Smitty

Okay, think I got the pictures figured out. Man, what a pain in the behind when you don't know what you're doing...lol: 1. The finer points of casting: 2. More Casting: 3. The finer points of tying knots: 4. Fishing: 5. Tangles are a part of flyfishing life: 6. Getting Ready for the first stream fishing trip (Freeman River): 7.Stream wading and fishing!: 8. Stuck! (Her foot is buried in mud): 9. My worst hooking accident in 25 years...done to myself! Good example for the kids...lol 10. His first ever Arctic Grayling, first ever time flyfishing a stream:

Hi Everyone: Besides running this forum, the mods also deserve thanks for providing a platform to ensure young people take up the sport. That also means I need to thank-YOU; especially BBT, Hanson's Outfitters, Murray, Monger, and everyone else in assisting me getting my students equipment for the Flyfishing Club I run at school. This year I was able to take the kids out 3 times, including a first stream fishing trip! And, as we speak, I am working with the school board to get a 4-day, 3-night trip approved for August to the Ram Falls area. Keeping my fingers crossed... (Tried posting pics, couldn't find the instructions on the forum, then I find out photobucket is blocked...damn frustrating, lol) Anyways, cheers and grateful, Smitty

Essentially, similar to a swivel but they are just a ring. Used quite a bit in European nymphing techniques; helps with adding droppers, and/or eliminating the need for a knot, allowing a dramatic tippet sizes that are significantly different in diameter. http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/item/LL-295020-0000 Anyways, ok, FishTales does shipping, cool. Now how about those waders? Anyone going to Edmonchuk? Smitty

So Monger has kindly donated a set of childrens waders to my Flyfishing Club. If anyone is coming to Edmonton over the next few weeks, we'd appreciate the help! Cheers, Smitty P.S. And, if possible, I do have a personal request to make in terms of fly-tying materials, if anyone is inclined to pick some stuff up for me, seeing how Calgary fly shops have 10x the selection than Edmonton. Specifically, I am looking for purple, black, and blue UV polar chenille. Also, tippet rings would be cool. Do any of the fly-shops carry tippet rings.

Good question. I intend this reel to be my "go-to" reel for the 5-6 weights that I own. So, with the excpetion of using my 3-4 weights for the small streams, I pretty much intend to use this reel all the time on lakes; floating line techniques to trolling type V-VI lines. For the rest of the time in flowing waters, I'll be using it for larger rivers like the Bow and the Oldman. So it will be part of my main set-up for lakes and those larger-type rivers. Thanks for the question. What about an Islander IR3? Comments on that one, anyone? Cheers, Smitty

Well I do appreciate everyone's perspective's; I didn't think I had limited the choices that much with 4 brands and 7 reels. Clearly, some of you don't like any of those choices, which truly does surprise me. You'd think once you get into the $200-$300 range its a good bet you're buying a decent reel. I played around with those models at the store, they seemed pretty good, especially the BVK and the Sage 4200 Series. I did like them. And fundamentally, the advice is sound - get the best reel for the buck. Just surprised that few or none in that list would qualify, based on a lot of the opinions thus far. Thanks for the advice! Smitty

-sigh- now I am chuckling; perhaps I can get the store to special order Lamson's or Bauer's, hopefully they'll get there in time for the manager to discount them for me, lol. Look, I know what you guys are saying but I prefer to get them from the store and not deal with Ebay, US shipping, etc. The store I deal with has excellent customer service. I am prepared to wait for the sale because right now I have some old (from the mid 90's) Orvis Battenkills, just looking to sell them eventually and get something from the 21st century that has a large arbor and is lightweight. So anyone else have experiences with the reels...from. the. list? Smitty

Just a reminder, I am choosing from the list. lol Uber - I am quite surprised by your comment. I picked up the BVK the other day and I felt it was rather light myself. Smitty

I know we've done reel threads before, but I asking something a little more specific, because I am limited to the models below: Knowing that there is a sale coming up (somewhere I can't mention, because its a non FFC sponsor), what reel would you choose between the following: 1) TFO BVK 2) Sage 2000 Series 3) Sage 4200 Series 4) Redington Rise Series 5) Redington Delta 6) Madison II by Montana Fly Company 7) Amundson Trend or TXS reel (cheaper models) With the little research I have done, if I had to choose today, it would probably be between the TFO BVK's versus the Sage 4200 Series. Thoughts? Comments? Smitty

Or, how about "Negligence is not an accident". And of course the companies didn't plan this...who would intentionally be negligent and then be on the hook for the mess, the costs, the clean-up, and the bad PR? Smitty

Hi Everyone: Headed to the Crowsnest pass this July; would like to fish anything pretty much south of hwy 3. Headed down with a couple of friends and families, we were wondering besides the usual assortment of hotels, motels, B&B's, are there any cabin accomodations in the area? We could go as far east as the Belly river, as far west as Coleman, anything south, and as far north as Chain lakes (prefer south though). Or perhaps any guest ranches that can accommodate 12 people? Thanks in advance! Mike

And just think, tomorrow I take 12 kids flyfishing, and every kid will have rod...thanks to Hanson's! Cheers, Smitty

Thanks for the tips everyone! I am teaching junior high aged students; just so you know. In my experience, the thumb-on-top grip promotes excessive wrist action and it can be difficult to correct. So this year, as an experiment, I am choosing to try the extended finger or key grip. I'll see how it goes. We do cover a lot of the "theory" during lunch time classes, so the kids should be grounded in the basics; but I think I'll include more diagrams... I do find watching the back cast has helped a number of kids, but I wasn't explicit; I do have the kids stand sideways so that they can accomplish this without the "hook" or "slice"... And Junior's point about straight line path is well taken... Cheers! Smitty

Hi Everyone: As I approach my first "field" trip with the kids to Summerside Lake, I'm creating these pocket sized cards they can carry with them. Each student will be given 4 cards; on the front of each one is the diagram of a knot. I've chosen the non-slip loop (rapala) knot, improved clinch, surgeon's loop, and trilene knot. I'm thinking of adding a couple more including the surgeon's loop, perfection loop, etc. Any suggestions on more knots is welcome. However, the main thrust of this post is on the back of each "knot" card is something I've written called called "Casting Tips". So, I've copied and pasted below, what I have written. Please feel free to add, edit, criticize, delete. There are lots of experienced casters with plenty of knowledge and expertise. I'd appreciate your feedback! Theme 1 "THE BASIC CAST": 1. Use the extended finger grip or "key" grip when learning how to cast. 2. Always start your cast with a tight line, with no slack, rod tip low! 3. Begin the back cast by lifting the rod with your forearm, starting slow, but then speeding up quickly. SMOOTHLY accelerate! 4. Then, with the rod, pointed at 1 o'clock, ABRUPTLY stop the rod with a SMALL snap of the wrist! 5. PAUSE! You must let the line unroll. Timing is important here: wait for the line to unroll, but don't wait too long. 6. The forward cast is exactly like the back cast, but done in the opposite direction: start the forward cast with your forearm, smoothly accelerate, then abruptly stop the rod using a small wrist snap, and pause. Theme 2 "GENERAL CASTING TIPS": 1. The tip of the rod should travel in a straight line path, not in a oval shape. 2. Where you stop the rod tip, that's where the line will go. 3. When performing the forward cast, think of driving the rod straight forward, NOT DOWN! 4. Avoid "floppy" wrist! Only use a SMALL "snap" of the wrist at the END of each cast, NOT DURING the cast. 5. Don 't forget to stop the rod ABRUPTLY! 6. Don't forget to PAUSE at the end of the forward cast and the back cast. 7. Turn your body slightly sideways, so you can WATCH BOTH the BACK AND FORWARD casts! Now, I can repeat those "THEMES" on the 2 remaining cards, or I can add new ones. Don't want to overwhelm with information, but if you have any more themes or suggestions, by all means, suggest away! Reply however you think is easiest to read/understand; just use cut and paste or refer to the tip/theme number. Cheers. Anyways, thanks in advance. Mike "Smitty"

@Weedy: Ah...the sweet smell of red-herring hypotheticals Pandora's box. Love it. Its analogous to the abortion debate when people bring up rape and mother's life in danger when those circumstances account for a tiny percentile (and it doesn't matter what side of that debate we fall on..people always debating the hypothetical-rarely-happens-fringe-circumstances). But ok, I'll give it shot; The burka is irrelevant during a non-violent protest, dress in a darth vader costume if you like. If you are rioting, burka ceases to be primarily an expression of religion and switches its primary function to concealment of jerk criminal breaking crap in offence of the Criminal Code...or at least I hope that's the way it would work. Religion shouldn't be a shield for criminal conduct. Peace, order, and good government I believe the document says... @Grinr...and your response had what to do with wearing masks during a riot? We're not talking about how your company treats people, we're talking about r.i.o.t.i.n.g. That's why its not akin to whistleblowers...how did we get on this track? I think you're trying to connect 2 separate things. Like I kind og get what you are saying; and definitely I have to concede 100% you are exactly right on the safety issue - this is a huge problem in AB...and I certainly don't envy any employee caught in what must be an extremely difficult situation. The gov't, WCB, various organizations in the province regarding labor and workplace safety have blasted our province on our poor safety record. Employees should always feel free to speak out, particularly for safety issues. Is that reality? No, of course, not. So what are you suggesting? What can workers do? What is the effective means of protest? And what the heck would a mask to do to help solve the problem, lol (I know I'm over-reaching there) Oh, and Grinr, trust me when I say there's plenty of real world stuff in my job. Almost too much you might say... So, ya, just checking here...how many of us on this board actually feel its ok to conceal our identity in the commission of a crime? Because that's what rioting is... I'm as hippie as the next dude, but I have never understood the sympathy rioters get from some people just because the underlying cause of said riot is some high-minded, principled "cause" or "movement". Good God, going back to original example, MLK jr beat back the KKK and a culture of racism with non-violence (please note: I'm not claiming there's no more racism, I'm just commenting specifically on the Civil Rights legislation that got passed). He set the bar pretty high...which kind of sucks for the rest of us, in a lazy kind of way. To pick a current example, you think the Quebec student """""""protesters"""""" (multiple quotes) are really justified in their vandalism? I hope the law passes before those "protests" end and some of those cowardly neanderthals get the extra jail time... Anyways, good debate. Interesting, especially for a math guy now teaching Social Studies. Smitty

Not a no brainer; All those marchers during the civil rights collectively decided to accept the risk of repercussions: because the cause was that important. And talk about red-herrings! You really think the vast majority of people wearing masks are of the type saying to themselves "Gee, I don't want to get fired" vs "I like stirring up s**t and breaking stuff, and I am a coward and would like to avoid being caught." If anything, this issue should be considered a no-brainer the other way... No. Exact opposite. Whistle blowers are generally innocent of breaking the criminal code of Canada, rioters generally are not. Perhaps a little plausible not that much (earlier point). If the risk is too great, they have other means to make legitimate protest and protect their anonymity. Besides, those people have protection from repercussions anyways, employers aren't allowed to discriminate against you because of your associations; that's usually the purview of human rights legislation. Non -violent protest has gone way of the dodo it seems for many movements. I applaud the principles of of legitimate protest, and would defend their right to peaceful assembly, but the black-clad anarchists that have infected the environmental movement, the students in Quebec vandalizing property, etc; - no sympathy here. I say prosecute them to the fullest extent of the law. Smitty

Martin Luther King Jr. got Civil Rights legislation passed (obviously with a great deal of help from the Kennedy admin + congress). Two things about that accomplishment: 1) They did it with non-violence. 2) They didn't wear masks. So, I'd like to hear an answer to San Juan's question again; why do legitimate, non-violent protesters need masks? No sympathy here for people who break the law, including rioting, vandalizing so-called "protesters". And yeah, give them some extra time for the masks; some people just want an excuse to break s**t and get away with it. Smitty

I think you are way off the mark using that analogy, as in, not apples vs oranges, but apples vs zebras. Canada and Japan: vastly different countries, different economies, different issues. Smitty

Just to stir the pot; I think a sales tax is a much fairer way to tax people and generate revenue. Better to tax spending than people's earnings. I'd rather take home more pay and decide how much tax I want to pay with my spending. I know - never happen, in other words, the introduction of a sales tax won't translate into a reduction in my income taxes. Either way, this gov't better figure out something - sales tax or no, the gov't plays with fire by depending so much on resource price volatility that plays havoc with government coffers. Smitty

Thanks for the replies everyone! The rods are 5/6 weights. Looks like the ice is coming off Summerside; I'll test each outfit, and see how good the line is. Cheers! Smitty

So I was looking over some of the outfits I've put together for the kids...couple of the flylines don't look so hot, but I haven't flailed the water yet. If need to replace a flyline, does anyone have any experience with the Cabela's Prestige line or Cortland 333 lines? They're both around $30 - this is just in case I have replace some lines. Or if any other brand would do, please let me know! (Budget=about $35) Cheers, Smitty

Overall I am bullish on the Oil Sands, but I think it behooves this country to find additional buyers for our oil, besides the United States. I have always really liked Guy Lamphier, terrific business news writer for the Edmonton Journal. His perspective - and it happens to be be bearish in this article, can be read here: http://www.edmontonjournal.com/opinion/Lam...2452/story.html Interesting read. Smitty

Ok, Oilers banter is not nearly as interesting as Flames banter, simply because the Oiler's direction/plan is so straightforward; better start winning, sooner rather than later. But I am curious to know what you guys think of the Flames. Frankly, us up here in Oil Country, while we generally like the Sutters, most of us are no fans of Jay Feaster; especially since he (almost smugly) derided the Oilers approach by rebuilding from scratch. So what now Jay Feaster? What say you Flames fans? Is it time to throw in the towel and spend some years sucking as bad as the Oilers? Is it time to "blow" the team up and start over? Should the Flames wait a little longer for Iginlas value to drop before trading him? And Kiprusoff? Or, will it be Feaster's business as usual "Hey-we're-on-the-verge-of-a-breakthrough-with-this-old-team-chock-full-of-underachieving-veterans-with-no-trade-clauses"? Picking 14th, and not in the playoffs - that's about as bad as it gets. If there's any lesson I've learned from the last 3 years, if you are going to suck, be the suckiest team around. Smitty

Man I love this board when it comes to hockey; so many conspiracy theorists. Yes Everette, this multi-billion dollar sport whose leader (Bettman) is obssessed with getting the sport to take hold in US markets where there is virtually little amateur/kids participation, yeah, he put the fix in. He wants one of the smallest market, most northerly, Canadian teams to win it three years in a row. Or maybe Katz is just good at bribing...lol. Hi-larious! Keep 'em coming! Smitty PS On a more a analytical note, there is a serious serious serious amount of pressure on this organization now. Fans are reasonably expecting to have these picks (whether they're kept or not) parlayed at least into a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in, say, 4 years or less. Some fans probably going to have stupid expectations about next year, but there's no doubt we should be contending for a playoff spot next year.

I'm trying to see this from your perspective Junior, I guess I'll choose to agree to disagree. I see a vast difference between whispering the secret to one individual's ear who I've had a chance to get to know versus an anonymous audience potential of 4000+. One dilemma I am faced with is if the school board approves an overnight trip with kids in August, is that I am a little leery of where I take them; not really about secret spots here, but we all know that small creek fishing is a delight, and yet can I justify pounding a couple of creeks with perhaps a dozen youngsters? Kind of iffy...I know several spots where I can get these kids into a lot of cutts, but it is adding pressure to a relatively small system. Plus, if I am successful in getting kids into the sport, I have now added more anglers - good thing and bad thing, I know some of us will see it from perspective. Obviously that ship has sailed with me, if I didn't think adding anglers to the sport wasn't a good thing I wouldn't have a flyfishing club. I'll have to trust myself to have a thoughtful discussion with the kids about angling ethics...lol. Anyways, good discussion. Smitty