Question:

Try building an order entry system for a large telco with a unionized work force. The union threatens to sue the company over the fonts and says the system is too easy to use, thereby threatening the jobs of the current call center workers because they "could" "conceivalby" be replaced by lower paid workers who don’t require the *13 weeks* of training that the old sytem required. This was a few jobs ago

Sheesh… you came just in time.  I was about to crack open a roll of foil On a positive note, I get back-to-back to business trips to San Diego and Las Vegas. So hopefully I can break out of the Northern VA winter doldrums and get in five or six rounds of golf.

Oh, man, then what do you have to complain about?  You have it pretty darn good, if you ask me.

Response:

Try building an order entry system for a large telco with a unionized work force. The union threatens to sue the company over the fonts and says the system is too easy to use, thereby threatening the jobs of the current call center workers because they "could" "conceivalby" be replaced by lower paid workers who don’t require the *13 weeks* of training that the old sytem required. This was a few jobs ago On a positive note, I get back-to-back to business trips to San Diego and Las Vegas. So hopefully I can break out of the Northern VA winter doldrums and get in five or six rounds of golf. Tim T – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Final word "I had a better time snowboarding in two weeks than I had all year playing golf." — David Duval. "I had a better time fly fishing in Montana for 10 days than I had all year programming." — Jeff Connelly Try developing intranet portals for HR/Payroll departments in corporations all year.  They complain about the type and the color of fonts you used.  Oh, and "the background color for the menus is not pleasing to the eye".  I’d have a better time chewing on aluminum foil while staring at a wall for a week.  And at least you "program".  I feel more like a glorified website designer.

Response:

Maybe he should stop using the Momentus Training Club….

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Final word "I had a better time snowboarding in two weeks than I had all year playing golf." — David Duval.

Response:

– "

— "I had a better time snowboarding in two weeks than I had all year playing golf." — David Duval. How much money did he earn snowboarding? Given his bank account, how much did he _need_ to earn? The statement was about having fun, not earning money.

I imagine most people would say they have more fun at play rather than work. I just don’t have much sympathy for him.  He’s playing golf for a living for God’s sake.  How much better can it get. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –                   Bruce E. Newman  *  Fredericton, NB, Canada               http://rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=newmanb      info at benewman dot bizland dot com   *   http://go.to/bruce_newman

Response:

Final word "I had a better time snowboarding in two weeks than I had all year playing golf." — David Duval. "I had a better time fly fishing in Montana for 10 days than I had all year programming." — Jeff Connelly

Try developing intranet portals for HR/Payroll departments in corporations all year.  They complain about the type and the color of fonts you used.  Oh, and "the background color for the menus is not pleasing to the eye".  I’d have a better time chewing on aluminum foil while staring at a wall for a week.  And at least you "program".  I feel more like a glorified website designer.

Response:

"I had a better time fly fishing in Montana for 10 days than I had all year programming." — Jeff Connelly

Sorry Jeff, but now heaven will be a let down. Cheers, Mike

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says… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The trick is to have fun _and_ earn money.  At the GHO last summer, I followed Duval’s group for a while.  He was laboring his way through the round, looking like he was having a miserable time out there on his way to missing the cut.  It was a depressing sight.  Contrast that with Fred Funk, who was seen several times on TV last season, having fun, playing well, and making plenty of money.  That’s the way to go. Does good play lead to a positive attitude, or vice versa?  That conundrum is one of the things that makes golf such a great game. I agree – but Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods don’t appear to be at the top of the "having fun" scale while playing.

Appearances can be deceiving… Both Jack and Tiger really enjoy what they’re doing… The fact that they’re quieter or more reserved than other competitors doesn’t mean aren’t having fun. — Cheers- Jeff Setaro http://people.mags.net/jasetaro/ PGP Key IDs DH/DSS: 0×5D41429D RSA: 0×599D2A99 New RSA: 0xA19EBD34

Response:

I agree – but Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods don’t appear to be at the top of the "having fun" scale while playing. Appearances can be deceiving… Both Jack and Tiger really enjoy what they’re doing… The fact that they’re quieter or more reserved than other competitors doesn’t mean aren’t having fun.

Although Jack has admitted to not enjoying the game as much as his competitors back in his younger days. Still, as a spectator, I enjoy watching performers who seem to be enjoying themselves.  This applies at all levels, ages; in sports, and other show biz.

Response:

The trick is to have fun _and_ earn money.  At the GHO last summer, I followed Duval’s group for a while.  He was laboring his way through the round, looking like he was having a miserable time out there on his way to missing the cut.  It was a depressing sight.  Contrast that with Fred Funk, who was seen several times on TV last season, having fun, playing well, and making plenty of money.  That’s the way to go. Does good play lead to a positive attitude, or vice versa?  That conundrum is one of the things that makes golf such a great game.

I agree – but Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods don’t appear to be at the top of the "having fun" scale while playing.

Response:

— "I had a better time snowboarding in two weeks than I had all year playing golf." — David Duval. How much money did he earn snowboarding? Given his bank account, how much did he _need_ to earn? The statement was about having fun, not earning money.

The trick is to have fun _and_ earn money.  At the GHO last summer, I followed Duval’s group for a while.  He was laboring his way through the round, looking like he was having a miserable time out there on his way to missing the cut.  It was a depressing sight.  Contrast that with Fred Funk, who was seen several times on TV last season, having fun, playing well, and making plenty of money.  That’s the way to go. Does good play lead to a positive attitude, or vice versa?  That conundrum is one of the things that makes golf such a great game.   – cja

Response:

Final word "I had a better time snowboarding in two weeks than I had all year playing golf." — David Duval. "I had a better time fly fishing in Montana for 10 days than I had all year programming." — Jeff Connelly

Ah, but what if they paid your to fly fish? You might loose your enthusiasm for it.  (p.s. I don’t know who *they* are or I’d have that job already)

Response:

Final word "I had a better time snowboarding in two weeks than I had all year playing golf." — David Duval.

"I had a better time fly fishing in Montana for 10 days than I had all year programming." — Jeff Connelly

Response:

Final word "I had a better time snowboarding in two weeks than I had all year playing golf." — David Duval.

Response:

Final word "I had a better time snowboarding in two weeks than I had all year playing golf." — David Duval.

I think he said pretty much the same thing last year. Probably explains his season. — Dan Driscoll Charter Member Super Secret Sinister Golf Society (SSSGS)

Response:

–   "I had a better time snowboarding in two weeks than I had all year playing golf." — David Duval.

How much money did he earn snowboarding?

Response:

— "I had a better time snowboarding in two weeks than I had all year playing golf." — David Duval. How much money did he earn snowboarding?

Given his bank account, how much did he _need_ to earn? The statement was about having fun, not earning money. Bruce                   Bruce E. Newman  *  Fredericton, NB, Canada                                 http://rec-sport-golf.com/members/?rollcall=newmanb      info at benewman dot bizland dot com   *   http://go.to/bruce_newman

Response:

Question:

Mike The standard I use is how do my flies compare to commercially tired ones in trout getting . They do just as well . Lou – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve never seen any fly patterns that "cheat" like that but the trout, who are  the ultimate judges of such things, don’t seen to mind my shortcuts and take my flies. Am I breaking some unwritten law? I’m not a tier, myself, but it seems to me that it doesn’t matter. You tie flies, and the trout eat them. If there’s a problem, I fail to see it. — "Armchair warriors often fail, and we’ve been  poisoned by these fairy tales" -Don Henley

Response:

The standard I use is how do my flies compare to commercially tired ones in trout getting . They do just as well .

Lord have mercy, Lou!  If that was my standard, I’d be too damn depressed to carry on.  I compare to the bare hook.  My flies almost always do better than a bare hook. JR

Response:

John LOL Lou

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The standard I use is how do my flies compare to commercially tired ones in trout getting . They do just as well . Lord have mercy, Lou!  If that was my standard, I’d be too damn depressed to carry on.  I compare to the bare hook.  My flies almost always do better than a bare hook. JR

Response:

The standard I use is how do my flies compare to commercially tired ones in trout getting . They do just as well .

Commercial flies are as a general rule of poor quality, and inferior effectiveness. There are doubtless considerable numbers of positive examples to the contrary, but I have not seen many of them. If your flies work, which they obviously do, then they are excellent.  You might well be able to improve on them if you give the matter some thought, but comparing them to commercial flies, or various "standards" is not likely to be of much help in this endeavour, apart from using them as negative examples, or for your general edification. TL MC

Response:

Mike Here to learn and maybe share. I’m new to fly tying and realize that I have allot to learn.  For now I’m just finding my way… Lou

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The standard I use is how do my flies compare to commercially tired ones in trout getting . They do just as well . Commercial flies are as a general rule of poor quality, and inferior effectiveness. There are doubtless considerable numbers of positive examples to the contrary, but I have not seen many of them. If your flies work, which they obviously do, then they are excellent.  You might well be able to improve on them if you give the matter some thought, but comparing them to commercial flies, or various "standards" is not likely to be of much help in this endeavour, apart from using them as negative examples, or for your general edification. TL MC

Response:

Mike Here to learn and maybe share. I’m new to fly tying and realize that I have allot to learn.  For now I’m just finding my way… Lou

Exactly why we are all here, and of course to enjoy ourselves. If you have questions, ask away. Somebody on here will invariably know the answer, or even several.  Just as long as you are not going to Antarctica fishing for killer whales, and need info on the best methods and flies! TL MC

Response:

Mike Hiya Most of my fishing is close to home. I’m up on the Keeweenaw Peninsula and mostly fly fish  small rivers and  for trout. Lou

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Mike Here to learn and maybe share. I’m new to fly tying and realize that I have allot to learn.  For now I’m just finding my way… Lou Exactly why we are all here, and of course to enjoy ourselves. If you have questions, ask away. Somebody on here will invariably know the answer, or even several.  Just as long as you are not going to Antarctica fishing for killer whales, and need info on the best methods and flies! TL MC

Response:

Mike Hiya Most of my fishing is close to home. I’m up on the Keeweenaw Peninsula and mostly fly fish  small rivers and  for trout. Lou

I know nothing at all about it, I have never heard the name, and I would not have known it even existed but for your post. Rest assured, somebody here will either know it, or know of it, and will be able and willing to assist if necessary. As a "newbie", you may, along with some others, be rather confused at the goings-on on here at present. Just ignore them, all things must pass.  It will not affect your participation in th

Question:

There’s only one answer here: www.troutflies.com ROFF’s own Harry Mason sets a standard which few (if any) flytying sites can ever meet. Herman Anyone have any good sites that describe tying specific flies? I’ve found several sites with good recipes but need a more "walk through" approach. The location of various materials is pretty hard to determine with some flies (Muddlers are my own specific mystery). Thanks Keith

–         Cheers, Herman         Herman Nijland         Daytime webmaster         Lifetime flyfisher

Response:

Mike Connor "used" to have a very decent flytying site,  but it seems to have moved,  or otherwise become defunct,  as my browsers reliably give me the German version of "not here mate!".  I personally would like to see MC’s site again, and would wholeheartedly recommend  it whenever it should appear again (as being a good flyfishing info. site) :  what’s the score Mike? Hoping to browse again  (most particularly your tying of the S&P!) Mike. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone have any good sites that describe tying specific flies? I’ve found several sites with good recipes but need a more "walk through" approach. The location of various materials is pretty hard to determine with some flies (Muddlers are my own specific mystery). Thanks Keith

Response:

Anyone have any good sites that describe tying specific flies? I’ve found several sites with good recipes but need a more "walk through" approach. The location of various materials is pretty hard to determine with some flies (Muddlers are my own specific mystery). Thanks Keith

Response:

http://www.virtualflybox.com/ http://www.killroys.com/ http://www.jacksonholenet.com/guyturck/ http://tie-1-on.net/ http://www.troutflies.com/new_index/_store_index.htm http://www.flyanglersonline.com/ http://www.btsflyfishing.com/ http://globalflyfisher.com/index.html http://nottingham-flydressers.4t.com/ http://www.umpqua.com/ http://www.magiclink.com/web/wesn/index.html Hope that helps some. Warren

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone have any good sites that describe tying specific flies? I’ve found several sites with good recipes but need a more "walk through" approach. The location of various materials is pretty hard to determine with some flies (Muddlers are my own specific mystery). Thanks Keith

Response:

Keith, My vote goes to           flyanglersonline.com Great step by step tutorials for both a beginners and  intermediate tying "class", plus a "fly of the week". – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – http://www.virtualflybox.com/ http://www.killroys.com/ http://www.jacksonholenet.com/guyturck/ http://tie-1-on.net/ http://www.troutflies.com/new_index/_store_index.htm http://www.flyanglersonline.com/ http://www.btsflyfishing.com/ http://globalflyfisher.com/index.html http://nottingham-flydressers.4t.com/ http://www.umpqua.com/ http://www.magiclink.com/web/wesn/index.html Hope that helps some. Warren Anyone have any good sites that describe tying specific flies? I’ve found several sites with good recipes but need a more "walk through" approach. The location of various materials is pretty hard to determine with some flies (Muddlers are my own specific mystery). Thanks Keith

Response:

Question:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true…….

Never doubted your veracity myself.  As a matter of fact, it never occurred to me to wonder whether or not any of your stories are true.  Now that the subject has been broached, I am forced to wonder why anyone would concern him or her self with such a question.  There is no doubt in my feeble little mind that "Huckleberry Finn", "Gulliver’s Travels", and perhaps even "A Midsummer Night’s Dream" would fail the test of scholarly historiography.  Should this prove to be the case, I suspect that they would all nevertheless continue to draw readers and furthermore, that it would not detract one whit from the truth contained in these timeless stories. In other words, fuck ‘em.  You go Mike. Wolfgang

Response:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me…

Hi Mike, I do enjoy this stuff: up to your usual form. I have tried to e-mail you privately, but have had no replies. Is it not getting through? Best & Tight Lines, Tony Deacon

Response:

Had a little problem with some software. Maybe that is the reason ?  I saw no posts from you recently. Lookout Distress is once again living up to its name, coupled with the arcane machinations of the German Telecom, it makes Brown trucks look like heavenly chariots. TL MC — "Where fishing is concerned, most anglers are basically manic excessives" http://www.mikeconnor.de – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me… Hi Mike, I do enjoy this stuff: up to your usual form. I have tried to e-mail you privately, but have had no replies. Is it not getting through? Best & Tight Lines, Tony Deacon

Response:

Thanks Chris,  very kind of you to say so. Care must be taken in some instances though, not all of my exploits and methods are suitable for emulation. My track record with poachers for instance is quite abysmal. TL MC – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – —- Mike, I for one enjoy your vast knowledge and experiences.  I never thought for a moment that they did not ring of truth and I have employed some of your past suggestions with success, I might mention.

Response:

I had trouble shooting Teel when I first started duck hunting.  It was because they fly much faster than the other ducks.  I consistently shot behind them.  I finally got so I could hit one, but never could hit a Snipe. Ernie

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If you spend a great deal of time and energy on something, several things tend to occur. You  become fairly good at it, and you experience a lot more things than if you only occasionally did it. A few weeks ago, I was out duck hunting (OBROFF: gathering CDC feathers.)  I had just flushed a flock of mallards out of a slough, and I was crouched down in the grass hoping some of them might come back, when a pair of blue wing teal appeared out of nowhere, crossed in front of me and settled on opposite edge of the water, out of range. I sat still for another 15 minutes or so with one eye on the teal and one eye on the horizon, where the mallards were still flying.  There was a sound of wingbeats overhead and suddenly there was an enormous redtailed hawk, hot in pursuit of the teal.  The teal dove underwater, but the water was only a foot or so deep so the hawk had no trouble following them, hovering over the water, wings beating furiously like a huge kestrel.  The teal eventually made good their escape, flying right past me.  I suppose I could have shot them fairly easily, but it didn’t seem quite right.  I just stared, filled with awe and wonderment at my good fortune to have been a witness. I would have never seen it happen if I hadn’t been out there, and what possible other reason could I have to be crouched down in the weeds next to a slough out on the prairie?  I think I have posted before my belief that the reason we go out hunting or fishing or whatever is not so much to gather fish or game (unless we seriously need the food), but to gather interesting stories to tell.  The fishing is fun, but it is also a reason to get out of the house and out into the world and let things happen to us. Kevin

Response:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me.  I have attempted to explain this in the past, I seem to remember even on here, but for those who missed it the first time, ( assuming I did in fact explain it before on here), here it is again.

<snipped, but deeply appreciated —- Mike, I for one enjoy your vast knowledge and experiences.  I never thought for a moment that they did not ring of truth and I have employed some of your past suggestions with success, I might mention.  The reason some people may question your veracity could be that the have led colorless lives themselves and are judging your life experience against the standard of being a spector of life instead of participating in life as you have. In a given week, I tend to do a lot of different things.  When someone asked me how I did so many things, I told them, simply, "I do not own a television."  I have a VCR player hooked to a video monitor for some of my instructional videos that I own, but I NEVER watch television.  Since the average American, according to one source, watches an astounding 40+ hours of television a week, it is small wonder where I find the "extra" time to indulge myself in my many varied interests. —- Padishar Creel "I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work…I want to achieve it through not dying."  – Woody Allen

Response:

Thanks Chris,  very kind of you to say so. Care must be taken in some instances though, not all of my exploits and methods are suitable for emulation. My track record with poachers for instance is quite abysmal.

—– So is my experience with Game Wardens, as it so happens <G — Padishar Creel "I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work…I want to achieve it through not dying."  – Woody Allen

Response:

Mike,   Some have doubted the veracity of my many misadventures, but any doubts were laid to rest at the Rappahanock Clave (read Frank meets tent stake).   Your stories are so wonderful because we, as a group, can identify with the situations.  As a whole, I’m sure it would take the combined experience of ROFF to match your own.  We thank you for sharing yours. We will not match yours (thinking about going beak to beak with an owl is a tough way to get into PETA’s bad boy book. Go strangle a pheasant me boyo.  Very proper that.).  We will however, experience that vicarious thrill of looking at the world through your eyes as we slog through the day-to-day life with our commutes and lousy jobs.    Your every story conjurs up the fun of a Guy Fawkesian tale.  You have the unwitting anti-hero (you), the protagonist (the sea,a crazed bus driver, a policeman), an injured victim (an owl or the bloomin bloomerless WI) and a common thread of life just outside of the bounds of control, a train wreck waiting to happen.    I will often piggy back on your stories.  Like stories around a campfire, or more properly, in front of a fire in a ghillie hut, single malt in hand, they become seeds for other stories and ROFF threads. I’m glad you’re back.      Frank Reid Before you buy.

Response:

I would have never seen it happen if I hadn’t been out there, and what possible other reason could I have to be crouched down in the weeds next to a slough out on the prairie?  

That’s an astonishing observation, Kevin. I’ve felt the same thing on many occasions. People who don’t hunt or fish can’t really understand what it’s like to experience this stuff. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

I had trouble shooting Teel when I first started duck hunting.  It was because they fly much faster than the other ducks.  I consistently shot behind them.  I finally got so I could hit one, but never could hit a Snipe. Ernie

Too bad, Keith at Grindstone Angling has been bugging me about finding him some snipe.  I could’ve gotten a pretty penny out of him if you were any good.  :)  I was holding out on him, but he recently got his own computer and you’d never guess who he dug up all by hisself. Mike, truth always has been stranger than fiction.  I look on your stories as a life spent in an endless "Carry On" movie.  There are far worse fates.  :)   A rich life always appears untrue to those who rarely try to extend their lives beyond the poverty of their spirit. Peter

Response:

If you spend a great deal of time and energy on something, several things tend to occur. You  become fairly good at it, and you experience a lot more things than if you only occasionally did it.

A few weeks ago, I was out duck hunting (OBROFF: gathering CDC feathers.)  I had just flushed a flock of mallards out of a slough, and I was crouched down in the grass hoping some of them might come back, when a pair of blue wing teal appeared out of nowhere, crossed in front of me and settled on opposite edge of the water, out of range. I sat still for another 15 minutes or so with one eye on the teal and one eye on the horizon, where the mallards were still flying.  There was a sound of wingbeats overhead and suddenly there was an enormous redtailed hawk, hot in pursuit of the teal.  The teal dove underwater, but the water was only a foot or so deep so the hawk had no trouble following them, hovering over the water, wings beating furiously like a huge kestrel.  The teal eventually made good their escape, flying right past me.  I suppose I could have shot them fairly easily, but it didn’t seem quite right.  I just stared, filled with awe and wonderment at my good fortune to have been a witness. I would have never seen it happen if I hadn’t been out there, and what possible other reason could I have to be crouched down in the weeds next to a slough out on the prairie?  I think I have posted before my belief that the reason we go out hunting or fishing or whatever is not so much to gather fish or game (unless we seriously need the food), but to gather interesting stories to tell.  The fishing is fun, but it is also a reason to get out of the house and out into the world and let things happen to us. Kevin

Response:

Several people e-mailed, asking if these stories are true, and if so, how on earth such things could happen to me.  I have attempted to explain this in the past, I seem to remember even on here, but for those who missed it the first time, ( assuming I did in fact explain it before on here), here it is again. Well, first of all, for quite a long time, I was so fanatical about fishing, that I often went seven days a week, I did not much care where, or for what, I simply took every available opportunity, and even if none was apparently available, I made one. Sometimes I only went for an hour, school, work, and other things allowing, ( and often even if they did not allow it, school bored me to death, and I rarely attended, I went fishing instead), and sometimes I disappeared for days, or even weeks. During these times, all I did was fish, and read, and what I read was also mostly about fishing. When I first started seriously fishing, the main reason was to catch fish for food. As it was absolutely imperative that I catch something to eat, I did not mess about very much, if at all, I made a point of discovering the best methods, ( for "best", read,  "most successful in terms of edible fish caught "), and applied them diligently, with considerable success. Not all of these methods were equally enjoyable, some were certainly not "fair", although to me all were enjoyable to some extent, (even hauling nets at sea, or longlining, which I also did for a while), but most were extremely successful, when correctly practiced, and as enjoyment was not the main driving factor, this did not really matter in any case. What I am trying to explain here, is that the enjoyment was more or less completely incidental initially. Fishing was not a way of "killing time", or "pursuing an interest", "a hobby", or all the other various euphemisms one often hears for various pastimes. It was a way of obtaining food for nothing, and it was also very cheap, healthy,  and fulfilling entertainment. I never considered fishing, or anything even remotely connected with it to be  work, although I knew a few who did. If you spend a great deal of time and energy on something, several things tend to occur. You  become fairly good at it, and you experience a lot more things than if you only occasionally did it. If the subject also interests you per se, and you also perhaps have a certain talent for it,  then you get even better at it, you really have no choice in the matter, it is a simple progression. One thing leads to another. Before I was twenty years old I had caught more fish, and spent more time on the water, often in the company of experts, than many men will ever do in their whole lifetimes. For years I gave lessons in tying and casting to various local clubs, spent weekends teaching fly-fishing for the local water authority, giving fly-dressing demos at various fairs, ( long before tying became as popular as it is now), etc etc etc. In the years that followed, the frequency of my trips decreased of course, you may play truant from school with relative impunity, but if you play truant from work you will eventually be sacked.( Fired ! ). Nevertheless, I still managed to spend a great deal of time on the water, or involved in some way. I had become firm friends with many other anglers, and people connected with angling, and because of this, I received opportunities which others did not. Anything to do with fishing interested me, and I went out of my way to be part of anything at all where fish or fishing was involved.  All the time my interest remained steady, and I read every book or magazine that I could lay my hands on. When I got the chance, I went fishing with others, some of them already world or at least nationally renowned experts at that time, others perhaps less well known, but experts nonetheless, and of course with lots of other people, who were neither well known nor experts. All contributed to my angling education. Much of what I read, learned, or simply saw,  I immediately put into practice. What I could not buy, I built, ( basically why I started tying flies as well ), insofar as it was within my capabilities to do so. Astoundingly enough, one discovers fairly early on that most things are not that hard to do, what one man can invent or design, another man can build, given reasonable intelligence,  time, persistence,  and materials. Simply attempting this, hones your capabilities automatically, until you reach a point where you find very few things difficult. At a fairly early point during these years, the need to catch fish for food decreased, and eventually disappeared entirely, but my enthusiasm for fishing did not, and I continued reading about it, and fishing a great deal, but now purely for enjoyment, the fish having become an incidental bonus to the entertainment, and so it has remained to this day. Apparently I have a very selective, but almost photographic memory, for things concerning fishing. It took me almost fifteen years before I finally managed to remember my wife’s birthday, but I only have to see a fly pattern once, and it is fixed forever in my memory.  I can not remember my own mobile phone number for more than a day, and constantly have to look it up, but I can remember every single run on every single river or stream I have ever fished with brilliant clarity. Even those I fished over thirty years ago. Although a fairly good navigator, and with an excellent sense of direction, I can not remember a street in a city which I visited last week, but I can find my way across the North York Moors, from any point you care to mention, to any stream or valley within hundreds of square miles with absolutely pin-point accuracy, in the pitch dark, with no moon or stars and in heavy snow or fog. I can do the same here, in the Lueneburger Heide. I have no idea why I can do this, or even how, I just can. I wish I did know, I would certainly apply the talent to something else if I possibly could. I can not remember whether it rained yesterday, but  I can remember  every sizeable fish I have ever caught, where I caught it, how I caught it, and what the weather conditions were at the time. I can "see" these things in my mind, like a film which may be rewound and replayed at will.  I could give more examples, but I suppose you get the drift. Regarding actually fishing, if I absolutely must catch a fish, then I do, I do not find it particularly difficult. Nowadays I do not bother with extremely productive methods much, as I find other methods more enjoyable, even though they are less productive.  The size of fish caught has ceased to bother me very much, although it is nice to catch a large one now and then, as the fight is simply more interesting and challenging. Somebody on here said ( I believe it was Willi actually ), some time ago now, that he had more or less ceased nymphing, as although it was extremely productive in terms of fish, it was hard work, and got boring after a while.  I feel much the same about some methods. It is just too easy, although perhaps hard work, and therefore not worth the bother.  This doubtless sounds extremely arrogant, but it is nevertheless simple fact. Catching one very difficult fish from a challenging position, or for other reasons, ( actually regardless of size ) is much more enjoyable than banging out a dozen in double quick time with an easy method, or because the fish are madly on the feed, and have thrown caution to the winds. Unfortunately this applies to many "new" methods as well. There are not many angling books I have not read, and there are not many methods, tackle, or materials,  I do not at least know something about. Once read or seen, never forgotten. I can even remember shotting patterns somebody once showed me, again over thirty years ago. Often I am quite amused when I read about some "new" method of tying flies, or casting, or a host of other things. Invariably these things are not new at all, and in all likelihood have been around for quite a while, in some cases for centuries. I remember being extremely crushed over thirty five years ago, when I sent in a parachute version of the Greenwell

Question:

Hi John:  if you’re going to be in the Placencia area, we’d love to help you out.  Also, you might want to check our site for info about Belize fishing. Hope you have a great time while you’re here. Mary — Mary V. Toy                           Kevin Modera Guide Services Professional Guides for Tropical Anglers Placencia, Belize Voice and Fax:  (314) 776-3496 URL:  http://www.kevinmodera.com – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Im going on a cruise to Beleze and Roatan this spring and would love to hire a guide to take me bone fishing. I am only going to be there for one day so it is very important that I make reservations well ahead of time. If anyone knows of a good guide that I could contact, please let me know. Tips up. John Oliverio

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Where in Belize will the cruise be stopping? If it will be at Ambergris Caye (San Pedro), El Pescador, (26) 2975, and Rubie’s Hotel, (26) 2083, have guides available, but I haven’t fished there in a few years. Moon Travel Handbooks’ "Belize Handbook" by Chicki Mallan has some more info. Eric – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Im going on a cruise to Beleze and Roatan this spring and would love to hire a guide to take me bone fishing. I am only going to be there for one day so it is very important that I make reservations well ahead of time. If anyone knows of a good guide that I could contact, please let me know. Tips up. John Oliverio

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Im going on a cruise to Beleze and Roatan this spring and would love to hire a guide to take me bone fishing. I am only going to be there for one day so it is very important that I make reservations well ahead of time. If anyone knows of a good guide that I could contact, please let me know. Tips up. John Oliverio

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Didn’t you hear?  Roatan is gone.  It was washed away by the hurricane. Ash Harrison – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Im going on a cruise to Beleze and Roatan this spring and would love to hire a guide to take me bone fishing. I am only going to be there for one day so it is very important that I make reservations well ahead of time. If anyone knows of a good guide that I could contact, please let me know. Tips up. John Oliverio

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Question:

In response to Joe McClain One of the best videos to learn to fly cast is done by Chico Fernandez. His company goes by the name of penguin. But the best advice is to get up out of your chair, go to your nearest fly shop and have them pop the video in their VCR. Check it out before you buy it! Kathy Robinson Robinson & Sons Outfitters

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Hi Kathy, Where do you fit in the Robinson & Sons Outfitters? Where are you folks located? Counsel

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Question:

Hi, I will be going on a 6 day canoe trip into the Quetico Wilderness area in Canada in mid-July of this year.  Does anyone out there know what to expect?  I would be interested in any info about patterns, techniques for deep fish like walleye, or anything you think might help.  I will be doing the Cache Lake Loop out of Baptism Creek.  Should be loads of fun. Thanks. Chris

Response:

Hi, I will be going on a 6 day canoe trip into the Quetico Wilderness area in Canada in mid-July of this year.  Does anyone out there know what to expect?  I would be interested in any info about patterns, techniques for deep fish like walleye, or anything you think might help.  I will be doing the Cache Lake Loop out of Baptism Creek.  Should be loads of fun.

        Boy, I THINK it was in this newsgroup, but it was possibly in the GPS NG (sci.geo.satellite-nav) or the rec.backcountry newsgroup where I just responded to a very similar question about the Boundary Waters in August. Thus you might want to go to Dejanews and do a search there for same for my (tiny) pearls of wisdom. (And, beyond that, in the rec.backcountry newsgroup if not this flyfishing one if you go back even a little way you’ll find tons of stuff addressing your question. I tried to summarize in the post I referred to above, and damned if I can remember what NG it was in. I seem to recall trying to talk quite a bit about flyfishing so I suspect it was in this NG, but I can’t be sure.)         Basically though, my point was that you should start thinking about smallmouth early in the morning and evenings off rocky shelves in the shallows, and pike in the weeds. There’s lots of ways to check to see if the lakes you are going to are primarily smallmouth or walleye, though the bigger lakes will have both. As to walleye, I don’t know about you but trying to flyfish any further than about 3-4 feet down just ain’t my idea of fun. To each his own though….         Good luck. Tom Burczyk

Response:

I use deerhair poppers for smallmouth morning and evening. White gartside streamer weighed during day,also black woolyburger with a little red tinsel down the back. Try lead eyed woolyburgers with about 4 bass type hackles tied on as a tail fish it with long leader that has silicone on it you can detect the soft takes of walleye. have fun .. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, I will be going on a 6 day canoe trip into the Quetico Wilderness area in Canada in mid-July of this year.  Does anyone out there know what to expect?  I would be interested in any info about patterns, techniques for deep fish like walleye, or anything you think might help.  I will be doing the Cache Lake Loop out of Baptism Creek.  Should be loads of fun. Thanks. Chris

Response:

<<<<<I will be going on a 6 day canoe trip into the Quetico Wilderness area in Canada in mid-July of this year.  Does anyone out there know what to expect?  I would be interested in any info about patterns, techniques for deep fish like walleye, or anything you think might help.  I will be doing the Cache Lake Loop out of Baptism Creek.  Should be loads of fun. Thanks. Chris Hi.  I’ll be there, too, and if I see you I’ll wave. I usually have excellent luck catching bass and northerns in that area with a huge orange shrimp pattern that is actually a steelhead fly. Leeches or deer hair mice twitched through the reed beds are dynamite for large northerns, but don’t try that on a 5 weight. On the Seine River near there, I’ve caught blue gills and gigantic lake whitefish on caddis and Adams towards evening. I always see lots of dragonfly nymph shucks around and inch-long brownish mayflies with white wings on the cabin screens each morning. Walleyes are usually down too deep, but you might pick the odd one up in the shallows. I usually paddle into back bays and cast tight to the bank, around brush, next to weeds. P.S. I’ll be doing a reading at the Atikokan Public Library on July 8, so drop in if you’re in the neighbourhood.

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Ditto the last post–also– Keep your attention focused on points, especially ones near deep water. To catch walleyes or northerns in the summer heat you will have to fish like a spin guy.  I like a shooting head line with a "float tip" (if this gets famous then I get credit).  Take your nymph line and rig a loop-to-loop with about six feet of the head section of an old floating line.  Alternative:  fish a floating fly on a sinking line.  Go to leader (a flat butt of 40 and then 30/20 and maybe a 12 pound tippet; it’s a tossup:  catch more walleyes or get cut off by northerns.)  If you have a depth sounder you’re more likely to score.  Pick the windiest point you can find near big water, or near the flow where one lake has necked down into another.  Make your cast down wind and drift with your sinking line then strip back across the wind or with it.  Use clousers or strip leeches–color may matter, and it may vary from chartreuse to black.  A black strip leech with a fluorescent orange head is my favorite.  To move walleyes you will probably have to be at least 12′ deep, and maybe as deep as 18′.  A rocky or gravelly flat that extends in deep water will almost always hold fish.  Move shallower on the same structure for smallies; move out over deep water but near the dropoff for big northerns. In the evening, stake out a likely flat near camp.  Get about a gallon of pure DEET.  As the light falls, make casts across the flat parallel to the deep water or across the wind and scrape the bottom in the same fashion. In the early morning (early:  first light) do the same.  In low-light conditions (or rain or fog) you may find walleyes in 6 to 10 feet of water; you will collide with all three species in that zone.  Also–in bays, especially if it’s warm and especially if the water is clear, make some casts with large topwaters such as hair bugs, bob’s bangers or other poppers, and large dahlbergs.  This may bring on smallies and northerns. If you tie, make up a few really huge dahlberg divers (6 to 8" range) as these are the best bet for big northerns. I’ll be on Basswood lake this year–no time for a really deep penetration of the parks.  Good luck! Dave

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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 have a question concerning nymphing…I learned that one should dead drift a nymph (holding the rod high) through riffles, pocket-water, along seams, etc.. I was on the DePuys outside of Livingston.

True, generally that’s a good idea (dead drifting).  Some times I find it effective to impart a slight twich every couple of seconds as the fly drifts. But that depends on the pattern I am fishing (e.g., ameletus immitation). life…these generally don’t have the capability to swim in the current,

Not so, there are swimmers such as the ameletus, which swims as fast as a minnow.  But anyway, even the nonswimming crawlers get dislodged in riffles while moving from one place to another, maybe foraging.  Some types of nymphs, e.g. the stonefly, crawl to shore to hatch and may be dislodged by fast currents and drift in the current. How does this impact presentation?? Favorite patterns: B-H squirrel tail, B-H telico, B-H Hare’s ear…all 10-16

These are caddis and mayfly imitations and a dead drift is fine.  They rise to the surface and hatch, or hatch while rising to the surface. -Burton — L. Burton Hawley           2330 NW Hummingbird Corvallis, OR

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Not so, there are swimmers such as the ameletus, which swims as fast as a Hello Burton, I’m not familiar with the ameletus. Can you tell me a little about it?

Glad to Fred!  Ameletus (Genus) belongs to the Family Siphlonuridae.  It seems to be a distinctly western genus of mayflies.  Sixteen species are recorded from the West, and only four from the rest of the country.  They have been know to emerge in both the opening and closing weeks of the trout season, and often in between.  This is probably because of the large number of species.  They are a reddish-brown color (nymph and dun, I use a Hendrickson shade of dubbing to tie), and the nymph has short antennae small single, oval gills on abdominal segments 1-7 and the leading edges of the gills have a dark sclerotized band.  Three tails fringed with interlocking hairs and have one to several dark bands accross them near the tip (very distinctive, I use golden pheasant tippet for my imitation).  The have a broad head with large eyes on the side.  Size varies 6-14 mm(1/4-1/2 in.).   On specimens I have collected one or more of the abdominal segments on the underside is white. Their distribution is quite wide throughout the west, but some of the best populations are found in high mtn. streams of the Rockies where they have been collected at altitudes up to 11,000 ft.  They are commonly found in small, rapid streams, near but not *in* fast water.  They rrest on clean stones, vegetation, or debris.  They have been found all the way from small coastal streams to large desert rivers (not found in lakes).  They often inhabit deep undercut banks, away from the main current, the same places inhabited by large trout. Which is probably why it took us so long to discover them on a streach of river we knew held fish but couldn’t figure out what they fed on.  As a last resort we swept out a handfull of vegetation and debris from under the bank. The little critters were flying all over the place.  As I mentioned before, they swim with minnow-like speed.   Disturbances as I mentioned, send them scurring for better cover.  Their active swimming behavoir makes them readily available to trout. Ameletus have a one-year life cycle and the nymphs feed on algae or other plant material.  When mature they select a quiet area near the water’s edge to emerge.  The nymphs crawl from the water on plant stems, twigs, rocks or logs, like their sister genus Siphlorurus.  It may take fifteen minutes for the dun to free itself from the nymphal shuck.  Since they emerge above water the duns are seldom available to fish.  Spinner flights have never been recorded in any literature and mating may take place far from the water or high above it. It’s an interesting bug, and well worth looking for.  We have taken some nice fish on the nymph imitations.  When shown a picture of the bug by Dave McNeese, Polly Rosborough thought it was his Isonychia bicolor.  The color is similar and because of this it may have been misidentified or largely ignored by fly fishing writers. Well, there’s more than you ever wanted to know about Ameletus. Tight Lines, -Burton — L. Burton Hawley           2330 NW Hummingbird Corvallis, OR

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a question concerning nymphing…I learned that one should dead drift a nymph (holding the rod high) through riffles, pocket-water, along seams, etc.. I was on the DePuys outside of Livingston. <snip lots of great stuff        The guiding principle of when to use which technique is to understand which insect one is trying to imitate… In unfamiliar water with unfamiliar insects, the technique you described is often the best place to start…  If it doesn’t produce and you know there are fish there, do a bit of stream bottom research and change accordingly. Alan,

Nice summary on nymphing technique.  I really didn’t address technique.  If John wants to learn more about technique I suggest he try to obtain a copy of Charles E. Brooks excellent book "Nymph Fishing For Larger Trout" (ISBN 0-8329-0330-2) in which he discusses all aspects of nymph fishing (10 methods even). Tight Lines, -Burton — L. Burton Hawley Corvallis, OR          "Those children that you spit on           as they try to change their world,           are immune to your consultations,           and are quite aware of what they are                    going through."      "Changes"      David Bowie

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Hey folks, I have a question concerning nymphing…I learned that one should dead drift a nymph (holding the rod high) through riffles, pocket-water, along seams, etc.. I was on the DePuys outside of Livingston. I see a number of FFers fishing nymphs downstream…I assume that some are using streamers…but I was under the impression that a nymph pattern was immitating (obviously??) nymphal stages of insect life…these generally don’t have the capability to swim in the current, right? So wouldn’t fishing downstream cause them to swing across the current or drag through the water creating non-natural movement of the nymph? I mostly fish the Chattahoochee or rivers/streams in the North Georgia Moutains…much faster than the slower spring creeks out West…the Hooch can be fairly deep in some places( 10ft) but I tend to wade the 2-4ft areas and most of the streams in N. GA that I fish are around 2-3ft with pools about 4-5ft in depth.   How does this impact presentation?? Favorite patterns: B-H squirrel tail, B-H telico, B-H Hare’s ear…all 10-16 Any and all techniques appreciated. Thanks, -John *       John Carney        * * Fly Fisher & Parrot Head *

Response:

Not so, there are swimmers such as the ameletus, which swims as fast as a minnow.  But anyway, even the nonswimming crawlers get dislodged in riffles while moving from one place to another, maybe foraging.  Some types of nymphs, e.g. the stonefly, crawl to shore to hatch and may be dislodged by fast currents and drift in the current.

Hello Burton, I’m not familiar with the ameletus. Can you tell me a little about it? Thanks,

Response:

I have a question concerning nymphing…I learned that one should dead drift a nymph (holding the rod high) through riffles, pocket-water, along seams, etc.. I was on the DePuys outside of Livingston.

<snip John,      I spent a very long time trying to catch trout with nymphs before I ever got a single hit…..then a kind gentleman, Chuck Davidison showed me how to do the normal "dead drift"….. but since have learned how and now prefer when there is no surface activity to use nymphs…. as it is very deadly..         Clearly dead drift is one of the best techniques for nymphing…..  with the line so slack you do not impart artificial movement or underwater drag to the fly… but with the line so taut that you can instantly sense any pick up…… *but* there are many other good presentations…. One I love in deep quiet pools is the "Bergman" crawl…. described in Ray Bergman’s "Trout"…. letting a nymph settle all the way to the bottom of a pool and then slowly with the fingers of the left hand (for right handed l….) sllllloooooooowwwwly winding in the fly line to crawl the nymph over the bottom….. has the advantage of imparting a realistic move, yet allowing instant telegraph of a pick-up.        Another effective technique a few days before the white miller hatch in July in Pa. is to use a perfectly white nymph with a bit of a tail.  Make very fast 12 inch jerks or strips of the fly line while there is a down and across drift.   space the strips a few seconds apart and make sure the nymph is within an inch of the bottom… You may need to dip you rod tip underwater….  this nymph is a swimmer and a fast swimmer and is quite active the few days before the duns appear at dusk… the best time to use this technique.        Another is the Leisenring lift named for Jim Leisenring noting that many nymphs rise to the surface *immediately* prior to the dun-on-the-water phase in a manner of completing an arc from the bottom and moving to the surface faster near the end of the rise… this is simulated by dead drifting and then as the fly swings past the fisherperson, allowing the line to tighten then smoothly lifting the rod to do the Leisenring lift…. The trout will take the fly about 5 inches below the surface.        The guiding principle of when to use which technique is to understand which insect one is trying to imitate… In unfamiliar water with unfamiliar insects, the technique you described is often the best place to start…  If it doesn’t produce and you know there are fish there, do a bit of stream bottom research and change accordingly. Tightlines, Alan E. Hoover Anglers’ Rest Powhatan, Va        *the trout teach many, lessons*

Response:

John, Please take the following with my usual caveat: I don’t consider myself or my opinions expert. Re: fishing nymphs downstream…while I have been on a near 10-year dry fly love-fest, I can remember a few things from my previous fishing life. I was weaned on multiple wet-flys and have caught hundreds of trout using the old down-and-across. It has been my observation that as the fly swings across the current it is popped upward just like a nymph heading for the surface. With practice, one can time this "emergence" to occur in likely trout lies. Same applies to downstream nymphing, but you must exercise much more restraint in setting the hook (hooking angle is terrible…too quick, and you pull it right out his mouth), while the "swing" is often a self-hooking affair. Since my wonderful (seriously) wife found me a good straight bamboo at an auction this summer, I am planning a return to my "three-at-a-time-swing", for old time’s sake if nothing else. As far as specific techniques…that will come if you pay attention to what’s happening. One word of advice that has really helped me: If you can’t spit in his eye, you’re casting too far. Good luck. — Jim Marple "He went fishing…call back at dark thirty."

snip I see a number of FFers fishing nymphs downstream…I assume that some are using streamers…but I was under the impression that a nymph pattern was immitating (obviously??) nymphal stages of insect life…these generally don’t have the capability to swim in the current, right? So wouldn’t fishing downstream cause them to swing across the current or drag through the water creating non-natural movement of the nymph?

snip – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – *       John Carney        * * Fly Fisher & Parrot Head *

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John: When the water is clear and the trout can see all, you sometimes have to present the nymph on a downstream cast.  The angler should then release line thru the rod guides to give the nymph a drag free float before it swings to the side of the stream. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey folks, I have a question concerning nymphing…I learned that one should dead drift a nymph (holding the rod high) through riffles, pocket-water, along seams, etc.. I was on the DePuys outside of Livingston. I see a number of FFers fishing nymphs downstream…I assume that some are using streamers…but I was under the impression that a nymph pattern was immitating (obviously??) nymphal stages of insect life…these generally don’t have the capability to swim in the current, right? So wouldn’t fishing downstream cause them to swing across the current or drag through the water creating non-natural movement of the nymph? I mostly fish the Chattahoochee or rivers/streams in the North Georgia Moutains…much faster than the slower spring creeks out West…the Hooch can be fairly deep in some places( 10ft) but I tend to wade the 2-4ft areas and most of the streams in N. GA that I fish are around 2-3ft with pools about 4-5ft in depth.   How does this impact presentation?? Favorite patterns: B-H squirrel tail, B-H telico, B-H Hare’s ear…all 10-16 Any and all techniques appreciated. Thanks, -John *       John Carney        * * Fly Fisher & Parrot Head *

Response:

some really excellent info clipped < Alan E. Hoover Anglers’ Rest Powhatan, Va        *the trout teach many, lessons*

Alan (et. al.), Thanks for the info folks…today the weather is bright, clear and 70 degrees! I’m hoping that the Hooch won’t look like YooHoo by this weekend….we have a lot of construction north of Atlanta and the runoff from the red clay really gets bad… However, there are other places…a few more days of this weather and the hatch will be on!  Gosh, I feel an illness coming on…;-D –John *       John Carney        * * Fly Fisher & Parrot Head *

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Question:

Hikers need to understand something. Hiking boots are not made to walk in concrete. The soles are usually to soft. The concrete eats them up. If you plan to do some street hiking, go with a Timberland boot or somehing like that. If you really want a ‘hiking boot’, go with the Sundowners, Newbriers, or Skywalks. That way, WHEN you wear down the soles, you can get them resoled. Hal Why is misuse of a product the responsibility of the manufacturer? : My Vasque Hiker II’s lasted for 11 years and my Montagna’s for ten.  I : thought I’d never wear any other brand.  But the new styles seem to be : narrower and I’ve now switched to Raichle for fit.  I’d use caution : with the lightweight (leather/fabric) styles.  I bought a pair of : Vasque Clarion hiking shoes and destroyed them in six months on the : streets.

Response:

Anyone have Vasque boots.  How are they made are they durable?  Thanks.

Vasque (at least a couple of years ago) had a policy that if the leather uppers start to come appart before the sole is completely worn, they would repair or replace the boots at no charge. I bought a pair of discontinued all leather Vasque boots at a rock bottom sale price of $75 several years ago.  When the sole began to seperate from one boot a few years later, I took them back to the store to get them repaired. (at the time I was unaware of the policy, loved the boots, and was willing pay to have the boots repaired).  The store sent the boots back to Vasque and a few weeks later the store called and said that Vasque was willing to give me a $130 credit (the original retail price of the boots) towards another pair.  I took them up on the offer and picked up a pair of $190 New Briers. My current roommate had the same experience with the same type of Vasque boots (I think they were "Libertys") and he used his credit to purchase Sundowners.

Response:

I waterproofed the leather on my Sundowners (which have been fantastic) just in case, but remember that even if the boot is waterproof, you can still get wet feet from water/snow coming in the top of the boot.  Don’t forget gaiters if you’re hiking in snow or in cold rain!  :)

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Newbriers, or Skywalks. That way, WHEN you wear down the soles, you can get them resoled.

My mileage varried!  On my 4 pairs of Skywalks, Sundowners and Newbriers the soles all came off before I had a chance to wear them down!  Luckily they stood behind their product and replaced them.  I have since grown tired of that game and got a pair of Raichles with a real stitched sole. Good Luck,                 Whitney

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Re: Vasque boots Over rocks, through streams, over snow, over dirt, over anything, my Vasque Sundowners have been _fantastic_.  I go up to people trying them on in stores and tell these total strangers that my boots have saved my life on winter hikes (since I have never gotten wet feet while wearing these boots, even on eight hour hikes through wet snow,etc.)  I have never gotten a blister, never slipped off a wet rock, never had any reason except to recommend these boots!!!  I say thumbs up!  Buy ‘em!

Response:

Anyone have Vasque boots.  How are they made are they durable?  Thanks.

I have had my Vasque Sundowners for three years now.  Great boots.  Sturdy one piece upper construction.  Solid yet flexible sole. They break in IMHO quickly.  They are my winter boots (NYC), hiking, and allaround  walking shoes from Oct-April.  I have gone flyfishing with them-a few hours in waist deep H2O- came homw cleaned them and waxed them a week later– they came back with great flexibility.  I just spent a week out west, Zion, Bryce, GC. One hike was in Bryce-900 feet down and up during a 3 hour hike, on some quite steep trails.  Never had a blister, actually since I bought them.  I can’t say enough about them. I will definitely buy a new pair, if they are still made when I need to do such- in about six years, after having been resoled a few times. That reminds me, I have to clean them again and get the red Utah dirt off of them. Hope this sways your decision. Brian CHarles — Brian Charles

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        I just bought a new pair of sundownsers also.  I got them for pretty cheap ($160 on sale).  They fit the best out of all the boots I tried.  I would recommend them also, just make sure to try on several brands and pick the ones that fit the best. (Look at http://io.datasys.swri.edu/PATC/startout.html for boot fitting info.)         Does anyone use snoseal on their sundowners?  Or do you trust the gortex? Josh — —  Senior M.E. Student & Computer Aided Engineering          – —      Laboratory Partner                                      – —  Engineering School – The hardest four years or the        – —                       easiest six years of your life.      –

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        Does anyone use snoseal on their sundowners?  Or do you trust the gortex?

I didn’t have time to seal them before I left on their first trip (I know, I know, I just didn’t *make* the time…), but they were quite waterproof nonetheless.  The leather did suffer quite a bit, however, from scuffing — I was in canyon country, very rocky.  Sealing them later has helped the scuffing, I think.  And I’m sure it has increased the waterproof-ness of the boots — but as I said, I never had any problems in the first place. Still, I think it would be irresponsible not to seal them.

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Their cheaper models are for light hiking. Their midrange models are for heavy hiking/light backpacking. And their high end are for heavy backpacking. If you used the ‘cheap model’ for heavy use, I’m not at all surprised. If you told your sales person that you needed them for heavy use, he should have recommended a better pair. I work at an outdoor shop that sells Vasque and I know that any knowledgable salesperson should know the uses for the different levels of boots. Hal

: I hate to disagree with all the others, but I’ve had two pairs of Vasque : boots and neither lasted worth beans.  One was a cheap model and it wore : out VERY quickly (two months hard use).  I ascribed this to the cost of : the model — since I’d also heard Vasques were good — and bought an

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –         I just bought a new pair of sundownsers also.  I got them for pretty cheap ($160 on sale).  They fit the best out of all the boots I tried.  I would recommend them also, just make sure to try on several brands and pick the ones that fit the best. (Look at http://io.datasys.swri.edu/PATC/startout.html for boot fitting info.)         Does anyone use snoseal on their sundowners?  Or do you trust the gortex? Josh — —  Senior M.E. Student & Computer Aided Engineering          – —      Laboratory Partner                                      – —  Engineering School – The hardest four years or the        – —                       easiest six years of your life.      –

I use Nikwax cleaner/conditioner and then apply a layer of Nikwax aqueous wax. The bottle says apply 2 or 3 layers for best results but one protects the leather well and provides for an easy clean up and retreat. The only time my feet have gotten wet in my Sundowners (4 years, great shape) is when the water is deeper than the boots are tall. Great boots! — Thanx for your interest. Tom "The thinner the air gets, the clearer my head gets."

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I like the Vasque boots I’ve owned better than any others.  My only negative observation:  in Scotland in December, walking on cold and very slippery beach stones in the western islands, I tended to slip more often than my friends, who wore boots with harder soles.  My Vasques now are the lightweight type with canvas plus leather uppers and fairly spongy soles, and the soles are now fairly smooth (I’ll need a new pair soon).  I found that in Scotland the cold made the soles a bit stiff and because they were smooth they were also slick. That’s not a complaint with Vasque boots, though!         Una Smith —         Una Smith               Department of Biology – OML                                 Yale University

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Anyone have Vasque boots.  How are they made are they durable?  Thanks.

I like them quite a bit.  They tend to run wide, which fits my feet.  My younger son has similar feet and he’s gone through a couple of pairs of Vasques over the years.  Mine have worn quite well.

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My Sundowners have never let me down.

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I wear my Vasque in the same Utah scree fields and don’t have much of a problem.  (All leather) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Anyone have Vasque boots. Yes, lots of people do–otherwise they wouldn’t be in business How are they made I don’t know how they are made. Presumably there’s some sort of factory like set up… are they durable?   Yes, if you never hike in rocks while wearing them.  I was going to get a pair of their $180ish (I can’t remember the name) boots but everyone I talked to who also hikes reccomended against them.  In the scree fields of the Utah mountains (where I walk most of the time), Vasque got a definite thumbs down. your milage may vary, mike.

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My Vasque Hiker II’s lasted for 11 years and my Montagna’s for ten.  I thought I’d never wear any other brand.  But the new styles seem to be narrower and I’ve now switched to Raichle for fit.  I’d use caution with the lightweight (leather/fabric) styles.  I bought a pair of Vasque Clarion hiking shoes and destroyed them in six months on the streets.

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I hate to disagree with all the others, but I’ve had two pairs of Vasque boots and neither lasted worth beans.  One was a cheap model and it wore out VERY quickly (two months hard use).  I ascribed this to the cost of the model — since I’d also heard Vasques were good — and bought an expensive pair (all leather) at a local shop.  These lasted a bit longer, but I’ve certainly had MUCH better durability with other brands. The Vasques were, I must admit, totally hip and extremely comfortable though. — "Die young late in life!!!"                           http://www.unm.edu/~pflo

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        You say your boots `wore out’. What wore out, the leather         portion or the sole? If it was the leather I’m surprised; mine         have lasted many years and I wear them every day. If it was the         sole that wore down, why don’t you have them resoled? I know         the last time I had mine done (by Morin Boots, Evergreen CO.         fyi) I was able to choose between a Vasque sole or soles from         other big name manufactures. I decided to stay with Vasque         because the softer material seems to grip very well.                 Scott   Marquette Electronics    8200 West Tower Avenue    Milwaukee, WI 53223             As anyone here will tell you: I speak for myself.        

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Anyone have Vasque boots.  How are they made are they durable?  Thanks.

I love my Vasques – have used them for 4 years now – first in Nepal and now at home in Vermont.  Mine are the Gore-tex sided.  They were recommended by the outfitting shop over all the others they stocked and I have never been disappointed.  I have a friend who has the more expensive all-leather Vasques and he is equally satisfied.  One thing – I have always worn my boots with Thorlo Trekking-weight socks.  This may be key.

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I believe Vasque all-leather Gore-tex boots are issue for National Park Rangers.  I don’t wear them because they don’t fit me comfortably.   That’s the most important aspect of any boot.  I wear a comparable Asolo which is very comfortable for me.  When you buy boots, make very sure they fit properly.  Fit varies according to manufacturer.

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: Anyone have Vasque boots.  How are they made are they durable?  Thanks.         I bought my first pair of Vasque boots in 1990.  Since then I have put them through quite a bit of wear and tear and they still remain in good shape.  Since I bought those boots so many years ago, my feet have grown AND Vasque has redesigned their boots, so I thought it was time to get a new pair.  About a year ago I bought a pair of Vasque Clarion Impacts for $105. I love them!  My little brother still wears my first pair of Vasque Clarions.         In all, I hear that Vasque makes good boots, and I totally agree!  I have also heard good things about the Vasque Sundowners and the Gore-tex Clarion Impact. -David B. Buckingham dbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbd bdbdb  UofL, Speed Scientific School                                         TIP#1836                             David Bryan Buckingham                              (502)397-5496 (pager)  Triangle Fraternity                                         HSC Lab Consultant dbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbd bdbdb

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Anyone have Vasque boots.  How are they made are they durable?  Thanks.

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Anyone have Vasque boots.

Yes, lots of people do–otherwise they wouldn’t be in business How are they made

I don’t know how they are made. Presumably there’s some sort of factory like set up… are they durable?  

Yes, if you never hike in rocks while wearing them.  I was going to get a pair of their $180ish (I can’t remember the name) boots but everyone I talked to who also hikes reccomended against them.  In the scree fields of the Utah mountains (where I walk most of the time), Vasque got a definite thumbs down. your milage may vary, mike.

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