Question:

Lately, the outside of my left elbow is sore to the core. (I’m right handed)  I was told by some golfers that I may have ‘tennis elbow’.  Has anyone experienced this and what did you do for it?  I’m sure I’ll have to see the Doc, if it doesn’t go away.  Will it go away?? Thanks in advance!

Response:

Lately, the outside of my left elbow is sore to the core. (I’m right handed)  I was told by some golfers that I may have ‘tennis elbow’.  Has anyone experienced this and what did you do for it?  I’m sure I’ll have to see the Doc, if it doesn’t go away.  Will it go away??

Do a web search on "lateral epicondylitis".  It’s not fun, that’s for sure.

Response:

Lately, the outside of my left elbow is sore to the core. (I’m right handed)  I was told by some golfers that I may have ‘tennis elbow’.  Has anyone experienced this and what did you do for it?  I’m sure I’ll have to see the Doc, if it doesn’t go away.  Will it go away??

A couple of years ago I got tennis elbow in my right (racquet) arm by digging up trees in my yard.  I stupidly didn’t take much time off of tennis, and also didn’t get any treatment.  It took a long time to go away, but I eventually recovered completely.  I think I helped the healing by careful weightlifting that didn’t aggravate it.  One guy I used to play tennis with got it pretty bad.  He’s had physical therapy and cortisone shots, and is still trying to recover. I’ve had pain in my left arm for the last couple of months that I can only attribute to golf.  It sounds like what you have.  During the summer I was hitting a lot of balls each week, and also doing some cross-training to maintain strength and flexibility and ward off injury.  I may have overdone the practice regimen a bit.  I have one more tournament to play on 10/20, then I’m planning on rest and rehab over the winter to get rid of the pain.   – cja

Response:

Lately, the outside of my left elbow is sore to the core. (I’m right handed)  I was told by some golfers that I may have ‘tennis elbow’.  Has anyone experienced this and what did you do for it?  I’m sure I’ll have to see the Doc, if it doesn’t go away.  Will it go away?? Do a web search on "lateral epicondylitis".  It’s not fun, that’s for sure.

And if that happens to be your problem, ask your pharmacist for the type of "armband" (some look like a U-shaped clamp) that redirects vibration away from your elbow. It won’t cure you (only rest will do that) but at least will alleviate further pain.

Response:

I am currently suffering from a (left) tennis elbow as a result of a too strong grip while playing in the rain. I am getting physiotherapy but have been told that it may take anywhere between 3 months and 2 years to heal. Rest seems to do the trick. Certainly no more golf for the foreseeable future… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Lately, the outside of my left elbow is sore to the core. (I’m right handed)  I was told by some golfers that I may have ‘tennis elbow’.  Has anyone experienced this and what did you do for it?  I’m sure I’ll have to see the Doc, if it doesn’t go away.  Will it go away?? Thanks in advance!

Response:

This is bad news.  I’ve worked through this in both elbows. Definitely take measures now, or it can get a lot worse.  The things I have done, that are finally getting me fixed, after a year, are: 1) Ice the elbow thoroughly after golf or other activities which make it sore. 2) Stretch the tendons before.  There are web sites out there which can give you the stretches. 3) Weight training of the forearm.  I use 12 lb dumbells now, had to start with 2 lb. You want to lay your arm across your knee, palm down, and flex the hand backwards towards your elbow.  Do 15 reps with what ever weight you can.  Then turn the hand over, palm up, and curl your wrist with the same weight.  Do three or four times a week. 4) I had to give up golf and fly fishing for two months.  I gave it up for three weeks and then went back, and really made things worse. 5) Ibuprofen 6) Get a tennis elbow support strap.  Your local drug store should have one. Wear this while golfing or when doing other things that subject the elbow to impact.  You wear it just below the elbow, on the fat part of your forearm. It distributes stress to the muscle lower in your arm. Hope that helps.  Don’t ignore this, or it can become chronic. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Lately, the outside of my left elbow is sore to the core. (I’m right handed)  I was told by some golfers that I may have ‘tennis elbow’.  Has anyone experienced this and what did you do for it?  I’m sure I’ll have to see the Doc, if it doesn’t go away.  Will it go away?? Thanks in advance!

Response:

In addition to the excellent list of options below, I would taking Glucoseamaine Sulphate, which cured a very bad case of Tennis Elbow I had several years ago. would seem to take 60 days for benefits to appear. Cortisone shots help, but are not recommended until other treatments fail. — Bill Cochrane 416-284-8462

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is bad news.  I’ve worked through this in both elbows. Definitely take measures now, or it can get a lot worse.  The things I have done, that are finally getting me fixed, after a year, are: 1) Ice the elbow thoroughly after golf or other activities which make it sore. 2) Stretch the tendons before.  There are web sites out there which can give you the stretches. 3) Weight training of the forearm.  I use 12 lb dumbells now, had to start with 2 lb. You want to lay your arm across your knee, palm down, and flex the hand backwards towards your elbow.  Do 15 reps with what ever weight you can.  Then turn the hand over, palm up, and curl your wrist with the same weight.  Do three or four times a week. 4) I had to give up golf and fly fishing for two months.  I gave it up for three weeks and then went back, and really made things worse. 5) Ibuprofen 6) Get a tennis elbow support strap.  Your local drug store should have one. Wear this while golfing or when doing other things that subject the elbow to impact.  You wear it just below the elbow, on the fat part of your forearm. It distributes stress to the muscle lower in your arm. Hope that helps.  Don’t ignore this, or it can become chronic. Lately, the outside of my left elbow is sore to the core. (I’m right handed)  I was told by some golfers that I may have ‘tennis elbow’.  Has anyone experienced this and what did you do for it?  I’m sure I’ll have to see the Doc, if it doesn’t go away.  Will it go away?? Thanks in advance!

Response:

Question:

Uh huh.  Must be speaking from experience. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – likes boys.

Response:

  Uh huh. George, you cry like a baby when someone posts crap like this about you. riverman

Well, you’re right.  If Connor would stop stalking ALL OF ROFF, it might help. But, you make a good point. George

Response:

Tattle-taler Connor is a loser.  Sneaky back stabber, two faced coward, stalker, yellow spined sissy, troller, jealousy of George, devious, blue thingie poster, limited fly fishing knowledge but fair fly tier . . . quibbler, untrustworthy poster, attention hungry . . . likes boys. George Gehrke

Response:

Tattle-taler Connor is a loser.  Sneaky back stabber, two faced coward, stalker, yellow spined sissy, troller, jealousy of George, devious, blue thingie poster, limited fly fishing knowledge but fair fly tier . . . quibbler, untrustworthy poster, attention hungry . . . likes boys. George Gehrke

Uh huh. George, you cry like a baby when someone posts crap like this about you. riverman

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Question:

George Gehrke: shithead. …seems a bit ungentlemanly…

Get it straight, George. I’m the fucking putz. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

…i hope to have a good granite chisel soon… i think it might be useful with some of my "signature" fly ties as well. jeff (chiseling out more mutants for the masses)

Somehow it seemed so difficult, all attempts just fizzled, this was mainly due it seems, to the fact that they were chiselled, he swore, he cursed, he begged and cried, at last he exclaimed "Dammnit!", how can you get proportions right, in such little bits of granite?". He sweated, learned, and tried again, until he knew some tricks, but no matter what he tried to do, his dry-flies sank like bricks, he tied flies for trout, and bass and pike, and even some for bream, and though he did his level best, results remained a dream.. Years went by, and then at last, enlightenment slowly dawned, frustrating hours and days of work, a new idea then spawned, he tied a whole new series up, and then he went a swapping, all now agreed his perfect flies, were beautiful, simply topping. Time came then at last for him, to pass on the gentle art, this time comes at last you see, to every poor old fart, his pupils marvelled at his skill, his flies even caught bones, how he managed this you ask?  He stuck to chiselling stones! TL MC

Response:

George Gehrke: shithead.

…seems a bit ungentlemanly… jeff

Response:

George Gehrke: shithead. …seems a bit ungentlemanly…

Yeah, but it would make a good epitaph for him just as written. <g — Charlie…

Response:

…i hope to have a good granite chisel soon… i think it might be useful with some of my "signature" fly ties as well. jeff (chiseling out more mutants for the masses) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – George Gehrke: shithead. …seems a bit ungentlemanly… Yeah, but it would make a good epitaph for him just as written. <g — Charlie…

Response:

I happen to think of another answer to your concerns David.  You’re just going to have to take me the way I am.  Someday, you’re going to miss me baby and all this originality and talent!  You’ll be laughing all the way to the river of no return. George Roff & Company "the gang’s all here!" (why fix something when it isn’t broke?) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – George, I say this with true concern – no hate or disgust:  Get some professional help, not with your writing, but with your head. Dave

Response:

David,  trust me.  There is nothing wrong with my head, just too much on my plate.  I have enough E-mail proving how incorrect  your concern is, but I know you to be sincere. Stay loose and don’t sweat the details David.  Roff has too many editors and not enough good writers.  Can you help by contributing something? George – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – George, I say this with true concern – no hate or disgust:  Get some professional help, not with your writing, but with your head. Dave

Response:

George, I say this with true concern – no hate or disgust:  Get some professional help, not with your writing, but with your head. Dave

Response:

Mike, I’ll keep this short and sweet.  You are a serious waste of my valuable time. No one in ROFF needs your kind of  criticisms.  You can’t take criticism yourself and you don’t know how to give advice in a constructive manner.   It must be your ethnic nature and educational back ground?  Therefore: there are no other reasons for me to have a civil conversation with you now or in the near future. By the way, I write just as well as you or anyone else,  given the time.  These seems to elude you entirely because there are many sportsmen (world wide) who disagree with your views and what you stand for.  You’re a competent fly tier. Why don’t you stick with what you do best?  (because you are politically inept, you lack social abilities and graces, besides being a total failure in "people skills")  Take night courses in these subjects then give it another go in  four years.  I cannot offer you better advice Mike. Take care.  End of conversation. George Gehrke "who isn’t interested in those who make personal attacks in public places"

Response:

Nobody gets paid for anything on ROFF. You are not Hemingway, and a number of people would be more than happy if you kept your gratuitous, barely comprehensible, and over-long ramblings, to yourself. Bullshit is bullshit, free or not.  In this case it is not free, it costs money to send tens of kilobytes of rubbish through the ether, some more some less, but it costs everybody money. I can accept that some things must be very bitter for you, this shines through in every post you make, like dim streetlamps glinting reluctantly from the oily whorls on  pools of sewage,  but that

Question:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true…….

Never doubted your veracity myself.  As a matter of fact, it never occurred to me to wonder whether or not any of your stories are true.  Now that the subject has been broached, I am forced to wonder why anyone would concern him or her self with such a question.  There is no doubt in my feeble little mind that "Huckleberry Finn", "Gulliver’s Travels", and perhaps even "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" would fail the test of scholarly historiography.  Should this prove to be the case, I suspect that they would all nevertheless continue to draw readers and furthermore, that it would not detract one whit from the truth contained in these timeless stories. In other words, fuck ‘em.  You go Mike. Wolfgang

Response:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me…

Hi Mike, I do enjoy this stuff: up to your usual form. I have tried to e-mail you privately, but have had no replies. Is it not getting through? Best & Tight Lines, Tony Deacon

Response:

Had a little problem with some software. Maybe that is the reason ?  I saw no posts from you recently. Lookout Distress is once again living up to its name, coupled with the arcane machinations of the German Telecom, it makes Brown trucks look like heavenly chariots. TL MC — "Where fishing is concerned, most anglers are basically manic excessives" http://www.mikeconnor.de – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me… Hi Mike, I do enjoy this stuff: up to your usual form. I have tried to e-mail you privately, but have had no replies. Is it not getting through? Best & Tight Lines, Tony Deacon

Response:

Thanks Chris,  very kind of you to say so. Care must be taken in some instances though, not all of my exploits and methods are suitable for emulation. My track record with poachers for instance is quite abysmal. TL MC – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – —- Mike, I for one enjoy your vast knowledge and experiences.  I never thought for a moment that they did not ring of truth and I have employed some of your past suggestions with success, I might mention.

Response:

I had trouble shooting Teel when I first started duck hunting.  It was because they fly much faster than the other ducks.  I consistently shot behind them.  I finally got so I could hit one, but never could hit a Snipe. Ernie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you spend a great deal of time and energy on something, several things tend to occur. You  become fairly good at it, and you experience a lot more things than if you only occasionally did it. A few weeks ago, I was out duck hunting (OBROFF: gathering CDC feathers.)  I had just flushed a flock of mallards out of a slough, and I was crouched down in the grass hoping some of them might come back, when a pair of blue wing teal appeared out of nowhere, crossed in front of me and settled on opposite edge of the water, out of range. I sat still for another 15 minutes or so with one eye on the teal and one eye on the horizon, where the mallards were still flying.  There was a sound of wingbeats overhead and suddenly there was an enormous redtailed hawk, hot in pursuit of the teal.  The teal dove underwater, but the water was only a foot or so deep so the hawk had no trouble following them, hovering over the water, wings beating furiously like a huge kestrel.  The teal eventually made good their escape, flying right past me.  I suppose I could have shot them fairly easily, but it didn’t seem quite right.  I just stared, filled with awe and wonderment at my good fortune to have been a witness. I would have never seen it happen if I hadn’t been out there, and what possible other reason could I have to be crouched down in the weeds next to a slough out on the prairie?  I think I have posted before my belief that the reason we go out hunting or fishing or whatever is not so much to gather fish or game (unless we seriously need the food), but to gather interesting stories to tell.  The fishing is fun, but it is also a reason to get out of the house and out into the world and let things happen to us. Kevin

Response:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me.  I have attempted to explain this in the past, I seem to remember even on here, but for those who missed it the first time, ( assuming I did in fact explain it before on here), here it is again.

<snipped, but deeply appreciated —- Mike, I for one enjoy your vast knowledge and experiences.  I never thought for a moment that they did not ring of truth and I have employed some of your past suggestions with success, I might mention.  The reason some people may question your veracity could be that the have led colorless lives themselves and are judging your life experience against the standard of being a spector of life instead of participating in life as you have. In a given week, I tend to do a lot of different things.  When someone asked me how I did so many things, I told them, simply, "I do not own a television."  I have a VCR player hooked to a video monitor for some of my instructional videos that I own, but I NEVER watch television.  Since the average American, according to one source, watches an astounding 40+ hours of television a week, it is small wonder where I find the "extra" time to indulge myself in my many varied interests. —- Padishar Creel "I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work…I want to achieve it through not dying."  – Woody Allen

Response:

Thanks Chris,  very kind of you to say so. Care must be taken in some instances though, not all of my exploits and methods are suitable for emulation. My track record with poachers for instance is quite abysmal.

—– So is my experience with Game Wardens, as it so happens <G — Padishar Creel "I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work…I want to achieve it through not dying."  – Woody Allen

Response:

Mike,   Some have doubted the veracity of my many misadventures, but any doubts were laid to rest at the Rappahanock Clave (read Frank meets tent stake).   Your stories are so wonderful because we, as a group, can identify with the situations.  As a whole, I’m sure it would take the combined experience of ROFF to match your own.  We thank you for sharing yours. We will not match yours (thinking about going beak to beak with an owl is a tough way to get into PETA’s bad boy book. Go strangle a pheasant me boyo.  Very proper that.).  We will however, experience that vicarious thrill of looking at the world through your eyes as we slog through the day-to-day life with our commutes and lousy jobs.    Your every story conjurs up the fun of a Guy Fawkesian tale.  You have the unwitting anti-hero (you), the protagonist (the sea,a crazed bus driver, a policeman), an injured victim (an owl or the bloomin bloomerless WI) and a common thread of life just outside of the bounds of control, a train wreck waiting to happen.    I will often piggy back on your stories.  Like stories around a campfire, or more properly, in front of a fire in a ghillie hut, single malt in hand, they become seeds for other stories and ROFF threads. I’m glad you’re back.      Frank Reid Before you buy.

Response:

I would have never seen it happen if I hadn’t been out there, and what possible other reason could I have to be crouched down in the weeds next to a slough out on the prairie?  

That’s an astonishing observation, Kevin. I’ve felt the same thing on many occasions. People who don’t hunt or fish can’t really understand what it’s like to experience this stuff. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

I had trouble shooting Teel when I first started duck hunting.  It was because they fly much faster than the other ducks.  I consistently shot behind them.  I finally got so I could hit one, but never could hit a Snipe. Ernie

Too bad, Keith at Grindstone Angling has been bugging me about finding him some snipe.  I could’ve gotten a pretty penny out of him if you were any good.  :)  I was holding out on him, but he recently got his own computer and you’d never guess who he dug up all by hisself. Mike, truth always has been stranger than fiction.  I look on your stories as a life spent in an endless "Carry On" movie.  There are far worse fates.  :)   A rich life always appears untrue to those who rarely try to extend their lives beyond the poverty of their spirit. Peter

Response:

If you spend a great deal of time and energy on something, several things tend to occur. You  become fairly good at it, and you experience a lot more things than if you only occasionally did it.

A few weeks ago, I was out duck hunting (OBROFF: gathering CDC feathers.)  I had just flushed a flock of mallards out of a slough, and I was crouched down in the grass hoping some of them might come back, when a pair of blue wing teal appeared out of nowhere, crossed in front of me and settled on opposite edge of the water, out of range. I sat still for another 15 minutes or so with one eye on the teal and one eye on the horizon, where the mallards were still flying.  There was a sound of wingbeats overhead and suddenly there was an enormous redtailed hawk, hot in pursuit of the teal.  The teal dove underwater, but the water was only a foot or so deep so the hawk had no trouble following them, hovering over the water, wings beating furiously like a huge kestrel.  The teal eventually made good their escape, flying right past me.  I suppose I could have shot them fairly easily, but it didn’t seem quite right.  I just stared, filled with awe and wonderment at my good fortune to have been a witness. I would have never seen it happen if I hadn’t been out there, and what possible other reason could I have to be crouched down in the weeds next to a slough out on the prairie?  I think I have posted before my belief that the reason we go out hunting or fishing or whatever is not so much to gather fish or game (unless we seriously need the food), but to gather interesting stories to tell.  The fishing is fun, but it is also a reason to get out of the house and out into the world and let things happen to us. Kevin

Response:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me.  I have attempted to explain this in the past, I seem to remember even on here, but for those who missed it the first time, ( assuming I did in fact explain it before on here), here it is again. Well, first of all, for quite a long time, I was so fanatical about fishing, that I often went seven days a week, I did not much care where, or for what, I simply took every available opportunity, and even if none was apparently available, I made one. Sometimes I only went for an hour, school, work, and other things allowing, ( and often even if they did not allow it, school bored me to death, and I rarely attended, I went fishing instead), and sometimes I disappeared for days, or even weeks. During these times, all I did was fish, and read, and what I read was also mostly about fishing. When I first started seriously fishing, the main reason was to catch fish for food. As it was absolutely imperative that I catch something to eat, I did not mess about very much, if at all, I made a point of discovering the best methods, ( for "best", read,  "most successful in terms of edible fish caught "), and applied them diligently, with considerable success. Not all of these methods were equally enjoyable, some were certainly not "fair", although to me all were enjoyable to some extent, (even hauling nets at sea, or longlining, which I also did for a while), but most were extremely successful, when correctly practiced, and as enjoyment was not the main driving factor, this did not really matter in any case. What I am trying to explain here, is that the enjoyment was more or less completely incidental initially. Fishing was not a way of "killing time", or "pursuing an interest", "a hobby", or all the other various euphemisms one often hears for various pastimes. It was a way of obtaining food for nothing, and it was also very cheap, healthy,  and fulfilling entertainment. I never considered fishing, or anything even remotely connected with it to be  work, although I knew a few who did. If you spend a great deal of time and energy on something, several things tend to occur. You  become fairly good at it, and you experience a lot more things than if you only occasionally did it. If the subject also interests you per se, and you also perhaps have a certain talent for it,  then you get even better at it, you really have no choice in the matter, it is a simple progression. One thing leads to another. Before I was twenty years old I had caught more fish, and spent more time on the water, often in the company of experts, than many men will ever do in their whole lifetimes. For years I gave lessons in tying and casting to various local clubs, spent weekends teaching fly-fishing for the local water authority, giving fly-dressing demos at various fairs, ( long before tying became as popular as it is now), etc etc etc. In the years that followed, the frequency of my trips decreased of course, you may play truant from school with relative impunity, but if you play truant from work you will eventually be sacked.( Fired ! ). Nevertheless, I still managed to spend a great deal of time on the water, or involved in some way. I had become firm friends with many other anglers, and people connected with angling, and because of this, I received opportunities which others did not. Anything to do with fishing interested me, and I went out of my way to be part of anything at all where fish or fishing was involved.  All the time my interest remained steady, and I read every book or magazine that I could lay my hands on. When I got the chance, I went fishing with others, some of them already world or at least nationally renowned experts at that time, others perhaps less well known, but experts nonetheless, and of course with lots of other people, who were neither well known nor experts. All contributed to my angling education. Much of what I read, learned, or simply saw,  I immediately put into practice. What I could not buy, I built, ( basically why I started tying flies as well ), insofar as it was within my capabilities to do so. Astoundingly enough, one discovers fairly early on that most things are not that hard to do, what one man can invent or design, another man can build, given reasonable intelligence,  time, persistence,  and materials. Simply attempting this, hones your capabilities automatically, until you reach a point where you find very few things difficult. At a fairly early point during these years, the need to catch fish for food decreased, and eventually disappeared entirely, but my enthusiasm for fishing did not, and I continued reading about it, and fishing a great deal, but now purely for enjoyment, the fish having become an incidental bonus to the entertainment, and so it has remained to this day. Apparently I have a very selective, but almost photographic memory, for things concerning fishing. It took me almost fifteen years before I finally managed to remember my wife’s birthday, but I only have to see a fly pattern once, and it is fixed forever in my memory.  I can not remember my own mobile phone number for more than a day, and constantly have to look it up, but I can remember every single run on every single river or stream I have ever fished with brilliant clarity. Even those I fished over thirty years ago. Although a fairly good navigator, and with an excellent sense of direction, I can not remember a street in a city which I visited last week, but I can find my way across the North York Moors, from any point you care to mention, to any stream or valley within hundreds of square miles with absolutely pin-point accuracy, in the pitch dark, with no moon or stars and in heavy snow or fog. I can do the same here, in the Lueneburger Heide. I have no idea why I can do this, or even how, I just can. I wish I did know, I would certainly apply the talent to something else if I possibly could. I can not remember whether it rained yesterday, but  I can remember  every sizeable fish I have ever caught, where I caught it, how I caught it, and what the weather conditions were at the time. I can "see" these things in my mind, like a film which may be rewound and replayed at will.  I could give more examples, but I suppose you get the drift. Regarding actually fishing, if I absolutely must catch a fish, then I do, I do not find it particularly difficult. Nowadays I do not bother with extremely productive methods much, as I find other methods more enjoyable, even though they are less productive.  The size of fish caught has ceased to bother me very much, although it is nice to catch a large one now and then, as the fight is simply more interesting and challenging. Somebody on here said ( I believe it was Willi actually ), some time ago now, that he had more or less ceased nymphing, as although it was extremely productive in terms of fish, it was hard work, and got boring after a while.  I feel much the same about some methods. It is just too easy, although perhaps hard work, and therefore not worth the bother.  This doubtless sounds extremely arrogant, but it is nevertheless simple fact. Catching one very difficult fish from a challenging position, or for other reasons, ( actually regardless of size ) is much more enjoyable than banging out a dozen in double quick time with an easy method, or because the fish are madly on the feed, and have thrown caution to the winds. Unfortunately this applies to many "new" methods as well. There are not many angling books I have not read, and there are not many methods, tackle, or materials,  I do not at least know something about. Once read or seen, never forgotten. I can even remember shotting patterns somebody once showed me, again over thirty years ago. Often I am quite amused when I read about some "new" method of tying flies, or casting, or a host of other things. Invariably these things are not new at all, and in all likelihood have been around for quite a while, in some cases for centuries. I remember being extremely crushed over thirty five years ago, when I sent in a parachute version of the Greenwell

Question:

My wife and I will be visiting the St. Joe River area after the Fourth of July.

My friend and I were up to the end of the road last August, early Sept.  That was my first fly-fishing experience, so I can’t give much advice.  Pretty much every fly my friend gave me worked very well.  Elk-hair caddis is the only one I remember.  Cuthroat all over at the end of the road.  Mostly small ones, 7-8".  I got one that was about 10-11" but he left half his lower jaw on my hook.  I wasn’t too happy about that. There was a bear rampaging around the campground at that time.  F&G was going to catch him.  Just a young blackie and I’m certain he’d be gone now, but it can be pretty "wild" out there. Good luck.  Very beautiful up there. E. O’Daniel IDAHO

Response:

Howdy, My wife and I will be visiting the St. Joe River area after the Fourth of July. Is there anyone out there who could help with info about good water and good hatches. Thanks, Marty

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Marty, The St. Joe is still feeling the effects of a huge snowpack this year and is still running quite a bit higher than it normally would be this time of year.  However, in my experience the further upstream you can get the better the fishing…..above Prospector Creek is C&R and below is 1 Cutthroat limit over 14". The cutthroat on the Joe aren’t picky…..just about any dry fly will draw strikes but some of the better ones are Renegades, hoppers, elk hair caddis, humpies, and royal wulffs.  I have heard there is a fly called the St. Joe Special but I have never seen it and have never used it.  Hare’s ears and prince nymphs will also work well. Good luck! Dustin

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Howdy, My wife and I will be visiting the St. Joe River area after the Fourth of July. Is there anyone out there who could help with info about good water and good hatches. Thanks, Marty

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Question:

So, if I declare war on Mr. G before I were to shoot him, this would be justifiable homicide and not REDRUM! Opie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – it becomes a murderer.  Like it or not.

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What does any of this have to do with fly fishing? Is there fly fishing to be done in the persian gulf? Should we hire a guide? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – So, if I declare war on Mr. G before I were to shoot him, this would be justifiable homicide and not REDRUM! Opie it becomes a murderer.  Like it or not.

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What does any of this have to do with fly fishing? Is there fly fishing to be done in the persian gulf? Should we hire a guide?

        Aww, don’t be such a Jesuit. To paraphrase someone, an overly fanatic attention to neatness is a sign of an unhealthy mind. A little variation on a theme

Question:

Does anybody know any good rivers to fish in this area?

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You might want to try going to the "GEOGRPHICAL LISTINGS" under "UNITED STATES" "TEXAS" at http://www.davisbrown.com/fflnk.html  The links may help you find a local info source.  Good luck. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Does anybody know any good rivers to fish in this area?

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Go to almost any flyshop in Texas and buy a copy of "Flyfishing the Texas Hill Country" got almost anything you need to know? Mike – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You might want to try going to the "GEOGRPHICAL LISTINGS" under "UNITED STATES" "TEXAS" at http://www.davisbrown.com/fflnk.html  The links may help you find a local info source.  Good luck. Does anybody know any good rivers to fish in this area?

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Nathan, you may also contact the Guadalupe River TU group at www.grtu.org. They have fishing reports and good info on the area. SAB – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Does anybody know any good rivers to fish in [Central Texas]?

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Question:

Dear Friends, I will be in western Quebec near La Verendrey (sp?) Park north of Maniwaki in mid July.  I would love to read your suggestions for flies for smallmouth, brook trout, pike.  Any information will be well received. Thanks so much. Sandford

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I will be in western Quebec near La Verendrey (sp?) Park north of Maniwaki in mid July.  I would love to read your suggestions for flies for smallmouth, brook trout, pike.  Any information will be well received.

Most fishing up there seems to be done from boats with bait or hard lures rather than with flies or afoot. Bass and brookies are seldom selective. For bass, all you need is 3 types: — dry fly or popper, — darkish streamer e.g. Muddler Minnow, — bright streamer e.g. Mickey Finn. In smaller sizes, brookies also take MM and MF avidly.  Brookies seem unselective about dry flies, but it would be prudent to carry a variety of sizes, say 10 to 20, including good floaters and high-visibility flies for rough water (preferred by brookies.) — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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Question:

In a couple of weeks I’m going to British Columbia (Chilko Lake/Tsy-los park). One of the fishing opportunities there is fishing on a mountain lake for Dolly Varden. I’ve been told to bring a sinking line. I have never used a sinking line and find there are a wide variety of brands and sink rates available. Can anyone advise me on which line type would be the best for this setting? Thanks! Steve Rosenblum

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In a couple of weeks I’m going to British Columbia (Chilko Lake/Tsy-los park). One of the fishing opportunities there is fishing on a mountain lake for Dolly Varden. I’ve been told to bring a sinking line. I have never used a sinking line and find there are a wide variety of brands and sink rates available. Can anyone advise me on which line type would be the best for this setting? Thanks! Steve Rosenblum

Hi Steve! Depends on the depth–and this is no wisecrack answer.  A lot of my lake fishing is done in water less than 8 feet deep and I like to fish out a cast.  So, my favorite lake sinking line is a slow sink (I think scientific Anglers calls it an imtermediate line.I can use this line because I generally dont fish deep lakes when the water is warm and the fish less active.  If you fish deeper you need a line with a faster sink rate.  The make a bunch of them. If I were guessing, I would go for a wet cel II line–it will get down relatively fast, but dont plan on fishing 30 feet down with it!! Also, I prefer full sinking lines for lake fishing–personal preference, but I fish slow and deep and sinking tip lines tend to drag with the wind across the top of the water. Best Luck!! Paul

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In a couple of weeks I’m going to British Columbia (Chilko Lake/Tsy-los park). One of the fishing opportunities there is fishing on a mountain lake for Dolly Varden. I’ve been told to bring a sinking line. I have never used a sinking line and find there are a wide variety of brands and sink rates available. Can anyone advise me on which line type would be the best for this setting?

Hi Steve, I like to use a type II sinking line for fishing around 10 ft. deep, a type III for 10 to 15 and a type V (don’t do this often) for 20+ ft. of depth.  Of course, I am kind of impatient and I hate long countdowns to get to the fish.   Keep in mind that the speed of the retrieve you use will also have an effect on how deep your fly actually swims.   A quickly retrieved type III will often fish at the same depth as a slow to medium retrieve on a type II.  See if you can find out the depth that you will most often be fishing at this lake (not the depth of the lake, but rather the depth you will fish), and make your choice from there.                           Good Fishing,                               Dan 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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Question:

Does anyone know about beaver creek in CA this year or at all? I was there last year late in the summer and the water was realy low. The were a lot of feed bugs in the water, but the water was too low to produce any sizable trout. Any info on the creek would be great. TimFLYFISH Dream of flyfishing, but also let the fish dream. C & R

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Tim, where do you fish Beaver Ck.? in the park or up outa Sourgrass? I would expect the water to be high right now. The Stanislaus at Sourgrass was pretty high and fast a couple weeks ago. As I remember the fish aren’t really big there. This time of the year, due to high, fast water fish close to the river bank. There are some nice holes outa Sourgrass and up the creek where the road crosses Beaver Ck. wish you luck, Bob

: Does anyone know about beaver creek in CA this year or at all? I was there : last year late in the summer and the water was realy low. The were a lot : of feed bugs in the water, but the water was too low to produce any : sizable trout. Any info on the creek would be great. : TimFLYFISH : Dream of flyfishing, but also let the fish dream. C & R —  Remember amateur astronomers: "keep looking for the next Universe"

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