Question:

Hello Everyone,  I’m gearing up to do a bit of small lake fishing next week.  I really haven’t done much lake fly fishing over the past few years so I’m not real sure what to bring along for patterns.  Can anyone suggest some good "general" patterns for exploration on high mountain lakes? TIA

Response:

Hello Everyone,  I’m gearing up to do a bit of small lake fishing next week.  I really haven’t done much lake fly fishing over the past few years so I’m not real sure what to bring along for patterns.  Can anyone suggest some good "general" patterns for exploration on high mountain lakes? TIA

These are the flies I use over here in Scotland on hill lochs :- http://www.ftscotland.co.uk/flyindex.html especially the "Dry fly", "Hill Loch Nymph" and "Iron Blue Wetfly". — Don`t Worry, Be Happy       Sandy —       Website:-  http://www.ftscotland.co.uk     IRC:- Sandyb in #rabble  uk3.arcnet.vapor.com Port:6667      #Rabble Channel Website:- http://www.ftscotland.co.uk/rabble              ICQ : 41266150

Response:

These are the flies I use over here in Scotland on hill lochs :- http://www.ftscotland.co.uk/flyindex.html especially the "Dry fly", "Hill Loch Nymph" and "Iron Blue Wetfly".

Thanks for the link Sandy!  It’s good to see someone talk about fly fishing around here…. — Opinions are like assholes.  Everyone’s got one. … and they all stink!

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Thanks for the link Sandy!  It’s good to see someone talk about fly fishing around here….

Yeah, beats the hell out of gratuitous insults, don’t it? Opinions are like assholes.  Everyone’s got one.

makes you superfluous, huh? … and they all stink!

We are pleased to bow to your authority. Wolfgang o.k., who wants to ask how someone comes to know so much about rectal redolence?

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Thanks for the link Sandy!  It’s good to see someone talk about fly fishing around here…. Yeah, beats the hell out of gratuitous insults, don’t it?

Opinions are like assholes.  Everyone’s got one. makes you superfluous, huh?

… and they all stink! We are pleased to bow to your authority.

— Opinions are like assholes.  Everyone’s got one. … and they all stink!

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Question:

I’ll be going to Deschutes and Waterton-Glacier park in Montana. Does anyone know of any good fly shops near by and some good trout streams? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Ron

Response:

I’ll be going to Deschutes and Waterton-Glacier park in Montana. Does anyone know of any good fly shops near by and some good trout streams? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Ron

Er . . . There is a Deschutes River in Oregon (and a smaller Deschutes River in Washington), but I don’t know of a "Deschutes" in Montana?  If its the one in Oregon, there is a fine shop in Maupin, but if you are fishing the mouth from where the Deschutes meets the Columbia, you need to get your stuff in Portland (Kaufmans Streamborn in Beaverton?) or if coming down from Washington (I-5?) then Angler’s Workshop in Woodland is your best bet. As to the Waterton-Glacier area . . . I don’t know. Dave

Response:

Dave, that wasn’t very clear. I should have said Deschutes OR and Waterton-Glacier Mt. Ron

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ll be going to Deschutes and Waterton-Glacier park in Montana. Does anyone know of any good fly shops near by and some good trout streams? Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, Ron Er . . . There is a Deschutes River in Oregon (and a smaller Deschutes River in Washington), but I don’t know of a "Deschutes" in Montana?  If its the one in Oregon, there is a fine shop in Maupin, but if you are fishing the mouth from where the Deschutes meets the Columbia, you need to get your stuff in Portland (Kaufmans Streamborn in Beaverton?) or if coming down from Washington (I-5?) then Angler’s Workshop in Woodland is your best bet. As to the Waterton-Glacier area . . . I don’t know. Dave

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Question:

Hello there, I’m scheduled to spend a couple of weeks near London on work assignment. I’m very interested in any advice you may have for fly fishing in this area. Any and all suggestions are welcome!! Thanks, John Erskine

Response:

I’m scheduled to spend a couple of weeks near London on work assignment. I’m very interested in any advice you may have for fly fishing in this area. Any and all suggestions are welcome!!

Surprisingly good fishing is available near London, as many of the classic chalk streams (Test, Itchen, Bourne, Lambourne, etc.) are within a 90 minute drive west-southwest of the city in Hampshire. Isaak Walton, for example, is buried in Winchester cathedral.  There’s a small chapel where he lies, with stained glass scenes of the apostles fishing, intermixed with scenes of the master himself.  If you hit my website, address below, you can read an account of my trip last year. The problem, of course, is that virtually all of the water is private, controlled either by private land-owners or clubs.  You’ll have to at least pay a rod fee, and probably need to hire a guide, at least to begin. My fishing was arranged by: William Daniel, some of the best water in the area. Michael — www.geocities.com/yosemite/falls/3363 Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

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Question:

X-no-archive: yes Animal rights Internet lists are abuzz over the summer movie Instinct, which stars Anthony Hopkins as a primatologist.  Activists claim the film has a strong animal rights message. Don’t give this movie your money.

I saw the movie about ten days ago.  The animal rights message, as explicitly stated, is reasonable enough, i.e. the wanton slaughter of gorillas is a bad thing.  The subliminal messages which may come through have been the topic of a great deal of discussion here in the past month or so, but I don’t think the film has much to add, or that it will make a great impression on the general public.  There is, however, an even better reason to avoid this one; it’s a bad movie.  The cast looked pretty bored throughout and left me feeling much the same.  Maybe I’m just tired of people loping around in bad gorilla costumes.

Response:

What is now left my friends? I ask  you humbly what may we discuss? without wishing to cause tension on the surface, perhaps the meniscus? If treated properly perhaps this odd phenomenon will disappear or sink, for those of you now quite alarmed, dont worry friends , it will float again with gink. The souls of fishes long departed may return at last to haunt us anglers all, the wanton bludgeoning we once practiced in our youth begin with age to pall, what can one do, how may one then, avoid such horrible and all consuming fate? one might perhaps then praise the fish in prayer, before placing it well spiced and heated on ones plate. Oh lord I fear that what I did perhaps was not quite right, and maybe not your wish but lord forgive me please, judge not harshly, remembering I used a  fly to catch this glorious fish. There are some who would have us think that fishing is an evil thing, in actual fact a heinous crime Or did you lord, when we were placed here,  think of us, and give us all these lumps of tasty protein packed in slime ? I may be wrong of course oh lord, and even far too proud in my assumptions of your wishes, in which case then I will surely land in hell, and burn forever as a punishment for bludgeoning all those fishes. Whatever lord, although it may be wrong, and not in accord with your decrees, this fascinating fishing with an artificial fly. If you dont mind, and nothing else occurs to change my mind, I

Question:

I fell in love with the elk-hair caddis last summer as I learned on the Logan River and Franklin Basin. But now it is obvious that dry-flys without sunny days don’t work.

It’s more like dry flies without bugs in the air won’t work. In fact, overcast days are usually more productive than sunny days. The fish are cautious of predators on sunny days. — something bogus to avoid spam)

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I started my love of fly-fishing on the Logan River in Utah.  I have recently moved to Ogden, Utah.   A few kindred soles have told me areas of the Weber and Ogden River to try.  The local fly shop (there being only one I can find in Ogden) tells me "nymphs, nymphs, nymphs". The problem is what nymphs?   I don’t have much if any experience working nymphs.  The truth is this is my first winter at fly-fishing.  I fell in love with the elk-hair caddis last summer as I learned on the Logan River and Franklin Basin. But now it is obvious that dry-flys without sunny days don’t work. What I need is a fishing buddy in the area.  Any one in the area looking for some one to fish with? Thanks, Jason

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Question:

Those of you who have more mobility than mere wading but without a Mako, Whaler, or Hewes: what is your preferred way of getting away from shore and why? Darren Lew NYC

Response:

If you don’t have a boat and fish during daylight hours, consider renting a skiff.  Long Island has a number of fishing stations that do so.  The shallow-draft boats they feature would be fine for fly casting–stable with shallow-water capability.

Response:

<<Those of you who have more mobility than mere wading but without a Mako, Whaler, or Hewes: what is your preferred way of getting away from shore and why? I am currently strictly a wading FFer, but my next toy will be a kayak. There is a whole new breed of ocean-going kayaks, some which are sort of hybridized canoes with open cockpits, some with a bit more beam for stability. I’m told that a good sized striper can give the kayaker a "Nantucket Sleighride". If anyone wishes to advance me $700 – $1,000 I will be pleased to report in more detail on the effectiveness of the craft.

Response:

Those of you who have more mobility than mere wading but without a Mako, Whaler, or Hewes: what is your preferred way of getting away from shore and why? Darren Lew NYC

Depends. If we’re talking back bay low light. Canoe. Almost anywhere else a small (Carolina skiff ?) GLASS boat (12-14 ft) with a Honda engine. I have never tried a kayak. Perhaps it would be great in the surf ? I prefer glass to tin for less noise, better long term durabilty and more inertia for waves to overcome. "The true angler is always content to fish alone" Brian Di Carlo

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I get around Gardnier’s bay in a poke boat which is a cross ,between a Kayak and a canoe, but more to the kayak side of things. Its great becauuse its so portable, but very hard to fish from. You can’t even kneel in a  kayak and that makes it tough. If you’re using it to get from one flat to another then its good, but not too swift as a fishing platofrm itself. Ira Clair

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Question:

What is the best line size for small mouth fishing?

Response:

What is the best line size for small mouth fishing?

Since smallies rarely get over 6lbs in our neck of the woods, I use 6lb Maxima (or 4lb if I want to be really subtle) on my spinning gear. I use 10-12lbs test on my baitcaster for crank baits where finesse is not a requirement. And unlike largemouth you don’t often have to horse smallies out of heavy cover so anything over 10lbs is probably overkill. David E. Malone All opinions expressed are my own.

Response:

I have used a 7wt rod/line combo. When fishing in the shallows I look for a shorter leader, say a six footer with an eighteen inch tippet. This setup also works well in windy conditions. In deeper water like around rocks in the middle of a lake where there might be a dropoff I use a sinktip line with as long a leader as possible usually around ten feet. This is all subject to change if there is a lot of wind. Then I usually stay home and fly a kite!   Hope this is some help. A guy who knows one heck of a lot more than I do set me up this way and it seems to work.                                                         Best of luck,                                  J.Christian Decker,  Danville, NH

Response:

What is the best line size for small mouth fishing?

Largest flies needed for SMB are #4 streamers tied sparse, which a #7 fly line can carry to maximum range.  (If not, go one fly size smaller or one fly line size heavier.) — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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I thought this group was for fly-fishermen, not Bass Masters.  I normally use a six weight line for streamers (sink tip) and an eight weight wf floating for poppers etc…

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I use anywhere from an eight weight down to a five. It depends on the stream and the fly that I want to fish with. My tippets will be from a 6x all the way to a 1x for the big ones! Jon Porter

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Question:

writes: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi. I am finishing up a Masters degree in Film from American University and have been posed with the challenge of writing a ten-minute script illuminating the joys and tribulations of fly fishing–specifically, fly fishing for trout. Why fly fishing? Any response, e-mail or posted, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Chris Strobel Dear Chris; Because it is the best/only way to catch a trout after the middle of May when the critters start to focus-in on bugs. Thank-you.  That is all. Jason Beary

Chris,  for me its the ability not to have to leave the sport in the off season.  Tying flys, reading, studying the entomology and biology is fascinating, and it fills up snowy evenings – a glass of Merlot, a pattern book and a pile for fur and feathers – that I turn into a "bug" that will fool a fish.  Not such a lofty pursuit, but an absorbing one. jg Huntington NY

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Part of the lure(?? a pun)of flyfishing for me is that you are taking materials such as fur,feathers,yarn etc.which if cast upon the waters by themselves would produce nothing. If you take the same materials ,combine them in such a way,to create a fly,(which hopefully will resemble a natural)and present it to a fish,and the fish takes it..Well thats satisfying. I guess that it is that you are in complete control of part of the game(buying the materials,what you buy,your skill etc.)but once you put it on the water ,its up,to the fish.And the fish taking your fly or not is the measure of success or failure.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi. I am finishing up a Masters degree in Film from American University and have been posed with the challenge of writing a ten-minute script illuminating the joys and tribulations of fly fishing–specifically, fly fishing for trout.  Does it have something to do with the peacefulness of the stream, or is there a particular challenge to fly fishing that the rest of us don’t know about and wouldn’t understand?   Having never been much of a fisherman (other than the bluegill from a small lake in my childhood) I don’t have experience with fly fishing and was wondering if anyone would like to tell me why they do what they do… Why fly fishing? Any response, e-mail or posted, would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Chris Strobel

Chris, "Penthouse" or "Playboy" would never ask a virgin to write a story about sex. And your question, why fly fishing?, sounds just about as silly as that virgin asking people, "why do you enjoy sex". Ya just gotta try it to underestand it! Do some research on your own, fishing that is. Take a leason or two, go fishing and then write your script. Short of that, you’re just writing an expos

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – : : Science in most situations I use a canoe for fishing, I don’t go : beyond 6 ft. rods (exept for fly fishing), but the lenght is not the : question.  Untill now I used Fenwick Legacy or Walleye Class for : vertical jigging. They are too flexible for a precise hooking. What I : need is a sensitive and stiff pro-rated rod. I wonder if someone has : expierience with good quality rod designed for vertical jigging? :  St. Croix has a series of rods it calls "Legend" that includes a selection  in the 6 – 7 foot range that I think are very good for jigging: they are  light, sensitive, yet quite stiff.  They are also rugged.  Some of the local  guides use the 7′ 4-8 lb test model, rated as "light" by St. Croix, for  steelhead and lake trout.  greg pavlov

Also St. Croix has a line of fine fiberglass rods, I forget the exact model but their the lightest fiberglass I have ever held, and I believe glass rods are a better set up for fast moving baits….. more forgiving than graphite!!!!! Jerry

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: : Also St. Croix has a line of fine fiberglass rods, I forget the exact : model but their the lightest fiberglass I have ever held, and I : believe glass rods are a better set up for fast moving baits….. more : forgiving than graphite!!!!! I just went to one of those Bass Techniques classes that has seminars by several of the pros. Highly recommended by the way and I think I might go again next year. Anyways I was fortunate enough to have David Fritts as a speaker on crankbaits. For those of you who don’t know (there might be one) David is kind of the king of crankbaits on the tour. He was adamant about using fiberglass rods for crankbaiting. He said a slow fiberglass rod gives the fish a chance to swallow the bait before there is much tension resulting in a much better hookup. Soooo guess what I am doing Monday morning… Lets see 1-800-basspro… FWIW. Good fishing, — All About Computers      | (810) 456-3894 (work) 2887 Pontiac Ct.         | (810) 373-6865 (home) Auburn Hills, Michigan   | Fish, fish, and more fish… 48326

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Question:

Rumor has it that Jon Zeeff said: Think about it – what prevents people from doing crazy things in cars (l ride on the hood while drinking heavily)?  The answer isn’t more educati but more enforcement.

Yeah, but the annoying thing about this is the behavior of boaters who are pulled over.  Most drivers who are stopped on the road for speeding don’t complain too much because they usually know the cop has them dead to rights.  Most boaters, on the other hand, give the Coast Guard a pretty hard time… "I’m a tax payer.  I pay your salary!", "Why aren’t you out chasing drug smugglers!", "How should I know I need life preservers?", etc. -Bruce —