Question:

Hello everyone! I’ve really enjoyed a couple of fish documentaries I’ve seen on TV lately. I thought I’d prepare for the cabin fever by getting a couple of such documentaries (or just general fishing stories) on DVD, if I could find some good ones. Anyone seen any good river/fish documentaries or fishing programs on DVD? — Jarmo Hurri address or apply rot13 to header email address.

Response:

Hello everyone! I’ve really enjoyed a couple of fish documentaries I’ve seen on TV lately. I thought I’d prepare for the cabin fever by getting a couple of such documentaries (or just general fishing stories) on DVD, if I could find some good ones. Anyone seen any good river/fish documentaries or fishing programs on DVD?

Fly Fishing Yellowstone Hatches, w/ Craig Mathews

Response:

Anyone seen any good river/fish documentaries or fishing programs on DVD?

Jeff Fly Fishing Yellowstone Hatches, w/ Craig Mathews Looks pretty interesting, thanks. — Jarmo Hurri address or apply rot13 to header email address.

Response:

Question:

/daytripper (Cripes, I’d have to Google "PHP" just to find out if that’s some kind of pig tranquilizer or software!

Freakin’ chiphead. Got time to check out the Nissitisset Friday AM?  I have to be in Andover at 2ish and was going to try to be on the river from say 7-12 or so…

Response:

/daytripper (Cripes, I’d have to Google "PHP" just to find out if that’s some kind of pig tranquilizer or software! Freakin’ chiphead.

Been called a lot worse Got time to check out the Nissitisset Friday AM?  I have to be in Andover at 2ish and was going to try to be on the river from say 7-12 or so…

Ya know, there’s actually a possibility I could do that, and maybe drag Paul along as well. Stay in touch during the week and we’ll see how things develop. I’ll give Paul a ring and let him know what’s up. Forecast is for overcast and cool 50’s. Sounds good! /daytripper (NH season ends this weekend. Without me. Rats!)

Response:

Daytripper, Thank you. I was able to retrieve a tab delimited text file of a USGS site at:

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv?dd_cd=04&format=rdb&period=1&sit… 427500 However, when I retreive let’s say – one day – of this data – I get the data every fifteen minutes or about 96 records. All I want is the *real time* data of *one*record each and every time a user wants that file without the previous records of the past 23 hours and 45 minutes. Is there any way to filter out all other data except for the last – or better – *current* record of data.

Sounds like a job for PHP dude.  Just loop through the records parsing off the flow and keep the last one you see before hitting EOF. –Stan (always up for brute force solutions)

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Daytripper, Thank you. I was able to retrieve a tab delimited text file of a USGS site at: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv?dd_cd=04&format=rdb&period=1&sit… 427500 However, when I retreive let’s say – one day – of this data – I get the data every fifteen minutes or about 96 records. All I want is the *real time* data of *one*record each and every time a user wants that file without the previous records of the past 23 hours and 45 minutes. Is there any way to filter out all other data except for the last – or better – *current* record of data. Please advise and thanks for your time.

Tony, I haven’t seen a way to get just the one record that you request.   However, if your able to parse the data in the format suggested by Daytripper, you should be able to quickly parse all 96 records and find the most recent entry.  I don’t know what PHP has to offer, but you could sort the data based upon the time and read the one entry.  You could also try reading the first record at the end of the file. the info you desire.  They are pretty good guys to work with, or at least they used to be.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Daytripper, Thank you. I was able to retrieve a tab delimited text file of a USGS site at: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv?dd_cd=04&format=rdb&period=1&sit… 427500 However, when I retreive let’s say – one day – of this data – I get the data every fifteen minutes or about 96 records. All I want is the *real time* data of *one*record each and every time a user wants that file without the previous records of the past 23 hours and 45 minutes. Is there any way to filter out all other data except for the last – or better – *current* record of data. Please advise and thanks for your time. Tony, I haven’t seen a way to get just the one record that you request. However, if your able to parse the data in the format suggested by Daytripper, you should be able to quickly parse all 96 records and find the most recent entry.  I don’t know what PHP has to offer, but you could sort the data based upon the time and read the one entry.  You could also try reading the first record at the end of the file. the info you desire.  They are pretty good guys to work with, or at least they used to be.

Goddamnit!  Hey Wayno!  What the hell are these guys doing?  Are they calling us bad names or what?    :( Wolfgang boy……they just better not be!

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Daytripper, Thank you. I was able to retrieve a tab delimited text file of a USGS site at: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv?dd_cd=04&format=rdb&period=1&sit… 427500 However, when I retreive let’s say – one day – of this data – I get the data every fifteen minutes or about 96 records. All I want is the *real time* data of *one*record each and every time a user wants that file without the previous records of the past 23 hours and 45 minutes. Is there any way to filter out all other data except for the last – or better – *current* record of data. Please advise and thanks for your time. Tony Ritter

Whew! It’s unnerving to see my handle as the subject. And tagged with an exclamation point, no less! (First reaction: "Oh shit! WTF did I say this time?" You’ll do better to use Stan and "Bouncer" to get you through parsing web data.  I’m a hardware guy with just enough software and networks knowledge to be a pita to sysops everywhere… /daytripper (Cripes, I’d have to Google "PHP" just to find out if that’s some kind of pig tranquilizer or software!

Response:

Daytripper, Thank you. I was able to retrieve a tab delimited text file of a USGS site at: http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv?dd_cd=04&format=rdb&period=1&sit… 427500 However, when I retreive let’s say – one day – of this data – I get the data every fifteen minutes or about 96 records. All I want is the *real time* data of *one*record each and every time a user wants that file without the previous records of the past 23 hours and 45 minutes. Is there any way to filter out all other data except for the last – or better – *current* record of data. Please advise and thanks for your time. Tony Ritter

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Please include the link that you mentioned in your post below. Couldn’t find it in your original post. I sent another message earlier this morning and an email already!  Here is the link one more time. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/sw Rock, Thanks for the reply. I went to the URL that you mentioned and I’m still baffled. For example, here is a station I would like: 01427510 If I go the USGS website and query this station, I get the whole page (html – graphics) along with other information which I do not need. All I need is the following data string… 01427510  DELAWARE RIVER AT CALLICOON NY   10/07 17:30  3.14  1,210 1,285  –  17.2 Would I have to use a PHP regexp function to match the pattern I’m looking for in the string to weed out the extraneous information on that page or is there a straight CSV file from the USGS for this station? Please advise. Thank you. Tony Ritter You can get a tab-delimited data file by clicking in the right places, perfect for importing into Excel (for instance). It has a bit of header cruft but there’s enough formatting to be easily filtered to extract the data and ignore the cruft… An abbreviated example, taken from a smallish Maine river that I’m familiar with (the actual file had a month worth of data taken every 15 minutes): # The data you have obtained from this automated # U.S. Geological Survey database have not received # Director’s approval and as such are provisional # and subject to revision.  The data are released # on the condition that neither the USGS nor the # United States Government may be held liable for # any damages resulting from its use. # # Additional information can be obtained from the USGS at #   http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nh/nwis/help/?provisional # # # This file consists of tab-separated columns of data # The columns include the following fields # # column        column definition # agency_cd     Agency collection or maintaining the site # site_no       USGS site identification number # datetime      date and time in ISO format (YYYY-mm-dd HH:MM:SS) # # The remaining fields vary for each site.  The field names # uniquely define sensor (the ‘data descriptor’) and  the # used to collect the data used to collect the data # and the 5 number sequence is the ‘parameter_cd’ # that defines the type of data shown in the column. # # # Data for the following stations is contained in this file #  USGS 01052500 Diamond River near Wentworth Location, NH # # # # # # List of available data for this site.  Lines preceeded by # an asterix ‘*’ are included in the data file. # #  DD parameter – Description # *01   00060   – DISCHARGE, CUBIC FEET PER SECOND #  03   00065   – GAGE HEIGHT, FEET # agency_cd       site_no datetime        01_00060 /daytripper

Response:

RockTrout: Please include the link that you mentioned in your post below. Couldn’t find it in your original post. Thank you. Tony Ritter – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text —— Original Message —– Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.fishing.fly Sent: Sunday, October 06, 2002 10:59 PM Does anybody know if there is a source where I can get a csv – or comma separated file – from the USGS for particular stations on rivers in New York State. I don’t want to open a js pop up window of that particular USGS station but want to open their URL or FTP and use PHP to parse the data string into an array for output. Use this link and work your way to the appropriate stations.  You can obtain historical data in this fashion.

Response:

Please include the link that you mentioned in your post below. Couldn’t find it in your original post.

I sent another message earlier this morning and an email already!  Here is the link one more time. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/sw

Response:

Rock, Thanks for the reply. I went to the URL that you mentioned and I’m still baffled. For example, here is a station I would like: 01427510 If I go the USGS website and query this station, I get the whole page (html – graphics) along with other information which I do not need. All I need is the following data string… 01427510  DELAWARE RIVER AT CALLICOON NY   10/07 17:30  3.14  1,210 1,285  –  17.2 Would I have to use a PHP regexp function to match the pattern I’m looking for in the string to weed out the extraneous information on that page or is there a straight CSV file from the USGS for this station? Please advise. Thank you. Tony Ritter – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Please include the link that you mentioned in your post below. Couldn’t find it in your original post. I sent another message earlier this morning and an email already!  Here is the link one more time. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/sw

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Please include the link that you mentioned in your post below. Couldn’t find it in your original post. I sent another message earlier this morning and an email already!  Here is the link one more time. http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/sw Rock, Thanks for the reply. I went to the URL that you mentioned and I’m still baffled. For example, here is a station I would like: 01427510 If I go the USGS website and query this station, I get the whole page (html – graphics) along with other information which I do not need. All I need is the following data string… 01427510  DELAWARE RIVER AT CALLICOON NY   10/07 17:30  3.14  1,210 1,285  –  17.2 Would I have to use a PHP regexp function to match the pattern I’m looking for in the string to weed out the extraneous information on that page or is there a straight CSV file from the USGS for this station? Please advise. Thank you. Tony Ritter

You can get a tab-delimited data file by clicking in the right places, perfect for importing into Excel (for instance). It has a bit of header cruft but there’s enough formatting to be easily filtered to extract the data and ignore the cruft… An abbreviated example, taken from a smallish Maine river that I’m familiar with (the actual file had a month worth of data taken every 15 minutes): # The data you have obtained from this automated # U.S. Geological Survey database have not received # Director’s approval and as such are provisional # and subject to revision.  The data are released # on the condition that neither the USGS nor the # United States Government may be held liable for # any damages resulting from its use. # # Additional information can be obtained from the USGS at #   http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nh/nwis/help/?provisional # # # This file consists of tab-separated columns of data # The columns include the following fields # # column        column definition # agency_cd     Agency collection or maintaining the site # site_no       USGS site identification number # datetime      date and time in ISO format (YYYY-mm-dd HH:MM:SS) # # The remaining fields vary for each site.  The field names # uniquely define sensor (the ‘data descriptor’) and  the # used to collect the data used to collect the data # and the 5 number sequence is the ‘parameter_cd’ # that defines the type of data shown in the column. # # # Data for the following stations is contained in this file #  USGS 01052500 Diamond River near Wentworth Location, NH # # # # # # List of available data for this site.  Lines preceeded by # an asterix ‘*’ are included in the data file. # #  DD parameter – Description # *01   00060   – DISCHARGE, CUBIC FEET PER SECOND #  03   00065   – GAGE HEIGHT, FEET # agency_cd       site_no datetime        01_00060 /daytripper

Response:

Question:

Just what went on at the Yellowstone clave?

Lots of fishing, beer drinking, and BSing around the fire. Opening weekend we unintentionally offended a cranky old man, who turned out to be the father of Forest Service Ranger Chad, and Chad took it upon himself to harass us until we left. Pissed us off mightily at the time, but looking back on it a few weeks later, he was just a minor nuisance (say, like getting bitten by a deer fly) in what was otherwise a wonderful week with a great bunch of guys, in a beautiful setting. Did Charlie give Vern a fire extinguisher before shipment?

I just hope he remembered to punch a few air holes in the box. Has anyone else read Ruark’s "The Honey Badger" more than once, and if so, did your opinion(s) vary wildly each time?

I read almost all of his books, and my opinions varied wildly from page to page.  I got the feeling he was writing his autobiography over and over again, and felt that maybe he should quit whining (and perhaps cut back on the whiskey a bit). We’re on the fifth week of a hot, dry spell here in ND.  My garden withered away and got chewed down to the ground (except, of course, for the weeds) by grasshoppers while we were in Montana. Kevin

Response:

I have an opportunity to catch up a bit with ROFF after several weeks of travel and adventure, and it’s good to see nothing has changed. However, I have missed a few details, and I always hate to miss the last episode of a series, even if it is "Survivor," therefore: Did the Collier/Poodlesfly scam go undiscovered, or at least, unreported? Just what went on at the Yellowstone clave? Did Charlie give Vern a fire extinguisher before shipment? Has anyone pointed out there is a river in Oklahoma and Texas named the Canadian, not to mention an OK county, a Texas town, etc.?  Heck, "Canadian District" appears on old Cherokee Nation census stuff (from the US, or EU, for some of us)…. Can Jeff and Louie email each other without a note from Bill Gates and two kids from MIT? Has anyone else read Ruark’s "The Honey Badger" more than once, and if so, did your opinion(s) vary wildly each time? OBROFF – went fishing some, caught some, got rained on where we didn’t need it, and didn’t where we did.  We have a river on some of our land large enough to warrant Rand-Macnally’s considerations, and, sadly, you can now jump it in places…and without being Evil Kineval (or Opie)… Muskie, ol’ boy, if you read this, there is something to bitch and moan about, and guess what?  It was not caused by GW or Bill and Hillary or either major party (or I guess, maybe all of them) – it was caused by good old fashioned greed with a good dose of stupidity thrown in to ensure a real mess…. TC, R TC, R

Response:

Question:

I store it all in Clear Creek tube I purchased from Zimbo, one of the regulars of this group…

Ahem. More like we went in together on a group order. –Steve

Response:

Sorry Steve should have mentioned the ‘gang’ thing…yes indeed I got it with a group order…but my main point was it was perfect for my 3 piece, cuz it had 3 compartments and keeps my 3 forks all snug and safe Padishar Creel

Response:

Has anyone fished with a Cabela’s Three Forks Fly Rod?  I was thinking about getting one.  they are going for $40.00 in their new catalog.  Good, Bad, feels like a broomstick?

Frank Church, John Popp and I believe Jon Cook have all stated several times over in the past few years that they highly recommend it.  I have a Browning Medallion 7′ 5wt that’s within that price range that I would recommend.  Quite a fun rod that has bested many a smallmouth bass. Moderately slow action. Mu

Response:

I have a Cabela’s Stowaway 5 pc. 5 wt.  I love the action on this rod. However, the other day I left the rod in my truck.  It was inside the green canvas bag, inside an aluminum tube.  I went to fish with it and on the third section at the ferrule there was a whitish color to the dope used on the wrapping.  The eye closest to the ferrule also had the soft white dope. The stuff was soft to the touch. I fished with it and by the end of the day the dope was almost dry, but with a cloudy haze on the finish.  I traded emails with Cabela’s and I’m sending the rod back.  I don’t think the dope cured correctly when it was applied. I’ve never had this problem with another make.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have the 7′6" 3 piece 3wt 3 forks rod.  It is a wonderful rod, and I am quite pleased with the fit and finish of the entire rod.  It is a medium to stiffer action.  I put an orvis reel and line on it and I have taken nice trout with no issues at all.  It even has a hook keeper that many lightweight rods seem not to have (Redington are you paying attention?).  I store it all in Clear Creek tube I purchased from Zimbo, one of the regulars of this group, and it fit perfectly.  All in all it is one of my favorite sticks…I think you will be pleased with one…I fish a lot of small streams so I am not familar with their bigger rods, but if the workmanship is the same, I think they would be worth a look… Padishar Creel – I also love my Cabela’s stowaway as well.  Frank Church, I believe, is also quite please with his Cabela’s rods.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Has anyone fished with a Cabela’s Three Forks Fly Rod?  I was thinking about getting one.  they are going for $40.00 in their new catalog.  Good, Bad, feels like a broomstick? Frank Church, John Popp and I believe Jon Cook have all stated several times over in the past few years that they highly recommend it.  I have a Browning Medallion 7′ 5wt that’s within that price range that I would recommend.  Quite a fun rod that has bested many a smallmouth bass. Moderately slow action. Mu

These are the rods I chose to keep in my Toyota Rice Burner 24/7/365.  The big reason was that at 40 bucks apiece, if someone steals them, then I’m not bankrupted in getting them replaced.  I have both the 3 Forks 3pc 3 wt. and the 8′ 2pc 5 wt. which should cover any fishing situation I’m apt to find myself into.  For the money, they are hard to beat, and thus far have held up very well.  No broomsticks here either, both have a moderate action (maybe just a tad on the slow side of moderate, especially the 5 wt) With Cabela’s return policy, you can hardly go wrong with the 3 Forks series. Frank Church in Elkhart, IN bassbugr AT yahoo dot com

Response:

Yeepers, I use the 3X3X7.5 for brim, trout to 3+lb (when traveling). small to average size bass. It travels with me more than my wife and is quieter. A pretty good rod, for the price a great rod. I use the reel for despooling and the line is so-so. put the rod together with a small bass pro reel and a decent line and you’ll have a combo that will look and perform like a much higher priced set-up. — John Popp in Sanford Fl.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Has anyone fished with a Cabela’s Three Forks Fly Rod?  I was thinking about getting one.  they are going for $40.00 in their new catalog.  Good, Bad, feels like a broomstick? Thanks Rob

Response:

Has anyone fished with a Cabela’s Three Forks Fly Rod?  I was thinking about getting one.  they are going for $40.00 in their new catalog.  Good, Bad, feels like a broomstick? Thanks Rob

Good choice. My Cabela’s 3wt Three Forks has a very similar (fast) action to my Sage 5wt SP, at less than 10% of the cost. I recently used it exclusively on a three-day float of the Middle Fork of the Salmon, partly because I didn’t want to risk an expensive rod in a raft. It was a joy to use. (It’s outfitted with a good reel and line. The reel costs three times the price of the rod. Even the line is more expensive than the rod.) The only problem I see is that the reel seat is a cheap piece of junk, but what can you expect for forty bucks? — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

Agreed, it’s thin aluminum. On the other hand my 6′ 4wt Fenwick has a robust silver nickel real seat. Problem is the reel is easily removed at the end of the day with the Cabellas, where as with the Fenwick I have to beat the reel loose. I’m not sure which I prefer, cheap easy on-off or reel won’t fall off. — John Popp in Sanford Fl.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Has anyone fished with a Cabela’s Three Forks Fly Rod?  I was thinking about getting one.  they are going for $40.00 in their new catalog.  Good, Bad, feels like a broomstick? Thanks Rob Good choice. My Cabela’s 3wt Three Forks has a very similar (fast) action to my Sage 5wt SP, at less than 10% of the cost. I recently used it exclusively on a three-day float of the Middle Fork of the Salmon, partly because I didn’t want to risk an expensive rod in a raft. It was a joy to use. (It’s outfitted with a good reel and line. The reel costs three times the price of the rod. Even the line is more expensive than the rod.) The only problem I see is that the reel seat is a cheap piece of junk, but what can you expect for forty bucks? — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

Has anyone fished with a Cabela’s Three Forks Fly Rod?  I was thinking about getting one.  they are going for $40.00 in their new catalog.  Good, Bad, feels like a broomstick? Thanks Rob

Response:

Can Only speak for the 3 wt 3 piece….cosmetics fair….workmanship fair….fish-a-bility excellent. My favorite dry fly rod. Very good rod for the price. Durability….the jury is still out. jim

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Has anyone fished with a Cabela’s Three Forks Fly Rod?  I was thinking about getting one.  they are going for $40.00 in their new catalog.  Good, Bad, feels like a broomstick? Thanks Rob

Response:

I have the 7′6" 3 piece 3wt 3 forks rod.  It is a wonderful rod, and I am quite pleased with the fit and finish of the entire rod.  It is a medium to stiffer action.  I put an orvis reel and line on it and I have taken nice trout with no issues at all.  It even has a hook keeper that many lightweight rods seem not to have (Redington are you paying attention?).  I store it all in Clear Creek tube I purchased from Zimbo, one of the regulars of this group, and it fit perfectly.  All in all it is one of my favorite sticks…I think you will be pleased with one…I fish a lot of small streams so I am not familar with their bigger rods, but if the workmanship is the same, I think they would be worth a look… Padishar Creel – I also love my Cabela’s stowaway as well.  Frank Church, I believe, is also quite please with his Cabela’s rods.

Response:

I have the Cabela’s Three Forks in 6wt with the Prestige (Okuma Sierra) reel. I agree 100% with Jim Bennett’s review with the following addition on durability….excellent.  The rod & reel have been blown off the top of my truck onto pavement, canopy door closed on it and all the hell a newbie can do to a rod.  It’s still fishing! Jeff

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Can Only speak for the 3 wt 3 piece….cosmetics fair….workmanship fair….fish-a-bility excellent. My favorite dry fly rod. Very good rod for the price. Durability….the jury is still out. jim Has anyone fished with a Cabela’s Three Forks Fly Rod?  I was thinking about getting one.  they are going for $40.00 in their new catalog.  Good, Bad, feels like a broomstick? Thanks Rob

Response:

Question:

Hi Folks, I made the long trip from Oz to Orlando for a conference and on Saturday 5th of May got out to Titusville for a fish. I wanted to stop in at The Flyfisherman store, but they didn’t open until 10am, so I sniffed out a likely spot on Mosquito Lagoon about 8am and got started. It was a windy as hell which limited my options and the water was pretty dirty. I put on a white and pink clouser and nervous of crocs, oops, gators, started wading. After 45 min of nothing, I hooked up solid to a decent sized fish in knee deep water that turned out to be a spotted sea trout about 3lb. Soon after I got another about 4lb or so. I really wanted to catch a red so I packed up and went into the Flyfisherman for help. The guys there were really friendly and Chris there drew me a map to one of his favourite secret spots (he doesn’t mind showing them to visitors from a far ). I went forth to spot X on the Indian R with some prefered local flies, being told to shuffle out to a knee deep grass bank and wait patiently for something to happen. After about 20 min, 3 or 4 big red tails popped up through the wind chop about 40 feet to my right. The wind was at that nasty level where flyline comes out of the rod tip sideways. I took 2 or 3 tries to get the fly to them and I ended up slamming it down right over where I thought they were. To cut a sad story short, I don’t know if I spooked them or if they just doddled along their way invisible under the choppy surface – but I didn’t get a touch off them and lost track of them. I stayed out there another 2 hours and didn’t see another thing! In calmer conditions, this kind of fishing would be fantastic, alas, I had my chances and dudded out completely on the reds. I will return!!!!! Thanks to Anis Popp and R Dean for their advice and putting me onto The Flyfisherman. Cheers John K Sydney Flyrodders — John Knight ALEMITE LUBREQUIP PTY LTD mobile 0407 959100 office 61-2-99382999 fax 61-2-99053631

Response:

I stayed out there another 2 hours and didn’t see another thing! In calmer conditions, this kind of fishing would be fantastic, alas, I had my chances and dudded out completely on the reds. I will return!!!!!

Nice report.  I’ve only fished FL once since leaving Gainesville in the early 90s.  Your story brought back pleasant memories. At least you dudded out on the reds and not on the redds.  ;-)  Better luck next time. JR

Response:

I’m glad you enjoyed yourself. I assume you were told Redds are quite moody and what spooks them one minute drives them to mall a fly the next. When the shrimp are running at haul over they’ll nail just about anything. Possibly the fish were cognizant of the shock to your nervous system that would have occurred if you had tied into one of the biggie redds of the area. When you consider most of them caught are too BIG to keep you can see why this is a popular fishing spot. — John Popp in Sanford Fl.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Folks, I made the long trip from Oz to Orlando for a conference and on Saturday 5th of May got out to Titusville for a fish. I wanted to stop in at The Flyfisherman store, but they didn’t open until 10am, so I sniffed out a likely spot on Mosquito Lagoon about 8am and got started. It was a windy as hell which limited my options and the water was pretty dirty. I put on a white and pink clouser and nervous of crocs, oops, gators, started wading. After 45 min of nothing, I hooked up solid to a decent sized fish in knee deep water that turned out to be a spotted sea trout about 3lb. Soon after I got another about 4lb or so. I really wanted to catch a red so I packed up and went into the Flyfisherman for help. The guys there were really friendly and Chris there drew me a map to one of his favourite secret spots (he doesn’t mind showing them to visitors from a far ). I went forth to spot X on the Indian R with some prefered local flies, being told to shuffle out to a knee deep grass bank and wait patiently for something to happen. After about 20 min, 3 or 4 big red tails popped up through the wind chop about 40 feet to my right. The wind was at that nasty level where flyline comes out of the rod tip sideways. I took 2 or 3 tries to get the fly to them and I ended up slamming it down right over where I thought they were. To cut a sad story short, I don’t know if I spooked them or if they just doddled along their way invisible under the choppy surface – but I didn’t get a touch off them and lost track of them. I stayed out there another 2 hours and didn’t see another thing! In calmer conditions, this kind of fishing would be fantastic, alas, I had my chances and dudded out completely on the reds. I will return!!!!! Thanks to Anis Popp and R Dean for their advice and putting me onto The Flyfisherman. Cheers John K Sydney Flyrodders — John Knight ALEMITE LUBREQUIP PTY LTD mobile 0407 959100 office 61-2-99382999 fax 61-2-99053631

Response:

The ones I saw I guessed at 10-15lb. I was just above knee deep and they had big fat tails sticking up 4"-5" from the chop. It was good fun – Chris at The Flyfisherman said he has seen them tailing in 3 feet of water so I know what you mean about maximum sizes. When they are close by can you hear or feel them? About the time I saw them I sensed croaking or popping sounds coming up my spine and at the back of my neck – was that them or something else (like shrimps) they  were feeding on? Sorry about the name John, I went from memory yesterday. Regards John K Sydney Flyrodders

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Thanks to Anis Popp and R Dean for their advice and putting me onto The Flyfisherman.

You’re more than welcome. TC, R – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Cheers John K Sydney Flyrodders

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– John Popp in Sanford Fl.

The ones I saw I guessed at 10-15lb. I was just above knee deep and they had big fat tails sticking up 4"-5" from the chop. It was good fun – Chris at The Flyfisherman said he has seen them tailing in 3 feet of water so I know what you mean about maximum sizes. When they are close by can you hear or feel them? About the time I saw them I sensed croaking or popping sounds coming up my spine and at the back of my neck – was that them or something else (like shrimps) they  were feeding on?

They do croak, like a croaker. Most people miss that as they fish from boats. They must have been on a young oyster bed, they make a popimg sound as the fish crush the shells. they will often also leave a cloud like discoloration in the water. It’s not bottom but the crushed up shell fish remains they emit. As for gators, they do frequent the intercoastal occasionally but prefer fresh water right now folks who have pools close to open water better look before they leap. by the way you were just a bit early due to the weather, but then a good spot kinda beats a brookie. And I was hopeing for you. John Popp in Sanford Fl. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sorry about the name John, I went from memory yesterday. Regards John K Sydney Flyrodders

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Hey Dean;     While you were in G-ville did you ever get over to St.Augestine Beach to fish flounder with a fly? I tied into a winter flounder over there about 20 yrs ago that measured exactly 3′. Did it on a 6wt fiberglass, it took about 45 min. to get it out of the water. It spit the fly when on the beach. Man we hustled to keep it from being a catch and return. My wife grabbed the rod and pinned it and I belly flopped on it. It was delicious. I think that was a once in a lifetime experience for a po boy. — John Popp in Sanford Fl.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Thanks to Anis Popp and R Dean for their advice and putting me onto The Flyfisherman. You’re more than welcome. TC, R Cheers John K Sydney Flyrodders

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I thought the popping sound was them – damn I’m cranky I never got one. I saw a big gator on the Mosquito Lagoon side – about 8′ – laying on the fresh water side of the roadway. A kid picnicking with his parents pointed it out to me, he was throwing bait at it. Dopey things – Believe me, there is no way I would have been that close to an Aussie croc without a .44! Cheers John K

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Question:

Can anyone tell me anything about flyfishing in Chincoteague? Guides? Fish running in August? Places to fish? Rent boats? — Steven Locke Spam control: remove the 8 to e-mail

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Can anyone tell me anything about flyfishing in Chincoteague? Guides? Fish running in August? Places to fish? Rent boats?

Best thing I can offer is a maybe.   I know that Kevin Johansen is well regarded as a guide on the lower Chesapeake, but I don’t know if he goes over to Chincoteague.   I don’t have his number handy, but if you don’t get any better leads, let me know & I’ll dig it up. Joe F.

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Question:

Beeswax, among other various uses, is one of the few materials used for lining moulds etc in the food  and confectionery trades for preventing particularly sticky sweets from sticking. They are known as release, or separation agents.  Glue is not used for this purpose. Bees use wax as a construction material, not as a glue. The whole construction of the comb is pure wax.  Glue is a foreign substance used to join similar or dissimilar materials. Paraffin wax is used for similar purposes to beeswax in other areas. Practically nothing will stick to a polished wax surface. Both of these waxes, and indeed a number of other substances may be used to prevent ferrules "binding". In this sense they are used partly as lubricants, and partly as solid separating agents. Binding ( in the case of carbon fibre, and other rod ferrules),is invariably caused by a substance rubbing against an identical substance, especially when the joint is tapered.    Wax of practically any sort will prevent this for varying periods of time, depending on how often the joint is used. Hard white wax works best, lasts longest, and is cheap and  convenient to use. Solid beeswax will stick to more or less nothing apart from itself, and only then when it is warm enough to melt, and the same applies to solid paraffin wax.  Most especially so, when polished after application. Liquid waxes, and other substances used for lubrication, like various oils etc, will indeed stick to things, trap dust, grit etc, and the lubricant coat providing the separation of surfaces will break down much more rapidly, simply because it will flow away. Hard polished wax will neither stick to things, nor will it flow away.  It is also intrinsically waterproof. This makes it ideal for treating ferrules. Some info on wax may be obtained here: http://www.wetestit.com/wax.htm Personally I don

Question:

(Sandy’s observations snipped) — /* Sandy Pittendrigh                  –oO0

I think we’ve been down these threads before Sandy, but they are worth repeating.  I asked the question once before and never got a definitive answer (like you ever do in this group); What about crushing ants and rolling your ant pattern around in a bottle of crushed ants?  Work? Ethical?  I was stopped and questioned at length once by a game warden because he thought my Bio-Strike looked like Power Bait!  I might try the ant thing this summer though.  Mossy Creek Browns are notoriously pickey! Just an additional note here about the scent thing.  A Wildlife Biologist/Fraternity Brother always swore by Oil of Anise.  Said fish and small game couldn’t resist the smell.  What if some enterprising floatant maker developed Anise scented floatant?  Ant scented, Mayfly scented floatant lines? — Wayne To fish is human….To release Divine! Before you buy.

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Just an additional note here about the scent thing.  A Wildlife Biologist/Fraternity Brother always swore by Oil of Anise.  Said fish and small game couldn’t resist the smell.  What if some enterprising floatant maker developed Anise scented floatant?  Ant scented, Mayfly scented floatant lines?

I know I’ve mentioned this here before; but it’s been a while, so here it is again.   The state regs in MD used to have a simple clause for artificials-only water, "if it smells like bait, it is bait." Joe F.

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I know I’ve mentioned this here before; but it’s been a while, so here it is again.   The state regs in MD used to have a simple clause for artificials-only water, "if it smells like bait, it is bait." Joe F.

If your gonna smear dead ants all over your fly then why not just hook a dead ant on the thing.  For that matter, why not dispense with the extra furry junk and just use the ant?  Let’s see, worms will hang on a hook easier than ants.  How about just using a worm and a big ball of strike indicater about 2 feet up the line?  Add to that a one piece bamboo "fly" rod and you have something which sounds familiar. — Wayne To fish is human….To release Divine! Before you buy.

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Dear Chief the extra chili last night and they really enjoyed it. They howled alot during the night but seemed fine this A.M.  You forgot to take the extra set of underware I washed for you.  Perhaps you can borrow a pair from DEave, use your suspenders to keep them up.   Try to stay away from that Fontenberry guy, last time you went fishing with him you came home with alot of new dirty words and some screwed up opinions.  Take your celostral pill each  morning.your metamusal each night and don"t forget you should have one Manhatten each night. Your side of the tribe has never been able to handle firewater,

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"Wayne Hart" wrote <snip Just an additional note here about the scent thing.  A Wildlife Biologist/Fraternity Brother always swore by Oil of Anise.  Said fish and small game couldn’t resist the smell.  What if some enterprising floatant maker developed Anise scented floatant?  Ant scented, Mayfly scented floatant lines? Wayne

How about giving the whole area a rotten egg scent after one of Dave LaCourse’s clave breakfasts?  It isn’t from Anise but that’s close. Ernie

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Knowledge is power.

Excellent post Sandy. Mu, who spent the morning alternating between spinnerbaits and wooly buggers.  Didn’t bring my minoow trap though.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I know I’ve mentioned this here before; but it’s been a while, so here it is again.   The state regs in MD used to have a simple clause for artificials-only water, "if it smells like bait, it is bait." Joe F. If your gonna smear dead ants all over your fly then why not just hook a dead ant on the thing.  For that matter, why not dispense with the extra furry junk and just use the ant?  Let’s see, worms will hang on a hook easier than ants.  How about just using a worm and a big ball of strike indicater about 2 feet up the line?  Add to that a one piece bamboo "fly" rod and you have something which sounds familiar. — Wayne To fish is human….To release Divine!

Man, y’all gotta complicate thangs…get a old field phone and a bucket…or for you wacky types, Nitromon S and a good defense lawyer…you can fish and check fer erl… R To crank is exercise…. To blast Dangerous!

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Joe Fleischman writes: I know I’ve mentioned this here before; but it’s been a while, so here it is again.   The state regs in MD used to have a simple clause for artificials-only water, "if it smells like bait, it is bait." Joe F.

Well hell, Joe!  I guess I can’t fish in my favorite waders.   Hmmmmm, come to think of it, they don’t smell like bait, they smell Dave

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Ernie Harrison writes: How about giving the whole area a rotten egg scent after one of Dave LaCourse’s clave breakfasts?  It isn’t from Anise but that’s close. Ernie

Ernie, damn it, I resent that!  My breakfasts at the clave are eaten by all with much gusto and no complaints.  If you ever get your scrawny ass to one of these claves, I will prove it to you, if I have to force feed the %&# eggs to ya!  <g And then I will get my buddy Jeffy to deep fry you an egg in bacon grease and we will force you to eat it.  Then, we’ll seal you in your waders, and send you on your way.   And people will shun you, forever and ever. Dave

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Indian Joe sends a smoke signal: Dear Chief the extra chili last night and they really enjoyed it. They howled alot during the night but seemed fine this A.M. You forgot to take the extra set of underware I washed for you.  Perhaps you can borrow a pair from DEave, use your suspenders to keep them up.   Try to stay away from that Fontenberry guy, last time you went fishing with him you came home with alot of new dirty words and some screwed up opinions. Take your celostral pill each  morning.your metamusal each night and don"t forget you should have one Manhatten each night. Your side of the tribe has never been able to handle firewater,

Golly, Forty, only you and I made IJ’s celebrity  list this time around.  That underware stuff — is that like Tupper-ware? Your Pal, DEave

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Charlie Choc: My breakfasts at the clave are eaten by all with much gusto and no complaints.   Never knew you were the cook at Tooties (where I ate *my* clave breakfasts)<g. — Charlie…

That’s right, you never stay at clave central.  Put it this way, if you liked Tooties, you will love the breakfast IJ and I will fix you.  (pssst, don’t eat Jeffy’s eggs). Dave LaCourse

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Charlie Choc: My breakfasts at the clave are eaten by all with much gusto and no complaints. Never knew you were the cook at Tooties (where I ate *my* clave breakfasts)<g. — Charlie… That’s right, you never stay at clave central.  Put it this way, if you liked Tooties, you will love the breakfast IJ and I will fix you.  (pssst, don’t eat Jeffy’s eggs). Dave LaCourse

i’m workin on lasagna this year…hmmm…now, lemmesee, where’s the bacon grease… jeff

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In the Great State of North Carolina, it is unlawful to desecrate the body of the dead.  Furthermore, anyone who *smears* the dead aunt onto a fly pattern is just plain sick!!

Umm, Rosanne Rosannadanna, that’s "ant".  Not "aunt", "ant". Regards, Jeff

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My God man, don’t unbuckle that wader belt up wind! Fishing tip for the day:  A fisherman in neoprenes with a tight wader belt can be used to replace a punctured pontoon if you feed him enuf Burro Chilli.  Hint: ensure he is secured with a slip knot for easy release and to allow for expansion.                                     Frank Reid

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Joe Fleischman writes: I know I’ve mentioned this here before; but it’s been a while, so here it is again.   The state regs in MD used to have a simple clause for artificials-only water, "if it smells like bait, it is bait." Joe F. Well hell, Joe!  I guess I can’t fish in my favorite waders.   Hmmmmm, come to think of it, they don’t smell like bait, they smell Dave

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Folks, In the Great State of North Carolina, it is unlawful to desecrate the body of the dead.  Furthermore, anyone who *smears* the dead aunt onto a fly pattern is just plain sick!!

If you just hold it close to aunt Bea, though, it’ll pick up some of that gravy smell and that should work. — Charlie…

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Folks, In the Great State of North Carolina, it is unlawful to desecrate the body of the dead.  Furthermore, anyone who *smears* the dead aunt onto a fly pattern is just plain sick!! Op

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I know I’ve mentioned this here before; but it’s been a while, so here it is again.   The state regs in MD used to have a simple clause for artificials-only water, "if it smells like bait, it is bait." Joe F. If your gonna smear dead ants all over your fly then why not just hook a dead ant on the thing.  For that matter, why not dispense with the extra furry junk and just use the ant?  Let’s see, worms will hang on a hook easier than ants.  How about just using a worm and a big ball of strike indicater about 2 feet up the line?  Add to that a one piece bamboo "fly" rod and you have something which sounds familiar. — Wayne To fish is human….To release Divine! Before you buy.

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You’ll have to ask Al for sure, but I think Tupper just wears big ol’ cotton panties…

Gee thanks.   That’s a visual I could have done without.  :-) Joe F.

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Nice post.  The only thing I would question is the part about lateral lines left out of the fly fishing definition – I think everyone agrees a muddler minnow is a fly, and part of its appeal is supposedly that it gives off enough vibration to get a trout’s interest. Anyway, I think part of the reason some people are attracted to fly fishing is to challenge themselves to fool trout.  The less real the "bait/fly" is, the more challenge there is in the deception.  The more real it is, the less challenge.  How much people care to challenge themselves in this respect seems to be a very personal thing.  The more natural the whole *scenario* is, the more challenge.  Some people will set up a chum line of real beetles to be followed by their own beetle imitation.  I don’t know how legal that is, but it’s not entirely natural. Knowledge is power.

– Regards, Jeff Before you buy.

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Golly, Forty, only you and I made IJ’s celebrity  list this time around.  That underware stuff — is that like Tupper-ware?

You’ll have to ask Al for sure, but I think Tupper just wears big ol’ cotton panties… — Charlie…

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My breakfasts at the clave are eaten by all with much gusto and no complaints.  

Never knew you were the cook at Tooties (where I ate *my* clave breakfasts)<g. — Charlie…

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Knowledge is power. I like to know things about fish behavior. I often try things just to see what will happen. Once my experiment is finished, my new experimental technique may or may not become a steady habit. But I seldom regret trying something once. There is a lot to be learned from bait fishing for instance. Years ago–when it was still legal to fish with sculpins in Montana–I used to go sculpin fishing once every two or three years. If you use barbless hooks and set the hook when you first detect the strike, you get to return the fish unharmed, if you choose to do so. More important, in a few short hours of sculpin fishing you can learn about large brown trout behavior what might take a lifetime of fishing with flies. I used bait fishing to make myself a better streamer fisherman. You can learn a lot about riffle feeding behavior too–by fishing with live nymphs. The feedback rate (the number of fish you catch) is so great you learn more in a very short period of time (when you fish with live nymphs). When fishing with live nymphs doesn’t work, for instance, you know the fish are asleep. You learn to recognize those times, and not to waste your time. When the fish *are* on the feed, you can catch so many more fish in such a short period of time, you don’t have to work with hunches anymore. You quickly learn how to size up a riffle: to know where the big ones lie and how the little ones line up behind. You learn how much weight to use, how much slack to throw, and how and when to wait for the strike. You can learn all of those things from fly fishing too, of course. But you learn it slower, over a much longer time period, and you reach conclusions with far less confidence when fly fishing—-because the feedback rate is so slow. We do what we want. I choose to bait fish occasionally because I learn from it. I fly fish frequently because I prefer to fish that way. PUNCHLINE:    The line between bait fishing and fly fishing can be substantially obscured.  I’ve been making soft-bodied, open-cell foam nymphs for years. They’re good looking nymphs. Because they’re soft, fish don’t spit them out. They swim around chewing on soft nymphs, which makes it easier to detect the strikes. With soft foam nymphs, you don’t necessarily get more strikes, but you definately feel more of them happen.   Then, the other day, while fishing in the Madison canyon, I found a fat golden stonefly nymph under a rock. I killed it on a whim: I crushed it up and squeezed the resulting paste into the body of a soft foam nymph. I rolled the soft foam nymph back and forth in the palm of my hand, in a puddle of bug paste. That (open-cell foam) nymph, at that point, became equally effective as a live bait. But I could cast it as far as my fly rod would reach. I caught one fish after another in a riffle I had been working steadily and unsuccessfully foam nymph, but without the bug paste. Now I’m not suggesting anybody else should do anything like this at all. But this is interesting information. Fish detect their prey by: 1) eye sight 2) by detecting vibrations with their lateral line 3) by smell. And smell, I think, is the most powerful attractant of all. Now that I think of it, perhaps fly fishing (for those who worry about categories and definitions) means fishing with a fly rod in a way that only targets the piscatorial visual cortex: IE with no help from the lateral line, nor from the (fishes) olfactory system. For those of us who enjoy breaking the rules occasionally (but still like casting with a fly rod), you can also target the lateral line–with lightweight fly rod wigglers. And you can target the olfactory system too (and still do long distance fly rod casting) by fishing with soft foam nymphs……and bug paste. — /* Sandy Pittendrigh                  –oO0  * http://nervana.montana.edu/~sandy  */

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Question:

        Are they some belgian fly fishers in this group, I would like to talk with, about our experiences in the different rivers within and out the country.         Je voudrais

Question:

I am in need of some fly-fishing spots.  I live in the Chicago area . . .

I, too, live near Chicago and have been looking for places to go that are nearby.  So far as I can tell, there’s not one bloody trout stream anywhere in the state.  The good news is that just a short hop away, in SW Wisconsin (I’m told) there are some fairly decent trout streams, some of which are designated no-kill streams.  I’ve also heard of various streams in Michigan that might be decent, but don’t know any specifics. I got this information from the Trout & Grouse store, which is located in Northfield (right off the Edens expressway).  I took a fly-fishing course there just recently (I’m just beginning), and they apparently have guides that know these WI and MI streams really well.  Sorry, I don’t have their phone or address handy, though I’m sure they’re in the directory if you want to give them a call. Hope this helps.  Keith — Keith Ludwig, Odesta Systems Corporation,

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Being a displaced Coloradoan here in the land of Lincoln, I am in need of some fly-fishing spots.  I live in the Chicago area . . . does anyone have any suggestions or secret spots they might care to divulge.  I will throw a fly at anything but catfish or carp Thanks, Kevin

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