SilverDoctor

That's right, I purchased the "Sharpes Weighted Spey Wading Staff" from Gordon. On of the best investments I've made in years. It's certainly the Cadillac of staff's. The weighted bottom make it easiy to use, it's a one piece and very positive for balance. I've used a wading staff for about 30 years and now feel totally lost without one. I would highly recommend a staff of some Kind for anyone fly fishing medium to large streams. Although it's been mentioned that people use them in silty and muddy situations the real use of a staff is multi fold. It acts as a third leg and sometimes like a balancing tail. It gives you positive balance when wading. With the lanyard you don't always need to hold the staff. I often walk with the staff dragging behind. The break down staffs are good but I have talked with people who have had them collapse on them at crucial moments. Check out brands and look for POSITIVE locking on the sections. For years I used a metal ski pole with success. Also a good choice, easy to find, but you MUST work in a rubber tip of some sort (like on a cane tip) or you will be telegraphing you presence. A staff hase saved me many times from a plunge, fending off pooches and it makes a great camera pod and easel to mention a few things.

I just keep a small notebook. I usually only enter if it's something worth while. Nice to refer back to previous years and see when the various hatches are and what worked.

I've dressed a few rods probably about 10 with guides custom handles etc. When I hear a full build I usually associate it with scratch built bamboo rods like Don Anderson does. I usually either order my parts by mail, or buy at the Fly fishing Expo in the spring. Hope someday to get myslelf a bamboo blank. Very satisfying to roll yer own. There is a shop in Kelowna BC that has a lot of rod parts that I always stop at on my way to some Steelheading.

no problems so far with Firefox on the Mac.

be sure to clip any hackle alway from the hook gap also the other thing is keep the hook really sharp. There are times that the trout just don't seem to be able to hit the fly right. You can open the gap a little but be careful, it can alos lead to shake off's.I usually switch over to a more standard dry like a Humpy. I tie some of mine with a tight ffoam body for high flotation in the chop.

they look interesting. I'll have to try some in the fall when I run down on supplies.

I wold leap several times to throw the hook. If that didn't work head for some submerged dead falls to wrap around.Other than that I wold hope it was catch and release water. Sounds likde a Pita question.

AAAaaaaa.... My eyes my eyes!!!!!!!!

rubber gloves gives you a good grip. Go to Canadian Tire and get a product called penetrating oil. Worked for me once. Soak it a couple of times. If you do get it unstuck a bit of wax helps as was already said.

Very nice job, you should be proud of it. did you work from plans or just design as you go.

Check my Alberta stone in the pattern area, It's been producing.

Bring along some phesant tail andpale morning dunns. Caddis in various stages are on now.

Yes I spent 5 hours looking. Have a friend that is checking out pawnshops.

I have had a terrible thing happen to me. I was on a business trip to Edmonton so I figured I would throw the Bamboo fly rod into van and swing around 22x on the way back and hit some of the small streams on the way back. In downtown Edmonton someone broke into my van and emptied it out. I don’t much care about the other things that are gone or the broken window. The heartbreaker is the loss of my Thomas and Thomas Henry's Fork 5 wt. bamboo fly rod - 8 1/2' #5 (handed down from my Dad it’s Irreplaceable. I am completely heartbroken at the loss. The police say recover is slim to non and most goods with a name on it end up in a dumpster. On the very small chance someone on the board sees a bamboo fly rod for sale with the name on the case and inscription on the rod “Lornce Lisowski”. Please grab it and let me know. Thank you all.

Water temperature is always one of the keys. A thermometer is always a good investment. Amazing what your can find out about any body of water by a quick measure. I know areas of the Bow for example that can flux by 10 degrees in certain areas where springs etc come in and can drastically change insect and trout activity. The rainbow trout’s ideal temperature feeding range runs from 44 degrees to 54 degrees. The ideal temperature is 54 degrees. For Browns 50 - 56 degrees, and the cutthroat’s ideal temperature is 50 degrees. This is just my personal experience. But other factors such as cover, light and and general activity of the species as far as if they are nocturnal feeders or not. There are always those trout that act out of the norm. For example last weekend I encountered a big brown feeding along a flooded pathway 12 feet in from the river.separated from the river by 3 inches deep grass flooded water. The temptation of minnow fry was just too much.

I applad your aim.

I never get upset over such a small thing. Life is to short to use up with such trivial things. I usually thank my stars I was able to enjoy the fish even for a short time.

Pflueger Trion and TFO rod. you can't go wrong with the warranty.

"In my family, there was no clear division between religion and fly fishing." ~by Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It, 1976~

I hear ya, casting those double handers are an addiction. Talk about reaching out and touching pocket water way out. wow! Love the long reach for high stick bounce and Czech Nynphing. I was swinging emergers last night and did 12 browns. The real joy was last year I had a terralbe case of tennis elbow. My quack said to quit fly fishing for a while. It hasn't returned since using the Spey rod. Much easier on the old Doc arms. Tying up some Spey type minnow imitations for just after the flood. Took some measurements of flathead fry sizes from last year. Let your know how they work.

Pocket water is where the river cascades into broken white pools, places where the water swirls drifts and eddies into tiny smooth pools, broken by rocks and boulders scattered all over the river and cause pockets of short water all around them. The water tends to move in all directions. Pocket water is easy to distinguish from other sections of the river because it has an almost whitewater rapids appearance. It is not easy water to read or fish. When you are going to fish pocket water, the harder it is to get to a spot, the better the fishing will usually be when you get there. Start at the back of the pocket run and work your way to the front. Target one current break at a time, such as a large rock, and fish it until you are satisfied that the fish will no longer bite. I love targeting pockets with large Wruff flies before deep nymphing.

Darn, another Spey rod to save up for.

yes give us a full review.

They take flies very well. Nymphs and dries.

Sure, I'll work on it next week. Spending the weekend on some of the small streams near Sundre.