Question:

The last time I fished, I noticed an slight abrasive-type sound as I let line through the guides during a cast. What’s the best treatment for fly line? How often do you clean and treat the line?

What Willi said. Works for me. George Adams "All good fishermen stay young until they die, for fishing is the only dream of youth that doth not grow stale with age."                                                           —- J.W Muller

Response:

Chances are your guides are worn out.  You probably have "flats" worn on the inside diameter of your snake guides.  Use a magnifying glass to see if you have worn out the inside of the guides as when you have flats you end up with very SHARP edges, which shave your fly line when you shoot the line. This shaves your fly line and in effect, destroys it.  Look also at the Tip-Top guide as this is the one which your fly line creases over 90* and does a lot of damage.  I suspect your fly rod needs reguiding. A quality line dressing will help and if you wish, you can visit the blue thingie enclosed in the sign off. Good Luck Tim, but I bet you’re going to need a new fly line also.  Hope not, but what you describe doesn’t sound very cool. Mr.G. http://www.gink.com/GG-Products-StreamSide-PZ-LineCleaner.html

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The last time I fished, I noticed an slight abrasive-type sound as I let line through the guides during a cast. What’s the best treatment for fly line? How often do you clean and treat the line? — TL, Tim

Response:

162575.news.dfncis.de: The last time I fished, I noticed an slight abrasive-type sound as I let line through the guides during a cast. What’s the best treatment for fly line? How often do you clean and treat the line? and add to that, does anyone ever treat the <guides? riverman

If I’ve had a good day, I’ll buy em a beer — Scott Reverse first field of address to reply

Response:

       The last time I fished, I noticed an slight abrasive-type sound as I let    line through the guides during a cast. What’s the best treatment for fly    line? How often do you clean and treat the line?             and add to that, does anyone ever treat the <guides?         riverman         How often you clean a fly line has alot to do with where you fish. Some waters, although they might look crystalline, tend to get a line dirty in short order. The composition of the banks also plays a part. If my line starts sinking when fishing, I generally just pull it through a piece of chammy. For a good cleaning, I first wash the line in warm water then use a line cleaner. I’ve used a number of different brands and have no preference. I occasionally give my rods a coat of car wax and in the process, the guides do get a coat of wax. It does seem to help shooting line but only for a very short time. It does help protect the rod and helps shed water. Willi

Response:

The last time I fished, I noticed an slight abrasive-type sound as I let line through the guides during a cast. What’s the best treatment for fly line? How often do you clean and treat the line? and add to that, does anyone ever treat the <guides? riverman

I generally clean and condition my line after ~20 hours of use.  I use mild soap for the cleaning, and a conditioner produced by Scientific Angler.  As for the guides, I coat them with a thin film (just enought to leave a fingerprint when touched) of Super Lube (a silicon based gel lubricant with teflon) once a month.  AFter applying the Super Lube I wipe any excess off the exterior of the guide loop (since this is only needed on the inside of the guide) in order to keep the inside of my rod tube clean. Using the above methods, I’ve noticed increased shooting distances, improved line floatation, and greatly extended line life.

Response:

The last time I fished, I noticed an slight abrasive-type sound as I let line through the guides during a cast. What’s the best treatment for fly line? How often do you clean and treat the line? — TL, Tim

Response:

The last time I fished, I noticed an slight abrasive-type sound as I let line through the guides during a cast. What’s the best treatment for fly line? How often do you clean and treat the line?

and add to that, does anyone ever treat the <guides? riverman

Response:

Question:

Looking at a possible Northern California trip the first part of October.  Would like it to be a guided trip for a minimum of two days.   Anyone have any suggestions as where to go? Have looked on the net and will probably go to the Redding area.  Want it to be private as much as possible. Want to fish for Salmon or trout, doesn’t matter, just want to be catered too and guided for a day or two.  Some advice would be helpful in the decision, was thinking of a lodge…. Thanks a bunch Paul

Response:

Looking at a possible Northern California trip the first part of October.  Would like it to be a guided trip for a minimum of two days.   Anyone have any suggestions as where to go? Have looked on the net and will probably go to the Redding area.  Want it to be private as much as possible. Want to fish for Salmon or trout, doesn’t matter, just want to be catered too and guided for a day or two.  Some advice would be helpful in the decision, was thinking of a lodge…. Thanks a bunch Paul

Suggest you contact ROFF’s own Bill Kiene. Look up http://www.kiene.com. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

Well, we liked this place a lot.  Take a look and let me know what you think. Richard PS:  Nice salmon when I was there!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Looking at a possible Northern California trip the first part of October.  Would like it to be a guided trip for a minimum of two days. Anyone have any suggestions as where to go? Have looked on the net and will probably go to the Redding area.  Want it to be private as much as possible. Want to fish for Salmon or trout, doesn’t matter, just want to be catered too and guided for a day or two.  Some advice would be helpful in the decision, was thinking of a lodge…. Thanks a bunch Paul

Response:

Question:

I am traveling to Olympia to celebrate a friends birthday. Is there anything happening this time of year close to town. He mentioned that there is a small river called the Deschutes (not to be confused with the more famous Oregon river), that has some cutts and rainbows. I was just wondering if I should bother flying with all the gear to fish a morning there. Thanks.

Response:

I am traveling to Olympia to celebrate a friends birthday. Is there anything happening this time of year close to town. He mentioned that there is a small river called the Deschutes (not to be confused with the more famous Oregon river), that has some cutts and rainbows. I was just wondering if I should bother flying with all the gear to fish a morning there. Thanks.

I don’t know a darn thing about Washington fishing but I do know it is better to bring some gear and not need it than to not bring the gear and then find out you could use it. — Wayne Knight Expert in creating tailing loops and windknots Otherwise Fishless in Kansas

Response:

Walt, I do not know anything about the Deschutes near Olympia, but  do know they do have about 2 or 3 rivers that are good for steelhead fishing within an hour so South of Olympia. Bring the gear! Luckyboy

I am traveling to Olympia to celebrate a friends birthday. Is there anything happening this time of year close to town. He mentioned that there is a small river called the Deschutes (not to be confused with the more famous Oregon river), that has some cutts and rainbows. I was just wondering if I should bother flying with all the gear to fish a morning there. Thanks.

<snipped Wayne’s reply – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Wayne Knight Expert in creating tailing loops and windknots Otherwise Fishless in Kansas

Response:

<among other things I don’t know a darn thing about Washington fishing but I do know it is better to bring some gear and not need it than to not bring the gear and then find out you could use it.

That explains all that gear you brought to Kansas, eh?

Response:

Its been about 10years since I fished the Deschutes near the brewery in Olympia (my sister-in-law used to live in Lacey and I fished the river whenever we visited) so I don’t know the current situation. However, it used to be decent fishing thru the golf course for searun cuts, the occaisonal steelhead and I even once caught a silver. Its a fairly small stream and definately urban conditions, but it beats sitting around with inlaws. Bob Weinberger

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am traveling to Olympia to celebrate a friends birthday. Is there anything happening this time of year close to town. He mentioned that there is a small river called the Deschutes (not to be confused with the more famous Oregon river), that has some cutts and rainbows. I was just wondering if I should bother flying with all the gear to fish a morning there. Thanks.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I just got off the phone with a fly shop in town that reported decent fishing for cutts in the Deschutes with some fish being taken on dries when the sun comes out. I am definately bringing the gear. Besides, fly fishing is the best cure I know after a long night with an old friend and some single malt. Thanks for convincing me. Walt (who is easily convinced)

Response:

I am traveling to Olympia to celebrate a friends birthday. Is there anything happening this time of year close to town. He mentioned that there is a small river called the Deschutes (not to be confused with the more famous Oregon river), that has some cutts and rainbows. I was just wondering if I should bother flying with all the gear to fish a morning there. Thanks.

you might want to think about fishing the saltwater that surrounds the area. there should be some sea-run cutts around, and even some resident silver salmon (especially north around tacoma). chris

Response:

He mentioned that there is a small river called the Deschutes (not to be confused with the more famous Oregon river), that has some cutts and rainbows.

Walt, Here’s a webpage that’ll help out for the regs for the Deschutes River in Washington state: http://www.wa.gov/wdfw/fish/regs/fishregs.htm Sorry I can’t be of more help. I’ve never been down that way to cast a line. If you do fish, I’d love to read a report! Fish on, my friend. Danny McMillin — Danny McMillin — Remove XX from email address to reduce spam.

Response:

That explains all that gear you brought to Kansas, eh?

Naw all the gear I took to Kansas is my personal crusade to ensure full employment for the makers of fine fly rods and reels as well as the dealers who sell them. — Wayne Knight Expert in creating tailing loops and windknots Otherwise Fishless in Kansas

Response:

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – (delicately snipped)        she had fallen in love, and she was grateful that it was in a beautiful place.        a. wayne harrison  examplage has paid off for you Wayno! Wayne To fish is human….To release Divine!    hart, you’ve been staying up late, reading asadi again.

wayno

Response:

romantic stuff snipped<

Damn, counselor; that was mighty fine.   Thanks. Joe F. p.s. "…before the winter took all this into custody"  *had* to be written by a lawyer.  

Response:

(Lovely story snipped) My God, counselor, there is hope for you yet.  No wonder I haven’t given up on you.  Well done. Dave

Response:

<snip

Response:

[deleted] hovering like the handheld trout.

I gotcher handheld trout… — TimW, Halfordian Golfer "A Cash Flow Runs Through It…" "Guilt replaced the creel…"

Response:

Great story Wayno,  Thanks George Adams

Response:

I gotcher handheld trout…

ROFLMAO! That’s not trout!  That’s tuna! Warren

Response:

And then she realized that this wasn’t a once in a lifetime dream. No, she found out that you were going to spend three or four days a week and many weekends fishing and night after night after night reading fly fishing newsgroups and it was all over, right? Steve Zimmerman

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – wonderful story snipped

Response:

Nice piece of work Wayno.  I see someone has been telling you stories about me again.  You didn’t have to try and cover it up with that lawyer nonsense hehehehe Job well done.  One of the few treasures I have read in a long while. Warren

Response:

[a snippet of romance]    a. wayne harrison

Counsellor, you’ve outdone yourself. Peter

Response:

(delicately snipped)    she had fallen in love, and she was grateful that it was in a beautiful place.    a. wayne harrison

I see at last, all my careful instruction, tutoring, and examplage has paid off for you Wayno!  If you can just work in the glass of wine and sparkling fire in her eyes you will be close to graduation! — Wayne To fish is human….To release Divine! Before you buy.

Response:

wayno, well, wow….. first drink is on me sat. waldo – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –         she had listened with eyes that grew larger with each spoken image, as he tried to paint a picture of harper creek, his words matching the of the flow of the cellophane water, stretched in places to transparency, colored deep green and brown in the deeper reaches. they had known each other for exactly one week.  they sat across an oaken table in the bar where they had met:  the young lawyer, smitten with her like a stone from david’s sling, not yet dead, but brought far closer to life with the collision.; she, not yet twenty, a freshwoman, a first year student in a sleepy southern town.  lawyers could be heroes, then, and in a place like that, and she watched him watch her with a joy that she hoped was the stuff of dreams.         fishing for trout had become a subject of value for both of them.  she had asked him, earnestly, what are the things you love to do; he had said, fish for trout.  she asked why, and he said:  because they live in beautiful places.  it moved her nearly to tears, to know a man that could care more about where a thing lived than how to conquer it, or kill it.  for his part, it gave him something to give her.  something no one else had ever given her.  the end of her mountain drought.         so they drove together in search of the places and pictures he had described, with hearts quickening on first sight of the front range of the blue ridge, looking just like low, dark clouds, at first; then, rising with the loss of distance, gaining substance and losing mystery, they proclaimed the reality of the pictures.         it took a full hour of climbing in the car before they were inside those blue hills, no longer spectators.  and after that, the walking, nearly falling, downhill, towards the hushed rustle of flowing water, sounding like leaves in a far away wind. he knew the trip down was a tease, that each light step forward, gravity-aided, was a warning of the pain that waited at day’s end.  she only knew that she couldn’t wait to spend the best, or the rest, of this delicious day beside this magician, who painted pictures with words, and then made them real.         they reached the stream abruptly, the water strangely quiet where they made contact; a brief, sandy end to the trail signaled the edge of the water, reflecting every hint of light that sliced between the tree covered mountain shoulders.  she said, quickly, it’s just as you told me; he was validated by the water he loved.  he smiled as he prepared his gear, embarrassed at the clumsiness of early spring. it’s not like riding a bicycle, he thought; you never get over the excitement last felt months before, before the winter took all this into custody.  her eyes were blind to error, and she marveled at the movement of the rod and line, once joined, and at the lovely rythm of his arm and its inanimate extension, as alive as any flesh.         she never saw what convinced the fish to strike; it happened in an unexpected fashion, devoid of violence.  he lifted the rod, but the line refused to dance; it stopped, straightened, and began to arch toward the water, and something below the surface.  then, the surface shattered, and purest light broke the crystal tension; rose curved, twisted, and fell back into the shadowed stream.  it came to her dreamlike:  that was a fish; he has caught a fish that flies.  he waded towards her, reached beneath the wetness, and showed her the prize:  fierce, wide of eye, red blaze stretching from a black head to a rainbow’s end.  it’s a rainbow, he said; she almost replied arrogantly, of course it’s a rainbow, you fool, it’s surely more than a fish.  but she just said yes, i see.  he held the fish for a moment, and it hovered, confused, she thought.  the the lightning, and it found its place, away from them.         in her pack she had carried a lunch; that was her contribution to the trip, put together before they had shared the entrance to the blue, rolling hills, before she was washed in the knowledge of the importance of this discovery about trout, and this man who fished for them.  she opened it, and they ate, not speaking of the fish, or the fishing.  when she had half finished, he looked straight at her, and said, without asking, would you come here to me?  and she did, knowing the the memories that were forming even before they were lying together, naked, resting, hovering like the handheld trout.         she had fallen in love, and she was grateful that it was in a beautiful place.         a. wayne harrison

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

Response:

Wayne, c’est un chef d’ouevre.  Magnifique mon frere (or should I say grand pere). Missing Hillary in Michigan, Mu

Response:

Counselor Now that’s a post worth reading and a thread worth building on. You’ve done it again. Congratilations. Dave

Response:

        she had listened with eyes that grew larger with each spoken image, as he tried to paint a picture of harper creek, his words matching the of the flow of the cellophane water, stretched in places to transparency, colored deep green and brown in the deeper reaches. they had known each other for exactly one week.  they sat across an oaken table in the bar where they had met:  the young lawyer, smitten with her like a stone from david’s sling, not yet dead, but brought far closer to life with the collision.; she, not yet twenty, a freshwoman, a first year student in a sleepy southern town.  lawyers could be heroes, then, and in a place like that, and she watched him watch her with a joy that she hoped was the stuff of dreams.         fishing for trout had become a subject of value for both of them.  she had asked him, earnestly, what are the things you love to do; he had said, fish for trout.  she asked why, and he said:  because they live in beautiful places.  it moved her nearly to tears, to know a man that could care more about where a thing lived than how to conquer it, or kill it.  for his part, it gave him something to give her.  something no one else had ever given her.  the end of her mountain drought.         so they drove together in search of the places and pictures he had described, with hearts quickening on first sight of the front range of the blue ridge, looking just like low, dark clouds, at first; then, rising with the loss of distance, gaining substance and losing mystery, they proclaimed the reality of the pictures.         it took a full hour of climbing in the car before they were inside those blue hills, no longer spectators.  and after that, the walking, nearly falling, downhill, towards the hushed rustle of flowing water, sounding like leaves in a far away wind. he knew the trip down was a tease, that each light step forward, gravity-aided, was a warning of the pain that waited at day’s end.  she only knew that she couldn’t wait to spend the best, or the rest, of this delicious day beside this magician, who painted pictures with words, and then made them real.           they reached the stream abruptly, the water strangely quiet where they made contact; a brief, sandy end to the trail signaled the edge of the water, reflecting every hint of light that sliced between the tree covered mountain shoulders.  she said, quickly, it’s just as you told me; he was validated by the water he loved.  he smiled as he prepared his gear, embarrassed at the clumsiness of early spring. it’s not like riding a bicycle, he thought; you never get over the excitement last felt months before, before the winter took all this into custody.  her eyes were blind to error, and she marveled at the movement of the rod and line, once joined, and at the lovely rythm of his arm and its inanimate extension, as alive as any flesh.         she never saw what convinced the fish to strike; it happened in an unexpected fashion, devoid of violence.  he lifted the rod, but the line refused to dance; it stopped, straightened, and began to arch toward the water, and something below the surface.  then, the surface shattered, and purest light broke the crystal tension; rose curved, twisted, and fell back into the shadowed stream.  it came to her dreamlike:  that was a fish; he has caught a fish that flies.  he waded towards her, reached beneath the wetness, and showed her the prize:  fierce, wide of eye, red blaze stretching from a black head to a rainbow’s end.  it’s a rainbow, he said; she almost replied arrogantly, of course it’s a rainbow, you fool, it’s surely more than a fish.  but she just said yes, i see.  he held the fish for a moment, and it hovered, confused, she thought.  the the lightning, and it found its place, away from them.         in her pack she had carried a lunch; that was her contribution to the trip, put together before they had shared the entrance to the blue, rolling hills, before she was washed in the knowledge of the importance of this discovery about trout, and this man who fished for them.  she opened it, and they ate, not speaking of the fish, or the fishing.  when she had half finished, he looked straight at her, and said, without asking, would you come here to me?  and she did, knowing the the memories that were forming even before they were lying together, naked, resting, hovering like the handheld trout.         she had fallen in love, and she was grateful that it was in a beautiful place.         a. wayne harrison

Response:

In the movie Primary Colors, a roman a clef about Bill and Hillary and Co. on the campaign trail, the actress who played Hillary (Emma Thompson) was bored to tears by a campaign contributor who just talked about flyfishing all night long. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

…         she had fallen in love, and she was grateful that it was in a beautiful place.

That’s the finest piece of fiction, without capitalization, that I’ve ever read. Thanks, Wayno. — Ken Fortenberry- hoping e.e. cummings never wrote fiction Illini 3 – Tar Heels 1

Response:

Question:

Hi there: Does anyone here have a good formula for a 9 – 12 feet leader balanced for a 5 weight rod?  Tippet should be about 4-6X.. Many thanks in advance. jimmy C

Response:

Hi Jimmy,    See my Webb page (Leaders) for tapered leader construction. Ernie Harrison Like to make fly-fishing stuff?  See: http://users.ccnet.com/~emh/ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi there: Does anyone here have a good formula for a 9 – 12 feet leader balanced for a 5 weight rod?  Tippet should be about 4-6X.. Many thanks in advance. jimmy C

Response:

Question:

IMHO it is worth fly fishing in any water that you think might hold fish. Jack.

Response:

Anyone know if it is worth trying to flyfish in the upper mississippi? just wonderin’

Most definently.  The Mississippi above Minneapolis is a terrific smallmouth fishery.  In addition, throughout the entire upper sections there are plenty of fish willing to take dry and wet flies. Jon Russell FlyFish Minnesota

Response:

Anyone know if it is worth trying to flyfish in the upper mississippi? just wonderin’

Response:

Question:

I purchased  9′ #6  4- piece rod early this summer and have loved it….however  it not a sage or an orvis…but at a  better price…

Response:

Check the reel seat. I purchased 2 rods for my grandsons a few years ago, and the reelseats failed in 6 months. the metal formed ring that holds the reel broke on both rods had to tape the reels on. While they don’t cost as much as a Sage, or Orvis, if you do a lot of flyfishing buy a rod that will give you years of service not 6 months. I have been flyfishing for 50+ years and have seen them all. Buy good blanks, build your own. Use snake guides, rather than single foot, as single foot bend, and snake guides don’t. Tight lines Art

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I purchased  9′ #6  4- piece rod early this summer and have loved it….however it not a sage or an orvis…but at a  better price…

Response:

Check the reel seat. I purchased 2 rods for my grandsons a few years ago, and the reelseats failed in 6 months. …While they don’t cost as much as a Sage, or Orvis, if you do a lot of flyfishing buy a rod that will give you years of service not 6 months.

You could have returned the rods to Bean for repair or refund;Bean has a 100% guarantee on everything.  So really a Bean rod should be able to give you years of service. You might also take the time (if you can) to visit the Bean store in Freeport, and check the workmanship on their different rods.  The $400+ rods are nicer than the $100 ones.  You get what you pay for, eh?  On the other hand, *all* their rods are guaranteed, no matter the price. BTW, I agree that the best value is in building your own. Russell Gelinas

Response:

Question:

Okay, I tie on a dry fly and go out and fish.  But I don’t catch anything and want to change my fly (as opposed to closing my fly).  How do I do this?  Cut the old one off?  Untie (how) the fly that is already on?  What?  Sure sound like dumb but important questions to me and I hope someone can help a beginner.  Thanks. — Gerald Strom University of Illinois at Chicago

Response:

Okay, I tie on a dry fly and go out and fish.  But I don’t catch anything and want to change my fly (as opposed to closing my fly).  How do I do this?  Cut the old one off?  Untie (how) the fly that is already on?  What?  Sure sound like dumb but important questions to me and I hope someone can help a beginner.  Thanks. —

cut it off…put the dry on you hatband of drying patch… if this makes your tippet too short then cut this off and replace it too… TimW

Response:

Okay, I tie on a dry fly and go out and fish.  But I don’t catch anything and want to change my fly (as opposed to closing my fly).  How do I do this?  Cut the old one off?  Untie (how) the fly that is already on?  What?  Sure sound like dumb but important questions to me and I hope someone can help a beginner.  Thanks.

Hi Gerald First off there is no such thing as a dumb question.  That’s what this group is all about — questions and answers. When you want to change a fly just cut one off and tie on another.  There are special nippers made for this purpose OR if you don’t have one a small finger nail clipper will work just fine.  When I first started I used a finger nail clipper on a loop of old fly line around my neck for several years. There are several different knots used to tie on flies.  You can go to the library and find a book on fly fishing or check at your local fly shop.  There is a neat little book (about 3"x5") on knots available today.  I personally like the Uni Knot but there are other good knots as well.  Many of the fly line manufacturers include knot tying instructions with there fly line.  Also I have an old aluminum Perine fly box that has the knot tying instruction on the front of the box. Keep asking the questions and I’m sure you’ll find someone more experienced on this group who will help. Tight Lines Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Bozeman, MT(96 catalog)

Response:

Okay, I tie on a dry fly and go out and fish.  But I don’t catch anything and want to change my fly (as opposed to closing my fly).  How do I do this?  Cut the old one off?  Untie (how) the fly that is already on?  What?  Sure sound like dumb but important questions to me and I hope someone can help a beginner.  Thanks. —

I must admit that I have never thought about it till now.  basicly i cut (bite) the old one off,  I guess that this results in the tippet ( end of the leader) becomming shorter and shorter.   In the UK you can get in small "snap" links from Mustard which are designed for easy fly changing Julian

Response:

Just cut fly off as close to hook as as possible then tie on new fly.Best to have someone show you improved clinch knot or uni knot

best of luck -jkralic

Response:

Heck, if you haven’t caught the darn thing in a tree behind you, you can’t be that dumb… Just snip it off and buy lots of tippet.

Response:

writes: Okay, I tie on a dry fly and go out and fish.  But I don’t catch anything and want to change my fly (as opposed to closing my fly).  How do I do this? Cut the old one off?  Untie (how) the fly that is already on?  What?  Sure sound like dumb but important questions to me and I hope someone can help a beginner.  Thanks.

No need to apologize for your question.  the only stupid question is the one that doesn’t get asked.  Enjoyed the pun by the way ;^ When you want to change flies, you simply cut off the first one and tie on another. Eventually this will shorten your tippet (if you don’t lose it to a fly eating tree or bush first, or cast some wind knots into it), but then you cut that off and tie on a new piece.  Orvis has a waterproof knot booklet for about $5 that has the appropriate knots listed and how to tie them. Personally I use the Orvis knot to tie on most trout flies and a Trilene knot to tie on any fly large enough to pass the tippet through the eye twice (large streamers, bass flies, steelheadsalmon flies, saltwater flies).  On flies that I want to use a lot of action on I will often use a Duncan’s loop.                            Hope this helps,                                      Dan Dan Gracia                                                               Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools If you kill that big fish you can’t catch ‘em again.  So what if they eat other fish?  If you kill the big ones there will only be little ones left (funny how that works!).

Response:

In follow up to one beginners question to another, does it matter what size leader you use as long as the tippet is a smaller size? Do I need to change leaders if I’m going to the trout stream after I’ve been fishing for bluegill in a pond, or just the tippet? Thanks. D. Lowe

Response:

In follow up to one beginners question to another, does it matter what size leader you use as long as the tippet is a smaller size? Do I need to change leaders if I’m going to the trout stream after I’ve been fishing for bluegill in a pond, or just the tippet? Thanks. D. Lowe

I myself work on the premise that my tippet should be either the same or one size smaller than the tip section of my leader. For determining the end "tippet" size a good general rule is too devide your hook size by three. Example: Size 12 adams – use a 4x tippet. Reel simple

Response:

In follow up to one beginners question to another, does it matter what size leader you use as long as the tippet is a smaller size? Do I need to change leaders if I’m going to the trout stream after I’ve been fishing for bluegill in a pond, or just the tippet? Thanks. D. Lowe I myself work on the premise that my tippet should be either the same or one size smaller than the tip section of my leader. For determining the end "tippet" size a good general rule is too devide your hook size by three. Example: Size 12 adams – use a 4x tippet. Reel simple

One approach is to use a 3X leader and then step down to the desired tippet size  using 6 – 8 inch long transition sections.  For example, if you want to use a 6X tippet, you would use 8 inches of 4X and 8 inches of 5 X between the leader and tippet section. This way you only carry one size leader. Regards, Chuck

Response:

One approach is to use a 3X leader and then step down to the desired tippet size  using 6 – 8 inch long transition sections.  For example, if you want to use a 6X tippet, you would use 8 inches of 4X and 8 inches of 5 X between the leader and tippet section. This way you only carry one size leader. Regards, Chuck

Not a bad idea Chuck except for me personally I find it very difficult to  tie on those little pieces of tippet material while there is a feeding frenzy going on. For some reason my fingers and brain seem to disconnect while whatching trout splashing and jumping all around me, not to mention the problem of cold fingers or low light. I generally carry a range of leaders sizes 3x-6x pretied with 3 feet of tippet section done while at home whatching a fishing show or something. This allows me more time to fish and less aggravation on the water. I only tie on the water if I have to. Tight lines Russ

Response:

(DLowe21757) writes: In follow up to one beginners question to another, does it matter what size leader you use as long as the tippet is a smaller size? Do I need to change leaders if I’m going to the trout stream after I’ve been fishing for bluegill in a pond, or just the tippet? Thanks. D. Lowe

Boy this can be a can of worms! Commercial knotless tapered leaders consist of three parts – butt section (which is heavy and level or very slightly tapered), the tapering section (which rapidly tapers down to your tippet size), and the tippet section (which is also level and the part that you tie onto the fly).  So your leader already has a tippet on it.  You can replace the tippet as needed as you break it off or cut it down from changing flies.  Much less expensive to tie on a new tippet section than to change an entire leader every time you mess up the tippet.  You can also change how your leader performs by cutting back or adding tippet.  If you add tippet you will get more slack out near the fly, if you cut back tippet you will get more power delivered to the fly resulting is less slack and more ease in turning over large flies or regular flies in windy conditions.  You can play around with the butt section in the opposite manner to accomplish the same thing, but that means tying two knots instead of one.  And of course if you really want to get carried away you can vary both to fine tune the leader to your needs. A good approximate guide to which tippet size to use is to divide the size of your fly by 3 and use the resultant number for your tippet X number. For instance: size 18 fly divided by 3 = 6X tippet, size 12 divided by 3 = 4X, size 16 divided by 3 = 5X and a little left over.  In slow clear water with spooky trout you may have to go one X smaller, and in fast pocket water you may be able to go one X larger.  Listen to what the fish say, they’ll tell you. Length of leader is more a function of the water type than anything else. We use longer leaders for greater subtlety (less obtrusive than the fly line) and more suppleness.  Long leaders – 9 to 12 ft.- are most commonly needed in slow clear water with spooky trout.  That is because the trout gets a long time to inspect your fly in slow water and are typically more critical of drag.  Short leaders – 6 to 7 1/2 ft. – are used in faster water for better control with typically larger flies in fast water conditions.  In fast water the trout gets only a short time to see your fly before he takes it or rejects it and there is not usually as much food available (harsher conditions) so he tends to be more opportunistic than in the slower water conditions.  Since we don’t need the added subtlety and suppleness of the longer leader in faster conditions we don’t use it. Always best to use the shortest heaviest leader you can get away with. Again listen to the trout.   If the trout aren’t taking your fly you probably need to go longer and finer.  Sometimes the shortest stoutest leader that will work is a 12 ft. 6X or 7X leader.                      Hope this helps,                              Dan Dan Gracia                                                               Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools If you kill that big fish you can’t catch ‘em again.  So what if they eat other fish?  If you kill the big ones there will only be little ones left (funny how that works!).

Response:

Question:

Try Jimmy Nix’s Shineabou Shad patterns.  Jimmy developed wool and deerhair versions which are basically gray and silver.  Shad are members of the herring family.  They are the primary forage of the landlocked stripers here in Texas.

Response:

Try Jimmy Nix’s Shineabou Shad patterns.  Jimmy developed wool and deerhair versions which are basically gray and silver.  Shad are members of the herring family.  They are the primary forage of the landlocked stripers here in Texas.

You might also want to try a post to the rec.outdoors.fishing.fly.tying newsgroup. That is what its there for! Good Luck.

Response:

I’m looking for the recipe for a herring fly to use for stripers in the Merrimack river (MA).  Since these stripers are chasing the herring up the river I assume thats what there interested in, and why I’ve had no luck with white and chartruse and white decivers. I tied up a streamer with large black saddle, and grizzely concidering the herring are dark and silvery, havn’t had a chance to try it yet. Any help is appreciated. Thanx in advance PVM — Love means never having to say excuse me! / Paul V. Moruzzi                                                       | Patient Monitoring Division (PMD)                                     | | Hewlett Packard                           HP Telnet: 1-659-7850       | | 3000 Minuteman Road                           Voice: 1-508-659-7850   | | Andover, Ma.  01810-1099                        Fax: 1-508-685-5372   |

Response:

Question:

I have a baitcasting technique question. I have been a fly fisherman for some time.  I recently added spinning gear and lakes to my fishing portfolio and have REALLY enjoyed it! This xmas I moved to a baitcasting reel (Inexpensive Abu Garcia reel available via Cabelas), and a nice IM7 Cabelas baitcasting rod. I have no baitcasting fishermen friends.  So, I am on my own. I read the instructions and started practicing casting.  Backlash city. All the time.  One cast — then 30 minutes of fusing — then cutting of line and one more cast…and so on. I want to get this, but think I must be misinterpreting something. The instructions with my reel tell me to adjust the manual brake and then the magnetic brake so the lure will move about 10 inches when I jiggle the rod.  Ok…I can do that. But, the question is….."what is the role of your thumb when you are casting.  That is, do you use your thumb to lightly put pressure on the reel/line while you are casting?  Or, do you take your thumb completely away while the lure is in the air and only use your thumb to suddenly brake when the cast hits water or whatever?  Are these mechanical brakes supposed to do the job themselves?  Or, am I to actively use my thumb the hole time the cast in in progress? HELP I know this is a stupid question, but I have no baitcasting gurus around here who can help me.  My only advice so far from my other fishing buddies is to go back to my spinning gear.

Response:

Quoting johng from a message in rec.outdoors.fishing  jo Path:  jonews1.delphi.com!news.delphi.com!news2.near.net!howland.reston.ans.net!e  jo Organization: Duke’s Fuqua School of Business  jo Lines: 28  jo NNTP-Posting-Host: piscator.fsb.duke.edu  jo X-Newsreader: WinVN 0.92.3  jo I read the instructions and started practicing casting.  Backlash city.  jo All the time.  One cast — then 30 minutes of fusing — then cutting of  jo line and one more cast…and so on. Start out with easy lob type casts, until you get your hand to eye coordination down pat. The thumb is used primarily when you see the lure touch down, at this point the reel is still spinning, it doesn’t know that the lure isn’t still going.  jo I want to get this, but think I must be misinterpreting something.  jo The instructions with my reel tell me to adjust the manual brake and  jo then the magnetic brake so the lure will move about 10 inches when I  jo jiggle the rod.  Ok…I can do that. While you are learning I would suggest you turn the magnets all the way up and tighten the manual brake a little more, until you get used to it. Also don’t cast INTO the wind, that will cause problems every time. You may also want to cast a heavier lure while you are learning, it helps.  jo But, the question is….."what is the role of your thumb when you  jo are casting.  That is, do you use your thumb to lightly put pressure on  jo the reel/line while you are casting?  Or, do you take your thumb  jocompletely away while the lure is in the air and only use your thumb  joto suddenly brake when the cast hits water or whatever? Its really a little of both, as you gain experience you will learn to "feather" your cast with your thumb, and then stop the reel when the lure reaches the target.  jo Are these  jomechanical brakes supposed to do the job themselves?  Or, am I to  joactively use my thumb the hole time the cast in in progress? See above.  jo HELP I know this is a stupid question, but I have no baitcasting  jogurus around here who can help me.  My only advice so far from my  joother fishing buddies is to go back to my spinning gear. Also if its cold out the line will stiffen up and cause some problems. Remember to keep the handles up and make easy casts to start with. Once you get used to it you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it a long time ago…<G BTW: What model reel? Some cheapies will never cast well. Its not a stupid question, at all, its just a learning process. Good luck. Greg….

Response:

I find that if you cast as far as you can then strip out a small amount of line add a small strip of tape <not very sticky tape can keep your backlashes from going deep down into the spool and causing you a lot of problems. The tape will come off if you happen on that BIG DAWG! and he pulls out the line past the tape.   but the best thing to do is practice practice practice and when you see that jig hit the water put the brakes on .

Response:

For years I’ve done this.  hold the rod straight out in front of you. tighten the center nob on the LEFT hand side of the real.  This is not the magnetic anti- backlash on the Right hand side of the reel.  Hit the free spool button or thumbbar release, as if you were getting ready to cast.  Turn the LEFT hand nob Away from you (loosen) just until the weight on the end of your line starts dropping.  try casting.  If you have a magnetic anti-backlash on the right hand side, you may then loosen the LEFT hand nob a little more and compensate as needed with the magnetic adjustment.  this works fine on reels without a mag helper, but you will be able to achieve more distance by fine tuning if you have a mag adjustment.  Do this whenever you switch to a different weight. Andy S.

Response:

: I have a baitcasting technique question. : I read the instructions and started practicing casting.  Backlash city. : All the time.  One cast — then 30 minutes of fusing — then cutting of : line and one more cast…and so on. Well, if it’s any comfort that’s how I spent my first day of practice. The trick on the thumb is to control the speed of the reel given a particular line, the rigging weight, and the wind. My advice: keep gentle pressure at all times and try and slow the cast gradually so that your lure/bait drops majestically where you want it to go. It’ll beome second nature, I promise. Then, once it is second nature, you’ll never have a backlash again. What you get then are called professional overcasts. <g Here’s a tip. Reel off enough line to cover the distance you intend to be casting. Put a strip of tape across the line on the reel at that point. Any backlash will at least stop at the tape.

Response:

I agree with practicing at home, however, when I first picked up a baitcaster, I was told that if you could cast a 1/4 oz. plug without overrun and with accuracy, you have won half of the battle.  Of course, your rod would have to be able to throw a 1/4 oz. plug (ie: be rated for it).  I have found that once I learned this, I not only learned the technique, but gained confidence as well.  I was even throwing rooster tails with my reels and catching fish.   One more thing, be sure to keep your spool control as tight as you can when first practicing.  I also think that casting the 1/4 oz. plug let me loosen the spool more after while and I was able to throw farther and with reasonable accuracy.  But this was only after a few weeks of practice.  Try it.  Just my $0.02. Just be patient and practice at home, not on the water. I suggest a lure weight of at least 1/2 ounce for starters with a rod designed for lures from 1/4 – 3/4 ounces.  The heavier the lure the easier it is to cast without backlash. I would also suggest a line rated at no more than 12 pound test, larger line backlashes easier.  Good luck and trust me, the practice is well worth it.

– Andrew R. Gherna                 |   Eastern Illinois University      |  "Keep them mowing blades sharp"

Response: