Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I will sponsor "Flies of the World" for the first fly tying information swap.  What I propose to offer is one fly tied of the following sets. 1.  your single most successful dry fly 2.  caddis, caddis, caddis all three stages. 3.  anything may fly from one nymph, dun, spinner, spent. 4.  your favorite terrestrial, INCLUDING dragon fly, crane, etc. 5.  your favorite stone fly dry and nymph 6.  parachute anything 7.  emergers, emergers, emergers diptera, caddis, etc. 8.  Fresh water Streamer.  Salt Water Streamer. 9.  Steelhead Fly 10. Salmon Fly Each fly will be photographed and if the tier can provide tying photos, all the better.  Each fly should have a photo of tier at vise.  Each fly should have a narration of how to tie it and also the why of it and how and when it is used.  The story is vital.  Latin terms are welcome and fly tying book references of pattern used also encouraged.  "I tied this fly up using Ernie Schwiebert’s book on "Nymphs" found on page # xxx. (for example) Those who are interested and who offer up their talents, will be entered into our companies "Flies of the World Wide Web Site" which is viewed all over the world.  I hope to make this a major factor in the world of fly fishing information over the Internet. This is an "Intellectual Swap" each tier becomes part of a major data base of fly tying information in an electronic book where I hope to keep you preserved for all time. The tying format outline will constructed so everyone uses the same quality steps from "Hook Size & Make" all the way through to finished product.  Each tier will have a full page display and lay out all their own for EACH FLY offered. We will reserve the right to edit and help the lay outs as much as possible so each tier is presented in the best light and as interesting as possible. The comments of our Flies of the World gets each month is remarkable and the interest on going.  We just need more of the same from serious fly tiers and fishermen just like you. Materials of all kinds are found in unusual places and sometimes it is helpful if a rare material’s source is divulged.  Synthetics are allowed for one major reason.  To make the first fly out of Polar Bear requires the death of a magnificent animal.  Yet, there are sources where old taxidermy mounts are salvaged and someone has a large piece they are willing to share, or better yet a synthetic that is used which safeguards Polar Bears from further hunting just to tie that first fly. It simply makes sense that synthetics be allowed and especially when some of them make it difficult to tell the difference between them and the real thing.  We are here to learn and we are here to contribute to a finer world of fly fishing through helping each other and wildlife in general as best we can. Anyhow, this will be Rofft’s place in the sun where dreams, reality, and the final product are shown and preserved for all mankind.  We want to know what you look like and we want your stories and thoughts.  It makes no difference if you can spell or not.  Its your enthusiasm that counts. The above layout of flies can be submitted one fly at a time but each tier should have a chance to include what is important at their pace for each fly takes thought and it is, as I’ve always said, "A contemplative man’s sport." I expect to reach "A Thousand & One" fly patterns in time.  I want YOU to be part of what fly fishing is about to you and hopefully that you will share a little of it with others.  I  hope some of you like this idea, can use it to promote quality concepts and who are willing to donate a little of your time to help others . . . all over the world. This generation of Roffian Tiers needs to be preserved for the future. I want you to be part of it.  I bar no man of sport. — George Gehrke Mr. Gink  

Question:

Thank you Azure. I hope you are well, spike – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Noen; You are welcome. A) I’m scared of Alan. B) He is nice to the new ppl like you. C) He is nice to the ca girls. D) Or It’s because he has been here about 3 years longer that you. I have seen extraordinary acts of kindness from him, and has earned certain rights, that as a boundary i don’t allow all ppl to have. In short he is pretty fly for a white guy. He has that punk ethos happening, i respect that. With love, spike But really the number one reason, is the way he flames ppl that ask stupid questions or when a new person thinks they have things all figured out, and they get a post from Alan. (uproarious giggles) Spike, you have a hilarious way of hitting the nail right on the head. azure drop ‘trou’ to reply — For more information about this posting service, contact: If you want an anonymous account, visit our sign-up page: http://asarian-host.org/emailform.html

Response:

Hi Colin; Yikes beats me. Maybe your news reader doesn’t like doing it. For some reason, it doesn’t work with the new icq proper either. Try it with a word app, like notepad, if it does, it’s that agent warez, you are using. It’s the right-hand number pad you are using right? I’m good, thank you, it’s nice you are back. How is life? You are building now? Roofing and framing? Hey if you need a garage door(s) i’ll tell you how it get it very cheap, and if the fishing is as good as i hear, in that area, i’ll hang it for free. Are your finger nails that pretty purple color, framers always have? Take care and use a level and square, spike – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – 0233=

Question:

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

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

Response:

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

Response:

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

Response:

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

Response:

Question:

Looking for sources of info and owner feedback on any aircraft along the lines of the Cessna 180; i.e., taildragger (not necessary, but an option if it is less expensive), good useful load, reasonable speed, 4-6 passenger, simple (no retracts, CS prop OK), IFR.  Usage would be flights from Minneapolis/St.Paul area to northern Minnesota and Canada, with occasional flights out west (Montana, Wyoming), Michigan, Arkansas, and the Carolinas.  Possible flight into grass and dirt strips.  Need good useful load because very few of my fishing buddies are under 200 lbs. each, and I want to fill as many seats plus gear as possible. Keith Miesel Other similar aircraft along these lines would be considered.  I’m just trying to identify my options.

Response:

For carrying a planeload of 200-pounders, plus fishing gear (and I know how that can add up!), you may be looking for a Cessna 206. Great load carrying, plus a big door. The Cessna 180, while it will physically carry a big load, is (at least in the early years) not legal with big loads.  Check gross weight and useful load figures.  Aviation Consumer’s big, two-volume book set of airplane reports (can’t remember the name, and it’s at home) is worth every penny. Great detail on all the popular GA planes. — Tom Gresham, host http://www.guntalk.com (for Gun Talk Radio Show)

Response:

A Cessna 185 will actually outlift a 206 on poundage, but the big door on the 206 makes for easier loading of gear.  My rule is, if you are carrying fannys, use a 185, if cargo, use a 206.  Rough fields also favor the 185. BTW, look at Kenmore Air Harbor’s STC for the 180…they have a 250 pound GW increase weight kit and  40 HP enhancement kit.  They call it a "Super 180". For carrying a planeload of 200-pounders, plus fishing gear (and I know how that can add up!), you may be looking for a Cessna 206. Great load carrying, plus a big door. The Cessna 180, while it will physically carry a big load, is (at least in the early years) not legal with big loads.  Check gross weight and useful load figures.  Aviation Consumer’s big, two-volume book set of airplane reports (can’t remember the name, and it’s at home) is worth every penny. Great detail on all the popular GA planes. — Tom Gresham, host http://www.guntalk.com (for Gun Talk Radio Show)

– Walt Johnson Lockheed Martin Federal Systems                Software Cost Engineering Owego, New York 13827                                VOICE(607-751-2158)

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Response:

Looking for sources of info and owner feedback on any aircraft along the lines of the Cessna 180; i.e., taildragger (not necessary, but an option if it is less expensive), good useful load, reasonable speed, 4-6 passenger, simple (no retracts, CS prop OK), IFR.  Usage would be flights from Minneapolis/St.Paul area to northern Minnesota and Canada, with occasional flights out west (Montana, Wyoming), Michigan, Arkansas, and the Carolinas.  Possible flight into grass and dirt strips.  Need good useful load because very few of my fishing buddies are under 200 lbs. each, and I want to fill as many seats plus gear as possible.

If you are serious about the 4-6 passengers in the 200+ lb category plus fishing gear, plus normal baggage then you are out of the 180/185/206 class of airplane. That kind of requirement is only going to be met by something like a Beaver or an AN-2! BTW the price range of the 180 is $60-85K, the 185 is $75-95K and the 206 will run you from $80-110K. A good Beaver will set you back $175K and the AN2 while cheap to buy is REAL expensive to operate, (in the 40GPH range + a lot of oil & maint). Then you have the problem with certification, insurance etc. Are you sure you want to do this? If you can pare your seat requirement down to a max of three passengers and you, then the 180 with little baggage or a 185 with a little more or a 206 with 5 seats and almost no baggage or fuel might get you by. Or….with a 180/185 or get everyone to a nearby spot on a commercial flight and ferry them over to the fishing hole in two or three loads. Or better yet….get a floatplane and have everyone fly to someplace close and take them to a REALLY good fishing hole! R Wood in Alaska

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Question:

Offering guided trips to some of the best tailwater rivers in the east. 16 years flyfishing experience.  Float (16′ Clackacraft) or wade trips (private access) available.  Reservations available July 28-Aug.3.  E-mail for rates to: Tight Lines and Screaming Reels Southern Style!  

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Question:

I would like to know if anyone out there has a good recipie for Bass leaders (as well as other leaders)  I have tied my own for a long time but never really put much thought into it.  I would appreciate any advice. Thanks ahead for the info. Eddie

Response:

Dear Ed: We would need to know a few more things.  What size flies or poppers are you talking about such as hook size?  Are talking about fly fishing for bass?  What weight fly line are you using? Mr. Gink – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would like to know if anyone out there has a good recipie for Bass leaders (as well as other leaders)  I have tied my own for a long time but never really put much thought into it.  I would appreciate any advice. Thanks ahead for the info. Eddie

Response:

Question:

When I hunt I do not wear camo. I do not use scent-b-gon washes for my clothes. I do not spray doe estrus everywhere, or play taped hen turkey calls on a portable deck. I DO, however, use a double-barreled shotgun which was manufactured in 1990, modern magnum loads, and electric socks.

Forgive my ignorance, but what are electric socks? Michael Smith

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Which begs a question of all who have been involved in the ’strike indicator’ controversy: What is it about fly fishing that appeals most to you? Those who relish the streamside strategy, the endless presentations into pools you just KNOW are full of trout, a cold cheese sandwich and a smoke for lunch amid the splendor of our natural settings…those are the ones I feel more akin to, and for whose sportsmen’s ethos I have the utmost respect. However, for those who consider a day without an entry into the log book of either a catch or a kill a wasted day, you are the ones who are, in my opinion, missing the point. You might as well be using dynamite on the fish and bazookas on deer. So, if I am mistaken in wanting to change the focus of this debate from hardware, then flame me at will. However, if in truth the true debate is found in the ethos of the sportsman, consider yourself well and weigh in with your position. W.E.S. Harman Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia "L’ecrivain original n’est pas celui qui n’imite personne, mais celui que personne ne peut imiter." (The original writer is not he who refrains from imitating others, but he who can be imitated by none.) – Francois-Rene De Chateaubriand,  "Genie du Christianisme"

I’m sorry, but the issue should be not what technology is used, but rather the attitude and the intend with which it is employed.  The purist takes issue with the uninitiated to avoid having to share, as by sharing, in his mind, he is reduced. Peter

Response:

When I hunt I do not wear camo. I do not use scent-b-gon washes for my clothes. I do not spray doe estrus everywhere, or play taped hen turkey calls on a portable deck. I DO, however, use a double-barreled shotgun which was manufactured in 1990, modern magnum loads, and electric socks. Forgive my ignorance, but what are electric socks? Michael Smith

You don’t want to know unless your sure your waders don’t leak. Mike

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -As an all-around outdoor sports kind of guy, I find myself in the company of hunters and fishermen quite a bit. I consider myself something of a traditionalist, largely due only to the fact that I find that technology often has the effect of taking the sport out of being a sportsman. When I hunt I do not wear camo. I do not use scent-b-gon washes for my clothes. I do not spray doe estrus everywhere, or play taped hen turkey calls on a portable deck. I DO, however, use a double-barreled shotgun which was manufactured in 1990, modern magnum loads, and electric socks. With fishing it is largely the same. I do not use strike indicators, ’stink baits’ or other fly-modifications, or barbed hooks. I DO use a graphite rod, DuPont line, and nylon leaders. The point of all of this is that, at a certain point, technology can and does take the sport out of being a sportsman. I use modern equipment because it is safer and more reliable than antiques. This I find easy to defend. However, the modifications, concoctions, and natural subterfuges which technological advancement makes available to us, I believe allows the worst of us to compensate for our lack of knowledge and patience, placing more importance on the kill than the hunt (or the landing over the actual fishing). Which begs a question of all who have been involved in the ’strike indicator’ controversy: What is it about fly fishing that appeals most to you? Those who relish the streamside strategy, the endless presentations into pools you just KNOW are full of trout, a cold cheese sandwich and a smoke for lunch amid the splendor of our natural settings…those are the ones I feel more akin to, and for whose sportsmen’s ethos I have the utmost respect. However, for those who consider a day without an entry into the log book of either a catch or a kill a wasted day, you are the ones who are, in my opinion, missing the point. You might as well be using dynamite on the fish and bazookas on deer. So, if I am mistaken in wanting to change the focus of this debate from hardware, then flame me at will. However, if in truth the true debate is found in the ethos of the sportsman, consider yourself well and weigh in with your position. W.E.S. Harman Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia "L’ecrivain original n’est pas celui qui n’imite personne, mais celui que personne ne peut imiter." (The original writer is not he who refrains from imitating others, but he who can be imitated by none.) – Francois-Rene De Chateaubriand,  "Genie du Christianisme"

A fine question. I fish for a variety of reasons. The strongest is that I love the sea, I go there summer and winter with or without a rod, but fishing is what turns voyeurism into an actual connection for me. That connection can be made with a 12′ surf rod, or a dropline even, but I use a fly rod. I enjoy the uncertainty of fly fishing. When I began my friends all used spinning gear, and would probably catch 20 cod before I would catch anything on the fly. But once I’d catch something they would say "I can’t believe you actually caught something on that rod." This gave me a sense of accomplishment, a feeling of overcoming an obstacle. I like that. With my surf rod I can go out and spray casts all over the place and cover a tremendous amount of water, and I will catch a fish more often than not. With my fly rod I can only fish water within 100′ of me. Sometimes this water doesn’t look like it can hold anything, and when it does it is a happy surprise. It’s this surprise I like best in fishing, and the more I tip the odds in my favor the less of a surprise it is when I catch a fish. So for me technology diminishes the joy I find in fishing. That’s why when I’m in my boat I try never to look at the fishfinder. I look at the water depth so I can find changes, then turn it off. I think the purpose of many of the technological advances in sport are marketing driven. Make something difficult easier and you get more appeal to the masses. If it took 100 hours for every fish we caught, many would not fish, so for the industry it’s good business to make the sport easier. People who are new to the sport will not notice the difference, and will probably get as much enjoyment from it as I do. I would not enjoy using their methods, and they probably would not enjoy mine, and I think that’s OK. All this makes me think back to a bumper sticker I had in the 70s that said "Short Skiis Suck". In order to make skiing easier and more widely appealing, manufacturers put out these short, easy to skid turn skiis. All of a sudden any bozo could survive a difficult run. Those of us who were still on 205s, 210s etc. didn’t care for this, and didn’t care for the difference it made in the shape of a mogul; gnarly choppy bumps instead of smooth, rounded bumps. When I think of this it seems to me that in any sport major technology shifts will be despised by those who got there without them, while the newer people will wonder what’s the big deal. That most of what I like is the traditional and most of what I don’t like is technological just tells me that I’m getting on in years :-                                                 jc

Response:

Michael: Electric socks keep ones feet warm while hunting in sub-zero temperatures. Well, they’d keep them warm at any time, but are especially useful when hunting in seriously cold weather. Might I add they are also useful for wearing under waders when you’re going to be in super-cold water. W.E.S. Harman Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia "L’ecrivain original n’est pas celui qui n’imite personne, mais celui que personne ne peut imiter." (The original writer is not he who refrains from imitating others, but he who can be imitated by none.) – Francois-Rene De Chateaubriand,   "Genie du Christianisme" – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When I hunt I do not wear camo. I do not use scent-b-gon washes for my clothes. I do not spray doe estrus everywhere, or play taped hen turkey calls on a portable deck. I DO, however, use a double-barreled shotgun which was manufactured in 1990, modern magnum loads, and electric socks. Forgive my ignorance, but what are electric socks? Michael Smith

Response:

Forgive my ignorance, but what are electric socks? Michael Smith

Look at them as part of your outdoor potty training. They teach you to pee far from you standing position, and not to dribble. 8^) Bruce….

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – …snip… The point of all of this is that, at a certain point, technology can and does take the sport out of being a sportsman. I use modern equipment because it is safer and more reliable than antiques. This I find easy to defend. However, the modifications, concoctions, and natural subterfuges which technological advancement makes available to us, I believe allows the worst of us to compensate for our lack of knowledge and patience, placing more importance on the kill than the hunt (or the landing over the actual fishing). Which begs a question of all who have been involved in the ’strike indicator’ controversy: What is it about fly fishing that appeals most to you? Those who relish the streamside strategy, the endless presentations into pools you just KNOW are full of trout, a cold cheese sandwich and a smoke for lunch amid the splendor of our natural settings…those are the ones I feel more akin to, and for whose sportsmen’s ethos I have the utmost respect. However, for those who consider a day without an entry into the log book of either a catch or a kill a wasted day, you are the ones who are, in my opinion, missing the point. You might as well be using dynamite on the fish and bazookas on deer.

This is in the same vein as my post from last week on "What is flyfishing to You: Was…". Its something that takes some meditation to answer with the convictions of truth. Your ruminations focusing on technology are well meant but the more I consider it the more I think they are perhaps misplaced. The reason is that what you describe relishing is the challenge of succeeding in a "fair chase" endeavor. This is not merely the harvesting (or R’ing) of the game but is the overcoming of obstacles barring your way to that success. Thus, for an accomplished sportsman excess technological "advantages" take the challenge and fun out of the endeavor. For those of lesser prowess, these technological advantages put them into the game closer to the same challenge level as the more accomplished individuals and can therefore experience similar joys when they succeed occasionally. As sporting prowess increases, the sportsman will often shift the balance in the "fair chase" equation back to a level that gives more challenge, thus voluntarily negating to some extent their increased skill level. This is often accomplished by going to more traditional and less technological methods (witness the resurgence of popularity in long bow archery for hunting to replace compound bows) or by setting and only seeking greater challenges for themselves (trophy bucks only, traveling to impenetrable areas to fish, targeting very selective trout, etc, etc). In the end, it is all relative to the individual. A sportsman, as I see it, certainly wants some success but not necessarily too much so that a challenge remains to be met. Where an individual falls on this scale can be shifted through technological innovation. It may be true to some extent that the ultimate purist has the least success in their sport (in terms of numbers). When I consider what flyfishing is to me I can roll over a litany of single experiences in my mind but none of them suffice as individual justifications to flyfish (or bowhunt, which falls in the same aesthetic category for me). When I look back at memories of flyfishing the conclusion that I have come to is that these endeavors are the closest thing to a striving for perfection that I may ever experience. What are the true memories at the end of a season? It is not the nice day catching many fish, one after another. It is not the various places gone, people seen, sunsets, bugs, gear, or water. These are part of the collage of experience that you can lovingly thumb through upon reflection but not the core. The core memories are the fleeting moments when the striving for perfection has been nearly achieved, the proper selection of gear for a promising spot never before considered or never properly fished before. A new insight and the laying in of the right fly on a lightly presented cast- just right. A sipping rise and a good fish on, well played and now in hand and for a moment in time everything has stopped and the universe has altered its course to revolve around that fleeting instant where judgement and skill (and perhaps some luck) have combined to meet the challenge that has been set. It may be the only fish of the day but it will be remembered long after the season ends and many more fish have been taken with less grace and spirit. So there flows the river Why. Jon (Am in total agreement on the "gotta get my game (fill in species here)" to have fun attitude described previously)

Response:

As an all-around outdoor sports kind of guy, I find myself in the company of hunters and fishermen quite a bit. I consider myself something of a traditionalist, largely due only to the fact that I find that technology often has the effect of taking the sport out of being a sportsman. When I hunt I do not wear camo. I do not use scent-b-gon washes for my clothes. I do not spray doe estrus everywhere, or play taped hen turkey calls on a portable deck. I DO, however, use a double-barreled shotgun which was manufactured in 1990, modern magnum loads, and electric socks. With fishing it is largely the same. I do not use strike indicators, ’stink baits’ or other fly-modifications, or barbed hooks. I DO use a graphite rod, DuPont line, and nylon leaders. The point of all of this is that, at a certain point, technology can and does take the sport out of being a sportsman. I use modern equipment because it is safer and more reliable than antiques. This I find easy to defend. However, the modifications, concoctions, and natural subterfuges which technological advancement makes available to us, I believe allows the worst of us to compensate for our lack of knowledge and patience, placing more importance on the kill than the hunt (or the landing over the actual fishing). Which begs a question of all who have been involved in the ’strike indicator’ controversy: What is it about fly fishing that appeals most to you? Those who relish the streamside strategy, the endless presentations into pools you just KNOW are full of trout, a cold cheese sandwich and a smoke for lunch amid the splendor of our natural settings…those are the ones I feel more akin to, and for whose sportsmen’s ethos I have the utmost respect. However, for those who consider a day without an entry into the log book of either a catch or a kill a wasted day, you are the ones who are, in my opinion, missing the point. You might as well be using dynamite on the fish and bazookas on deer. So, if I am mistaken in wanting to change the focus of this debate from hardware, then flame me at will. However, if in truth the true debate is found in the ethos of the sportsman, consider yourself well and weigh in with your position. W.E.S. Harman Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, Virginia "L’ecrivain original n’est pas celui qui n’imite personne, mais celui que personne ne peut imiter." (The original writer is not he who refrains from imitating others, but he who can be imitated by none.) – Francois-Rene De Chateaubriand,   "Genie du Christianisme"

Response:

Question:

I am planning a flyfishing trip to the Bighorn River in the Fort Smith area in September. I have been told by a friend that the river is usually overloaded with boats and fishermen during the summer and early fall resulting in unproductive and tough fishing conditions on this stretch of the river. Is this true? Would appreciate any information on this matter. Thanks

Response:

I am planning a flyfishing trip to the Bighorn River in the Fort Smith area in September. I have been told by a friend that the river is usually overloaded with boats and fishermen during the summer and early fall

quite true. resulting in unproductive and tough fishing conditions on this stretch of the river.

quite false.  The fishing is somewhat technical.  You have to match the hatches, but the local fly shops can tell you what’s going on, and I wouldn’t call the fishing "unproductive."  The main thing that’s "tough" about it is competing with hundreds of other anglers for the good holes. — -Wayne Trzyna

Response:

Question:

May be ordered from Blu Ribbon Flies in W. Yellowstone.                         Mike in PDX                "When the trout are lost, smash the state."                                            Tom McGuane

Response:

You can find it here and there. Check with Donegals and Castle Arms. Also, Hunters sells some silk floss. I use guderbrod’s (sp) silk. It’s inexpesive ($2-2.5 per spool) and does the job just fine. Charles (Chuck) Abbott      The MITRE Corporation "There is not a single blackfly in the Adirondacks. All are married and have large families." Henry Wells

Response:

Dave Hughes mentions this as the best body material for soft hackles.  Does anyone know a mail order source for this rare stuff?

National Feather-Craft in St. Louis carries the silk in a variety of colors and is a large mail order house so it is easy to have them ship to you. For soft hackle flies you most likely want the silk thread (Gosmer) as opposed to the silk floss (stout). You can reach National Feather-Craft at 800-659-1707.

Response:

 I’m trying to tie size 20-26 midge drys. I can’t find hackle any smaller than 20 on even the most primium grade necks. I am now using darlone and other synthetic materials. What does everyone else use? Also I’d like help in how to tie the synthetics to look like a palmered hackle. I always get something that looks like an elk caddis and not a hackle that goes completely around the fly.

I have the same problem.  I have heard that using half a "normal" hackle in a dubbing loop has the right effect in that it alows you to choose the hackle length, but to date I haven’t tried it.  I can see it being tough to get all the hackle fibres to lie in the same direction doing this however. If you try it, let me know how you get on Russ ps have you tried Darrel Martin’s "Micropatterns" book for ideas ?

Response:

Hoffman. Although, I understand your dilema. It’s ver difficult to size hackle on these small ones.

Response:

Hey, if there is anyone out there who loves to fly fish and has the time to chat a little bit with me about fly fishing, PLEASE send me an E-mail. I am senior at the University of Oregon who started to fly fish last Spring. Fly fishing in my number one priority in life right now and I want to be out there in the rivers as much as I can when the season starts. I really don’t know that many people that fly fish around here so it is kind of frustrating not to have anyone to talk with about flies, rods, fish etc. Thanks, Marcelo

Response:

 I’m trying to tie size 20-26 midge drys. I can’t find hackle any smaller than 20 on even the most primium grade necks. I am now using darlone and other synthetic materials. What does everyone else use? Also I’d like help in how to tie the synthetics to look like a palmered hackle. I always get something that looks like an elk caddis and not a hackle that goes completely around the fly.

Response:

Also I’d like help in how to tie the synthetics to look like a palmered hackle. I always get something that looks like an elk caddis and not a hackle that goes completely around the fly.

You could try a dubbing loop, but on a size 26 fly, that might not be practical. Try ostrich herl. Have you tried CDC? Bob Petti Endwell, NY

Response:

Dave Hughes talks a lot about using Pearsall’s Gossamer silk thread for tying wets, especially soft hackles.  Does anyone know a mail order source for this stuff? — Jim Benenson                 Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA "To protect your rivers, protect your mountains"       Emperor Yu of China, circa 1600 B.C.

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Actually it has nothing to do with fishing…it refers to the thin thread of sanity that kept Jim Pearsall attached to this earth.

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Are you *sure* this was about fishing!!! Oliver Inverness-shire;  Scotland "Lead me not into temptation – I can do it myself"

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Before anyone gets crazy, this has nothing to do with bestiality.  My buddy has heard stories (yeah, right, another one of those "my friend" stories) of seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth? Tickling or "guddling" trout is ancient in England, described in many books. — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

Yup did it myself as a boy, ok only on small streams where you c can reach underneath the bank, slowly move your fingers along untiil you make contact, gently tickle the trout away from the bank and then flip it out of the water. I prefer fly fishing nowardays Regads

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I have tickled trout..It works. also works with goldfish (at least the ones in my pond) regards Kyfho2

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Before anyone gets crazy, this has nothing to do with bestiality.  My buddy has heard stories (yeah, right, another one of those "my friend" stories) of seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth? Brent

Not only can you tickle the bellies of trout, *that* is how you fish with hands only. As a boy, all my relatives would rendezvous on my         grandfather’s ranch during the haying season each August. It was known as "The Box Bar Ranch," and it stretched along Spring Creek, twelve miles outside of Saratoga, Wyoming. The day we began work in the fields along Spring Creek, during our break for lunch my uncles would place a couple of us in the water upstream, and a couple downstream.  The rest of us would then walk into the middle of the stream.  The trout would quickly retreat to the sides where the stream had cut deeply underneath the sod. Slowly, we would approach the banks, submerging our hands beneath the overhanging sod and placing them under the trout.  We could then gently rub the bellies of the fish. When we felt sure of our hand placement, SNAP!, with a quick flick of the wrist the trout would be airborne, heading for a soft landing in the mowed hay lying along the banks of the stream.   *Catch and eat* was the order of the day on the Box Bar Ranch, along Spring Creek, Saratoga, Wyoming, in the early sixties. Ed Hunsaker Mgr., Henry’s Fork Lodge 1994, 1995 —

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Not a good idea trying the above where mink are endemic !!! Muskrats can also cause pucker.  This happened to a friend back in

high school.  I’d never seen the whites of anyone’s eyes get so large.

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We used to do this as kids in the rivers in the Scottish/ English Borders: 1.  stand in a river in wellies but up to your knees in freezing water.  (it’s best to wear shorts so you don’t have to explain to geriatric parents.  2.  Fell gently under big stones or banks ’til you find a fish.  3.  VERY gently tickle it’s tummy until you can grab it.   THATS the theory!  Usually, you miss the grab, fall in and freeze for hours going home when (final indignity) you get a row.  Good fun though!! David Malone knows how. Oliver Inverness-shire;  Scotland "Lead me not into temptation – I can do it myself"

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seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth? Brent True. Easy to do if you know of an overhanging bank on a stream where you can reach under *SLOWLY* and very gently stroke the fish with your fingers and very slowly move your hand till you think you have the fishes centre of gravity in your palm and SCOOP the fish out. You cannot grab hold of it.

Reminds of the stories my dad told me ("Tall Tales of Oklahoma") about guys who’d haul big spawning catfish out of the mud.   A big flathead or blue cat would get the best of them sometimes (or so the stories go) and they’d never be heard from again…

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Before anyone gets crazy, this has nothing to do with bestiality.  My buddy has heard stories (yeah, right, another one of those "my friend" stories) of seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth? Brent

True, I’ve done it often years ago here in holland… (it’s here an illegal way of fishing)

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There was an english TV-series as well, where the method was shown. Seemed to work fine I don’t remember the original name of the series, but it was called in Finland ‘See you later, honey’ BR, Eki

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Before anyone gets crazy, this has nothing to do with bestiality.  My buddy has heard stories (yeah, right, another one of those "my friend" stories) of seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth? Brent

It’s perfectly true, but I’ve been told it only works on male trout. And how do you determine if it is a male? By giving it a couple of test tickles.

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Suggested reading on the subject is the Curtis Creek Manifesto by Sheridan Anderson.  He spends an illustrated page on the subject. Jim, Nevada Jim’s Outdoor Sports, Elko, Nevada

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I like the "test tickles" joke. Made me laugh. But no-one seems to be taking this seriously. Tickling trout does work. Although it’s not compatible with catch-and-release. You tickle trout (usually in small mountain streams) when you are hungry. Trout usually hide underneath something when they get scared. A hollow space underneath a rock can harbor a half a dozen tightly packed fish. All squashed together. Reach in there with your hand and tickle one along its side and underbelly, just like you were another fish jamming youreself in there–just long enough to figure out where the head and gills are. Then pinch real hard right at the back of the gills, and then head for the campfire. —  Sandy Pittendrigh          –O0       (406) 585-6600-5276

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The reason this works is that the trout thinks you are is making sexual advances. Ernie Harrison

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I made a trout laugh once. I threatened to catch it!

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True – works with ‘ladies’ too Oliver Inverness-shire;  Scotland "Lead me not into temptation – I can do it myself"

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Before anyone gets crazy, this has nothing to do with bestiality.  My buddy has heard stories (yeah, right, another one of those "my friend" stories) of seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth? Brent

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Tickling or "guddling" trout is ancient in England, described in many books.

… and it can still be practiced today.  While studying Arctic grayling in a river in northern Alaska, a fisheries biologist whom I know saw an unusual sight – a lake trout, which had evidently swum up into the river from a large lake downstream.  The fish was holding tight against the bank, and in order to confirm that it was indeed a lake trout, the biologist "tickled" it and lifted it out of the water. Woods Hole, MA   USA

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 seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth? Brent

True. Easy to do if you know of an overhanging bank on a stream where you can reach under *SLOWLY* and very gently stroke the fish with your fingers and very slowly move your hand till you think you have the fishes centre of gravity in your palm and SCOOP the fish out. You cannot grab hold of it. Not a good idea trying the above where mink are endemic !!! Pete Marrow work: http://ui.nmh.ac.uk/gsrg.html play: http://www.gorp.com/gorp/activity/scottish_ff_faq.htm

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True. Easy to do if you know of an overhanging bank on a stream where you can reach under *SLOWLY* and very gently stroke the fish with your fingers and very

The other benefit of this technique is that the fish will magically grow larger as this is performmed Tim Walker

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Before anyone gets crazy, this has nothing to do with bestiality.  My buddy has heard stories (yeah, right, another one of those "my friend" stories) of seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth?

Tickling or "guddling" trout is ancient in England, described in many books. — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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The book that comes to mind is "How Green Was My Valley" about a coal mining family in wales (also made into an academy award winning movie, but I don’t think the movie talks about tickling trout).   Matt Carey

: Before anyone gets crazy, this has nothing to do with bestiality.  My : buddy has heard stories (yeah, right, another one of those "my friend" : stories) of seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up : on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth? : Tickling or "guddling" trout is ancient in England, described in many books. : — : |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | : |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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Before anyone gets crazy, this has nothing to do with bestiality.  My buddy has heard stories (yeah, right, another one of those "my friend" stories) of seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth?

 Getting close enough to New Zealand Brown trout to tickle their bellies.. I think you want to post this on R.O.F.F. Fantasies…Tickle thier bellies…I think your friend is doing more than tickling your belly..

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Before anyone gets crazy, this has nothing to do with bestiality.  My buddy has heard stories (yeah, right, another one of those "my friend" stories) of seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth? Tickling or "guddling" trout is ancient in England, described in many books.

It’s usually done where ther are undercut banks and the trout may be reached by shore.  It can be described much better in some survival books such as, "The S.A.S. Survival Handbook". Steve —

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Before anyone gets crazy, this has nothing to do with bestiality.  My buddy has heard stories (yeah, right, another one of those "my friend" stories) of seducing brown trout in New Zealand by stealthily sneaking up on them and immobilizing them by stroking their bellies.  True or myth?

Brent, this brings back some old memories. Yes, ‘tickling trout’ is possible and something I’ve done many times as a lad in England. Most of the good trout waters were posted/private and we needed a way to catch fish without a rod. If we didn’t have a pole, we couldn’t possibly be poaching.   We would stand motionless in the water (I remember one favourite place was the river Mole just down from Box Hill) until the trout returned to their feeding stations. People that don’t move didn’t bother them at all. Then we would stretch our hands out about a foot or so (slowly) under a trout and ‘flutter’ our fingers while gradually lifting them and getting closer to the trout’s belly. The action appeared to lull them to sleep and we’d eventually end up with our hands actually touching the fish. Then we just lifted them out of the water and into the bag. Seems to work with most species of trout although ours were mostly speckles. Just for the record – I tried this with pike and it didn’t have the same effect although I did manage to catch pike with my bare hands. My fishing techniques have become somewhat more sophisticated since. David E. Malone All opinions expressed are my own.

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