nebc

I must say that the version presented by ggp seems potentially an improvement.

I have the lite version but am going to pick up the regular stuff. Unlike the Loon product Knotsense, the lite Bug Bond does not dry tacky at all which to me is important. As pointed out before it tends to hold its clear color as well, and I have seen no signs of yellowing. From the Davie McPhail videos on Youtube, I also noted it retains some flexibility so will bend a bit and not crack. This is of use for things like making caddis wings for one example, and does a decent job of making thorax covers tough. I tried my first buzzer patterns using it and found it very useful. For some minnow patterns i would guess that Clear Goo or the regular bug bond would both do very well.

I have had no issues with Daiichi 1730 sizes 14 to 10 straightening out. Fishing boatmen and leeches, hard hits, fish 5 to 15 pounds That said I really do like the Mustad C49s from size 14 on up. As to needing it to float, there are several issues there. At times fish are not taking near surface and a bit of float ability is good so I use the Jennings Ultimate Boatmen type body or just create one out of foam, then use it on a NON-Density compensating full sinking line so when I cast and let the line sink, there is a belly that will have formed in the center area. I then strip the fly in and in doing so, it first drops close to the bottom then rises as the line is pulled toward the boat. I also use weighted versions (tiny bit of flat lead at the bottom of the shank near the eye) in shallow water and let the boatman sink then strip it in with pauses. Certainly if fish are taking them on the surface that is the fun way to fish but all too often one finds fish full to nearly bursting with boatmen and backswimmers yet there is no surface action. It is times like this when one must do some thinking about how to entice strikes...

You folks saying this in point #2 have not seen the issues created when access is restricted to the public. . . an unused resource has no clout at all when it comes to protection from development by industry. You might think it is a good thing until yourselves and everyone else has forgotten there were values there that are long gone. I have witnessed this happen in many parts of BC and also in Alberta, and it is decidedly bad advice.

I use either size 14 or 18 swivels in black. They can be bought at Wholesale Sports and are shown in their catalog that you can download online. I use these mostly to add weight to get chironomids down.

your first, second and last ones are easy ties and will work... I recommend having eyes...use stick-ons and use epoxy to fasten them on as well as to cover the outside of them so they will last a lot longer.

I don't tan most hides but clean it well and take all meat and fat off then coat it in borax, changing the borax after a week and leave for around a month or so. I then hang them in a dry area and cut what I need as required. As to critters, Jack has nailed it perfectly. I also however sometimes nuke a small sample I will be using for 15 seconds or so anyway.

HA....next thing ya know it will be like Limited Entry hinting draws for everyone! Bet they would have done that if they had not got a lot of flack...

http://www.google.ca/search?q=thorax+style...ved=0CCAQqwQwAw

for starters, Try Google.ca "salmon runs and skeena"

I get mine from artbeads.com Low cost, good stuff and a pile of selections. Where I live it is not practical to visit a shop to look at them before buying all the time.

You are 100% correct here Jack

finally some common sense

They cannot go too far overboard on this without contravening - perhaps from ignorance or by purpose - the Federal Fisheries Act. To begin with I would: Try to determine what is actually being proposed, what the risks are, and what the Federal Government has agreed to, if anything, then refer the matter to the DFO Minister by way of individial phone calls of concern. Find out more about your water licensing system in AB. Things are becoming increasingly hard to figure out here in BC in this regard with respect to northern BC and water allocations, so take it very seriously with this news. THis may be a good forum to find information, but never think for a second all the ranting and raving this will result in on a forum like this will mean much unless you actually go after your local politicians and put the fear of lost votes on their tables. And I do not mean signed petitions, I mean get right in their face and express your concerns.

I have not tried the 2499 yet but have two questions for you for lakes. 1. Are you using a loop knot? 2. Do you have a tiny swivel about 18 to 24 inches above your fly? (here in BC we cannot use droppers so that was not an option to complicate things here) Using both these above improved both my hookups and retention using barbless hooks on size 16 to 22 chironomids last spring and was done on the recommendation from a successful chironomid fisher

Check the archives in Phil Rowley's new web site and you should be able to find his MOAL leech step by step. It is a good one, well done.

True, however I like thin threads that are a lot stronger, and have moved to Bennechi's products for a lot of stuff like Chironomids, dries, nymphs, microleeches. just that for some reason it is not all that easy to get it in all the colors i want right now. a 10 weight is surprisingly strong, however if you are using a poor bobbin with no ceramic insert and have it set too tight you will not get far with any light thread. I like the Nor-Vise automatic bobbins.

For steelhead and salmon I always have had my drag set tight enough to avoid a birds nest but on a solid hook-up tended to tighten using the drag up to a point and also palmed it a lot given I was usually able to use a heavier leader and tippet. Until this Xmas I had been using a SA model 78 reel on which the drag was always a bit sticky so I did not want to set it up so tight that it might be an issue. On lakes for pike, walleye and trout I tended to do the same but started with it a tiny bit tighter, as sometimes if fishing for pike in particular their first runs were pretty fast, plus I would be using a stronger leader and tippet. Lake rainbow with very clear water negates heavy leader/tippets so I tended to leave it set to just avoid a bird nest forming and palmed the reel a bit as needed ... With my new reel I would like to think I would prefer to use the drag more directly, but who can tell if I will do that, as years of doing it the old ways might have me reacting as I normally would ... but I just might change my habits fast if I were to lose a good one ...

In the same theme, back in the late 1950s to late 1960s i used to fish an almost inexhaustable creek that had a thriving brook trout population with fish up to 4 pounds but averaging around 3/4 to 1 pound. In recent years I went back and there are no brook trout or rainbow...just red sided shiners...worse yet there is barely any fish habitat left....water flows are almost not there at all any more. Logging in the surrounding watersheds in that small valley has done a more thorough job on those brookies than what I saw happening to the cutties on Vanc. Island.

That is a nice stone Jack.

Here you go... http://www.renzetti.com/product.php?produc...=257&page=2 I just used a needle that I heated up and bent to the shape i wanted.

The front of my drift boat has an area in front of the leg support that is quite useable to keep running line in while casting. Other than that I have often thought it would be a good idea but never used one.

That is one very clear photo

Do you find it is harder to keep a fish on when using these long streamer hooks? This was one reason I went to tubes for this kind of tie.

I like it Wolfie. I just wonder why you did not use an up-eyed salmon hook for it...