toolman

I have never used one, so I can't tell you much more than the reason why one is used when casting on grass. I thought they were longer than a foot, but I don't know exactly what the correct length would be. Maybe SilverDoctor or Speyghille will be able to make a recommendation. These guys will have what you are looking for. http://www.redshedflyshop.com/

That is a great sequence of photo's. It really shows how trout compete for food and territory. It sometimes is the reason why the strikes are so aggressive as well. The first trout to get to the fly, gets to grow bigger and live longer and as the photo's show...Slam! Thanks for posting it, that was fun to watch.

One can never have enough "pet fish" Rick...of course Brian and I are working on the forensics of that location and from your photo's posted, we have narrowed it down to three possible locations...yer in trouble fishy.

Well it is important to note that hot, windy afternoons that are refered to as prime Hopper fishing times, are also the exact same favorable conditions that Skid Bitches prefer for their egg laying runs. Also to be noted, a Hopper pattern with a tan belly and long legs, probably looks very similar to a trout, as the tan colored belly of a skid bitch does.

Wow...Nice shot of that huge Rainbow. As for the race to get that fish first, are'nt you guys leaving town for the weekend, leaving Max, Hawgstoppah and I here to go in and finish the job! Race ya...grin.

I would try running a longer dropper tippet (4x), to get the weighted nymph down to the bottom of the streambed, where the trout feed on nymphs. You may want to try a finer, longer leader, maybe a 9' , 4x. As for Hoppers...Most days, I don't find them to be a very effective prospecting pattern on the Bow river, but the prime time for Hoppers is just starting, so that may change. I would recommend taking a look at the Hoppers that you find along the river and try matching it with one of your patterns.

In closing, tune in for tommorow nights discussion. Mice...Fact or Myth?

Try both presentations....then sink them if that does not work.

The regular WF 8wt. line will not be heavy enough to load the rod properly, especailly on the grass. A grass leader is an inexpensive alternative for practise on the lawn with your Windcutter Spey line. Each rod has a miminum and maximum amount of load that can be placed on it to allow it to cast properly. The grass leader tries to mimick the extra load that you would normally get from the line/leader forming an anchor when it is laying on the water at the begining of the cast.

Hawgstoppah and I are going to search the tall grass for hoppers, chuck a few in the drift to see how they react, collect samples for id and photos, then we will go and hunt down a pod of big Broonies to play with till the wee hours of the night and hopefully slam a few, using Skid Bitches....black or tan bellied, juicy Skid Bitches, cause as we all know.... Stoneflys Rule...grin. ps. Have a safe and successfull trip this weekend guys.

I have a few colleagues that have taken throat samples from many trout in the Bow this season, (including an entomologist), from the WHD Weir to Carseland Dam, starting in June through the season till mid August. The samples revealed the trout were eating a lot of Caddis larva, pupa and adults, juevenille waterboatman, Mayflys, Stoneflys, leeches, freshwater snails, worms were abundant in the diet in early June through the high water, but no Hoppers indentified, not one. And as Taco and others have pointed out, Hoppers need the right conditions to be available to the trout as food. As I stated previously, I'm certain it does happen as Fishead describes, but just a lot less often than is commonly believed and on the majority of days, Stoneflys Rule... ps. I appreciate everyone sharing their experiences in this great discussion and I am open to the possibility of bieng completely incorrect. It's just that I have learned to question many of the beliefs that are inherent in the flyfishing world.

Fishead, I'm sure it happens occassionally in the late season as you say, along a few stretches that are often only accessible with a boat, but Stoneflys routinely emerge along all stretches of the Lower Bow, every day for months on end, long before the trout see any Hoppers and I think the Stoneflys tune the trout into big bugs with long legs. You would have to admit that a hopper fall, as you saw last Sunday, which was possibly a Hopper migration whose flight path brought them to a stop at the edge of the river, happens far less often and only in specific area's, when seasonal conditions are right. Stoneflys rule...

We hear about a lot of folks routinely using hopper immitations with success on our southern rivers, such as the Bow and even in mountain streams where there are few, if any hoppers at all. But the reality is I have never seen hoppers floating in the drift on the Bow this season, ever. Never... I spend a lot of days on the water and a lot of time collecting, photographing and observing the insects in the drift, whether aquatic or terrestrial. What I have seen so far this season, is thousands of female Stoneflys (Skid Bitches) for the past couple of months, every day since the end of May right through July, August and there is at least one species of Stonefly still emerging right now, in early September. I believe that through the summer, the trout do see/eat some hoppers on occassion, along the tall grassy banks where the hoppers live and sometimes fall in the water, but for the most part, I think the trout get tuned into these large bugs with long legs because of the Stoneflies, not the hoppers. I have fished with Skid Bitches for the last two seasons and have had consistent success in all types of water with this pattern. The days that I did try and use a Dave's hopper or similar hopper pattern, success was marginal compared to the Skid Bitch which I use in a couple of sizes, with tan, yellow/golden, black or orange bellies for the different Stonefly species on the Bow. What do you think, Hoppers...fact or fiction? I say fiction, Stoneflys rule...

Just think of what your gonna look like in a kilt, wet wading, casting and drunk on cheap scotch, with the rest of us cheering you on. Did I not mention the initiation ceremony that Speyghille and I are hosting for you and Glenbow? Gordon talked me out of making you guys do the blindfolded river crossing for the final rite of passage....something about it's not covered in his Ghillies insurance policy or somethin'. You did'nt think it was going to be that easy to join the Clan, now did you? . ps. Be sure and hide those fancy shooting head lines too, if Gordies around...he's kind of a traditionalist when it comes to these matters.

Ahhh....humble in defeat...Now you're in trouble Pacres, he's got revenge on his mind and seems to have a wicked plan as well. Next match is going to be a tough round for you.

That's awesome Chris... An officail welcome to the Spey Brotherhood is in order, since you have allready landed a big trout with your new Spey rod and on your first outing.

A good nymphing line will have a different taper than a dry line for delicate presentations. I really like the SA Mastery series Nymph Line, as the head has only a slight front taper with a large diameter tip that provides better floatation. This line also has a large diameter through the belly which rides high even in the chop and allows easy mending. For a good dry line, a Double tapered line gives you a nice long taper with a fine tip which can present those tiny Tricos, BWO's, on a 5x-6x tapered leader, nice and cleanly.

You're gonna love that Spey rod when you get it lined up and balanced properly. It has great sensitivity and the slower action of this long rod will help keep the trout on when using smaller hooks. If you can come into the city, we will try a bunch of lines/leaders on it and you will see how important it is too have a balanced line/reel/leader system and how well it will cast when it does. Edit: Lonefisher, Dave at Fish Tales Fly shop has allowed me to take the G Loomis Streamdance Metolious 13'4" 5/6 for another test drive so that I can try it with my new lines. I'll let you know the results in a few days.

Superb photo's Tangledlines and thanks for posting.

Where are you from zuggbugg and are you coming over again this season?

Welcome back Wes and I look forward to seeing another sensational photo album from you again this year. TM

Congrats to you and your wife Chris.

That is unfortuneate Rob. My advice is to move to Calgary, set up a con$ultant$ operation, then go fishing 200+ times a year, whenever you want to.

I use the 11-12wt. reel for a few reasons. 1. Balance... 2. Large diameter spools reel line in faster... 3. the large reels can be used for larger spey lines/rods, which I will purchase in the future.