Question:

George Personally, I’m not interested in seeing his fly even from a distant.  Like to see the flly fishing lure he tied though.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – DAVE MARTEL Show off! Only if we get to see a close up picture of his fly.

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Lou, did you also have shoes worn so thin that you could step on a time and tell whether it was heads or tails?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You had buggies, boots, socks and pen knifes?  I had to walk to school for 2 miles and it was uphill both ways.  Was it the same for you?  Our town was so poor we had to take turns being the village idiot. Lou Gee Dad, I love it when you talk about the olden days. …anytime son…say, did I ever tell you about the time at age7 when I had to walk to school in a raging blizzard because our horse drawn school buggy blew a buggy wheel?  No?  And all this wearing my knee length *knickers, argyle knee socks and little boots with a knife pocket on the side. Damn, them were the good old days! Gramps *and these were corduroy so that when you walked they would go  whip whip whip whip…..!

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Ah, what is the prize for the procrastinator extraordinaire?  You will have them just before Midnight on the day they be due…as is my taxes regardless of the amount of the return. Chris Fanning — I have a LP siding claim awarded in 1998, just got to send it in for the $$$$

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Sparkle Caddises. Hans – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – DAVE MARTEL Ladies and gentleman, Dave Martel is first in with his GFS2002 box of flies, and a finer hatch of Sparkle Caddises (Caddi?) I have never seen. This is like one of those "unadvertised specials" you occasionally see, because for being first Dave will receive a little something extra in his return box of flies. Not much mind you, but something he can probably use at his flytying table. Nice going Dave, and nice flies. All right, Martel, that does it!  You promised if I tied your flies for you, you wouldn’t send them in until I finished my own as well.  Sheesh. JR

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Lou, did you also have shoes worn so thin that you could step on a time and tell whether it was heads or tails? You had buggies, boots, socks and pen knifes?  I had to walk to school for 2 miles and it was uphill both ways.  Was it the same for you?  Our town was so poor we had to take turns being the village idiot. Lou

Sheesh!  First liar ain’t got a chance. :-/ Frank (horseapples in Elkhart) Church

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Ah, what is the prize for the procrastinator extraordinaire?  You will have them just before Midnight on the day they be due…as is my taxes regardless of the amount of the return.

Um, how about a stool sample from Guts catbox?    :-)  :-) BTW, this cat has the prettiest, silkiest and softest belly hair of any cat I’ver ever had, there ought to be something I can use it for..?? Frank (I love my pussy) Church

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Guys;   Actually–I do clap erasers–I’m a teacher–and yes–I DID have book reports in before they were due–you guys got me pegged pretty well.

I was always in favor of the all nighter. 0 out of 40 for me. Maybe I’ll decide what to tie sometime soon. Willi

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SNIP free time.  :-) Joe F. (pretty well on pace with 1 1/45 fly per day)

I was on track until I figured out that I had the deer hair in backwards (sorry Joe.) Jeff

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You had buggies, boots, socks and pen knifes?  I had to walk to school for 2 miles and it was uphill both ways.  Was it the same for you?  Our town was so poor we had to take turns being the village idiot. Lou

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Gee Dad, I love it when you talk about the olden days. …anytime son…say, did I ever tell you about the time at age7 when I had to walk to school in a raging blizzard because our horse drawn school buggy blew a buggy wheel?  No?  And all this wearing my knee length *knickers, argyle knee socks and little boots with a knife pocket on the side.  Damn, them were the good old days! Gramps *and these were corduroy so that when you walked they would go  whip whip whip whip…..!

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DAVE MARTEL Ladies and gentleman, Dave Martel is first in with his GFS2002 box of flies,

Warmest congratulations David. George Gehrke

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DAVE MARTEL

Show off!

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Dave was probably one of those annoying kids in grade school who turned in his book reports a week before they were due!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – DAVE MARTEL Show off!

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DAVE MARTEL Show off!

Only if we get to see a close up picture of his fly.

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DAVE MARTEL Ladies and gentleman, Dave Martel is first in with his GFS2002 box of flies, and a finer hatch of Sparkle Caddises (Caddi?) I have never seen. This is like one of those "unadvertised specials" you occasionally see, because for being first Dave will receive a little something extra in his return box of flies. Not much mind you, but something he can probably use at his flytying table. Nice going Dave, and nice flies.

All right, Martel, that does it!  You promised if I tied your flies for you, you wouldn’t send them in until I finished my own as well.  Sheesh.   JR

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Dave was probably one of those annoying kids in grade school who turned in his book reports a week before they were due!

……and volunteered to clean the blackboard *and* clap the erasers! 24 down 17 to go Swapmeister

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Guys;   Actually–I do clap erasers–I’m a teacher–and yes–I DID have book reports in before they were due–you guys got me pegged pretty well.   Had to get these in quickly–I’m in several other swaps right now–and I didn’t want to be the guy with egg all over my face for forgetting to get them in.   I tie flies for relaxation–and I gotta tell you–some days after teaching rowdy 8th graders all day–I *need* to tie flies to relax. Have a great day, everybody.   Dave M

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Only if we get to see a close up picture of his fly.

I KNEW he was from the other team….

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Gee Dad, I love it when you talk about the olden days. — Frank Reid Reverse email to reply. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – ……and volunteered to clean the blackboard *and* clap the erasers! Swapmeister

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Dave was probably one of those annoying kids in grade school who turned in his book reports a week before they were due! ……and volunteered to clean the blackboard *and* clap the erasers! 24 down 17 to go Swapmeister

chastened in Elkhart

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  I tie flies for relaxation–and I gotta tell you–some days after teaching rowdy 8th graders all day–I *need* to tie flies to relax. Have a great day, everybody.

Good Lord — I have to relax after teaching college students for three hours a day.  If I was teaching eighth graders, I would be relaxing with a

Question:

Yes, but I want to boycott the store for having such an annoying jingle! Pete

Response:

Indeed a great store. I remember shopping at the original Galyans’ in Plainfield Indiana when it was pretty much a pole barn on a slab (A really big pole barn admittedly) They’ve come along ways since their purchase by the Gap (yep the angst filled teen store). Allen Catonsville, MD – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yes, but I want to boycott the store for having such an annoying jingle! Pete

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We just got a Galyan’s in our neck of the woods recently.  I went in to pick up some gift certificates for the crew at work for the holidays. What impressed me was the more complete range of quality that they carry over comparable stores in the neighborhood, like Dick’s.  For example, in the fishing dept they carry fly rods from Browning to Loomis.  For what its worth, it also seems to be the only chain sporting goods store in our area that sells handguns, and I respect that because it’s probably a bigger pain in the ass to them then the revenue it generates justifies, but they do it to remain "full service". They also have a customer service system where when a salesperson helps you, they peel a bar code off their own sheet and stick it on your purchase, and they read these codes when you pay.  This seems to be a nifty way to make sure that the sales people are doing their jobs.  I’m not sure if they reconcile this against the dollar amount of the sale (making it more likely to get help if it looks like you’ll be making a large purchase), but in any case I had knowledgable sales help coming up to me repeatedly. At checkout, they clued me in to their preferred customer club.  They make no bones about it–they want to track your purchases.  In exchange they will email or snail mail you with offers that seem to be in your buying categories, but you can opt out of these mailings.  Also, when you join this   "club", they will send you a $15 coupon off a purchase of $75 or more (the form says it takes up to three weeks to get the coupon). Store seems incredible.  I thought I died and went to sportsman’s heaven.  I was shopping so avidly I consider myself a traitor to my sex (sporting goods or not)! Scott

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Question:

Well, it’s homecoming weekend here in Happy Valley, and those Fightin’ Illini are coming to town to see if they can’t treat the Nittany Lions the same way they did the Iowa Hawkeyes last weekend.  God, I hope not. For all the talk a few weeks ago regarding this game, a potential Autumn mini-clave here in central PA, and a few flames about OT posts– there are no plans for any fishing to actually taking place.  This is really too bad, because the weather is going to be perfect.  Not too cold, the leaves are past their prime but still beautiful, and the days are still reasonably long.  However, I have no idea how to catch trout on a fly in this weather… Ken, I tried and tried to find tickets between the 20s but to no avail.  I would really have enjoyed meeting and doing some Sunday fishing with you.  As luck would have it, none of the half-dozen folks who I *know* have tickets were willing to part with them or had already given them to somebody else–it is homecoming after all, even if the Nittany Lions are having a down year.  Ironically, my Aunt called my wife from work just this afternoon with an offer of two tickets to tomorrows game…  I have no idea if they are between the 20s, or even within sight of the field–hell, with a capacity of nearly 100,000 the term ‘nosebleed seats’ takes on some signifigance at Beaver Stadium. I believe that there are still plans being made for a spring clave on Penns Creek here in central PA.  I look forward to meeting you, Ken, and lots of other ROFFians then.  Too bad it won’t be football season. We Are Penn State! Tom Before you buy.

Response:

Well, it’s homecoming weekend here in Happy Valley, and those Fightin’ Illini are coming to town …

I’ll be watchin’ the game on ESPN2, your Nittany Lions are 3 point favorites according the official ROFF Latest Line and once again Wayno has managed to wheedle an unreal point spread for his Tar Heels. Eighteen and one half friggin’ points he gets against Clemson, it’s a gawdamn Chardonnay conspiracy I tell ya. I believe that there are still plans being made for a spring clave on Penns Creek here in central PA.  I look forward to meeting you, Ken, and lots of other ROFFians then.  Too bad it won’t be football season. We Are Penn State!

Likewise, Tom. Enjoy your weekend and don’t let a little thing like a homecoming loss spoil your fun. Oskee Wow Wow ! — Ken Fortenberry- sluggin’ Bud and hatin’ 11 a.m. kickoffs

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Question:

RAIN"""""""""RAIN"""""""""RAIN"""""" — www.Vermont-Streams.com Fly Fishing Specialists The  true joy in pursuing trout is that they live in such beautiful places! Win a Fly Logic Reel in our contest.  Visit our Fly Shop page to enter.

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RAIN"""""""""RAIN"""""""""RAIN"""""" —

South Carolina News 70 degrees at sunrise, clear skies, light breeze out of the WNW. Went fishing!!! jim

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Question:

 What’s he do?   He hands his rod to my son to play it.   Ya gotta love a guy who would do that for a kid.

A story worth reading to the last full stop, just for this bit. Thanks Joe. — Bill http://www.graigroad.demon.co.uk

Response:

The end of the shad run is near, and my buddy was heading up to Deer Creek for the evening, so I lobbied SWMBO for a few hours of freedom after work. It helped that I still hadn’t given Craig his birthday present from two months ago.   So I got home from work, grilled a few burgers, and had a quick dinner with the family unit before bolting for the river. My son had a lot of homework to do for school, but I was willing to cut him a little slack on that if he PROMISED to do it quickly and neatly on our return.   (He did.)   All of my stuff was already in the trunk, and I grabbed his waders and rod and we were gone. We got there about an hour before sunset, usually a good time for the action to pick up.   The best hole above the bridge was pretty crowded with about a half dozen anglers, but as we suited up, an old guy headed for shore, leaving us a decent space just upstream from my buddy.   This time, I had rigged both rods.   My son was going to fish on his own. I gave him a quick lesson on how to strip in the sink tip and shoot it out again on the cast, and he managed to reach a useful level of mastery in a short time.   I think it helped a lot that the fly line gives such visible and instant feedback when you screw up.   It didn’t take him long to see what a good cast looked like, even if it took him longer to do it more frequently.   Not waiting long enough on the back cast was his most chronic problem. I fished just upstream from him and caught a decent fish early, but it became clear that the run was about played out.   I never hooked another one, and neither my buddy or his guest caught anything in the hour and a half we were there.   But as darkness approached, my son got a good hit that surprised the heck out of him.  He managed to set the hook, but the calm (really) advice of dad wasn’t enough, and he lost it.   Still, it was another of those great moments of discovery for him. Now, standing in the middle of the river and casting into the deeper channel against the far shore was obviously unproductive, but that’s still where the fish were, so we persisted.   Except my son.   He says, "can I fish the other way?" and I figure, why not.   He turns around, casts back toward shore, and hooks up on the first cast.   Damned cool.   He lost that one too, but he felt smarter than the rest of us for hooking it. In closing, I’ll add a story about why my fishing buddy is a good friend of mine.   We’d been there for an hour and a half, with little or no action. Cast, drift, cast again.   Nothing.   It was especially tough for my buddy, because he was just upstream from the guy in the honey hole who was catching fish after fish.   So when I went ashore to the car to get something, I left my son out there next to Craig.   And, after an hour an a half of catching nothing, Craig finally hooks one.   What’s he do?   He hands his rod to my son to play it.   Ya gotta love a guy who would do that for a kid. Joe F.

Response:

NEAT-O!!! — Wayne To fish is human….To release Divine! Before you buy.

Response:

The end of the shad run is near, and my buddy was heading up to Deer Creek for the evening, so I lobbied SWMBO for a few hours of freedom after work.

    (great story snipped)   And, after an hour an a half of catching nothing, Craig finally hooks one.   What’s he do?   He hands his rod to my son to play it.   Ya gotta love a guy who would do that for a kid.

    my best friend would have done just the opposite.  when your boy made his offside hookup, pamlico jim would have torn the rod from the kid’s hand and yelled for him to keep the hell out of the way until he had the fish in hand.  but, ya gotta love him, too; he will shoot your ass if you don’t. you will meet him at the clave. wayno – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Joe F.

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Question:

Would like to get some email conversation going with someone about fishing NC coast for False Albacore and/ or Blue’s. rgill — How very simple life would be if only there were two of me A restless me to drift and roam a quiet me to stay at home.                    from "The Double Life" by Don Blanding

Response:

Have you seen my website yet?  check out http://www.flyfish-nc.com/albiechapter.html   and   http://www.flyfish-nc.com/oct99.html My site has more info on flyfishing for fat alberts than anywhere you will find.

Would like to get some email conversation going with someone about fishing NC coast for False Albacore and/ or Blue’s. rgill — How very simple life would be if only there were two of me A restless me to drift and roam a quiet me to stay at home.                    from "The Double Life" by Don Blanding — Flyfish NC                                                   Capt Gordon Churchill http://www.flyfish-nc.com                                                                  

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Question:

I was just wondering if there is anyone here that fishes on the Bow river in calgary.  Thanx.

Not yet but will do so this June. It isn’t a great time to go due to spring run-off but the company’s sales conference is there and they are paying. You might check out the Western Canada regional board on Virtual Flyshop (http://www.flyshop.com) which has a number of Alberta guides as active members including Jim McLennan who is one of the better known guides. I have gotten some really good recommendations as to flies, guides, and other rivers in the region to try. -John

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I was just wondering if there is anyone here that fishes on the Bow river in calgary.  Thanx.

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I have done (7) nine day trips on the Bow. Three floats from Calgary to Carseland dam per trip. Ask away. Ted Bobetsky (http://www.flyfishing-the-salt.com)

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I’d recommend Jim Powlesland, except that you’d have to put up with him ‘air’ shooting every living animal on the truck ride to the river. — TimW, Halfordian Golfer "A Cash Flow Runs Through It…" "Guilt replaced the creel…"

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Question:

Assuming that you didn’t set the rod in a corner or leave it in its aluminum tube in your car, I’d say that it sounds like insufficient heat-treating of the bamboo.  (Is the rod a "blonde" bamboo or darker?)  I’d say you should contact the manufacturer. George

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I recently purchased a fairly expensive 7′  3wt.custom bamboo rod.  After a few careful fishing excursions I noticed a slight curve has developed between the tip of the rod and the second eye from the top.  Is this a normal characteristic of bamboo or a quality or workmanship issue. Any advice greatly appreciated Tom Bogdan

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I recently purchased a fairly expensive 7′  3wt.custom bamboo rod.  After a few careful fishing excursions I noticed a slight curve has developed between the tip of the rod and the second eye from the top.  Is this a normal characteristic of bamboo or a quality or workmanship issue. Any advice greatly appreciated Tom Bogdan

Response:

It is completly normal and is called a "fishing set" or just a "set". Ways to avoid them is to occasionally turn the rod over when fighting a fish and make sure the rod is dry before putting it back in the tube. If you want to correct it you can heat the section with a hair dryer and hold the section straight until it cools or go fishing and catch a few fish playing them with the rod turned 180 degrees. Paul

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I recently purchased a fairly expensive 7′  3wt.custom bamboo rod.  After a few careful fishing excursions I noticed a slight curve has developed between the tip of the rod and the second eye from the top.  Is this a normal characteristic of bamboo or a quality or workmanship issue. Any advice greatly appreciated Tom Bogdan

Response:

I recently purchased a fairly expensive 7′  3wt.custom bamboo rod.  After a few careful fishing excursions I noticed a slight curve has developed between the tip of the rod and the second eye from the top.  Is this a normal characteristic of bamboo or a quality or workmanship issue.

The first couple of rods I built have both shown a proclivity towards a tip set. I think it was a combination of three things (1) poor workmanship (i.e. insufficient heat treating), (2) excessively long sections–both rods were 5 feet long with no ferrule, and (3) improper storage–I live in a very humid climate and I did not take steps to make sure the rods were kept dry. Since then I’ve built several rods with improvements in all three of the above shortcomings. So far none of those rods is any less straight today that it was when it was new (which is to say in some cases that they didn’t start out arrow straight to begin with–but that’s another topic . Assuming you haven’t horsed fish in (and it sounds like you’ve been careful), I would see if the builder would be willing to restraighten the rod for you at his expense. It might not stay straight, but the builder’s reaction will tell you a lot. As Paul mentioned in a different reply, you can do it yourself using a hair dryer and gentle pressure in the opposite direction of the set. The bottom line: if I were one day to start making rods professionaly, I would consider a tip set after only a couple of careful uses (assuming the rod is being stored correctly) to be a shortcoming in my heat-treating technique. –Steve

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It’s a quality and workmanship issue, return it! Vern – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I recently purchased a fairly expensive 7′  3wt.custom bamboo rod.  After a few careful fishing excursions I noticed a slight curve has developed between the tip of the rod and the second eye from the top.  Is this a normal characteristic of bamboo or a quality or workmanship issue. Any advice greatly appreciated Tom Bogdan

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – It’s a quality and workmanship issue, return it! Vern I recently purchased a fairly expensive 7′  3wt.custom bamboo rod.  After a few careful fishing excursions I noticed a slight curve has developed between the tip of the rod and the second eye from the top.  Is this a normal characteristic of bamboo or a quality or workmanship issue. Any advice greatly appreciated Tom Bogdan

_______  You may be too hasty here.  This is what you need to do.  Look at the tip closely and make sure it has a good varnish finish on it, protecting the rod from getting wet inside. Sets in bamboo fly rods can be caused the same way as with graphite. Setting it in an upright position leaning against a corner or wall or having a bend in the tip over a long period of time.  Heat in the summer, beating down on any fly rod can cause tips or rods to take a set. With bamboo Tom, if you’re satisfied the finish is well done and the fly rod is not wet inside,  you can do this.  Set a hair dryer up to blow hot air.  Heat that section of the fly rod gently until the rod gets not warm, but hot.  Yet, not hot enough to burn it.  Hot enough to make it pliable.  Simply remove from heat and torque the bend or set out into opposite direction and hold it there until rod cools.  All bamboo fly rods are straightened like this Tom.  A master fly rod maker can’t pick up a fly rod without tweaking it time and again until it is finally finished and ready for delivery.   The heat will soften the glue enough so it will move molecularly.  It makes no difference it your have a $7,000 Bamboo Fly Rod or a Production Line fly rod – they all will take sets sooner or later. Permit me to offer you some sage advice.  Store your tip tops of your tips to the top of your tube next to the cork handle.  Regarding the bag with a cord to wrap them with?  DON’T use them.  Simply insert the rod with sock loosely into the tube.  Always try and keep your bamboo fly rods laying flat or straight and apart over long periods of time.  If you make a mental error regarding your tips and you get a set because they got too hot in the sun when under car glass, etc.  You can now fix the problem yourself. If you are not sure, send it too me and I will fix it for you for nothing.  What brand fly rod  it is, isn’t important. — George Gehrke/American Sportsman http://www.gink.com/shopcart/index.html http://www.gink.com/rod_facts/bastardjun00.html  LATEST BAMBOO FACTS "the saga continues"

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I have an Uncle who recently showed me a fly rod that he has had for 20 yrs. I have never heard of the name of the maker and I was hoping that someone out there could maybe help me find out what its worth and where it came from. I have searched the internet and haven’t found anything. Here is a list of what the rod says on it: Made by T. C. Ivens "The Ivens Farstrike" Made in London 9′ 4"     6# That is all the markings that are on the rod. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Please email me with any responses as I do not have a chance to check this newsgroup very often. Thanks for any help. Mark Blanks

Contact this web sit.  They may be able to answer your bamboo question.    http://www.gorp.com/bamboo.htm Good luck. Joel Axelrad Joel Axelrad

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Made by T. C. Ivens "The Ivens Farstrike" Made in London 9′ 4"     6#

Tom Ivens was not really a rod manufacturer but a well-known English angling writer (born 1922, author of Still Water Fly Fishing etc.)  Rods with his name are probably discussed in British magazines of the 1960s e.g. Trout and Salmon. — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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I have an Uncle who recently showed me a fly rod that he has had for 20 yrs. I have never heard of the name of the maker and I was hoping that someone out there could maybe help me find out what its worth and where it came from. I have searched the internet and haven’t found anything. Here is a list of what the rod says on it: Made by T. C. Ivens "The Ivens Farstrike" Made in London 9′ 4"     6# That is all the markings that are on the rod. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated. Please email me with any responses as I do not have a chance to check this newsgroup very often. Thanks for any help. Mark Blanks

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While picking the brain of a more experienced fly fisherman today I was puzzled by a remark he made about bamboo rods.  He said the reason for two tips was to permit a tip to "rest".  According to him bamboo begins to lose power in the tip section after several hours of fishing and must be "rested" for a time. I find this improbable but would like to hear about the behavior of bamboo as a fly-rod material and any special care required. Wayne To fish is human…to release devine.

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Wayne wrote While picking the brain of a more experienced fly fisherman today I was puzzled by a remark he made about bamboo rods.  He said the reason for two tips was to permit a tip to "rest".  According to him bamboo begins to lose power in the tip section after several hours of fishing and must be "rested" for a time. I find this improbable but would like to hear about the behavior of bamboo as a fly-rod material and any special care required. Wayne To fish is human…to release devine.

The tip section gets what is known as a "set" a curve downward.  Especially if you catch a lot of big fish or have the rod overlined.  This curve (set) remains in the tip and would have to be straightened by a rod builder or person who is expert in the process.  If you have a twin tip rod it’s best to rotate the tips.  Resting them will not straighten them! Joel Axelrad

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The tip section gets what is known as a "set" a curve downward.  Especially if you catch a lot of big fish or have the rod overlined.  This curve (set) remains in the tip and would have to be straightened by a rod builder or person who is expert in the process.  If you have a twin tip rod it’s best to rotate the tips.  Resting them will not straighten them! Joel Axelrad

As well, one should consciously (and conscientiously) avoid applying prolonged unidirectional pressure on the tip section of your favorite cane rod, and rotate the rod about its long axis while playing in your catch (ie: half the time the reel should be below the rod, the other half it should be above). Awkward for certain, but every little bit will help keep your cane healthy and avoid the dreaded set. /dave

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Wayne wrote While picking the brain of a more experienced fly fisherman today I was puzzled by a remark he made about bamboo rods.  He said the reason for two tips was to permit a tip to "rest".  According to him bamboo begins to lose power in the tip section after several hours of fishing and must be "rested" for a time. I find this improbable but would like to hear about the behavior of bamboo as a fly-rod material and any special care required.

A set can happen for a lot of reasons, playing big fish or overlining the rod are but two fo them.  Leaning the rod in a corner, hanging it like a rifle, even the way the rod was made and the glue used could cause the tips or any section of the rod to take a set, especially if there was a weak flat in the section. As for two tips so that you can rotate them, well, that is partly true, but it very much depends on the rod.  A great many of the older, and even some newer rods are made with two tips to do various things.  Some had a Wet Fly action tip and a Dry Fly action tip.  Some were and are even produced to handle different line weights – say a 5 and a 7. As for bamboo losing power after a time, that happens after many years of fishing.  There is no need to rest a tip after a day of fishing. One other point about two tips comes up often, and that is that the second tip is an insurance policy against breakage.  Nice to have a spare tip when you are at a remote camp for a few days. Lastly, should a rod take a set, you can have it removed.  But chances are that the set will reapear in time.

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While picking the brain of a more experienced fly fisherman today I was puzzled by a remark he made about bamboo rods.  He said the reason for two tips was to permit a tip to "rest".  According to him bamboo begins to lose power in the tip section after several hours of fishing and must be "rested" for a time. I find this improbable but would like to hear about the behavior of bamboo as a fly-rod material and any special care required.

Hi Wayne, Bamboo is an organic material which does soften up and wear out over time with hard use, but a few hours of casting is a bit of a stretch.  Also, because the material is no longer alive, It can’t repair itself or get stronger form resting.   The two tips were supplied because the tip  flexes the most and wears out the quickest. If you alternate the tips everytime you go out fishing it will typically take 50 years of hard fishing to soften them up to the point that you need to use a lighter line than the rod originally cast.  If you use the same tip all the time, it takes ~25 years of hard fishing to reach this point. this is a slow process and happens so gradually that the fly fisher rarely realizes it’s happened. It’s possible for the butt section to also soften up, but there is so much more material in the butt section, it is rare. Most people who used bamboo rods in their heyday, didn’t alternate the tips every time they went out.  They used one until they broke it (typically in a door of some kind)  and then used the other tip. If the rod was used a lot and fished with the same tip, using the other tip on makes the rod cast entirely differently.   When you look at such a rod, it’s usually pretty easy to determine which tip was used the most. Dependant upon what type of glue was used to make the rod, you can also put a set (or permanent bend) in the rod by fighting particulalry large fish for extended periods of time.  To counteract this, many who use bamboo rods will turn the rod over during the fight, and fight the fish with the reel above the rod instead of below it.  The idea was to even out the stress on the tip and keep it straight.  Still others will point to the set in their rod as a battle scar and saythings like, "You should have seen the fish that put that set in my rod — monster!!".  Most old, well used,  bamboo rods have some evidence of a set in them.  If the set gets bad enough to inhibit casting, it can be taken out with the judicious use of dry heat, preferably done by an experienced bamboo rod builder.                                  Hope this helps,                                        Dan Dan Gracia Orvis

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The answer to both of your questions is YES…..

Along with Larry’s good advice, in using cane pay attention to the varnish and other details. If there are nicks and problems moisture can get in and delaminate it so touch it up with spar varnish.  If you hear clicking from a ferrule take care of it before it works loose and causes a break. When playing a good sized fish turn the rod around so it’s not always bending the same direction, to prevent putting a permanent bend in it. And never ever put it away damp.  It is better for it to be out in the rain overnight than in a damp cloth sleeve in a closed tube. I am gradually switching to cane for most of my fishing. I enjoy the slower pace of casting. I enjoy the more substantial heft of the solid cane in the light rods compared to hollow rods that feel weightless. Solid cane is more rugged than hollow graphite when you step on it. You feel the line load the rod and the way the rod springs back to fling it.  Someone spent as much time to make the rods as I had to work to pay for them.  You can buy great cane rods that collectors shun for $100-200 because maybe someone broke an inch off the tip or rewrapped them without regard for color matching. Friday I used an old 8 wt. Granger on the North Umpqua and caught a 10 lb. wild steelhead. That rod might be too heavy to cast all day but I sit and watch a river half the time anyway, the best technique of all for success and enjoyment. My modern reel backlashed so I had to play it by hand and hold tight when it tried to run. I should have used a pflueger.  The rod had backbone to spare. The smile will last for months, regardless of how the Raiders play. I am more hoping we can get the Oakland A’s back in a few years. Mark Vinsel Oakland, CA www.vinsel.com

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Sorry but I just have to comment on the Traitor Raiders. Don’t watch them anymore, don’t care. Let them move back to LA. When a team can fill the stands and the owner still moves them because of pure greed, that team should no longer be supported by those that care. Same thing should have happened to the Baltimore Colts when they moved. Although football teams are privately owned, they take on the name of the city where they play, it wasn’t the A. Davis Raiders, It was the Oakland Raiders, in using the name, they owe something to the city and fans that supported them so well Jerry in Lodi (close to Oakland) http://www.softcom.net/users/dorado — ——- Hope you always have time to go fishing, Jerry in Lodi      Al & Jerry’s Excellent Adventures           http://www.softcom.net/users/dorado     Member: Save Our Stripers          http://www.softcom.net/users/dorado/sos.htm

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Yes, bamboo requires a much slower stroke than graphite. A good caster adjusts to the rod instead of finding a rod that he can cast. There are no more REAL Raiders.  It’s like the old saying "you can’t go home again".  Al Davis really stuck it to the taxpayers of Alameda County and we didn’t even get a chance to vote on the money we are paying for the pleasure of watching them loose.  It looks like they are going to repeat their loosing performance again this year. — Ernie Harrison Remove NOSPAM to send E-Mail Selling my Fly Fishing Books Go to: http://users.ccnet.com/~emh – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The answer to both of your questions is YES….. Naturally, you’ll need to carefully inspect the rods for splits between the cane sections, tight ferrules, no unraveling wraps on the eyes and a tight reel seat. You need to handle the rod carefully, not to load it too much, make some nice gentle casts, say up to 30′ with it at first and then lengthen the line…..you will likely be surprised how smooth it feels and how well you feel the line straighten out behind you as opposed to graphite. The REAL Raiders had a glorious existence in OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA until their bonehead owner decided to "fool with Mother Nature"…he wasn’t making enough money, made ridiculous demands on the city and county who owned th estadium the Raiders played and won super bowl championships from and move the team to Los Angeles….they went into the former LA Coliseum which had ben renovated for the 84 olympics, never could fill it and failed to have much success playing there…..a few years back, they lied to the former city and county in which they won lots of fans and games, convinced them to rebiuld the stadium, sell "seat licenses"

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Well when you reach my age the first thing to go is your memory and I forgot what the second thing is. — Ernie Harrison Remove NOSPAM to send E-Mail Selling my Fly Fishing Books Go to: http://users.ccnet.com/~emh – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Errol Mann is my investment broker….he doesn’t fish I remember George Blanda,I don’t remember Don.

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As a follow-up question to the group: Is it realistic to expect to use a 30 to 70 year old bamboo  rod for day to day fishing.  Even if in otherwise good condition would the moisture loss and case hardening of bamboo occur as in wood to reduce flexibility and increase internal friction damage? Thanks to the group for the excellent information about bamboo. Was there a football team called Raiders? Wayne To fish is human…to release devine.

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The answer to both of your questions is YES….. Naturally, you’ll need to carefully inspect the rods for splits between the cane sections, tight ferrules, no unraveling wraps on the eyes and a tight reel seat. You need to handle the rod carefully, not to load it too much, make some nice gentle casts, say up to 30′ with it at first and then lengthen the line…..you will likely be surprised how smooth it feels and how well you feel the line straighten out behind you as opposed to graphite. The REAL Raiders had a glorious existence in OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA until their bonehead owner decided to "fool with Mother Nature"…he wasn’t making enough money, made ridiculous demands on the city and county who owned th estadium the Raiders played and won super bowl championships from and move the team to Los Angeles….they went into the former LA Coliseum which had ben renovated for the 84 olympics, never could fill it and failed to have much success playing there…..a few years back, they lied to the former city and county in which they won lots of fans and games, convinced them to rebiuld the stadium, sell "seat licenses"

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I remember George Blanda,I don’t remember Don.

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Errol Mann is my investment broker….he doesn’t fish – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I remember George Blanda,I don’t remember Don.

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Larry, I remember Don Blanda, he used to fill in for Ken Stabler.  He was the oldest quarterback playing at that time, but normally was the Raiders place kicker.  Those were the good old days. — Ernie Harrison Remove NOSPAM to send E-Mail Selling my Fly Fishing Books Go to: http://users.ccnet.com/~emh – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The 3 canes I have, all having two tips at least at ONE time, have tips of differing composition…I mean one of them being of a stouter material. There is/was a marked difference in the performance of the rods dependent on the tip used…I had always thought of it as a "nymphing tip" and a "dry fly tip", that’s how different the action of the rods were. I still take one cane out each trip, and get it maybe a half hour of action, but then they go back to rest, with a brandy and a cigar…..=8^) I refer to them as my "Blanda Rods" for those of you with remembrances of Raiders football in the late 60s – early 70s. Larry #:)#

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The 3 canes I have, all having two tips at least at ONE time, have tips of differing composition…I mean one of them being of a stouter material. There is/was a marked difference in the performance of the rods dependent on the tip used…I had always thought of it as a "nymphing tip" and a "dry fly tip", that’s how different the action of the rods were. I still take one cane out each trip, and get it maybe a half hour of action, but then they go back to rest, with a brandy and a cigar…..=8^) I refer to them as my "Blanda Rods" for those of you with remembrances of Raiders football in the late 60s – early 70s. Larry #:)#

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I always thought the idea of two tips was that the tip is the most likely the section to get  broken. — Ernie Harrison Remove NOSPAM to send E-Mail Selling my Fly Fishing Books Go to: http://users.ccnet.com/~emh – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – While picking the brain of a more experienced fly fisherman today I was puzzled by a remark he made about bamboo rods.  He said the reason for two tips was to permit a tip to "rest".  According to him bamboo begins to lose power in the tip section after several hours of fishing and must be "rested" for a time. I find this improbable but would like to hear about the behavior of bamboo as a fly-rod material and any special care required. Wayne To fish is human…to release devine.

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While picking the brain of a more experienced fly fisherman today I was puzzled by a remark he made about bamboo rods.  He said the reason for two tips was to permit a tip to "rest".  According to him bamboo begins to lose power in the tip section after several hours of fishing and must be "rested" for a time.

I can’t speak as to bamboo rods (mine having only one tip each, but not normally used continuously for more than a couple of hours) — but fibreglass rods seemed to become "fatigued" after a day’s continuous use.  I first noticed this in cold weather (air temp 30 to 40 deg. F.) fishing for Great Lakes steelhead with a Fenwick fibreglass rod about 1970.  It seemed important enough that when I got a second state-of-the-art glass rod I used to swap after 3 or 4 hours. This fatigue phenomenon has not been observed in graphite rods (Loomis and no-brand IM6.)  But then I have not for 20 years flogged the water continuously all day long when fishing for fall steelhead, being physically weaker and more experienced . . . . — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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Question:

Heading up to Mammoth in a couple of days (my wife has to go up there for a meeting, poor me getting dragged along ). I’m going to fish Hot Creek for the first time, but I’ve got lots of additional time to fill. I’m kinda looking for something other than the usual Mammoth Lakes, and I’m looking for any suggestions on a couple of lakes. Specifically, I’m thinking of taking my float tube in to McLeod Lake, which I’ve only read about. Any one fished it recently?  I’ve also read about Sotcher Lake down in the Devils Postpile area, which I’ve heard fishes pretty good in the morning. There’s another lake off the road down there, but I can’t remember the name. Lastly, I’ve got to make at least one trip up to Lee Vining, and thought about fishing Lundy. Has anyone ever floated it. Any pre-trip suggestions would be helpful. I’ll post a report when I get back. Also, there was a guy named Mark Heskett who wrote a little book on fishing the Mammoth area. I corresponded with him a few times on the Internet a couple of years ago, but haven’t seen him turning up here. Does anyone know if he’s still around. Roger

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<<*SNIP*  I’ve also read about Sotcher Lake down in the Devils Postpile area, which I’ve heard fishes pretty good in the morning. There’s another lake off the road down there, but I can’t remember the name.  *SNIP* Hi Roger, If you are planning on driving down by Devil’s Postpile, be sure to drive in before 7 am.  They close the road and run a shuttle after that and you don’t want to try to take your tube on the shuttle.  By the way the shuttle only goes to Devil’s Postpile and no farther. Give The Trout Fly in Mammoth lakes a call at (619) 934-2517 and they can give you somemore info.                                      Good Fishing,                                                Dan Dan Gracia Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools

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0] : Heading up to Mammoth in a couple of days (my wife has to go up there : for a meeting, poor me getting dragged along ). : I’m going to fish Hot Creek for the first time, but I’ve got lots of : additional time to fill. I’m kinda looking for something other than the : usual Mammoth Lakes, and I’m looking for any suggestions on a couple of : lakes. : Specifically, I’m thinking of taking my float tube in to McLeod Lake, : which I’ve only read about. Any one fished it recently?  I’ve also read : about Sotcher Lake down in the Devils Postpile area, which I’ve heard : fishes pretty good in the morning. There’s another lake off the road : down there, but I can’t remember the name. Lastly, I’ve got to make at : least one trip up to Lee Vining, and thought about fishing Lundy. Has : anyone ever floated it. : Any pre-trip suggestions would be helpful. I’ll post a report when I get : back. : Also, there was a guy named Mark Heskett who wrote a little book on : fishing the Mammoth area. I corresponded with him a few times on the : Internet a couple of years ago, but haven’t seen him turning up here. : Does anyone know if he’s still around. : Roger If you are going to fish Hot Creek, I would also suggest taking a look at the wild trout section of the upper Owens–up from Benton Crossing. It’s only a couple of miles from Hot Creek and there’s lots more of it and lots less angler pressure. It’s just this year got new fencing to keep the cows out– people access no problem–lots of walk-through gates. Good luck! Mike — Michael McGuire                     Hewlett Packard Laboratories Phone: (415)-857-5491               Palo Alto, CA 94303-0971

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Heading up to Mammoth in a couple of days (my wife has to go up there for a meeting, poor me getting dragged along ). Specifically, I’m thinking of taking my float tube in to McLeod Lake, which I’ve only read about. Any one fished it recently?  I’ve also read about Sotcher Lake down in the Devils Postpile area, which I’ve heard fishes pretty good in the morning. There’s another lake off the road down there, but I can’t remember the name. Lastly, I’ve got to make at least one trip up to Lee Vining, and thought about fishing Lundy. Has anyone ever floated it. Any pre-trip suggestions would be helpful. I’ll post a report when I get back. Roger

Hi Roger, I don

Question:

Any places near Stockton, Ca or Sac that anyone has already fished. I’m looking for good places to fly fish for trout. Thanks Bob

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Yes, try the Stanislaus River just East of Oakdale, below Tullock Reservoir.  I was there on Saturday and cought a couple of wild rainbows. All Catch and Release.  The water is high, yet fish are catchable. Doug

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