Flyfisher

It's an amazing stream and one of my favorites. Was up there for the last week and didn't see another angler. Mahogany duns (?) were going off in droves. Fishing was excellent and yup matching the hatch made all the difference between a good day and a great day (can't imagine a bad day up there as it's so beautiful). Amazes me to see how resilient our native cutthroat are after the great flood of 2012 and how quickly invertebrates will colonize after a major flood event.

Always enjoy your photos. Gonna have to get out to the rolling flatland soon...

To really find out which works better (with or without rubber legs) you'd have to fish flies that are dressed the same with the exception that some have rubber legs. Fish both types equally for over a season and see which performs better. The stimmie is one of many great flies by Randal Kaufmann. BTW I tie mine without legs. Sometimes fish are into legs and often it is when they are willing to hit larger flies particularly when water clarity at the beginning of season is improving. That's my experience anyway.

It seems to me that a rubber legged stimmie would float lower on the water than a regular one as rubber sinks. Interesting that you say they ride higher?

Sounds less like robbery behavior and more like someone possibly not quite mentally stable undergoing major stress due to overwhelming circumstances.

Frontiersman is an excellent spray and set up.

A black ant #18-12. I tie dubbed ones and a foam one. Foam one tied on #14 &12's. I use red thread on the dubbed ants and put two or three turns of brown hackle between the abdomen and thorax. The foam ant is tied McMurray ant style: https://www.google.ca/search?q=mcmurray+ant&client=firefox-a&hs=qCX&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=oPgyU62GJYXeoATtzIHQAg&ved=0CFAQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=629

The year before last a guide I know who owns a fly shop here in BC and attends trade shows in Canada and the USA told me the TFO rods that are available in the states are better quality than the rods available in Canada. Can't remember the reason why. US reputation is much better than the Canadian one. All that said TFO has outstanding warranty service.

On moving water I'm with Hawgstoppah, a stonefly. On stillwater a traveler sedge. Nothing beats sight fishing a marl flat for big triploids when they're on big sedges.

Enjoy.

Fly fishing in Saltwater by Lefty Kreh. Exactly what you are looking for.

Here's a vid on tying it. http://globalflyfisher.com/video/?q=node/1719

For most situations I find wooly buggers, wooly worms and other palmered patterns work best if palmered on the sparser rather than on the heavy side. I wouldn't make the wraps any closer than you have them. I like to use lower quality hackle, the fibers aren't so stiff as good stuff and impart more movement in the water. I'll might go to a heavier palmered fly if fishing in low visibility water as a heavy palmer pushes more water there by attracting more attention.

What he said.

That is a wonderful, joyful, celebration of friends, family and fly fishing. Looking forward to seeing more.

Best bang for the buck? Simms. Properly fitted and cared for a pair will last you for years.

My advice for stillwater fishing, unless I'm in a belly boat I want a watercraft I can stand up in. Outcast makes an excellent pontoon with standing platform.

You certainly can. You'll catch fish without the hackle, at times it won't be as effective as it would be tied full. The hackle gives movement and animation to it. Remember size, presentation and getting the fly to where the fish are, far out way whether it as hackle or not.

Very happy with my 8 1/2' G Loomis Streamdance 'Presentation' in a 4 wt.

Don't know about the "holier than thou fisherman" but I just reel 'em quick as I can and hope the bully doesn't get his teeth into it. If break my fish off doing so, so be it. Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Same goes for the bully... I enjoy your postings on this forum MrBotangles. No hard feelings here. Best fishes, Paul

Yup. My thoughts to. Particularly with the second cutty caught as it hadn't been snatched by the bully. Not a good show.

Wonderful photos, great composition.

Ha, probably both!

A heavy rod on small fish? No harm to fish. It just wouldn't be as much fun as an appropriately sized rod. Way more fun catching cutty's on my 8 1/2 ft. 4wt. than on one of my 6 wts.

Bow river Gods are anything but fickle, the sacrificial rod did the trick. No, seriously, you observed, made the right call on what you saw and the reward came. Good one.