speaking of fishing

“I may be wrong on this, but I think dry flies stay on the surface of the water, were as the wet flies sink.


Where are the fly fishermen?”

“Logic would dictate an explanation like that, but for all we know it could have something to do with how they're tied.



Well, dry flies, them's the ones you tie when you're sober. Wet ones, well them's the ones you tie when you're drunk. Yee haw!”

“I'd still rather catch fish than flies.”

“zac is 'xactly right. wet flies are used to imitate little fishies and bugs and such underwater.

dry flys are used to imitate little buggers sitting on the surface.

this info can be useful to spin casters like zac, b/c if you know a certain creek is great for wet flies (like the esopus), then it's usually also very good for spinner baits.”

“more info on the esopus from GORP for zac

In mid autumn, some large rainbows and browns ascend from Ashokan Reservoir and are taken occasionally by anglers. Browns spawn in the fall so that makes sense. Why the spring-spawning rainbows come up the river in autumn is not clear. Rainbows are known to spawn as early as January, here and elsewhere, so the autumn specimens may just be the vanguard of that run. In any case, local experts up that way inform me that mid-October to mid-November is the best part of autumn if you want to try for an outsized, lake-run fish.


how dare you call yourself a fisherman if outsized, lake-run, natural rainbows don't intrest you ?”

“Had a great lunch! Fried catfish, coleslaw and hot pepper rings! Yum!”

“http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/horizontal-item.jhtml?id=0029773314526a&navAction=push&navCount=1&indexId=cat370004&podId=0029773&catalogCode=IF&parentId=cat&parentType=&rid=&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fcatalog%2Fitem-link.jhtml_A&_DAV=&hasJS=true



cabelas stowaway travel flyrods on sale.

personally i prefer a rod w/ a warantee, but for $80 you can't go wrong.

if you're thinkin of trying out flyfishin, this is a good time.”

“My uncle got a nice little combo that is a three piece and he didn't like the three piece part so he gave it to me. I've been looking for a nice panfish fly package and a nice bass package but haven't found any yet. Any idea where the best place for fly packages is?”

“Between their legs?”

“Wrong package!”

“nigal, that 8'6" 3wt for $85 from the link above would make a great panfish rod.

if you plan on mainly hitting places you can drive to then one of these two piece rods would be great and they come w/ a lifetime warranty, 6 wt would prolly be best for bass-

http://www.jprossflyrods.com/adams.php


unless you're gonna be fishing for steelhead or salmon then personally i would not recommend a package. instead, spend your money on the rod, then a decent fly line. then go to walmart or ebay and buy an el-cheapo $10 reel.

you can prolly find a pflueger medalist reel for $10 and you'll never notice the difference.

with fly fishing for trout & panfish the reel is just a place to hold your excess line.
last edited: 2/23/05 10:20:37 AM”

“I have the rod and reel. What I want is a set of flies for panfish and bass.”

“cabellas has a good selection of bass and pan fish flys”

“I have the rod and reel. What I want is a set of flies for panfish and bass.”
Nigal


well lah-dee-fricken-dah
why don't i just shut the hell up then?



ya, cabelas has decent flys.”

“does anybody else flyfish in the winter?

i had some good luck this weekend.

”

“I used to, but there isn't enough action on most days to keep me interested. I've had a few decent days, but when it's cold the fish just rarely come up top to feed and I like dry fly fishing. I was going to give it a try again this winter, but then the snow came and I never got around to it. I'd rather just go hiking or snowshoeing and save the fishing for mid to late April when the water warms up. Around here March is one of the worst months to fish. Whenever snowmelt starts to enter the water the fishing just seems to really be slow or even dead.”

“i fish the san juan in winter, it's too crowded in the summer. i'm like Rich i like to dry fly fish.”

“did they come out that time?”

“i like dry fishing much better too. i'd rather catch 1 fish on a dry then 2 on a wet. but i'm lovin the tranquility of winter fishin.

it's so great to have a prime river all to yourself for an afternoon”

“That is a beautiful fish man! Good on ya!”

“which one? look closer, those are 3 different fish nigal :D”

“The first one. I've been itching to get the kayak out and do a section of river lately.”

“if your river's normally a popular one then get to it! the masses will be descending soon...”

“Very nice trout. There's nothing like catching a nice trout on a fly.

I usually fish unstocked backcountry streams so it's rare if I see anyone, even on opening day. Most people around here dip worms for meat so they go where the state stocks and aren't much interested in fishing catch and release streams. Not all backcountry streams around here are catch and release, but very few people ever bother to hike back to them and fish. I have one stream I've been going to for over 20 years and never saw one other person fishing it. Access to the bottom is difficult and is so grown in it's almost impassable in spots. It's worth it though, nice pools, nice trout, cool bugs, wildlife, silence and peace.
last edited: 3/04/05 3:31:03 PM”

“I remember you talking about fly fishing at FYAO. I'm in the process of learning. Congrats on the catch!

RichB, what you describe is the allure to me. Finding those secret spots that others are too lazy or simply not in the know to find. That's good stuff.”

“Some dudes found a lake sturgeon in the Niagara River. It was 7 feet 6 inches long, had a girth of 38 inches, was over 200 pounds and is estimated to have lived for over 100 years.

I just know there is a sturgeon out there that remembers the civil war times and millions of other sturgeon.”

“Artex, searching and finding special places to score trout in backcountry streams is all part of the sport to me. I get to combine hiking with fishing. When everything comes together you get the feeling like that movie where the guy finds some lost world. I'm always scouting around for good spots anytime I'm out hiking, mountain biking or whatever. Sometimes I'll follow small tributaries and look for fairly new or established beaver dams. When you find one that's not too old and has trout in it, it's like striking gold. Trout can get to a very nice size in beaver dams and chances are you are the very first person to cast a fly to them. It's not unusual for me to hike 6 miles or more in waders just following streams and fishing my way up. This is not just jumping out of a car and fishing for stupid, colorless, rubber trout the fish commission dumps in urban rivers.
last edited: 3/04/05 8:28:22 PM”

“OK, I've got my birthday money spent. All I need now is my birthday. LOL!





”

“fly fishing for bass.......could be fun”

“I also saw some streamers for pike and was very tempted but my rod will NOT handle a pike. LOL!”

“I also saw some streamers for pike and was very tempted but my rod will NOT handle a pike. LOL!”
Nigal



sure it will nigal. your tippet is the weakest link, not your rod. the size of your rod (huh huh, huh huh) affects the size of your flies and the general fishing conditions -i.e., short light casts with delicate presentations vs. throwing big bushy flies into the wind.

once you hook a fish your tippet strength, luck, and your skillz will determine if you land it or lose it.”

“Wouldn't a pike just bite right through the tippet? I've seen pike cut through 20lb test mono with there teeth like a hot knife through butter.”

“good point lumber. I've never fished for pike without using a steal leader. Do they make special tippets for pike and walleye?”

“You can make a Bimini leader of monel soft stainless steel wire, but personally I've always just used 20 lb mono.

I would never use my trout rods (both cane, one Orvis and one Hardy) on pike, but I have used a fibreglass salmon rod with some success - many, many years ago.

A WF#7 or 8 is about right.

Tight lines,

Doug”

“Not a clue Nigal. I don't fly fish.”

“I meant WF#7 or 8S or F/S.”

“Good insight, RichB, thanks!

I'm getting a fly rod soon. I'm looking for a 6wt that I plan to use for trout and bass. I've already bought a fly tying kit, and have tied a few that actually seemingly came out okay.”

“Check out this sweet bass fly!

”

“as grem said, you can make your own with 20-50 pound mono, or you can buy what they call "shock tippets"”

“nigal, what weight is your rod? if it's heavy enough to throw those dalhberg divers in your first post, then it's heavy enough to take on a pike.”

“I think it might be a 6 weight.”

“hey nigal, you might wanna get some little nymphs too.

you can tie on one of these little guys so they trail behind a popper about 18-24".

often what happens is
1) a big bass is attracted to your popper but hesitates to come up the surface to get it then it grabs that cute little shiny nymph as a free easy snack below.

or 2) your popper attracts some smaller panfish like a decent crappie but it takes the easier, smaller nymph instead.

”

“Well I'll be danged1 I would have never thought about that. Thanks!”

“Tying your own flies is the way to go. It's much cheaper and part of the sport. You'll be a better fisherman and there's nothing like catching a fish on your own pattern. The first fish I ever caught flyfishing was on my own homemade fly. I still have the fly in my collection and never fished it again.”