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SALMONATOR

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About SALMONATOR

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    Advanced Member
  • Birthday 09/07/1971

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  • Location
    Shelby Twp., Mi
  1. SALMONATOR

    Lab. puppies?

    I own a 5 year old chocolate and he's a great dog. My best buddy in the world and a great hunting/fishing partner. Very good with people (even kids). I have to disagree with the notion that labs don't make good upland bird hunters. I've concentrated on duck training mostly with my Ernie, But that's only because that's the type of bird hunting I do most. He does a pretty good job in the uplands too though. I've shot plenty of pheasants behind my dog and even a few grouse. One thing you'll need to get used to is that a lab is more of a flushing dog in the uplands. If you're used to hunting behind a pointing breed than it will be a whole new ball game for you and a much different process of training, but rest assured labs in general are plenty capable of becoming great upland bird hunters. There are even breeders out there who have begun to breed "pointing labs". I'd personally steer clear of these for several reasons. Labs by nature are flushing dogs. The minute you start trying to develop a trait that is not natural to the breed (like pointing, dominant color, size, shape, etc. etc. etc.) all the other characteristics that make them such great dogs become secondary. Also, good retrieving takes alot of time and effort to train a dog to begin with. So does pointing. Teaching a good retriever to hunt upland too is not nearly the work that would be required to train a good retriever to also be a good pointer. That said, it still depends on what you want out of the dog as a hunter. I feel a good flushing dog is as valuable as a good pointer if you know what to expect out of the dog. I remember a day last year when Ernie put up 20+ pheasants in a little over 3 hours. That's pretty good numbers for Michigan. As far as fishing goes, he's awsome in the boat. I even take him wading with me when I'm bass/gill fishing the shorelines of the lakes and ponds I hit mid-summer. He stays right by my side at all times and even watches my fly for a fish to hit it. I sometimes think he's more concentraited on it than I am. In the river, It can be kind of tough though. with changing depths and currents he can't always be by my side and touch the bottom at the same time and on more than one ocasion he ended up swimming through the hole I was trying to fish. I usually leave him home for the river trips, as I can't convince him to just follow me on the bank. If he sees me in the water he has to be in there too. Labs can also be great in-door or out-door dogs. They do shed, so that's something to keep in mind if an in-door dog is your thing. If out-door is more your Idea, they have a thick hearty coat and can brave the outdoor weather year round (with the exeption of maybe a few of very coldest nights of the winter). Last note of caution. I think it's great that people will rescue dogs from shelters in need of a good home. I'm sure there are dogs that you could mold into what you are looking for there too, but I'd say you stand a much better chance getting a pup and raising it from day one rather than a dog with a questionable history. If having a good "family" dog and a good hunter are important characteristics to you, you'd probably have a much easier time raising/training a puppy from a young age than a 2-3-4 year old dog. In any case, good luck. I hope you find what you seek. Al
  2. I agree, it's tough to tell from the pic, but I'd lean toward a brown drake. Here's a few pics of some of the other flies mentioned. Eastern March Brown: Gray Drake: Brown Drake: Isonychia Sadleri Dun (male): Isonychia Sadleri Dun (female): Isonychia Bicolori Dun (male): Isonychia Bicolori Dun (female): Isonychia Bicolori Spinner (female): Does something here look pretty close? Ain't "hatch-matching" a blast this time of year when everything happens at dark and about all you can tell is that the flies are kinda' big? Good luck!! Al
  3. Looks great SD. I use to tye a pattern alot like that, but it called for a bucktail wing. Brookie's and gill's would nail the piss out of 'em. Don't know why I haven't tied any lately. I'll have to put them back on my to-do list. Great looking fly. Al
  4. Even worse today Dan, and it ain't even done rising yet. The dam was completely under water when I drove by there. Not even a riffle as far as I could tell. Talk about blown-out. Al
  5. I just headed down the road to check out the Loft access this evening. You wouldn't believe it SD. The bar is an island right now. Clinton must be 200'+ wide there. Drove over to Yates and things were about the same. Water was just a few feet from Avon rd. and I couldn't see the dam at all. Like it wasn't even there. I just hope things aren't as bad up north. Already had to cancle a trip this weekend. This sucks. Al
  6. Well, first of all I'd like to appologize to you all and especially to mozes. Things went a bit crazy a few weeks back and I've been working 60-70 hours/week. The last time I viseted this site was about a week ago for just a few minutes and I did see your message mozes. I should have gotten back to you at that time. My fault. In my defense, if you read back through the first page of the thread I don't think I ever gave the "official nod" of commitment in the first place. We were pending on a due date (last I saw) and by the time you got back to us on that I was too busy to even think, but I see now that I was already on the list. I guess that's my fault too. On top of that all, I'm wraping up a swap of my own on another site and I know it sucks when people don't come through on their commitment. I guess my best advise to you on the "swap-miester" end would be to confirm the details such as a due-date, shipping, etc., etc., etc. up front, and above all, make sure you have a firm commitment rather than make an assumption and then try to trash somebody else if things don't go as you planned . I never would have handled this situation the way you did. Here ya' go: Mar 27 2004, 12:46 AM "I guess you could count me in (pending on the due-date). Will something in chocolate lab work? I've got one good Idea for a mayfly dry (trout pattern). Do the flies have to be tied entirely of pet fur/feathers, or do they just have to be included somewhere in the recipe? Give us the details and I'll let you know for sure. Al" Apr 2 2004, 12:25 AM '"Bout that due date.......any idea on that yet? Al" I believe that was my last post in this thread. Still waiting to confirm weather or not I was going to be able to swing it or not.........turned out not, but then I read this tonight.... I didn''t even know I was on the list. May 17 2004, 01:02 PM "On the second note: I still did not hear anything from SALMONATOR even after I send a PM . I think we can forget about his flies . I wish people would have enough decency to let you know that they drop from the swap instead of you guessing that they are out two days after the deadline. Anyhow as soon as I get flies from DFix I will split them up and send them out. Mozes" Well, so I guess I feel like a heel tonight. Not that I should, but I do. Sorry if I let you guy's down. I apologize for my indecency. Al
  7. Hay, I think Doc. Todd accidentely invented the same fly a couple monthes ago. "Nlack Dosed Base" I think he ended up calling it. I sure can't see why that fly wouldn't catch fish. Looks like a winner to me OSD. Let us know how the trout like them. Al
  8. QUOTE It has 18 compartment with 18 colour. I can buy it for apr. 58$ Is this expensive or not? If that's american $'s you're talkin', they best be some damn big compartments. Al
  9. If you're still in for spending $40-50 for a bass bug line I have one to suggest. Meant for another type of fly, but the Cortland Pike/Musky taper 444SL line kicks ass. It'll throw BIG flies and the big head cuts wind like a knife. Long distance is hardly a problem. I've had mine for 5+ years and it's still kickin' with no ill-effects. Big bass bugs are no problem and bigger flies aren't either. Worth a try. Good luck. Al
  10. QUOTE here is where it gets tricky... when i was a really small kid (well young, not small), my granddad referred to what i think was some sort of caddis as a miller. In some parts of the country they call the ephoron leukon white millers, while others do in fact call that caddis a white miller. Not to mention some local designations such as dusty millers, whiteflies, and there are probably more. I agree Steve. I guess it depends mostly on who you ask or what books you read and then who do you belive/trust. Hell, some of the books I read like to list Dolly's Arctics and Bulls as the same fish. Others list them as three distinct different species (latin names included), and that's just in the world of salmonoids. Entamology is much bigger yet and we're just talking about the common name afterall. Some say Pale Evening Duns and Sulphers are the same. Others don't. Who knows? I tend not to rely on the common names and standard patterns so much any more anyway. I just try to immitate the bugs I see on the stream. What they are I don't always know for sure, but if I don't have something in my boxes to fool the trout, you can bet I'll be behind the vise that night trying to come up with something to duplicate the bug I saw that afternoon. I guess if you look at the names, you could be wrong alot. The most popular hatch in the state is still called by some "the Great Michigan Caddis Hatch" when we fly-fishers know they're talking abut Hex's ( Hexigina limbata, a great big mayfly). What's a common name worth? Not much anymore IMHO. When it comes to hatches (I've found), the best model is what you see on the stream. Which one is the true "White Miller"? I don't know, but I'll be sure to have a few of each tied up when I call the fly-shop and they tell me that the "Millers are starting to show below Mio" or "We're gettin' a few whites in the evening. Big hatch should be any time now." I've not caught the "white miller" caddis hatch in it's prime, but the Ephron mayflies come off in great numbers on certain streaches of the Au Sable and Mannistee here in Michigan, arguably some of the best rivers in the state for them especially in certain streaches. That one I've cought at least a few times. Once these fly's hatch they are pretty much limmited to the air. Their legs ain't meant for landing or clinging so they spend most of their adult life on the wing. Molting, maiting, etc. This is a prime hatch to tie up some doubles. Almost everything takes place in mid-air and on the same evening. If they're not trailing a big shuck or maiting, you'll see some singles, but I think the trout are usually keyd in on the "twofer's". These flies are snow white from head to tail. Not cream or light dun. They are white. # 10-14 should work just fine. The hatches I've seen have taken place right at dark. Not late afternoon. Not mid-night. Right when the sky goes from grey to black. That's prime time. It's a big hatch up here and a fun one to wrap up the summer with. Good luck. That's as much as I can tell you guy's about what I've seen. Al
  11. According to Doug Swisher & Carl Richards in their book Selevtive Trout, the "White Miller" is a caddis fly (Nectopsyche albida, Nectopsyche exquisita) and the "White Fly" would be the mayfly (Ephron album, Ephron leukon). Both fly's can be found on northern Michigan streams around the same time (late summer). I don't know if those flies resemble a caddis or a mayfly F4S, but I agree with the others that they are cool looking flies. Well tied and I'm sure they'll get you into plenty of fish. Deer hair is pretty cool to work with once you get the hang of it (which it looks like you have). Good job. Al
  12. Nope. "Web Site Not Responding The web site you have requested may be experiencing technical difficulties due to a busy or broken server. Please try again by clicking the Reload icon on your navigation bar or, if that doesn't work, you may want to return to the site at a later time." Is this a huge pic? Al
  13. Hmm, wish I could help but all I get is the red X. Sorry. Al
  14. Experience usually is what you get when you don't get what you want, but if there were no such thing as optomism, there would be no such thing as fishing. -Micheal McIntosh You won't catch every fish you try for, but don't let that discourage you, because the best fisherman who ever lived can't do it either. -H. G. Tapply I have never yet caught a fish on the first cast, nor have I ever made a first cast without thinking I would catch a fish. -Ellington White If a man fishes hard, What is he going to do easy? -Roy Blount Jr. Four-fifths of the earth's surface is covered with water, but only five percent of that is good fishing. -Geoffery Norman Any man who pits his Intelligence against a fish and loses has it coming. -John Steinbeck There was never an angler who lived but that there was a fish capable of taking the conciet out of him. -Zane Grey Bragging may not bring happiness, but no man having caught a large fish goes home through the ally. -Anonymous The gods do not deduct from a man's alloted span the hours spent in fishing. -Babylonian proverb And my favorite, I think it's mostly a salmon fisherman thing 'caus I hear it alot every fall: "FISH ON!!!"................(snap)...."F***!!!!!!" -Every salmon fisherman who ever lived Al
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