Question:

Looking for a site that talks about the basics of saltwater flyfishing for stripers (especially if it mentions the New Jersey coast). Am interested in trying it this summer and would like to learn the basics. Thanks!

Response:

Looking for a site that talks about the basics of saltwater flyfishing for stripers (especially if it mentions the New Jersey coast). Am interested in trying it this summer and would like to learn the basics. Thanks!

Hey Mark,         SoJersery Fly Fishers will hold some courses on this topic this year. I’ll see if I can find out more… I am gonna go to their meeting this Thursday… — Michael Era

Question:

I’ll be going to Deschutes and Waterton-Glacier park in Montana. Does anyone know of any good fly shops near by and some good trout streams? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Ron

Response:

I’ll be going to Deschutes and Waterton-Glacier park in Montana. Does anyone know of any good fly shops near by and some good trout streams? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Ron

Er . . . There is a Deschutes River in Oregon (and a smaller Deschutes River in Washington), but I don’t know of a "Deschutes" in Montana?  If its the one in Oregon, there is a fine shop in Maupin, but if you are fishing the mouth from where the Deschutes meets the Columbia, you need to get your stuff in Portland (Kaufmans Streamborn in Beaverton?) or if coming down from Washington (I-5?) then Angler’s Workshop in Woodland is your best bet. As to the Waterton-Glacier area . . . I don’t know. Dave

Response:

Dave, that wasn’t very clear. I should have said Deschutes OR and Waterton-Glacier Mt. Ron

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be going to Deschutes and Waterton-Glacier park in Montana. Does anyone know of any good fly shops near by and some good trout streams? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Ron Er . . . There is a Deschutes River in Oregon (and a smaller Deschutes River in Washington), but I don’t know of a "Deschutes" in Montana?  If its the one in Oregon, there is a fine shop in Maupin, but if you are fishing the mouth from where the Deschutes meets the Columbia, you need to get your stuff in Portland (Kaufmans Streamborn in Beaverton?) or if coming down from Washington (I-5?) then Angler’s Workshop in Woodland is your best bet. As to the Waterton-Glacier area . . . I don’t know. Dave

Response:

Question:

I am planning to make a trip to the Charlottes shortly so that I can partake in a little winter steelheading there. I am trying to gather as much info. as I can before I go. Does anyone know what the steelheading has been like up there this season? Specifically, I am interested in fishing the Yakoun and, possibly, the Tlell rivers. I have been to the Yakoun before, but not the Tlell. I wonder, how well suited is the Tlell to fly fishing? Are the reaches above tide water easy to get at. Any kind hearted soul who with some useful info can reach me at: Thanks in advance.

Response:

Please post info.  we are interested on your findings! Thanks. John – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am planning to make a trip to the Charlottes shortly so that I can partake in a little winter steelheading there. I am trying to gather as much info. as I can before I go. Does anyone know what the steelheading has been like up there this season? Specifically, I am interested in fishing the Yakoun and, possibly, the Tlell rivers. I have been to the Yakoun before, but not the Tlell. I wonder, how well suited is the Tlell to fly fishing? Are the reaches above tide water easy to get at. Any kind hearted soul who with some useful info can reach me at: Thanks in advance.

Response:

I am planning to make a trip to the Charlottes shortly so that I can partake in a little winter steelheading there. I am trying to gather as much info.

Essential:  James Houston’s memoir Hideaway. He has had a house there for decades. — |        Carlsbad Springs, Ottawa, Canada        |

Response:

Question:

Hello lost a 3lb+ fish in a tourney the other day, throwing a tube on 8lb test Trilene XL. Hooked into her, watched her jump once and saw the size, immediately loosened the drag, then a couple seconds later, the fish was gone. Could have been a weak spot in the line, but I am guessing the line was frayed on rocks or something else under water as the fish was running. Does anyone else use 8lb test in tourneys for spinning finesse situations, or should I go higher? How about any super lines in the same test diameter. Don’t want any more breakoffs! I also need a line with high visibility out of water and limited visibility under. Thanks to all. John

I use 4/10 FireLine for all my spinning requirements with the exception of slip bobbers.  I catch walleye and smallmouth in clear water without problem.  What I really like is when I fish the cribs and brushpiles.  The FireLine has the needed strength to pull them away from cover. —

Response:

Does anyone else use 8lb test in tourneys for spinning finesse situations, or should I go higher?

I had the same problem with XL.  Now I use 10lb XT on all my spinning gear, it’s tougher and a lot more abrasion resistant.   Chad

Response:

Thanks Graig… brought back some of my own memories!!…Now I got the tears…. Fishing Couldn’t be finer in South Caroliner! * Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping.  Smart is Beautiful

Response:

Craig Baugher wrote!! my buddy got too close and I hooked him in the crotch with three sets of treble hooks, and him saying "Oh God, pleaseeeee, don’t let him set the hook" Good one Craig!!! ROTFLMAO Abe Watson

Response:

Right after I bought my new 7′6" Flipping stick, I smacked myself right in the face with a two pound bass on the hook-set.  I was so shocked, I almost fell out of the boat.

Talk about rippin’ lips…wow…beats the heck out of my setting the hook to soon and having a Spittin’ Image wiz past my head. — Early to Bed, Early to Rise…    Fish all Day, Make up Lies    Shawn

Response:

Been There. . . Done That! The best was when I was fishing with a friend in a small 16′ tracker.  I was using a 7′ rod trying to skip a jerkbait under overhanging brush when my buddy got too close and I hooked him in the crotch with three sets of treble hooks, and him saying "Oh God, pleaseeeee, don’t let him set the hook" (I’m crying thinking about it).  You would’ve had to been there and seeing the look on his face, his stance, and him going "I’m afraid to move, Oh God, I’m afraid to move!  I know those hooks are as sharp as a razor blade!".  I was laughing so hard and he just standing there blabbing away.  "What are you laughing at! I can feel the points on those hooks in places they’re not suppose to be!".  I really did feel bad, but I couldn’t stop laughing., and the more afraid he got, the harder I laughed.  I finally suggested he slowly take off his pants so that we could remove the lure from his pants.  As he started taking his pants off, sure enough, one hook went through his jeans and underwear very close to his scrotum.  I handed him a pair of wire cutters to cut the hook off.  Every time I think about that day, I laugh so hard I cry.  You know, come to think about it, we haven’t fished together since that day.  I’m going to have to ask him if he wants to go fishing next time I see him. (I’m crying) — Craig Baugher — Craig Baugher

Response:

I must sound like a broken record by now, but I am passionate on this subject. I fish Flame Green Fireline exclusively on all my rigs, except for fly fishing of course. Other than being a little noisy, I think it is great. On the three spinning rigs I use regularly, I am rigged with 10#, 14# and 20#. On each I use 10′ long mono or fluorocarbon leaders of matching strength attached with blood-knots, although dual uni-knots would surely do as well. I love these setups because they cast incredibly well, are extremely reliable (I change leaders only once daily), cost effective (I have yet to change the Fireline on any reel), knot strength and integrity is great, visibility is superb and the sensitivity is such that I can feel a minnow fart from 20′ away. I leave my drags set reasonably and have never knowingly lost a fish as a result of lack of line stretch. I do have to stay conscious and sober when fishing so I don’t over-react and force things, but that is a small price to pay. I just don’t see a reason to compromise all these virtues just because I am afraid of pulling a hook out of a fish’s mouth, which I believe is usually avoidable. I promise not to repeat this diatribe for at least a week.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi John, I tournament fish quite a bit (7 since May 27) and do pretty well (Redman, Federation, Angler’s Choice, Opens, etc.).  Out of the seven I have fished so far, I was only out of the top 5 in one (15th place).  The reason I mention my record is because I don’t  use anything below 10 pound test.  I have become convinced that the only one who cares what line size we use is us, the fish don’t appear to care at all. But confidence is an important factor in successful fishing, and if you are not convinced that heavy line will catch fish, it won’t. On my spinning rods, I use 10 pound in ultra clear water and 12 or 14 pound test in must situations.  In my baitcasters, I use 17, 20, and 25 pound test.  I mostly use Trilene XT (Green), except I do have one flipping stick spooled with 17 Pound Vanish for flipping clear water.  I have to admit, I was nervous about going heavy at first.  But now, I love it.  That’s because I now have an extremely high confidence that once a fish is hooked, it’s coming to the boat.  Break offs are a thing of the past. But I do have to warn you about flipping with heavy line, especially on a short flip.  Fish Fly On Hook-set.  Right after I bought my new 7′6" Flipping stick, I smack myself right in the face with a two pound bass on the hook-set.  I was so shocked, I almost fell out of the boat. — Craig Baugher

Response:

Question:

I also catch butterfly peacocks in South Florida. The ultimate bait is, of course, small shiners. The best artificial I’ve used for them is a #5 Rapala floating fire tiger.  The colors seem to really get their attention.  It also works well for largemouth bass! Brady – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – we have peacock bass in south fla. i use a number 13 rapala black or silver back, or a 1/8 oz stanly tadum willow leaf glod and silver spinnerbait with a zoom split tail trailer slow rolled. i found any good topwater bait , pop-r or zarra puppy gets them to. Cajunbass8 "THE TRUTH HURTS"

Response:

If you would like to know what works in S. Florida, you might want to order a copy of Carlos Hidalgo’s "South Florida’s Peacock Bass ". He has suggestions for everything from live bait to flyfishing. It is locally available here in Ft. Lauderdale, but you might want to try my Freshwater Fishing Books page for a link to Amazon.com at http://inshore.com/bk-fresh.html . Jim Sawyer – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am a resident here in hawaii and I would like info on the best methods or lures to catch peacock bass. I haven’t been too successful in catching them and could use any suggestions on catching the butterfly strain of the peacock bass that are stocked here in hawaii. mahalo Lono

Response:

(1)  Do any of you guys/gals who fish for Peacock Bass have pictures of them you could post? (2)  Has anyone ever ascertained if Peacock Bass could cross-breed with LMB bass or spots?  Or smallmouth? Warren Funk

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you would like to know what works in S. Florida, you might want to order a copy of Carlos Hidalgo’s "South Florida’s Peacock Bass ". He has suggestions for everything from live bait to flyfishing. It is locally available here in Ft. Lauderdale, but you might want to try my Freshwater Fishing Books page for a link to Amazon.com at http://inshore.com/bk-fresh.html . Jim Sawyer I am a resident here in hawaii and I would like info on the best methods or lures to catch peacock bass. I haven’t been too successful in catching them and could use any suggestions on catching the butterfly strain of the peacock bass that are stocked here in hawaii. mahalo Lono

Response:

Hey Warren — I just checked out page 742 of McClane’s Standard Fishing Encyclopedia (includes a nice picture).  According to McClane, the Peacock is a member of the cichlid family. Our favorite black beauties are members of the sunfish family.  I dont’ think we have to worry about hybridization because the only situation where members of two completely different families can mate and reproduce is in a cheap Sci-Fi movie. Gotta tell you a quick story about hybridization and cichlids.  Years ago I was strolling the shoreline of Town Lake which winds through downtown Austin, Texas.  When I see a group of anglers on the bank, it’s pretty hard for me to pass by without stopping to see what they’re catching, — especially, as in this case, when they’re acting excited.  So I trotted over and asked what was happening.  One of the older guys said, "My wife just caught the damndest thing you ever saw — it’s a cross between a Bluegill and a Piranha!"  His wife chimed in, "It ain’t safe to swim here anymore — these things could bite your leg off." I have to admit I was pretty curious because it is not unknown for tropical fish hobbyists to turn unwanted pets loose, and Town Lake has produced some interesting catches, so I’ve heard.   So I asked to see the fish.   She proudly held up an 8-inch male Rio Grande Perch, which with its hump, does look a little like a Piranha.   I said, "Yes ma’am, that’s pretty interesting," and continued my walk. The Rio Grande Perch is, I think, the only member of the cichlid family native to North America.  Austin is about as far north as you’re likely to see one. Tight Lines, Bent Rods, Storm

Response:

Warren, I have a picture of about a 3# peacock I caught last year.  Unfortunately, I’m holding it so you have to see me as well! I don’t know if it’s proper to post it here – I can scan it and post it, or e-mail it to you directly. Please let me know. Brady – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – (1)  Do any of you guys/gals who fish for Peacock Bass have pictures of them you could post? (2)  Has anyone ever ascertained if Peacock Bass could cross-breed with LMB bass or spots?  Or smallmouth? Warren Funk If you would like to know what works in S. Florida, you might want to order a copy of Carlos Hidalgo’s "South Florida’s Peacock Bass ". He has suggestions for everything from live bait to flyfishing. It is locally available here in Ft. Lauderdale, but you might want to try my Freshwater Fishing Books page for a link to Amazon.com at http://inshore.com/bk-fresh.html . Jim Sawyer I am a resident here in hawaii and I would like info on the best methods or lures to catch peacock bass. I haven’t been too successful in catching them and could use any suggestions on catching the butterfly strain of the peacock bass that are stocked here in hawaii. mahalo Lono

Response:

I am a resident here in hawaii and I would like info on the best methods or lures to catch peacock bass. I haven’t been too successful in catching them and could use any suggestions on catching the butterfly strain of the peacock bass that are stocked here in hawaii. mahalo Lono

Response:

we have peacock bass in south fla. i use a number 13 rapala black or silver back, or a 1/8 oz stanly tadum willow leaf glod and silver spinnerbait with a zoom split tail trailer slow rolled. i found any good topwater bait , pop-r or zarra puppy gets them to. Cajunbass8 "THE TRUTH HURTS"

Response:

Question:

I will be out in the Durango Co. area in mid July.  I’m looking to get some good fly fishing in, but may not have enough time to spend fishing with a guide.  Any suggestions on some streams that I can fish casually? If so, what flys might be useful at this time. Thanks Mike

Response:

I will be out in the Durango Co. area in mid July.  I’m looking to get some good fly fishing in, but may not have enough time to spend fishing with a guide.  Any suggestions on some streams that I can fish casually? If so, what flys might be useful at this time.

What you want is the San Juan River. It’s actually in New Mexico, but easily accessed from Durango. Wonderful fishing for big trout. Some special regulations and challenges, but well worth it. There are some good accessible places just down from Navajo Reservoir. Check out: Duranglers (guide service in Durango, can give advice at least) http://www.creativelinks.com/recreat/Duranglers.htm New Mexico Flyfishers http://www.thereellife.com/reellife/ — |    Liberty Communications — Michael P. Thompson      | |  Writing, editing, desktop publishing, consulting     | |      <http://www.ecentral.com/members/thompson       |

Response:

Question:

.. the problem is with the fonts in netscape … it seems to pick up a wierd font when setting it up.. especially the earlier netscapes. go into the fonts list and find the offending font and get rid of it, netscape then picks another … – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – keyboarded:

Question:

[deleted] GOOD LUCK; they’re not for the PURIST, but they can be DEADLY on our steelhead here in BC.

Roe is a natural food source and the glo bug is an imitation of the natural.  In *NO* way is this different then an imitation of a Pseudocloen or Flavalinia. Purists (?) be damned ! ‘Pure’ly hypocritical, IMNSFHO. TimW

Response:

I tie what I call a "golden egg" Tie in led wrap, if wanted, on a wide gap hook. Tie on orange hackle for a wet fly to match the size hook (1/0 to Tie in gold mylar cheniel at butt and wrap forward and tie off. Wrap hackle forward and tie off. Whip finish head.  This fly works great for Steelhead and Salmon in California. Have fun.   Jeff – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does anyone know how to tie this rascal? I have been l;ooking for instructions for my brother in law since before christmas. I would really appreciate any instructions or maybe a link to where I can find out. Thanx

Response:

Does anyone know how to tie this rascal? I have been l;ooking for instructions for my brother in law since before christmas. I would really appreciate any instructions or maybe a link to where I can find out. Thanx There are a mulititude of different versions, the easiest is a ball of chenelle on a hook.  I use glo-bug yarn of various colors.  THe yarn is quite thick and works well.  THe basic procedure is to cut off a piece of yarn about 1 cm long.  Put the yarn over the hook, a couple of wraps and fare it like deer hair.

PERFECT instructions. Remember to use the STRONGEST thread you can find, and tie it down HARD, and I mean HARD. Then, using the SHARPEST scissors you have, grab the "parachute", pull it up, and saw the yarn off about 1/4" OR LESS from the shank. It will "flare" into a ball. REMEMBER that ALL of the material (and you don’t need much) is tied on the TOP of the hook;  there is NO material AT ALL on the bottom, at least the way I tie them, and they can be tied in about 30 seconds !!!   To get that little "DOT", I simply lay a small piece of yarn, only a few mm in diameter, on TOP of the main colour. When "parachuted", sawed and flared, that little piece becomes the dot as the ends come  up and meet. They are SO easy to tie that you’ll wonder why you had problems before. GOOD LUCK; they’re not for the PURIST, but they can be DEADLY on our steelhead here in BC. In the spring, add a little polar bear hair, seal’s fur or white ostrich plume to simlute the spent egg casings, and the cutthroat just go nuts over them  (well, at least here in BC where we have ‘Cuts and hatching salmon !!!!       ). Regards de Mikey. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -You can stop here and have the simplest, quickest, who cares if you loose it fly that catches fish.  Or you can bulk it up with more wraps.   You can also trim the yarn into a small tight ball.. Some people add a little red or white etc.. to give a different look.. experiment… BTW, you used to be able to get a mixed bag of yarn with a foot of each color.. Ian

Response:

I have recently started tying a different style of egg pattern known as the scrambled egg.  Wrap thread over the hook shank and tie a 2 – 3 inch strand of yarn to the top of the hook at the eye.  Pinch the strand between your left finger and thumb and pull your hand back towards the bend, so that the yarn slips under tension between your finger and thumb.  Pull back about 1/4 to 3/8 inch in this way, and then move your thumb and finger back up to the point where the yarn is lashed down — forming a "bubble" of yarn on top of the hook.  Wrap the thread around the shank between your fingers and the ‘bubble’.  Repeat this process three or four times, until you reach the bend of the hook, and the thread is wrapped behind the last bubble.  Now, wrap the thread forward across the rear bubble, so that the thread splits the bubble into two lateral regions, forming two bumps of yarn side by side.  Put down a wrap between the two rear most bubbles, and then move forward again, splitting the next bubble in two.  Go all the way to the front of the hook like this, so you finish with about eight ‘eggs’ side by side on top of the length of the hook.  A couple half hithces finishes it off. If you lash down two strands of yarn of different colors side by side, you can acheive a multi-colored egg cluster.  When you wrap forward with the ‘bubble splitting’ wraps, put the thread between the two colors. The attractive feature of this fly, besides the fact that it works, is that it can be tied in about 20 seconds. -Jon

Response:

Does anyone know how to tie this rascal? I have been l;ooking for instructions for my brother in law since before christmas. I would really appreciate any instructions or maybe a link to where I can find out. Thanx

Response:

Does anyone know how to tie this rascal? I have been l;ooking for instructions for my brother in law since before christmas. I would really appreciate any instructions or maybe a link to where I can find out. Thanx

Go to the hobby store and buy some yarn or chenile balls  in the size and color that you want.  Slid them on the hook and apply a drop of glue.  If you want take a pentel marker and add a spot of color. Pretty easy.

Response:

Does anyone know how to tie this rascal? I have been l;ooking for instructions for my brother in law since before christmas. I would really appreciate any instructions or maybe a link to where I can find out. Thanx

Try posting this to rec.outdoors.fishing.fly.tying — Bob Jarvis Mail addresses hacked to foil automailers!

Response:

Does anyone know how to tie this rascal? I have been l;ooking for instructions for my brother in law since before christmas. I would really appreciate any instructions or maybe a link to where I can find out. Thanx

There are a mulititude of different versions, the easiest is a ball of chenelle on a hook.  I use glo-bug yarn of various colors.  THe yarn is quite thick and works well.  THe basic procedure is to cut off a piece of yarn about 1 cm long.  Put the yarn over the hook, a couple of wraps and fare it like deer hair. You can stop here and have the simplest, quickest, who cares if you loose it fly that catches fish.  Or you can bulk it up with more wraps.   You can also trim the yarn into a small tight ball.. Some people add a little red or white etc.. to give a different look.. experiment… BTW, you used to be able to get a mixed bag of yarn with a foot of each color.. Ian

Response:

Does anyone know how to tie this rascal? I use glo-bug yarn of various colors.  THe yarn is quite thick and works well.  THe basic procedure is to cut off a piece of yarn about 1 cm long.  Put the yarn over the hook, a couple of wraps and fare it like deer hair.

I usually use 3 or 4 strands to make a real tight ball when it’s trimmed.   Also, I will make one of the strands a different color to represent the egg eye (e.g., red with salmon orange egg).  Great fish catcher! -Burton — L. Burton Hawley         2330 NW Hummingbird Corvallis, OR

Response:

Does anyone know how to tie this rascal? I use glo-bug yarn of various colors.  THe yarn is quite thick and works well.  THe basic procedure is to cut off a piece of yarn about 1 cm long.  Put the yarn over the hook, a couple of wraps and fare it like deer hair. I usually use 3 or 4 strands to make a real tight ball when it’s trimmed.   Also, I will make one of the strands a different color to represent the egg eye (e.g., red with salmon orange egg).  Great fish catcher!

That’s that way that I tie them too.  One of the other things that I’ve done is to take a few wisps of white marabou and tie them just in front of the egg.  I’m not sure if it simulates part of the egg sac or an egg that has been fertilized but it seem to work well. Someone asked about how to tie an erzats (sp/) egg awhile back and I don’t think I ever saw an answer.  I fooled around with some of that sparkle chennile that’s used in an erzats egg awhile back and just couldn’t figure out how they are done. John Fereira

Response:

Question:

I try to bring a rod/reel with me when I backpack (my friend always brings his).  I mainly bring a few flys with me.  I think a good time to fish is when the mosquitos come out.  If you look at a lake you’ll see if fish are in there when the mosquitos are out (feeding time). Harold. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Alright, the truth has to come out sooner or later.  Why is there never a post on fishing and backpacking?  Don’t ask me to go to the alt.fishing newsgroup–those people are dedicated.  I am not.  I just want to know what I can expect if I carry a very small collapsible rod and mini-reel.  Whenever I try to fish in the backcountry, I come across tiny streams that look like there is no hope or mountain lake that is snow-free for all of two months a year and you can see to the bottom of and personally verify there are no fish in its sterile environment.  In 25 years of mountain backpacking, I have never caught a fish–although I do pretty good in the stocked lowlands. Does anyone have any wilderness fishing secrets to share with us?   Who packs a rod and are glad they did?  Secret bait?  Techniques? Equipment?  Eggs, worms, lures?  Just give it up?  Hunt for crawdads instead?  Catching local bait?  Set a line overnight?  Anything . . . — John Kiljan

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – An interesting thread. I’d like to ask a question of the experienced mountain fishermen out there : Is there a "fish line" analogous to timberline ? i.e. an altitude above which you will not find fish ? We’re heading for CO next week and I know of a gorgeous little lake way up around 13,000. Any chance there’ll be fish in it ? I don’t know the answer but the highest lake I have fished at with success is the Upper Hancock Lake (near the ghost town of St. Elmo) and it is, if memory serves me, just over 11,000 feet. One other lake (where I had the best fishing day of my life) is also just over 11,000 feet. Geez, 13,000 feet seems pretty high up there for fishing?

To the best of my knowledge,  trout are not native to most alpine lakes.  There is always a fall or bad rapids that prevents upstream migration.  If there are fish in high country lakes, they probably are stocked.  You’ll just have to ask.  the best place is a local fly shop. …… Seek harmony and balance in the mountains, find harmony and balance within…..

Response:

Alright, the truth has to come out sooner or later.  Why is there never a post on fishing and backpacking?  Don’t ask me to go to the alt.fishing newsgroup–those people are dedicated.  I am not.  I just want to know what I can expect if I carry a very small collapsible rod and mini-reel.  

Well, here is an answer from a dedicated fisherman who backpacks. Whenever I try to fish in the backcountry, I come across tiny streams that look like there is no hope or mountain lake that is snow-free for all of two months a year and you can see to the bottom of and personally verify there are no fish in its sterile environment.  In 25 years of mountain backpacking, I have never caught a fish–although I do pretty good in the stocked lowlands.

Hard to say why you have never seen a fish up in the mountains… They are harder to see because they are wild and blend in with the bottom better, and they tend to be a lot smaller due to the restricted growing season. Does anyone have any wilderness fishing secrets to share with us?   Who packs a rod and are glad they did?  Secret bait?  Techniques? Equipment?  Eggs, worms, lures?  Just give it up?  Hunt for crawdads instead?  Catching local bait?  Set a line overnight?  Anything . . .

The secret? Flies. Pure and simple. Wild trout feed on insects. Learn how to fly fish. I rarely fail to catch at least a few in most of the high mountain streams and lakes. At least in the California Sierra Nevada Moutains. Darryl Hayashida

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snip Does anyone have any wilderness fishing secrets to share with us?   Who packs a rod and are glad they did?  Secret bait?  Techniques? Equipment?  Eggs, worms, lures?  Just give it up?  Hunt for crawdads instead?  Catching local bait?  Set a line overnight?  Anything . . . — John Kiljan

Hi John,         I do a lot of solo hiking and always carry fishing equipment which pays for the space and weight.  Most of my experience is in Yosemite and Sequoia, and I’ve never failed to catch small native trout.  I know there are a lot of purist who’ll object, but this is food, and I eat every one.         I carry a collapsible 7′ rod, a mini spinning reel with 4# mono line.  I use #18 bronze treble hooks and carry a black film canister filled with fresh velveta.  I barely cover the hook, this is small, like the head of a book match.  More will work, not any better though, and the fish are usually small anyway.         I fly fish some, so I understand a little about reading water.  I found fish in 4" slow runs, places too small to hide a canteen, places you’d swear wouldn’t hold a 6" trout.  I don’t cast, just drop it in and let the water pull off some line, and when it stops I reel in the slack.  Never counted how many tries to catch a fish, but I’ve never gotten bored or hungry.         Landing the fish is no problem.  I use the 2" blade on my Swiss Army knife to clean them per the Rappalla book.  I rinse them well and nestle them head to tail, wrap them in aluminum foil, and place them in the hot embers.  They have a lot of flavor.         Other things in my fishing kit:                 Red plastic hook disgorger with the big end cut off and                         the shaft roughened                 A clean plastic super market vegetable bag which I rinse                         and use again to put the dispatched fish on my                         belt                 1/4 of an old facecloth for picking up wigglin’ fish         Guess there are some other things I carry, sliding sinkers for lakes, a couple of small casting lures to amuse myself with, and a couple  plastic look-alike bugs.  Hope this helps. –Charleroi

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Do you really think that experienced people are going post their favorite fishing spot? Would you like by some land which occasionally above water? I don’t fish, so I won’t suggest that people fish at the V. place. But others can.

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The secret? Flies. Pure and simple. Wild trout feed on insects. Learn how to fly fish. I rarely fail to catch at least a few in most of the high mountain streams and lakes. At least in the California Sierra Nevada Moutains. I like fly fishing too, but I doubt that it is "the secret". I have used a lightweight (4 lb test) with 1/16 oz. spinners and never failed to bring home fish for dinner in Colorado. I go for the fly fishing also.  But, the learning curve can be brutal. For someone not into fly fishing, I recommend spinners (ie: Mepps ‘0′) on a high quality 2 lb test line, -or- Power Bait fished 6 to 9 inches off the bottom with a tight line. Nothing to be proud of but they will catch fish. — I find that most people fall into one of two groups.  Those that are quick to tell you that it can’t be done, and those who are quick to try to make it work.  When all is said and done, I hope to be counted in the second group.  -  George  POWER BAIT??? That’s as bad as baiting bears!!! Shame on you.

I thought they were talking about trout.  When I go for bear I use a much heavier line.  2lbs test is just not strong enough for bear. My mistake. — I find that most people fall into one of two groups.  Those that are quick to tell you that it can’t be done, and those who are quick to try to make it work.  When all is said and done, I hope to be counted in the second group.  -  George

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The secret? Flies. Pure and simple. Wild trout feed on insects. Learn how to fly fish. I rarely fail to catch at least a few in most of the high mountain streams and lakes. At least in the California Sierra Nevada Moutains. I like fly fishing too, but I doubt that it is "the secret". I have used a lightweight (4 lb test) with 1/16 oz. spinners and never failed to bring home fish for dinner in Colorado. I go for the fly fishing also.  But, the learning curve can be brutal. For someone not into fly fishing, I recommend spinners (ie: Mepps ‘0′) on a high quality 2 lb test line, -or- Power Bait fished 6 to 9 inches off the bottom with a tight line. Nothing to be proud of but they will catch fish. — I find that most people fall into one of two groups.  Those that are quick to tell you that it can’t be done, and those who are quick to try to make it work.  When all is said and done, I hope to be counted in the second group.  -  George  POWER BAIT??? That’s as bad as baiting bears!!! Shame on you.

Actually, I thought they were walking about trout.  When I go for bear I use a much heaver line.  2 lbs test is just too light for bear. — I find that most people fall into one of two groups.  Those that are quick to tell you that it can’t be done, and those who are quick to try to make it work.  When all is said and done, I hope to be counted in the second group.  -  George

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The secret? Flies. Pure and simple. Wild trout feed on insects. Learn how to fly fish. I rarely fail to catch at least a few in most of the high mountain streams and lakes. At least in the California Sierra Nevada Moutains. I like fly fishing too, but I doubt that it is "the secret". I have used a lightweight (4 lb test) with 1/16 oz. spinners and never failed to bring home fish for dinner in Colorado. I go for the fly fishing also.  But, the learning curve can be brutal. For someone not into fly fishing, I recommend spinners (ie: Mepps ‘0′) on a high quality 2 lb test line, -or- Power Bait fished 6 to 9 inches off the bottom with a tight line. Nothing to be proud of but they will catch fish. — I find that most people fall into one of two groups.  Those that are quick to tell you that it can’t be done, and those who are quick to try to make it work.  When all is said and done, I hope to be counted in the second group.  -  George

  POWER BAIT???  That’s as bad as baiting bears!!! Shame on you.

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The secret? Flies. Pure and simple. Wild trout feed on insects. Learn how to fly fish. I rarely fail to catch at least a few in most of the high mountain streams and lakes. At least in the California Sierra Nevada Moutains. I like fly fishing too, but I doubt that it is "the secret". I have used a lightweight (4 lb test) with 1/16 oz. spinners and never failed to bring home fish for dinner in Colorado.

I go for the fly fishing also.  But, the learning curve can be brutal. For someone not into fly fishing, I recommend spinners (ie: Mepps ‘0′) on a high quality 2 lb test line, -or- Power Bait fished 6 to 9 inches off the bottom with a tight line. Nothing to be proud of but they will catch fish. — I find that most people fall into one of two groups.  Those that are quick to tell you that it can’t be done, and those who are quick to try to make it work.  When all is said and done, I hope to be counted in the second group.  -  George

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writes: The secret? Flies. Pure and simple. Wild trout feed on insects. Learn how to fly fish.

I use flies, but I don’t know how to fly fish in the traditional sense. I use a spinning rod and reel. About 2-3 feet from the end of the line I attach a elongated teardrop-shaped bobber. It has a rubber tube inside that the line slides through, then to secure it, I just give it a few twists. A plug opens on one end that I can fill with water; too much and it’ll sink, too little and I can’t cast far. Simple! Then I just tie on a fly on the end of the line and, wallah, flyfishing for people like me! My knowledge is that most high lakes in Washington state are stocked. I’m not sure how to tell the difference between wild and harvested fish. Anyone know? Jason R. wherever you go, there you are – HDT

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: An interesting thread. I’d like to ask a question of the : experienced mountain fishermen out there : Is there : a "fish line" analogous to timberline ? i.e. an altitude : above which you will not find fish ? : We’re heading for CO next week and I know of a gorgeous : little lake way up around 13,000. Any chance there’ll : be fish in it ? I’ve fished Ice Lake in the Eagle Cap Wilderness and caught many 6 – 8 inch trout.  Ice Lake is at 8,000 ft.  That’s the highest lake with fish that I know of, but it was stocked back in the ’20s.

Colorado has excellent fishing in alpine lakes above 9000′ primarily as a result of aerial stocking begun in the 1950’s. Cutthroat trout are the most common with brook and rainbow trout doing well also.Due to the pristine environment, abundant aquatic insect population and light fishing pressure these trout can grow larger than their cousins in low altitude streams and rivers. The dramatic changes in water temperature of high lakes probably has the greatest effect on fishing success. As the sun warms water close to shore the fish will migrate to the center or to deeper areas of the lake. Not very productive for a fisherman stuck on the shore. For this reason the higher the lake is the better, especially as summer wears on and the lower lakes gradually become warmer. Regards,  Brian

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Third, the biggest mistake that people make when they fish alpine lakes is that they do not fish deeply enough.  Most of my fly fishing is with an extra-fast sinking shooting head (this will mean something to flyfishers), at depths of 20-40 ft.  Fishing deep is easy with spinning gear; you just need to let your spinner sink.

Would you mind terribly to expound a little bit on "extra-fast sinking shooting head" for us novice fly fishers? I mean, this is some sort of wet fly? Do you need a sinking line (maybe that is obvious but I will ask anyway). Thanks, Lawrence Kennon

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Alright, the truth has to come out sooner or later.  Why is there never a post on fishing and backpacking?

There are: In "rec.outdoors.fishing.fly"  Virtually all of my backcountry travel centers on fly fishing.  I usually make one trip a year into the GSMNP and one trip into the Wind River Range.  The former is stream fishing, the latter almost exclusively lake fishing.  Most of these lakes are at or above timberline.  I don’t want to rub it in, but we always catch fish; lots of them too. Let me take the liberty to answer some questions and clarify some misconceptions: First, just because you can’t see fish does not mean they aren’t there. You have to look VERY carefully to see fish, must have a trained eye, and you must have polarized glasses (to reduce glare).  Keep in mind that trout are prey for many beasts of the wild, and if you can see them, they can almost certainly see you.  On many occasions, the only fish I ever see are those in my hand when I’m releasing them!   Second, there are few lakes of any size in the U.S. that really have only a 2-month ice out.  There are lots of lakes, however, that may be completely iced out for only 3 months or so.  This does not preclude a productive fishery.  I have fished lakes in the Wind River Range that are ice free for at most 4 months a year (July-Oct), and yet are extremely productive.  I fished a lake last year at 11,000 ft that held cutthroats up to nearly 30 inches (yep, 30 inches, not 30 centimeters).  This lake was still 1/4 iced-in the first week of August!  There probably is a limit to how high a lake can be and still support fish, but it is probably about the same limit as for people, which is higher than 13,000 ft (I think it is between 15K and 18K, but can’t remember). Third, the biggest mistake that people make when they fish alpine lakes is that they do not fish deeply enough.  Most of my fly fishing is with an extra-fast sinking shooting head (this will mean something to flyfishers), at depths of 20-40 ft.  Fishing deep is easy with spinning gear; you just need to let your spinner sink. Fourth, although it is true that few alpine lakes outside of the Sierras have native trout, many alpine lakes have self sustaining populations of wild trout.  For example, none of the lakes in the Winds originally had fish.  Much of the stocking was done by Finis Mitchell and his family in the 1920s and 1930s.  Many of these lakes have received no fish since then. Fifth, there are fishless alpine lakes out there, no doubt about it.  Lakes can be too shallow (they freeze solid, or nearly so); they can become oxygen depleted in the winter (esp. a problem if there is no inlet or outlet); and the water can be so sterile that there aren’t enough nutrients to feed the bugs that feed the fish (typically a problem for the first lake immediately below glaciers, etc.). If you have any questions, I’d be happy to try to answer them, except for the names of the lakes .  2-3 months of the year, and yet are extremely productive fisheries. are ice free for

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The secret? Flies. Pure and simple. Wild trout feed on insects. Learn how to fly fish. I rarely fail to catch at least a few in most of the high mountain streams and lakes. At least in the California Sierra Nevada Moutains. I like fly fishing too, but I doubt that it is "the secret". I have used a lightweight (4 lb test) with 1/16 oz. spinners and never failed to bring home fish for dinner in Colorado. lk

Spinners would be my second choice if I didn’t have my fly fishing gear with me. I fished spinners for ten years before I started fly fishing. It isn’t that one is more successful than the other, I just enjoy fly fishing, especially dry fly fishing more than spin fishing. My favorite spinner was (still is on the rare occasion that I spin fish) a size 1 or 2 (small) Panther Martin black body with yellow spots, gold blade. Darryl Hayashida

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: An interesting thread. I’d like to ask a question of the : experienced mountain fishermen out there : Is there : a "fish line" analogous to timberline ? i.e. an altitude : above which you will not find fish ? : We’re heading for CO next week and I know of a gorgeous : little lake way up around 13,000. Any chance there’ll : be fish in it ? I’ve fished Ice Lake in the Eagle Cap Wilderness and caught many 6 – 8 inch trout.  Ice Lake is at 8,000 ft.  That’s the highest lake with fish that I know of, but it was stocked back in the ’20s.

As someone else commented, most of the alpine lakes in CO were stocked at some time.  My father-in-law worked for Colorado Fish and Game, and one of his jobs was stocking wilderness lakes. He’d ride a horse and lead a pack string with panniers filled with fingerlings!  Lakes that were farther than a day’s ride, or inaccessible by horseback, were stocked by helicopter.  That must have been a sight! We’ve caught trout in lakes at 12,160 feet.  Most very high lakes are small and freeze thickly in the winter, so many are sterile unless there is ongoing stocking.  Trout are able to swim through some pretty impressive falls, though, so there is some migration, and if the lake is big enough the fish will be ok through the winter. Most of the lakes I’ve backpacked to in the Colorado high country have fish in them.  This doesn’t guarantee dinner, though. —   _][   Data Support Section * National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR)       __PO Box 3000, Boulder, Colorado 80307 * 303/497-1214 * 303/497-1298 fax

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: An interesting thread. I’d like to ask a question of the : experienced mountain fishermen out there : Is there : a "fish line" analogous to timberline ? i.e. an altitude : above which you will not find fish ? : We’re heading for CO next week and I know of a gorgeous : little lake way up around 13,000. Any chance there’ll : be fish in it ? I’ve fished Ice Lake in the Eagle Cap Wilderness and caught many 6 – 8 inch trout.  Ice Lake is at 8,000 ft.  That’s the highest lake with fish that I know of, but it was stocked back in the ’20s. greg rose

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The secret? Flies. Pure and simple. Wild trout feed on insects. Learn how to fly fish. I rarely fail to catch at least a few in most of the high mountain streams and lakes. At least in the California Sierra Nevada Moutains.

I like fly fishing too, but I doubt that it is "the secret". I have used a lightweight (4 lb test) with 1/16 oz. spinners and never failed to bring home fish for dinner in Colorado. lk

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It’s not hidden, you didn’t bother looking: Panel 26: Fishing         alt.fishing         alt.archery         rec.outdoors.fishing         rec.outdoors.fishing.fly         rec.boats Just like the white water paddlers. Like Muir said, Fishing is boring.

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An interesting thread. I’d like to ask a question of the experienced mountain fishermen out there : Is there a "fish line" analogous to timberline ? i.e. an altitude above which you will not find fish ? We’re heading for CO next week and I know of a gorgeous little lake way up around 13,000. Any chance there’ll be fish in it ? Gary

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An interesting thread. I’d like to ask a question of the experienced mountain fishermen out there : Is there a "fish line" analogous to timberline ? i.e. an altitude above which you will not find fish ? We’re heading for CO next week and I know of a gorgeous little lake way up around 13,000. Any chance there’ll be fish in it ?

I don’t know the answer but the highest lake I have fished at with success is the Upper Hancock Lake (near the ghost town of St. Elmo) and it is, if memory serves me, just over 11,000 feet. One other lake (where I had the best fishing day of my life) is also just over 11,000 feet. Geez, 13,000 feet seems pretty high up there for fishing? You will let us know how this turns out, won’t you? Lawrence Kennon

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alt.fishing newsgroup–those people are dedicated.  I am not.  I just want to know what I can expect if I carry a very small collapsible rod and mini-reel.  Whenever I try to fish in the backcountry, I come

I always do the same thing.  Most of my hiking  is done around larger bodies of water (lakes and such) Does anyone have any wilderness fishing secrets to share with us?   Who packs a rod and are glad they did?  Secret bait?  Techniques?

I’m always glad I packed the rod.  Even if I don’t catch anything (most of the time) I like to fish anyway.  Gives me an excuse not to do the dishes after supper! Andrew Roberts

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Does anyone have any wilderness fishing secrets to share with us?   Who packs a rod and are glad they did?  Secret bait?  Techniques? Equipment?  Eggs, worms, lures?  Just give it up?  Hunt for crawdads instead?  Catching local bait?  Set a line overnight?  Anything . . . I’ve had reasonable success in the last few years in fishing the

backcountry.  My buddy and I mostly catch-and-release (e.g. last year in Colorado we landed over 30 in an afternoon), but we sometimes keep enough to "have a feast."  I guess I could say that the secret is to be prepared for a "hunt" to find what the fish are interested in.  Last year, it was easy enough because they were hitting small spinners (e.g., Panther Martin’s and Mepps) on very light line (e.g. 2 lb.).  However, the previous year (in New Mexico), the fish just weren’t interested in anything in our "tackle box."  So, we resorted to using little grubs found in the stream bed (helgromites (sp), I believe they are called), and the fish went nuts.  We used a very small hook and "bobbed" the bait up and down.  Actually, it was more like try to get the hook into the water and out again before one latched on.  (I actually had one fish–they were native cut-throat–jump out of the water to get the bait).  So, a lot of trial-and-error will probably be necessary to find what they are attracted to.  However, it has been load of fun.  BTW:   These cases were both streams above 9000 feet.  My only recent experience with mountain lakes was a small lake in Apache-Setgreaves (Arizona), which had obviously been stocked with Artic Grayling (and "interesting" fish to pull out of the water in Arizona!).

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Does anyone have any wilderness fishing secrets to share with us?   Who packs a rod and are glad they did?  Secret bait?  Techniques? Equipment?  Eggs, worms, lures?  Just give it up?  Hunt for crawdads instead?  Catching local bait?  Set a line overnight?  Anything . . .

In Colorado I have had very good luck with a small spin casting rod/reel (4 lb test) using little 1/16 ounce spinners (Wooters, or Hooters, or something like that are my favorite). I have caught trout in lakes over 11,000 feet while standing on old snow on the bank and icebergs floating in the lake. Most of the lakes _do_ have edible (_very_ edible) trout in them. Have never had any luck on streams (haven’t really tried) but have seen fly fisherman catch them in streams. There is the little lake around Garfied (sorry, can’t tell you the name, that is my secret!) up about 11,000 feet or so, very small and fishable only at one end where it is deep enough. I had the best fishing day of my life there a couple years ago. We set up the tent and left the wife and kids to go look for a place to fish on this lake (first time there) and I found this little "hole" at one end. In a few minutes with approx. 7-8 casts I caught 5 great trout, several of them quite big. Needless to say we feasted that night. The bad news is that it is quite a hike off the beaten path to get there. Perhaps that is why there were a lot of hungry and unwary fish. Look for a lake like that, one that is _hard_ to get to, one that isn’t visited often. lk

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Alright, the truth has to come out sooner or later.  Why is there never a post on fishing and backpacking?  Don’t ask me to go to the alt.fishing newsgroup–those people are dedicated.  I am not.  I just want to know what I can expect if I carry a very small collapsible rod and mini-reel.  Whenever I try to fish in the backcountry, I come across tiny streams that look like there is no hope or mountain lake that is snow-free for all of two months a year and you can see to the bottom of and personally verify there are no fish in its sterile environment.  In 25 years of mountain backpacking, I have never caught a fish–although I do pretty good in the stocked lowlands. Does anyone have any wilderness fishing secrets to share with us?   Who packs a rod and are glad they did?  Secret bait?  Techniques? Equipment?  Eggs, worms, lures?  Just give it up?  Hunt for crawdads instead?  Catching local bait?  Set a line overnight?  Anything . . . — John Kiljan

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Question:

Question: I live in Oregon and we’ve had a warm and wet winter.  We are just recovering from a major flood.  What effect will this have on insect populations in the spring and summer?

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Yo Dan, The effect of the flood will be the determining factor on the bug population, not the warm water conditons. Certainly if the flood was sustained and had heavy enough flows to scour the stream bed then you can expect some damage to the invertibrate population.   The warmer than seasonal winter flows can accelerate the hatches, that is make them come early.  Normally by mid season the hatches will get back on track unless you have a hot spring. Yippi tie one on! AuSable1

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Question: I live in Oregon and we’ve had a warm and wet winter.  We are just recovering from a major flood.  What effect will this have on insect populations in the spring and summer?

Good question.  Most nymphs or larva grow very little during the winter months but the unseasonably warm water may change this.  Could see many of your normal hatches happening earlier than usual.  Then again the flooding may well have destroyed a lot of the habitat (rooted vegetation especially) with its scouring effects and you may have greatly reduced hatches and insect activity.   Then again placing all the organic materials in the rivers may actually improve habitat over the long run. This is a little like chaos theories, there are so many variables it’s real hard to predict. Probably just have to wait and see what happens. Any one else care to guess?                                                Dan Dan Gracia Orvis West Coast Schools Dan Gracia                                                               Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools If you kill that big fish you can’t catch ‘em again.  So what if they eat other fish?  If you kill the big ones there will only be little ones left (funny how that works!).

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Question: I live in Oregon and we’ve had a warm and wet winter.  We are just recovering from a major flood.  What effect will this have on insect populations in the spring and summer? Good question.  Most nymphs or larva grow very little during the winter months but the unseasonably warm water may change this.  Could see many of your normal hatches happening earlier than usual.  Then again the flooding may well have destroyed a lot of the habitat (rooted vegetation especially) with its scouring effects and you may have greatly reduced hatches and insect activity.   Then again placing all the organic materials in the rivers may actually improve habitat over the long run. This is a little like chaos theories, there are so many variables it’s real hard to predict. Probably just have to wait and see what happens. Any one else care to guess?                                                Dan My guess:  It may make the hatches come off early.  Therefore,

you should get onstream earlier in the year.  It also may make the hatches sparse.  Therefore, you should spend as much time as possible onstream.  It may make the hatches come off late, since we are just guessing here, so you should fish later into the year than you normally do.  It may stunt the hatches.  There- fore you should tie smaller flies this year.  It may cause phenomenal growth, since the flood reduced the population relative to the habitat.  So, you should tie larger flies.  It could reduce populations, causing underfed fish to virtually leap on any fly presented to them.  Therefore, you should not bother to take a variety of flies onstream.  It could displace the fish so they are unavailable to jump on your fly.  Therefore, stay home. It could go just about any way.  I plan to review the year at the end and construct a difinitive answer to this question when I have some factual^b^b^b^b^b^b^b anecdotal data to draw on. Charley

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