Conor

I don't usually use the tips of marabou. I'll tie it in long and rip a few chunks off (with fingers) to length. You can use less marabou to get the same tail bulk, which helps keep the butt end of the body less bulky. Great bugger for a newbie. Keep at it.

The blues and most of the bass just move through on migration. Probably starts in May, definitely June, and continues through the summer. Fall would be just resident bass (big and picky), not sure about winter. It was just awesome. I hooked that blue at about 20ft. Saw him suck the crab back then peel the fly line off the reel. Through some head shaking jumps in once I got him back close. Can't wait to get back out for another 'family' vacation.

Did some flats fishing this past week. Nothing but sand and water for miles. Knee deep flats fishing crab patterns to picky fish. Permit? Tarpon? Nope. Stripers and bluefish on the Monomoy Island Flats, Cape Cod Massachusetts. I was blown away by the fishery. We were the only anglers on the flats and saw over 500 fish with a few dozen solid opportunities. Too bad I suck. I caught a small bass, as well, but didn't get a pic (early in the morning). Missed a half dozen good takes, too. Fish were really picky. Lots of nose turning. Definitely worth checking out if you're in this neck of the woods. I used a walk and wade guide named Randy Jones; he was top notch and has been out there every summer for 25 years. Big tides so safety is important.

I'd recommend using a brand that specializes in blanks. If you get a big brand name, you will get a great blank, but you will pay for the name. If you want to go high quality, the two mentioned here are great options. I've never tried CTS, but I have heard nothing but great reviews for both CTS and DanCraft Fiver Rivers blanks. You can probably find a blank to try at the shops mentioned to get a feel for what you want. The DanCraft Fiver rivers FT are absolute cannons. Try a 4 and 5 wt with a 6wt line before you build one up. I have a 10ft 5wt you could try. I like a 6 or 7 wt line on it, and I go up to an 8 without really bottoming it out (shoots like a gun with 30ft of 8wt out). Going the brand name route is not a bad option, just more pricey. You know you can try the rod blank before building, and you will end up with a rod with better quality components and a personal touch for a similar investment to a factory rod.

On the topic, I have to sign in every time on the same computer using Mac OSX/Safari. What up with that?

I like K-lakes a lot. But they are good fisheries as they are, and they are super accessible and covered in campgrounds. I think they are a better resource for everyone as they are. I'd love to see them managed as quality fishery, for myself, but they are just too good a resource for the casual anglers. Maybe just one of the lakes managed for quality would be a good compromise. Lower is already a quality lake. Trout numbers could be better. How about low socking and C&R on Lower, and leave Upper as is.

Water weighs nothing in water. A life jacket will float you for sure. No difference in weight, it is just harder to swim around in full waders due to the bulk. I wear an inflatable pfd when in a tube, most times. In warmer stillwater I don't often bother. I'd like to get one that activates with pressure for when in floating rivers.

Maybe I'm old fashioned... Asking local fisherman about public knowledge locations will get the info one needs. It's not hard, and that is how relationships form. Talking to people. The person asking may learn a thing or two along the way. If talking is not your thing, the backroads map, Barry Mitchell's fishing guide and google earth (sometimes all at once ) have given many hours of pleasant winter evenings. Between the three all the info you mentioned is there. I've found some real gems with those resources. I'm a huge Mapsource fan, but I think the list your thinking of is a bit redundant. I bet most of the average Joes out there looking for a fish pond would stumble on paper resources before they found a Mapsource file. Maybe Google Earth would be more accessible than all of the above.

I know Holesshot has already found this one, but for other people reading this thread... www.rodbuildingforum.com The building/maker crowd is a bit more active on this site. Clark's has some great stuff, though.

Do you mean the flies come unraveled, or off the tippet?

Don sent down a bunch of cane for three guys (including me) a few years ago. Only one showed. I have some I could spare.

Very cool. Will you have some demo rods to try out? I've never had a chance to cast a CST. Heard great things about them.

I thought I had gout. Same deal as you last year with my big toes. Turns out it is psoriatic arthritis (is this what you meant by SRA, Pipestone?). My father dealt with gout the last half of his life, but, looking back, it was more likely psoriatic arthritis. Just pointing out that if you have a an itchy scalp and a fat toes, don't let a Dr. tell you it is gout without a second opinion. My father's Dr. was a quack. He was dealing with kidney stones, and his Dr. told him it was the Clap. He didn't know what the clap was, and came home and anounced he had the Clap. Ha! Quite a scene. My mother did not find it as funny as it was. He passed a stone a few days later, which got him out of the dog house. (Shameless promo) My wife is a private dietician and has done a few gout consults. If you're feeling overwhelmed by the diet change, she could help. We're in Calgary but make it out to the Hat regularly to see family. 10% discount to you because you fly fish!

Tomatoes grow plenty while flowering. The last thing you want to do in Alberta is delay fruiting.

I liked the other poll about number of patterns. Got me wondering how many flies I carry on an average day. This spring I got a new dry fly box, and I unloaded the old one to get rid of the junk and re-organize (by the way, a small cube ice tray worked great for this job). I was shocked to find I had 2-300 flies in the box. I usually carry a dry box, a caddis box, a nymph box and a streamer box. That is on a random in-season day, not when I'm out chasing hatches or winter nymphing etc. I'll bet I'm in the >500 category. Silly. I'll give a rough count before I vote. I recommend you do too. You'll be surprised how quickly they add up.

Man. I hope you guys don't carry too many patterns. Say you have 12 patterns, 3 sizes, 3 colors- thats 648 flies! I prefer to carry more patterns than 12. I probably carry 6 or so of my favorites in each pattern (maybe 4 patterns in that category), maybe each size, maybe each color. But I have a ton of patterns in my box that I have just one or two of each size, random colors. I guess I'm a bit of a pack rat; you'll never know when you'll need something. I guess I kind of like the idea of paring down to just the basic patterns, but I am not even close to that organized. The pack rat thing, too. This winter I started tying a dozen at a time. Worked well. But I don't load them all at once.

Try sharpening the worm hook and setting harder. It is not easy to set a big worm hook into a fish.

I found some bead containers from Michael's that are perfect. They have about 18 or so small compartments that have individual lids and sloped sides. Golden.

I use a tool box and organize materials in zip locks and hooks, beads, tools in plastic hobby boxes. Vise with a wooden mount and wrapped in bubble wrap. Works great.

Lornce- I see two styles of thorax bwo out there in the internets. One is a standard hackle trimmed flush, the other looks like it has a snow shoe hare post with a bunch of cdc loose wrapped for hackle. Which one are you using? I tend to like a standard para pattern in #16-18 for olives and either a Griffith's or hackle stacker midge in #18-22 (one usually works when the other doesn't, for some reason). Never had much luck fishing bigger than they are eating, but I am starting to suspect most people find fish rising in faster water than I usually look. Gotta check out some new water, I think.

Although I've caught them to 26-7", my biggest, both brown and rainbow, on the bow were 24"ers. A big 24" can really dwarf a snake 27". Now, who's got a picture of a +30" bow river trout? No bull trout, brian. .

If you chop up the underfur and mix it with dubbing it has a great effect. I don't think it is hollow at all; not the patch I have, at least. It is hard to cut it with decent scissors. Super durable and a little translucent. It is my favorite streamer fur, but I don't really use it that often. I have some issues with the harvest of apex predators, so I don't think I could bring myself to buy it. I am dreading the day I run out!

Highly recommended BBT. It is a serious fishing craft. Moves well in the water, tracks well, and it is stable enough to stand on in still water. I can throw it on my back and hike in, as well. I have had some issues with glue failures, but my boat is more than 15 years old, and made in New Zealand by a previous company owner. The current owners offer a lifetime warranty on that stuff. Not sure what sort of oars come with them now, but mine needed upgrading. I've heard that BassPro carries them.

Since you're a big guy and interested in packing plenty of gear, pay close attention to weight capacity. I wouldn't settle for anything less than 500lb if I were you. Ideally, you should stay well below your boat's capacity. The Scadden style boats, and boats like Watermaster have inherently higher weight capacities. I have a watermaster, and I would recommend it.

One time I drove way down south to a cutty stream in the middle of nowhere, as far as my little 4x would take me. I was on a solo fishing trip for a few days. But, sure enough, as soon as I get started fishing I see two anglers coming up from behind me, fast. In the middle of nowhere. These to guys had the NERVE to insist on pool hopping with me upstream in MY water! Then, they had the NERVE to feed me barbecue back at their truck, invite me to camp with them, insist I drink all their scotch, and insist I fish with them the next day. My solo fishing trip was completely ruined. As I tell my toddler several times a day, "it is more fun to share." You'll find plenty of guys out there who never learned that lesson, and a lot of this etiquette stuff is to avoid pissing them off.