Mike G

Rich, Thanks. That is a good tip. I was wondering what groups there were.

I haven’t been my chatty self lately because I have been busy. First, I am retiring at the end of the month, 2/29. I joke that I had to do it this year or wait 4 more years. Second, we are moving to NW Illinois to a house we are having built in Lake Summerset. I will keep my hand in over the next few months. After that, you may have to say,”Shut up, Mike.” For I will have a lot of time to give this site it’s due.

Mark, I started using transparent shoe boxes to file soft plastics. The envelopes fit nicely. When my fly materials overran my old kit, I turned to shoe boxes from habit. Rich, I really like the idea of keeping different materials in different boxes.

Craig. I grew up reading Field and Stream. Outdoor Life, and Sports Afield. As a result the first 20 or so years of my fishing life were dominated by the mystique of the ultralight. As a result all my small fish felt like whales. Once I got some heavier tackle and started reading Bassmaster and watching Roland, I came to the conclusion that I would rather catch the whale. Call me Ahab. kd, I admire your versatility. There are lots of "Musky on a panfish bait" stories. They draw attention because they are so unconventional. Yet the average Musky hunter won't be found using an ultralight spinning outfit. That would be like Ahab going after Moby Dick with a frog spear. Don R, If you need an example of KISS in fishing, look no further than ISA's Eric. From what I can see, a White Thumper and a Black/Blue Hula Grub are all he needs. The problem is the "Magic Bait", which many of us pursue even though it does not exist outside the world of advertising. Every year there are new soft plastics and crank baits, presented as the latest greatest. Last year alone I had three magic flies. The Clouser Minnow, the Jude Bug, and the Chenille Worm. This year it will be the Hairy Fodder for sure and probably 2-3 others. This is an affair of the heart. In my mind I know I could get by with a few Wooly Buggers and Cork Poppers.

Ken, You are a better man than I am I guess. You are nice to spend your time giving the little ones you catch a chance to exercise, while I impatiently skate them in so I can get after something bigger.

Craig, You may be my Doppelgaenger. Or maybe we just arrived at the same place from different starting points. In 1970 I was given a 8.5 ft 9 wt (GBG) Shakespeare Honey Green. It quickly became my standard for our yearly trips to Basswood Lake. It handled the large streamers and bugs we cast for SM Bass. I loved the solid hook set and the "authority" with which I could handle 2-3 # bass. Before that I had been using a 6 wt (HDH). That was OK; but it seemed like I was spending too much time getting the little guys in. I hope to see you at John's.

Russ, Though I have no experience with the stabliizers, I have good experiences with other Thunder Creek products. They are well engineered and tested. I would call them outfiter (industrial) grade, since they are sturdy enough to go through many seasons of use by an outfitter's clients.

Bart Yep, that is pansic! By the time we get a 60 deg day, most guys here have been fishing open water for a month. Nice Bugs.

That is a good tip Mark. IMHO no one should go fishing without sunglasses. (Get yellow for cloudy days.) Besides polarized glasses letting me see under water, I get two other benefits, reduced chance of seasickness and eye protection. I am not sure why the first one works. As for the second one, if you have seen my fly casting, you know why I need them.

Thanks Mark, It is a good explanation. I followed the links to the additional patterns and got even more information.

Good review, Rich. I am sorry I missed the show since I have a lot of things going on right now. That should lead to a lot more fishing and tying time in the future, thank goodness. I wish I had seen the sizes you were talking about. If a spinning guy thinks a 4-6" Senko is about right for Smallmouth Bass, why should a fly fisherman go down to size 6 or 8 flies? Bigger flies (3-6") are right in line with my nesse before you finesse philosophy. It is a work in progress; so I would like to know what others think.

It looks great Wade. I am glad you are not afraid to try something new.

Wade, Here's what I did. View the fly in the Gallery. Left click on umage. Click Priperties. Highlight and copy the URL. Paste in message. enclose in [/img] Nice fly. It was worth the trouble.

Good News! Good Work! Great Fly!

Like this? I really want to see that fly. Here's help. Assuming you have the image hosted somewhere, you can use the insert image button on the toolbar that appears above the text box when you are writing a message or reply. Pass your cursor over the buttons one by one and wait till the name "Insert Image" pops up. Punch (click)that button. put in the URL in the prompt box that pops up. Alternatively you can manually bracket the Url with the two codes[/img]. I will stop there. If you need coaching on hosting images, let us know.

>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<<<<< Thoughts: +It definitely looks the the extra kink will hold the bait up on the eye of the hook. -The extra kink looks like it fills up a lot of the gap clearance and would cause the hook to take a shallow bite. +Gamakatsu always has made a good penetrating hook. -That sharp right angle bend down from the point will slow penetration and provide a fighting fish a leverage point for "spitting the hook out." Till I hear more from users, I will hold off buying any.

When I read about Greek and Roman philosophers who said that there is nothing new under the sun, I tend to wonder how they could think that. But then we live and breath progress even in fishing gear. Since 1950 the standard fly rod has evolved from cane to fiberglass to graphite. leaders have gone from silkworm gut to nylon to flourocarbon. Fishing line has changed similarly. But now cane rods are staging a comeback, and fly line makers are making "sylk" lines that emulate the old silk. Then there is the circle hook which has been the rage for the last 5 or so years with its renowned ability to work its way into the corner the fish's mouth instead of gut hooking the fish. I thought of this hook as the latest greatest. That is, I did until I saw this photo plate in a fly tying book published in 1950. (That is even before Rich was born. ) 3 and 4 sure look like circle hooks to me. The book is a classic,The Complete Fly Tyer by Reuben Cross. Cross's comment about 3 and 4 is really interesting. There is nothing new under the sun, I guess.

Rich, That closes the loop on how Craig picked up the idea. I was going to suggest bending your own hooks for smaller sizes, but Ken beat me to it. EC Aberdeen hooks 6 or 8 would probably be easy to bend to whatever angle. Premium tempered hooks probably would break.

>>>>>>>> Though I saw it here on ISA first, Here's a nice run down on where the use of 60 degree hook for flies may have come from. (IMHO, if one never used anything but saltwater flies for bass, his success would not suffer.) Enjoy: http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/flies/cowen_jighooks.aspx

Great point, Craig. I am reminded that long ago, when Smallmouth Bass invaded the Landlocked Salmon lakes in northern Maine, traditional guides considered them a bane in their lakes. We do not hear of that much anymore because the resort owners discovered that the Bass were prime gamefish for their guests to pursue$ Going beyond the almighty $, Sportsfishermen should respect all game fish. Rob, Here are my thoughts. We can't make a blanket statement about all cases. I will just consider two scenarios. First, take the average public waters in Illinois. Because I believe that both SMB and LMB are equally desireable, and because I believe that both are overharvested already, I am going to C&R both of them. I think of the Rock Bass as more of a panfish which can take the same level of harvest as Crappie. So, from time to time, I might keep some for a meal. Second, take private waters or waters that have been singled out by a DNR for true "management" or restoration. Since there is some expert input on what to do on these waters, I might go along with removing LMB to improve the SMB fishery. Or vice versa I might release the Rock Bass that would normally go into a meal. The difference here is that I am not going with my amatuer beliefs, I am going with a science based program. Last thought for Craig. I have heard that the Ontario DNR, at least on some waters, recommends releasing all Walleyes and Pike and using Small Mouth Bass for shore lunch. How 'bout that?

It has all been said. It is a great idea.

Steve, Just do what Craig says. Read his post over and over. It all fits with my experiences in the Quetico and Boundary Waters. I will just add two things. First, besides the evening low light period, don't forget the one in the morning. Getting on the water before sunrise could really pay off. Second, unfortunately Craig is right about the fish moving out by that time of year. But moving water will hold some fish all year. Look for creeks, rivers, falls entering the lake. As for flies, I would add a few Muddlers in sizes 2, 4, and 6 to fish dry in case you catch a Mayfly hatch. If there is a hatch in the evening, fish that and fish the surface the next AM also.

Green Trees and Forests.

This is the inspiration for the last fly that went into the swap. http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/f...121503fotw.html I hope you are all aware of the great resource at Fly Anglers on Line. I am sorry that I have not been putting up my own creations. The reason is that I have not been creating lately. I am in the process of packing up for a move. I can't believe how much fly tying stuff i accumulated in the last few years. Of course it is all indispensable.

Looks great! I recognize the Lithuanian Bat. Like Rich, I would like to know what those other good looking paterns are called.