Question:

When I moved into this place 3 months ago, I found that there was 3 dozen pigeons in my gables.  Through a very intense early morning patrol of: removing nests, slamming doors, making a presence known, building a board with nail, then putting an owl on the 3rd floor roof, I finally tried to scare them off with a BB gun.  Is the next step "Rat Nip"? I’m at my Wit’s end here. Thanks.

Response:

Try a LA Habor trick, They strung mono-filiment line ( fishing line) across the areas that the pigeons and seagulls liked to pearch and nest. They can’t see it and they fly right into it and bounce off and sometimes hit the ground. They learn quick that they can’t land there. Cris-cross it like a spider web, as I understant it,  it works very well. Other solution is a tack strip, with small sharp nails, the birds can’t stand on it. I hope this helps, (back to my regular lurk mode) John – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -When I moved into this place 3 months ago, I found that there was 3 dozen pigeons in my gables.  Through a very intense early morning patrol of: removing nests, slamming doors, making a presence known, building a board with nail, then putting an owl on the 3rd floor roof, I finally tried to scare them off with a BB gun.  Is the next step "Rat Nip"? I’m at my Wit’s end here. Thanks.

Response:

I had the same problem in my old three story house. Instead of a BB gun I used my sons’ Super Soaker squirt gun. It worked OK for a while – they seemd to know when I was gone and planned their activities accordingly. Mark Molnar – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When I moved into this place 3 months ago, I found that there was 3 dozen pigeons in my gables.  Through a very intense early morning patrol of: removing nests, slamming doors, making a presence known, building a board with nail, then putting an owl on the 3rd floor roof, I finally tried to scare them off with a BB gun.  Is the next step "Rat Nip"? I’m at my Wit’s end here. Thanks.

Response:

When I moved into this place 3 months ago, I found that there was 3 dozen pigeons in my gables.  Through a very intense early morning patrol of: removing nests, slamming doors, making a presence known, building a board with nail, then putting an owl on the 3rd floor roof, I finally tried to scare them off with a BB gun.  Is the next step "Rat Nip"?

I had a similar problem with the house I bought a few months ago. The blame could be put on the previous owner, who neighbors told me, fed the pigeons. There are a couple of solutions, you can do them yourself or hire a professional (Look under "Bird Control" or "Pest Control" in the yellow pages). – You can put down spikes in strategic locations. – You can put up netting. – You can live trap (OK, the trap catches them alive, but due to – pigeons’ homing instincts you can’t just let them go, so they have   to be killed). http://www.flybye.com/ sells supplies. I went with a local pest control company that put up spikes and netting and tried to live trap. The live trap didn’t work for me; in fact the pigeons had no respect for it as they would walk all over it, but not go in it. It wasn’t cheap to have it done for me: $400 for the spikes and netting (on a 1.5 story house), and $140 for trapping. For a few weeks the spikes and netting only seemed to work a little. A neighbor recommended putting rubber snakes on the roof. I bought a couple of rubber snakes, but I never did get around to putting them on the roof as after a few weeks the pigeon visitation stopped. Another alternative that I thought of was making the roof accessible to cats. I have a few and there are plenty of neighbor cats. I thought of some designs for "cat ladders" but I never had the need to construct one. — Doug Rudoff

Response:

When I moved into this place 3 months ago, I found that there was 3 dozen pigeons in my gables.  Through a very intense early morning patrol of: removing nests, slamming doors, making a presence known, building a board with nail, then putting an owl on the 3rd floor roof, I finally tried to scare them off with a BB gun.  Is the next step "Rat Nip"?

A couple of cat would discourage them, particularly if you don’t overfeed them. Otherwise, cover all entrances with 1" poultry netting (aka chicken wire); if they’re nesting in louvers or something on the outside, cover those as well (the wire will be virtually invisible from a distance). Place a radio up there blasting heavy metal or rap at full volume, if it won’t bother your neighbors. Scatter around a few handfulls of moth balls. I’m at my Wit’s end here.

I’ve always wanted to build a street named "Wit", terminating in a cul-de-sac… Gary — "It’s like complaining if wood has grains in it. Wood does have grains in it, and it is still beautiful."  Apple VP Phil Schiller, trying to explain away cracks in the Apple G4 Cube as being "mold marks".

Response:

: Try a LA Habor trick, : They strung mono-filiment line ( fishing line) across the areas that : the pigeons and seagulls liked to pearch and nest. They can’t see it : and they fly right into it and bounce off and sometimes hit the : ground. They learn quick that they can’t land there. : Cris-cross it like a spider web, as I understant it,  it works very : well. Other solution is a tack strip, with small sharp nails, the : birds can’t stand on it. : I hope this helps, (back to my regular lurk mode) : John

: When I moved into this place 3 months ago, I found that there was 3 dozen : pigeons in my gables.  Through a very intense early morning patrol of: : removing nests, slamming doors, making a presence known, building a board : with nail, then putting an owl on the 3rd floor roof, I finally tried to : scare them off with a BB gun.  Is the next step "Rat Nip"? : : I’m at my Wit’s end here. : : Thanks. These sound like good ways which DON’T involve killing. No need to do that. —

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Question:

Reading G’s nicely written posts about a tough caddis hatch and RW’s response (which I happen to agree with), got me thinking about a very versatile and simple tie I use alot during lower water conditions. I don’t like to change flies. I feel that, most of the time, if you present the right sized fly IN THE WAY THE FISH WANT IT, you will have more success. More success than using the "right" fly presented slightly wrong. This is a debate that has gone on as long as people have been fly fishing and I’m just stating my take on it. I’d rather use my time making changes in presentation than in changing flies. The tie is as simple as can be and is nothing special.  It is very drab to look at and, for this reason, will never be popular. Its strength is its versatility. The tie has a scraggly body of dubbing. I often use an antron mix but I’m not sure this is important. The wing consists of sparsely tied, somewhat short Elk hair. I usually use a light color because it is easier to see. No hackle is used and the head is just the thread from wrapping down the ends of the Elk hair. That’s it. In the low water conditions, when I generally use it, I mainly fish a size 18 but also use it in a 20 and a 16. The fly can be effective during a variety of hatches.  I used a size 18 successfully while I fished for about an hour this AM during a Trico spinner fall. A 20 usually works during midge hatches. The 18 covers a variety of the smaller early and late season Mays and Caddis. Fishing the fly: I usually go through the following sequence in trying to determine how to best fish the fly. Upstream drag free float with the fly on the surface Upstream drag free drift with the fly in the film Upstream "drag free" drift with the saturated fly drifting along in mid to bottom current keeping very light contact with the fly by following the fly with the rod tip and removing all slack as the fly drifts down Dry off the fly Up and across stream, rod tip kept high doing some skittering across the current. The heavier the current the more skittering.   Up and across stream, pull the fly under and retrieve the fly across the current Up and across stream, pull the fly under and do a "traditional" wet   fly drift, mending to allow the fly to sink and allowing the fly        the hang in the current at the end of the drift. Then the fly is    lifted and skittered across the surface The skittering techniques often results in missed strikes or refusals. However, it tells you where a feeding fish is and you can usually take it with one of the other type of drifts.   The above routine works best for actively feeding fish. In water from inches to about three foot deep (depending on current speed), the water can be covered from top to bottom with no terminal tackle changes. Willi

Response:

Dry off the fly

What do you do here – blow on it, use some drying pad, shake it in dessicant….? Got questions?  Get answers over the phone at Keen.com. Up to 100 minutes free! http://www.keen.com

Response:

Dry off the fly What do you do here – blow on it, use some drying pad, shake it in dessicant….?

Whatever.  I usually just use my shirt. Willi

Response:

Jeffnc I usually false cast it two or three times, then blow on it and shake it in desiccant powder and re coat it with floatant.  If that doesn’t work I replace it. Ernie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dry off the fly What do you do here – blow on it, use some drying pad, shake it in dessicant….? Got questions?  Get answers over the phone at Keen.com. Up to 100 minutes free! http://www.keen.com

Response:

I printed this post and will study it.  I’ve always read willi’s posts, but now that i have fished with the guy….  i’ll memorize them. That post really can help speed up the learning curve.  Great Stuff Willi. The western clavesters don’t call him the Troutmaster for nothing, and he’s a very modest and super friendly person to boot. Hmmmm…. changing presentations.  I was the guy in montana constantly changing flies and lead, now i’ll deliberately try different presentations beforehand. bruiser Before you buy.

Response:

Willi: I am trying to visualize this fly. Is it like an elk-hair caddis, with the wing tied trude style, no hackle?? Tim Lysyk – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – its versatility. The tie has a scraggly body of dubbing. I often use an antron mix but I’m not sure this is important. The wing consists of sparsely tied, somewhat short Elk hair. I usually use a light color because it is easier to see. No hackle is used and the head is just the

Response:

Question:

I set the hook and landed a beautiful brookie.  Someone once told me that trout are like women — find out what they want and give it to them!  Well, I found out what they wanted and  caught several more before leaving for dinner.   On Thursday there were 15 people at the island — mostly locals.  Fishing was tough.  I fished all my "spots" using the caddis with the emerger dropper, and caught a few fish.  I used an old trick – jiggling the Goddard caddis, and landed several nice salmon.  The brookies would not take a moving fly, but the salmon seemed to love it. I arrived at the island Friday morning to be greeted with a hefty hail from none other that ROFF’s very own Salmon Fly.  Paul emerged from the woods on the far side of the third current just as I was stepping out of the boat.  I made a mad dash to the wing dam and "my" spot before he could get there.  <g He fished his way over and a half hour later we took a break and talked for awhile.  He was catching fish and I was too, so we were happy.  It started to rain and I switched to a caddis nymph.  On the second or so cast my line stopped like it ran into a stone wall.  Fish!  I set the hook and could tell it was a big fish.  I told Paul I thought it was a big brookie.  Then I saw the yellow flash and knew it was a big fish, but not a brookie or a salmon.  A four pound sucker had taken my fly.  This was not a good thing, especially with Paul fishing next to me laughing.  I would not report such a catch, but Paul was there, saw the whole thing.  Soon the skies opened and it poured like hell for an hour or so.  Fishing was not good. The dam keeper lowered the water flow to 900 cfs, the "ideal" flow.  It usually takes a day for the fish adjust to a change in the water flow.  I took a nice 18 inch brookie out of the head of the pool (were the 23 inch trout was taken), and some small (10 – 14 inch) salmon before calling it a day. The lake is full and hopefully will remain so throughout the season.  Last year, they recorded a water temp in September of 72 degrees — the highest ever recorded.  Normal temp should be no higher than 66, with 62 the norm.  Here’s hoping the clave has good water come September!!!!! Our trip home on Saturday morning was uneventful.  We arrived home to a cavalcade of color — all of Jo’s rhododendron and mountain laurel were in full bloom.  And the lawn looks like a hay field!  Tomorrow’s another day. And then on Monday I head back to the Rapid, hoping the damn keeper hasn’t increased the flow. Dave LaCourse

Response:

… Here’s hoping the clave has good water come September!!!!!

As clavemeister you’re obligated to do more than "hope", damnit. Hell, Waldo put the triple whammy "no rain" mojo in the mail to Wolfgang knowing that we were riding down together and you saw what happened at Waldo’s Spring Fling. Get busy workin’ on that weather, Chief. Nice trip report. Trip reports are my favorite read, thank you, sir. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

Forty writes: Get busy workin’ on that weather, Chief.

We *want* rain to fill the lake.  But if the new owners of the dams do not know how to run their flow properly, all the rain in the world ain’t gonna help. Waldo’s got a mojo, huh? Forgot in the report: Two moose (one going in, one out), two deer, 1 eagle, 1 osprey, and a whole bunch of loons and ducks.  And it was cold:  40 degrees *in the cabin* on Tuesday morning! Dave LaCourse

Response:

 Dave,  I went "hunting" last week Got two rolls of Elk.One roll at about 40 yds.The other varies from 80-200 yds.Another roll of mountain goat. More fun than sittin home thinking about my ills. —  Don Thompson  Zoomie(BushBug)  ACA#3460  TLCB#335  Any Time, Any Place  Pull the chocks, lets get this kite in the air.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Forty writes: Get busy workin’ on that weather, Chief. We *want* rain to fill the lake.  But if the new owners of the dams do not know how to run their flow properly, all the rain in the world ain’t gonna help. Waldo’s got a mojo, huh? Forgot in the report: Two moose (one going in, one out), two deer, 1 eagle, 1 osprey, and a whole bunch of loons and ducks.  And it was cold:  40 degrees *in the cabin* on Tuesday morning! Dave LaCourse

Response:

Waldo’s got a mojo, huh?

that’s what the ladies down at pappy’s tell me… just returned from dinner at the Texas Roadhouse with Marie & IJ. Joe said he owed Jeffie a steak but he’d rather buy me one… I ordered that big 16 oz. Ribeye…. thanks Jeff…tater and salad were good also IJ and I fished the S. Toe today…. IJ was catching fish left and right where wuffie couldn’t nary a rise….. the water is at least a foot and a half lower than when trip, ken, wolf, and i went there during the clave. if we don’t get some serious rain soon, i might as well pack up the trout gear until fall. I caught a bunch (& missed a bunch) also including a spectacularly colored brookie of about 10-12 inches. All mine were caught on a size 14 black foam beetle. Man that’s a great summertime pattern. I fished the same fly the whole day and it’s none the worse for wear. we didn’t even fish upper wilson’s…. water was so low it was disheartening. great report dave…..congrats on the suckah …. see ya in september. walt

Response:

Waldo’s got a mojo, huh? that’s what the ladies down at pappy’s tell me…

        oh, for god’s sake.  let’s get back to reality…  if we don’t get some serious rain soon, i might as well pack up the trout gear until fall.

        that’s strange.  last week when dash riprock and i were up on eagle and snowbird, it was all we could do to wade.  high, murky water, and rains morning and night.  i kept thinking forty was fishing just ahead of us. I caught a bunch (& missed a bunch) also including a spectacularly colored brookie of about 10-12 inches. All mine were caught on a size 14 black foam beetle. Man that’s a great summertime pattern. I fished the same fly the whole day and it’s none the worse for wear.

        yeah, and a little prince nymph as a dropper puts the beetle in the film.  killer rig in low water.         waldo:  let’s slap the piggy week after next.  i got to try a case this coming week, but then a couple play days open up. wayno – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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Waldo’s got a mojo, huh?

Correction:  Waldo HAD a mojo.  I got it now and you bastards ain’t gonna see it cuz I can’t make the fall ball.  Will save it for next spring and will only use it THEN if I get an iron clad guarantee that I will be treated better than I was this year.  To whit; Waldo, I want to see fish in the south Toe!  And I want to see some of these alleged Brookies y’all claim to have down there. Wolfgang who is beginning to feel petulant

Response:

So I guess the Upper Creek exercise regiment was not good enough for you! Opie     –Petulant and Frenzied, I’m in a petulant frenzy–

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Waldo’s got a mojo, huh? Correction:  Waldo HAD a mojo.  I got it now and you bastards ain’t gonna see it cuz I can’t make the fall ball.  Will save it for next spring and will only use it THEN if I get an iron clad guarantee that I will be treated better than I was this year.  To whit; Waldo, I want to see fish in the south Toe!  And I want to see some of these alleged Brookies y’all claim to have down there. Wolfgang who is beginning to feel petulant

Response:

Wolfgang who is beginning to feel petulant

Well, I guess that is better than when you were flatulent <g Warren X#-[

Trout Dwellers Unite! Western Conclave Guru For info: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/sp_ROFF_people/wclave/wclave.html

Response:

Question:

Hi,     I’m a newbie to this group, so please bare with me.  I have been going to school at Vanderbilt University in Nashville for 4 years now and for one reason or another have never tried fly fishing in Tennessee.  I’m from Texas where I fish saltwater often, but I can probably count the times I’ve gone fly fishing in the past 5 years on one hand.  Like many beginners, I spent no more than $100 bucks on rod, reel, and line combined.  After a relatively unsuccessful trip to the Frio river in the Texas hill country, I realized that I might have been missing out on some pretty decent fishing in East Tennessee.  I know the basics of the sport and what it entails, but there is so much more for me to learn.  If anyone out there is willing to help me out, some advice on the following things would be greatly appreciated:     1)  where in eastern Tennessee to fish     2)  what tackle works best for the fish here (fly line, leaders, tippet, flies,          fly sizes, etc.)     3)  recommended fly-casting teachers (I’m O.K., but could definitely use some help)     4)  outfitters in the Nashville area     5)  books/videos on fly fishing and fly tying     5)  anything else that would be helpful Thanks,     Tyler McAfee

Response:

If anyone out there is willing to help me out, some advice on the following things would be greatly appreciated:    1)  where in eastern Tennessee to fish    2)  what tackle works best for the fish here (fly line, leaders, tippet, flies,          fly sizes, etc.)    3)  recommended fly-casting teachers (I’m O.K., but could definitely use some help)    4)  outfitters in the Nashville area    5)  books/videos on fly fishing and fly tying    5)  anything else that would be helpful

Waters…within close proximity to you,,,the Clinch, the Hiwassee, the Tellico WMA, the Smokies….the Holston, Tailwaters a 5wt is nice. Teachers and outfitters, right next to your school, the West End Transit Company on West End Avenue, nice fly shop in back, with a member of the newsgroup working there on Fridays, Jack Schmitt (I hope I got that right)., Active TN TU chapters are a good place to start. The TN TU chapter even put out a small booklet of maps on the TN trout streams. theres another outfitter nearby, combination gun and tackle shop but the name escapes me right now. But go see Jack, he’s a good guy and won’t steer you wrong. Wayne Knight (remove nospam to respond via mail) Expert in the creation of  wind knots and tailing loops.

Response:

Hi Wayne, I appreciate the kind remarks. The shop is Cumberland Transit and is next to Vanderbilt. Due to circumstances, I will be in the shop irregularly over the next 2 months. My wife and I plan to travel the West. Jim Mauries from Colorado is there full-time and will be glad to help if I am not there. Best wishes and tight lines. Jack.

Response:

writes: The shop is Cumberland Transit and is

Sorry Jack, brain fart. have fun out west. Wayne Knight (remove nospam to respond via mail) Expert in the creation of  wind knots and tailing loops.

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I’m a newbie to this group, so please bare with me.                                            ^^^^ No thanks.

Saving yourself for T-Bone (just kidding Jimbo-really) Wayne Knight (remove nospam to respond via mail) Expert in the creation of  wind knots and tailing loops.

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X-no-archive: yes     I’m a newbie to this group, so please bare with me.                                            ^^^^ No thanks.

        good god.  the first inkling of humor in your roff life.  this may be a memorable occasion. wayno – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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Question:

Can someone email to me the last name of Lynn, the owner of Last Chance Outfitters, in Idaho on the Henry’s Fork? Thanks. Ed

Response:

Can someone email to me the last name of Lynn, the owner of Last Chance Outfitters, in Idaho on the Henry’s Fork? Thanks. Ed

Hi Ed I think you must be referring to Lynn Sessions. In the very resent past Hyde Drift Boat Guide Service bought the LC Outfitters from Lynn and he went to work for them. You can reach him at Hyde Drift Boat Fly Shop in Idaho Falls at 208-529-4343. I saw him there when Gretchen and I stopped for a visit on our return trip from the Marriott Show in Calif. a couple of weeks ago. — Tight Lines Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Bozeman, MT (97 materials catalog) http://www.flyshop.com/Expo/Specialty/BTsPdcts/index.html

Response:

Question:

Vinsel) writes: This brings up the question for the cane rod builders: what was the impregnating that was popular on many rods in the seventies – Orvis, Leonard, Powell…  Was that a pressurized epoxy system?  Why do so few makers do this today?  I would expect that it takes large and expensive equipment and would also stiffen the action of the rod. Anyone with more info?

The impregnation system that Orvis used and still uses is a phenolic resin.  Originally it was bakelite, in fact some of the rods from 1946 said "Bakelite Impregnated".  It’s changed a little since then, but not much.   Wes Jordan was the first rod maker to successfully apply impregnation to bamboo rods in 1946.  It drove him nuts during World War II that Orvis could make impregnated bamboo ski poles for the ski troops for the war effort that were impervious to heat and moisture and yet could not produce a bamboo rod with predictable action with the same process.  He finally figured out that by flaming the rod to remove most of the moisture content, building the rod completely and by cooking it at precisely controlled temperatures in the phenolic resin for a couple of days he could impregnate the rod with the resin and achieve predictable results. Then, to demonstrate that the impregnated rod was impervious to weather and for advertisement purposes, he would freeze a rod in a 50 lb. block of ice and then pour boiling water over the ice until the it melted away from the rod.  In 1946 there were no varnishes that could withstand this treatment. If the impregnation process was improperly done it could make the rod heavy and "loggy".  Properly done, the impregnation goes into the cane a few thousandths of an inch and replaces the residual moisuture usually found in the power fibers.The heat curing process (originally flamed, now done with a heat box) makes the rod stiffer and allows it to be impregnated with the resin.  Without the heat curing process, there is too much moisture in the bamboo to impregnate the rod successfully. Impregnating the rod is an extra step and although it eliminates the varnishing process, it is more time consuming than varnishing and  If you don’t control the heat of the phenolic resin precisely, you ruin the rod. Action of the rod is more dependant on the design of the rod not the impregnation of it.  If you pick up an Orvis "Wes Jordan era" rod it will be almost mahogany in color from the flaming and faster in action than the rods currently produced.  This is due in large part to the preference of the rod designer Wes Jordan.  Howard Steare, who worked with Wes and took over rod production after Wes Jordan retired, preferred a higher moisture content in the bamboo which resulted in a slower action.  Howard retired a couple of years ago and for the first time in many years Orvis is producing 3 new bamboo rods for 1997 with reportedly crisper and quicker actions.  I’ll be curious to get them in my hands. You can find some more info on this at the Orvis web site (www.orvis.com) under the "timeline" part of the Orvis story section.  You can jump right to it at the following url "http://www.alloutdoors.com/orvis/Story/Impregbamb.html"  There is also a book out about Wes Jordan from Centennial Press that has a lot more info.                                         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:

[stuff deleted] This brings up the question for the cane rod builders: what was the impregnating that was popular on many rods in the seventies – Orvis, Leonard, Powell…  Was that a pressurized epoxy system?  Why do so few makers do this today? Impregnating the rod is a way a few manufacturers finish their rods, but in general, impregnation slows down the action of a rod. The air spaces get filled with epoxy, adding to the weight, thus slowing down the action. There is a saying that Orvis makes their rods to last, not to cast.

Well, almost.  I worked for Leonard in the late 70s.  The Duracane impregnated rod blanks were made for Leonard to their specs in England. The stuff used was bakelite, if I remember correctly.  I’m pretty sure it wasn’t epoxy.  As for weight, the impregnated rods were pretty close to the weight of the varnished rods, they just didn’t have as complex tapers, as thin tips, or as fancy reelseats, although they did have silk wraps, very nice wood reelseats, and the same nickel- silver ferrules.  I always sort of wished I had bought a Duracane 7′ 4 wt. since they cast beautifully.  In fact, the entire Duracane line was very, very nice. As for impregnation, it only soaks in a few thousands of an inch, hardly enough to affect the action in any really meaningful way. As for Orvis, if you don’t like the way their rods cast, it’s because of the design, not because of the impregnating.  Orvis rods have very slow tapers.  This is because that’s how they want them.  It would take a little more work to make a rod with a very thin tip, but in general, Orvis cane rods have slow actions because that’s how they were designed. Barry Smith

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I don’t think epoxy varnish is correct. I am not familiar with epoxy varnish but in general epoxies are two-part systems that you mix, and when they solidify they are very difficult to remove. Most epoxies are clouded and weakened by UV light so I don’t think this is right for an overall coating, unless you were going to varnish over the epoxy (getting pretty thick by now…)

You are right, most epoxies are unsuitable for coating, although as coating for guide wraps they work fine. I think you want a marine-grade spar varnish, which would be phenolic or polyurethane based, with a UV inhibitor.  That way you can remove it with alcohol and steel wool to restore every twenty years or so.

There are several ways to finish a cane rod. Tung oil, spar varnish, or polyurethane varnish can be used. Polyurethane is probably the most resistant to water, solvents, weather, etc., but the hardest to refinish if it ever becomes neccesary to do so. About the only way to remove polyurethane is to sand it off. This brings up the question for the cane rod builders: what was the impregnating that was popular on many rods in the seventies – Orvis, Leonard, Powell…  Was that a pressurized epoxy system?  Why do so few makers do this today?  I would expect that it takes large and expensive equipment and would also stiffen the action of the rod. Anyone with more info?

Impregnating the rod is a way a few manufacturers finish their rods, but in general, impregnation slows down the action of a rod. The air spaces get filled with epoxy, adding to the weight, thus slowing down the action. There is a saying that Orvis makes their rods to last, not to cast. Darryl Hayashida

Response:

… you can improve the stick’s water resistance by a couple of thin coats of epoxy varnish…

I don’t think epoxy varnish is correct. I am not familiar with epoxy varnish but in general epoxies are two-part systems that you mix, and when they solidify they are very difficult to remove. Most epoxies are clouded and weakened by UV light so I don’t think this is right for an overall coating, unless you were going to varnish over the epoxy (getting pretty thick by now…) I think you want a marine-grade spar varnish, which would be phenolic or polyurethane based, with a UV inhibitor.  That way you can remove it with alcohol and steel wool to restore every twenty years or so. This brings up the question for the cane rod builders: what was the impregnating that was popular on many rods in the seventies – Orvis, Leonard, Powell…  Was that a pressurized epoxy system?  Why do so few makers do this today?  I would expect that it takes large and expensive equipment and would also stiffen the action of the rod. Anyone with more info? Mark Vinsel http://www.lanminds.com/local/vinnie/gallery.html

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I found an old cane rod that hasn’t much care recently.  One wrap is starting to loosen.  What solution does one use on the wraps to hold them and what does one put on the cane to waterproof it? Thanks

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I found an old cane rod that hasn’t much care recently.  One wrap is starting to loosen.  What solution does one use on the wraps to hold them and what does one put on the cane to waterproof it?

Don’t put adhesives on loose wrap.  Carefully cut the old whipping off and redo it afresh.  (If one has already loosened, another is going to soon, and every handy angler needs to know how to make a neat whipping.  It’s not difficult.) If you know this is a good stick, you might as well refinish it throughout, whipping on new (rustproof) guides correctly spaced and sized.  If you remove everything except ferrules and handle, you can improve the stick’s water resistance by a couple of thin coats of epoxy varnish, before you reattach guides (at least 2 weeks later, to be sure the varnish is totally dry.) — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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Question:

writes: `Planing a trip tp Baum Lake soon. Any recommendatins as to feel of the lake and suggestions recommended. Is float-yube a good idea for Baum?

Float tubes are fine, but Baum Lake is really more like a slow moving section of Hat Creek than a real lake and there is a current in it.  If you use a tube, use an anchor, and be prepared to walk back from the far end of the lake as it is easier to walk back than to kick your tube back up current.  A pram or better yet a canoe is a better choice if you have one.                                           Good fishing,                                                  Dan Dan Gracia                                                               Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools If you kill that big fish you can’t catch ‘em again.  So what if they eat other fish?  If you kill the big ones there will only be little ones left (funny how that works!).

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`Planing a trip tp Baum Lake soon. Any recommendatins as to feel of the lake and suggestions recommended. Is float-yube a good idea for Baum?

Yes, a float tube, pram or canoe are all good ideas for Baum. Take in some stream fishing in the area too.  But be careful fishing under the powerlines if you visit Hat Creek Powerhouse#2 riffle.  They have a magnetic effect that causes otherwise sane anglers to wade and cast within ten feet of each other. Mark Vinsel http://www.lanminds.com/local/vinnie/gallery.html

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`Planing a trip tp Baum Lake soon. Any recommendatins as to feel of the lake and suggestions recommended. Is float-yube a good idea for Baum?

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I would say that a float tube venture is ok, but there is a good enough flow that it will make getting back a bit tuff. However, there is a trail on one side of the lake that you can return on. Personally, I use a canoe. Always play it safe! Johnny – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – `Planing a trip tp Baum Lake soon. Any recommendatins as to feel of the lake and suggestions recommended. Is float-yube a good idea for Baum?

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Question:

I’m interested in the standards that are used in the competitive judging of flies.  If anyone could e-mail me a list of evaluative criteria for any specific competition, I’d greatly appreciate it.   Also, I’d like to hear any thoughts on the _bases_ of these criteria:  Do they ultimately reflect how well flies catch fish, or are they based on how well a fly catches the eye of the fisherman!? Thanks in advance for any observations you might have, whether e-mailed to me personally or posted here for discussion in the newsgroup. Rick Anderson

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I’m interested in the standards that are used in the competitive judging of flies.  If anyone could e-mail me a list of evaluative criteria for any specific competition, I’d greatly appreciate it.   Also, I’d like to hear any thoughts on the _bases_ of these criteria:  Do they ultimately reflect how well flies catch fish, or are they based on how well a fly catches the eye of the fisherman!? Thanks in advance for any observations you might have, whether e-mailed to me personally or posted here for discussion in the newsgroup. Rick Anderson

I have some experience on flytying competitions both as participant in the Canadian World Championship for salmon flies and others and as a member of the jury in the Mustad Scandinavian Open in 93 and 94. First of all: How well the fly catches fish can only be judged by the fish. In practice it would be impossible to measure how well a fly catches. Other parameters as changing conditions, skills of the fisherman, luck etc had to be averaged out. After years of testing a high number of the same fly by a lot of different people (who must not know exactly what fly they were using) one might be able to say that fly A is a better fishing fly than fly B. It is very important to distinguish between flies for fishing and competition flies. There are two types flytiers: Those who only want to crank out a number of fishing flies in shortest possible time and those who want to develop their flytying skills towards perfection. If you belong to the first category you must respect the "perfectionists" although we all agree that the fish does not care. Flytying competitions therefore have to be judged by people. In my opinion the general criteria can be divided into two groups: a) "Technical properties" and b) "Artistic content". Technical perfection is primary for a top fly. The most important aspects are: Small smooth wellshaped head, no visible thread were it should not, all materials well aligned, no wing splitting etc, symmetry, proportions, conformity to the given pattern (if applicable), balance between the different components, no "illegal tricks" (ex superglue in salmon fly wings, cutting of material which should end naturally etc). If the fly is self composed artistic content also plays a part as a secondary criterion. This may be use of new materials or known materials used in a special way. I do not regard creations molded in plastic or rubber as flies. The materials have to be attached to the hook by the use of a tying thread. The participants in a contest will of course want to know how their fly was judged. In the Canadian WC we used to get a written judgement of the flies to be able to improve what was wrong. When this practice was ended I stopped participating, but they may have reintroduced this feedback. In the Mustad championship we tried to give some comments last year. This year I was not in the jury due to a one year stay in the US. I heard that the overall level in the salmon classes were not too impressive this year. The dry fly and nymph classes were much harder to judge. Often you really have to look very close to find a tiny flaw. In some competitions they have a formalized table for judging the flies. The points for each part of the fly is added and compared afterwards to get the ranking. This may or may not be more fair than throwing out the worst flies until ten are left and then sorting the last ten to get ranking among the ten best. We have found the last method to work well in the Mustad Championship. The form/points for each part-method have been suggested. The feedback to the participants would be better, but the time it would take to judge 500 flies in 7 classes would increase conciderably mainly due to filling out the forms. Personally I am not sure that this would improve the quality of the judgement. The ideas expressed here are mine and mine alone and I do not speak for the other members of the jury. This years Mustad Scandinavian open is closed and all participating flies will be displayed at the Flyfishing Days June 17-18, 1995,at the Norwegian Forestry Museum in Elverum, Norway. Edvard Bergene Norwegian visiting scientist at UW Madison

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Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – (Skip Summer) writes: Any ideas on a STABLE boat I can fly fish out of.  I fish moving water, but no white water.  I have heard of a Poke-Boat(sp).  I do not monitor this forum, so E-Mail would be appreciated.  Thanks. Skip Summer I’ve used my Walden Paddler to salt water fly fish from.  Not bad stablity but you lose some distance in your cast being so close to the water (at least I, a neophyte fly-fisherman do).  I’m just worried about what’ll happen if and when I hook into a legal stripped bass (36 inches) or a big bluefish. SRL

One of the most popular boats used by local trout fishermen (in         N. Atlanta) is the "Gheenoe". The name is stranger than the boat,   which can best be described as a flat bottom canoe. I have a 12ft               version of this square sterned boat and I can tell you it is amazing stable. I can stand with both feet toes against the gunnel and not flip it. (I won’t mention what led me to this discovery). The boat is made in Winder, Georgia. It is made of fiberglass and is very well built.     I wouldn’t hesitate to fly fish from it, though the draft is rather shallow (it must be designed for river/shoal fishing) and a large boat wake might make for some exciting times. thom moorer the views expressed above are my own and do not reflect those of my employer.

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: : (Skip Summer) writes: : Any ideas on a STABLE boat I can fly fish out of.  I fish moving water, I have a 12 1/2 foot Avon inflatable which I use on local lakes and also use down in the Gulf.  I don’t worry about boat wakes on the local lakes, and I haven’t had any problems in the Gulf.  Of course, I only go out on decent days.  However, those 60 footers can throwquite a wake.  The boat is incredibly stable and is easy to store.  Inflatables are tough to row, but I have a 9.9 outboard on mine.  If looking for an inflatable, don’t try the cheapies- it ain’t worth your life.  If anyone out there is interested in talking about inflatables for fishing either post to this thread or E-mail me. Pete

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Any ideas on a STABLE boat I can fly fish out of.  I fish moving water, but no white water.  I have heard of a Poke-Boat(sp).  I do not monitor this forum, so E-Mail would be appreciated.  Thanks. Skip Summer

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Any ideas on a STABLE boat I can fly fish out of.  I fish moving water, but no white water.  I have heard of a Poke-Boat(sp).  I do not monitor this forum, so E-Mail would be appreciated.  Thanks. Skip Summer I fly fish out of my touring kayak – works good, though I have to cast

directly where my bow is pointing. I think probably the best boat for the purpose would be a nice canoe, light weight, easy to paddle any distance, and stable enough to cast any direction without loss of stability. Rent or borrow one of the nice kevlar canoes and try it out, I think you’ll like it. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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(Skip Summer) writes: Any ideas on a STABLE boat I can fly fish out of.  I fish moving water, but no white water.  I have heard of a Poke-Boat(sp).  I do not monitor this forum, so E-Mail would be appreciated.  Thanks. Skip Summer

I’ve used my Walden Paddler to salt water fly fish from.  Not bad stablity but you lose some distance in your cast being so close to the water (at least I, a neophyte fly-fisherman do).  I’m just worried about what’ll happen if and when I hook into a legal stripped bass (36 inches) or a big bluefish. SRL Stephen R. Lasky, Ph.D.       Brown University/Roger Williams Medical Center A man said to the Universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the Universe, "the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation."       — Stephen Crane

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Question:

A couple of years ago, I heard Gary Borger give directions for dyeing fly line.I wrote the information down, and now I can’t find it. I got a deal on some Wulff lines, but there almost white. If anyone has any information on dyeing lines, or know of a reference book ,any information would be appreciated.If anyone has dyed lines, any tips, would be great. Thanks, in advance. Vince

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Hi Vincent,     I’m not familiar with the dying technique you are asking about but I remember reading in a fly fishing magazine a couple of years ago about using simple pantone? marking pens to do a camo dying job on a fly line. I liked the idea of breaking up the one color line and intended to try it on mine but never have. Maybe I will try it this year after reading your question and being reminded about it. Those pens work good for dying individual hackles too if you tie your own flys. Much cheaper than having to buy a neck for $50. I bought one creme color hackle for that purpose.                     Good Luck, Arlie Turman                     Scranton, Pa. USA

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