Question:

I picked up 3 sets of different color at the Maryland Fair this last weekend (tough getting my shopping done while proposing to Cathy Beck).  Tom, try dubbing the body with your favorite bug color.  I have sulphurs, grey foxes, BWOs, tan caddis, black caddis, green caddis all just by messing with the wing color and body dubbing.  Lets see, 3 bucks for 2 feet makes about 150 flies vs the cost of grade A hackle for the same amount of flies. — Frank Reid Reverse email to reply. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –  I’m planning on buying a big bag-o-feet at Somerset next weekend. –Stan

Response:

Stan writes: The ‘good’ tiers ended up with very tight smooth bodies on their flies, mine are sparse and ratty,

and yours would resemble the original, as I have seen it. If the thread doesn’t show through the translucent, somewhat coarse snowshoe fur, the effect is different. Not wrong, per se, but different. The body should be on the thick side, but this is a "ratty" looking fly. I love snowshoe hare feet.

For duns, and caddis, you cannot beat the stuff for a low floating durable tie. With a few handling tricks, small duns and midges and such are easily done as well.                             Tom L

Response:

Frank writes: , try dubbing the body with your favorite bug color

you’re right, Frank. Just ask Willi, I’ve been doing this for years. The Usual was selected for the swap to bring the swappers, and myself, back to where the ideas originated. I had a snowshoe BWO in a swap two or three years back, and a caddis in a Compuserve swap waaaay back(my first encounter with Harry Mason). tough getting my shopping done while proposing to Cathy Beck

Interesting tie-in, she and her hubby nearly exhausted the supply of Fred Reese’s dun dyed snowshoe feet a few years back. Luckily, I had beaten them by a few days and got my half dozen feet in time. Fred was blown away by the sudden popularity of the stuff( this was 1993 or so,as I remember). Just did a rough count of current supplies before the annual order, still have 22 feet in various natural, dyed dun,green, olive, rust and assorted tans and ambers.                               Tom L

Response:

I’ve never used a dyed (vs dead) hare’s foot.  How are they and where can I get them and why do you need seven and a third yards (22 feet) of fur? — Frank Reid Reverse email to reply. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Just did a rough count of current supplies before the annual order, still have 22 feet in various natural, dyed dun,green, olive, rust and assorted tans and ambers.                               Tom L

Response:

Frank writes: , try dubbing the body with your favorite bug color you’re right, Frank. Just ask Willi, I’ve been doing this for years. The Usual was selected for the swap to bring the swappers, and myself, back to where the ideas originated. I had a snowshoe BWO in a swap two or three years back, and a caddis in a Compuserve swap waaaay back(my first encounter with Harry Mason).

The use of Snowshoe Hare is much more of an Eastern thing. It’s uncommon to find any flies that use it in a shop in the Rockies. It’s a versatile material. I also did a Snowshoe pattern for the swap, a quill bodied emerger pattern. Willi

Response:

. God! I love this fly!!                              Tom L

and they are great fish-catchers too! Eugene K.

Response:

 still have 22 feet in various natural, dyed dun,green, olive, rust and assorted tans and ambers.                              Tom L

do you guys think the wing colour as important as the body colour?…I often use different bodies with the same wing, and really I only use light feet and dark feet.   Eugene K.

Response:

(snips) The ‘good’ tiers ended up with very tight smooth bodies on their flies, mine are sparse and ratty, the other two guys couldn’t get the fur to dub at all and used beaver dubbing. For demonstration purposes, I put one of mine in a glass of water, dunking it to make sure it was through the surface tension, and it was still floating like a cork 4 hours later.  I love snowshoe hare feet.  I’m planning on buying a big bag-o-feet at Somerset next weekend.

Not that I’m planning on tying, but what other materials will float easily and well?  I’d think that poodle hair, as they were once cold water retrievers, would be pretty good. — rbc:  vixen    Fairly harmless remove invalid or hit reply to email. Though I’m very slow to respond. http://www.visi.com/~cyli

Response:

Frank,   Dyed dun is pretty easy to find from many of the larger material houses. The other colors are less frequent. I buy them from Fred Reese’s Trout Shop, in PA., who has specialized in them for a while. You ask: why do you need seven and a third yards (22 feet) of fur?

for the same reason I have a cedar chest full of rooster pelts…just like having them around. Seriously, though, most of the feet on hand have been chopped through a bit, maybe 5 or 6 are completely intact.                              Tom L

Response:

tough getting my shopping done while proposing to Cathy Beck Interesting tie-in, she and her hubby nearly exhausted the supply of Fred Reese’s dun dyed snowshoe feet a few years back. Luckily, I had beaten them by a few days and got my half dozen feet in time.

Ok, so I finally get the opportunity to swing by Fred Reese’s place to pick up some spade hackle…. the stuff you were waving in front of me at the clave last year. A large bag for just $5.00 you say.  Well, we picked through his stock and could only find two pieces suitable for tailing sulphurs.  You exhausted his supply of spade hackle.  :-( Dave

Response:

Dave,   The source I cited for spade hackle is Collins Hackle Farm in NY. Charlie Collins is listed at the back advertising section of most major fly tying/fishing mags. Also, he can be spotted in person at the upcoming Somerset show. I wasn’t even aware of Reese’s selling the stuff…but, it is always fun to poke around their supply, isn’t it?                               Tom L

Response:

Someday I’d like to learn to tie perfect dry flies like your’s Tom. Awesome. bruce h

Response:

you guys embarrass me….thanks for all the kind words. Can’t wait to hear the response to these Usuals I am tying for the swap! This is one of those flys, at least for me, that is tyed wrong if it looks organized at all. I am gazing at a butter tub that looks like a small rodent exploded in a pile of hooks(contains 50 flies). God! I love this fly!!                               Tom L

Response:

Someday I’d like to learn to tie perfect dry flies like your’s Tom. Awesome.

Well, those little midge thingies are perfect too Bruce.  As far as we can tell!  heh heh

Response:

Tom: We tied Usuals at my tying club this week – two really excellent tiers, me (intermediate at best) and another two guys who range from beginner to intermediate depending on material.  It’s interesting to see how 5 people in the same room tying the same pattern will come up with vastly different flies.  A lot of depends on skill, some on expectation of what a fly should look like.   The ‘good’ tiers ended up with very tight smooth bodies on their flies, mine are sparse and ratty, the other two guys couldn’t get the fur to dub at all and used beaver dubbing. For demonstration purposes, I put one of mine in a glass of water, dunking it to make sure it was through the surface tension, and it was still floating like a cork 4 hours later.  I love snowshoe hare feet.  I’m planning on buying a big bag-o-feet at Somerset next weekend. I’m really looking forward to seeing the other three examples in this swap. –Stan

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – you guys embarrass me….thanks for all the kind words. Can’t wait to hear the response to these Usuals I am tying for the swap! This is one of those flys, at least for me, that is tyed wrong if it looks organized at all. I am gazing at a butter tub that looks like a small rodent exploded in a pile of hooks(contains 50 flies). God! I love this fly!!                               Tom L

Response:

Tom: I can send you the html and images in a zip any time you want it.  Feel free to give out the url in the meantime to clavesters. See you at Penns!  Jim Lafley is coming again too (even though he said something last night about 4 days…).  If anybody else from Mass. wants to carpool get in touch by email. –Stan

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Stan,   Bless you! AOL’s server is constantly screwed up, making getting to my site unreliable(watta surprise,eh?). If you can hang onto the layout for me, I would appreciate it, as it is a more efficient size, it seems, should I want to add stuff to my site.                               Tom L

Response:

Does anyone have links to the best flies for Penns in May and how to tie them?  This will give these folks a good start.    Frank Reid

Here’s the URL for Flyfisher’s Paradise, a shop between Bellefonte and State College:    http://www.flyfishersparadise.com/ They provide hatch info ever week during the season.  Click on "Streams" at the bottom of the site; then click on the stream you want to know about. Click on "Articles" for patterns and tying instructions. vince norris

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does anyone have links to the best flies for Penns in May and how to tie them?  This will give these folks a good start. Well, IMO… I plunked down a whole bunch o’ cash on flies at the Feathered Hook. Seemed like just about every fly in there was a "gotta have it" fly. But I can say this… I caught nearly all my fish on six patterns (four dries, two nymphs), listed in order of effectiveness: (1) sulphur or other yellow fly (2) "Cripple" spidery-looking something (3) Elk Hair Caddis (4) March Brown (1) pheasant tail nymph (2) stonefly nymph (3) Colornel Sander’s Corn Kernal –Steve

Response:

Be careful,  if the climate is different, so will be the flies….sometimes very significantly.  Not so much with the nymphs of course, but the surface hatches. I’ve found that the Penn’s trout tend to be taking the newer arrivals.  So try to ask around, and find out what has been coming off, listening for what has just started,  when I see the 7 or 8 different species on the water, in varying sizes,  I’ll try that first.  The bug that is new the Clave week in May is usually the sulphur (in one size or another), but could also be March Brown Spinners,  Sulphur Spinners, Tan Caddis, Chocolate Caddis, Green Caddis, Grey Fox (duns or spinners), and some years the Light Cahill and Green Drake (but this is remote). If all else fails, remember the electric shocking equipment, The Finn

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does anyone have links to the best flies for Penns in May and how to tie them?  This will give these folks a good start. Well, IMO… I plunked down a whole bunch o’ cash on flies at the Feathered Hook. Seemed like just about every fly in there was a "gotta have it" fly. But I can say this… I caught nearly all my fish on six patterns (four dries, two nymphs), listed in order of effectiveness: (1) sulphur or other yellow fly Same here – should have multiple styles! (including emerger)  So when Tom and DavePA etc. chime in with their favorite pattern, don’t pick one, pick ‘em all (1) pheasant tail nymph Works as a sulphur nymph

Response:

Okie dokey folks.  I have a couple of folks here that will be attending Penns that have never been there before.  They are interested in tying flies for the clave fishing.  I couldn’t find the link to the message from last year indicating which flies are best.  I did find the link to the feathered hook, but, as usual, not enough info. Does anyone have links to the best flies for Penns in May and how to tie them?  This will give these folks a good start.     Frank Reid

Response:

Tom Littleton posted some on his web site last year (which I filched for my reference – hope you don’t mind Tom…). You can find copies of Tom’s photos at http://members.bellatlantic.net/~sgula/penns/

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Okie dokey folks.  I have a couple of folks here that will be attending Penns that have never been there before.  They are interested in tying flies for the clave fishing.  I couldn’t find the link to the message from last year indicating which flies are best.  I did find the link to the feathered hook, but, as usual, not enough info. Does anyone have links to the best flies for Penns in May and how to tie them?  This will give these folks a good start.     Frank Reid

Response:

Does anyone have links to the best flies for Penns in May and how to tie them?  This will give these folks a good start.

Well, IMO… I plunked down a whole bunch o’ cash on flies at the Feathered Hook. Seemed like just about every fly in there was a "gotta have it" fly. But I can say this… I caught nearly all my fish on six patterns (four dries, two nymphs), listed in order of effectiveness: (1) sulphur or other yellow fly (2) "Cripple" spidery-looking something (3) Elk Hair Caddis (4) March Brown (1) pheasant tail nymph (2) stonefly nymph Since the magical hatch portion the day–the time when the fish are supposedly keyed into an exact pattern, size, and hook stye–lasts a grand total of about half an hour, the rest of the time you’re just searching. And another tidbit from someone who doesn’t know what he’s talking about but has an opinion nonetheless… During the daytime, you’ll have the most success if you can switch easily from nymphs to dries and back. I saw very few risers during the daytime, but when I *did* see them (mostly taking stuff from the foam line in eddies it seemed) they were very fun to target and catch. –Steve

Response:

Tom Littleton posted some on his web site last year (which I filched for my reference – hope you don’t mind Tom…). You can find copies of Tom’s photos at http://members.bellatlantic.net/~sgula/penns/

I remember now seeing this page last year and thinking "God, what beautifully tied flies."  Advancing decrepitude or some damn thing prevented me from bookmarking it then.  Thanks for the link.  They’re still beautiful. JR

Response:

Does anyone have links to the best flies for Penns in May and how to tie them?  This will give these folks a good start. Well, IMO… I plunked down a whole bunch o’ cash on flies at the Feathered Hook. Seemed like just about every fly in there was a "gotta have it" fly. But I can say this… I caught nearly all my fish on six patterns (four dries, two nymphs), listed in order of effectiveness: (1) sulphur or other yellow fly

Same here – should have multiple styles! (including emerger)  So when Tom and DavePA etc. chime in with their favorite pattern, don’t pick one, pick ‘em all (1) pheasant tail nymph

Works as a sulphur nymph

Response:

Stan,   Bless you! AOL’s server is constantly screwed up, making getting to my site unreliable(watta surprise,eh?). If you can hang onto the layout for me, I would appreciate it, as it is a more efficient size, it seems, should I want to add stuff to my site.                               Tom L

Response:

Question:

Any one fly fish for sea trout. I’ll be spending Nov. and Dec. near Tarpon Springs. Last yr I fished with a friend with live shrimp and we caught alot. This yr Id like to catch them on flies. any info would be helpful on flies , ect Thanks , Dick Roberts Navajo Dam , NM

Response:

Hi Dick and you other ROFFers out there, I don’t have the answers right now myself, but I know that they catch Seatrout or Speckled Trout in the Gulf Of Mexico on flies. You need to do just what you are doing. There will be a prime time or prime times for getting them on flies. This will probably have to do with the weather, migration of bait fish or shrimp or the spawning run of Seatrout? I would probably contact some manufacturer like Sage Rod Company and get a name of a good fly shop or guide in the area. Then I would call them with a paper and pen in front of me and start asking questions. This is what I do for a living with my fly shop. Knowing when to go somewhere for the best fishing is probably the number one variable. — Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento, CA, USA www.kiene.com

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Any one fly fish for sea trout. I’ll be spending Nov. and Dec. near Tarpon Springs. Last yr I fished with a friend with live shrimp and we caught alot. This yr Id like to catch them on flies. any info would be helpful on flies , ect Thanks , Dick Roberts Navajo Dam , NM

Response:

Question:

That fish pictuer is great Huggy Bear thanks alot.    I kept lookin in that windows help place an the missus helped an I figgered out how to do signatures.   It wasnt easy an it didnt work at first neither.  I hadda put everything in that notepad there an then saved it to the hard thing an then we hadda tell the computar to use the stuff we saved.   The pictuer looks better when we look at it with note pad.  It looks kinda crunched with this Out Look here.  Lemme know if it looks ok I dont know what the problem is.

Yep, it looks just like it should.  The problem you might be having is using a proportional (like a book), instead of a fixed-width (like a typewriter) font.  In Outlook Express, go to the Tools menu, select Options and click on the tab marked Read.  Then click on the button marked Fonts and select Courier New as your fixed width font.  You might want to set it as your proportional width font as well.  I don’t use OE myself, but that should do you OK. An like Bulb an some of them other meowers was sayin I should do I added some stuff after the pictuer.   Its some old stuff from a couple years ago when I first tangled with them Coleman guacamoles.  Im gonna keep addin stuff as I get enuff time.  I been so busy Im lucky I got this done. I wanna end up with everybody that sees my stuff understandin that theres a buncha bums and punks out there an everything to do with nature is goin down the crapper an nobody gives a rats ass neither an everybody thinks censerin is good.

Damn straight.  I’m a city-lovin’ boy myself, but I’ve got no more time for censors than you have. Anyways lemme know if it looks ok Hey I forgot to ask I seen replys to me by that Millenanal Catastrophy there.   Is he the same as Medical Catastrophy or are they related somehow?

The story I heard was that Medcat was killed in a freak crossposting accident and Milcat is his evil twin. Thanks again Huggy Bear that great! Tony G.

– "Mankind was born free, and is everywhere in chainstores." Doklands Mafia | http://www.fluxus.freeserve.co.uk

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – That fish pictuer is great Huggy Bear thanks alot.    I kept lookin in that windows help place an the missus helped an I figgered out how to do signatures.   It wasnt easy an it didnt work at first neither.  I hadda put everything in that notepad there an then saved it to the hard thing an then we hadda tell the computar to use the stuff we saved.   The pictuer looks better when we look at it with note pad.  It looks kinda crunched with this Out Look here.  Lemme know if it looks ok I dont know what the problem is. An like Bulb an some of them other meowers was sayin I should do I added some stuff after the pictuer.   Its some old stuff from a couple years ago when I first tangled with them Coleman guacamoles.  Im gonna keep addin stuff as I get enuff time.  I been so busy Im lucky I got this done. I wanna end up with everybody that sees my stuff understandin that theres a buncha bums and punks out there an everything to do with nature is goin down the crapper an nobody gives a rats ass neither an everybody thinks censerin is good. Anyways lemme know if it looks ok Hey I forgot to ask I seen replys to me by that Millenanal Catastrophy there.   Is he the same as Medical Catastrophy or are they related somehow?

Medical Catastrophe was the False One. Only I am licensed to speak the word of the one true FLUFFY. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks again Huggy Bear that great! Tony G. —                                                                      |                                                                      |     3 1 3 3 t                                                        |                               “-, ______,,–,,__                    |              ,-’““’ ‘ ‘                   _/     ‘.    [%%|     ‘|’ `,      ,-’“’ ‘                        _- _-/ ===   (%%)    J L/  “`,__/`’ ‘   _                        _-     ===_,,–`-_/     |“/   |                        /J     |`/     |/ Heres some old stuff  to the Coleman board there you guys never seen This is some bum tryin to get me thrown off a that Coleman board there.

Question:

I have recently begun fly fishing and am from the New Orleans area. Can anyone offer some specific areas to fish near here. I know there are many places around here, I just don’t know where they are. I am looking for places to fish both from a boat and from shore or wading. I’ve been with a guide, but it won’t take long to run out of money if I use one every time I want to fish. Thanks. Larry

Response:

My suggestion is to go see Tom at Bayou Specialties in Jefferson–he can point you in the right direction–and tell him Jeff Boudreaux sent you. Jeff – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have recently begun fly fishing and am from the New Orleans area. Can anyone offer some specific areas to fish near here. I know there are many places around here, I just don’t know where they are. I am looking for places to fish both from a boat and from shore or wading. I’ve been with a guide, but it won’t take long to run out of money if I use one every time I want to fish. Thanks. Larry

Response:

Lake Calcasieu (sp.?) near Lake Charles is supposed to be excellent for salt water.  You can contact Dave at Orvis Houston 713-783-1111 or an Orvis shop if you have one in N.O. for more info & good guides info. Tight lines Al Carlton

Response:

Larry… was just going through the newsgroups postings and found your request…hope you don’t mind some advice. In order to be successful you need to find an area that you like and get to know it….well! No one can just pull into somewhere they’ve never been before and expect to put fish in the boat. It takes time to learn a spot geographically, as well as the tidal effects, fly selection, etc. Even though I am a guide and have fished all over the US for the last 30 years or so….I always hire a guide the first day or two I go somewhere new. When I feel I know what’s going on, then I strike out on my own…it’s the only way to optimize your chances. As far as the guide thing goes, yes…I agree it is expensive. However, there are ways to captilize on your investment. First…find a good guide who works in the area you want to learn. In New Orleans, I’d call Capt. Kirby LeCour (540-464-1697..tell him I recommended you). Tell him you want to learn the area so you can fish on your own. When you go out, ask a LOT of questions…pay attention to WHERE you go….and spend your time LEARNING…not worrying about how many fish you put in the box. By the way, one gentleman referred you to the ORVIS store in Houston. He also suggested you fish Calcasieu Lake in SW Louisiana. I agree with one of his points…Calcasieu is a great area. I know…I guide here. As for contacting them…well, caveat emptor. If I can be of any help, lemme know. Capt. Briant Smith Lake Charles, LA

Response:

Question:

My sister in law is getting married. She lives in France. I’ve got to go. Cause that’s the only way they’re going to get me there! Ari Ari Bert                                        Gaelle Bert +27 (0) 83 232 9903                             +27 (0) 83 236 5308 Flyfishing Corner +27 (0) 11 447 7230                             Shop 94, Admirals Court +27 (0) 11 882 8537 (fax)                       Cnr Craddock & Tyrwhitt www.troutfishing.co.za                                Street, Rosebank P.O.Box 79067 Senderwood 2145 South Africa

Response:

There is plenty of flyfishing in France Ari. It is quite complicated getting a licence etc.   A web search will turn up plenty of info. TL MC – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My sister in law is getting married. She lives in France. I’ve got to go. Cause that’s the only way they’re going to get me there! Ari

Response:

My sister in law is getting married. She lives in France.

great fishing, great fishermen. Whereabouts in France~? Tony — Tony Knox remove the bit about not spamming

Response:

The French have a long tradition in flyfishing. The possibilities for (sea)trout depend largely on the region you’re going to, and when in case of seatrout. Be prepared for _very_, _very_ (and I’m holding back here), _very_ spooky trout. The mentioned long tradition combined with the fine French cuisine have made the bigger trout (i.e. edible size) quite hard to find. Even if you find them it will be hard to get withing casting range. The best chances are late in the evening or very early in the morning, there is no sense at all in fishing during daytime. Getting a license (permis de peche) is not so hard, although it must sound strange for Americans who are used to buy a license for an entire state. Lucky basterds. France is devided in regions, and each region sells license for their waters. Very often regions cooperate by allowing acces on certain waters for license holders for other regions, but check this carefully. Furthermore, the waters are divided in two categories, 1st and (duh) 2nd. From the top of my head 1st category (premier categorie in French) is potential(!) trout water, 2nd category anything else, like big rivers, lakes etcetera. When you buy a license, you’ll need the ‘trout stamp’ which allows you to fish the 1st category waters. Every fishing shop sells them, and if you can’t find any ask in a local ‘Tabac’. Since the French are just as avid smokers as they are fishermen they’ll most certainly be able to tell you where to buy one, or even sell you one right away. I’ve bought licenses in the most unexpected places. According to http://perso.libertysurf.fr/CANTON/ouverture/pech4.htm a holiday license (three weeks license, available from the 1st of June to 30th of Septembre) will set you back FF 150, which is about 25 USD. Outside that time slot you depend on the availability of day/week tickets, but you’ll have to figure that out with the local chaps. Don’t go out without one – you’ll have an expensive holiday if you get caught. Some tips: 1. Speaking French helps a lot. 2. Speaking French helps a lot. 3. ‘Reserve de peche’ signs in a river don’t mean reserved for fishermen. It means fish reserve – NO FISHING!! Certain areas of most rivers, mostly over a length of a hundred to a few hundred meters are kept void of fishermen in order to keep some fish in the river. You wonder where those big trout are? <g 4. Have a great time. France is a nice country outside the big cities. People are friendly, and there is some great food & wine and scenery to be enjoyed. Salut, Herman – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My sister in law is getting married. She lives in France. I’ve got to go. Cause that’s the only way they’re going to get me there! Ari Ari Bert                                        Gaelle Bert +27 (0) 83 232 9903                             +27 (0) 83 236 5308 Flyfishing Corner +27 (0) 11 447 7230                             Shop 94, Admirals Court +27 (0) 11 882 8537 (fax)                       Cnr Craddock & Tyrwhitt www.troutfishing.co.za                          Street, Rosebank P.O.Box 79067 Senderwood 2145 South Africa

–         Cheers, Herman         Herman Nijland         Daytime webmaster         Lifetime flyfisher

Response:

Hi Ari,   I live and fish in France and YES there is good flyfishing here.  When and where are you going? I live in the eastern part (near Geneva, Switzerland) and there are plenty of trout streams within two hours drive. However, the other regions also have good trout streams and lakes.  If you tell me where you are going I can help you to get some info. Cheers, Peter. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My sister in law is getting married. She lives in France. I’ve got to go. Cause that’s the only way they’re going to get me there! Ari

Response:

I will be in southern France (Bordeaux) in late September/early October. Does anyone have information on freshwater flyfishing in southern France or NOrthern Spain (Pyrenees mtns)? Thanks in advance. Alan Hanson

Response:

I will be in southern France (Bordeaux) in late September/early October. Does anyone have information on freshwater flyfishing in southern France or NOrthern Spain (Pyrenees mtns)? Thanks in advance. Alan Hanson

Hello, I’m french even If I don’t know this area pretty well, there are very fine spot to fly fish trout in this area of france the number of the "departements" (it s french versions of states) are 64 "pyrenes atlantiques" 65 "hautes pyrennees" 66 "pyrennes orientales". You ‘ll find streams named the "nives" exemple: nive de baiguorri, etc plus they are moutain lakes stocked with browns, brooks, and even cristivomers. You may try to contact the "ministere du tourisme" in paris and ask for the "relais St Pierre" It’s a directory of french hotels everywhere in france who have special accomadation for fishermen. Hope this helps regards Gh P.s at the moment you are coming ( September/early October ) the fish will probably be closed for trouts, so be sure to check that first, if it’s not recontact me later my fishing partner is gone with the river directory of france ( a book with all the rivers listed and quoted regarding how they are stocked). —                          http://www.cortosys.fr                               Paris FRANCE                              01-46-38-06-93     "I have also seen children successfully surmounting the effects of     "an evil inheritance. That is due to purity being an inherent     "attribute of the soul."                                                      [Mahatma Gandhi]

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Question:

Get Dick Brown’s book "Bonefish Fly Patterns". It will be a great help to you. Good Luck!

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Hello all, can anyone suggest the flies I should use while fishing for Bonefish in the Carribbean in late June??  (Esp. the easiest ones to tie) Thanks in advance. Eric Meier

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Hello all, can anyone suggest the flies I should use while fishing for Bonefish in the Carribbean in late June??  (Esp. the easiest ones to tie) Thanks in advance. Eric Meier

Crazy Charlies are the most popular and simple patterns. I would tie pearl, gold, root beer, olive and pink. Use size mostly #4/6 in Mustad 3407 or 34007 hooks. Use #6/8 in Tiemco 800S or 811S hooks as they run a little bigger than Mustad. No eyes for Turtle grass bottoms. Bead chain eyes on some and chrome lead eyes on others for deeper sand bottoms or tide currents. Try to get a guide. You can call me at 800/4000FLY. Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 800/4000FLY

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Question:

: Maybe Sandy should parcel off the 2/3rds to the readers of ROFF.  The : only thing we’d have to figure out is what section Tim is going to get : and where we’ll build the whore house. I also want to know where Wayne will park his truck to begin the bean-fest. — Rick T. Rick Fletcher   –   http://www.chem.uidaho.edu/~fletcher/ Associate professor of chemistry  |  That’s Idaho, not Iowa.    | ad hominem University of Idaho               |  Upper Left Hand Corner.    | ad hominem Moscow, ID 83844-2343             |  No, I don’t grow potatoes. | ad hominem

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: Maybe Sandy should parcel off the 2/3rds to the readers of ROFF.  The : only thing we’d have to figure out is what section Tim is going to get : and where we’ll build the whore house. I also want to know where Wayne will park his truck to begin the bean-fest.

Upwind of the beavers…that’ll drive ‘em out. — John Fereira Isis Distributed Systems – Ithaca, NY

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Hi Sandy-    Lets say some Californian just bought 100 of the prettiest acres ever put up for sale in SW Montana. . . and immediately wanted to sub divide it, build a sprawling ranchette and get rid of the vermin. You need to kill the beavers quick because they’re flooding the road and you just washed your Orvis endorsed vehicle and don’t really want to drive on a wet road. And, hear this, it gets even worse: they’re eating willows. Can’t they eat dog food or bird seed or something?    To answer your question: grenades work well. Pull the pin, count to sixty real slow then throw it at one of those damn beavers.    -Ralph – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Let’s say you just bought 100 of the prettiest acres ever put up for sale in South West Montana…complete with 3/4 of a mile of a deep, clear, undercut spring creek, large brown trout, deer, sand hill cranes, ducks, geese, eagles, osprey, snipe, pheasants, badgers and beavers. And it’s only nine miles from town. You wanna sell off two thirty acre pieces and build on the third.   But the damn beavers are flooding the road so bad you’re afraid to list your property. Worse, they’re mowing down dense, thick, old-growth willows like a drunk redneck with a chainsaw. So you start shooting beavers. (this is still all totally hypothetical, mind you).  But the damn beavers start to get smart (after killing five in the first three nights) and start waiting till way after dark to come out of their lodge. So what’s the best way to kill beavers? Chloroform in the lodge? Hand grenades? What? —

Ralph and Lisa Cutter. California School of Flyfishing http:www/flyline.com

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: Let’s say you just bought 100 of the prettiest acres ever put up for sale : in South West Montana…complete with 3/4 of a mile of a deep, clear, : You wanna sell off two thirty acre pieces and build on : the third. I think with three houses, and probably fences, it’s no longer going to be the prettiest 100 acres in SW MT, beavers or no. That said, I’m kinda ambivalent about the beaver thing; I can see why one sides complains about our manipulation of nature, and I can see why someone would want to get rid of the ones on their property. So,… I would think letting a trapper come in would be the best, or is the fur market non-existant these days?  A beaver pelt used to be fairly valuable, I hope in this hypothetical example those three pelts weren’t tossed… Jon Cook.

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writes: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Let’s say you just bought 100 of the prettiest acres ever put up for sale in South West Montana…complete with 3/4 of a mile of a deep, clear, undercut spring creek, large brown trout, deer, sand hill cranes, ducks, geese, eagles, osprey, snipe, pheasants, badgers and beavers. And it’s only nine miles from town. You wanna sell off two thirty acre pieces and build on the third.  But the damn beavers are flooding the road so bad you’re afraid to list your property. Worse, they’re mowing down dense, thick, old-growth willows like a drunk redneck with a chainsaw. So you start shooting beavers. (this is still all totally hypothetical, mind you). But the damn beavers start to get smart (after killing five in the first three nights) and start waiting till way after dark to come out of their lodge. So what’s the best way to kill beavers? Chloroform in the lodge? Hand grenades? What? —

Sandy, I’d sure like to teach the beavers how to get rid of you! But, maybe the greedy real estate agent that handled the sale would be a better target. Pat

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – writes: Let’s say you just bought 100 of the prettiest acres ever put up for sale in South West Montana…complete with 3/4 of a mile of a deep, clear, undercut spring creek, large brown trout, deer, sand hill cranes, ducks, geese, eagles, osprey, snipe, pheasants, badgers and beavers. And it’s only nine miles from town. You wanna sell off two thirty acre pieces and build on the third.  But the damn beavers are flooding the road so bad you’re afraid to list your property. Worse, they’re mowing down dense, thick, old-growth willows like a drunk redneck with a chainsaw. So you start shooting beavers. (this is still all totally hypothetical, mind you). But the damn beavers start to get smart (after killing five in the first three nights) and start waiting till way after dark to come out of their lodge. So what’s the best way to kill beavers? Chloroform in the lodge? Hand grenades? What? — Sandy, I’d sure like to teach the beavers how to get rid of you! But, maybe the greedy real estate agent that handled the sale would be a better target. Pat

Obviously Sandy hasn’t had to deal with the little "construction freaks".  Contact your local Fish and Game and they will put you in touch with a local or state trapper to remedy your problems.   It takes time and should be done in the Winter months as to not waste the hides.  They can be a real problem if you let them get a good hold on your drainage.  Good luck   Ace in Alaska

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – writes: Let’s say you just bought 100 of the prettiest acres ever put up for sale in South West Montana…complete with 3/4 of a mile of a deep, clear, undercut spring creek, large brown trout, deer, sand hill cranes, ducks, geese, eagles, osprey, snipe, pheasants, badgers and beavers. And it’s only nine miles from town. You wanna sell off two thirty acre pieces and build on the third.  But the damn beavers are flooding the road so bad you’re afraid to list your property. Worse, they’re mowing down dense, thick, old-growth willows like a drunk redneck with a chainsaw. So you start shooting beavers. (this is still all totally hypothetical, mind you). But the damn beavers start to get smart (after killing five in the first three nights) and start waiting till way after dark to come out of their lodge. So what’s the best way to kill beavers? Chloroform in the lodge? Hand grenades? What? — Sandy, I’d sure like to teach the beavers how to get rid of you! But, maybe the greedy real estate agent that handled the sale would be a better target. Pat Obviously Sandy hasn’t had to deal with the little "construction freaks".  Contact your local Fish and Game and they will put you in touch with a local or state trapper to remedy your problems. It takes time and should be done in the Winter months as to not waste the hides.  They can be a real problem if you let them get a good hold on your drainage.  Good luck   Ace in Alaska

christ.  (Stick some dynamite up your ass and then light the fuse.  It will solve your beaver problem to my satisfaction) George Gehrke/Professional Sportsman

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Quoting: christ.  (Stick some dynamite up your ass and then light the fuse. It will solve your beaver problem to my satisfaction) George Gehrke/Professional Sportsman Any other readers see a paradox here? — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

        to tell you the truth, i’ve never seen a beaver i wouldn’t love to eat.         a. wayne harrison

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: My advice ?   : One small cabin on the whole 100 acres on the dryest most protected spot. : Your wealth would exceed that possible by sub-dividing and developing. Maybe, but the question is whether he could afford the mortgage payments on that wealth.  Even the locals get caught up in this stuff… I see it all over.  Pretty soon, the latecomers will start complaining about all the growth… — Rick T. Rick Fletcher   –   http://www.chem.uidaho.edu/~fletcher/ Associate professor of chemistry  |  That’s Idaho, not Iowa.    | ad hominem University of Idaho               |  Upper Left Hand Corner.    | ad hominem Moscow, ID 83844-2343             |  No, I don’t grow potatoes. | ad hominem

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Who knows, maybe the deer will visit you in your dreams.

in the mountain village,    the wind rustles the leaves. deep in the night, the deer    cry out beyond the end of dreams.            – minimoto no morotada

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Maybe Sandy should parcel off the 2/3rds to the readers of ROFF.  The only thing we’d have to figure out is what section Tim is going to get and where we’ll build the whore house.

I heard that a famous tributary of the Snake got its name when some trappers were sitting around and one said "someone go into town and bring a Hoback". TimW

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – writes: Let’s say you just bought 100 of the prettiest acres ever put up for sale in South West Montana…complete with 3/4 of a mile of a deep, clear, undercut spring creek, large brown trout, deer, sand hill cranes, ducks, geese, eagles, osprey, snipe, pheasants, badgers and beavers. And it’s only nine miles from town. You wanna sell off two thirty acre pieces and build on the third.  But the damn beavers are flooding the road so bad you’re afraid to list your property. Worse, they’re mowing down dense, thick, old-growth willows like a drunk redneck with a chainsaw. So you start shooting beavers. (this is still all totally hypothetical, mind you). But the damn beavers start to get smart (after killing five in the first three nights) and start waiting till way after dark to come out of their lodge. So what’s the best way to kill beavers? Chloroform in the lodge? Hand grenades? What? — Sandy, I’d sure like to teach the beavers how to get rid of you! But, maybe the greedy real estate agent that handled the sale would be a better target. Pat

Good old leg holds and conibear traps have always worked well for me. Don Kelly

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Yeah, the beavers are in their natural environment.  The Californian is not!

This thread has been a lesson in mass-hysteria.  I don’t know whether Sandy has ever been to California, but he’s lived in Montana as long as I’ve known him. Sandy: do what you must with the beavers, but PLEASE don’t subdivide! If you Montanans continue to chop up Montana into little make-believe tourist ranches, as we have done to Colorado, where will I go on vacation? — -Wayne Trzyna

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Dear Ralph; Oh, Lord, man; you are great, just great!  I love it: you should be a writer or something.  

Yea, maybe he could write a guide about fishing the Sierra Nevada for trout. — John Fereira Isis Distributed Systems – Ithaca, NY

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Yeah, the beavers are in their natural environment.  The Californian is not! This thread has been a lesson in mass-hysteria.  I don’t know whether Sandy has ever been to California, but he’s lived in Montana as long as I’ve known him.

I don’t know if Sandy has been to California either but I know that Ralph lives there and I lived in California all my life.  The environment that Ralph lived is nothing like the area that I lived.  So, I’m wondering, exactly what is a Californian’s natural environment, or does Jason just have some stereotypical view of what California is like. Sandy: do what you must with the beavers, but PLEASE don’t subdivide! If you Montanans continue to chop up Montana into little make-believe tourist ranches, as we have done to Colorado, where will I go on vacation?

Maybe Sandy should parcel off the 2/3rds to the readers of ROFF.  The only thing we’d have to figure out is what section Tim is going to get and where we’ll build the whore house. — John Fereira Isis Distributed Systems – Ithaca, NY

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Let’s say you just bought 100 of the prettiest acres ever put up for sale in South West Montana…complete with 3/4 of a mile of a deep, clear, undercut spring creek, large brown trout, deer, sand hill cranes, ducks, geese, eagles, osprey, snipe, pheasants, badgers and beavers. And it’s only nine miles from town. You wanna sell off two thirty acre pieces and build on the third.   But the damn beavers are flooding the road so bad you’re afraid to list your property. Worse, they’re mowing down dense, thick, old-growth willows like a drunk redneck with a chainsaw. So you start shooting beavers. (this is still all totally hypothetical, mind you).  But the damn beavers start to get smart (after killing five in the first three nights) and start waiting till way after dark to come out of their lodge. So what’s the best way to kill beavers? Chloroform in the lodge? Hand grenades? What?

As long as the habitat is right, they will come back even if you kill them all right now.  Consider the South Platte corridor right through Denver. They can’t keep a young tree alive in this park-like setting for the beavers. My advice ?   One small cabin on the whole 100 acres on the dryest most protected spot. Your wealth would exceed that possible by sub-dividing and developing. Who knows, maybe the deer will visit you in your dreams. TimW

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This is a hot topic around here (NC) as well. Beaver populations are way up in suburbia – all their predators are gone and the beavers are protected in many areas. Many neighborhood lakes have trouble ranging from tree loss to damage to dams. I have lost a couple of trees on a lot I own to beavers. Sometimes they are trapped live and relocated, but there are fewer and fewer places to put them. I put chicken wire around the base of all the remaining trees. Nice simple solution for me – I only have a small lot to protect, and they can move on and bother someone else. But I can certainly understand how options might be limited in other cases. I am glad I don’t have to think about doing it, but I think there may be cases where it may be necessary. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – So, if you want some kind of vote on who’s approach to an idiots QUESTION regarding beavers and beaver ponds is more acceptable . . . let my fellow fly fishermen post a few replies regarding "KILLING BEAVERS", is the preferred approach, okay ace?

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So, if you want some kind of vote on who’s approach to an idiots QUESTION regarding beavers and beaver ponds is more acceptable . . . let my fellow fly fishermen post a few replies regarding "KILLING BEAVERS", is the preferred approach, okay ace?

I can tell this must be some sort of religious thing for you George since you seem to evoke the christian deity frequently on this topic. However, if you want a vote I would say "It all depends" (no, I’m not running for office). For example, our family has had hunting-fishing property here since the 30’s or 40’s (that’s the last 50-60 years). There have never been beaver in that area. The last 4 years or so beaver have moved in and have devastated many areas for fishing. This situation would very likely reach a new equilibrium in about 20-30 years as the stream beds moved, swamps formed etc. However, since beaver are new there, we are not willing to sacrifice a generation of fishing to reach that point- sorry but that’s too bad. However, if the original poster bought land that had been long colonized by beaver and the ecosystem and trout reproduction were in equilibrium with the beaver, then I would say 1) don’t bother them and 2) they are probably so locally widespread that you will never make much headway since they will continually recolonize the area and 3) they probably don’t negatively impact the fishing under those conditions and may actually help and 4) don’t develop (subdivide) the land. Signing off without a deprecating remark. Jon

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Quoting: christ.  (Stick some dynamite up your ass and then light the fuse. It will solve your beaver problem to my satisfaction) George Gehrke/Professional Sportsman Any other readers see a paradox here? — Yeah, the beavers are in their natural environment.  The Californian is not!

JB

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Quoting: christ.  (Stick some dynamite up your ass and then light the fuse. It will solve your beaver problem to my satisfaction) George Gehrke/Professional Sportsman Any other readers see a paradox here? — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

Yah, the fact I missed mentioning you if you’re for killing beavers as a solution to every human who thinks they have a problem with beavers. They were here long before we arrived.  Seems "Man" cannot keep his hand off a spot on this earth for even a little bird to stand upon.  So, what is your problem that you cannot stand up for the life of one beaver?  Or two, or a family of them which make beautiful Brook Trout Ponds and rich soiled valley’s that produce in time . . . lush, green elk pastures or habitat for moose, etc? Instead of being a smart-ass and talking about fly tying and flies that are used on Beaver Ponds . . . your kind only can think of how to miss-manage our wildlife.  Right? right. So, if you want some kind of vote on who’s approach to an idiots QUESTION regarding beavers and beaver ponds is more acceptable . . . let my fellow fly fishermen post a few replies regarding "KILLING BEAVERS", is the preferred approach, okay ace? christ.. George Gehrke / Mr. Gink

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Quoting: christ.  (Stick some dynamite up your ass and then light the fuse. It will solve your beaver problem to my satisfaction) George Gehrke/Professional Sportsman

Any other readers see a paradox here? — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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Dear Ralph; Oh, Lord, man; you are great, just great!  I love it: you should be a writer or something.  You just took his post, stood on the complete opposite side of it, telling us like it is.  Just beautiful, man!  Those urbanites: now, with the age of delocation upon us, no wilderness is safe from their spoiling touch.  Keep up the good fight! Sincerely Jason Beary

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  But the damn beavers are flooding the road so bad you’re afraid to list your property. Worse, they’re mowing down dense, thick, old-growth willows like a drunk redneck with a chainsaw. So you start shooting beavers. (this is still all totally hypothetical, mind you).  But the damn beavers start to get smart (after killing five in the first three nights) and start waiting till way after dark to come out of their lodge. So what’s the best way to kill beavers? Chloroform in the lodge? Hand

1.  Normal beaver life style includes excluding the young from the family i.e. forcing them to emigrate, when they get to be two years old.  So sooner or later the parent couple will die off and the site will become vacant. 2.  You can accelerate this by the combination of opportunistic shooting and trapping, easiest in winter when ice restricts their movement. Exterminating a single family seems to do no appreciable damage to the continent-wide beaver gene pool these days. 3.  But you need to bear in mind #1, i.e. there’s another beaver family two or three miles away that will be kicking its young adults out of the nest — and when they find your site vacant they will occupy it!  The cycle of occupation/vacancy seems to be 7 or 8 years.     As someone else posted, local wildlife authorities may (or may not) have better advice about both short-term and long-term control.  Beaver can do a lot of damage where species like poplar are abundant, e.g. can fell whole stands of mature trees and just leave them there without salvaging the proceeds. — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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Let’s say you just bought 100 of the prettiest acres ever put up for sale in South West Montana…complete with 3/4 of a mile of a deep, clear, undercut spring creek, large brown trout, deer, sand hill cranes, ducks, geese, eagles, osprey, snipe, pheasants, badgers and beavers. And it’s only nine miles from town. You wanna sell off two thirty acre pieces and build on the third.   But the damn beavers are flooding the road so bad you’re afraid to list your property. Worse, they’re mowing down dense, thick, old-growth willows like a drunk redneck with a chainsaw. So you start shooting beavers. (this is still all totally hypothetical, mind you).  But the damn beavers start to get smart (after killing five in the first three nights) and start waiting till way after dark to come out of their lodge. So what’s the best way to kill beavers? Chloroform in the lodge? Hand grenades? What? —

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So what’s the best way to kill beavers? Chloroform in the lodge? Hand grenades? What?

How about live trapping and relocation? — K.G. (Kat) Cruickshank, ichthyophile. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. see my illustrations at http://www.mackerel.com/fish/home.html

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Question:

 Could someone post a response as to where the location of the nearest hospital or emergency treatment center is to the St. Regis Canoe area in the northern adirondack section of New York State?   I’ve gotten conflicting info about Tupper Lake, Paul Smiths, etc. I would like to have the location in mind just in case a planned trip there has a medical emergency arise. Thanks, Woody

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Saranac Village has a very nice hospital. I had to take my wife there last year when she was bitten by a "carrion fly" who left behind some foreign matter and she had a nasty reaction to it. Her leg swelled up about twice its size and nasty red streaks were running up toward her hip… The highest volume patient service that the emergency crew there provides is the removal of fishing hooks . There is no hospital at Paul Smiths, although the College has a first aid facility when the students are there.  I suspect there is one at Tupper Lake, but I don’t know for certain. -Tim — Tim Hewitt – President, Downeast Chapter Wooden Canoe Heritage Association, Ltd http://www.wcha.org

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Question:

My family will be visiting the Tacoma/Olympia area at the beginning of August, and I would like fish streams within a couple of hours drive. Does anyone have some recommendations? thx….. Bob

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My family will be visiting the Tacoma/Olympia area at the beginning of August, and I would like fish streams within a couple of hours drive. Does anyone have some recommendations?

I’d hit the road north and run up along the east-side of the Olympic Pennisula to Lilliwaup, and visit the Hama Hama River for some sea-run cutt’s… <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< < Digital Equipment Corp.    Alpha Server Engineering  < <           "Read this and nobody gets hurt"           < <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

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Youll have so much fishing within two hours you wont know what to do:  to the west – all the famous Olympic Peninsula streams for steelhead; plus the Elwha for trout (near Port angeles); to the south, youll have the cowlitz, Kalama and other famous steelhead and salmon rivers (plus some trout); to the north (if you want to drive through seattle) youll have the Green, Skykomish and Stilly; to the east, you have mtn lakes, marginal trout streams and youre abnout 2 hours from the Yakima River, the states best fly fishing river….  Not to mention the Puget Sound salt water where people fly fish quite a bit, including from shore for salmon, cutts and snags. Have fun, Andy Taylor Pocatello, Idaho

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Question:

And you *KNOW* that I’m kidding, right ? (Witness winking mustacheoed smily poacher symbol).  Shoot man…sometimes I’ll tie a GLO-Bug AND a Streamer on…I’m no purist. That’s for damn sure.   Tim Walker  

: : Is it flyfishing? : : Nope, it’s poaching, pure and simple…;{) : Tim Walker : This is an interesting responce, because ole Tim recently wrote : to me, and asked for some samples of soft-bodied flies. I sent Tim a : fly or two, plus a few small samples of (soft foam) tying supplies. : So if the use of foam flies constitutes poaching, it seems to me, : Tim is either a poacher at heart, or he should come : clean now, and feed that foam I sent him to the shredder! : And beg forgiveness. You can’t have it both ways! : For what it’s worth–from my point of view–fishing with homemade : foam-bodied flies is good sport. IE not poaching. All I did was : invent a new fly that works like no other. Just because foam flies : are odor sponges that end up smelling like the last fish you caught, : doesn’t equate to evil in my view, it only means they work better. : —

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : Is it flyfishing? Nope, it’s poaching, pure and simple…;{) Tim Walker This is an interesting responce, because ole Tim recently wrote to me, and asked for some samples of soft-bodied flies. I sent Tim a fly or two, plus a few small samples of (soft foam) tying supplies. So if the use of foam flies constitutes poaching, it seems to me, Tim is either a poacher at heart, or he should come clean now, and feed that foam I sent him to the shredder! And beg forgiveness. You can’t have it both ways! For what it’s worth–from my point of view–fishing with homemade foam-bodied flies is good sport. IE not poaching. All I did was invent a new fly that works like no other. Just because foam flies are odor sponges that end up smelling like the last fish you caught, doesn’t equate to evil in my view, it only means they work better. —

Here is a meaningful way to get back on Tim.  You should send out a fly or two, plus all those soft foam tying supplies to everyone on this newsgroup.  Sounds good, huh?  my mailing address is …. steve

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: : Is it flyfishing? : : Nope, it’s poaching, pure and simple…;{) : : Tim Walker : Tim, can you elaborate a little. Sometime, I am not sure : that you are serious or joking. :   : Thi Nguyen Thi, Unless Tim starts out with "No Sh_t, this really happened", or some such jest disclaimer, you can usually assume he’s only joking.  Right Tim?  :-) Bryan

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writes: I guess it’s fly fisheng in that you are casting and the weight of line line, not the weight of the lure is making the cast. I use lots of foam poppers & synthetics in salt water and never question whether it’s fly fishing or not…..

I not so sure about this.  I’ve seen guys fishing for steelhead with leadcore shooting heads about five feet long followed by mono running line.  When they cast it is very similar to casting a spinning rig without the reel.  I’ll bet they could cast just as well with a bunch of split shot on the running line without the shooting head.  Might as well use a spinning reel and save all the tangles.

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: Is it flyfishing? Nope, it’s poaching, pure and simple…;{) Tim Walker

This is an interesting responce, because ole Tim recently wrote to me, and asked for some samples of soft-bodied flies. I sent Tim a fly or two, plus a few small samples of (soft foam) tying supplies. So if the use of foam flies constitutes poaching, it seems to me, Tim is either a poacher at heart, or he should come clean now, and feed that foam I sent him to the shredder! And beg forgiveness. You can’t have it both ways! For what it’s worth–from my point of view–fishing with homemade foam-bodied flies is good sport. IE not poaching. All I did was invent a new fly that works like no other. Just because foam flies are odor sponges that end up smelling like the last fish you caught, doesn’t equate to evil in my view, it only means they work better. —

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: : Is it flyfishing? : Nope, it’s poaching, pure and simple…;{) : Tim Walker : Tim, can you elaborate a little. Sometime, I am not sure : that you are serious or joking. : Thi Nguyen Ok Thi…my apologies…I’ll try to elaborate… …and Carlos looks up at the old man and asks "Was I *REALLY* Fly Fishing Don Juan ?" And Don looks at him, making sure that their eyes met and he says, "Carlos, do you think that you have been Fly Fishing ? and Carlos nods and the old man continues, "then certainly you must have been." And then the old man catches a glimpse  of the Pittendrigh Special and asks "Carlos, is this what you were using ?" and again Carlos nods and the Old man says "c’mon carlos, lets go get a corona and you can tell me again about the big brown" Excepted with permission by the author from : "The Teachings of Tim Walker, a Tacqui Way of Knowledge" Tim Walker

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You still (mostly) tie the material on the hook. I have seen some ‘flies’ for salt water than don’t even do that, molded epoxy baitfish and such, and holding them up next to a spin- ning lure I fail to see much difference. I don’t like the idea much and don’t use these for pretty much the same reason I don’t buy a box of ‘Flying Lures’ and use those with my 9 weight.

… not to mention, a spinning rod would work better for tossing a Flying Lure. — -Wayne Trzyna

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I guess it’s fly fisheng in that you are casting and the weight of line line, not the weight of the lure is making the cast. I use lots of foam poppers & synthetics in salt water and never question whether it’s fly fishing or not. The scent part, however, does disturb me. I’ve read several articles lately about people scenting flies like this, or in chum, or in bluefish blood, etc. To me the satisfaction in fly fishing comes from  fooling the fish into taking an artificial I tied and properly presented. Scenting a fly would somehow diminish, no eliminate that for me. It’s too close to putting a piece of bait on the end of my fly. Just my .02                                         john cloyd

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| | There is no question that the meaning of the word "fly" has taken | on a life of its own within the fly fishing community.  There was | a time when a fly was a lure which imitated a fly.  The technique | of propelling that fly developed into the sport we are familiar | with, but it is the technique, not the lure which we now rely on | to define our sport.  There are hundreds of "modern flies" which | would never be confused with an insect.  I think of | egg-sucking-leaches, moose turds, BC Bombers, green-butt skunks | and many others which any fly fisher would readily concede is | designed to catch fish using fly fishing gear.  Even the | venerable royal coachman is a lure-type fly.  Are we really being | true to the spirit of the sport in stretching the definition so | broadly?  Have we lost something of the sport in expanding the | definitions?   | | I ask only rhetorically, but am interested in the thoughts of | others on this subject.  Are there fly fishers among us so pure | as to fish only imitations of natural flies?  Is the sport a | different experience when we use lures with fly gear? | | — To me the old rules of fly fishing are kind of like 200 year old laws; in many principles they’re still applicable, but they have to grow with the times. If fly fishing stopped with the brown trout I could see using only dry flies that imitated insects. But horizons expand. Bluefish have no interest in even the most beautifully tied blue winged olive, nor I’d guess would a pike. So we have to invent flies that meet these new challenges. I think it’s the same spirit that led to lifelike imitations of mayflies or even the creation of some of the more gaudy salmon flies, however. You still (mostly) tie the material on the hook. I have seen some ‘flies’ for salt water than don’t even do that, molded epoxy baitfish and such, and holding them up next to a spin- ning lure I fail to see much difference. I don’t like the idea much and don’t use these for pretty much the same reason I don’t buy a box of ‘Flying Lures’ and use those with my 9 weight.                                         john cloyd

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Can you post on how to tie?

Phew!     Sure got a lot of requests for tying intructions on this one. Foam streamers are new for me, and I haven’t settled on a best way to make them yet. Originally, I started making them as "tube" flies. I got some thin, flexible polyethelene tubing from the chemistry supplies window at my local Univ. Then I Roughed-up the outside of the tubing with sandpaper, and then glued a lump of lead-wraps at one end. Then Inserted a stainless steel wire, into the tubing, to make a temporary mandrel to work on, and then inserted the works into a (slit) blank of common (tan colored) packing foam. Then rolled the works up in nylon-net "spawn sack." (spawn sack is sold at bait shops for wrapping salmon eggs). Then tied off both ends with thread. Then used "GlueNWash" (a water based, flexible, water-proof cement sold at sewing stores) to glue on a Mataka-like wing. And that was that. To fish it, push the leader down the tube, and tie on a hook. But now it gets easier. To hell with the tube. Cut a foam blank. Slit one end just enough to receive a slightly flattened split shot. Roll the works up in spawn sack. Wrap the ends shut with thread. Set the thread with a drop of Flexament. Cut a length of 10lb test mono. Snell a hook in the middle. Then tie a second hook on, with improved clinch knot, to make a tandem hook arrangement, with hooks just far enuf apart to match the ends of the streamer. Use thread to lash the front hook to the front end of the foam-nylon-net lump. Just poke the rear hook thru the rear end of the foam. Glue on a Matuka wing or two. (Use fabric cement). Tie your leader directly to the eye of the front hook. They’re fast and easy to tie. And catch fish like crazy. Plus, you’ll get 2,3,4 bumps/hit! When was the last time that happened, while fly fishing? Or is it fly fishing? —

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I say your are definitely flyfishing. How do tie the fly ? Can you post it again please. Thank you, Thi Nguyen

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Can you post on how to tie?

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Is it flyfishing? A few weeks ago I posted instructions for making soft-bodied streamers–made from open-cell foam wrapped in "spawn-sack" nylon netting. I’ve had some pretty remarkable fishing with these things. Because they’re soft, fish don’t spit them out right away, and even come back to hit them a second or third time, if you don’t get the fish hooked right away. Stranger yet, I couldn’t help noticing that foam streamers seem to work better as you use them. That is, after you catch the first fish, the second fish hits sooner than the first, and then the third fish even quicker yet. It finally dawned on me what was going on. So last weekend, while fishing the Yellowstone, I held a foam streamer under a fish I had in the net, and squeezed the foam body of the streamer as the fish dripped its slimy juices onto the fly. Sure enough, I caught another fish almost right away, and then another, etc. Foam streamers, it turns out, are odor sponges. And the more they smell, the better they work. That this is a hot-damn fly is not a question. Foam streamers are the deadliest flies I have ever tied and fished with. But is using them still fly fishing? And does it really matter anyway? ….just wondering….. ? —

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There is no question that the meaning of the word "fly" has taken on a life of its own within the fly fishing community.  There was a time when a fly was a lure which imitated a fly.  The technique of propelling that fly developed into the sport we are familiar with, but it is the technique, not the lure which we now rely on to define our sport.  There are hundreds of "modern flies" which would never be confused with an insect.  I think of egg-sucking-leaches, moose turds, BC Bombers, green-butt skunks and many others which any fly fisher would readily concede is designed to catch fish using fly fishing gear.  Even the venerable royal coachman is a lure-type fly.  Are we really being true to the spirit of the sport in stretching the definition so broadly?  Have we lost something of the sport in expanding the definitions?   I ask only rhetorically, but am interested in the thoughts of others on this subject.  Are there fly fishers among us so pure as to fish only imitations of natural flies?  Is the sport a different experience when we use lures with fly gear? —

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To me, when ever you fish with a fly rod and fly line, you are flyfishing, regardless what you tied at the end of the line. For sure, I am not a purist. And I don’t want to be one. Cheers, Thi Nguyen

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: Is it flyfishing? Nope, it’s poaching, pure and simple…;{) Tim Walker

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: Is it flyfishing? Nope, it’s poaching, pure and simple…;{) Tim Walker

Tim, can you elaborate a little. Sometime, I am not sure that you are serious or joking. Thi Nguyen

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