Question:

Eastern Canada’s fly/spin casting championships, $$$$ in prizes. Limited entry. 3rd. Annual Fly Tying  ’MAIL-IN’  Competition, great prizes. NO ENTRY FEE Atlantic Outdoor Sports and RV Show http://www.flyschool.net/rv.htm

Response:

Oh well, if it

Question:

I ran across some sinking tips which you attach to the end of your fly line with a loop connection.  They had 3 different sink rates (3"/second, 6"/second, 9"/second) in 12 foot lengths.  I purchased the slower two sink rates.  When I got home and unpacked these sink tips I was surprised to find that they are not tapered.  With the addition of a hinge in the line and the fact that they are not tapered, won’t this make casting them difficult.  I am going to try them tomorrow but would like to hear if anyone has some advice on how to properly use these add on sink tips.  After a day of messing with them I would like to read some advice from someone who has used these things. Thanks in advance David

Response:

I make them myself by chopping up a fast sinking flyline and threading the sinking line into a short piece of braided mono line.  I use them for salmon fishing with a 9wt rod.  You need a rod with a bit of punch and cast with a more open loop than you would normally.  I put a coat of flexament on my braids and that stiffens the hinge somewhat.  I do use a WF line with my setup and the rod will load up with alot less line out.  Just make a couple of practise casts and you will find the sweet spot.  I mark my floating line with a sharpie pen.  Check the loop connections regularly, I did have one fail on me while fighting a big fish.  Sounded like a firecracker.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I ran across some sinking tips which you attach to the end of your fly line with a loop connection.  They had 3 different sink rates (3"/second, 6"/second, 9"/second) in 12 foot lengths.  I purchased the slower two sink rates. When I got home and unpacked these sink tips I was surprised to find that they are not tapered.  With the addition of a hinge in the line and the fact that they are not tapered, won’t this make casting them difficult.  I am going to try them tomorrow but would like to hear if anyone has some advice on how to properly use these add on sink tips.  After a day of messing with them I would like to read some advice from someone who has used these things. Thanks in advance David

Response:

You can get tapered sink tips (not exactly tips per se) from Airflo.  They are called Polyleaders and come in 5′ and 10′ length in all sink rates from floating to type 4(?) sinking and in two weight ranges ("trout" for line weights up to 5 and "salmon/bass" for 6-9 weights). In spite of some other people’s complaints about Airflo products I have found these to be very good (as well as a 4 wt Hi Sense long belly fly line I use).  I made some level sink tips from a discarded full sinking line and defineitely found the Polyleaders to be superior. You can get these from ezflyfish.com.  I haven’t found another place that sells these (except Feathercraft in St. Louis, but they don’t have as broad a selection as Mr. Winter does). Mu

Response:

says… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I ran across some sinking tips which you attach to the end of your fly line with a loop connection.  They had 3 different sink rates (3"/second, 6"/second, 9"/second) in 12 foot lengths.  I purchased the slower two sink rates.  When I got home and unpacked these sink tips I was surprised to find that they are not tapered.  With the addition of a hinge in the line and the fact that they are not tapered, won’t this make casting them difficult.  I am going to try them tomorrow but would like to hear if anyone has some advice on how to properly use these add on sink tips.  After a day of messing with them I would like to read some advice from someone who has used these things. Thanks in advance David

I fished the Orvis Sink Tips with my WF line yesterday and they worked quite well. They DO load the rod MUCH more rapidly at shorter distances though! Forget about using these things with light patters though. I fought more tailing loops and windknots with an 18 BeadHead than I did fishing it! If found that heavier patterns work well. — Michael Era

Question:

Hi everybody, I am an Italian brand new member of AOPA USA with an FAA PPL license. I am actually planning a flying journey in the Western states with a friend of mine. I will take off from Los Angeles on next July 1st and the goal is to fly northbound through Central and Northern California, Oregon, Washington State, Seattle, up to Vancouver and back to LAX. The trip will last no more than 16 days, and it

Question:

Lost set up, hard drive kaput. need name of the usenet fly tying group. Any help appreciated. —  *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *       *  *  Skip Summer             From somewhere in the Huron River, *  *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *       *

Response:

Lost set up, hard drive kaput. need name of the usenet fly tying group. Any help appreciated.

rec.outdoors.fishing.fly.tying — Charlie…

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Question:

Hi– On my way to Schroon Lake/Schroon River in upstate NY from Erie, PA.  Although I’ve lived there on and off for over 35 years, I am new to flyfishing.  Will trout still be active in the river? Should I head for the dam near Chestertown? Or, is the season finished?  Thanks for any assistance! P.S. Time won’t permit a side trip to the Ausable…although I plan on it in the spring. Regards, Brian

Response:

Hi– On my way to Schroon Lake/Schroon River in upstate NY from Erie, PA. Although I’ve lived there on and off for over 35 years, I am new to flyfishing.  Will trout still be active in the river? Should I head for the dam near Chestertown? Or, is the season finished?  Thanks for any assistance! P.S. Time won’t permit a side trip to the Ausable…although I plan on it in the spring. Regards, Brian

   Although the Schroon is heavily stocked by both the State and Warren County it is a put and take river with virtually no holdover. Come back in the spring after mid may and the water levels will be down to where you can wade the river.

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Question:

GRAND CANYON TRIP REPORT (a fictitious account)

 Nicely written/related.  Reading your account makes me yearn for the Canyon.  Hmmmm, wait 17 years, pay $700 plus in fees and risk the no-mercy permit system, or go now, avoid the inane bureaucracy and risk $3000-4000 Happy Boating, Chris Donohue WSU – Pullman, WA "I used up all my sick days, so I’m calling in dead."                                                         – Anonymous

Response:

GRAND CANYON TRIP REPORT (a fictitious account)

Great story;  what an adventure!  But, if the following is true: If one is to plan a clandestined run of the Canyon, best to do it during the off-season when not many people are likely to be encountered.  And of course, don’t get caught.  I hear the fine for running the Canyon without a permit is in the $3000-4000 range!!!   WOWWW!

why not just get a "cancellation permit" and run the river legal? Are there not plenty of open slots off season? — Chris

Response:

GRAND CANYON TRIP REPORT (a fictitious account)

Hummm!!! "Fictitious account"????  Sounds fishy to me.  A few months ago Rocky wants to know from this group how to avoid rangers with radios on the Grand and now this story??!!!?  :-)

Response:

| GRAND CANYON TRIP REPORT (a fictitious account) | | | Hummm!!! "Fictitious account"????  Sounds fishy to me.  A few months ago | Rocky wants to know from this group how to avoid rangers with radios on | the Grand and now this story??!!!?  :-) He was prob’ly just researchin’ the story just like any other fiction writer would. Of course, perhaps there was _other_ research involved in ensuring the story had dramatic impact and audience appeal with a feeling of truth. Let’s see what other tales Rocky comes up with. SYITP (see you in the pool) Ken

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why not just get a "cancellation permit" and run the river legal? Are there not plenty of open slots off season? — Chris

Actually I tried calling over 40 times last fall and didn’t get a cancellation.  They can be had, but it’s getting tougher and tougher to get them.  I don’t think it’s any easier getting cancellations in winter than in other months, because they reserve so few for the off-season anyway. -Rocky

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What would the probablity of success be? ;-

Response:

What would the probablity of success be? ;-

Probability best if you go November or December.  Good if you go January or February, or October.  Next time I hear Joe plans on going in October because there’s no motorized rafts permitted that month and the weather is still pretty warm (highs 80s).   -Rocky

Response:

: why not just get a "cancellation permit" and run the river legal? : Actually I tried calling over 40 times last fall and didn’t get a            ^ : cancellation. : -Rocky Ummm, don’t you mean ‘Joe’ called? Steve — Steve Cramer                     Test Scoring & Reporting Services      Sometimes you never can University of Georgia                    always tell what you Athens, GA 30602-5593                      least expect the most.

Response:

: why not just get a "cancellation permit" and run the river legal? : Actually I tried calling over 40 times last fall and didn’t get a           ^ : cancellation. : -Rocky Ummm, don’t you mean ‘Joe’ called? Steve —

Oh, NO, Rocky didn’t mean "I" as in the first person.  He meant "I" as in an *initial*.  Another initial that Joe uses is "G". Isn’t that right, Rocky? Jackie                                  _                        _   _        _   _                     \                      / /       / /                     \                        "          "                         `                                        ,sSSs,,                         )w/(       ,sSS..)/{)                       <<..       sSSS_v)/                      )<*      sSS[(_]___         o                                                 o                             \     o      o                                              \  o            o                                  `                                                    o           o               o                                                  o GASP! – A forum for Gulf (of Mexico) Area Sea Paddlers http://www.intelenet.net/clubs/gasp/

Response:

GRAND CANYON TRIP REPORT (a fictitious account)      The Grand Canyon is perhaps the finest river trip in the world.  A minimum of 225 miles must be traversed through the canyon to be able to put-in and take-out on roads.  The Colorado runs through the National Park in this area, and a permit is required.  It is a BIG DEAL.  Only approximately 350 private permits are issued per year.  If you put your name on the waiting list last year, you go behind 6000 other permit seekers.  That translates to 6000/350=17 YEARS before you get your permit!!!  Granted, for each permit you can have 20 people and stay in the canyon 14-30 days, but is there a place for the non-wealthy person that wants to go on a shorter trip, alone, or with only one or two others?  Should he/she just wait 17 years for such a permit, and then put to waste all those people spots and extra time that the permit allows?  For some, this is just too outrageous.  Better to become an outlaw and do the run without a permit.      Such was the attitude of one adventure seeker I know ("Joe").   Sometime in December, when a week could be taken off, the trip was planned.  Carefully -mind you.  Timing is critical.  No motorized craft are permitted in the canyon from September 15-December 15.  One doesn’t want a ranger speeding up behind you and catching you.  Such an event happened to me in Canyonlands National Park in 1994 when I was doing a solo trip from Loma to Hite through Cataract Canyon.  It would be nice to be able to locate rangers in the canyon to avoid any contact.  A CB radio was brought along.  At the South Rim, the rangers would not tell Joe what frequency they used.  All he got out of them was "the radios don’t work down in the canyon."  Perhaps they use special frequencies reserved for law enforcement people.  Hence the CB was not taken on the river.  How about put-ins?  Lees Ferry is the normal spot swarming with rangers, though Joe, having never done the Canyon before, didn’t know what the Lees Ferry area looked like.  Instead, he tried to put in 15 miles upstream at Glen Canyon Dam.  Upon arrival at Glen Canyon Dam, he noticed that there was no road down to the river there, and the walls are nearly vertical.  In the Dam visitor center, a kind woman informed Joe that there was a trail down to the river on river left just below the dam, but it was treacherous and takes about a half hour down.  Joe decided that this wasn’t the best idea, so decided to take his chances at Lees Ferry, perhaps launching at night when nobody could see.  Joy entered Joe’s heart when the lady informed him that they were releasing 13000-19000 cfs from the dam.  He had thought there would only be 8000 cfs in the river (as stated on the Colorado Flow Page).   More water = faster travel and funner rapids!      Off to Lees Ferry he went, arriving in the afternoon about 2 pm.   From the highway, a road several miles long leads down to the river at Lees Ferry.  It seemed terribly easy to get down to the river without anybody spotting him.  He settled on a spot by the Paria Riffle, just downstream of the Paria River, by some mobile home type areas, but right next to the water.  There was a nice large parking area and lots of shrubs/trees that the clandestined activitiy of loading the kayak could be accomplished at.  The normal put-in spot could be viewed about a half mile upstream.  The plan was to get everything out/off of the truck (the kayak as quickly as possible, since such a sight is a dead give-away), load up everything into the kayak, then drive back up to the little town of Marble Canyon and find somebody to drive the truck to near the take-out – Las Vegas.  Joe was thinking of finding a party of two or more going to Las Vegas, and having them leave his truck in the Excaliber (or Luxor) parking lot.  Joe would then return to the boat at dusk and launch.  At the takeout (Temple Bar on Lake Mead), he would get a lift into Las Vegas, drive back and pick up the kayak.  Such was the plan.  As he was loading the kayak, a car drove by and then down to the same spot Joe was at.  Very apprehensive at first, Joe hid everything that might give away his planned activity and approached the vehicle.   The Gods were in Joe’s favor!  The vehicle contained three foreigners – an Aussie, an Englishwoman, and an Israeli all in their 20s-early 30s.   Joe asked, "Sightseeing?" and so began a productive conversation.  The three were staying at the hostel in Page and just mosying around seeing whatever there was to see.  Just PERFECT!  Out of Joe’s mouth came the plan to run the river and the need for someone to drive his truck to Las Vegas.  He offered them $40 if they’d do it.  It turns out the Israeli, named Udi, actually was not with the other two, but was just bumming rides from people going around the country.  He had to get to LA in the next couple weeks to fly home.  After about a half hour of thought, Udi agreed to take the truck.  Joe told Udi he’d give him $60 if he went so far as to leave the truck at the take-out (Temple Bar on Lake Mead) instead of Las Vegas, and this he agreed to.  Joe planned 7 more days on the river, and told Udi, "you must have the truck at Temple Bar by dusk eight days from now."    So Joe took off into the wild, still anxious about a ranger spotting him in the first few miles.        Having launched around 3:30 pm the first day, not much distance could be made.  The days are short in December (10 hours of light), so every daylight hour is precious.  Passing the Navajo Bridge after several miles with no signs of rangers, Joe knew he was out of danger.   It grew dark after he had paddled 8 or 9 miles.  Badger Creek rapid was run in twilight.  The next four miles were quite exciting in the dark. Coming up on Soap Creek he noticed a couple lights.  Afraid it might be the law, he avoided contact with the campers, but paddled just past them as the Soap Creek rapid began, pulling over to the side to camp.   Paddling though a rapid such as Soap Creek was not smart in the dark – espially never having seen it before.  Quickly setting up his tent, he settled in for a fine meal of split-pea soup, bread, and cheese (to be had the next two nights as well), with hot chocolate to top it off.   Laying in the sleeping bag, he quickly fell asleep starting to read (around 8 pm).  In the night he heard what sounded like people walking around his tent.  Waking up at 4 am, he continued to read his recently purchased book by JW Powell, "The Exploration of the Colorado and Its Canyons".  In it he read about Powell’s group travelling through Marble Canyon and then reaching the Grand Canyon.  He also brought along "Cadillac Desert" which contained an abundance of information on the politics of water control in the West.        Before the first sign of light, Joe got up and stalked over to where the other campers were.  They must have hiked in, for there was no raft by the river.  And there was only one tent, so not very many people were there.  He wasn’t worried anymore.  He went back and started on a run up Soap Creek Canyon for almost an hour (getting up the canyon probably  2 miles or so before returning).  The water had dropped during the night – he’d be paddling on 13000 cfs today.  Joe went over to meet the camping couple, who were trying their luck at fishing.  He asked if they’d take some video of him going through Soap Creek Rapid, which they obliged him.  He was off at 9 am.   The boat he paddled was an old fiberglass Phoenix, something of a hybrid sea/whitewater kayak – probably about 90 gallons, 14 ft.  It was banged up from other rivers, and had been patched a year ago.  It leaked horribly, the outfitting was falling out (in particular a loose right hip pad), but it was fast.   Luckily Joe brought a sponge and bilge pump, which he had to use every half hour to remove the inch of water that accumulated on the bottom of the kayak.  Such a large boat is not great for playing, but since Joe wasn’t planning on much of that, the Phoenix was an ideal kayak for the journey.  If he had one, a nice sea kayak would have been preferred.   Paddling most of the time he was on the water, very good time was made on the journey.  The second day he made it to Nankoweap (about 42 miles from Soap Creek), passing House Rock Rapid, Stanton’s Cave, and the beautiful Vasey’s Paradise on the way.  Initially he had trouble finding Stanton’s Cave, looking up a gully that was actually just upstream of it.  Giving up after almost an hour of searching, he continued on paddling, only to spot the cave clearly from the river.  It is fenced off inside to help promote the BLACK Bat to roost in there once more.   In the side canyons above Nankoweap several deer were spotted among the mesquite bushes.  Around mile 40 a group of 5-6 rafts was passed (clearly a private party), though no contact was made.  At Nankoweap the guidebook states there is a long rapid (Grand Canyon class 3), but which is really not more than a class one.  Joe tried to camp at side canyons with fun hikes that he would do in the morning, and also ones with driftwood that he could build a small fire for warmth with.  Such was Nankoweap.  Fires are only permitted in the off-season (October through March), and all traces must be removed.  Joe didn’t take out the ashes (very minor amounts), but usually threw them in the river.  Of course Joe did pack out all solid human waste and trash.      The next morning he rose before dawn and started on the run/hike to see the springs a few miles up the canyon, and also the Indian ruins.   The stream here is perennial, with fresh, clear, cold water running down it.  It all originates up at the springs which are a good hike away.   The water seeps out of the ground in several spots up there, and there are many reeds growing around the springs.  Going fast, running much of

… read more »

Response:

    GRAND CANYON TRIP REPORT (a fictitious account)                     <big ol’ snip         realated by Rocky Contos               Thanks for the great story!  Too bad "Joe" is fictictious, sounds like     a hell of a paddler!

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Question:

I am tring to build a kite to use for offshore fishing.  The ones I have seen are just a square kite with the spars in a x configuration. I need the kite to fly in wind between 5 an 10 mph.  Im looking for water proof material and strong lightweight spars.  I figure the kite would need to be about 30 inches by 30 inches.  Any help anyone could give me with parts selection would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks Kent D. Bottorf

Response:

: I am tring to build a kite to use for offshore fishing.  The ones I : have seen are just a square kite with the spars in a x configuration. : I need the kite to fly in wind between 5 an 10 mph.  Im looking for : water proof material and strong lightweight spars.  I figure the kite : would need to be about 30 inches by 30 inches.  Any help anyone could : give me with parts selection would be greatly appreciated.. Hmmm. None of the commercial offerings would work? Last time I was at the beach, I was pleased to see Gala was still selling some variety of the "Bat Kite" I remembered as a child. That would seem strong enough to work. On a side note, some shark fisherman use a Life-Saver<tm (the candy) and a big plastic garbage bag. They inflate the bag, and tie it closed. The baited line is rigged through a candy. If the wind is right, it blows the bag out to sea, and eventually the candy dissolves, dropping the bait in deeper water than they could otherwise cast to. I’m opposed to this littering, since the bag isn’t recovered, but they theory is interesting….

Response:

I am tring to build a kite to use for offshore fishing.  The ones I have seen are just a square kite with the spars in a x configuration. I need the kite to fly in wind between 5 an 10 mph.  Im looking for water proof material and strong lightweight spars.  I figure the kite would need to be about 30 inches by 30 inches.  Any help anyone could give me with parts selection would be greatly appreciated.. Thanks Kent D. Bottorf

Kent,   My suggestion would be to just buy a Bob Lewis fishing kite.  I kite fish quite a bit here in S Fla, and I think you’ll get to spend a lot more time fishing by just buying instead of building.  My wife and I tried several times to figure out a better kite system, but gave up in frustration. —                  |                 |    |                           /    |   Nothin’ Fancy          /

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Question:

It looks like I will be attending a conference at Disneyland in Anneheim early next month.  Any flyfishing (fresh or Saltwater) in this area ? I am willing to travel within reason. I am not from the USA, so if you specify a fish species, please also add any info on line weights, flies etc, as I noticed on my last trip to the USA that fish names vary considerably around the world. Are there any good shops in the area who could advise me ? Thanks Bruce…..

Response:

It looks like I will be attending a conference at Disneyland in Anneheim early next month.  Any flyfishing (fresh or Saltwater) in this area ? I am willing to travel within reason. I am not from the USA, so if you specify a fish species, please also add any info on line weights, flies etc, as I noticed on my last trip to the USA that fish names vary considerably around the world. Are there any good shops in the area who could advise me ? Thanks Bruce…..

– I’m not sure about the actual fishing in that immediate area, but you’ll be within a long cast with a shooting head of one of the biggest fly shops around – Bob Marriott’s.  DON’T miss it… and set yourself a budget before you walk in the door. <<grin Joe Ellis         o/~ The Synthetic Filker o/~ |    TesserAct Studios  ()X  Darwin (;        Now on the Web at      |   Fairfield, OH 45018  //~~~LL~~~~LL~  http://shell.idt.net/~ellis69 |  New Dimensions In Filk!

Response:

Question:

Those of you who have more mobility than mere wading but without a Mako, Whaler, or Hewes: what is your preferred way of getting away from shore and why? Darren Lew NYC

Response:

If you don’t have a boat and fish during daylight hours, consider renting a skiff.  Long Island has a number of fishing stations that do so.  The shallow-draft boats they feature would be fine for fly casting–stable with shallow-water capability.

Response:

<<Those of you who have more mobility than mere wading but without a Mako, Whaler, or Hewes: what is your preferred way of getting away from shore and why? I am currently strictly a wading FFer, but my next toy will be a kayak. There is a whole new breed of ocean-going kayaks, some which are sort of hybridized canoes with open cockpits, some with a bit more beam for stability. I’m told that a good sized striper can give the kayaker a "Nantucket Sleighride". If anyone wishes to advance me $700 – $1,000 I will be pleased to report in more detail on the effectiveness of the craft.

Response:

Those of you who have more mobility than mere wading but without a Mako, Whaler, or Hewes: what is your preferred way of getting away from shore and why? Darren Lew NYC

Depends. If we’re talking back bay low light. Canoe. Almost anywhere else a small (Carolina skiff ?) GLASS boat (12-14 ft) with a Honda engine. I have never tried a kayak. Perhaps it would be great in the surf ? I prefer glass to tin for less noise, better long term durabilty and more inertia for waves to overcome. "The true angler is always content to fish alone" Brian Di Carlo

Response:

I get around Gardnier’s bay in a poke boat which is a cross ,between a Kayak and a canoe, but more to the kayak side of things. Its great becauuse its so portable, but very hard to fish from. You can’t even kneel in a  kayak and that makes it tough. If you’re using it to get from one flat to another then its good, but not too swift as a fishing platofrm itself. Ira Clair

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Question:

I have the opportunity to buy a used 2-man fiberglass drift boat, equiped w/oars, anchor, trailer, etc., but I’m really not sure what’s the going price? Any ideas?  Please let me know what to what out for in buying a used fiberglass drift.

Response:

Please let me know what to what out for in buying a used fiberglass drift.

Leaks? — -Wayne Trzyna

Response:

i looked at boat that could handle two persons only (not sure of the size) and the guy was asking $1400.  Because of the small size and ability to carry such a light load, many people don’t want them.  Bottom line is that the guy took $800 for it. Having had a few drift boat, don’t get sucked into the price and compromise on the size.  A two man boat offers limited carry capacity.  You will always have more gear then you anticipate plus at least two other friends who want to fish.   I just built a 17′ flyfishing model that can carry 3 fisherman and one oarsman confortability, first one I ever owned that really is close to what I need.   — Gene Dobrzynski, Eagle River, Alaska

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