Rob G

Saturday September 11: South Vermillion trip: Meet at truck stop just off of I-74 at the Oakwood exit at 8:00. Float and wade trip. Just want to mention that I should be able to help out with this one since it will be on my local waters. Just let me know what I can do in order to make it a successful outing. Do you normally have a cook out at the end of the day at Kickapoo State Park?

I'm passing this email on to those concerned, a response from Laura Kammin: Dr. Grider, At our last meeting the group (comprised of IDNR, SWCD, and NRCS staff as well as private landowners and members of local conservation groups) discussed what we thought were the priorities and challenges for the area in regards to wildlife habitat conservation and management. The next meeting will continue that discussion and will move towards where the group would like to head in the next year. Please attend the August 25th meeting if you have the time. We welcome more participants. Laura Laura, > might you please share with me a little information in regards to the August 25 th meeting at the Vermilion County Extension Service? I was just curious as to what the topic of discussion might be as I just recently became aware of the meeting via the Illinois Smallmouth Alliance. > Thank you for your time and response.

You know after all this discussion, I find myself wanting to run out and try using one of those line baskets, but only because I'm a bad boy

Rich, have to agree with Mike, all dozen fish on the same fly and it could be fished some more. Other decent fish count evenings yielded same durable results. It's so limp and flexible that it holds up well, and I like the fact that even the dink bass can inhale the thing.

A little update, tied up a few of these, yet to do any good on the smallies (although I can't figure out why), but have done real damage to the largemouths at the local ponds and lakes. Again this evening, took almost a dozen with three going between 2-3 lbs. It's easy to cast even with a lighter 5 wt. rod. You can really get it out there and it runs about 1-1.5 ft deep on the retrieve keeping you just over the weeds. Also the hook up to hit ratio is quite good. Great action from the hackles but might try some different colors, I'm thinking a couple pair of black hackles might be really enticing kind of like a small snake.

A little tid bit, once while flying back to the midwest, I happen to sit next to a gentleman whom I began talking with and found he worked for Berkley as a scientist involved with determining what scents/chemicals could be used as fish attractants and masking scents for their Berkley Power baits. One thing he told me was that while they had been obviously very successful in finding scents which attracted bass they had yet found anything at all that could act as a masking agent to DEET, according to him, it was one of the most if not the most repulsive chemicals that bass would flee from. So just be careful so as to keep it off your hands and then your baits.

Mike, could you please provide a little more information as to what the meeting will concern? If this is a follow up meeting would it be possible to see what what issues were addressed at the previous meeting? If at all possible I'm sure our small group would hope to attend. Thank you.

Brian, I agree. But to further confuse, I'm not sure who makes this reel for Cabela's but I liked handling this one not too long ago and they have it on sale in the same price range. Edit: I just read it is made by Ross in the USA, once called a Ross Rhythm: I might just have to pick one of these up for someone's upcoming anniversary, I'm sure my wife would love one http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20431-cat20435-cat20471&id=0064350320761a&navCount=11&podId=0064350&parentId=cat20471&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=9IS&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat20471&hasJS=true

Paul, not that anyone wants a crummy drag system, but truth be told, our fly reels simply store line and pick it up. Unless I'm fishing for carp, my drag almost never gets used. I play the largest of smallies without it so I say pick the one you like the best, balances the rod well and fits your budget. The Battenkill Bar Stock reels are very light which I really enjoy but on the heavier rods they are almost too light. The Pflueger is much heavier unless they've shaved some weight in the last year or two. Another reel to look at in that price range is the Lamson cast reel with their conical drag system, and though I've never used it, I've heard very good things.

You might want to consider the Orvis Battenkill Bar Stock reels if you want to compare a more equal reel from the Orvis line, both then machined and similar in price. But of the two that you link to, I would go for the Pflueger because it is machined and not cast mold and realize I own and love 3 of the Orvis Battenkill Bar Stock reels.

Nice to hear that, since I recently built up a TFO 9' 4, 5, and 6 wt. in the Professional series. An excellent blank for the buck. On the other hand, it seems like my old buddies at Park Falls, WI have become much more difficult when honoring their written warranties of the past.

John, another good one that is similar and so very simple to tie is the Bully's Bluegill spider. It filled my freezer with gill fillets by May 1st, and I agree with Ronk, you will get more going subsurface than on top but top bugs are fun.

Thanks for all the input guys. Stuart, since you tied these commercially, did you have a favorite type of red hackle up front, say Dyed-Over-White Strung hen Saddle Hackle or Saltwater Neck Hackle?

Mike, one of the articles I read, claimed the fly to have been used as far back as the late 1880's, so ole' Homer may have just updated it or tweaked it a bit?

On an admittingly very selfish note, I would vote for a reschedule due to weather and the fact that it is difficult for many of us from any distance to make it on a Friday afternoon at 4 PM but I understand you can't please all the people all the time

Have read a couple narratives about this fly and just wondered if anyone has used it extensively, been around a long long time but both Bob Clouser and Lefty speak highly of it. Just curious if I should be tying up a few of these but would need some red saddle hackles that I presently don't have.

John's other boat is my main boat, a 14 ft. Wenonah Fisherman model, 10 yrs old now but made from Royalex and right at 53 lbs. Also for the bigger rivers, an 18' 60" Big John, but I let a 50 hp Merc paddle that

Steve, what a nice write up. I'm convinced to give these a try. Glad you included Joe's Mixed media because I thought of that immediately after seeing these. I've been tying some Hairy Fodders with a lighter natural color crosscut rabbit trying to achieve that same mottled appearance but really want to try these. After tying so many crayfish patterns with more limited success, I personally am convinced that impressionistic patterns like this do better than the more realistic patterns. Again thanks for sharing.

All I will say is "So very Envious", love those spots on the first one.

Not sure if we're on the same page as to what you want to do with it but I'm with Mike, in that I tend to use rod finish epoxy as it dries chrystal clear and no bubbles, but then I tend to always have some around since I build rods as well. The only bad thing is that I feel I need to tie a dozen or so flies at a time and then mix my finish so as not to be too wasteful.

John, those look great, how deep do those run with and without the conehead? Does the top one (pearl shad-like) take on less water and weight than the rabbit?

John, your shoes are too big to be filled by any one sole If no single individual steps up then maybe we can work by committee, as I would be more than happy to set up a fishing/camping weekend on the south Vermilion system and just like this year, it's easy to set up a few meetings and tying sessions during the cold months.

Hey gang, sounds like if the meeting is going to be that short and that's the entire intention of the meeting, kind of tough to make the 3 hour drive time so will catch up with everyone next Sunday 21st. I can bring some rods if people want to try out a few different actions and lengths.

Well misery loves company don't you know. I went out yesterday afternoon since it was so nice but the local Middlefork was way up and the current more than twice normal. No luck for the hour that I was out there but most of the slack water I wanted to fish was on the other side and the current was too strong for me to cross. I did get to toss a new fly rod I just built so it wasn't all bad. Now that ice is coming off the ponds, may have to concentrate on those for a while or break out the spinning gear (did I just say that?)

Just read about this today, and all I can say is that it frightens me not that it would ever come to pass but that my government would even really consider such an act to appease the extreme environmentalist groups in opposition to the science based DNR principles that have been so successful. It seems they have discontinued allowing for public input. http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/saltwater/news/story?id=4975762