DonAndersen

Lorne, Looks like you and I have tried a pile of vises over the years. The only 2 that have stuck are the HMH that I bought in the early 70's and the Barracuda acquired about 10 years ago. The other I've donated to kids tying clubs. Unlike you, I like the head to be placed anywhere in a 360 circle and stay put. Seems to make it easier to place materials here and there. I had a tough time when the head moved all over the place readily. A light pre-load on the head slower this down and placing a counter weight opposite the head really helped for me. What I really like is the pile of various styles out there for the tier. Sure beats the devil outta the tiny selection when I started tying over 50 years ago. Regards, Don

Lorne, The Law has a issue with the "head" too heavy making the rotary tying a real pain. Ekich installed a weighted circle behind the bearing assembly in order to counter the problem. Further, Elich, by making his vise "head" with a less of a droop tends to off set the issue. I really like the jaw design with the hook point hidden. Sure makes errors in thread handling a lot less. My Barracuda has the same issue with a "heavy head" causing me to screw down the preload in order to hold the head at any angle except for vertical. To that end, I machined a counter-weight of Nickel Silver, drilled a hole 1/4" OD * 3/8" deep and glued the counter-weight to the handle. I then loosened the set screw and reinstalled the handle directly above the head. The pre-load screw is then barely loaded and turning the head takes minimal effort. I also turfed out the damn silly bobbin holder and built a decent sized one. Here is a picture of the completed modifications so far. Further, the Petitjean vise seems to come the closest to dealing the the "heavy" head issue. Further, the length from the stem to the hook is quite short which helps a lot. Here is a site that offers the vise for sale. I think that it is also available in Calgary shops.http://www.petitjean.com/shop/fly-tying-vise/master-version.html regards, Don

Jaymack, For subtle changes in body colours while still retaining the basic colour, utilize a dubbing loop and capture a piece of Flashabou Accent and twist it up with the hair. Also ribbing wires can be used within the dubbing loop as well. The use of grey squirrel body hair mixed with the hare's mask helps with the binding of the hair. Flashabou plus other strips of flash Mylar can be used. The strips must be thin. Ribbing wire colours can be varied as well. Lots of options. Bear in mind that natural bugs are brown, grey, black or various combination of the three dark colours. Catch ya' Don

Here is a beauty of a vice. http://www.automaticbobbin.com/damaH.htm Don

The Best of the Season to you'all and may 2014 be better than last year. catch ya' Don

A consultants story A cowboy was herding his herd in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?" The cowboy looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure. Why not?" The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his AT&T cell phone, surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo. The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany. Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with hundreds of complex formulas. He uploads all of this data via an email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response. Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, You have exactly 1586 cows and calves." "That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says the cowboy. He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car. Then the cowboy says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?" The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?" "You're a consultant." says the cowboy. "Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?" "No guessing required." answered the cowboy "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew; to a question I never asked; and you don't know anything about my business." "Now give me back my dog”.

Taco, Tis a great video. My thanx, Merry Christmas ALL, DON

Folks, As the fishing season is just around the corner and the new and improved rods are now arriving it seems appropriate the some selling ideas would help. Was running through some old Planing Form [ a newsletter for bamboo builders] yesterday and found this. Try it - it apparently works. Wishin' you'all the Merriest! Don

Two days ago the wind was about 25k and it was -25C and I saw some guys setting up a service rig. The pump jack was already off. When we came back 8 hours later, they were done and were rigging out. Those folks deserve our admiration and thanks. When it's ugly out there, the work continues. Frankly I have no idea what they get paid. It may very well be $100k/yr. Are they worth it - kinda depends on how bad you want to stay warm. And those guys was what the " Poster" is all about. What people in cities fail to realize is everything is delivered to them - food, fuel and electricity. W/O the people who live in the country, most cities would be eating their young in a week. And we got it good out here. For the third time this winter the town staff has removed the snow from the residential side street where I live. They even plowed the alley 2 days ago. Life is good! Keep warm, Don

Taco, Didn't you notice the poster said SWEAT & FREEZE - this is something people working in offices never experience - Calgary is exempt! Don

Ripple, Do both. You will probably fly into & out of Calgary if you are coming from eastern Canada. From NE USA, lots of folks fly into Great Falls and drive up. As others have said, the Bow can be very crowded. Wilderness fishing it isn't. Depending on your launch point you might not get away from traffic noise all day. The Elk is somewhat quieter although there can be a lot of boats on the water as well. The guys from the "Crowsnest Angler" located along the Crowsnest River guide the Elk. A combo trip might include a day or so on the Bow staying in Calgary, a day or so on the Elk while staying in the Crowsnest Pass area, plus days either in SW Alberta or SE BC while still basing yourself out of the Crow. Lots of options. Just need time and money. Don

Taco, Them Norsemen weren't all that picky. And if you're prepared for the explosion you might suggest to my Scottish wife the value of Norsemen who breed some brains into the low landers and when they could be caught, some highlanders. And just to set the record straight, Norsemen "found" N. America long before the Portuguese got lost and stumbled into Central America. Mind you, the Portuguese had a map done by the Chinese in 1421 ( a good read by the way) Now I gotta go and double dip the rods again. Catch ya' Don

Taco, When a Dane and a Dutchman agree, the stars are aligned and the fish Gods smile. Anybody notice the weather getting warmer. And with that, I'll get back to dipping my pole or if you prefer, varnishing my rod. Life is tough, Don

Taco, I do know what rod taper you're looking for but have no idea which of the many rods out there exhibit full-flexing. Still, if you have such a taper, load it up and see how it feels. Muffin, The rod is marked with a line weight by the manufacturer who has decided the line weight. His decision is no more valid than yours. If you think a rod fishes well with a line weight heavier or lighter than marked on the rod, use the line weight that pleases you. You will not anger the fish Gods or cause the rod to explode. Briefly, 40' of #4 is the same weight as 30' of #6. Regards, Don

Taco, A Winston when Tom Morgan ran the place. Tom is a fisherman and knew what it took for a great trout rod. Failing that, if you can find a 9'0" Fisher, I'll arm wrestle you for it. Thought I'd tracked one down 2 years ago. Somebody else beat me to it. Or, take one of your faster 4 weights and put a 6 on it. That just might be what ya' need. Regards, Don

Bird dog, This one works: http://www.skip-morris-fly-tying.com/skips-furry-dragon-simplified.html Or this one: http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/042103fotw.php Or this one that I use http://smg.photobucket.com/user/DonAndersen/media/Flys/dragon3w.jpg.html][/url] The above nymphs only represent darners which tend to be more visible than the gomphus nymphs that hide in bottom vegetation. The gomphus tend to be nearly the same color as the vegetation/bottom substrate. Regards, Don

Now, now Taco, You are all saying the a guy using 200 year old technology whales the snot outta the PPD [ penny pinching Dutchman] who throws up his hands 'cause a old guy figures out how to cut, copy and paste. Damn, but life is good and I'm heading downstairs to whittle out another stick. Don

Taco, Below is a link to how fly rods should be tested. That plastic stuff is only good for lettuce storage and this is the reason that plastic fishing poles are known far and wide as Tupperware. Don

Folks, The Elk River is one of the best fisheries in N. America. Teck Coal has received approval for a mine expansion with a requirement to clean the waster H2O flowing into the Elk. For the full story, see: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/bc-prepared-to-risk-water-quality-on-elk-valley-coal-mine/article15580136/ Regards, Don

Taco, Looked over the Outcast Stealth Pro. Was right, glued one oar locks and the oar lock itself would wear out. Something that my Scadden has and Outcast has also is a "stabilizing" bar ahead of the seat. That makes getting your fins above the water on long row tough. I'm not sure it can even be done. And it matters! Those fins are gonna drag like crazy making a long row even uglier. Of course, with dragging fins and lousy oar system, you best join the electric motor crowd and jump the weight of the whole thing by 80 lbs. For river running where you wear wading boots only the stabilizing bar won't be an issue except you have to step over it to get outta the boat. For safety sake, maybe add a wading staff. Keep upright, Don

Taco, Outcast sells a 9IR Fish cat through the Fishin Hole at $ 689.00. Even a penny punching Dutchman can afford that. As far as I can see, all Outcast boats are at least 5 year warranty. Even a Dutchman should last that long. Don

Taco, I have a frameless Scadden Escape and a Outcast PAC 800. The Scadden is a back up boat whereas the Outcast gets used 90 days/yr. I don't think that the frameless oar system would hack long term use w/o ripping out. Plus the oar lock system would wear out. Get a PAC 800 or 900 or a IR 9. I use a IR 9 frame and oar system for several years and it works just fine. Just remember, while you appear to be crusty, you are not yet old. I bought the Outcast for it's 10 year warranty and I'm 68. Buy a decent boat and it lasts. Frameless boats are a pain to attach anchors, rod holders, fish finders and wheels which at one time are another are used often. Catch ya' Don

Folks, Playing with some dental dam rescued from a bridge replacement. Recycling is the way to go!

BigF.... I really do sympathize with your wader woes. For years I wore Redball Featherweights. They cost me less than $50/pr. and lasted 5>7 years. When I heard they were going outta business, I bought 5 pair figuring that would last the duration. I didn't figure on lake fishing so much and didn't buy enough extra large waders. So in the past 2 years I've spent upwards of $400 - more that I'd spent in the past 50 years. Gotta love this breathable crap! Regards, Don