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jhr163

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About jhr163

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    bonefish
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  1. OK, Ill be the bad guy 😀. To me, the statement one time trip, dont want to invest big bucks, when talking about sails or tarpon, is an oxymoron...just by virtue of fishing for them, you (he) are investing big bucks. And the addiction factor...well...one time is relative.... Check out articles by Jake Jordan...you dont need a Mako/Charlton reel, but since the gig is more fighting from the reel, at least spring for a Tibor around $7-800. I have Allens, Lamson, etc. etc. and they are perfect for bonefish, musky, taimen, jacks, permit, steelhead, etc.,etc.,, but for sails and tarpon, go one step higher. Drag is very important...
  2. Do a google search for Brad Bohen or Buford fly. Tie one about 8” long, don’t worry if it doesn’t look exactly right, cut the pointy end off, dunk it in water, and get on the lawn. After a month or so of practice (until it doesn’t go wrong, rather than it goes right), book a couple days with Brad of Musky Country Outfitters in N. Wisconsin, or Eric Grajewski on Lake St Clair near Detroit. If you enjoy “target shooting” in rivers and want to learn from “The Godfather” of the game, book Brad. If you want to bomb out long casts over open water with higher potential for really big fish, with a young stud who will wear you out, book Eric. Both chaps will have you laughing and thoroughly enjoying a day on the water! If I had to pick, it would be an intermediate or sinking line, perhaps one size larger than rated for the rod. May God help you if successful, it is addictive. Which is to say, if you need a partner, let me know...
  3. Both! For travel, 4-pc or more. For local, 2 or 3 because they are less expensive. For someone who spends even a minimal amount of time practicing, cast ability is not an issue.
  4. As the client and soon-to-be-recipient on this work of art, I can say mikechell, by the time I scrolled to the last picture this afternoon, it was too late for a cold shower... :-) I contacted Steve with some fairly specific ideas about what I wanted - asking his advice on a few options for components, and laying out my preferences for both action and aesthetics. It was painfully obvious to me after an email or two that a.) he had a good deal of patience for a pain-in-the-ass client like me, and b.) he grasped very quickly, exactly, what I wanted. He listened to my preferences, and I listened to his advice. A bit of mutual trust and some superior quality components from the Ron's later, - wow! just wow! All I can say is that Mr. Steve way exceeded my expectations, delivering not just the goods but some way-tasty condiments, and I am an exceedingly happy diner! I have been fortunate enough to have several high end builds made, and from what I can see, this is quite likely to become the star of the collection. Can't wait to get this naughty girl in my hands! I'll have a week or two for some lawn foreplay, then she'll be down to a little caye off the coast of Belize with me in May. Then a change of lines and off to Lake St Clair with Captain E as mentioned by Steve, followed by a couple local trips, then capping off with a 5-day frisky finale in Musky Country in NW Wisconsin in September. Life is good! And my humblest thanks again Steve-san! J
  5. Spent all of my 52 years in the upper Midwest (IA, MN, WI and for the last 5, MI). In my early 30's, I had a 2wd truck and hit a snowstorm on what normally was a 3 hour drive, turning into 9 hours...swore I'd never be w/out 4wd again. (And I haven't). Current vehicle a Nissan Xterra - and wouldn't trade it for anything. Bought it for the exact same reasons you list - basic over bells and whistles (but it does have AC). Got it for 26K, new, in 2012 - same cost as a front wheel drive Altima that obviously gets better mileage but sucked in the snow in comparison. If I lived south of I-80, it would be far different. But up here, the extra security and control afforded by 4wd in bad weather, and the ruggedness of a body on frame construction (not just for winter but for the pothole infestation of spring) is worth it for me in getting to fishing holes and hunting areas, maximum safety in transporting my family and peace of mind. I've pulled people out of ditches, and waterlogged 2wd vehicles with their boats off of launch ramps on several occasions. Even if it didn't have AC, I'd still own it, because if I sweat a couple days a year, so what...a.) I'd rather sweat from heat than fearing for my or my families safety in Michigan winter weather, and b.) if I sweat, I get wet, and I was born wet 😀. It's a no brainier for me. Obviously, YMMV.
  6. I was in the Black Hills one October, with a perfect BWO hatch coming off. Not by any means a blanket hatch where one needs to time their float with just the right timing, but enough to have a real nice 23" bow rising fairly regularly. I had a perfect match for the duns, a size 20 quill body parachute with medium dun hackle parachute and slightly darker dun Antron wing post. I uncharacteristically got three very well-timed delicate drifts over the fish. Each was met with abject refusal. Frustrated, From my very well hidden position, I watched the fish continue to take naturals for 20 minutes. Then I noticed something...it was refusing upright naturals of upright wing, in favor of those "lopsided" on the water. I pulled a somewhat mangled fly of the exact same quill body out of my box, tied it on, and on the first cast it actually went out of its way to take - that's how I know it was 23"... Nobody will ever convince me that the fish wasn't refusing natural upright bugs and keying on "cripples". Was the fish thinking about it? Hell no. But it sure was feeding selectively, conditioned or not, on flies that floated by differently than the majority of the uprights. Not 2 hours later, about 20 yards downstream around a corner, another large rainbow was feeding. By this time, I'd returned to the first beautifully upright fly that had been refused by the first fish. On my second cast, it ate like it hadn't ever seen an artificial. 26"...a day I'll never forget - my first, second, and only 20/20's on a dry. And most of all, a learning experience - every fish is different, observation pays, and yes, some naturals will be refused in favor of others. Just my .02 cents...
  7. Don't know if it is cheaper or not, but for a great selection of colors and sizes, check out www.kreinik.com. I believe they have a store locator function on their site if you don't want to order without getting your hands and eyes on it in person. Jeff
  8. jhr163

    BWO flies

    For where I fish in SW WI and MI, my go to dry is a sz 18 or 20 parachute with med dun microfibbet tail, olive died quill body, med dun Antron fiber wing post and med dun hackle...rarely fails during a BWO hatch....
  9. Agree with Piker 20 and I really like the Outbound short. When I went on a Mongolia taimen adventure in 2012 I was using my 9wt GLX and had it loaded with the 9 weight OBS for throwing big, wind-resistant flies (tubes, 2-3" long, sometimes stacked to 3 sections, each with palmered bunny and foam on top gurgler style - one guy called it the "crippled lemming"). It hit the water with a very satisfying SPLAT, which is what one generally wants for taimen and in my experience, for musky. The OBS was just the ticket.
  10. Thanks gents! I was using a 1/0. Have used the 800S Tiemco and it is a great hook! Will probably order in that stinger hook as well.
  11. So I did some of these using what I had on hand...Gamakatsu SC15, which has a "wide gape" but was the right shank length for the small size legs and back. Would like to do some more but with a hook that has less gape, but similar or just very slightly longer shank length. Any recommendations on manuf./model/size that will fill the bill?
  12. Pick up a copy of Wisconsin & Minnesota Trout Streams, A Fly Anglers Guide, by Humphreys and Shogren. Gives lots of info on stream type, access locations and plenty of info on techniques they have had success with. Have fun! Jeff
  13. For home tying - Dyna-king barracuda pedestal. For travel tying kit, Renzetti traveler C-clamp (pedestal would take up too much "air-baggage weight). Perfect combo for me....
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