Question:

Does anyone have any experience fishing for these fish in Florida, with flys? I see lots of guides, etc., but they seem to be traditional tackle guys. Fred

Response:

with flys? I see lots of guides, etc., but they seem to be traditional tackle guys.

You might try looking up Steve Kantner "aka The Land Capitan." He writes an article occasionaly for The Fly Tyer Magazine. I have not fished with him yet, but would like to and hope to do so sometime this spring. He is a Florida guide that specializes in walk-in fishing for snook, tarpon, and peacock bass. He last had an article on some of his flies in the Summer 2002 issue of the Fly Tyer. Big Dale

Response:

Question:

Some few individuals prefer to save the cost of a reel and wind the line around their necks instead.  This is said to be a particularly effective method for salt water species like tarpon and sailfish as the large diameter of the neck (relative to that of a common reel arbor) ensures quick takeup of slack line. However, as this method is not widely practicesd (as yet) it is too soon to be certain of its efficacy.  We await your reports.

My understanding is that some individuals actually substitute very fine piano wire for fly line– something about eliminating memory IMR — Scott Reverse first field of address to reply

Response:

Not that I would ever stoop to a Cabela’s Three Forks, but, just for the sake of discussion, what reel would make a good fit? Bugger p.s. Curiosity…

There’s only one choice… http://www.dutchreels.com/triangle.htm /daytripper (Aim high, grasshopper

Response:

Should I try to remove the hook, or just cut the tippet? Bug – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Not that I would ever stoop to a Cabela’s Three Forks, but, just for the sake of discussion, what reel would make a good fit? Bugger p.s. Curiosity…

Response:

Some few individuals prefer to save the cost of a reel and wind the line around their necks instead.  This is said to be a particularly effective method for salt water species like tarpon and sailfish as the large diameter of the neck (relative to that of a common reel arbor) ensures quick takeup of slack line. However, as this method is not widely practicesd (as yet) it is too soon to be certain of its efficacy.  We await your reports. My understanding is that some individuals actually substitute very fine piano wire for fly line– something about eliminating memory IMR

Correct.  But in either case the line catches on the ears when the fish is Wolfgang

Response:

Not that I would ever stoop to a Cabela’s Three Forks, but, just for the sake of discussion, what reel would make a good fit? Bugger p.s. Curiosity…

They sell a combo with a Prestige reel for $69. The Prestige is an Okuma Sierra with Cabelas name on it so you are basically paying $30 for the reel, about $5-$10 less than you can find it retail. Here’s a link. : http://makeashorterlink.com/?V66322B12 G.C.

Response:

<snipped educational material Some few individuals prefer to save the cost of a reel and wind the line around their necks instead.  This is said to be a particularly effective method for salt water species like tarpon and sailfish as the large diameter of the neck (relative to that of a common reel arbor) ensures quick takeup of slack line.  However, as this method is not widely practicesd (as yet) it is too soon to be certain of its efficacy.  We await your reports.

<SPLORK! — TL, Tim give a man enough fly line. . . .

Response:

Okay. You fellas have lost me again. What is the logic to putting a $400 reel on a $39 rod?

The basic principle which underlies fly fishing (as most of us practice it at any rate) is that a rod is used to impart a certain amount of kinetic energy to a fairly heavy line which, in turn, then causes that energy to be transferred to a leader and thus to the fly at the end.  The rod and line are then used to maintain some control over the action of the fly which, if all goes well, will entice a fish to impale itself on the hook, at which time the rod and line are used to draw the fish toward the fisher who then either releases it or bops in on the pate and transfers it to a creel or some other receptacle until such time as it is convenient to cook and eat it.  The reel holds the excess line.  Some few individuals prefer to save the cost of a reel and wind the line around their necks instead.  This is said to be a particularly effective method for salt water species like tarpon and sailfish as the large diameter of the neck (relative to that of a common reel arbor) ensures quick takeup of slack line.  However, as this method is not widely practicesd (as yet) it is too soon to be certain of its efficacy.  We await your reports. Reeling with confusion,

Oh, you ain’t seen nuthin yet. Wolfgang

Response:

Okay. You fellas have lost me again. What is the logic to putting a $400 reel on a $39 rod?

You said nothing about logic. You asked for a "good fit." My guess is it fits good. HTH, Russell Bet there are others that will fit as well.

Response:

Okay. You fellas have lost me again. What is the logic to putting a $400 reel on a $39 rod?

Oops…I must have neglected to include one of these     with my original reply.  Handy little things, really.  I find that they can often clarify even the most senseless posts.  HTH. Cheers, Bill

Response:

Okay. You fellas have lost me again. What is the logic to putting a $400 reel on a $39 rod? Reeling with confusion, Bug

Hook, line and sinker, and pole too! — Frank Reid Reverse email to reply

Response:

Okay. You fellas have lost me again. What is the logic to putting a $400 reel on a $39 rod? Reeling with confusion, Bug – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Not that I would ever stoop to a Cabela’s Three Forks, but, just for the sake of discussion, what reel would make a good fit?  You might want to check out the San Miguel Vision by Ross or Abel’s Super Series.  I don’t think that you’ll be disappointed with either choice.  HTH. Cheers, Bill —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

Okay. You fellas have lost me again. What is the logic to putting a $400 reel on a $39 rod?

The logic is that you spent way too much on a reel and you only have $40 to spend on the stinking fly rod….

Response:

Not that I would ever stoop to a Cabela’s Three Forks, but, just for the sake of discussion, what reel would make a good fit?

Ross San Miguel.  Perfect fit for that rod.  

Response:

Not that I would ever stoop to a Cabela’s Three Forks, but, just for the sake of discussion, what reel would make a good fit?

 You might want to check out the San Miguel Vision by Ross or Abel’s Super Series.  I don’t think that you’ll be disappointed with either choice.  HTH. Cheers, Bill —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

Not that I would ever stoop to a Cabela’s Three Forks, but, just for the sake of discussion, what reel would make a good fit? Bugger p.s. Curiosity…

Response:

Question:

To the Group, I am interested in your advice on those fly fishing combos I see in the major catalogs. I am building up bit of a pile in the form of bonus bucks with my credit card and was thinking to treat myself to a nice intermediate level rod/reel combo, but all the different choices are a bit daunting. So, if you had about $200.00 to cash in on a new rod and reel, say 6-8 wt., which make/model would you choose? Thanks, Mike Seeley

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -To the Group, I am interested in your advice on those fly fishing combos I see in the major catalogs. I am building up bit of a pile in the form of bonus bucks with my credit card and was thinking to treat myself to a nice intermediate level rod/reel combo, but all the different choices are a bit daunting. So, if you had about $200.00 to cash in on a new rod and reel, say 6-8 wt., which make/model would you choose? Thanks, Mike Seeley

Check this one out. http://www.ezflyfish.com/ez6wtoutfit.html Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

I will second ezflyfish.com  I brought my wife the 5 wt. trout combo last week.  It is a solid buy for the money and ezflyfish/Wilson Creek Outfitters are a class outfit to do business with. Don – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -To the Group, I am interested in your advice on those fly fishing combos I see in the major catalogs. I am building up bit of a pile in the form of bonus bucks with my credit card and was thinking to treat myself to a nice intermediate level rod/reel combo, but all the different choices are a bit daunting. So, if you had about $200.00 to cash in on a new rod and reel, say 6-8 wt., which make/model would you choose? Thanks, Mike Seeley

Response:

Thaks for the tip. Mike

Response:

Question:

Great report, guys.  Peter, are you standing in a hole in that picture?  <g Never saw Forty in waders.  Hope I never do again.  <g  I like your hat, Forty.  Eff ‘em all if they don’t! Glad you guys had a great trip, and like Charlie has said, I find it hard to believe it did not rain.   Dave LaCourse

Response:

They call it "The Carnival" because during steelhead season it is packed with anglers. On a Monday morning, it was relatively uncrowded. "Relatively" being the key word.

Welcome to Michigan! A great day of fishing. The Muskegon River is a beautiful piece of water. It supports a spawning population of steelhead and Chinook salmon. It’s not really a trout stream, though. All the trout are stockers and they don’t get any natural reproduction.

I believe there are places where you can find resident trout.  I was speaking with a guy last night who has been fishing the Muskegon on and off for the last three weeks.  He said he caught several browns and rainbows in the 16" – 19".  Of course he was fishing private water that is rarely encountered except for people who are taking long float trips. Good to hear you guys got into some steelies.  I’ve been meaning to go out this year but only made it out once and left early after only two hours of fishing.  I was disgusted by the "relatively" uncrowded conditions.  Did catch some trout but on my 9 wt they weren’t too much fun. Mu

Response:

Glad you guys had a great trip, and like Charlie has said, I find it hard to believe it did not rain.   Dave LaCourse

Worse, it snowed. Peter

Response:

real truth along with the evidence can be viewed at: http://members.home.net/pcharles/streamers/trip-27.html

The truth ain’t always ugly.  Nice pics, whoever took them – both you and Ken did a good job of that. Delorme’s can be wrong (the Michigan one at least).  They don’t show all the dirt roads and there are some *roads* on that map that are just dirt trails.  Some of the names of the roads change as they cross county lines or highways and this is not always clearly marked on the map.  Also, the green color on the Delorme is supposed to represent public land but the detail is not fine enough to show you that on many of these streams there are in fact houses along the river.  I don’t mind too much though, the exploration part is just part of the fun of fishing.   BTW, I like Ken’s hat – got a Kangol just like it, earflaps and all. Mu

Response:

<great report snipped Nice Report Ken.  You reminded me of the first time on the San Juan last November.  I left my wading shoes in the car after my first day fishing, got down to the river the next morning and they were frozen solid. bc. — Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy. -Benjamin Franklin

Response:

A great day of fishing. The Muskegon River is a beautiful piece of water. It supports a spawning population of steelhead and Chinook salmon. It’s not really a trout stream, though. All the trout are stockers and they don’t get any natural reproduction. I believe there are places where you can find resident trout.  I was speaking with a guy last night who has been fishing the Muskegon on and off for the last three weeks.  He said he caught several browns and rainbows in the 16" – 19". …

That’s right. Residents aka holdovers. I caught a nice 12" rainbow, he didn’t put up much of a fight against a 7wt. Those 6-8 inchers will be 12-14 inchers by fall and there are holdovers that make it through the winter. When I say it’s not a trout stream I mean that trout do not reproduce in the stream, they are all stocked. The spawning population of steelies and salmon head out to Lake Michigan after their sexual escapades in the Muskegon and return year after year to spawn. Their offspring do the same. While some would claim they’re not "wild" because they were stocked in the first place they are "natural" in my book. Unlike the trout. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

Why can’t the rainbows spawn if the steelhead and salmon can? Are they outcompeted by the bigger fish?

Good question. I don’t know. I’m not familiar with the Muskegon at all and don’t know much about it. BTW, the salmon don’t return year after year. They die. I think I’ve heard of experiments with Atlantics in the Great Lakes, but the vast majority are Pacific salmon.

That’s right, the salmon that spawn in the Muskegon are Chinooks. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

Ken Have they ever tried Cutts in these rivers? Dave

Response:

Have they ever tried Cutts in these rivers?

Don’t know, David. I’m more familiar with Wisconsin DNR than Michigan. So far as I know, Wisconsin has not. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

That’s right. Residents aka holdovers. I caught a nice 12" rainbow, he didn’t put up much of a fight against a 7wt. Those 6-8 inchers will be 12-14 inchers by fall and there are holdovers that make it through the winter. When I say it’s not a trout stream I mean that trout do not reproduce in the stream, they are all stocked.

My guess is that it has nothing to do with water quality but other factors such as: available spawning space (competition from the big guys), fishing pressure, low survivability of the stockers (poor genetics?), and perhaps seasonal factors that affect residents but not migratories. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Unlike the trout. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -The truth ain’t always ugly.  Nice pics, whoever took them – both you and Ken did a good job of that. Delorme’s can be wrong (the Michigan one at least).  They don’t show all the dirt roads and there are some *roads* on that map that are just dirt trails.  Some of the names of the roads change as they cross county lines or highways and this is not always clearly marked on the map.  Also, the green color on the Delorme is supposed to represent public land but the detail is not fine enough to show you that on many of these streams there are in fact houses along the river.  I don’t mind too much though, the exploration part is just part of the fun of fishing.   BTW, I like Ken’s hat – got a Kangol just like it, earflaps and all. Mu

I was just being an ass.  The Delorme showed a Pettit road that lead straight to Croton.  It was a goat track and it ended at some power lines where trees and stumps had been dragged across the right-of-way. One would guess from the Delorme that it was a decent road.  Ken was right, the Delorme was wrong. Peter

Response:

Great trip report guys.   Thanks for the smiles. Joe F.

Response:

Anyway, enough of the Entertainment Tonight segment of the trip.  The real truth along with the evidence can be viewed at: http://members.home.net/pcharles/streamers/trip-27.html

Nice report and pictures, but it didn’t seem to be raining so are you sure that was really Fortenberry in the festive chapeau? — Charlie…

Response:

……I have an ET2 secret that he’d pay me mucho dinaro not to reveal on these pages.

I’ll open the bidding at 5 bucks.

Response:

……I have an ET2 secret that he’d pay me mucho dinaro not to reveal on these pages. I’ll open the bidding at 5 bucks.

i’ll see that 5 and raise, a hush falls over the table, hee-hee-hee…. a bottle of wild turkey for maine clave — Ezflyfish.com:  http://www.ezflyfish.com http://auctions.yahoo.com/booth/ezflyfish_com Used, Rare, & Out-of-Print Books: http://www.crosswinds.net/~brbg/books/brbg-2.html

Response:

Good report.  Nice to see pictures on your site. Willi – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Peter is the one on the right with the teeny weeny bright hen and I’m the one on the left with the huge brawny buck. [a somewhat accurate story snipped] — Ken Fortenberry Teeny weeny hen my ass.  Just to set the record straight, I caught the hens, Ken caught the bucks.  Not trying to imply something here, but I’m starting question his "orientation" if you know what I mean.  (Say no more.   Say no more.  Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink)  Any way, if he keeps up with those exaggerations, I have an ET2 secret that he’d pay me mucho dinaro not to reveal on these pages. Anyway, enough of the Entertainment Tonight segment of the trip.  The real truth along with the evidence can be viewed at: http://members.home.net/pcharles/streamers/trip-27.html Cheers Visit The Streamer Page at http://members.home.net/pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

Marvellous report, great pictures too. I really enjoyed that.  Thanks TL MC — "In order to achieve what is possible, one must constantly attempt the impossible" http://www.mikeconnor.de

Response:

Holy macaroni! Who the hell are the two "dudes" in the pictures with the guide?

The good looking "dude" is me.  I’m the one with the rod.  The fish is the thing with fins.  The guide is holding the thing with fins. Notice I made Ken’s fish picture big and my fish picture small.  Am I a great person or what, eh? Where the heck did Ken get that hat??

He loves it – and I had to put up with all of the sniggers from the bait fishermen. And what’s this – Ken fishing for stockers?!?

with a gusto, I might add That’s it. The world is coming to an end. /daytripper (awe-palled…)

Naw, just a blip.  Now if he’d used spawn on the end of his T&T  . . . . Peter

Response:

Teeny weeny hen my ass.  Just to set the record straight, I caught the hens, Ken caught the bucks.  Not trying to imply something here, but I’m starting question his "orientation" if you know what I mean.  (Say no more.   Say no more.  Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink)  Any way, if he keeps up with those exaggerations, I have an ET2 secret that he’d pay me mucho dinaro not to reveal on these pages. Anyway, enough of the Entertainment Tonight segment of the trip.  The real truth along with the evidence can be viewed at: http://members.home.net/pcharles/streamers/trip-27.html

Holy macaroni! Who the hell are the two "dudes" in the pictures with the guide? Where the heck did Ken get that hat?? And what’s this – Ken fishing for stockers?!? That’s it. The world is coming to an end. /daytripper (awe-palled…)

Response:

Nice report. Thanks, almost like being there, especially the bloody freezing feet ! TL MC — "In order to achieve what is possible, one must constantly attempt the impossible" http://www.mikeconnor.de

Response:

Peter is the one on the right with the teeny weeny bright hen and I’m the one on the left with the huge brawny buck.

[a somewhat accurate story snipped] — Ken Fortenberry

Teeny weeny hen my ass.  Just to set the record straight, I caught the hens, Ken caught the bucks.  Not trying to imply something here, but I’m starting question his "orientation" if you know what I mean.  (Say no more.   Say no more.  Nudge, Nudge, Wink, Wink)  Any way, if he keeps up with those exaggerations, I have an ET2 secret that he’d pay me mucho dinaro not to reveal on these pages. Anyway, enough of the Entertainment Tonight segment of the trip.  The real truth along with the evidence can be viewed at: http://members.home.net/pcharles/streamers/trip-27.html Cheers Visit The Streamer Page at http://members.home.net/pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

… Where the heck did Ken get that hat??

Hey, that’s a great hat, fleece, Goretex AND ear flaps,…ahhh, ear flaps. Peter made fun of it too, can you imagine, and him looking like the Unabomber in that hood. And what’s this – Ken fishing for stockers?!?

Yeah I know, it made the guide happy. I considered it part of his tip. Those fish were put in the river the previous Thursday, all were 6-8 inches and dumber than dumb. The guide said if there’s anything in your fly box that you’d like to pull out at some point and say, "Can you believe I caught a fish on THAT.", now is the time to tie it on. They had six inches of snow the previous Friday and he said they were rising furiously to snow flakes. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

We picked the Muskegon River in Michigan because it’s roughly equidistant between my home in Urbana, IL and Peter Charles’ home in Burlington, Ontario. As fishing season 2000 started to unfold and dates started firming up, it was starting to look like Peter and I wouldn’t have a chance to wet a line together. I can’t make it to Maine ‘Clave, Peter can’t make it to Spring Fling so obviously we had to do something. It was basically put a finger on the map, let’s fish there. We hired a guide for Monday and met at the motel late morning on Sunday. I had my canoe and the plan was to buy licenses and familiarize ourselves with the area before the guided trip the next day. While buying the licenses I discovered a couple of things. First, if you catch a female steelhead early in the day, just gut her on the spot and you’ve got bait for the rest of the day. This from the very friendly bait guys at the Trading Post. I said, "Yeah, thanks. What a great idea." They did give us some very helpful advice on access points and I genuinely like talking to those guys even if I never would gut a hen on the spot. Second, Peter lies about his weight when buying a fishing license. We had a pleasant canoe trip from Croton Dam to the Thornapple Ave. access. Very crowded on a Sunday afternoon and we canoed more than we fished. We did see plenty of steelhead, though. Rather, Peter saw plenty of steelhead, I had left my polarized glasses in the car. Monday morning was cold. My wading shoes were wet from the day before and they turned into ice cubes while sitting in the drift boat. Hard for me to be comfy with cold feet and my feet were encased in ice for the first hour of the trip. We anchored the boat at a place the guides call "The Carnival", an eighth of a mile stretch of riffles and pools about a mile below Croton Dam. They call it "The Carnival" because during steelhead season it is packed with anglers. On a Monday morning, it was relatively uncrowded. "Relatively" being the key word. I got the first couple of hookups but botched them badly. Broke off the fish almost immediately. Peter landed the first steelie after a couple of his own botched hookups. I quickly followed and caught the same buck that had broken me off earlier, so was able to retrieve BOTH of my #14 black stonefly nymphs. We moved down a ways, spotted some fish, anchored and then waded into position. Peter was on almost immediately, our guide looked downstream, looked at the hole where he’d positioned me and said "Here’s our chance for a double." The guide waded down to net Peter’s fish and before he got into position I was on to a fish. The double. Guides love ‘em, and it makes for a great photo op. The first fish took me into the backing but this one seemed content to just sit in a hole and DEFY me. I watched the action downstream as Peter and the guide did the intricate netting dance and then I yelled down to Peter, "Here’s our double !" I worked down to get my fish next to the net so the guide could net both, one right after the other. He did, we got a quick photo, and Peter will post it on his site soon. Peter is the one on the right with the teeny weeny bright hen and I’m the one on the left with the huge brawny buck. I don’t know what Peter was using, I caught that one a Hex nymph. A great day of fishing. The Muskegon River is a beautiful piece of water. It supports a spawning population of steelhead and Chinook salmon. It’s not really a trout stream, though. All the trout are stockers and they don’t get any natural reproduction. Our guide was very good. I have only mentioned one guide in this forum as someone I recommend. That was Robin Cunningham of Gallatin Gateway, Montana. Today, I recommend the second. Dustan Harley of Ripple Guide Service. http://www.rippleguideservice.com/ Dustan had us on the water for nearly 11 hours and was at his most impressive when he stopped the boat, and said "Get out your 4 wts." It was the PERFECT interlude. We tossed stimulators and griffiths gnats to rising stockers. After chucking lead for most of the day with 7 wts, it was a real joy to actually flyfish with a dry fly. We caught dumb little 8" fish and it was a hoot. Dustan will be in Livingston, Montana during Western ‘Clave. He’s a good guy to go fishin’ with. I do question his taste in beer, after the trip when offered a Sleeman’s or a Budweiser, he chose the Sleeman’s. Hey, I said he was a good guide, I won’t vouch for his taste in beer. After that long day in the wind and the cold you might expect a couple of old farts to just go back to motel room, drink a beer in their underwear and go immediately to sleep. Peter and I partied till the wee hours, drank a half a fifth of Wild Turkey, and had to shoo off the dancing girls at daylight. That’s our story and we’re sticking to it. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

Question:

OK, this is old, but it looks like it’s expired, so I’m going to post it here again.  40 of the 47 Page-A-Day calendars are ready for download. They never could get the 4 puzzle calendars [Bridge, Mensa, Scrabble, Chess] and the 2 web calendars [Fly Fishing, Audubon Birds] to work, so those 6 have been scrapped.  The 365 NEW WORDS A DAY works, but has a weird little problem with the pronunciation font.  They’re working on it, but I’m not going to post another update when that’s fixed. So, that leaves 40 good working calendars, and if you really don’t care about the pronunciation font, you can count it as 41.  Here’s where you can find them: http://www.page-a-day.com/downloads.html If you’re looking for a ZODIAC sign calendar, and #freeasd’ers have occasionally heard me read from them, you can find them at [for example] http://www.page-a-day.com/beta/hari.exe http://www.page-a-day.com/beta/htau.exe http://www.page-a-day.com/beta/hcan.exe I think you can see the pattern.  For a MAC version, replace the .exe with .hqx and download that instead. Each download calendar is about 2 Meg in size, unless it’s a PHOTO calendar, which is about 3 Meg.  Their servers are a little flaky and you might need to download more than once. Also, the Photo calendars only go to the end of March, but you can download the quarterly updates, and this is where you’ll find those. http://www.page-a-day.com/cars/download.html http://www.page-a-day.com/cats/download.html http://www.page-a-day.com/dogs/download.html http://www.page-a-day.com/gard/download.html <– Gardens http://www.page-a-day.com/golf/download.html <– Golf Holes I’ve had no trouble running several calendars at once. — Salt of the Earth

Response:

OK, this is old, but it looks like it’s expired, so I’m going to post it here again.  40 of the 47 Page-A-Day calendars are ready for download. They never could get the 4 puzzle calendars [Bridge, Mensa, Scrabble, Chess] and the 2 web calendars [Fly Fishing, Audubon Birds] to work, so those 6 have been scrapped.  The 365 NEW WORDS A DAY works, but has a weird little problem with the pronunciation font.  They’re working on it, but I’m not going to post another update when that’s fixed. So, that leaves 40 good working calendars, and if you really don’t care about the pronunciation font, you can count it as 41.  Here’s where you can find them: http://www.page-a-day.com/downloads.html If you’re looking for a ZODIAC sign calendar, and #freeasd’ers have occasionally heard me read from them, you can find them at [for example] http://www.page-a-day.com/beta/hari.exe <– Aries http://www.page-a-day.com/beta/htau.exe <– Taurus http://www.page-a-day.com/beta/hcan.exe <– Cancer I think you can see the pattern.  For a MAC version, replace the .exe with .hqx and download that instead. Each download calendar is about 2 Meg in size, unless it’s a PHOTO calendar, which is about 3 Meg.  Their servers are a little flaky and you might need to download more than once. Also, the Photo calendars only go to the end of March, but you can download the quarterly updates, and this is where you’ll find those. http://www.page-a-day.com/cars/download.html http://www.page-a-day.com/cats/download.html http://www.page-a-day.com/dogs/download.html http://www.page-a-day.com/gard/download.html <– Gardens http://www.page-a-day.com/golf/download.html <– Golf Holes I’ve had no trouble running several calendars at once. — Salt of the Earth

Response:

Question:

Attn:  Warren Funk Warren, If you are still interested in finding background for the knot you described I have found a name and diagram in some of my archives. It is called a Pitzen Knot.  I only have a print out of it that I have collected somewhere off a net site quite sometime ago.  The site probably doesn’t exist anymore.  I may have it shown in my "knot bible" but it is in the boat away from here. The tying technique is somewhat different than you described but I have tied the knot using yours and the diagram and I’m quite sure it is the same knot. I was quite intrigued with your description and technique for the knot and have been using it. The illustration I have on hand is not great but I think it would scan adequately.  I would be glad to do so and e-mail it to you or put it in the binary newsgroup if interested.

Response:

No need to do any of the tasks listed.  Just go to Alta Vista and search for "Pitzen Knot".  I got several hits.  One of which: http://nucleus.agron.missouri.edu/flyfishing/pitzen.html  has a good description and rating on the knot.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Attn:  Warren Funk Warren, If you are still interested in finding background for the knot you described I have found a name and diagram in some of my archives. It is called a Pitzen Knot.  I only have a print out of it that I have collected somewhere off a net site quite sometime ago.  The site probably doesn’t exist anymore.  I may have it shown in my "knot bible" but it is in the boat away from here. The tying technique is somewhat different than you described but I have tied the knot using yours and the diagram and I’m quite sure it is the same knot. I was quite intrigued with your description and technique for the knot and have been using it. The illustration I have on hand is not great but I think it would scan adequately.  I would be glad to do so and e-mail it to you or put it in the binary newsgroup if interested.

Response:

Al – thanks for checking on this.  I would have to try both and see what they look like when finished, but I can guarantee that the way I tie it is a whole lot faster and simpler than the way it is shown on the web site you gave.  I also thought that the Hangman’s knot looked very similar, and may be the same knot at the Pitzen knot. Warren Funk

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Attn:  Warren Funk Warren, If you are still interested in finding background for the knot you described I have found a name and diagram in some of my archives. It is called a Pitzen Knot.  I only have a print out of it that I have collected somewhere off a net site quite sometime ago.  The site probably doesn’t exist anymore.  I may have it shown in my "knot bible" but it is in the boat away from here. The tying technique is somewhat different than you described but I have tied the knot using yours and the diagram and I’m quite sure it is the same knot. I was quite intrigued with your description and technique for the knot and have been using it. The illustration I have on hand is not great but I think it would scan adequately.  I would be glad to do so and e-mail it to you or put it in the binary newsgroup if interested.

Response:

One of the sites I ran into looking for this showed another method, a variation of slinging the lure around the line.  I had opted for this method when using a heavy stiff 20+ACM- line that gave me trouble slinging it around. I let the lure hang down and wrapped the line around the vertical hanging line while holding on to the line and clinching loop. I use the Hangman’s Knot (Uni Knot) and I’m sure it is not the Pitzen Knot. Another one I use is the Scaffold Knot (Centauri).  I tie it by extending my forefinger beyond the tip of my thumb that is pinching the standing line and wrap the loose end 3 times around my finger tip, slip off the coil and run the loose end through the coils in the direction of the standing line.  It can also be doubled at the eye. Warren Funk …wrote … +AD4- …I would have to try both and see what +AD4- they look like when finished, but I can guarantee that the way I tie it is a +AD4- whole lot faster and simpler than the way it is shown on the web site you +AD4- gave.  I also thought that the Hangman’s knot looked very similar, and may +AD4- be the same knot at the Pitzen knot. +AD4- Al wrote … +AD4- +AD4- If you are still interested in finding background for the knot you +AD4- described +AD4- +AD4- I have found a name and diagram in some of my archives. +AD4- +AD4- It is called a Pitzen Knot…

Response:

Question:

Float tube – suggestions?? Vest – days are usually very warm so I don’t really want to add another layer. Are there any mesh knit vests? thanks, Don

Don, there are mesh vests, and I wouldn’t be without one. Almost any FF’ing dealer will have them, and, of course, most all the large mail order catalogs, take your pick. They can run from 30 bucks on up to near a C note. If you’re approaching oldfartism, like me, then you might want to consider a V tube or U tube for ease of getting in and out of. Doughnuts are fine, but can be a hassle getting into them. There are plenty to pick from, again, check out the mail order catalogs. Frank Church Elkhart, IN

Response:

(snip) then you might want to consider a V tube or U tube for ease of getting in and out of. Doughnuts are fine, but can be a hassle getting into them. There are plenty to pick from, again, check out the mail order catalogs. Frank Church Elkhart, IN

True, there are many tubes to choose from…but, 90% of them, in my opinion, don’t cut the mustard….built cheap, sewn cheap, cheap material, and cheap bladders.  Now if your serious about tubing, check out the V-tube ‘Whisper’ from Leigh Outdoors in Utah.  Modified 10×22" truck tube (not a bladder), comfortable adjustable hard seat…about $200.00  Mike’s got them at Mikes Fly Desk in Bountiful, Utah.  And no, I’m not a relative or employee of Mike’s….I just know a damn good tube when I see one.  Call him at 801/292-4736 or FAX 801/298-9442 for his catalog…you won’t be sorry. Greg Hardig

Response:

If you’re going to carry the float tube any distance, get the lightest that will uspport you.  This generally means a donut with a bladder.  Only question is what diameter you need for yor weight.  I carry a Caddis 20" that only wieghs 3 lbs.  Uboats run 7 to 12 pounds.  Inner tubes are very heavy compared to bladders.  Breaathables are light but very cold for float tubing in high mountain lakes.  Often the weight you save is used up in carrying long underwear. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m new to fly fishing and just getting my gear.  One of my favorite hiking areas is the east side of the Sierra and I’ve got a few gear questions for use in this environment – spring – fall. Waders – something light for packing, comfortable to use all day (breathable?), also use in float tube. Float tube – suggestions?? Vest – days are usually very warm so I don’t really want to add another layer. Are there any mesh knit vests? thanks, Don

Response:

I’m new to fly fishing and just getting my gear.  One of my favorite hiking areas is the east side of the Sierra and I’ve got a few gear questions for use in this environment – spring – fall. Waders – something light for packing, comfortable to use all day (breathable?), also use in float tube.   Float tube – suggestions?? Vest – days are usually very warm so I don’t really want to add another layer. Are there any mesh knit vests? thanks, Don

Response:

Question:

Bob, While not in the Akron area, I can give some advice re:  fly fishing in Ohio. Recommend you fish a stream in the tailwaters downstream from a dam.    Barring that, get in the middle of any rocky stream with riffles and fish the pools right up against the bank.  My fishing buddies and I are doing well with a 4 or 5 wt. rod with floating line.  We’re catching smallmouth bass, sunfish and crappie with size 6 or 8 surface pan poppers, Sneaky Pete’s and crickets.  I also have had some luck with a size 6 minnow streamer.  Best time is from sunup ’till late morning. Largemouth don’t appear to be at all active in this summer heat; you can try but I wouldn’t spend a lot of time on them.  It’s not Montana or Wyoming, but we’re having a lot of fun!  Forget the lakes; they’re for boat and bait fishing.  And contrary to what the shops tell you (remember, they sell bait), we fly flingers appear to be the only ones catching fish this summer!  The bait people aren’t doing so hot (unless you like catfish and carp), and people going for the big stuff are walking away empty handed.  Even a lot of the big, bad bass fishermen with their 4 quadrillion horsepower motors are docking their boats during July and August.  The only trout stream is the Mad River west of Columbus in the springtime and steelhead up by Lake Erie in the late Fall.  Good luck and good fishing. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – On my way to ohio for a week 1 Aug, anyone know of any flyfishing to be done there?  I have made some phone calls and the shops all seem to say bring my spinning outfit, which I don’t want to do.  I will be around the Akron area but I will travel to get to a good spot.  Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Bob

Response:

On my way to ohio for a week 1 Aug, anyone know of any flyfishing to be done there?  I have made some phone calls and the shops all seem to say bring my spinning outfit, which I don’t want to do.  I will be around the Akron area but I will travel to get to a good spot.  Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Bob

Response:

If you mean fly-fishing for trout, check out the Clear Fork (south of Mansfield) of the Mad River (around Urbana).  You can find a good write-up of both on the Virtual Flyshop at http://www.flyshop.com/Centers/Midwest/7-98Mad/index.html : On my way to ohio for a week 1 Aug, anyone know of any flyfishing to be done : there?  I have made some phone calls and the shops all seem to say bring my : spinning outfit, which I don’t want to do.  I will be around the Akron area but : I will travel to get to a good spot.  Any info would be greatly appreciated. : Thanks Bob —                        http://members.tripod.com/~trunculo/index

Response:

Sorry to follow-up my own post, but I meant to say Clear Fork *or* Mad River. : If you mean fly-fishing for trout, check out the Clear Fork (south of : Mansfield) of the Mad River (around Urbana).  You can find a good              ^^ —                        http://members.tripod.com/~trunculo/index

Response:

The Mad river is said to be one of the finest trout rivers in the state, however it is a several hour drive to get to it. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – On my way to ohio for a week 1 Aug, anyone know of any flyfishing to be done there?  I have made some phone calls and the shops all seem to say bring my spinning outfit, which I don’t want to do.  I will be around the Akron area but I will travel to get to a good spot.  Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Bob

Response:

On my way to ohio for a week 1 Aug, anyone know of any flyfishing to be done there?  I have made some phone calls and the shops all seem to say bring my spinning outfit, which I don’t want to do.  I will be around the Akron area but I will travel to get to a good spot.  Any info would be greatly

appreciated. For trout your best shot in the near-Akron area would be the Clear Fork of the Mohican, down around Mansfield.  I’d guess that’s about 50 miles from Akron, though, so it’d be a long haul. Lately the pond and small lake fishing hasn’t been too good.  Bluegills will still bite, but of course bluegills will *always* bite.  The water has warmed up and the largemouths have developed lockjaw, although you might get lucky.  Try some of the ponds in the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area north of Akron.  Stay OUT of the lower Cuyahoga River – too polluted to mess with. If you can get into the upper Cuyahoga (anywhere upstream of the dam in Cuyahoga Falls) you can probably do alright.  Best of luck. — Bob Jarvis Mail address hacked to foil spammers!

Response:

Question:

Low impact fires in wilderness areas are essential to the experience where legal.  Especially if your whipping up some fresh trout burrittos.  heavy emphasis on LOW IMPACT.         Snagging Kokanee is a great way to get good, relatively wild, fresh food.  While snagging Kokanee in Gross Res. quite a few years ago I accidentally snagged a 15" rainbow.  The fish was in bad shape.  I mean it was ripped almost in half.  I was putting a bit of umph into my snagging back then.         Knowing the regs, I "released" the carcass back into the water immediately.  Wouldn’t that fish have been be better spent in the bushes where one of our furry fish eating critters might have benefitted? JE

Response:

       Snagging Kokanee is a great way to get good, relatively wild, fresh food.  While snagging Kokanee in Gross Res. quite a few years ago I accidentally snagged a 15" rainbow.  The fish was in bad shape.  I mean it was ripped almost in half.  I was putting a bit of umph into my snagging back then.        Knowing the regs, I "released" the carcass back into the water immediately.  Wouldn’t that fish have been be better spent in the bushes where one of our furry fish eating critters might have benefitted?

- if you had trolled for kokanee with the same vigour you do for flames the sorry incident wouldn’t have happened; and you wouldn’t have to ask such a stupid question. Ralph H remove "(take_this_out)" for email reply.

Response:

Ralph’s reaction: – if you had trolled for kokanee with the same vigour you do for flames the sorry incident wouldn’t have happened; and you wouldn’t have to ask such a stupid question. Ralph H remove "(take_this_out)" for email reply.         I am stupid.  Very very stupid.  But the question?  It’s just a question.         Now, The Kokanee in Colorado do not reproduce in the wild and die naturally after their third or fourth season.  Harvest them while they’re firm.  There is good reason why the limit on snagged kokes is 40.         Rec.outdoors.fishing.snag.  That’d be a hell fire newsgroup aye?         Sorry Ralph.  I’ll be quiet now. JE

Response:

Knowing the regs, I "released" the carcass back into the water immediately.  Wouldn’t that fish have been be better spent in the bushes where one of our furry fish eating critters might have benefitted?

I am sure that they could retrieve it from the water on their own if the needed. You did the right thing. Regards, J. Webb Atlanta Mac User Group

Response:

*SNIP* Snagging Kokanee is a great way to get good, relatively wild, fresh food. While snagging Kokanee in Gross Res. quite a few years ago I accidentally snagged a 15" rainbow.  The fish was in bad shape.  I mean it was ripped almost in half.  I was putting a bit of umph into my snagging back then.  Knowing the regs, I "released" the carcass back into the water immediately.  Wouldn’t that fish have been be better spent in the bushes where one of our furry fish eating critters might have benefitted?

Hi Jon, Don’t think that trout was wasted.  Even though you didn’t get to eat it, nor did your/our furry friends, the algae and aquatic insects in the water did. It’s energy was recycled into the eco-system from which it came.  It just takes a place at the bottom of the aquatic food chain instead of at the top of it. If there are bears in your area, tossing fish in the bushes could also cause a problem with bears associating people with food.  That is never a good scenario and is a very real problem in CA. I hate to see incidental mortality like you describe, but when you’re snagging fish that’s going to happen.  I don’t like snagging and wouldn’t do it myself unless it was to keep from starving (big difference between subsistance and sport), but if it’s legal in your area, you have a right to do so.  The law requiring you to put back the incidentally caught trout is actually a good one.  If it allowed keeping incidentally snagged trout, pretty soon there would be a regular contingent out there specifically targeting the "incidental" trout.                                      Good Fishing,                                           Dan Dan Gracia Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools

Response:

Question:

I t is good to see that at least one craft/profession has proven resitant to the mechanization of our society. A fly still bears the indelible signature of the tier. It is too bad that so many of our flies are signed by tiers from third world nations making a pitiful wage who have no hope whatever of legally using the flies they tie. A.J.Thramer Bamboo rod craftsman

I would guess that 90% of the flies purchased in the USA are tied overseas.  If I had to depend on US tiers to supply my store I would have closed up about 10 years ago.  I hope no one will take offense to that statement. Our preseason order with Umpqua Feather Merchants is for 20 thousand dozen flies.  We then fill in the rest of the year depending on how it goes. We also buy some specialty flies from  a half-dozen other sources. They are US tiers. I would love to have all my flies tied by Al Troth, Bob Quigley and Dave Whitlock, but that is impossible. In California, good imported trout flies tied on high quality Japanese hooks, sell retail for $1.75 each.  I love to have people take our fly tieing classes because afterwards they will never complane about the price of flies. I thought about deleting this rather than posting it, but after reading it about 6 times I decided that it was very factual. I started selling flies in a very good sporting goods store thirty years ago. We had Dan Bailey’s US tied flies and Cortland imported flies from Kenya. A lot of people would not be going fly fishing if we didn’t have imported flies. William Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA

Response:

Hi Jim, Didn’t know you’d become a tackle dealer too. I need a jungle cock cape. Stripers are running in the Georges, Later, Bob Olmsted

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The situation has not improved since you studied it. I am a retired school teacher augmenting my pension by tying flies professionally. I tied for about 10 years before retiring so I could afford to teach. The $30,000 would be reachable. A.K. Best claimed to tie 3,000 dozen/year and I think that is a reasonable number. I like to fish too much to reach that number. The flies tied overseas vary in quality but the good ones are definitely fishable. But when one supplier plans on selling 750,000 dozen this year, it shows a real demand for tyers. I think the best route for local tyers is to custom tie for shops or individual fishermen/fisherwomen/fisherkids. Most of my tying is for one shop and is for patterns not covered by the big boys. I think the Vic’s Fly-By-Night Too much time spent tying Not enough fishing

Response:

The situation has not improved since you studied it. I am a retired school teacher augmenting my pension by tying flies professionally. I tied for about 10 years before retiring so I could afford to teach. The $30,000 would be reachable. A.K. Best claimed to tie 3,000 dozen/year and I think that is a reasonable number. I like to fish too much to reach that number. The flies tied overseas vary in quality but the good ones are definitely fishable. But when one supplier plans on selling 750,000 dozen this year, it shows a real demand for tyers. I think the best route for local tyers is to custom tie for shops or individual fishermen/fisherwomen/fisherkids. Most of my tying is for one shop and is for patterns not covered by the big boys. I think the Vic’s Fly-By-Night Too much time spent tying Not enough fishing

Response:

What I would *really* like to see is a machine-tied fly in several sizes using natural materials. I promise to be awestruck if it has upright wings and a split tail. Now that would be something to hoot about! — Ken Clark Ft. Lupton, CO

Response:

It’s really amazing the number of customers that think flies are tied by a machine.  Of course (most of) these are the spouses of fly fishermen coming in to buy a gift.  I had always thought like you – I would like to see THAT machine! Sandy Lockleer Creekside Fly Shop, Salem, Oregon http://www.halcyon.com/flyshop/

Response:

Hi Ken. I saw an ad for hand tied flies and wondered if there was any other way? Silly header really! A machine dextrous enough to tie flies really would be something. Mind you judging by some of the flies that are tied, the inventor of such a machine would make a packet.                                              Tight lines. Dave T. What I would *really* like to see is a machine-tied fly in several sizes using natural materials. I promise to be awestruck if it has upright wings and a split tail. Now that would be something to hoot about!

– dave tait

Response:

I had always thought like you – I would like to see THAT machine!

     Especially the one that does the wings on Jock Scotts.

Response:

I t is good to see that at least one craft/profession has proven resitant to the mechanization of our society. A fly still bears the indelible signature of the tier. It is too bad that so many of our flies are signed by tiers from third world nations making a pitiful wage who have no hope whatever of legally using the flies they tie. A.J.Thramer Bamboo rod craftsman

Response:

I totally agree with this statement. As a former pro tyer I was and still am recieving offers from Kenyans who would like to supply me with trout flies at a fraction of the cost of UK flies. I refused such offers however some of my conterpartarts took up the cheap fly challenge and import tens of thousands of flies per year. These so called fly tyers then sell flies tied by others as their own produce. I look forward to reading of the first test case in the UK of a fly tyer being prosecuted under the trades description act.                                  Dave Tait. You’ve matched the hatch but can you catch the catch? writes I t is good to see that at least one craft/profession has proven resitant to the mechanization of our society. A fly still bears the indelible signature of the tier. It is too bad that so many of our flies are signed by tiers from third world nations making a pitiful wage who have no hope whatever of legally using the flies they tie. A.J.Thramer Bamboo rod craftsman

– dave tait

Response:

A.J writes: It is good to see that at least one

craft/profession has proven resitant to the mechanization of our society. A fly still bears the indelible signature of the tier. It is too bad that so many of our flies are signed by tiers from third world nations making a pitiful wage who have no hope whatever of legally using the flies they tie. I agree mostly with your sentiments. "Hand-tied" is no assurance of quality, per se, however and there are some truly fine flies flies coming in from overseas. If there were not such a large market for them, they wouldn’t be in the shops. Being an advocate of free market economics, I cannot criticize the fact of imports meeting market demands but it would be interesting to learn whether overseas fly manufacturers may be creating opportunities for some individuals that may not otherwise have existed before. Are their wages "pitiful" compared to their local economies? Can domestic tyers supply demand? Quien sabe? — Ken Clark Ft. Lupton, CO

Response:

I cannot verify that the wages paid are different than the prevailing in their area. I suspect that it is an opportunity that the tiers would not have if the fly factories were not there. I can shed some light on the plight of the tier/shop owner.  Many of the tiers have always tended to be unreliable, this lead to unreliable supply. This is obviously a major problem for a commodity as seasonal as flies. A tyer who wants to be a reliable supplier to a shop has a tough road ahead until he can prove himself IF he is given a chance. The point of it being that the overseas suppliers have not competed on a cost basis but on a supply basis. A.J.Thramer

Response:

A.J writes: It is good to see that at least one craft/profession has proven resitant to the mechanization of our society. A fly still bears the indelible signature of the tier. It is too bad that so many of our flies are signed by tiers from third world nations making a pitiful wage who have no hope whatever of legally using the flies they tie.

In fact, tiers in Third World countries often make relatively decent wages, compared to those they