Question:

I was going to just wait for 35 peeps to join, but enrollment is slow, and we all need time to fly, so I say on Thursday it’s the end, and Friday morning I’ll post the final list of who’s in. Sound good?

Sounds great.  Where the heck is RW, Bruiser, Louie, Willi, Bob, Charlie and a few others to name a few????  C’mon boys.

Response:

Bouncer writes: Sounds great.  Where the heck is RW, Bruiser, Louie, Willi, Bob, Charlie and a few others to name a few????  C’mon boys.

I don’t have the time right now, Paul.  Gotta keep the Cannuck happy next week-end, and then Jo and I will be at the East Outlet the next two weeks (Fri – Sun).  I’ll be practicing to tie a new fly, so I’ll get in on the next one. Dave

Response:

Make mine a "Poronui Special". Clark

Response:

Tim, I suggested earlier that you make a web page containing up to date info. You could put it in connection to your web site. The reason being that it’s easy to miss out on a post which might contain essential information about the swap. Not saying that you should stop posting the info, only saying that a web page can be a nice backup. 21 flies finished, heading for 38   =)). — Tight lines! / Roger Ohlund Daytime engineer Lifetime flyfisherman For info on flyfishing in northern Sweden visit http://home.bip.net/angler/

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey Guys, Again, flies due november 11th. Tie one for every tyer, including yourself. One for Dave and da’ kids and if willing, 2 extra’s to make clave prizes . Sound good. Any questions just send me a note. Here’s the updated list of who’s in and what they are tying. Not even close to 30 peeps yet. Flyswapees tried it!) Wolfgang Joe F Rocktrout(aka Bouncer)—— Mountain Midge head Frank Church Clark Reid Lou Teletski Hans Van der stroom—Ritz D — Tim Apple www.flyfishingaddict.com

Response:

On the other hand, I’ll do a flash back PT.  I need the practice and the inspiration to tie.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m in with a solid TBD fly. I was going to just wait for 35 peeps to join, but enrollment is slow, and we all need time to fly, so I say on Thursday it’s the end, and Friday morning I’ll post the final list of who’s in. Sound good? — Tim Apple www.flyfishingaddict.com When is the deadline for signing up, i.e. when will we know the excate number of flues to make ? Im guessing its something like  #flies = #swappers + 4 Hey Guys, Again, flies due november 11th. Tie one for every tyer, including yourself. One for Dave and da’ kids and if willing, 2 extra’s to make clave prizes . Sound good. Any questions just send me a note. Here’s the updated list of who’s in and what they are tying. Not even close to 30 peeps yet. Flyswapees you tried it!) Wolfgang Joe F Rocktrout(aka Bouncer)—— Mountain Midge with bead head Frank Church Clark Reid Lou Teletski Hans Van der stroom—Ritz D — Tim Apple www.flyfishingaddict.com — Svend  1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy       Phone: (+1) 650 933 3618  Mountain View  California 94043  USA

Response:

I’m in with a solid TBD fly.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was going to just wait for 35 peeps to join, but enrollment is slow, and we all need time to fly, so I say on Thursday it’s the end, and Friday morning I’ll post the final list of who’s in. Sound good? — Tim Apple www.flyfishingaddict.com When is the deadline for signing up, i.e. when will we know the excate number of flues to make ? Im guessing its something like  #flies = #swappers + 4 Hey Guys, Again, flies due november 11th. Tie one for every tyer, including yourself. One for Dave and da’ kids and if willing, 2 extra’s to make clave prizes . Sound good. Any questions just send me a note. Here’s the updated list of who’s in and what they are tying. Not even close to 30 peeps yet. Flyswapees tried it!) Wolfgang Joe F Rocktrout(aka Bouncer)—— Mountain Midge bead head Frank Church Clark Reid Lou Teletski Hans Van der stroom—Ritz D — Tim Apple www.flyfishingaddict.com — Svend  1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy       Phone: (+1) 650 933 3618  Mountain View  California 94043  USA

Response:

I was going to just wait for 35 peeps to join, but enrollment is slow, and we all need time to fly, so I say on Thursday it’s the end, and Friday morning I’ll post the final list of who’s in. Sound good? — Tim Apple www.flyfishingaddict.com

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When is the deadline for signing up, i.e. when will we know the excate number of flues to make ? Im guessing its something like  #flies = #swappers + 4 Hey Guys, Again, flies due november 11th. Tie one for every tyer, including yourself. One for Dave and da’ kids and if willing, 2 extra’s to make clave prizes . Sound good. Any questions just send me a note. Here’s the updated list of who’s in and what they are tying. Not even close to 30 peeps yet. Flyswapees tried it!) Wolfgang Joe F Rocktrout(aka Bouncer)—— Mountain Midge bead head Frank Church Clark Reid Lou Teletski Hans Van der stroom—Ritz D — Tim Apple www.flyfishingaddict.com — Svend  1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy       Phone: (+1) 650 933 3618  Mountain View  California 94043  USA

Response:

snip

p.s.  Much to my surprise, no one has yet committed to that most indispensable of all nymphs, the plain vanilla GRHE.  I guess that’s me then. Wolfgang

Response:

Hey Guys, Again, flies due november 11th. Tie one for every tyer, including yourself. One for Dave and da’ kids and if willing, 2 extra’s to make clave prizes . Sound good. Any questions just send me a note. Here’s the updated list of who’s in and what they are tying. Not even close to 30 peeps yet……

Not a math major myself, but by my count we stand at fifteen or so tyers….three extra bugs per participant puts the grand total at 18 copies per.  I can do that by 11-11. Run this gig any way you like, but if you want more participants I suspect that a more liberal time limit might be the ticket.      :) Wolfgang

Response:

Hey Guys, Again, flies due november 11th. Tie one for every tyer, including yourself. One for Dave and da’ kids and if willing, 2 extra’s to make clave prizes . Sound good. Any questions just send me a note. Here’s the updated list of who’s in and what they are tying. Not even close to 30 peeps yet.

What a coincidence. Just strolled in after some time off, and a flyswap (is a nymph a fly? <g) kicks off. Great, I could do with some tying excercise. I’m in, don’t know what pattern yet. Herman

Response:

When is the deadline for signing up, i.e. when will we know the excate number of flues to make ? Im guessing its something like  #flies = #swappers + 4 – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey Guys, Again, flies due november 11th. Tie one for every tyer, including yourself. One for Dave and da’ kids and if willing, 2 extra’s to make clave prizes . Sound good. Any questions just send me a note. Here’s the updated list of who’s in and what they are tying. Not even close to 30 peeps yet. Flyswapees it!) Wolfgang Joe F Rocktrout(aka Bouncer)—— Mountain Midge head Frank Church Clark Reid Lou Teletski Hans Van der stroom—Ritz D — Tim Apple www.flyfishingaddict.com

– Svend  1600 Amphitheatre Pkwy       Phone: (+1) 650 933 3618  Mountain View  California 94043  USA

Response:

Hey Guys, Again, flies due november 11th. Tie one for every tyer, including yourself. One for Dave and da’ kids and if willing, 2 extra’s to make clave prizes . Sound good. Any questions just send me a note. Here’s the updated list of who’s in and what they are tying. Not even close to 30 peeps yet. Flyswapees it!) Wolfgang Joe F Rocktrout(aka Bouncer)—— Mountain Midge head Frank Church Clark Reid Lou Teletski Hans Van der stroom—Ritz D — Tim Apple www.flyfishingaddict.com

Response:

Question:

Part III

Nice reports Warren, thanks. — Charlie…

Response:

 The Missouri is a lot different than any other waters I have fished. It was a little difficult for me to decipher because it is so slow moving.  All the other tail waters I have fished have had a lot more current to them.  I am not saying that the Missouri is weak, but it is wide, deep and pretty structureless.   I don

Question:

The original message was not a troll, it was a subtle way of telling the whiners to F-off. I was exchanging beery emails with a flyfishing friend from Maine late Friday night and his observations were the impetus for the post Saturday morning. We are both surprised, I think, that the overwhelming consensus is to just leave well enough alone. The serial whiners had me convinced that a vast army of flyfisherfolk with delicate sensibilities were lurking out there but too intimidated to post, much to the detriment of the group. I truly believed it. I said that I would crosspost the call for a "show of hands" to a few other newsgroups, but I don’t think it’s worth the effort. Only eleven people besides myself have indicated that they would vote YES if the proposal came to a vote. The list follows, if you indicated or would like to indicate that you would vote YES but don’t see your email addy on the list, reply to this post. I’m gonna set the ROFF "show of hands" number arbitrarily at 55 before I bother to crosspost. My offer to do the grunt work required to start a RFD and a CFV will eventually expire so "show those hands" and start thinking about moderator(s) if this thing flies. Just as an aside, for whatever reason, I take a lot of email grief from the serial whiners. Volunteering to do a bit of work to push them off to a new newsgroup should in no way be considered altruistic or noble. I am doing this for personal and selfish reasons, I like ROFF just the way it is, consider it one of the more helpful and "newbie friendly" of the rec. newsgroups and I am sick and bloody fucking tired of whiners. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

I truly believed it.

You should believe it because it’s true. The people I know of already participate other FF forums. They, like me, aren’t interested in a new group. Just as an aside, for whatever reason, I take a lot of email grief from the serial whiners. Volunteering to do a bit of work to push them off to a new newsgroup should in no way be considered altruistic or noble. I am doing this for personal and selfish reasons, I like ROFF just the way it is, consider it one of the more helpful and "newbie friendly" of the rec. newsgroups and I am sick and bloody fucking tired of whiners.

There are other people here that are "fucking tired" of other things in ROFF. I will continue to criticize ROFF when I think it’s appropriate. ROFF is not sacred. I won’t do this through email. Here’s a suggestion for you, have the "membership" make a rule. Anything goes on ROFF except for criticism of ROFF itself. That will get rid of this "whiner." Willi

Response:

Yes. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The original message was not a troll, it was a subtle way of telling the whiners to F-off. I was exchanging beery emails with a flyfishing friend from Maine late Friday night and his observations were the impetus for the post Saturday morning. We are both surprised, I think, that the overwhelming consensus is to just leave well enough alone. The serial whiners had me convinced that a vast army of flyfisherfolk with delicate sensibilities were lurking out there but too intimidated to post, much to the detriment of the group. I truly believed it. I said that I would crosspost the call for a "show of hands" to a few other newsgroups, but I don’t think it’s worth the effort. Only eleven people besides myself have indicated that they would vote YES if the proposal came to a vote. The list follows, if you indicated or would like to indicate that you would vote YES but don’t see your email addy on the list, reply to this post. I’m gonna set the ROFF "show of hands" number arbitrarily at 55 before I bother to crosspost. My offer to do the grunt work required to start a RFD and a CFV will eventually expire so "show those hands" and start thinking about moderator(s) if this thing flies. Just as an aside, for whatever reason, I take a lot of email grief from the serial whiners. Volunteering to do a bit of work to push them off to a new newsgroup should in no way be considered altruistic or noble. I am doing this for personal and selfish reasons, I like ROFF just the way it is, consider it one of the more helpful and "newbie friendly" of the rec. newsgroups and I am sick and bloody fucking tired of whiners. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

Yes Tim Lysyk

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yes. The original message was not a troll, it was a subtle way of telling the whiners to F-off. I was exchanging beery emails with a flyfishing friend from Maine late Friday night and his observations were the impetus for the post Saturday morning. We are both surprised, I think, that the overwhelming consensus is to just leave well enough alone. The serial whiners had me convinced that a vast army of flyfisherfolk with delicate sensibilities were lurking out there but too intimidated to post, much to the detriment of the group. I truly believed it. I said that I would crosspost the call for a "show of hands" to a few other newsgroups, but I don’t think it’s worth the effort. Only eleven people besides myself have indicated that they would vote YES if the proposal came to a vote. The list follows, if you indicated or would like to indicate that you would vote YES but don’t see your email addy on the list, reply to this post. I’m gonna set the ROFF "show of hands" number arbitrarily at 55 before I bother to crosspost. My offer to do the grunt work required to start a RFD and a CFV will eventually expire so "show those hands" and start thinking about moderator(s) if this thing flies. Just as an aside, for whatever reason, I take a lot of email grief from the serial whiners. Volunteering to do a bit of work to push them off to a new newsgroup should in no way be considered altruistic or noble. I am doing this for personal and selfish reasons, I like ROFF just the way it is, consider it one of the more helpful and "newbie friendly" of the rec. newsgroups and I am sick and bloody fucking tired of whiners. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

Don’t go changing,to try and please me,You never worked that hard before.I couldn’t love you any better,I love you just the way you are.Nooooooooooooooooo!     OT:Went to the surf last night for the first time this year.Caught two 20"stripers(no strippers in sight)Had two walk two miles wearing neoprene to get to the good spot.It was worth it.Had the beach all to myself and a glorious sunset to boot.I always get this shock of recognition every year when I catch the first one;I forget just how amazingly strong these fish are.Schoolie fish had my reel screaming and my rod bent over.I can’t imagine what it must be like to land a large one,say 36".Maybe this year I’ll get lucky and find out. Regards,Shawn

Response:

I’d vote yes… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I said that I would crosspost the call for a "show of hands" to a few other newsgroups, but I don’t think it’s worth the effort. Only eleven people besides myself have indicated that they would vote YES if the proposal came to a vote. The list follows, if you indicated or would like to indicate that you would vote YES but don’t see your email addy on the list, reply to this post.

Response:

In addition to Roff, I’ve been frequenting The Virtual Flyshop (Bulletin Board), upon the suggestion of others at Roff.  It provides excellent, mostly on-topic, civil discussions.  Lots of collective fly-fishing knowledge shared. Very newbie friendly.  And I understand that there are other similar resources.  With all these resources available why bother to develop an antiseptic ROFF alternative?  Not that I’m crazy about some of the outright nastiness on ROFF. I am just choosing to ignore it as often as possible. Pat K

Response:

Any tips on where I might find a few good fly fishing spots on the Cape? DMS

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The original message was not a troll, it was a subtle way of telling the whiners to F-off. I was exchanging beery emails with a flyfishing friend from Maine late Friday night and his observations were the impetus for the post Saturday morning. We are both surprised, I think, that the overwhelming consensus is to just leave well enough alone. The serial whiners had me convinced that a vast army of flyfisherfolk with delicate sensibilities were lurking out there but too intimidated to post, much to the detriment of the group. I truly believed it. I said that I would crosspost the call for a "show of hands" to a few other newsgroups, but I don’t think it’s worth the effort. Only eleven people besides myself have indicated that they would vote YES if the proposal came to a vote. The list follows, if you indicated or would like to indicate that you would vote YES but don’t see your email addy on the list, reply to this post. I’m gonna set the ROFF "show of hands" number arbitrarily at 55 before I bother to crosspost. My offer to do the grunt work required to start a RFD and a CFV will eventually expire so "show those hands" and start thinking about moderator(s) if this thing flies. Just as an aside, for whatever reason, I take a lot of email grief from the serial whiners. Volunteering to do a bit of work to push them off to a new newsgroup should in no way be considered altruistic or noble. I am doing this for personal and selfish reasons, I like ROFF just the way it is, consider it one of the more helpful and "newbie friendly" of the rec. newsgroups and I am sick and bloody fucking tired of whiners. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

Any tips on where I might find a few good fly fishing spots on the Cape? DMS

Dennis I’ve only been to the Cape twice so I’m not what you’d call an authority.  I fished at Barnstable Harbour, Pleasant Bay near Chatham and the Coast Guard Beach on the Atlantic side at the north end. There’s some pictures a some descriptions on mt site under "Trips". Cheers Visit The Streamer Page at http://members.home.net/pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

Any tips on where I might find a few good fly fishing spots on the Cape?

www.flyfishing-the-salt Sorry if anyone else already posted this, but my newserver went down last night and has been acting funny. Mu

Response:

Question:

Ok, a mini Internet lecture, for both sides of this thread. The processor speed on the client side (and most likely on the server side) *does not matter*.

[snipped] Exactly true for anyone not gifted with a T-3 connection ;^) But as for the rest of us, Jon, the problem is purely one of end-node bandwidth. For most of us – and for most of the time – the slow loading of George’s page has nothing to do with routers or switches or backbone performance. It’s the bandwidth at the faceplate attached to the wall. Also, as long as we’re in "education mode", if you think that a 48KB file is broken up into a mere dozen packets (or anything even remotely close to that) it’s time for you to go back to school ;^) Packet payloads are measured in tens or hundreds of bytes (check out the spec’s on ATM, for instance), not multi-K’s of bytes… The solution to George’s page is simple: lose the eagle, and make the darned page hierarchical. Put the latest set of events on the first page, and bury the history stuff in a half-dozen underlying pages, arranged in chronological order with links back on the first page. No big deal, don’t have to throw anything way, and it would probably take a half-hour to rearrange what he’s got now into something more practical… Regards, /daytripper (sipping the internet through a really thin straw ;^)

Response:

Ok, a mini Internet lecture, for both sides of this thread. The processor speed on the client side (and most likely on the server side) *does not matter*.

(remainded snipped to unclog the superhighway) Thanks for the explanation Jon. Mark Faulkner

Response:

Jon Cook: <<Which is *still* not related to processor speed. What you’re talking about is modem speed — and I’ll still go out on a limb and say that any endpoint with modem above 33K or so will still suffer from *internal* Internet congestion, and not just their end-node bandwidth. Heck, I’ve visited the page from a *very* fast connection and have waited minutes for it to load. Gentlemen, gentlemen….. The entire page was too big — since George has fixed it, it loads in very little time, *regardless of when you call it up*. There is very little internet activity at 6 a.m. EDT, yet it took just as long then as it did at 1 pm or 10 pm.  The thing was too long. Dave LaCourse

Response:

bytes per.  We will try and archive the site as soon as we can or simply erase the majority of it.  Your choice.

FYI, the eagle logo is 753×611pixels. It is only displayed in 176×143 pixels. This is not too bright web-design. The client has to download the big image, which is 48K. This is a total waste, since the image displayed on the webpage (176×143) with good compression, should easily be less than 3K (I checked). Additionally, forcing the client to resize the picture, will hog unnecessary CPU. Some clients and machines are pretty bad at doing such things, i.e. try having a mac (a few years old) render a background picture within a table. It will take ages, and one is better off avoiding these possible pitfalls from the server side. Just select "view image" (right click on picture in netscape) to see how big this bastard really is. — Christian Figenschou – <URL: http://figen.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – bytes per.  We will try and archive the site as soon as we can or simply erase the majority of it.  Your choice. FYI, the eagle logo is 753×611pixels. It is only displayed in 176×143 pixels. This is not too bright web-design. The client has to download the big image, which is 48K. This is a total waste, since the image displayed on the webpage (176×143) with good compression, should easily be less than 3K (I checked). Additionally, forcing the client to resize the picture, will hog unnecessary CPU. Some clients and machines are pretty bad at doing such things, i.e. try having a mac (a few years old) render a background picture within a table. It will take ages, and one is better off avoiding these possible pitfalls from the server side. Just select "view image" (right click on picture in netscape) to see how big this bastard really is. — Christian Figenschou – <URL: http://figen.com

— Mr. G. ‘all’s fair with fur or feather’ http://www.gink.com http://www.rodbuilding.com http://www.xink.com 509-243-4100 or 5500

Question:

Hello. I’m Art Daudelin, a writer on assignment for "Physicians Financial News." I’m doing a piece on Fly Fishing and would like to speak with someone who can give me an overview and philosophy of the sport, as well as some tips, travel spots, etc. An M.D. would make a great subject for an interview, as the magazine is targeted to physicians, but any good insight would be welcome. E-mail me if you are interested… thanks in advance, art daudelin

Response:

If I didn’t fish whenever possible, I’d strangle every911 callin, terminally unemployable slob who gets on teh medic…. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello. I’m Art Daudelin, a writer on assignment for "Physicians Financial News." I’m doing a piece on Fly Fishing and would like to speak with someone who can give me an overview and philosophy of the sport, as well as some tips, travel spots, etc. An M.D. would make a great subject for an interview, as the magazine is targeted to physicians, but any good insight would be welcome. E-mail me if you are interested… thanks in advance, art daudelin

Response:

Question:

I am looking for a graden hoe that is shaped like a diamond and the diamond part sits on the ground and you just push and pull it along the ground to get rid of the weeds . I think its called a Japanese weeding hoe.

Response:

I am looking for a graden hoe that is shaped like a diamond and the diamond part sits on the ground and you just push and pull it along the ground to get rid of the weeds . I think its called a Japanese weeding hoe.

  There’s a similar (and I think better) product knows as a swoe whose head looks a bit like a flattened golf club.  It was originally marketed (25 years ago) by Wilkinson Sword in an elegant one piece stainless steel version that I still have, but I havn’t seen that form in over a decade. A few years back I bought a friend a heavier and less elegant version from one of the mail order catalogs.  It’s meant to slide back and forth under the soil like what you describe, but the one sided design is less likely to lop off the wrong plant. — Lloyd Fortney http://www.phy.duke.edu/~fortney/ has links to my garden, flower, flyfishing, and travel JPEG images as well as teaching, research, and stuff like that

Response:

Question:

Would like to get some feedbacks on this particular rod before making purchase.   How does it compares with the St Croix 9 foot 5/6 two piece rod?? -peter

Response:

Would like to get some feedbacks on this particular rod before making purchase.   How does it compares with the St Croix 9 foot 5/6 two piece rod?? -peter

Hi Peter I’ve cast both rods and they are fine. To me the travel rod seemed slightly faster but that could just be my immagination. They are both fine rods. Take care & … — Tight Lines ….. Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products On line catalog – tips & tricks at: http://www.btsflyfishing.com

Response:

Peter, I can’t give you a comparison as I don’t have both rods, however I do have the 5/6 St Croix travel rod. It compares favorably with my Sage 2 piece rods, which are the LL series. Mine is going into it’s 3rd season now, and I have no complaints whatever, in fact, I’m thinking of getting their 3/4 wt travel rod as well. Best buy on the market for my money.  Good luck. — Frank Church Elkhart, IN – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Would like to get some feedbacks on this particular rod before making purchase.   How does it compares with the St Croix 9 foot 5/6 two piece rod?? -peter

Response:

Would like to get some feedbacks on this particular rod before making purchase.   How does it compares with the St Croix 9 foot 5/6 two piece rod?? -peter

I’ve been using the St. Croix pack rod exclusively for 4 years now.  It is ideal anywhere, anytime.  Really has a lot of power for shooting into the wind also.

Response:

Question:

I am going to be in the Dominican Republic in the next month.  Has anyone heard of any fly fishing there, either fresh or salt water?  Any information would be appreciated.

Response:

I am going to be in the Dominican Republic in the next month.  Has anyone heard of any fly fishing there, either fresh or salt water?  Any information would be appreciated.

Chris, I lived in the DR for a couple of years back in the 60s. Can’t say there would be much freshwater flyfishing; it’d be dangerous in any case. The fresh water streams are infected with Bilharzia. The eastern end of the island has a nice relatively shallow bay, Samana, bordered on the north and south by the eastern ends of the Cordillera Septentrional and the Cordillera Central. It is (or was) a great area for scuba diving, and probably is for fishing, too. Good luck. I envy you, especially at this time of year. Luther

Response:

Thanks for the information.  By the way, what is Bilharzia?   It sounds like some kind of unpleasant parasite and doesn’t seem encouraging for any backcountry exploration.     – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am going to be in the Dominican Republic in the next month.  Has anyone heard of any fly fishing there, either fresh or salt water?  Any information would be appreciated. Chris, I lived in the DR for a couple of years back in the 60s. Can’t say there would be much freshwater flyfishing; it’d be dangerous in any case. The fresh water streams are infected with Bilharzia. The eastern end of the island has a nice relatively shallow bay, Samana, bordered on the north and south by the eastern ends of the Cordillera Septentrional and the Cordillera Central. It is (or was) a great area for scuba diving, and probably is for fishing, too. Good luck. I envy you, especially at this time of year. Luther

Response:

Question:

Any experiences with Gore-Tex waders in saltwater? I want to replace a hot sweaty and heavy pair of Gralites.

Response:

I have several friends who used Simms/Gore-Tex waders this past summer while fishing stripers in Maine–  no problems.

Response:

I have several friends who used Simms/Gore-Tex waders this past summer while fishing stripers in Maine–  no problems.

Hi I’ve guided using Simms GorTex wader the past couple of year.  They are the best thing I’ve done for myself in the interest of comfort in year.   They are definitely worth the price when you compare to your personal comfort. — Tight Lines Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Bozeman, MT (97 catalog)

Response:

Question:

done some diving from a kayak, and have found the following to be true: 1. You must make sure that your fins are secured in the boat. Most sink and will be of no use to you at the bottom of the sea. 2. You often need two hands to put fins on. If you don’t attach yourself to the boat and are still in a situation where it seems advantageous to be with your boat, this can be a problem. Additionally, if you don’t wear the booties you use with your fins, they are probably of little or no use. Fins that fit improperly are painful, at best, and frequently of little use.

A company call Caddis makes fins for float-tube fisherman.  They float and fit any size shoes, booties, etc.  You can probably find them at your local fly fishing store. — -Wayne Trzyna

Response:

1. You must make sure that your fins are secured in the boat. Most sink and will be of no use to you at the bottom of the sea.

A company called Caddis makes fins for float tube fisherman.  The fins float and fit any shoes. booties, etc.  You can probably find them at your local fly fishing store. — -Wayne Trzyna

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I can’t help but think that a pair of fins stowed in your sea kayak would be a tremendous safety feature. Anyone who has used fins can testify that they are a HUGE advantage when swimming. Do any of you sea kayakers carry them?

Doug, I’ve considered this myself at times. I scuba as well as kayak, and have even done some diving from a kayak, and have found the following to be true: 1. You must make sure that your fins are secured in the boat. Most sink and will be of no use to you at the bottom of the sea. 2. You often need two hands to put fins on. If you don’t attach yourself to the boat and are still in a situation where it seems advantageous to be with your boat, this can be a problem. Additionally, if you don’t wear the booties you use with your fins, they are probably of little or no use. Fins that fit improperly are painful, at best, and frequently of little use. 3. Fins are still of little use in a strong current. What they provide in power, they cost in energy. I have seen many divers grow fatigued and give up after kicking under 100 yards against a slow current. They seemed to think the fins gave them enough power to overcome anything and never took the time to learn about currents and how to avoid same. If the distance is great, it is certainly wiser to find the way to cross the current than it is to don fins and swim directly into its teeth. 4. Preparing for cold water immersion is worth more than all the additional equipment you can carry. If you have your warmth, you don’t need to swim great distances or fight currents because you can wait for rescue. This means that you should make someone aware of your activities and location, that you should set a "drop dead" time, after which this person contacts the coast guard or relevant rescue agency, and that you should do your best to stay visible (more on these issues when I post the next article – I’ve just got to remember to bring in the magazine – there is also a discussion on fins in there too, but I don’t remember their conclusions – these comments are wholly my own). Anyway, it seems to me that if you are forced to swim, recognizing currents and avoiding them will be of more benefit. Fins can be a useful backup, but as always, if you are going to use them, practice. If you lose the fins when the boat capsizes or when you are trying to put them on in heavy conditions, you may find yourself in a nasty situation, especially if you are counting on them to get you to shore. Rick

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 Hello, everyone,  although somewhat edited for brevity, the following is a description of an  accident (in Coos bay) and two incidents that (in Kalaloch Beach – part of Olympic National Park in Wash.) we should all take note of. Everything  in quotes is taken directly from the article.

Thanks for posting this.  I think we all need a reminder from time to time. Nature is way bigger than we are…..

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I can’t help but think that a pair of fins stowed in your sea kayak would be a tremendous safety feature. Anyone who has used fins can testify that they are a HUGE advantage when swimming. Do any of you sea kayakers carry them?

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Hello, everyone, although somewhat edited for brevity, the following is a description of an accident (in Coos bay) and two incidents that (in Kalaloch Beach – part of Olympic National Park in Wash.) we should all take note of. Everything in quotes is taken directly from the article. "Eric Konheim, 27, died on June 12, 1991, while kayak surfing alone…. Eric was a skilled kayaker, proud of his ability to roll and to read moving water… In 1987, Eric bought a folding sea kayak and began taking trips, including a 450-mile expedition along the Gulf Coast from Belize to Cancun, Mexico. He also paddled in the Sea of Cortez, the Bahamas, and along the coast of Venezuela. In 1988, he took a river kayaking class in Colorado and bought a white-water kayak. He kayaked many white-water rivers and was a commercial raft guide." … Eric’s companion was feeling ill and decided not to go out with him to do some kayak surfing in his Prijon T-Slalom kayak. Although this was a surfing accident, going in and out of surf is something we sea kayakers MUST do every time we go out, so don’t think ‘this can’t happen to me.’ It CAN. Enough commentary. "After telling Dave he would surf only for a short while, Eric went out alone at about 4 p.m. Dave took a nap and woake about a half hour later. He began looking for Eric and around 5 p.m. found his friend’s kayak floating in the surf. Unable to find Eric, he called for help." Eric was found at 6 p.m. by a Coast Guard Chopper (these guys don’t get enough credit – it’s too bad that they can only pick up the pieces afterward). He was 150 yards off short (an easy swim for someone who swam competitively, you may say, but I swam in college and done some open water swimming in strong currents. Believe me,150 yards can be a very LONG swim!). He was wearing: "a helmet, a PFD with a whistle and knife attached, a neoprene spray skirt, a pull-over pile jacket, and a long sleeve paddle jacket. Eric’s kayak and paddle were found in good condition. He had not worn either his wet suit or his dry suit, though he had both with him in his van. Eric knew about hypothermia: he had had EMT training and river guide training." … "The official cause of death listed on the medical examiner’s report is "asphyxia by drowning, immersion hyperthermia." This is reasonable considering the water temperature was 50-53 degrees Fahrenheit, and Eric was tall and thin and was not wearing much thermal protection. HIs core temper- ature was 73 degrees." The author points out that Eric (though wearing a helmet) may have been knocked out by his paddle. "I once broke the aluminum shaft of a sturdy white-water paddle while getting pitch poled…The water was deep, the  paddle hit nothing but water. The smooth curve left in the broken shaft proved there were no defects in the paddle. An engineering analysis later showed it took more than 200 pounts of force to break that paddle. If it had hit my head with that force… who knows?" In any case, this article brings out some interesting and notable points. If you do go out alone, please take all the cold water immersion protection you can. It’s really easy to cool off by doing a roll, but it just ain’t so easy to get warm. The other two stories are about currents. Both kayakers found themselves in the water 75 or more yards from shore. The first was wearing "a 1/8 inch farmer john-style wet suit, a PFD, neoprene spray skirt, helmet, and watersport sandals….I began swimming for the beach with both hands on the stern of my boat. After a while, it appeared my effort had been wasted; I was no closer to the beach." He lost a float bag from the kayak and it did a Cleopatra’s Needle when it filled, so he finally abandoned the boat. He found the surf conditions too rough for reentry. He tried to use his paddle to propel himself, but gave up after some fruitless effort. By this time, 40 minutes has passed and he is still no closer to shore. He believes that he didn’t realize he was caught in a rip current because his thinking was impaired by cold water shock. Finally, he began swimming cross-current and made his way back to shore once he exited the current. The good news is that he had been seen by a "couple on the beach," who called for help. The coast guard had responded, but he managed to get out before they arrived. Same story, same place, different person. Bill "had once played in a rip current…and he had been out in ocean swells…but this was his first time kayaking in ocean surf. Bill didn’t have a roll, but the though he could perform a self rescue or swim to shore if he capsized. Bill is a strong, formerly competitive, swimmer with SCUBA diving experience. He is very com- fortable in and around the water. His kayak had front and rear bulkheads…He wore a 1/4-inch-thick, full wet suit" (his scuba suit) "polypropylene long underwear, neoprene tooties, a neoprene diver’s hood, a paddling jacket, and a PFD." He also had a bilge pump, paddle float, and some flares. Bill was separated from his kayak by the heavy surf (8 foot breakers). "He tried in vain to re-enter the kayak using a paddle-float outrigger…He could only get half way in before another wave would hit and knock him over. After 10 minutes of unsuccessful self-rescue attempts, he realized he and his kayak were drifing dangerously close to the rocks." He fired a flare and watched a beachcombers pointed at the pretty color and resumed their activities. I guess flares only work if people understand what they are for. Bill finally decided it was time to part ways with his kayak. "He retrieved his paddle and the paddle float and began swimming toward shore with the paddle float under his chest. After about a half hour of swimming, he realized he was losing ground." See, not even we good swimmers can out swim a current. "He was about 300 yards from shore and quickly became exhausted…He had one thing in his favor: his 1/4-inch-thick wetsuit was keeping him warm." He "began body surfing toward shore for all he was worth. While swimming a crawl stroke with the paddle was unproductive, by holding it against his chest, he discovered the waves would push it and carry him toward shore. (An experienced paddler told me that he has used his paddle to advantage while swimming in surf, but unlike others I’ve talked to, he uses the paddle while swimming backstroke. His technique is similar to back paddling a kayak). Bill found he could steer across the waves by shifting the paddle in his hands. Using the paddle this way let him angle away from the rocks." "Lessons Learned: While the first paddler became chilled and possibly hypo- thermic in his 1/8 inch farmer john wet suit, Bill’s 1/4 inch thick full suit, booties, and hood actually kept him too warm! Soon after reaching shore, Bill removed some of his wet-suit clothing to cool off. In the water, Bill worried only about exhaustion and the rocks… In my experience, 1/8 inch thick Farmer John wet suits are not adequate protection for prolonged immersion in 50- degree water." This was all printed without permission, however, I feel safety is more important than copywrites. Everyone who goes kayaking should learn to roll. These two stories should let you know just how helpless a kayaker is in 50 degree water when currents are strong. The very gear you must wear to protect you from becoming hypothermic will make you a very weak (but bouyant) swimmer. You must use other methods of getting in and out of heavy conditions. If you must, leave the boat. It does provide a lot of bouyancy, but if you don’t have more than an hour of cold water protection, you’ve got to get going quickly. Don’t waste time waiting for help, you are your own best defense against accident. Well enough diatribe. If you wish, I will post other safety articles from Sea Kayaker when it comes out. Rick

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