Question:

Here’s what I’ve seen and used with success to date in the Mid-Hudson valley waters to date. Current Hatches: Midges Small black stoneflies – lots of them Early Black and Early Brown- Stonefly Hendrickson – just started last few days, but lots of activity now. So try….. Nymphs& Streamers:     Zug Bug     B.H. Prince #10-16     Hares Ears, bead-head, regular, or flashback #8-18     Pheasant Tail, bead-head, soft-hackle, regular, and flashback #12-18,     Golden or Yellow Stonefly #6-14     Scuds #12-18, primarily olive has been successful for me     Brassies #16-20     Early Black and Early Brown Stonefly #12-14     Wooly Buggers-all sizes and colors     Zonkers – White, Olive, and Black #2-8 If you can find anything feeding on the surface yet, try for dry flies:     Griffiths Gnat #20-26     Midge Pupa #20-26 Good luck!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Is there anyone ot there who could tell me what to use in stream’s this time of year.

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Is there anyone ot there who could tell me what to use in stream’s this time of year.The water has settled down now,and is farely clear.I’m just learning about fly fishing.I think it is a beautiful art of fishing.If anyone would be so kind to help me with an answer i would be grateful.                                                        dgn4529 Take Care!

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Question:

Hi all, I’m new to flyfishing and trying to learn as much as possible. This newsgroup is a great source…thanks to all who contribute. I was hoping that some of the group experts could take a look at a web page that I’ve set up with about 9 pictures of what I’m sure are very common dry flies (one nymph is included). A flyfishing guide purchased them for me some time back and now I’m interested in knowing more about them.  Also, if anyone knows of any color reference books or web pages that I can use to identify flies (many books are B&W <sigh…it would be most appreciated…thanks in advance everyone! The web address is http://members.aol.com/kraftshoot/flys.jpg

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Hi all, – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m new to flyfishing and trying to learn as much as possible. This newsgroup is a great source…thanks to all who contribute. I was hoping that some of the group experts could take a look at a web page that I’ve set up with about 9 pictures of what I’m sure are very common dry flies (one nymph is included). A flyfishing guide purchased them for me some time back and now I’m interested in knowing more about them.  Also, if anyone knows of any color reference books or web pages that I can use to identify flies (many books are B&W <sigh…it would be most appreciated…thanks in advance everyone! The web address is http://members.aol.com/kraftshoot/flys.jpg

The photos are a bit dark, and it is extremely difficult to analyse fly patterns just from photos anyway, but here goes. Flies one and two are "Compara duns" these are flies with split tails, a dubbed body, no hackle as such, and elk or deer hair "wings" tied in a specific fashion. Namely spread in a half circle over the upper part of the hook and tilted slightly forward.These are remarkably successful flies, and the tying materials and style are more important as recognition points than any specific patterns or colours. The flies shown are imitations of olives. Fly three is a spinner imitation with what looks like antron wings. Again an olive. I would prefer smoke blue antron as wings on such a fly, but the "transparent" antron works as well. Flies four and five are parachute style dry-flies, with what looks like calf tail post wings, standard cock hackle wound horizontally around the post, and again seem to be olives. Fly six is a more or less standard hackled dry fly with a relatively short hackle, and this is tied over about a third of the body, probably designed for rough water fishing. Once again an olive. Flies seven and eight  are once again Compara duns, and again olives. Fly nine is an emerger pattern, tied with a trailing shuck of hackle fibre The  bead head nymph, which could be used to imitate almost anything, but this again looks like it was tied to represent an olive nymph. Trying to learn the names of all these flies is a waste of time. As long as you know what you use it for, that is really all that matters. Whether it has a name, or is just a reasonable imitation is quite immaterial.  All of the flies shown look like good fish catchers, and could in fact be used in various sizes to imitate a whole host of naturals. But the range shown here are practically all olive imitations. For lists of various patterns etc try : http://www.virtualflyshop.com/ for info on Olives etc try : http://www.fishing-in-wales.co.uk/wildlife/insects/upwing/bwolive.htm You might also like to look at : http://www.virtualflybox.com/ http://freespace.virgin.net/fly.fishing/index.htm   for colour photos of many flies http://www.sea-ex.com/recreational1/fly1.htm In the meantime there are thousands of sites on the web with info on patterns and tying and fly-fishing generally. The best thing to do is use a good search engine, such as http://www.google.com   and start searching for some of them. You will soon find plenty which you can use. The sites above also have links to many others, which you can try. TL MC — "In order to know what is possible one must constantly attempt the impossible" http://www.mikeconnor.de

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You were asking for someone to identify the flies – I don’t know if you were asking for specific names or not.  Mike gave you the *styles*, which I think is a good idea.  I saw a book recently that looks really good – it helps sort out these kinds of flies by style, and helps you organize them in your head.  There are color pictures of all, and it’s not real long or expensive (under $20 US). "Essential Trout Flies" by Dave Hughes.  He identifies the major styles (Comparadun, parachute, traditional Catskill, spent spinner, thorax, etc.) and tells under which conditions each would be best, and how to fish them, and how to tie them.  Check it out http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0811727483/qid=963285608/sr=1-… -4362007-9744861 Good luck Regards, Jeff

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Question:

Ok, a mini Internet lecture, for both sides of this thread. The processor speed on the client side (and most likely on the server side) *does not matter*.

[snipped] Exactly true for anyone not gifted with a T-3 connection ;^) But as for the rest of us, Jon, the problem is purely one of end-node bandwidth. For most of us – and for most of the time – the slow loading of George’s page has nothing to do with routers or switches or backbone performance. It’s the bandwidth at the faceplate attached to the wall. Also, as long as we’re in "education mode", if you think that a 48KB file is broken up into a mere dozen packets (or anything even remotely close to that) it’s time for you to go back to school ;^) Packet payloads are measured in tens or hundreds of bytes (check out the spec’s on ATM, for instance), not multi-K’s of bytes… The solution to George’s page is simple: lose the eagle, and make the darned page hierarchical. Put the latest set of events on the first page, and bury the history stuff in a half-dozen underlying pages, arranged in chronological order with links back on the first page. No big deal, don’t have to throw anything way, and it would probably take a half-hour to rearrange what he’s got now into something more practical… Regards, /daytripper (sipping the internet through a really thin straw ;^)

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Ok, a mini Internet lecture, for both sides of this thread. The processor speed on the client side (and most likely on the server side) *does not matter*.

(remainded snipped to unclog the superhighway) Thanks for the explanation Jon. Mark Faulkner

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Jon Cook: <<Which is *still* not related to processor speed. What you’re talking about is modem speed — and I’ll still go out on a limb and say that any endpoint with modem above 33K or so will still suffer from *internal* Internet congestion, and not just their end-node bandwidth. Heck, I’ve visited the page from a *very* fast connection and have waited minutes for it to load. Gentlemen, gentlemen….. The entire page was too big — since George has fixed it, it loads in very little time, *regardless of when you call it up*. There is very little internet activity at 6 a.m. EDT, yet it took just as long then as it did at 1 pm or 10 pm.  The thing was too long. Dave LaCourse

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bytes per.  We will try and archive the site as soon as we can or simply erase the majority of it.  Your choice.

FYI, the eagle logo is 753×611pixels. It is only displayed in 176×143 pixels. This is not too bright web-design. The client has to download the big image, which is 48K. This is a total waste, since the image displayed on the webpage (176×143) with good compression, should easily be less than 3K (I checked). Additionally, forcing the client to resize the picture, will hog unnecessary CPU. Some clients and machines are pretty bad at doing such things, i.e. try having a mac (a few years old) render a background picture within a table. It will take ages, and one is better off avoiding these possible pitfalls from the server side. Just select "view image" (right click on picture in netscape) to see how big this bastard really is. — Christian Figenschou – <URL: http://figen.com

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – bytes per.  We will try and archive the site as soon as we can or simply erase the majority of it.  Your choice. FYI, the eagle logo is 753×611pixels. It is only displayed in 176×143 pixels. This is not too bright web-design. The client has to download the big image, which is 48K. This is a total waste, since the image displayed on the webpage (176×143) with good compression, should easily be less than 3K (I checked). Additionally, forcing the client to resize the picture, will hog unnecessary CPU. Some clients and machines are pretty bad at doing such things, i.e. try having a mac (a few years old) render a background picture within a table. It will take ages, and one is better off avoiding these possible pitfalls from the server side. Just select "view image" (right click on picture in netscape) to see how big this bastard really is. — Christian Figenschou – <URL: http://figen.com

— Mr. G. ‘all’s fair with fur or feather’ http://www.gink.com http://www.rodbuilding.com http://www.xink.com 509-243-4100 or 5500

Question:

More importantly, where does she fish, where are her favorite pools, and does she prefer wine or Scotch?  Godiva chocolates are always appropriate. Wayne to fish is human…to release divine. This is becoming another Urban Legend. Just who exactly is this phantom drop dead gorgeous fly fishing model? Names please! And just where is this cabin so when I’m in the neighborhood I can drop by and say "howdy, Ma’am". -John

Response:

Whoa, Charlie….let’s think this through a little bit.  Sure, I wouldn’t mind an afternoon on-stream with Lefty, but you distinctly said spending an *evening* with the model.  Want to reconsider?

Nope. You can spend an evening listening to someone talk about their makeup if you like, though. The next morning I’ll know a lot more about fishing and you’ll be convinced that if she hadn’t had to go home early to wash her hair, you could have scored<g. — Charlie…

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Hi all, I’ll go home and get the magazine from my wife this weekend and post whatever information it contains next Monday…  I’m only telling y’all what my wife told me!  If it’s not too long, maybe I’ll post excerpts from the article. Other than that, given a choice between spending the weekend with a model or Lefty Kreh, I’d definitely say I’d have to take Lefty.  That way I’d still be alive when I got home as it might be difficult to flyfish while my wife is shooting at me. Happy New Year! Tom This is becoming another Urban Legend. Just who exactly is this phantom drop dead gorgeous fly fishing model? Names please! And just where is this cabin so when I’m in the neighborhood I can drop by and say "howdy, Ma’am". -John

– Thomas Chou International Sensor Technology 3 Whatney Irvine, CA 92618 Ph: 949.452.9316 Fx: 949.452.9009 www.gotgas.com

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but if she is half the person Left is that would make a wonderful evening discussing fishign and tying! Thought I was gonna be rude there didn’t you <g Pierre – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Actually, I’d rather spend an evening with Lefty than with a fashion model. Not sure about Lefty in drag, though<g. — Charlie… Oh come now man, get your priorities straight.  I’d rather spend an "evening" with the model, I’d rather spend the weekend with Lefty. Oh am I in trouble when I get home tonight.  :-) Later,      - Ken

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EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW Charlie ol boy you just made a terrible mistake!!!! Sexist comments like that are really gonna bring the house down..Besides who says that natural beauty needs help?? – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Whoa, Charlie….let’s think this through a little bit.  Sure, I wouldn’t mind an afternoon on-stream with Lefty, but you distinctly said spending an *evening* with the model.  Want to reconsider? Nope. You can spend an evening listening to someone talk about their makeup if you like, though. The next morning I’ll know a lot more about fishing and you’ll be convinced that if she hadn’t had to go home early to wash her hair, you could have scored<g. — Charlie…

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but if she is half the person Left is that would make a wonderful evening discussing fishign and tying! Thought I was gonna be rude there didn’t you <g Pierre

Actually, the comparison I was making was an evening with Lefty vs an evening with a ‘regular’ model, not the ‘mythical’ fishing lady in the ad. The supposition was made in an earlier post that the ad was a fake (since I haven’t seen it I have no opinion on that). Given the choice between the ‘fishing lady model’ and Lefty, I’d probably still go with Lefty though, but the choice would be more difficult<g. — Charlie…

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More importantly, where does she fish, where are her favorite pools, and does she prefer wine or Scotch?  Godiva chocolates are always appropriate.

OK, but what size hook should you tie the chocolates onto?  Standard nymph, wide-gape bassin’ hook, ram it onto the post on that funny Partridge parachute hook, or what?  Maybe a dry fly hook, and drown the whole concoction (confection? in Gink?  Inquiring minds…  :-) — Bob Jarvis Mail address hacked to foil spammers!

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EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW Charlie ol boy you just made a terrible mistake!!!! Sexist comments like that are really gonna bring the house down..Besides who says that natural beauty needs help??

Have you ever talked to a model, of either sex? The ones I have are mostly interested in their looks and the makeup that helps them ‘enhance’ their looks. My comment wasn’t intended to be sexist, just anti-model<g. Maybe I just ran into a few bad apples. — Charlie…

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This is becoming another Urban Legend. Just who exactly is this phantom drop dead gorgeous fly fishing model? Names please! And just where is this cabin so when I’m in the neighborhood I can drop by and say "howdy, Ma’am".

Not to worry, we’re trying to line her up as a "greeter" at our new flyfishing theme cafe next spring.  Dates and locations to be announced… Cheers, Tony Ritter

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But Tom….what a way to go!!! Wayne To fish is human…to release divine. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi all, I’ll go home and get the magazine from my wife this weekend and post whatever information it contains next Monday…  I’m only telling y’all what my wife told me!  If it’s not too long, maybe I’ll post excerpts from the article. Other than that, given a choice between spending the weekend with a model or Lefty Kreh, I’d definitely say I’d have to take Lefty.  That way I’d still be alive when I got home as it might be difficult to flyfish while my wife is shooting at me. Happy New Year! Tom This is becoming another Urban Legend. Just who exactly is this phantom drop dead gorgeous fly fishing model? Names please! And just where is this cabin so when I’m in the neighborhood I can drop by and say "howdy, Ma’am". -John — Thomas Chou International Sensor Technology 3 Whatney Irvine, CA 92618 Ph: 949.452.9316 Fx: 949.452.9009 www.gotgas.com

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Bob,     Its somethig akin to grappling catfish on the Mississippi.  Not a matter of a hook, although a good line doesn’t hurt.  Sometimes its more the line you cast than the bait you use. Wayne To fish is human…to release divine. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -OK, but what size hook should you tie the chocolates onto?  Standard nymph, wide-gape bassin’ hook, ram it onto the post on that funny Partridge parachute hook, or what?  Maybe a dry fly hook, and drown the whole concoction (confection? in Gink?  Inquiring minds…  :-) — Bob Jarvis Mail address hacked to foil spammers!

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Ladies! Feel free to wade in and help us out here! Wayne To fish is human…to release divine.

Response:

Ladies! Feel free to wade in and help us out here!

Oh, I think you’re doing a splendid job! Okay, here’s a new topic. Hasanyone read that David Leitz murder mystery novel about the model photo shoot at a fly fishing lodge… here it is: _Dying to Fly Fish_? — Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Disclaimer: Pushing 40 and born in Fredericton, NB

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George G: like you – and me? George, dogs chase cars, but they don’t know how to drive. d;0) Dave L.

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JR, The main model for the Estee Lauder commercial *can* cast.  She has in fact devoted a great portion of her life to flyfishing.  The story goes like this (abbreviated, of course.  This is the story my wife told me she read in a recent mag article about this)…  She made some money modeling when she was younger, invested it well, and took up flyfishing with some other members of her family.  She is the only one who pursued it with a passion, which she still does, while the others gave it up.  She ties her own flies, owns a cabin by a river, she’s rich, and beautiful… and like I’ve said before, I’ve got dibs.  She is currently around 56 years old.  Now that’s a great looking 56 year old lady, don’t you think?! Hope this clears things up. Tom – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Saw the commercial while watching NYPD Blue.  Sorry guys, but anyone who says his streams in Alberta, N.C., wherever, are crawling with women who look like the model in this commercial, well, no offense, but he lies like a dog.  And her clothes (this all started about her clothes, no?)–well, I’m can’t remember what sort of clothes she had.  Pretty sure, though, that she was wearing clothes. The question is, is this babe a for real fly fisher or not?  The last, long, overhead shot shows a pretty good casting stroke, but this could have been a stand-in.  The stroke in the close-up shots is less convincing.  As for the other obvious questions, I leave those up to the congregation….. JR

Response:

The main model for the Estee Lauder commercial *can* cast.  She has in fact devoted a great portion of her life to flyfishing.

David Hinner’s post of 12/30/98 credits Pixar Studios with the creative morphing of Lefty Kreh into the "Beaverkill Bombshell". Tom – he *does* have a wonderful sense of humor – but are you *sure* you still want that date? Cheers, Tony Ritter

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The main model for the Estee Lauder commercial *can* cast.  She has in fact devoted a great portion of her life to flyfishing. David Hinner’s post of 12/30/98 credits Pixar Studios with the creative morphing of Lefty Kreh into the "Beaverkill Bombshell". Tom – he *does* have a wonderful sense of humor – but are you *sure* you still want that date?

Actually, I’d rather spend an evening with Lefty than with a fashion model. Not sure about Lefty in drag, though<g. — Charlie…

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Actually, I’d rather spend an evening with Lefty than with a fashion model. Not sure about Lefty in drag, though<g. — Charlie…

Oh come now man, get your priorities straight.  I’d rather spend an "evening" with the model, I’d rather spend the weekend with Lefty. Oh am I in trouble when I get home tonight.  :-) Later,      - Ken

Response:

The main model for the Estee Lauder commercial *can* cast.  She has in fact devoted a great portion of her life to flyfishing.  The story goes like this (abbreviated, of course.  This is the story my wife told me she read in a recent mag article about this)…

At the risk of spreading disappointment and gloom, I must point out that not everything you read in a magazine, newspaper or book is Gospel Truth– especially stuff about movie stars, models, athletes, business firms, products, politicians….. Agents and PR firms earn their money by cranking out stuff to create interest in their clients and make them look good. vince norris  She made some money modeling when she was – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -younger, invested it well, and took up flyfishing with some other members of her family.  She is the only one who pursued it with a passion, which she still does, while the others gave it up.  She ties her own flies, owns a cabin by a river, she’s rich, and beautiful… and like I’ve said before, I’ve got dibs.  She is currently around 56 years old.  Now that’s a great looking 56 year old lady, don’t you think?! Hope this clears things up. Tom Saw the commercial while watching NYPD Blue.  Sorry guys, but anyone who says his streams in Alberta, N.C., wherever, are crawling with women who look like the model in this commercial, well, no offense, but he lies like a dog.  And her clothes (this all started about her clothes, no?)–well, I’m can’t remember what sort of clothes she had.  Pretty sure, though, that she was wearing clothes. The question is, is this babe a for real fly fisher or not?  The last, long, overhead shot shows a pretty good casting stroke, but this could have been a stand-in.  The stroke in the close-up shots is less convincing.  As for the other obvious questions, I leave those up to the congregation….. JR

Response:

Whoa, Charlie….let’s think this through a little bit.  Sure, I wouldn’t mind an afternoon on-stream with Lefty, but you distinctly said spending an *evening* with the model.  Want to reconsider? Mark Faulkner – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The main model for the Estee Lauder commercial *can* cast.  She has in fact devoted a great portion of her life to flyfishing. David Hinner’s post of 12/30/98 credits Pixar Studios with the creative morphing of Lefty Kreh into the "Beaverkill Bombshell". Tom – he *does* have a wonderful sense of humor – but are you *sure* you still want that date? Actually, I’d rather spend an evening with Lefty than with a fashion model. Not sure about Lefty in drag, though<g. — Charlie…

Response:

JR, The main model for the Estee Lauder commercial *can* cast.  She has in fact devoted a great portion of her life to flyfishing.  The story goes like this (abbreviated, of course.  This is the story my wife told me she read in a recent mag article about this)…  She made some money modeling when she was younger, invested it well, and took up flyfishing with some other members of her family.  She is the only one who pursued it with a passion, which she still does, while the others gave it up.  She ties her own flies, owns a cabin by a river, she’s rich, and beautiful… and like I’ve said before, I’ve got dibs.  She is currently around 56 years old.  Now that’s a great looking 56 year old lady, don’t you think?! Hope this clears things up. Tom snip

This is becoming another Urban Legend. Just who exactly is this phantom drop dead gorgeous fly fishing model? Names please! And just where is this cabin so when I’m in the neighborhood I can drop by and say "howdy, Ma’am". -John

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Bait for what, George?  They want us to buy Estee Lauder products?  OK, I’m going to find some, some…(some what?), I don’t know, some face cream or something, and see if it floats a fly better than Gink. Then I make a fortune, the model falls for me (and all my money), and we live and fish happily ever after.  Drinking Famous Grouse. …Fade out…. The End. (The crowd goes wild.) JR

"They," are the gutem & eatum boys.  THEY, want you to use garden hackle and sinful things like ‘indicators!’ (Perish the Thought!)  Then they want to catch you making out with that doll that’s been all Ginked up like a sweaty latin lover and print those pictures here on ROFF, heaven forbid!  Well, fear not J.R. because here comes Wayno, the barrister of all time to defend you. Naturally, his fee is going to be a case of Famous Grouse and as you sit there in handcuffs at the ROFF Conclave, we are all going to drink every bit of it while you watch.  But, again, fear not!  This Buds’ for you. (This group isn’t THAT cold hearted pal.) ; )  Don’t you just love it here J.R.? We sure enough love you. Happy New Year.  Remember always –  After midnight when you’ve got her all sauced up – ‘gink keeps it up’ oh my gosh, did I say that? whew!  Doesn’t get any better then this. HAPPPPPPPPPPYYYYYYYYYYY New Year J.R.! fade out because I just passed out. — George Gehrke All Writings

Question:

I want to get a book that contains fly fishing knots for both fresh and salt water use. I know that lefty kreh and mark sosin have a book out called practical fishing knots and practical fishing knots II. What is the difference between these books. which one is better for fly fishing knots? any response would be appreciated.                                 Dave

Response:

Practical Fishing Knots II is the 2nd edition of Practical Fishing Knots. It’s an excellent book. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I want to get a book that contains fly fishing knots for both fresh and salt water use. I know that lefty kreh and mark sosin have a book out called practical fishing knots and practical fishing knots II. What is the difference between these books. which one is better for fly fishing knots? any response would be appreciated. Dave

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No offense to Lefty and Mark, they are tops. However, their books on knots, while best sellers are sort of twisted. Just try tying a Bimini twist for the first time with one knee as stated in their instructions. You can get better basic info for the majority of knots for free by writing Ande Monofilament, 1310 53rd St. West Palm Beach, FL 33407…. Much better instructions. Bob Elliott, Rochester, NY (no connection to Ande) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I want to get a book that contains fly fishing knots for both fresh and salt water use. I know that lefty kreh and mark sosin have a book out called practical fishing knots and practical fishing knots II. What is the difference between these books. which one is better for fly fishing knots? any response would be appreciated.                                 Dave

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 Knots on the Web (Peter Suber) is a great site with eveything you could ever want to know about all kinds of knots.  It’s one of those pages that makes you say "WOW, I had no idea THIS many people were fascinated by KNOTS!"   From there, you can find specific pages that meet your needs and interests.  Try using your browser to search the page for the word "fish" if you don’t feel like scan the page manually for fishing-related knot pages.  There are several that are fly fishing-specific. In case your news reader doesn’t support html, the URL is: http://www.earlham.edu/~peters/knotlink.htm Hope it helps, Joe Bollinger – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I want to get a book that contains fly fishing knots for both fresh and salt water use. I know that lefty kreh and mark sosin have a book out called practical fishing knots and practical fishing knots II. What is the difference between these books. which one is better for fly fishing knots? any response would be appreciated.                                 Dave

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Question:

We’re looking to go fishing in Spain next spring. Having given up on the guide books I am keen to find out if anyone has been or knows of  any places to go to etc. Thanks James

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We’re looking to go fishing in Spain next spring. Having given up on the guide books I am keen to find out if anyone has been or knows of  any places to go to etc. Thanks James

James… I met a Spanish trout fishermen on the internet who may be able to give you some leads. His name is Paco…and he can be reached at If you go, let me know. Bob

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Question:

Hi all, Just thought I’d let everyone know that I caught my first trout ever on a fly rod yesterday. Man, what a thrill. Although I’m basically a "live-bait on a spin reel person", I’ve messed around with my "fly outfit" the last couple of years. Never had much success until yesterday though. Not a bad sized rainbow either. Around 11". Oh well, I’m sure this is no big deal to most of you but I just had to tell someone. Everyone in my family has no clue as to what it’s like. I figure you all do. See ya on the streams!!!!! Tom

Congratulations on the first trout on a fly! Got mine last summer.  Went t some state parks in southeast Minnesota in mid august.  Caught my first on a #12 Wolly Bugger a 12"Rainbow. caught the rest – a total of 14 browns from 8-13 inches mostly on my own design— a kind of peacock and guinea soft hackle that looks like a small minnow when wet.  Don’t know what to call it. Biggest thrill was casting about 40 ft across the river at Forrestville, having a 12" brown jump out of the water with the fly in its mouth, run half way across the river to me and do a double flip 10 feet in front of me!  Talk about getting hooked on fly fishing!  WOW! I will be going back this year to MN or Wisconsen to repeat the fun! Good luck, Ken — Remove NO-SPAM- from return address to e-mail me. Sorry, but this is to discourage spammers and auto junk mail generators. Ken Wells "When In Doubt….Go fishing."

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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi all, Just thought I’d let everyone know that I caught my first trout ever on a fly rod yesterday. Man, what a thrill. Although I’m basically a "live-bait on a spin reel person", I’ve messed around with my "fly outfit" the last couple of years. Never had much success until yesterday though. Not a bad sized rainbow either. Around 11". Oh well, I’m sure this is no big deal to most of you but I just had to tell someone. Everyone in my family has no clue as to what it’s like. I figure you all do. See ya on the streams!!!!! Tom Tom, Nice going with the first trout…I am also relatively new (<2 yrs) and enjoy hearing about people and fly fishing. Of course the next step done this road-to-ruin is fly tying….no rush, take your time, but getting your first trout on a fly you tird is also outstanding…. As you can probably tell, I’m consumed by this experience called fly fishing….if I only didn’t have to work…… — John Carney          Fly Fisher & Parrot Head (NO-SPAM in address to avoid spamming)

And I’ll bet that, just for a minute or two, while you were landing thiat first trout, you considered throwing away ALL your baitcasting and spinning gear.  Welcome to the Club!! Mac McCaskill

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Trout hit my first two casts hard, and kept hitting every type of dry fly I used aggressively all day. I missed a ton of good strikes (sure could use some advice on setting the hook correctly),

Tom; You note that you missed these aggressive strikes.  That happens because (often) an aggresively striking wild fish is hanging-out under/around some current somewhere near the bottom.  He sees your fly (food) and shoots up, slamming the fly and zips right back down to the bottom as fast as a Rattle-snake strike.  Well, unlike a natural fly, yours has a leader attached to it.  I’m sure that you have noticed how much force water can exert on your line.  This happens with the fly.  The drag of the tippet can pull the fly from the fish’s mouth, or cause him to "spit it out" before you can set the hook.  I have noticed this a lot recently while fishing emergers during the sulfur hatch.  WHACK!… nothing. Jason Beary

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Congratulations on the first trout on a fly! Got mine last summer.  Went t some state parks in southeast Minnesota in mid august.  Caught my first on a #12 Wolly Bugger a 12"Rainbow. caught the rest – a total of 14 browns from 8-13 inches mostly on my own design— a kind of peacock and guinea soft hackle that looks like a small minnow when wet.  Don’t know what to call it.

A bug. John Fereira

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[snipped] Just thought I’d let everyone know that I caught my first trout ever on a fly rod yesterday.

[snipped] Well done Tom!  Nice innitt? On a more serious note(!)  You are now in danger of becoming the best Definition: The best angler in the world = whichever angler at that given instant in time is enjoying themselves the most. richard

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Congratulations Tom, I too caught my first, a 14" Brown, on Wednesday in the Clear Fork river (Ohio).    It was a store-bought fly, but that didn’t make it any less exciting.   Like you, nobody around me has any clue what its like. Bob  

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Hi, Congratulations. I had the same problem,  so I bought my fiance her own kit,  now she joins me on all the trips,  and the best is that she is not using my expensive rods. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey Tom: <<Oh well, I’m sure this is no big deal to most of you but I just had to tell someone. Everyone in my family has no clue as to what it’s like. I figure you all do. It is a "big deal". The outdoor learning process can sometimes be frustrating when there is no father, brother, aunt or uncle to answer your questions or share your experiences. So…, thanks for taking the time and sharing with us. Congratulations! Tight lines, Joe

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Congratulations, Seems just like yesterday … so many years now. Next will be that monster brown on a fly you tied.  Nothing beats the feeling of a first anything.  I don’t know about others on ROFF but there is still nothing like splash of an eager trout or the slurp of the grandfather of all trout. That’s just a feeling that never gets old. Corey http://www.ncweb.com:80/users/crbock/

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Hi all, Just thought I’d let everyone know that I caught my first trout ever on a fly rod yesterday. Man, what a thrill.

Just wanted to drop my 2 cents in, too. I fished the Great Smoky Mountain National Park last weekend, doing some very deep, hike-in mountain stream fishing, and had the best day of dry fly fishing in my short (about 1 year) career fly fishing. Trout hit my first two casts hard, and kept hitting every type of dry fly I used aggressively all day. I missed a ton of good strikes (sure could use some advice on setting the hook correctly), but I did bring in an 11-inch wild mountain rainbow. My God, what a fish this was! Never seen that kind of coloring before. These fish are naturally reproducing, wild trout (even though their ancestors were imported to the area and stocked until the 1970s). Even so, this guy fought hard, jumped at least 12 times, and left me speechless at having takien my first wild trout in such a beautiful setting. For you Midwestern FFers, I have a story on FFing in the Smokies coming up in the summer issue of Midwest Fly Fishing magazine that provides local contact numbers and other information. E-mail me off-list if you want more information. Dave McCarty

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Hey Tom:

<<Oh well, I’m sure this is no big deal to most of you but I just had to tell someone. Everyone in my family has no clue as to what it’s like. I figure you all do. It is a "big deal". The outdoor learning process can sometimes be frustrating when there is no father, brother, aunt or uncle to answer your questions or share your experiences. So…, thanks for taking the time and sharing with us. Congratulations! Tight lines, Joe

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Hi all, Just thought I’d let everyone know that I caught my first trout ever on a fly rod yesterday. Man, what a thrill. Although I’m basically a "live-bait on a spin reel person", I’ve messed around with my "fly outfit" the last couple of years. Never had much success until yesterday though. Not a bad sized rainbow either. Around 11". Oh well, I’m sure this is no big deal to most of you but I just had to tell someone. Everyone in my family has no clue as to what it’s like. I figure you all do. See ya on the streams!!!!! Tom

Tom, Nice going with the first trout…I am also relatively new (<2 yrs) and enjoy hearing about people and fly fishing. Of course the next step done this road-to-ruin is fly tying….no rush, take your time, but getting your first trout on a fly you tird is also outstanding…. As you can probably tell, I’m consumed by this experience called fly fishing….if I only didn’t have to work…… — John Carney          Fly Fisher & Parrot Head (NO-SPAM in address to avoid spamming)

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Hi all, Just thought I’d let everyone know that I caught my first trout ever on a fly rod yesterday. Man, what a thrill. Although I’m basically a "live-bait on a spin reel person", I’ve messed around with my "fly outfit" the last couple of years. Never had much success until yesterday though. Not a bad sized rainbow either. Around 11". Oh well, I’m sure this is no big deal to most of you but I just had to tell someone. Everyone in my family has no clue as to what it’s like. I figure you all do. See ya on the streams!!!!! Tom

Response:

Hi all, Just thought I’d let everyone know that I caught my first trout ever on a fly rod yesterday. Man, what a thrill. Although I’m basically a "live-bait on a spin reel person", I’ve messed around with my "fly outfit" the last couple of years. Never had much success until yesterday though. Not a bad sized rainbow either. Around 11". Oh well, I’m sure this is no big deal to most of you but I just had to tell someone. Everyone in my family has no clue as to what it’s like. I figure you all do. See ya on the streams!!!!! Tom

didja et it…? — TimW Halfordian Golfer

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Question:

I AM GOING TO MAGDALENA BAY LAST FEW DAYS OF OCYOBER FIRST FEWE OF NOV.  I AM A FLY FISHERMAN .  ANYONE HAVE ANY EXPERIENCE THERE ? WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT ?

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Michael You’re likely to encounter anything in Mag Bay – yellowtail (in the south end), halibut, corvina, bass, pargo, and some snook. Clauser minnows in blue/white and green/white, and any deep running flys in all white should work well. Fish a shock leader, everything there has teeth. Get your fly as close to the mangrove roots as possible, sink it two feet and retrieve with one foot strips, 2 second intervals. Where fouling is less possible, fish something heavy along the bottom. A 6/7 wt rod should be plenty. Try to catch the last hour of the flood and first 2 hours of the ebb. If you fish Lopez Mateos, ask for Sergio Tapia. He’ll take you out in his panga at a very reasonable rate – a great fisherman and a fine person. Mention me, I was almost his brother-in-law (cunyado) ! BTW, 4 years ago, there was a 200 lb. jewfish living under the dock at the town cannery ! I hooked him once (no, not on a fly rod !) and he wrapped me around a piling faster than I could get the reel in gear ! No great surprise there – a fast, TOUGH fish. Let me know if you need more, I lived there for 5 years. Dave Martin

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Question:

I’m building an 8 ft, 6 weight, 3 piece fly rod. I haven’t been able to find any guild spacing charts that cover this variety. Anyone have any experience with this? I’m also interested in the component types and sizes that you use.

Call the company that made the blank, and speak to one of their rod builders.  They will tell you the spacing for that rod, and it will be more accurate than any generalized formula.  Then, if you want to be really sure, tape the guides on and test before you do any wrapping. CQ

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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m building an 8 ft, 6 weight, 3 piece fly rod. I haven’t been able to find any guild spacing charts that cover this variety. Anyone have any experience with this? I’m also interested in the component types and sizes that you use. Thanks, Don All MEASUREMENTS are in INCHES from the tip down. This example is for 1 stripping and 8 snake guides. TIP 4 8 14 21 29 37 45 and a half 54 65 (stripping) You might also consider picking up a book on rod making, this will ensure that you tune your rod for the best performance. In addition, don’t be afraid to add 1 or 2 snake guides, this will give you better line control, and increase your distance on your cast. You Also find that, mending your line on the water is alot better too.For components, I would probably use standard snake guides and ceramic stripping guides, and a chrome tip top. Talk to a fly shop for these components, or tackle dealer. They can set you up with the right ones that you need. One warning though, some of SCSI, or fuji guides are expensive…….O.K  Neil

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Last time I had trouble with the guide spacing the guide was me and I floated into a sweeper tree and replaced everybody’s hat with a large, pissed-off water spider. Dave

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Contact Blue Ridge Rod Company at (410) 224-4072. Their catalog has a guide psacing chart for rods from 6′6" to 10". Good source of info in general. Good wrapping! Tom – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m building an 8 ft, 6 weight, 3 piece fly rod. I haven’t been able to find any guild spacing charts that cover this variety. Anyone have any experience with this? I’m also interested in the component types and sizes that you use. Thanks, Don

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I’m building an 8 ft, 6 weight, 3 piece fly rod. I haven’t been able to find any guild spacing charts that cover this variety. Anyone have any experience with this? I’m also interested in the component types and sizes that you use. Thanks, Don

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Don:      The guide spacing charts are okay for starters, but you really want to try the "fit" before you actually wrap them. I use masking tape to hold them in place and then actually cast the rod to see how it sets up. When flexed, you don’t want too much of an angle between the guides, and conversely, you also do not want too many guides, as they will slow the line down. Also, an oversized stripping guide may improve the line flow when casting. Try it first, and then do your wrapping. Good luck! – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m building an 8 ft, 6 weight, 3 piece fly rod. I haven’t been able to find any guild spacing charts that cover this variety. Anyone have any experience with this? I’m also interested in the component types and sizes that you use. Thanks, Don

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I’m building an 8 ft, 6 weight, 3 piece fly rod. I haven’t been able to find any guild spacing charts that cover this variety. Anyone have any experience with this? I’m also interested in the component types and sizes that you use. Thanks, Don

Don: The Dale Clemens book on rod building has formulas which will get you close to the correct spacing.  You could also take a tape measure into a local flyshop to get measurements off a factory rod.  Initially, you will want to tape the guides on, then string the rod up to give it a ’stress test’ ( i.e. anchor the butt against a wall or have someone hold it while you bend the rod with the line as if a fish were on ).  Adjust the guide positions to minimize the distance between the line and the rod.  You may find that an extra guide is needed, especially near the tip.  ( This test is a good idea even if you have the factory recommended spacing for your blank. ) Also, while the guides are taped on, take the rod out and cast it to see how it feels.  At this point you can experiment with the position of the stripping guide by putting it as far up the rod as it will go before you start getting ‘line slap’.  The higher up it is, the less drag you’ll have. As far as component size goes, consider using guides a little larger than normal as suggested by LA Garcia.  This is especially important with the stripping guide.  Your rod may not look as sleek as factory rods, but you’ll cut down on drag through the guides when you’re casting. Good luck! Dave Welch

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Don, According to a guide spacing and sizing chart I received from Powell Rod Co. you would need  two 1/0, three 1, one 2, one 3, one #8, and one #10. Spacing is by inches from the tip top to the toe of the rear foot of each guide. 5", 10", 16", 23 1/8", 30 1/2", 38 1/4, 46 1/2", 55 1/2", 66 1/4". If this spacing doesn’t work out for you, usually the rod blank manufacturer can supply you with a spacing chart. Good luck to you. Shad Sterzick Gulpers Fly Fishing Outfitters http://www.xmission.com/~gulpers – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’m building an 8 ft, 6 weight, 3 piece fly rod. I haven’t been able to find any guild spacing charts that cover this variety. Anyone have any experience with this? I’m also interested in the component types and sizes that you use. Thanks, Don

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Question:

Can anyone explain the secret to working with deer hair?  I can ty most other materials reasonably well, however the secret of working with deer hair escapes me.  I’ve had it demonstrated in classes, and have read various books – maybe there’s a simple trick I’m missing – what’s the magic? Thanks in advance, Jon Kreski — EDP Auditor 3 yrs experience (8 yrs Internal Audit)  -

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Can anyone explain the secret to working with deer hair?  I can ty most other materials reasonably well, however the secret of working with deer hair escapes me.  I’ve had it

Classical answer is: — on bare metal shank (i.e. slippery;  thread coverage inhibits hair’s spinning uniformly) — place cleaned pinch of hair (fluff removed) — take not one but two turns of thread — initially loose, not tight — then tighten decisively, with a firm continuous pull. This should cause the hair to spin reasonably uniformly.  If so, then you can see about packing the whole rearwards with thumbnails, winding thread back and forward through the packed hair for extra firmness, etc. — |  Donald Phillipson, 4180 Boundary Road, Carlsbad Springs,  | |        Ontario, Canada, K0A 1K0, tel. 613 822 0734         |

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Can anyone explain the secret to working with deer hair?  I can ty most other materials reasonably well, however the secret of working with deer hair escapes me.  I’ve had it demonstrated in classes, and have read various books – maybe there’s a simple trick I’m missing – what’s the magic?

Hi Jon The trick in working with deer hair is the material being matched to the job.  If you are tying wings and tails you need one type of hair and if you are spinning the hair you need another type Wings & Tails – best hair is located on the hide along the back bone, the shoulder, and the rump.  In small packages this hair is best recognized by the dark grey color in the center part of the hair fibers. Spinning – best hair is located on the hide down on the rib and belly.   This hair is best recognized by the light grey color in the center part of the fiber. Tight Lines Al Beatty BT’s Fly Fishing Products Bozeman, MT (96 catalog)

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try wrapping loosely first slippin it in between yer thumband forefinger of the hand that yer holding the hair.  do this twice, successfully tighten and then buckle down.  Remember u can rebunch it and slide it back around the shank. stack it baby. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Can anyone explain the secret to working with deer hair?  I can ty most other materials reasonably well, however the secret of working with deer hair escapes me.  I’ve had it demonstrated in classes, and have read various books – maybe there’s a simple trick I’m missing – what’s the magic? Thanks in advance, Jon Kreski — EDP Auditor 3 yrs experience (8 yrs Internal Audit)  -

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