Question:
Time yeah, that
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Flyfishing » Fall Fishing
Time yeah, that
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing » North Florida/Southern Georgia
I will be on a business trip next week in the Northern Florida area between Jacksonville & Tallahassee and into some parts of Southern Georgia. If all goes right I will have a day or two of free time on the company and would like to find some areas to go fishing. Can any of you out there direct me to someplace where I might have reasonable chances of catching fish? What about some Fly or Tackle Shops that I should go to for supplies or advice? Thanks in advance Rob L
I will be on a business trip next week in the Northern Florida area between Jacksonville & Tallahassee and into some parts of Southern Georgia. If all goes right I will have a day or two of free time on the company and would like to find some areas to go fishing. Can any of you out there direct me to someplace where I might have reasonable chances of catching fish? What about some Fly or Tackle Shops that I should go to for supplies or advice? Thanks in advance Rob L
If you’re interested in large Florida bass, try Lake Jackson, just north of Tallahassee and south of Thomasville. If you are interested in going down to the coast, try Apalachicola or Cedar Key. HTH, R
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing » Ramblings, books, and missing my "home"-Long and OT
This past week I received in the mail a new book from Mark Jeffrey Volk, I believe it was his fourth book "Pages from a Mountain Journal" previously he had written three books known as the Winding Ridge Trilogy. His first, The Upland Way, hooked, if you will, me hard. He writes of the people, fish, and birds found in Appalachians of PA, WV, and MD in a way that sometimes reminds me of Harry Middleton’s love of the Smokys.
Wayne — Just the other day I was told that the books "Homesick" which I guess is the third book of the Winding Ridge Trilogy and "Pages from a Mountain Journal" both include Smallmouth Bass. I was wondering if the first two books in the Trilogy also included something on Smallmouth? Clyde Drury Books of the Black Bass. http://members.aol.com/BassBks/index.html
Most of the *regulars* know that I ‘ve gone from Atlanta to Chicago to now Dodge City Kansas since I first logged on to ROFF. What I thought was going to be a short term stint is now past two years and no real hope of moving on anytime soon. Work has been a pain due to changes and I’ve had to cancel two trips to the Juan. When i can find time to drive the 5 hours to Colorado, if only to fish a heavily pounded tailwater for the day, the weather turns to crap as it did this past weekend. I read of the gatherings I missed and long to hit some water, at some point soon, I will probably get up and drive the 350 miles just to fish for an hour or two and drive back here to the Sunflower State. "Home" is really Louisiana, but I’ve come to call the waters of the Appalachians my home. There you will find the most beautiful of nature’s creations, the Brookie. I long to fish for them again, but for now I must be content to read. Since January I’ve read books by Tapply, Leeson, Fulmer, Gaines, and re-read some favorites by Middleton, Lyons, Haig-Brown, Babb and Voelker (aka Traver). Enjoyed a couple of compilations and imagined the rivers as they fished them. This past week I received in the mail a new book from Mark Jeffrey Volk, I believe it was his fourth book "Pages from a Mountain Journal" previously he had written three books known as the Winding Ridge Trilogy. His first, The Upland Way, hooked, if you will, me hard. He writes of the people, fish, and birds found in Appalachians of PA, WV, and MD in a way that sometimes reminds me of Harry Middleton’s love of the Smokys. This quote from the 1st chapter of "Pages" really hits home to what I miss, I just wanted to share it. "I love wild brookies; those incomparable, true originals in every sense in these Appalachian mountains. They’re an icon of the way things should be, rather than how they are, and remain a symbol of a mountain’s purity and grace. The next time you catch one, hold him in the water for just a moment longer before releasing him. There’s a masterpiece cradled in your hand; feel his flawless form and his wild strength, his instinctive struggle to return to that frigid world he is an inseparable part of." quoted ver batim, by mark volk. Wayne
… This quote from the 1st chapter of "Pages" really hits home to what I miss, I just wanted to share it. "I love wild brookies; those incomparable, true originals in every sense in these Appalachian mountains. …
Sheesh. Sounds like that guy’s one of those "creationists" about whom Choc was cracking wise. — Ken Fortenberry
Oh bite me you cynical SOB 
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – … This quote from the 1st chapter of "Pages" really hits home to what I miss, I just wanted to share it. "I love wild brookies; those incomparable, true originals in every sense in these Appalachian mountains. … Sheesh. Sounds like that guy’s one of those "creationists" about whom Choc was cracking wise. — Ken Fortenberry
"I love wild brookies; those incomparable, true originals in every sense in these Appalachian mountains. They’re an icon of the way things should be, rather than how they are, and remain a symbol of a mountain’s purity and grace. The next time you catch one, hold him in the water for just a moment longer before releasing him. There’s a masterpiece cradled in your hand; feel his flawless form and his wild strength, his instinctive struggle to return to that frigid world he is an inseparable part of." quoted ver batim, by mark volk. Wayne
well, that’s pretty to read, in my view. and all of us know that to get to where they live requires more than a little energy, sacrifice, and love. your friend in the old north state wayno – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
Wayne Knight wrote… good stuff snipped.
God Wayne you’re making me cry. Joel Axelrad **DFD**
Wayne, ’nuff bs. you name the time buddy, stay at the house here, we’ll go chasin’ some of them jewels you love so much. –walt – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Most of the *regulars* know that I ‘ve gone from Atlanta to Chicago to now Dodge City Kansas since I first logged on to ROFF. What I thought was going to be a short term stint is now past two years and no real hope of moving on anytime soon. Work has been a pain due to changes and I’ve had to cancel two trips to the Juan. When i can find time to drive the 5 hours to Colorado, if only to fish a heavily pounded tailwater for the day, the weather turns to crap as it did this past weekend. I read of the gatherings I missed and long to hit some water, at some point soon, I will probably get up and drive the 350 miles just to fish for an hour or two and drive back here to the Sunflower State. "Home" is really Louisiana, but I’ve come to call the waters of the Appalachians my home. There you will find the most beautiful of nature’s creations, the Brookie. I long to fish for them again, but for now I must be content to read. Since January I’ve read books by Tapply, Leeson, Fulmer, Gaines, and re-read some favorites by Middleton, Lyons, Haig-Brown, Babb and Voelker (aka Traver). Enjoyed a couple of compilations and imagined the rivers as they fished them. This past week I received in the mail a new book from Mark Jeffrey Volk, I believe it was his fourth book "Pages from a Mountain Journal" previously he had written three books known as the Winding Ridge Trilogy. His first, The Upland Way, hooked, if you will, me hard. He writes of the people, fish, and birds found in Appalachians of PA, WV, and MD in a way that sometimes reminds me of Harry Middleton’s love of the Smokys. This quote from the 1st chapter of "Pages" really hits home to what I miss, I just wanted to share it. "I love wild brookies; those incomparable, true originals in every sense in these Appalachian mountains. They’re an icon of the way things should be, rather than how they are, and remain a symbol of a mountain’s purity and grace. The next time you catch one, hold him in the water for just a moment longer before releasing him. There’s a masterpiece cradled in your hand; feel his flawless form and his wild strength, his instinctive struggle to return to that frigid world he is an inseparable part of." quoted ver batim, by mark volk. Wayne
– Tight Lines, –Walt Fly Fishing NC & more… http://www.ezflyfish.com http://www.wilsoncreekoutfitters.com
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing » Philippines Dive Report: Sabang, Dumaguete & Malapascua (long)
Sound like FUN! Please let me know if you have any link addition recommendations for my "Best Scuba Diving" page at: http://homepages.about.com/asiabill/travelphilippines/ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What a difference a day makes… Wednesday was to be our last day of diving for the whole trip, and after discussing it briefly with Gregg, Elizabeth and Shayne the unanimous decision was to head out to Monad Shoal again searching for Mantas and Thresher sharks. The dive site was about 20 minutes from Malapascua by banca, and to ensure the best chance of seeing either species, we had to get up early (at 7 am) to get out to the dive site as early as possible. We had spoken to several people in Malapascua and in Sabang about the best time to go, and although everyone we spoke to said to go as early as possible for the threshers, others said the chances of seeing mantas would be a little later. So, we decided to pick the civilised time of 7am to rise and get out to the dive site. This would theoretically give us a decent chance at seeing both. I think that our chances were considerably improved by the lack of other divers operating in the area. The Abu Sayyef situation had really had a bad influence on the Philippines tourism industry at the time, so there were very few other divers around. All I can say is, great! More for us. We virtually had the run of the place in all three locations we had visited; diving with a maximum of three other divers at any time during the trip. This gave us the added bonus of having carte blanche in dictating the dive times and destinations. Cool. The morning was fairly bright and skies were reasonably clear. When we jumped in the water we saw we had the best visibility we had seen in this spot at just over 20 metres. We had previously been given instructions on how to behave to minimise threatening behaviour. That included staying low over the reef (which was easy since it had been decimated by dynamite fishing to the point it resembled a wasteland), and staying as close together as possible. If there were any sightings of either manta or thresher the group was to stop immediately and drop onto knees on the bottom. This would allow the creatures to come as close as they felt comfortable. The fish were actually quite inquisitive and would come quite close as long as there was no threatening behaviour. As soon as we descended as a group we headed off along the edge of the shoal in about 24m of water. We were all pumped up to see some Manta on this dive and it wasn’t long before we reached the point where we had seen all the previous action. We slowly cruised around hoping that something would happen here. The suspense was killing me, and with Shayne and Elizabeth on my right, I thought we were going to be out of luck when the action began. Over my right hand shoulder glided this three and a half metre wide Manta. It was only about three metres away from me and it was eyeballing us out as it glided over. They are truly fantastic creatures. They seem huge when you see them up close, which they are, but they have a graceful elegance that belies their hulking body mass. With a silent swoosh of its giant wings it moved over the top of us and towards the chasm in the shoal in front of us. David, who was about 4 metres in front of us, had yet to see it and the three of us were all too afraid of startling it to shout into our regs to get his attention. I will probably remember Dave’s reaction more than the manta itself. We all wanted Dave to see the manta so he could take some snaps with his camera that was attached to his BC. When Dave finally saw it it was cruising less than 2 metres above him. Dave must have got the surprise of his life as I saw Dave visibly jump when he turned to see this giant manta so close to him. I had to press my mask against my face to stop it from filling with water I was smiling so much. He cursed us afterwards but we did the right thing. I think he still got a photo or two. It casually glided over Dave and across a chasm in the shoal. Looking into the distance we saw another slightly smaller manta swimming in our direction towards the other manta. As they passed each other they actually circled each other as if in greeting and then headed off in opposite directions into the gloom. After they had gone, we noticed that off in the distance across the chasm there was another group of divers being entertained by a thresher shark that was parading in front of them. In the group of divers we could see the Japanese and American women we had dived with earlier, flashing away madly with their underwater digital cameras. The shark must have noticed us too as it decided to come over and have a look at us. As it crossed the chasm we could see that there was a large amount of heavy line, presumably fishing line hanging out of its mouth. It came closer than any of the other sharks we had seen, and swam back and forth in front of us, maybe only five metres away. At one stage it looked like it was heading directly towards me and for a second I felt a little nervous. Then it turned to do another lap in front of us. It didn’t look too happy to actually be carrying the line behind it, and we saw its whole body shudder once or twice as it tried in vain to dislodge the line. It seemed like today was our lucky day as before the shark disappeared, another thresher rose up out of the void and swam with the first shark. For about 15 seconds we sat there mesmerised with the two thresher sharks swimming back and forwards in front of us. After they left we sat there waiting for the next show to begin. We were about leave again, but there was one more thing in store for us to see. One more manta decided to swoop in suddenly over heads as if to do a flyby before changing its angle of attack and ascending again, swimming off into the distance, leaving us with only the smiles on our faces. I remember we almost went into deco on that dive as we headed back to the anchor line ascending to mid water to make the swim back. We surfaced into sunshine, but to be honest I can’t remember any more of today’s trip. The other group of divers which had been entertained by the threshers first, had some great shot of the sharks, but had missed out on the mantas all together. We had been extremely fortunate. Daniel, the other divemaster told us they rarely see more than one manta together at the one time. We had been graced with three. Over our late breakfast of bacon and eggs at Sunshine Bar we discussed our plans for the rest of the day. We probably had one more chance for a dive that afternoon if we wanted it. Jacques suggested the possibility of a ride out to one of the wrecks that were available, but we were only interested in one thing, more Mantas! Gregg and Dave decided to wait this one out however, so it would just be Shayne, Elizabeth and myself from our group. Later on that afternoon we found ourselves again at the bottom of the anchor rope ready to go looking for more big fish. We were eager to have another session like we had had that morning. We swam as a group out to the very spot where we had been this morning, constantly checking up, down, left, right waiting for the next leviathan to unexpectedly appear from nowhere. We stopped and perched ourselves in the spot, and waited, and waited, and waited. Then we turned around and swam back towards the anchor line, still hoping we would get a final glimpse of something before we had to return to the mundane air filled world above. But nothing came, and as we surfaced for the final time I was happy. The non-eventful dive we had just had was a confirmation of the miraculous experience we had had that morning. I still appreciate that second dive. The people who had stayed missed out on the affirmation of just how lucky we had all been that morning. Once we got back we helped unload the boat and washed out gear thoroughly for the first time in two and a half weeks. Tomorrow afternoon we would ride the banca back to Maya followed by a painful three and a half-hour trip over pot-holed roads back to Cebu City for the night. The day after we would fly back to Manila and then onto Adelaide overnight, landing just after lunch on Saturday, three weeks since we took off. We dove with Philippine Islands Divers which is owned by a friendly long time European expatriate, Jacques Trotin, who comes highly recommended. (More information can be found at www.phildivers.com) The resort we stayed in at Malapascua was called Blue Water resort. It is run by a Filipina, who does everything from office administration, change beds, cook all the meals, and serve behind the bar. She also does security as witnessed first hand when there was trouble between rival masseuses. The fact that she is almost 6 foot and just about bigger than any male Filipino I saw probably helps her out. She is helped out by a small but highly entertaining group of philipinos, including Joseph, Analimba, and Decilma. The accommodation was a lot more basic than the standard offered by Atlantis, and after the initial adjustment I found myself enjoying this place perhaps more than any of the other spots we had been to. Even though there was no hot water and only a tiny curtain for privacy, the lack of facilities highlighted the true beauty and value of the Philippines as a holiday destination. This was a week of pure luxury as far as I’m concerned; an abundance of relaxation in a stunning picturesque setting, great diving, great food, and great friends. What more can you ask for? Brenton Collas Trip
… read more »
I had a very similar experience with Mantas off the Hermit Islands in Papua New Guinea on a charter dive cruise except that they were at the location every time we dived which was two full days. They came in very close right over our heads as we crouched by a large boulder. The Mantas seem to like water that is not very clear, or that is my impression but others have told me the same thing. Truly, with the terrorism problem and threats of further action, I would be afraid to travel to the Philippines at this time. I had thought that Palawan was too far removed to be attacked but I was wrong. I suppose there is still some great diving left in the Philippines and at the time of my visit to Apo Reef and other diving off Busanga back in 1979, I was very impressed, but that is all history now with the dynamiting that has subsequently ruined so many wonderful locations. Still, the possibility of great u/w flora in the Philippines is one of the best in the world but I guess I’ll have to settle for PNG for a while until things get settled down in the Philippines.
Sounds like an awesome trip! I’m heading to South Negros next week for a 3 month stay and would be interested in some insight from you on a couple of things. I also have a question about someone in one of your photos—great, BTW! I tried to email you but it was returned to me. You can mail me at Beck
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What a difference a day makes… Wednesday was to be our last day of diving for the whole trip, and after discussing it briefly with Gregg, Elizabeth and Shayne the unanimous decision was to head out to Monad Shoal again searching for Mantas and Thresher sharks. The dive site was about 20 minutes from Malapascua by banca, and to ensure the best chance of seeing either species, we had to get up early (at 7 am) to get out to the dive site as early as possible. We had spoken to several people in Malapascua and in Sabang about the best time to go, and although everyone we spoke to said to go as early as possible for the threshers, others said the chances of seeing mantas would be a little later. So, we decided to pick the civilised time of 7am to rise and get out to the dive site. This would theoretically give us a decent chance at seeing both. I think that our chances were considerably improved by the lack of other divers operating in the area. The Abu Sayyef situation had really had a bad influence on the Philippines tourism industry at the time, so there were very few other divers around. All I can say is, great! More for us. We virtually had the run of the place in all three locations we had visited; diving with a maximum of three other divers at any time during the trip. This gave us the added bonus of having carte blanche in dictating the dive times and destinations. Cool. The morning was fairly bright and skies were reasonably clear. When we jumped in the water we saw we had the best visibility we had seen in this spot at just over 20 metres. We had previously been given instructions on how to behave to minimise threatening behaviour. That included staying low over the reef (which was easy since it had been decimated by dynamite fishing to the point it resembled a wasteland), and staying as close together as possible. If there were any sightings of either manta or thresher the group was to stop immediately and drop onto knees on the bottom. This would allow the creatures to come as close as they felt comfortable. The fish were actually quite inquisitive and would come quite close as long as there was no threatening behaviour. As soon as we descended as a group we headed off along the edge of the shoal in about 24m of water. We were all pumped up to see some Manta on this dive and it wasn’t long before we reached the point where we had seen all the previous action. We slowly cruised around hoping that something would happen here. The suspense was killing me, and with Shayne and Elizabeth on my right, I thought we were going to be out of luck when the action began. Over my right hand shoulder glided this three and a half metre wide Manta. It was only about three metres away from me and it was eyeballing us out as it glided over. They are truly fantastic creatures. They seem huge when you see them up close, which they are, but they have a graceful elegance that belies their hulking body mass. With a silent swoosh of its giant wings it moved over the top of us and towards the chasm in the shoal in front of us. David, who was about 4 metres in front of us, had yet to see it and the three of us were all too afraid of startling it to shout into our regs to get his attention. I will probably remember Dave’s reaction more than the manta itself. We all wanted Dave to see the manta so he could take some snaps with his camera that was attached to his BC. When Dave finally saw it it was cruising less than 2 metres above him. Dave must have got the surprise of his life as I saw Dave visibly jump when he turned to see this giant manta so close to him. I had to press my mask against my face to stop it from filling with water I was smiling so much. He cursed us afterwards but we did the right thing. I think he still got a photo or two. It casually glided over Dave and across a chasm in the shoal. Looking into the distance we saw another slightly smaller manta swimming in our direction towards the other manta. As they passed each other they actually circled each other as if in greeting and then headed off in opposite directions into the gloom. After they had gone, we noticed that off in the distance across the chasm there was another group of divers being entertained by a thresher shark that was parading in front of them. In the group of divers we could see the Japanese and American women we had dived with earlier, flashing away madly with their underwater digital cameras. The shark must have noticed us too as it decided to come over and have a look at us. As it crossed the chasm we could see that there was a large amount of heavy line, presumably fishing line hanging out of its mouth. It came closer than any of the other sharks we had seen, and swam back and forth in front of us, maybe only five metres away. At one stage it looked like it was heading directly towards me and for a second I felt a little nervous. Then it turned to do another lap in front of us. It didn’t look too happy to actually be carrying the line behind it, and we saw its whole body shudder once or twice as it tried in vain to dislodge the line. It seemed like today was our lucky day as before the shark disappeared, another thresher rose up out of the void and swam with the first shark. For about 15 seconds we sat there mesmerised with the two thresher sharks swimming back and forwards in front of us. After they left we sat there waiting for the next show to begin. We were about leave again, but there was one more thing in store for us to see. One more manta decided to swoop in suddenly over heads as if to do a flyby before changing its angle of attack and ascending again, swimming off into the distance, leaving us with only the smiles on our faces. I remember we almost went into deco on that dive as we headed back to the anchor line ascending to mid water to make the swim back. We surfaced into sunshine, but to be honest I can’t remember any more of today’s trip. The other group of divers which had been entertained by the threshers first, had some great shot of the sharks, but had missed out on the mantas all together. We had been extremely fortunate. Daniel, the other divemaster told us they rarely see more than one manta together at the one time. We had been graced with three. Over our late breakfast of bacon and eggs at Sunshine Bar we discussed our plans for the rest of the day. We probably had one more chance for a dive that afternoon if we wanted it. Jacques suggested the possibility of a ride out to one of the wrecks that were available, but we were only interested in one thing, more Mantas! Gregg and Dave decided to wait this one out however, so it would just be Shayne, Elizabeth and myself from our group. Later on that afternoon we found ourselves again at the bottom of the anchor rope ready to go looking for more big fish. We were eager to have another session like we had had that morning. We swam as a group out to the very spot where we had been this morning, constantly checking up, down, left, right waiting for the next leviathan to unexpectedly appear from nowhere. We stopped and perched ourselves in the spot, and waited, and waited, and waited. Then we turned around and swam back towards the anchor line, still hoping we would get a final glimpse of something before we had to return to the mundane air filled world above. But nothing came, and as we surfaced for the final time I was happy. The non-eventful dive we had just had was a confirmation of the miraculous experience we had had that morning. I still appreciate that second dive. The people who had stayed missed out on the affirmation of just how lucky we had all been that morning. Once we got back we helped unload the boat and washed out gear thoroughly for the first time in two and a half weeks. Tomorrow afternoon we would ride the banca back to Maya followed by a painful three and a half-hour trip over pot-holed roads back to Cebu City for the night. The day after we would fly back to Manila and then onto Adelaide overnight, landing just after lunch on Saturday, three weeks since we took off. We dove with Philippine Islands Divers which is owned by a friendly long time European expatriate, Jacques Trotin, who comes highly recommended. (More information can be found at www.phildivers.com) The resort we stayed in at Malapascua was called Blue Water resort. It is run by a Filipina, who does everything from office administration, change beds, cook all the meals, and serve behind the bar. She also does security as witnessed first hand when there was trouble between rival masseuses. The fact that she is almost 6 foot and just about bigger than any male Filipino I saw probably helps her out. She is helped out by a small but highly entertaining group of philipinos, including Joseph, Analimba, and Decilma. The accommodation was a lot more basic than the standard offered by Atlantis, and after the initial adjustment I found myself enjoying this place perhaps more than any of the other spots we had been to. Even though there was no hot water and only a tiny curtain for privacy, the lack of facilities highlighted the true beauty and value of the Philippines as a holiday destination. This was a week of pure luxury as far as I’m concerned; an abundance of relaxation in a stunning
… read more »
You lucky Bastard!!!!!
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What a difference a day makes… Wednesday was to be our last day of diving for the whole trip, and after discussing it briefly with Gregg, Elizabeth and Shayne the unanimous decision was to head out to Monad Shoal again searching for Mantas and Thresher sharks. The dive site was about 20 minutes from Malapascua by banca, and to ensure the best chance of seeing either species, we had to get up early (at 7 am) to get out to the dive site as early as possible. We had spoken to several people in Malapascua and in Sabang about the best time to go, and although everyone we spoke to said to go as early as possible for the threshers, others said the chances of seeing mantas would be a little later. So, we decided to pick the civilised time of 7am to rise and get out to the dive site. This would theoretically give us a decent chance at seeing both. I think that our chances were considerably improved by the lack of other divers operating in the area. The Abu Sayyef situation had really had a bad influence on the Philippines tourism industry at the time, so there were very few other divers around. All I can say is, great! More for us. We virtually had the run of the place in all three locations we had visited; diving with a maximum of three other divers at any time during the trip. This gave us the added bonus of having carte blanche in dictating the dive times and destinations. Cool. The morning was fairly bright and skies were reasonably clear. When we jumped in the water we saw we had the best visibility we had seen in this spot at just over 20 metres. We had previously been given instructions on how to behave to minimise threatening behaviour. That included staying low over the reef (which was easy since it had been decimated by dynamite fishing to the point it resembled a wasteland), and staying as close together as possible. If there were any sightings of either manta or thresher the group was to stop immediately and drop onto knees on the bottom. This would allow the creatures to come as close as they felt comfortable. The fish were actually quite inquisitive and would come quite close as long as there was no threatening behaviour. As soon as we descended as a group we headed off along the edge of the shoal in about 24m of water. We were all pumped up to see some Manta on this dive and it wasn’t long before we reached the point where we had seen all the previous action. We slowly cruised around hoping that something would happen here. The suspense was killing me, and with Shayne and Elizabeth on my right, I thought we were going to be out of luck when the action began. Over my right hand shoulder glided this three and a half metre wide Manta. It was only about three metres away from me and it was eyeballing us out as it glided over. They are truly fantastic creatures. They seem huge when you see them up close, which they are, but they have a graceful elegance that belies their hulking body mass. With a silent swoosh of its giant wings it moved over the top of us and towards the chasm in the shoal in front of us. David, who was about 4 metres in front of us, had yet to see it and the three of us were all too afraid of startling it to shout into our regs to get his attention. I will probably remember Dave’s reaction more than the manta itself. We all wanted Dave to see the manta so he could take some snaps with his camera that was attached to his BC. When Dave finally saw it it was cruising less than 2 metres above him. Dave must have got the surprise of his life as I saw Dave visibly jump when he turned to see this giant manta so close to him. I had to press my mask against my face to stop it from filling with water I was smiling so much. He cursed us afterwards but we did the right thing. I think he still got a photo or two. It casually glided over Dave and across a chasm in the shoal. Looking into the distance we saw another slightly smaller manta swimming in our direction towards the other manta. As they passed each other they actually circled each other as if in greeting and then headed off in opposite directions into the gloom. After they had gone, we noticed that off in the distance across the chasm there was another group of divers being entertained by a thresher shark that was parading in front of them. In the group of divers we could see the Japanese and American women we had dived with earlier, flashing away madly with their underwater digital cameras. The shark must have noticed us too as it decided to come over and have a look at us. As it crossed the chasm we could see that there was a large amount of heavy line, presumably fishing line hanging out of its mouth. It came closer than any of the other sharks we had seen, and swam back and forth in front of us, maybe only five metres away. At one stage it looked like it was heading directly towards me and for a second I felt a little nervous. Then it turned to do another lap in front of us. It didn’t look too happy to actually be carrying the line behind it, and we saw its whole body shudder once or twice as it tried in vain to dislodge the line. It seemed like today was our lucky day as before the shark disappeared, another thresher rose up out of the void and swam with the first shark. For about 15 seconds we sat there mesmerised with the two thresher sharks swimming back and forwards in front of us. After they left we sat there waiting for the next show to begin. We were about leave again, but there was one more thing in store for us to see. One more manta decided to swoop in suddenly over heads as if to do a flyby before changing its angle of attack and ascending again, swimming off into the distance, leaving us with only the smiles on our faces. I remember we almost went into deco on that dive as we headed back to the anchor line ascending to mid water to make the swim back. We surfaced into sunshine, but to be honest I can’t remember any more of today’s trip. The other group of divers which had been entertained by the threshers first, had some great shot of the sharks, but had missed out on the mantas all together. We had been extremely fortunate. Daniel, the other divemaster told us they rarely see more than one manta together at the one time. We had been graced with three. Over our late breakfast of bacon and eggs at Sunshine Bar we discussed our plans for the rest of the day. We probably had one more chance for a dive that afternoon if we wanted it. Jacques suggested the possibility of a ride out to one of the wrecks that were available, but we were only interested in one thing, more Mantas! Gregg and Dave decided to wait this one out however, so it would just be Shayne, Elizabeth and myself from our group. Later on that afternoon we found ourselves again at the bottom of the anchor rope ready to go looking for more big fish. We were eager to have another session like we had had that morning. We swam as a group out to the very spot where we had been this morning, constantly checking up, down, left, right waiting for the next leviathan to unexpectedly appear from nowhere. We stopped and perched ourselves in the spot, and waited, and waited, and waited. Then we turned around and swam back towards the anchor line, still hoping we would get a final glimpse of something before we had to return to the mundane air filled world above. But nothing came, and as we surfaced for the final time I was happy. The non-eventful dive we had just had was a confirmation of the miraculous experience we had had that morning. I still appreciate that second dive. The people who had stayed missed out on the affirmation of just how lucky we had all been that morning. Once we got back we helped unload the boat and washed out gear thoroughly for the first time in two and a half weeks. Tomorrow afternoon we would ride the banca back to Maya followed by a painful three and a half-hour trip over pot-holed roads back to Cebu City for the night. The day after we would fly back to Manila and then onto Adelaide overnight, landing just after lunch on Saturday, three weeks since we took off. We dove with Philippine Islands Divers which is owned by a friendly long time European expatriate, Jacques Trotin, who comes highly recommended. (More information can be found at www.phildivers.com) The resort we stayed in at Malapascua was called Blue Water resort. It is run by a Filipina, who does everything from office administration, change beds, cook all the meals, and serve behind the bar. She also does security as witnessed first hand when there was trouble between rival masseuses. The fact that she is almost 6 foot and just about bigger than any male Filipino I saw probably helps her out. She is helped out by a small but highly entertaining group of philipinos, including Joseph, Analimba, and Decilma. The accommodation was a lot more basic than the standard offered by Atlantis, and after the initial adjustment I found myself enjoying this place perhaps more than any of the other spots we had been to. Even though there was no hot water and only a tiny curtain for privacy, the lack of facilities highlighted the true beauty and value of the Philippines as a holiday destination. This was a week of pure luxury as far as I’m concerned; an abundance of relaxation in a stunning picturesque setting, great diving, great food, and great friends. What more can you ask for? Brenton Collas Trip photos: http://www.geocities.com/kwailo73/ph2001/ph2001.htm
What a difference a day makes… Wednesday was to be our last day of diving for the whole trip, and after discussing it briefly with Gregg, Elizabeth and Shayne the unanimous decision was to head out to Monad Shoal again searching for Mantas and Thresher sharks. The dive site was about 20 minutes from Malapascua by banca, and to ensure the best chance of seeing either species, we had to get up early (at 7 am) to get out to the dive site as early as possible. We had spoken to several people in Malapascua and in Sabang about the best time to go, and although everyone we spoke to said to go as early as possible for the threshers, others said the chances of seeing mantas would be a little later. So, we decided to pick the civilised time of 7am to rise and get out to the dive site. This would theoretically give us a decent chance at seeing both. I think that our chances were considerably improved by the lack of other divers operating in the area. The Abu Sayyef situation had really had a bad influence on the Philippines tourism industry at the time, so there were very few other divers around. All I can say is, great! More for us. We virtually had the run of the place in all three locations we had visited; diving with a maximum of three other divers at any time during the trip. This gave us the added bonus of having carte blanche in dictating the dive times and destinations. Cool. The morning was fairly bright and skies were reasonably clear. When we jumped in the water we saw we had the best visibility we had seen in this spot at just over 20 metres. We had previously been given instructions on how to behave to minimise threatening behaviour. That included staying low over the reef (which was easy since it had been decimated by dynamite fishing to the point it resembled a wasteland), and staying as close together as possible. If there were any sightings of either manta or thresher the group was to stop immediately and drop onto knees on the bottom. This would allow the creatures to come as close as they felt comfortable. The fish were actually quite inquisitive and would come quite close as long as there was no threatening behaviour. As soon as we descended as a group we headed off along the edge of the shoal in about 24m of water. We were all pumped up to see some Manta on this dive and it wasn’t long before we reached the point where we had seen all the previous action. We slowly cruised around hoping that something would happen here. The suspense was killing me, and with Shayne and Elizabeth on my right, I thought we were going to be out of luck when the action began. Over my right hand shoulder glided this three and a half metre wide Manta. It was only about three metres away from me and it was eyeballing us out as it glided over. They are truly fantastic creatures. They seem huge when you see them up close, which they are, but they have a graceful elegance that belies their hulking body mass. With a silent swoosh of its giant wings it moved over the top of us and towards the chasm in the shoal in front of us. David, who was about 4 metres in front of us, had yet to see it and the three of us were all too afraid of startling it to shout into our regs to get his attention. I will probably remember Dave’s reaction more than the manta itself. We all wanted Dave to see the manta so he could take some snaps with his camera that was attached to his BC. When Dave finally saw it it was cruising less than 2 metres above him. Dave must have got the surprise of his life as I saw Dave visibly jump when he turned to see this giant manta so close to him. I had to press my mask against my face to stop it from filling with water I was smiling so much. He cursed us afterwards but we did the right thing. I think he still got a photo or two. It casually glided over Dave and across a chasm in the shoal. Looking into the distance we saw another slightly smaller manta swimming in our direction towards the other manta. As they passed each other they actually circled each other as if in greeting and then headed off in opposite directions into the gloom. After they had gone, we noticed that off in the distance across the chasm there was another group of divers being entertained by a thresher shark that was parading in front of them. In the group of divers we could see the Japanese and American women we had dived with earlier, flashing away madly with their underwater digital cameras. The shark must have noticed us too as it decided to come over and have a look at us. As it crossed the chasm we could see that there was a large amount of heavy line, presumably fishing line hanging out of its mouth. It came closer than any of the other sharks we had seen, and swam back and forth in front of us, maybe only five metres away. At one stage it looked like it was heading directly towards me and for a second I felt a little nervous. Then it turned to do another lap in front of us. It didn’t look too happy to actually be carrying the line behind it, and we saw its whole body shudder once or twice as it tried in vain to dislodge the line. It seemed like today was our lucky day as before the shark disappeared, another thresher rose up out of the void and swam with the first shark. For about 15 seconds we sat there mesmerised with the two thresher sharks swimming back and forwards in front of us. After they left we sat there waiting for the next show to begin. We were about leave again, but there was one more thing in store for us to see. One more manta decided to swoop in suddenly over heads as if to do a flyby before changing its angle of attack and ascending again, swimming off into the distance, leaving us with only the smiles on our faces. I remember we almost went into deco on that dive as we headed back to the anchor line ascending to mid water to make the swim back. We surfaced into sunshine, but to be honest I can’t remember any more of today’s trip. The other group of divers which had been entertained by the threshers first, had some great shot of the sharks, but had missed out on the mantas all together. We had been extremely fortunate. Daniel, the other divemaster told us they rarely see more than one manta together at the one time. We had been graced with three. Over our late breakfast of bacon and eggs at Sunshine Bar we discussed our plans for the rest of the day. We probably had one more chance for a dive that afternoon if we wanted it. Jacques suggested the possibility of a ride out to one of the wrecks that were available, but we were only interested in one thing, more Mantas! Gregg and Dave decided to wait this one out however, so it would just be Shayne, Elizabeth and myself from our group. Later on that afternoon we found ourselves again at the bottom of the anchor rope ready to go looking for more big fish. We were eager to have another session like we had had that morning. We swam as a group out to the very spot where we had been this morning, constantly checking up, down, left, right waiting for the next leviathan to unexpectedly appear from nowhere. We stopped and perched ourselves in the spot, and waited, and waited, and waited. Then we turned around and swam back towards the anchor line, still hoping we would get a final glimpse of something before we had to return to the mundane air filled world above. But nothing came, and as we surfaced for the final time I was happy. The non-eventful dive we had just had was a confirmation of the miraculous experience we had had that morning. I still appreciate that second dive. The people who had stayed missed out on the affirmation of just how lucky we had all been that morning. Once we got back we helped unload the boat and washed out gear thoroughly for the first time in two and a half weeks. Tomorrow afternoon we would ride the banca back to Maya followed by a painful three and a half-hour trip over pot-holed roads back to Cebu City for the night. The day after we would fly back to Manila and then onto Adelaide overnight, landing just after lunch on Saturday, three weeks since we took off. We dove with Philippine Islands Divers which is owned by a friendly long time European expatriate, Jacques Trotin, who comes highly recommended. (More information can be found at www.phildivers.com) The resort we stayed in at Malapascua was called Blue Water resort. It is run by a Filipina, who does everything from office administration, change beds, cook all the meals, and serve behind the bar. She also does security as witnessed first hand when there was trouble between rival masseuses. The fact that she is almost 6 foot and just about bigger than any male Filipino I saw probably helps her out. She is helped out by a small but highly entertaining group of philipinos, including Joseph, Analimba, and Decilma. The accommodation was a lot more basic than the standard offered by Atlantis, and after the initial adjustment I found myself enjoying this place perhaps more than any of the other spots we had been to. Even though there was no hot water and only a tiny curtain for privacy, the lack of facilities highlighted the true beauty and value of the Philippines as a holiday destination. This was a week of pure luxury as far as I’m concerned; an abundance of relaxation in a stunning picturesque setting, great diving, great food, and great friends. What more can you ask for? Brenton Collas Trip photos: http://www.geocities.com/kwailo73/ph2001/ph2001.htm
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing » East Lake Oregon Report, crowds, theft alert
Thanks for the report. I’ll have a few days in September to make it to Central Oregon and I’m looking forward to that. Speaking of theft, I’m still looking for my goretex wading jacket in the green waterbag from May. I think I’ll put a tag on my stuff with my email. Honest flyfisherman will know what to do, and the rest can go to ….
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The Mid-Willamette Fly Fishers held their annual outing at East Lake (SE of Burns) this weekend. Fly fishing was good for rainbows and browns to the mid teens size wise. Morning and evening seemed to be the best, and there were many types of insects hatching. Despite being there 3 days, I invested all of 1 hour wading the NE corner, casting dries, and landing 2 nice rainbows. Otherwise I went x-country hiking and lounged around taking pictures. The partial bummer this year was the crowds. Evidently Davis Lake, Wickiup and many other traditional summer time lakes in the Cascades are showing severe signs of drought, so speculation is that everyone is rushing to the spring fed East Lake and Paulina Lake, where my guess is the water level is down all of 6" (six inches). The East Lake campgrounds were the fullest I have seen them in 5 years, and the NE beaches in the evening had dozens of motor boats and float tubes beached on them. Which brings me to a warning. I was surfing another forum, and saw a very recent posting from someone who had a raft stolen at one of the Century Lakes Drive (e.g. Lava Lake, Craine Prairie, Davis Lake, a zillion other lakes) campgrounds. When the police officer arrived to take a report, this individual learned that there has been a rash of thefts from many campgrounds. The speculation is that there is a "gang" making early morning (4 am) rounds. Everyone in our club has felt so safe at many of the mostly fly-fishing only lakes that we have been leaving our tubes on the beach rather than haul them back to camp. Thomas Gilg
has been a rash of thefts from many campgrounds. The speculation is that there is a "gang" making early morning (4 am) rounds. Everyone in our club has felt so safe at
My beloved 78 yr old father had his 9.9 Evinrude stolen off the back of his drift boat while at Cresant Lake last weekend. They cut the lock and hauled it off. They left the gas tank which was on the front porch of the cabin less than 20′ away… I’ll leave the assessment of the relative intelligence of said scumbags to your own imagination. Cos
The Mid-Willamette Fly Fishers held their annual outing at East Lake (SE of Burns) this weekend. Fly fishing was good for rainbows and browns to the mid teens size wise. Morning and evening seemed to be the best, and there were many types of insects hatching. Despite being there 3 days, I invested all of 1 hour wading the NE corner, casting dries, and landing 2 nice rainbows. Otherwise I went x-country hiking and lounged around taking pictures. The partial bummer this year was the crowds. Evidently Davis Lake, Wickiup and many other traditional summer time lakes in the Cascades are showing severe signs of drought, so speculation is that everyone is rushing to the spring fed East Lake and Paulina Lake, where my guess is the water level is down all of 6" (six inches). The East Lake campgrounds were the fullest I have seen them in 5 years, and the NE beaches in the evening had dozens of motor boats and float tubes beached on them. Which brings me to a warning. I was surfing another forum, and saw a very recent posting from someone who had a raft stolen at one of the Century Lakes Drive (e.g. Lava Lake, Craine Prairie, Davis Lake, a zillion other lakes) campgrounds. When the police officer arrived to take a report, this individual learned that there has been a rash of thefts from many campgrounds. The speculation is that there is a "gang" making early morning (4 am) rounds. Everyone in our club has felt so safe at many of the mostly fly-fishing only lakes that we have been leaving our tubes on the beach rather than haul them back to camp. Thomas Gilg
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing Flies » New Leader Concept Coming:
You’ve never heard of George Harvey ?!?? If you fish dries with a hand-built leader, you’re probably using a Harvey leader formula. He’s one of the giants of fly fishing. If you’ve never heard of him, perhaps you should get out more. — Rusty Hook Laramie, Wyoming
Here in central PA we have a high regard for George. I’m glad to hear he’s well thought of way out in Wyhoming, too. vince norris
Here in central PA we have a high regard for George. I’m glad to hear he’s well thought of way out in Wyhoming, too.
Who do Pennsylvanians hold in higher regard – Joe Humphreys or George Harvey?
Since I was just skimming ROFF, it took me a while to realize that the G man was actually recounting an interaction with someone else named "George" when he posted the snippets included below. (snip) Primo stuff, George! I always suspected you referred to yourself in the third person .
You’ve never heard of George Harvey ?!?? If you fish dries with a hand-built leader, you’re probably using a Harvey leader formula. He’s one of the giants of fly fishing. If you’ve never heard of him, perhaps you should get out more. — Rusty Hook Laramie, Wyoming
You’ve never heard of George Harvey ?!?? He’s one of the giants of fly fishing. If you’ve never heard of him, perhaps you should get out more.
‘Twas only intended as a riff on a momentary misread of a G.G. post, Rusty. But, hey, if you’re volunteering to get me out more often — especially to a happenin’ bar where the chicks are all ready to discuss George Harvey leader formulas for the price of a shot of Yukon Jack and a beer back – I’m on the next plane to Laramie, a copy of Leader Calc on a floppy diskette in my shirt pocket and Ernie Harrison’s Blood Knot Machine on a lanyard around my neck. We’ll slay ‘em Rusty…just slay ‘em! get me to a brewery, – sid
Tom? I only wish I could remember all the numbers and percentages he laid on me. He had a lot to say about it. I told Mr. G.H. I would understand it better seeing it in print. Again, like you said, Sir Harvey is a very interesting man. I’m interested in this new idea of his also. Mr.G. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – GG describing G Harvey: George’s eyesight is failing as the clinic screwed up one eye when removing a cataracts, so he has lost some depth perception and cannot tie flies for very long before the eye strain becomes singular vision. Despite this, and other ravages of age, the man still is one of the highlights of the annual flytying symposium here in the East. Truly, one of the greats of fly fishing and tying. I will be interested to see his new thinking on leaders, as I use his older formulae for my dry fly leaders(or a cheesy approximation of them). I am not sure that S-curves should flow continuously from line through leader, as it sets up too much slack. I think his original idea, which yields a lot of slack in the last 3 feet of the leader, works quite well. However, anything this man has to say will be of interest. Tom L
– (C) George Gehrke 2001 http://www.gink.com/shopcart/index.html fine bamboo flyrods & blanks
Brutes lives!
GG describing G Harvey: George’s eyesight is failing as the clinic screwed up one eye when removing a cataracts, so he has lost some depth perception and cannot tie flies for very long before the eye strain becomes singular vision.
Despite this, and other ravages of age, the man still is one of the highlights of the annual flytying symposium here in the East. Truly, one of the greats of fly fishing and tying. I will be interested to see his new thinking on leaders, as I use his older formulae for my dry fly leaders(or a cheesy approximation of them). I am not sure that S-curves should flow continuously from line through leader, as it sets up too much slack. I think his original idea, which yields a lot of slack in the last 3 feet of the leader, works quite well. However, anything this man has to say will be of interest. Tom L
Since I was just skimming ROFF, it took me a while to realize that the G man was actually recounting an interaction with someone else named "George" when he posted the snippets included below. Oddly enough, the whole passage reads more believably as the Ginkster’s perpetual internal dialogue momentarily externalized for the rest of us to wonder at. When read this way, the entire post takes on the slightly narcotic quality of a daily affirmation, repeated daily in the mirror, the better to weather the slings and arrows of outrageous roffians. Primo stuff, George! I always suspected you referred to yourself in the third person . – sid – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -"Imagine it!?" I told George, I just tied a complete Royal Wulff on a size #32 dry fly hook on a dare! He chuckled and said, we must fish together this year. "I’ll see you May or June, George." "I’ll save the room for you George. Can’t wait." "We can even tie flies together again," he offered. George’s eyesight is failing as the clinic screwed up one eye when removing a cataracts, so he has lost some depth perception and cannot tie flies for very long before the eye strain becomes singular vision. God, I love this man! He is so precious. George
According to George Harvey, he has developed a wonderful new formula and concept for finicky trout where one would need as much slack as possible to get a long drift without drag. George said he wrote an article on it that will be coming out soon in Flyfisherman’s Magazine. There is a new formula he uses along with soft mono and the butt section is made of three tapering pieces and the entire leader is made from soft nylon or mono so the entire leader can be made to respond to an S-cast which now includes the entire leader besides the fly line. Mr. Harvey called me this morning to discuss other matters, and he also owns a Bastard Bamboo which he will be using opening day next week in PA. Where he fishes, he reported that one of the large fish he has seen in the past died of natural causes. It was measured at 32.5 inches and weighted over 12 pounds besides being a LARGE Rainbow. A fish that, for any fly fisherman, would be a trophy of a life time. "Imagine it!?" I told George, I just tied a complete Royal Wulff on a size #32 dry fly hook on a dare! He chuckled and said, we must fish together this year. "I’ll see you May or June, George." "I’ll save the room for you George. Can’t wait." "We can even tie flies together again," he offered. George’s eyesight is failing as the clinic screwed up one eye when removing a cataracts, so he has lost some depth perception and cannot tie flies for very long before the eye strain becomes singular vision. God, I love this man! He is so precious. George — http://www.gink.com "the saga continues"
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing » Fun With Trout Guts
These trout can be very selective though, if they are rising to "Benson and Hedges", "Camels" may be useless, and indeed on occasion only a "John Player Special" will do the trick, reduced strength cigarettes have also been found wanting. Apparently the material used in the filter makes them float too low in the surface film, and even trout are not stupid enough to believe that soggy cigarette butts are emerging aquatics. Untipped cigarettes may often prove effective, although they tend to disintegrate rapidly. If you want a real lunker, then try throwing Havana stubs attached to a very long leader off a suitable bridge. TL MC — "In order to know what is possible one must constantly attempt the impossible" http://www.mikeconnor.de – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Trout guts are fun. Not to be Ted Nugent about it, or anything, but
You guys have missed it altogether. This fish are addicted!. They obviously can’t smoke underwater so they do the next best thing and inhale the butts. Imagine the high a lttle trout gets from the average sized butt? I really doing think somebody should be suing a tobacco company about this. After all, these fish could get really sick and if you eat them, you’re getting second hand smoke (or is that third?) Can anybody say, "Class action?" Peter
A few years ago, in April (it snowed that day) I caught a 3.5 lb Blagdon trout that a spherical glstening ball in its stomach. On unwrapping it I could just discern some gold and the words ‘can damage your health’. So it would seem. Gordon – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – These trout can be very selective though, if they are rising to "Benson and Hedges", "Camels" may be useless, and indeed on occasion only a "John Player Special" will do the trick, reduced strength cigarettes have also been found wanting. Apparently the material used in the filter makes them float too low in the surface film, and even trout are not stupid enough to believe that soggy cigarette butts are emerging aquatics. Untipped cigarettes may often prove effective, although they tend to disintegrate rapidly. If you want a real lunker, then try throwing Havana stubs attached to a very long leader off a suitable bridge. TL MC — "In order to know what is possible one must constantly attempt the impossible" http://www.mikeconnor.de Trout guts are fun. Not to be Ted Nugent about it, or anything, but
You guys have missed it altogether. This fish are addicted!. They obviously can’t smoke underwater so they do the next best thing and inhale the butts. Imagine the high a lttle trout gets from the average sized butt? I really doing think somebody should be suing a tobacco company about this. After all, these fish could get really sick and if you eat them, you’re getting second hand smoke (or is that third?) Can anybody say, "Class action?"
One of the more amusing urban legends I’ve heard lately was an explanation of why so many deer get run over on the highway. After eating cigarette butts that people fling from their car windows, they become addicted to the nicotine, and hang out along the highways looking for more; sooner or later, they get hit by a car. — Rusty Hook Laramie, Wyo Before you buy.
Trout guts are fun. Not to be Ted Nugent about it, or anything, but I’ve learned a lot from trout guts. For example, I’ve learned that trout eat many more terrestrials than I thought possible. I’ve learned that trout on some streams often eat ladybugs and that smallish red humpies are excellent imitators for ladybugs. Importantly, I’ve also learned that my wife has no real appreciation for the disassembly of trout guts on certain kitchen counters. Also, she doesn’t particularly care for my habit of bringing chunks’o bugs from trout stomachs to show her while she’s painting landscapes. Important lessons, one and all. Today’s lesson, however, was particularly instructive in light of the recent discussion hereabouts on how much and how fast your average trout learns. Now, I don’t keep all that many trout, but when I do, I definitely like to see what the heck they’ve been up to, dining-table wise. Occasionally, if the surroundings support it, I even keep a largish one. So, it was with particular interest that I cleaned an 18 incher tonight, eager to see on what such a large (and presumably, smarter than average) trout might be dining. Tiny tricos? Evanescent midges? Taco supremes? In addition to a couple ladybugs, the first two things out of this particular stomach were caddis larvae. Complete caddis larvae — casings and all. In this particular river, the casings average about 3/4 inch to an inch in length, cylindrical, made out of the usual caddis larva materials of gravel and small sticks. Probing further, the next item on our trutta post mortem appeared to be yet another caddis larva — same length, same diameter, same…waitasec. Most caddis larvae don’t rebound when you press on them. Most caddis larvae aren’t fibrous. Most caddis larvae don’t read "Benson & Hedges" on the side. Yup — it was a cigarette butt. In addition to mocking whatever pretensions I might have had about fishing on a "pristine" stream, this event also gave new credence to that episode in, "The River Why," where Gus concocts a fly made out of hot dog wrappers and cigarette butts to fool the wily old bass in the town pond (’scuse me if my memory isn’t totally clear on that passage…think I’m getting the gist of it nonethemenos). It also made me question the advisability of imagining too much intelligence on the part of your average trout brain. Maybe sometimes the answer is just to throw something big, ugly, and nicotine-stained out there and hope for the best. So, anyway, the long and short of it is that I’ve started smoking. Besides having heard good things about the habit in general, I also need a ready source for new inventions at the vise. Look for a gold-ribbed Camel’s butt at a fly swap near you soon . tight lines and full ashtrays, – sid
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing » South Dakota FISHING!!!!!!!!!!
Fly fishing is an art.
Fly fishing is an art.
Most definitely true!!!!! After all, anyone who can hook a fly has to be artful!!!! heh Paul
Fly fishing is an art.
It is what you make it, Not all anglers would I call artistic, when it comes to fly fishing, I have seen a few beginners who actually get me to laugh so hard, I am powerless to do anything but stand there, with tears in my eyes,,,,But when perfected, I couldent agree with you more, just aint no feeling in the world like it..
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Flyfishing » Who is this guy?
my only complaint is that he and his wife giggle like morons every
time they hook a fish. Can anybody shed any light on this?<<< Drives me into the trees as well ! Harry
my only complaint is that he and his wife giggle like morons every time they hook a fish. Can anybody shed any light on this?<<< Drives me into the trees as well ! Harry
Yea, I hate to complain about the only show dedicated to our beloved pastime, however, the giggling drives me NUTS and I can’t figure out why after so many guided trips they would not be able to come up with some places to go on thier own!!! ( Maybe cause the plug for thier own travel service is at the end of the show ) /Leave nothing but your footprints / / / / / O / |_/o | / |
I do not know these people but I ran into them on the Big Horn and they seemed like nice people trying to make a living from the kinds of people who buy videos about flyfishing (I guess in hopes they will become better flyfishers). I guess if you paid a lot of money for the video you have a right to bitch — otherwise it sounds just like jealousy to me.
Harry Yea, I hate to complain about the only show dedicated to our beloved pastime, however, the giggling drives me NUTS and I can’t figure out why after so many guided trips they would not be able to come up with some places to go on thier own!!! ( Maybe cause the plug for thier own travel service is at the end of the show ) Jay
Jay: I only recently noticed this thread. Is "this guy and his wife" by any chance Jim and Kelly Watt who produce a fishing show for ESPN? Ed —
OK, ok. I started all of this hoping to find out if this Watt was related to the rape and pillage Watt of the ’80’s interior dept. I’m sorry about the giggling remark, but it is a bit excessive, if perfectly sincere in appreciation for the exhilaration of hooking a fish on a fly. I believe the show is top notch (anything’s better than Bill Dance). If Jim and Kelly are in on this thread, I hereby invite them to a full day’s guided fly fishing for smallmouth bass on the beautiful upper Potomac near Harper’s Ferry, WVA–two custom whitewater fishing rafts, two guides, and lunch for the whole crew. Laugh all you want, and catch triple-digits of smallies.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I only recently noticed this thread. Is "this guy and his wife" by any chance Jim and Kelly Watt who produce a fishing show for ESPN? Yup, the same Giggle Twins…Say what you want, they make the sanctimonious blatherings of John Barrett in his Fly Fishing The World look good by comparison… Thank god for ESPN, VCRs, and the fast forward button – because I can’t see waking up early on a Saturday morning to listen to the flyfishing equivalent to Beavis and Butthead (hee! tee hee!…YUCK!) /dave <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< < Digital Equipment Corp. Alpha Server Engineering < < "Read this and nobody gets hurt ;^)" < <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Yeah…YEAH… and another thing… Fortunately I don’t get cable, but I’ve seen a couple of the Watt’s videos and can’t imagine how you guys don’t find it absolutely charmning when Kelly talks baby talk while fighting a tarpon. "Ooooh I tink I wost it". Give me a break. What these shows need are real people doing this fishing, people who haven’t shaved in a couple days, cussin and fartin’ in their waders. Yeah. Me for example. Yeah and Wayne too, they can send us off to all the great fishing locations. And we’ll have guests too : jc : "Well Wayne, looks like we’re ready to fish for barramundi here in Australia." wt : "Yes we are John, and here comes our special guest, Ingrid Newkirk!" etc. no laughing, no newage music, no tarponwear. jez fishun. jc
If Jim & Kelly can’t make it, I’d like to volunteer, and I’ll even giggle if it’s absolutely necessary. bob vorel
I only recently noticed this thread. Is "this guy and his wife" by any chance Jim and Kelly Watt who produce a fishing show for ESPN? Yup, the same Giggle Twins…Say what you want, they make the sanctimonious blatherings of John Barrett in his Fly Fishing The World look good by comparison… Thank god for ESPN, VCRs, and the fast forward button – because I can’t see waking up early on a Saturday morning to listen to the flyfishing equivalent to Beavis and Butthead (hee! tee hee!…YUCK!) /dave
YeeeeeeeeeeHaaaaaaaaaaa! Ride ‘em, Dave! — "Are the crows calling to me?" Asked Caw.
Good idea about turning down the sound. I have their videos in my shop, and they are good references if you are planning a trip to one of those destinations. However, listening to them for too long is akin to water torture. Dave
be critical of jim watt all you want…we’re all stuck at work on our computers and he’s out in the boat with kelly…fishing no less.
True Story !!. Harry
be critical of jim watt all you want…we’re all stuck at work on our computers and he’s out in the boat with kelly…fishing no less…
Fly Fishing Fisherman Wiki » Fly Fishing Flies » How it started
Where , praytell, is the Museum, as I would love to take a daytrip to it. Thanks
The American Museum of Fly Fishing P.O. Box 42 Manchester, Vermont 05254 USA Easy to find in the center of town, on the main road (Route 7?), at the corner of Seminary Avenue. Phone (802) 362-3300 for more info. There is currently an exhibition of paintings by T.A. Daly in the gallery; the exhibition alone should make the trip worthwhile. Woods Hole, MA USA
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The American Museum of Flyfishing, in Vermont, publishes "The American Flyfisher", a magazine devoted to the history of the sport. Where , praytell, is the Museum, as I would love to take a daytrip to it. Thanks The museum is right near the equinox hotel, on historic Rt something-or-other in Manchester (I think). Its on the road leading to Orvis Scott
Yeah it’s on route 7 in Manchester…as you head away from town it’s on the right just before you get to the Equinox. Paul DiConza NY Capital District Angler
The American Museum of Flyfishing, in Vermont, publishes "The American Flyfisher", a magazine devoted to the history of the sport. Where , praytell, is the Museum, as I would love to take a daytrip to it. Thanks
The museum is right near the equinox hotel, on historic Rt something-or-other in Manchester (I think). Its on the road leading to Orvis Scott
Perhaps a good book would put me in the right direction. Izaac Walton, The Complete Angler. (any edition)
The first edition didn’t contain John Cotton’s appendix on fishing with flies. That first happened in the second edition.
Perhaps a good book would put me in the right direction.
Izaac Walton, The Complete Angler. (any edition)
The American Museum of Flyfishing, in Vermont, publishes "The American Flyfisher", a magazine devoted to the history of the sport.
Where , praytell, is the Museum, as I would love to take a daytrip to it. Thanks
Does anyone know when and where the art of fly fishing began? If you could tell me I would appreciate it very much. A brief history would be great. Perhaps a good book would put me in the right direction. Thanks
Does anyone know when and where the art of fly fishing began? If you
There are several histories by Trench, Hills, etc. that usually cite a Roman Empire report by someone called Aelian about people fishing in Macedonia with red hackle flies. The sort of fly fishing we know dates from at least the 17th century (2nd edition of Izaak Walton’s book, with additions on fly fishing by Charles Cotton) and an older English manuscript gives a dozen fly patterns from an earlier century. Fly fishing appears to have been the first widely used method of fishing with an artificial lure, as distinct from live bait. Both bait and fly fishing depended much on the invention of suitable metal fish hooks. Some N.American Indians used bone or other non-metal hooks, with feathers or hair attached. — | Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Rd., Carlsbad | | Springs, Ont., Canada K0A 1K0; tel: (613) 822-0734 | | "What I’ve always liked about science is its independence from | | authority"–Ontario Science Centre (name on file) 10 July 1981 |
on the history of ff: The earliest record of ff in English is a The Treatise of Fishing with an Angle, attributed to Dame Juliana Berners (though by now she has been almost proven not to have written it). It was appended to The Book of Saint Albans, 1496. In 1557 (I think), Samuel Williams wrote a book in dialogue form, which gave Izaak Walton the idea and much material for his Complete Angler (1653) (there was no concept of plagiarism in those times). In the 1500’s, there were also books published in Spain (Tradico de Pesca, I believe), and in France, and these were efforts independent from those in the British Isles. Since then, there have been more books published on fishing in general and flyfishing in particular than on any other sport, at least 4000. The American Museum of Flyfishing, in Vermont, publishes "The American Flyfisher", a magazine devoted to the history of the sport. You get 4 issues of it a year when you become a member of the Museum. Kin