Question:

Had not seen many Alaska posts yet this year.  One guy was worried about RV park reservations and I sent the following email which said he had bigger problems facing him than park reservations. …. We got back into Washington before October but drove on to Texas then back to Oregon, 22,000 miles round trip …

Does driving to Texas before an Alaska trip heat your tires up enough to get you up back up to Alaska?

Response:

The purpose of my original post was to suggest common sense RV prep when going to Alaska.  We are particularly indebted to this NG.  We want to thank all posters for their past service.  A number of individuals posted extremely useful information, some posts turned out to be essential. Oh we had a great time going to Alaska – it was truly a trip of a lifetime for us.  We enjoyed coming and going through BC and Yukon as much as Alaska itself.  We took our time, tried to be flexible, stayed 2-3 days in one area and generally towed our 30′ Arctic Fox on paved roads.   Maybe our prep was more than most people but our experiences were about average from what we heard from other people for the time we spent there. From May to September, I probably fished 100 times – no ocean nor fly outs – all roadside angling, some days no fishing, some days three times.  Many days I got skunked, some times I limited out but mostly I caught just enough fish to make it FUN!  My wife read a lot and put our photographs in binders which are the envy of kids and family.  We saw Valdez on a sunny day which was spectacular!  One day while fishing near Talkeetna, I saw sunny Denali in all its glory(but my wife missed it). We enjoyed touring Homer, Fairbanks, Hyder, Ketchikan and Seward and other spots.  But our most enduring memories are of the friends we made coming, going and while there. If you haven’t gone, go.  If you’ve gone before, go again. But realize in Alaska, Yukon, B C and Alberta services may not always be available. Be prepared.  On the Cassiar Highway, a guy from Maine and I stopped to help an older gentlemen with a blowout who had driven all the way from North Carolina.  Between us we were able to get him back on his way because he did not have a jack and his spare tire was flat. Go figure.  John  To reply, lose FLYROD

Response:

a party pissing & moaning about the terrible travel conditions on a trip to AK: All I can say is, you are like a friend of ours that also went to Alaska, and had the same outlook about the trip as you.

Unfortunately, some of the people who like travel seem to like it because it gives them new and different things to piss & moan about. They snarl about the lousy condition of the Alcan highway, oblivious of the fact that it is virtually impossible to keep such a road in pristine condition, considering its remoteness, length, terrain, and vicious climactic conditions.  They bitch about the magnificent Top Of The World Highway, insensitive to the fact that it was built and is maintained mainly for their pleasure.  They recite how many equipment problems they and their ilk suffer, clueless about the ill effects of stupid driving practices and neglected maintenance.   People looking for something to cry about will find it.  It doesn’t matter where they look.   For us, our trip to AK was one of the greatest travel experience we’ve enjoyed in over 40 years of rv travel.  We were delighted, impressed, and grateful for the work that is done by both Canadian and Alaskan highway crews to make it possible for us to tour such magnificent country is relative comfort and safety.  We had some flat tires and saw some others who had troubles, but we did not think to blame them on AK or BC.   Your personal attitude will dictate whether you are happy or unhappy. Circumstances have little to do with happiness. Will Sill

Response:

Had not seen many Alaska posts yet this year.  One guy was worried about RV park reservations and I sent the following email which said he had bigger problems facing him than park reservations. Last year we cleared Vancouver BC on April 30 heading north but they had late spring storms and we got snowed in several times and several northern BC and Yukon lakes were still frozen so we skipped on to Valdez to get into fishing.  Unlike us, you might want to dawdle in US or southern Canada until ice out all the way. We got back into Washington before October but drove on to Texas then back to Oregon, 22,000 miles round trip The RV res info previously posted is fairly accurate.  2002 RV traffic was down 10-25% from 2001 and with gas/diesel expected to be higher this summer, my guess is traffic will be down more than last year which will free up more RV spaces in crowded areas such as Los Anchorage, Fairbanks, Denali, Palmer, Homer, Paxton, North Pole and others. Watch out for the dreaded RV caravans.  Some parks block out spaces for them and will chase you out just so their caravan buddies can park next to each other. I hate to move around until we’re ready to go.  Be sure and ask the parks how long you can stay at that spot.  Parks at Palmer, Los Anchorage and Fairbanks were snitty so we passed them up the second time through. Like most people going to Alaska you have bigger problems facing you than where to park.  You better make sure all your equipment is in tip top shape. We saw three class C’s burned out – one on fire as we passed, 8 trailers 5ers and class A’s under tow, 3 class A’s wrecked on the side of the road, one 5er and tow truck rolled and we listened intently while 3 New Hampshire guys told us how they waited 3 hours on Top Of the World Highway while Search and Rescue used grappling hooks trying to pull up body parts from a diesel pusher that went over the side. Oh yeah.  We were so smug and pleased with ourselves.  We had double spare tires, auxiliary batteries, water, diesel and backup fuses, lights, filters, oil, etc.  We drove slow and we drove carefully and we only had minor damage and repairs.  We thought we had skated by. Then we got back to Oregon and a trailer rim separated and tire exploded, a gray tank separated, our transmission went out, trailer and truck breaks went out, a tow truck tire exploded and we found propane and water leaks.  O well.  The Alaska highways can be humiliating.  Like the Boy Scouts – Be Prepared! John To reply, lose FLYROD

Response:

Los Anchorage? Please explain.

Response:

All I can say is, you are like a friend of ours that also went to Alaska, and had the same outlook about the trip as you. There are over 135 people a week dying on US highways, so they are to be expected, even in Alaska. On the other hand, I only saw a couple of rigs in distress, nothing life threatening. We enjoyed the trip very much, and would like to return. I notice one thing you pointed out.  From all the problems you had with your rig after returning to the states, You must have pushed your rig beyond it’s design capabilities or it wasn’t maintained in the best condition before you took the trip.  My rig suffered none of the calamities you mention, either in Alaska, or after returning home.  When road conditions were bad, we slow to a crawl so as not to do damage.  I did need some new tires, but that was expected before we made the trip. Tom J Had not seen many Alaska posts yet this year.  One guy was worried about RV park reservations and I sent the following email which said he had bigger problems facing him than park reservations. Last year we cleared Vancouver BC on April 30 heading north but they had late spring storms and we got snowed in several times and several northern BC and Yukon lakes were still frozen so we skipped on to Valdez to get into fishing.  Unlike us, you might want to dawdle in US or

southern Canada until ice out all the way. We got back into Washington before

October but drove on to Texas then back to Oregon, 22,000 miles round trip The RV res info previously posted is fairly accurate. 2002 RV traffic was down 10-25% from 2001 and with gas/diesel expected to be higher this summer, my guess is traffic will be down more than last year which will free up more RV spaces in crowded areas such as Los Anchorage,

Fairbanks, Denali, Palmer, – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Homer, Paxton, North Pole and others. Watch out for the dreaded RV caravans.  Some parks block out spaces for them and will chase you out just so their caravan buddies can park next to each other. I hate to move around until we’re ready to go.  Be sure and ask the parks how long you can stay at that spot.  Parks at Palmer, Los Anchorage and Fairbanks were snitty so we passed them up the second time through. Like most people going to Alaska you have bigger problems facing you than where to park.  You better make sure all your equipment is in tip top shape. We saw three class C’s burned out – one on fire as we passed, 8 trailers 5ers and class A’s under tow, 3 class A’s wrecked on the side of the road, one 5er and tow truck rolled and we listened intently

while 3 New Hampshire guys told us how they waited 3 hours on Top Of the World Highway while Search and Rescue used grappling hooks trying to pull up body parts from a diesel pusher that went over the side. Oh yeah.  We were so smug and pleased with ourselves.  We had double spare tires, auxiliary batteries, water, diesel and backup

fuses, lights, filters, oil, etc.  We drove slow and we drove carefully and we

only had minor damage and repairs.  We thought we had skated by. Then we got

back to Oregon and a – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – trailer rim separated and tire exploded, a gray tank separated, our transmission went out, trailer and truck breaks went out, a tow truck tire exploded and we found propane and water leaks.  O well. The Alaska highways can be humiliating.  Like the Boy Scouts – Be Prepared! John To reply, lose FLYROD

Response:

I don’t understand your point in posting this  crap.  2002 RV traffic was down 10-25% from 2001

Where did you get this info? Is this from your own count? Why couldn’t it be narrowed down to say 19%. I don’t a big math guy, but 10-25% allows for like 250% error. Is all of this coffee shop talk. Just some wild guesses? I can assure you that Los Angeles and Anchorage have little in common. The "main street" highway 1 is 2-3 lanes wide and runs at 35-45mph. That what caravans do–everything together. And they are a considerable income source to campground owners. If there are only a few sites available when you check, and your site is booked for a caravan in a week–then you have to move. If you don’t undstand this, ask when checking into a campground. I have made three (five actually, the first two don’t count as they were to Ketchikan) to Alaska and have seen only one burned out RV. You say you saw three last year, what do that mean. Do you suppose there is something air in Alaska that makes class Cs burn? How many burned out vehicles have you seen in Los Angeles? And you saw 8 RVs under tow, was that in you total of 22K miles? What do you mean by "3 class A’s wrecked on the side of the road"? What does that have to do with being in tip top shape? And the grappling hook story? What is that supposed to tell us? That class As just fly off the road on the Top of the World, but not in Colorado or Vermont. I do appreciate you telling everyone that extra tires, fuel, water and fuses aren’t needed for the trip. Why not tell everyone that the roads for the most part are in very good condition. That there areas of not so good road in construction areas and one must drive slowly through these areas. That the Top of the World really isn’t too bad of a road, but does have some sections where driving slow is required. Beter yet, why not just tell eveyone about the hazards of taking an old motorhome in poor condition to Oregon and to beware of tow truck tires.  

Response:

Question:

All, A man I knew for the last 25 years as a dear friend and a fly fisherman passed away last night at the age of 68. This man survived the Korean War flying some of our best jets of that time and continued flying until medical problems grounded him. His main interest in life was fly fishing and fly tying.  When he could not find the materials he wanted for tying or fishing, he made them. He even defied the odds and manufactured his own fly rods and produced some of the finest rods I’ve ever had the privilege to cast. I know that many on this list were his friend and will also miss him. This list will miss his quips and comments. Whether you agreed with him or not, he did made you think. George, we will all miss you. In memory of George Gehrke, Karl Snyder — a friend

Response:

In memory of George Gehrke, Karl Snyder — a friend

Friend or foe, from all I’ve heard, he was an excellent angler.  Tight lines George. — Frank Reid Reverse email to reply

Response:

In memory of George Gehrke,

It’s good he was able to make it to the Henrys Fork Clave, and probably why he strived to get there. He obviously enjoyed himself there, and (for better or worse) enjoyed frequenting roff. My thoughts are with his friends and family. — TL, George. Tim

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – All, A man I knew for the last 25 years as a dear friend and a fly fisherman passed away last night at the age of 68. This man survived the Korean War flying some of our best jets of that time and continued flying until medical problems grounded him. His main interest in life was fly fishing and fly tying.  When he could not find the materials he wanted for tying or fishing, he made them. He even defied the odds and manufactured his own fly rods and produced some of the finest rods I’ve ever had the privilege to cast. I know that many on this list were his friend and will also miss him. This list will miss his quips and comments. Whether you agreed with him or not, he did made you think. George, we will all miss you. In memory of George Gehrke, Karl Snyder — a friend

Very sorry to hear that, Karl. No matter if the people on this list were his friends or not, I think that we all will miss his posts, for sure I will. Even if I didn

Question:

Well, a couple of weeks ago when I got my first fly rod, I wasn’t sure whether the reel was left or right handed, and it took me quite a while to figure out how to put all of the tackle together.  With the help of some newsgroup posters and lurkers I managed to put it all together. (I was a hunter 30 years ago, but have never been a fisherman until this summer).  On Sunday I went to Childrens lake in Boiling Springs, PA (just a few miles from my home) and practiced casting for a while.  Took my 9-year-old son along, and spent most of my time untangling his tackle for him, but I did get some good casting practice in.  Monday morning I hit the Yellow Breeches alone, tried various flies, and after an hour or so – Success !!  Caught my first brook trout, a nice 10-incher.  Fished the rest of the day without further success, but I was really happy about that first hit.  I’m definitely hooked !

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well, a couple of weeks ago when I got my first fly rod, I wasn’t sure whether the reel was left or right handed, and it took me quite a while to figure out how to put all of the tackle together.  With the help of some newsgroup posters and lurkers I managed to put it all together. (I was a hunter 30 years ago, but have never been a fisherman until this summer).  On Sunday I went to Childrens lake in Boiling Springs, PA (just a few miles from my home) and practiced casting for a while.  Took my 9-year-old son along, and spent most of my time untangling his tackle for him, but I did get some good casting practice in.  Monday morning I hit the Yellow Breeches alone, tried various flies, and after an hour or so – Success !!  Caught my first brook trout, a nice 10-incher.  Fished the rest of the day without further success, but I was really happy about that first hit.  I’m definitely hooked ! </PRE</HTML

That’s a great story Brian.   Glad to have you in the fly fishing fraternity. What fly did you end up catching the brookie on? Was it wet or dry. Dream of the possibilities. Joel Axelrad

Response:

Brian, congratulations on the catch.. now, get that second mortgage all worked up so you can get a bunch of gear and go nutty over minor itty bitty gizmos for the ol’ vest.  Congrats, edwin

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well, a couple of weeks ago when I got my first fly rod, I wasn’t sure whether the reel was left or right handed, and it took me quite a while to figure out how to put all of the tackle together.  With the help of some newsgroup posters and lurkers I managed to put it all together. (I was a hunter 30 years ago, but have never been a fisherman until this summer). On Sunday I went to Childrens lake in Boiling Springs, PA (just a few miles from my home) and practiced casting for a while.  Took my 9-year-old son along, and spent most of my time untangling his tackle for him, but I did get some good casting practice in.  Monday morning I hit the Yellow Breeches alone, tried various flies, and after an hour or so – Success !!  Caught my first brook trout, a nice 10-incher.  Fished the rest of the day without further success, but I was really happy about that first hit.  I’m definitely hooked !

Response:

   Monday morning I hit the Yellow Breeches alone, tried various flies, and after an hour or so – Success !!  Caught my first brook trout, a nice 10-incher.  Fished the rest of the day without further success, but I was really happy about that first hit.  I’m definitely hooked !

   That’s not bad at all. When I took up flyfishing, it was 600 round trip miles to good trout water, and I drove it five times before achieving your level of success.

Response:

Congratulations Brian!  Your post brought back fond memories for me. When I was attending grad school at U. of Maryland in the early eighties, I’d sometimes bag a day of classes and drive up to PA and fish the Breeches.  Be sure to spend some time on Falling Spring Branch too. A lovely stream (at least it used to be). JR

Response:

I know Falling Spring well.  I went to high school in Chambersburg and spent a lot of time in the area as my best friend lived on Falling Spring Road. Haven’t been back there in many years, though.  I’ll have to check it out one day in the fall.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Congratulations Brian!  Your post brought back fond memories for me. When I was attending grad school at U. of Maryland in the early eighties, I’d sometimes bag a day of classes and drive up to PA and fish the Breeches.  Be sure to spend some time on Falling Spring Branch too. A lovely stream (at least it used to be). JR

Response:

Wish I could remember for sure which fly it was, but I think it was a tan caddis, probably a  14. I’ve already accumulated two big boxes full of flies !

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well, a couple of weeks ago when I got my first fly rod, I wasn’t sure whether the reel was left or right handed, and it took me quite a while to figure out how to put all of the tackle together.  With the help of some newsgroup posters and lurkers I managed to put it all together. (I was a hunter 30 years ago, but have never been a fisherman until this summer). On Sunday I went to Childrens lake in Boiling Springs, PA (just a few miles from my home) and practiced casting for a while.  Took my 9-year-old son along, and spent most of my time untangling his tackle for him, but I did get some good casting practice in.  Monday morning I hit the Yellow Breeches alone, tried various flies, and after an hour or so – Success !!  Caught my first brook trout, a nice 10-incher.  Fished the rest of the day without further success, but I was really happy about that first hit.  I’m definitely hooked ! </PRE</HTML That’s a great story Brian. Glad to have you in the fly fishing fraternity. What fly did you end up catching the brookie on? Was it wet or dry. Dream of the possibilities. Joel Axelrad

Response:

Monday morning I hit the Yellow Breeches alone, tried various flies, and after an hour or so – Success !!  Caught my first brook trout, a nice 10-incher.  Fished the rest of the day without further success, but I was really happy about that first hit.  I’m definitely hooked !

That’s great.  Don’t get discouraged – contrary to appearances and what you may have heard, I found that can be a tough stream.  You will find easier (and toughher!) water.  Good luck! Regards, Jeff

Response:

Question:

Does anyone know of an island with good fly fishing in the Caribbean? I’m specifically talking about the Eastern Caribbean, the islands they call the Lesser Antilles. My wife wants to go on vacation there, and I’m trying to figure out what I’m going to do while she lies on the beach… Thanks for any help. Simon Share what you know. Learn what you don’t.

Response:

The Virgin Islands have a few flats. St John is actually very nice is many ways. You have to be careful though. I was held up at gun point in St Thomas last year when fishing probably the best flat which is off a beach that only locals go to. St John does not have that problem and is mostly a national park. I. Clair

Response:

Question:

Lost set up, hard drive kaput. need name of the usenet fly tying group. Any help appreciated. —  *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *       *  *  Skip Summer             From somewhere in the Huron River, *  *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *       *

Response:

Lost set up, hard drive kaput. need name of the usenet fly tying group. Any help appreciated.

rec.outdoors.fishing.fly.tying — Charlie…

Response:

Question:

Fletch writes:

I’ve got an opportunity to plan a FF trip to Alaska in the fall of = 1997. Any suggestions for place, equipment, flies, guide or not, etc… Fletch.. My advice to others who ask, knowing I have made several of these trips is: Pick *one* species of fish you most want to catch and then time your arrival on a river known to hold these fish in the middle of its run.   ( I have seen people spend a week on the wrong river at the wrong time and come up emptY) Alternate is to not care what species of fish and pick a time and a reliable guide and hve the guide able to fly you to a river known to have fish in it at that time.   If you plan to camp along the river and have never done this, then who ever takes you is the person you are trusting your life with…. Back country Alaska is sincere country and unforgiving of some errors..  There is fishing without going into the deep wilderness that can be better than your wildest dreams…. but you gotta be on the right rivers at the right times for the run to be there.   When I have gone the last ten years, I have been self guiding as the friends I go with, as well as myself, have made about a dozen of these trips…..  I would never recommend anyone do this for themselves on their first trip….too much can go wrong.  So, I do not have a guide list for you… I knew the dates and fish you are most interested in, I may be able to help… Also the Game and Inland fish people there will send you a big big booklet with all kinds of dates of runs in different rivers in it.   Likely any Alaskan tourist agent can help. For near my trips without a big crowd but needing a boat.. are a day’s float down the Kenai from the lake to Jim’s landing… A 13 mile trip and good for large rainbows much of the season and is full of Red Salmon and some King Salmon at the right weeks…   Near Willow, there are several walkin from the road rivers full of salmon at the right dates…  Near the airport are accessible rivers but crowded ….  Willow is far enough out of Anchorage that the crowds are not so great.  There are 18 lodges which get $4000/week and I would not hesitate to recommend Bud Hobson’s lodge or Bristol Bay Lodge if you want to go that route.  If you fly in, leave an itinerary with someone who truly loves you and will cause you to be found if overdue.  If you fly with a reputable service ( there are plenty of good ones) they are bound by law to come to get you and report you absence to Fairbanks if over 24 hours late….Carry a flare gun and then every plane in the air is a potential help….  I have a lllooooonnnnnngggg packing list if you want to Email me for it…  but again, don’t go in the bush without a competent guide… Just don’t… Alaska has tons and tons of fish because the manage the habit and the spawning run on each river individually and have the capability and will to change the C&K numbers on a days notice on any river needing it…. Other states in our north west have too many competing interests and this is not done… and so they have few fish….   Well hope some of this helps. Alan E. Hoover Anglers’ Rest Powhatan, Va        *the trout teach many, lessons*

Response:

This is a multi-part message in MIME format. Content-Type: text/plain;         charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Hey McCoy, I also have the opportunity to go FF in Alaska. Just found = out today! Come on guys help us out. I will be flying in to Anchorage. thanks  McCoy wrote in article = Thanks for reading…. I’ve got an opportunity to plan a FF trip to Alaska in the fall of 1997. Any suggestions for place, equipment, flies, guide or not, etc… =20 Content-Type: text/html;         charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD W3 HTML 3.2//EN" <HTML <HEAD <META content=3Dtext/html;charset=3Diso-8859-1 = http-equiv=3DContent-Type <META content=3D’"Trident 4.71.0544.0"’ name=3DGENERATOR </HEAD <BODY<FONT face=3DArial size=3D2 <PHey McCoy, I also have the opportunity to go FF in Alaska. Just found = out=20 today!<BR Come on guys help us out. I will be flying in to Anchorage.<BR thanks</P <HTML<BODY<FONT size=3D2<BR Thanks for reading….<BR <BR I’ve got an opportunity to plan a FF trip to Alaska in the fall of = 1997.<BR Any suggestions for place, equipment, flies, guide or not, etc…<BR <BR  </FONT</FONT </BODY</HTML

Response:

Thanks for reading…. I’ve got an opportunity to plan a FF trip to Alaska in the fall of 1997. Any suggestions for place, equipment, flies, guide or not, etc… I would like to mix this trip between fishing and site-seeing and have about 5 days to do it. Thanks for any help or advice you can give. Russ

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Question:

I think Steve W asked about, or commented on weighting the bow for better tracking. The weight I use is the deep cycle battery, which weighs almost 70 lbs. That’s a lot of weight, more than most folks think of using, but it’s worked great. Bill Mack askedWhat did you do for the long connection from the fron of the boat to the motor?<< I used thick wire and connectors available from auto supply stores. Use at least 10 ga for 12 volt connections, I use 6 ga so I can use it with my 24 volt 70 lb thrust motor for real fast flowing water. Two deep cycle batteries up forward REALLY stabilize it. Hope this helps, sorry for the delay in replying. Fair winds and following seas, Pat in Pawtucket  RI

Response:

I am looking for an canoe/boat with a square stern for mounting an electric trolling motor and some type of keel that would allow it to track upstream in a moderate current without the bow being swept around to the rear by the current. Specifically I would be using this in the Muskegon River (in case some may be familiar). I have tried this unsuccessfully with a 17′ fiberglass canoe (with a side mounted motor near the stern & without a keel). My electric motor is equal to a 3 hp gas. Anybody out there have any suggestions? CowboyMI – Steven W. There never was a horse that couldn’t be rode, nor a Cowboy that couldn’t be throwed….

Response:

Steve W wrote I have tried this unsuccessfully with a 17′ fiberglass canoe (with a side mounted motor near the stern & without a keel). My electric motor is equal to a 3 hp gas.<< I use a 14′ fiberglass canoe in a similar situation, and sometimes even rivers flowing briskly. My electric motor is only 36 lbs of thrust (about 2.2hp). Had problems until I put weight in the bow (put the deep cycle battery up there) after which tracking true against the current became much easier. It also stabilized the canoe much better for fly casting. Fair winds and following seas, Pat in Pawtucket  RI

Response:

PatKapsner wroteI use a 14′ fiberglass canoe in a similar situation, and sometimes even rivers flowing briskly. My electric motor is only 36 lbs

of thrust (about 2.2hp). Had problems until I put weight in the bow (put the deep cycle battery up there) after which tracking true against the current became much easier. It also stabilized the canoe much better for fly casting.

I have tried putting ballast in the bow of my 17′, tried many rocks & later 2 five gallon jugs full of water. It helped some but, I still had the problem with the bow swinging around when I ran into some faster currents. My electric motor has 52 lbs thrust. Perhaps it is the extra length & weight of mine that makes it harder to handle? Is your motor mounted on a square stern or on the side near the back? CowboyMI – Steven W. There never was a horse that couldn’t be rode, nor a Cowboy that couldn’t be throwed….

Response:

Steve:  Try a Coleman Crawdad…square stern, takes either a 2.2 hp or an electric, goes upstream well, damn near indestructible.  I love mine…costs about $800.00 Canadian, and you can get them at Canadian Tire, Walmart, etc.  They’ve got a nice smooth trot and always move on the right lead…Good fishing… Jim Ward Twin Willow Farm Home of good horses, fine whiskey and great wild trout

Response:

You might want to loo at the Mad River Missiquoi, it fits your requirements. However MDRs are expensive, but you get what you pay for. I have a MDR Winooski and love it. It is the same as the Missiquoi without the square stern. I use extensively for fly fishing in South Florida. . – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I am looking for an canoe/boat with a square stern for mounting an electric trolling motor and some type of keel that would allow it to track upstream in a moderate current without the bow being swept around to the rear by the current. Specifically I would be using this in the Muskegon River (in case some may be familiar). I have tried this unsuccessfully with a 17′ fiberglass canoe (with a side mounted motor near the stern & without a keel). My electric motor is equal to a 3 hp gas. Anybody out there have any suggestions? CowboyMI – Steven W. There never was a horse that couldn’t be rode, nor a Cowboy that couldn’t be throwed….

Response:

: PatKapsner wrote : (about 2.2hp). Had problems until I put weight in the bow (put : the deep cycle : battery up there) after which tracking true against the current became : much easier. It also stabilized the canoe much better for fly casting. : I have tried putting ballast in the bow of my 17′, tried many rocks & : later 2 five gallon jugs full of water. A couple of things. First, your motor is probably just on the edge of being able to push your canoe up the current. With this, adding "ballast" to the front will bring the front down, but it also makes more total weight for the motor (already struggling) to push. Moving the battery up front (thus not adding *more* ballast) may help this. You still might have problems, though. I used to bass fish from a 12′ canoe, and kept the battery up front. Worked beautifully, but I was on still water. Second, is your canoe keeled? Keeled canoes track better, but in your case maybe the keel catches the current quicker. I don’t know, just wondering. Length certainly does matter for turning the bow, so yeah, your little motor is struggling to turn it in this situation. I don’t think stern mount vs. side mount makes much difference, when you’re talking about your 17′er. My tip: pull out a paddle, kneel down a little forward of your rear seat so you can wield the paddle around the middle of the side of the canoe, and help the motor out. With the paddle you can easily keep the bow in place, heading up the current. Assuming you’ve canoed a bit, you know all the push, pull, J strokes you can do to quickly right the direction of the canoe. Try it, I think you’ll get through the fast sections with ease. JonCook.

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Steve W wrote I have tried this unsuccessfully with a 17′ fiberglass canoe (with a side mounted motor near the stern & without a keel). My electric motor is equal to a 3 hp gas.<< I use a 14′ fiberglass canoe in a similar situation, and sometimes even rivers flowing briskly. My electric motor is only 36 lbs of thrust (about 2.2hp). Had problems until I put weight in the bow (put the deep cycle battery up there) after which tracking true against the current became much easier. It also stabilized the canoe much better for fly casting. Fair winds and following seas, Pat in Pawtucket  RI

What did you do for the long connection from the fron of the boat to the motor?  Bill Mack

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I would appreciate any response.

Hi there. Stan

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I thought I had seen an article about a fly fishing screensaver.  I would appreciate any response.

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I am planning a trip to the Great Falls area in June. Does anyone know of any good accomdations and any good fly fishing in this area? Thanks for any info that you can provide. Phil

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I am planning a trip to the Great Falls area in June. Does anyone know of any good accomdations and any good fly fishing in this area?

Missouri River – below Holter Dam through Cascade; Smith River, to name two.  Check with Montana River Outfitters in Great Falls for more complete info.

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Why June in Montana? July , Aug.  & Sept. are the best Fly Fishing!!! I Grew up very close to Great Falls. It has the the only one river the wilderness.Where we can fish where there are no people!! My place is close to Big Timber. BBlewett

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Has anyone been able to get into Trout Unlimited’s web site??? It was supposed to be available as of January 15th but I get no response each attempt to get in. I’m using the advertised address…..http://www.tu.org/trout….Is this correct? Thanks in advance…. JAPPLe

Try this address, http://www.cais.net/trout/. Vince

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Has anyone been able to get into Trout Unlimited’s web site??? It was supposed to be available as of January 15th but I get no response each attempt to get in. I’m using the advertised address…..http://www.tu.org/trout….Is this correct?

Seems to work fine for me. It does however, take several minutes to load…. Wherever you go….. There you will be

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Go to the YAHOO search engine.  There is a reference point to a Trout Unlimited Site.  It is up and running, I’ve been there. Ross Laurie

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Hi Try the following web address for the Trout Unlimited web site: http://www.cais.net/trout/ Good Luck Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Bozeman, Mt (catalog avail)

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