troutstalker

This is going to go down as the 2nd worst collapse in the history of professional sports, behind the Yankees 2004 collapse to the Red Sox. And I'm loving every minute of it.

Be glad you have options. I drive 1/2hr to the fly shop in Fernie, only to be gouged for something I don't really need because they didn't have what I went there for in the first place. :$*%&:

To me the throat pump gives you a better look at what is happening now, as well as being able to monitor any changes. I don't pump every fish, however I will pump every second or third, also if I've gone a while between fish I can maybe pick up on something I've missed. Maybe it's more of a confidence thing, but I subscribe to theory of whats at the end of your line is just as important as what goes down the line.

The spey I have now is a cheap 8wt 13'6" blank from Mudhole that my uncle built. It seems to be a a tad on the noodley side. If I go with another Spey, I'd like to go with something a little quicker, and a little more back bone.

I don't know if I'm looking in the wrong places but the TFO & Beulah seem to be the cheapest switch rods I've found. Are there others that are worth looking at for a bit cheaper?

I am planning a fall Steel trip too the Skeena area. The last trip I did to the Skeena I picked up an 8wt spey for the trip, thinking I might be in the market for a Beulah Switch 7/8wt or the TFO Deer Creek Switch. 'Cause I already have a spey I was thinking of just going with a single hander, but I'm worried that when I get there I'll find out that the spey is best, and end up breaking it I'll be steamin' the rest of the trip cause I'm stuck with the wrong tool for the job. That being said I'm wondering if the single hander is in fact the right stick. Any thoughts? Switch or single hander?

If your new to tying my advice would be start with chironomids super easy to tie, not much material, also it's an easy way to get that satisfaction of hooking a fish on a fly you tied...My son has caught a fish on his own tie and he's 6.

A short introduction: I grew up in Cranbrook, I currently live and work in the Elk Valley. I have been fishing the lakes and rivers in the East Kootenays since I was old enough to make the annual trip up the Wigwam with my dad and uncle. My passion is stillwater fishing although with the access to the rivers in the area I have been devoting alot more of my fishing hours to the river over the last 5 or 6 years. Looking forward to the knowledge and hoping to be able to chime in from time to time. Lots of you have probably already seen this but it's my favorite, so I'll leave you with this: I am a fisherman for life; I will always be a fisherman. It is not something I do, It is who I am. Fishing is not an escape, It is where I belong, Where I am supposed to be. It is not a place, But a life long journey. It is a passage my father showed me, and one that I will show others. When you understand all of this, you will know me. And we will fish together.