Rick

It is possible they are "Married and Miserable". Hope I'm not bursting your bubble there Mud Flap. Rick.

Hello and Merry Christmas to all. My family is bugging me for gift ideas and I know I would appreciate a tying lamp but I don't know what to look for. What are you fellow tyers using and are you happy with the arrangement? I stopped at Wholesale Sports tonight and they had nothing except magnifiers w/o a lamp. Thanks. Rick.

I think the two are very similar really. I'm referring to the actual material. Phentex is different in that it isn't a rope or cord. Phentex is a three strand twist of the same material but used for knitting. It is tuff as nails and not unlike antron (carpet) yarn. Some fly shops have it on little cards but may not call it Phentex cause You can buy a whole skeen for the same price as the little card they sell. It is outdated for sure but I have managed to collect a huge supply of it from the Sally Ann and such. It used to come in many colors as well. One other thing about it is somewhere along the way they changed the way it is manufactured. The older it is the easier it is to unwind the three strands. I find it difficult to unwind the new yarn that I bought at WalMart. If you try WalMart they may still carry it. Or ask some older ladies if they have some. You might be surprised. I use it for lots of bodies, parachute wing posts, trailing shucks and for strike indicators as it doesn't soak up water(water phobic). Great stuff for hoppers and stimulators. Rick.

Just a thought but why not use Phentex rather than Bonnie Braid? I have bought it at WalMart although I haven't tried in the past couple years. Rick.

Well actually.... "Sharkskin" waders are already a thing of the past. My first pair of breathables were called Sharkskin and made by Bare. They were very very poor quality and I only used them for a year and had Bare repair them twice in that year. Rick.

Hi to all. The discussion of Howards Hackle has me confused. Can anyone explain the difference between a saddle and a cape? I would have thought they were one in the same but I now think I'm wrong. I have what I believe are saddles (long good dry fly hackle). I also have a couple of necks that have some very good hackle for very small drys but I have no idea what a cape is. Would the best dry fly hackle be found on a saddle or a cape? Thanks to all who answer. Rick.

You'll have to wade in Tony Lamas, a Stetson hat and Levis bibb overalls if it's Stampede Week. Don't worry, You won't look out of place. Hope you have a great time. Rick.

Back in the 70's I was running across the lawn at Heritage Park ( Calgary) making a delivery while a private function was happening. Very suddenly I was taken down by four guys in suits. When I got a chance to look up I saw, not 10 feet from me, Pierre and Margaret Trudeau in a horse drawn carriage. Thank God they didn't have tasers back then. Never did get an apology either. Mind you, I can only imagine what they thought seeing me running straight for the Prime Minister with a cardboard box in my arms. Too funny. Rick.

Thanks Flytyer. I had a really good look at Mr. Cutmores tips tonight and there is lots of food for thought there. If you ever hear of a NorVice tying session please be sure to post it. Rick.

Thanks. I have the normal Norlander bobbin and that's about it for Norlander tools. Other than that I'm using all the tools I used with the Thompson. I haven't looked at the video for a long time and last night I went to review it and couldn't find it although I'm certain I have it somewhere. As far as quicker tying is concerned one of the NorVice properties is that "you are able to tie better flys faster". I just am not getting anything done faster. I would say I'm even slower with some patterns but certainly not getting it done faster. Thanks, Rick.

Hello all you NorVice Users. I have been tying for about ten years and for the first eight I used a Thompson 360 pedestal base for all my flies. Two years ago I purchased a NorVice with the intention of tying flies at a quicker pace. I have to admit to you that I haven't been successful at tying faster. What I notice is at the end of the evening I'm using the NorVice pretty much as though it was my old Thompson 360. In other words I'm not taking advantage of the features of the NorVice. I realize the problem is within but just wondered if any of you are finding the same thing. I would be very interested in taking a course on how to tie with the NorVice but haven't come across any such course. Please feel free to offer what ever advice you think I need here. I am desperate. I am beginning to wonder if I'm too old to change my ways and certainly don't like to think of myself in that light. Thanks to all. Rick.

I voted for ggp but I have to ask what the pattern is named. Please excuse me if it's there and I missed it. Rick.

Compressors meant for low ambient temperatures have internal heaters to protect them from cold starts. Not unlike a cars block heater. Freezers and fridges are not supplied with this feature. If you use them in a garage, you are taking an added risk of burning out the compressor. If your garage never gets colder than 10C I'm sure you would be fine but I'm not sure what the lethal temp. would be. Sounds as though some have had success but I wouldn't count on it. Rick.

Are any of you using one of these? I haven't but I'm always open to a new idea. I saw it referenced at the end of Phil Rowley's leech article. Searched the web and found some video of someone using it for tying with CDC. Looked pretty effective for that. Thanks, Rick. Sorry to all. I reposted this in the tying section which is where I thought I was in the first place.

I can't help but wonder what Cabelas will do to our local shop inventories. I've been hearing rumours that one is opening west of Calgary for the past couple of years. I was just down to Spokane recently and there is a new Cabelas on the highway right on the border of Idaho and Washington.(Idaho side) It wasn't opening until Nov. 9th. but the size of the building was overwhelming. As I visited some of the local fishing shops I couldn't help but wonder how many of them will be horribly affected by Cabelas. Will local shops inventory go up or go down? My guess is that some of the local shops will go under if they don't focus more on their customers. I will continue to support the local shops but I have to admit my disappointment that I couldn't get into the Idaho store! Rick.

www.flyanglersonline.com There are a buch but I think this one will help you lots. Good luck. Also don't be afraid to sign up at a local fly shop for tying lessons. What you will learn will take you a long way forward. Rick.

A new Barn/shop and a stocked trout pond. I already have a barn/shop so does that mean I'm halfway there? What more could a man ask for. Where is the County of BRAZEAU? Rick.

WesG. You've nailed it. This forum should give prizes for the clarity you've brought to this discussion. Until then....congratulations will have to do. Rick.

I used to fish an aerated lake near Oliver B.C. called Sawmill Lake.(it actually had two names but the other escapes me) It was a lake prone to winter kill. After a number of successful years of growing trophy size fish the government decided it would no longer aerate it due to complaints from snowmobilers that the ice surface wasn't thick enough and indeed dangerous. There was even a law on the books about the lake needing to be fenced off for reasons of safety. I never visited it in the dead of winter but I can well imagine it probably had open water most of the time. Aeration causes this. So from a human perspective aeration is a very dangerous thing. I got so angry I actually wrote the B.C. minister responsible and voiced my displeasure. I got a reply six months later saying they had reviewed the decision and decided to leave the aeration running. The long of it is if one snowmobiler was to lose their life over this I would feel terrible. I wouldn't want to see many lakes aerated but would still be in favour of doing a few. I believe they would need to be well posted for sure. I haven't been back there for the past six years but at that time they were getting reports of 32 inch rainbows being caught. I've never had the privilege of catching a 32 inch rainbow on a fly but it's sure fun to dream. Anyway, I'm going to stay away from the increased licence fees cause that's a topic that gets me too aggravated. Rick.

Fenwick has been very acceptable for me. Fish Tales had lots of Frog Hair last Friday. Dave showed me and interesting test with P-line tippet. He tied a wind knot in normal tippet and one on the P-line tippet. The p-line was very hard to break and the regular tippet broke at the knot with out much pull at all. Funny thing is I've been using P-line for my dropper for the past two years and always wondered why my line usually broke at my leader knot even though my dropper tippet was rated lower strength. I guess we never stop learning and wondering. Rick.

Hi Neil. I'm not familiar with your reel except that I've heard lots of people say it's a good one to buy. I've got some Redington reels that look similar though. The noise maker is that little ball held proud of the spool by a spring. Take the slotted screw out and clean the ball and spring before you contact the manufacturer. Redington gives you a tool and an extra ball and spring with the reels I've bought. I haven't changed any of mine but I have one that is getting pretty silent. If that fails take a look and see if they have any on-line reel repair information. Best of luck. Rick.

You have every right to post the fellows name if he continues to ignore the problem. You should also be absolutely fair. He owes you something for your trouble, no doubt about it. We are only talking about one jerk here(assuming you story is accurate). I must also say there are a great many guides working on the Bow who aren't affiliated with a fly shop. Don't assume that this is in any way a normal business practice of independent guides. They are a great bunch of people trying to make a living and performing a valued service to their clients. Just had to say that and I'll leave it at that. Rick.

Hi RussC. You need to give us more information here. What make. 2/4 stroke, how long was it run and was it in a tank/muffs/lake? This is probably not the best place to solicit the information you want to know. Go to iboats.com and then klick on forums. I have been an active member on the Johnson/Evinrude forum for some time and I am always amazed at the vast knowledge of the members and their willingness to help out. The forum has expert advice from 1 HP up to 200 and every year they have been made as well. You should check the compression before you buy and change the impeller as soon as you do buy it. I would also recommend that you pull the carb and soak it in cleaner at a minimum but myself I would do a carb kit at the same time. You will need a service manual and with it in hand there is is no problem/maintenance you should be afraid to tackle. Good luck. Rick.

Damn! I'm getting too many years out of my lines. Wish I could wear them out in a season but I just can't. Floating line I like SA Mastery II or III (can't remember the number) The one I have on my six weight is buckskin at the end and the belly is yellow. That should tell some of you just how old it is. Put a SA Trout whatever on my four weight and I can't wait to get rid of it. The first six feet is under water all the time and I do clean it a few times a year. Rick.

I've been using Tiemco and Diiachi for everything but nymphs. Mustads for nymphs and worms. I have placed a small ( 500) order to Togens and am very pleased with the hook quality. As far as I remember you have to buy in lots of 100/size. The standard drys are a bit shorter than a Tiemco 100. I emailed Togen and asked who makes his hooks and he didn't reply. I also purchased some beads from him and they are good quality. His prices are very reasonable if you buy large enough orders. If not the shipping cost/time kind of sours the deal for me. I do support many of the local fly shops and will always. They need our business too and we certainly need them. Rick.