Question:

All, I have a stripping guide and a top guide where the inner ring is made of the mineral Agate. I had planned to use these with a split cane blank, but on closer inspection i found the top guide damaged. There’s a small piece missing in the Agate ring. My question is: Do any of you know if there’s a company that manufactures these kind of guides today? — Any help appreciated. / Roger Daytime engineer Lifetime flyfisherman If you feel like it, visit http://home.bip.net/angler/ for info on flyfishing in Sweden

Response:

All, I have a stripping guide and a top guide where the inner ring is made of the mineral Agate. My question is: Do any of you know if there’s a company that manufactures these kind of guides today?

If You master japanese, http://www.bluedun.net/RodBuilding-Guides.htm   ( http://babelfish.altavista.com/ for translation) http://www.snakeguides.com/ , maybe more comprehensible. Always a start! Stefan

Response:

I get all my rodbuilding stugff from www.AnglersWarehouse.com They definitely have what you want. Be prepared to pay a lot for agates! Pete Collin

Response:

My question is: Do any of you know if there’s a company that manufactures these kind of guides today?

     I know of several sources for the agate stripper guides, but I haven’t seen new agate tiptops around. After reading your post, I went down and looked through my own stash of rod parts, and every agate tiptop I have is cracked and unusable, so unless you’re working on a restoration, you might not want to use one. Agate strippers otoh can last a very long time if properly cared for; they are available at Angler’s Workshop, among other places. I recently spent an afternoon pawing through the parts bins at Rick’s Rods in Denver, and I think they’d have used or nos agate tiptops.

Response:

Question:

Actually grazing more animals than are allowed under the permit and grazing outside the boundaries of the permit are commonplace.  As enforcement by the government is almost nonexistant, that shouldn’t be surprising.  These common practices do constitute theft in anyone’s book.

Obviously, you’ve never spent any time in eastern Montana where a lot of grazing is done on BLM. I can recall many times having the BLM officer who monitors the grazing permits in our area come around to check grass conditions, number of cattle, water hole conditions, whether or not the ranchers are pulling there cows off public ground at the designated time, etc., etc., etc. I also know of ranchers (not many, though) who lost their grazing permits (and they should) for not following the stipulated conditions on their permit. This same scenario (the proper management of grazing permits) happens all across the American West on both National Forest System Lands and Bureau of Land Management lands. You,  sir, are clueless. — Tight Lines! Brian D. Nelson Diamond N Outfitters, Missoula, Montana www.diamondnoutfitters.com

Response:

FISHING RELATED POST?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – You’re getting the lower price right now.  Jesus why do I even bother. christ.  I never met a cattleman who stole America’s grass lands and graze that I liked.  You’re right. Why should a nobody lbother? Mr.G. You never met a cattleman, period. —

Response:

Actually grazing more animals than are allowed under the permit and grazing outside the boundaries of the permit are commonplace.

Brian D. Nelson responded: I can recall many times having the BLM officer who monitors the grazing permits … I also know of ranchers (not many, though) who lost their grazing permits … You,  sir, are clueless.

Across the west you’ll find varying compliance with grazing permits. Ditto logging laws and so on. I regularily volunteer to help with multi-agency state/federal fish surveys in eastern Oregon, and it is not uncommon to find cattle grazing well outside their permitted range. In one case we were surveying for bull trout in a remote backcountry area where grazing permits had been eliminated several years before, and yet we still found cattle and signs of regular grazing activity *inside the former and still-fenced allotments*. Some of the agency folks were suppose to followup on that discovery. Thomas Gilg

Response:

eliminated several years before, and yet we still found cattle and signs of regular grazing activity *inside the former and still-fenced allotments*. Actually grazing more animals than are allowed under the permit and grazing outside the boundaries of the permit are commonplace.

I’m sure there are instances of illegal activity such as you described. However, from my experience, I don’t believe that these instances are "commonplace". — Tight Lines! Brian D. Nelson Diamond N Outfitters, Missoula, Montana www.diamondnoutfitters.com

Response:

Even if they are, that just means more money needs to be spent on enforcing the current restrictions, not coming up with more.

And sadly the folks breaking the law are the same ones against any additional government enforcement of the law. Thomas Gilg

Response:

  George– This is Cindy… Brian’s wife writing now.  I cannot believe your comments regarding ranchers/cattlemen ripping off the consumer.  I grew up in Eastern Montana on a small ranch.  My father received 70-90 cents per pound for his calves sold every fall.  This fall the price given to cattlemen for their calves is still 70-75 cents per pound.  Not much of a raise over the past 20 years.

snipped: Just don’t like cattle on my Federal Lands stealing habitat that belongs to the American People’s wildlife inventories.  Cattle destroy much too much and are a financially bankrupting entity that needs to be removed from all our outdoor recreational lands. George Gehrke

Response:

Just don’t like cattle on my Federal Lands stealing habitat that belongs to the American People’s wildlife inventories.  Cattle destroy much too much and are a financially bankrupting entity that needs to be removed from all our outdoor recreational lands.

The American People’s wildlife inventories are not starving nor do they lack a home. So what I hear you saying is that multiple use on our public lands actually equates to ONLY recreation. — Tight Lines! Brian D. Nelson Diamond N Outfitters, Missoula, Montana www.diamondnoutfitters.com

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When you’re paying $9 a pound for beef you’ll be blaming that on Bush too I suppose. Getting screwed by Ranchers must stop.  When did YOU ever get a discount on a pound of beef for letting them steal grass and graze and destroying habitat in the past? Never? Your right!! Mr.G. You’re getting the lower price right now.  Jesus why do I even bother. christ.  I never met a cattleman who stole America’s grass lands and graze that I liked.  You’re right. Why should a nobody lbother? Mr.G. You don’t have to like them, you have that right, but they are not stealing anything. As long as they have grazing permits it is legal.

Actually grazing more animals than are allowed under the permit and grazing outside the boundaries of the permit are commonplace.  As enforcement by the government is almost nonexistant, that shouldn’t be surprising.  These common practices do constitute theft in anyone’s book. Jon

Response:

  When you’re paying $9 a pound for beef you’ll be blaming that on Bush too I suppose.

Getting screwed by Ranchers must stop.  When did YOU ever get a discount on a pound of beef for letting them steal grass and graze and destroying habitat in the past? Never? Your right!! Mr.G.

Response:

Getting screwed by Ranchers must stop.  When did YOU ever get a discount on a pound of beef for letting them steal grass and graze and destroying habitat in the past?

Boy, George, are you living in the netherworld if you think ranchers have ANY influence on the retail price of beef. — Tight Lines! Brian D. Nelson Diamond N Outfitters, Missoula, Montana www.diamondnoutfitters.com

Response:

What’s to do with FISHING anyways?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Boy, George, are you living in the netherworld if you think ranchers have ANY influence on the retail price of beef. What, are you suggesting that both ends are getting screwed by the large corporations in the middle? How un-American! Jon.

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  When you’re paying $9 a pound for beef you’ll be blaming that on Bush – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – too I suppose. Getting screwed by Ranchers must stop.  When did YOU ever get a discount on a pound of beef for letting them steal grass and graze and destroying habitat in the past? Never? Your right!! Mr.G. You’re getting the lower price right now.  Jesus why do I even bother.

christ.  I never met a cattleman who stole America’s grass lands and graze that I liked.  You’re right. Why should a nobody lbother? Mr.G.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – When you’re paying $9 a pound for beef you’ll be blaming that on Bush too I suppose. Getting screwed by Ranchers must stop.  When did YOU ever get a discount on a pound of beef for letting them steal grass and graze and destroying habitat in the past? Never? Your right!! Mr.G. You’re getting the lower price right now.  Jesus why do I even bother. christ.  I never met a cattleman who stole America’s grass lands and graze that I liked.  You’re right. Why should a nobody lbother? Mr.G.

You don’t have to like them, you have that right, but they are not stealing anything. As long as they have grazing permits it is legal.

Response:

I never met a cattleman who stole America’s grass lands and graze that I liked.  You’re right. Why should a nobody lbother?

In this country, you are entitled to your own opinion…. even when it’s an incorrect one. Maybe if you’d actually get out there and meet a real cattleman, you’d change your tune. George– This is Cindy… Brian’s wife writing now.  I cannot believe your comments regarding ranchers/cattlemen ripping off the consumer.  I grew up in Eastern Montana on a small ranch.  My father received 70-90 cents per pound for his calves sold every fall.  This fall the price given to cattlemen for their calves is still 70-75 cents per pound.  Not much of a raise over the past 20 years.  Your accusations against the ranchers holds no water.  You are basically talking out of your rear-end.  If you would do some research and cared about your country, you would see that the family ranches are unable to support their families.  Any help we can give the ranchers in the use of public lands is money put back into our economy and assistance to families who are trying to make a living providing food for your table.  And just in case you are a vegetarian, don’t forget those ranchers who graze cattle on public land can then use the land they own to grow grain and barley for your bread.  Don’t be such a twit. Boy, George… did you ever step in it!! When Cindy reads over my shoulder and kicks me off the keyboard…. well, you get the drift. — Tight Lines! Brian D. Nelson Diamond N Outfitters, Missoula, Montana www.diamondnoutfitters.com

Response:

I was listening to a recent NPR program, discussing the problems of depopulation in rural communities back east – sorry, can’t remember the exact state, possibly one of the Dakotas. The program talked about how more people are getting college education and moving away to city jobs, leaving rural life. As a result some farmers are converting their land back to prairie. What little I know of the Eastern states, I’d guess this is some pretty decent farm land being lost.  I also recently read about farm land in Wisconsin being converted back to forest. I know that here in the Southwest, we are enduring one of the worst droughts ever. Phoenix has had just 2.24 inches of rain this year, and may get no more rain until February or March. People are leaving the East and moving out West in huge numbers, and so people & agriculture are competing for many natural resources. So, it doesn’t sound so bad to me, when  "Hard-line environmentalists" are simply helping to maximize the reward to the taxpayers, from the business use of  Federal land. In a free market economy the cost for federal grazing rights should b e"all the market will bear". I know that there is an argument that this policy will reduce domestic beef production & increase imports. Well……perhaps we should consider the most efficient way this country feeds its’self. As a taxpayer and an eater, I want the cheapest (safe) beef I can get. This allows me to spend more of my income on other (US-made) products. It’s a tough life being a farmer. My grandfather was a successful farmer in England. He changed & correctly predicted the trends and made a profit – he didn’t need subsidies. He changed a farm that was widely diversified (sugarbeet, chickens, barley & milk, were just some of the products) to a farm that was specialized – he was one of the first in the area to see the demand for oil seed rape. As a farmer it doesn’t seem fair that a successful way of life is being changed. But all forms of business change over time – including farming.

|         www.sfgate.com        Return to regular view | In the old West, a tense showdown over federal lands | JIM CARLTON, The Wall Street Journal | Monday, November 11, 2002 |

Question:

Well done.  Wish I knew Bob so the picture would be absolutely crystal clear, but I get the idea.  Great pictures, Wolfie. Dave

Response:

And therein lies both the beauty and the curse of the lowly Power Bar. These little miracles can be recycled indefinitely with no noticeable loss of flavor or change in texture.

That’s because they suck to begin with. Give me an 8 oz bag of King’s peppered beef jerky and a few bags of M&Ms.

Response:

…..and hoisted our packs once again.  Check the crew.  Jeff’s wearing a glazed, almost beatific, smile…..endorphins or sumpthin…..he’ll get over it, and Bob just looks cramped and mean.  Right.  Everybody’s ready.  And up the trail we go. Half an hour later, our first real break.  Jeffie, the merciless bastard, agrees to a ten minute stop at a campground known, for reasons which by now are of absolutely no interest to me, as "the sawdust pile".  As he goes to look at the stream, Bob swigs from a plastic bladder filled with a mysterious brownish fluid, and I search the suspension system of my backpack in the probably vain hope of finding a scapula which I noticed, some time ago, was not in it’s accustomed position in the left dorsal proximal (or maybe it was the distal…….how DOES one tell them apart?) quadrant of my torso, a young couple approaches from downstream. He goes off to admire the stream….or make one of his own, and she stops to chat.  They are on a seven mile hike and the turn around is at "the sawdust pile", so we have come three and a half miles.  As we rest, several of the elderly day hikers from one of the pontoon boats we passed on the lake straggle in……well, actually, a  couple of them blaze by in a swirling cloud of dust and are only barely stopped by the frantic shouts of their friends or they might be in central Labrador by now. It is at this campground that we first notice the bear proof food hangers.  At each of the campgrounds the park service has installed one or more of these.  A steel cable is stretched between two trees some twenty to thirty feet apart.  Suspended from this cable are several more which are formed into continuous loops, each of which runs through a pulley at the top.  There is a pair of hooks on each of the loops, and a series of plastics sleeves held in place with nuts and bolts. The sleeves act as handholds, making it easier to haul up the hooked load of food.  Each cable also has a sturdy halyard clip which is placed such that it just reaches a screw eye about waist high in the trunk of the tree with the load suspended aloft.  Simple, elegant, cheap, and very effective. There will be one more rest stop before arrival at what will become our home for two nights and a day.  This time, I open my pack and take out something to eat.  Even Jeff is willing to stop for twenty minutes or so, but he is driven and Bob, who wears a look that says, "well, I’d probably like to sit down and die here with you, but I think I’ll take my chances with Jeff this time, nevertheless," accompanies him, leaving me to my fate.  "Ya’ll go on ahead," sez I, "I’ll catch up". I dawdle for a bit, enjoying the surroundings and the weather.  It is October and the leaves are beautiful.  A trout stream rushes by within easy reach and I know that I am within a mile of camp on a trail with an average grade of 2 or 3 percent……a trail which should more properly be called a highway….hell, a veritable Autobahn of hiking trails. This is the sort of trail that backpackers dream about after a hard day of climbing steep ascents over rolling cobbles and through calf deep mud.  So, I sit for a while and sip water and smoke a cigarette.  The day hikers have been left behind and I have a lovely spot all to myself.  Just me and the trees….and the stream….and the rocks….and the bea….um….well shit, maybe it IS time to get moving again. There is no sign of Jeff or Bob for the next half hour.  I am just about to cross another bridge when I happen to look to the right and catch a glimpse of movement.  Uh oh…….oh, it’s the boys.  It appears we have arrived at last.  Nice campground.  Not quite as barren looking as the others we had passed, and there is a more or less level spot on a tiny spit that over looks the confluence of Hazel and whatever the little feeder that comes out of Bone valley is called.  Not all THAT little actually.  This is a major tributary for a stream the size of Hazel, carrying about half as much water.   We set up camp quickly.  Two tents are erected in about fifteen minutes, a clothes line is strung, and three suddenly rejuvenated fly fishers are suited up and ready to rock in another ten or so.  Jeff dives in right at the camp site, Bob goes up the tributary, and I walk down a few hundred yards to fish my way back up. Hazel creek is different water than most that I have fished in the North Carolina mountains.  Where Santeetlah and the others plunge and roar in a frenzy of moving water, Hazel merely rushes in exuberance.  The is bigger water….not BIG, mind you, but bigger.  There are actual pools, trenches, runs, and even some sizable eddies where the others have pockets.  There are deep holes holding mysteries.  There are places too deep and or fast to wade through; you have to go around.  An hour or so of fishing produces a few small fish, and that’s enough.  I arrive back at the campsite and see Bob working his way up the tributary.  We spend the next hour and a half exploring a couple hundred yards of this promising water.  The promise is not fulfilled in any spectacular fashion, but we know the fish are there, as they are in Hazel itself, as they HAVE to be in water that looks like this.  We have been ASSURED that they are there by witnesses like Jeff and Wayno, but we believe it anyway. Back in camp, we eventually prepare the first of what will be a series of dismal meals.  Having flown half way across the country, I came without any food and we survived on what Bob had left over from previous trips and a few odds and ends we picked up in Robbinsville.  Not that my bringing anything from home would have made any real difference.  I’ve always been fairly indifferent to comestible niceties while on the trail….just too much bother, but I hope I never live to see another "Power Bar", and I believe the others share this sentiment.  Damned things look like they’ve been eaten once already, and neither the flavor nor the consistency does anything to dispel that disturbing impression      Two other campers who arrived while we were out fishing rattle pots and pans (cast iron pans!) as they enjoy what smells like bacon and beans….THEY came in on horses, trailing a pack mule…..bastards!     We kindle a fire using the wood which the previous tenants have thoughtfully left for us.  It’s a bit of a chore, as the wood is wet….looks and feels like it’s been rained on for a few days.  But it is mostly surface moisture and among the three of us we manage to keep a cheery blaze going till late into the night, as we each enjoy his own brand of poison and tell lies.  Long about 7:30 Jeff bags it and the rest of the party is not far behind. Morning comes early as Jeffie has not slept a wink…..something about cougars and bears cavorting around his tent all night long.  After a hasty breakfast of coffee, liquor, power bar wrappers, and crawly things, it was back to the stream for a full day of fishing.  Bob elected to stay in the general neighborhood of camp while Jeff and I decided to head upstream a couple of miles.  Jeff was eager to see virgin water….the section that had been closed to fishing for the past 25 years, despite having been informed that it wasn’t really all that virginal.  Seems the locals have been raping it pretty steadily throughout that time…..what’s new?  Virgin or not, a mile or so was enough for me and I ducked into the stream as Jeff continued up the trail.  In all, I fished two miles or a bit more that day.  For the first hour or two I worked the water carefully and caught fish steadily at the rate of one every three or four minutes.  By the end of that time it was clear that it was just going to be one of those days.  One of those infrequent days when it simply doesn’t matter much what you do. Wishing to see more of the stream and thinking that I might eventually overtake Jeff, I began to move much more quickly and only fished what seemed to me the most appealing spots.  I’d like to think that twenty years of experience and hard practice have prepared me to be able to pick the best spots to fish, but the truth is it was just one of those days.  The catching pace remained constant throughout the day.  I ended up with something like sixty or seventy, based on calculating the time fished and the steady catch rate.  The largest were three ten inch rainbows, all unusually fat.  The rest ranged from three through eight inches or thereabouts with a fairly even distrubtion…..about normal for most of the waters I’ve fished in NC or back home in Wisconsin and Michigan, for that matter.  Surprisingly, all were rainbows and browns, with the rainbows predominating.  Not a brookie in the bunch. By late afternoon, having gotten bored with catching fish, bouncing around on wet rocks and taking a couple of bone jarring falls, and knowing that I had about a three mile hike back to camp, I decided it was time to see if I could locate the trail which task, after caroming off several nasty and impenetrable rhodo thickets, I eventually accomplished. Took about forty-five minutes of fast paced downhill hiking to make it back.  Arriving back at camp, I found Jeff in the stream there.  He had given up some time ago, gone back down the trail and then hiked up to bone valley where he found the meadow we had been told of completely overgrown with trees.  Things change.  He then came back to the campground where he caught a fat ten inch rainbow (it seems they suddenly put on a great deal of weight on reaching that threshold size) just before I arrived.  Although neither Jeff nor Bob had as good a day of catching as I did, we were all agreed that it had been a glorious day.  The sun shined all day long and the temperature must have reached about sixty.  Where a sunbeam managed to penetrate the canopy and hit a relatively still spot in the stream the bottom shone with a breathtaking clarity.  The water, it seemed, was even clearer than the

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Response:

Question:

Luis, I didn’t want to give the impression that my second son, Jared, is incapable of mastering different skills.  I think he can.  However, they will not be the same skills as my first son, Jacob. (snip) There are many kinds of intelligence, and strengths… we all have and lack some.  They come into play in the form of different paths for each flyfisher.

You are correct.  In 1995 Howard Gardner, an educator, had a book published that described intelligence as stands of spaghetti or string.  "Multiple intelligences" as he put it, could be categorized into seven areas or strings: logical-mathematical, linguistic, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, and intrapersonal.  Each individual intelligence stand or string is constantly touching and interacting with all the another stands.  It is hard to separate one from the other.  All children have all of these intelligences, however not in the same quantity. Every child has ONE area that they are strongest in.  That child would then be classified as that type of a LEARNER. The problem with the traditional I.Q. test, which the schools still use today, is that it measures intelligence as a glass of liquid.  The test determines how much liquid is in the glass.  That is all.  It makes no classification of strong areas and weak areas. The old I.Q. test is still used because, though educators can test a child to see which of the multiple intelligences they are strongest in, they can not determine how much of that intelligence they have.  Additionally, no child is equal to another in all areas or in the way that their intelligences interact with each other.  It’s kind of like a fingerprint. Every child is unique in the way they learn and think. Let me take a second to described the SEVEN intelligences: LOGICAL-MATHEMATICAL:          They have a sensitivity to and capacity to discern, logical or numerical patterns; ability to handle long chains of reasoning. LINGUISTIC:          They have a sensitivity to the sounds, rhythms, and meanings of words; sensitivity to the different functions of language. MUSICAL:          They have the abilities to produce and appreciate rhythm, pitch, and timbre; appreciation of the forms of musical expressiveness. SPATIAL:        They have the capacities to perceive the visual-spatial world accurately and to perform transformations on one’s initial perceptions. BODILY-KINESTHETIC:          They have the abilities to control one’s body movements and to handle objects skillfully. INTERPERSONAL:          They have the capacities to discern and respond appropriately to the moods, temperaments, motivations, and desires of other people. INTRAPERSONAL:          Access to one’s own feelings and the ability to discriminate among them and draw on them to guide behavior; knowledge of one’s own strengths, weaknesses, desires, and intelligences. Luis, the gentleman that you speak of, though it might not be his highest area, is high in interpersonal intelligence.  This is why he does well in restaurant relations.  He might also be high in bodily-kinesthetic and spatial intelligences.  Regarding his low ability of reading, could indicate that he is low in linguistic.  He probably is.  However, I would gather to say that the greater reason is due to educators giving up on him due to his struggle with the written word.  And maybe he gave up on himself.  I personally believe EVERYONE can read and write well if adequate attention and dedication is given to learning it. My oldest son, Jacob, is a linguistic learner, thus does well in a traditional school setting. My second son, Jared, is a spatial learner, however he’s also almost bind. What an irony.  This gives him a handicap in his learning due to the way his brain works vs. the lack of eye sight.  He learns best when he can see something, however, with his pop-bottle glasses, he only get a circle of clear vision directly in front of him.  A normal range of vision is about 45 degrees.  Jared’s range of clear vision is about 15-20 degrees with no peripheral vision to speak of.  You can see how this limits him in his learning as a spatial learner. Jared, however, is highly coordinated and has good control of his body movements. Jacob is not.  Jacob is a physical klutz. My original question was to narrow down what type of intelligence is most useful in fly fishing.  I would gather to say that a musical, interpersonal, or intrapersonal learners would not use their strongest areas in fly fishing.  However, a spatial, linguistic, logical-mathematical, or bodily-kinesthetic learners could possibly use their strongest areas in fly fishing.  But, which one is most important in constantly catching the most and largest fish?  Can a linguistic learner sit and read all book available to become an excellent fly fisherman?  Can a logical-mathematical learner evaluate the odds in different situations to become an excellent fly fisherman?  Can a bodily-kinesthetic learner practice casting until it’s perfect and become an excellent fly fisherman?  Or, can a spatial learner look at his environment and become an excellent fly fisherman?  All these areas might be important like string touching each other.  However, which one area is most important?  That’s what I was originally getting at without a long drown out explanation, which I just did.  Not to say that anyone is stupid.  I don’t think anyone really is. Vern

Response:

Vern, I’ll echo what you have heard from the other posters. There are indeed mental and physical components to fly fishing, and there can be many approaches to the sport. A real strength in one component can compensate for a weakness in the other. Your boys may develop very different methods and tactics, but with your guidance and obvious enthusiasm both should fare quite well. You guys are lucky to have each other. George Adams

Response:

I then read someone else’s post about an individual that can’t cast beyond 20 feet and only uses a limited selection of flies, but catches more and larger fish than anyone else in their party.  It caused me to think about what it takes to be a good fly fisherman.  Is it the ability to read the water, understand what the fish might be thinking, know the difference between the different species, know where and how to place the fly, know what’s hatching, etc.  Or, is it the ability to make a nice cast that drops the fly softly on the water, etc.  Both are important, but what is more important the intellectual or the physical?

  I wrote the post about the 20-ft. caster, and in his case, it is an intuitive genius, a sixth sense, if you will, regarding the ways of living things, be they trout or elk. When fishing, he is totally focused, although he might casually point out a mother duck and her brood hiding in an eddy, deep in the shadows of an overhang, that you and the next 30 guys would have never seen. This man has great trouble reading, in fact is near-illiterate, but he is an expert at observing and gleaning information from people. He can also charm anyone at will, it seems, at any time. He once had every waitress in a Colorado restaurant at our table, telling us their life and love stories not 20 minutes after arriving, and he flirted with every one of them, and not one gave any sign of being left out.  I think this magic translates or transmutates into fly fishing. There are many kinds of intelligence, and strengths… we all have and lack some. They come into play in the form of different paths for each flyfisher. I recommend reading about the different paths in Yoga, in a book by Mircea Eliade. The part on the many paths relates to this topic.                                          — Luis

Response:

Is fly fishing an intellectual skill or a skill of physical capability? My two oldest boys are as different as night and day.  Jacob (my oldest boy at age 9) is an intellectual genius with a photographic memory.  His I.Q. is 142, although he’s a social and physical klutz.  Jared (my second son at age 7) is a highly physically coordinated and socially talented young man. However, his I.Q. is only 80 which makes him mentally challenged.  Their grades at school are indicators of these differences. I take both boys fishing.  Their attack at the sport are completely different which I believe is an indication of their age difference, as well. Jacob is 9 years old and Jared is 7 years old, so there is two years difference.  At their ages, two years is a huge difference.  I’m currently trying to teach Jacob how to fly fish.  He seams to have a problem with casting. I then read someone else’s post about an individual that can’t cast beyond 20 feet and only uses a limited selection of flies, but catches more and larger fish than anyone else in their party.  It caused me to think about what it takes to be a good fly fisherman.  Is it the ability to read the water, understand what the fish might be thinking, know the difference between the different species, know where and how to place the fly, know what’s hatching, etc.  Or, is it the ability to make a nice cast that drops the fly softly on the water, etc.  Both are important, but what is more important the intellectual or the physical? Your opinions are appreciated and could make an interesting discussion.  In addition, your comments can only help me in helping my boys enjoy the sport. In advance, thanks for your comments. Vern

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I have two boys, aged 30 and 27, who have been fly fishing since little tots. I never tried to direct their interest or overly instruct, I felt that if they stuck with it they would develop their own skills and interests. The youngest can lay out a dry 60 ft as pretty as you ever want to see, the oldest maybe 40, but he can out roll cast the younger by 15 ft. One prefers dries and wets and one prefers sight fishing and nymphs. I guess what I am saying is, give them the opportunity to experience the different facets, don’t force any one on them or over instruct and most of all let em have fun… Both of my boys are married now with two children each and long for the times when they were young with no cares but for the next strike. jim – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is fly fishing an intellectual skill or a skill of physical capability? My two oldest boys are as different as night and day.  Jacob (my oldest boy at age 9) is an intellectual genius with a photographic memory.  His I.Q. is 142, although he’s a social and physical klutz.  Jared (my second son at age 7) is a highly physically coordinated and socially talented young man. However, his I.Q. is only 80 which makes him mentally challenged.  Their grades at school are indicators of these differences. I take both boys fishing.  Their attack at the sport are completely different which I believe is an indication of their age difference, as well. Jacob is 9 years old and Jared is 7 years old, so there is two years difference.  At their ages, two years is a huge difference.  I’m currently trying to teach Jacob how to fly fish.  He seams to have a problem with casting. I then read someone else’s post about an individual that can’t cast beyond 20 feet and only uses a limited selection of flies, but catches more and larger fish than anyone else in their party.  It caused me to think about what it takes to be a good fly fisherman.  Is it the ability to read the water, understand what the fish might be thinking, know the difference between the different species, know where and how to place the fly, know what’s hatching, etc.  Or, is it the ability to make a nice cast that drops the fly softly on the water, etc.  Both are important, but what is more important the intellectual or the physical? Your opinions are appreciated and could make an interesting discussion.  In addition, your comments can only help me in helping my boys enjoy the sport. In advance, thanks for your comments. Vern

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[snip] I then read someone else’s post about an individual that can’t cast beyond 20 feet and only uses a limited selection of flies, but catches more and larger fish than anyone else in their party.

[and again] Vern, don’t believe everything Louie LaPlac posts. First of all, I *know* on a good day with a trailing breeze that he can actually cast close to 30 feet! /daytripper ;^)

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Is fly fishing an intellectual skill or a skill of physical capability?

It is basically what you make of it. You can fly-fish with hardly  any knowledge at all, or you can devote incredible amounts of time attaining knowledge and skills to supplement it.  The main thing is to enjoy it, no matter how you go about it. TL MC

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Is fly fishing an intellectual skill or a skill of physical capability?

One of the best flyfishermen I’ve ever fished with doesn’t cast beyond 40 feet. Not that he doesn’t have the physical skill. He moves on the stream like an otter and always seems to position himself where he doesn’t need to make a long cast. On the other hand, the ability to see the fly and react to the strike sure seems to have faded in direct proportion to the increase in grey hair and waist size. Like most things, it depends. Teach your children both, to their individual abilities and have a good time doing it. You’re a lucky guy. — Ken Fortenberry

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Hi Vern, All of the tenets of fly fishing are as important as one makes them.  Some believe that the quantity or quality of fish caught is the measure of a fly fisherman.  Others treat the sport differently.  I have met guys who are full fledged streamside entomologists.  Others are stream side ichthyologists as they know every aspect of a particular fish’s behavior.  I know others who prefer to tie flies than to fish.  Personally, I love to cast, learn about the bugs, the fish and I am now tying my flies.  It seems that I am evolving as I learn more of the sport.  I can’t tell you what part of fly fishing will be important to me next year, but I guarantee I will be fly fishing. Expose Jacob and Jared to the fly fishing world, and let them gravitate toward their individual preferences.  It is much like music.  Many folks play the piano, but some gravitate to classical music while others gravitate to rock music. Pete

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is fly fishing an intellectual skill or a skill of physical capability? My two oldest boys are as different as night and day.  Jacob (my oldest boy at age 9) is an intellectual genius with a photographic memory.  His I.Q. is 142, although he’s a social and physical klutz.  Jared (my second son at age 7) is a highly physically coordinated and socially talented young man. However, his I.Q. is only 80 which makes him mentally challenged.  Their grades at school are indicators of these differences. I take both boys fishing.  Their attack at the sport are completely different which I believe is an indication of their age difference, as well. Jacob is 9 years old and Jared is 7 years old, so there is two years difference.  At their ages, two years is a huge difference.  I’m currently trying to teach Jacob how to fly fish.  He seams to have a problem with casting. I then read someone else’s post about an individual that can’t cast beyond 20 feet and only uses a limited selection of flies, but catches more and larger fish than anyone else in their party.  It caused me to think about what it takes to be a good fly fisherman.  Is it the ability to read the water, understand what the fish might be thinking, know the difference between the different species, know where and how to place the fly, know what’s hatching, etc.  Or, is it the ability to make a nice cast that drops the fly softly on the water, etc.  Both are important, but what is more important the intellectual or the physical? Your opinions are appreciated and could make an interesting discussion. In addition, your comments can only help me in helping my boys enjoy the sport. In advance, thanks for your comments. Vern

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Question:

The first time I fished the Rapid River with Dave, we caught many salmon.  The next year, we did the same.   Jerry Schrader Schrader Photo http://www.weddingphoto-ma.com

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Jerry Schrader: <<The first time I fished the Rapid River with Dave, we caught many salmon. The next year, we did the same. Shhhhhhhhh, Jerry.  Remember, there are NO fish in Maine except pickeral and bass. Dave LaCourse

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Dave Tatosian: (snipped) <<- and for God’s sake: don’t tell anyone about this place! ;^) Oh, the word is out, Dave.  Unfortunately.  But I know folks that have been there and won’t go back because they didn’t catch any fish.  Being put on a body of water with salmon and trout doesn’t mean you can *catch* them.  It is a special river that requires years to learn.  I’ve seen "outsider" guides have a zilch day when all the "regulars" were taking fish. Salmon for breakfast —– oh, if only I could have some of Jan’s fresh salmon with bacon.  BTW, Stan does much of the breakfast cooking.  I can tell the difference between their scrambled eggs – Stan’s are fluffier. Dave LaCourse

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Jerry Schrader: I have stayed at Lakewood Camps several times, and loved every minute.  It’s very rustic, with anchient trappers cabins, and excellent food and menu.  I woild recommend it highly, but don’t look for cable tv.  Bring your sleeping bag, the cabins are not insulated, andif it’s chilly, the woodstove burns out in 2 hours. It *is* rustic.  The cabins date to the early 1900s and, as Jerry says, are not insulated.  There has been a fishing camp (called a "sporting camp") at Lakewood for over a hundred years.  No need to bring your sleeping bags, Jerry.  Every cabin has plenty of blankets on the comfortable beds, and if more is needed, there are comforters provided by Sue. A little trick with the woodsoves:  go behind Stan and Sue’s quarters and get BIG pieces of wood instead of the small pieces supplied in the cabins. But most of all:  the fishing is always great.  Catching can also be good. Dave LaCourse

I’ll add: – by the end of a long day of enjoying the river – and stuffed with the best camp cooking you’ll ever find (and a few gin and tonics if you please ;^) – you’ll conk out under your pile of blankets so fast you won’t care that the fire dies down in a couple of hours. – the brisk morning air will help you to pop out of bed to get in an hour of fishing before the marvelous breakfasts that the cook (Janne Provincer) provides. (btw: If you’re lucky enough to catch a good keeper salmon, have it baked for breakfast with a few strips of bacon draped over it. Yum!) – don’t *ever* try to sneak into the main building with your waders on (Sue will feed your privates to the crawfish!) – and for God’s sake: don’t tell anyone about this place! ;^) /dave ps: Louise Dickenson Rich wrote a series of novels about the river from Richardson Lake down to Umbagog, and the people of her times there. "We Took To The Woods" is an excellent winter read, as is the sequel "My Neck Of The Woods". You’ll find some outstanding photos that show things as they were around 60 years back…

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Jerry Schrader: <<I have stayed at Lakewood Camps several times, and loved every minute.  It’s very rustic, with anchient trappers cabins, and excellent food and menu.  I woild recommend it highly, but don’t look for cable tv.  Bring your sleeping bag, the cabins are not insulated, andif it’s chilly, the woodstove burns out in 2 hours.   It *is* rustic.  The cabins date to the early 1900s and, as Jerry says, are not insulated.  There has been a fishing camp (called a "sporting camp") at Lakewood for over a hundred years.  No need to bring your sleeping bags, Jerry.  Every cabin has plenty of blankets on the comfortable beds, and if more is needed, there are comforters provided by Sue. A little trick with the woodsoves:  go behind Stan and Sue’s quarters and get BIG pieces of wood instead of the small pieces supplied in the cabins. But most of all:  the fishing is always great.  Catching can also be good. Dave LaCourse

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I have stayed at Lakewood Camps several times, and loved every minute.  It’s very rustic, with anchient trappers cabins, and excellent food and menu.  I woild recommend it highly, but don’t look for cable tv.  Bring your sleeping bag, the cabins are not insulated, andif it’s chilly, the woodstove burns out in 2 hours.   Jerry Schrader Schrader Photo http://www.weddingphoto-ma.com

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Dave would you have any addreses, either e-mail or landmail for the above camps?Thanks for the help ,Ralph

Hi Ralph. Here are contacts for Grant’s and Lakewood. Grant’s Kennebago Camps P.O. Box 786 Rangely, Maine  04970 (207) 864-3608 summer (207) 282-5264 winter (800) 633-4815 out of state Lakewood Camps P.O. Address Andover, Maine 04216 Phone 207-392-1581 I’ll see if I can dig up an "off season" phone number for Lakewood. While Stan and Sue Milton close down the camp for the winter, they have been working at Sunday River (ski area) while there’s snow so they’re somewhere in the area. But I’m not sure if they have the camp number ring at their winter quarters. Again, if there’s an outdoor show (as usual) at Worcester, that’d be a great place to meet the various camp operators. Regards, /dave

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m giving some thought, although it’s very early, as to where to go flyfishing in Maine this coming Spring. Would be very grateful for any recent opinions and experiences at: Grant’s Bosebuck Tim Pond Libby’s I’ve stayed at all but Libby’s in the last 20 years, but as you want "recent", that cuts it down to Grant’s three years ago, one week after the July 4th drake hatch: great fishing on both Big Kennebago Lake and the river below the dam, good food, good accomodations. You might also want to include Lakewood Camps on Richardson Lake on your list. The best food you’ll ever find at a camp, good fishing, great folks running the place… Assuming there’s an "outdoors show" at Worcester this spring, that’d be a good place to meet some of the camp operators… /dave Dave would you have any addreses, either e-mail or landmail for the above

camps?Thanks for the help ,Ralph

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Dave Tatosian: <<You might also want to include Lakewood Camps on Richardson Lake on your list. The best food you’ll ever find at a camp, good fishing, great folks running the place… Assuming there’s an "outdoors show" at Worcester this spring, that’d be a good place to meet some of the camp operators… I concur with Dave — best fishin and best camp.  Stan and Sue Milton run a classy joint with great fishing and food at a very resonable price.  E-mail me for their phone number. Expect anything with the Libby name to be a class act.  Great people and they have been doing it for years.  Please e-mail me if you want Mat Libby’s e-mail address.   Dave LaCourse

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I’m giving some thought, although it’s very early, as to where to go flyfishing in Maine this coming Spring. Would be very grateful for any recent opinions and experiences at: Grant’s Bosebuck Tim Pond Libby’s

I’ve stayed at all but Libby’s in the last 20 years, but as you want "recent", that cuts it down to Grant’s three years ago, one week after the July 4th drake hatch: great fishing on both Big Kennebago Lake and the river below the dam, good food, good accomodations. You might also want to include Lakewood Camps on Richardson Lake on your list. The best food you’ll ever find at a camp, good fishing, great folks running the place… Assuming there’s an "outdoors show" at Worcester this spring, that’d be a good place to meet some of the camp operators… /dave

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10/28/98 Hello: I’m giving some thought, although it’s very early, as to where to go flyfishing in Maine this coming Spring. Would be very grateful for any recent opinions and experiences at:                                     Grant’s                                     Bosebuck                                     Tim Pond                                     Libby’s Thanks, Bob Rose

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Question:

Hello All; I have been flyfishing the Deschutes for the last couple of years, and am ready to try the ‘Promised Land’ of Montana.  My inlaws just moved to Red Lodge, and we are visiting in a couple of weeks.  I would appreciate any input on water, flys, flyshops and guides around the area. An insight would be greatly appreciated. Cheers Joe Madden

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: Hello All; : I have been flyfishing the Deschutes for the last couple of years, and am : ready to try the ‘Promised Land’ of Montana.  My inlaws just moved to Red : Lodge, and we are visiting in a couple of weeks.  I would appreciate any input : on water, flys, flyshops and guides around the area. To get from Oregon to Montana, all but the most relaxed traveller will pass through Idaho.  I recommend you stop and smell the trout before moving on to the "Promised Land." — Rick T. Rick Fletcher   –   http://www.chem.uidaho.edu/~fletcher/ Associate professor of chemistry  |  That’s Idaho, not Iowa.    | ad hominem University of Idaho               |  Upper Left Hand Corner.    | ad hominem Moscow, ID 83844-2343             |  No, I don’t grow potatoes. | ad hominem

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To get from Oregon to Montana, all but the most relaxed traveller will pass through Idaho.  I recommend you stop and smell the trout before moving on to the "Promised Land."

Surely this was a typo, right? Didn’t this really mean moving on "from" the promised land? :] Alan (already in the PL)

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Rock Creek on the outside of town (toward the mountains) is decent, but I’d go on over the pass and hit the Clark’s Fork of the Yellowstone.  Try the canyon off the Chief Joseph Highway.  Tough to get to, but big rainbows in there. Nearly all the lakes on top have brookies.  Some have cuts and ‘bows.   Try the upper lake at Island Lake campground for larger brookies. Fishing was tough this year, mainly due to high water last spring.  I live in Silver Gate in summers and fish inside the park most of the time. It only costs $20 to fish yellowstone (was free three years ago).   Down below, The Rosebud isn’t far from REd Lodge, and the Stillwater is also close.  Stillwater has some excellent spots on loop where river turns away from road.  Lots of fast water.  They should be looking for hoppers this time of year.  If that doesn’t work, try parachute duns and Madame X.

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Question:

Hi, thanks for the response.  Is there any flats fishing in Costa Rica? I’m interested in a trip in 1997 .  Please e mail if possible. — Tim Ackerman "Everyone Lives Downstream"

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Hi, thanks for the response.  Is there any flats fishing in Costa Rica? I’m interested in a trip in 1997 .  Please e mail if possible. — Tim Ackerman "Everyone Lives Downstream"

Hi Tim, I believe that the east side is jungle rivers running to the ocean with tarpon and snook and the west coast is blue water with bill fish, dorado and wahoo. Lots of flats in other eastern Central American coasts. William Kiene Kiene’s Fly Shop Sacramento,CA,USA

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Question:

I am new to fly fishing and need advice on what type and brand of rod is best to buy. I will probably be doing most of my fishing on the rivers and streams of New Zealand,

Why don’t you try an E-mail to Simon Lusk who maintains the New Zealand flyfishing web page.  I don’t have his email address right now but I’m sure you can get it on the Web. Mike Ray Atlanta, GA Cashiers, NC

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(John Birnbaum) writes: I am new to fly fishing and need advice on what type and brand of rod is best to buy. I will probably be doing most of my fishing on the rivers and streams of New Zealand, I don’t know whether this has any affect on the rod I buy.

Personally I fish with the Orvis PM-10 865-4 ($485) which is an 8 1/2 ft 5wt. 4 piece rod.  There is now a 9 foot version of this rod available which will give you a little better mending, but I like the one I have. This is a great fast action rod with a delicate tip for the South Island and many of the streams & rivers of the north.  If you’re going to be fishing the rainbow runs up the feeder streams from the big lakes in the North Island, you might want a 9′ 7wt for some of the big streamers used there.  The gentleman I teach our schools with, Dean Schubert, has spent 12 months out of the last 5 years fishing the South Island of New Zealand and he prefers the PM-10 906-4 (9′ 6wt.4 piece $485).  A 4 piece rod in  8 1/2  to 9 ft. length is a good choice especially if you’re trekking though the country.  I wouldn’t suggest a rod lighter than a 5 due to the size of the trout and the need to be able to pressure the fish authoritatively at times (tough to do with a 2, 3, or 4 wt.).  Another rod that works well and is a medium fast action is the Orvis HLS RM "Spring Creek Traveler ($300 – 9ft. 5wt. that really casts a 6 wt. line).The 25 yr. "any way you can break it" guarantee doesn’t hurt either. As always you should try to cast the rods before you buy if at all possible.                 Good Luck, and I’ll try not to be too jealous of your fishing opportunities,                                                                Dan Dan Gracia Orvis West Coast Schools Dan Gracia                                                               Orvis West Coast Fly Fishing Schools If you kill that big fish you can’t catch ‘em again.  So what if they eat other fish?  If you kill the big ones there will only be little ones left (funny how that works!).

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I am new to fly fishing and need advice on what type and brand of rod is best to buy. I will probably be doing most of my fishing on the rivers and streams of New Zealand, I don’t know whether this has any affect on the rod I buy. Thanks, Dylan. I would think about Orvis fly rods. I know they are a bit uppyish but the product is very good. You can’t beat the 25 year return policy. I own an Orvis Henry’s Fork with a Battenkill 5/6 reel it’s great.

I would think about a SAGE 389-3LL (lifetime warranty!), 3piece for better transport which might be great for longer hikes or helico= pter transports in NZ. The 3 wt line is delicate enough not to spook the fish but is heavy enough to carry a trout fly well (except = very heavy streamers). The 8ft9inch length is great for roll-casting. It has a medium fast action with lots of power and delivers fl= ies on long leaders with ease and will protect your tippet if you get the real big ones which are native to NZ. You can feel the loa= ding of the rod very nicely, which does not mean that the rod is whippy or slow. I fish it with a 3wtDT/F line (Cortland, of course)=

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I am new to fly fishing and need advice on what type and brand of rod is best to buy. I will probably be doing most of my fishing on the rivers and streams of New Zealand, I don’t know whether this has any affect on the rod I buy. Thanks, Dylan.

Response:

I am new to fly fishing and need advice on what type and brand of rod is best to buy. I will probably be doing most of my fishing on the rivers and streams of New Zealand, I don’t know whether this has any affect on the rod I buy. Thanks, Dylan.

I would think about Orvis fly rods. I know they are a bit uppyish but the product is very good. You can’t beat the 25 year return policy. I own an Orvis Henry’s Fork with a Battenkill 5/6 reel it’s great.

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Dylan,     I have never fished NZ before but I would say that your best bet for the trout that I have read about is a 3 – 7 wt rod ( ah heck, get one of each ). Use the lighter rods on the spring creeks and the heavier rods for big water and windy conditions. I’d say either a 3, 6 or a 4, 7 combo would be nice and I would lean to the 3, 6 end. If you could only have one rod I would choose a 5 wt with 8-9 ft length.   As far as brands go, I would look to the British Commonwealth if NZ is a member because a rod imported from the US is going to be very expensive. Hardy and Partridge make bamboo and graphite fly rods and of course Hardy makes wonerful reels that are advertised as lifetime guaranteed. Partridge also makes great hooks. They are expensive here in the US but I pay for them because I like them.   From the US Orvis, Sage, Thomas and Thomas, Loomis, Scott et al all make great products. I personally use Orvis and Sage products. Good Luck Chuck Abbott

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Question:

Would any one know where I could get info on fly hatches in Northern Ontario? Jason

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I don’t although I’ve tried to some degree. It seems not many of the locals (most of which are natives depending on how far north you are talking about) are avid fly-fishing types. I’m going to do some wild brookie fishing in N. Ontario in June, so if you find any specifics please pass it on and I’ll do the same. Thanks…….

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Would any one know where I could get info on fly hatches in Northern Ontario?

There’s nothing in print:  but lots of people would say you don’t need to match the hatch or carry more than: –muddlers, all sizes –big visible dry for broken water –big white moth alias spinner –small upwing dun –small caddis —  |          Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Rd., Carlsbad         |  |        Springs, Ont., Canada K0A 1K0; tel: (613) 822-0734       |  |  "What I’ve always liked about science is its independence from |  |  authority"–Ontario Science Centre (name on file) 10 July 1981 |

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Question:

I will be in Oregon in early Nov. about 45 min. east of Portland. I am new to fly fishing and I’ll appreciate any info I can get. I will be bank fishing, and understand that Oregon has some good small mouth fishing, any in this area? Thanks

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writes: I will be in Oregon in early Nov. about 45 min. east of Portland. I am new to fly fishing and I’ll appreciate any info I can get. I will be bank fishing, and understand that Oregon has some good small mouth fishing, any in this area?

Get a copy of Henning’s Guide to Lakes, Rivers and Streams in Oregon.  It lists every place that you can find fish in OR.                                                 Roderick Mac Farlane

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