monger

You don't need 2 anchors, and you don't want two ropes down there for the fish to get wrapped up in.

Thanks for sharing. Love the bellies and back thickness on those triploids. Hope to get out there some time.

Thanks Steve.

OK maybe not a beaver... a submarine? Sounds like great fun. I hope you get another shot at him. The big browns should be moving up river for the October spawn. Perhaps there will be more of these stories over the next month.

Thanks for the suggestion. A question follows --Is there a certain type of epoxy one should use? Does it need to be somewhat flexible so that is doesn't fracture?

Beavers are not fish

I am not looking for anything fancy as this is not my primary rod. Just some basic high quality cork. I have always been the opposite of the guy with pretty/Sage/Orvis stuff. Too me it is just a tool, not a piece of art. Maybe when I mature more I can think about having some beautiful things like the ones you build. What would you charge to replace the cork on a rod?

Go to Walmart and buy and 8lb rubberized dumbell (for doing arm curls), tie on 40 ft of 5/16 rope and coil it around the dumbell (great anchor). Next tie a piece of rope around the back side of the backrest on your tube (probably handles/D rings on both sides). When achoring just tie off your anchor rope to this permanent rope behind the backrest (change knot position to orient in the wind). Measure 5ft increments on your anchor rope and tie an overhand knot there for depth markers.

I have a 9ft, 6wt FLO Fly Logic rod that got a good work out at Bullshead this weekend. I like the medium action blank, but the cork handle started to split from the top along both the upper and lower surfaces this weekend. The split on the bottom surface has reached the third cork ring. I believe the top third of the handle has now been comprimised. I guess the blank was putting too much strain on the cork when dragging fish through the weeds. My question is, how does one repair such a problem? The rod has a warranty, but I think it is $100US plus shipping to get the company to fix it. I'm not willing to spend this much on this rod. Any suggestions?

8wt? Weren't we told a while ago it is all tippet strength for fighting fish? Just trying to get the facts straight. I personally just use my 6wt and let the fish take me for a walk to calmer spot.

I love the look on Troutlover's face, priceless! The fish are serious slabs of meat. Thanks for sharing

So Rick, did Troutlover use his maggots on those bullies or did he actually fly fish?

Last time we were there there was 4 guys from Montana running down the bank to get to "their" bully hole. We were just walking quickly downstream for a long way and then were going to fish for Cutts on the way back up. As we caught up to each guy in the line they gave us crap for running down the river. We told them our intention and that "their" bull trout were safe as we would be dry fly fishing. One guy just about came unglued that we would pass them. It was pretty funny/sad at the same time. We finally arrived at "their" destination at the same time as the lead angler, who sprinted to claim "their" hole. We laughed, wished him great luck with his 8wt and kept walking for another couple of miles. When we finally started fishing back upstream we didn't run into another angler all day. It was great. The next day we saw them in town at the grocery store. I so wanted to run up in front of one of the guys and take what ever item he was reaching for and run away. Keep smilin' and don't let the jerks ruin your day

Sounds like a great trip. I'm sure Rick will want to return to the river of green rocks. Was there lots of Americans there at this time?

How many brookies have been caught? I caught one about 14" and I know that Keith caught one around 14" as well. Any other of you fish magnets dragged one in?

First of all, I am definitely full of crap. Next, it is possible that Tim's weight estimates are way off. Third, maybe Russ was right in saying this fish is not one of the brood stock (but I can't believe a lake fish has no spots). I know the one I caught early in the year was a brooder because if was approaching an albino, tank reared pig with a big pink stripe. Now we need Steve's buddy to catch and photo the "12lber" again so we can do a proper analysis.

Brian, I think you are right in questioning a weight of 8lb. Hey Gok, did this fish have a big scar on it's other operculum? The big fish I caught earlier in the year had a big "wound" on one side. That fish was around 26" and I would say very close to 8lb. Gok, what was the length of the fish in this picture? Maybe a weight of 6lb is closer to reality.

Good job Gok. Looks like you guys had a great day battling storms and fish. Russ, the brood stock are both very pale/goldish with no spots on their backs. I believe this is what Gok caught. At least 4 people have caught this one, can't wait to see the bigger one. This fish was even paler when I caught him a few months ago.

I think on the Bow that Toolman is probably right. The sheer number and long-term availablity of stoneflies makes them a very important food source. However, there is certainly a lot of large trout in the Bow that patrol the very shallow water along the shore that know exactly what Hoppers are. These are the fish that fishhead is probably targeting. Small fish are too chicken to stay in this water, but the fish over 20" know it is a great hunting zone. There is other streams/lakes where stoneflies don't exist in any great numbers, but the grass nearby is full of hoppers. The fish in these locals certainly know what hoppers look like and make use of energy they contain.

My GSP can sit still for about 1.5 seconds, then she is off to look for birds. Tonight the fishing was so good she got real interested in retrieving big rainbows. It was a challenge to keep her out of the water and looking for fish. By the end of the night she had learned I didn't need any help. It was pretty fun watching her though.

You guys are tough. Haven't you ever heard of "turning the other cheek". I did lend out some flies, and fish were caught (I don't think it really mattered what fly we used). I like Russ' response about the beer though (you train-drivers are clever). Perhaps I can claim some beers through some "fishermen's legal clause" on the next trip.

So you are out fishing with your buddies and you tie on your fly for the day. Both your buddies immediately start slagging your fly with great comments like, "Maybe if I stuck a nail in my eye and tied in the dark I could make something that ugly", or "My 9 year old ties better than that", and finally, "We should name that thing, how about Rat Bastard". You take it all in stride and begin to fish. Soon the fish are all over the "Rat Bastard" and your buddies are getting very quiet. Finally one asks if I have another one. Should a person share after all this abuse?

The fish were eating the dragon flies spent on the water? That sounds cool. I have watched fish chasing them under the water while they buzzed the surface. I have even seen them jump up to try and catch them in the air. Did you get any fish over 20". What was the water temp like?

How was fishing Steve? I haven't been there in a long time. Love the first picture.

The redds will look like someone just cleaned all the gravel. Somewhere around 20" wide and 3 feet long. I've seen redds as early as Aug 23, but spawning will probably peak in mid-Sept. Redds usually are found at pool tail-outs. Many consider fishing for spawning trout to be bad form.