Question:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My most productive winter fly is a Purple Egg Sucking Leech (basically a purple wooley bugger with two turns of chartreuse, flame orange, or bright pink chenille at the head) on a size 4 or 6 hook. The second most productive is one I  call a Clown fly – basically a take-off of a Clown  colored Corkie – a fat body that is one half chartreuse chenille and half  flame orange chenille, with an oversized (2x normal +)white webby saddle hackle on a size 4 -8  standard steelhead bait hook (Gamakatsu or similar). I tie the PESL either weighted or unweighted – use the unweighted in large pools where I can effectively use a fast sink tip and get a good swing (short leader ~ 3′).  On other water I use a floating line, 9-12′ leader, & heavily weighted  PESL with the clown fly dropped off the bend about 18-24". When the water is low and clear and the fish tend to be skittish, a small (12-16) nymph (GRHE, PT, Copper John, etc.) on a 24" dropper from the weighted fly can be very effective. When you really need to get down, a very effective fly here (but one I really hate to use – pure chuck & duck) is the lead-eyed leech – a maribou leech in any of the standard colors with large lead (or tungsten) dumbell eyes.

That’s interesting to find your fly list both short and conventional – sometimes I think I try too hard.  My most productive fly this past season and a half was a purple and black marabou spey with a large, purple Krystal Flash wing and a large neon red head – very close to your PESL.  Last year I did OK dead drifting a black ESL under an indicator, but didn’t get a tap when I swung it. When I need to get really down, I try to avoid the lead eyes, preferring heavy duty sinking heads. I hate to fish deep for steelhead; much prefering to catch them on or near the top. So I pay alot of attention to water temperature.  I have found that if the water temp is above 41deg.F, I can be reasonably successful fishing with a floating line, standard unweighted steelhead patterns ( Skunk, GBS, Purple Peril, etc.) and using either wet fly swing or greased line presentations.  In fact, if the water temp is over 44deg. F, I can have reasonable success fishing riffling patterns ( Bomber, Moose Turd, Waller Walker, etc.) on the surface.  There is no denying though, that much below 45deg F water, you will usually be more successful  going deep rather than fishing on or near the surface for steelhead.  I’ve reached a point though that I’d rather catch fewer fish using methods I really enjoy than employ methods that I find to be not nearly as much fun. Bob Weinberger

Ya, that’s my curse too, persisting with what I like rather than what is needed to catch fish.  Frankly, I think of late I’ve been running too deep, snagging bottom constantly, then switching off to a lighter rig and zooming it over their heads.  This back ‘n forth comes from constantly trying new water of uncertain depth rather than plugging away at the same old, same old and getting to know the depths and features very well.  It certainly reduces my catch rate but perversely, I find it more interesting. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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Out this morning, one tap only.  It felt like the fish was nipping at the tail of the fly (rather long) and later when I got a call from a local steelheader, he mentioned that he moves to shorter flies as the fish don’t hit as aggressively when the temps drop. Since we have a few PNW steelheaders here, I’m wondering what they like to use as a winter fly.  The local float rodders tend to use a roe sack that makes the eggs look milky white and chartreuse so I’ve just finished a marabou spey fly that is white over chartreuse – should have the desired appearance.  The local shop owner likes purple, purple and black, or red and black as well. Also curious if you’ve noticed winter steelhead being willing to raise up a foot or so to snare a fly?   I spent too much time on the river bottom beautification program this morning as my tip was too heavy for the slower water, yet when I’m not hitting bottom, I’m second guessing myself about the fly being where the fish are.  The hit btw, was in the middle of a fast, heavy riffle and judging by the tap, tap, tap, the fish was chasing and nipping. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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Snip Since we have a few PNW steelheaders here, I’m wondering what they like to use as a winter fly.

Snip My most productive winter fly is a Purple Egg Sucking Leech (basically a purple wooley bugger with two turns of chartreuse, flame orange, or bright pink chenille at the head) on a size 4 or 6 hook. The second most productive is one I  call a Clown fly – basically a take-off of a Clown  colored Corkie – a fat body that is one half chartreuse chenille and half  flame orange chenille, with an oversized (2x normal +)white webby saddle hackle on a size 4 -8  standard steelhead bait hook (Gamakatsu or similar). I tie the PESL either weighted or unweighted – use the unweighted in large pools where I can effectively use a fast sink tip and get a good swing (short leader ~ 3′).  On other water I use a floating line, 9-12′ leader, & heavily weighted  PESL with the clown fly dropped off the bend about 18-24". When the water is low and clear and the fish tend to be skittish, a small (12-16) nymph (GRHE, PT, Copper John, etc.) on a 24" dropper from the weighted fly can be very effective. When you really need to get down, a very effective fly here (but one I really hate to use – pure chuck & duck) is the lead-eyed leech – a maribou leech in any of the standard colors with large lead (or tungsten) dumbell eyes. Snip Also curious if you’ve noticed winter steelhead being willing to raise up a foot or so to snare a fly?

Snip I hate to fish deep for steelhead; much prefering to catch them on or near the top. So I pay alot of attention to water temperature.  I have found that if the water temp is above 41deg.F, I can be reasonably successful fishing with a floating line, standard unweighted steelhead patterns ( Skunk, GBS, Purple Peril, etc.) and using either wet fly swing or greased line presentations.  In fact, if the water temp is over 44deg. F, I can have reasonable success fishing riffling patterns ( Bomber, Moose Turd, Waller Walker, etc.) on the surface.  There is no denying though, that much below 45deg F water, you will usually be more successful  going deep rather than fishing on or near the surface for steelhead.  I’ve reached a point though that I’d rather catch fewer fish using methods I really enjoy than employ methods that I find to be not nearly as much fun. Bob Weinberger – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Peter

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Question:

Paint

snip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Remember, PVC pipe left in the sun gets brittle, it might help keep them from cracking. http://hometown.aol.com/hlaviation/

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what about  filling the tubes with foam?  a quick option might be a macroflex type squirt foam that people use for insulation, or what about pool noodles?  ever taken a couple and tied them to make a floating chair? fun stuff.  anyhow, could find some pool noodles and stuff them in the pvc pipes.  whatever… sounds like a fun project. doftya – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hell, I liked the original poster’s original idea – PVC pipe. I’ve seen this done, I know folks locally who made floating duck blinds like that. They used fairly large diameter pipe, and capped the ends with glued-on caps. Easy, strong, effective. Mr. Has A Horrible Headache How about 5 gal. plastic buckets? Any new home under construction that is in the drywall phase will have lots of drywall compound buckets and the lids. Just make sure you ask before you take them! Barrells tend to make the raft ride too high (I built one as a kid). Difficult to climb aboard without a long boarding ladder. For stabililty you need four so that makes a pretty large raft, maybe more than you had in mind.

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Hello.  I am told sometimes making rafts is discussed here.  If not, perhaps some of you can direct me to another newsgroup.  My husband and I want to make a light weight raft for our pond without spending a fortune.  We were thinking of PVC pipe for the bottom as pontoons of sorts.  Any ideas?                 Many Thanks, Becky

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My husband and I want to make a light weight raft for our pond without spending a fortune.  We were thinking of PVC pipe for the bottom as pontoons of sorts.  Any ideas?                Many Thanks, Becky

 Milk jugs and pallets.  Nothing beats free.  Really as for a raft for the pond, only your imagination is the limit since no ones life is really at stake on it. Have fun and play around. http://hometown.aol.com/hlaviation/

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Unless you can find PVC on the side of the road you will probably find it pretty expensive. You probably need 12" and the caps (expensive too). Another option would be poly drums. Styrofoam blocks are cheaper but there is some ecological concern if they are not encapsulated. If they crumble up the lake will have the pieces floating around for a while. I have seen rafts made with concrete forming (cardboard) tubes but they won’t last very long unless you saturate them with epoxy resin or something.

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Empty beer kegs provide excellent flotation. The best procedure, of course, is to buy them full and empty them during the summer-long "design phase." The raft won’t get built right away, but who’s to care?

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Empty beer kegs provide excellent flotation.

The best procedure, of course, is to buy them full and empty them during the summer-long "design phase."<< — Gould I thought you had to take the empties back. OT Archie Bunker quote: "You can never buy beer – you only rent it."

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We used to make them out of metal 55 gallon barrels. I imagine plastic would be even better nowadays. Cheap, maybe free depending on where you find them. Hello.  I am told sometimes making rafts is discussed here.  If not, perhaps some of you can direct me to another newsgroup.  My husband and I want to make a light weight raft for our pond without spending a fortune.  We were thinking of PVC pipe for the bottom as pontoons of sorts.  Any ideas?                 Many Thanks, Becky

– Keith In the ongoing battle between objects made of fiberglass going tens of miles per hour and the shore going zero miles per hour, the shore has yet to lose.

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You might want to try the newsgroup call " rec.boats.building".  There was a thread there some months back where someone posted a similar question and received a lot of responses to help him calculate the size of pipe needed based on weight and bouyancy needs. BillS – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello.  I am told sometimes making rafts is discussed here.  If not, perhaps some of you can direct me to another newsgroup.  My husband and I want to make a light weight raft for our pond without spending a fortune.  We were thinking of PVC pipe for the bottom as pontoons of sorts.  Any ideas?                 Many Thanks, Becky

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Barrells tend to make the raft ride too high (I built one as a kid). Difficult to climb aboard without a long boarding ladder. For stabililty you need four so that makes a pretty large raft, maybe more than you had in mind. To reduce the freeboard, you could let water into the drums to ballast it down. I wouldn’t recomend steel drums, even if your are in a freshwater pond. I learned from experience that drums, once they leak and fill, are amost impossible to get out of even a shallow pond. You can’t drain the water out until you get them on dry land. Have you ever tried to roll a 300 lb drum in mud?? So if you go the drum route, I recommend you get the plastic ones and also get new gaskets for the bungs. The old ones will usually not seal properly. There are some smaller drums in plastic. I think 20 gal., they would be perfect. Around here, some of the marinas float their docks on tires filled with foam. I think they stack about 3 tires and fill them with pour-in-place foam. Then they build the dock on top of a series of these tire floats. They have a funny bounce when you walk on them, especially if they are only two tire floats wide. Those who use the styrofoam floats are required to incapsolate them to prevent the crabs from tearing the foam apart and floating around for eternity. One method was to wrap them in several layers of garbage bags before putting them under the raft or dock. Seems to last for a few years. I strongly recommend that you turn this project over to a couple 12 year old boys with access to a lot of scrap lumber, nails, a hammer and a saw. "And then a future boat builder is born." It would be a shame to take this rare opportunity away from those who deserve that ‘life experience’ and have some adult delute it with technical stuff. — My experience and opinion, FWIW. Steve S/V Good Intentions

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Hello.  I am told sometimes making rafts is discussed here.  If not, perhaps some of you can direct me to another newsgroup.  My husband and I want to make a light weight raft for our pond without spending a fortune.  We were thinking of PVC pipe for the bottom as pontoons of sorts.  Any ideas?                Many Thanks, Becky

Check around to the pool cleaning companies in your area.  They all get many chemicals for swimming pools in these neat, resealable, poly containers that usually just get thrown out.  Start collecting them cheap or free.  You might also check around for a company specializing in 55 gallon drums.  They have many usable discards you might find just right for your float.  We used to weld them together and make pontoon boats out of them….two lines of 55 gal oil drums welded together into pontoons with the front end one bent up into a "bow" so it would pass through the water smoothly….(c; Larry

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How about 5 gal. plastic buckets? Any new home under construction that is in the drywall phase will have lots of drywall compound buckets and the lids. Just make sure you ask before you take them! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Barrells tend to make the raft ride too high (I built one as a kid). Difficult to climb aboard without a long boarding ladder. For stabililty you need four so that makes a pretty large raft, maybe more than you had in mind.

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The lid seals are seldom reuseable. From my experience, the gasket pulls out upon intial removal of the lid. However you can purchase new lids for a couple bucks a the home improvement store. Good suggestion. Steve s/v Good Intentions

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How about 5 gal. plastic buckets?  Any new home under construction that is in

the drywall phase will have lots of drywall compound buckets and the lids.<< — Kelly Wouldn’t you need to seal the lids on with adhesive?

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How about 5 gal. plastic buckets?  Any new home under construction that is in the drywall phase will have lots of drywall compound buckets and the lids.<< — Kelly Wouldn’t you need to seal the lids on with adhesive?

Silly-cone caulk would work. db

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The problem with the plastic buckets is that they will be toast if left in the sun for any time.  After a few months in the sun, you can break the edges of your typical "pickle bucket" with your fingers.  Most marine supply store sell rectangular sealed poly boxes with UV stabilized plastic.  They are made to serve as floats for docks and such.  Those would work, and they even have grooves and eye-holes for attaching together or securing to the wooden dock. BillS – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How about 5 gal. plastic buckets? Any new home under construction that is in the drywall phase will have lots of drywall compound buckets and the lids. Just make sure you ask before you take them! Barrells tend to make the raft ride too high (I built one as a kid). Difficult to climb aboard without a long boarding ladder. For stabililty you need four so that makes a pretty large raft, maybe more than you had in mind.

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Not the plastic buckets I have around here (contractor plaster pails). These things are like an ex-wife, they never go away. I’ve had a couple sitting outside in the weather and sun for over 6 years to water my dog (pails, not ex-wives).  I just gave one a big kick yesterday because it was in my way (pail, not ex-wife). I have other sitting around with drain holes and filled with scrap lead. Even the handles allow me to lift them (albeit, not very high or far). I’d say there pretty tough and enduring. It’s the lids that never seem to last if  you can get them with the pails. (now if the ex-wife came with a lid, maybe I could shut her up also.) — My experience and opinion, FWIW. Steve S/V Good Intentions

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Hell, I liked the original poster’s original idea – PVC pipe. I’ve seen this done, I know folks locally who made floating duck blinds like that. They used fairly large diameter pipe, and capped the ends with glued-on caps. Easy, strong, effective. Mr. Has A Horrible Headache

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How about 5 gal. plastic buckets? Any new home under construction that is in the drywall phase will have lots of drywall compound buckets and the lids. Just make sure you ask before you take them! Barrells tend to make the raft ride too high (I built one as a kid). Difficult to climb aboard without a long boarding ladder. For stabililty you need four so that makes a pretty large raft, maybe more than you had in mind.

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Not the plastic buckets I have around here (contractor plaster pails). These things are like an ex-wife, they never go away.

Ppppfffftttt… Damn…grumble grumble keyboard grumble… http://hometown.aol.com/hlaviation/

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There was discussion on building pontoon boats for one-man fishing floats out of 12" PVC pipe on rec.outdoors.fishing.fly maybe a year ago.  One of the regulars on that group regularly fishes the Baltic one one of these craft.  He STRONGLY recommends filling the pontoons with stryrofoam.  

  That sounds like a real good idea.  It’ll also strengthen them.  Remember, PVC pipe left in the sun gets brittle, it might help keep them from cracking. http://hometown.aol.com/hlaviation/

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Well, what wonderful imaginative ideas!  We are so very grateful for the great response.  Many thanks.   Becky & Roy

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We used to pay $5 for the used poly drums from the barrel supplier.  They have some that are watertight, but can not store certain items in.  So they sell them cheap. Bill

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello.  I am told sometimes making rafts is discussed here.  If not, perhaps some of you can direct me to another newsgroup.  My husband and I want to make a light weight raft for our pond without spending a fortune.  We were thinking of PVC pipe for the bottom as pontoons of sorts.  Any ideas?                Many Thanks, Becky Check around to the pool cleaning companies in your area.  They all get many chemicals for swimming pools in these neat, resealable, poly containers that usually just get thrown out.  Start collecting them cheap or free.  You might also check around for a company specializing in 55 gallon drums.  They have many usable discards you might find just right for your float.  We used to weld them together and make pontoon boats out of them….two lines of 55 gal oil drums welded together into pontoons with the front end one bent up into a "bow" so it would pass through the water smoothly….(c; Larry

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Agreed, foam-filled would be desirable on a boat.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There was discussion on building pontoon boats for one-man fishing floats out of 12" PVC pipe on rec.outdoors.fishing.fly maybe a year ago.  One of the regulars on that group regularly fishes the Baltic one one of these craft.  He STRONGLY recommends filling the pontoons with stryrofoam.  If the pontoons get holed or otherwise leaky you need something in them to keep them from filling with water and sinking. john message Hell, I liked the original poster’s original idea – PVC pipe. I’ve seen this done, I know folks locally who made floating duck blinds like that. They used fairly large diameter pipe, and capped the ends with glued-on caps. Easy, strong, effective. Mr. Has A Horrible Headache How about 5 gal. plastic buckets? Any new home under construction that is in the drywall phase will have lots of drywall compound buckets and the lids. Just make sure you ask before you take them! Barrells tend to make the raft ride too high (I built one as a kid). Difficult to climb aboard without a long boarding ladder. For stabililty you need four so that makes a pretty large raft, maybe more than you had in mind.

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There was discussion on building pontoon boats for one-man fishing floats out of 12" PVC pipe on rec.outdoors.fishing.fly maybe a year ago.  One of the regulars on that group regularly fishes the Baltic one one of these craft.  He STRONGLY recommends filling the pontoons with stryrofoam.  If the pontoons get holed or otherwise leaky you need something in them to keep them from filling with water and sinking. john – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hell, I liked the original poster’s original idea – PVC pipe. I’ve seen this done, I know folks locally who made floating duck blinds like that. They used fairly large diameter pipe, and capped the ends with glued-on caps. Easy, strong, effective. Mr. Has A Horrible Headache How about 5 gal. plastic buckets? Any new home under construction that is in the drywall phase will have lots of drywall compound buckets and the lids. Just make sure you ask before you take them! Barrells tend to make the raft ride too high (I built one as a kid). Difficult to climb aboard without a long boarding ladder. For stabililty you need four so that makes a pretty large raft, maybe more than you had in mind.

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Question:

New flyline review:  the 555 5 weight double taper

I thought you were a Dorber man. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

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You have to make sure you seal that fly line before you use it.  The core can take on water and sink the line like that if you are not careful.  I had the same problem and just hung the line out to dry for a few days and then sealed the end with some Aquaseal.

Hmmm, good "tip"  (get it?)  I’m surprised they don’t seal it off at the factory!

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Hmmm, good "tip"  (get it?)  I’m surprised they don’t seal it off at the factory!

You must be much better at tying knots than I am.  I mean if you can tie a nail knot or any other knot used for connecting a leader to a fly line and not have any tag left over to trim……  ;-) — Warren change addy to yahoo for email Henry’s Fork Clave info and Bozeman, MT fishing info http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt3/HFclave.html

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New flyline review:  the 555 5 weight double taper seemed to cast and shoot great.  Roll casting is a breeze, even for a goofball caster like me. But the tip sinks like any other line, in fact probably worse. You have to make sure you seal that fly line before you use it.  The core can take on water and sink the line like that if you are not careful.  I had the same problem and just hung the line out to dry for a few days and then sealed the end with some Aquaseal.  

BTW, Don’t use the 555 line in cold weather or on a cold water tailwater.  The line holds memory like no other.  I’ve owned a number of other lines including my favorites, RIO, and have never had the problems with a line like my new 555.  From the sinking tip to the fly line memory, to the horrible customer support from Cortland.  No more cortland lines for this guy. — I fly fish so therefore I am.

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BTW, Don’t use the 555 line in cold weather or on a cold water tailwater.  The line holds memory like no other

I didn’t notice any memory problems at all.  The line was fine except for the sinking tip.  And the San Juan is about 44 degrees. Cortland told me to send it back and they’d replace it immediately. I’m also surprised that Cortland doesn’t recommend sealing the end of the line. bruce h

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BTW, Don’t use the 555 line in cold weather or on a cold water tailwater.  The line holds memory like no other I didn’t notice any memory problems at all.  The line was fine except for the sinking tip.  And the San Juan is about 44 degrees. Cortland told me to send it back and they’d replace it immediately.

Interesting.  The email told me to continually stretch it out every day before use and even during the day if necessary!  It was a free fly line so I didn’t really press the issue.  Based upon all my problems with the line and I have read others report similar problems on other fly fishing boards, I think they have some problems with the line or at least with the production.  Even the shop who provided the free lines for a fly swap, believes that something is wrong with the lines! I’m also surprised that Cortland doesn’t recommend sealing the end of the line.

This is such BS.  Why in the heck do you buy a new fly line when you need to prep the thing with Zap a Gap or similar?  Arghhhhh…. — I fly fish so therefore I am.

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My appointment at 8 am in Santa Fe went quickly and since a flyshop was nearby and it was still early I drove by.  They were open.  That flyshop is excellent.  It’s one of those shops where all the employees and the owners fish a lot and want you to have success.  They’re also real experts on the Rio Grande, which I haven’t fished often.  http://www.highdesertangler.com The smoke from two fires in the Pecos got my attention on the drive from Santa Fe to Taos, where I had another appointment at 11:30.  The Pecos is on the east side of the highway and eventually the road rejoins the Rio Grande, which is on the west side of the highway.  In Espanola a very well equipped lowrider made a fast left at an intersection in front of me.  With his hydraulics he lifted just the inside front wheel up off the road.  If you can imagine the effect – it looked like the Monte Carlo was going to roll, but alas, they just drove away laughing.  Don’t let anyone kid you, and with all due respect to SoCal, but Espanola NM is the birthplace and home of the world’s best lowriders. Since I had two and a half hours to make a one hour drive and the Orilla Verde State Park appeared on my left, of course I had to get out and fish on my way to Taos. New flyline review:  the 555 5 weight double taper seemed to cast and shoot great.  Roll casting is a breeze, even for a goofball caster like me. But the tip sinks like any other line, in fact probably worse. It was early, the only bugs around were tiny midges, and the river is as low as ever in any season.  The huge caddis hatch had apparently come and gone, but armed with the advice from High Desert, my plan was to fish little hairwing peacock caddis and parachute adams and see how that went.  After a little prospecting and no success, including adding a dropper, I switched to two nymphs, a small pt and a sparkle pupa (good advice from the flyshop) and I caught three large chubs, two small trout and a large sucker that was pretty cool.  After my appointment the hiking and scenery were great, but the wind howled and it never got cool enough to get the fish going, although I got a nice brown in really fast water with a stimulator.  Fished until dark and bushwhacked back to my truck.  Got home about midnight. The San Juan was real fun.  My friend was home from Maine and hadn’t fished there in a long time.  Hot sunny, not too crowded.  We fished Tuesday evening and all day Wednesday.  This fish is not great but there aren’t that many browns way upstream in the San Juan: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/web/BruceBrown2.jpg And here’s a way to take a picture of a nice double when there’s only two of you:  http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/web/TwoFishNets.jpg Got home around 1 AM. Thanks to RW for letting me mooch his webspace. bruce h

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<snipped New flyline review:  the 555 5 weight double taper seemed to cast and shoot great.  Roll casting is a breeze, even for a goofball caster like me. But the tip sinks like any other line, in fact probably worse.

You have to make sure you seal that fly line before you use it.  The core can take on water and sink the line like that if you are not careful.  I had the same problem and just hung the line out to dry for a few days and then sealed the end with some Aquaseal.   http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/web/BruceBrown2.jpg And here’s a way to take a picture of a nice double when there’s only two of you:  http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/web/TwoFishNets.jpg

Nice pics Bruiser! — Warren change addy to yahoo for email Henry’s Fork Clave info and Bozeman, MT fishing info http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt3/HFclave.html

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Went fishing last weekend up north on a river near the Estonian border, and spent the night at a little B&B where the proprietor was genuinely suprised that I didn’t catch anything, as he assured me the stream was full of browns. I explained my newbie status with a fly rod, and he looked in my nymph case, told me my pheasant tails and hare’s ears should have worked if I dead drifted them down deep in the holes, as the wind was blowing the the dries would have been useless since the fish don’t rise on windy days. So all this week, I planned for my return. I headed out of work at the bell on Friday, stopped at my local FF shop and got some lightweight intermediate sink leader, a few more nymph-looking things, and drove the 1.5 hours up to the river again, turned off onto the woods road, locked in the 4WD hubs, and headed out to the same stretch of stream. As I was getting rigged up next to the truck about 1/4 mile from the stream, I was getting eaten alive by mosquitoes; worst I’ve seen since the Maine woods, so I beat feet to the stream side,, quickly waded out to midstream to lose the bugs, and started drifting my new beadhead nymph. After a few dry casts, I was sure I had spooked the fish while quickly wading out deep, but then something flashed past my head, and landed on the water just about 3 feet in front of me. Something greenish-brown, about the size of a silver dollar. Something I had never seen before, but instantly recognized. At this moment I had a 3-fold revelation. First, seeing my first mayfly was like that surge of recognition you get when you first see the Grand Canyon or the Statue of Liberty. Its been in a million picture books, and you may think you know what it is, but when you see your first one, you realize you were wrong. I actually said out loud, to no one but the river. "Ohh!!! So THATS a mayfly!!" Then a huge swirly rose right under it, and it disappeared in a surge of fin and back, and I realized the second and third revelations: trout aren’t so spooked by someone walking right into their livingroom as I thought, and today was a day to be fishing dries that look like mayflies (duh!). Actually, I had a fourth revelation: I didn’t have any flies that looked like mayflies!! However, I did have a few upright wings, including ‘the magic fly’ (see a previous post); a deer hair caddis that was the right color, almost. If I had a tying kit, I know I would have run back to the car just then, and tied up a bunch of perfect colored mayflys on the spot (revelation five: THATS why people tie their own flies!) So I tied on the caddis, and cast it about where the trout rose. Strike (and a miss). Cast right there again.,,another rise (and another miss). Cast a third time, no reaction. Revelation five: two strikes and you’re out. The fish learn fast. I worked that spot for awhile, then eventually waded my way downstream. Although I only brought a few 8" browns to hand, I knew that a slightly more skilled fisherman would have landed some monster trout, as they were rising for the mayflies all over the place. In fact, I could use the drying mayflies as indicators: if I saw one sitting on the water being left alone, I didn’t even bother casting there. But often when one flew down close to the water, I could cast right there and get a rise every time! I even was getting very clever with my casts: at a certain distance, the fly line would land on the water while the fly was at the top of the turn-over, and the fly would just stall out at the top of the circle, then drop straight down like a falling mayfly. It brought up a rise every time. In fact, for about 2 hours, I got strikes on almost every cast! It was great! Later, I learned that most of my strikes were smaller browns, or those damn local coarse fish. Thats when I got revelation #6: the big fish are very picky, and can tell an deer-hair caddis from a mayfly. And revelation #7: if you don’t keep your standards high, you will get lured into fishing for the little ones (since they are striking) rather than focusing on what it takes to get the bigger ones. So anyway, I got to see my first bonafide mayfly hatch; now I know what all the hype is about. I’m gonna start carrying some realistic looking mayflies with me just for the next time this happens! OBNewbie question: HOW can you entice the big fish to strike without getting all pecked apart by those damn tiny fish? This particiular stream has probably 200 tiny fish per cubic meter of water, and they mess with everything you toss out. riverman

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<SNIP OBNewbie question: HOW can you entice the big fish to strike without getting all pecked apart by those damn tiny fish? This particiular stream has probably 200 tiny fish per cubic meter of water, and they mess with everything you toss out. riverman

Congratulations! Sounds like you had an excellent time. You must concentrate on the big fish Often you can get an impression of the size of a fish, by watching the rises. Large fish displace more water, and the "swirl" is a good indication. If you are catching smaller fish, then you are doing things right, but larger fish are inevitably far more careful. That is how they got large in the first place. Lastly, during mayfly hatches ( Ephemera danica, and similar, which I assume you mean); http://www.bioimages.org.uk/HTML/P46868.HTM it often pays off to try a largish nymph instead of a mayfly.  The technique is to allow the nymph to swing slowly across. where you saw the rise, and then either pull slowly on the line, or raise the rod. This imitates a nymph rising to hatch, and is often irresistible to trout. Also, larger fish always command the best feeding positions. You must consider what you think the best position is, and cast to it. Best of all is of course seeing the fish. When dry fly-fishing, you must always wait for the fish to turn down, before setting the hook. Striking too soon will simply pull the fly out of his mouth.  This is very difficult for "newbies". When the fish takes, count "One hundred, two hundred", and then set the hook.  This will seem like an eternity, and if it is a big fish your hands will shaking, a strange sort of dementia will have gripped you, and every muscle in your body will be screaming "STRIKE!!". Resist them! TL MC

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Some of these might be of help to you; http://www.mayfly.com/tips.htm http://www.flyfishingconnection.com/feedingpatterns.html http://www.flyfishamerica.com/ArticlesReports/GeneralArticles/Kustich… rout/KustichLargeTrout.html and for flies for E.danica etc http://www.algonet.se/~sjostran/English/10134.htm http://figen.com/flyfish/trysil98.html http://www.billmcilroy.freeserve.co.uk/WET%20%20MAYFLY%20PATTERNS.htm http://www.uky.edu/~agrdanny/flyfish/dryfly.htm http://freespace.virgin.net/fly.fishing/mayfly-yellowdrake.html http://www.hookhack.com/dries.html For a massive pattern index, and lots of other interesting stuff; http://home.netc.net.au/~gnaylor/flies.htm Large olive/yellow coloured hackled flies with a bit of orange in them, have always done well for me, and are easier to cast than winged imitations. TL MC

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[Book of Revelations snipped] Sounds like a fun time. As Mike says water displacement often gives away a bigger fish … fishing afternoon/evening rises, which it sounds like you were, should carry over after dark.  Often thats when the bigger fish will come out to feed … especially in hard fished water.  Best part is the fish are twice as big after dark … or at least they feel that weigh. Steve

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Excellent! — Jarmo Hurri address or apply rot13 to header email address.

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At this moment I had a 3-fold revelation. First, seeing my first mayfly was like that surge of recognition you get when you first see the Grand Canyon or the Statue of Liberty. Its been in a million picture books, and you may think you know what it is, but when you see your first one, you realize you were wrong. I actually said out loud, to no one but the river. "Ohh!!! So THATS a mayfly!!" Then a huge swirly rose right under it, and it disappeared in a surge of fin and back,

— Tight lines! / Roger Daytime engineer Lifetime flyfisherman For info on flyfishing in Northern Sweden visit http://home.bip.net/angler/

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<snipped lovely report OBNewbie question: HOW can you entice the big fish to strike without getting all pecked apart by those damn tiny fish? This particiular stream has probably 200 tiny fish per cubic meter of water, and they mess with everything you toss out. riverman

Did you try squinting? They might look bigger.. ) Herman

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Well, you could use the simple approach and just try to match the bugs on the water with a fly that is close in size and colour.  That will generally work about 90% of the time.  And you don’t need to learn all the entymology either.  All you have to know is that trout eat bugs, and most of the time they eat the kind of bugs that are hatching at the time.  Fly fishing does not have to be technical, but a lot of people tend to try to make it so. Cheers from the wet coast.

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…  And you don’t need to learn all the entymology either.  All you have to know is that trout eat bugs, and most of the time they eat the kind of bugs that are hatching at the time.  Fly fishing does not have to be technical, but a lot of people tend to try to make it so. …

The great beauty of it, and much of the appeal of flyfishing for me, is that you’ve got it exactly right. You can make it as technical as you want… or not. For some it’s rewarding and challenging to do some amateur entomology, others, who catch just as many fish, are content to tie on a fly that looks close enough in size and color without caring much about the latin name of the beast they’re matching. The question though was how to identify hatches and for that I do recommend at least a little bit of aquatic entomology. My favorite book on the subject is the pricey but beautiful classic, _Aquatic Entomology_ by W. Patrick McCafferty. — Ken Fortenberry Illini 2 – Tar Heels 1

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But I have no idea how to identify what’s on the water, nor how to match it with a fly (I’m at the stage where I can’t tell a caddis from a mayfly.)  What;s the best approach to teaching myself?

Some simple small books that you can keep in your vest are the Orvis books: Trout Stream Insects by Dick Pobst (ISBN 1-55821-067-9) The Caddisfly Handbook by Dick Pobst and Carl Richards (ISBN 1-55821-542-5) These two have color photos, recommended artificials, and hatch charts for east and west US to help you narrow down the search. Tight lines, Peter Simonson

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Cheers from the wet coast.

Hm….what an odd place you live in!  ;-)

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Yah, well, when you get rain most of the year, and they call it the "coastal rainforest", it does tend to get a few nicknames.  But, hey, the salmon are coming like gangbusters right now and I have to make a business trip to Calgary.  I’ll have to condescend to fish that large creek they call the Bow and harass a few trout.  Then it’s out to the local streams for the Pinks, Coho and Chinook on the fly.  Cheers from Vancouver, BC, the Wet Coast.

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HI, has anyone built a whitewater dory from plans.  I have found some Mckenzie Drift boat plans, and these seam very similat to what I want. Any help appreciated. Steve Gubser Johnson City, TN

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There are a number of suppliers for your project. Check out a fly fishing magazine in the classified.  Don Hill  in Springfield Oregon  puts out plan, partial kit, and full kit.  (www.driftboats.com)  or Driftboat plans from Montana, www.montana-riverboats.com/boats/index.html,  Tracy Obrian at www.calacess.com/tracy/boatpage.htm or Greg Tatman Wooden boats  at www.gregboats.com .  Also John’s  page if useful, www.cyber-dyne.com/jkohnen/nautical.html  Have fun.  I’m currently working on a highsided 18′  for GrandCanyon and Salmon/Snake waters.

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Dear Steve, I read your inquiry regarding the CMR-Reel and I’m sure you’ll be very pleased with it, should you decide to purchase one. You can get all the technical information about all Marryat products including the CMR reel on the Web page at: www.marryat.com Regards, Roger Ritter, Marryat staff – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When fly fishing for trout in Sweden, I saw someone fishing with the new Marryat CMR reel made in Switzerland. This guy was extremly pleased with its performance. Before buying one, I would like to hear how others feel about this new product. Steve Turner

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When fly fishing for trout in Sweden, I saw someone fishing with the new Marryat CMR reel made in Switzerland. This guy was extremly pleased with its performance. Before buying one, I would like to hear how others feel about this new product. Steve Turner

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I would appreciate info as to whether there is bonefishing (and/or flyfishing for other species) on Jamaica. Thanks in advance. Brad Hall

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"they" say there is no fly fishing in jamaica. The truth is is that there are small flats all over the place with lots of good potential. Montego bay itself has lots of tarpon. E.G. The road from Montego bay to Ocho Rios runs along the north shore and you can stop just about anywhere and see narrow flats bordered from the ocean by low reef that are easy and accesible. Don’t be adfraid to stop at the roadside jerk stands or bars. They look like shacks, but the people are great , the food is good and the fishing is right there. Take your stuff and look around. I. Clair

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I am driving from Boise ID. to Hamilton, then Butte, MT and then back to Boise in September.  I am looking for suggestions for fly fishing spots that are reasonably accessible, yet have decent action. I will be stopping in Stanley and Salmon. Thanks in advance. Mark.

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I am driving from Boise ID. to Hamilton, then Butte, MT and then back to Boise in September.  I am looking for suggestions for fly fishing spots that are reasonably accessible, yet have decent action. I will be stopping in Stanley and Salmon. Thanks in advance. Mark.

If you are at all into Still water, try Henry’s lake in eastern Id. BIG Trout this year, and Sep. is when the moss goes down.

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If you drive the Skalkaho road from Hamilton,  you will cross the Rock Creek Drainage and pass by Georgetown Lake.  Both should be very good in September (weather pemitting).  The Big Hole is usually good in fall also.

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Thought you all might be interested in a new Fly Fishing Loop of websites. The loop is just getting started, but already has been well received. It’s called the: Fly Fishing Loop Located at: http://homepage.interaccess.com/~tsteele/FlyFishingLoop/ Any fly fishing related website can be in the Loop. This can include, personal home pages, commercial websites (such as a manufacturers with products or services that are fly fishing related), fly tying sites, fly fishing clubs, organizations, links pages, fly fishing publications or periodicals, fly fishing guides, fly fishing shops etc. If it is fly fishing related and has a website, it can be in the Loop. You can get more information, and sign-up online. It takes about 2 mins. Everything you need to be in the Loop will be emailed to you automatically, after you sign-up. I hope that will take a moment to visit the Loop’s home page. The loop is devoted to fly fishing and all things related to the pursuit of fish on a fly. It needs your support. Website that are in the Loop will get increased traffic from the Loop. Visitors to the Loop will be interested in one thing…Fly Fishing. For commercial sites and those in the trade, the benfits are obvious, you get exposure to a specific audience of FF visitors to the Loop. Personal sites, organizations and clubs will get increased website exposure in the Loop, and can use the loop to get their word out, to the right audience as well! The Loop also benfits from the diversity and range of content that the various members have on their sites. Throught the Loop you can navigate all member sites, easily. I hope you will consider joining the loop. Tight lines and light leaders, Thomas Steele The Steelhead Site http://steelheadsite.com

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Thought you all might be interested in a new Fly Fishing Loop of websites. The loop is just getting started, but already has been well received. It’s called the: Fly Fishing Loop Located at: http://homepage.interaccess.com/~tsteele/FlyFishingLoop/

Hi, Just tried and got no connection. Could you verify that the above is correct. Thanks. Michael — Mit der Dummheit kampfen Gotter selbst vergebens -Schiller-

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Just tried and got no connection. Could you verify that the above is correct.

Works for me … must have been server trouble. Looks very cool and is a neat concept. Thomas Steele The Steelhead Site

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