Mike G

http://video.fishingclub.com/video/Rib-Busting-Fishing-TV-Commerci#c=8ZKDCD2MKTFFVLHH&t=Rib-Busting Fishing TV Commercial: The Wunder Boner

I fish; therefore I am. Descartes Since the wisdom of fishing seems to be on hold, I will introduce another angle on angling. Ever since I took it in college, Phil has been a favorite of mine though it is not any way to make a living. For thousands of years, philosophers have been saying great things that apply directly to phishing. I will try to crank out one a week.

Hail to the chief! If cleaning up the Kilbuck does not deserve having ISA associated with it, nothing does. I think your ghost writer got the facts and history straight and pushed the topic out to a larger audience which is what was needed. Now it comes down to this, you can continue to send your wife out for beer. If you go out by yourself, you are in no danger. But so many people will want to buy you a beer, that you may never get home the same day.

I haven't been keeping up with things because we have been engaged in a big remodeling project. Just this morning I got around to reading my 21st Century E-copy of the bulletin and found out that Terry is succeeding Jude as our NW Territory Leader. Jued did good work and Terry is a good choice to keep it going. I am looking forward to the Inauguration, the speach, and especially the party(ies) afterwards. Thanks, Jude. And wishes of success to Terry.

Nice tale, John. It is good that you published your thoughts so that our authorities can take note.

Two thumbs up! My motto,"I don't want to catch an 8 inch trout on a rod that makes it feel like a whale; I want to catch the whale."

Here you go. SA Air Cell DT 5, 6, 7, or 8. SOURCE

My "goto" for bass is an 9 ft 8-9 wt fished with an 8 or 9 wt line. I use an old 7.5 ft Wonderod for panfish, HDH. I use a 6 wt level line. BTW I just bought an SA DT 9 F. They are out there.

The devil made me do this Which one? If you don't mind knock offs, you can get both for $60 from Barlow's. Terraregal: Terrazetti? Let the buyer beware! Read the reviews on the net first.

Mark K., If you are still in your approval period, consider this. I have been studying thre models you are looking at. Though I like the Regal jaw closure, the Renzetti has one feature that your Regal model does not. (a more expensive Regal Model does.) It is some times called "true rotary capability," the ability to rotate a fly along the axis of the hook shank. It is not just being able to turn the fly to look at the other side. It has been pointed out that most tyers who have true rotary vises fail to use this feature. Al and Gretchen Beatty have a good book on this. Though at first it may seem that rotary is just a quick way to wrap a Wooly Worm, it turns out to be much more. For example, with it you can spin a chenille out of materials like herl or marabou, consistently spin and trim deer hair, and complete a neat whip finish without using a thread loop or tool. Of course it does speed up any wrapping process since you can wrap thread and body material at the same time. Consider whether you will need this in the future. Rob, Are you saying that Regals are immortal? I agree on the expense item. My $85 Danvise gives me a rock solid grip and true rotary capability. I have heard that some fly shops sold it as an entry level true rotary with the thought that their customers would return to upgrades to models like the Renzetti rotaries. Most customers were satisfied with the Danvise and never upgraded.

Mark, The old saw is,"Get the best you can afford." Budgets are a hard reality. I can talk because I am using a vise that costs 1/2 of what your Regal does. This discussion gave me more insight into the Regal. Apparently there is no need to adjust tension since the spring does it for you on any sized hook. It is kind of like automatic transmission for a vise. That alone makes it great for avoiding "spitting the hook." That is a hazard with my Danvise and even with the high end Renzettis. I admit I was put off by the huge head which makes it look like one is pounding tacks with a sledge. On the other hand, Cornwall and Morris favor Regals; so who am I. Enjoy.

Terry, You can have some of mine. Just get a Lucky 13-no better name. The plug started calling me this summer; finally I got one from Cabelas. First time I used it. The Baby 13 should work on your power ranger rod.

Terry, No reply? I guess you have to wait till they sober up. Did you get that computer station at American?

I thing it is great especially since my daughter told me it was opening. She lives and works in the area and was excited about shopping there for me. Beat that!

Like Colt, I wonder why you are limiting yourself to just two. Like Colt I would go with the Traveler. If the sky is the limit, The Dyna-King Indexer is my choice. CLICKDyna-King It is a steal ar less than $500.

Nice fish Ro. Blockheads work. But sometimes not the way you want. I was reminded that my first fish on a blockhead this spring was this overachieving hand sised gill. blockhead tied on a #2 hook. I figured a larger sized bug would keep the little ones away. So I went to a Stealth Bomber on a #1 hook. This 7 inch Crapie had to have it. So, sometimes the magic works and sometimes it doesn't.

Rob Here's one fellow that is disapointed with what he learned on the net. Big Mouth Billy is actually a Spot. The markings below the lateral line and the lack of separation betweem the dorsal fins are the giveaway. He does not have a rough tongue, but he can sing Take Me to the River. A Largemouth would want to go to a lake.

Yes, it's a Spot. Please don't call it a Spottie. The spotted look of the belly below the lateral line is also a good clue along with a rough prickly tongue if you remember how it felt.

Rob, Rich has one way to do it. In simple terms put a small swivel on the end of your leader, tie 1-2 ft of tippet to that, and tie the prop bait on. Or a heavier tippet around 8-10# will resist the twist even without a swivel. Then Rich's Smallmouth Spinner has a weighted keel to address the problem. Since some fairly expensive furled leaders come with swivels instead of tippet rings, I would not look down my nose at the swivel though I have found the heavier tippet all I need to avoid twist with the Spinnered Minnows. This is pretty off track stuff. My purist uncle never liked putting lead wire in flies or using hardware on a fly rod.

I have had good results on flies with spinners. In the 60s and 70s, a Mickey Finn fished behind a #0 Marathon Indiana Spinner was a family favorite for Smallmouths in the Quetico. Later Pistol Petes and Spinnered Minnows worked well for me. All of these featured the spinner in front of the fly. Recently Rich showed us how to put the spinner behind the fly with his Smallie Spinner. I was just getting materials together to make some when I saw this: And then just when you think you have it figured out-for yourself-if not for everyone else—something new comes along. On a trip to Alaska a few years ago, I discovered flap-doodles. These are small orange or hot-pink spinner blades attached to a fly at the bend of the hook with a small barrel swivel. They’re used by guides to get their clients into fish when the kings aren't biting as they could be and they work almost too well. One inquisitive guide discovered they're so effective that a bare hook with the flap-doodle attached worked better than any fly pattern although the lodge manager asked him to keep that quiet. JOHN GIERACH NO SHORTAGE OF GOOD DAYS P. 134. Oh well! Sincerely yours, The Chimpanzee

Update. The 180XL has been my main reel for light spinning this year. I have not encountered the drag knob problem, nor have I had any other mechanical problems. I put on the red arbor and loaded up with 6# Fireline. I really like the oversize spool for the way it handles line. It only looks oversized when compared to a similar sized "long cast" spool. The 180s XL and SL are still in the Bargain Cave for $40-$50 ($70-110 off depending on the model).

Though I have been a cynic, it is good to see that the EPA is alive. Support your local and national EPA.

Good work Terry! I can't wait to see the video of your new Creek Dance.

The chimp is waiting right behind you.

It has been said that if a book contains at least one good idea, it is worth the purchase price. John Gierach's recent book easily achieves that. In fact, page 96 alone has two great insights. First his comment on what he said after an exceptionally good day fishing is Priceless: "There was also the danger that when we were asked about this (day) later, we'd automatically dredge up one of those unfortunate macho cliches that have infected the sport. Someone asks. "How was it?" and you puff up to your full height and say, "We kicked ass and took names," as if your goal was to rid the world of trout. Sadly, almost nothing one fisherman says to another quite conveys the message, so there was the possibility that we wouldn't talk about this much, partly to keep the secret, but mostly because it was sort of personal." The next day was a repeat of the previous day. He was even less inclined to brag. "To be honest, the trout were eager and gullible and the fishing was pretty easy. We all have unreasonably high opinions of our skills, but as a friend says, there are days when a chimpanzee could catch fish."