Question:

Here’s a few shots of the river. http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-1.jpg http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-2.jpg http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-3.jpg

Nice shrubbery!

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Here’s a few shots of the river. http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-1.jpg http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-2.jpg http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-3.jpg Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Very pretty.  There are a couple of stretches like that that I’ve fished, but this looks as if the whole river might be open and mellow. — rbc:  vixen    Fairly harmless remove invalid or hit reply to email. Though I’m very slow to respond. http://www.visi.com/~cyli

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Here’s a few shots of the river. http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-1.jpg http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-2.jpg http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-3.jpg

Looks like easy wading at least…

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Very pretty.  There are a couple of stretches like that that I’ve fished, but this looks as if the whole river might be open and mellow.

that is a good description of it but the flow rate is down quite a bit.  I figure it’s about 6" to 12" below normal levels so the big fish bunch up in a few holes, making them easy pickings for the bucket brigade.  These long glides look like perfect trout water, even the temps are not bad, yet I’ve not encountered a single young steelhead. The shallows contain the most amazing amount and variety of minnow life, I’ve ever seen.  What is really encouraging, among them are hordes of young smallies.  This river has neat "hatches" – minnows jumping out of the water all over the place, fleeing the omnipresent smallie. BTW, went out yesterday and fished some of the same water.  I didn’t do nearly as well as though I did lose a clouser to a thumping smash from a northern.  It’s fall fair time and they have helicopter rides. Guess who was the star attraction on the River Nith?  "Look folks! There’s a guy fly fishing.  Let’s take a closer look and see if he’s catching anything."  After somewhere between 30 and 40 passes, what I wouldn’t have done for an AK-47.  A chopper thumping up the river valley doesn’t do much for the catch rate.  On one pass, he dropped down below the height of the riverside trees, coming straight at me. He would’ve looked real good in a ring sight.  Oh, and there was plenty of fresh worm sign too.  No wonder things were a little slower than Friday. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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Here’s a few shots of the river. http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-1.jpg http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-2.jpg http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/nith-3.jpg Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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40 min from the house…?…nice spot…

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The Nith River was a real treat.  Thanks to low water and other abuses, a lot of the rivers around here don’t look so good but the Nith shows every sign of being very healthy.  The alewives were all fat and spunky, literally hundreds of them in every shallow riffle, and the smallies!  Each deep pool had an ordering of smallies. the little baby ones were scampering about the shallows, their older siblings hung along the edges of the pools while the big old buggers camped out in the deep middle.  A fly drawn in close would have a trail of ten or more little guys all taking turns nipping the tail. I’m used to seeing a smallie here and there, I can’t remember literally seeing dozens and dozens in one small area.  I was also pleased to see the obvious health of all of the age classes – there didn’t appear to be gaps – seeing 3" fish and catching everything from 6" to 14" plus hooking even larger.  All of this only a 100 yards from the access point.  If the GRCA website can be believed, it also has some browns and now I’m damn sure that I had a very large brown on yesterday.  I had it on for over a minute though I didn’t get it close enough to see it, the fish fought so different from the other large smallies it had to be a large trout.  The river also has pike and walleye but the take wasn’t pike-like at all and it fought too well for a walleye (unless it was a friggin’ huge walleye.) At this access point, the Nith is still a decent sized river, about as wide as Penns in some places but without the flow rates.  It’s a spate river, winding through agricultural land but a healthy riparian strip has been maintained long much of its length so the water quality is better than average for rivers in this part of the world.  The bottom is mostly gravel and cobble, providing for easy wading and access doesn’t require mountain goat DNA (and no rhodos either).  It has multiple access points, a minimum of postings, plus it’s not far from Whiteman’s Creek either.  It could easily support a group of anglers along this section without crowding, and though there are signs that some people come to fish it, It doesn’t show the evidence of pressure. This is a standard regulations river, so normal seasons, limits, and all tackle and baits in the regulations are legal. All of this only 40 minutes from the house. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at

http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –

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The Nith River was a real treat.  Thanks to low water and other abuses, a lot of the rivers around here don’t look so good but the Nith shows every sign of being very healthy.  The alewives were all fat and spunky, literally hundreds of them in every shallow riffle, and the smallies!  Each deep pool had an ordering of smallies. the little baby ones were scampering about the shallows, their older siblings hung along the edges of the pools while the big old buggers camped out in the deep middle.  A fly drawn in close would have a trail of ten or more little guys all taking turns nipping the tail. I’m used to seeing a smallie here and there, I can’t remember literally seeing dozens and dozens in one small area.  I was also pleased to see the obvious health of all of the age classes – there didn’t appear to be gaps – seeing 3" fish and catching everything from 6" to 14" plus hooking even larger.  All of this only a 100 yards from the access point.  If the GRCA website can be believed, it also has some browns and now I’m damn sure that I had a very large brown on yesterday.  I had it on for over a minute though I didn’t get it close enough to see it, the fish fought so different from the other large smallies it had to be a large trout.  The river also has pike and walleye but the take wasn’t pike-like at all and it fought too well for a walleye (unless it was a friggin’ huge walleye.) At this access point, the Nith is still a decent sized river, about as wide as Penns in some places but without the flow rates.  It’s a spate river, winding through agricultural land but a healthy riparian strip has been maintained long much of its length so the water quality is better than average for rivers in this part of the world.  The bottom is mostly gravel and cobble, providing for easy wading and access doesn’t require mountain goat DNA (and no rhodos either).  It has multiple access points, a minimum of postings, plus it’s not far from Whiteman’s Creek either.  It could easily support a group of anglers along this section without crowding, and though there are signs that some people come to fish it, It doesn’t show the evidence of pressure. This is a standard regulations river, so normal seasons, limits, and all tackle and baits in the regulations are legal. All of this only 40 minutes from the house. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.mountaincable.net/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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Question:

http://taggart.glg.msu.edu/gyro/gbee.htm Free Plans Opps, Documentation

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Strongly advise joining the Popular Rotorcraft Association.  Their magazine keeps you current with whats going on in the autogyro business.  Their website is www.pra.org. Stu Fields

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – any DIY websites with info on how to build a gyro copter (newbe)

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any DIY websites with info on how to build a gyro copter (newbe)

I see your email at least is in the UK. You’re going to have to deal with the Populr Flying Association (PFA) which has been delegated the authority to certify experimentals there. The CAA takes only a broad interest. Unlike the US and Canada where you can literally put wings on a fishing boat or a parachure wing on a Honda motorbike and register it if you haven’t done a shoddy job building, the PFA wants to see approved designs. Not sure if the Gyrobee and its relatives are blessed by PFA. You might be left with the choices of using a kit the PFA has already approved, or negotiating the forest of PFA approval on your own. (I have never done this — I’m in the US — so I dunno if it’s easy or hard. You certainly CAN do it because quite a few homebuilt designs originate in Britain, but it seems like there are not as many as from other Western nations). Anyway, the PFA is a good place to start with anything experimental-aviation related in (what I assume to be) your area. Somebody there will be able to definitively answer your questions. cheers -=K=- Rule #1: Don’t hit anything big.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – any DIY websites with info on how to build a gyro copter (newbe) I see your email at least is in the UK. You’re going to have to deal with the Populr Flying Association (PFA) which has been delegated the authority to certify experimentals there. The CAA takes only a broad interest. Unlike the US and Canada where you can literally put wings on a fishing boat or a parachure wing on a Honda motorbike and register it if you haven’t done a shoddy job building, the PFA wants to see approved designs. cheers -=K=- Rule #1: Don’t hit anything big.

   Alfuk,    Another good place to search for info is at the "Fly Gyro! forums":    http://pub23.ezboard.com/btheflygyroforums    There is a UK specific forum there, and plenty of gyroheads to answer all of you questions.    "Gyro"Mike

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any DIY websites with info on how to build a gyro copter (newbe)

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Check Raplh Taggart’s Gyrobee first: http://taggart.glg.msu.edu/gyro/gbee.htm Cheers, Alex http://twistairclub.narod.ru – Light Rotorcraft in Russia – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – any DIY websites with info on how to build a gyro copter (newbe)

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Question:

Wonderful story – I felt like I was there.  Sometimes those "blown" trips are incredible.              Frank Reid Before you buy.

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I’ve been away from ROFF for a while (1450 messages worth it seems) as I’ve been out in Utah with the family. I won’t go into all of the gory fishing details–but I will share a couple of reports (in installments). Monday the 17th I had scheduled a float trip down the Snake River near Jackson, Wyoming. I arrived in Alpine the evening before to stay at a motel where I had scheduled to meet the guide. Earlier in the afternoon I had been running around on some grass with my girls and I *ran into a swingset* cutting open my knee. I put a bandage on it, tried to act composed, and headed for Alpine. By the time I got to Alpine, the knee was swollen badly and I could hardly get out of the car. I couldn’t bend the knee at all. I was worried about not being able to fish the next day, so I packed some ice on the knee for a while before heading to sleep. I awoke the next morning at 5:00 to the sound of hard rain and thunder. At 7:00 when the guide met me, it was still raining hard and a look up the canyon showed little relief. The guide said he’d take me down the river if that’s what I wanted to do–but he recommended against it, especially because of the lightning. We decided instead to take an impromptu trip to Grey’s River Canyon where he offered to accompany me to fish (wading, not floating) the river. Grey’s River is awesome–it’s easy to wade and has nice pools all up and down the river. Wild cutthroat trout up to 22 inches or so. It is National Forest water and a dirt road follows it for some 50 miles or more (I’m guessing). We drove up the canyon quite a way and began fishing. The weather was cloudy but we saw no rain. I started with streamers and caught a few nice fish–mostly just buying time until a bit of surface action began. Much of the streamer fishing was dapping in deep pools with heavy stuff. I caught several fish–at least one over 18 inches. But casting was absolutely no fun at all. We came to quite a nice pool that was rather difficult to get to–it involved walking down the side of a steep drop-off. Nothing that would have been hard had my knee been "normal" but it was hard not being able to bend my left leg. Anyway, I made it down to the hole and started the down-and-across huck and chuck. I managed to snag the streamer–or at least thought I had–until I started pulling really hard and the "snag" started swimming upstream. The fish went upstream about 25 feet and just held there for a while. I couldn’t seem to pull it down to me nor could I wade up to the fish. Finally, it got tired of the standstill and took off down stream. The current was very fast and I lost a lot of line in a hurry. The guide kept saying "let her run, let her run" but I freaked out and choked off the line once the fish got about 75 feet downstream. Snap. No more fish on my 3X leader. I could make a number of excuses, but the fact of the matter is that I CHOKED!!! I had never before had a fish run on me like that and I botched it real good. But I learned a lesson that would prove helpful later in the week. Dries started working really well in the afternoon and I caught a number of fish in the 16-18" range and many others in the 12-14" range. Parachute Adams was the fly of the day. Grey’s River is very beautiful and from what I can tell is not very crowded if you’re willing to drive up the canyon a bit. I’ll be back again to catch that big fish another day. I’ll do the Snake float another time as well. –Steve

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Question:

Fucking nymph fishing requires advanced techniques. Takes time to learn, to enjoy the experience and in the meantime have a fuckin’ idea where your fuckin’ nymph is. Start by using the right patterns – fucking nymph fishing requires tandem patterns, Soixante-neuf Montana’s and Doggiestyle Bitchcreeks seem to work well. Herman When I’m fishing nymphs I usually have no fucking idea where my fly is. I know it’s in the water, either upstream or downstream from my flyline or indicator, but that’s it. That’s why I hate fucking nymph fishing. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

– Cheers, Herman Herman Nijland Daytime webmaster Lifetime flyfisher

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well hellsbells…i’ve been flirting with nymph fishing, but this fucking nymph fishing sounds like some real fun…where can i get me some of those flies.  since rudy closed up times square, sources ain’t what they used to be and my local masseuse/fly untier at the Misty Blue Massage Parlor charged me an extra twenty when i asked if she had any doggiestyle bitchcreeks.  Herman…you got a supplier in Amsterdam? jeff – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Fucking nymph fishing requires advanced techniques. Takes time to learn, to enjoy the experience and in the meantime have a fuckin’ idea where your fuckin’ nymph is. Start by using the right patterns – fucking nymph fishing requires tandem patterns, Soixante-neuf Montana’s and Doggiestyle Bitchcreeks seem to work well. Herman When I’m fishing nymphs I usually have no fucking idea where my fly is. I know it’s in the water, either upstream or downstream from my flyline or indicator, but that’s it. That’s why I hate fucking nymph fishing. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam) — Cheers, Herman Herman Nijland Daytime webmaster Lifetime flyfisher

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Untying these flies is no laughing matter. I get them from the RedLight Overdressed Flies Factory. Real window dressers! Check out their Fornicating Fly collection, pricy but worth it. You can also rent them by the hour. Herman – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – well hellsbells…i’ve been flirting with nymph fishing, but this fucking nymph fishing sounds like some real fun…where can i get me some of those flies.  since rudy closed up times square, sources ain’t what they used to be and my local masseuse/fly untier at the Misty Blue Massage Parlor charged me an extra twenty when i asked if she had any doggiestyle bitchcreeks.  Herman…you got a supplier in Amsterdam? jeff Fucking nymph fishing requires advanced techniques. Takes time to learn, to enjoy the experience and in the meantime have a fuckin’ idea where your fuckin’ nymph is. Start by using the right patterns – fucking nymph fishing requires tandem patterns, Soixante-neuf Montana’s and Doggiestyle Bitchcreeks seem to work well. Herman When I’m fishing nymphs I usually have no fucking idea where my fly is. I know it’s in the water, either upstream or downstream from my flyline or indicator, but that’s it. That’s why I hate fucking nymph fishing. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam) — Cheers, Herman Herman Nijland Daytime webmaster Lifetime flyfisher

– Cheers, Herman Herman Nijland Daytime webmaster Lifetime flyfisher

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Fucking nymph fishing requires advanced techniques. Takes time to learn,

I’ve been doing it for fucking 30 years and it’s still a mystery. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

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Fuckin’ long time for something you fuckin’ dislike.. Herman Fucking nymph fishing requires advanced techniques. Takes time to learn, I’ve been doing it for fucking 30 years and it’s still a mystery. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

– Cheers, Herman Herman Nijland Daytime webmaster Lifetime flyfisher

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Like all endeavors, there are some people that have some special gift or talent that allows them to excel. Practice will make you good, very good if you practice "correctly" and enough, but to be exceptional in anything, you need the right tools. Willi – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Mostly experience. TL MC — "In order to achieve what is possible, one must constantly attempt the impossible" http://www.mikeconnor.de

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Fuckin’ long time for something you fuckin’ dislike.. Herman

It’s kind of a love/hate relationship, like those golfers who wrap their clubs around trees and toss them in water hazards but keep on playing. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

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Start by using the right patterns – fucking nymph fishing requires tandem

patterns, Soixante-neuf Montana’s and Doggiestyle Bitchcreeks seem to work well. Herman

I’ve read that some of our early American ancestors used a pattern they called *Two-Flies-Fucking* but so far I have been unable to locate these in my local fly shop. Ever run across these when window shopping in Amsterdam, Herman? Pat K

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I’ve read that some of our early American ancestors used a pattern they called *Two-Flies-Fucking* but so far I have been unable to locate these in my local fly shop. Ever run across these when window shopping in Amsterdam, Herman?

Peter Charles tied some ‘fucking midges’ at one of the claves, looked like an effective way to fish midges with essentially two tied on the same hook. FWIW. — Charlie…

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My best answer was that I instinctively know where my fly is and what it’s doing out there in the unknown.  I know this to be true, but I found it very hard to describe "why" or "how" I knew.  In all subsurface flyfishing I don’t think there is anything more important, but this is something that cannot be taught.  How would you explain it?

Joe Humphreys talks all about being in close contact with your nymph (I don’t go too much for that kind of touchy-feely psychotherapy myself.)  He certainly feels like it can be taught, or at least money can be made trying. Regards, Jeff

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Mostly experience. TL MC — "In order to achieve what is possible, one must constantly attempt the impossible" http://www.mikeconnor.de

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hell jon, don’t listen to those "experienced" guys. all it took for me was to read a book

There’s a book that tells you your fly is in a tree<g? — Charlie…

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I was asked recently to explain why I tend to catch fish on a relatively consistent basis when others sometimes struggle.  My best answer was that I instinctively know where my fly is and what it’s doing out there in the unknown.  I know this to be true, but I found it very hard to describe "why" or "how" I knew.  In all subsurface flyfishing I don’t think there is anything more important, but this is something that cannot be taught.  How would you explain it? JE

hell jon, don’t listen to those "experienced" guys. all it took for me was to read a book waldo walt

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hell jon, don’t listen to those "experienced" guys. all it took for me was to read a book There’s a book that tells you your fly is in a tree<g? — Charlie…

Shoot yeah Charlie. ARBOREEL  FLY FISHING: Pithiness in the Pisgah : by J. Miller. Waldo

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Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit <!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en" <html

Hey Walt, don’t look now, but you’re posting in html. Better turn it off quick before #2 gets ya. ,      - Ken

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Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit <!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en" <html Hey Walt, don’t look now, but you’re posting in html. Better turn it off quick before #2 gets ya. ,      - Ken

well et1, et2 is just gonna hafta get in his car and drive down here and do sumthin’ ’bout it. waldo ps: bring rods

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit <!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en" <html Hey Walt, don’t look now, but you’re posting in html. Better turn it off quick before #2 gets ya. ,     – Ken

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#2 is mean to newbies and the clueless, #1 is nice to newbies, mean to the clueless.  #2 drinks Bud, #1 has taste.  :-)       – Ken

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When I’m fishing nymphs I usually have no fucking idea where my fly is. I know it’s in the water, either upstream or downstream from my flyline or indicator, but that’s it. That’s why I hate fucking nymph fishing. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/ something bogus to avoid spam)

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When I’m fishing nymphs I usually have no fucking idea where my fly is. I know it’s in the water, either upstream or downstream from my flyline or indicator, but that’s it. That’s why I hate fucking nymph fishing.

That’s also why I use an indicator – at least you know the nymph is no deeper than you set the indicator! — Regards, Jeff Before you buy.

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Wally, proper attribution would note i simply edited the volume. the Chapter "Sons of Beeches, the Bamboo Bastards, and Woodies Astream – Fishing with Waldo" by Thomas Brown is especially enlightening…, but Chapter 2, "Midnight Dance with Poplar Nyads of the Nangahalla" by Lou LaPlac is certainly the master work….   jeff (pithing on you) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – hell jon, don’t listen to those "experienced" guys. all it took for me was to read a book There’s a book that tells you your fly is in a tree<g? — Charlie… Shoot yeah Charlie. ARBOREEL  FLY FISHING: Pithiness in the Pisgah : by J. Miller. Waldo

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – #2 is mean to newbies and the clueless, #1 is nice to newbies, mean to the clueless.  #2 drinks Bud, #1 has taste.  :-)      - Ken

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I was asked recently to explain why I tend to catch fish on a relatively consistent basis when others sometimes struggle.  My best answer was that I instinctively know where my fly is and what it’s doing out there in the unknown.  I know this to be true, but I found it very hard to describe "why" or "how" I knew.  In all subsurface flyfishing I don’t think there is anything more important, but this is something that cannot be taught.  How would you explain it? JE * Sent from AltaVista http://www.altavista.com Where you can also find related Web Pages, Images, Audios, Videos, News, and Shopping.  Smart is Beautiful

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I was asked recently to explain why I tend to catch fish on a relatively consistent basis when others sometimes struggle.  My best answer was that I instinctively know where my fly is and what it’s doing out there in the unknown.  I know this to be true, but I found it very hard to describe "why" or "how" I knew.  In all subsurface flyfishing I don’t think there is anything more important, but this is something that cannot be taught.  How would you explain it?

It’s easy enough to explain, but a bit harder to do.  After a few tens of thousands of casts one has had enough experience in watching a fly, losing it, and regaining sight of it to have a very good idea of where it is even though it may not be visible at the moment.  One also becomes accustomed to acting on subtle clues, such as barely perceptible changes in line movement.  The same applies to all aspects of what we do in a stream or on a lake.  I’m sure that all of us who have been doing this for a long time have seen and pointed out fish to beginners to whom they remain invisible.  It really isn’t instinct; it’s years of practice and knowing what to look for.

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Question:

I am the north west end of town (Champions Forest). Is there any fishing within 20 mile distance. Thank you.

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I am the north west end of town (Champions Forest). Is there any fishing within 20 mile distance.

You really picked the wrong part of the planet for fly fishing local waters. That said, technically within youi 20 mile radius: Buffalo Bayou, Cypress Creek, Spring Creek, Lake Woodlands. The far west end of Lake Houston and the WF San Jacinto River [canoeable] Bane Park has a perch pond that I occassionally go to harrass sunfish. There is an artificial set of ponds near the Galleria at Richmond/Post Oak. I haven’t not fished White Oak Bayou much inside the loop, but did hookup with a fairly decent 24" carp once in the concrete channel above some riprap.   Accessing White Oak is probably best accomplished by Bicycle. That said, I’m moving to Conroe!     Nyah!

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Question:

Good story Mike, I often wondered how you got your expertise. Ernie Harrison

<snipped an good fish tail – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Apparently as soon as I had left the table the gentleman who had been standing there watching all the time had asked him who I was, and whether I was one of the more well known dressers there.  My friend had told him that this was indeed the case, and that I would be back later to continue the demo. "Oh, I don’t need the demo", the gent replied, " I don’t know who the bloke is, but he must be a genius, I only showed him how to tie some of these patterns at my stall in the flea-market shortly before the show started, and he sat and tied them here even better and faster than I can, I was just amazed that someone can learn so fast", and he then left the scene. Mike Connor

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says… <Snipped for berevity Very heartening story… I spent the better half of the evening trying to tie a variant of the yellow stimulator pattern that looks a lot like the one a friend from work showed me. I now have a new foe to vanquish and elk hair is thy name!!! http://www.troutflies.com/flies/yellowstimulator.htm I also need to work on gauging how much to cut and put on. Also keeping it from sliding around is a real challenge! Needless to say I got tow four tied. Two abortive and two looking like frankenstiens brides… I need to start building up a good collection of good quality hackles. Trying to tie dry hackles with saddle feathers is making me mental. I am also deathly afraid of going into fly shops as I am spending altogether too much on gather supplies! Tonight I managed to improvise a dubbing twister from a garbage bag tie. It works but it aint pretty! I think I shall prevail upon Tom at work to show me that pattern again at lunch! I’d love to visit one of those shows. I’ll have to keep my eyes open when one comes around my area. — Michael Era

Question:

I recently broke the fly rod that I grew up fishing – an 8 ft 8 wt fiberglass Shakespeare.  I need to replace it and want a rod that I will not "out grow".  I have considered an L.L. Bean guide series 9 ft, 7 or 8 wt at about $200 with a lifetime unconditional guarantee.  I also saw a 9 ft 8 wt Loomis IMX recently for $275 on a close-out.  The Loomis cast very nicely.  I have not felt the Bean rod but have always been very happy with their products. Any advice would be appreciated.  How much better is the Loomis & is it worth the extra money?  Has anyone used the Bean rod? I grew up fishing for pickerel and bass in Delaware, but I primarily fish for Steelhead and smallmouth bass since moving to California and would like to do some Shad fishing.

Response:

Check out the St. Croix Products I Think For your money they rate up their with poles hundreds of $ more. — Larry D. Madison Life without Black would surely make White blind You. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I recently broke the fly rod that I grew up fishing – an 8 ft 8 wt fiberglass Shakespeare.  I need to replace it and want a rod that I will not "out grow".  I have considered an L.L. Bean guide series 9 ft, 7 or 8 wt at about $200 with a lifetime unconditional guarantee.  I also saw a 9 ft 8 wt Loomis IMX recently for $275 on a close-out.  The Loomis cast very nicely.  I have not felt the Bean rod but have always been very happy with their products. Any advice would be appreciated.  How much better is the Loomis & is it worth the extra money?  Has anyone used the Bean rod? I grew up fishing for pickerel and bass in Delaware, but I primarily fish for Steelhead and smallmouth bass since moving to California and would like to do some Shad fishing.

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Question:

My family is planning a trip to Canada in early June and I am looking for information on fishing resorts and guides.  Any information is appreciated and should be sent to me by e-mail.  Here are some of the conditions for our vacation. The resort should be accessable by car, within an 8 to 10 hour drive from Thunder Bay, Canada.  We plan to visit Thunder Bay during the first part of the vacation. Fishing guides are required. Fishing preferences are artificials and live bait (no fly fishing).  I am open to a variety of fish species, especially: lake trout, walleye and northern pike. — Kevin S. McDowell Customer Service Consultant/Management Analyst Minnesota Department of Economic Security http://mn.jobsearch.org Author of Creative Job Search Internet resources: http://mn.jobsearch.org/cjs/cjs_site/cjs-home.htm

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My family is planning a trip to Canada in early June and I am looking for information on fishing resorts and guides.  Any information is appreciated and should be sent to me by e-mail.  Here are some of the conditions for our vacation. The resort should be accessable by car, within an 8 to 10 hour drive from Thunder Bay, Canada.  We plan to visit Thunder Bay during the first part of the vacation. Fishing guides are required. Fishing preferences are artificials and live bait (no fly fishing).  I am open to a variety of fish species, especially: lake trout, walleye and northern pike. — Kevin S. McDowell Customer Service Consultant/Management Analyst Minnesota Department of Economic Security http://mn.jobsearch.org Author of Creative Job Search Internet resources: http://mn.jobsearch.org/cjs/cjs_site/cjs-home.htm

Hi Kevin. There is lots on our website that I think will interest you. Perhaps the best place to start is with the Northwest Ontario’s Sunset Country Travel Association’s website at http://ontariossunsetcountry.ca . This organisation represents over 250 lodges and resorts in Northwestern Ontario. Also have a look at the Northern Ontario Tourist Outfitters at http://www.virtualnorth.com/noto/ . NOTO represents about 600 outdoor operators across Northern Ontario. You’ll find at both sites a members directory and online forms to request more information including vacation guides. Enjoy! Dan Good Virtual North

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Question:

       I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.                                  Thank you,                                     Penny Acklen

My yellow lab started out bad, but has improved a lot since being a puppy. "Fishing" training in our case started as general training with a tennis ball in the river. Get the dog to sit and hold while the ball floats downstream till you release him (Yah, like that’s easy . Once you’re at this point your fly will be safe. Even though Cass doesn’t chase flies, I still keep her in the truck if anyone else is on the beach. Otherwise I go cast in the rip and she chases gulls down the beach. She did try to retreive a striper I released last year, but I think the 50 yd. ride down the tide rip taught her a good lesson. Another thing that seemed to work for us was taking her into the marshes in a local estuary, where I would have her lay down and stay while I fished, then when I was done I would toss her frisbee in the water as a reward. Again, this is a fairly remote and uncrowded spot. Goldens are more mellow than Labs generally, but I really couldn’t do much real fishing with Cass until she was 4 yrs. old. She meant well as a pup, but…. So my advise early on is to go out thinking ‘dog training’ instead of fishing, then after a couple years you can start real fishing. YMMV of course !                                                                 jc

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Penny, There is no such thing as a good fishing dog.

No kidding.  Mine has a terrible time with her knots – no thumbs – and insists on using San Juan Worms…

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       I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.  

I wonder if a Golden Retriever’s coat acts like marabou when it’s sunk?   I have two field-bred springers.  As much as I’d like to take them everywhere with me (I used to take them to my office before I changed teaching jobs–not the dogs’ fault <g), they’d seriously upset the calm, contemplative quality that enlightened and highly evolved flyfishers demand in their streamside environment.   Cheers, and happy training, David

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Penny, There is no such thing as a good fishing dog. No kidding.  Mine has a terrible time with her knots – no thumbs – and insists on using San Juan Worms…

On the other hand, depending on the color and length of their hair, they might make good flytying material. — John Fereira Isis Distributed Systems – Ithaca, NY

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Get an airedale! Because my eyes are not so good, he ties on my flies. He’s just beginning to learn to double haul.5

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No kidding.  Mine has a terrible time with her knots – no thumbs – and insists on using San Juan Worms…

And you try persuading them to accept C&R… Andrew

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No kidding.  Mine has a terrible time with her knots – no thumbs – and insists on using San Juan Worms… And you try persuading them to accept C&R… Andrew

forget Catch and Release, I’d be happy if my dog would "Fetch and Release"…

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –        I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.                                  Thank you,                                     Penny Acklen   Hi Penny-      Come to the Amazon with us. When the pirahna grab is in full swing teach your pup to fetch a stick. He’ll learn to admire your flies from a distance. It might be easier to simply beat it about the head with a striped bass   All kidding aside, retriever’s are pretty smart and you should be able to train the pup pretty easily. A long lead and a choke collar might make a lasting impression. As you found out, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.   -Ralph —

We’ve got two labs and my wife deals with one, while I deal with the other.   They do pretty well, however we’ve had trouble with the younger one wanting to bite into the fish if you’re not careful.   The other one investigates but doesn’t attempt anything else. We use pinch collars instead of choke collars and find them very effective.   We just keep the leash attached while we’re fishing for the first little while and correct them as needed.    After they settle down a bit, we can generally remove the leads and they’ll stay with us pretty well.   Most of the time, we can get them to lie down and wait on us to move upstream.    Of course, still being pups (the oldest one is 15 months), we have to give them a little leeway once in awhile and let them romp around in the water a bit. As with most endeavors, I think the best advice is to simply practice patience and realize that you won’t always have full control.   When this happens, we stop fishing for a bit and work with them on leads to get them back on track (or we take turns fishing while the other works the dogs). Hope this helps.. Del Duncan

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As much as I would love to have my dogs accompany me on fishing trips, I must agree with one respondent who recommended leaving them home.  In addition to all the stuff they can get caught in (old hooks, etc.), there are two experiences I have had in the past which have led me to leave my dogs home.  The first was when one of my older dogs was with me and slipped down a steep bank on some sticks and rubble, disappearing completely underwater for an instant before returning to the surface to hurriedly swim to the bank of a fortunately slow stream.  We were both badly shaken, and fortunately the hole she fell into was deep enough that she didn’t hit anything and she wasn’t hurt.  On another trip, this same dog was behind me and was accidently snagged with a low backcast.  She was snagged in the flank (fortunately not in an eye) and the day ended there. Again, I would love to bring my dogs along with me on fishing trips, but I firmly believe it is in their best interest to be left (well cared for) at home.

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        I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.                                   Thank you,                                      Penny Acklen

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        I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.                                   Thank you,                                      Penny Acklen

   Unless you are fishing for salmon or something large that has to be turned in the water, teach him to sit quietly on the bank near you, but an unruly dog at lake or stream side is a real hastle — not only for you but for others.  I realize that this is no advice, but too often I see people "out for the day" who ruin it for themselves and others by bringing a dog.                                  Not meaning any disrespect,                                     Chuck

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       I am getting a Golden Retriever pup in one week and I want him to be a good fishing dog.  His father, "B", is horrible.  He has learned that my fly is what catches the fish, therefore he followes it swimming downstream.  Please help me teach my dog to be a good, mello fishing dog.                                  Thank you,                                     Penny Acklen

   Hi Penny-       Come to the Amazon with us. When the pirahna grab is in full swing teach your pup to fetch a stick. He’ll learn to admire your flies from a distance. It might be easier to simply beat it about the head with a striped bass    All kidding aside, retriever’s are pretty smart and you should be able to train the pup pretty easily. A long lead and a choke collar might make a lasting impression. As you found out, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.    -Ralph —

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Penny, There is no such thing as a good fishing dog. I have been training dogs for years and I know! The only thing that really helps is to get the ’sit’ command burned into the animal. Put your bag on the ground and sit him near it, so he has a base and you can work out if he has moved. Sit him well back from the water’s edge – once the dog is wet you are in trouble! Pups are relatively easy to teach to sit – just sit him every time before he gets his food and he will get the idea really fast. Keep him sat for thirty seconds  before you let him eat (don’t do this on your best carpet the drooling saliva will ruin it). The key thing is to teach the dog that he has to sit until you tell him to do something else. If he gets the idea that he can wander off after a period of time you will have trouble with him later on. When you take him fishing, be prepared to devote some time to getting ashore and putting him back next to the bag if he wanders. If you let him away with it once you will have wasted all your earlier hard work. Pick him up and carry him back. When he is young and light, carry him back in your arms but upside down, legs in the air (most dogs hate this, big loss of face). Sit him, take hold of one of his jowls fairly lightly, look him straight in the eye and growl at him. Carry a supply of biscuits for when he gets it right and sits until told otherwise. Oh, and when you do tell him he can wander, make sure you go back to him to do it. If dogs get used to you calling them from afar, they anticipate. Once they start doing this, they will interpret almost anything as a call to come to you, including head scratching and catching a fish! You might recover your older dog by going fishing with a friend. One of you should try to catch a fish, the other one pounces on the dog when he moves and goes through the routine. Big confident dogs are a problem to discipline, but if you fold over their ear fur outermost and (gently) bite it, you will reduce most labs to a jellied heap. This is what their mother used to do to them when they were pups – again, big loss of face, go to the bottom of the pack etc. I have never managed to train a dog that would follow me along the bank without coming in yet, and would be interested to hear if anyone here has. Andrew

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Question:

Collins) writes:

There’s all kinds of ‘em with trolling motors attached… I suggest you get yourself a Buddy II depthfinder and go kick some bass. Tom King KOTH Fly Fishing

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Anyone out there do any kick-boating?  I just purchased a J&W Outfitters Kingfisher III with all accessories, and am eager to try it out.  Just wondering if anyone has any comments or tips? Anyone been successful in hooking up a trolling motor to this puppy? I know one will be available next year from J&W.

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