cheeler

Maybe the fishing vest has lost its feng shui? But I think the Cutts idea is best. Hopefully you find a solution before turning to dynamite!

Nice pics!

Nice sunset!

Usually by now I'm off in the mountains but with the high water and extra long weekend I decided to heed the advice of Mike @ Southbow and hit the river by 5 AM to try for my first one on the dry in this river. The evidence looked promising. Shucks everywhere: And stoneflies using my rod to try to pull themselves to spurious safety from the dangers that lurked below: After a couple small ones on a PMD dropper I wasn't expecting much else; I switched to swinging a stonefly nymph through the run without any interest. Next I switched to using a stonefly as an indicator for the smaller caddis hitting the water. The flies were minding their own business over a few feet of water when a sinkhole opened up underneath the stonefly and a battle ensued - she didn't want to run but wasn't going to make this a walk in the park either. After some side pressure and a few expletives under my breath I finally I managed to tame 22" of brown trout: One stonefly that did manage to escape the river in my vest:

http://email.about.com/od/mozillathunderbi...Thunderbird.htm I don't know if OE is still supported by MS, but since it is from the IE6 era, I wouldn't expect it to be, so changing programs might be a good idea. MS replaced it with Windows Live mail, which works on XP.

Their online inventory only shows spey rods and a saltwater rod that they carry in stock, but you may want to call them: http://www.fishtalesflyshop.com/miva5/merc...egory_Code=ECHO

Skagit heads are shorter, which can affect overhead casting by twisting in midair, especially if your backcast is not 180 degrees to the front cast. You don't need current to load the rod - you can turn 90 degrees to your last cast or use a Perry Poke. But you may not want to be doing too much with sustained anchor casts because they can spook the fish.

I agreee with the 3 and 7 - 3 is good enough for light nymphing on the mountain streams as well as dry fly fishing. What is it about the other rods that makes you think you have to get rid of em? You could try to repair them if its just cork or guides, or if they have a lifetime warranty you could just introduce them to a car door.

That would be more like 14 years old and shouldn't run anything past Windows 98.

1 - That's one way, but most of the techniques you can learn by reading books like The Complete Steelheader or Jon Hazell's DVD (http://www.deschutesangler.com/retail/common/shop/prod_detail.asp?store_id=201&dept_id=760&pf_id=OBOOK_DACF_106297) which can be found locally. Basically you're casting out, letting the fly sink, and then swinging it over the fish lies. Then move a couple feet downstream and try again. Different sink rates of flies and sinking leaders will determine how long you wait until putting the line into tension. If you're not hitting bottom occasionally you'd probably want a faster sink rate of your tip (such as a poly leader). 2 - Those should work - a Bow River Bugger in white or olive is another good choice. 3 - It's not, but it can be difficult to control a dead drift with a short skagit line. You can try swinging nymphs like a bitch creek or stonefly like a streamer with that setup, but a longer head like a scandi or mid belly would be better. Another problem with dead drifting is that when you do get a strike, you need to set the hook aggressively in order to break the surface tension of the head on the water. Poly leaders are coated mono leaders that can help in turnover of flies - they come in different sink rates and for the Bow, I usually use something in 4-5 ips for what I typically fish.

This site has also helped me identify some other foods to stay away from and others that help: http://www.goutpal.com/goutpal-home/

I've found the quality brand leaders like Rio's have less coiling out of the pack.

I've also had gout attacks in the past. The acid doesn't build up overnight - it takes time and accumulates from your diet. Anti inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen can help (Tylenol is not an anti inflammatory medication) relieve the pain. The best thing you can do for yourself right now is to drink ALOT of water. It will help dilute the acid levels and allow some of the crystals to dissolve. Then try to see a doctor about it, who will probably send you for a blood test and prescribe an anti inflammatory to help with the pain. Doctors can also prescribe allopurinol, which kicks out the acid (and at first can cause another attack) but prevents the acid from building up in your bloodstream thereafter. It's something you'll have to take every day for it to be effective. I used to take allopurinol but since I've changed my diet to eliminate fatty foods, sweets, and other things on the bad list, and have increased my water intake, I haven't needed it. The worst part about gout is that if you don't make changes it will get worse, spreading to your feet and knees. Taking pain medications for long periods of time can have some serious side effects, so they shouldn't be viewed as the answer.

Happy b-day!

First one.

Yes, they do sit you out of the water more and are stable. Outcast has some good models, and people have posted here about their good warranty service.

http://www.londondrugs.com/Cultures/en-US/...mp;ProductTab=3 If you do it without the scale, only do at most a foot at a time. There are other sources for scales, but I don't know of any local ones.

For big flies, getting rid of any long small taper at the front will help turn over. Just check out the specs online for pike lines or Clouser's line - there's only 6 inches of tip and that could probably be chopped down or replaced with stiff mono. http://www.rioproducts.com/product.php?recKey=36 I recommend a sensitive scale for chopping lines so you can estimate before you chop and know afterward - London drugs sells one that goes to 0.1 grams (15.4 grains per gram). For an 8 wt line you're looking at 210 grains standard, but you may want heavier or lighter depending on your rod and casting style (e.g. the Airflo 40+ 8 wt runs at about 320 grains). Welded loops aren't a problem with lighter lines if you cut the end of the line on an angle and just fold it over without any extra material. You can also nail knot a section of 30# test on and put a perfection loop in or use a braided loop. http://www.flyfishingforum.com/expertise/k...lineratings.htm

I use both a scandi (about 390 grains) and skagit (425 grains) for that rod. The length of Delta is good for mending and probably the better line out of all three for indicator nymphing. The scandi can handle most poly leaders for small streamers and swinging nymphs and large dries, but I find it doesn't handle the larger streamers very well. You won't want to use the skagit lines for nymphing - too short and too thick to mend. Another option would be to cut the tip off the delta and use it as a multi tip line with poly leaders.

An 8 is fine for streamers. Also good for pike and bull trout.

There was a bigger one handed out as a door prize at the film expo that was a decent size, but I can't remember who made it. Check with Bow River Shuttles.

Pieroway Rod Company was there too: http://www.pierowayrods.com/blanks.html

The rod would be ok for some streamers (no imitations of wet socks!), but you'd need something like a skagit line in order to cast them.

I didn't mean to imply that you need to buy the kit - they will lend it out for you to try lines, so you can find wheat you like.

Do you mean 6wt as a spey or single hand rating? And do you plan on doing mostly spey casts or double overhead casting with it? You might want to grab Fishtales Airflo compact scandi kit yourself one day just to try out different grain weights on what you have. The kit goes down to 270 in 30 grain increments. If you're set on a 40+ you'd be looking for the Extreme Distance floating line. Grain weights of the 40+ http://www.speypages.com/speyclave/showthread.php?t=34150 5=243grns 6=261grns 7=284grns 8=323grns 9=365grns