Mike G

Great comment, Craig.

Many fine points have been made here. Though fly casting has the advantage of keeping the fly "in the zone" when fish are tight to cover, my experience is that spinning and bait casting are much easier to learn, more efficient controling depth-speed-size, and finally more economical. Consider that 150 yards of premium braid spinning or casting line costs $15.00 or 10 cents a yard while a premium Fly Line (90 feet or 30 yards) costs $60 or $2.00 a yard. Pursuing these lines of thought leads quickly to the question,"Why would anyone fly fish?" It is harder to learn, less efficient, and more expensive. So why do I fly fish? The answer is not in the gear. I like to make a comparison to bow hunting for deer. A Remington with a 7X scope will, other things being equal, get your a bigger buck earlier in the season. Yet there are bowhunters. It has to do with sportsmanship and taking on the challenge of learning to use a bow, I think. Those items are in the hunter. I like this quote since it helps me order my thoughts on the importance of numbers, size, and challenge: "The ancients wrote of the three ages of man, I propose to write of the three ages of the fisherman. When he wants to catch all the fish he can. When he strives to catch the largest fish. When he studies to catch the most difficult fish he can find, requiring the greatest skill and most refined tackle, caring more for the sport than the fish." Edward R. Hewitt "A Trout And Salmon Fisherman For Seventy-Five Years" He was a fly fisherman. But note that he does not mention fly fishing. Fly fishing is not a proud or snobish, IMHO, because fly fishing naturally provides me with ample opportunities to practice humility when I finish the day with a sore arm having caught few fish.

Mike, It seems that this topic does not want to die. Kevin's idea of ramping up the visibility of these signs by hanging them in downtown Naperville is a good one. It brings back a thought I had a while back. Why should the signs be limited to lake or river access points? Why not display them in other places? Should each of our politicians get one for the office? I would not mind displaying a paper replica in my office and in the rec room at home. How about one for the college dorm room to cover up the "spot" on the wall? Is a bumper sticker possible? T-Shirts? They would stimulate conversation and education, and they would take the discussion to a new audience.

Michael, thanks for this great chance to get filosophical about phfly phishing and tying four bass. I an obsessed because I have the classic symptoms of obsession. I think about it all the time. I do not think the number of hours I spend tying says much. Anyway I do not keep track. It aint G*&% where you keep score. What I tie lately has multiple sources directed to a singular goal. (I should mention that I am coming into phly phishing for bass after a satisfying period of catching bass on casting and spinning gear.) The goal is to recreate the most successful wire, hard plastic, and soft plastic SM Bass baits in phly rod form. Right now I am seeing how many soft plastics I can recreate using Bohemian Chenille. To be honest, I should record that a hazard in the process is that tying can take on a life of its own. You probably have seen the "Realistic" school of phly tying which takes a life of its own abstracted from whether the flies are ever cast for fish. Likewise, I have to balance my production of "equivalent soft plastics" with fishing "equivalent soft plastics." That is a nice problem to have, no?

Thanks Mike! I think I feel better now. A WWD is a WWD is a WWD. A WWD by any other name would smell as sweat.

Immitation is a high form of compliment. This Bohemian Bully was inspired by Michael's creation. It is on a size 4 3xl streamer hook about 3" long. The body is a tiger weave.

This is no surprise.

"The announcement follows weeks of uproar by environmentalists and politicians -- including Mayor Richard M. Daley and Senator Dick Durbin -- upset that the Indiana Department of Environmental Management approved BP's plan to dump 54 percent more ammonia and 35 percent more suspended solids into Lake Michigan." Thanks for the heads up Jamie (the R). And thanksfor the tip on the petition. I guess a little political action can do a lot of good sometimes. As others have said, however, it is far from over. I have to read up on the condition of the Lake and keep my guard up. Enjoy your trip!

Thanks Scott, Though the whirling disease is something that affects trout, there are bacteria and viruses around that affect bass. In the domino theory of things, we would be foolish to dis WD because it only affects trout. We ought to be looking around for what affects bass before bass start dieing like"canaries in a coal mine."

And apparently way better than you take pictures That was a great writeup of a great experience. It would not have happened without you. When I need help with the rod, I will go to you. When I need help with the camera, ??? I always wondered why your website had no pictures of your very photogenic shop, no pictures of fly tying classes, flies tied, casting classes...

Tim, I suppose I should explain what I mean about a few terms. I use legal and political action in a very broad sense. In that sense ISA has always been legally and politically active. Otherwise how could it claim any credit for closed seasons and bag limits. I consider attending hearings on things like dam removal political activities. Of course we want some laws and some legal teeth in the laws. At the grass roots level that means making your voice heard and walking the talk with your vote, IMHO. We can point to some big political and legal accomplishments like the EPA, keeping miles of the Chicago lakeshore open to the public, and the efforts of the DuPage County Forest Preserve District to expand the land holdings of the district and open them for public use. But not all legal actions are dramatic class action suits championed by lawyers in shiny suits. And not all political actions require a big dollar national "citizens for.." organization. Some day you have to hear (Chicagoland Canoe Base's) Ralf Frese's account of how his rental records were used to keep the Kiswaukee river open when a landowner threatened to close a section of the river to through traffic. That was a small scale but very important legal action. Political and legal action should not be dismissed out of hand. Would you play chess and tell your opponent that you will never use your Rooks? Though we might want to use them sparringly, I want to keep those arrows in the quiver. There, just the threat of using them adds weight to ISA's position. "Creating fisheries" also has many meanings one of which I guess is indescriminately planting exotic species in existing waters. I am not for that. However, I am for making fisheries where there were none as we do by building ponds and reservoirs. Maybe it is pushing it, but IMHO reclaiming a foul pond or foul stretch of river to the point where it can support our bass is creating a fishery where there was none. BTW I would stock these waters as advised by the DNR biologists. I had a wise teacher in college that advised us,"Never say never and never say always." In math and logic these words are valid, but in the real world they eventually let you down. In other words, such words can paint a guy into a corner. That is the long and short of it. Keep your options open.

There are many lessons. Knowing when not to fish is just one.

About two summers ago I found myself on the banks of a small western Illinois river with less than an hour to fish. I had no idea I was about to have a 17 fish hour. The water was so low and clear that I did not expect to do much. I found a decent looking hole. My first casts with a Salad Spoon, left on my line from some previous LM Bass fishing, yielded strikes but no hookups. A switch to a 4" Yum Dinger was all it took to get the action started. In the 45 minutes I spent, I landed and released 13 SM Bass-the equivalent of 17 per hour. I had to quit due to time limits, and it was just as well. I realized that fish from far up and down the river had been driven into the hole I was at. They were "fish in a barrel." When I got back to NE Illinois, I tried not to make a big thing about my "hour." I wanted to protect those fish. I recalled tha day after I read the following article. Though I am not one to make analogies beteen trout and bass. There are some valid ones. Though water temp may not be the driver there are some times, like the one I just described, where SM Bass are vulnerable. Some trout fishermen are way ahead of us in that. This is an excerpt. For the whole article go to the link below. "This is a re-run - it seems some of our readers missed it, or didn't understand it. This is important - READ IT. "Summer and Fall can be wonderful times to fish. Or they can be a killer. Literally. "Fly anglers must be aware of the conditions where they plan to fish. Fishing in water too warm or too low is inexcusable. We do not live in a society where we must kill fish to eat, and it is unfortunate the magazines have failed in their responsibility to the fisherman and the resource. Instead of articles on the dangers to the fish in warm or low water conditions, there are articles on how to fish 'spring holes' or tributaries. We were in New York the last week of July, and some waters WERE too warm to fish. Water levels in some places were TOO LOW to fish as well. Some states, Montana to name one, have closed waters because of those conditions. Voluntary restrictions are in place in many others. Yes, those closures are going to cost the guides, fly shops, restaurants and motels money - and that costs the state money from revenues as well. But it is obvious the proper emphasis in Montana is on protecting the trout fishery. Even though anglers in other states have brought pressure on their state departments which regulate fisheries to close under the same conditions, the money rules and fish are the losers, the rivers remain open. There is a group of people who are concerned especially with the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Rivers in New York, and they have formed the 'Beamoc Coalition.' They pass out a card, (shown here) to anglers on those rivers, or leave the card on the windshield of vehicles parked at access points." http://flyanglersonline.com/ldy/

It is always hard to compare hunting and fishing though they are both "blood sports." The article makes the "Ducks Unlimited" argument as applied to LA Black Bears. DU always says that the duck hunters have done more for ducks than anyone else. It is in the hunter's best interest to keep the population of the prey that they hunt in good condition. I am not sure it is the same with the LA Bear. As prey for the hunt, that animal seems to be too close to extinction to experiment with an open season. There is an intricate logic that says, with the hope of an open season in the distant future, today's hunters might take on the cause of protecting the bear and improving its habitat today. Are such hunters around?

It's worse than that. It is a G Word term for hitting a long drive. Now I have to wash my mouth out with soap.

It seems like I have been getting Duplicate notices of posts. Anyone else? I like getting the notices: so I can put up with the duplicates. JUst a thought.

Hearing Eric talk about the Boogerman is music to my ears, an old familiar tune. They are good. One thing I found is that they generally weigh in at about twice their stated weight. On a lab scale the 1/4 ouncer I have weighs 16.37 grams (over 1/2 ounce). On some buzz baits that I make I use a plastic quad blade instead of the double aluminum blade we normally see. These have more lift, surface quickly, and can be worked slower under conditions where that is an advantage. Just another tool in the box.

Rich, Thanks for the tip. Since I started out casting pork strips for crappie and bass a long time ago, I am ready to try the tails. The hackle tails look interesting. But the web based vendors do not offer the fly tails, and the retail shops are a long drive away. Does Joseph have them?

Great looking tie. I am inspired too though I wish there was a quarter or dime in the picture to give a sense of scale. It looks like a #4 or 6 hook with the total length about 3." How close am I?

Bridge: In a previous thread, Why do They Fish?,, we learned a lot about ISA by comparing it to TU. Mike Clifford challenged me to come up with some ideas for ISA. Though I would like to jump into that topic, I want to be sure I understand the group well. The ink is barely dry on my first check for dues. As a result, I think, leaving comparisons aside, a direct analysis of ISA is in order. To get things rolling here is what it means to me based on my reading of the documents and what I see happening in these forums. ISA 1) The purpose is to enjoy World Class Smallmouth Bass Fishing in Illinois. 2) Corollaries are: a) We fish. We pick battles carefully. c) We work towards the following goals: i) Preserving and enhancing existing fisheries ii) Creating new fisheries iii) Preserving access to existing fisheries iv) Improving access to existing fisheries v) Being willing to do what it takes in pursuit of these goals. This includes but is not limited to: (1) Political Action (2) Legal/Court Action (3) Conservation (4) Education (5) Co-operation with other groups

If Koren's is outside of your orbit, let the postman do the walking. You can but a guide and some thread of the right color from http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/Content.aspx?src=home.htm . They should have something close to the one you lost. It is too late, but keeping the old one would probably have helped in finding the right size. Next time... there are a lot of web sites that have instructions on how to wrap on guides. Let us know if you need help. Once that is done apply clear laquer or nail polish to the wrapings, allow to dry, and coat the wrapings with 2 part epoxy. This restores the rod to full function though it may not look brand new. If that is important, there are pros who will gladly take your money.

Yes, it is fixable. Do you have the original guide, or did you mangle it when you cut it off? Either way it can be fixed by reattaching the original or by installing another one. Till the cold season, when I do a lot of maintence work, you might be able to use the rod without that guide. The down side is part real and part esthetic since the third from the top is not life threatening. A lot of folks live satisfying productive lives even though they do not have that "third from the top" guide. Do you want to fix it yourself, or do you need help?

Tim, I agree that this thread has served its purpose. But I am curious to see more details on what is going on between state Smallmouth Alliances and between SAs and other organizations. IMHO, co-operation between state SAs deserves a thread of its own (so as not to get lost here). If you wouldn't mind starting it, I would be grateful.

Ultimately I don't care how TU resolves its family feud over the relative value of using limited resources to protect access or using limited resources for conservation efforts. ISA is about Smallmouth Bass fishing in Illinois. Since Ducks Unlimited, Trout Unlimited, and Muskies Inc are held up as models, however, I was just wondering if NSA and ISA could learn something from TU's recent history. I was glad to see Mike Cliffords remark: "As for charters and the like as "Smallmouth Alliances" are concerned, any state could create one right this minute and would be accountable to nobody. There is no central authority at the present time. The ISA lends it's resources to whatever we feel is pertinent for conservation, access...the list is long." And Tim Smith's comments on balance are right on: "One look at the ISA boards shows how important fishing is here. One look at our conservation funding and accomplishments shows the importance of conservation to this group. If TU leaves access issues to others, that doesn't mean it won't get done. As delicate as trout streams are, their priority seems a logical one. In my opinion, the ISA has done a good job balancing our priorities...and it is balance that is the issue here in the end." Wisconsin DNR has enviable fish management and conservation programs with funds from licenses and stamps earmarked for DNR activity. Their access laws are much more enlightened (20th Century). However, I live in Illinois where the DNR is severely underfunded and access laws are Feudal (11th Century). Though I may be wrong, I think access is a much more important issue in Illinois than it is in Montana and Wisconsin. As Joseph suggests, we have to be able to get to the stream before we can restore it. Now I think I have learned something. NSA Dedicated To Creating World Class Smallmouth Bass Fishing

Knowing my interest in fly fishing, it is no surprise that I got an issue of Fly Rod and Reel for my birthday. One of the articles prompted me to rephrase Mike Clifford's question. Why do they (TU) fish when they do not have too? This article sheds tremendous light on the famous trout fishing organization. Namely, it isn't a trout fishing organization. When push comes to shove, the National Organization, though not all the local chapters, points to its charter "to restore, preserve, and conserve" cold water fisheries. They do not do access. Indeed, for the last two years the national organization has been promoting a universal prohibition of allowing local chapters to engaging "access" issues. Apparently TU would conserve the resource but refuse to go to bat for your right to fish it. Such "access" activity is not considered, in their lingo, "effective use of their limited resources." Of course some representatives from local chapters in Montana and Wisconsin are not happy with this turn of affairs. They say in effect that they are not going to put any sweat or money into conserving a stream or river they cannot fish. To them, the ban would be a stab in the back. You should read the article to get the whole picture. http://www.flyrodreel.com/index.php/page/i...007_07/id/19311 I won't go on about the "unlimited" organization that seems to be struggling with so many self imposed limitations. Better men than I have bashed this misnamed group. I just hope that the Smallmouth Alliance and its state chapters do not paint themselves into a similar corner. Reading our charters I see the same emphasis on development and preservation of Smallmouth Waters nationally and state by state. Like TU's our charters do not say anything specific about rights to fish the resource we create and conserve. Is that an omissiion that will lead to problems down the road? If TU made a mistake, can we learn from it?