Question:

Our family just exchanged a few gifts early. My daughter helps run a local zoo (great source for peacock feathers) and has to go in early Christmas morning to make sure all the animals are okay, so we won’t have our usual early AM gift swap. My youngest son gave me an organizer for my tying stuff that is *awesome* and wasn’t even on my list. It’s about 1/4 the size of Frank Reid’s box, so it is HUGE. Now I just have to go out and buy some more stuff to fill it. Looks like I’ll have to wrangle some more $$ by the time the fly fishing show comes to town. Back to bonding with the family and drinking a little toast to them – single malt, of course. I’ll tip my glass to you all as well. I’ve said it before, and at the risk of going maudlin I’ll say it again: I’ve gotten a great amount of information from this group over the past few years that has vastly improved my on-stream enjoyment and performance, and I appreciate every bit of it. I’ve also met some people I’d never have met without ROFF, and would have been a poorer man for not meeting them. — TL, Tim

Response:

. I’ll tip my glass to you all as well. I’ve said it before, and at the risk of going maudlin I’ll say it again: I’ve gotten a great amount of information from this group over the past few years that has vastly improved my on-stream enjoyment and performance, and I appreciate every bit of it. I’ve also met some people I’d never have met without ROFF, and would have been a poorer man for not meeting them. — TL, Tim

    well, maudlin is a word for people who can’t feel what you have just expressed.  of course, that is just an opinion from yfitons wayno – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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Question:

Nothing ventured, nothing gained…go for it.  My experience on Lakes Michigan and Superior in a 24-ft cabin boat has been good, but I venture out with radar, GPS-chartplotter, Loran, 2 VHF radios, 2 depthfinders, and a backup 15-hp outboard motor.  And I nearly always see, at the boat launch, some crusty old fisherman heading out in a 14-ft jon boat with 25-hp outboard…amazing balls. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Any opinions would be appreciated…thank you.

Response:

Unless you get 4 miles to the gallon, forget it.  1/3 out, 1/3 in and a 1/3 in reserve.  Tuna requires trolling, lots at about 8-9 mph.  Not enough fuel capacity, unless the albies get inside of about 10 miles.  I have a 21′ and carry 67 gallon, and get about 2 mpg and I won’t do it.  Post a request to be a hitchhiker on the www.Coastsidefishingclub.com board and you will get a ride and live to fish again. Bill

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Any opinions would be appreciated…thank you. I’ve gone 20-30 miles in the Atlantic in smaller boats than that. You really need expertise in weather observation, a high antenna on a fixed, not portable, VHF radio, an extra battery and enough smarts to know when not to go out. And bring along a spare six gallon tank and hose. Try going out in the company of a couple of boats. And buy yourself some Type I life jackets, the real deal kind, and consider an EPIRB. Make sure you have a way to climb back in your boat if you get knocked overboard. Same here.  The buddy system applies.  Dont’ quite agree with the 6 gallon tank theory, however.  That would get me about 5 miles closer before I choke…..

Response:

Hello, Thanks for the replies and will not venture out without the recommendations. No EPIRB here. Just some safety flares. The boats a 1990 Bayliner cuddy, dual batteries, reliable with rebuilt powerhead. I bought this second hand and always thought it had a 30gallon tank. I always refill the tank before a trip so dont know how much it really holds..lol. thanks! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This is all well and good. It is not the size of the boat in question. The boat you mention obviously held a lot more than 30 gallons of fuel. I would also strongly suspect that he had more than a hand held VHF for emergency communication needs. Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Tred Barta made his name fishing bigeyes 85-90 miles out of Shinnecock Inlet in the "Randi Strike", a 19′ Mako CC. That was 25 years ago.

Response:

Be nice Harry… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, Thanks for the replies and will not venture out without the recommendations. No EPIRB here. Just some safety flares. The boats a 1990 Bayliner cuddy, dual batteries, reliable with rebuilt powerhead. I bought this second hand and always thought it had a 30gallon tank. I always refill the tank before a trip so dont know how much it really holds..lol. thanks! This is all well and good. It is not the size of the boat in question. The boat you mention obviously held a lot more than 30 gallons of fuel. I would also strongly suspect that he had more than a hand held VHF for emergency communication needs. Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Tred Barta made his name fishing bigeyes 85-90 miles out of Shinnecock Inlet in the "Randi Strike", a 19′ Mako CC. That was 25 years ago.

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Be nice Harry…

How can he? He’s the consummate evildoer of this NG. — Skipper

Response:

Hello, Thanks for the replies and will not venture out without the recommendations. No EPIRB here. Just some safety flares. The boats a 1990 Bayliner cuddy, dual batteries, reliable with rebuilt powerhead. I bought this second hand and always thought it had a 30gallon tank. I always refill the tank before a trip so dont know how much it really holds..lol. thanks!

Yikes!  Is it a Force outboard?  I wouldn’t trust that setup, 13 years old, offshore.  Especially if you don’t know how much gas it holds.  How old are the batteries?  Do you have towing insurance?  Just some more questions to think about…

Response:

JAX has just reduced his percentage of useful posts to about 8% with the latests posts…

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – ben thur, dun dat writes to tell us just how scared he is of the water with: (way to go, bt,dd) geesh.  another guy tied to the dock when the wind is greater than 8 knots and telling how safety conscious he is. Like Harry, I would strongly suggest an installed VHF with tall antenna – hand held only broadcast 3-5 miles with their 3 watt output max. (you might get a little better in ideal conditions – but don’t bet your life on it! Installed will get you up to around 25 mile range fairly reliably (potential further)- 25 watts out put makes a world of difference. I also agree that EPIRB would be a good idea. But definitely do not trust the hand held VHF to get you help in a jam. Dan touched on what may be an even bigger concern – 30 gallon gas tank. You state that you have a 120 HP. Is this an outboard or I/OF? What is your gas consumption = MPG? If this is a gas I/OF – very common in 20′ cuddies I would be very concerned about getting out 20 miles and back on that amount of fuel. If you hit any surprises in weather – cut MPG in half or more! Most I/Os on that size boat will get around 2 -3 MPG in reasonably calm conditions. Not a lot of room for error. Weather is the real wildcard. Pick your days and keep an eye on the sky. I have been out 20 miles in a center console about that size off Hatters, NC. It is doable…but keep a real close eye on the weather — gets pretty breezy & rough in the area you are talking about. I fished on a charter in that basic area a couple of years ago – charter boat was mid 30′ bridge boat – we got tossed around pretty good. About six weeks ago I was fishing out of Ft. Lauderdale.  We ended up a bit over 20 miles out before we gave up on fishing and decided to go to Bimini (Bahamas).  I found it on my GPSmap 76 and off we went.  It was 58 miles from port to port and we made the trip back in just over two hours.  The amazing part is that we burned only 28 gallons of gas on this 116 mile round trip with at least a hour of trolling included.  We were in my 20′ center console with a 115 four stroke. It’s all a matter of sea conditions and the weather.  This was an incredibly flat day with clear skies.  We were prepared to leave the boat in Bimini and fly back as a last resort if the weather went to hell on us.  This was one of those stupid "so I can say I was there" trips. Typically I will go out only 15 – 20 miles.  At that point there are still plenty of other boats in the area and usually cell phone coverage if the VHF craps out. Are you sure you only have a 30 gallon fuel tank?  That would be my #1 concern.  The handheld VHF would be right there at #2. Dan Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Any opinions would be appreciated…thank you.

Response:

Well, I’ve never been "offshore" except twice around Cape Caution, but…    I agree about the redundancy. Get, at the least, a good "get-you-home" kicker with a separate fuel tank.    An in-dash VHF is under $200 – why not? And it sounds like an EPIRB is a good idea too.    Another good idea would be an inflatable dinghy to get into if the boat DOES sink. "Real" offshore boats have special emergency rafts that autoinflate, etc. but you probably don’t need to go that far.    And I can never understand boaters who don’t know how much fuel they carry, or what their range is! DEFINELY find out what your range is, and the range of your kicker, before venturing any distance. Lloyd Sumpter "Valkyrie" Campion 18 – 20 gals, 110mile range – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, Thanks for the replies and will not venture out without the recommendations. No EPIRB here. Just some safety flares. The boats a 1990 Bayliner cuddy, dual batteries, reliable with rebuilt powerhead. I bought this second hand and always thought it had a 30gallon tank. I always refill the tank before a trip so dont know how much it really holds..lol. thanks! This is all well and good. It is not the size of the boat in question. The boat you mention obviously held a lot more than 30 gallons of fuel. I would also strongly suspect that he had more than a hand held VHF for emergency communication needs. Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Tred Barta made his name fishing bigeyes 85-90 miles out of Shinnecock Inlet in the "Randi Strike", a 19′ Mako CC. That was 25 years ago.

Response:

Your comments on redundancy are right on the money in my experience. On the other hand, I’ve seen those "gentle blue water rollers" break onto the deck of a 50 footer.  On a 50 foot boat that just creates a little commotion for a few seconds, but in a 20 foot cuddy you’re likely to get a sinking sensation. Looking beyond gear failure, there are some other risks difficult to avoid such as late afternoon thunderstorms, fast moving cold fronts, and breaking conditions in the inlets caused by tide and offshore swells.  Things can change in a hurry even on a day that starts board flat and looks stable.  Important to remember that small boats have small safety margins. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I always have been told and adhered to the redundancy rule. A backup for everything when going off-shore. Such as engines, fuel tanks, radios, batteries(you got that covered), safety equipment, food, water etc. Are you sure you want to trust everything to your set up with no redundancy? I spend my time in the mid Chesapeake Bay in a 26′ Bayliner. The rollers there can get pretty nasty with high frequency four to six footers. I’ve been told blue water rollers are more gentle because of the lower frequency. Your seamanship is to be applauded, but I suggest you adopt more redundancy.

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I always have been told and adhered to the redundancy rule. A backup for everything when going off-shore. Such as engines, fuel tanks, radios, batteries(you got that covered), safety equipment, food, water etc. Are you sure you want to trust everything to your set up with no redundancy? I spend my time in the mid Chesapeake Bay in a 26′ Bayliner. The rollers there can get pretty nasty with high frequency four to six footers. I’ve been told blue water rollers are more gentle because of the lower frequency. Your seamanship is to be applauded, but I suggest you adopt more redundancy. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, Thanks for the replies and will not venture out without the recommendations. No EPIRB here. Just some safety flares. The boats a 1990 Bayliner cuddy, dual batteries, reliable with rebuilt powerhead. I bought this second hand and always thought it had a 30gallon tank. I always refill the tank before a trip so dont know how much it really holds..lol. thanks! This is all well and good. It is not the size of the boat in question. The boat you mention obviously held a lot more than 30 gallons of fuel. I would also strongly suspect that he had more than a hand held VHF for emergency communication needs. Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Tred Barta made his name fishing bigeyes 85-90 miles out of Shinnecock Inlet in the "Randi Strike", a 19′ Mako CC. That was 25 years ago.

Response:

ben thur, dun dat writes to tell us just how scared he is of the water with: (way to go, bt,dd) geesh.  another guy tied to the dock when the wind is greater than 8 knots and telling how safety conscious he is. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Like Harry, I would strongly suggest an installed VHF with tall antenna – hand held only broadcast 3-5 miles with their 3 watt output max. (you might get a little better in ideal conditions – but don’t bet your life on it! Installed will get you up to around 25 mile range fairly reliably (potential further)- 25 watts out put makes a world of difference. I also agree that EPIRB would be a good idea. But definitely do not trust the hand held VHF to get you help in a jam. Dan touched on what may be an even bigger concern – 30 gallon gas tank. You state that you have a 120 HP. Is this an outboard or I/OF? What is your gas consumption = MPG? If this is a gas I/OF – very common in 20′ cuddies I would be very concerned about getting out 20 miles and back on that amount of fuel. If you hit any surprises in weather – cut MPG in half or more! Most I/Os on that size boat will get around 2 -3 MPG in reasonably calm conditions. Not a lot of room for error. Weather is the real wildcard. Pick your days and keep an eye on the sky. I have been out 20 miles in a center console about that size off Hatters, NC. It is doable…but keep a real close eye on the weather — gets pretty breezy & rough in the area you are talking about. I fished on a charter in that basic area a couple of years ago – charter boat was mid 30′ bridge boat – we got tossed around pretty good. About six weeks ago I was fishing out of Ft. Lauderdale.  We ended up a bit over 20 miles out before we gave up on fishing and decided to go to Bimini (Bahamas).  I found it on my GPSmap 76 and off we went.  It was 58 miles from port to port and we made the trip back in just over two hours.  The amazing part is that we burned only 28 gallons of gas on this 116 mile round trip with at least a hour of trolling included.  We were in my 20′ center console with a 115 four stroke. It’s all a matter of sea conditions and the weather.  This was an incredibly flat day with clear skies.  We were prepared to leave the boat in Bimini and fly back as a last resort if the weather went to hell on us.  This was one of those stupid "so I can say I was there" trips. Typically I will go out only 15 – 20 miles.  At that point there are still plenty of other boats in the area and usually cell phone coverage if the VHF craps out. Are you sure you only have a 30 gallon fuel tank?  That would be my #1 concern.  The handheld VHF would be right there at #2. Dan Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Any opinions would be appreciated…thank you.

Response:

Like Harry, I would strongly suggest an installed VHF with tall antenna – hand held only broadcast 3-5 miles with their 3 watt output max. (you might get a little better in ideal conditions – but don’t bet your life on it! Installed will get you up to around 25 mile range fairly reliably (potential further)- 25 watts out put makes a world of difference. I also agree that EPIRB would be a good idea. But definitely do not trust the hand held VHF to get you help in a jam. Dan touched on what may be an even bigger concern – 30 gallon gas tank. You state that you have a 120 HP. Is this an outboard or I/OF? What is your gas consumption = MPG? If this is a gas I/OF – very common in 20′ cuddies I would be very concerned about getting out 20 miles and back on that amount of fuel. If you hit any surprises in weather – cut MPG in half or more! Most I/Os on that size boat will get around 2 -3 MPG in reasonably calm conditions. Not a lot of room for error. Weather is the real wildcard. Pick your days and keep an eye on the sky. I have been out 20 miles in a center console about that size off Hatters, NC. It is doable…but keep a real close eye on the weather — gets pretty breezy & rough in the area you are talking about. I fished on a charter in that basic area a couple of years ago – charter boat was mid 30′ bridge boat – we got tossed around pretty good.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – About six weeks ago I was fishing out of Ft. Lauderdale.  We ended up a bit over 20 miles out before we gave up on fishing and decided to go to Bimini (Bahamas).  I found it on my GPSmap 76 and off we went.  It was 58 miles from port to port and we made the trip back in just over two hours.  The amazing part is that we burned only 28 gallons of gas on this 116 mile round trip with at least a hour of trolling included.  We were in my 20′ center console with a 115 four stroke. It’s all a matter of sea conditions and the weather.  This was an incredibly flat day with clear skies.  We were prepared to leave the boat in Bimini and fly back as a last resort if the weather went to hell on us.  This was one of those stupid "so I can say I was there" trips. Typically I will go out only 15 – 20 miles.  At that point there are still plenty of other boats in the area and usually cell phone coverage if the VHF craps out. Are you sure you only have a 30 gallon fuel tank?  That would be my #1 concern.  The handheld VHF would be right there at #2. Dan Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Any opinions would be appreciated…thank you.

Response:

Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy?

Tred Barta made his name fishing bigeyes 85-90 miles out of Shinnecock Inlet in the "Randi Strike", a 19′ Mako CC. That was 25 years ago.

Response:

This is all well and good. It is not the size of the boat in question. The boat you mention obviously held a lot more than 30 gallons of fuel. I would also strongly suspect that he had more than a hand held VHF for emergency communication needs.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Tred Barta made his name fishing bigeyes 85-90 miles out of Shinnecock Inlet in the "Randi Strike", a 19′ Mako CC. That was 25 years ago.

Response:

30 gallons sounds awfully small for a 20 ft. boat.  

Agreed.  And 120Hp seems like a very small engine, as well. My 18′ CC has a 150HP Merc OB and a 60-gallon tank.   I would strongly advise against going further out, without making some major adjustments in his capabilities. e.g. installing more fuel capacity, and being almost fanatical about weather-watching. I’ve been 40-50 miles out (in a commercial fishing boat) in the Pacific out of Oregon, and it was pretty scary.  Unlike the short-period waves we have in the Gulf, these were HUGE rollers, a city block or more thick.  I’d hate to be out there when they started kicking up. 120hp and 30 gallons of gas, in a 20 footer? No way. Ron M.

Response:

Jim,     I’d be surprised if your handheld VHF was strong enough, 25 miles out, to reach shore without an external antenna. Paul — "The opinions expressed in the article are the opinions of the author, not of Ford Motor Company. " – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Any opinions would be appreciated…thank you.

Response:

I go out about 20 miles off Boston Harbor sometimes in my 19 foot boat, but only when there is flat water and a stable high presure area in place with little chance of bad weather kicking up. I keep my vhf on and monitor the weather channel and radio stations for any surprize weather. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Any opinions would be appreciated…thank you.

Response:

About six weeks ago I was fishing out of Ft. Lauderdale.  We ended up a bit over 20 miles out before we gave up on fishing and decided to go to Bimini (Bahamas).  I found it on my GPSmap 76 and off we went.  It was 58 miles from port to port and we made the trip back in just over two hours.  The amazing part is that we burned only 28 gallons of gas on this 116 mile round trip with at least a hour of trolling included.  We were in my 20′ center console with a 115 four stroke. It’s all a matter of sea conditions and the weather.  This was an incredibly flat day with clear skies.  We were prepared to leave the boat in Bimini and fly back as a last resort if the weather went to hell on us.  This was one of those stupid "so I can say I was there" trips. Typically I will go out only 15 – 20 miles.  At that point there are still plenty of other boats in the area and usually cell phone coverage if the VHF craps out. Are you sure you only have a 30 gallon fuel tank?  That would be my #1 concern.  The handheld VHF would be right there at #2. Dan – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Any opinions would be appreciated…thank you.

Response:

30 gallons sounds awfully small for a 20 ft. boat.  I’ve got a 26′ powercat with twin 150’s and 180 gallons of fuel and I am always a little nervous (rightly so) about going off more than 20 miles.  A handheld VHF will NOT cut it, as Dan mentioned, nor the 30 gallon fuel tank.  You just can’t trust the weather service with forcasts.  They might say that the winds will pick up in 24 hours, but all of the sudden, you are in 20 kt winds.  Then you are in real trouble.  Usually I burn about 65 gal on a normal 12 hour trolling trip, but once, when the weather turn on me prematurely, it took about 130 gal to get home in terribly steep head seas. In general, I wouldn’t recommend it.  I’m usually the smallest boat out in the deep and I definitely feel it when the weather turns.  There are way too many things that go wrong. BTW, you didn’t mention an EPIRB in your list… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Any opinions would be appreciated…thank you.

Response:

Hello, I fish regularly at Halfmoon Bay up to Pacifca (CA) for salmon, halibut, etc. I want to go out farther for Albacore but have never ventured more than a couple miles offshore. I have fished through 10ft swells but never any high winds. With my etrex GPS and handheld VHF, can I go out 25 miles offshore in my 120HP, 30gallons, 20ft cuddy or does that sound crazy? Any opinions would be appreciated…thank you.

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Question:

The New Year is an occasion to separate our past from our future. Let’s gather what is best from our past and use it as a foundation to begin anew. Happy New Year ! — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

The New Year is an occasion to separate our past from our future. Let’s gather what is best from our past and use it as a foundation to begin anew. Happy New Year ! — Ken Fortenberry

yeah, yeah, yeah… if you think for one little second that this here post of yours is gonna save you a whuppin come may, you’re sadly mistaken pal. jeff, tom, wayno, PJ, and i got some special steel tipped wadin’ boots on order to urge you upstream  :) Happy New Year Everyone! Walt — Ezflyfish.com:  http://www.ezflyfish.com For Book & Print Auctions: http://www.amazon.com/seller/mariebooks Blue Ridge Book Gallery: http://www.bibliofind.com/cgi-bin/texis.exe/s/search/dhome.html?id=33… P.O. Box 5112, Banner Elk, NC 28604

Response:

yeah, yeah, yeah… if you think for one little second that this here post of yours is gonna save you a whuppin come may, you’re sadly mistaken pal. jeff, tom, wayno, PJ, and i got some special steel tipped wadin’ boots on order to urge you upstream  :) Happy New Year Everyone! Walt

Not to worry Ken, if those NC hicks get a little nasty, just hop in the Mazda and you’ll be safe. Peter BTW, your toast had very appropo sentiments for ROFF.

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The New Year is an occasion to separate our past from our future. Let’s gather what is best from our past and use it as a foundation to begin anew.

Wise words, Ken. Happy new year to you and to everyone on ROFF. 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"

Response:

if you think for one little second that this here post of yours is gonna save you a whuppin come may, you’re sadly mistaken pal. … Not to worry Ken, if those NC hicks get a little nasty, just hop in the Mazda and you’ll be safe.

On the one hand we’re talkin’ about an alleged ass whuppin’ by a bunch of geriatric rednecks that think walking to the fridge for a beer constitutes a good days hike and on the other we’re talking about near certain flaming death in a Canadian pick up driven by a certifiable lunatic with a Jeff Gordon delusion. No offense, Peter, but I’ll take my chances with the rednecks. Worst comes to worst I can always outrun ‘em. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

On the one hand we’re talkin’ about an alleged ass whuppin’ by a bunch of geriatric rednecks that think walking to the fridge for a beer constitutes a good days hike and on the other we’re talking about near certain flaming death in a Canadian pick up driven by a certifiable lunatic with a Jeff Gordon delusion. No offense, Peter, but I’ll take my chances with the rednecks. Worst comes to worst I can always outrun ‘em. — Ken Fortenberry

Oh, OK – wrong about the delusion though – pilot. Peter

Response:

um, ken…bring your runnin shoes in may.  i’ll be warmin up the truck and waitin… as a prelude to the new year, yesterday i hauled a whinin waldo down to the stream that i first plonked a fly upon (introduction was via james mcdonald roberts).  it is now designated C&R, fly fishing only. the walk down to the stream is about 30 minutes, back up is about 45, unless you’re draggin a wheezin waldo with you <G, then it’s an hour.  we both thought of you.  i know you will enjoy fishing it in may…it would also be a great place to camp overnight. an incredibly beautiful small stream holding only wild trout. jeff – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – if you think for one little second that this here post of yours is gonna save you a whuppin come may, you’re sadly mistaken pal. … Not to worry Ken, if those NC hicks get a little nasty, just hop in the Mazda and you’ll be safe. On the one hand we’re talkin’ about an alleged ass whuppin’ by a bunch of geriatric rednecks that think walking to the fridge for a beer constitutes a good days hike and on the other we’re talking about near certain flaming death in a Canadian pick up driven by a certifiable lunatic with a Jeff Gordon delusion. No offense, Peter, but I’ll take my chances with the rednecks. Worst comes to worst I can always outrun ‘em. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

… i know you will enjoy fishing it in may…it would also be a great place to camp overnight. an incredibly beautiful small stream holding only wild trout.

Sounds fantastic. Waldo’s got us signed up to fish Wilson’s the first two days of Spring Fling but let’s plan on this later in the week. I’ve got everything two people need to be comfy streamside overnight except your sleeping bag. Waking up to watch the morning sun battle its way into the dark holler has got to be a hell of a lot better than waking up to the spectacle of Louie’s BVDs. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

Ken Fortenberry: Waking up to watch the morning sun battle its way into the dark holler has got to be a hell of a lot better than waking up to the spectacle of Louie’s BVDs.

LOL.  So loud that Henry came running down-stairs to see what the commotion was all about.   Not to worry my flat-lander former friend;  I will wear appropriate attire upon arising each morning from my gentle sleep.  <g Looking forward to seeing those Carolina reprobates in March, and you in May. Dave L.

Response:

Sounds fantastic. Waldo’s got us signed up to fish Wilson’s the first two days of Spring Fling but let’s plan on this later in the week. I’ve got everything two people need to be comfy streamside overnight except your sleeping bag. Waking up to watch the morning sun battle its way into the dark holler has got to be a hell of a lot better than waking up to the spectacle of Louie’s BVDs. — Ken Fortenberry

The N/T project better cut me some slack come else, I’m going to be all colours of green and bust a gut out of envy.  I think I’m feeling a serious flu coming on — in May. (truck’s already packed) Peter

Response:

Sounds fantastic. Waldo’s got us signed up to fish Wilson’s the first two days of Spring Fling but let’s plan on this later in the week.

We need reservations to fish around Boone? Geez, maybe I’ll go to Snowbird instead<g. — Charlie…

Response:

Question:

Orvis has a "sink tip system’ that includes 5 foot sink-tip sections that will convert a floating line to a sink-tip one. Has anyone tried this? Does it work ok or would I be better off buying an actual sink-tip line?

I have one of these.  I use it on a six weight.  Casts like hell -hinging, etc…  It will get a streamer or nymph down a little, though.  Effective to about six or eight feet.  In general, I would not suggest it.  You can do as well with a longer leader and a couple of split shot with a floating line. J

Response:

Orvis has a "sink tip system’ that includes 5 foot sink-tip sections that will convert a floating line to a sink-tip one. Has anyone tried this? Does it work ok or would I be better off buying an actual sink-tip line?

Frank, I have one of these and they work ok in a pinch if you hit one or two deep sections and then go back to more moderate depths but if you are going to be fishing deep for extended periods of time my advice would be to buy a sink tip.  I do carry the Orvis sink tip for emergency use but they are a pain to cast and don’t get you down as well as a real sink tip fly line would in my experience. Good Fishing, C. Segina

Response:

Orvis has a "sink tip system’ that includes 5 foot sink-tip sections that will convert a floating line to a sink-tip one. Has anyone tried this? Does it work ok or would I be better off buying an actual sink-tip line?

I haven’t seen Orvis’ up close but Cortland’s tend to be too heavy for my 4 wt.  I have a beat up old full sinking 9 wt line and the thin running portion of it is perfect for making mini sink tips.  The only drawback is that this requires a loop to loop connection.  I prefer nail-knotting a piece of thick leader material and then tying a perfection loop at the end since it lands on the water more softly than a fly-line looped end. Mu

Response:

Frank, Splurge and go for the full line in a medium density.  Use it on a longer rod with a short (3 to 4 ft) leader.  The rod length is for mending and good control.  Don’t believe those who say any old rod and a long leader.  You need to mend and the fly needs to sink.  The longer the distance between the fly and the weight of the tip section, the higher the fly will ride.  You can use leader length to fine tune your drift depth. I made those mini sink tips from lead core years ago.  They’ll sink your fly, but you won’t like the casting unless you’re using 8 wt line+.  They cast like slinky weights on running line — chuck and duck. Mike If you buy a sink tip that has too much tip for your needs, you can just cut it down and reattach your leader butt.  

Response:

Frank: I’ve used the Orvis lead head sections – I don’t think they offer them any more – that must be similar (though shorter) than the 5 ft sink -tip head that you are looking at. These things came in 12 inch and 24 inch sections, and could be looped in at the end of the regular fly line, and the leader looped on the other end.  I think they are quite useful in certain circumstances.  I keep them in my vest, and if I need to go deeper in a spot they work very well – but they are not a substitute for a true sink tip line, say for lake fishing. Mark Faulkner – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Orvis has a "sink tip system’ that includes 5 foot sink-tip sections that will convert a floating line to a sink-tip one. Has anyone tried this? Does it work ok or would I be better off buying an actual sink-tip line? Frank

Response:

Orvis has a "sink tip system’ that includes 5 foot sink-tip sections that will convert a floating line to a sink-tip one. Has anyone tried this? Does it work ok or would I be better off buying an actual sink-tip line? Frank

Response:

I have tried these and they will sink your line well but, having a sudden transition to denser line,they are far more difficult to cast than a true sink tip line (but also cheaper). If you have the money for a line and spool, go for the full line. The most effective place for your weight lies in the fly though. Go with a longer leader and a weighted fly for the best effect. Orvis has a "sink tip system’ that includes 5 foot sink-tip sections that will convert a floating line to a sink-tip one. Has anyone tried this? Does it work ok or would I be better off buying an actual sink-tip line? Frank

– Remove "nospam" from address if emailing direct.

Response:

Question:

Reality Sucks I say she’s seeking guidance from an experienced fly fisher/computer scientist, and deserves your best efforts. Dave

Response:

Reality Sucks I say she’s seeking guidance from an experienced fly fisher/computer scientist, and deserves your best efforts. Dave

Yep, that’s my take, too, although I think the help she needs in more in the flyfishing area than the computer area. — something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

There’s a difference. I believe rw. I don’t believe that 9 lb brookies exist. Well maybe in Labrador.

Funny thing you should mention that Mike.  Last Sunday’s Milwaukee Journal Sentinel had a short article on the new Wisconsin state record brook trout.  I don’t recall exactly what it weighed but I believe it was just over ten pounds.  It was caught out of Lake Michigan, I believe, by a guy who had been fishing the big water for several years.  It was his first legal brookie!!  By the way, the old record, set some time in the forties was over nine pounds and came out of the Prairie river up in the north central part of the state.

Response:

Hey Wulff, I don’t get it.  I thought you moved to Idaho to get away from it all. You’re telling us that there is a stocked pond 15 minutes from your cabin?

  A lot of the high mountain lakes in Idaho and Montana, lakes that take four-five hour hikes to get to, in Idaho are chocked full of twelve inch stockers.  They dump the fish in by airplane. Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

Dear All, I’ve been fishing for quite some time, tho i’d never tried fly fishing.  Well, on Monday I turned 29, and a few friends got together and got me a started kit for fly-fishng.  I watched the video that came with the kit (hey – you have to start somewhere…) and have a few questions. 1. Backing – how much & why bother?  I can’t figure out what this stuff is for – I have a forward tapered line, 30 yrds long.  How much backing do I use? 2. What is the difference between the tippet and the leader? 3.  Can anyone suggest a good book or website for help on starting out.  I realize I am going to have to take lessons one way or another, but if I could get myself started, I really like to have a go.  I live about a five minute walk from a river, so I figure I try this out fairly easily.  I don’t expect to catch much, but this looks like a whole lot of fun. 4.  Can anyone suggest any good beginner rivers near Ottawa, Ontario and some flies to go with the river?   I wouldn’t mind learning how to catch trout or bass (the rod is 6/7 weight)… is the former possible near Ottawa? 5.  Any suggestions for a fly fishing store in Ottawa?  I use the LeBaron’s & the Cdn Tire for most of my fishing stuff, but I am not sure if they will be adequate for fly-fishing. thanks for any advice you can give…  I am really looking forward to trying this out! Alastair Mullin

Response:

You will receive some very useful information here on many of these question and I will attempt to start: Dear All, I’ve been fishing for quite some time, tho i’d never tried fly fishing.  Well, on Monday I turned 29, and a few friends got together and got me a started kit for fly-fishng.  I watched the video that came with the kit (hey – you have to start somewhere…) and have a few questions. 1. Backing – how much & why bother?  I can’t figure out what this stuff is for – I have a forward tapered line, 30 yrds long.  How much backing do I use?

The backing has two purposes 1) add diameter to the spool(1:1 retrieve is preety slow) and to add length when you get into the big fish.  You should use enough backing so that with the backing and the fly line, you are with 1/8th to 1/4 of and inch of filling the spool. 2. What is the difference between the tippet and the leader? 3.  Can anyone suggest a good book or website for help on starting out.  I realize I am going to have to take lessons one way or another, but if I could get myself started, I really like to have a go.  I live about a five minute walk from a river, so I figure I try this out fairly easily.  I don’t expect to catch much, but this looks like a whole lot of fun.

Email me and I will send you a very long list of fly fishing sites.  One I frequent is http://www.flyanglersonline.com/ 4.  Can anyone suggest any good beginner rivers near Ottawa, Ontario and some flies to go with the river?   I wouldn’t mind learning how to catch trout or bass (the rod is 6/7 weight)… is the former possible near Ottawa?

The Ottawa river and Rideau rivers both hold bass and other warm water species and there are spots on the Ottawa that hold trout. 5.  Any suggestions for a fly fishing store in Ottawa?  I use the LeBaron’s & the Cdn Tire for most of my fishing stuff, but I am not sure if they will be adequate for fly-fishing.

fart .. oops .. extinguished gentleman that runs the place is very knowledgable and has course covering all aspect of fly fishing, from insect life cycles to tying flies. thanks for any advice you can give…  I am really looking forward to trying this out! Alastair Mullin

Chris Richer

Response:

Choose one: 1.   Lying 2.   Stupid 3.   Gay 4.   Computer Scientist  <g

  5.    Married with two kids. — something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

 5.    Married with two kids.

Me too.   Wonder why that didn’t occur to me?   As Roseann Rosannadanna said, "never mind." Your story reminded me of a greeting card I once found.   On the front was a photo of an extraordinarily beautiful girl – perfect skin, perfect hair, perfect makeup, nice figure, etc.    On the inside it simply said, "You’re old enough to be her father.   Happy Birthday."   Nothing like an occasional reality check. Joe F.

Response:

—–BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE—– While in non-compliance with local decency ordinances the world over, Whew ! And did I tell you about the time I caught a 9 lb brookie on a #26 parachute adams.

There’s a difference. I believe rw. I don’t believe that 9 lb brookies exist. Well maybe in Labrador. I would believe the fly. An unginked Parachute Adams is pretty durned miraculous, although I’ve never bought one smaller than #18 —–BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE—– Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBN3vWqMkBcsCVVLK5AQEphAP+NRC/76qrfjaiOP7l/mNUTqEEjMVHMGnx sGTYeseyqkT2C0XEeqXtB63/2CCfWmgr9/Yj/FhMTzweH/yjWDctRZwjUDukPee9 x2ZsHfYFI3c4f6QFz0F5+j2LUIqmRrfi3+M3CXkXOkebayhONMCCqNi+rZttLlns Y1Qc50XQptg= =yx4a —–END PGP SIGNATURE—– Mike S. Medintz, B.S. | http://www.grapevine.net/~medintz "Living with a dog is easy-like living with an idealist  is easy." -H.L. Mencken

Response:

Ken Fortenberry: <<Whew ! And did I tell you about the time I caught a 9 lb brookie on a #26 parachute adams. Was that the one in Panama, Ken?  I think I remember it! Dave LaCourse

Response:

When I got home today from Challis there was a message from her on my machine. She wants to go fishing. I’m old enough to be this girl’s father, so I’m not hitting on her,

        in which case, i say to you in the depth of seriousness, you need psychological help.  i have observed your posts for several months, and i am certain that the words we see above are a sham, pure drivel, meant to decieve the foolish amongst us.         go for it, man.  hell, if you saw jo lacourse, you would realize that *nothing* is impossible! wayno.

Response:

[snipped]    go for it, man.  hell, if you saw jo lacourse, you would realize that *nothing* is impossible!

Boy, ain’t that the truth ;^) /daytripper (still amazed)

Response:

While the Fish & Game guy was cleaning my fish this drop-dead gorgeous babe walks up to me. She’s wearing waders and has a big Malemute dog. She’s a dead ringer for Janine Turner, who played Maggie in the TV show Northern Exposure. She says, "Are you the computer scientist?" Jesus H. Christ, what’s going on here?!

I don’t know what’s going on; but if beautiful women are seeking out computer scientists, there may be hope for us engineers, too. I’m not hitting on her.

Choose one: 1.   Lying 2.   Stupid 3.   Gay 4.   Computer Scientist  <g Joe F. btw: notice how everyone ignored the fishing part of that story?

Response:

Ken Fortenberry: <<Whew ! And did I tell you about the time I caught a 9 lb brookie on a #26 parachute adams. Was that the one in Panama, Ken?  I think I remember it!

Why yes, yes it was. I’m surprised you remember anything about that trip, if it wasn’t for those silly bottles I’d have never got you back into the jungle to witness my brookie extravaganza. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

When I got home today from Challis there was a message from her on my machine. She wants to go fishing. I’m old enough to be this girl’s father, so I’m not hitting on her,         in which case, i say to you in the depth of seriousness, you need psychological help.  i have observed your posts for several months, and i am certain that the words we see above are a sham, pure drivel, meant to decieve the foolish amongst us.

Well, Wayno, I’ll admit that I’m conflicted about it. — something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

I pigged out on trout today. I’m so full I could hardly get myself to the computer. My dog pigged out on trout, too. Anyone want to make something of it. Seriously, these were stocker rainbows in a pond where they won’t survive the winter. If I don’t kill them Old Man Frost or the bait fishermen will. I can get my limit of 12" fish there any time I want, and it’s only 15 minutes from my cabin, along a beautiful dirt road where I regularly see elk and sandhill cranes. When I get blanked on real (i.e., wild) fish I go there. While I was landing a fish a hungry-looking osprey was circling my float tube. If that sucker can’t catch his own fish in this spot I have no sympathy for him. Life is good. — something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

Hey Wulff, I don’t get it.  I thought you moved to Idaho to get away from it all. You’re telling us that there is a stocked pond 15 minutes from your cabin? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Seriously, these were stocker rainbows in a pond where they won’t survive the winter. If I don’t kill them Old Man Frost or the bait fishermen will. I can get my limit of 12" fish there any time I want, and it’s only 15 minutes from my cabin, along a beautiful dirt road where I regularly see elk and sandhill cranes. When I get blanked on real (i.e., wild) fish I go there.

Response:

Hey Wulff, I don’t get it.  I thought you moved to Idaho to get away from it all. You’re telling us that there is a stocked pond 15 minutes from your cabin?

More than one. The Sawtooth Hatchery is just a couple of miles down the road. It’s main purpose is to keep the steelhead and salmon going, but they also stock some lakes and the Main Fork of the Salmon heavily to keep the tourists happy. There’s plenty of fishing for wild trout here, but that’s nearly all C&R and I like to eat fish sometimes. — something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

rw, I experienced the stocking program at Stanlee Idaho while vacationing there. I had been fishing without much success when some ladies returned with several large trout that were obviously from a hatchery and started telling me it was easy to catch trout.  In fact if I would go to this small stream by the road I could practically catch them by hand.  The fishing was so easy they couldn’t understand why I didn’t have a lot of fish and I wouldn’t need the waders or any thing because I could just jump across the stream. Needless to say I didn’t try to tell any fishing stories that day. Ernie Harrison Like to make fly-fishing stuff?  See: http://users.ccnet.com/~emh/ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The Sawtooth Hatchery is just a couple of miles down the road. It’s main purpose is to keep the steelhead and salmon going, but they also stock some lakes and the Main Fork of the Salmon heavily to keep the tourists happy.

Response:

rw, I experienced the stocking program at Stanlee Idaho while vacationing there. I had been fishing without much success when some ladies returned with several large trout that were obviously from a hatchery and started telling me it was easy to catch trout.  In fact if I would go to this small stream by the road I could practically catch them by hand.  The fishing was so easy they couldn’t understand why I didn’t have a lot of fish and I wouldn’t need the waders or any thing because I could just jump across the stream. Needless to say I didn’t try to tell any fishing stories that day.

It’s just amazing how heavily they stock some of these places. I had to go to Challis today, about 60 miles away, and on the way back I stopped at Squaw Creek Pond. This is about a 1/2 acre holding pond for young steelhead. It has literally thousands of fish in it. I must have caught 40 or 50 fish in an hour and a half, keeping six that were hooked so badly I thought they wouldn’t make it. This may not be the most aesthetic fishing experience in the world, but I like knowing I can catch my dinner whenever I feel like it, courtesy of Idaho Fish & Game. A couple of weeks ago I was fishing one of these stocked ponds — a real pretty one. As I was walking out of the water with my standard six fish an Idaho Fish & Game guy introduced himself. As I was fumbling around in my vest for my license he just asked me if he could clean my fish! He wanted the stomachs to find out what they were eating. While the Fish & Game guy was cleaning my fish this drop-dead gorgeous babe walks up to me. She’s wearing waders and has a big Malemute dog. She’s a dead ringer for Janine Turner, who played Maggie in the TV show Northern Exposure. She says, "Are you the computer scientist?" Jesus H. Christ, what’s going on here?! It turns out the proprietor of the local fly shop, whom I know well, told her I was up there. Thanks, Larry! So we chat for awhile, I look over her fly boxes, pretending to be expert (these fish will hit about anything), and then give her a fly that I know for sure is a super killer in this pond. My fish are finally cleaned (the guy took forever), so I collect the fish, give her my phone number, and split. When I got home today from Challis there was a message from her on my machine. She wants to go fishing. I’m old enough to be this girl’s father, so I’m not hitting on her, but I love being around beautiful women. I’m telling you guys, this place is sportsman friendly. — something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

<snip … this drop-dead gorgeous babe walks up to me. … … so I’m not hitting on her, but I love being around beautiful women. <rest of tall tale snipped

Whew ! And did I tell you about the time I caught a 9 lb brookie on a #26 parachute adams. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

<snip … this drop-dead gorgeous babe walks up to me. … … so I’m not hitting on her, but I love being around beautiful women. <rest of tall tale snipped Whew ! And did I tell you about the time I caught a 9 lb brookie on a #26 parachute adams.

This ain’t no fish tale, Ken. — something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

This ain’t no fish tale, Ken.

I believed every single word til I got to the "I’m not hittin’ on her" part. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

This ain’t no fish tale, Ken. I believed every single word til I got to the "I’m not hittin’ on her" part.

Yeah, that is a little tough to swallow. Maybe I’ll try a very delicate downstream approach, with a 14′ 7x leader. — something bogus to avoid spam)

Response:

Question:

    Lately I have been having the worst kind of luck.. the kind only a newbie can have I have attended some fly courses and been watching the videos and the river where I live (calgary and the bow river) I have meandered the river watching the hatches and notching the pools and riffles along the river but only sporadic luck so far..perhaps the ones I catch are mentally challenged?? I know that I am matching the hatches and when the water shows no surface action am trying nymphs that the local fly shop has on their board of recommendations…. any help would be appreciated from any seasoned fly folks..especially if you can pass on some advice on nymphing techniques.. I believe that i am doing something wrong but am not sure what thanks for the help .      Pierre

Response:

Have only fished the lovely Bow wilth a guide. (Dave Campbell, does any bodu know whats happed to him?)  The Bow only becomes productive thru and below Calgary, after it develops a food chain.  Divide the larger water into many smaller waters visually and fish these smaller divisions as if they were small waters.  Also strongly consider, streamers there .  Especially large 4-6 black wooly buggers to see if you can move some fish.  Oldies have exactly the same fishing experience you do, they just lie about it. Schuhfly

Response:

   Lately I have been having the worst kind of luck.. the kind only a newbie can have I have attended some fly courses and been watching the videos and the river where I live (calgary and the bow river) I have meandered the river watching the hatches and notching the pools and riffles along the river but only sporadic luck so far..perhaps the ones I catch are mentally challenged?? I know that I am matching the hatches and when the water shows no surface action am trying nymphs that the local fly shop has on their board of recommendations…. any help would be appreciated from any seasoned fly folks..especially if you can pass on some advice on nymphing techniques.. I believe that i am doing something wrong but am not sure what thanks for the help .     Pierre

Shoot Pierre…you’ve been occupying your time in and around flyfishing. This is not bad luck, this is exceptionally good luck.  Catching fish is such a small part of it….and it will come,  you’re just paying your dues… Bag the videos and courses though, IMO. — TimW – Halfordian Golfer Guilt replaced the creel…

Response:

Question:

Am planning a family trip to Oahu and keep wondering if I should take along a saltwater outfit. Haven’t been able to find out anything about the practicality of doing so. (Although I know that in some places they do some blue water flyfishing.) Anyway, I would appreciate any info. — Larry

Response:

Hi Larry, Fishing around Oahu is bad.  We have too many fishermen and not enough fish.  This morning’s paper summed it up:

Question:

Has anyone had any experience with the Loomis GL-3 series of rods?  I’m interested in their 9 foot, 9 or 10 wt.  I really can’t afford a GL-X or a Sage RPL-X, so I am considering the GL-3.  I plan to use the rod for salt-water surf fishing for stripers on Cape Cod and Plum Island.  I would like to use the Teeny TS-350 line for getting down deep and the Wulf SWT 10wt intermediate lines. I just want to make sure that the GL-3 can handle these lines without getting overloaded or even worse breaking the tip. Any thoughts? Thanks, don

Response:

I bought a GL-3 9 foot 4 weight and am very happy with it. I cast it and a Sage discovery and the GL-3 put out far more line thatn the SAGE noodle. Be sure to practice some casts with the GL-3 in that heavier weight, but the 4 weight is a pleasure to fish with. Trey Monroe

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Has anyone had any experience with the Loomis GL-3 series of rods?  I’m interested in their 9 foot, 9 or 10 wt.  I really can’t afford a GL-X or a Sage RPL-X, so I am considering the GL-3.  I plan to use the rod for salt-water surf fishing for stripers on Cape Cod and Plum Island.  I would like to use the Teeny TS-350 line for getting down deep and the Wulf SWT 10wt intermediate lines. I just want to make sure that the GL-3 can handle these lines without getting overloaded or even worse breaking the tip. Any thoughts? Thanks, don Hi Don:

My son’s 3rd rod was a 8 1/2 foot GL3 for a 5 wt line.  That was a very good rod for the price.  In fact I borrowed it when I could.  More of a softer action rod and it loads far easier than the sage rods. I’m not in love with the ultra stiff rods so I do favor rods like the GL3.  Best advice–go into a fly shop and test cast it.  Or maybe some club or guide might have one you can borrow for a few hours.  I have given up buying gear straight out of catalogs or magazine ads. Best luck fishing!!!!

Response:

Has anyone had any experience with the Loomis GL-3 series of rods?  I’m interested in their 9 foot, 9 or 10 wt.  I really can’t afford a GL-X or a Sage RPL-X, so I am considering the GL-3.  I plan to use the rod for salt-water surf fishing for stripers on Cape Cod and Plum Island.  I would like to use the Teeny TS-350 line for getting down deep and the Wulf SWT 10wt intermediate lines. I just want to make sure that the GL-3 can handle these lines without getting overloaded or even worse breaking the tip. Any thoughts? Thanks, don

I haven’t used a Loomis fly rod, but have extensively used Loomis casting rods in grades IM-6, IMX and GL-3.  I can say that the GL-3 rods are very strong and light.  They are, in my opinion, not very far behind the IMXs, if that.  I wouldn’t hesitate to try out the GL-3. — Hugh Scott                    Albuquerque, NM

Response:

Has anyone had any experience with the Loomis GL-3 series of rods?  I’m interested in their 9 foot, 9 or 10 wt.  I really can’t afford a GL-X or a Sage RPL-X, so I am considering the GL-3.  I plan to use the rod for salt-water surf fishing for stripers on Cape Cod and Plum Island.  I would like to use the Teeny TS-350 line for getting down deep and the Wulf SWT 10wt intermediate lines. I just want to make sure that the GL-3 can handle these lines without getting overloaded or even worse breaking the tip. Any thoughts? Thanks, don

The G.Loomis GL3 series competes with the Sage DS series. These rods are in the $200+ range and are great values. They come in 9′ #9 line and 9′ #10 line in both companies. I would try to cast them both. We sell more Sage because they are a little lower in price and have an unconditional lifetime warranty. G.Loomis is not offering the unconditional warranty yet. If you liked the action of the Loomis better it should not make much difference. William Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA

Response:

The G.Loomis GL3 series competes with the Sage DS series. These rods are in the $200+ range and are great values. They come in 9′ #9 line and 9′ #10 line in both companies. I would try to cast them both. We sell more Sage because they are a little lower in price and have an unconditional lifetime warranty. G.Loomis is not offering the unconditional warranty yet. If you liked the action of the Loomis better it should not make much difference.

The Loomis competes with the Sage DS in price only. IMHO, the GL#, at least in trout sizes, is a far better rod than anything else in the price range.  I have cast the 9 weight, and it is a little slow for my liking, but still better than Reddington and others in the price range.  Just my $0.02.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Has anyone had any experience with the Loomis GL-3 series of rods?  I’m interested in their 9 foot, 9 or 10 wt.  I really can’t afford a GL-X or a Sage RPL-X, so I am considering the GL-3.  I plan to use the rod for salt-water surf fishing for stripers on Cape Cod and Plum Island.  I would like to use the Teeny TS-350 line for getting down deep and the Wulf SWT 10wt intermediate lines. I just want to make sure that the GL-3 can handle these lines without getting overloaded or even worse breaking the tip. Any thoughts? Thanks, don

I’ve been using the 9′9wt GL-3 for two seasons now and reach for it first more often than the Sage and Orvis rods I own. The GL-3 is lighter than anything you will try out and will load more quickly than most other comparable rods. I use mine for striped bass and bluefish angling in saltponds, backbays and estuaries. I prefer the Stiffer rods for open surf fishing, though, due to their greater ability to cope with headwinds often encountered in that environment. I’ve had two GL-3 rods break on me so far and G.Loomis replaced the rods no questions asked (they even accomodated a rush replacement to help me keep my place on a charter I’d scheduled not long after the rod had broken). I believe they DO honor an unconditional warranty on the GL-3, but you should ask your flyshop or call G.Loomis to confirm for yourself. The first one that broke suffered a fractured male ferrule as I attempted a power cast into a 15mph headwind (my fault) and the second was a snap of the upper section 18" from the tiptop guide as I landed a 20" striper (their fault). In all fareness, the blank could have had cracks from being hit with a 2/0 clouser during a poorly executed cast, but they didn’t give me the third degree; they just replaced the rod. I still think you should try out the rods and also take a look at the St.Croix rods. They also give you alot for the money and have a warrantee, but they tend to be heavier than the Loomis or Sage rods. Again, try for yourself. Dont forget to try the Kennedy Fisher!!! Good Luck,    Jose

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The reason is pretty simple, I guess. The popularity of FF is right in the beginning and hasn’t reached it’s peak so far. Sometimes you cannot wait until everything is destroyed and devastated, you should do something before that happens. I think that thinking about how to manage a crowd flooding our rivers (and I don’t mean trout) is a legal and necessary.                              Thomas    I hate crowded streams as much or more than anyone, but I have never seen conditions that would actually "destry or devastate" a stream.  Before anyone goes crazy regulating access, etc they had better remember that government is notoriously hard to undo.  Any regulations will, for all practical purposes, be permanent.   Rob Gregoire

It is not enough to examine legislation in the light of the benefits it will convey if properly administered. It must also be minutely scrutinized in the light of the wrongs it would do and the harms it would cause if improperly administered… dWEST — Who is wise? He who learns from everyone.

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I heard about GA stocking.  How do the locals dig out the trout after they free-fall and auger into the mud?  Though some hardware anglers in VA spread the word about the arrival of a stocking truck, I don’t believe they ever used the term "in-coming" for such an event.  I do know of a guy named Jeff in Carroll County, VA, who would be ready for aerial stocking with a landing/rescue net from the local FD. VA Angler

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Why not just stop worrying about it and wait untill this bolus of popularity passes through the system. — "A Bad Day Fishing Is Better Than A Good Day At Work" Web Page:  http://www.tiac.net/users/macaw

The reason is pretty simple, I guess. The popularity of FF is right in the beginning and hasn’t reached it’s peak so far. Sometimes you cannot wait until everything is destroyed and devastated, you should do something before that happens. I think that thinking about how to manage a crowd flooding our rivers (and I don’t mean trout) is a legal and necessary.                               Thomas

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Why not just stop worrying about it and wait untill this bolus of popularity passes through the system. — The reason is pretty simple, I guess. The popularity of FF is right in the beginning and hasn’t reached it’s peak so far. Sometimes you cannot wait until everything is destroyed and devastated, you should do something before that happens. I think that thinking about how to manage a crowd flooding our rivers (and I don’t mean trout) is a legal and necessary.                              Thomas

    I hate crowded streams as much or more than anyone, but I have never seen conditions that would actually "destry or devastate" a stream.  Before anyone goes crazy regulating access, etc they had better remember that government is notoriously hard to undo.  Any regulations will, for all practical purposes, be permanent.    Rob Gregoire

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"Most of these people are too lazy to walk upstream to where the real fishing is.  Maybe that is why  they stock close to roads." Or maybe it is because hachery trucks don’t fly.                         Mike in PDX                "When the trout are lost, smash the state."                                            Tom McGuane

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Or maybe it is because hachery trucks don’t fly.

Yes they do!  The State uses helicopters to stock sections of at least one river here in GA. Johnny

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Or maybe it is because hachery trucks don’t fly. Yes they do!  The State uses helicopters to stock sections of at least one river here in GA. Johnny

  A large number of High lakes in the Sierra  are stocked by air as well. When you see it ,it scares the hell out of you, large USFS like tankers unload on the lake. Cutbacks are in line for that program from what I understand   Harry

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A good river can handle a lot of good fisherpersons.  A few inconsiderate fisherpersons will mess up any river.  Remember also that the more people who buy licenses, the more money the stocking programs will have, although I usually avoid heavily planted areas.  Catch and release and tread lightly, support your local river protection groups. See ya on the river, Mike

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"Remember also that the more people who buy licenses, the more money the stocking programs will have" Excellent point.  Best reason to not buy a license that I’ve hear recently.                         Mike in PDX                "When the trout are lost, smash the state."                                            Tom McGuane

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Or maybe it is because hachery trucks don’t fly. Yes they do!  The State uses helicopters to stock sections of at least one river here in GA. Johnny

There is a significant difference between a helicopter and a truck. Therefore, I think Brother Leitheiser is pretty close to correct in his conclusion. <BSEG CZW — Virtuous and vicious everyone must be, Few in the extreme, but all in the degree.

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That flyfishing may be ruined by too many people doing it is as likely as sunrises being ruined by too many people watching them.

This comparison would certainly be valid if flyfishing didn’t involve fish… Tim —

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Seems like the only place around here that there is any pressure is within short walking distance to any road.  Most of these people are too lazy to walk upstream to where the real fishing is.  Maybe that is why they stock close to roads.  Keeps the animals away from the quality and peaceful fishing areas. –

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That flyfishing may be ruined by too many people doing it is as likely as sunrises being ruined by too many people watching them. As long as some places get crowded, some people will make the extra effort to seek out their own special place. Eventually they will learn to be selective about with whom they share that treasure. If everyone were flyfishing they wouldn’t have time to screw up the environment or the economy, commit crimes against persons or do any number of things that make a brief and too infrequent escape from the present everyday world so appealing. Just a thought… — Ken Clark Ft. Lupton, CO

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A common thread in this group is that fly-fishing has been ruined.  I agree that the sport has been over-commercialized and some of the old waters are over-crowded.  HOWEVER, I have managed to find some magnificent streams in the states where I have lived (ID, MT, MN).  Sure, the Henry’s Fork is packed and the FF experience there has been seriously degraded, but half of the fun is EXPLORATION of unknown watersheds. A second thread I would like to address is the idea that Fly-Fishing goes through 5 steps.  Recreation/Leisure research has shown that, for any sport, the more one pursues that sport, the more they transcend from the simple physical aspects of the sport to focus on the spiritual/intellectual aspects.  Similarly, a geographic perspective has shown that as Fly-Fishers become more experienced in their sport, access requirements become less strict.  Car access gives way to short foot trail access to long trails to trailless access.  I hypothesis that there is a direct correlation between difficulty of access and the level of experience. Good gosh, I sound like a bean-headed academic!  Guess I am – but I’m also a FF who finds his old Eagle Claw pack rod completely sufficient, enjoys a cold beer instead of the requisite scotch and attempts to minimize the load of hardware when going into the field. Oh yeah, one more thing – Remember hang-gliding and those other "faddish" sports?  I know people that were really into golf in the late 80s & early 90s – now they’re into FF.  Fads change & typically take the fad-seeking population with them. Just some thoughts to help pass an extremely cold day in the frozen wastelands of northern Minnesota. Jonathan Vlaming Duluth, MN temp this morning: -43 w/out windchill factor

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Feb. 20, 1995. Central Oregon.  First day out in an early spring for the High Desert of Central Oregon. 100 miles from my home on a nearly deserted desert lake, my first fish was 21" Lahoatan Rainbow. Caught it from the shore in about 3′ of water. I used an Olive green wolly bugger fly on an intermediate sink line. The fish was the first of about 15 I took in 4 hours of fishing. All were over 15". The second in size that day was 19", I put 2 18" back as well as 3 17".  I am told no one will believe me, and that is good because I would not want more competition for Central Oregon fishing than we already have.  We begin fishing at Ice off and fish until winter ice on.  Most of the time I fish off the bank, wading out 2′ to 3′.   The Plumber, from Bend. Oregon

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Feb. 20, 1995. Central Oregon.  First day out in an early spring for

the High Desert of Central Oregon. 100 miles from my home on a nearly deserted desert lake, my first fish was 21" Lahoatan Rainbow. Caught it from the shore in about 3′ of water. I used an Olive green wolly  bugger fly on an intermediate sink line. The fish was the first of about 15 I took in 4 hours of fishing. All were over 15". The second in size that day was 19", I put 2 18" back as well as 3 17".   I am told no one will believe me, and that is good because I would not want more competition for Central Oregon fishing than we already have.  We begin fishing at Ice off and fish until winter ice on.  Most of the time I fish off the bank, wading out 2′ to 3′.    The Plumber, from Bend. Oregon This posting was made by my brother and we didn’t get the word wrap taken care of. If you fussed with it the first time, try again now as I have edited it to fit my e-mail system. I don’t know what it did on your monitor. This is an honest posting. I envy my brother’s ability to fish … so much so that after all these years of spin-casting with quite good success, I’ve begun to fly fish like him. Last summer, he and I fished this lake. I was skunked while he caught and released several nice trout. He kept two which I took home to Idaho for SEVERAL meals. Best fishes Keith Drahn

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Feb. 20, 1995. Central Oregon.  First day out in an early spring for the High Desert of Central Oregon. 100 miles from my home on a nearly deserted desert lake, my first fish was 21" Lahoatan Rainbow. Caught it from the shore in about 3′ of water. I used

 an Olive green wolly bugger fly on an intermediate sink line. The fish was the first of about 15 I took in 4 hours of fishing. All were over 15". The second in size that day was 19", I put 2 18" back as well as 3 17".  I am told no one will believe me, a nd that is good because I would not want more competition for Central Oregon fishing than we already have.  We begin fishing at Ice off and fish until winter ice on.  Most of the time I fish off the bank, wading out 2′ to 3′.   The Plumber, from Bend. Oregon

Great job on first fish of the season, I just got mine today (3/16)!!   I’ve been trying for the last 3 days.  I live at the junction of the Clark Fork and the Bitterroot in Montana, so I should be able to hook one anytime I want.  But the weather has been hell.  First it snows a little, then rains, then the wind blows.  I have been shivering for days.  The best bet is a nymph/streamer, but I hate that.  But today it all worked.   The sun came out and about 15 minutes later, so did the bugs.  I had 3 hits but couldn’t get the fish on, just pulled it out of their mouths.  I was reading the water best I could, but getting nowhere.  Then I cast to the deeper, swifter current….the wrong place.  It was one of those times.  The fly hit the water and WHAM.  The fish wasn’t too big (10"), but it JUMPED and fought like a good Montana rainbow.  You can be I’ll be out again tomorrow.  Spring or almost-spring fishing is alright!! PS, this river water ends up going to Washington/Oregon.  I’d like to try it there some time.

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