mikechell

Welcome, Gray Brook. Saltwater stripers? I was just up there a month or so ago. You need to tie up some sand eels. That's what they were tearing up along the jetties. I didn't have any (was traveling with a spinning rod, not my fly rod) sand eels, but a weightless rubber worm about the same color and size was getting hits on every cast. Good luck

Thanks, I'll keep checking the first post.

You could always take a battery with you and hook it up to those wires, Chris. Just to see if some lights come on or something .... no?

I ain't looking and you can't make me. I refuse to look at this tank until I've seen color (read: fish) in the other tank !!!

Either way (experimentation or ???) ... I think the fish'll eat it just fine. Although, from what I understand about mayflies, they float really high and dry. The fish actually only see dimples in the water where the feet depress the surface tension (meniscus). So, the wrapped abdomen might sit too much in the water, dragging the butt of the fly under the surface. If the fish are reeeeeaaaaalllllly picky, and they pass by or short strike your fly, I'll bet that would be the reason. Sure looks good to me, though. If you're fishing for sunfish, they'll suck that in before you can take the slack out of the line.

Horseshoes ... you got my flies? Or flies from someone else? I've been eager to hear if mine made it across the border.

Or, if you are like me ... use a sewing needle to pull 6# or 8# test mono through the end of the fly line. Tie a clinch knot to the fly line. The clinch knot should be positioned so that when you pull the fly line back out of the end of the line, the knot just fits in the space between the tie point and the hole the line passes through. This give you a strong connection that leaves very little sign in the water. Then pull about 8 to 10 feet of mono off the spool and cut. Tie your fly directly to the mono. I've been doing it this way for 45 years, and it works wonderfully for me. Granted, I am fishing for panfish and bass, not trout, so I am not as finicky about the set up. I start with about 10 feet of mono. After changing several flies, I'll get down to about 6 feet, and which time, I'll start with new mono and retie at the fly line.

Hinted at, but not stated by tidewater is the action IN THE WATER. What does it do in the water? A lot of my flies don't look too good hanging in the air, dry and curled every which way, but in the water it looks wonderful.

Nice application of a stack of deer hair over the eyes. I really like the looks of that. I think it was mentioned on another thread, if you do that same pattern, only tying everything on the "bottom" so the hook point will ride up when in the water, it would be much more weed resistant.

All I can say is ... Wow !!!

Mike, Go to the first post of this thread. You CAN'T say what you are going to tie/send. You have plenty of time to tie and send it or them though. PM Horseshoe for any details you don't understand ... but that first post is pretty inclusive.

Pretty Reds. I don't have SW fly fishing equipment ... but Mosquito is so close, I might have to go there with some regular spinning equipment and throw so jerk baits at them.

Riffle ... very few mulberry trees here. I saw my first one in 20 years on a golf course about 8 months ago. I remember one trip on the Eel River in Indiana back in the 70's. We were fishing for bass and sunfish when we came up to a Catawba Tree. (Catalpa tree ... same thing) The tree was dropping white flowers, not worms, on the water. The carp were eating the flowers. We all tied on the largest white fly we had, and started catching monsters. We were wore out by the time the bite stopped. Anyway ... I know I'll find some carp here one day ... just haven't found them yet.

Since my boat is a 14 foot john-boat ... and anglers sitting in my boat are rather low to the water line, I have a rule. The rule is in place because most people sitting on the back seat have their knees just about even with the waist. I sit on the front of the boat and have to look back at the person to talk or listen to them. SO ... NO KILTS. This rule especially applies if you tend to wear nothing under your kilt. NO KILTS !!!! Ladies, this rule does not apply to you ... you are welcome to wear whatever makes you feel comfortable ... that's just the way I am.

Sunfish and bass patterns here in Florida ... Everything I tie goes on an #8 or larger popper or straight shank. Sometimes I use extra long shanks. The only pattern exception are the scuds and grass shrimp, on which I use a #12 scud hook. I know that doesn't really go for the patterns you asked about ... but I am bored and just had to answer.

There was a "River Monsters" episode (or something like it) where they were going after a large sturgeon. The guy got a fish on and believed he had a world record fish. He fought with this fish for hours and finally tired it enough to get it close to the boat. Turn out to be a 6 footer that was foul-hooked in the tail. Unlike you, they didn't know until they got sight of it. Good fishing stories, Simon ... good luck getting the Coho run.

Wouldn't be any fun if everything worked the same for every one, every time. Variety is the spice of fishing, and all that stuff !!!

It's really a challenge, reeling in a 400 pound boulder. And all you wanted was the 2 pound fish beside it. I think that's why we tie 20 of the same pattern, no?

I envy you people who live in areas where you can see the carp swimming. Sight fishing for carp ... not possible in any of the areas I've been, yet. I am still looking. Great looking carp, that first one. The only time I've broken a rod on a fish was a micro-lite on a 5 pound bass. It was my fault, not checking the drag setting before fishing. If your drag is correct, and you know what you are doing, I don't think you'll ever break a rod. I've had rods break ... thinking it was something I did wrong, only to investigate and see where something had crimped the rod. They do seem to find the edges and crevices that pinch and bend.

If you are still confused as to which way to spin the bobbin ... just let it hang freely. It will naturally start to unwind. Spin it in that direction for a couple of second then stop it. Let it go, if it still spins, continue until it stays put or starts "unwinding" in the opposite direction (you went too far).

I've also got a story, and like you Ditz2, I too have many years of stories. This one is about fishing line too, but the fish we were after were LMB. I was fishing the back deck of my friend, Jerry's, boat. He was fishing with a weighted, Texas-rigged, june bug colored 7" Culprit worm ... line of choice, flouro-carbon 14# test. I was fishing with a non-weighted, Texas-rigged, watermelon candy colored sticko .... line of choice, Stren superbraid, smoke green, 20# test (8# diameter). He couldn't get a hit ... I caught 7 LMB, all over 3 pounds ... fishing the same holes he was casting at, before he finally gave up with his choices. He went to a crank bait, I continued to out fish him. He went to spinner bait, same situation. I refused, at this time to fish what I was fishing and went back to his original choices ... with a lighter bullet weight. We packed up and went home when he couldn't stand it anymore. Final count for the day, I caught 32 bass, 2 over 5 pounds ... Jerry caught 4, none over 2 pounds. Obviously, line "shyness" wasn't a factor on the St. Johns River that day. The only rods I have with mono on them are my fly rods. I only have mono on them because I don't like the suppleness of braid as a leader. I believe a certain amount of stiffness to the mono helps turn the fly over at the end of the cast. When I tried braid, it just seemed to follow the tip of the fly line to the water ... just too soft to "vault" over.

Pretty simple pattern ... you could tie that up and go fish yourself !!!

On my waters, I don't use strike indicators ... the water is still enough to watch the line move. Hellgramites usually are on the bottom, so suspending one wouldn't be realistic. In moving waters, suspending a bottom bug just makes it look like it was picked up by the current and hasn't fallen back to the bottom again. Nothing says "eat me" like helplessly drifting with the current.

If someone hear you is catching, beat him up and take talk to them and see if they'll show you what they are using. Match the hatch if you can, match the other anglers if you must.

I had the rod in the car door ready to slam it shut when she yelled out, "You have to break it while fishing!!!"