Question:

Took the 15′6" 11 wt. Daiwa to the park at lunch for the first trials with the Airflo shooting head system.  I had on it a 45′ 12 wt. Airflo Type 7 shooting head with a 5′ leader – all attached to 100′ of Airflo running line and practiced my overhead casting with the big stick.  On the fourth cast, I pulled out the backing knot between the stripper and the reel.   That’s 150 freaking feet!! Now if I can only get over my Whirlpool paranoia (losing flies on the rocks on the backcast.) The Airflo shooting head system is super slick, never noticed the loops going through the guides.  I’m in love . . . Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

[shoot].   That’s 150 freaking feet!!

Man that’s gonna take awhile to get back on the spool Now if I can only get over my Whirlpool paranoia (losing flies on the rocks on the backcast.)

You have rocks in a laundry that is big enough for a 150ft cast? Everything *is* bigger up there The Airflo shooting head system is super slick, never noticed the loops going through the guides.  I’m in love . . .

Noted. (The airflo bit At least when you lose the whole fly you usually realise pretty quick,   losing the damn point is a much more subtle affair in the implementation and detection … Steve

Response:

[shoot].   That’s 150 freaking feet!! Man that’s gonna take awhile to get back on the spool

Marquis Salmon No.3 – not long Now if I can only get over my Whirlpool paranoia (losing flies on the rocks on the backcast.) You have rocks in a laundry that is big enough for a 150ft cast? Everything *is* bigger up there

Here’s a view of my washing machine. http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/whirlpool/spey_casting_the_line_layou… The Airflo shooting head system is super slick, never noticed the loops going through the guides.  I’m in love . . . Noted. (The airflo bit At least when you lose the whole fly you usually realise pretty quick,   losing the damn point is a much more subtle affair in the implementation and detection … Steve

Not with the big heads – there’s so much momentum it’s easy to snap it off and fish sans fly without noticing. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

Here’s a view of my washing machine.

That the cable car line overhead? Joe F.

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Here’s a view of my washing machine. That the cable car line overhead? Joe F.

And how long will it take him to tangle his line in that ?  That’ll piss em off Scott

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Here’s a view of my washing machine. That the cable car line overhead? Joe F.

Yup, it used_to_be out of reach. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

Took the 15′6" 11 wt. Daiwa to the park at lunch for the first trials with the Airflo shooting head system.  I had on it a 45′ 12 wt. Airflo Type 7 shooting head with a 5′ leader – all attached to 100′ of Airflo running line and practiced my overhead casting with the big stick.  On the fourth cast, I pulled out the backing knot between the stripper and the reel. That’s 150 freaking feet!!

In the U.S that’s only 100′

Response:

Here’s a view of my washing machine. http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/whirlpool/spey_casting_the_line_layou…

S’a beautiful looking spot. Not with the big heads – there’s so much momentum it’s easy to snap it off and fish sans fly without noticing.

Yeah, thinking about it that sounds reasonable.  My only experience has been with lightweight (for heads) #8 #9 and the whole thing can "get out of shape" a lot easier than the conventional #4, & 6 WF setups I use.   I wonder how many Whirlpools there are world wide … I can think of 2 here in Aus. that I’ve fished … one in the salt and one in fresh.  I have pics of both somewhere, but your washing machine winds hands down for scenerics. Steve

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Took the 15′6" 11 wt. Daiwa to the park at lunch for the first trials with the Airflo shooting head system.  I had on it a 45′ 12 wt. Airflo Type 7 shooting head with a 5′ leader – all attached to 100′ of Airflo running line and practiced my overhead casting with the big stick.  On the fourth cast, I pulled out the backing knot between the stripper and the reel. That’s 150 freaking feet!! In the U.S that’s only 100′

My turn – BITE ME! Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

Took the 15′6" 11 wt. Daiwa to the park at lunch for the first trials with the Airflo shooting head system.  I had on it a 45′ 12 wt. Airflo Type 7 shooting head with a 5′ leader – all attached to 100′ of Airflo running line and practiced my overhead casting with the big stick.  On the fourth cast, I pulled out the backing knot between the stripper and the reel. That’s 150 freaking feet!!

So how do you hook up with 150 freaking feet of line out? — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

… That’s 150 freaking feet!! So how do you hook up with 150 freaking feet of line out?

Accidentally. — Ken Fortenberry

Response:

Now if I can only get over my Whirlpool paranoia (losing flies on the rocks on the backcast.)

Have you considered trying a cut 850 grain Scientific Anglers Deepwater Express shooting head? I use a soft 8 wt rod in the surf and my preferred setup is about 18 feet of LC-13 connected to a running line.  I like having a short shooting head because sometimes the fish are in really close or they follow the fly all the way close to shore.  Whether I land the fish or not, I have a minimal amount of work to do in order to get the head out past the guides again in preparation for another cast since the head is so short.  Also, there are always dogs, kids, frisbees and who knows what else sneaking up behind me so the short head reduces the chances of incidental non-piscine hookups. A short head is also easier to lift back up to the surface when getting ready for the next cast.  You lose some distance and the transition from back cast to forward cast feels more abrupt (the latter can be minimized by altering your casting motion) but I really like it for the kind of fishing I do especially given that my St. Croix is a slow action rod. You could chop that SA DWE 850 grain head down to 15 feet and still have a 425 grain head. But Airflo has the fastest sinking heads.  That DWE 850 is rated at 9-10 IPS.  A 300 grain Airflo will (purportedly) sink just as fast. Mu

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Have you considered trying a cut 850 grain Scientific Anglers Deepwater Express shooting head? I use a soft 8 wt rod in the surf and my preferred setup is about 18 feet of LC-13 connected to a running line.  I like having a short shooting head because sometimes the fish are in really close or they follow the fly all the way close to shore.  Whether I land the fish or not, I have a minimal amount of work to do in order to get the head out past the guides again in preparation for another cast since the head is so short.  Also, there are always dogs, kids, frisbees and who knows what else sneaking up behind me so the short head reduces the chances of incidental non-piscine hookups. A short head is also easier to lift back up to the surface when getting ready for the next cast.  You lose some distance and the transition from back cast to forward cast feels more abrupt (the latter can be minimized by altering your casting motion) but I really like it for the kind of fishing I do especially given that my St. Croix is a slow action rod. You could chop that SA DWE 850 grain head down to 15 feet and still have a 425 grain head. But Airflo has the fastest sinking heads.  That DWE 850 is rated at 9-10 IPS.  A 300 grain Airflo will (purportedly) sink just as fast. Mu

I’ve done that before with a DWE 850 but I *really* didn’t like how they casted.  The Airflo Type 7 on a 15′6" rod isn’t a handful at all and can be brought in quite close.  The rod action allows some loading in tight in the event you just want to fish in front of you and the loops are so smooth, they’ll run through the guides with no problem. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

Took the 15′6" 11 wt. Daiwa to the park at lunch for the first trials with the Airflo shooting head system.  I had on it a 45′ 12 wt. Airflo Type 7 shooting head with a 5′ leader – all attached to 100′ of Airflo running line and practiced my overhead casting with the big stick.  On the fourth cast, I pulled out the backing knot between the stripper and the reel. That’s 150 freaking feet!! So how do you hook up with 150 freaking feet of line out?

Ken’s right – 15 lbs. of steelie  or 30 lbs. of chinook doesn’t require any finesse – the fish hook themselves and with 15′ 6" of rod in the air, I can move a lot of line.  The furthest out I’ve hooked a fish so far has been about 80′-85′ on a streamer (below Lower Dam on the Rapid – about a 2 1/2 lb. salmon.).  There’s so much current pressure on the line that soon as you feel weight and tighten up, the pressure on the line sets the hook. Avoiding breaking off the fish, is the second biggest challenge.  It is real easy to overpower your tippet with that rod in those conditions.  Hooking up isn’t a big deal, getting ‘em to strike when things are slow – that’s the real challenge. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/whirlpool/spey_casting_the_line_layou… S’a beautiful looking spot.

Here is Mapquest’s rendition of the Whirlpool http://makeashorterlink.com/?U2DA6278 Looks like it’s about 900 across.  And that ain’t slack water in there. Look at the direction of the river (flows northwards).  I slams into the whirlpool in a northwesterly direction and then pours out northeasterly. Or maybe this is just the "shadow" Whirlpool Mu

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loops are so smooth, they’ll run through the guides with no problem.

Are those the seamless polymer loops?  My Rio intermediate shooting head has a loop with some sort of sleeve on it and it does not traverse the guides very well. Mu

Response:

loops are so smooth, they’ll run through the guides with no problem. Are those the seamless polymer loops?  My Rio intermediate shooting head has a loop with some sort of sleeve on it and it does not traverse the guides very well. Mu

Yup, the Head loop is conventional looking but small.  The running line loop is the fused polymer type, very large so it can be slipped over a spool – very well thought out. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

Response:

Mr Charles,   We are sorry to inform you sir that we will have to cry FOUL on the posting of that picture. To think that someone would have the cajones to post something like that only in the interest of teasing others. A pox upon you sir. Is there room in that whirlpool for 2? –SteveC– I’ll show if there are no A-6 drivers around.

Response:

–SteveC– I’ll show if there are no A-6 drivers around.

Then keep Epps out of the stew. — Frank Reid Reverse email to reply.

Response:

Mr Charles,  We are sorry to inform you sir that we will have to cry FOUL on the posting of that picture. To think that someone would have the cajones to post something like that only in the interest of teasing others. A pox upon you sir.

nah, nah – I got my pox shots already – a pox back at ya Is there room in that whirlpool for 2?

Well sure, we can always fit in one more.  Just leave the pox at home. –SteveC– I’ll show if there are no A-6 drivers around.

Ah, I see you’ve met one or two already.  <g Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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Peter Charles: –SteveC– I’ll show if there are no A-6 drivers around. Ah, I see you’ve met one or two already.  <g Peter

Dave, 4.2L A6

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Peter Charles: –SteveC– I’ll show if there are no A-6 drivers around. Ah, I see you’ve met one or two already.  <g Peter Dave, 4.2L A6

Perish the thought! This only applies to those guys that drive (and there’s only a few left) those gray Grumman A-6’s. I’ve noticed they aren’t real good around gondola wires. –SteveC– Who lives far too close to 2 naval air stations

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Dave, 4.2L A6 Perish the thought! This only applies to those guys that drive (and there’s only a few left) those gray Grumman A-6’s. I’ve noticed they aren’t real good around gondola wires. –SteveC– Who lives far too close to 2 naval air stations

Ahh, that was a just little too obscure for us.  We’re slipping obviously. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Mr Charles,  We are sorry to inform you sir that we will have to cry FOUL on the posting of that picture. To think that someone would have the cajones to post something like that only in the interest of teasing others. A pox upon you sir. nah, nah – I got my pox shots already – a pox back at ya Is there room in that whirlpool for 2? Well sure, we can always fit in one more.  Just leave the pox at home. –SteveC– I’ll show if there are no A-6 drivers around. Ah, I see you’ve met one or two already.  <g Peter

Unfortunately yes, I have. You can always spot ‘em from a mile off too, they love those big watches! –SteveC– I thought the Avenger was a comic book hero? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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–SteveC– I’ll show if there are no A-6 drivers around. Then keep Epps out of the stew.

Frank got it though – who ever said military intelligence is an oxymoron. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://home.cogeco.ca/~pcharles/streamers/index.html

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Question:

Don’t really have any trout waters near home Willi, so yours was a pleasant read. I was however, standing around and chatting with a few friends today and we are all of the same persuasion. With a much milder than normal winter – usually  a several day stretch of below zero weather and this time not one day of single digits! – we agree it is time to start checking the water temperature. Our general feeling is that when the thermometer reads anything above forty degrees, it’s time to start fishing as the smallmouth start moving to the spawning beds. Not actually on the beds but they begin to leave the winter holes and move in the rivers and begin feeding. It’s fun to have that ‘antsy’ ‘ants in your pants’ feeling ain’t it? john – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I mentioned in an early post that for the first time in about a month and half, I actually saw some trout during a walk. Today is very pleasant and on my way back from picking up some electrical supplies, I stopped at the river and checked it out from the bridge. Standing on the bridge and looking down, I saw a pod of about twenty trout feeding in the pool below. (See pics on ABPF) I decided to take an hour off and do some fishing. I walked downstream to an area that frequently has some free rising fish. As I approached the area, I saw several dimples from rising fish. Although some of the rises were from fish sipping pupa, many of them were fish taking midge adults which is uncommon. The midges were huge, well relatively anyway, about a size twenty. Water levels are still down and the fish were feeding in water that varied from one to three feet in depth. They spread out in a section of river about 150 feet in length and were feeding in several distinct pods. The current is very moderate in most of this area and in the clear water I could see the fish suspended above the bottom at their feeding stations and watch them as they chased a pupa or rose to an adult. Especially when they are feeding in such thin water, the fish here are very spooky. You generally have your best chance at any given fish on the first presentation. Once you get a refusal from a fish, your next drift over it may spook it and put down the whole pod. I tied on a Griffith’s Gnat and crept into position. I started working the first fish, got a refusal on the third cast and moved on to the next one. The next fish I worked took on about the fourth cast. I landed it, slid it onto a shelf of ice that remained in the shady area where I was standing and took a picture. See ABPF The commotion of the fish put down the rest of that pod of fish. I moved upstream to the next group. There appeared to be a better fish feeding along the opposite bank, just upstream from a large boulder. Since I usually can only get one fish from a pod, if that, I decided to target that fish. The cast was across several different current seams and getting a good drift was difficult. A dozen casts later, I got the fly where it needed to be and got the fish, another Rainbow a couple of inches bigger and much fatter. Again the rest of that pod of fish was put down. I had time to hit one more area. There was a single fish feeding in the head of this run. The fish feeding in this area are usually much easier. The faster current gives them less time to survey your fly and broken surface makes your errors less noticeable. Several casts later, I finally got a good drift and hooked the fish. It was another Rainbow about the size of the first, around 15/16 inches. Time to go home and do some electric repairs. I was very glad to see the condition of the fish. All were in good shape. We had a mild Winter this year which helps the trout. Early fish after a hard Winter are often very skinny from Winter’s stress. For the next several weeks it will take several days in a row of warm temperatures, like we had recently, to get the fish moving. By mid March, the Olives will start. Willi

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was very glad to see the condition of the fish. All were in good shape. We had a mild Winter this year which helps the trout. Early fish after a hard Winter are often very skinny from Winter’s stress. For the next several weeks it will take several days in a row of warm temperatures, like we had recently, to get the fish moving. By mid March, the Olives will start. How is the snowpack in the upper watershed up there?  It is almost scary low down here.  I am certainly hoping that the mild winter that we have had does not translate into another low-water, high-temperature summer. BTW….to the folks that live in Wyoming….how is it looking up there?

I should have been aware of this just from observation, but I haven’t heard anything about it on the news. I just looked it up and the different basins across Colorado range from 45 to 70 percent of normal. This isn’t good, but the next few of months are our wettest months and can make a big difference. Willi

Response:

I tied on a Griffith’s Gnat and crept into position. I started working the first fish, got a refusal on the third cast and moved on to the next one. The next fish I worked took on about the fourth cast. I landed it, slid it onto a shelf of ice that remained in the shady area where I was standing and took a picture. See ABPF

That’s a great fish-on-the-ground photo, Willi. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a rainbow in that condition. The ice makes a perfect background. You must have used a digital camera. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

I was very glad to see the condition of the fish. All were in good shape. We had a mild Winter this year which helps the trout. Early fish after a hard Winter are often very skinny from Winter’s stress. For the next several weeks it will take several days in a row of warm temperatures, like we had recently, to get the fish moving. By mid March, the Olives will start.

How is the snowpack in the upper watershed up there?  It is almost scary low down here.  I am certainly hoping that the mild winter that we have had does not translate into another low-water, high-temperature summer. BTW….to the folks that live in Wyoming….how is it looking up there?  

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BTW….to the folks that live in Wyoming….how is it looking up there?

  It’s looking pretty bleak along the east face of the Bighorns.  Reservoirs are all very low.  I went up again and fished the tail water of the Tongue today. It’s as low as I’ve seen in the 3 years I’ve fished it.  The reservoir is very low.  Looks like it will be another tough year for our small streams. Snoop — —–= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =—– http://www.newsfeeds.com – The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! —–==  Over 80,000 Newsgroups – 16 Different Servers! =—–

Response:

Was it El Nino or El Nina that I saw a blurb of on the news the other day? I get them mixed up.  Anyhow, whatever areas whichever one effects are due for some rain this year……maybe a lot. john – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I was very glad to see the condition of the fish. All were in good shape. We had a mild Winter this year which helps the trout. Early fish after a hard Winter are often very skinny from Winter’s stress. For the next several weeks it will take several days in a row of warm temperatures, like we had recently, to get the fish moving. By mid March, the Olives will start. How is the snowpack in the upper watershed up there?  It is almost scary low down here.  I am certainly hoping that the mild winter that we have had does not translate into another low-water, high-temperature summer. BTW….to the folks that live in Wyoming….how is it looking up there? I should have been aware of this just from observation, but I haven’t heard anything about it on the news. I just looked it up and the different basins across Colorado range from 45 to 70 percent of normal. This isn’t good, but the next few of months are our wettest months and can make a big difference. Willi

Response:

BTW….to the folks that live in Wyoming….how is it looking up there?

Unless March and April bring some pleasant surprises, it’s looking like a season that will begin early and end early. The snowpack is so low that there isn’t even enough to ski on (IMHO) at the local resort. Some of the ranges in Colorado seem to be doing better, so I expect I’ll be doing most of my fishing down there after mid-July or thereabouts. If I do a mini clave up here, it will almost definitely be held in early July. I’m hoping a heavy spring snowfall and subsequent runoff will force a several-week postponement, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I won’t be surprised at all to be fishing the high country on Memorial Day this year. — Rusty Hook Laramie, Wyoming

Response:

 How is the snowpack in the upper watershed up there?  It is almost scary low down here.  I am certainly hoping that the mild winter that we have had does not translate into another low-water, high-temperature summer. BTW….to the folks that live in Wyoming….how is it looking up there?  

Hey Chip,  You might know about this site, but here is a link to the Snotel data. ftp://ftp.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/data/snow/update Great place to find snowpack info.  The northern states are certainly doing better than the southern states…. — remove all x’s for reply email. To worry is folly so let us be jolly.

Response:

I mentioned in an early post that for the first time in about a month and half, I actually saw some trout during a walk. Today is very pleasant and on my way back from picking up some electrical supplies, I stopped at the river and checked it out from the bridge. Standing on the bridge and looking down, I saw a pod of about twenty trout feeding in the pool below. (See pics on ABPF)

Glad to hear that you’re out on the home waters. Is this much earlier than usual? IOW, when you say "mild winter" do you mean length of winter or depth (cold temps), or both? Danl who doesn’t even have his ‘02 license yet…Oh the shame!….

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The guy I am after is in a meeting but I have a left a message for him to call me. It may take him a little time to get to me as I’ll be away from home and the lodge for the next week or so. But I will get the answer. I forgot to mention earlier, the reason I compared the fishing as similar to ours was the "one shot" scenario of get it right or spook em. Clark – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sounds like some nice fishing Willi, and the style is somewhat reminiscent of our North Island spring creek fishing by the sounds of things. The river is on the plains instead of in the mountains, so it does have SOME spring creek characteristics. The fish average considerably larger than in the upstream mountain areas but there are far fewer fish. From your descriptions, your rivers have lower populations of fish than our rivers in general but your fish are considerably larger. The only streams or rivers that I know of that have fish that average in size what yours seem to, are short sections of tailwaters that are below reservoirs that have miasis (sp)shrimp in them. I know I asked you this before but have you gotten any more information as to why this would be? It seems to me that you must either have very limitted spawning or the survival of the fry or young fish is low. Willi

Response:

Sounds like some nice fishing Willi, and the style is somewhat reminiscent of our North Island spring creek fishing by the sounds of things.

The river is on the plains instead of in the mountains, so it does have SOME spring creek characteristics. The fish average considerably larger than in the upstream mountain areas but there are far fewer fish. From your descriptions, your rivers have lower populations of fish than our rivers in general but your fish are considerably larger. The only streams or rivers that I know of that have fish that average in size what yours seem to, are short sections of tailwaters that are below reservoirs that have miasis (sp)shrimp in them. I know I asked you this before but have you gotten any more information as to why this would be? It seems to me that you must either have very limitted spawning or the survival of the fry or young fish is low. Willi

Response:

Well that’s the curious part. In short answer as to my research no, I simply haven’t had time. I am just finishing 2 days off and will make a call to a friend in a second and see what answer he gives, he heads up one of our major Fish and Game Councils. However, I will presume that neither your ideas are really accurate. there is abundant spawning habitat and our fish have less predation here that they would in the US. In fact once they reach about 16-18 inches there is little they could predate on them unless they sick or injured. Stay tuned I’ll get on the phone and hopefully return with something of use. Clark – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Sounds like some nice fishing Willi, and the style is somewhat reminiscent of our North Island spring creek fishing by the sounds of things. The river is on the plains instead of in the mountains, so it does have SOME spring creek characteristics. The fish average considerably larger than in the upstream mountain areas but there are far fewer fish. From your descriptions, your rivers have lower populations of fish than our rivers in general but your fish are considerably larger. The only streams or rivers that I know of that have fish that average in size what yours seem to, are short sections of tailwaters that are below reservoirs that have miasis (sp)shrimp in them. I know I asked you this before but have you gotten any more information as to why this would be? It seems to me that you must either have very limitted spawning or the survival of the fry or young fish is low. Willi

Response:

Sounds like some nice fishing Willi, and the style is somewhat reminiscent of our North Island spring creek fishing by the sounds of things. Clark – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I mentioned in an early post that for the first time in about a month and half, I actually saw some trout during a walk. Today is very pleasant and on my way back from picking up some electrical supplies, I stopped at the river and checked it out from the bridge. Standing on the bridge and looking down, I saw a pod of about twenty trout feeding in the pool below. (See pics on ABPF) I decided to take an hour off and do some fishing. I walked downstream to an area that frequently has some free rising fish. As I approached the area, I saw several dimples from rising fish. Although some of the rises were from fish sipping pupa, many of them were fish taking midge adults which is uncommon. The midges were huge, well relatively anyway, about a size twenty. Water levels are still down and the fish were feeding in water that varied from one to three feet in depth. They spread out in a section of river about 150 feet in length and were feeding in several distinct pods. The current is very moderate in most of this area and in the clear water I could see the fish suspended above the bottom at their feeding stations and watch them as they chased a pupa or rose to an adult. Especially when they are feeding in such thin water, the fish here are very spooky. You generally have your best chance at any given fish on the first presentation. Once you get a refusal from a fish, your next drift over it may spook it and put down the whole pod. I tied on a Griffith’s Gnat and crept into position. I started working the first fish, got a refusal on the third cast and moved on to the next one. The next fish I worked took on about the fourth cast. I landed it, slid it onto a shelf of ice that remained in the shady area where I was standing and took a picture. See ABPF The commotion of the fish put down the rest of that pod of fish. I moved upstream to the next group. There appeared to be a better fish feeding along the opposite bank, just upstream from a large boulder. Since I usually can only get one fish from a pod, if that, I decided to target that fish. The cast was across several different current seams and getting a good drift was difficult. A dozen casts later, I got the fly where it needed to be and got the fish, another Rainbow a couple of inches bigger and much fatter. Again the rest of that pod of fish was put down. I had time to hit one more area. There was a single fish feeding in the head of this run. The fish feeding in this area are usually much easier. The faster current gives them less time to survey your fly and broken surface makes your errors less noticeable. Several casts later, I finally got a good drift and hooked the fish. It was another Rainbow about the size of the first, around 15/16 inches. Time to go home and do some electric repairs. I was very glad to see the condition of the fish. All were in good shape. We had a mild Winter this year which helps the trout. Early fish after a hard Winter are often very skinny from Winter’s stress. For the next several weeks it will take several days in a row of warm temperatures, like we had recently, to get the fish moving. By mid March, the Olives will start. Willi

Response:

I mentioned in an early post that for the first time in about a month and half, I actually saw some trout during a walk. Today is very pleasant and on my way back from picking up some electrical supplies, I stopped at the river and checked it out from the bridge. Standing on the bridge and looking down, I saw a pod of about twenty trout feeding in the pool below. (See pics on ABPF) I decided to take an hour off and do some fishing. I walked downstream to an area that frequently has some free rising fish. As I approached the area, I saw several dimples from rising fish. Although some of the rises were from fish sipping pupa, many of them were fish taking midge adults which is uncommon. The midges were huge, well relatively anyway, about a size twenty. Water levels are still down and the fish were feeding in water that varied from one to three feet in depth. They spread out in a section of river about 150 feet in length and were feeding in several distinct pods. The current is very moderate in most of this area and in the clear water I could see the fish suspended above the bottom at their feeding stations and watch them as they chased a pupa or rose to an adult. Especially when they are feeding in such thin water, the fish here are very spooky. You generally have your best chance at any given fish on the first presentation. Once you get a refusal from a fish, your next drift over it may spook it and put down the whole pod. I tied on a Griffith’s Gnat and crept into position. I started working the first fish, got a refusal on the third cast and moved on to the next one. The next fish I worked took on about the fourth cast. I landed it, slid it onto a shelf of ice that remained in the shady area where I was standing and took a picture. See ABPF The commotion of the fish put down the rest of that pod of fish. I moved upstream to the next group. There appeared to be a better fish feeding along the opposite bank, just upstream from a large boulder. Since I usually can only get one fish from a pod, if that, I decided to target that fish. The cast was across several different current seams and getting a good drift was difficult. A dozen casts later, I got the fly where it needed to be and got the fish, another Rainbow a couple of inches bigger and much fatter. Again the rest of that pod of fish was put down. I had time to hit one more area. There was a single fish feeding in the head of this run. The fish feeding in this area are usually much easier. The faster current gives them less time to survey your fly and broken surface makes your errors less noticeable. Several casts later, I finally got a good drift and hooked the fish. It was another Rainbow about the size of the first, around 15/16 inches. Time to go home and do some electric repairs. I was very glad to see the condition of the fish. All were in good shape. We had a mild Winter this year which helps the trout. Early fish after a hard Winter are often very skinny from Winter’s stress. For the next several weeks it will take several days in a row of warm temperatures, like we had recently, to get the fish moving. By mid March, the Olives will start. Willi

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Question:

Wow, poignant. Too late wise, too soon old… — XLK9 Citizen Fisherman – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If time could be bartered for gold, all the treasure that I have amassed, I would give up thrice tenthousandfold, to relive some things that are past, how my heart beat when we first met. I stammered,  my knees went weak, bewitched by each gesture and word, myself hardly able to speak.

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(snippage of time grudgingly) TL MC

I can feel a great deal of empathy with that, Mike.  Conjures memories, stories of times past, stories of times to come.  Once these times have been spent, it is not time lost, but time which serves our memories again and again. Wayne to fish is human…to release Divine!!

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If time could be bartered for gold, all the treasure that I have amassed, I would give up thrice tenthousandfold, to relive some things that are past, how my heart beat when we first met. I stammered,  my knees went weak, bewitched by each gesture and word, myself hardly able to speak. Our first walks down by the river, how you were annoyed at my wishing, that instead of just walking and talking, we could linger awhile, and go fishing.

– snip — What a wonderful expose! It took me immediately to those moments back in 1962 when I was courting my lifelong partner. We have raised three children who all enjoy and appreciate the wonders of the out-of-doors. Today we still enjoy the rigors of tent camping, fishing, hiking and birdwatching. But, perhaps the greatest joy is now enjoying all of this with the newest generation. I had a chance to go fishing with my five year old granddaughter this past weekend. I was in seventh heaven and all because of the two people whose hearts shared those things that are natural. Thank you Mike. WLM

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If time could be bartered for gold, all the treasure that I have amassed, I would give up thrice tenthousandfold, to relive some things that are past, how my heart beat when we first met. I stammered,  my knees went weak, bewitched by each gesture and word, myself hardly able to speak. Our first walks down by the river, how you were annoyed at my wishing, that instead of just walking and talking, we could linger awhile, and go fishing. The first time we actually fished, and you of course, caught far more than I, I did not stage it at all, my thoughts were elsewhere, than my cast and my fly How many more such days will there be?  together, just you and me, will we walk hand in hand by the stream?  happy and laughing and free. Time

Question:

  There’s fish in there all year round, but in the winter it’s also stocked with rainbows.  The fish spread out over the length of the "clear ditch" and are very spooky.  The banks are also very high, which makes it difficult to be stealthy.  It’s known as my state’s most technically demanding flyfishing.  

Good report Bruce. The spooky fish sure are a switch from the Juan’s. Learn how to take these fish, Bruce. They’ll teach you alot. Willi

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 We’ve recently moved to the north end of town, …

Thanks for the report, Bruce. Some have had success fishing over recently stocked fish using a "brown wooly booger" slapped heavily on the surface. Matching the trout chow hatch, as it were. I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone by divulging this "technique", but it’s been known to work on the stocker sections of the Watauga. — Ken Fortenberry

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Some have had success fishing over recently stocked fish using a "brown wooly booger" slapped heavily on the surface. Matching the trout chow hatch, as it were. I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone by divulging this "technique", but it’s been known to work on the stocker sections of the Watauga.

Haven’t tried that one. But how about this one: sixteen beadhead pheasant tail nymphs tied in tandem. Toss that rig into the pool and it looks just like a pellet shower. Works every time! –Steve

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You’ve been hanging around Louie to long. Flies aren’t supposed to get wet. Paul

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Some have had success fishing over recently stocked fish using a "brown wooly booger" slapped heavily on the surface. Matching the trout chow hatch, as it were. I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone by divulging this "technique", but it’s been known to work on the stocker sections of the Watauga. Haven’t tried that one. But how about this one: sixteen beadhead pheasant tail nymphs tied in tandem. Toss that rig into the pool and it looks just like a pellet shower. Works every time! –Steve

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Rumor has it that one Waldosomebodyorother has ingeniously adapted a cotton candy machine to spin Trout Chow and glycerine into pseudo hair/hackle.  Deadly flies made from this marvelous "natural" and "organic" product are being manufactured by the millions in third world country slave labor camps and being readied for release as the Trout-O-Matic early in the Spring. Tom  (rumormonger) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –  We’ve recently moved to the north end of town, … Thanks for the report, Bruce. Some have had success fishing over recently stocked fish using a "brown wooly booger" slapped heavily on the surface. Matching the trout chow hatch, as it were. I wouldn’t want to embarrass anyone by divulging this "technique", but it’s been known to work on the stocker sections of the Watauga. — Ken Fortenberry

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 We’ve recently moved to the north end of town, near the east bank of the Rio Grande.  I’m on a dirt road for the first time in my life, and we’re the only home among six on our road that has no livestock.  Not fancy, but you can see the stars at night and we like it. On the west side of the river there’s a little old apple farming town that’s almost been swallowed by urban sprawl.  That little town has protected itself with zoning laws designed to preserve it’s rural characther, and it’s worked.  There’s also a spring creek running through that little town, next to the Rio Grande.  The creek was remanufactured (probably over 100 years ago) to run through a man made channel and it looks like an irrigation ditch.  Unlike all of the other ditches that make up the Albuquerque drain system, however, this one runs clear and cold all year long and has lots of aquatic plant life and insects.  There’s fish in there all year round, but in the winter it’s also stocked with rainbows.  The fish spread out over the length of the "clear ditch" and are very spooky.  The banks are also very high, which makes it difficult to be stealthy.  It’s known as my state’s most technically demanding flyfishing.  In five previous tries, usually consisting of a couple hours of fishing, I’ve caught a grand total of one pretty large rainbow. Thursday afternoon, I tried again, this time with a good friend from work.  We parked near another ditch, a muddy one, and started to get rigged up.  A fellow walking down the opposite bank asked if my truck was ok (maybe he thought I was parking in a strange place).  My friend asked if there’s a better place to park to fish the clear ditch, and our new friend obliged us by pointing me to a better place to park than I’ve ever discovered before, just through a small gate to a prime stretch of water.  My truck was the only vehicle there, but this spot was obviously not a secret.  You could tell people park there often. When we got to the ditch, there was no problem finding fish.  In the first depression we spotted a couple little rainbows that we managed not to spook.  No luck.  My friend was fishing tiny dries and I, tiny nymphs.  We moved all over and tried every trick we know to no avail. We’d fish where we saw fish and none of them were interested in our imitations.  There was a terrific hatch of small mayflies but our stocker friends in front of us weren’t feeding on them actively.  A couple of times, in frustration, we stood up on the bank and showed ourselves to the fish and instead of the two or three we had spotted, twenty or thirty of them would begin swirling in front of us but they wouldn’t leave the depression they were sitting in.  We weren’t catching any fish, but we were having fun trying. More fishermen appeared in our primo stretch of water.  The bait guys (two of them) kept their distance and fished from the bushes, drifting single eggs to the fish with no luck.  The other fly fishermen, however, were not a shy, asking us how we were doing, spooking fish as they walked past us up on the streambank.  There were four other fly fishermen, all kids, and they had no clue about fishing manners, but they were just kids and they were nice.  And we weren’t catching any fish anyway. I spotted a 15" carp and before i could cast to him, while trying to get into postition, lost sight of him.  He was real spooky.  My friend and I spent some more time walking to get away from the others and I had told my friend to keep an eye out for larger carp.  He called me over because he had spotted a ‘white’ fish and wanted me to drift my nymph to it.  He thought maybe it was a smaller carp an it was sitting on the bottom. My glasses must be better than his because i could tell right away that it was a white goldfish about 7 inches long, and he was flanked in the water by no less than 4 other goldfish, all gold.  Those goldfish must be selective feeders.  I tried midges, scuds, mayflies, all to no avail.  I thought SJ fish were selective!  Well, it got dark and we went home. So, if anyone wants to visit me and sight fish for goldfish, let me know bruce h — bare your soul let your spirit burn out along the road to no return – r.e. keen

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Question:

Well I headed up to one of my favorite hex ponds yesterday to do some dry fly hexing. We arrived at the pond with high winds. So I headed down the pond in my old indian brand fiberglass canoe, semi basket case but light and good to fish from. It’s been heavily repaired with fiberglass to make it seaworty but it is so much stealtier than my aluminum.  There were a few hex’s starting to pop up here and there and a few fish rising to them so I prayed for a respite from the howling Maine winds. It was not to be. First thing, on my third cast I broke my "new" HI Lucky ace off at the top ferrule on the mid section, somebody (me) apparently did a piss poor replacement job. Not to be discouraged I paddled all the way back to the landing to get a replacement. Whereon I discovered that the owner of one of the two camps on the pond bragging about how he had coerced the State into stocking Splake ( a bastard hybred of a brookie and a lake trout) to "control" the smelt population. Great, this dub is trying to kill off the feed that makes this pond grow mega slab sided brookies, seemed like a duh to me. Now we’ve got camp owners playing at fisheries management…of course he’s happy to troll up a few splake and claims there are no big schools of smelt anymore on his fish finder…I’m happy for him….rather than argue the topic I just paddled back down the pond to fish. Anyway I managed a couple of 12-14" brookies on my hex pattern when I heard this awful cracking and moaning coming from the seat of my canoe. the %$^#* seat was splitting in half – time for a diet I decided anyway the darn thing sank an inch or two but didn’t part the way completely. Finally as dark came on the wind picked up even more so I beached the canoe for the night. Then it began to rain, and rain, and rain you get the idea. this morning the wind was still howling so we drove down to the West Branch of the Penoboscot river to fish for salmon. the rubber hatch was on (rafters) and the water was high and colored, at least some of it from the heavy overnight rains. I had one hit nymphing and managed to yank the fly out of the fishes mouth and into the tree behind me where I ended up leaving it. Hit another good pool downstream in time to watch another angler manage a decent landlock, caught a freaking chub and went back to camp for lunch. My pond was now covered in 2-3 foot white caps so I bagged it and came home instead of praying to the ghods of calm sunsets. Driving out we got pounded by a mega thunderstorm so the decision to leave was probably ok. On the way out I saw a large black bear, and the usual assortment of moose, a bald eagle, a couple of red tailed hawks, a ton of rabbits and some partridge, good wildlife viewing trip anyway. Tierd and weary, 6 hours later, I arrived home to find my latest ebay treasure, a shakespear 1305B in 9 foot in a gigantic plano plastic case (destined to go into the yard sale pile). It’s missing an eye and while dubbing with it the reel seat came apart because the pin is missing…sometimes I should stay home, go to the dump and mow the lawn…naw that’s no fun… so anyway kids the hex’s are on up in Baxter country but the weather was not conducive to the frenzied evening rise to same…at least for me this weekend. Flyfish — dave’s homepage madness http://www.ctel.net/~brooktrout flyfishing in Maine and more

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Thanks for the nice report anyway. These reports make one wish one was fishing, remind one of the mishaps which inevitably occur, sometimes leaving fond memories, and sometimes swollen feet or similar, but they are all extremely interesting. TL MC — "In order to know what is possible one must constantly attempt the impossible" http://www.mikeconnor.de

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well I headed up to one of my favorite hex ponds yesterday to do some dry

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Question:

ideal stream for a last minute fish as you are heading home (once, rachel waited in our packed car for 20 minutes while i had a "last fish" on our way home),

So the common thread here in your recent posts is that you are an expert at testing the patience of women  Hope Walt wasn’t beaten too severely for spending time with you instead of his lady. – Mu

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        on day 2, i explored some of the watauga county backroads, looking for new and remote streams, and found a couple areas i’ll try to convince walt to sample with me.  walt is an extraordinarily good fishing companion and has an ability to fish many of the tough areas…an ability i lack. one of the back roads intersected with the blue ridge parkway, which runs along a ridge above the valley in which my cabin sits.  i was close to a stream i literally fell into some years.  it runs beside the parkway at about 3000 feet elevation, but is about 30 to 50 feet below the parkway.  there are some large pull-offs and parking areas beside the road, so it’s not a hidden location by any means.  i discovered it years ago on the way from upper boone’s fork, frustrated with all the hikers and crowds in and around that stream, on the last day of a trip. determined to fish someplace new, but without much time to do so, i stopped, geared up, and proceeded to fall/trip/butt-bump/slide down a steep bank to within 10 feet of the stream.  rod unbroken, but spirit bent, i fished about 100 yards of a lovely stream, even with the sounds of traffic on the blue ridge parkway overhead.  it consisted of small holding or pocket waters with a nice gradient allowing adequate cover for a blundering buffoon like me to sneak up and float a dry fly.  i was stunned when i caught a 6 inch brook trout. since that trip, i have fished the stream on numerous occasions and always caught a brookie.  on this trip, in the 100 yards i usually fish, i caught 5 of the beauties.  i had always assumed it was necessary to find the remotest and highest locations in the blue ridge watersheds to catch wild brookies…but here they are in a stream beside the parkway, near privately owned meadows, and easily accessed by the general public in just a brief walk (or tumble) down a bank.  this is an ideal stream for a last minute fish as you are heading home (once, rachel waited in our packed car for 20 minutes while i had a "last fish" on our way home), or as an appetizer as you are heading for other waters.  it’s not on the delorme and as best i can tell is not stocked at all…i’ve never caught a stocked fish in it.           day 3, a bit hung over from last evening’s libations and with rainy weather coming in, i fished the stream in front of my cabin.  although it has some trout in it (i’ve caught a 10 inch rainbow and a 12 inch brown, and hooked and brought to hand a 20 inch brown with the most fearsome lower hook-jaw i’ve seen on ole salmo, it’s not good trout water in my area of the stream.  upstream about a mile, and for almost 6 miles, it’s a hatchery supported stream and gets a lot of pressure from spin fishers, especially the week after the hatchery trucks come through.  anyway, i took my 7′6" 4/5 weight St.Croix and fished about a mile with a black wooly bugger.  the stream holds a bunch of smallmouth bass and bluegill/redeye/bream(?)- panfish -, and i spent 4 hours disengaging the hook from copious quantities of the panfish and about 10 smallies, with the largest being 11 inches.  in some of the deeper pools, i saw some smallmouth i know were larger than 14 inches.  anyway, a nice day’s fishing within walking distance of the cabin and the comforts of she who must be obeyed. jeff

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Question:

I wonder how many flyfishermen can say they’re trotliners, too?

Multiple droppers could be considered an ‘active trotline presentation’. — TimW – Halfordian Golfer Guilt replaced the creel…

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You know how you hear that ‘fishing is more than catching fish’? It’s usually mentioned in relation to motivations. But it just occurred to me how literally true it is. —How much more several other aspects ought to be valuated and appreciated by us all. ****100% Fishing Success: *40%*—Background knowledge of an area and fish species,equipment prep & timing of outings. This takes years to acquire and is often culturally and family related. *10%*—Getting there, setting up, trial& error, testing, timing…fishing. *1%*—Catching fish. *10%*—Cleaning, fish meat processing. *30%*—Recipes, cooking, growing ancillary produce…then eating gamefish. *10%*—Habitat maintenance & development. (Now you might say that not all anglers do all the above in this way. Well, mostly, when they don’t they’re simply paying for someone else to do it. This is the case with most meat-eating of any type of fish or game.) [Apologies for the cross-post, but rec.fish is dead. Might as well go where the action is.] PS: I’m an all-round fisherman who has fly-inclination. Flies work best for trout, salmon, steelies on the small No. Mich. streams I prefer anyway. But I’m getting to be more of a fish for the table person. Less of a traveller. More inclined to local So. Mich. catfish. Not a lot of time to fish. Want to eat. So…I’m starting to think about trotlines and juglines like I used to use as a teen. Funny how things change. I wonder how many flyfishermen can say they’re trotliners, too? — ***"Out Your Backdoor": Friendly Magazine of DIY Adventure and Culture        http://www.glpbooks.com/oyb … with new bookstore & bulletin board

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Question:

I’d like to know which leader to use when fishing on lakes-reservoirs with dry and wet fly.

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I’d like to know which leader to use when fishing on lakes-reservoirs with dry and wet fly.

I would use longer leaders on lakes, ranging from 9 to 15 foot on floating lines. Tippets size will depend on conditions and fly size. For dries tippet from 5x to 7x should fit most situations. Wet flies are usually fished on 3x to 5x tippets. This is general info that should help someone that is getting started, not you experts. On sinking lines in still water I would try 7 1/2 to 9 foot leaders. Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 800/4000FLY

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I’d like to know which leader to use when fishing on lakes-reservoirs with dry and wet fly. It depends entirely on the body of water and who lives there.  If it’s large, stocked Res and you intend to use large streamers or buggers on sinking line, I tend to use shorter, heavier leaders.  I’ve used 3 foot leaders tapered to, oh, 10 and 12 lb test and have been very successful in such situations.         On still water rich with natural trout food and wild fish, especially the small stuff, your success will improve greatly with a longer, much lighter leader.  10 – 12  feet to 5X is pretty standard fishing wet. For dries this would be a minimum, and an additional length of 6X will

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Question:

Any info on fall salmon/steelhead fishing in Wisconsin ? Any particular places near Racine/Port Washington to fish, any particular ways to take fish? Snoopy

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Path: news.inc.net!uwm.edu!spool.mu.edu!howland.erols.net!swrinde!sdd.hp.com!nigh t.primate.wisc.edu!newsspool.doit.wisc.edu!news.doit.wisc.edu!snoopy Newsgroups: rec.outdoors.fishing Organization: snoopy land Lines: 6 NNTP-Posting-Host: 128.104.235.125 Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Newsreader: Yet Another NewsWatcher 2.2.0b13 Any info on fall salmon/steelhead fishing in Wisconsin ? Any particular places near Racine/Port Washington to fish, any particular ways to take fish? Snoopy

The Root River in Racine has great salmon/steelhead fishing.  There are a number of good holes where a fly or spinning rod can be used.  There’s a park right off of Hwy K (I THINK it’s called Doctor’s Park, but I don’t remember) where you can park and walk down to the river and wade from there. Good Luck.

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Question:

: What are the pros and cons of the expensive fly lines vs. the lower end : lines.  For example the Cortland 444 lazer vs the 333 lines.  Thanks   There are differences when you compare these two lines. The Cortland 444 is the industry standard fly line. It is offered in many more types and configurations than the 333. The 333 is the predecessor to the 444. The 444 is more supple, longer lasting, and slick than the 333. It also comes with a one year warrenty against failure. My experience with Cortland is that any 444 line returned will be replaced for free. This happened one year at the shop where we had many customers come back with defective lines. We had instructions from Cortland to take back all lines at that time. Their testing showed that they had a bad batch!   There is also a higher performance level with the more expensive lines. I find that they float higher and are easier to cast. The best line Cortland currently has is the 444 LazerLine. It has a textered finish. This line is the most supple, easiest mending, and farthest shooting line of any "general purpose" trout line I have used. Both 333 and 444 are good lines Jon Porter

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What are the pros and cons of the expensive fly lines vs. the lower end lines.  For example the Cortland 444 lazer vs the 333 lines.  Thanks

In my opinion there aren’t many differences between lines that make a huge difference.  Higher priced lines are usually made from better materials(tougher, stronger, self lubricating, Uv resistant, etc.) but the taper really isn’t a measure of "quality".  It all depends on your casting style and requirements.  Some line may better match your technique and give better results (i.e. some people may perfere the same line in double taper vs. weight forward or vice versa).  Your fishing requirements (if they are very specific)  may demand that you must spend the extra money for a higher   end line but that is sometimes the nature of the beast!  Good luck,                         Joshua Haddock

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