Question:

Actually Smith and Wesson’s add is twice as large as Redington’s, and they didn’t make the list.

     No, but they DID get an "unbiased" article printed on the facing page, and gee whiz who’d of ever thunk it’s now a good idea to fish in grizzly bear country as long as you’re packing your trusty model 29?

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Hi I am looking to buy an 8 weight rod and was looking at the Wayfarer. Anyone have this rod or know anything good or bad about it? many thanks michael

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Check the 2002 Annual Gear Guide in the recent issue of Fly Fish America. According to their testing they cast straight and far.  In two tests they came in second and fifth with a lot of $500 plus rods behind it.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi I am looking to buy an 8 weight rod and was looking at the Wayfarer. Anyone have this rod or know anything good or bad about it? many thanks michael

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Check the 2002 Annual Gear Guide in the recent issue of Fly Fish America. According to their testing they cast straight and far.  In two tests they came in second and fifth with a lot of $500 plus rods behind it.

   Which only indicates Redington ran the second and fifth most expensive advertisements in that shameless rag.

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Actually Smith and Wesson’s add is twice as large as Redington’s, and they didn’t make the list.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Check the 2002 Annual Gear Guide in the recent issue of Fly Fish America. According to their testing they cast straight and far.  In two tests they came in second and fifth with a lot of $500 plus rods behind it.    Which only indicates Redington ran the second and fifth most expensive advertisements in that shameless rag.

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I use reddington rods, I have a 5 and a 7 weight and love them, I am not compaing them to a  Orvis Trident my brother uses, but they are very good in my opinion. Cant beat the warranty either. Regards Biscuit

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Actually Smith and Wesson’s add is twice as large as Redington’s, and they didn’t make the list. Check the 2002 Annual Gear Guide in the recent issue of Fly Fish America. According to their testing they cast straight and far.  In two tests they came in second and fifth with a lot of $500 plus rods behind it.    Which only indicates Redington ran the second and fifth most expensive advertisements in that shameless rag.

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Question:

<SNIP. A wise man once wrote… <SNIP      - Ken Very flattering!   Sometimes I can not help thinking that a "wise man" would keep his silence more often.

Probably, but what’s the fun of being wise if you can’t say stupid things every once in a while.  :-)      - Ken

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The only evidence I have that you yourself might be a "real" or even a "good" angler is your oft-repeated assertions here that you are.  I have no overwhelming reason to disbelieve you other than the inherent little untruths contained in your entertaining exits from ROFF ("I will tell you a little story,  my all too eager to condemn friend. It does not matter a lot, as it will in any case be my last post to this newsgroup"), so I choose to assume you’re correct.  I do, however, have personal knowledge that Joe Howell is.  I also know that he would not, on the basis of reading few snippet quotes on a newsgroup, be so eager to condemn a fellow angler as a "greedy and self-serving human being" and a "snobby prat." JR

For the record. I have never asserted any such thing. What you or others choose to interpret, or believe,  is your own affair. You are indeed perfectly correct about my "exits". To be perfectly honest, very considerable thought and self-analysis notwithstanding, I can not for the life of me explain why I feel obliged to post here at all, or why I felt obliged to return. As I have no reasonable explanation, I will refrain from even attempting to tender one. As you so ably demonstrate in your description of my behaviour, and its consequences. What people say is important. Of the thousands of posts I have written in recent years, you remember the "exits", and the associated comments, and base your evaluation, of myself on that. Rather odd don

Question:

Yesterday afternoon I wondered down the street to a pier on Lake Washington to test cast my new 3wt rod and reel. I didn’t intend to catch anything and low and behold, I didn’t. Had a great time casting the new rod though. As I was packing up to leave three guys joined me on the pier set up to baitcast for perch. It didn’t take them 1 cast a piece before they were reeling in 5-8 inch perch from approximately 35 feet down. They were using worms and chopped perch meat. My question for the group: How would you go about catching perch on a fly rod off a pier? I have a 3wt, floating line with sink shot, or a 5wt with sink tip. What flies would you recommend? Thanks for the info. Ryan

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Yesterday afternoon I wondered down the street to a pier on Lake Washington to test cast my new 3wt rod and reel. I didn’t intend to catch anything and low and behold, I didn’t. Had a great time casting the new rod though. As I was packing up to leave three guys joined me on the pier set up to baitcast for perch. It didn’t take them 1 cast a piece before they were reeling in 5-8 inch perch from approximately 35 feet down.

DAMN!  That’s some fine fishin’ – catchin’ without even casting….<G They were using worms and chopped perch meat.

And if you wanted perch, may I ask why you didn’t do what they were doing? My question for the group: How would you go about catching perch on a fly rod off a pier? I have a 3wt, floating line with sink shot, or a 5wt with sink tip. What flies would you recommend?

Ones that look and smell like worms and chopped perch meat.   Seriously (and yes, I do mean this seriously), why bother, if the goal is catching those perch?  If the goal is simply experimenting to see if it can be done, then, yes, it can, but don’t confuse it with FF’ing (in the "traditional" sense).  It seems if you’re interested in catching perch, you’ve seen what works (and works remarkably well) for catching them.  I guess I don’t understand the desire to catch anything and everything on a fly rod.  Some things just don’t really lend themselves to "flyfishing" (as one normally thinks of FF’ing, and yes, I realize one can rig up something), and IMO, fishing that deep is one of them.  By the time you get rigged, you’re going to essentially combining bait-casting with a fly rod.   I suppose there’s nothing "wrong" with that, but why not just bait-cast with bait-casting gear, or if one is some kind of FF’ing-gear-only snot, just don’t fish for those things and live with the fact that if you’re gonna be a snot, you lose out. To me, it’s sorta like asking, "I saw a Porsche 996 racing on TV.  I have a Suburban/Camry/Ford sedan/Volvo station wagon/(some other unsuited vehicle).  Could I race like that?   Can I do something to my vehicle to make it work?"   Yeah, probably.  But again, why? (assuming the goal is racing, and not converting vehicles)  You can take out a screw with a butter knife and butter toast with a screwdriver, too, but why not just use the most appropriate and best-suited tool(s) for the task at hand? Thanks for the info.

Pretty sure it’s not the info you wanted, but you’re welcome. TC, R – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Ryan

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Well, if my geometry is right your going to have to cast out 53 feet of line to be at a 35 foot depth 35 feet from where you’re standing. Full sinking line? I’d try a clouser or better yet, a pearl chenille bead/cone head wooly buger. john

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Use the 5 wt rod and fish with little streamers. For example in summer at dog days a freind of mine uses a fly called Jule Trae and a sink tip. He always catches some perch. Good luck and tight lines Wim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yesterday afternoon I wondered down the street to a pier on Lake Washington to test cast my new 3wt rod and reel. I didn’t intend to catch anything and low and behold, I didn’t. Had a great time casting the new rod though. As I was packing up to leave three guys joined me on the pier set up to baitcast for perch. It didn’t take them 1 cast a piece before they were reeling in 5-8 inch perch from approximately 35 feet down. They were using worms and chopped perch meat. My question for the group: How would you go about catching perch on a fly rod off a pier? I have a 3wt, floating line with sink shot, or a 5wt with sink tip. What flies would you recommend? Thanks for the info. Ryan

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R- Points well taken. Thanks, Ryan -Snip-

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You can take out a screw with a butter knife and butter toast with a screwdriver, too, but why not just use the most appropriate and best-suited tool(s) for

Splendid. And thank you. You’ve covered more than fishing here. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the focus of the job at hand. Drew (with a callused spot on my forehead)

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I don’t know rdean may have somethin’ here.  I have several heavy weight flyrods, but perching on them just doesn’t sound like a good idea. Op

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You can take out a screw with a butter knife and butter toast with a screwdriver, too, but why not just use the most appropriate and best-suited tool(s) for Splendid. And thank you. You’ve covered more than fishing here. Sometimes it’s easy to forget the focus of the job at hand. Drew (with a callused spot on my forehead)

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yesterday afternoon I wondered down the street to a pier on Lake Washington to test cast my new 3wt rod and reel. I didn’t intend to catch anything and low and behold, I didn’t. Had a great time casting the new rod though. As I was packing up to leave three guys joined me on the pier set up to baitcast for perch. It didn’t take them 1 cast a piece before they were reeling in 5-8 inch perch from approximately 35 feet down. They were using worms and chopped perch meat. My question for the group: How would you go about catching perch on a fly rod off a pier? I have a 3wt, floating line with sink shot, or a 5wt with sink tip. What flies would you recommend? Thanks for the info. Ryan

In that location, worm dunking seems to be your only choice.  However, I’ve caught plenty of perch in the shallows using a two weight and beadhead nymphs.  They take very gently so sight fishing to them in clear water is best.  Small streamers should work too. Peter Visit The Streamer Page at http://members.home.net/pcharles/streamers/index.html

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—–BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE—– Hash: SHA1 I love to flyfish, but there’s a hell of a lot to be said for all kinds of fishing and I am of the personal opinion that we get dogmatic about using the flyrod even at times when it is simply not practical. I don’t guess whether you mean using fly rods on the B.A.S.S. pro tour?

Me feeling is that the fly rod might be the very best tool for the job under most conditions when bass are shallow. When bass are deep, we especially should not fish C&R for them, so this isn’t much of a quandary…. TBone

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I love to flyfish, but there’s a hell of a lot to be said for all kinds of fishing and I am of the personal opinion that we get dogmatic about using the flyrod even at times when it is simply not practical. We should not close our eyes to all other kinds of fishing, IMO. The perch are biting here, at Waneka, and I have been out with nightcrawlers and my dachsund Spork for three weekends in a row and we’ve been having a ball.

Um, are you sure Spork likes going out and having a ball with you and nightcrawlers?  If PETA (or, possibly, the Colorado State Police) finds out, you’re in BIG trouble…are you sure it isn’t illegal in Colorado, as it is in a number of the other several States… Oh, wait…did you mean you were FISHING with Spork?  Well, he must be about gone by now, and frankly, that’s pretty mean just for a few perch.  Whoda thunk dachshund were below perch on the food chain….

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<lake washington experiment snipped Drive over to Green Lake and fish dry flies off the pier for landlocked salmon instead. Bring a radio and listen to Niehaus do the Mariners playoff games. Ogle the joggers. Bring a bag of Tim’s Cajun chips. Have an Oberto Cocktail Pep. Bring a buncha BWOs. Watch out for the goose poop. – sid sometimes missing seattle

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…….Bring a bag of Tim’s Cajun chips…….

I knew it.  I just KNEW it!  First it’s fish, then it’s Dachshunds, and now Cajuns.  That’s just wrong!    :( Wolfgang

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…….Bring a bag of Tim’s Cajun chips……. I knew it.  I just KNEW it!  First it’s fish, then it’s Dachshunds, and now Cajuns.  That’s just wrong!    :( Wolfgang

It’s even worse. It is unethical. Herman

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I love to flyfish, but there’s a hell of a lot to be said for all kinds of fishing and I am of the personal opinion that we get dogmatic about using the flyrod even at times when it is simply not practical. We should not close our eyes to all other kinds of fishing, IMO. The perch are biting here, at Waneka, and I have been out with nightcrawlers and my dachsund Spork for three weekends in a row and we’ve been having a ball. Your pal, — TBone

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yesterday afternoon I wondered down the street to a pier on Lake Washington to test cast my new 3wt rod and reel. I didn’t intend to catch anything and low and behold, I didn’t. Had a great time casting the new rod though. As I was packing up to leave three guys joined me on the pier set up to baitcast for perch. It didn’t take them 1 cast a piece before they were reeling in 5-8 inch perch from approximately 35 feet down. They were using worms and chopped perch meat. My question for the group: How would you go about catching perch on a fly rod off a pier? I have a 3wt, floating line with sink shot, or a 5wt with sink tip. What flies would you recommend? Thanks for the info. Ryan

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I love to flyfish, but there’s a hell of a lot to be said for all kinds of fishing and I am of the personal opinion that we get dogmatic about using the flyrod even at times when it is simply not practical. We should not close our eyes to all other kinds of fishing, IMO.

Can’t argue that, but then there’s always the challenge of doing something the hard way The perch are biting here, at Waneka, and I have been out with nightcrawlers and my dachsund Spork for three weekends in a row and we’ve been having a ball.

"Spork", eh? Perfect. /daytripper (I shoulda known

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I knew it.  I just KNEW it!  First it’s fish, then it’s Dachshunds, and now Cajuns.  That’s just wrong!    :(

Dang, I missed it again!  What’s wrong with Dachshunds?

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I knew it.  I just KNEW it!  First it’s fish, then it’s Dachshunds, and now Cajuns.  That’s just wrong!    :( Dang, I missed it again!  What’s wrong with Dachshunds?

Well, aside from a reputed susceptibility to back problems and the usual unsavory canine hygiene practices, not a thing that I can think of.  It’s the Cajuns that stick in my craw. Wolfgang

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  It’s the Cajuns that stick in my craw.

Try cutting them up into smaller pieces, and chewing them a little longer. hth, Kevin, hoping you didn’t misspell "cojones"

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[snip] Well, aside from a reputed susceptibility to back problems and the usual unsavory canine hygiene practices, not a thing that I can think of.  It’s the Cajuns that stick in my craw. Wolfgang

1. Let me report that you may remove the word "reputed" from the above.  I have 2 Dachshunds, 1 with a "slipped disc" that has caused her to lose partial movement in her rear legs. 2. What kind of ‘unsavory canine hygience practices’ could you be referring to?  You mean when they drag all sorts of dead (either that they’ve killed, or just found) rodents to my door?  You mean when they kill a rat and decide to *eat* half of it, and bring me the legs (you know those little bones just irritate their gums)?  You mean smelling around for dog crap and then eating it (no, it never happens, really) if it really smells ‘good’? You mean…well, I think I get the picture… Rob p.s. got a craw stuck in my teeth at the last Cajun festival..:)

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…..got a craw stuck in my teeth at the last Cajun festival..:)

Hm….this could lead to all sorts of recursive ruminations. Wolfgang where’s max smart when you really need him?

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—–BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE—– Hash: SHA1 I love to flyfish, but there’s a hell of a lot to be said for all kinds of fishing and I am of the personal opinion that we get dogmatic about using the flyrod even at times when it is simply not practical.

I don’t guess whether you mean using fly rods on the B.A.S.S. pro tour? – — "Armchair warriors often fail, and we’ve been  poisoned by these fairy tales" -Don Henley —–BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE—– Version: GnuPG v1.0.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: For info see http://www.gnupg.org iD8DBQE7zSGtrpli/675/DERAlGdAKCDXQHl4/+d80An8f3CJfvXyzMdmACeNJy3 7Gq+de7flkgrCo01m39YZXA= =Ropa —–END PGP SIGNATURE—–

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The perch are biting here, at Waneka, and I have been out with nightcrawlers and my dachsund Spork for three weekends in a row and we’ve been having a ball.

Sure you can eat perch with a dachshund Spork, but why not use the right tool for the job?

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I don’t know rdean may have somethin’ here.  I have several heavy weight flyrods, but perching on them just doesn’t sound like a good idea. Op

Not in ten feet of water.. but they are a lot of fun to fish for in the shallows! Herman

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yesterday afternoon I wondered down the street to a pier on Lake Washington to test cast my new 3wt rod and reel. I didn’t intend to catch anything and low and behold, I didn’t. Had a great time casting the new rod though. As I was packing up to leave three guys joined me on the pier set up to baitcast for perch. It didn’t take them 1 cast a piece before they were reeling in 5-8 inch perch from approximately 35 feet down. They were using worms and chopped perch meat. My question for the group: How would you go about catching perch on a fly rod off a pier? I have a 3wt, floating line with sink shot, or a 5wt with sink tip. What flies would you recommend? Thanks for the info.

well, as others have said, it might be tough reaching where the conventional anglers were fishing with light tackle… but in lake washington there are places to catch them in shallower water. when i was a kid, i was a perch killing maniac at lake washington.  i fished the wooden bridges at the walking trails near the arboreum (you can see them driving the 520 bridge).  i fished small jigs tipped with a chunk of worm, but i don’t doubt that a small white wooley bugger with a conehead, beadhead, or weighted eyes would work.  i did best around some of the sunken timber near the edges…. but it has been awhile.  and i also did best in july and august. give it a shot, and there’s nothing like fishing next to a bridge jammed with rush hour traffic (which now is almost all day). chris

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I wouldn’t fish for them with a fly rod in that situation.  5 weight with a sink tip probably wouldn’t reach them.  Maybe with a Clouser Minnow. In shallow water I’ve caught lots of perch that size with nymphs and small streamers (Clousers, marabou Thundercreeks).  And perch more than twice that size on the streamers.  Fun with a 3 weight. Glenn << My question for the group: How would you go about catching perch on a fly rod off a pier? I have a 3wt, floating line with sink shot, or a 5wt with sink tip. What flies would you recommend? << Ryan GKT

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Question:

Any ideas???? Terry

gherke invented it of course, just ask him <G cb

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Amazing what one may learn on here, I never realised that the expression "dickhead" had such historical connotations ! TL MC — "Where fishing is concerned, most anglers are basically manic excessives" http://www.mikeconnor.de <SNIP LLBeanian – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – the shockingly crude preserved penile adornment which was, one can only surmise, worn as a headdress by the leaders. The hypothesis that <SNIP –waldo submitted with all due respect, literary license of published article (http://www.med.abaco-mac.it/issue001/articles/doc/006.htm) used.

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LaPlacian industry is a myth. There is no supporting archaeological evidence whatsoever that the pugilistic LaPlac sloth were ever industrious during the upper paleolithic period of Orvian neandertal times. Even the more conservative estimate carries the significant implication that many opportunities for acculturation must have occurred through contact between groups living on each side of the frontier. [snipped, regrettably]

Enjoying another cold beverage tonight, eh my friend? –Steve (looks like next Thursday’s the day. Really… No, I mean it

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There have been tantalizing recent finds at the Orvis site in Portugal. Dated reliably at 33,000 years old, this is among the most recent Homo neandertal sites in the world. Extremely small hooks made of tempered bone have been found. These finds are associated with fossilized mites, specific to certain avian and mammal hosts, and with fossilized pollen specific to fibrous plant material of the type used for making thread. Archeologists have discovered elaborate burial sites, in which the body (presumably of the chief or head man) was decorated with literally hundreds of these hooks (ranging from about #18 to #10.). Also associated with the burial sites are the fossilized bones of remarkably large pisciverous specimens…..

It should come as no surprise to anyone here that there ARE different interpretations of these findings.  The plenitude of so-called "venus" figurines at paleolithic sites throughout Europe has been taken to suggest that the patriarchal religious cults so prevalent today were once the exception rather than the rule.  Many archeologists and paleontologists today believe that goddess worship was the norm for the time; a theory bolstered by the large role played by goddesses in many "primitive" societies throughout recorded history.  The currently popular "sleeps with the fishes" school holds that the hooks found on the Orvis remains suggest a rather more sinister scenario than that posited by adherents to the "sport" theory.  The presumed perforation of the deceased by hundreds of sharp implements, so the theory goes, may be seen as a metaphor, and retribution, for the collective domination and penetration, not only of the women of the tribe, but also of the mother goddess Earth herself.  Needless to say, much work remains to be done at this and other similar sites. Wolfgang Chairman, Revision Committee

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My theory is they starved to death after embracing C+R. JonCook.

That is a reasonable hypothesis, Jonathan, but it doesn’t explain the sudden ascendance of Homo sapiens. Another peculiar fact about these Orvis people that I didn’t mention, however, but that supports your hypothesis, is that despite the compelling fossil evidence for elaborate fishing rituals, there is no evidence whatsoever that they actually consumed fish. Indeed, all the evidence points to a "totem fish culture," which elevated fish to god-like status. Perhaps the leading hypothesis about the dimise of the Orvis neandertals is that they increasingly diverted their resources to opulent displays of wealth, symbolized by the fish hooks in their elaborate burial ceremonies, rather like the ancient Egyptians and Aztecs of historical times. The "conspicuous consumption" of wasting the hooks [*], so this theory goes, established a corrupt, aristocratic class structure that was ripe for the picking by Homo sapiens, which had recently migrated from northern Africa (where there is no fishing to speak of, and never has been). Quite by coincidence, supporting evidence for this hypothesis comes from the recently re-opened, contemporaneous LaPlac site in the Loire Valley of France. It seems that thse LaPlac neandertals copied the Orvis fishing toolkit literally, even slavishly. There is some evidence that Orvis technology was even exported to the LaPlac site. [*] Reconstructions of the manufacture of these hooks, some of which are elaborately carved despite their small size, yields an estimate of 40 man hours required to make each hook, which is in stark contrast to the approximately 4 man hours required to produce a functionally equivalent, and even superior hook without useless ornamentation. [**] As I mentioned previously, the proponents of the "hybridization" hypothesis point to the modern flyfishing compulsion of Homo sapiens, with its elaborate, conspicuous display of wealth and "insider knowledge", to support their theory. The opposing "takeover and eat" school replies that this is merely a case of convergent evolution. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

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SPLOOORRRKK!!!!! Danl – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Any ideas???? Terry gherke invented it of course, just ask him <G cb

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Was this prehistoric Gink? JR – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – yep, the first flies were pieces of intestine and feces smeared on a hook… they hadn’t become no-scent purists yet.

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Any ideas???? Terry

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Any ideas???? Terry

The Brits tied bits of fur to hooks and flung them about underwater. The Germans were hijacked as mercenaries and brought their floating feather bugs with them to the States.  Both used long, stiff sticks to wildly flail the water.  The Americans, watching from the bushes, thought there was a buck to be made.  They immediately incorporated both methods into an intricate pattern of air-born manipulations using a limber bamboo pole.  Some bamboo pole users used worms and became known as bait slingers.  Some bamboo pole users continued with the bits of fur and feather and became known as fly fishermen.  This all occurred in Virginia, just outside the Hessian POW camp at Charlottsville. — Wayne To fish is human….To release Divine! Before you buy.

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This history begins with the first recorded description of fishing with a fly (in Macedonia), written by Aelian around 200 AD.  It’s likely that someone may have attached fur or feather to a hook well before that, but I don’t know of the existence of any convincing archeological evidence. There have been tantalizing recent finds at the Orvis site in Portugal. Dated reliably at 33,000 years old…

Wow, Orvis has been around longer than I had realized.  :-)      - Ken — "A wedding is just like a funeral except that you get to smell  your own flowers." – Grace Hansen

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lol steve…. i’d say yer ’bout primed for the juan. happy hunti…uhmm, fishin’… –walt – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This history begins with the first recorded description of fishing with a fly (in Macedonia), written by Aelian around 200 AD.  It’s likely that someone may have attached fur or feather to a hook well before that, but I don’t know of the existence of any convincing archeological evidence. There have been tantalizing recent finds at the Orvis site in Portugal. Dated reliably at 33,000 years old, this is among the most recent Homo neandertal sites in the world. Extremely small hooks made of tempered bone have been found. These finds are associated with fossilized mites, specific to certain avian and mammal hosts, and with fossilized pollen specific to fibrous plant material of the type used for making thread. Archeologists have discovered elaborate burial sites, in which the body (presumably of the chief or head man) was decorated with literally hundreds of these hooks (ranging from about #18 to #10.). Also associated with the burial sites are the fossilized bones of remarkably large pisciverous specimens. As a side note, it is especially curious that these hooks lack barbs, Alas, after 33,000 BP (before present), all traces of Homo neandertalis disappear from the Orvis site, aside from a thin layer of charred bones. They are replaced in the higher, more recent stata by Homo sapiens. A scientific controversy rages over whether the invaders exterminated (and apparently ate) neandertalis, or whether they interbred and hybridized with them. Supporters of the hybridization hypothesis point to the obseesion with flyfishing in modern Homo sapiens as evidence that we have, indeed, inherited neandertalis genes. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

– Ezflyfish.com: http://www.ezflyfish.com Blue Ridge Book Gallery: http://users.boone.net/wgw/brbg.html

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This history begins with the first recorded description of fishing with a fly (in Macedonia), written by Aelian around 200 AD.  It’s likely that someone may have attached fur or feather to a hook well before that, but I don’t know of the existence of any convincing archeological evidence. There have been tantalizing recent finds at the Orvis site in Portugal. Dated reliably at 33,000 years old, this is among the most recent Homo neandertal sites in the world. Extremely small hooks made of tempered bone have been found. These finds are associated with fossilized mites, specific to certain avian and mammal hosts, and with fossilized pollen specific to fibrous plant material of the type used for making thread. Archeologists have discovered elaborate burial sites, in which the body (presumably of the chief or head man) was decorated with literally hundreds of these hooks (ranging from about #18 to #10.). Also associated with the burial sites are the fossilized bones of remarkably large pisciverous specimens. As a side note, it is especially curious that these hooks lack barbs, Alas, after 33,000 BP (before present), all traces of Homo neandertalis disappear from the Orvis site, aside from a thin layer of charred bones. They are replaced in the higher, more recent stata by Homo sapiens. A scientific controversy rages over whether the invaders exterminated (and apparently ate) neandertalis, or whether they interbred and hybridized with them. Supporters of the hybridization hypothesis point to the obseesion with flyfishing in modern Homo sapiens as evidence that we have, indeed, inherited neandertalis genes.

Actually RW,  I saw a TV program about the transition between Neanthertal and sapiens; there was a distinct argument that they hybridised.  Mmm, could it be,  that we here fly anglers are descended from union between sapiens and neandertal.  Mmm,  that 4 foot haul…..

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Seems Orvis has been at it for longer than I thought !  Did they find any fossilised dog baskets ? TL MC — "Where fishing is concerned, most anglers are basically manic excessives" http://www.mikeconnor.de

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: large pisciverous specimens. As a side note, it is especially curious : that these hooks lack barbs, : Alas, after 33,000 BP (before present), all traces of Homo neandertalis : disappear from the Orvis site, aside from a thin layer of charred bones. My theory is they starved to death after embracing C+R. JonCook. — Are you a r.o.f.f. newbie? Then see http://www.cs.nmsu.edu/~jcook/ROFF/

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Seems Orvis has been at it for longer than I thought !  Did they find any fossilised dog baskets ?

No but I heard that they did find some fossilized Orvis firewood in the communal fire pit. Jon

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My theory is they starved to death after embracing C+R.

Or inadvertently following Timbo’s trail.  

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My theory is they starved to death after embracing C+R. JonCook. That is a reasonable hypothesis, Jonathan, but it doesn’t explain the sudden ascendance of Homo sapiens. Another peculiar fact about these Orvis people that I didn’t mention, however, but that supports your hypothesis, is that despite the compelling fossil evidence for elaborate fishing rituals, there is no evidence whatsoever that they actually consumed fish. Indeed, all the evidence points to a "totem fish culture," which elevated fish to god-like status.

possible support of what you say rw is at this link: http://www.trollart.com/FSHWRSHP.html 8< Quite by coincidence, supporting evidence for this hypothesis comes fromthe recently re-opened, contemporaneous LaPlac site in the Loire Valleyof France. It seems that thse LaPlac neandertals copied the Orvisfishing toolkit literally, even slavishly. There is some evidence that Orvis technology was even exported to the LaPlac site.

LaPlacian industry is a myth. There is no supporting archaeological evidence whatsoever that the pugilistic LaPlac sloth were ever industrious during the upper paleolithic period of Orvian neandertal times. Even the more conservative estimate carries the significant implication that many opportunities for acculturation must have occurred through contact between groups living on each side of the frontier. In spite of this, LaPlacian Neandertals south of the mountains never became Upper Paleolithic and retained traditional Middle Paleolithic technologies and primitive LLBeanian tool-kits until the end: blade debitage is unknown in the late Orvian of the area, as are bone tools and personal adornments, with exception of course, the shockingly crude preserved penile adornment which was, one can only surmise, worn as a headdress by the leaders. The hypothesis that acculturation of LaPlacian neandertals would inevitably follow from contact with moderns and is the only possible explanation for the Fortenberrian and similar cultural phenomena must be, therefore, the object of serious inquiry. –waldo submitted with all due respect, literary license of published article (http://www.med.abaco-mac.it/issue001/articles/doc/006.htm) used.

Response:

Terry,   I have read that fishing with a feathered lure was done in Egypt long before it was done in England.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Any ideas???? Terry

Response:

Terry,   I have read that fishing with a feathered lure was done in Egypt long before it was done in England.

Fish hooks go back to prehistory. It’s hard to believe that someone, somewhere in the stone age didn’t try an artificial lure made of fur or feathers. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

Fish hooks go back to prehistory. It’s hard to believe that someone, somewhere in the stone age didn’t try an artificial lure made of fur

or feathers. Stone "toggle hooks" are common finds in pre-histoic Native American sites along Virginia’s estuaries.  Seems like I recall early explorer accounts of the natives using feathers as part of "fish lures". Fishing line was deer sinew. — Wayne To fish is human….To release Divine! Before you buy.

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Terry, You can find a short on-line history of fly-fishing at: http://www.flyfishinghistory.com/contents.htm This history begins with the first recorded description of fishing with a fly (in Macedonia), written by Aelian around 200 AD.  It’s likely that someone may have attached fur or feather to a hook well before that, but I don’t know of the existence of any convincing archeological evidence. JR – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Any ideas????

Response:

Fish hooks go back to prehistory. It’s hard to believe that someone, somewhere in the stone age didn’t try an artificial lure made of fur or feathers. Stone "toggle hooks" are common finds in pre-histoic Native American sites along Virginia’s estuaries.  Seems like I recall early explorer accounts of the natives using feathers as part of "fish lures". Fishing line was deer sinew. —

I forget what the bone was called, but deer also provided a "hook" from each hoove. –walt

Response:

This history begins with the first recorded description of fishing with a fly (in Macedonia), written by Aelian around 200 AD.  It’s likely that someone may have attached fur or feather to a hook well before that, but I don’t know of the existence of any convincing archeological evidence.

There have been tantalizing recent finds at the Orvis site in Portugal. Dated reliably at 33,000 years old, this is among the most recent Homo neandertal sites in the world. Extremely small hooks made of tempered bone have been found. These finds are associated with fossilized mites, specific to certain avian and mammal hosts, and with fossilized pollen specific to fibrous plant material of the type used for making thread. Archeologists have discovered elaborate burial sites, in which the body (presumably of the chief or head man) was decorated with literally hundreds of these hooks (ranging from about #18 to #10.). Also associated with the burial sites are the fossilized bones of remarkably large pisciverous specimens. As a side note, it is especially curious that these hooks lack barbs, Alas, after 33,000 BP (before present), all traces of Homo neandertalis disappear from the Orvis site, aside from a thin layer of charred bones. They are replaced in the higher, more recent stata by Homo sapiens. A scientific controversy rages over whether the invaders exterminated (and apparently ate) neandertalis, or whether they interbred and hybridized with them. Supporters of the hybridization hypothesis point to the obseesion with flyfishing in modern Homo sapiens as evidence that we have, indeed, inherited neandertalis genes. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

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Tempered bones.  LOL. JR – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There have been tantalizing recent finds at the Orvis site in Portugal. ……etc.

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – This history begins with the first recorded description of fishing with a fly (in Macedonia), written by Aelian around 200 AD.  It’s likely that someone may have attached fur or feather to a hook well before that, but I don’t know of the existence of any convincing archeological evidence. There have been tantalizing recent finds at the Orvis site in Portugal. Dated reliably at 33,000 years old, this is among the most recent Homo neandertal sites in the world. Extremely small hooks made of tempered bone have been found. These finds are associated with fossilized mites, specific to certain avian and mammal hosts, and with fossilized pollen specific to fibrous plant material of the type used for making thread. Archeologists have discovered elaborate burial sites, in which the body (presumably of the chief or head man) was decorated with literally hundreds of these hooks (ranging from about #18 to #10.). Also associated with the burial sites are the fossilized bones of remarkably large pisciverous specimens. As a side note, it is especially curious that these hooks lack barbs,

Mmm,  catch and release too. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Alas, after 33,000 BP (before present), all traces of Homo neandertalis disappear from the Orvis site, aside from a thin layer of charred bones. They are replaced in the higher, more recent stata by Homo sapiens. A scientific controversy rages over whether the invaders exterminated (and apparently ate) neandertalis, or whether they interbred and hybridized with them. Supporters of the hybridization hypothesis point to the obseesion with flyfishing in modern Homo sapiens as evidence that we have, indeed, inherited neandertalis genes. — visit my web site: http://home.earthlink.net/~royalwulff/

Response:

Question:

See "Presentation" by Borger, or LaFontaine’s "Caddis" book.  Overpower a sidearm cast, just like skipping a stone on the water. It might work, but when I try it I always feel like a pompous ass. Oh-oh.  POLITICAL CORRECTION: for the illiterate out there, I mean that to be a four-legged animal, not somebody’s butt. BB

Response:

Thanks everyone for oyur help! I will let you know how I go… PS Got my second trout on fly yesterday…. Put up a terrific fight for the size.  I got three big runs from this fish with line stipping of at a rate of knots… I thought it was a monster but it turned out to be about 1.5 lb. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – How do you skip a fly.  I have read and heard about doing this…but I have know idea what is ment by it… Can someone help me out on this please

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(and so did charlie choc) The author is Leonard M. Wright jr, "Fishing the Dry Fly as a Living Insect," Dutton, 1972.

If, as charlie suggests, it is out of print, try the public libraries. Its a neat old book with some unorthodox solutions to some still relevant problems. The patterns he suggests and the materials he uses are not as water repellant nor as buoyant as the elk hair caddis, however, so you might want to use Wright’s technique, but stick with the EHC. brent

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Mike Here’s another method that’s worked for me.  Use a long rod, very long leader 12′ with a very light tippet and stand almost directly upstream of the fish.   As the fly approaches the end of the drag free drift, lift the rod tip up and get all of the line and leader out of the water.  The fly just lightly dances on top of the water.  I’ve had a ‘bow jump 6" out of the water to take a fly danced this way. It works best if the wind and stream currents are going the same way, but it is difficult to get right if they are in opposite directions. Cheers Visit The Streamer Page at http://www.cgocable.net/~pcharles/index.html

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Brent The author is Leonard M. Wright jr, "Fishing the Dry Fly as a Living Insect," Dutton, 1972. Dave Snedeker – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – (some good advice on technique and a probable origin for the technique) Mike: If you are looking to dig even deeper, check out "Fishing the Dry Fly as a Living Insect" by (an author I know, but whose name escapes me this early on a sunday – damn that aluminum cookware!). He describes how to tie and fish the ‘fluttering caddis’, but using hackle barbules and mink hair rather than elk hair. In any case, as Walt points out, the fish love the fly and the technique. good luck brent

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How do you skip a fly.  I have read and heard about doing this…but I have know idea what is ment by it… Can someone help me out on this please

maybe try looking at some of Lefty’s writings – also try FFM website, www.flyshop.com.  http://www.newsfeeds.com/       The Largest Usenet Servers in the World!

Response:

(some good advice on technique and a probable origin for the technique) Mike: If you are looking to dig even deeper, check out "Fishing the Dry Fly as a Living Insect" by (an author I know, but whose name escapes me this early on a sunday – damn that aluminum cookware!). He describes how to tie and fish the ‘fluttering caddis’, but using hackle barbules and mink hair rather than elk hair. In any case, as Walt points out, the fish love the fly and the technique. good luck brent

Response:

How do you skip a fly.  I have read and heard about doing this…but I have know idea what is ment by it…

I skip a caddis after the initial drift is completed.  Landlocked salmon love it when the fly reaches the end of the drift and swings around to be straight down stream.  A retrieve back with sudden jerks of the rod will also encourage hits. However, this only works for a certain kind of caddis, usually in June in Maine.  The same trick applied in September does not produce the same results. Dave LaCourse

Response:

How do you skip a fly.  I have read and heard about doing this…but I have know idea what is ment by it…

There is no "right" way to do this. Experimentation is always worthwhile. I get 80%+ of my fish on a drag free drift, even on caddis. Fish feeding on Duns or emergers can be put down if there is any drag or motion to your fly, especially on heavily fished areas. I generally fish an area first using a drag free approach and then try some twitching or induced drag. Generally, just a twitch which moves the fly ever so slightly is what’s needed. However, in riffles and runs, more pronounced skips and hops followed by drag free drifts can be productive. A technique that sometimes brings up reluctant surface feeders in pocket water is a down stream technique. Wade upstream and to the side of one of the mini pools in a pocket stretch, until you are ten to fifteen feet away. In pocket water, fish are not easily spooked and a close approach is generally possible. Make a short cast to the side of the pocket you’re going to fish, raise your rod tip so that all the line and leader is off the water and hop a heavily dressed dry in and around the mini pool. With this technique, you can generally use a fly one or two sizes larger than what you would use on flatter water and a heavier tippets is also helpful. Strikes are violent. Fish will often will swipe at the fly but will hit it if your next cast is a drag free one. This is a good midsummer technique.  Especially in midsummer, these stretches of pocket water hold lots of fish including some good ones. Willi

Response:

How do you skip a fly.  I have read and heard about doing this…but I have know idea what is ment by it… Can someone help me out on this please

Response:

How do you skip a fly.  I have read and heard about doing this…but I have know idea what is ment by it… Can someone help me out on this please

 Mike, By twitching your rod real fast you send vibrations out your flyline/leader/tippet to the caddis. This causes the fly to "dance" on the water and it is a rare trout that can resist this flamenco. Here in the mountains of NC, there is a deceased flyfishing legend by the name of Mark Cathey. He "developed" this style back in the 20’s & 30’s on Hazel Creek and he always managed to fill his creel with the limit. Good luck with your dancing lessons, Walt —          The Blue Ridge Book Gallery      P.O. Box 5112  Banner Elk, NC 28604 http://www.abebooks.com/home/BLUEBOOKS/HOME.HTM

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Question:

Gary, I would have a look at Redington. I find them to be reasonably priced and good casting rods with a solid warranty. Scott has a new series out called the Voyager series. They are priced at just over $100 but I’m not sure what the warranty is. Kevin – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am new to flyfishing  and am using a beginner rod. Time to move up and want a 4 piece travel rod, 5wt. Sage seems popular but expensive. How is Loomis, St. Croix, Orvis or other by comparison? Lifetime warranty seems to be desirable (already broke rod tip once). Most fly shops seem to be set on what they sell…no wonder. What are your experiences? Thanks for the help! Gary

Response:

Gary, Luther makes a good point about multi-piece (more than two) rods having a different feel than 2 piece rods.  There is also the point that multi-piece rods are more expensive.  If you want the ultimate pack rod, look at the new Sage, 5 wt., five-piece rod.  I cast it last week and you can’t tell it’s a five-piece.  Very smooth.  I’d love to own one, but I’m sending the wife to Germany instead of buying a new rod. Tough decision! Good luck, Bob – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am new to flyfishing  and am using a beginner rod. Time to move up and want a 4 piece travel rod, 5wt. Sage seems popular but expensive. How is Loomis, St. Croix, Orvis or other by comparison? Lifetime warranty seems to be desirable (already broke rod tip once). Most fly shops seem to be set on what they sell…no wonder. What are your experiences? Thanks for the help! Gary

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Gary: The Thomas and Thomas Emerger series is wonderful at about $250.00.

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<SNIP I’d love to own one, but I’m sending the wife to Germany instead of buying a new rod. Tough decision! Good luck, Bob

Yeah, but now that you’re rid of her, you can buy all the new rods you want, right?   Bob Scott (saving up to send my girlfriend to the North Pole)

Response:

Yes. The multi-piece rods feel more like slow to medium action cane rods to me. I like the feel for certain applications (big, open streams mostly), but not in general. I haven’t tried the new Sage 5-piece, but will now that I know about it. That is, if I can convince MY wife to accept that ticket to Germany…. Luther – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Gary, Luther makes a good point about multi-piece (more than two) rods having a different feel than 2 piece rods.  There is also the point that multi-piece rods are more expensive.  If you want the ultimate pack rod, look at the new Sage, 5 wt., five-piece rod.  I cast it last week and you can’t tell it’s a five-piece.  Very smooth.  I’d love to own one, but I’m sending the wife to Germany instead of buying a new rod. Tough decision! Good luck, Bob I am new to flyfishing  and am using a beginner rod. Time to move up and want a 4 piece travel rod, 5wt. Sage seems popular but expensive. How is Loomis, St. Croix, Orvis or other by comparison? Lifetime warranty seems to be desirable (already broke rod tip once). Most fly shops seem to be set on what they sell…no wonder. What are your experiences? Thanks for the help! Gary

Response:

I am new to flyfishing  and am using a beginner rod. Time to move up and want a 4 piece travel rod, 5wt. Sage seems popular but expensive. How is Loomis, St. Croix, Orvis or other by comparison? Lifetime warranty seems to be desirable (already broke rod tip once). Most fly shops seem to be set on what they sell…no wonder. What are your experiences? Thanks for the help! Gary

Hi All, Three, four and five piece rods are very popular today. I still hear some veterans fly fishers advising beginners to stay away from muli-piece rods due to inferior actions and excessive weight. This was true 20 or more years ago, but today we have trouble selling high end rods in the two piece configuration. The most popular combination for us is a nine foot rod in three pieces. Many of the anglers that are buying high end rods are traveling and have no use for two piece rods. I am afraid that you will have to look at rods that are over the $200 mark to get a multi-piece that is light and cast well. Sage, Loomis, Scott, Winston, T&T and Orvis all have good travel rods. Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 800/4000FLY www.kiene.com

Response:

I just got (well, OK, I’ve got to wait until Christmas until I can actually play with it a new Redington RedStart 4-piece that felt nice and crisp to me.  I’m used to a relatively slow rod (St. Croix Pro Graphite) so maybe this rod would be slow-and- sloppy to others, but to me it felt pretty good.  I’m looking forward to being able to try it out next spring.  :-) — Bob Jarvis Mail address hacked to foil spammers!

Response:

Bob:  I have a Redstart 4-piece, that I think is a great, crisp action rod. Any way you could sneak it out before Christmas? The grip can’t get too dirty after only one or two trips.

Yeah, I could probably manage it – but why?  It’ll still be a nice, shiny, new rod next spring, and if I wait I won’t annoy my wife.  Hey, you gotta love a woman who buys you fishin’ stuff.  :-) — Bob Jarvis Mail address hacked to foil spammers!

Response:

Bill was respond post about rods & mentioned several makers, prompting the long standing question:  How many of these manufacturer their own blanks?   Was once told its like lawnmowers, where two or three manufacture all the deck, & a few more the motors. alp – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All, Three, four and five piece rods are very popular today. I still hear some veterans fly fishers advising beginners to stay away from muli-piece rods due to inferior actions and excessive weight. This was true 20 or more years ago, but today we have trouble selling high end rods in the two piece configuration. The most popular combination for us is a nine foot rod in three pieces. Many of the anglers that are buying high end rods are traveling and have no use for two piece rods. I am afraid that you will have to look at rods that are over the $200 mark to get a multi-piece that is light and cast well. Sage, Loomis, Scott, Winston, T&T and Orvis all have good travel rods.

Response:

Bill was respond to a post about rods & mentioned several makers, prompting the long standing question:  How many of these manufacturer their own blanks?   Was once told its like lawnmowers, where two or three manufacture all the deck, & a few more the motors. alp – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi All, Three, four and five piece rods are very popular today. I still hear some veterans fly fishers advising beginners to stay away from muli-piece rods due to inferior actions and excessive weight. This was true 20 or more years ago, but today we have trouble selling high end rods in the two piece configuration. The most popular combination for us is a nine foot rod in three pieces. Many of the anglers that are buying high end rods are traveling and have no use for two piece rods. I am afraid that you will have to look at rods that are over the $200 mark to get a multi-piece that is light and cast well. Sage, Loomis, Scott, Winston, T&T and Orvis all have good travel rods.

Response:

I am new to flyfishing  and am using a beginner rod. Time to move up and want a 4 piece travel rod, 5wt. Sage seems popular but expensive. How is Loomis, St. Croix, Orvis or other by comparison? Lifetime warranty seems to be desirable (already broke rod tip once). Most fly shops seem to be set on what they sell…no wonder. What are your experiences? Thanks for the help! Gary

Response:

Gary– I don’t think you’ll find much price difference between the Sage, Orvis, and Loomis. The St. Croix might be a bit cheaper. 4-piece rods have a different feel and action than 2-piece. At least to me,. they generally feel more like old-fashioned fibreglass or bamboo rods, with a slow to medium action. I own Sage, Loomis and Orvis 2-piece rods, and Orvis and Loomis 4-piece ones. Although I travel a lot, I rarely take the 4-piecers. I don’t like the slower action, and I find that my two-piece rods (8-ft 4-wts and 7-ft 9-in 2 and 2-weights) fit in most airline overhead bins. In the 2-piece rod category, I much prefer the Sages, especially when nymphing, but they do have a tendency to break. If you like the sport, and want to contiinue enjoying it, including tying your own files and all the other stuff we get into, go to several shops, try a lot of dffrerent rod, reel and line combinations, and buy the one that feels most comfortable to you when you cast it, regardless of price. Lots of shops here in Colorado will even let you take a rod and reel out on the stream for the day. Unless you live somewhere that large fish are common, I’d bet that you would like a 4 or 5-weight medium action rod best. Luther – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am new to flyfishing  and am using a beginner rod. Time to move up and want a 4 piece travel rod, 5wt. Sage seems popular but expensive. How is Loomis, St. Croix, Orvis or other by comparison? Lifetime warranty seems to be desirable (already broke rod tip once). Most fly shops seem to be set on what they sell…no wonder. What are your experiences? Thanks for the help! Gary

Response:

I am new to flyfishing  and am using a beginner rod. Time to move up and want a 4 piece travel rod, 5wt. Sage seems popular but expensive. How is Loomis, St. Croix, Orvis or other by comparison? Lifetime warranty seems to be desirable (already broke rod tip once). Most fly shops seem to be set on what they sell…no wonder. What are your experiences? Thanks for the help!

Gary’s choice is simplified because 4-piece rods are relatively rare.  Next, the question is whether he can tell the difference in actual use between expensive and cheap rods:  if not, he might as well buy the cheaper.  If he can see and feel the difference, he should test cast as many different makes as possible, to see which he prefers.  This decision can be made only by test casting various brands.  I would not buy from any dealer unwilling or unable to allow test casting (most do but some do not — which again simplifies things.) If apprehensive about breaking tips, Gary can limit his selection to those with 25-year guarantees (usually adver- tised in the FF magazines.) There is no such thing as a "beginner" rod.  My first rod (Fenwick brown glass FF model) cost $30 or $40 in 1970 or thereabouts and remains available as a backup or to lend to friends. — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

Response:

I just got (well, OK, I’ve got to wait until Christmas until I can actually play with it a new Redington RedStart 4-piece that felt nice and crisp to me.  I’m used to a relatively slow rod (St. Croix Pro Graphite) so maybe this rod would be slow-and- sloppy to others, but to me it felt pretty good.  I’m looking forward to being able to try it out next spring.  :-) — Bob Jarvis Mail address hacked to foil spammers!

    Personally I think it imperative the swystem be tested to assure proper operation and satisfaction, the sooner the better so that if there is a problem it can be solved now before the weather turns. Also on Christmas morning I’d string it up and hike out to the yard for a bit of casting practice noteing that snow is just cold highly aireated water after all.                                                             John Popp                                                           in Sanford Fl.

Response:

Bob:  I have a Redstart 4-piece, that I think is a great, crisp action rod. Any way you could sneak it out before Christmas? The grip can’t get too dirty after only one or two trips. Mark Faulkner I just got (well, OK, I’ve got to wait until Christmas until I can actually play with it a new Redington RedStart 4-piece that felt nice and crisp to me.  I’m used to a relatively slow rod (St. Croix Pro Graphite) so maybe this rod would be slow-and- sloppy to others, but to me it felt pretty good.  I’m looking forward to being able to try it out next spring.  :-) — Bob Jarvis Mail address hacked to foil spammers!

Response:

Gary, try LL Bean.  They aren’t too pricey (as these things go).  Service is GREAT and the rod is guaranteed for life Tony – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am new to flyfishing  and am using a beginner rod. Time to move up and want a 4 piece travel rod, 5wt. Sage seems popular but expensive. How is Loomis, St. Croix, Orvis or other by comparison? Lifetime warranty seems to be desirable (already broke rod tip once). Most fly shops seem to be set on what they sell…no wonder. What are your experiences? Thanks for the help! Gary

Response:

Question:

There are some world-class streams within a half hour of State College.  I particularly recommend the Little Juniata, Penn Creek, or Fishing Creek (Clinton Country).  I’d recommend getting a copy of Trout Streams of Pennsylvania by Dwight Landis.  It has detailed maps and fly recommendations.  If you can’t get it where you are, call Cold Spring Anglers in Carlisle, PA or Yellow Breeches Outfitters in Boiling Springs, PA. — Anti-spamming measure in use.  To reply, remove one "z" from email address.

Response:

Does anyone know where I can go FF near State College, PA?  I will be there in early October.  Is it too late to go FF? What flies should I have ready? THANKS!!! Mac

Response:

Does anyone know where I can go FF near State College, PA?  I will be there in early October.  Is it too late to go FF? What flies should I have ready? THANKS!!! Mac

Dear Mac; Right in State College is one of the best wild trout fisheries in all of the East: Spring Creek.  It runs from State College to Bellefonte and is C&R over (basically) it’s entire length due to Arochlor (PCB) contamination.  The Logan Branch is another good choice.  It comes into Spring closer to Bellefonte.  For the best up-to-date fishing conditions, contact Flyfisher’s Paradise, a flyshop located outside of State college, about 3 miles from the creek, if that.  I don’t have their #, but the Area Code is 814, so call Info. and get the #.   Flies: Sz 16-18 Sow bugs, Sz. 16-18 Pheasant Tails, and Midges, both surface and pupae would be your Ace-in-the-hole flies. Jason B.

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Question:

Hi I just planned a 5 day, 4 nite trip to Cancun.  I don’t have a lot of time there and I have heard about all the great things to do, but I’d like to hear from others about the top 3 or 4 excursions to take. E mail Thankx

Response:

Hi I just planned a 5 day, 4 nite trip to Cancun.  I don’t have a lot of time there and I have heard about all the great things to do, but I’d like to hear from others about the top 3 or 4 excursions to take. E mail Thankx

Hello, I have been there quite a few times and really enjoy it. There is something for everyone. I would try to spend a day on Cozumel and/or Isla Mujeres, small island just off shore. Take an all day air conditioned bus tour south to the ruins at Tulum. There are lots of water sports, boating, snorkeling, scuba, fishing and yes, lots of shopping. We specialize in fly fishing trips all over the world and this is on of our favorite places. Bill Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA 800/4000FLY

Response:

Hi I just planned a 5 day, 4 nite trip to Cancun.  I don’t have a lot of time there and I have heard about all the great things to do, but I’d like to hear from others about the top 3 or 4 excursions to take. E mail Thankx

Isla Mujeres and/or Cozumel are nice excursions.  Tulum and Xel Ha are usually packaged together as a single tour and are also interesting. Xel Ha is a place where you can snorkel in a big natural aquarium (a giant pool carved out of the rock by a river) with mixed fresh and salt water and lots of beautiful fish.  It would probably be a bit lame to experienced divers, but if you haven’t seen tropical fish close up before it’s an easy way to do it..  I would hesitate to go inland to the big ruins a Chichen Iza (spelling?).  This time of year can be murderously hot.  When I was in Cancun in May, the people who went inland to that trip felt like they would barely make it out alive – they were burnt through their shirts, probably just from the heat of the sun.  Stick to the coastal areas. I haven’t done it myself, but I know two friends who recently took an excursion where you travel through underground rivers.  They both enjoyed it tremendously.  I would put this at the top of the list. Sorry I don’t have more details. Christine

Response:

Any favorite places to eat either in Cancun or Isla Mujeres? I’d appreciate any info.           Sue

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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

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Could someone point me towards a Flyfishing Mailing List?  I nosed around this group looking for directions to a FAQ, thinking that would mention it, but haven’t managed to locate it either. Thanks in advance! Jack Gilbert

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use no subject "subscribe Flyfish" (your real name, no quotes) that’s all there is to it. Enjoy!! Frank Church

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