts. Assuming that you want to proceed:b Before you crank it up, do this: 1) Take all the carbs off and clean them/rebuild them.  This might be a job for professional if you don’t know what you are doing. If one of the carbs gets junked up, which it probably did after setting for a gazillion years it may run semi-decent, but run lean in a cylinder and hence fry a hole. Change the lower unit lube. Pull the lower unit, clean and grease the drive shaft spline and replace the water pump. Grease all the other fitings; swivel bracket, tilt-tube, throttle and shifter linkage, …. Pull the starter, remove the bendix, clean, regrease. Pull the prop, clean and grease the spline. Check all the electrical connections on the powerhead for corrosion, being loose and just plain where they are supposed to be. In short, go through the typcial pre-season drill.  Any sort of OMC service shop should be able to do this for you for a reaonable amount of cash. Put extra fresh gas in it.  I would run more than 50:1 for the first tank; go with somewhare between double the oil and the recommended amount just to make sure that everything is lubed up properly. Fire it up and see what she does. Good luck.

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Question:

(L. R. Fortney) writes: on the Green, my guide attracted several large browns by tossing some bread into the water.  … he caught a cicada and after being surprised that the underside was chalk white (I wasn’t) he tossed it to the fish.  Fluttering it’s wings, it drifted unmolested over three 20" browns and out of sight down the river. Ignoring the guide’s advice to use one of their ugly black ‘cicada’ imitations, I started fishing a white winged light gray irresistable when we started drifting again…with sufficient success … I think that’s because a lot of Green river trout are pretty tame and a little on the dumb side.

I’m not sure that I follow the train of thought here.  I understand that LRF is sharing his feeling of self satisfaction at two upping the guide by knowing the underbody color of a cicada and catching fish on a light colored fly.  I’m not sure that I understand the point of the rest of the story. I assume that the fish were feeding on the white bread and  it was stated thay they refused the cicada.  So, was the light fly used to simulate the bread or the cicada? BTW, tame and dumb are not the same thing.  Fish that see a large number of fly fishers will tolerate human presence.  I’ve seen fish on the Henry’s Fork take naturals with leader draped across their back.  Often, fishing will not disturb their feeding, but they are seldom fooled by imitations. I’ve also seen some very finicky fish feed on bread crumbs, but I never thought to match the hatch… Thanks for the tip Keywords:

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Fishers- An entemologist buddy tells me this is the big year of the 17-year locust (really a cicada) cycle. I drove through Virginia today and he was right! There are tons of them on the road (and windshield), at least in central Va., and they haven’t really started yet. Does anyone have a good pattern for the cicada’s we get out here?  I fished the Green in Utah last year with a cicada and the trout loved it!  : )  I would think these underfed (south)eastern fish would love them too. Any experiences fishing cicadas in the east? Miles — Miles Silman Department of Zoology Duke University

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Fishers- An entemologist buddy tells me this is the big year of the 17-year locust (really a cicada) cycle. I drove through Virginia today and he was right! There are tons of them on the road (and windshield), at least in central Va., and they haven’t really started yet. Does anyone have a good pattern for the cicada’s we get out here?  I fished the Green in Utah last year with a cicada and the trout loved it!  : )  I would think these underfed (south)eastern fish would love them too. Any experiences fishing cicadas in the east? Miles — Miles Silman Department of Zoology Duke University

Miles, I’ve been fishing a cicada hatch for about 3 weeks in Arizona (In an area I’d prefer to keep unamed). I don’t know if they differ much from the east coast to the west coast but the browns have been hitting them really hard and I’ve managed to land a few around 20". I bought some Rainy’s Float Foam (Large and X-Large) and used the improved cicada instructions included in the pack. After making some observations I’ve come up with two different patterns that seem to work well. Pattern 1:   Hook TMC 200R   Used an underwing of white crystal flash   Substituted black elk hair for the light elk hair overwing   Added a very small tuft of white calf hair on top of overwing (optional) Pattern 2:   Hook TMC 200R   Used an underwing of white crystal flash   Substituded black crystal flash for the light elk hair overwing   Added a very small tuft of white calf hair on top of overwing (optional) I’ve tried fishing the light elk hair overwing but have noticed quite a few more refusals. As of late the fish seem to be a little more suspicious of the two patterns given above. So I’m going to try a 2X long hook and may use burnt orange thread or dubbing for the abdomen. I plan to give this new pattern a try this weekend. Good luck, Jeff Anderson

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The New York Times ran a story on the eastern Cicada hatch sometime last week..FYI..These would really be a meal for a trout!

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I fished the Green in Utah last year with a cicada and the trout loved it!

  I’ve found that what they call a ‘cicada’ pattern on the Green has little resemblance to a live cicada.   When we stopped for lunch last year on the Green, my guide attracted several large browns by tossing some bread into the water.  To settle an argument as to whether a live cicada has a red, black, or white underside he caught a cicada and after being surprised that the underside was chalk white (I wasn’t) he tossed it to the fish.  Fluttering it’s wings, it drifted unmolested over three 20" browns and out of sight down the river. Ignoring the guide’s advice to use one of their ugly black ‘cicada’ imitations, I started fishing a white winged light gray irresistable when we started drifting again…with sufficient success that the guide changed his tune and switched my son to the one white fly he had in his box. Naturally, we only had a couple between us and they quickly got chewed to bits.  Granted that their patterns do catch fish…but I think that’s because a lot of Green river trout are pretty tame and a little on the dumb side.   I doubt that very many of our eastern trout are big enough to down a live cicada, and even fewer would be stupid enough to go for a Green river cicada pattern? — Lloyd Fortney —Opinions are mine— Some of my flower and garden JPEG images are at http://www.phy.duke.edu/Faculty/Fortney/LRF_Personal_Home_Page.html

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Question:

All the comments so far are quite interesting to me because I have yet to own a rod over 8′ in length. I built a 8′   6 wt.  st croix and a 7′2" 3 wt. st croix for myself two years ago and have only used the 8′ a dozen times.  The short light rod is just a ball to use and I have caught some good fish on it!  1 to 4 lb largemouth, tuns o sunfish, 61/2 lb. brown, 9 lb carp,  4 1/2 lb smallmouth buffalo.There aren’t many things I would trade my small short rod for. The superiority of one man’s opinion over another’s is never so great as when the opinion is about fishing. Tim ILBTim

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I find a 9ft quality 5 wt. idealfdor all fresh water fishing. Unless you are fishing very small streams stick wit what you have unless money is no object.

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Short rods definitely are useful and fun, especially on small brushy streams.  Lamiglass makes some short rods, with the smallest around 51/2 ft.  St. Croix used to make some nice ones back in the days of glass, but I have no idea what their line is now.

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Short rods are advantageous in tight conditions with canopy type overgrowth.  A long rod in this situation would always be stuck in the canopy.  In areas where most of the cover is on the banks and not overhanging the river, a longer rod will allow you to  backcast over the obstructions more easily, is more accurate (like having a longer finger to point with) and definitely gives you better line handling and mending.  So as many answers to  fly fishing questions goes,  "It all depends".  Make your choice depending on the conditions or personal preferance. Lee Wulff once said that he didn’t fish short rods because they were better, but because they were more challenging and he enjoyed fishing them more than long rods.  Check out Joan Wulff’s book for some specialty casts to use with short rods.                                                               Dan Dan Gracia                                                               Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools If you kill that big fish you can’t catch ‘em again.  So what if they eat other fish?  If you kill the big ones there will only be little ones left (funny how that works!).

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Short rods are advantageous in tight conditions with canopy type overgrowth.  A long rod in this situation would always be stuck in the canopy.  In areas where most of the cover is on the banks and not overhanging the river, a longer rod will allow you to  backcast over the obstructions more easily, is more accurate (like having a longer finger to point with) and definitely gives you better line handling and mending.  So as many answers to  fly fishing questions goes,  "It all depends".   Make your choice depending on the conditions or personal preferance. Lee Wulff once said that he didn’t fish short rods because they were better, but because they were more challenging and he enjoyed fishing them more than long rods.  Check out Joan Wulff’s book for some specialty casts to use with short rods.                                                              Dan Dan Gracia                                                             Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools If you kill that big fish you can’t catch ‘em again.  So what if they eat other fish?  If you kill the big ones there will only be little ones left (funny how that works!).

Re: Short fly rods Don’t forget that long rods can really come in handy if you fish stillwater from a belly boat. I fish an out of production (I think) Orvis 10 1/2′ in my tube. The minor inconviences are easily outweighed by the advantages of the extra length. Like you said, "It all depends…" Good luck, Nash

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IMHO, I have a Sage 7.5′ 4wt and I love it! The majority of fishing I do is on small spring streams and it is perfect.  I have other rods, longer and heavier, but this one is definitely my favorite. D.P.

The best rod I own is an Orvis "Tippet" 7.5′ 3wt 1.5 oz.. I use it for trout and panfish. It’s the first rod that I grab and the one I use when I dream about fishing.

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I’ve used my Orvis Flea, 6 1/2′ 4 weight almost exclusively for the last two years. Originally bought it for small s.w. Michigan streams with low canopies but have had success on local northern Indiana ponds and even the Yellow Breeches in PA. You need a very smooth knot between leader and fly line because you’ll probably reel in that much to reach fish or to use net. On the plus side, almost any size fish gives your outfit a battle and the shorter rod makes you work on better casting mechanics for longer casts.

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IMO, the biggest disadvantage to short rods is their limited ability to mend line, especially on big rivers.   I use a 9 foot rod for 95% of the fishing I do.  On smaller rivers, like the local Cache la Poudre, I prefer an 8 foot; shorter rods seem to work better for shorter casts. When I get rich some day, working for the government (right) I’d like to get a 9.5 foot six or seven weight for nymphinig big rivers. Generally speaking, the bigger the water, the bigger the rod. — -Wayne Trzyna

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Doug, The Mighty Mite is a 5wt!  You may just be able to get a nice Salmon or Steelhead if you are careful.  Most likely, you could not get a Steelie or Salmon on a 6′ 1wt.  The MM is and was not a gimmic when sold.  It was offered as a short all around rod.  They are rare and collectable, dont break it! Sean

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IMHO, it depends on where you plan on fishing.  If you’re on the big rivers, I’d go with a longer rod.  Physically, they are capable of putting out more line (higher rod tip speed, etc.).  If, however, you’re like me and are ducking overhanging branches and the like, I would STRONGLY recommend a short rod.  I have a 7′2" 4wt that I absoulutely LOVE!  My first rod was a 9′6" 5wt that was nice, just had to be so careful about tree fishing.  Also, I really don’t think the added length makes too much of a difference in relation to distance unless you start talking about throwing flies way out there, because I’ve never been let down by the short rod in trying to hit a spot.  My suggestion, go with the short! Terry

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Also, who do you think won the war between the rods?  Lefty Kreh and the long rods? or Ed Shenk et al and the short ones?

Jim, I think a random sampling of rod vendors’ offerings is more than sufficient to answer this question. Rods 8ft or longer in length are the rule, with rods under 8ft being the overwhelming minority. (In fact, this is probably also true if the criterion were 9ft or longer for a "long" rod.) This is not to criticize short rod proponents; only to point out that there is very little question on this subject if you look to the marketplace as your measurement of "who won the war". Regards, Fred

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I am interested in knowledge about short fly rods, particulary fiberglass but also graphite.  Line weights 3 – 5.  Also, rods that are for sale.   There have been waves of interest in these small rods in the past, probably started by Lee Wulff and Arnold Gingrich, but also Ed Shenk.  I am interested in your experience with the short ones, different manufacturers, lengths, shortcomings, etc., not commercialized opinion driven by marketing usually published in the fly fishing journals.  Also, who do you think won the war between the rods?  Lefty Kreh and the long rods? or Ed Shenk et al and the short ones? Thanks. J. H.

Jim: Just my own experience, but I have a 6′6" Loomis GL3 (graphite) 3-weight that I really like to use on small streams.  I have caught trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and lots of panfish on it and really love to use it. It does, however, leave a lot to be desired if you are fishing in a wind.  I think that part has as much to do with the line weight as the length, but the two are probably related. Finally, if your small stream fishing includes dropping nymphs along cutbanks without actual casting, a 9′ rod works a lot better for that. Still, there is something that is just FUN about throwing a light line and a tiny fly on a short rod.  I think it makes me a better fisherman with my other rods. Thanks, Bob

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IMHO, I have a Sage 7.5′ 4wt and I love it! The majority of fishing I do is on small spring streams and it is perfect.  I have other rods, longer and heavier, but this one is definitely my favorite. D.P.

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    IMHO, short rods (beginning with the bamboo type) have always been of interest to some fishermen because there have been promoters of fishing with them, especially the late Lee Wulff.  He could cast very long distances with a short rod, as well as land very large fish.  In the world of bamboo, a very heavy material, a short rod was a light rod.       The advent of graphite has eliminated weight as a consideration in rod length.  So now we can return to consideration of basic principles like the length of the rod as a lever for casting or its applicability for handling or manipulating line on the water.  And in this regard, a longer rod is preferable, all other things being equal.  Many of the light weight rods (by line size) are now relatively lengthy – few under 8′ and many at 9′ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -The short rod interest has really confused me as of late also.  I have always favored a shortish rod for the fishing I do in the Sierra and High  Sierra.  There really is no scientific fact for this, they are simply easier to carry and cast in tight conditions with light line. The trout are seldom over 12", so the short, light rod makes fair game of them.   The 1oz, 1 and 2wt. rods are gimmics in my opinion.  I have used one particular model and felt I did the fish I caught some real harm, by not bringing them in quick enough. The rod simply wouldnt allow it. I was using the rod to get a feel for the action and casting abilities and comparing it to light cane rods.  While I know of no 1 or 2wt. cane rods, there was a significant difference between this rod and 3 and 4wt. cane.  The cane has the same sweet action and feel (heavier yes) but brought fish to the hand much faster. I believe this is another fad the industry is going through.  Much has been written over th past two years about short, light rods.  So much so, that the once common and inexpensive short cane rods have become the rage across the country.  This is both good and bad.  Bad, because I really cant afford to buy the SB 290’s and HI Tonka Princes any longer, at the rate I break them. . But good because, these really are decent rods and deserve some respect.  As with anything "collectable" the prices will certinly rise to unaffordability soon enough. Thoughts out there? Regards, Sean

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The short rod interest has really confused me as of late also.  I have always favored a shortish rod for the fishing I do in the Sierra and High Sierra.  There really is no scientific fact for this, they are simply easier to carry and cast in tight conditions with light line. The trout are seldom over 12", so the short, light rod makes fair game of them.   The 1oz, 1 and 2wt. rods are gimmics in my opinion.  I have used one particular model and felt I did the fish I caught some real harm, by not bringing them in quick enough. The rod simply wouldnt allow it. I was using the rod to get a feel for the action and casting abilities and comparing it to light cane rods.  While I know of no 1 or 2wt. cane rods, there was a significant difference between this rod and 3 and 4wt. cane.  The cane has the same sweet action and feel (heavier yes) but brought fish to the hand much faster. I believe this is another fad the industry is going through.  Much has been written over th past two years about short, light rods.  So much so, that the once common and inexpensive short cane rods have become the rage across the country.  This is both good and bad.  Bad, because I really cant afford to buy the SB 290’s and HI Tonka Princes any longer, at the rate I break them. . But good because, these really are decent rods and deserve some respect.  As with anything "collectable" the prices will certinly rise to unaffordability soon enough. Thoughts out there? Regards, Sean

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Question:

ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON GOOD AREAS/SPOTS ALONG THE DEERFIELD OR MILLERS RIVER FOR FLYFISHING?  HOW ABOUT FOR SPIN FISHING? Thanks,

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ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON GOOD AREAS/SPOTS ALONG THE DEERFIELD OR MILLERS RIVER FOR FLYFISHING?  HOW ABOUT FOR SPIN FISHING? Thanks,

millers … read all about it in this month’s new england fish and game. $2.50   available at  most magazine shops.   complete details on where to park, fish , etc. lexington, ma. 02173

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Question:

I am trying to get the email address for the fly fishing mailing list and instructions for getting myself added to the distribution list.  Please reply to me using the address below if you have any information.  Thanks in advance. -Roger.  Roger S. Barga     |   Department of Computer Science and Engineering                     | Oregon Graduate Institute of Science and Technology (503) 690-1121 7308 |                Portland, OR 97291-1000

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I am trying to get the email address for the fly fishing mailing list and instructions for getting myself added to the distribution list.  Please reply to me using the address below if you have any information.  Thanks in advance.

How about posting it here, too, for the rest of us… Rick

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