John Gillio

Is that your new fiberglass rod? At least the snow looks pretty. We were in line to get 7" to 9" today. I think it went south. We only had one. Some of the areas just south had a good 5". I haven't heard what hit to the north.

Nice to know, I'll be fishing that area this summer.

And it is most likely a very nice rod. I think most that by a custom rod are looking for something that sets it apart from the ordinary such as special grip shape, cool threading or inlays, your name woven into the rod, something special as a gift.

Manny, I've built about 40 rods over the past 15 yrs or so. If you want to come by some time and see my set up let me know. I have some photos of most of the rods. I could give you some tips. As far as making money selling rods, I would agree with the others. I've talked to a half dozen rodmakers that sell rods at fishing shows. Three said they were not happy about sales, and felt it was a mistake thinking they could make a buck doing it. They didn't seem happy. They had a nice quality product. Two enjoyed what they were doing. To them it was a hobby that they could do and they weren't too worried about profit margin. They just enjoyed showing their rods and talking with people who visited their booths. Selling a few rods was a bonus. They were having fun and also had a very nice product. One fellow said he was making a good profit on his rods, and was selling a lot of them. He was very enthusiastic and had amazing threadwork and designs on his rods. His rods were selling for hundreds of dollars per rod. He said he had quite a few famous people buying his rods. The people buying them were looking for something different. He was providing it. I don't know how long it took him to build up his clientele, but he said he had a nice waiting list. I think he is the exception.

Rainbow plastics makes a kit called the Fly-N-Bubble. It comes with a bubble and your choice of 5 flies. This looks to be the same product. I may have bought 2 kits and combined them. Thanks again Mark.

Thanks Mark. I was going through my fishing gear and found it. The info about the maker had been removed. I was just wondering if anyone remembers the product and who made it. I'll look up Rainbow products. I wasn't a fly caster at the time I bought the product, oh so many years ago.

Manny, I'll give you a call.

Does anyone remember what company put this kit out or what it was called? I believe they were around in the 80s. this one was purchased at an area K-Mart. It was for throwing light wt. dry flies with spin gear. The clear bubble float added the wt. so the fly could be cast.

That is a beauty! Nice post.

I believe Rich meant Tim Landwehr being he coauthored the book with Dave. Being I have not read Tim Holschlag's book I cannot compare the two. I can say that this book's main focus is on methods, tactics, techniques, and fly types for fishing the three columns of water (surface, middle, and lower) under different conditions and seasons. It also spends some time discussing where to find the fish in different situations. The book has a mid-western feel to it. There are contributions by Luke Kavajecz, Nate Sipple, Kyle Zempel, Bart Landwehr, Tom Anderson, KIp Vieth, and Captain Austin Adduci. It also includes good interviews with Chuck Kraft, Lefty Kreh, Larry Dahlberg, and Mike Schultz,

Rich, two quality booths across from each other could cause a traffic jam. Rob, this is the book to buy if you want to improve your chances at catching fish. I am still researching for my book, which would be more for entertainment than anything else. It would be called, "River Dance and Other Oddities of Riverine Origin". With your blessings I would like to include a photo of you with an Asian carp Double on an arrow. Is there a proper name for that?

I just finished reading a book by Dave Karczynski & Tim Landwehr titled, "Smallmouth: Modern Fly Fishing Methods, Tactics, and Techniques". I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to pick up knowledge of fly fishing for smallies Definitely a good read.

Same here.

That video does seem to have disappeared. That original method for tying them had the hackles clumped. These were tied with the hackles evenly spaced and splayed away from eachother (photo 2). I usually tie them the original way.

Thanks for the rundown on the stealth bomber. Hopefully mine will work as well. Bob Clouser/Lefty Kreh Half &Half and Lefty's Deceiver. I have never fished a deceiver before. The half & half is one of my favorites for hybrid stripers. They have also accounted for some nice smallies. I decided to go natural with these.

Very nice photo of Ron. Great story. I would guess an 8 or 10 would be perfect.

Very nice Rob. Maybe a black nose Dace or two for your trips to the driftless. When I first met him it sounded like it was his favorite fly to throw at the driftless browns. I wish I would have had a chance to fish up there with him.

Very sad news. Ron was one of the few members that I had met before joining the ISA. His casting ability was amazing.

Pretty!

I haven't used them yet. Being they float like a cork I thought I may as well use them as an indicator fly with a dropper while trout fishing. All are flies I haven't tied or fished before.

Are you going green with all of your cleaning materials?

Zonkers, Humpy, Foam Humpy, Stealth Bombers.

Thanks Rob. It is a pretty river. Hopefully it stays that way.

I'm happy if I can get there. Maybe I'll bring materials for the bomber. That's what is on my list to tie next. I could bring a couple rods, but all my stiff would be older models.

You are a true master Rob. I plan on tying some of those bombers. They are very cool in black. Do you know what you guys are tying on Sunday. I don't want to jinx myself by saying I'm planning the trip down. I sure hope to be there.