Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When using large plugs for pike, or any other spinning gear, single barbless hooks Large single hooks have a larger gape than trebles and are more likely to hook the fish.  Large single hooks however typically are made of thicker wire than trebles so they might have a tougher time penetrating the fish’s *lips*.  If you replace the trebles with singles they must be appropriately sized so as not to turn the plug out of balance.  I saw a good tip in a fishing newspaper once.  In order not to alter the balance of a plug but also to minimize damage to fish and angler, one fisherman bent two out of the three hooks on all his trebles inwards so that they looked like extreme circle hooks.  Those two would not be able to hook fish nor human. Mu

I use single, fine wire, straight eyed  hooks, on double split rings ( so that they hang right! ), and I crimp a piece of lead to the shank, so that they weigh the same as the trebles.  It is sometimes a good idea to experiment with weight on various plugs and spinners, one may improve the action on some, quite considerably. TL MC

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<SNIP Here’s one maybe you have thought about. If you are standing in fast water and you do not want to let the slack line float below, why is that when you hold the loops in your hand they always tangle up? You would think you are holding the loops in an organized way, yet they end up as a spaghetti when you go to cast. What do you do? — Gary M

You must hold the loops in a specific way.  Use wide loops and ensure that they are  placed in order in your hand and held lightly, to prevent one loop going over another. Do not twist the loops when retrieving. ( This is quite difficult to do). If your line suffers much from memory, this will not work anyway, as the loops will tend to form figure eights, and this will cause a tangle when the line is shot, or released. In this case, you should use "figure of eight" storage to start with. This may sound silly, but if you hold the line in your left hand in loose SMALL! figure of eights, in a bunch, it will not tangle when shot. This technique is common among English reservoir anglers. You can shoot line from your hand, if you observe the above. It is best to practice a bit before you do it. The amount of line you can hold in this way is also limited. It is more difficult to do with backing, but not impossible, it depends to a large extent on the backing. In such situations, it is invariably much easier to use a line tray. TL MC

Response:

When using large plugs for pike, or any other spinning gear, single barbless hooks

Large single hooks have a larger gape than trebles and are more likely to hook the fish.  Large single hooks however typically are made of thicker wire than trebles so they might have a tougher time penetrating the fish’s *lips*.  If you replace the trebles with singles they must be appropriately sized so as not to turn the plug out of balance.  I saw a good tip in a fishing newspaper once.  In order not to alter the balance of a plug but also to minimize damage to fish and angler, one fisherman bent two out of the three hooks on all his trebles inwards so that they looked like extreme circle hooks.  Those two would not be able to hook fish nor human. Mu

Response:

Since you effectively twist the line 180 degrees for each loop that you make, small loops would make the problem worse. I

Question:

Greetings All, I live in the Tampa Bay area & would like some input from kayak fishers in this area as to what ‘yak you use

Not from the area, but I have a couple of ‘Rides’ I use for fly fishing and they are great boats. I live in Atlanta but have used them off Tybee Island and also around the Port St. Joe/Apalachiciola area and have had no problems with them at all. — Charlie…

Response:

Greetings All, I live in the Tampa Bay area & would like some input from kayak fishers in this area as to what ‘yak you use Not from the area, but I have a couple of ‘Rides’ I use for fly fishing and they are great boats. I live in Atlanta but have used them off Tybee Island and also around the Port St. Joe/Apalachiciola area and have had no problems with them at all. — Charlie…

I’ll have to go test one out and see if it’s really possible to stand up in it like the chap depicted in the ad on their web page. Scott

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I’ll have to go test one out and see if it’s really possible to stand up in it like the chap depicted in the ad on their web page.

It is, but I’m not sure I could land a fish that way. <g — Charlie…

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Cockroach Bay is a "good area."  Still relatively undisturbed.  Too shallow for many powerboats.  Rich in fish and birdlife. Also try the sandbar just north of the Cockroach Bay boat ramp and separating the outer mangrove shore from Tampa Bay.  I used to wedge a paddle into the sand and tie my canoe to it; then, walk/wade the bar, casting off the side that seemed likely to be most productive.  Got snook, trout, bonnethead shark, etc., there.  Very pleasant even when fish weren’t biting. Jeff Jeff Harper jeff#doplay.com

| Greetings All, | | I live in the Tampa Bay area & would like some input from kayak fishers | in this area as to what ‘yak you use and what are some good areas. I’m | considering a Scupper Pro TW or a Wilderness Systems Ride.   I’m | thinking the Weedon Island area is a good place, and the flats area | between the Gandy and Skyway. | | Scott |

Response:

Greetings All, I live in the Tampa Bay area & would like some input from kayak fishers in this area as to what ‘yak you use and what are some good areas. I’m considering a Scupper Pro TW or a Wilderness Systems Ride.   I’m thinking the Weedon Island area is a good place, and the flats area between the Gandy and Skyway. Scott

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Question:

Despite many indications to the contrary, I still have faith in the rationality of the human animal.  <g But you weren’t addressing one of those… <g

True – but give him credit for being half right…

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Posted false winning of Florida by Gore to influence Western States like California, etc. while they were still open.< 1.  George, ALL the networks were giving Fla. to Gore at that time. 2.  IF there was a conspiracy, it was directed against Gore: lulling his western supporters into a false sense of security and energizing Bush voters to turn out to help offset the loss of Florida. Think about it. I did before I posted.  It was a ruse to keep Bush voters away from poles. Think about it.

—- I knew it, you guys were going to get back to fly fishing, after all.  Damn those Gore supporters keeping the republicans away from their fishing’s poles, or did you mean polls? —- Padishar Creel "What do we live for if it is not to make life less difficult to each other."  – George Eliot

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It was a ruse to keep Bush voters away from poles.

Those damn safety nazis at it again?  If Bush voters want to run into poles it’s their own damn business. ,      - Ken — "The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness.  You have to catch it yourself."      -Ben Franklin

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Well, that’s one possibility.  The other might be to lull last minute Bush voters in the FL panhandle into thinking their cause was lost.  Why look for a conspiracy when stupidity and self-serving hubris are sufficient explanations? JR – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – 1.  George, ALL the networks were giving Fla. to Gore at that time. 2.  IF there was a conspiracy, it was directed against Gore: lulling his western supporters into a false sense of security and energizing Bush voters to turn out to help offset the loss of Florida. Think about it.

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Bellows writes: and dan rather… i don’t give a fuck how accurate historically your exit pollsters have been… they weren’t yesterday, and when a candidate is leading in the polls, you don’t call the race against them (washington senate race). Last election they had the wrong person winning the senate race in NH.  Dan Rather announced it very early in the evening and later changed it without an apology.   You are right about cbs sports too.

yeh, i’ve had a bug in my ass about their sports coverage since their coverage of the olympics… some things are unforgivable <G. cb

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Bellows writes: and dan rather… i don’t give a fuck how accurate historically your exit pollsters have been… they weren’t yesterday, and when a candidate is leading in the polls, you don’t call the race against them (washington senate race).  

Last election they had the wrong person winning the senate race in NH.  Dan Rather announced it very early in the evening and later changed it without an apology.   You are right about cbs sports too. Dave

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True – but give him credit for being half right…

I believe you meant half-there…< And I believe I mean fuck you.

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With 1% of the vote in, while the polls were still open in west Florida it was Bush 53  Gore 48, the networks decided Gore had won. The "data" is collected by one agency paid by the collective networks. It was an obvious bad call which was backed unchallenged by the nets. Only a call from bush headquarters made them check the figures-major WHOOPS, others followed.

well, it wasn’t just florida.  the networks really need to get rid of any competitive urges from the elections.  it’s not about who figures it out first, but being correct.  that i know of there were three fuck ups… two in florida and one in the washington senate race.  and dan rather… i don’t give a fuck how accurate historically your exit pollsters have been… they weren’t yesterday, and when a candidate is leading in the polls, you don’t call the race against them (washington senate race).  i sure wish i got another channel besides cbs last night… they fucking suck at everything they do.  their sports coverage sucks, their local news are parasites, the national news bores me to death.

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With 1% of the vote in, while the polls were still open in west Florida it was Bush 53  Gore 48, the networks decided Gore had won. The "data" is collected by one agency paid by the collective networks. It was an obvious bad call which was backed unchallenged by the nets. Only a call from bush headquarters made them check the figures-major WHOOPS, others followed.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Posted false winning of Florida by Gore to influence Western States like California, etc. while they were still open.< 1.  George, ALL the networks were giving Fla. to Gore at that time. 2.  IF there was a conspiracy, it was directed against Gore: lulling his western supporters into a false sense of security and energizing Bush voters to turn out to help offset the loss of Florida. Think about it.

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True – but give him credit for being half right…

I believe you meant half-there…

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Posted false winning of Florida by Gore to influence Western States like California, etc. while they were still open.  Federal Reserve, powers that be behind the Network scenes, responsible.  Greenspan and cronies still control or trying to control elections and American People. No joke.  Doesn’t look like it won’t work this time but MSNBC is a crooked operation in reporting the truth and breaking the rules. — MrG. *now* i understand the meaning of "psycophant". thanks, george. wayne

no that’s psychopath !!

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Well, that’s one possibility.  

The other might be to lull last minute Bush voters in the FL panhandle into thinking their cause was lost.  Why look for a conspiracy when stupidity and self-serving hubris are sufficient explanations?< Uhhh, I was responding to Gink’s "Greenspan Conspiracy Theory."   *I* don’t need one, I was just offering one that I consider MORE plausible (as your’s is).  Greenspan for Gore?   Get a grip George.

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Despite many indications to the contrary, I still have faith in the rationality of the human animal.  <g

But you weren’t addressing one of those… <g — Charlie…

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Posted false winning of Florida by Gore to influence Western States like California, etc. while they were still open.< 1.  George, ALL the networks were giving Fla. to Gore at that time. 2.  IF there was a conspiracy, it was directed against Gore: lulling his western supporters into a false sense of security and energizing Bush voters to turn out to help offset the loss of Florida. Think about it.

I did before I posted.  It was a ruse to keep Bush voters away from poles. Think about it. — Mr.. http://www.gink.com/shopcart/index.html (shop site)   affordable bamboo flyrods & blanks

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you were doing fine, harry, until you

told him to "think about it".   <g< Despite many indications to the contrary, I still have faith in the rationality of the human animal.  <g

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Posted false winning of Florida by Gore to influence Western States like California, etc. while they were still open.  Federal Reserve, powers that be behind the Network scenes, responsible.  Greenspan and cronies still control or trying to control elections and American People. No joke.  Doesn’t look like it won’t work this time but MSNBC is a crooked operation in reporting the truth and breaking the rules. — MrG.

        *now* i understand the meaning of "psycophant".         thanks, george. wayne

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Think about it.

Uh, Harry, I don’t think that will happen<g. — Charlie…

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*now* i understand the meaning of "psycophant". thanks, george.

And now *I* understand the definition of the word "serendipity." My newserver is *still* not sending me those posts! –Steve

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Harry B. writes: 1.  George, ALL the networks were giving Fla. to Gore at that time.   2.  IF there was a conspiracy, it was directed against Gore: lulling his western supporters into a false sense of security and energizing Bush voters to turn out to help offset the loss of Florida.   Think about it.

you were doing fine, harry, until you told him to "think about it".   <g dave l.  (using lower case on my wife’s pc because my phone line is down….) Dave LaCourse

Response:

Posted false winning of Florida by Gore

to influence Western States like California, etc. while they were still open.<   1.  George, ALL the networks were giving Fla. to Gore at that time.   2.  IF there was a conspiracy, it was directed against Gore: lulling his western supporters into a false sense of security and energizing Bush voters to turn out to help offset the loss of Florida.   Think about it.

Response:

Posted false winning of Florida by Gore to influence Western States like California, etc. while they were still open.  Federal Reserve, powers that be behind the Network scenes, responsible.  Greenspan and cronies still control or trying to control elections and American People. No joke.  Doesn’t look like it won’t work this time but MSNBC is a crooked operation in reporting the truth and breaking the rules. — MrG. http://www.gink.com/shopcart/index.html (shop site)   affordable bamboo flyrods & blanks

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Question:

Hi there, Flyfisherman here from West Springfield.  I do a little tying as well….fish the Westfield mostly because it is so handy but would be interested in venturing to other rivers. Paul

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Paul, Western Mass Fly Fishermen meet the third Monday of each month (Sept – May) at the Polish American Citizen’s Club on East Street in Ludlow. Meetings start with a tying demo at 7:00 PM. Free tying classes start in January and last 8 weeks. They are held on Thursday nights. Watch this NG for the starting date. There are several members from West Side and Feeding Hills, and the greater Springfield area. You could call me at 413-283-5543 if you need more info. George Adams "From the rockin’ of the cradle to the rollin’ of the hearse, the goin’ up was worth the comin’ down." ___Kris Kristofferson "The Pilgrim/Chapter 33"

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i recently got in to fly fishing and tying not a pro yet butt working on it! always selling  cards, for a list of your fav team go to paul

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Paul: If you want to meet some local fly fishers, come to the TU meeting on January 11 at 7PM at the Elks Lodge in West Spfld (on Morgan Road). We’re having our annual fly tying Extravaganza in January – there will be several great local tyers plus a couple of supply vendors.  We will be running tying classes starting in a couple of weeks.  Also, the next Monday is the Western Mass Fly Fishers meeting in Ludlow.  Maybe George Adams will pipe in with directions.  They also run tying classes every winter (for free – a super deal).  Lots of good people in both groups. Hope to see you there. –Stan

i recently got in to fly fishing and tying not a pro yet butt working on it!

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Question:

Would anybody know any good places to go fly fishing in the western half of Maine.  If you could e-mail me any place at all it would be really appreciated.  Thanks…

 Hi Mark.  Bingham area is in Northwestern Maine.  We have many small remote ponds, terrific rivers including the Kennebec and the Dead Rivers, and Wyman Lake.  Check out www.pinegrovelodge.com!  Good luck fishing!

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Hi Mike Hit the Rangeley Lakes Region. In fact give Ray Miller a shout at region and he’ll set you straight. One of his favorite streamers is a Blue Smelt casting streamer. He had me tie him a couple dozen last summer. http://www.kynd.com/~ronmcq/index.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Would anybody know any good places to go fly fishing in the western half of Maine.  If you could e-mail me any place at all it would be really appreciated.  Thanks…

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Would anybody know any good places to go fly fishing in the western half of Maine.  If you could e-mail me any place at all it would be really appreciated.  Thanks…

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Mark, There is some terrific fly fishing in western Maine. My top picks in priority order are: 1. Rapid River 2. Big Magalloway river above lake Parmachene 3. Kennebago River 4. Rangeley River 5. Cupsuptic river Toss in a tripto Quimby pond and you have a great trip. tight lines, Gerry – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Would anybody know any good places to go fly fishing in the western half of Maine.  If you could e-mail me any place at all it would be really appreciated.  Thanks…

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Question:

Dear flyfisher, I am building a free-ware database on behalve of the mail list. Allthough there is lot’s of support from the group, it is not easy to get original pictures. Therefore I need somebody who is willing to make pictures of very nice hand-tied flies and send me the digitized pictures. Reward: very high quality hand-tied flies, and your name mentioned in the database. Erik Bosters

Response:

I am building a free-ware database on behalve of the mail list. Allthough there is lot’s of support from the group, it is not easy to get original pictures.

 I’ll agree it’s not easy. But here’s how I do it: 35mm camera with bellows and tripod, 200mm lense This way you can completely fill a 35mm slide with a #20 nymph, or back off and shoot a 4" long streamer. Build a light tent with translucent, synthetic fabric, like "gloryosa cloth" sold at women’s fabric store. Use a medium blue background, with construction paper or whatever. Illuminate the tent with two 500 watt blue bulbs, to balance with exterior film, of whatever speed. The slower the sharper. Use the light meter for a starting point, but bracket each shot 1 stop in each direction (three exposures per shot). Use f22 or f32 for maximum depth of field. Use the timer, as your exposures will be long. —  * Center for Computational Biology  * Montana State Bozeman  (406) 994-7061  * http://www.nervana.montana.edu/~sandy */

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I’ll agree it’s not easy. But here’s how I do it: 35mm camera with bellows and tripod, 200mm lense This way you can completely fill a 35mm slide with a #20 nymph, or back off and shoot a 4" long streamer.

[deleted] I absolutely concede to you expertise on this subject, Sandy,  but there is one observation I’d like to make. On photographing fishing flies. The odd thing about these photographs is that the critical component seems to be not necessarily in quality of photograph for enlargement.  It seems like when you enlarge anyones flies, the bigger they get, the more defects you notice…which distracts from the quality of the photograph in a way that is really unique to this subject, I feel. Once you start noticing thread overlaps in the head and nicks in materials and stuff, the quality of the photgraph becomes secondary. I recently (foolishly) purchased (I’m not sure of the exact title…) "The Flies of the Umpqua Feather Merchants" which has 1100 color photographs in it.   I have studied it intently.   It’s bizarre to see an Umpqua tied #20 AK Best quill that looks like *complete* crap in the (whatever size they are) photographs.   The quality of the photo is there, but the fly itself [when enlarged] doesn’t cut it. In other endeavours, like in the Macrophotography of the naturals themselves, the quality of the photo is paramount and as you get up in the enlargement range, the beauty of natures work is more revealed.   As you get up in the enlargment range of an imitation, the ugliness of mans hand becomes more revealed. Thus, I posit that a much less expensive 35SLR/80mm with a cheap macro filter will suffice quite nicely for JPG bound fly images providing the lighting, exposure and focus are reasonable.   It might be interesting to compare notes in the images group. — TimW Halfordian Golfer

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  Thus, I posit that a much less expensive 35SLR/80mm with a cheap macro   filter will suffice quite nicely for JPG bound fly images providing the   lighting, exposure and focus are reasonable.   It might be interesting to   compare notes in the images group.   —   TimW

Or, I’d be happy to host these images on my web site.  Many of us can’t access the binaries groups.  I too am curious. I have had very limited success taking pictures of flies, and it is not because of a lack of equipment… For this experiment, I’d suggest the GIF format for uniform and virtually lossless compression. -tgades — Tony Gades. Seattle, WA.  USA http://weber.u.washington.edu/~tgades http://weber.u.washington.edu/~tgades/Fishing/fish_page.html NOTICE: DO NOT ADD MY NAME TO _ANY_ MAILING LISTS.  

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The problem with GIF is it is limited in its color palette.  JPG has an unlimited color palette so reproduced most photographs better.  Also when scanning for publication on the web it is necessary to reduce the resolution of the scan so the resulting image is reasonable to download so lossless compression  is not nearly as important as reproducing the entire color range of the object being photographed. Also for scanning for the web it is really not important whether the image is a slide or a print.  A print will work just as well because of the lower resolution of the scan.  Those of us with some experience in reproducing photos for print media have had to relearn some things when it comes to the web.  It is a good idea to use a single-color, non-textured background in the photographs because that type of background compresses best without loss of detail (there is no detail to lose). With all the digital cameras available I still think that 35mm is the way to go for most macro shots.  I have tried using a macro digital camera, a digitizer attached to a macro-capable video camera and direct scans of the flies.  Film still works best at this point. Having said all that I am also still in the process of getting the quality of image I need for fly photos on my own site.  A professional fly-tyer and photographer has kindly sent me some excellent quality scans of some of the flies.  These have a textured background which looks stunning at full resolution but compression isn’t as good as it could be and the file sizes tend to be a little larger than I would like.  His background is also in print where image quality and sharpness is everything and the size of a file doesn’t matter.  He has agreed to try a solid background on his next shoot to compare file sizes and resolution at each size. — — Sherman www.flyfishingjournal.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –   Thus, I posit that a much less expensive 35SLR/80mm with a cheap macro   filter will suffice quite nicely for JPG bound fly images providing the   lighting, exposure and focus are reasonable.   It might be interesting to   compare notes in the images group.   —   TimW Or, I’d be happy to host these images on my web site.  Many of us can’t access the binaries groups.  I too am curious. I have had very limited success taking pictures of flies, and it is not because of a lack of equipment… For this experiment, I’d suggest the GIF format for uniform and virtually lossless compression. -tgades — Tony Gades. Seattle, WA.  USA http://weber.u.washington.edu/~tgades http://weber.u.washington.edu/~tgades/Fishing/fish_page.html NOTICE: DO NOT ADD MY NAME TO _ANY_ MAILING LISTS.

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Sherman, Thanks for the information, does taking slide pictures with a regular 35MM and sending the film to a developer like Wolf  Camera and Video at http\www.wolfcamera.com give a satisfactory result? — Ernie Harrison Remove NOSPAM to send E-mail GO TO http://users.ccnet.com/~emh FOR TRAVEL TIE BOX PLANS – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The problem with GIF is it is limited in its color palette.  JPG has an unlimited color palette so reproduced most photographs better.  Also when scanning for publication on the web it is necessary to reduce the resolution of the scan so the resulting image is reasonable to download so lossless compression  is not nearly as important as reproducing the entire color range of the object being photographed. Also for scanning for the web it is really not important whether the image is a slide or a print.  A print will work just as well because of the lower resolution of the scan.  Those of us with some experience in reproducing photos for print media have had to relearn some things when it comes to the web.  It is a good idea to use a single-color, non-textured background in the photographs because that type of background compresses best without loss of detail (there is no detail to lose). With all the digital cameras available I still think that 35mm is the way to go for most macro shots.  I have tried using a macro digital camera, a digitizer attached to a macro-capable video camera and direct scans of the flies.  Film still works best at this point. Having said all that I am also still in the process of getting the quality of image I need for fly photos on my own site.  A professional fly-tyer and photographer has kindly sent me some excellent quality scans of some of the flies.  These have a textured background which looks stunning at full resolution but compression isn’t as good as it could be and the file sizes tend to be a little larger than I would like.  His background is also in print where image quality and sharpness is everything and the size of a file doesn’t matter.  He has agreed to try a solid background on his next shoot to compare file sizes and resolution at each size. — — Sherman

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  The problem with GIF is it is limited in its color palette.  JPG has an   unlimited color palette so reproduced most photographs better.  

and the problem with jpg is that most all of the software packages do the compression differently for a given compression ratio. if the goal is to compare photo methods, then eliminating the variable of the compression routine is desirable – THAT’s why I suggest GIF. As for slides vs/ prints… comparing a scan of a slide to a scan of a print introduces all sorts of additional variables. -tgades — Tony Gades. Seattle, WA.  USA http://weber.u.washington.edu/~tgades http://weber.u.washington.edu/~tgades/Fishing/fish_page.html NOTICE: DO NOT ADD MY NAME TO _ANY_ MAILING LISTS.  

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I’ve seen photos of actual insects taken using two flash guns of decent power (guide N0 100) one either side of the lens, fired simultaneously, with the camera and flash guns mounted on a kind of T structure all fired simultaneously by cable release.

For more info on a similar device, see John Shaw’s book – Closeups In Nature (a photographer’s guide to techniques in the field). I built one of his "butterfly brackets", as he calls it, and it works quite well. You can hand hold this affair, shoot excellent closeups of moving insect, and get sharp, well exposed photos. You can find the book inphoto  pro shops or catalog supply houses- usually. From the minute we’re born we all start dying;some of us just take longer than others. Me? I’ve been dragging my feet, but it doesn’t seem to help much.

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You can hand hold this affair, shoot excellent closeups of moving insect, and get sharp, well exposed photos.

Apparently the trick is (i.e. with live insects at least) to point your rig at the beast then move in slowly towards it, and when the image becomes sharp, fire!  The flash exposure will "stop" movement.  This way you do not have to hunt for the subject in the viewfinder – it would have probably gone anyway! This technique should work just as well for artificial flies, and they won’t fly away – unless your tying is particulary lifelike Regards, — Bill

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Apparently the trick is (i.e. with live insects at least) to point your rig at the beast then move in slowly towards it, and when the image becomes sharp, fire!  The flash exposure will "stop" movement.  This way you do not have to hunt for the subject in the viewfinder – it would have probably gone anyway!

That’s pretty much the way it works. You’ll find you need to stop down to at least  f-16 – f-22 at these ranges assuming relatively slow film, say 50 to 100 ASA. That will give you "pretty good" depth of field, depending on your lens, and the output of your flash. Best to shoot a test roll first, write down your exposures and then select the f-stop that gives you the result you’re looking for. This technique should work just as well for artificial flies, and they won’t fly away – unless your tying is particulary lifelike

Exactly. From the minute we’re born we all start dying;some of us just take longer than others. Me? I’ve been dragging my feet, but it doesn’t seem to help much.

Response:

se f22 or f32 for maximum depth of field.

Presumably this is the "camera" stop – the effective stop will be more like f64+, I forget the formula but I think the effective aperture is the lens to film distance divided by the diameter of the lens opening. Check this out as it may help you to calculate the correct exposure. I’ve seen photos of actual insects taken using two flash guns of decent power (guide N0 100) one either side of the lens, fired simultaneously, with the camera and flash guns mounted on a kind of T structure all fired simultaneously by cable release.  This makes the whole cinstruction more mobile – if mobility is needed. Regards, — Bill

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Question:

I am curious.  I have trolled some large blue water flies for marlin, Dorado, Wahoo.  Is it best to troll the fly with the popper head on it?         The last time out I was having the best luck trolling Large white flash flies, But were trolling a lot before any hook ups.  None had poppers on them.            This time I will also have flies rigged on other rods sitting on the boat for fast casting while fish are being landed.  I saw a swarm of fish whenever we caught fish last time we were in Mexico.  It seemed to me that this was the way to go.  That way my wife or I can grab them and hopefully get some hook ups while we are stopped and fighting fish.         I am new at blue water fishing, and have only got 4 trips under my belt so far.  Any information on ways to improve my blue water experience would be greatly appreciated.           I have seen a lot of videos talking about running teasers to bring fish in.  Can anybody give me some information on putting together teasers and what to use for them, Fish Feathers Beer cans Bananas?                        Thanks for any help you may have.                               Randy Pugh

Response:

Try trolling hookless baits, and throwing the fly at any fish that come up. Strip out 50 feet of line into a bucket so you are ready for instant casts. Jeff Schaeffer

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Question:

: I thought he was referring to the Hillary Clinton Lesbian Streamer Dry Fly : Series which goes both ways.  You don’t *really* think he believes that the : wife of the president of the USofA is a fuzzbumping rugmuncher, do ya ? A fuzzbumping rugmuncher?  Is that in current usage in your neck of the woods?  Could you draw a diagram, Tim, please?  I am not quite sure, I quite understand. . . .   (really). I would like to pass this one on to some gay and lesbian friends  :-). Burnaby, BC

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I thought he was referring to the Hillary Clinton Lesbian Streamer Dry Fly Series which goes both ways.  You don’t *really* think he believes that the wife of the president of the USofA is a fuzzbumping rugmuncher, do ya ? TimW T-Bone, man, you crack me up. Your posts are as entertaining as it gets. It makes wading through all the flames to get at useful FF info. all worth while. Keep it up! Silent Fan, JD.

With his general age (oldest living flyfisherperson), condition (must have high bp and or suffering from metabolic imbalance judging from posts) and temperament (terminal irascibility, newly recognized condition, see last New England Medical Journal) T-Bone needs all the encouragement he can get just to think about getting it up, much less keeping it up. Note:  According to the FDA eating hatchery fish may have deletorious effects on your health.  Read the list of chemicals used in hatcheries to prevent the spread of disease etc.  How many has Tim eaten? Mike in PDX "When the trout are lost, smash the state."                           Tom McGuane

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – TimW T-Bone, man, you crack me up. Your posts are as entertaining as it gets. It makes wading through all the flames to get at useful FF info. all worth while. Keep it up! Silent Fan, JD. With his general age (oldest living flyfisherperson), condition (must have high bp and or suffering from metabolic imbalance judging from posts) and temperament (terminal irascibility, newly recognized condition, see last New England Medical Journal) T-Bone needs all the encouragement he can get just to think about getting it up, much less keeping it up. Note:  According to the FDA eating hatchery fish may have deletorious effects on your health.  Read the list of chemicals used in hatcheries to prevent the spread of disease etc.  How many has Tim eaten? Mike in PDX "When the trout are lost, smash the state."                           Tom McGuane

FRANKLY T-BONE; I’m sorry I missed that new fly tying contest but appreciate the fact you accepted my winning entry called, "The Hatchery Pellet Fly".  ;)  Dressed with XINK, it settles The Hatchery Pellet at the proper rate and the diseased trout that are on all those hallucinating drugs, (the same ones McGuane seems to be on) to prevent the spread of ‘Hallucinating’ – is more apt to catch suckers, rather than trout.  (the same as a McGuane Sucker)  Those we throw over the hatchery fence . . . if I remember right. Hang tough T-bone.  Everyone knows that the best policy for hatchery reared trout is a gut-em & eat-um program anyhow.  EVERYONE knows that, except the McGuanes who know nothing of value.  Besides, with trout going for $4 dollars a pound, look at all the grocery bills one can save killing the trash fish the State Raises?  I think this is why your staff gave me the winning prize for the most productive fly ever conceived for catching Hatchery Trout.  I told you T-bone, you had to tie that damned thing on behind one of those service barns . . . didn’t I? Does this mean we should write the book, "Matching the Pellets? unsilent fan, George/Mr. Gink

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<snip I must apologise to the rest of the world that there are others in this country that do not have manners, who are ill-bred, and totally discourteous.  I mean this most sincerely.  Therefore, everyone; please excuse me for I will not stoop to this individual’s level.  It appears

<snip George Gehrke/American Sportsman

George, you recently called Hilary Clinton, who is, last I recall, a private citizen, a lesbian, with the main purpose of the claim being to smear her.  This seems to this pilgrim to be discourteous.  I suggest you stick to reading for a while, until you learn some manners and civility.   Regardless of how we feel about the topic, it ain’t about fly fishing. There are a variety of newsgroups that are devoted to this type of debate.  Polite behavior in the clan would dictate that you confine your discussions on these topics to those newsgroups.  If you are as polite and courteous as you assert yourself to be, you will do so in the future.   I suggest that you try alt.politics.clinton, where you will find some kindred souls, as well as some flaming liberals that you can sharpen your teeth on.

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I thought he was referring to the Hillary Clinton Lesbian Streamer Dry Fly Series which goes both ways.  You don’t *really* think he believes that the wife of the president of the USofA is a fuzzbumping rugmuncher, do ya ? TimW

T-Bone, man, you crack me up. Your posts are as entertaining as it gets. It makes wading through all the flames to get at useful FF info. all worth while. Keep it up! Silent Fan, JD.

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George, you recently called Hilary Clinton, who is, last I recall, a private citizen, a lesbian, with the main purpose of the claim being to smear her.  This seems to this pilgrim to be discourteous.  I suggest you stick to reading for a while, until you learn some manners and civility. Regardless of how we feel about the topic, it ain’t about fly fishing.[rip]

I thought he was referring to the Hillary Clinton Lesbian Streamer Dry Fly Series which goes both ways.  You don’t *really* think he believes that the wife of the president of the USofA is a fuzzbumping rugmuncher, do ya ? TimW

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No Sandy — just honest and accurate.

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We all ought to thank George Gehrke for providing some fun. (thanks George!). Seems like a lot of people where surprised to realize what a jerhke George is. (right wing, opinionated, arrogant, mean-spirited, pea-brained, etc). Well, I met George at an FFF conclave about 10 years ago, when I was trying to sell boats. George was (then): a) old b) arrogant, opinionated, pompous, greedy, stupid, pea-brained (then and now) So, by mentioning this observation, am I mean-spirited too? —

No.  I think it makes you a liar and an exaggeration to the definition of what "A Sportsman" is all about.  There are ladies and gentlemen in this world . . . and then there are the sandy’s. I must apologise to the rest of the world that there are others in this country that do not have manners, who are ill-bred, and totally discourteous.  I mean this most sincerely.  Therefore, everyone; please excuse me for I will not stoop to this individual’s level.  It appears Sandy may have been an abused child and needs to strike out at anything that represents ‘a father figure’. It is seldom that I’m disappointed with others who make claim to being in the faturnity called, "Fly Fishermen".  Overall, they gracious, kind and loving people. AS for the Sandys in this world?  At least I know, I’m a winner. George Gehrke/American Sportsman

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We all ought to thank George Gehrke for providing some fun. (thanks George!). Seems like a lot of people where surprised to realize what a jerhke George is. (right wing, opinionated, arrogant, mean-spirited, pea-brained, etc). Well, I met George at an FFF conclave about 10 years ago, when I was trying to sell boats. George was (then): a) old b) arrogant, opinionated, pompous, greedy, stupid, pea-brained (then and now) So, by mentioning this observation, am I mean-spirited too?   —

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Question:

fishing in SW MO

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<snip I have for sale a complete set of Orvis 5 wt far and fine rod, battenkill reel,fully outfitted including aluminum case with cover. <snip

Bob, I tried to send you mail at the above address, and my mail kicked it back several times.  Anyway, I’ll give you $325 for the Far and Fine, if you still have it.  Does it still have the reel case, backing and line? Let me know what you think, Kevin

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Hallelujah, hallelujah!

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Regarding the demise of the FF Boom ( Orvis for sale):      First I must say that I AM a yuppie by the standards set by the politically correct, in who knows where. But, I just got LUCKY and succeeded early. In fact, I still consider myself an ex hippie who is still trying to grow up, and most times not sure I really should.  I started FFishing at the age of 15 (on my own) and have flicked the fly now for 25 years.     Now that I have delivered my disclaimor… I have felt for a long time that the sport was getting a little frothy. A few events really got to me in the past year: 1) Brocaw, on the nightly news, announced that there would be a sub anchor because he was goin "Flyfishing in Montana" 2) There was a cellular phone ad on TV with a guy streamside, wrapping up a contract deal on his cellular. 3) A friend of mine, Gus Serven, and I shared a booth at the big FF show in Denver last Sept.  Gus invented "FLOTPAK", a simple device that keeps your floatant hanging from your vest, i.e. available, when you need it, as opposed to having to rummage through your vest to find it.  It is a similar concept to the now famous "Zinger". Well, at the Denver show, there were 5 (FIVE) merchants who had copied his idea and were hawking their new "break-through" product. FLOTPAK had been patented for two years before the show. Flotpak is NOT rocket science…just a simple idea.  If you had the entire world market for the thing it still wouldn’t make a guy rich. 4) Darryl Osborn, of Hamilton, Mt, developed a great personal river float craft called "River Otter". I counted 9 spin-offs at that show.     The above tells me that the bloom is off the rose. Before FF, the social craze was  tennis..then golf..then mountain bikes..etc ..etc.. The GREAT news, from my vantage point, is that FF is no longer the sport of choice among the elite in NY, L.A. or wherever.      Well, its about time! I want to fish in peace. I do feel sorry for the fly shop owners, but the good ones will survive and prosper. Same with the guides. It was fun at first being a fan of the "in" sport ( made me feel like I was doing something important), but I’m glad the fad thing is fading away.  I just feel sorry for the fans of the next sport or pursuit that is ready to accepted by the media mainstream.      So..if we FFishers are finally free  of the avante garde crap, we will blissfully fish in peace! To quote Al Beatty "Halleilula!" Dale Owens

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A year ago I thought I would do a lot of flyfishing. I have since given up the ghost. I have for sale a complete set of Orvis 5 wt far and fine rod, battenkill reel,fully outfitted including aluminum case with cover. I paid over $425 for it. Would someone make me a offer and I will send out, immediately, to you. I also have a Wheatley 16 compartment aluminum fly box and about ten flys. This, I paid over $60 for (not  including flys)..it is still in the origional case unused. The Orvis Far and Fine set I used exactly three times.Anyone interested in making a serious offer either send me a note on this newsboard or contact me via

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: A year ago I thought I would do a lot of flyfishing. I have since given up the : ghost. This is r.o.f.f’s first post from beyond the grave…  I have for sale a complete set of Orvis 5 wt far and fine rod, battenkill : reel,fully outfitted including aluminum case with cover. I paid over $425 for it. : Would someone make me a offer and I will send out, immediately, to you. I also : have a Wheatley 16 compartment aluminum fly box and about ten flys. This, I : paid over $60 for (not  including flys)..it is still in the origional case unused. Ah, the Wheatly fly box- that gorgeous piece of work that looks so refined, so elegant, and so….British. As Geirach points out, everyone who buys one ends up leaving the damn bulky, heavy thing at home and carrying a little plastic box instead –mike

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A year ago I thought I would do a lot of flyfishing. I have since given up the ghost.

I’d like to see about 3 million more posts like this. John Nesselrode Shawnee, KS

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: A year ago I thought I would do a lot of flyfishing. I have since given : up… :I’d like to see about 3 million more posts like this. A couple weeks ago I talked to the guys at a major ff shop here in Seattle.  They said the ff business has "reached a plateau" after some years of continuous growth.  I wondered if perhaps the yuppwardly mobile set was bailing out.  They thought that might be a factor. Sadly, the staff at another (v. major) local ff shop got thinner recently too.  The guys at the first shop thought leaner times were to be blamed.   Best, -AR P.S.  Anybody interested in a lightly used Orvis Jeep?

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Question:

I will be fishing with a guide May 18, 19 and 20, but my flight arrives in Key West the afternoon before and I don’t want to waste it. Can anyone reccomend a wading spot in the Key West area? I have never been that far down the keys. Thanks.

I, too, plan on visiting the Keys to do some fly fishing.  I won