Question:

Well done.  Wish I knew Bob so the picture would be absolutely crystal clear, but I get the idea.  Great pictures, Wolfie. Dave

Response:

And therein lies both the beauty and the curse of the lowly Power Bar. These little miracles can be recycled indefinitely with no noticeable loss of flavor or change in texture.

That’s because they suck to begin with. Give me an 8 oz bag of King’s peppered beef jerky and a few bags of M&Ms.

Response:

…..and hoisted our packs once again.  Check the crew.  Jeff’s wearing a glazed, almost beatific, smile…..endorphins or sumpthin…..he’ll get over it, and Bob just looks cramped and mean.  Right.  Everybody’s ready.  And up the trail we go. Half an hour later, our first real break.  Jeffie, the merciless bastard, agrees to a ten minute stop at a campground known, for reasons which by now are of absolutely no interest to me, as "the sawdust pile".  As he goes to look at the stream, Bob swigs from a plastic bladder filled with a mysterious brownish fluid, and I search the suspension system of my backpack in the probably vain hope of finding a scapula which I noticed, some time ago, was not in it’s accustomed position in the left dorsal proximal (or maybe it was the distal…….how DOES one tell them apart?) quadrant of my torso, a young couple approaches from downstream. He goes off to admire the stream….or make one of his own, and she stops to chat.  They are on a seven mile hike and the turn around is at "the sawdust pile", so we have come three and a half miles.  As we rest, several of the elderly day hikers from one of the pontoon boats we passed on the lake straggle in……well, actually, a  couple of them blaze by in a swirling cloud of dust and are only barely stopped by the frantic shouts of their friends or they might be in central Labrador by now. It is at this campground that we first notice the bear proof food hangers.  At each of the campgrounds the park service has installed one or more of these.  A steel cable is stretched between two trees some twenty to thirty feet apart.  Suspended from this cable are several more which are formed into continuous loops, each of which runs through a pulley at the top.  There is a pair of hooks on each of the loops, and a series of plastics sleeves held in place with nuts and bolts. The sleeves act as handholds, making it easier to haul up the hooked load of food.  Each cable also has a sturdy halyard clip which is placed such that it just reaches a screw eye about waist high in the trunk of the tree with the load suspended aloft.  Simple, elegant, cheap, and very effective. There will be one more rest stop before arrival at what will become our home for two nights and a day.  This time, I open my pack and take out something to eat.  Even Jeff is willing to stop for twenty minutes or so, but he is driven and Bob, who wears a look that says, "well, I’d probably like to sit down and die here with you, but I think I’ll take my chances with Jeff this time, nevertheless," accompanies him, leaving me to my fate.  "Ya’ll go on ahead," sez I, "I’ll catch up". I dawdle for a bit, enjoying the surroundings and the weather.  It is October and the leaves are beautiful.  A trout stream rushes by within easy reach and I know that I am within a mile of camp on a trail with an average grade of 2 or 3 percent……a trail which should more properly be called a highway….hell, a veritable Autobahn of hiking trails. This is the sort of trail that backpackers dream about after a hard day of climbing steep ascents over rolling cobbles and through calf deep mud.  So, I sit for a while and sip water and smoke a cigarette.  The day hikers have been left behind and I have a lovely spot all to myself.  Just me and the trees….and the stream….and the rocks….and the bea….um….well shit, maybe it IS time to get moving again. There is no sign of Jeff or Bob for the next half hour.  I am just about to cross another bridge when I happen to look to the right and catch a glimpse of movement.  Uh oh…….oh, it’s the boys.  It appears we have arrived at last.  Nice campground.  Not quite as barren looking as the others we had passed, and there is a more or less level spot on a tiny spit that over looks the confluence of Hazel and whatever the little feeder that comes out of Bone valley is called.  Not all THAT little actually.  This is a major tributary for a stream the size of Hazel, carrying about half as much water.   We set up camp quickly.  Two tents are erected in about fifteen minutes, a clothes line is strung, and three suddenly rejuvenated fly fishers are suited up and ready to rock in another ten or so.  Jeff dives in right at the camp site, Bob goes up the tributary, and I walk down a few hundred yards to fish my way back up. Hazel creek is different water than most that I have fished in the North Carolina mountains.  Where Santeetlah and the others plunge and roar in a frenzy of moving water, Hazel merely rushes in exuberance.  The is bigger water….not BIG, mind you, but bigger.  There are actual pools, trenches, runs, and even some sizable eddies where the others have pockets.  There are deep holes holding mysteries.  There are places too deep and or fast to wade through; you have to go around.  An hour or so of fishing produces a few small fish, and that’s enough.  I arrive back at the campsite and see Bob working his way up the tributary.  We spend the next hour and a half exploring a couple hundred yards of this promising water.  The promise is not fulfilled in any spectacular fashion, but we know the fish are there, as they are in Hazel itself, as they HAVE to be in water that looks like this.  We have been ASSURED that they are there by witnesses like Jeff and Wayno, but we believe it anyway. Back in camp, we eventually prepare the first of what will be a series of dismal meals.  Having flown half way across the country, I came without any food and we survived on what Bob had left over from previous trips and a few odds and ends we picked up in Robbinsville.  Not that my bringing anything from home would have made any real difference.  I’ve always been fairly indifferent to comestible niceties while on the trail….just too much bother, but I hope I never live to see another "Power Bar", and I believe the others share this sentiment.  Damned things look like they’ve been eaten once already, and neither the flavor nor the consistency does anything to dispel that disturbing impression      Two other campers who arrived while we were out fishing rattle pots and pans (cast iron pans!) as they enjoy what smells like bacon and beans….THEY came in on horses, trailing a pack mule…..bastards!     We kindle a fire using the wood which the previous tenants have thoughtfully left for us.  It’s a bit of a chore, as the wood is wet….looks and feels like it’s been rained on for a few days.  But it is mostly surface moisture and among the three of us we manage to keep a cheery blaze going till late into the night, as we each enjoy his own brand of poison and tell lies.  Long about 7:30 Jeff bags it and the rest of the party is not far behind. Morning comes early as Jeffie has not slept a wink…..something about cougars and bears cavorting around his tent all night long.  After a hasty breakfast of coffee, liquor, power bar wrappers, and crawly things, it was back to the stream for a full day of fishing.  Bob elected to stay in the general neighborhood of camp while Jeff and I decided to head upstream a couple of miles.  Jeff was eager to see virgin water….the section that had been closed to fishing for the past 25 years, despite having been informed that it wasn’t really all that virginal.  Seems the locals have been raping it pretty steadily throughout that time…..what’s new?  Virgin or not, a mile or so was enough for me and I ducked into the stream as Jeff continued up the trail.  In all, I fished two miles or a bit more that day.  For the first hour or two I worked the water carefully and caught fish steadily at the rate of one every three or four minutes.  By the end of that time it was clear that it was just going to be one of those days.  One of those infrequent days when it simply doesn’t matter much what you do. Wishing to see more of the stream and thinking that I might eventually overtake Jeff, I began to move much more quickly and only fished what seemed to me the most appealing spots.  I’d like to think that twenty years of experience and hard practice have prepared me to be able to pick the best spots to fish, but the truth is it was just one of those days.  The catching pace remained constant throughout the day.  I ended up with something like sixty or seventy, based on calculating the time fished and the steady catch rate.  The largest were three ten inch rainbows, all unusually fat.  The rest ranged from three through eight inches or thereabouts with a fairly even distrubtion…..about normal for most of the waters I’ve fished in NC or back home in Wisconsin and Michigan, for that matter.  Surprisingly, all were rainbows and browns, with the rainbows predominating.  Not a brookie in the bunch. By late afternoon, having gotten bored with catching fish, bouncing around on wet rocks and taking a couple of bone jarring falls, and knowing that I had about a three mile hike back to camp, I decided it was time to see if I could locate the trail which task, after caroming off several nasty and impenetrable rhodo thickets, I eventually accomplished. Took about forty-five minutes of fast paced downhill hiking to make it back.  Arriving back at camp, I found Jeff in the stream there.  He had given up some time ago, gone back down the trail and then hiked up to bone valley where he found the meadow we had been told of completely overgrown with trees.  Things change.  He then came back to the campground where he caught a fat ten inch rainbow (it seems they suddenly put on a great deal of weight on reaching that threshold size) just before I arrived.  Although neither Jeff nor Bob had as good a day of catching as I did, we were all agreed that it had been a glorious day.  The sun shined all day long and the temperature must have reached about sixty.  Where a sunbeam managed to penetrate the canopy and hit a relatively still spot in the stream the bottom shone with a breathtaking clarity.  The water, it seemed, was even clearer than the

… read more »

Response:

Question:

This morning, 4/22, I looked out my window, in Northern New Jersey, and saw a mayfly on the glass.  Spinner, size 14, two tails, light grey/dun underside, heavily segmented abdomen, very small second wings.  These show up on my back door and back windows in small numbers every April.  Any opinions on possible species/genus? Beyond the question of what it was, I wondered where the dickens it came from. The lake is 150 yards away in a straight line from the front door.  And it gets very warm in summer; tosses up a ton of bug life but not mayflys.  There are some small springs about 200 yards away to the rear of the house but I didn’t think they survived the summers.  Now I have visions of a relict population of Brook Trout hiding in the town land behind me. Something to think about until I can go fishing. Glenn GKT

Response:

You don’t give much information except grey underside and two tails.  The only thing I can think of that comes close to a size 14 is Callibaetis americanus This is no guarantee that I’ve identified it correctly but this is the may fly that fits best what you say. George Gehrke "May Days are here"

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This morning, 4/22, I looked out my window, in Northern New Jersey, and saw a mayfly on the glass.  Spinner, size 14, two tails, light grey/dun underside, heavily segmented abdomen, very small second wings.  These show up on my back door and back windows in small numbers every April.  Any opinions on possible species/genus? Beyond the question of what it was, I wondered where the dickens it came from. The lake is 150 yards away in a straight line from the front door.  And it gets very warm in summer; tosses up a ton of bug life but not mayflys.  There are some small springs about 200 yards away to the rear of the house but I didn’t think they survived the summers.  Now I have visions of a relict population of Brook Trout hiding in the town land behind me. Something to think about until I can go fishing. Glenn GKT

Response:

Question:

cute Bill. I like it. Joel Axelrad

Response:

More Beer  Having arrived at the edge of the river, the fisherman soon realized he had forgotten to bring any bait. Just then he happened to see a little snake passing by who had caught a worm. The fisherman snatched up the snake and  robbed him of his worm. Feeling sorry for the little snake with no lunch, he snatched him up again and poured a little beer down his throat and went about his fishing. An hour or so later the fisherman felt a tug at hispant leg.  Looking down, he saw the same snake with three more worms. — Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento, CA, USA www.kiene.com

Response:

Question:

: Can you help?  My brother-in-law enjoys flyfishing (mostly in Michigan where : he lives).  We will be vacationing together this August in Boothbay Harbor, : Maine and I would like to be able to point him to a good spot to go : flyfishing. : If you have any suggestions, I would be glad to pass them along.  He would : be most interested in a spot which would be an easy drive from Boothbay. : Thanks, : Bob LaMontagne : Cincinnati, OH The Atlantic Ocean. He can use his fresh water rod and 4 feet of 4 pound tippet with small clousers to catch macks and schoolies, which are likely to be 95%-100% of his hhok ups. If he hangs a big striper, he will have a hell of a great time trying to get him in. Tell him to be SURE to wash all his gear in fresh water after each trip. This means pop the spool out of the reel and wash all the rod guides.

Response:

Boothbay has a number of ponds that are very good fishing. Smallmouth bass will readily take poppers and yellow deerhair bugs in the early morning and evening hours. If he wants to try ocean fly fishing, there are stripped Bass that run 12 to 40 inches, mackerel run 8 to 20 inches and Bluefish up to 25 pounds.     I f he wants landlocked salmon and brook trout, he’ll have to fish tiny dries or nymphs on bottom. If you need to know more or want to purchase flies designed for the fishing here, you can contact me at http://www.kynd.com/~ronmcq/fsf/fsf.html Ron McKusick Featherside Flies Corinna Maine – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Can you help?  My brother-in-law enjoys flyfishing (mostly in Michigan where he lives).  We will be vacationing together this August in Boothbay Harbor, Maine and I would like to be able to point him to a good spot to go flyfishing. If you have any suggestions, I would be glad to pass them along.  He would be most interested in a spot which would be an easy drive from Boothbay. Thanks, Bob LaMontagne Cincinnati, OH

Response:

Can you help?  My brother-in-law enjoys flyfishing (mostly in Michigan where he lives).  We will be vacationing together this August in Boothbay Harbor, Maine and I would like to be able to point him to a good spot to go flyfishing.

Grand Lake Stream (between two lakes in Washington Cty.) has (or used to have) landlocked salmon and trout as well as bass and may be the closest to Mount Desert I.  Check whether any of the Atlantic salmon rivers in August, possibly the Dennys or Machias. — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

Response:

Can you help?  My brother-in-law enjoys flyfishing (mostly in Michigan where he lives).  We will be vacationing together this August in Boothbay Harbor, Maine and I would like to be able to point him to a good spot to go flyfishing. If you have any suggestions, I would be glad to pass them along.  He would be most interested in a spot which would be an easy drive from Boothbay. Thanks, Bob LaMontagne Cincinnati, OH

Response:

Question:

[deleted] Don’t get too hung up on graphite specs.

Good call Dan !. *Much* better to buy based on more *useful* information such as: MVR (Maximum Vibration Technology) <g — TimW – Halfordian Golfer Guilt replaced the creel…

Response:

writes: Good call Dan !. *Much* better to buy based on more *useful* information such as: MVR (Maximum Vibration Technology) <g

Hi Tim, The point I was trying to make was that yes, there is a lot of different technology out there (including Orvis’ Maximum Vibration Reduction), but the whole point of the tech is to make a rod that works well and feels good to the individual.    It doesn’t matter what the technology is behind it if it doesn’t feel good (or make a difference) to the person buying it.  Got to keep that horse in front of the cart.<g                              Good Fishing,                                     Dan Dan Gracia Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools Mt. Shasta Fly Fishing Schools http://www.thegrid.net/flyfish

Response:

I’ve heard the designation IM6 used when describing rods. It seems as though this is some "grade" of graphite. Can someone enlighten me as to what it means? Thanks, Scott Wilkinson

Hi Scott, There are four generations of graphite compositions that rod makers use today. The original or first generation called graphite #1 is ~30 million modulus The second generation called graphite #2 or IM6 is ~40 million modulus The third generation called graphite #3 is ~ 50 million modulus The fourth generation called graphite #4 is ~ 64 million modulus The later generations are usually lighter and more efficient, but I am really more concerned about how they cast. Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 800/4000FLY www.kiene.com

Response:

Snip, snip….Don’t get too hung up on graphite specs.  Try out the rod and

see how it worksfor your needs.  Just because a rod says it is IM6 does not necessarily mean it is a better rod than one made out of the older graphite, or a worse rod than a rod made out of a newer graphite formula.  It allows the rod designer more design options than the old graphite and not as many options as the newestgraphite.  The result depends a lot on the skill of the rod designer and how he utilises those capabilities. Hope this helps,

I didn’t raise the question, but that’s about as good an answer as anybody could ask for. Cleared things up for me, anyway. Thanks. From the minute we’re born we all start dying;some of us just take longer than others. Me? I’ve been dragging my feet, but it doesn’t seem to help much.

Response:

I’ve heard the designation IM6 used when describing rods. It seems as though this is some "grade" of graphite. Can someone enlighten me as to what it means?

It stands for "Intermediate Modulus 600" and is a graphite specification that is used to make fly rods.  It is typically known as second generation graphite and was pretty much the standard for many rod companies prior to the higher modulus graphites (third and fourth generation) currently used.  Lots of good fly rods were/are made from this material although it is no longer the standard of the industry. I believe  Winston still makes all of their rods out of this material and they make some very nice (and expensive) fly rods from it. Don’t get too hung up on graphite specs.  Try out the rod and see how it works for your needs.  Just because a rod says it is IM6 does not necessarily mean it is a better rod than one made out of the older graphite, or a worse rod than a rod made out of a newer graphite formula.  It allows the rod designer more design options than the old graphite and not as many options as the newest graphite.  The result depends a lot on the skill of the rod designer and how he utilises those capabilities.                     Hope this helps,                           Dan Dan Gracia Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools Mt. Shasta Fly Fishing Schools http://www.thegrid.net/flyfish

Response:

I’ve heard the designation IM6 used when describing rods. It seems as though this is some "grade" of graphite. Can someone enlighten me as to what it means? Thanks, Scott Wilkinson

Response:

there was an excellent posting on all the types of graphite a couple of months back. I suggest you search Dejanews if you want the straight goods as I am sure I have muddled it up in my memory a tad; graphite as a raw material is available from a number of manufacturers. The original graphite had a modulus of 33 million or so ( 33 million what?) About 10 years ago "2nd generation" graphite appeared with a modulus of 42 million: IM6 and Sage’s graphite II were part of this crowd. 3rd generation followed (ie Graphite III), modulus of maybe 50 million etc etc. So IM6 refers to a 2nd generation graphite fibre from a particular manufacturer. It’s been used a long while, it’s proven, rod designers know it’s qualities and a lot of people like rods made from it. Ralph H note spurious hyperbole, insults and ‘personal attacks’ made by the author are meant to honour "the Soul of Cicero" and are not intended as personal slights. Please don’t take offense as none is intended. remove "(take_this_out)" for email reply.

Response:

Question:

Thanks Jim! I think(?) — Tight lines and sharp hooks, Capt. Mark Poirier

Response:

Why are some people compelled to demonstrate their ignorance when they flame others? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – the first schoolies have been boiling off the beaches of the south Cape, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. White clousers, deceivers — small sizes — are catching fish, some up to 28" from the Elizabeth Islands to Harwich, where a few 28" keepers have been landed already.   I don’t give a fat shit what the "law" is, but a 28" striper s NOT a keeper. Get with the program fool!!! — Tight lines and sharp hooks, Capt. Mark Poirier

Response:

28 inches is the new keeper size for recreational fishermen. The Division of Marine Fisheries ruling has been filed with the Secretary of State which puts it into effect immediately. The commercial quotas are still an issue, with a review of the bag limit due to be reheard next month.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The third season of fish reports from Reel-Time: The Internet Journal of Saltwater Fly Fishing kicks off with a new editor, David Peros, who reports the first schoolies have been boiling off the beaches of the south Cape, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. White clousers, deceivers — small sizes — are catching fish, some up to 28" from the Elizabeth Islands to Harwich, where a few 28" keepers have been landed already. Get the full report at: http://www.reel-time.com/fishwire/update-fw.html   I don’t give a fat shit what the "law" is, but a 28" striper s NOT a keeper. Get with the program fool!!! — Tight lines and sharp hooks, Capt. Mark Poirier

Captain Poirier, shy man that he is, confided to me in private correspondence, that what he meant to say was that he disagreed with the taking of 28 inch stripers, as they are pre-spawn fish.  He enncourages everyone to return these fish to the water. If he is correct in calling them pre-spawn fish, I agree with  him.  We have the same situation in California with several game species.  Most responsible anglers add a few inches to the 12 inch calico bass limit, the 22 inch barracuda and halibut  limit, and the 28 inch white seabass limit.  We also return the larger fish so we don’t end up with a gene pool biased to the smaller fish. He is probably going to flame me (in e-mail) again for stepping on his toes.  The last time this gentleman (?) e-mailed me, he called me a "…sprout-eating fool…" from the left coast, and we’d never even corresponded before.  If he has a heart, it could be in the right place. Jim Kozakowski Support the United Anglers of California <http://www.webworldinc.com/unitedanglers-sc/

Response:

The third season of fish reports from Reel-Time: The Internet Journal of Saltwater Fly Fishing kicks off with a new editor, David Peros, who reports the first schoolies have been boiling off the beaches of the south Cape, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. White clousers, deceivers — small sizes — are catching fish, some up to 28" from the Elizabeth Islands to Harwich, where a few 28" keepers have been landed already. Get the full report at: http://www.reel-time.com/fishwire/update-fw.html

  I don’t give a fat shit what the "law" is, but a 28" striper s NOT a keeper. Get with the program fool!!! — Tight lines and sharp hooks, Capt. Mark Poirier

Response:

The third season of fish reports from Reel-Time: The Internet Journal of Saltwater Fly Fishing kicks off with a new editor, David Peros, who reports the first schoolies have been boiling off the beaches of the south Cape, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. White clousers, deceivers — small sizes — are catching fish, some up to 28" from the Elizabeth Islands to Harwich, where a few 28" keepers have been landed already. Get the full report at: http://www.reel-time.com/fishwire/update-fw.html

Response:

Question:

I have been offerd a trip to the area of Dillion Co. in July. I would love to take advantage of this offer. Can anyone tell me what the fishing would be like there. Is a guide a must? are there areas that are easy to get to with out a guide? still water vs. river/stream? We have never visited the state before so we have no idea where we are heading.

Response:

Dear visitor: July in Summit county offers a variety of flyfishing and regular fishing opportunities.  The obvious and most close is the Blue River which flows through Dillon.  There are also numerous private streams and ponds that you can fish.  The best advice I can give you is to call up the fishing stores in Breckenridge or Dillon and tell them what kind of fisherman you are (Novice, etc…) and decide if you are willing to spend money to have a private guide take you on private water.  They run anywhere from 125$/Day to $300/Day depending on the Luxery factor.  With the amount of snow in Summit county this year, runoff will be longer and may not be good in July in the Blue River.  I might want to try Beaver ponds if  the water is not clear.

Response:

Question:

So if I am willing to to hire a guide and do the drift boat thing is the San Juan better,equal or what? I did a 3 day float trip  on the Green 4 years ago. My 12 yr. old son is ready to go this year. Should I chance the San Juan or go with the Green again? The thing that attracts me back to the Green is the chance to catch 10+ trout per day that are 16 to 20 inches. Alpharetta, Ga. USA 30201

should go a long way toward helping you make up your mind. The San Juan is a great wading river, probably easier if you don’t want to hire a guide.  But the jury’s still out on this flow fiasco.

Response:

I like the San Juan  better. Bigger fish.Loupask

Response:

I cant make up my mind rather to go to the Green River UT. or the San Juan NM this coming March . Can someone who has fished both please respond. –

Chris, The Green is difficult to wade where the San Juan is not.  Unless you’re equipped with at least a float tube, preferably a kick boat, I wouldn’t go to the Green.

Response:

I cant make up my mind rather to go to the Green River UT. or the San Juan NM this coming March . Can someone who has fished both please respond. –

Response:

I fish the Green quite often and almost exclusively wade it.  Some sections might do better with a boat or tube, but I can guarantee you I catch as many if not more fish than those that float it.  Besides, the San Juan’s flow has been cut way down last I heard.  That’s just my $.02 Curtis Fry              Fry’s Utah Fly Fishing Page                                    http://www.et.byu.edu/~fryc

Response:

So if I am willing to to hire a guide and do the drift boat thing is the San Juan better,equal or what? I did a 3 day float trip  on the Green 4 years ago. My 12 yr. old son is ready to go this year. Should I chance the San Juan or go with the Green again? The thing that attracts me back to the Green is the chance to catch 10+ trout per day that are 16 to 20 inches. Alpharetta, Ga. USA 30201

Response:

The San Juan is, like most rivers now-a-days, is dam fed.  LAst year a couple of buddies of mine went down there, but the river was "turning over."  The silt from the lake passed through the dam and muddied the river for several days.  Apparently this happens regularly, so watch out for it this march. —  -Jeff Stephens

Response:

I fish the Green quite often and almost exclusively wade it.  Some sections might do better with a boat or tube, but I can guarantee you I catch as many if not more fish than those that float it.  Besides, the San Juan’s flow has been cut way down last I heard.  That’s just my $.02 Curtis Fry             Fry’s Utah Fly Fishing Page                                   http://www.et.byu.edu/~fryc

The flow is back up to 600 cfs which is about normal.    However, it will be raised sometime in March.   Hard to predict exactly when and exactly how high.   This varies by a couple of weeks in terms of timing and may go as high as 5000 cfs which makes most of the river unfishable but does offer some interesting back-channel exploring.   Del Duncan

Response:

Question:

oh come on !!! We all now how handy a 9 foot 8 weight comes in at a Klan Rally !   Tim Walker

Response:

Some people bring so much baggage to every sport they miss the very point! If you believe that flyfishing is a white-man elitist sport you are confusing social issues with angler-fish issues,for example. But why do we flyfish ? There are times when spinners, jigs, bait, etc. are far more successful in bringing a fish to the net. In reality flyfishing gear is the most versatile , capable of handling the obvious as well  as spinners, small jigs,  and bait ( sometimes the casting is not so pretty), offers nearly absolute lure control, and provides both visual and tactile strike detection. Finally , hooking, fighting, and landing a fish on a long, light rod with the fish and the angler connected through the line is magical and the guts of the sport. Flyfishing  masters ( even after 30 years / over 3000 fishing trips I am not one)  have used every tool at their disposal and have blurred the edges between flyfihing and spinning in the quest for this magic.

Response:

Question:

Ten Tips for Beginning Fly Fishers* x xBy Clay Riness x x1.  Don’t take yourself too seriously…it’s supposed to be fun. You don’t have to have the mind of Einstein and the hand-eye coordination of Stefan Edberg to enjoy fly fishing–as much of the contemporary literature seems to suggest. True, catching wary trout can be difficult. But learning to have fun with a flyrod is not difficult at all. x x2.  Seek a mentor. All kinds of fly fishing instruction is available: books, videos, schools, clinics, ad infinitum. Each has its place, but nothing compares to what you learn standing at the side of a veteran angler. The friendship you develop is very special, too. x x3.  Quit thinking of fly fishing solely in terms of trout. All fish are fun on a flyrod! Bass,bluegills, crappies, northern pike, even carp- go forth and figure out how to hook them. x x4. Choose your tackle wisely. Forget about buying an "entry level" rod, reel and line. You’ll blame yourself for its lack of performance, and it won’t have any resale value. Check around; try different rods; ask your mentor’s advice. x x5. Join fishing-related organizations and clubs.  You’ll meet people who share your interests, and who are willing to share their expertise as well. Plus, you’ll be contributing to the protection of the resource. x x6. Learn to cast on grass, not water. use your yard, or a local park (or even a gymnasium, if one’s available). This way, you can concentrate strictly on developing and improving your casting, without having to worry about anything else. The flyrod can be a tool of great precision; you’ll catch a zillion more fish in the long run by knowing how to use that tool before you face your quarry. Besides, if you can’t get your fly to the fish, you can’t fish. x x7. Take up a little basic  fly tying. Losing flies is much easier when it’s a ratty old thing you tied for eight cents, instead of a two dollar bit of fluff with an intimidating name. Catching fish on your home-tied creation is a lot more fun, too. And if you keep at it, you’ll eventually be able to tie fancy bits of fluff with intimidating names. x x8. Get free catalogues. You can learn all incredible amount about fly fishing by studying the wishbooks that cater to it. You’ll also get an idea of what’s out there in the way of tackle. x x9. Keep a notebook of your experiences. Keeping a journal affords you the luxury of reliving your adventures in your own words. You will also be able to process this information over the seasons, and learn from it. x x10.  Go Fishing! x xClay Riness is the proprietor of Rocking Trout Spring Creek Fishing Service in Coon Valley, Wisconsin. x x x*Story from the FFF Story File x x

Response:

Ten Tips for Beginning Fly Fishers* x x6. Learn to cast on grass, not water. use your yard, or a local park (or even a gymnasium, if one’s available). This way, you can concentrate strictly on developing and improving your casting, without having to worry about anything else.

I agree to a point.  Picking up your line before the back cast is an important aspect and the feel of the line coming off the water is different than coming off of grass.   x x7. Take up a little basic  fly tying. Losing flies is much easier when it’s a ratty old thing you tied for eight cents, instead of a two dollar bit of fluff with an intimidating name. Catching fish on your home-tied creation is a lot more fun, too. And if you keep at it, you’ll eventually be able to tie fancy bits of fluff with intimidating names.

More importantly, I think fly tying makes you much more aware of the insects that you are trying to immitate and the various stages.  You’re not just fishing with a fancy bit of fluff with an intimidating name but a representation of a real insect. — John Fereira Pleasanton, CA

Response: