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Everything posted by COMike
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I would definitely fish it! Nice work!
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Nice Job! I am haven't attempted a PMX yet but plan to in a couple months. I would be really happy with those personally!
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I was there on Saturday. What a great show! Picked up tons of stuff that I needed such as merino wool base layers, cool t-shirts, a bunch of misc capes and wing materials. Great time!
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Hi everyone! I just returned from two weeks in Maine to visit my folks and I brought my rod and fly tying supplies with me. Was an awesome trip and although I did no fly fishing I did practice casting in the wind just about every day and had some marathon fly tying sessions (all nighters)! My parents were so happy to see my "creations" and my Dad was so happy to get some "Mike Specials" to show his friends. While I was up in Freeport with my folks I did the obligatory "outlet mall" trips up and down route 1 to Jittery and back. On the way home I found an INCREDIBLE Fly shop in Cape Neddick!!!!! We passed it by and quickly did a U-turn to pull in. No one was in the parking lot and I thought it was closed. A nice gentleman was watering the garden in front. My wife and I went inside and was amazed at the selection of fly tying supplies, rods, DVDs, clothing, nets, etc....this place rocked!!! We spent about 45 minutes talking to Jim (the gentleman watering out front) and he is simple a wonderful person!!! The name of the fly shop is ELDREDGE BROTHERS FLY SHOP If anyone is up on the coast of Maine you HAVE to stop in there! Jim stated they run ads in the Drake magazine but I am ashamed to say I never paid much attention to the ads. I make a point of stopping in any local shop and spend some funds each time. Local fly shops are a wealth of information and are typically run by great folks that genuinely have a passion for anything fly fishing related. As a former small business person I understand just how hard it is in a niche market and trying to make ends meet with all the online stores. Mind you, I do Anton of shopping online but try to spread the wealth. We just returned home a few hours ago and I am getting ready to tie up a few till I pass out from exhaustion. I am proudly wearing one of their shirts and will be displaying one of their stickers on my jeep!!! Good to be home and back on the forum here!!! Mike
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With regards to "roadkill" and "feathers".... My wife found a golden eagle....not sure if it was....last month on the road near our home. She told me about it and I went to the "site"...NASTY...but there were cool feathers I might have taken for a fly. I read online prior that there are "protected birds" here in Colorado and was VERY hesitant to take some of the feathers. I elected to not do so and pulled up my book marks for feathers... http://www.blm.gov/id/st/en/prog/blm_special_areas/birds_of_prey_nca/links/raptor_possession.html I still have my wife on the hunt for roadkill but when a bird is on the asphalt I will look at it but NOT take the feathers. Mike:)
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My attempt at "schooling bait" that I was encouraged to be creative on! http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=78866
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I must first admit that I am tying the hell out of certain flies and I am getting really comfortable at them (Pheasant Tail, Elk Hair, RS2, Humpys, even some Adams). However, I thought that my basic skills from PHWFF classes were not able to make a fly I had never tied! Three weeks ago I found a mentor through the Healing Waters program that teaches every week and goaded me into pushing my limits. SOOOO.....here is my first attempt at a "Schooling Bait"..... I did not have the materials but was graciously loaned some. I was encouraged to be creative and "out of the box" from what I normally tie and this is what I came up with.... Mike
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Sandy, If you are asking me...LOL Mikechell.... I put the Silicone on the dry prior to my first cast. I fish it till it starts sinking and then try to dry it as much as I can by false casting. If that does not work, I put the powder on it. Seems to work better for me. With that being said, I have tried reapplying the "gink" subsequent times from the initial coat and it doesn't do well for me. Drying the fly works prior to any applications of floatant but the quick shake in the dessicant seems to do better. This is what all the guys have showed me on the water the past month and if it works for them.....I would like to think it works for me! One "trick" some of the locals use is the "dessicant packs" in just about everything you get from prescriptions to luggage. I have been saving the packs up and will use them in the next month or so. They also recommend grinding the dessicant up and using it in a powder form. Food for thought from a frugal fisherman and total newbie! Mike
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Before I pass away (hopefully in a long time) I REALLY want to catch a grayling here in Colorado. Add me as another member to the "bucket list" for grayling! Happy you managed to land the beauty and thanks for the pics! (envious!!!) Mike
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I have been saving ALL my scraps! One never knows when that PERFECT #20/24 hook will see a scrap that literally fits the fly! One day, when I have the luxury of spending tons of funds on feathers and fur, I will eventually take all the scraps and commit them to the coffee grinder for the NEXT BEST DUBBING! Mike PS.....I was granted access to the kitchen table two days ago! One way to keep spouses happy is to have a cutting mat. My wife's concern was me placing cuts into our table. Fixed now!
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Not certain what you are getting at with "failed ties"...... My opinion is cut the material off with a razor and start anew!!!!! If your "failed ties" have been fished then cut the material off and inspect the hook. If it looks good then by all means tie another fly on it! Make certain you sharpen it and if there are any strange "nicks, cuts, weakness" toss it. Just my 2.5 cents as I don't know if you have fished them or not. From your original post, I can only infer that you have TONS of stuff that might be rusted and such.....if that is the case I agree with Rotary and cull them all. You don't want to lose a fish on compromised gear!!!! Mike
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Sadness on my end... Vacuumed my 3wt Rod!!!!
COMike replied to COMike's topic in Fly Fishing Gear & Techniques
UPDATE: Sending the rod off to get "fixed".....LOL....how they will actually fix the thing is beyond me........will keep everyone updated on the status of the 3 wt! Mike -
NICE PIKER! Song totally stinks for me but the vid actually made me smile!!!! Mike
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Jon Boats ROCK! 1. Storage.... can you keep it on your property 2. EASE of use.....can you man handle it to your vehicle or toss it in the back of your truck if you have one. Trust me my first Jon was in the back of my 85 Bronco and it was a good fit but it was not an easy job to launch. 3. What will you power it with?.....this question is overlooked. Are you using a battery and trolling motor? Will you want a "kicker" gas engine? Only YOU can answer that. Just some thoughts.... Mike
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Fish, It does NOT matter what the weather conditions are. What matters is how YOU can transfer the energy of the rod/reel/line to the hook. I can relay a bit of experience here from bass fishing: So I lay a worm down in some really weed infested water.... Bass are VERY different from trout so bear with me.... I am fishing from the front of the boat and I KNOW the fish is waiting to eat the plastic bait. Current and my trolling motor creates a TON of slack...... I try to reef the hook for a good Bass "setting the hook" but alas I am ONLY taking up monofilament. The same principle applies to trout. TIGHT LINES........ I will challenge anyone here to set a hook (salt/fresh/ponds) without having a tight line to set a hook. My 2.5 cents.... Mike
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As an inexperienced fly fisherman I can only add one point to the advice above: LINE MANAGEMENT! There is a reason folks sign off with "tight lines".......... While not being where you are and watching you fish, I think that there are differences between your "flowing water" fishing and your "still water" fishing. REMEMBER to keep a tight line....there is NO WAY you can set a hook with bends and line out. KEEP A TIGHT LINE!...... Mike
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I place the "gink" "goop" "liquid silicone" on my dry fly PRIOR to tossing it into the water. Next step after it starts to sink is using a DRY powder (dessicants/powder/etc) and it seems to float better after the dry application. I have found that re-applying the liquid/gel without tossing it in the "powder" does not work as well. MikeChell......I am not sure what you are using even after re-reading.....can you elaborate?
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Jbieg, I have been fishing for a bit so I apologize for the delay in my response! Looking at your PTN (Pheasant Tail Nymph) the wings are VERY HIGH.....here in Colorado where I am learning to tie, the wings are sloped down from the thorax. You can tie in a couple of wraps to bring them down along side of the thorax. One thing I learned last week is SIZING! You can make a pheasant tail go a LONG WAY. I tie the tips in and use the body of them to wrap the shank. For the wing case, I try my best to keep the but ends near the tie in point but I keep in mind the length of the wings when I wrap forward. This is more of an "experience" thing as I do not have a "formula" for it. What I like about taking the time to measure the pheasant fibers is it makes me thing a couple of tying steps forward. I am getting used to it now but after 30 or so of them the past few days, I am finally getting the technique down. Mike
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THANKS UTYER! While I am an inexperienced Fly 'Tyer', I appreciate JUST WHAT YOU SAID! I cannot spend tons of funds on tungsten (or brass beads) but many folks do exactly what you stated! Glass beads are plentiful and have very nice colors! In my intermediate fly tying class a simple solution is to tie in some lead behind the bead (compensate for the girth on the shank) and whammo....an inexpensive solution to getting a fly down. In REALLY small flies, a tungsten bead would be much better due to the bulk on a tiny fly.
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Thanks Flytire! I actually enjoyed reading up on this! I agree with Flytire. In the face of thread rating systems rendered basically useless by lack of standardization in the industry, we're just as well off (and less confused) wtih trial-and-error. The article was very informative; thanks for posting. Agreed Bryon! I am still sorting out different threads after my "multi pack" purchase. I am not yet experienced enough to notice a difference in thread properties but I have begun to notice some threads "spread out" on the hook shank and others do not. Even with the videos I don't comprehend the difference yet. More tying and experimenting may help me with that. While there may be "to much information" the post helps "us" beginners realize that there ARE differences....something that I will learn in the future I suppose! RC....this video REALLY HELPED me visualize things.....thanks for sharing this! It really helped!
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RC! Thanks a TON for the article...bookmarked and printed for my Fly Tying Binder!!!!
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Cheech, GREAT ARTICLE! I want to take my God children out fishing soon! They are both avid campers but the "fighting in the boat" situation you mentioned is something that will happen after a bit of time. Seeing that I don't have my own children this was GOOD information for me Keeping things fun is what it is ALL ABOUT! I like your Pirate situation! That can make it very fun especially with the imagination of kids! As a former bass/salt water fisherman I have more rods/gear that I know what to do with and will bring them along for a simple bobber worm situation! I would echo that on a trip to encourage young ones to fish...the "expedition" is about THEM and NOT us! Chase.....I learned to fish in Cub Scouts....my parents weren't fishermen but encouraged me to take out the Zebco and fish when I wanted to. While my brothers were playing in Little League ( I simply had no interest ) I took that little Zebco out on the Merrimack River next to the fields and caught Carp like I was the best fisherman in the world!!!! My folks encouraged me to do so and even though they did not fish themselves often the words of encouragement really fostered my passion for being outside fishing!
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H&H went down for a time but I got an email from them stating that due to the inconvenience, they were offering an ADDITIONAL 10% on top of the advertised discount... Here is the Text of the email Ron sent out: Stand up folks for keeping a loyal customer base!!!! Mike
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add147, This is NOT a stupid question!!!! Beads from the fly shops are VERY expensive for me. I know a TON of people that use the Hobby Lobby, Michael's, local craft store beads and they are very good substitutes. Some points to note: 1. Glass/Ceramic can break when slammed on a rock, tree, hard surface. 2. Sizing can be tricky when dealing in a multi pack (some are bigger some are smaller)....I personally don't care as I can cull out the different sizes. 3. Tungsten is VERY dense but you pay for that. They should not break whatsoever but the cost is REALLY high for me so I have not purchased any. 4. Colors in Glass beads are endless! You might be able to find a local bead shop to find more beads than you could ever imagine! Some folks here in CO use tons of glass beads in their fly tying and are some amazing patterns. My friend Dave clued me into the Arvada Bead Company that is near Charlie's Fly Box. He ties some AMAZING flies and I will be headed there after my vacation. VERY inexpensive....tube of hundreds of beads for pennies on the dollar. Perhaps you should try a few yourself and see how they work for you? I am tying with glass/ceramic/hematite beads now and they seem to be doing just fine. (note: I tend to lose flies in the bushes/trees a bunch as a beginner so it is an easier pill to swallow when I lose a fly). One thing to consider....check out Hobby Lobby when they have a sale on glass beads. You can usually get 50% off at least when they run these sales. Same with Michael's. Multipacks are good as well as you will get an assortment of colors. I spent Saturday sorting some multipacks (various colors) and was amazed at the variations you can sort out. Just my 2.5 cents! Mike