mikechell

I'll be there ... Um, I am in Orlando, FL. How far do I have to drive to get there? I tried to find it on the Florida map ... I can't find it.

"I should have thought of it before when posting the the deadline." Um ... no. The deadline is the 14th. Anyone who planned on getting their entry to you ON the 14th, at this time of year, is late. I know that sounds harsh, and I suppose you could extend the deadline a few days, but it's the same complaint I've been reading about the swaps. People don't respond, don't send, don't think of others, etc. You've been very communicative all along. People need to think of the ones who are putting in the time for these swaps and contests. Anyway, I hope they all get in to you in time. I am looking forward to the pictures.

Maybe this thread goes with Net's on "Snobbish" fly fishermen. I am thinking, if you can't afford to get into a new form of fishing ... don't!

I can't seem to find your address. Dang ... I can't seem to find any flies to send either!

Happy Birthday, Steve ... I was thinking of buying you a good fishing rod ... no? Maybe get you an aquarium? Oh, I see you are into the aquarium thing ... and you don't need a fishing rod. Guess I'll just have to leave it at Happy Birthday and many more!

Me too ... I need some free stuff too. E-mail me at Really//areyouserious.com.

I think you'll probably catch plenty of sunnies with those, except, maybe the last one. That "weedguard" looks like it might actually prevent a good hook set. Numbers 1 and 3 will be the best, I'll bet ... 1 looks like a good worm/caterpillar and 3 will "crunch" nicely, they seem to like that. Don't forget to tie something that floats, too. Crappie will hit what you've tied, but sometimes you'll need to call the sunnies in with some top water action.

Looks like a good little bug ... what size is that "mini"?

Oh, now we're talking about tattoos?!?!? I have a couple of them ... no sleeves or anything. And let me tell you, my untattooed right arm hates my tattooed left arm. My tattooed left arm thinks my untattooed right arm is a pussy and throws like a girl. Fortunately, they both like to fish and will, grudgingly, work together when fly fishing.

I am sure there are fish ... I caught a lot of "Squaw Fish" out of the Stanisluas last September (And a few trout). I am going home because the dealer class season is over for this winter. My biggest problem is most of the fishing access requires a boat. No boat, no fish ... or waders. I have both of those items back in Florida, neither are very easy or cheap to transport. And, of course ... I am cheap.

Yet, another of the thousand plus reason to never have kids. I am SO glad I didn't.

Wow, Shoe ... where'd you get that opinion? Are we reading the same thread? I hope you didn't read my post and take it for truth! Most of what I've seen here is true outdoors men and women complaining about people trashing the country side. If Fly Fishermen complain about that more than other anglers, good for them. Somebody needs to voice the complaint about litter! I do not feel that fly anglers as a whole are "snobbish" or in any other way elitist. I can tell you from my own experience, I've never had a bad experience with another angler. Most of the time, when I boat passes mine, I hear, "Look, he's fly fishing." A lot of them will slow down and watch for a few minutes to see if I catch anything. Several have stopped to talk with me about it. If you are reading some kind of "hate" or "snobbish" feeling into the replies to this post ... I think you are projecting your own prejudices. A person can find, if you look hard enough, exactly what you want to find in any situation. If you take only 100 answers to a poll ... and you ask only the right people ... you can get 100% approval for any opinion.

There's too many pages to read, so I'll just hope this one hasn't been added already. The [door-to-door] mosquito repellent salesman has been trying to get the farmer to buy his product all day. The sun's about to set and he throws out his last offer. "Sir, if you give me a blanket, I'll sleep out there in your field all night. Tomorrow morning, you'll see, I won't have a bite on me!" "Well, son," says the farmer, "It don't seem right, you getting a blanket. You'll just wrap yourself up in it." He thinks a minute and says, "Now if you was to sit in a chair, you wouldn't need the blanket." "Agreed," replies the salesman, sensing a sale, "I'll sit out there … no bites come morning. You'll buy a few bottles then?" "Hmmm, I can work most of the evening in my shirt sleeves," says the farmer. "I think you should sit out there nekid. You do that with nary a bite come mornin' … I'll buy a case." Getting a sale like that would be worth it, the salesman thought … besides, who would know? "You got it," exclaimed the salesman. So, they're walking out into the pasture. The farmer's carrying chair and a rope. Seeing this, the salesman asks, "Uh, what's the rope for?" "I know salesmen," chuckled the farmer, "You'll run off and sit in your car soon's you see the lights go off in the house." He looked at the salesman, "I don't want you doing nothin' shifty like that … and the women folk would be plum upset some if'n they seen you runnin' nekid through the yard. So, I am tying you to the chair." "Well, I don't think that'll be necessary," squeaks the salesman. The farmer looks at him and sneers, "I know'd that repellent weren't no good!" "Fine," replies the salesman, squaring his shoulders. "I'll do it, but only if you'll buy TWO cases when morning comes." They strike the deal, the salesman strips, the farmer ties him to the chair and walks off to the house. The next morning, the farmer walks back out to the salesman and is genuinely concerned for the salesman. "You look white as a ghost and as haggardly as an old man! Those mosquitoes must've chewed you all night long!" The salesman lifts his head, "No sir … not a bite, as promised. But, holy smokes!!! Doesn't the calf of yours have a mother!?!?!?"

JSzymczyk ... "crude sticks and poles" ... was just for you !!! ( I think it was you who said you hated that, right?)

That's a pretty neat fly. I don't think I'll be tying one, though. Wife would take one look and refuse to let me fish with it. I know she'd say, "That's too cute to fish with!"

Well, it's time I chimed in on this thread ... actually, I just saw it this moment. But I have to say, after reading all the previous comments, no one has really hit the nail on the head ... actually, I can't remember all of the posts I just read, some of you snobs can be downright verbose! But here it is. When I fly fish, I am quite refined and I look down upon all other so called anglers who harvest fish. I know they have merely snagged a fish with their crude sticks and poles. When I am using spin casting and bait casting equipment for bass, I hate my fly fishing persona with all the power in my barbarian soul. And I loath the bait chuckers as if they were the very worms they fish with. On the rare occasion I fish with live bait, I try to smear as much worm guts as I can in the face of my snobbish bass fishing persona and in the hair of my elitist fly fishing persona as I can. At least, that's what it looks like by the time I get home. So, I hate myself most of the time ... It's a good thing I love fishing so much !!!

I can see thread, magically hanging in mid-air. I can see a vise and a few items ... and orange knobs, also magically hanging in mid-air. I don't see any bench ?!?!?!?

Okay ... last post on this thread, from California. Hit the San Luis Reservoir, fore-bay. Spent the day casting a "Steel Shad" at a perfectly calm surface. My fishing partner for the day, Richard, was seeing how long a shad would live on a hook. If those two sentences don't give it away, we didn't catch much. Each of us caught one Striped Bass ... neither were out of diapers, yet. Then while jigging the lure off the bottom directly beneath the boat, I hooked something. It felt like a snag at first, but it was moving and rising ... slowly. I pulled and it came up some more ... it felt huge! I saw a white mouth, fractions of a second later, I saw the rest of the beast. Trust me, pulling a cup through the water mouth first puts a lot of resistance on the line. I am done with California ... flying home on Saturday. Three days of fishing ... one good LM bass, one little Striper and a Dixie cup does not qualify this part of California as a fishing destination, in my book. I'll be glad to be back in Florida !!!

Some pictures of Lake Amador. Why it was a tough day, walking on lake bottom material, and no fish. And why any day on the water is better than workin'.

Good looking cat. What's the story there? Most of my cats have found me, not the other way around. Orangie is obviously not a newly weaned kitten, so how'd your sister end up giving you this one? PS ... Looking pretty healthy yourself, skinny boy!

Amador sucked. The lake is down about 30 to 40 feet. This might be normal low pool, wiating for the thaw, I don't know. All I know is, it's a B!#(H to fish from the shore. Walking all day on a 45 or greater degree muddy hill is a pain in itself. To add misery to the pain, not a single fish bit. The water is very clear, although not crystal ... and people in boats were catching a few here and there. Most of the people along the shore were not getting anything, and those that were had bait on the bottom. I was using a fly rod and got nothing. I'll post a couple of pics of the lake once I've downloaded and resized them.

I sure would love to see those ... but they're too large.

First "Salt Water" I am thinking, Kirk. This Jimr1961 is a veteran fly tier, just not a veteran salt water guy ... right?

Two good whip finishes, one over the other, and you don't need head cement. If you are using head cement or some other glue, then no, the type of knot does not matter.

Thank you. I think I'll try tying some of these as soon as I get home ... but I'll use some foam in the middle to keep it at or just below the surface.