speaking of fishing

“Flyfishing is alot of fun and I have come to realize that catching fish really isn't the point in fly fishing, it's just a bonus. I have a St Croix 2-3 wt for mountian fishing and a st croix 8 wt for larger trout, bass and pike. I have also learned through trial and error that the line makes the difference. I use Scientific Angler Mastery series line for both rods and although it is expensive (60 bucks or more a spool) it makes all the difference in shooting the spool. I also drop a bead head off a dry fly for better results. Usually a Prince Nymph or Pheasant tail.”

“I like that Mastery Series line too with the AST coating. I think the last one I bought was the Ultra 3.

It's pretty cool hanging out and working the stream, but when I'm fishing I like to catch fish. I don't like getting skunked and it rarely happens on my local creeks. I don't necessarily have to catch a boatload everytime I go out, but I like some steady action when I'm out fishing.”

“LOL! I get skunked so often it really is an event when I actually have a good day.”

“I saw a program on TV tonight about the PA. Fish Commission implanting radio transmitters in some fish that were stocked. They want to find out how far the fish go after they were stocked due to complaints from fishermen that the fish aren't there weeks later when the season opens. They will track them twice per week and update results of the study until the fish are caught or meet some other demise. They had them out of the water for 5 minutes to do the surgery. I didn't think a trout could live that long out of the water, but I guess they can when given a sedative.
last edited: 3/13/05 9:40:16 PM”

“that sounds awesome rich. i wonder if they have something about it online somewhere?

i believe they did a similar study in new york a few years ago. not with radio collars, just numbered tags, and asked people to report them as they were caught and released.

if i remember right, some fish traveled miles away and some stayed right where they were dumped for years.
guess they're like people - some guys have a lot of wanderlust and some are homebodies.”

“They released a larger number of tagged trout too, but this was the first time I heard of trout being released with transmitters. The tags were much easier to put on and they just poked them into the flesh beneath the upper fin.”

“move out west guys the season NEVER ends”

“I was a seasonal wrangler for the GA DNR annual walking catfish rodeo/roundup in '91.

Those little buggers ain't so lasso friendly - lol! Not much neck, and slippery as all getout to boot.”

“LOL @ gojo!

Hi sarabelle!”

“Actually, I have a trout stream that is less than a mile from my house that's open year round and many of the lakes in the area are also open year round, but official season for the entire state starts April 1. Although I’ve never found the fishing to be very good until after all the snow melts.”

“Hay stobey!
(and ever buddy els)

The nother time when me and my daddy was walking in the woods and sleeping in the woods at Wendy Rivers mowntins at Wyodaho I seen my daddy GET A TROWT! with his fish getter.

I never did see no trowt be for! I was verry prepleckst! My daddy put the trowt (and some nother ones) by side the lake in a leetle puttel and I feelt sawry for the pore theengs because they did not have no legs. I got one in my mouf and taked it to my daddy and he sayed "LOL!"

Then he put them in my pakpak and I did not kno it but I smeld them when we was walkin in the woods some more in til we made a tent and a fire and got the ded trowts VERRY HOT and they was suppers and they was GOOOOOOOOD EETIN'!
(o:3”

“Welcome back 'Belle! Where have you been?”

“Hey Richb, sacco, Gremlin, and all of you other flyfisherman.... I'm looking to get into the sport. What do you think of the below rod and reel comb from LL Bean for me to start out with? I was thinking the 6wt, since I want to use it for trout and bass.

http://www.llbean.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?categoryId=20435&parentCategory=8091&cat4=2136&storeId=1&catalogId=1&langId=-1&feat=ssdpa2136”

“Artex looks like a good starter rod.i live about 45 min. from the san juan i nm and i have a blast catching 20" plus trout on a 6'-3" 4 wt. the 6 wt is fine but after a while you might want something with a more delacate presentation”

“I don't know about bass fishing with a fly rod, how heavy the flies are and what weight line is required to cast them. I also have no idea about the L.L. Bean fly rod. Bean has pretty good gear the their service is supposed to be the best.

My opinion on fly rods is to buy the best one you can afford and buy one that includes a guarantee against breakage no matter how it happens. Every rod I own is Orvis and I've been pleased with them and have easily caught thousands of trout with them. They have a 25 year warranty against breakage of any kind. My Orvis One Ounce snapped at the ferrule after 2 seasons of hard use and they sent me a brand new rod with case within two weeks. I also dropped my Orvis Battenkill reel and bent the foot. I contacted them and they sent me a new reel foot for free. Not everyone likes Orvis, but they've been good to me and I'm satisfied with their performance and customer service. You might want to check them out for a fly rod. I got my Orvis Silver label 664 for only $185. It has been fished often and hard and does a great job for a reasonable price. I'm pretty sure they would have something at a good price and weight that you would like. There's nothing like going to a fly shop and casting a few rods to compare them.
last edited: 3/14/05 2:02:37 PM”

“Good advice RichB. Yep, LL Bean's return policy rocks. I'll look into the Orvis Silver Label, however, that's nearly twice as much and my money is tight.

Deaddog - I've read that. If I really get into it, I'm sure I'll invest in other rods and reels. But for trout and bass, it seems 6wt is the way to go.”

“for bass i think a 6 weight is a good choice. bass flies are usually big weighted streamers and divers and you'll want a rod with some muscle to throw them.

i don't think that ll bean rod is a bad choice, but personally, i'd have to recommend this one instead.

it's right in your price range and come's with a no-fault lifetime guarentee and is handmade right here in upstate ny.

even comes with your own custom inscription and feather inlay.

only drawback is you'll still have to buy a reel, but as just about anyone will tell you, the reel is the LEAST important thing to spend money on, especially for trout and bass. if you were thinking about salmon fishing it'd be different, but you can prolly find a pflueger medalist reel for $10 to match this rod nicely.

http://www.jprossflyrods.com/adams.php
last edited: 3/14/05 3:58:30 PM”

“Thanks for the tip, sacco. Definitely food for thought. Much appreciated.”

“I was just over at the Orvis site and they no longer sell the Silver label rods. All the rods with a 25 year warranty seem to be over $250 in price. That fly rod Sacco listed seems pretty good with only a $25 dollar deductable for breakage in that price range.”

“Being a Wisconsin boy, I stick to St Croix rods. From the Imperial line on up they have a lifetime warranty against breakage. They now offer package deals that are pretty nice for under 100 bucks. For 80 dollars you can get a very nice package with rod, reel, line and backing, all pre installed. As you get better at it you can start looking at more expensive equipment. I bought my first rod about 15 years ago and it had the flex of a steel beam, the weight of a small pig, but it was a good beginner model and served me well till I snapped it in three peices one day on a kayak trip. Then I went to St Croix and will never go back. Start with a rod that is at least 8 feet long. It will help you learn to cast better. Later on if the streams you fish are small get a 7 foot 3wt. When you hook into a 13 inch Brookie with that it feels like a gigantic fish! There are so many ways to get into fly fishing and everyone is different, just get your stuff get out and do it and make your own way.”

“What material do you guys recommend? Keep in mind I'm in Maine, so the water in the streams is colder. Do you think I should go with neopreme? Or would rubbers suffice so long as I wore fleece pants or similiar underneath?”

“artex, if you wear "rubbers" with fleece beneath you wont feel a thing...”

“I use nylon hippers for most of my fishing because I'm on small streams. When it's colder I just supplement with fleece, polypro underwear and heavy socks and haven't had any problems with being cold. I have neoprene chest waders, but rarely use them. Most nylon waders have neoprene feet built in so I think that's the way to go unless you get fancy and get waterproof breathable, but they cost more. For backcountry fishing neoprene is heavy to carry in and too hot for walking around in warmer weather.”

“my travel rod is a st. croix also. it's a 4 piece 5 wgt. i'm happy with it, but i want one of those tiny 2 weights for little streams.


as far as waders:

my advice is to go with breathable waders. the cabelas brand breathables are an excellent value. they are waaaay more comfortable in the summer- and not that much colder in the winter. infact, i've been using them all winter long in the southern adrondacks where i live.
it's easier to wear an extra pair of thermals in the winter then it is to sweat your azz off in summer.”

“My friend really likes his breathable chest waders and says they work well. The 2 wt. rods are nice for small streams, especially for small flies size 14 on down. It's a blast catching a nice trout on a 2 wt. rod. The Orvis One Ounce is a good rod and very accurate with small flies. I had double taper line on mine, but switched to wt. forward Ultra 3 and it's really superb now. That gave it a little more strength to load the rod faster and work a little better in wind. I usually start using it heavily from June on when the creeks start getting low. Earlier and late in the season I like a 6.5 ft. 4wt. Orvis 664. They made a new version now in faster taper that looks interesting.”

“I watched Pennsylvania Outdoor Life on TV last night and they had an update on the trout with the transmitters in them. Only two brook trout were still in the original pool where they were released. One brown trout moved 3 miles downstream in 3 days. One moved all the way downstream to a larger river stayed at the mouth for a day and was later gone. All the rainbows had moved after a few days and now cannot be yet located after searching 79 miles of waterways to include all tributaries. Maybe next week they will find them.”

“Did a little preseason trout fishing this weekend in a local stream that's open year round. No luck. Most of the deep holes were still iced over. I can't wait for it to warm up so the trout start feeding.”

“Trout feed all the time. Right now they're eating nymphs: stonefly - big black and tiny black and hellgramites right on the bottom and on and under rocks.”

“Finally figured the photo thing out...LOL”

“I guess I meant to say, feed more aggressively. Although the stocked trout in the stream I was fishing don’t seam to hit or fight like natives do. Only 10 more days until I can start fishing more productive streams.”

“There is still snowmelt running into the local streams coming from the higher terrain so the water is really cold right now. As soon as it's all melted off and it warms up a bit I'm going out fishing. I still need to get a license and they raised the price this year and also increased the price of the trout stamp.”

“Here in Western WI we have great luck with Prince Nymphs and Bead Head Princes. Especially with brookies. Last year fishing a tiny lake in CO the brookies went nuts for them. Nymphing is alot of fun and usually pretty productive, but I guess I have to practice on my dry fly fishing for a trip to Wyoming....”

“Wow SuperT. I wonder if you could hike with that vest on an ultralight weekend trip? I know Patagonia used to make one like that. How much are those?”

“I was thinking the same thing...but 160.00 is a bit steep...”

“Features

Integrated, expandable backpack breaks new ground in vest design
Patent pending, “one-size-fits-most” adjustable shoulder and waist strap design
Padded, contoured shoulder straps for load-carrying control and comfort
Three large backpack cargo pockets
Expandable main cargo pocket on backpack
Two molded, “zip-down” fly benches with replaceable foam
Two water resistant pockets with taped seams and splash-proof YKK zippers
Six large front pockets
Four large interior mesh pockets on front
Gear attachment tabs, cord loops, and D-ring net lash
Hemostat keeper
Lightweight, durable 420 denier rip-stop fabric with padded air mesh lining
Built-in rod tube holder with compression straps
Interior hydration pouch/tube port (bladder not included

Volume
950 cu. in. (Backpack)
Item# WTP-SC (Slate/Carbon)
WTP-MC (Marsh/Carbon)
WTP-RF (Replaceable Foam)
Retail Price $159
$14 (replaceable foam - set of two)”

“zac, i've been having luck with woolly buggers all winter. you could fish them with a spinin rod even easier. pinch a couple of split shot with them and you could cast them.

caught a gorgeous trout on a fly that i tied myself.

a beautful brown buck (19") on a bead headed bugger. gotta a couple pics that i'll post tonight.”

““zac, i've been having luck with woolly buggers all winter. you could fish them with a spinin rod even easier. pinch a couple of split shot with them and you could cast them.
sacco
10:22:04 AM
3/21/05
ignore this user

I think I actually have a few of those in my tackle box. I'll have to try them out if I get a chance to get out this weekend. I was using mealworms (no one had any nightcrawlers) on a small jig, and bounced it off the bottom. All that produced for me was tree limbs from the bottom of the Kayaderosseras Creek. I really have fishing that stream, because you spend more time snagged and tying new hooks, than you spend fishing, but it’s the only stream open year round in my area.”

“caught my first trout on a fly i tied myself last weekend - and it was a doozy - a 19" golden brown beauty.

(the fly is 2 inches long)





”

“I've got the year old shrimp thawing and stinking and I'm off to get my license for the year. Cat fish beware! I'm outta here!”

“catfish and bullheads skeeve me out. i don't like using worms cause i might catch one and if i do i scream and fidget like a little girl.”

“I hate those creek chubs. They look like a small sucker, but will take dry flies.”

“ditto rich”

“Chubs the scourges of the trout stream.

Speaking of trout, I spent half the day fishing for them. My buddy pulled out a nice 12" brown.”

“I’m not fond of handling cat fish either. I just grab ‘em by the lip and stay way clear of them horns.”

“Bullheads are an excellent eating fish; they are just a pain in the ass to clean. As far as getting the hook out of their mouth, I just slide my hand from their body to there horns. This pushes their horns up and rests them next to my fingers. The horns actually help me keep a hold of the fish while I take the hook out. One thing to note is that this works on the smaller bullheads I’ve caught stream fishing. I don’t know how well it would work on the really large bullhead and catfish as I’ve never caught one over 14”.”

“Bullheads are an excellent eating fish; they are just a pain in the ass to clean. As far as getting the hook out of their mouth, I just slide my hand from their body to there horns. This pushes their horns up and rests them next to my fingers. The horns actually help me keep a hold of the fish while I take the hook out. One thing to note is that this works on the smaller bullheads I’ve caught stream fishing. I don’t know how well it would work on the really large bullhead and catfish as I’ve never caught one over 14”.”
lumberzac
9:39:49 AM




yuk.”

“Hey, I haven't been stung by one of their horns in years.”

“I got one hit yesterday and that was it. And I was using the big, stinky peel and eat shrimp which is a near perfect bait.”