Conor

Cool net. Does Udo carry bamboo stuff at that shop?

Gone, pretty much. The odd flow going by.

I was down by Carseland. I guess pike are part of the deal down there. I let her go, even though she looked like she had a 20" trout in her belly!

LOL. That is the exact opposite of bamboo. I think it was made at NASA. It is a rocket launcher. Cane doesn't cut it when it is gusting to 80kph.

Braved the wind today and got this chubby pikey. Never seen one so fat. Also got a PB rainbow. Not a great pic, but she was a hawg.

That's the idea. If you don't get there first, you leave or you take a walk PAST where the person ahead of plans to fish. It is not something someone deserves, it is common courtesy and etiquette. 126barnes- I'm talking small jump across-streams that don't see a lot of anglers, or hold very spooky trout. These streams can't be shared very well, unless you sit while your buddy fishes a pool, and visa versa. Plus, a lot of people go to these streams specifically to have some time to themselves. For Rivers like the Bow, Oldman, Liv, and even the Crow, this rule is clearly not feasible. Too many anglers to avoid sharing, and no real need to have water to yourself.

Thank you for posting that.

Different people have different standards of etiquette. Always talk to someone you hope to fish near. This will avoid most conflicts. When you approach them, though, stay away from the water and let them know you are coming as soon as you can. Spooking a hawg they have been resting will not win you any favors. Different rivers mean different etiquette, too. I have no problem asking someone to jump in on a run in the Bow, but on a small uncrowded stream, I'd consider it poor etiquette to fish less than a day's fishing above the direction I (or someone else) was headed if there was room for them (or me) ahead. When fishing smaller streams, it is also good etiquette to put a sign on the dash of your truck to indicate which direction you went (upstream/downstream), so the second vehicle to get there doesn't have to guess (or leave). I'd be interested to hear some stillwater etiquette.

Tiger eye blanks are from Sevier. Never tried them, but they have a pretty good following. I have heard they are bang on for line rating, so a WF7 should be a pretty good start (or a DT6).

Thanks. I never bring a rod when I am not planning on fishing. I may have to build a travel rod and put together a compact kit with the basics.

Good point, Eastman. The total focus of fishing is a big draw for me. At one point a few seasons ago I was putting in a bunch of very long days on the river, and my wife asked me, "what do you think about when you're fishing?" I couldn't answer at first. Later that evening the answer occurred to me. I said, "remember that question you asked...I think about fishing."

Carried from the "Dry Only" thread... As Brian put it in that thread, "the tug is the drug." I'd like to poke your brains for what keeps you heading back to the water. The "Dry Only?" thread got me curious about what part of fishing keeps people coming back. Note: I'm not looking for "just getting out" or "guy time" etc. as you can do both those things without a fly rod. Also, I think avoiding a debate over what is best about fishing is a good idea, as no one will win. "Catching more than my buddy" and "the voices in my head tell me too" are both valid reasons, so lets not give anyone a hard time. I may as well kick it off. The part of fishing that really gets my heart thumping and is what keeps me coming back, at this point, anyway, is the thrill of the take. The point when that nose pops up, or the indie shoots down, or the line twitches and you lift your rod to find your connected. That point that defines when your skills of observation and presentation are sufficient to fool the target. Sure there is the odd hot fish that really puts up an exciting effort to escape, but mostly I find myself wanting to get the fish in so I can hook another. I find that when I really pin them down and have a great day, I leave the water early and easily. I don't feel the need to get out again after a day like that either. When I get stumped, or close to it, I stay to the bitter end and I will likely be out the next day or as soon as I can. That is how I figured out what keeps me coming back. How about you?

Wow. A big show from the click pawl crowd. Good timing, too. A Princess just came up on Clark's for $150. Looks in good to very good shape. It is a pretty cool reel. Two screw line guard and LHW with a factory modification where the frame is removed from half the cage to allow for palming. Never heard of anything like it. Hopefully it will put my kids through college!

I'm hemming and hawing about a reel purchase. This reel will be mainly for the bow, with tippets from 6x to 3x. Will a good click/pawl be able to cover light tippets but still be able to lean on 3x? What is the start up inertia like compared to a good disc drag? I know you don't really need a high quality disc drag for trout, but you can run into some real screamers on the Bow from time to time, and I don't want to loose confidence in a big purchase. FYI- some I am considering are the Able TR, Abel Big Game, CFO or Battenkill (disc or click; older UK reels), J Ryall (it is tough to pass up deal), Ross Gunnison...maybe some others. Open to ideas in similar style/price range, as well.

And here are a couple favorites from last year:

Check out this thread for some awesome riser shots. This is a guy from New Zealand. He says he crawls around the willows all day to get shots like this: http://www.rodbuildingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=24138

I'd be interested to hear how it works out for you. I'd imagine it would be cheaper to pay freight from a shop that bangs off dozens of benches, but you never know. Have you considered modifying a writing desk with some Oasis type organizers? I'm sure you could find plenty of rolls tops, writing desks, and chests of drawers that would fit the bill. By the way, I'm very jealous!

Rick nailed it. Great post. I have a similar fishing history to Rick's, an I have met great anglers in every step. I met some real rooster suckers, too. I personally prefer to fish bamboo and dry flies to picky fish. That puts me dangerously close to what some of you might call elitist. But I'm not. Not one bit. I could care less what method another angler chooses to fish, as long as it is ethical and they are having fun. The dry fly elitist is a stereotype. Like most stereotypes there are plenty of good examples of it, but it doesn't make it true. There are elitists in all aspects of angling, whether it is the type of gear, quality of gear, method of fishing, etc. I think this is just a reflection of the number of people who think they are better than others, for any reason. As my grandfather used to say, "There are more horses asses in this world then there are horses."

I've been wondering this for a while, but I've never sorted it out myself. Does the rate of decent of a nymph make or break your presentation? For example, does a fly suspended under and indicator or greased leader make a more appealing offering than one sinking (whether fast or slow)? I've wondered this while sight nymphing, where an indicator has its drawbacks. Your experience?

I don't think you find many elitists in western anglers. Maybe the spey crowd lol I'd say it is more common out east, and certainly in the UK. I really think the name of this forum needs to change. How many threads have ended up in a debate over what a pro is and who is entitled to post here? And how many people in our members qualify as professional fishermen? Professional fishing guides, sure. But professional fishermen? Or it could just be removed. Most of the topics here fit well into the general forum.

Ebay sounds like a bad idea to me. There are a lot of guys out there throwing together rods and calling them custom (I guess they still are, but no better done then a factory rod). I'm sure there are some good builders on Ebay, but I would bet most are sub-par. Long standing, reputable builders (the kind you can call up 5-10 years from now about a broken guide and get an answer) do not need the extra work that a site like Ebay would provide. Take Dutchie up on his offer and use a reputable builder. You will get a rod that is far superior to a factory rod, with your own personal touches, for about than the cost of a factory rod. This is the point of getting a custom rod, right? If you are just looking to save some money on a Brand name rod, and your not too fussed about the cosmetics, build it yourself. You can get a Brand name blank and similar components for a good chunk less than you can get the factory rod. Whipping a rod is not hard; you can get it done in just a handful of evenings and with nothing more than a bobbin and a cardboard box and a couple borrowed tools (like a grip reamer).

Not all cane costs thousands. Check out this board every now and then and you will see plenty of nice cane rods for under $500. http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/f...lassifieds.html There have been a few up in the last few days, actually: http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/t...er-reduced.html http://clarksclassicflyrodforum.yuku.com/t...-rod-added.html

One more vote for WM. I have a very old model from when they started in NZ. I have had some glue seam issues, but the boat is >15 years old. Meh, I got it for $200 or $300. I talked to the present WM company about the issues. I guess the company has changed hands three time since then, so they couldn't really help me. Construction and materials have changed slightly since then. Be warned, though, a lifetime warranty is only the lifetime of the company. I would definitely buy another. They are so simple, and so effective. If you are thinking of doing a lot of hiking with it, get a packboard (external frame backpack for packing game quarters) and strap the dry sac to that. Also, I would look into the lighter weight model. I have a winter project this year of building a platform to sit on top of the tube for stillwater use. Cedar slats, a hole for a motor, a small kneeling chair, and anchor mounts. Hopefully I get around to it.

Check into warrantees, too. I went with Norlander originally because he offered a lifetime replace/repair warrantee and Ekitch only offered one year. Filling the Nor spools is easy; takes a few seconds and puts maybe 100 flys worth of thread on there. The biggest time waster is changing spools and threading the bobbins. That can only be solved by having more bobbins, which makes the Nor at $35 a more reasonable. There is a small cost associated with the Nor spools, but most people don't use dozens of thread types, anyway. Spool labeling (keeping track of denier etc) is my main problem with the Nor system. Pretty easy to eyeball it, though. headscan- the para post are easier because it is way easier to keep a light and constant tension on the post. I had trouble with them before I got the Nor bobbin.

I could see it helping with any vise. Definately more with a rotary as you pull the bobbin out of the way more, but even just a few inches of winding back takes some time. I think my Nor-bobbin is one of my best fly tying purchases. Makes a lot of things easier, not just back winding. Parachute posts and securing hackle wraps are a few off the top of my head. They are pricey, though. I'd like to see something cheaper come out. I'm not sure if that is feasible, but it seems a $100 is a bit high for the mechanism involved.