ironfly

Seems like a lot of people have a knee-jerk "enforcement will fix it" mentality. Ever heard of the "more cops make more criminals" arguement? It seems counter-intuitive, but it's true. Just trying to make y'all feel a little better because more enforcement just ain't ever gonna happen!

BTW, I'd say that those who choose to wear orange inspite of law and popular opinion are less suited to Ontario than those who are subject to the status quo and peer pressure.

Well then, let me tell you about the first time I hunted in Alberta. Having learned that I no longer needed to wear blaze orange, I happily bought a sheet of burlap and put on my combats, thinking I'd now be twice the hunter as before. And guess what? I got shot at. I yelled something profane, and got shot at again. Fortunately this guy wasn't a markman, and was smart enough to figure out that animals don't shoot back. This old-timer walks up to me, wearing a blaze toque, and says something like, "law or not, please wear orange." You really think getting yourself noticed because you're wearing orange increases your risks? Ridiculous. Sorry to bring up seatbelts again, but that makes as much sense as people who argue that if your car lands on its roof in water, your seatbelt will trap you and you'll drown.

PGK, I don't think the world is as cut and dry and you'd like. It's not like the guy in the Bentley story fired at a noise, he saw what he believed to be a deer, just like Bigtoad saw what he believed to be a moose. We can all make mistakes. I once saw a bison walking straight toward me on the road, and was convinced it was a man until I was less than 50 yards away. I don't know what to call these people you and others say are not hunters. They're carrying tags and weapons, they're in the field looking to bag an animal. Sounds like a hunter to me. Maybe you follow the Ten Commandments of Firearms Safety to the letter, but I think you're in the minority. I think it's a lot like the rules of the road; after a while everyone developes bad habits like rolling stops. Oh, and yeah, technically there's hunting going on almost all the time, but the critical differences are volume and demographic. Why do animals roam freely, even standing in the open posing for photos all year long, except during the fall season? Why do I hear gunshots every day I'm out in the fall, but almost never at any other time of year? Not only are there many times less hunters for the side seasons, but those tend to be the most dedicated, and responsible hunters.

My point was that there's all sorts of studies, with all sorts of results. It was mentioned that many studies showed no added safety from wearing blaze orange, I was just showing that there are other perspectives. Heck, there are studies that show cigarettes have no impact on your health! Forget stats and studies. It seems undeniable to me that fluorescent colours make you far more visible, therefore less likely to be accidentally shot. Camouflage is based on 5 principles: Shape, Shine, Shadow, Silhouette, and Movement. Even if you're wearing a ghillie suit, if you move while eyes are on you, the jig is up. As far as sihouette goes, there is such a thing as orange camo, so you get the best of both worlds; hi-vis and a broken outline.

Know what I find comical? People who think they're smarter than everyone else. But I see your point. My measley 23 years of hunting experience doesn't qualify me to have an opinion. Nor does my ability to do a little research. Why exactly do you prefer to wear camo, anyway? To hide from the animals? You know they're color blind, right? Or does it just make you feel cool to dress up like a commando?

My guess is the same thinking that led Alberta to fight tooth and nail against instituting seatbelt laws.

My mistake, blaze orange makes you 7 times safer.

I'm not writing a college thesis here. It's called google. Try it some time.

Pretty strong argument for resting a stretch longer than 15 minutes.

I also use floating patterns for when they're keyed on the surface, particularly in slow/slack water.

From the title of the topic, I was expecting to hear a funny story about a buck messing around with some hood mounted horns or antlers. Glad you're okay. You've probably heard this before, but it's best to not swerve. Just brake. Pretty tough to get in enough practice to overcome that instinct, though.

Check your facts. You're 3 times more likely to be shot if you're not wearing orange. Put another way, of all shootings, about 1 in 4 victims are hi-vis.

freestone, Judge not, my friend. First of all, there's more than enough true poachers around, so maybe we should be thankful whenever we encounter someone following the regs. Second, who know's how many times they get out in a year. Some families have one annual trip, and that's it. How many fish do you catch in a year? Let's assume you're one of the really good anglers who get's out all the time, and average 1000 fish/year. Most people reckon the mortality to be higher, but let's say 1% of your released fish die. So they kill 5 fish a year, and you kill 10. Does that change your perspective at all? I kinda doubt calling him poor in front of his family was helpful.

Wade out a bit, no more than 10 yards, then cast BIG streamers within a foot of the bank. Nothing's sure-fire, but this is usually your best bet at the bigger fish.

Wasn't that already on the list, as the third option?

What's the "other"?

I know several veteran tyers that rarely do the full whip finish and cement anymore, and I find myself following suit. It seems like it's just not necessary if the rest of the fly is well tyed. I realize many of us use different techniques depending on the fly; I'll use 2 whip finishes and Zap-a-Gap for Pike flies. But I didn't want to add a "Some/all of the above" choice, because I thought that would be too easy. If anyone is unfamiliar with the "glue only" technique, you apply glue (Zap-a-Gap works best) to the thread between the shank and the bobbin, make a few wraps, give it a moment to set, and trim. Of course you can also throw a knot on top of the glue. Best way I know of to prevent wicking of excess glue into absorbent materials.

That book, great as it is, is pretty out of date. Same with his annual fishing guide. In my opinion, every specific reference to a fishing spot from Barry Mitchell must be taken with a grain of salt. That might be a good thing, because you get some really good tips, but there's still an element of exploration.

So, did you inform the realtor?

I think the hackle farmers are in a win-win situation. Right now they have an insatiable market, willing to pay exorbitant prices. And when it's all over, the fly shops will have to come back. After all, there's only so many quality brands, and fly tyers insist upon those brands. Even with the current shortage, fly shop staff tell me that the fly tyers still refuse the cheap stuff, but the hairdressers happily take it. To me, that says that when the good stuff is available again, the shops will have no choice. Sure, they can switch brands, but there's only a few to choose from, and they've all responded to the market in the same way, and I don't blame them. If I was a hackle farmer, trying to save up a college fund for my kids, and an opportunity like this came along, I'd be an idiot to pass it up.

x2

Whiting is not the name I heard. But who knows? It's just a rumor, right? What I do know for sure is that this fad has already exceeded everyones expectations, and it just keeps growing. The feather earrings have been around for a while, but not like this. They're trying new materials, using them in new ways. We're living in interesting times, and I think we're kind of lucky, in a way; we're going to have some great stories about the Dark Ages of fly tying...the Great Hackle Depression...the Piracy of the Plumage...whatever. I hope you're right, and it's all over in 14 months. Best case, we end up with a flooded market of cheap, premium hackle. But you're wrong about one thing; some hackle farmers have shorted fly shops. And yes, people are vowing to take their business elsewhere...someday.

I've always preferred capes. They just seem like the better value to me, but then I tie a whole range of flies, not dozens and dozens of the same 2 sizes. Trust me SD, more and more girls are deciding that capes are better than nothing. In some ways they're a lot more reasonable than many fly tyers, which I think is kind of amusing. Did you hear that Clairol pre-paid for the next three years harvest from a major hackle producer? Gold star if you can guess which one. We often joke that we have a lifetime supply of something. Whether you have 2 saddles or 20, that just might be all you get for a long time.

Most of the saltwater hooks I've tried, including Mustad, were pretty dull out of the package. Do those ones stick to your fingernail?