headscan

Check out this article and this one for good descriptions of the different line types available. I prefer a Scandi line for most of my fishing and only use a Skagit when I'm tossing really big uglies or need a fast sinking tip to get down deep in a hurry. I like a mono running line in the summer and the Airflo running line in colder weather because it doesn't coil like mono. Haven't had the need to chop any of my heads to match a specific rod. All of this is personal preference so expect someone else to post the exact opposite. This stuff also depends on where you're planning on fishing and for what.

The reason it's all portable gear is that it all comes on vacation and business trips with me I'd probably be way more upset if someone stole my fishing gear, though.

Not totally risk free (nothing is). I'm a Mac user (MacBook Pro, iPhone, multiple iPods) but I wouldn't call it 100% safe. They're targeted less frequently than Windows computers though, which may have to do more with market share than anything else. Also saw this article today.

Antispyware won't really help much if it was a trojan and running more than one at a time can cause more problems in terms of stability. Sounds like a trojan that could've been installed through a bad banner ad or as a drive-by download from some website you visited. Make sure after your reinstall that you run Windows update and install all the security patches. Keep going back to the update site until it tells you there aren't any more patches available. Make sure to keep your antivirus up to date and also use a full security suite that includes a firewall, browser protection, anti-phishing, etc.

That could take a lot of disk space and suck up bandwidth. Plus the mods would have to police the pics to make sure there isn't any inappropriate content like pr0n or copyrighted pics. You could always just post those pics on a photobucket account and put the link in your profile or sig instead.

Most likely they were pets that someone decided they didn't want any more and dropped them off there. Blows my mind that someone would do something like that rather than bring them to a shelter.

FC side.

Just got back from the CIL hole and wanted to give everyone a warning, especially if you fish there alone like I was. Two wild dogs followed about five feet behind me for a good way. One was a black shepherd and the other was some kind of American bulldog mix - both sizable dogs. No collars on either one, but I'm guessing they were abandoned fairly recently. These dogs are probably going to be getting pretty hungry and they aren't fast enough to take down a deer (which they were trying to do before they spotted me). I'm sure they didn't attack me only because I didn't show any fear and was carrying a 12' rod, but they were definitely sizing me up. Anyway, just be careful if you're heading out that way alone.

Very cool vid. Love how much you can see the rod flex in slo-mo.

I usually end up switching between my skagit and scandi heads on the same rod. Each time I take a head off and hand wind it I'm introducing twist into the line, which can be a pain the next time I take it out to use it again. Anyone have any tips or tricks to get rid of this or not to put twist into the line in the first place? I usually let the line dangle in the current to take it out, but it can be difficult to deal with when putting the head through the loop on my running line as well.

What's the setup? Multi 7130, Multi reel, and a Skagit line? Looks very nice. I'm sure you'll be really happy with it.

You mean this one? http://www.flyrodreel.com/Fly-Rod-and-Reel...-February-2009/

And since the Highwood is a trib of the Bow might as well not bother fishing it either. Never know what kind of ripple effect one of those slides might have. I'd just avoid any flowing water north of Carseland for the next few years to be on the safe side.

I haven't actually used mine in around 6 months. I usually carry a single hand rod and my 12'2" 5 wt with me. The single hand rod is mainly for nymphing and the spey rod is for streamers or swinging nymphs, wets, and larger dries.

I have the Beulah 5/6 and it works fine for two-handed casts but would be tiring to use for single hand overhead casting. The matching Elixir line works pretty nicely on it and it will toss a decent trout-sized streamer easily. What are you planning on using it for? If it's only trout on the Bow then I'd stick to the 4/5 or 5/6. Honestly, if you're looking to do a fair amount of overhead casting with it you'll be better off getting a single hand rod and just spey casting it when you don't have room behind you. My primary nymphing rod is a 9'6" 7 wt that I single-hand spey cast and the only time I overhead cast is when I'm fishing dries.

But there might be environmental repercussions. I think that a non-resident angler from another province pays a higher fee because they don't pay provincial taxes, some of which go back into the environment. A non-resident angler from another country pays an even higher fee because they don't pay provincial or federal taxes. So you would be taxing the resource without contributing as much to the protection and maintenance of that resource. I'm not 100% positive that this is how it works, so someone correct me if I'm wrong. Sure the Skeena AMP sucks, but screwing the system doesn't make it right. Instead, fill out the response form and petition so that it isn't implemented: http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/ske/qws/feedback/ http://www.opposeskeenaamp.com (Thanks to pkk for providing the links)

Found this link on Speypages: http://neilcreekchronicles.blogspot.com/20...-christmas.html I don't normally care too much about gear aesthetics as long as it works, but to me that is one fugly looking rod. Not a fan of the blank colour or the cork. Hopefully they cast a lot better than they look.

Bah, if he was a Deerfoot driver he would've also been talking on his cell phone, drinking coffee, reading the newspaper, shaving, smoking, and turning around to yell at the kids in the back seat while driving like that.

Have one and love it. One suggestion though - charge an extra buck or so and include a clip so it's ready to attach to a vest/jacket. I keep forgetting to get one so I'm always having to pull it out of a pocket.

I think Whistler (Brian Niska) said if the weather is nice enough around the Fly Fishing Expo that he'd put on a clinic. Gordon will probably be back in the spring to put on a clinic as well. Can't go wrong either way.

I have to admit I haven't fished the DH rod much in the last few months. I have been speycasting the single-hand rod a lot, though. While I can "turbo spey" the SH rod to distances that aren't very fishable I've also been improvising double speys and snap t's so that I can effectively fish anywhere from 5 feet to 50 feet around me. One thing I did learn about the DH rod is that I prefer casting a Scandi head above all else. Skagit is a useful tool for fishing Big Uglies at depth, but I prefer the finesse of the Scandi. Or maybe it's just that the Scandi heads I have are more dialed in for my rods than the Skagit heads. Or my Skagit casting could just plain suck. Also, I've come to the conclusion that anything more than a 4, 5 or 6 wt DH rod is complete overkill on the Bow. Sure you can do it, but it just feels ridiculous to me. Yeah I know some people are going to disagree with this, but after fishing a 5 wt DH rod and 7 wt SH exclusively for the past few months my heavier DH rod will only come out for practice and when I head out west to fish for anadromous species.

So are they designed to handle mid/long belly lines or can they handle scandi/skagit as well?

Ah yes, Gord's Nautilus sermon is second only to one of his rants. I know it's worked on me four times now... It doesn't necessarily need to be a Bow river rod, just that one rod that you love to cast and feels like it was made just for you and you have it lined perfectly so that you don't feel it could be tweaked any better. Could be a $100 combo or a $1000 one. The strangest thing for me about the Opti Coast is that I didn't test it before I bought it. Called up Whistler and told Brian what I was looking for. He asked me a bunch of questions then suggested this rod and line.

Really nice looking chrome. Love how they make that 12'6" rod look so small... Good on ya Brian.

Over the last few weeks I realized that I've found my ideal rod/line/reel combination. I can cast it in almost any situation - in close, at distance, high winds, nymphing with an indicator, dry fly, streamer - and almost always hit my target and I can cast it for hours without tiring. It has the backbone to fight a big fish but is still fun for the smaller ones. I have other good rods that I use for certain situations, but none of them cast quite as well or are as much fun as this one. It took me quite a few different rods and lines to get to this point which got me wondering. Who else has gotten to this point? How long did it take you to find it? How many people are still searching for their ideal? Just thought it might be an interesting topic for a snowy Sunday... Oh, and if you're curious it's: Loop Opti Coast 9'6" 7wt rod Loop Opti Stream 7 wt line Nautilus 8 reel