dube

The lynyrd skynrd is the topper but if you look real close you get a glimpse of a foot print gas pedal This ride was pimpin' back in the day boy.

I think captrob is the only person I'd want to be driving with aside from poison and van halen. (sorry I'm only 33) Richie Spice Fat Freddies drop Dub Syndicate Salmonella Dub K-OS Lily Allen Kate Nash Sam Roberts Rilo Kiley John Butler Trio Ben Harper Oh the list goes on and on. Ipod is where it's at, being able to throw together a playlist in seconds is sweet.

Good for the smoker though.

Hey Max, if I ever bump into you on the river I'll make sure to pull you over for a "safety meeting", meet later for some cake or chips or doughnuts

It's funny you should mention that toolman, I remember reading somewhere not sure where but it was an old feller and loooong time flyfisher talking about how fishing had evolved for him. Like a lot of the older fella's he had filled his freezer back in the day when you could barely keep trout of your hook but by the end of it he fished only dries but he actually clipped the hook right off the fly, so that he was literally drifting some fur and feathers just to watch the trout strike. It no longer was about actually catching fish but rather just fooling them and the wicked anticipation of watching one slam your fly with out ever having to put you hands on one. Maybe orvisonly should take up this tactic because it seems about as pure as it can get.

In fact anyone who thinks it shouldn't be cheesecake is not a real flyfisher and a loser.

I'd be in if it were cheese cake.

neoprene holds odor really well, even if you wash it and dry it and the smell seems to have gone away as soon as it gets wet you're back to square one. That's my experience. Don't ever leave that stuff rolled up in wet ball in your garage. Once that smell sets in it's time for some new stuff I figure.

It seems I never learn, discussions on internet forums rarely lead to anything constructive but for discussions sake what does everyone else think about playing dead. I would say that most bears this time of year are all about conserving energy and finding food. I can't see a bear making a move to take down a large mammal with a meal in mind, more a territory issue or you caught them by surprise. However a bear would most definitely eat a large mammal if it were lying there dead. I figure while you are laying there playing dead you may feel some large chunks of meat being torn off your legs. Further I figure it would take a lot more resolve to try and be still and loose (like a dead person) than to actually stand up and try to fight. In my case I know with all certainty that I could never just lay there and hope it stops the assault. You would be getting tossed like a rag doll. I've also heard to just turtle up and try and protect your head and neck with your hands but you have large organs that are not too far into your ribs along your back which seems like it would be a very bad mistake as a bear would naturally get it's claws into you to try and roll you over. I believe that playing dead or trying to make yourself small and covering you neck will only prolong an attack. These are my options/plan as it stands: (first I'd like to add that I figure in most cases the bear can smell you and knows you are there unless you happen to be downwind which is some-thing to think about if you spot one) -if I see one and figure it hasn't seen me I'd go fish a different spot -if I see one and it's looking right at me I'd stand tall and talk to it firmly. In my experience at this point most bears will head for cover in the trees, I generally stay put because they can cover ground fast and may circle around to get a better sniff and if you've split after you see it go into the bush you may end up having a much closer encounter than the first. (this has been the extent of my bear encounters and I have gone back to fishing after being satisfied that the bear couldn't be bothered although it can be hard to shake the feeling that they are right there watching you) -if a bear ever comes at me I'll start jumping up and down yelling while going for my spray and as soon as the turd hits my shorts I'll let her rip and hope to hell the statistics on bear spray are close and that I don't make the fatal move of getting it in my own face. -next is the butt section of my 4 pc thrust forward in a hail mary attempt to puncture the chest -if I actually get tackled then my knife is my last resort and I will fight like a crazy bastard and hope for the best. Now I do realize that this can all happen in roughly 4 secs and I know it seems unlikely that I'd be doing a mental checklist during that time but still I've ran it through my head enough times and I'd still like to have any plan than no plan at all. 4 secs is not long to throw one together on the spot. I think thats how run happens, in a heartbeat and with our natural response flight is probably the go to move. I'm going to fight and that is all there is to it. As an aside how about a digit in the rectum? The bears not your own. I've heard it can work with dogs. Totally off topic but with cougars you must fight those bastards and that is all there is to that. They are pussies and don't want to mess their coat up too much so you have a good shot if it doesn't get you by the neck to begin with. I've heard old trappers tell stories of catching big cats by their little toes literally. A coyote will chew off it's friggen leg but a lynx won't move if there is a single tuft of hair caught in a trap. Just to be clear I'm not trying to educate anyone this is simply how it runs through my brain. Tidbits from folks who are older than me and personal experience. Here's hoping we all can keep it to just a philosophy and not a first hand experience. Resume flinging poop now.

years back I noticed a good sized rainbow trout in a coy pond at west ed mall. I would have guessed it was a good 18" but fairly slender. The pond it self is big (the one outside the T&T supermarket for anyone who knows the mall) and some of the coy in there are huge as well. I kept and eye on it for probably almost 2 years and then it suddenly disappeared. It was interesting to watch it and it clearly did not care for the coy, it was larger than most of them and was fairly aggressive if any came too close. It tended to hang out in one particular section of the pond and was almost always within 2 feet of 2 or 3 different spots. It was fairly tame and I was able to brush a hand along it a few times. Pretty cool really and I was disappointed to find it gone. I could see it being pretty neat to have some in a tank.

lonefisher; you most certainly make some good points and I'm not trying to be cocky. I've never actually been attacked by a bear and all of my contact with them has been resolved peacefully; thankfully. (Only wild animal I've ever been attacked by is a hen ruffed grouse after inadvertently walking through her chicks and I've got to say they put up a good fight. A beak in the chest is not as funny as you might expect) But like you say bears are not at all predictable and may become aggressive for any number of reasons and of course you may do everything right and still get the worst of it so I'm simply saying that I'm always aware that things may unravel at any point and I'm willing to take responsibility for my own life. If that means wrestle a bear that came out of nowhere or drag my ass back to a trail or road on my elbows if I break a leg I'm going to do it. No one else is going to save my ass. Again, you raise some good points about this particular attack. Maybe he did do everything right. Maybe he did actually fight the bear off and that's why he made it. No use speculating I suppose. Still I don't think it's wise to ever turn your back on a wild animal even if it's on top of you. I would think most people would agree not to turn your back until it's out of sight and then if you want to turn and run like hell then giver. Lisa's story is a good example of how it really doesn't matter how experienced you are outside you can be caught with your pants down. On the other hand it's sad because she did make a few fatal errors, jumping 50 feet out of a tree would be one of them. I maintain that at that point when you are physically being attacked by a bear or it is aggressively pursuing you getting away is no longer an option. They are too fast and too strong. In my mind the last stitch effort will be to fight like my life depends on it and that's it. Trust me I'm not looking to fight any bears but like anything else that may make me face my own mortality I'm not going to try and out run it and I won't just lay down and die either. If that's cocky or disrespectful then so be it.

For the record I do wear a bell and carry spray as well, all the time (while fishing anyway). I do have a few tricks to exhaust before I go for the knife but I think rick picked up what I was laying down. Have a plan.

It's been a while since I've made a post but I'm going to bite on this one. First of all I hope the dude quick recovery and I don't intend to offend anyone but..... Anyone who goes into the wilderness for whatever reason is taking their life into their own hands period. Especially when going alone. I always fish alone and besides wildlife there is so much else to consider. I could just as easily slip on a rock crack my head and drown as be mauled by an animal. I think too many guy's myself included get so wrapped up in getting to that hole up ahead or trying to find that perfect perch to cast from that we lose sight of everything else. My main concern is letting someone know where I am so that if I do screw up at least there is a chance at finding my body. One thing I have thought of many times, mostly while walking some high trail back to the truck after a great day fishing is that no matter what nothing will take me without a fight. And I sure as hell will not turn my back on any wild animal especially to run. Bloody hell man don't run. Try running from a dog or a 4 year old child for that matter. It's going to chase you no doubt, no doubt. And bears are fast man like lightening fast so where the hell are you going to get to? To a tree and climb that? So I carry a skinning knife real close to my hand and if an attack is imminent it's on and the first thing to hit you will be it's face and just below that is it's throat and below that is it's chest and heart. It's short and sharp and could spill the guts of whatever with one good swipe. I'll go for it no question and emotion does not play into it. We are just animals after all and my back yard or theirs if push comes to shove you have to get back to basics. All the shotguns, pepper spray, bangers and bells you can carry ain't worth crap if you can't make a split second decision. I just think you have to come to terms with the fact that anything can happen and can you accept the responsibility? Think of buddy a few years back who sawed his arm off with a pocket knife after a huge boulder pinned it to the ground. Everyone was amazed at his ability to actually endure that but what would you do? Lay there and die? If you don't trust you have that kinda fight in you than I feel you should think twice before wandering out into the woods. As far as this story I have to agree the guy must have made a wrong move. Bears are a tad territorial especially if there happened to be food nearby but they are also really lazy and won't spend more energy than they have to, especially this time of year. Which is probably why he survived, the bear gave him a quick licking and took off. I'm sure as well that if he would of stood his ground the bear would have veered off. To bad for the bear really. Anyway I'm no expert but I'm not counting on a bell to save my life either.

have fun dude I'm jealous.

Sweet dry action with the rod and a beadhead dropper off the boots

Well I said this plenty of times on the old FFA but not here yet so I'll say it again. I have a 4wt Trion and am happy with it. I'm a tad supicious of the flash of a stainless reel when I'm casting but I honestly couldn't say if I've spooked any fish strictly based on the flash and not just being careless in general when approaching fish. It has been slammed hard on the ground a few times while stumbling around, once directly on a rock and it runs butter smooth, no warp or dents. Just my .02 cents

missinthebow, did furnaceface play sat. night at that fest? I remember one crazy weekend down there as well, I'd say '93. Plus Moist played (way before they got popular) and they were by far the worst band the whole weekend. Goodtimes.....I'm gettin' on in age now it seems.

I don't deny it's a blood sport but the overall experience for me is much more than hooking fish. I walk, climb, crawl, wade, stumble and sometimes swim my way back into the bush to find the little buggers so it's hard not to get swept away in how completely insignificant we are in the scheme of things. When I look up from the water and take in everything around me I feel the power of nature and am humbled by it.

All I have to say is that flyfishing for me is a most humbling experience. I sometimes wonder about the fish, but my appreciation for them is deep. I find them truly beautiful and have often found myself mumbling "good job buddy" as I watch them swim off. They way I see it we could just as easily be prey (at least where I tend to fish) and so I feel I am reduced to somewhat of an animal myself, at one with nature but also at odds with it. Being outside wandering up a stream or river is purely primal and absolutely natural in the deepest sense, for me at least. Having said that I feel everyone is on a level field and the fish gets to go back so I don't really feel any guilt. I am not religious in the least but flyfishing is very spiritual for me. I have become totally overwhelmed more than once while on a river and nothing can really describe what it feels like to be "out there". I'm not saying I'm in some sort of delirious trance or anything but my senses are peaked and the whole experience definately affects me on a level that most things do not. I really dig your little quote toolman it's one for the books for sure.

I generally burn mixes for the road trips but I have to say as far as one that really stands out for summer flyfishing expeditions it would have to be either of sam roberts albums, good ole canadian rockandroll that hasn't been hashed and rehashed like the hip. I'll second the chili peppers too, definately good road music. If it's really hot, like it's been I rock out to reggae as well although it doesn't inspire the same wandering around the bush vibe as a good ripping guitar solo does. I think the blues would be good too, I'll have to hit up my old man for some stuff.

I figure it's a first come first served situation. In most cases I think most guys would feel better if the dikwad would slip in a polite "mind if I join you" before just waltzing up and casting. If the first guy says "nope" then great if he says "yes" then why the heck would you want to fish beside him in the first place. Last time I fished the blackstone was on a weekend which I normally never do. I got up and out of the house by 5 AM was all the way into the gap by about 9:30 and someone had beat me there. So instead of charging in there ( I knew they couldn't be too far at that time of the morning) I walked the other direction along the road for half an hour or so and fished the section just before the gap instead. It wasn't the sweet boulder garden I had dreamed of fishing for the 4 hours it took me to get there but it was a stretch I'd never fished before and it held plenty of fish just the same. It was totally different structure and had very little for the deep corner pools that the blackstone is notorious for so it forced me to change my tactic a little and was pleased to find plenty of cutts in the pocket water that made up most of that section. I also managed a few hogs holding tight to some grassy undercut banks which totally took me by surprise. I had a great time exploring some new water and to top it off I came out to the truck just as the other fellows that beat me in there did and so I got to hear about the great day they had as well. After seeing the smiles on their faces I didn't feel bad at all about my last minute change in plans. On the way back to camp I passed 4 other trucks at various spots along the road and I know each one of them had gone for the gap and had instead settled for the next section instead just as I did. There were quite a few fly anglers out there that weekend and from what I can tell each one of us got the solitude we were looking for because I didn't run into anyone else on the water the whole time. Not to mention the fish of course, of which there were ample. Some old farts a few years back gave me some perspective on it as I was acting too concerned about where everyone was going to fish that morning. They just looked at me and said don't worry young lad there is plenty of water with plenty of fish in this river, go where you may and enjoy your day. I ran into them at the end of the day too as I was sitting on the side of the road cursing the fact that the tire iron I had would not fit into the rim (stupid custom rims). The old boy pulled out his old boy tool box which looked like it had been collected along the side of the road over 40 years and was all placed in the box just so, dumped the works out trying to find what we needed which of course he couldn't but the sentiment was there. I sent them along as I knew there were at least 2 other people further up and one of them lent me a plug in pump which enabled me to limp my way out to a camp of heavy equipment operators who at last had a deep narrow socket with a 3 foot snipe and just like that my tire was changed. I had thought of taking the old boys up on the beer they offered me if I ended up stranded (their camp was only about a clik from where I got the flat) but it was late and I just high tailed it home. Moral of the story is had I jumped into any of the pools any of those nice folks had been fishing that day and acted like everything was fair game I'll bet you I'd have slept on the side of the road that night. I've been lucky and have only run into really great people while flyfishing , knock on wood.

sorry to hijack but rusty, I would have to say that saskatoons and cream take wild strawberries any day. If I see fish cops I'll ask them about any wildlife concerns, I figure they would have the most up to date info on any given day. There were a few bear attacks this weekend, not so cool. I could take a bear

I finally went for it this weekend and I have to say I'm an instant convert. I took harps suggestion and wore some polypro longjohns which seemed crazy at the time but as soon as I was in the water it was awesome. So much more comfortable that waders. I opted for one pair of heavy synthetic wick dry socks under a heavy pair of wooly's and my boots felt great. it was fairly warm and I barely broke a sweat for a change. oddly enough I went for my first swim this weekend as well. I was going to climb on top of a rock to use it as a casting platform and my foot slipped and I went in face first. luckily there were several good pools in a row so I just stripped down hung everything in a tree and fished au natural while the breeze dried everything up nicely....... o.k .....my legs and shorts were already wet so it wasn't totally natural but it sure felt good to fish without a shirt or vest for an hour or so. those pools held many fish so it was worth getting wet and spending the extra time on them.

do neoprenes hold less water? A guy should really go for a swim in them just to see what it feels like?

gotta admit as a kid I spent countless hours catching and playing with frogs. I think they are pretty neat. nowadays I figure I'd have to be good and liquored to really get into an event like that. cool for the kids for sure.