Question:

Mike, Thanks for the links on knots (and other links in your posts). Guy

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Okay, what’s a uni-knot?  Do these work for tying the fly on?  And yes. I was using extra wraps to tie the knots. Thanks, Eric http://www.stren.com/stren/knot7.htm http://www.stren.com/stren/knot8.htm http://www.marinews.com/fishing/Knots%20&%20Rigging/fk_uniknt.htm It has the special advantage that you can join lines of unequal diameter using it.# TL MC

Response:

Mike, Thanks for the links on knots (and other links in your posts). Guy

My pleasure. TL MC

Response:

Our .002 extruder finally arrived.  Initial tests show our new tippet material which is only .002 in diameter has a breaking point of 10.9 pounds! I only wonder if we should pay for an extruder die of only .001 in diameter? Mathamatical calculations indicate if and when we start making 1.2 # test tippets, they will be only .0005 in diameter, but no one will be able to see or handle the stuff in order to tie a knot!

Close. I get .0003318 in diameter. riverman

Response:

In fact, I’ll be testing them in six hours on Penn’s Creek!   d;0) Dave

tight lines! –waldo

Response:

I use Uni-knots and almost never had problems. Shame on you: didn’t you use a wire trace on your pike-leader? Hans van der Stroom – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I finally broke down about spent $10 to buy a spool of fluorocarbon tippet. My problem is that I can’t get the knots to hold.  I used my standard blood knot and improved clinch knot.  Any rate, the knots I use for regular mono don’t seem to work with FC. As a side note,  I got a hit on a northern pike but lost him because the blood knot failed.  I tied on a mono tippet and put on new fly.  I caught and landed another pike, or at least so I thought.  Out of the pike’s mouth was some fishing line and at the end was the fly I lost when the blood knot slipped.  I don’t I have ever knowing caught the same fish twice when I wasn’t sight fishing. I’d appreciate any advice on working with FC tippet. Thanks, Eric

Response:

Okay, what’s a uni-knot?  Do these work for tying the fly on?  And yes. I was using extra wraps to tie the knots. Thanks, Eric

Response:

Okay, what’s a uni-knot?  Do these work for tying the fly on?  And yes. I was using extra wraps to tie the knots. Thanks, Eric

http://www.stren.com/stren/knot7.htm http://www.stren.com/stren/knot8.htm http://www.marinews.com/fishing/Knots%20&%20Rigging/fk_uniknt.htm It has the special advantage that you can join lines of unequal diameter using it.# TL MC

Response:

Slay dem fish Dave Handyman   Mike

Response:

I use uni-knots for leaders rather than bloodknots. I use a fair bit of FC and don’t have slippage problems.

You’ll get a hearty second recommendation from me regarding uniknots. Mu

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Our .002 extruder finally arrived.  Initial tests show our new tippet material which is only .002 in diameter has a breaking point of 10.9 pounds! I only wonder if we should pay for an extruder die of only .001 in diameter? Mathamatical calculations indicate if and when we start making 1.2 # test tippets, they will be only .0005 in diameter, but no one will be able to see or handle the stuff in order to tie a knot! hum?  That sort of sucks. George Gehrke "science beyond reason" Sic ‘em, George! When folks get into the dizzier realms of extra-fine tippets, 30 yard casts, and tying flies that would fool a biologist they’re no longer fishing; they’ve become technoslaves. Yours in the nrth Maine woods, Pete Hilton aka The Ent — Second-ratedness, unfailing law of: Never be the first to try anything.    anon.

I’m on your side also. GG

Response:

Eric Larsen writes: I finally broke down about spent $10 to buy a spool of fluorocarbon tippet. My problem is that I can’t get the knots to hold.  I used my standard blood knot and improved clinch knot.  Any rate, the knots I use for regular mono don’t seem to work with FC.

I use FC exclusively when nymphing and have no problems with knot failures.  I use a surgeon’s knot and a clinch knot, and I tie them with a tool.  No problems! In fact, I’ll be testing them in six hours on Penn’s Creek!   d;0) Dave

Response:

Our .002 extruder finally arrived.  Initial tests show our new tippet material which is only .002 in diameter has a breaking point of 10.9 pounds! I only wonder if we should pay for an extruder die of only .001 in diameter? Mathamatical calculations indicate if and when we start making 1.2 # test tippets, they will be only .0005 in diameter, but no one will be able to see or handle the stuff in order to tie a knot! hum?  That sort of sucks. George Gehrke "science beyond reason"

Response:

I use a triple surgeon’s knot, and it works fine.  For attaching to wire or shock tippet, I use an albright knot with a dozen turns.  No troubles with broken or slipped knots. Chas ..snip.. I’d appreciate any advice on working with FC tippet. Thanks, Eric

Fix underscore in address to reply

Response:

Our .002 extruder finally arrived.  Initial tests show our new tippet material which is only .002 in diameter has a breaking point of 10.9 pounds! I only wonder if we should pay for an extruder die of only .001 in diameter? Mathamatical calculations indicate if and when we start making 1.2 # test tippets, they will be only .0005 in diameter, but no one will be able to see or handle the stuff in order to tie a knot! hum?  That sort of sucks. George Gehrke "science beyond reason"

Sic ‘em, George! When folks get into the dizzier realms of extra-fine tippets, 30 yard casts, and tying flies that would fool a biologist they’re no longer fishing; they’ve become technoslaves. Yours in the nrth Maine woods, Pete Hilton aka The Ent — Second-ratedness, unfailing law of: Never be the first to try anything.    anon.

Response:

I use uni-knots for leaders rather than bloodknots. I use a fair bit of FC and don’t have slippage problems. Well done on the double BTW Steve

Response:

Hi All, I think that lots of the original FC is hard to knot so that is why I have not really recommended it to everyone. $13.95 and the Rio "Fluoroflex Plus",  knots seem to be much more dependable. We sell more FC every year now. Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I finally broke down about spent $10 to buy a spool of fluorocarbon tippet. My problem is that I can’t get the knots to hold.  I used my standard blood knot and improved clinch knot.  Any rate, the knots I use for regular mono don’t seem to work with FC. As a side note,  I got a hit on a northern pike but lost him because the blood knot failed.  I tied on a mono tippet and put on new fly.  I caught and landed another pike, or at least so I thought.  Out of the pike’s mouth was some fishing line and at the end was the fly I lost when the blood knot slipped.  I don’t I have ever knowing caught the same fish twice when I wasn’t sight fishing. I’d appreciate any advice on working with FC tippet. Thanks, Eric

Response:

I finally broke down about spent $10 to buy a spool of fluorocarbon tippet. My problem is that I can’t get the knots to hold.  I used my standard blood knot and improved clinch knot.  Any rate, the knots I use for regular mono don’t seem to work with FC. As a side note,  I got a hit on a northern pike but lost him because the blood knot failed.  I tied on a mono tippet and put on new fly.  I caught and landed another pike, or at least so I thought.  Out of the pike’s mouth was some fishing line and at the end was the fly I lost when the blood knot slipped.  I don’t I have ever knowing caught the same fish twice when I wasn’t sight fishing. I’d appreciate any advice on working with FC tippet. Thanks, Eric

Response:

Question:

and having much love and respect for my little 3 wt. I decided it was getting late and time to leave. When I was living in the Austin area a few years ago I learned that you can take channel cats on a fly rod WITH DRY FLIES at times in the spring, especialy when they are spawning. Those that are about a foot long are a hell of a lot of fun on a fly rod. Last summer here in the Dallas area there were grasshoppers on three of our area lakes which were matched by hoppers tied on size 2/0 hooks. One guy caught a 10 pound channel cat that took one of those huge hopper patterns off the surface. I don’t know what weight rod he was using. Big Dale  

It’s amazing the variety of species that will take a dry under the right circumstances.  My son went up North fishing for walleye on his uncles boat.  He didn’t take any fly gear with him, instead he borrowed spinning gear from his uncle.  They got the boat out onto the lake, motored over to Serge’s favourite walleye spot only to see hundreds of walleye sipping hexes off the top.  They were both skunked.  He was kinda kicking himself when he got home. I’ve also heard of walleye taking midges in the middle of winter. Peter

Response:

Had a 15lb cat take a Frank’s Fighting Craw in the shallows when I was fission for bass.  I pulled away from shore to keep him out of the weeds. When I finally got him close enough to get the hook out, he flipped and spiked my tube.  I was using my life vest for floatation before I got to shore.         Frank Reid – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I broke the only rod I’ve ever broken on a fish, trying to land a big catfish. I was in a float tube and got towed around the lake for awhile. I finally got the fish up to the tube and while trying to figure out how and the hell I was going to "land" it, it dove straight down, the rod broke at the ferrule and the tippet popped. Willi a fly and having much love and respect for my little 3 wt. I decided it was getting late and time to leave. When I was living in the Austin area a few years ago I learned that you can take channel cats on a fly rod WITH DRY FLIES at times in the spring, especialy when they are spawning. Those that are about a foot long are a hell of a lot of fun on a fly rod. Last summer here in the Dallas area there were grasshoppers on three of our area lakes which were matched by hoppers tied on size 2/0 hooks. One guy caught a 10 pound channel cat that took one of those huge hopper patterns off the surface. I don’t know what weight rod he was using. Big Dale

Response:

Dale, Oak Creek in Arizona had channel cats which cruised up and down  the stream in groups of three or four.  They were quite different from regular cat fish.  It was not uncommon to take one while fishing for trout.  They fought and tasted quite good. Ernie When I was living in the Austin area a few years ago I learned that you can take channel cats on a fly rod WITH DRY FLIES at times in the spring,

especialy <snip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Big Dale

Response:

Had a 15lb cat take a Frank’s Fighting Craw in the shallows when I was fission for bass.  I pulled away from shore to keep him out of the weeds. When I finally got him close enough to get the hook out, he flipped and spiked my tube.  I was using my life vest for floatation before I got to shore.        Frank Reid

Dang Frank, is that what you call poetic justice?  Besides, if you were "fission" he probably would glow in the dark.  :-) Frank (missed ‘im by a whisker) Church

Response:

It’s amazing the variety of species that will take a dry under the right circumstances.  My son went up North fishing for walleye on his uncles boat.  He didn’t take any fly gear with him, instead he borrowed spinning gear from his uncle.  They got the boat out onto the lake, motored over to Serge’s favourite walleye spot only to see hundreds of walleye sipping hexes off the top.  They were both skunked.  He was kinda kicking himself when he got home. I’ve also heard of walleye taking midges in the middle of winter.

I was lucky enough to hit a hatch of large mayflies on a trip to northern Canada with my father. I caught both Walleyes and a number of small Lakers on dries. My father never learned to fly fish and was able to catch only one small Laker. Walleyes taking midges though is a new one for me. That would be fun! Willi

Response:

When I was living in the Austin area a few years ago I learned that you can take channel cats on a fly rod WITH DRY FLIES at times in the spring, especialy when they are spawning.

Okay. Where on the Front Range can one find channel cats? Even seeing the word "catfish" is making me homesick for Kansas. Put down the chainsaw and listen to me. It’s time for us to join in the fight.

Response:

Mike, stand up, close your eyes, click your heels together three times and say ‘there’s no place like home’. Hell, if Dorothy can do it… Herman <snip Okay. Where on the Front Range can one find channel cats? Even seeing the word "catfish" is making me homesick for Kansas. Put down the chainsaw and listen to me. It’s time for us to join in the fight.

– Cheers, Herman Herman Nijland Daytime webmaster Lifetime flyfisher

Response:

Mike, stand up, close your eyes, click your heels together three times and say ‘there’s no place like home’. Hell, if Dorothy can do it…

It was the dog the whole time… — Charlie…

Response:

When I was living in the Austin area a few years ago I learned that you can take channel cats on a fly rod WITH DRY FLIES at times in the spring, especialy when they are spawning. Okay. Where on the Front Range can one find channel cats? Even seeing the word "catfish" is making me homesick for Kansas.

Cherry Creek Reservoir has a strong population of good sized Channel Cats. They are also stocked in lots of the smaller lakes around the metro area. Willi

Response:

Mike, stand up, close your eyes, click your heels together three times and say ‘there’s no place like home’. Hell, if Dorothy can do it… Herman

        responses like that are the best (hell, maybe the *only) reason to hang out in this nuthouse.  hilarious, herman. wayno

Response:

Mike, stand up, close your eyes, click your heels together three times and say ‘there’s no place like home’. Hell, if Dorothy can do it…

I tried that yesterday. I was still stuck in Denver traffic, only this time I was standing outside of my car on I-25. And I don’t think I had time to set the parking brake while I was clicking. Put down the chainsaw and listen to me. It’s time for us to join in the fight.

Response:

        we are all going to need a great deal of time on the water to heal the wounds that have come from the recent Great Absurdity.

   Great Absurdity, like that term. Willi

Response:

I broke the only rod I’ve ever broken on a fish, trying to land a big catfish. I was in a float tube and got towed around the lake for awhile. I finally got the fish up to the tube and while trying to figure out how and the hell I was going to "land" it, it dove straight down, the rod broke at the ferrule and the tippet popped. Willi – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – and having much love and respect for my little 3 wt. I decided it was getting late and time to leave. When I was living in the Austin area a few years ago I learned that you can take channel cats on a fly rod WITH DRY FLIES at times in the spring, especialy when they are spawning. Those that are about a foot long are a hell of a lot of fun on a fly rod. Last summer here in the Dallas area there were grasshoppers on three of our area lakes which were matched by hoppers tied on size 2/0 hooks. One guy caught a 10 pound channel cat that took one of those huge hopper patterns off the surface. I don’t know what weight rod he was using. Big Dale

Response:

Finally got out yesterday for a spot of thrashing the water.

        (nice report snipped)         now, then, john, don’t you have to admit that this subject matter just beats hell out of that political hogshit?         we are all going to need a great deal of time on the water to heal the wounds that have come from the recent Great Absurdity. your friend in the old north state wayno – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

and having much love and respect for my little 3 wt. I decided it was getting late and time to leave.

When I was living in the Austin area a few years ago I learned that you can take channel cats on a fly rod WITH DRY FLIES at times in the spring, especialy when they are spawning. Those that are about a foot long are a hell of a lot of fun on a fly rod. Last summer here in the Dallas area there were grasshoppers on three of our area lakes which were matched by hoppers tied on size 2/0 hooks. One guy caught a 10 pound channel cat that took one of those huge hopper patterns off the surface. I don’t know what weight rod he was using. Big Dale  

Response:

Finally got out yesterday for a spot of thrashing the water. There is a little lake about 5 miles from the house that is just eat up with hungry small bream so, time being short, I chose that location to relax. Poppers were not interesting to the denizens of the deep so I tied on a bitty streamer of no real pattern and began flailing. I was having a blast dragging 6 to 8" fish from home and hearth and plopping them back when another angler sauntered down to the fishing dock. Likable guy, fishing cats with shrimp, no problem, we talked and fished. He was pulling cats, I bream. Then it happened, his line straightened and began singing off his reel. Now this guy was fishing with, as I would describe as salt water gear, 15-20 lb. test stuff. Of coarse I pulled up till the fight would be over. After about 5 min or a week dependant on your outlook, and a close call around a piling, a three foot channel cat was within the reach of my net and promptly was on the dock. Because Cats there have been known to take a fly and having much love and respect for my little 3 wt. I decided it was getting late and time to leave.

Response:

Question:

Hi Tim.  if it hurts you are doing it wrong. Take a lesson. You should be able to cast at least sixty feet with relative ease using the correct technique. If you can not do so, take a lesson from a pro. It is rarely necessary to cast sixty feet as it happens, but if it gives you peace of mind to be capable of doing so, then as I said, take a lesson. You will not regret it.

I can cast 60 feet, but when I’m on a float tube in a pond the fish always seem to be rising 65 feet away. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

Hi Tim, You might want to try it with a good weight forward floating line. I would try to get some help. Are there any casting classes availaby near you?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was watching a video on fly fishing the other day and the guy in the video seemed to be able to cast fairly long distances with hardly any effort at all. I am getting better at casting but I seem to need to put a little more force into my cast than what I have seen in most video’s.  I was wondering what weight rod and line are these guys normally using in these video’s?  I have a Cabela’s Sweetwater 6/7 weight rod and use 6 weight WF floating line on it.  I need to really put some power into my casts to get it to reach out even say 20 – 25 ft. I’m trying to keep my wrist firm and elbow tight to my body and using abrupt stops at 11:00 and 1:00 then follow through when letting the fly go to the target so I think I’m doing it right.  Fairly tight loops and all, but something just doesn’t seem right when I see the ease with which some of these guys can cast. Would it make sense for me to try a 7 weight line? BTW it’s not that I really mind the the way I’m casting but I have a pinched nerve in my neck and shoulder (from too many years of competitve volleyball) and after a few hours of casting I start to get a little sore. thanks, Tim Sheehan

Response:

Hi Tim, You might want to try it with a good weight forward floating line. I would try to get some help. Are there any casting classes availaby near you?

Bill, I am using Cortland WF6 Floating line (can’t remember the number…either 333 or 444) isn’t this a decent quality line? I am looking into getting some lessons (I’ve been workin’ on a veteran ROFFer for some casting tips, but havn’t been able to hook up yet…hint, hint, Mark Tim

Response:

Your time is coming Tim Mark Faulkner – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Tim, You might want to try it with a good weight forward floating line. I would try to get some help. Are there any casting classes availaby near you? Bill, I am using Cortland WF6 Floating line (can’t remember the number…either 333 or 444) isn’t this a decent quality line? I am looking into getting some lessons (I’ve been workin’ on a veteran ROFFer for some casting tips, but havn’t been able to hook up yet…hint, hint, Mark Tim

Response:

Thanks for the reply Tony! I actually did go to the doctor last week because the numbness was getting much worse in my right arm and fingers.  The doc sent me for a spine xray (I’m still waiting for the results) and prescribed some muscle relaxers and NSAIDs.

Get an MRI. X-ray doesn’t show damage to soft tissue. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

Hi Tim,     Definitely try the 7wt. If you’re the same guy from Altoona, give me a mail, and maybe we can get together. I live in State College and am a former Orvis instructor. I love to teach casting. Bruce

Good to have another State College roffian around. Mark Faulkner

Response:

Don’t worry so much about distance.  Unless you are fishing the ocean, distance is highly overrated.  Relax, master your cast at shorter distances and eventually, with practice, it’ll all come together. thanks for the tip Ken, and thanks to all that responded to this post with helful advice!! I even got an offer of a free booklet and some casting lessons from another…ROFF is truly amazing!!! Tim

fish. Some of us can even do both. — Mr. G.   http://www.gink.com/html  Fly Fisherman’s Chat Site

Response:

Take a class. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was watching a video on fly fishing the other day and the guy in the video seemed to be able to cast fairly long distances with hardly any effort at all. I am getting better at casting but I seem to need to put a little more force into my cast than what I have seen in most video’s.  I was wondering what weight rod and line are these guys normally using in these video’s? I have a Cabela’s Sweetwater 6/7 weight rod and use 6 weight WF floating line on it.  I need to really put some power into my casts to get it to reach out even say 20 – 25 ft. I’m trying to keep my wrist firm and elbow tight to my body and using abrupt stops at 11:00 and 1:00 then follow through when letting the fly go to the target so I think I’m doing it right.  Fairly tight loops and all, but something just doesn’t seem right when I see the ease with which some of these guys can cast. Would it make sense for me to try a 7 weight line? BTW it’s not that I really mind the the way I’m casting but I have a pinched nerve in my neck and shoulder (from too many years of competitve volleyball) and after a few hours of casting I start to get a little sore. thanks, Tim Sheehan

Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was watching a video on fly fishing the other day and the guy in the video seemed to be able to cast fairly long distances with hardly any effort at all. I am getting better at casting but I seem to need to put a little more force into my cast than what I have seen in most video’s.  I was wondering what weight rod and line are these guys normally using in these video’s?  I have a Cabela’s Sweetwater 6/7 weight rod and use 6 weight WF floating line on it.  I need to really put some power into my casts to get it to reach out even say 20 – 25 ft. I’m trying to keep my wrist firm and elbow tight to my body and using abrupt stops at 11:00 and 1:00 then follow through when letting the fly go to the target so I think I’m doing it right.  Fairly tight loops and all, but something just doesn’t seem right when I see the ease with which some of these guys can cast. Would it make sense for me to try a 7 weight line?

Don’t worry so much about distance.  Unless you are fishing the ocean, distance is highly overrated.  Relax, master your cast at shorter distances and eventually, with practice, it’ll all come together. Just MNSHO,      - Ken — "Many go fishing all their lives without knowing that it is not fish  they are after."     – Henry David Thoreau

Response:

Don’t worry so much about distance.  Unless you are fishing the ocean, distance is highly overrated.  Relax, master your cast at shorter distances and eventually, with practice, it’ll all come together.

thanks for the tip Ken, and thanks to all that responded to this post with helful advice!! I even got an offer of a free booklet and some casting lessons from another…ROFF is truly amazing!!! Tim

Response:

Well said, Mr. G. This reminds me of a trip to Hat Creek, when I lived in California. I get to the stream, I am walking around, far from the banks, trying to spot feeding fish. And all of the sudden: there they are, a pod of about 20 fish, all lined up along the bank, the same bank I am standing on. So i kneal, tie a fly, and cast (about 20 feet), pling, slurp, fish on, a 17 " rainbow ! I release the fish, and I move on, with the intention of coming back later, hoping that the fish come back.  I return 45 minutes later, and, as I approach the spot, I see a raiseform along the bank, in the same spot.  They are back ! However, this guy arrives at the same time, steps into the water (right through the pod !) goes to the middle of the stream and starts casting long, beautiful casts. If you have ever fished Hat Creek, you would know that long beautiful casts in the middle of the river, in the middle of the summer, are essentially worthless: the weeds create capricious little surface currents that always cause your fly to drag after two-three feet (when doing things properly: reach casts, s casts, parachute casts, whatever is required to put as much slack in the line as one can.) Lakes, some very large rivers (e.g.: yellowstone, below the lake), saltwater, might require long casts (yesterday I was out on a local reservoir, smallmouth fishing, and I have to say that double hauls did really help there, to get past those long weed banks ….), on most streams trout can be found much closer than you think …. (Atlantic salmon,sea trout, steelhead are a different matter…) -Vittorio – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Don’t worry so much about distance.  Unless you are fishing the ocean, distance is highly overrated.  Relax, master your cast at shorter distances and eventually, with practice, it’ll all come together. thanks for the tip Ken, and thanks to all that responded to this post with helful advice!! I even got an offer of a free booklet and some casting lessons from another…ROFF is truly amazing!!! Tim fish. Some of us can even do both. — Mr. G. http://www.gink.com/html  Fly Fisherman’s Chat Site

Response:

Mr. G. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This reminds me of a trip to Hat Creek, when I lived in California. I get to the stream, I am walking around, far from the banks, trying to spot feeding fish. And all of the sudden: there they are, a pod of about 20 fish, all lined up along the bank, the same bank I am standing on. So i kneal, tie a fly, and cast (about 20 feet), pling, slurp, fish on, a 17 " rainbow ! I release the fish, and I move on, with the intention of coming back later, hoping that the fish come back.  I return 45 minutes later, and, as I approach the spot, I see a raiseform along the bank, in the same spot.  They are back ! However, this guy arrives at the same time, steps into the water (right through the pod !) goes to the middle of the stream and starts casting long, beautiful casts. If you have ever fished Hat Creek, you would know that long beautiful casts in the middle of the river, in the middle of the summer, are essentially worthless: the weeds create capricious little surface currents that always cause your fly to drag after two-three feet (when doing things properly: reach casts, s casts, parachute casts, whatever is required to put as much slack in the line as one can.) Lakes, some very large rivers (e.g.: yellowstone, below the lake), saltwater, might require long casts (yesterday I was out on a local reservoir, smallmouth fishing, and I have to say that double hauls did really help there, to get past those long weed banks ….), on most streams trout can be found much closer than you think …. (Atlantic salmon,sea trout, steelhead are a different matter…) -Vittorio fish. Some of us can even do both. — Mr. G. http://www.gink.com/html  Fly Fisherman’s Chat Site

Response:

Get that pinched nerve fixed! A while back, I had a pinched nerve in my neck that gave me pain along my left forearm and numbness/pins-n-needles in my thumb and forefinger. An old girlfriend, who is a physio, suggested some self therapy which cleared things up after a few weeks.

Surgery may be required. I had a pinched nerve in my neck caused by a herniated disc. It was agonizing and was causing my right arm to atrophy. My first surgery was what is called a "lamectomy." The surgeon told me it would work for awhile but the problem would probably recur. He recommended fusing a couple of discs, but that sounded too extreme for me. I should have listened to him, because a few years later the pinched nerve came back worse than ever. I had the discs fused several years ago and now my neck and arm are 100%, and I don’t even notice any lack of mobility in my neck. The worst part was the recuperation, which entailed about three months of lying around the house wearing a neck brace. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

Get that pinched nerve fixed! A while back, I had a pinched nerve in my neck that gave me pain along my left forearm and numbness/pins-n-needles in my thumb and forefinger. An old girlfriend, who is a physio, suggested some self therapy which cleared things up after a few weeks.

Thanks for the reply Tony! I actually did go to the doctor last week because the numbness was getting much worse in my right arm and fingers.  The doc sent me for a spine xray (I’m still waiting for the results) and prescribed some muscle relaxers and NSAIDs. I did get one session with the Physical therapist last week and I have already noticed some improvement. (Of-course it could be the placebo effect:) Thanks for the tips on casting too!! Tim

Response:

BTW it’s not that I really mind the the way I’m casting but I have a pinched nerve in my neck and shoulder (from too many years of competitve volleyball) and after a few hours of casting I start to get a little sore. thanks, Tim Sheehan

Get that pinched nerve fixed! A while back, I had a pinched nerve in my neck that gave me pain along my left forearm and numbness/pins-n-needles in my thumb and forefinger. An old girlfriend, who is a physio, suggested some self therapy which cleared things up after a few weeks. Within limits, the heavier the fly line, the further it will go. If you double the diameter of a fly line, you quadruple the unit mass (for a given line density). This quadruples the momentum, while only doubling the air resistance (drag), for a given velocity. BTW, doubling the line velocity might double the momentum, but it also quadruples the drag. Tight Lines, Tony Deacon

Response:

I was watching a video on fly fishing the other day and the guy in the video seemed to be able to cast fairly long distances with hardly any effort at all. I am getting better at casting but I seem to need to put a little more force into my cast than what I have seen in most video’s.  I was wondering what weight rod and line are these guys normally using in these video’s?  I have a Cabela’s Sweetwater 6/7 weight rod and use 6 weight WF floating line on it.  I need to really put some power into my casts to get it to reach out even say 20 – 25 ft. I’m trying to keep my wrist firm and elbow tight to my body and using abrupt stops at 11:00 and 1:00 then follow through when letting the fly go to the target so I think I’m doing it right.  Fairly tight loops and all, but something just doesn’t seem right when I see the ease with which some of these guys can cast. Would it make sense for me to try a 7 weight line? BTW it’s not that I really mind the the way I’m casting but I have a pinched nerve in my neck and shoulder (from too many years of competitve volleyball) and after a few hours of casting I start to get a little sore. thanks, Tim Sheehan

Response:

Hi Tim.  if it hurts you are doing it wrong. Take a lesson. You should be able to cast at least sixty feet with relative ease using the correct technique. If you can not do so, take a lesson from a pro. It is rarely necessary to cast sixty feet as it happens, but if it gives you peace of mind to be capable of doing so, then as I said, take a lesson. You will not regret it. TL MC

Response:

Tim… Your comment about keeping your "wrist firm" may be a hint to your problem. As Doug Swisher has said many times in his fly fishing videos, it’s important for a fly caster to develop a "micro second" wrist. This means that your wrist plays a critical part in your casting stroke. The "11 and 1" casting arc should be managed by tipping your wrist correctly, not your arm. This could also explain you getting tired and sore. You might not be letting the rod do the work. Just my 2

Question:

Never been to Alaska…..But I’m very interested in going this summer toseethe sights and get in some fishing….I hear it is unbelievable! Can someone share information about their trips and make suggestionsforsomeone that has never been there before?  Where in Alaska to go? Motorhome rentals? Lodge rentals? Fishing vacation packages? Fishing Guides? Best time of year to go? Etc.

When I was there it was August and the fishing was fantastic!  We had some business to attend to in Anchorage, but were able to mix in 2 and 1/2 days fishing in Seward (about 2 1/2 hours south of Anchorage).  We fished in the Silver Salmon Derby and I actually had one fish that was in the top 15 fish on the first day, but didn’t stay there very long.  I would like to go back in late May/early June to get in on some of the barn door size halibut.  The days are so long you can fish almost 24 hours a day…it’s really a novel experience.  We fished on a Thu. afternoon and were scheduled to fish again Fri, but by the time the boat got in Thu (around 9 pm) and we got the fish cleaned and stowed at the packing company then had some dinner it was well after midnight.  Since we had to be back at 7 am to fish in Seward it made no sense to go back to Anchorage (5 hour round trip) so we started to look for a hotel.  Since the derby was going on the 2 hotels were all booked up.  So we did what a lot of folks do…3 of us spent the night in the rental car – at least it was an Explorer and had some room.  We fished until late afternoon on Friday, rushed back to Anchorage, packed our bags and just made our flight Friday night.  Dog tired…but worth every minute.  I can’t wait to go back. Brian Raines Publisher, TheChesapeakeBay.com http://TheChesapeakeBay.com

Response:

Alaska is definitely ALL it’s cracked up to be.   Last year we fished for king salmon on the Talkeetna River and halibut out of Homer.   We stayed mostly in B&B’s, but rented cabins in several locations.  We were there in late June and early July, and found the weather to be perfect.   There are many good packages, but we just did our own thing with quite a bit of internet research in advance.    It sounds like most of the higher priced lodgings in Anchorage will provide fish storage.  But for us more rustic accomodation seekers, it seems the best advice I’ve gotten so far is the airport storage facility which can be reached at 907-248-3485.   Thanks so much to everyone who has offered advice.  If I can help anyone with Alaska plans, would be glad to.  Marcia

  What kind of prices did you pay for the B&B’s and the cabins? Bill

Response:

The B&B’s we stayed in ranged from $70 to $100 per night, the cabins  were $70 – $125.  These prices were for 2 people, although most places had room for extra people for $10 to $20 each per night.   I’m going with a group of 6 people this summer.   Our costs per night range from $150. to a high of $256. for all 6.   These prices usually include a full breakfast.     Marcia – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –  What kind of prices did you pay for the B&B’s and the cabins? Bill

Response:

Never been to Alaska…..But I’m very interested in going this summer to see the sights and get in some fishing….I hear it is unbelievable! Can someone share information about their trips and make suggestions for someone that has never been there before?  Where in Alaska to go? Motorhome rentals? Lodge rentals? Fishing vacation packages? Fishing Guides? Best time of year to go? Etc. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When I went to Alaska and fished I had the lodge pack and freeze the fish before I flew out.  Then when I got to my hotel in Anchorage they had a locker that they put the whole box in overnight.  Most hotels have this kind of facility for anglers and hunters.  Ewok I’ll be fishing in Alaska this summer with my family.   We fly home on July 5 and are looking for a cold storage facility in Anchorage where we can store our fish over night before the flight home.  Can you advise us as to a business that would be open to receive our fish on July 4?   Any help you

Response:

Alaska is definitely ALL it’s cracked up to be.   Last year we fished for king salmon on the Talkeetna River and halibut out of Homer.   We stayed mostly in B&B’s, but rented cabins in several locations.  We were there in late June and early July, and found the weather to be perfect.   There are many good packages, but we just did our own thing with quite a bit of internet research in advance.    It sounds like most of the higher priced lodgings in Anchorage will provide fish storage.  But for us more rustic accomodation seekers, it seems the best advice I’ve gotten so far is the airport storage facility which can be reached at 907-248-3485.   Thanks so much to everyone who has offered advice.  If I can help anyone with Alaska plans, would be glad to.  Marcia

Response:

I lead fishing tours in AK every year and the easiest place for your to do overnight storage is at the Anchorage Airport freezer locker.  There is a small fee for this but it is really convenient. If you need to have charters set up or information in the Kenai Penninsula, Homer or highway road to Denali, please feel free to email me at Michael Milne, Owner Outdoor Odyssey

Response:

When I went to Alaska and fished I had the lodge pack and freeze the fish before I flew out.  Then when I got to my hotel in Anchorage they had a locker that they put the whole box in overnight.  Most hotels have this kind of facility for anglers and hunters.  Ewok – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be fishing in Alaska this summer with my family.   We fly home on July 5 and are looking for a cold storage facility in Anchorage where we can store our fish over night before the flight home.  Can you advise us as to a business that would be open to receive our fish on July 4?   Any help you

Response:

Marcia, We fished in Seward two summers ago for a 5 day stretch – mixed up with some business in between.  (Seward is about 2 1/2 hours south of Anchorage)  At the dock there was a company that would vacuum pack your fish, quick freeze and store them and then ship them to you AFTER you left for home.  Worked great for us, even if the fish thawed slightly during shipping they were vacuum packed. We had around 80-100 lbs of halibut and salmon shipped from Alaska to our home on the East Coast in August and it worked great!  I would recommend this course of action highly. Best of luck… Brian Raines Publisher, TheChesapeakeBay.com http://TheChesapeakeBay.com I’ll be fishing in Alaska this summer with my family.   We fly home on July 5 and are looking for a cold storage facility in Anchorage where we can store our fish over night before the flight home.  Can you advise us as to a business that would be open to receive our fish on July 4?   Any help you

Brian Raines Publisher, TheChesapeakeBay.com http://TheChesapeakeBay.com

Response:

I’ll be fishing in Alaska this summer with my family.   We fly home on July 5 and are looking for a cold storage facility in Anchorage where we can store our fish over night before the flight home.  Can you advise us as to a business that would be open to receive our fish on July 4?   Any help you

Response:

Question:

Damn!  I know that Eagle Claw was a cheap rod but I didn’t expect it to snap into on the third use!  This 7′ graphite rod broke about 1 inch above the graphite ferrule.  Any way to apply a new graphite ferrule?  I can find metal ferrules but not graphite.  This rod only cost me $30.  Worth salvaging or should I simply chuck it and buy another?  This was my 3 wt. temp. rod George. Where is my Bastard?  No small stream fishing this weekend and its 60 here today! Wayne to fish is human….to release divine

Response:

Damn!  I know that Eagle Claw was a cheap rod but I didn’t expect it to snap into on the third use!  This 7′ graphite rod broke about 1 inch above the graphite ferrule.  Any way to apply a new graphite ferrule?  I can find metal ferrules but not graphite.  This rod only cost me $30.  Worth salvaging or should I simply chuck it and buy another?  This was my 3 wt. temp. rod George. Where is my Bastard?  No small stream fishing this weekend and its 60 here today! Wayne to fish is human….to release divine

Hi Wayne, The least expensive rod that I know of that has an unconditional warranty is the third break. Bill Kiene (capitalist pig) Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 1-800-4000FLY (toll free in US) www.kiene.com

Response:

I think you’re right Bill.  I think I’ll chuck the Eagle Claw and look at either the St. Croix (I tried an Avid series at the show and liked it a lot) or the Diamondback 6′6" All American in 3 wt.  The St. Croix only comes in 7′ and I was thinking of something a little shorter in my original quest. Wayne To fish is human…to release divine. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Wayne, The least expensive rod that I know of that has an unconditional warranty is the the third break. Bill Kiene (capitalist pig) Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 1-800-4000FLY (toll free in US) www.kiene.com

Response:

Question:

what is the best way to clean line?  I use Wilson Creek the night before I go Fishing.  I can not handle my line not flowing through the rod when I am mending a drift.  What do other people do to clean line?

Response:

what is the best way to clean line?  I use Wilson Creek the night before I go Fishing.  I can not handle my line not flowing through the rod when I am mending a drift.  What do other people do to clean line?

Unfortunately, I don’t clean my lines as often as I should.  When they no longer fit through the guides, I know I’ve got too much crud on them. Seriously, the cheapest way to actually clean a fly line (in my opinion) is to wash it in a tub with soapy water.  Then, rinse in clean water and wipe dry.  That deals with the cleaning issue.  Keeping a line conditioned is another matter.  I have purchased a lot of lines over the years and have a desk drawer full of the line conditioners that come with the fly lines.  I use these for the most part…just because I have them, they work and I haven’t found a need to purchase anything else.  I’ve also used Armor All (sp??) on lines at times and it seems to work…but I’ve not checked with any of the line manufacturers about it.  Perhaps someone can tell me if I’m doing any damage to the lines with it.  It sure helps with my shooting line in terms of decreasing friction and adding to the length of my casts. Barry Brown

Response:

   I like Bon Ami, a sponge and a bucket of warm water. When the line is dry run some Russ Peaks over it. Like new till it gets dirty again.     On the water I use those abrasive pads sold by SA fo rcleaning lines. They’re great for a couple of times then they get all gunky.    -Ralph what is the best way to clean line?  I use Wilson Creek the night before I go Fishing.  I can not handle my line not flowing through the rod when I am mending a drift.  What do other people do to clean line?

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

Response:

what is the best way to clean line?  I use Wilson Creek the night before I go Fishing.  I can not handle my line not flowing through the rod when I am mending a drift.  What do other people do to clean line?

By default, I use Glide.  It’s all the two local shops sell. Does anyone still sell the "Greased Lightening" line cleaner?  I don’t even see it in the catalogs anymore.

Response:

I have been using that Scientific Anglers stuff.  It has a small cleaning pad and then some goop to put on the line.  It seems to work very well although the cleaning pads get dirty very quickly.  BTW, the Orvis line cleaning kit is exactly the same as the Scientific Anglers one. MikeH

Response:

what is the best way to clean line?  I use Wilson Creek the night before I go Fishing.  I can not handle my line not flowing through the rod when I am mending a drift.  What do other people do to clean line? By default, I use Glide.  It’s all the two local shops sell. Does anyone still sell the "Greased Lightening" line cleaner?  I don’t even see it in the catalogs anymore.

There is some new stuff by Tiemco that is really slick. Russ Peak line dressing has been popular for years. Many use Mucilin paste. I would first wash the line in mild soap, Ivory liquid, and dry it, if it is really dirty. Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 800/4000FLY

Response:

(sp??) on lines at times and it seems to work…but I’ve not checked with any of the line manufacturers about it.  Perhaps someone can tell me if I’m doing any damage to the lines with it.  It sure helps with my shooting line in terms of decreasing friction and adding to the length of my casts. Barry Brown

Barry and Others: Armor-All is a repolymerizer, and yes, does well to protect your Vinyl lines.  However, it is an emulsion and the emulsifiers stay on the line. This allows the stuff to be washed off the line when you use it in water.  A better formulation is the Blue Coral non-aqueous stuff with "Fomblin".  It repells water and helps you line float like a cork. Nothing shoots line like this stuff and nothing lasts longer. Jason Beary

Response:

Question:

Looking for a 3 wt. rod St Croix Imperials-any experience or comments?

Response:

I have 3 St. Croix Rods (ledgend series) and I think they are a super value. They cast smoothly and have a modulous of graphite equivalent to more expensive rods.  I highly recommend them. Woollyworm

Response:

I bought a 9′ 3-4 wt. St. Croix Imperial this summer for bluegill and am very pleased with it.  The rod is nicely finished and handles a 4wt FWF line very well.  I was originally concerned that a 4wt. might be too light to cast larger panfish poppers, but it casts up to a #6 popper or hair bug with no problems.  At $100 it would be hard to beat.   —

Response:

Been dealing with St. Croix rods for seven years.  Excellent products for the dollar.  The Imperial is available in a 7′ 3/4 or 9′ 3/4.  Both are a high-modulus, relatively fast rods.  Current price as of 10/95 $110 and $120.  You want-I’ve got. E-mail

Response:

St. Croix rods great deal for the money.  Been selling them for 7 years. 2 models avail. in Imperial 3wt.  7foot and 9foot Current prices are $110 and $120 respectively.  Interested? e-mail

Response:

        I couldn’t agree more with the sentiments about St. Croix rods. If you want a Sage rod for half the price, buy a St. Croix Legend series. Lifetime warranty included. It’s not quite as nice a reel seat, but the fish, the fly, and the fly line don’t really care.

Response:

writes: St Croix’s lightest rod is a 7′ 3/4 weight which IMO casts best with a 4 wt line.  It’s a very nice rod for the money.  You can’t get a better rod anywhere even if you spend twice the money or more.  Just too bad they use such a cheezy reel seat, but that’s one way to help keep the price down. IMO, St Croix is an excellent dollar value.

RJ, the "cheesy" reel seat you refer to is not necessarily there for higher profit, even the big names (Orvis, LL Bean, etc.) use aluminum bands on the small light rods, for the weight saving gained in not using wood/metal for a reel seat. I happen to like mine, even preferring the bands to the standard reel seat. Looks cool too. Frank Church Goshen, In

Response:

Right on Jim, if you’ve read my earlier posts on St Croix rods, you know I believe they are the best buy on the market for the money. I have Sage rods to compare them with, and my little 7 footer holds it’s own against Sage. (maybe not in overall quality, but what do the bluegills care??) Frank Church Goshen, In

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – writes: St Croix’s lightest rod is a 7′ 3/4 weight which IMO casts best with a 4 wt line.  It’s a very nice rod for the money.  You can’t get a better rod anywhere even if you spend twice the money or more.  Just too bad they use such a cheezy reel seat, but that’s one way to help keep the price down. IMO, St Croix is an excellent dollar value. RJ, the "cheesy" reel seat you refer to is not necessarily there for higher profit, even the big names (Orvis, LL Bean, etc.) use aluminum bands on the small light rods, for the weight saving gained in not using wood/metal for a reel seat. I happen to like mine, even preferring the bands to the standard reel seat. Looks cool too. Frank Church Goshen, In

 Frank, I agree with you.  I like slip rings, or cap and ring seats and put them  on all the light rods I build.  I was referring to the standard, oversized,  all aluminum, down-locking ones that St. Crx puts on most of their  rods except the Legend series.  I wasn’t aware that St. Crx was using slip  rings on their 7′ model yet/again/for the first time.  From visits to their  factory showroom it’s my impression that they’re a little inconsistent as to  what type of seat they put on that model.  It deserves a light slip ring  seat, not a clunky aluminum one.  - Rj

Response:

Right on Woolworm, I think these rods are an excellent buy and am surprised that they don’t get more mention when someone is looking for a moderately priced rod. Maybe if they offered a "starter" package like Orvis, Sage, Cortland, et al. they might get a little more attention.

Ahhh, there’s the rub! The rods included in the Cortland starter package are made by St. Croix. And pretty durn nice they are, too. I fished with a Cortland 6wt for years, when I couldn’t afford to own five different rods. My wife uses it now, since I’ve aquired the St. Croix 4-5wt 4 piece pack rod. I LIKE IT! Last month I broke it in fishing for cutts in Rocky Mtn. National Park, and it exceeded my expectations of a travel rod. Primo! — And the Lord put aside his huge cigar…-F.Zappa

Response:

After years of fly fishing for pan fish & bass in Nebraska (but not much fishing done in the past 8 years, or so), I’m looking forward to fly fishing for trout after moving to Wyoming.  I’ve been using a Fenwick, 4 piece-7 foot, fiberglass rod with a 6 wt, weight forward line.  The Fenwick must be 20-25 years old.  The reel is a Pflueger Medalist.   I lived in an area where no one fly fished and I haven’t kept up on the advancements in rods.  Since moving to Wyoming, I’ve taken a fly tying class which was great fun and I’m really looking forward to heading to the mountains.  I imagine that there is a vast improvement with the grahpite rods.  I’ve been looking at the St. Croix, Imperial rods in the 5/6 weight.  A couple of people that I’ve visited with suggested the travel rods. Others seem to think that two piece rods work a little better.  I thought since I already have a travel rod (even though it’s old and not state of the art) that perhaps I should buy the two piece rod, although, when hiking into the Cloud Peak wilderness area the two piece rod might be a little cumbersome.   Do you give up anything in going with the 4 piece rod?  Which rod length would be best, the 8′ 6" or the 9′?  I can’t imagine that 6 inches would make much of a difference but it must or they wouldn’t make the two lengths.  I’ll be doing mainly small stream and pond fishing and will probably be buying a float tube.   Thanks for any advice that you might offer to this fly fishing novice.   Would you mind e-mailing me in addition to posting to the group as my news server doesn’t get all of the messages. Thanks, — To reply, remove one "bs" from E-mail address — To reply, remove one "bs" from E-mail address

Response:

Go with the 9 ft. rod. Travel rod if you truly intend air travel with it. therwise don’t bother

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – After years of fly fishing for pan fish & bass in Nebraska (but not much fishing done in the past 8 years, or so), I’m looking forward to fly fishing for trout after moving to Wyoming.  I’ve been using a Fenwick, 4 piece-7 foot, fiberglass rod with a 6 wt, weight forward line.  The Fenwick must be 20-25 years old.  The reel is a Pflueger Medalist.  I lived in an area where no one fly fished and I haven’t kept up on the advancements in rods.  Since moving to Wyoming, I’ve taken a fly tying class which was great fun and I’m really looking forward to heading to the mountains.  I imagine that there is a vast improvement with the grahpite rods.  I’ve been looking at the St. Croix, Imperial rods in the 5/6 weight.  A couple of people that I’ve visited with suggested the travel rods. Others seem to think that two piece rods work a little better.  I thought since I already have a travel rod (even though it’s old and not state of the art) that perhaps I should buy the two piece rod, although, when hiking into the Cloud Peak wilderness area the two piece rod might be a little cumbersome.  Do you give up anything in going with the 4 piece rod?  Which rod length would be best, the 8′ 6" or the 9′?  I can’t imagine that 6 inches would make much of a difference but it must or they wouldn’t make the two lengths.  I’ll be doing mainly small stream and pond fishing and will probably be buying a float tube.  Thanks for any advice that you might offer to this fly fishing novice.  Would you mind e-mailing me in addition to posting to the group as my news server doesn’t get all of the messages. Thanks, — To reply, remove one "bs" from E-mail address — To reply, remove one "bs" from E-mail address

If you are planning on using a float tube the 9′ is better. St. Croix rods are one of the best buys for the money. You give up very little in a graphite 4 piece rod compared to a 2 piece.   Joel Axelrad

Response:

Guy, I believe that my 5 wt Legend is 44 million mod. graphite, and I know its super fast.  I toss big stillwater streamer and such.  It needs a good deal of line to even load.  If you like fast the Legend is it, but in 2 -3 -4 wts I prefer slower actions, Sage LL, Powell SS and LG.  If you do too, look into the Imperial line. jg – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -St  Croix. What type of graphite is used and how would the actions be classified? I am interested in the 3-4 wt rods. Any comments pertinent to these rods are appreciated. Thanks.

Response:

I own two St. Croix Imperial rods and they are very different from each other.  One of the rods is a 7 ft. 6 in. 4/5 wt and the other is a 9 ft. 6 in. 7/8 wt.  The 4/5 wt has a fast action, roll casts well, but can be difficult with short overhead or sidearm casts.  The 7/8 wt. has more of a moderate action.  I am not sure if the entire series of rods can be classified as having one particular action.  Don’t really know what type of graphite is used. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would like to find out more about the Imperial and Legend rods from St Croix. What type of graphite is used and how would the actions be classified? I am interested in the 3-4 wt rods. Any comments pertinent to these rods are appreciated. Thanks. Guy

Response:

   I would like to find out more about the Imperial and Legend    rods from St Croix. What type of graphite is used and how    would the actions be classified? I am interested in the 3-4    wt rods. Any comments pertinent to these rods are    appreciated. Thanks.    Guy    Search, Read, Post to Usenet My wife has the St. Croix Imperial 5/6 wt. 8′6" 4-piece.  I’d call it a softer, "medium action" rod (compared with my Sage RPL 6 wt.).  It casts nicely, and the price was right. John Y. Liu via HP200LX palmtop Net-Tamer V 1.06H For HP100/200 & OG700 – Registered

Response:

I would like to find out more about the Imperial and Legend rods from St Croix. What type of graphite is used and how would the actions be classified? I am interested in the 3-4 wt rods. Any comments pertinent to these rods are appreciated. Thanks. Guy

    I don’t know the type of graphite St.Croix uses but I do own 2 Imperials, a 6-7 and  7-8, they are both medium fast. I also own a Cortland 3-4 which is a St.Croix blank and it is medium.    My stepson owns a Legend, its on the fast side of medium fast and a bit lighter than the Imperial line. His Legend is also a 7-8 by 9 ft. 6in. as is my Imperial, so it makes a reasonable comparison.   My son owns a6-7 Imperial also but its an earlyer model than ours and"softer". My origanal6-7 was the same way(now broken).These early ones are gray in color and the later are brown, they do not have the same action.   We also own Sage rods in our family and St. Croix’s work well but they require more effort and the line control is less precise. Sage’s are great and unconditinaly guarateed for life and a guy can be in the "Discovery" series for very few dollars above the Legend, check it out!                       DAVE G.

Response:

I would like to find out more about the Imperial and Legend rods from St Croix. What type of graphite is used and how would the actions be classified? I am interested in the 3-4 wt rods. Any comments pertinent to these rods are appreciated. Thanks. Guy

Response:

Question:

Please don’t feed the this monster of a thread.  Mr. Wieser is just waiting to pounce.  Check out his page, wage legal war with him via. e-mail, but please, we beg of you, don’t get him started on r.b.p… – Bill Herring – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Scott Weiser Wrote Irrelevant. If you float through private property without permission, you are trespassing.  There are only two navigable waters in Colorado, and the Cache La Poudre is not one of them. That is absolutely untrue.  That river gets "navigated" every year by hundreds if not thousands of people.  Stating that boaters are trespassing is like saying the folks who walk down the sidewalk in your front yard are trespassing–blatantly false.  Actually they probably cross the street in front of your house to avoid the possibility of armed conflict with a maniac.  

Response:

Many boaters have a bad habit of trashing the shoreline and than loudly proclaiming their rights to continue to navigate.

I must rise in protest! While it no doubt happens on rare occasion, I have NEVER seen a boater trash a shoreline ( I do not regard foot and butt prints as "trashing", and that’s about all we might leave behind)

Response:

Many boaters have a bad habit of trashing the shoreline

I don’t any who trash the shoreline, matter of fact most I know stay in their boats.  When I talked to a Ranger down on the Ark last year, he said boaters were pretty good, almost all the trash he picked up was fishing trash.  Since this issue came up, I’ve checked places like Sunshine in the Royal Gorge, the scouts and put-in at Gore, and other high traffic areas everytime I’m there, and there has never been anything in the way of trash. Matter of fact I challenge you or anyone to show me a place that is dominated by boaters, and is trashed out (at least in Colorado). –Chris

Response:

While land owners may own the land and riparian rights to the waters bottom, they do not in fact, own the water itself and I’m almost positive that any river can be "navigated" through private property.  It would certainly be nice to have the owners permission to avoid any misunderstandings and asking in advance could only help relations between the land owner and boaters.  Regardless of the legal issue here, I think I’d be inclined to opt for not trespassing if that’s what the land owner wished.  I can imagine if there was a pristine river running across my land I’d not want a bunch of canoes and kayaks traversing it every day. Many boaters have a bad habit of trashing the shoreline and than loudly proclaiming their rights to continue to navigate.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Scott Weiser Wrote Irrelevant. If you float through private property without permission, you are trespassing.  There are only two navigable waters in Colorado, and the Cache La Poudre is not one of them. That is absolutely untrue.  That river gets "navigated" every year by hundreds if not thousands of people.  Stating that boaters are trespassing is like saying the folks who walk down the sidewalk in your front yard are trespassing–blatantly false.  Actually they probably cross the street in front of your house to avoid the possibility of armed conflict with a maniac.   tdq

Yesssss!  And SET the hook!  Now, let the little bugger run till he tires and reel him in… Sorry, you are quite wrong.  Floating through private property in Colorado without the permission of the landowner is a criminal trespass.  Just because people get away with it doesn’t make it legal. You might want to check out my website for a discussion of this issue. http://spot.Colorado.EDU/~weisers I guess it’s time for yet another round of this ongoing discussion.   Let the games begin! — Regards, Scott Weiser ****** "I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend upon my friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" ****** The opinions expressed are my own.  If I were a lawyer, you’d be paying big bucks for this.  All complaints should be Copyright 1996 by Scott Weiser All rights of reproduction or distribution are retained by the author. PGP 2.62 public key fingerprint: A6 BD 79 21 A4 24 7B 10  F1 4C 2E BF D1 40 2A 0A

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. . . what’s concensus for fisher-paddler etiquette?

Well, we’re both very polite to each other while we trespass along stream banks. — Richard Culpeper "Hour after hour, day after day, far from sight of shore, We laughed and sang and slept under the hot sun on the northern ocean, Wanting never to return."         — Kimosippi ‘95 —

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. . . what’s concensus for fisher-paddler etiquette? Well, we’re both very polite to each other while we trespass along stream banks. — Richard Culpeper "Hour after hour, day after day, far from sight of shore, We laughed and sang and slept under the hot sun on the northern ocean, Wanting never to return."         — Kimosippi ‘95 —

Paddlers usually aren’t trespassing along stream banks!!!  They are merely in transit from the put-in to the take-out!! terry dq

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I read this on the fly-fishing site and pass it on for comment.  Obviously, the people who slammed his fishing spot were jerks but what’s concensus for fisher-paddler etiquette?   Hi everyone, This weekend I had some bad experiences with kayakers while fishing the Cache La Poudre River in Colorado.  The river was full of kayakers and whitewater rafters.  To my surprise, the whitewater rafters were usually pretty courteous when passing my way (going well away from where I was fishing and coasting by as quietly as possible), but the kayakers were another story – they’d cruise by close to me, splashing each other, talking loudly – one group of four kayakers even stopped in the section I was fishing to perform maneuvers!   I understand that the river is for everyone, and because of that I don’t cast when kayakers are around.  But I’d like to think they could show the same type of courtesy by moving through the area slowly and quietly.

Tom Visnius had a nice take on this issue as part of a story about a high-water descent of the Pigeon River Dries (NC).  The story was printed first in Messing About, the newsletter of the Western Carolina Paddlers.  Tom has since placed it in his homepage.  Read it at http:\www.cs.unca.edu/~johnsonk/club/pigeon.html. — Chris The relevant passage (by Tom Visnius): Phil and I were the only kayakers hanging out at the campground for a little while. As we waited, I asked a fly-fisherman about an etiquette issue that had been bothering me since my trip down Cataloochee Creek. On creeks in the Park, there’s not a lot of room for both hunter and boater, so it is crucial to communicate to each other how you would like to commingle. Does a boater give the fisher a wide berth, thereby floating directly over the trout that he has been sneaking up on? Or does a boater float right next to the fisher’s knees and risk an assault from a surprised sportsman? This result is not unlikely, so regardless of your right-of-way philosophy, it is worth noting that there are many fishermen who visit Smoky Mountain National Park, and boaters should attempt to communicate with them. Then proceed with caution. The fellow I talked to preferred the idea of boaters paddling close to him so as not to spook the trout.

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I fished alot on the Arkansas and Animas river in Colorado.  The Animas is big enough that if your standing a few feet from one shore the rafter can go to the other side.  Most of the time I am nymphing fairly close to where I’m standing.  In the Arkansas case, its a little narrower and sometimes, if I notice them soon enough, I will step out of the water and let the kyaker or rafter float right over, or better yet to the shore side, of where I was standing. They are usually very willing to remove their feet and oars from the water as they pass by.  Most of them are quite willing to accomodate my directions if the water depth is OK. But you run into jerks in any endeavor. I wouldn’t let it ruin my day.   When it does happen I do get a little agitated and probably verbalize it but I try not to let it linger. Bill A.

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People kayak the Big South occasionally, but they have keepers who take them back to the Home directly from the takeout so that they won’t be a danger to society.

I resemble…I mean resent that remark…. –Chris

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – . . . what’s concensus for fisher-paddler etiquette? Well, we’re both very polite to each other while we trespass along stream banks. — Richard Culpeper "Hour after hour, day after day, far from sight of shore, We laughed and sang and slept under the hot sun on the northern ocean, Wanting never to return."         — Kimosippi ‘95 — Paddlers usually aren’t trespassing along stream banks!!!  They are merely in transit from the put-in to the take-out!! terry dq

Irrelevant. If you float through private property without permission, you are trespassing.  There are only two navigable waters in Colorado, and the Cache La Poudre is not one of them. — Regards, Scott Weiser ****** "I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend upon my friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" ****** The opinions expressed are my own.  If I were a lawyer, you’d be paying big bucks for this.  All complaints should be Copyright 1996 by Scott Weiser All rights of reproduction or distribution are retained by the author. PGP 2.62 public key fingerprint: A6 BD 79 21 A4 24 7B 10  F1 4C 2E BF D1 40 2A 0A

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Scott, Do us all a big favor and go crawl back under the rock you’ve been hiding under (or was that bloated mass you were cowering under your mother?). Your recent absence from this newsgroup has been wonderful. If you really were stupid enough to cast toward and snag someone (and from your posts, it seems likely you are), you would be entirely deserving of the beating your pathetic corpse received.

So sorry, I’ll try to interject more often, it certainly spices things up doesn’t it. Like I said, civil is as civil does. I just cast, if you happen to be in the way, too damned bad, you had plenty of time to see where I was fishing and avoid it, or at least do the polite thing and pass quietly behind me so as not to put the fish down for a half hour by your antics. If you act like a jerk, you get treated like a jerk.   — Regards, Scott Weiser ****** "I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend upon my friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" ****** The opinions expressed are my own.  If I were a lawyer, you’d be paying big bucks for this.  All complaints should be Copyright 1996 by Scott Weiser All rights of reproduction or distribution are retained by the author. PGP 2.62 public key fingerprint: A6 BD 79 21 A4 24 7B 10  F1 4C 2E BF D1 40 2A 0A

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. . . what’s concensus for fisher-paddler etiquette? Well, we’re both very polite to each other while we trespass along stream banks.

Er, actually, you are probably trespassing when you are *in* the river, boaters and fisherpersons alike, unless you are on Forest Service land or other public land. — Regards, Scott Weiser ****** "I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend upon my friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" ****** The opinions expressed are my own.  If I were a lawyer, you’d be paying big bucks for this.  All complaints should be Copyright 1996 by Scott Weiser All rights of reproduction or distribution are retained by the author. PGP 2.62 public key fingerprint: A6 BD 79 21 A4 24 7B 10  F1 4C 2E BF D1 40 2A 0A

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Scott Weiser Wrote Irrelevant. If you float through private property without permission, you are trespassing.  There are only two navigable waters in Colorado, and the Cache La Poudre is not one of them.

That is absolutely untrue.  That river gets "navigated" every year by hundreds if not thousands of people.  Stating that boaters are trespassing is like saying the folks who walk down the sidewalk in your front yard are trespassing–blatantly false.  Actually they probably cross the street in front of your house to avoid the possibility of armed conflict with a maniac.   tdq

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I read this on the fly-fishing site and pass it on for comment.  Obviously, the people who slammed his fishing spot were jerks but what’s concensus for fisher-paddler etiquette?   Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.fishing.fly Organization: DirecPC   Lines: 23 NNTP-Posting-Host: host-37.customer.com Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Mozilla 2.0 (Macintosh; I; PPC) Hi everyone, This weekend I had some bad experiences with kayakers while fishing the Cache La Poudre River in Colorado.  The river was full of kayakers and whitewater rafters.  To my surprise, the whitewater rafters were usually pretty courteous when passing my way (going well away from where I was fishing and coasting by as quietly as possible), but the kayakers were another story – they’d cruise by close to me, splashing each other, talking loudly – one group of four kayakers even stopped in the section I was fishing to perform maneuvers!   I understand that the river is for everyone, and because of that I don’t cast when kayakers are around.  But I’d like to think they could show the same type of courtesy by moving through the area slowly and quietly. I guess the easy solution to my problem is to find a section of the river that is kayaker/rafter free.  Does anyone know of any such section of the Poudre?  How about flyfishing only sections and/or catch and release sections? Any help/comments appreciated!  Thanks for reading this. Mike Stephens

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I read this on the fly-fishing site and pass it on for comment. Obviously, the people who slammed his fishing spot were jerks but what’s concensus for fisher-paddler etiquette?  

I, fortunately, have had better experiences than this, being both a fisherman and a paddler on a river at different times. I think most fishermen & paddlers can peacefully co-exist most of the time. The biggest thing paddlers have to remember is that fish like to hang out in eddies also. Fortunately though, most good paddling areas are too strong to fish effectively. Paddle On… -Tom McIntire

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I read this on the fly-fishing site and pass it on for comment.  Obviously, the people who slammed his fishing spot were jerks but what’s concensus for fisher-paddler etiquette?  

(snip) It sucks. If I were fishing and someone pulled this on me, I’d tie on a #10 weighted Wooly Bugger on 15 lb. test tippet and thwack them smartly on the head.  With any luck, I’d even snag an expensive Goretex jacket and rip a great big hole in it, and maybe them. In fact, I did manage to puncture a polycheapo raft with a drunken lout in it on the Rogue River a couple of weeks ago who did exactly that. When I’m fishing, you’d better be polite, or stay out of range. — Regards, Scott Weiser ****** "I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend upon my friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" ****** The opinions expressed are my own.  If I were a lawyer, you’d be paying big bucks for this.  All complaints should be Copyright 1996 by Scott Weiser All rights of reproduction or distribution are retained by the author. PGP 2.62 public key fingerprint: A6 BD 79 21 A4 24 7B 10  F1 4C 2E BF D1 40 2A 0A

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I read this on the fly-fishing site and pass it on for comment.  Obviously, the people who slammed his fishing spot were jerks but what’s concensus for fisher-paddler etiquette?   (snip) It sucks. If I were fishing and someone pulled this on me, I’d tie on a #10 weighted Wooly Bugger on 15 lb. test tippet and thwack them smartly on the head.  With any luck, I’d even snag an expensive Goretex jacket and rip a great big hole in it, and maybe them. In fact, I did manage to puncture a polycheapo raft with a drunken lout in it on the Rogue River a couple of weeks ago who did exactly that. When I’m fishing, you’d better be polite, or stay out of range. Scott Weiser

I see the hugely entertaining Mr. Wieser has once again blessed our humble piece of bandwidth with his presence. The above sounds like a great idea.  Someone is rude or comes too close, so you try to put a hook in them.  A very civil solution.  Or you could just "shoot to wound".  That’ll teach ‘em! – Bill Herring "Can’t we just all get along?" – Rodney King

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Can anyone tell me if they are happy with Nautiraid? I am thinking of a folding boat purchase but have not heard much about Nautiraid.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I read this on the fly-fishing site and pass it on for comment.  Obviously, the people who slammed his fishing spot were jerks but what’s concensus for fisher-paddler etiquette?   (snip) It sucks. If I were fishing and someone pulled this on me, I’d tie on a #10 weighted Wooly Bugger on 15 lb. test tippet and thwack them smartly on the head.  With any luck, I’d even snag an expensive Goretex jacket and rip a great big hole in it, and maybe them. In fact, I did manage to puncture a polycheapo raft with a drunken lout in it on the Rogue River a couple of weeks ago who did exactly that. When I’m fishing, you’d better be polite, or stay out of range. Scott Weiser I see the hugely entertaining Mr. Wieser has once again blessed our humble piece of bandwidth with his presence. The above sounds like a great idea.  Someone is rude or comes too close, so you try to put a hook in them.  A very civil solution.  Or you could just "shoot to wound".  That’ll teach ‘em!

Hey, *some* people are so dense they require operant conditioning and aversion therapy to get the message. Civil is as civil does. — Regards, Scott Weiser ****** "I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend upon my friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" ****** The opinions expressed are my own.  If I were a lawyer, you’d be paying big bucks for this.  All complaints should be Copyright 1996 by Scott Weiser All rights of reproduction or distribution are retained by the author. PGP 2.62 public key fingerprint: A6 BD 79 21 A4 24 7B 10  F1 4C 2E BF D1 40 2A 0A

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What is a #10 Wooly Bugger?  Sounds like what my brother’s girlfriend used to call his… Whoops!  Sorry, gotta get back to work… Ed

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.fishing.fly This weekend I had some bad experiences with kayakers while fishing the Cache La Poudre River in Colorado.  The river was full of kayakers and whitewater rafters.  To my surprise, the whitewater rafters were usually pretty courteous when passing my way (going well away from where I was fishing and coasting by as quietly as possible), but the kayakers were another story – they’d cruise by close to me, splashing each other, talking loudly – one group of four kayakers even stopped in the section I was fishing to perform maneuvers! My personal opinion is that you should discreetly suggest that they move on…try a subtle suggestion… "GET THE HELL OUTTA MY DRIFT YOU YUPPIE BASTARD OR I’LL CREASE YOUR NOODLE" (Stolen without permission from "Fear of Flyfishing"). TimW (Only kidding, violence is not a good suggestion…now, letting the air out of the tires of their shuttle vehicle, THAT can be VERY effective and satisfying).

My thoughts exactly!  I’ve  had similar problems lately on the small river I fish in southwestern Michigan.  It’s quite popular with tubers.   Right now, the window of opportunity for a flyfisherman is limited to approx. a half hour to an hour before dark.  I was out on Sunday and didn’t see a soul until just before dark.  Guess what?  I didn’t see any other fisherman but two separate groups of tubers floated by just as the fish were getting active.  While on the of the tubers was courteous enough to ask where I was fishing, his partner ignored me and floated right over a rising fish.  Then, the second group floated by a few minutes later and showed no consideration whatsoever.  There’s no way they could have finished their float trip by dark.  They have all damn day to float yet they choose to recreate at dusk showing no respect for anyone else.  It puts evil thoughts in your mind.  Of course, the obligatory floatilla of bobbing beer cans followed in close pursuit. BFisher

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Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.fishing.fly This weekend I had some bad experiences with kayakers while fishing the Cache La Poudre River in Colorado.  The river was full of kayakers and whitewater rafters.  To my surprise, the whitewater rafters were usually pretty courteous when passing my way (going well away from where I was fishing and coasting by as quietly as possible), but the kayakers were another story – they’d cruise by close to me, splashing each other, talking loudly – one group of four kayakers even stopped in the section I was fishing to perform maneuvers!

My personal opinion is that you should discreetly suggest that they move on…try a subtle suggestion… "GET THE HELL OUTTA MY DRIFT YOU YUPPIE BASTARD OR I’LL CREASE YOUR NOODLE" (Stolen without permission from "Fear of Flyfishing"). TimW (Only kidding, violence is not a good suggestion…now, letting the air out of the tires of their shuttle vehicle, THAT can be VERY effective and satisfying).

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(snip) If I were fishing and someone pulled this on me, I’d tie on a #10 weighted Wooly Bugger on 15 lb. test tippet and thwack them smartly on the head.  With any luck, I’d even snag an expensive Goretex jacket and rip a great big hole in it, and maybe them. In fact, I did manage to puncture a polycheapo raft with a drunken lout in it on the Rogue River a couple of weeks ago who did exactly that. When I’m fishing, you’d better be polite, or stay out of range.

Scott, Do us all a big favor and go crawl back under the rock you’ve been hiding under (or was that bloated mass you were cowering under your mother?). Your recent absence from this newsgroup has been wonderful. If you really were stupid enough to cast toward and snag someone (and from your posts, it seems likely you are), you would be entirely deserving of the beating your pathetic corpse received. Regards, Andy The opinions expressed above are my own, and do not necessarily represent those of my employer.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I read this on the fly-fishing site and pass it on for comment.  Obviously, the people who slammed his fishing spot were jerks but what’s concensus for fisher-paddler etiquette?   Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.fishing.fly This weekend I had some bad experiences with kayakers while fishing the Cache La Poudre River in Colorado.  The river was full of kayakers and whitewater rafters.  To my surprise, the whitewater rafters were usually pretty courteous when passing my way (going well away from where I was fishing and coasting by as quietly as possible), but the kayakers were another story – they’d cruise by close to me, splashing each other, talking loudly – one group of four kayakers even stopped in the section I was fishing to perform maneuvers!   I understand that the river is for everyone, and because of that I don’t cast when kayakers are around.  But I’d like to think they could show the same type of courtesy by moving through the area slowly and quietly. I guess the easy solution to my problem is to find a section of the river that is kayaker/rafter free.  Does anyone know of any such section of the Poudre?  How about flyfishing only sections and/or catch and release sections?

I kayak sections of the Poudre below the Narrows regularly.  The water has indeed come down enough so that fishermen (and women) are starting to appear on sections that boaters use.  Earlier in the season, these sections are not really fishable, and much of it still cannot be waded. Commercial rafters on the Poudre usually don’t conflict with fisherpeople because they don’t eddy out very often.  They sail on by _everything_, and to give their customers the most exciting ride, they tend to look for the fastest current and the biggest waves, which will take them away from fisherpeople.  This search for excitement, however, sometimes causes inexperienced guides to flip rafts on otherwise inoccuous sections of the river, and they have been known to literally run over kayakers.  We generally sit in the eddies as they go by because of this. Reasonable kayakers usually stay away from fisherpeople.  The river, after all, is to be shared, and most kayakers do their playing in territory which is not very good for fishing.  Several possiblities for conflict on the Poudre do arise, however: 1.  The Filter Plant run has good holding and wading water and is quite     fishable.  Novice kayakers still use it, though, and they may not     yet be properly "socialized." 2.  The well-known pop-up hole on the Bridges run has an eddy immediately     below it where kayakers wait their turn to attempt enders.  I have     heard that a couple of fishermen have decided that they need to fish     that particular eddy, and they will attempt to drive kayakers away.     Sometimes they will appear when kayakers are there and demand that     they leave.  I have not personally observed this behavior. 3.  I encountered a fisherman at the bottom of PineView Falls who was     casting into an eddy on the far side of the river.  The area is not     wadeable, although the eddy may have held some fish.  The river is     narrow at that point, so the cast was easy, but the presence of his     line all the way across the river created a problem for any kayak or     raft running PineView. Other possibilities for conflict exist anywhere there is an eddy.  By the way, when communicating with fisherpeople, kayakers should be aware that they may refer to an eddy as a "hole," a term which has a different meaning for us! As for good fishing, a couple of places come to mind.  As I mentioned, much of the Filter Plant run is pretty good, and has reduced kayak traffic when the water is low.  Keep #1 above in mind, however.  What traffic there is may be irritating because they don’t know any better. The section above the low bridge below Rustic is rumored to be excellent trout water, and the flatwater curves below the fish hatchery (the Indian Meadows area) are well-known for providing excellent fishing. Indian Meadows is wild trout water, with special restrictions on what you can keep.  No problem for catch-and-release. The Big South fork has some nice fishing water about half a mile from the highway.  People kayak the Big South occasionally, but they have keepers who take them back to the Home directly from the takeout so that they won’t be a danger to society.      John Cooley

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Question:

Does anyone have successful experience fishing lakes using sinking leaders such as AirFlo’s in place of a battery of full sinking fly lines?  I have often wondered about this.  

<snip Hi James, Sinking leaders are an interesting product. They work pretty well, though they do possess certain disadvantages that are also inherent in sink-tip lines. With either, you do in fact end up with a hinge of sorts if you are fishing deep. The curve in the line, to some degree, puts you out of contact with the fly.The problem is that if you are fishing very slowly, and the trout are taking softly, you will miss strikes. A full sink line (particularly the Uni-Sink) draws a straight line to the fly and fish. You will feel more strikes and be able to set-up more securely. All that said, sinking leaders are very convenient (and economical) and if you’re not trying to fish too deep they will probably work great for you.   Alan Barnard   Kiene’s Fly Shop   Sacramento, California   WWW Fly Tyer   http://www.ns.net/~barnard

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Does anyone have successful experience fishing lakes using sinking leaders such as AirFlo’s in place of a battery of full sinking fly lines?  I have often wondered about this.  Claims are made by the AirFlo people that depth is controlled by the leader, while angle of retrieve is controlled by the fly line.  I am also aware of claims made by sinking line advocates that using a floating line with a sink tip or a sinking leader will cause the fly to ‘loft’ upwards on the retrieve.  The sinking line is supposed to make it possible to retrieve at one given depth.  This theory of ‘lofting’ only makes sense if one is really hauling in line fast enough to cause hydraulic pressure on the line to lift the fly.  I can’t believe there is really much of this if one is retrieving the fly as slowly as it should be.  Also, the sinking can be counted down to a prescribed or given depth.  However, it will keep right on sinking, not travelling in a perfectly horizontal direction and maintaining the same depth. I would like to see some experienced input on this. Please post in the group or e-mail me direct. Thanks.

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Question:

: Recently I have begun to do some offshore racing outside the San Francisco Bay  and I now need to buy my own offshore harness.  I’ve been advised that a : a self-inflating harness is the best way to go. : However, I work the foredeck. : Some people say that you really have to submerge these harnesses for them : to inflate, others say that they’ve had them inflate when they are piled : in with other wet gear for a period of time. I’ve used the belt inflated life jacket for about 3 years now.  Normal maintanence requires that you inflate them once a year at least.  If you do that the unit will not inflate until it is under water for a time. If you don’t inflate it regularly it may more may not inflate when you need it.  The CO2 cartrage will discharge over time so you want to replace it yearly to be on the safe side.  If you inflat it put it under water to check for leaks.  A unit that isn’t repack once in a while will be more likely to be holed. I’d say get you’re own equipment.  Also look at the line that connects the harness to the boat.  You may want different lengths for different boats. I’m currently running my jack line from the cochpit around the babystay and back.  This way I can walk around the mast and back if I don’t like the seas on the low side etc.  As this line floats up I can run a very short line.  If I have crew up there on the foredeck helping I need more line. I find line length effects productivity up there.  A short line that is long enough to do the job doesn’t get tangled, stepped on or removed because it’s in the way.  You can make a long line short by splicing your own end and feeding a bunge cord through it. For fore deck work I would recomend getting very creative with this jack line.  If you don’t you will find yourself up there removing it to untangle yourself etc. As for the clip for a jack line they put some pretty user unfreindly line connectors on some of the harness.  I’m devided as they must have a reason but I end up using carbeners because they are easy to work with going in and out of the cabin.  Basicly if I don’t have to think about it I find I connect myself.  If I have to fiddle with it I catch myself unconnected. Another thing to look at on a harness is storage.  I know this sounds strange but the ‘right’ place to put a wistle and a water prouf flash light is on the harness.  It’s been measured that you can blow a wistle in cold water when you can’t yell to flag another boat down. I have the personel strobes but the helogen flash lights (small ones using the AA batteries) can be pointed right at the boat you’re trying to flag down.  These little guys are bright and last a good long time. I also have more faith in a light I’m using often to one that is stored and never used but to test.  Tests don’t give you a feel for the battery life etc. As a fordeck person I hope you know never to go up there without a good sharp knife.  This could save your life someday if you ever get wrapped. I started doing this years ago never needed it but if it’s blowing hard you may not be able to communicate you’re arm being broken to the guy behind you. — AST Research Inc.          (714) 727-8669

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In practice it’s actually very rare for foredeck crew to be "hooked in" while working the foredeck of a competitive race boat. They hook in while sitting on the rail or trimming, but being tethered during a jibe or sail change would be problematic. *Some* crew hook in during these maneuvers at night, but this is rare, in my experience. Even singlehanded, it took practice to learn how to jibe the spinnaker while hooked in. For a full crew to jibe an ocean racer with all their tethers attached would be chaos.   Your first defense against being lost overboard (after holding on tight, that is) is a good life jacket and a personal strobe and whistle. Maybe a backup waterproof flashlight, too. I’m very strict about wearing this equipment offshore. The harness, in the vast majority of weather conditions you’ll encounter off the coast, is going to be far too encumbering to allow you to race the boat effectively. I have an old North vest which I love because it has nice deep pockets for the strobe and other stuff (and it served well when I survived a sinking, the Bird boat FALCON in 1989 Master Mariners, in the middle of SF Bay). If I were shopping for a new lifejacket I’d probably favor one of the Stearns fishing models, because of the multiple pockets, and the high degree of freedom of motion they offer. Having said that, you still need a harness for the times that the weather is *really* bad, and especially for the long time intervals between maneuvers when there’s no efficiency lost by being hooked on. So my preference is for a single-purpose shoulder harness, of a fairly simple design that can be sorted out and put on in the dark while you hold on with the other hand. It’s important that the tether have good, oversized (expensive) shackles at *both* ends, so if you find yourself tangled in something you can re-lead from your end. Also consider using some nylon rope instead of the webbing for the tether. A cleat hitch around the nearest cleat is generally more reliable than a carbiner through a pad eye, and you can adjust the length of the teather to be no longer than what you really need. BTW I don’t think much of caribiners for this application, because they have to be closed to develop full strength. (my tether has a very large torsion-spring gate-type snap hook on the far end, and an equally oversize "fly-away" type spinnaker sheet shackle (about what you’d find on a 40′ boat) at my end.                                              -"Call me Fishmeal"-

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Some people say that you really have to submerge these harnesses for them to inflate, others say that they’ve had them inflate when they are piled in with other wet gear for a period of time.

My experience is that on a long wet trip e.g. sailing from Hawaii back to California, the self-inflating life jackets always trigger. My suboptimal solution has been to remove the self inflating cap, spring, and tablet, but leave the CO2 cartridge and the manual trigger pull tab. Stan Honey San Francisco

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|   | Some people say that you really have to submerge these harnesses for them | to inflate, others say that they’ve had them inflate when they are piled | in with other wet gear for a period of time. |   | My experience is that on a long wet trip e.g. sailing from Hawaii | back to California, the self-inflating life jackets always trigger. | My suboptimal solution has been to remove the self inflating cap, | spring, and tablet, but leave the CO2 cartridge and the manual trigger | pull tab. On the other hand, my experience with a Crewsaver, Crewfit lifejacket is that it has never inflated when I haven’t wanted it to, and has inflated when needed.  I have been out in conditions when I would have expected it to trigger and it hasn’t. I suspect that the tendency to trigger "accidently" depends on the particular lifejacket.  The self inflating capsule on the Crewsaver is well protected by the folded lifejacket and this may not be the case in other designs. Marion Edwards

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Recently I have begun to do some offshore racing outside the San Francisco Bay  and I now need to buy my own offshore harness.  I’ve been advised that a a self-inflating harness is the best way to go. However, I work the foredeck. Some people say that you really have to submerge these harnesses for them to inflate, others say that they’ve had them inflate when they are piled in with other wet gear for a period of time. I would appreciate anyone else’s feedback and experience on this before I spend some money. Thanks for the help, Allison Serventi

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