Question:

[snipped] Great story.  I can feel the slime and smell the penetrating odor from here

Response:

……On Saturday at a Back Yard Burger I saw four young Elvises (Elvii) getting out of a powder blue 1962 Buick convertible.

The dude DOES get around.  He spends his days picking up trash at Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, here in Milwaukee. Wolfgang i guess the king of rock-n-roll biz ain’t what it used to was.

Response:

Great story.  I can feel the slime and smell the penetrating odor from here

TAKE A SHOWER ALREADY! mEMPHIS jIM No, I haven’t seen Elvis this week.

Response:

says… Great story.  I can feel the slime and smell the penetrating odor from here TAKE A SHOWER ALREADY! mEMPHIS jIM No, I haven’t seen Elvis this week.

thanks.  I was wondering what I stepped in… — Rob (but have you gone by Graceland…)

Response:

Actually that’s not true.  On Saturday at a Back Yard Burger I saw four young Elvises (Elvii) getting out of a powder blue 1962 Buick convertible. Memphis Jim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – No, I haven’t seen Elvis this week. thanks.  I was wondering what I stepped in… — Rob (but have you gone by Graceland…)

Response:

Boulder, ponds near Munson’s ? You mean 75th and Valmont ? Not the Sawhill’s ? How in the world is there trout in any pond near there ? The water must be 85 degrees ? Good bass’n out there, and big carp. But you say there’s some nice trout, eh ? Could you please be more specific about where these ponds are ? TIA. Bone.

BTW, TBone, I forgot to mention the graylings… hehe

Response:

Is that you, Frank?

No sir. Not Frank. Ben. -bh

Response:

Boulder, ponds near Munson’s ? You mean 75th and Valmont ? Not the Sawhill’s ? How in the world is there trout in any pond near there ? The water must be 85 degrees ? Good bass’n out there, and big carp. But you say there’s some nice trout, eh ? Could you please be more specific about where these ponds are ? TIA. Bone.

Response:

Is that you, Frank? No sir. Not Frank. Ben.

It tis nice to see others with a single minded devotion to the fish.  Hey, so what if you get a bit messy, you got a fish and these guys are just dreaming of getting some. — Frank Reid Reverse email to reply.

Response:

Boulder, ponds near Munson’s ? You mean 75th and Valmont ? Not the Sawhill’s ? How in the world is there trout in any pond near there ? The water must be 85 degrees ? Good bass’n out there, and big carp. But you say there’s some nice trout, eh ? Could you please be more specific about where these ponds are ? TIA. Bone.

You clearly know the place, what I’ve been tiold by the F&G guys that patrol the area is that the ponds are and have for some time been dumping grounds for stock. Big bass, yes. I’ve lifted an 18 inch large mouth out of the back pond on a #10 krystal bugger tied to 6X tippet and a 4wt rod. I’ve also taken more than a number of catfish ON THE SURFACE using smallish, bright white upwing something or others (I forget exactly) from the first pond. Sunfish, bluegills, small mouths, big mouths. The place is like a proving ground for fly tackle. Specifically on the trout issue: Walk back from the parking lot, past the pond with the dock. The next pond on the north side of that path is huge and damned near dry. Stand there on the south side near the aspen stand, open your eyes and prick your ears. Those big dark shadowy bug sucking monsters are trout. If we don’t get some rain soon, they will soon be trout jerky. Let me know and I’ll meet you there. -bh Boulder, CO

Response:

I spent the day fishing one of the back ponds out near Munson’s east of Boulder, CO. The current drought and a bit of local water politics has reduced many of these usually healthy potholes to small bowls of muddy, stringy soup. The hole I chose to visit today caught my eye via my ear when I heard loud slurping sounds coming from the ooze. I sat down on a clump of rye grass and watched some of the biggest lunker trout I’ve ever seen sucking bugs off of the surface, their backs complelety exposed to the air as they lay cradled in the thick weeds. I sat and I watched and I evaluated. Two big problems — 1.) the sea weed was very thick and left only small (maybe 4-5 ft. across) targets of clear (kind of) water in which to land a fly and 2.) the CO Fish and Game had encouraged aspens all along this particular bank leaving only a 10 by 10 ft "window" for me to shoot a line through. Normally I’d feel ok about a tight cast like that, but I was also standing 10-12 feet above the surface of the water which put my backcast up high and my front cast down sharply. So I sat some more and evaluated and while I did I tied on a #8 Dave’s hopper variant that I picked up in a general store in Ten Sleep, WY this summer. This version has gads of jangly rubber legs and makes all kind of ruckus on the surface when you twitch ‘em. I had no clue what they were sipping so I figured something juicy and big might bust them away from whatever hatch they were enjoying at the moment. So I sat some more and evaluated and while I did I began to realise that there was not a single sunfish or gilly or anything small at or near the water’s edge. it occurred to me that this pond had been shrinking for months and that anything small had been consumed by the elders in the water. This explained their size. Off in the distance, maybe 100 yds or so from my clump of grass were two blue herons standing in less than a foot of water. They were no doubt waiting patiently for one of these giants to glide by. I tried to imagine what that fight would look like. The scene in front of me was like an entire wildlife documentory but without the narrative. Truly unreal. So I decided it was time. I screeched off 20 or 30 feet of line from my little Princess and flicked the tippet end out toward the water. Two or three false casts swished through the air and — and this is god’s truth — I popped that little hopper right smack in the center of a clear spot in the water. I watched. I waited. I stripped in the slack and I waited some more. The water was so dark and so thick with growth that it was hard to see anything beneath the surface. I waited a minute or so and finally I gave her a twitch. My little bug pushed a bow-wave straight toward me and floated high on the water. Another ten seconds and I gave it another twitch. This time something thick and black and large rolled over and devoured my fly. I popped my wrist back and hooked up nicely. That fish — my fish — ran a slalom course through the weeds and tangled my leader 5 ways from Sunday. I stood up, fell and slid like a knothead down the bank and landed on my knees in the muck. But I still had a fish on! I stripped the slack that had formed from my fall and felt the leader knot hit the tip of my rod. I knew I was less than 9 feet from this fish and I wasn’t going to let a little slime stop me from landing him. What I didn’t plan on was the "lack of firmness" on the bottom of the pond. I stepped into the water — just a foot or so — and immediately felt the coolness of the mud slide deliciously up to my knees. I tried to step out and I felt one of my Teva’s come off my foot. Damn! I lost balance and fell back, gently and with great style, right on my ass. Here I am, all of my bits and pieces in the water and my legs being swallowed by quick sand. I worked to get my feet out of the suck, all the while trying to hang on to my rod. Eventually I got to my feet and started scanning the weeds for my fishy friend. I bent my rod gently and in doing so pulled my leader into a semi-straight line. I coould feel the fish still and I could see the hissy fit he was throwing in the growth. Laying down my rod I wrapped the leader around my hand and gently pulled him in. The trout was wrapped in so much plant material that he looked twice his actual size. I kept him in the water and slipped a wet hand under his belly. The weeds kept him still as I unhooked him and pointed him, nose first toward the center of the pond. I gathered my dignity and shlepped back to my car, my legs and shorts frosted in foul smelling green/brown goop. Well, there are no facilities at this place and I had nothing more than what I was wearing with me so I slipped out of my shorts and tshirt, put my shirt over the driver’s seat of my car and drove home wearing nothing but my Jockeys and a big smile. Upon my arrival, my wife didn’t inquire as to my condition or how it came to be. She gave me a totally unaffected look and asked me if I had had a good time. I told her that I had.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I spent the day fishing one of the back ponds out near Munson’s east of Boulder, CO. The current drought and a bit of local water politics has reduced many of these usually healthy potholes to small bowls of muddy, stringy soup. The hole I chose to visit today caught my eye via my ear when I heard loud slurping sounds coming from the ooze. I sat down on a clump of rye grass and watched some of the biggest lunker trout I’ve ever seen sucking bugs off of the surface, their backs complelety exposed to the air as they lay cradled in the thick weeds. I sat and I watched and I evaluated. Two big problems — 1.) the sea weed was very thick and left only small (maybe 4-5 ft. across) targets of clear (kind of) water in which to land a fly and 2.) the CO Fish and Game had encouraged aspens all along this particular bank leaving only a 10 by 10 ft "window" for me to shoot a line through. Normally I’d feel ok about a tight cast like that, but I was also standing 10-12 feet above the surface of the water which put my backcast up high and my front cast down sharply. So I sat some more and evaluated and while I did I tied on a #8 Dave’s hopper variant that I picked up in a general store in Ten Sleep, WY this summer. This version has gads of jangly rubber legs and makes all kind of ruckus on the surface when you twitch ‘em. I had no clue what they were sipping so I figured something juicy and big might bust them away from whatever hatch they were enjoying at the moment. So I sat some more and evaluated and while I did I began to realise that there was not a single sunfish or gilly or anything small at or near the water’s edge. it occurred to me that this pond had been shrinking for months and that anything small had been consumed by the elders in the water. This explained their size. Off in the distance, maybe 100 yds or so from my clump of grass were two blue herons standing in less than a foot of water. They were no doubt waiting patiently for one of these giants to glide by. I tried to imagine what that fight would look like. The scene in front of me was like an entire wildlife documentory but without the narrative. Truly unreal. So I decided it was time. I screeched off 20 or 30 feet of line from my little Princess and flicked the tippet end out toward the water. Two or three false casts swished through the air and — and this is god’s truth — I popped that little hopper right smack in the center of a clear spot in the water. I watched. I waited. I stripped in the slack and I waited some more. The water was so dark and so thick with growth that it was hard to see anything beneath the surface. I waited a minute or so and finally I gave her a twitch. My little bug pushed a bow-wave straight toward me and floated high on the water. Another ten seconds and I gave it another twitch. This time something thick and black and large rolled over and devoured my fly. I popped my wrist back and hooked up nicely. That fish — my fish — ran a slalom course through the weeds and tangled my leader 5 ways from Sunday. I stood up, fell and slid like a knothead down the bank and landed on my knees in the muck. But I still had a fish on! I stripped the slack that had formed from my fall and felt the leader knot hit the tip of my rod. I knew I was less than 9 feet from this fish and I wasn’t going to let a little slime stop me from landing him. What I didn’t plan on was the "lack of firmness" on the bottom of the pond. I stepped into the water — just a foot or so — and immediately felt the coolness of the mud slide deliciously up to my knees. I tried to step out and I felt one of my Teva’s come off my foot. Damn! I lost balance and fell back, gently and with great style, right on my ass. Here I am, all of my bits and pieces in the water and my legs being swallowed by quick sand. I worked to get my feet out of the suck, all the while trying to hang on to my rod. Eventually I got to my feet and started scanning the weeds for my fishy friend. I bent my rod gently and in doing so pulled my leader into a semi-straight line. I coould feel the fish still and I could see the hissy fit he was throwing in the growth. Laying down my rod I wrapped the leader around my hand and gently pulled him in. The trout was wrapped in so much plant material that he looked twice his actual size. I kept him in the water and slipped a wet hand under his belly. The weeds kept him still as I unhooked him and pointed him, nose first toward the center of the pond. I gathered my dignity and shlepped back to my car, my legs and shorts frosted in foul smelling green/brown goop. Well, there are no facilities at this place and I had nothing more than what I was wearing with me so I slipped out of my shorts and tshirt, put my shirt over the driver’s seat of my car and drove home wearing nothing but my Jockeys and a big smile. Upon my arrival, my wife didn’t inquire as to my condition or how it came to be. She gave me a totally unaffected look and asked me if I had had a good time. I told her that I had.

Is that you, Frank?

Response:

Question:

The Sowbug Roundup is a local club event put on by The North Arkansas Fly Fishers Club of Mountain Home Arkansas and is this coming Friday and Saturday March 15 and 16. The cost of admission is only 5 bucks for both days. There will be over 100 fly tiers to watch and it is a hell of a lot of fun. If you are going to be in the area you should consider attending. The fishing is great on the White River when they are not running all eight turbines. For more information go to www.Northarkansasflyfisher.org and click on The Sowbug Roundup. I think I will tie Waldo’s version of the Yellerhammar. Big Dale

BD, I posted last night but my server doesn’t show…. anyways, the past two weekends it has performed admirably. I probably caught a few more on the BH version. –waldo

Response:

The Sowbug Roundup is a local club event put on by The North Arkansas Fly Fishers Club of Mountain Home Arkansas and is this coming Friday and Saturday March 15 and 16. The cost of admission is only 5 bucks for both days. There will be over 100 fly tiers to watch and it is a hell of a lot of fun. If you are going to be in the area you should consider attending. The fishing is great on the White River when they are not running all eight turbines. For more information go to www.Northarkansasflyfisher.org and click on The Sowbug Roundup. I think I will tie Waldo’s version of the Yellerhammar. Big Dale  

Response:

Big Dale writes:

(good info snipped) I think I will tie Waldo’s version of the Yellerhammar.

Waldo’s version of the Yellerhammar does not have a point or bend on the hook. He’s a mean bastid……. Dave

Response:

The Sowbug Roundup is a local club event put on by The North Arkansas Fly Fishers Club of Mountain Home Arkansas and is this coming Friday and Saturday March 15 and 16. The cost of admission is only 5 bucks for both days. There will be over 100 fly tiers to watch and it is a hell of a lot of fun. If you are going to be in the area you should consider attending. The fishing is great on the White River when they are not running all eight turbines. For more information go to www.Northarkansasflyfisher.org and click on The Sowbug Roundup. I think I will tie Waldo’s version of the Yellerhammar. Big Dale

BD, It’s worked great the past two weekends. I think I may have caught a few more with the bead-head version…. but who’s countin’? <g –waldo

Response:

Big Dale writes: (good info snipped) I think I will tie Waldo’s version of the Yellerhammar. Waldo’s version of the Yellerhammar does not have a point or bend on the hook. He’s a mean bastid……. Dave

cripes…. i missed a golden opportunity to get in cahoots with the ‘ole swapmeister with the copy he sent forty. shoot…. dang! –waldo

Response:

Question:

Looks like this newsgroup have turned into rec.outdoor.fishing.fly.politics   There’s way too much politics and babal for my taste….in other words waste of time….It makes me wonder when I look at how often some people post here whether they actually fish. If ya got this much time to sit behind a computer and type out your political philosophy instead of fishing then you have a real problem.

Response:

Looks like this newsgroup have turned into rec.outdoor.fishing.fly.politics   There’s way too much politics and babal for my taste….in other words waste of time….It makes me wonder when I look at how often some people post here whether they actually fish.

We not only fish, but we travel often considerable distances to fish with each other. Do you have something to say about fishing? — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

Yet inexplicably, here you are, posting your non-fishing ideas. Looks like this newsgroup have turned into rec.outdoor.fishing.fly.politics   There’s way too much politics and babal for my taste….in other words waste of time….It makes me wonder when I look at how often some people post here whether they actually fish. If ya got this much time to sit behind a computer and type out your political philosophy instead of fishing then you have a real problem.

Regards, Jeff

Response:

Extremely kind of you to give us the benefit of your limitless wisdom, especially considering your lack of time, taken up as it is with all the important things in life. At first I thought I did not like the political threads, (I hate Armani as well, and Gucci sucks ), but then I realised that the people complaining about the political threads were the real time wasters. TL MC — "If you have tried everything you know, and nothing works, then perhaps it is time to accept that you don

Question:

_____  There is someone that makes those things but I can’t remember the Company’s name.  Anyone have a clue? — MrG/American Sportsman http://www.gink.com/shopcart/index.html http://www.gink.com/rod_facts/bastardjun00.html  LATEST BAMBOO FACTS "the saga continues"

Response:

_____  There is someone that makes those things but I can’t remember the Company’s name.  Anyone have a clue?

We certainly know who doesn’t….

Response:

_____  There is someone that makes those things but I can’t remember the Company’s name.  Anyone have a clue? —

Orvis. Dave LaCourse

Response:

_____  There is someone that makes those things but I can’t remember the Company’s name.  Anyone have a clue? — Orvis. Dave LaCourse

_____ Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhh! — MrG/American Sportsman http://www.gink.com/shopcart/index.html http://www.gink.com/rod_facts/bastardjun00.html  LATEST BAMBOO FACTS "the saga continues"

Response:

_____  There is someone that makes those things but I can’t remember the Company’s name.  Anyone have a clue?

Check out Stormy Seas at http://www.stormyseas.com/vests.html These folks make awesome products.  Read the history of this company– the founder went overboard into the Bering Sea in November.  He survived (a small miracle) and founded this company so that more could also survive similar situations.  LOTS of North Pacific commercial fishermen wear Stormy Seas jackets. The vests and jackets have a bladder inside that is inflated by pulling on a chest patch that is attached to a CO2 cartridge.  The benefit is a vest or jacket that is not bulky but has a built in life vest.  There is also a fill tube that can be used to inflate the vest by mouth. BTW, these make for a great joke at the bar…  I’ve seen ‘green’ fishermen have their cord yanked and their jacket explode into a life vest.  The response never fails to amuse. Tom no longer working at sea Before you buy.

Response:

Question:

Ross, I had the same type of problem and I bought a C&R net with a small bungee cord that has a magnet at either end.  One end is attached to the D ring of my vest in the back and the other to the net.  The magnets keep the net nice and high on my back and out of the way.  When I pull on the net, the magnet releases and allows me to have a long line to net the fish. I don’t go fishing for trout anymore without it.  It is one of the best accessories I own.  I don’t use it on smaller fish and I have run across some larger fish that just didn’t fit, but for mid-size trout, I highly recommend it. Rooster – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The most obvious alternative seems to be to use a catch and release net, and herein lies my question.  When fishing alone on a river, how do you use the net and where/how do you carry it while fishing?  I’ve seen fishermen on TV with the nets hanging from the back of their vests, presumably on a retractable line.  Is that the best approach?  Is it easy to access when needed?What is the risk of breaking the rod tip if you have to hold the rod up high to bring the fish in the net?

Response:

Hi Ross, As Darin said in his post I too go without a net when fishing the waters around the Seattle area. Depending on the size of the fish I will usually not even touch the fish with my hands if possible. The reason I can do this is a nifty little tool called a Ketchum-Release designed by a fellow up in BC. So long as you use a barbless hook you can use this tool to slide over the line and then down over the fly. Usually with a simple twist or jerk of your wrist you can remove the fly and the fish is off and running. If you have done this with sufficient water under the fish and the fish hasn’t been played too long you won’t even have to touch the fish. If this fish is showing signs of being overly tired you should try to gently hold in gentle current it without EVER removing it from the water. Every second you have it out of the water reduces the fishes chances of recovery drastically. I also try to never release a fish that is visibly bleeding. If it is then it either goes to the eagles who often are nearby watching every move or if regulations permit I’ll take it home to the smoker (Having said that I might have killed all of ten fish in the last 5 years). The Ketchum-Release has got to be one of my all time favorite fly fishing tools. Just make sure you tie it onto your vest as they sink! Gary Disclaimer– I have nothing to do with the company that makes the Ketchum-Release I just like the tool! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m trying to fine tune my landing of medium size trout to minimize harm to the fish. I typically fish in coastal British Columbia rivers, which are prone to rocky shores (at least where I fish) and my normal method of landing fish involves beaching it then releasing it.  What I notice however is that often the fish will thrash about on the rocks while I’m in the process of beaching it until I pick the fish up to remove the hook and release it back in the water.  I can’t believe that having the fish roll around and hit the rocks (even if its only for a few seconds) can be all that helpful to its survival, so I am trying to find a better approach. The most obvious alternative seems to be to use a catch and release net, and herein lies my question.  When fishing alone on a river, how do you use the net and where/how do you carry it while fishing?  I’ve seen fishermen on TV with the nets hanging from the back of their vests, presumably on a retractable line.  Is that the best approach?  Is it easy to access when needed?What is the risk of breaking the rod tip if you have to hold the rod up high to bring the fish in the net? Can anyone share their experiences and recommendations in beaching fish in similar situations, are nets the solution? Sorry if these are dumb questions, any ideas or experience would be appreciated. Ross

Response:

I once saw Houston bow fishing for gar and other "rough fish".  He was shooting the fish, bringing them in, and then throwing them back in the water.  Couldn’t call that c&r at all, more like release and kill.  He stated that doing this was "good for conservation" since the gar kill sport fish.  I guess it’s a miracle that the largemouth made it this far, without J. Houston to protect them from the bad ol’ gar. David Burnside Since my Jimmy Houston rant a while back, I’ve had occasion to see him a few more times still doing exactly the same shit.   I don’t usually watch these shows, so maybe the others are just as bad, but that guy is appalling. It’s unfathomable to me how his mistreatment of the fish he catches continues to pass for sport and entertainment

Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

certainly.  The wet fish gets on dry sand/rock and the protective mucus on it are removed as when people grab fish with dry hands.  The fish becomes infected, etc. and later dies.

For a while now I’ve been a bit sceptical about the ‘dry hands -removes the mucous – gets infected – fish dies’ theory. I think that fish are probably perfectly able to replace a bit of slime that gets rubbed off locally. What about the abrasion that occurs ‘naturally’ in the animal’s life, e.g., when cutting redds? Don’t get me wrong: I’m not advocating handling with dry hands or dragging up on a gravel beach those fish intended for release, its just that I question a bit of angling lore that’s been repeated so often that everyone now believes it without challenge. As a matter of interest: the carp and pike specimen hunters in Britain take their ‘releasing’ very seriously. Most fisheries stipulate the use of special padded unhooking mats (that have to be of a minimum size) and weighing slings made of soft, non-abrasive material. There are also purpose-made antibiotic/fungicidal preparations on the market for anglers to apply to hook puncture wounds and other injuries on the fish, prior to release.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For a while now I’ve been a bit sceptical about the ‘dry hands -removes the mucous – gets infected – fish dies’ theory. I think that fish are probably perfectly able to replace a bit of slime that gets rubbed off locally. What about the abrasion that occurs ‘naturally’ in the animal’s life, e.g., when cutting redds? Don’t get me wrong: I’m not advocating handling with dry hands or dragging up on a gravel beach those fish intended for release, its just that I question a bit of angling lore that’s been repeated so often that everyone now believes it without challenge. As a matter of interest: the carp and pike specimen hunters in Britain take their ‘releasing’ very seriously. Most fisheries stipulate the use of special padded unhooking mats (that have to be of a minimum size) and weighing slings made of soft, non-abrasive material. There are also purpose-made antibiotic/fungicidal preparations on the market for anglers to apply to hook puncture wounds and other injuries on the fish, prior to release.

Tony, I to have heard the lore. I always wet my hands, not so much from the lore, but from practical experience as a youth. Down the street from where I was raised in Miami, old man Roberts had a fish farm. His business was importing tropical fish from around the world and selling them to pet shops so that hobbyists could have fish in their tanks. Occasionally, his son John and I would go out and help net & pick fish for the orders being shipped out. The old mans #1 rule was, "wet your hands and keep them wet". The reason being that it protected the fishes mucous which allowed the fish to arrive at their destination in healthy condition without ich growing all over them. I don’t have any scientific basis for any of this, just experience. The old man would usually reward us with a dollar or so and a dime or two for the soda machine. I think the one thing that has changed since the early 60’s that I really miss the most, is the ice-cold 6oz. Coca-Cola’s that would noisily clank down mechanical innards to the dispenser when you put that dime in the slot and depressed the cast iron handle. waldo — Ezflyfish.com http://www.ezflyfish.com BRBG http://www.abebooks.com/home/BLUEBOOKS P.O. Box 5112  Banner Elk, NC 28604 (828)963-5001

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – For a while now I’ve been a bit sceptical about the ‘dry hands -removes the mucous – gets infected – fish dies’ theory. I think that fish are probably perfectly able to replace a bit of slime that gets rubbed off locally. What about the abrasion that occurs ‘naturally’ in the animal’s life, e.g., when cutting redds? Don’t get me wrong: I’m not advocating handling with dry hands or dragging up on a gravel beach those fish intended for release, its just that I question a bit of angling lore that’s been repeated so often that everyone now believes it without challenge. As a matter of interest: the carp and pike specimen hunters in Britain take their ‘releasing’ very seriously. Most fisheries stipulate the use of special padded unhooking mats (that have to be of a minimum size) and weighing slings made of soft, non-abrasive material. There are also purpose-made antibiotic/fungicidal preparations on the market for anglers to apply to hook puncture wounds and other injuries on the fish, prior to release. Tony, I to have heard the lore. I always wet my hands, not so much from the lore, but from practical experience as a youth. Down the street from where I was raised in Miami, old man Roberts had a fish farm. His business was importing tropical fish from around the world and selling them to pet shops so that hobbyists could have fish in their tanks. Occasionally, his son John and I would go out and help net & pick fish for the orders being shipped out. The old mans #1 rule was, "wet your hands and keep them wet". The reason being that it protected the fishes mucous which allowed the fish to arrive at their destination in healthy condition without ich growing all over them. I don’t have any scientific basis for any of this, just experience. The old man would usually reward us with a dollar or so and a dime or two for the soda machine. I think the one thing that has changed since the early 60’s that I really miss the most, is the ice-cold 6oz. Coca-Cola’s that would noisily clank down mechanical innards to the dispenser when you put that dime in the slot and depressed the cast iron handle. waldo — Ezflyfish.com http://www.ezflyfish.com BRBG http://www.abebooks.com/home/BLUEBOOKS P.O. Box 5112  Banner Elk, NC 28604 (828)963-5001

_______  What a fond description of old memories!   — Mr. G.   http://www.gink.com/html  Fly Fisherman’s Chat Site   "Flyfisherman’s Camp Fires Burning" http://www.gink.com http://www.rodbuilding.com http://www.xink.com

Question:

I have gotten skunked on the west branch – even worse, I was skunked when big fish were sloppily rising all up and down the eddy.  That place is the grad school, my friend. Pete C

Response:

I’ve fished the W. Br. for about 20 years. You’re right about it being the grad. school. I consider it to be the major leagues of fly fishing. The ‘regulars’ like me who fish it like to say that if you can catch trout on a DRY fly on the Delaware, you can catch trout anywhere. I’ve also fished the Bighorn and although the W. Br. may not be quite the fishery that the  Bighorn is, in my opinion it is a close second. And it could even get better if it wasn’t for the screwed-up releases from the Cannonsville dam.

Response:

I just got back from the WB and in all honesty I think there is a little fly shop.  I went in and started asking a few questions.  As soon as they found out I had not fished the river there were the typical don’t expect to catch anything comments.  Yada Yada Yada. The afternoon (this past Wed) was hot and the river a bit warm.  Nothing got started with regards to hatches or rises until about 45 minutes before dark. On my first cast I  got a solid take but did not connect.  From then on I got nothing but it was getting dark and frankly I couldn’t see my fly and with the wate a little high the wading to get to the rises was tricky.  Sixty foot casts at dusk are not productive where ever you fish. Next day the wind was blowing a gale and I spent most of the time sight seeing.  Got on the water around 7 pm and withing 15 minutes was into a brown trout that broke me off.  I forgot to st the hook when my line went peeling off the reel.  That I never see! After that there was little activity until just before dark.  A guy upstream got a 12" trout, I got one about 8." The next morning I got into my first Delaware Rainbow, about 18".  What a ball.  It took a small yellow stonefly dry dragging under the  surface.  So much for precice presentation. Yesterday before I left the river was finally down to a reasonably wadable level and within 15 minutes I had two browns between 12 – 14".  With all due respect to the entomologists out there (myself included); they took a wooly bugger on a quartering downstream cast. I had a great time and plan on returning but if you plan to go don’t let the fly shops intimidate you into thinking the fish cannot be caught.  Given the windy conditions my time on the river was limited and I met with success pretty quickly and without much effort.

Response:

Upon my first trip to the Delaware, I was dismayed by the fact that the river hosted nothing but flyfishers. I suppose after years of being almost the only flyfisherman around on the rivers I fish, I’ve gotten used to being in the minority. Then I showed up at the Delaware…and all I saw were flyfishermen! It seemed as though no sane spincaster would dare set foot upon the hallowed waters… I asked one fellow along the bank if any spincasters fished the river. His half-joke, half-serious reply was "I keep a slingshot and paint balls handy, and if I see any, I plug ‘em!" Also, in the FYI department: We looked forward to staying at the Delaware River Club’s campground, which supposedly has "80 campsites." When we arrived, about 65 of the campsites (including all the prime spots along the river) were occupied by year-round campers with RVs. Furthermore, more than half of those campers weren’t around that weekend. This ticked us off considerably, as we had to "squat" on an RVers site who didn’t show for the weekend. The DRC campsite appears to be the only game in town, so you don’t have much choice. I’d say they almost try to discourage fishermen from other regions from coming with this kind of "welcome mat." I’m not prone to griping, but it made a fishless weekend a bit less pleasant! Scott Wilkinson

Response:

I don’t think it’s snobbery when the fly shops say that the WB is a tough stream on which to catch trout. I believe that the shops are referring to how difficult it can be to catch trout on a DRY fly. It’s my belief that 90% of the fishermen on the WB are there for the dry fly action, and the dry fly action can get to be very challenging to the WB newbie.  I’m almost exclusively a dryfly person and I only live 40 miles from the WB, so I’ve fished it very often over the last 20 years and I can say that I’ve been humbled many times on that river during periods when the trout were rising. Yes, the fish there can be caught on a dry. That’s why I’m addicted to that river, but it can get very challenging at times, even for the WB veteran.  

Response:

I enjoyed my trip to the WB but didn’t appreciate the attitude of the fly shop guys. The assumption was that I wouldn’t catch anything since it was the first time on the river.  Thanks for the encouragement.  I’ve been fly fishing for 20 + years, mostly over wild trout os I don’t need to shell out 200 + bucks to have someone hold my hand.  Half the fun is solving the problems by yourself. Bottom line with me was the fish were not rising particularly regularly and the good old woolly bugger did the trick. I’m looking forward to going back.  

Response:

Yes, it’s extremely rare to see a spin fisherman on the Delaware. Of course, as a flyfisherman only, I also get the stares when I flyfish some of the put and take streams here in upstate NY during early April before the Delaware rounds into shape in late April. When I show up on the stream with my vest, chest waders and fly rod, the spin fishermen look at me as if I just got off a spaceship. And when I catch a trout on a fly and then return it to the stream, then they know for sure that I just arrived from another planet.

Response:

Question:

Obviously you haven’t been to Elephant Butte. Mind you, the lake’s there as advertised. The camping sites are mostly very primitive, according to my son who has camped there. No trees or other shade. EB might be an OK area if one were staying in a motel in T or C, in an RV park, or on a houseboat, but it’s certainly not a good place to camp in a tent.

I have to agree with you, Pat.  Also, if he believes EB to be a huge lake, he has really been deprived.  By the way, I lived in TorC for several years and my son still lives there. Paul in Portland OR

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Do you know that there is huge lake in New Mexico- Elephant Butte Lake ??? You can fish, sail, swim, jet-ski, water-ski, camping and all of these in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico. Folks are very friendly down there and prices are very reasonable to visit. Check out this web page for more information: http://www.globaldrum.net/rvnewmexico/ Regards,              Alex. Sounds like a place to avoid !

  LOL!!   Jet skiers and water skiers?  Sure, that may be ideal for   fishermen who want to cast corn for carp and watch barely dressed women water ski, but most fly fishermen I know would prefer a tent and 5 miles of uncrowded river to fish.——Muskie – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Do you know that there is huge lake in New Mexico- Elephant Butte Lake ??? You can fish, sail, swim, jet-ski, water-ski, camping and all of these in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico. Folks are very friendly down there and prices are very reasonable to visit. Check out this web page for more information: http://www.globaldrum.net/rvnewmexico/ Regards,              Alex. Sounds like a place to avoid !

Why? Your way of camping (which must be in disagreement with at least one opportunity above) is the only way? Seems bigoted to me …

Response:

Bigoted or enlightened?  Most fly fishermen only like big crowds while at the flyfishing shows. I have enough trouble dealing with the "aluminum hatch" (canoes); can you imagine trying to be nice to jet ski riders? Give me a quiet spot, where the only "improvements" are water pumps and maybe a flush toilet.

| SNIP! | | Sounds like a place to avoid ! | |Why? Your way of camping (which must be in disagreement with at least |one opportunity above) is the only way? Seems bigoted to me …

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Do you know that there is huge lake in New Mexico- Elephant Butte Lake ??? You can fish, sail, swim, jet-ski, water-ski, camping and all of these in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico. Folks are very friendly down there and prices are very reasonable to visit. [snip] Sounds like a place to avoid ! Why? Your way of camping (which must be in disagreement with at least one opportunity above) is the only way? Seems bigoted to me …

Obviously you haven’t been to Elephant Butte. Mind you, the lake’s there as advertised. The camping sites are mostly very primitive, according to my son who has camped there. No trees or other shade. EB might be an OK area if one were staying in a motel in T or C, in an RV park, or on a houseboat, but it’s certainly not a good place to camp in a tent. — Pat O’Connell Take nothing but pictures, Leave nothing but footprints, Kill nothing but vandals…

Response:

Do you know that there is huge lake in New Mexico- Elephant Butte Lake ??? You can fish, sail, swim, jet-ski, water-ski, camping and all of these in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico. Folks are very friendly down there and prices are very reasonable to visit. Check out this web page for more information: http://www.globaldrum.net/rvnewmexico/ Regards,              Alex.

Response:

Do you know that there is huge lake in New Mexico- Elephant Butte Lake ??? You can fish, sail, swim, jet-ski, water-ski, camping and all of these in the middle of the Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico. Folks are very friendly down there and prices are very reasonable to visit. Check out this web page for more information: http://www.globaldrum.net/rvnewmexico/ Regards,              Alex.

Sounds like a place to avoid !

Response:

Question:

I am only 16 and just starting to flyfish. I plan to do some fly fishing on a local stream this weekend. What are the best kinds of fly’s to use?

Hi Jared, The simple thing to do for this weekend would be to check with your local fly shop to see what info they have on the local river you plan to fish.  It’s in their best interest to help you be successfull so don’t hesitate to ask.  If they won’t give you the time of day, go to a different shop. The suggestions Donn gave you are the best for the long term though.  Learn the basic life-cycles of mayflies, caddisflies, stoneflies, and midges.  Learn to identify them.  Don’t need to know the particular species or latin name, but at least learn to tell the difference between mayflies and caddisflies, etc.  To start, ignore the latin names most books will give, though they may interest you later.   Remeber, the other spelling for entomolgy is "bugs".  Learn how to take a stream sample without destroying a lot of habitat.  What works can change from hour to hour let alone week to week and if you can identify what’s available you’ll do much better than "chuck it and chance it."  You’ll never learn it all, but you’ll have a great time trying.                                      good fishing,                                              Dan Dan Gracia Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools

Response:

Jared, That is a question that even 66 year old men ask.  This is what fly fishing is all about and what you spend a life time doing in this sport to try to figure out.  The fly can change from one moment to the next to the next and so on.  I can change right in front of you for several hundred different reasons. Do not get overwhelmed by this but just look at it as a challenge.  Do yourself a favor and try to do a couple of the following things and it will make you a much better fly fisher. First and foremost – learn the basics of entomology; this looks hard but really isn’t.  Get with another fisherman who understands the basics and have him explain it to you.  Pick up any of many primers on this to help you. Next – Check the streams you intend to fish for what type of insects you have and when they hatch and how they act. Next – Begin gathering those insects in specimen bottles and preserving them for future studies.  Hopefully in the not too distant future, you can begin tying flies and you will have a data base to begin to copy.  Pick up some isopropyl alcohol from Wal-Mart, K-Mart or any drug store; it is very inexpensive.  Put a solution of 90% alcohol and 10% water in the vial and then add your insect and cover. Put a sticker of some kind on it and put what it is and where you got it from.  If you want to begin a diary of all this, it will help you learn faster and give you tremendous abount of your own information that is better than anything you hear or read. Next – Always be observant for changes in anything in or around the river and what effect it has on the fish and insects.  Go with other fly fishers and ask questions.   Your brain is a many giga-byte hard drive and just begin to fill it with as many bite of information as you can.  You will never come close to getting them all and just never stop; it is a life long endeavor. This is not tuff stuff and as long as you enjoy it, it will be easy and fun and make you an experinced fly fisher at the same time. Donn – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I am only 16 and just starting to flyfish. I plan to do some fly fishing on a local stream this weekend. What are the best kinds of fly’s to use? Thankyou Tight Lines, Jared Staskiel "In our family, there was no clear line between religion and                fly fishing"                     —Norman Maclean (1976)

Response:

I am only 16 and just starting to flyfish. I plan to do some fly fishing on a local stream this weekend. What are the best kinds of fly’s to use? Thankyou Tight Lines, Jared Staskiel "In our family, there was no clear line between religion and                 fly fishing"                     —Norman Maclean (1976)

Response:

Question:

I am headed to Captiva Island March 19-26. I am planning to fish till I drop! I need info about where to get maps (ahead of time), where to fish the surf, the grasses, and the mangroves. What would be runnning this time of year? Any chance for Tarpon? I am planning to rent a boat, wade,  or hire a guide for a day. I have some light salt water spinning tackle but my fly rod is too light for salt and my fly reel is designed for fresh water. I am staying a South Seas Plantation and I have access to a car.  Any info about the area will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Mike St. Louis, Mo.

Response:

Mike, 941-624-2923 (Fly Fishing).  Both work the Boca Grande/Port Charlotte area and will arrange to meet you at a place of your choice (They bring the boat to you).  Snook, trout, redfish, grouper are for sure and both these guys know were there are some year around Tarpon in the area.  We fished them in November with Dan. Paul Phillips Director of Operations Fintastic Fish Mounts http://www.fintastic.com take off the 1 for E-mail – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am headed to Captiva Island March 19-26. I am planning to fish till I drop! I need info about where to get maps (ahead of time), where to fish the surf, the grasses, and the mangroves. What would be runnning this time of year? Any chance for Tarpon? I am planning to rent a boat, wade,  or hire a guide for a day. I have some light salt water spinning tackle but my fly rod is too light for salt and my fly reel is designed for fresh water. I am staying a South Seas Plantation and I have access to a car.  Any info about the area will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Mike St. Louis, Mo.

Response:

Question:

Steve, There is the San Mateo Sportsman’s show that used to be held in March and will be held in Jan or Feb. this coming year (96).  This is a consumer show with all the big guns represented whereas the Fly Tackle Dealer Show is a dealer show not a consumer show.  If you like fly fishing, and live in the Bay Area, don’t miss it.                                                    Dan Dan Gracia Schools Coordinator 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!).

Response:

I’ll be attending the The Fly Tackle Dealers’ Show in Denver next month. Anyone wishing information on new products (particularly rod blanks and components) exhibited at the show, feel free to post e-mail. I’ll be returning on approx. Sept. 25 and I’ll have a chance to respond at that time. You can also receive a free copy of our current catalogue with custom rods, blanks, componments, fly tying material and accessories by sending your name and snail mail address via e-mail. Phil Koenig Manhattan Custom Tackle    

Response: