Question:

Segar Grand Max is pretty hot right now.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – i like fluoracorbon material since the fish kant see it.  its expensive but works awsome.  have you ever perchased florocarbon from cabelas?  is it good.

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i like fluoracorbon material since the fish kant see it.  its expensive but works awsome.  have you ever perchased florocarbon from cabelas?  is it good.

Everyone I know whose fishing I respect uses the same old Maxima – reliable, strong, doesn’t get in a twist. LC — Lazarus Cooke

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i like fluoracorbon material since the fish kant see it.

If a tree falls in the forest and nobody is around, will berkeley hear it? (the bishop of Cloyne, not the tackle manufacturer in Iowa) Mu

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<Crap snipped. What you write, is an affront to most people

Question:

Today I took the day off work and decided to head out to Loch Lomond in Santa Cruz California to get in some flyfishing. Loch Lomond is a beautiful lake for being so close to an urban center. It’s a reservoir in a mountain valley… and if you squint just a little and ignore all of the picnic tables and hiking paths, you would swear you’re at a lake in the high sierra. It has resident populations of bass, catfish, panfish, and is planted in the spring with rainbows.  Of course, the trout is my fish of choice. Since the lake doesn’t allow wading or float tubes, your only choice is to bring or rent a boat if you want to flyfish… renting is cheap, and they rent only rowboats, so I get a free workout thrown in. I didn’t get on the lake until 11am (had to drop my daughter off at school, etc), so I did get a late start.  Thanks to the fog, though, conditions were cool and the fish were still near the surface.  One after one, I try all the dries in my flybox.. but they’re not hitting. Strange, because they are ocassionally rising (though not very often)… to what?  That’s the big question, and one I still don’t know the answer to.  Maybe there are emergers, but I can’t see any. I also try nymphing a little bit… but no luck there either. Of course, I notice the trollers and the bait dunkers at the shore aren’t having any better luck.  A couple people had good luck earlier, before I arrived, but nobody is catching. Anyway, it was a GREAT day, even if I didn’t catch a damn thing.  I was off the water by 2pm, just when the fog burned off and the air started to heat up a little.  I WILL go back soon, it was great! Now, here’s the request for knowledge section of this post: HOW does one fish nymphs in a lake?  I’ve fished dries in high sierra lakes, and dries and nymphs in rivers, but never nymphs in lakes.  Do they need movement?  The current is moving a little in the lake.  Any advise you can give me? Also, what do you think they were rising for?  Yea, I know you weren’t there, but if you had to guess…. Thanks for the help…

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HOW does one fish nymphs in a lake?  

Buy and read Gary LaFontaine’s Fishing the High Mountain Lakes. You might try dangling a small brassie (chironomid imitation) below an indicator, especially if there’s a little ripple on the surface. Works for me. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

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<SNIP Also, what do you think they were rising for?  Yea, I know you weren’t there, but if you had to guess….

Chironomids. ( Midge pupa). Have a look here; http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/protalk/chan/confession…. The rest of the site is worth a good look as well. TL MC

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Try this one as well; http://www.fishbc.com/adventure/angling/flies/chironomid/pupa.phtml TL MC

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Thanks! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – HOW does one fish nymphs in a lake? Buy and read Gary LaFontaine’s Fishing the High Mountain Lakes. You might try dangling a small brassie (chironomid imitation) below an indicator, especially if there’s a little ripple on the surface. Works for me. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

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Thanks and thanks! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Have a look here; http://www.bcadventure.com/adventure/angling/protalk/chan/confession…. The rest of the site is worth a good look as well. TL MC

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 Chironomids, all various colors coming off lakes or any other hatch you can identify are difficult to fish on lakes.  The trout are many times large and they are cruisers.  The difficulty in fishing for cruising trout feeding on emerging Chironomids is timing.  Timing is everything. Pick a fish out that you see break the surface one, two, cast, three!  The fish are taking Chironomids just under the surface, not on top of it.  They cruise about a foot or two under looking up.  They come up and take the food in an arch, their backs breaking the water.  This means you may have to try dangling about six to eight inches of tippet "under the water" and float the rest of the tippet and leader on top.  Lead the fish, and then twitch about an inch or two.  Dress the first few inches of leader with Xink and that includes the nymph or Chironomid pattern of your choice.  Float the rest of your leader and fly line. "The Take," is one of perpetual motion and a cruiser will hook themselves for obvious reasons.  The initial response is one of surprise.  Make sure you lower your rod tip level and sideways to the first run because it will be a duzzie! Hope this helps.  You WILL catch fish. George Gehrke "Chironomids are Cillers"

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Question:

Great story, Mu, thanks for sharing it. Bob

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I be bringing up the rear here, but nonetheless, our best wishes to all roffians for a great Thanksgiving.  It has been a fun year in here and I’m just glad to be a small part of it.  I hope by next Thanksgiving to be able to say that I finally got to meet some of you at a clave somewhere. Best wishes, Frank and Daisy Church Elkhart, IN USAF RETIRED

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Thanksgiving eve, I turned in a miserable draft of my dissertation after many successive late nights, was a substitute teacher for my boss in a senior level physics course (which I totally botched since I was only half awake anyway) since he left for early vacation, then drove up north with a friend who had recently returned to town to visit his family for the holidays and a kid from Utah whose guitar playing in the back seat made for some great travel music. We got into the motel around 1 AM and the digital sign out front read -5 C.  A bit colder than we were expecting but we were going to fish.  We woke up about 1.5 hours later than we had planned but finally ended up at the stream.  Tom only recently began fly fishing and owns a 5 wt rod so I told him to bring his spinning setup.  Utah had no equipment of any kind so I lent him a spinning rod and some leaky neoprenes.  He’d be fine as long as he didn’t wade deeper than the crotch. Neither had been to this river before.  They were immediately enchanted by it.  We were hoping for steelhead, but actually found lots of salmon and saw only one steelhead scooting upstream.  Oh well, I suppose it’s going to be salmon then. I had tied on a weighted black stonefly at the car. I gave them each a homemade spinner and they were on their way.  Most of the time I scouted ahead and told them where to cast. They were pleased to be there in the presence of large fish.  Well it went on like this for a while and I could see they were not quite used to seeing the angles, as it were, and I had to tell them where to position themselves for the best possible presentation.  They got the hang of it and I was typically 10-20 yards downstream, looking for more fish while they were happy in their unsuccessful attempts to lure the chinooks to the hook.  Within an hour, it warmed up enough so that ice was no longer forming on their guides.  I wasn;t doing much fishing and my guides were ice free but there was ice on my fly line.  At first I thought it was some inexplicable crud:  maybe the putty indicator I sometimes use; maybe the line had come into contact with some sort of solvent; it was hard to tell; the ice was very thin and my fingers numb. At one point when my buds were thoroughly engrossed with a particular pod of salmon I tied on a dropper from the bend of the stonefly and attached a chartreuse bunny strip with a purple crystal chenille body.  A lone male was cruising just a short distance away and I got a solid hookup.  At first sight in the water it looked like a jack (confused immature male that somehow swam upstream a bit too early in life – sounds like someone you know?). My friends quickly caught up and were quite excited.  Tom got his first experience at netting a salmon.  We took a pic of a very handsomely colored cock fish.  It was actually a mature fish, small for a chinook, about 12 lbs.  But this is a small river which receives no fish plantings and it looked about average size among the fish we saw that day. Each of my friends at one point had a fish on but both lost them. Well, we had to head home soon after that, as Tom’s relatives like to have a mid-afternoon Thanksgiving dinner.  But it was a great way to spend Thanksgiving morning.  Later I had turkey at my pastor’s place just before hopping onto a plane to Paris where I devoured all manner of sea creatures raw and cooked.  It’s amazing how animals that eat the detritus off the ocean floor can taste so good. Mu Young Lee Ann Arbor, MI  USA

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Thanks Walt, and the same to you! What fly do you use for a large 8 point buck? i just tie on a pink deer tail….. with a bit of scent  of course <g –ww

That just might look a little spiffy coming out of that barrel!

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Stan Gula writes: (sentimental stuff snipped, sniffff) I look forward to fishing and swapping lies with you all again. Just remember to bring some more of that Herracarrera Annandjoe stuff.  <g

Y’all stole a Porsche from Ann and Joe?  Maybe next time, try some Herradura Anejo….I guess that’s what it was – hopefully, you’re not asking him to bring some more "cara de hereje (like) anoche"…<G. TC, R – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Dave

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Happy Thanksgiving to ROFF. May your lines continue to be tight and your wit continue to be sharp. — Citizen Fisherman …really making an effort to play nice…

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your fiiend in paradise wayno

i love typos <g –ww

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Same to ya Walt, and to all my roffian partners in crime, happy turkey day and let’s count our blessings. From the Church family…. Frank, Daisy and Guts the Cat, who not quite in the spirit of Thanksgiving, sends a big wet raspberry to Kipper the hound. )

Kipper the hound responds ARRRROOOOOO, which loosely translated means C’mon over to Illinois sometime Guts, we’ll do lunch. Happy Thanksgiving to all ROFFians from Ken, Kristine and Kipper. — Ken Fortenberry

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and tight lines to all this weekend! –Walt

Ditto!! Happy Thanksgiving to all.  May your biggest concerns all weekend be the seating charts for all your friends and family at the dinner table! Best wishes to all. Zippy Who has plenty to be thankful for but still wonders why he has had to sit at the small table with the "young ones" for 38 years in a row?

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Stan Gula writes: (sentimental stuff snipped, sniffff) I look forward to fishing and swapping lies with you all again. Just remember to bring some more of that Herracarrera Annandjoe stuff. <g Dave

Damn, I was just drinking that crap in a mexican restaurant/bar in San Diego.  Thanks a ton for introducing me to that, Stan.   Scooter (Saving up for a new liver)

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wayno writes: yes, indeed, waldo, the same to you.    and the same to all my brothers and sisters in cyberspace. best wishes for a moist turkey, warm hearts, and long life from your fiiend in paradise wayno

yes what he said.  and go fishing if you can. dave

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Stan Gula writes:

(sentimental stuff snipped, sniffff) I look forward to fishing and swapping lies with you all again.

Just remember to bring some more of that Herracarrera Annandjoe stuff.  <g Dave

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – and tight lines to all this weekend! –Walt Thanks Walt, and the same to you! What fly do you use for a large 8 point buck? Steve Who is fishing with his 30-06 this weekend. Talk about deer hunting – just had a co-worker regal me about his ten point buck and missing a 14 when his arrow ricocheted off of a piece of unseen barbed wire.  May you have better luck. Happy turkey day to our southern neighbours – be well.

Thanks Petah!

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happy thanksgiving to all…me and the family are off to the mountains for a few days… thanx to folks on the list that helped convence me to get up to the clave in yellowstone this last summer.. i had a great time…beautiful park..nice fishing…looking foward to the upcomming year and the many fishing opportunities it may bring  …… richard / colorado

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and tight lines to all this weekend! –Walt

And same to you and the rest of ROFF. TC, R

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Same to ya Walt, and to all my roffian partners in crime, happy turkey day and let’s count our blessings. From the Church family…. Frank, Daisy and Guts the Cat, who not quite in the spirit of Thanksgiving, sends a big wet raspberry to Kipper the hound. )

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and tight lines to all this weekend! –Walt Thanks Walt, and the same to you! What fly do you use for a large 8 point buck? Steve Who is fishing with his 30-06 this weekend.

_____  A Muddler Hollow Point. Gee Gee

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Thanks Walt, and the same to you! What fly do you use for a large 8 point buck?

i just tie on a pink deer tail….. with a bit of scent  of course <g –ww

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and tight lines to all this weekend! –Walt

        yes, indeed, waldo, the same to you.         and the same to all my brothers and sisters in cyberspace. best wishes for a moist turkey, warm hearts, and long life from your fiiend in paradise wayno

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… What fly do you use for a large 8 point buck? i just tie on a pink deer tail….. with a bit of scent  of course <g

No wonder those waders stunk to high heaven. — Ken Fortenberry

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and tight lines to all this weekend! –Walt Thanks Walt, and the same to you! What fly do you use for a large 8 point buck? Steve Who is fishing with his 30-06 this weekend.

Talk about deer hunting – just had a co-worker regal me about his ten point buck and missing a 14 when his arrow ricocheted off of a piece of unseen barbed wire.  May you have better luck. Happy turkey day to our southern neighbours – be well. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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and tight lines to all this weekend! –Walt

And thanks to all the clavesters I got to meet this year: Walt, Tom Brown, Dave LaCourse, Dave Tatosian, George Adams, Frank Reid, Bob Rose, Gary McMeekin, Paul Goodwin, Tom Littleton, Handyman Mike, Scooter, Peter Charles, Mike Makela, Indian Joe, Zimbo, Jeff Miller, DavePA, JeffC, John Russell, Asadi, Natty, Vince Norris, Frank Church, Dave Price, Dave Bottom and the others whose names I’m forgetting at the moment.  Well met gentlemen, and I look forward to fishing and swapping lies with you all again. Loosen your belts and have another slice of pie for me! –Stan

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and tight lines to all this weekend! –Walt

Thanks Walt, and the same to you! What fly do you use for a large 8 point buck? Steve Who is fishing with his 30-06 this weekend.

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If I were to say, "Walt?  I hope you don’t over eat on Thanksgiving," would be true. The word, "Happy," when it comes to you is a bit mute because you’re usually always happy visiting Roff.  Does one wish you a "Happier Thanksgiving?"  No.  I think a fond thought from me, to you is that your waders don’t leak on Thanksgiving Day is enough to give thanks for, that I thought of that for you and the wish came true.  How are you not to know? Wishes are as fleeting as the tides of Roff.  They come, they go. In your case I’m going to make an exception.  I hope one of these wishes sticks and if you have one left over . . . send it to Harrison. Finally, there is the infamous Tom Brown.  What can Gladys and I say except that we hope you’re not having left over Camel, Tom?  You can’t have any ham but your free to choke the turkey.  Remember the dressing goes inside the bird this year. Eat well North Carolina and give thanks the Indian Joe lusted for your daughters and not for your scalps. Take care North Carolina, George

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and tight lines to all this weekend! –Walt — Wilson Creek Outfitters, Ezflyfish.com, Inc. 115 East Union Street; Morganton, NC 28655 http://www.ezflyfish.com

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and tight lines to all this weekend!

Eat sh errrr turkey. .  . . ~  Happy Turkey Day to you too Walt. — Warren www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt

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.  . . ~

is that a worm hangin’ outta yer mouth? –walt <g

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.  . . ~ is that a worm hangin’ outta yer mouth?

Damn straight.  It’s all about the Mescal baby!  The worm is the best part because it proves that you did a good job by just getting to the bottom and are drunk enough to actually eat the worm.  Mission accomplished I’ll be fishing on Turkey Day unless my friend and I do the bachelor’s Thanksgiving thing, join forces and cook up a turkey.  Hell, we will either hunt or fish as well as cook up the turkey hopefully.  If all else fails, it is a Hungry Man Turkey Dinner and a day of fishing for me. Ahhhh yes, the virtues of bachelorhood and no family in the area.  Truly something to give thanks for while out fishing or hunting.  I am really going to enjoy the break from school too.  And if things couldn’t get any better, I have my daughter Friday through Monday and get her today too. <g — Warren www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt

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Question:

I’m looking for recommendations for Tarpon fly fishing in mid December.

Belize. Tarpon there aren’t huge (to around 100# mostly) but are plentiful. I like the Ambergris Caye area, but they got hit pretty hard by a hurricane this fall so you want to make sure they’ve got everything back up and running. — Charlie…

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I’m looking for recommendations for Tarpon fly fishing in mid December. Glen

I’ve fished Belize for Tarpon and had a great time, never caught one but did get a Permit and lots of Bone fish.   The area that I would recommend is the Florida Keys.   Talk to the people at Florida Keys Outfitters at:  1-305-664-5423   This is Sandy Moret’s school and FF shop.  They have the top guides… Sharp Hooks, Pat Holdzit Fishing Products Inc. http://www.holdzit.com Before you buy.

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I’m looking for recommendations for Tarpon fly fishing in mid December. Glen

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Question:

Ahem New site here in good ol’ SA www.troutfishing.co.za Cheers Ari

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Ahem New site here in good ol’ SA www.troutfishing.co.za

Rugby, braaivleis, sunny skies and Chevrolet…. Tight Lines, Tony Deacon

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Question:

Hello all, A lucky friend is going to be visiting near Wells, B.C. (near Quesnel) at the end of March. He is really keen to take up fly fishing and wants to start up there…now I know the summer lake fishing in the Cariboos is fantastic, but I have no earthly idea what happens up there in March — isn’t everything still frozen solid, or would some nymphing in the local rivers be possible (and legal)? I kind of hate to tell the guy he’s going to have to wait for mid-April on the Credit since he’s never been to B.C. before in his life (and what better place to get the flyfishing bug!) Many thanks, — K.G. (Kat) Cruickshank, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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I have fished that area as well as many others in B.C..I have ice fished in Feb. but never later.Ice doesn’t leave most lakes until April-some in May.I believe that most trout streams are closed in March.

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I have fished that area as well as many others in B.C..I have ice fished in Feb. but never later.Ice doesn’t leave most lakes until April-some in May.I believe that most trout streams are closed in March.

The lakes with the exception of some very large lakes will likley be iced. The ice will possibly be mushy and unsafe. Rivers are closed. Stay home tie some flys or paint the house. Ralph H

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Rivers are closed. Stay home tie some flys or paint the house. Ralph H

Thanks Ralph and DH, that’s as I suspected. My poor friend won’t be happy to hear it, but maybe I can talk him into going on a road trip there this summer…=) at least he’ll get to do some location scouting. — K.G. (Kat) Cruickshank, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello all, A lucky friend is going to be visiting near Wells, B.C. (near Quesnel) at the end of March. He is really keen to take up fly fishing and wants to start up there…now I know the summer lake fishing in the Cariboos is fantastic, but I have no earthly idea what happens up there in March — isn’t everything still frozen solid, or would some nymphing in the local rivers be possible (and legal)? I kind of hate to tell the guy he’s going to have to wait for mid-April on the Credit since he’s never been to B.C. before in his life (and what better place to get the flyfishing bug!) Many thanks, — K.G. (Kat) Cruickshank, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Cariboo in  March In late march there should be some lakes open. Check the weather channel and there are some sites on the web like the City of Kamloops that will give you some adresses to look up.Also take into consideration the higher the altitude the latter the thaw. Steven  

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Question:

The URL you seek is: http://www.seakayaker.com/gaddis/gadabout.htm

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The URL you seek is: http://www.seakayaker.com/gaddis/gadabout.htm

Hi Dave I bookmarked the site. Thanks for taking the time to post the information. — Tight Lines Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Bozeman, MT http://www.flyshop.com/Expo/Specialty/BTsPdcts/index.html

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I’ve been away a week fishing the banks of Argentina for trout. What a blast. My friend told me someone posted info about a Gadabout Gaddis homepage, a hero to me in my childhood. Can anyone post the url here! Much Appreciated Vince

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My friend told me someone posted info about a Gadabout Gaddis homepage, a hero to me in my childhood.

 Truly fun to watch, but you know…we never really got a look at the fly!….any guesses as to what he had on..?…worms…nightcrawlers.., cheese!….;-) Steve D.

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Question:

Planning a visit to some friends in the Bolinas/Stinson Beach area early in April.  Thought I’d take my flyrod.  Anybody have any suggestions?  I’d be interested in fishing surf or small streams or anything in between, as long as it was close to Bolinas. Thanks, David

There’s a lake in the Point Reyes National Seashore that allegedly has some trout in it (Bass Lake), although I don’t know anyone who has actually fished it. Lagunitas Lake in the Marin Municipal Water District is stocked and artificial lures, no barbs, only. Some of the other lakes in the same area attract lots of bait fisherman. No stream fishing available in the area that I know of. Surf fishing with a fly rod?  Can’t say I’ve ever seen it done, but can’t say I’ve been looking either. Closest stream fishing (steelhead) would be the Russian River. — There is no such thing as a dumb question, but there IS such a thing as a dumb answer – I’ve given some.

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Try the small gas station / fishing shop on the road between Petaluma and Bodega.  George will tell you about fishing the area -especially Tomales bay.  Look on the map for Walker Ck.- which is a misnomer, but hal local currency.  If he is in the phone book, idt will be on BOdega Hiway, I athink. He is guiding on athe Russian R as well. Regards, Cliff

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suggestions?  I’d be interested in fishing surf or small streams or anything in between, as long as it was close to Bolinas.

Depends on how close is close. . . Most of the coastal rivers/streams are not open to fishing in that area, until you get up to the Russian River to the north.  There is good quality perch fishing at that time.  There are 2 or 3 guys who work at Western Sport Shop in San Rafael who i’ve seen out there each spring.  Their number is 415-456-5454. I’d ask for Gene or Noel.  They’ve got some patterns worked up which produce pretty well.  They’re real good on the whole area, too. re: other post The Bass Lake ponds in Pt. Reyes Natl Sea Shore are fun to walk to, but pretty fishless for about the last 10 years. *                                                     *

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Quoting brande from a message in rec.outdoors.fishing.fly    <Planning a visit to some friends in the Bolinas/Stinson Beach area    <early in April.  Thought I’d take my flyrod.  Anybody have any    <suggestions?  I’d be interested in fishing surf or small streams or    <anything in between, as long as it was close to Bolinas. David – You should may be able to catch surf perch off the beaches up there. Also, Russian River is just to the north.  Not too sure of all the specifics as I haven’t lived in NorCal in quite a few years. Jim Carlisle

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Planning a visit to some friends in the Bolinas/Stinson Beach area early in April.  Thought I’d take my flyrod.  Anybody have any suggestions?  I’d be interested in fishing surf or small streams or anything in between, as long as it was close to Bolinas. Thanks, David

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Question:

Tim Walker wrote;

ok…stay open minded for a second here… during the spawn, fish for and kill the alternate species (i.e. when the browns are spawning…keep and kill rainbows).  Use an egg pattern downstream the redds.  Close the beds to wading. Theory: 1.  More of the natural spawn will survive (nailing immediate predator). 2.  Alternate species is culled resulting in better, although maybe fewer,    of these fish.3.  More fry is available to the ‘better fish’, thus

they get even better. 4.  Smoked stocker rainbow ain’t bad at Thanksgiving.

Nice theory but;   1.  What about the creek chubs, fallfish, cutlips minnow, longnose dace, shortnose dace, white suckes, common shiners, sculpins, stonerolllers, silverjaw minnow,bigeye chub, streamline chub, gravel chub, hornyhead chub, river chub, pearl dace,redside dace,….etc..etc.. and thats just a small example of a few "other" stream fish  from Central New York.  These will all eat trout eggs, so ya better plan on catching alot of fish.   2.  Eggs will not survive unless they are under gravel and have adequate water circulation. They will not suvive by just floating (bouncing) around the stream, and settling on the bottom doesn’t count. It takes about 145 days at 1.9 C for the eggs to hatch, thats a long time to be unprotected by a redd even if they could survive outside.  3. Why do you think trout produce so many eggs??  Brown trout eggs are typically 3-5mm in diameter and a female will produce about 800-1200 eggs PER POUND of body weight.  They can afford to lose a few.   4.  Natural mortality will kill off about 99.9% of the eggs, larva, juveniles before they reach maturity anyway. That just the way it goes. Remember you only need, on average, 2 trout to survive to maturity for each spawning pair to keep the spawning population constant.  And since some individuals will spawn in more than one year the number you need to survive in reality is less than that. 5. Your alternate competitor with rainbows theroy seems to make sense but;  where do you catch most of your rainbows ?? in the riffs right!  And where do you catch most of your brown trout; in the slower water, right! Thats because these species will naturally segregate to avoid (as much as possible) direct competition.  If there was indeed direct competition for the same habitat, there would be only one winner.  "No two species can inhabit the exact same niche at the same time and in the same place". Regards; Mark Arrigo SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse NY

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Last week I caught my first female brown laden with eggs. She was a vigorous fighter. After bringing her to the net quickly, I released her, and then discovered eggs in my net. Besides being more gentle in bringing them in, and being careful not to squeeze the fish, is there anything else I should do? I do use a catch and release net, which makes it easier to treat them gently. Many thanks. Scott Branyan Rogers, AR — Scott Branyan Rogers, AR

Do not handle them at all.How would you like to be pulled out of the bedroom during such an enjoyful act?

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fish for and kill the alternate species (i.e. when the browns are spawning…keep and kill rainbows).  Use an egg pattern downstream the redds.  Close the beds to wading. 1.  More of the natural spawn will survive (nailing immediate predator). 2.  Alternate species is culled resulting in better, although maybe fewer,    of these fish. 3.  More fry is available to the ‘better fish’, thus they get even better. 4.  Smoked stocker rainbow ain’t bad at Thanksgiving.

Tim, I would agree about closing the beds to wading,  in fact I think they should be closed to fishing. 1.  Trout eggs are buried in gravel, only the ones that float free are eaten by other fish.  They would not survive even if the predator fish were not there. 2.  Man is not a good tool to use for culling, nature is.  Man destroys all things equally, nature removes the weak. 3.  Nature only allows 1 or 2 percent of the eggs to reach maturity in the wild, when man starts fooling around with this there is trouble.   4.  Smoked stockers is a great idea, in fact they should smoke them at the hatchery and leave our trout streams alone so we can have catch and release fishing for wild trout. Just my opinion Ernie Harrison

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: 4.  Smoked stocker rainbow ain’t bad at Thanksgiving. I’ll take about 4 pounds, please.  Bill my account. — Rick T. Rick Fletcher   –   http://www.chem.uidaho.edu/~fletcher/ Assistant professor of chemistry  |  That’s Idaho, not Iowa.    |  These University of Idaho               |  Upper Left Hand Corner.    |  opinions Moscow, ID 83844-2343             |  No, I don’t grow potatoes. |  are mine.

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Dear Fishing nuts, Ive always found that the best way to handle a spawning fish is to begin with a light dinner… you know.. maybe take her out to wsomewhere nice… perhaps a nice big plate full of salmno fly nymphs… then, of course, take that fish out dancing and carousing… get her really into the mood.. then, well, back home for some serious spawning.. if you know waht I mean. edwin

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 Proper way to handle spawning fish?  On alternate years…CLOSE THE SEASON AT AN EARLIER DATE!!!! just my $.02 worth steve drossel Don’t know if this would be the best solution….but I don’t think it would hurt.

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Last week I caught my first female brown laden with eggs. She was a vigorous fighter. After bringing her to the net quickly, I released her, and then discovered eggs in my net. Besides being more gentle in bringing them in, and being careful not to squeeze the fish, is there anything else I should do? I do use a catch and release net, which makes it easier to treat them gently. Many thanks. Scott Branyan Rogers, AR — Scott Branyan Rogers, AR

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Here’s a twist… ok…stay open minded for a second here… during the spawn, fish for and kill the alternate species (i.e. when the browns are spawning…keep and kill rainbows).  Use an egg pattern downstream the redds.  Close the beds to wading. Theory: 1.  More of the natural spawn will survive (nailing immediate predator). 2.  Alternate species is culled resulting in better, although maybe fewer,     of these fish. 3.  More fry is available to the ‘better fish’, thus they get even better. 4.  Smoked stocker rainbow ain’t bad at Thanksgiving. Courteous replies encouraged !!! Tim Walker

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…. Besides being more gentle in bringing them in, and being careful not to squeeze the fish, is there anything else I should do? I do use a catch and release net, which makes it easier to treat them gently. Many thanks.

If you think of each of those eggs as a future large trout you’ll want them buried in the peagravel, and only the mother can do that. These large brown trout can spawn naturally without undue stress if you leave them alone at this time.  Rainbows are busy fattening up for the winter and will give a much better fight than a spawning brown, if you have any rainbow trout waters you can fish. Mark Vinsel May these eggs produce trout that break the tippets of our grandchildren. http://www.lanminds.com/local/vinnie/gallery.html

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Tim Walker wrote during the spawn, fish for and kill the alternate species (i.e. when the browns are spawning…keep and kill rainbows).  Use an egg pattern downstream the redds.  Close the beds to wading.

(etc…) Tim, I was under the impression that eggs floating downstream are not going to survive anyway; therefore, removing the rainbows that are eating the eggs is not going to make a difference.  Am I correct? I like closing the beds to wading.  People should fish more from shore in general, especially during the spawning season. Rob

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Last week I caught my first female brown laden with eggs. She was a vigorous fighter. After bringing her to the net quickly, I released her, and then discovered eggs in my net. Besides being more gentle in bringing them in, and being careful not to squeeze the fish, is there anything else I should do? I do use a catch and release net, which makes it easier to treat them gently. Many thanks. Scott Branyan Rogers, AR — Scott Branyan Rogers, AR

The best way to handle a spawning trout is to not catch it, but if you do, leave the fish in the water (not using your net) and unhook the trout or cut the leader. I usually try to avoid handling of the fish anyway which works very well except in very strong current. Maybe we should think about not fishing for spawning trout to preserve the populations (That means also not wading in parts of a river where trout spawn!). Only my personal opinion                             Thomas

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Question:

The MERCHANT NAVY is the official name for the British merchant fleet in recognition of their losses in the World Wars. In fact there was a badge issued to mercant sailors that consists of the letters MN. — ship safety branch canadian coast guard-west vancouver

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – David Jaroslav writes:        David Hogg or Daan Sandee writes:                The UK Merchant Navy flies the Red Ensign,                a.k.a. the Red Duster, a red flag with the                Union Flag in the upper left.        That would be UK Merchant Marine; the only Navy in the UK        is the Royal Navy. To say "civilian Navy" would be an        oxymoron and merchant vessels are civilian ships. Codswallop. Merchant Navy is a legitimate term in common use. Let me quote THE OXFORD COMPANION TO SHIPS AND THE SEA:        MERCHANT NAVY, a collective name to describe the merchant        ships on the official registers of any one nation. It        embraces  merchant ships of all varieties, from passenger        liners and very large tankers and bulk carriers to small        coasters, but does not normally include vessels used in        fishing. And just to confuse matters for you guys – (and a test of your knowledge) what flag do Royal Fleet Auxilairies fly????? (RFA’s) geoff Cap’n Fido GOBLIN

I’m glad to say that on my recent trip home I bought a larger red ensign. I have always been a bit worried about whether I have the right to fly it on my California registered boat though.  I thought of writing to the Department of Trade and Industry but thought since this thread was running that I’d check out the net wisdom. So; do I, as a British citizen, have the right to fly the red ensign on an American boat?  And if so, could the British government requisition the boat in wartime? Sincerely worried, John.

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I’m glad to say that on my recent trip home I bought a larger red ensign. I have always been a bit worried about whether I have the right to fly it on my California registered boat though.  I thought of writing to the Department of Trade and Industry but thought since this thread was running that I’d check out the net wisdom. So; do I, as a British citizen, have the right to fly the red ensign on an American boat?  And if so, could the British government requisition the boat in wartime?

I’m no sea lawyer, but I believe the only illegality would be to fly the ensign of the wrong country from the customary position (mainsail leech in the case of Dr. Who) in order to falsely claim the protection of that government ("false flagging"). I believe Dr. Who is "numbered", not "registered" ("documented") in California, as I don’t imagine she admeasures the minimum of 5 tons required for documentation.  (Is she in Lloyd’s Register of Yachts?) Furthermore, if she were documented, *you* would not be allowed to own her. If numbered in California, she is a U.S. vessel regardless of her ownership. I believe Miss Manners would require that you fly from the leech only the U.S. ensign (or the U.S. Yacht Ensign).  In addition, you might fly the Red Ensign from the "courtesy ensign" position (usually the starboard spreader.) As to your last question, I think it might depend on whether Britain were at war *with the United States*. Sincerely worried, John.

May you avoid Dinty Moore Beef Stew henceforth,                  Tom Murphy Standard Disclaimer.

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JOHN S DREWERY writes:

        I’m glad to say that on my recent trip home I bought a larger         red ensign.  I have always been a bit worried about whether I         have the right to fly it on my California registered boat though.           I thought of writing to the Department of Trade and Industry but         thought since this thread was running that I’d check out the net         wisdom.         So; do I, as a British citizen, have the right to fly the red         ensign on an American boat?  And if so, could the British         government requisition the boat in wartime? You’re a bit light with caps, aren’t you old son. Try Red Ensign. Right? Might is Right. Fly it with pride. If I had a smaller one I’d fly it from the cross-trees of my GOBLIN as a Jolie Rougier – if you know what I mean.                                         Cap’n Fido, terror of the South Bay                                         GOBLIN

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And just to confuse matters for you guys – (and a test of your knowledge) what flag do Royal Fleet Auxilairies fly????? (RFA’s)

The Royal Fleet Auxilliaries fly the Blue Ensign.                      "In the long run, we’re all dead."                               -John Maynard Keynes

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The Great Aunt Maria, (my wee boat) flies a flag a bit like the Red Ensign, the Marine Flag of New Zealand: Union flag on one quarter, other three red, with 4 white stars on the fly. "Ensign" when used in the specific meaning of "A flag based on the national flag with extra bits" does not apply to the New Zealand flags, which were ensigns of a colony of the British Empire but are now "Flags" in their own right. Q: Do many other non-British countries have marine flags?

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:   : The Great Aunt Maria, (my wee boat) flies a flag a bit like the Red : Ensign, the Marine Flag of New Zealand: Union flag on one quarter, : other three red, with 4 white stars on the fly. "Ensign" when used in : the specific meaning of "A flag based on the national flag with extra : bits" does not apply to the New Zealand flags, which were ensigns of : a colony of the British Empire but are now "Flags" in their own right. : Q: Do many other non-British countries have marine flags? The Canadian Navy flies the Canadian flag (Maple leaf w/ red vertical bars on either side) on the stern.  They also fly a Canadian navy flag (ensign?) on the bow when at the dock which is sort of based on the RN white ensign, consisting of a Canadian Flag in the upper left corner and the arms of the Canadian Navy (fouled anchor, crown and maple leaves) centred on a white background. The old canadian flag was based on the red ensign with the union jack in the upper left and the Canadian arms centred on a red background.   A couple of provincial flags (Ontario and Manitoba) are based on this same theme with the respective provincial arms centred. dave — Dept. of Oceanography             QUICS:  dhazen Dalhousie University              Voice: (902) 494-3396 Halifax, NS CANADA B3H 4J1        FAX:  (902) 494-3877              Dal’s Machine – My Opinions

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… the Marine Flag of New Zealand: Union flag on one quarter, other three red, with 4 white stars on the fly. … Q: Do many other non-British countries have marine flags?

It’s not clear if you mean (currently) non-British or (ever) non-British.  In the former category is Jamaica.  Their martime flag is formed in a manner similar to New Zealand’s with a white cross and three red quarters and the Jamaican green/black civil flag in the top quarter nearest the (?)fly. Randolph Bentson

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Q: Do many other non-British countries have marine flags?

There has been a long discussiion under the headline ‘UNION JACK’. I do not have documentation available, but I think that the Union Jack is used as a marine flag only by the Queen herself. Most British registered boats use the Red Ensign. I believe that the ensign goes with the boat, because if I as Finnish citisen charter a British boat in say Cowes, I fly the Red Ensign while I use the boat. The British have two more ensigns: Blue Ensign and White Ensign. The White Ensign is quite exclusive, the use is restricted to the members of the royal family, former marine officers (perhaps there is some limit in rank) and the members of the Royal Yacht Squadron. The Blue Ensign is a bit more common, it is used by members of the Royal Cruising Club and a number of other Yacht Clubs (I believe that most of them have the prefix Royal in their name.) The ensigns come in two categories ‘faced’ and ‘defaced’, i.e. there is some symbol on the face of the ensign referring to a certain club. There are several other countries that have special marine flags. I do not have a list of them but at least U.S., Italy, Denmark and Finland have ones. In Finland each yacht club has it’s own symbol at the upper corner at the fly. The ensign is white, like the national flag, but has added to the blue cross another white cross on right onver the blue one. The ’sailor’ flag is actually older than the Finnish national flag, because when the first yacht clubs were born more than 130 years ago, Finland was a part of Russia and the sailors did not want to fly the Russian flag and they got the permission from the czar to fly a ‘club ensign’.  Anyway today this ‘club ensings’ are bona fide national flags, because all of them are approved by the parliament to be so. If I have some British subject on my boat, I can fly the Red Ensign on my port flagline. If I sail to U.K. I fly the same on my starboard flagline. If I charter a boat in some foreign country I fly the flag of the registration countty of the boat in the stern and my Finnish club flag or ensign on my port flagline. This rule should be clear, but I have a problmem: What shall I do, if I have guestos on my boat from several countries. I cannot possibly fly say, a German, Swedish, Danish and French flag of ensign on my port flag rope? – Lauri Tarkkonen

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The Great Aunt Maria, (my wee boat) flies a flag a bit like the Red Ensign, the Marine Flag of New Zealand: Union flag on one quarter, other three red, with 4 white stars on the fly. "Ensign" when used in the specific meaning of "A flag based on the national flag with extra bits" does not apply to the New Zealand flags, which were ensigns of a colony of the British Empire but are now "Flags" in their own right. Q: Do many other non-British countries have marine flags?

Perhaps ‘not derived from British practice’ would be more accurate (see India, Ireland etc) The only ones which spring to mind are the swallow-tailed ensigns based on the national flag, as used in Scandinavian vessels. Also certain yacht clubs in Belgium and the Netherlands use defaced (technical term meaning ‘bearing a badge or symbol’) national flags as ensigns. At least one Dutch yacht club appears to have a version of the White Ensign. Just to add to the previous discussion, the Red Ensign is the national maritime ensign of the UK which may be flown by a British subject in a vessel which is not otherwise required to fly some other national ensign (ie is on another register). This is exactly the same as the right of US citizens to fly the Stars and Stripes (since there is no US maritime ensign) in a US registered or an unregistered vessel. If the vessel is a registered British ship then the Red Ensign must, by law, be flown under certain circumstances (eg entering and leaving port, when in sight of other vessels). If the vessel is authorised to fly another British ensign (defaced Red, defaced Blue, Blue or White) then that ensign may replace the Red. But it is still *correct* to fly the Red Ensign and I often do so in place of the Blue of the Cruising Association when abroad, since the Red is more readily recognised by lock and bridge keepers, Customs and harbour personnel. For the origin of the Red, White and Blue Ensigns see ‘Squadronal Colours’ in the Oxford Dictionary of Ships and the Sea. More controversially, does anyone share my dislike of the bastard "European" blue ensign which has appeared on a few yachts in recent years? Brian Gay

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – :   : The Great Aunt Maria, (my wee boat) flies a flag a bit like the Red : Ensign, the Marine Flag of New Zealand: Union flag on one quarter, : other three red, with 4 white stars on the fly. "Ensign" when used in : the specific meaning of "A flag based on the national flag with extra : bits" does not apply to the New Zealand flags, which were ensigns of : a colony of the British Empire but are now "Flags" in their own right. : Q: Do many other non-British countries have marine flags? The Canadian Navy flies the Canadian flag (Maple leaf w/ red vertical bars on either side) on the stern.  They also fly a Canadian navy flag (ensign?) on the bow when at the dock which is sort of based on the RN white ensign, consisting of a Canadian Flag in the upper left corner and the arms of the Canadian Navy (fouled anchor, crown and maple leaves) centred on a white background. The old canadian flag was based on the red ensign with the union jack in the upper left and the Canadian arms centred on a red background.   A couple of provincial flags (Ontario and Manitoba) are based on this same theme with the respective provincial arms centred. dave

Just a note on ceremonial here – Back when I was doing my officer of the day certification – (eventually I became a CO of a Canadian Warship) I remember studying this whole business about ensigns and such. In Canadian Warships, the national flag has been designated the Ensign. Hence it is flown from the stern. The falg at the bow is called the Jack. Hence the term Jackstaff, which is that stick up at the front. — – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dept. of Oceanography             QUICS:  dhazen Dalhousie University              Voice: (902) 494-3396 Halifax, NS CANADA B3H 4J1        FAX:  (902) 494-3877             Dal’s Machine – My Opinions

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[much useful informatio non Ensigns deleted] More controversially, does anyone share my dislike of the bastard "European" blue ensign which has appeared on a few yachts in recent years?

I think the operative word is ‘bastard’.  I agree with you.  The Ensign is to designate the country under whose authority (or protection) the vessel is placed. Give me the Red Duster (or defaced Blue/White/Red) any day! — Regards, Iain  snailmail: MLB G/53a, BT Labs, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich. IP5 7RE

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Just a note on ceremonial here – Back when I was doing my officer of the day certification – (eventually I became a CO of a Canadian Warship) I remember studying this whole business about ensigns and such. In Canadian Warships, the national flag has been designated the Ensign. Hence it is flown from the stern. The falg at the bow is called the Jack. Hence the term Jackstaff, which is that stick up at the front. —

Can you explain the purpose/use of the Jack.  In the US navy it is called the Union Jack and is a square blue flag covered with white stars.  What does it mean and when is it flown?  Do only military vessels fly it? Every time I’ve seen it mentioned in a book it has piqued my interest so I read about it only to find the writer apparently knows no more about it than I do. Greg Cook

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just to add to the previous discussion, the Red Ensign is the national maritime ensign of the UK which may be flown by a British subject in a vessel which is not otherwise required to fly some other national ensign (ie is on another register). This is exactly the same as the right of US citizens to fly the Stars and Stripes (since there is no US maritime ensign) in a US registered or an unregistered vessel. If the vessel is a registered British ship then the Red Ensign must, by law, be flown under certain circumstances (eg entering and leaving port, when in sight of other vessels). If the vessel is authorised to fly another British ensign (defaced Red, defaced Blue, Blue or White) then that ensign may replace the Red. But it is still *correct* to fly the Red Ensign and I often do so in place of the Blue of the Cruising Association when abroad, since the Red is more readily recognised by lock and bridge keepers, Customs and harbour personnel.

This leads me back to the original question, and variations thereon.  If a British citizen residing in the U.S. purchases a boat which was previously a U.S. registered vessel, then that person may not maintain the U.S. registration since they are not a citizen of the U.S.  Under U.S. law, that boat must then be registered ("numbered") with the state authorities.  As a British subject, may that person then fly the Red Ensign from such a vessel?  What is the current U.K. law regarding the registration of vessels, and may that vessel be registered as a British ship?  What constitutes authorisation to fly another British ensign (defaced Red, defaced Blue, Blue or White)? — Steve Robinson in North Andover, Mass.   "Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of the pox!" "That, my lord, depends on whether I embrace your principles or your mistress." John Wilkes to the Earl of Sandwich, Parliament, November 1763

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This leads me back to the original question, and variations thereon.  If a British citizen residing in the U.S. purchases a boat which was previously a U.S. registered vessel, then that person may not maintain the U.S. registration since they are not a citizen of the U.S.  Under U.S. law, that boat must then be registered ("numbered") with the state authorities.  As a British subject, may that person then fly the Red Ensign from such a vessel?  

My guess is that being "numbered" on a state register is not *official registration* and therefore the British subject may fly the Red Ensign. What is the current U.K. law regarding the registration of vessels, and may that vessel be registered as a British ship?

There are two registers – the Official Register of British Ships and the Small Ships Register. Getting your ex-US ship onto the former would be difficult and costly but the latter is straightforward – apply to SSR, DVLA, Swansea, Wales.  What constitutes authorisation to fly another British ensign (defaced Red, defaced Blue, Blue or White)?

Permits to fly other British ensigns are issued by the authorised clubs to members owning registered vessels. Brian Gay

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There has been a long discussiion under the headline ‘UNION JACK’. I do not have documentation available, but I think that the Union Jack is used as a marine flag only by the Queen herself.

No. It is flown in the bows (at a jackstaff) on Royal Navy ships at anchor or moorings (when it is properly called the Union Jack). As the Union Flag it is the personal flag of an Admiral of the Fleet. Most British registered boats use the Red Ensign. I believe that the ensign goes with the boat, because if I as Finnish citisen charter a British boat in say Cowes, I fly the Red Ensign while I use the boat.

If the boat is on a British register, this is correct. If not, then whatever ensign is  allowed by the law of the charterer’s country. The British have two more ensigns: Blue Ensign and White Ensign. The White Ensign is quite exclusive, the use is restricted to the members of the royal family, former marine officers (perhaps there is some limit in rank) and the members of the Royal Yacht Squadron.

The White Ensign is reserved to the Royal Navy and the Royal Yacht Squaron. The Blue Ensign is a bit more common, it is used by members of the Royal Cruising Club and a number of other Yacht Clubs (I believe that most of them have the prefix Royal in their name.) The ensigns come in two categories ‘faced’ and ‘defaced’, i.e. there is some symbol on the face of the ensign referring to a certain club.

Yes, a number of clubs have permission to use the plain (undefaced) or defaced (with symbol) Blue Ensign. [Interesting historical stuff deleted] If I have some British subject on my boat, I can fly the Red Ensign on my port flagline.

Nice gesture, but see below If I sail to U.K. I fly the same on my starboard flagline.

A long-time custom of the sea. Some countries require this by law. If I charter a boat in some foreign country I fly the flag of the registration countty of the boat in the stern and my Finnish club flag or ensign on my port flagline.

Yes, if registered (see above) This rule should be clear, but I have a problmem: What shall I do, if I have guestos on my boat from several countries. I cannot possibly fly say, a German, Swedish, Danish and French flag of ensign on my port flag rope?

That’s the problem – to avoid international repercussions, all the national flags would have to be at the same height and of the same size. I hope to be in Finland next year or the year after, Lauri, so you can visit my boat to see that my flag etiquette is all it should be! Brian Gay

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: My guess is that being "numbered" on a state register is not *official : registration*… However, I can cite a case where a boat was purchased in England and registered in Colorado.  It carried the CO number and annual sticker.  The only "paperwork" was the usual (approx) 3" x 3" card with a few (very few) details about the boat and the owner.  That was accepted by the customs of numerous countries around the Mediterranean, and in the Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands and Martinique.  The only time it was no longer accepted as the *official registration* was when the boat was brought back to the States and permanently berthed in another state (not CO).  When I went to the customs in Martinique, there were several French boats that had all come in at the same time.  I was a bit nervous because they all had official-looking books registering their boats and all I had was this pathetic little bit of a card from Colorado (I wasn’t even named as the owner).  But the customs accepted it without any question.  You can’t get much more *official* than that The owner was American so the boat always flew the S & S.  We did fly the Red Duster as a courtesy flag in England. B.S!

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There has been a long discussiion under the headline ‘UNION JACK’. The White Ensign is reserved to the Royal Navy and the Royal Yacht Squaron. The Blue Ensign is a bit more common, it is used by members of the Royal Cruising Club and a number of other Yacht Clubs (I believe that most of them have the prefix Royal in their name.) The ensigns come in two categories ‘faced’ and ‘defaced’, i.e. there is some symbol on the face of the ensign referring to a certain club. Yes, a number of clubs have permission to use the plain (undefaced) or defaced (with symbol) Blue Ensign.

I thought that the only club which could use an undefaced blue ensign was the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble. Are there any others ? regards — Chris Cooper

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Cooper) says: I thought that the only club which could use an undefaced blue ensign was the Royal Southern Yacht Club in Hamble. Are there any others ?

Yep:  the Royal Solent Yacht Club in Yarmouth, IoW, for one. Regards, Alister

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: HMY Britannia has three masts, a jackstaff at her bow and a flagpole : at her stern. When she is under sail with HM the Queen onboard, what : flag goes where? Hm? HMY Britannia trivia: the ship’s name is not marked on any external part of the hull or superstructure. I don’t know if it is marked anywhere inside, not having been there myself. — Terry Steinford

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – David Jaroslav writes:    David Hogg or Daan Sandee writes:            The UK Merchant Navy flies the Red Ensign,            a.k.a. the Red Duster, a red flag with the            Union Flag in the upper left.    That would be UK Merchant Marine; the only Navy in the UK    is the Royal Navy. To say "civilian Navy" would be an    oxymoron and merchant vessels are civilian ships. Codswallop. Merchant Navy is a legitimate term in common use. Let me quote THE OXFORD COMPANION TO SHIPS AND THE SEA:    MERCHANT NAVY, a collective name to describe the merchant    ships on the official registers of any one nation. It    embraces  merchant ships of all varieties, from passenger    liners and very large tankers and bulk carriers to small    coasters, but does not normally include vessels used in    fishing.

And just to confuse matters for you guys – (and a test of your knowledge) what flag do Royal Fleet Auxilairies fly????? (RFA’s) geoff – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Cap’n Fido GOBLIN

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Here we go again. The Red Ensign is not limited to the Merchant Navy nor to the Merchant Navy + the fisherfolk which seems to define your class "Merchant Marine". All sailing and powered vessels – however small – may fly the Red Ensign (or the Blue if they are members of certain rarefied and Royal Yacht Clubs and Squadrons).

HMY Britannia is run by the Royal Navy and as such flies the White Ensign. I am fairly certain that the Blue Ensign is only flown by civilian vessels carrying ministers of the Crown, but I defer to your more expert knowledge on flag code concerning yachting. I certainly don’t see any particular reason why some clubs might not be granted permission to fly the Blue Ensign; many of their officers are reservists in the Royal Navy and as such would fly it anyway. It is a very common sight to see 16′ sailing craft flying the flag. Not, it seems, in inland waters tho’. However, for these smaller craft it seems a personal choice, a courtesy thing. It is only the Merchant Navy who are obliged to fly the flag. After all, these are documented ships which may be called upon to serve in time of war. Again, fisherfolk are not obliged – and often do not – fly the flag.

My point, at the ultimate beginning of this particular bit of vexillological discourse, was not that British fishing vessels had to fly the Red Ensign, but that they would be in the wrong (and most in violation of the law) to fly the White or Blue Ensign (or the RAF Ensign or the Trinity House Ensign or the Royal Northern Lights Commission Ensign, etc. etc.). They need not fly the flag, but if they do they are only permitted the Red Ensign. Cap’n Fido, who flies the Yacht Ensign of the US from the leech of GOBLIN Port of Redwood City

HMY Britannia has three masts, a jackstaff at her bow and a flagpole at her stern. When she is under sail with HM the Queen onboard, what flag goes where? Hm?                           "In the long run, we’re all dead."                                   -John Maynard Keynes

Response:

David Jaroslav writes:

        Francis Muir says:                 Codswallop. Merchant Navy is a legitimate term in common                 use. Let me quote THE OXFORD COMPANION TO SHIPS AND THE                 SEA:                         MERCHANT NAVY, a collective name to describe the                         merchant ships on the official registers of any                         one nation. It embraces  merchant ships of all                         varieties, from passenger liners and very large                         tankers and bulk carriers to small coasters, but                         does not normally include vessels used in fishing.         Mmm, mmm, I do love the taste of crow. Okay, I was wrong to         some extent, but I’m pretty that fishing vessels are  supposed         to fly their country’s merchant ensign. They are Merchant Marine,         but by your own definition not Merchant Navy; … Here we go again. The Red Ensign is not limited to the Merchant Navy nor to the Merchant Navy + the fisherfolk which seems to define your class "Merchant Marine". All sailing and powered vessels – however small – may fly the Red Ensign (or the Blue if they are members of certain rarefied and Royal Yacht Clubs and Squadrons). It is a very common sight to see 16′ sailing craft flying the flag. Not, it seems, in inland waters tho’. However, for these smaller craft it seems a personal choice, a courtesy thing. It is only the Merchant Navy who are obliged to fly the flag. After all, these are documented ships which may be called upon to serve in time of war. Again, fisherfolk are not obliged – and often do not – fly the flag. Cap’n Fido, who flies the Yacht Ensign of the US from the leech of GOBLIN Port of Redwood City

Response:

Codswallop. Merchant Navy is a legitimate term in common use. Let me quote THE OXFORD COMPANION TO SHIPS AND THE SEA:        MERCHANT NAVY, a collective name to describe the merchant        ships on the official registers of any one nation. It        embraces  merchant ships of all varieties, from passenger        liners and very large tankers and bulk carriers to small        coasters, but does not normally include vessels used in        fishing. Cap’n Fido GOBLIN

Mmm, mmm, I do love the taste of crow.     Okay, I was wrong to some extent, but I’m pretty that fishing vessels are  supposed to fly their country’s merchant ensign. They are Merchant Marine, but by your own definition not Merchant Navy; my statement that the UK Merchant Marine fly the Red Ensign is still correct (not just the Merchant Navy as a subset of the Merchant Marine).                       "In the long run, we’re all dead."                                -John Maynard Keynes

Response:

David Jaroslav writes:

        David Hogg or Daan Sandee writes:                 The UK Merchant Navy flies the Red Ensign,                 a.k.a. the Red Duster, a red flag with the                 Union Flag in the upper left.         That would be UK Merchant Marine; the only Navy in the UK         is the Royal Navy. To say "civilian Navy" would be an         oxymoron and merchant vessels are civilian ships. Codswallop. Merchant Navy is a legitimate term in common use. Let me quote THE OXFORD COMPANION TO SHIPS AND THE SEA:         MERCHANT NAVY, a collective name to describe the merchant         ships on the official registers of any one nation. It         embraces  merchant ships of all varieties, from passenger         liners and very large tankers and bulk carriers to small         coasters, but does not normally include vessels used in         fishing. Cap’n Fido GOBLIN

Response: