Mark K

I think I read this in Bob Clouser's book, but what would he know.

Why can't you just cut the fly off and let the line unwind in current?

Jonn-

One thing to recommend. Take up flytying. Catching fish with your own flies is very rewarding. A very simple collection of tools and materials will go a long way. I think you'll dig it.

Emoticons? NEVER

 

I call first dibs on buying Benedict Arnold's lure collection.

Benedict Arnold was a very brave man.

Jim- You read flyfishing magazines. You dress like a fly fisherman. You've been seen in flyshops. You were president of a fish club that kind of modeled itself after Trout Unlimited. Face it. You are a flyfisherman without a flyrod.

It's time you came out of the closet.

Jim:

 

You crack me up!! You should have known it was only a matter of time before I turned to the "dark side". Don't worry all the spinning and casting rods/reels are not going in the garbage...............yet.

Jonn-

You already have a tying vise. Right?

Eric M. and I saw one on the I&M canal near Channahon. I saw one on the Kank on two occasions. A friend made two sightings on the Kank also.

Today I positively IDed an osprey on the DesPlaines at Rt 83. It's a resident not passing thru. I've seen it on several occasions just not close enough for positive ID.

I read in Chicago wilderness that Bobcats live in the Dupage County. Do I doubt your story....not in the least.

Adverse conditions notwithstanding,i.e.hostile winds,the need to cast 80+'etc., I agree with Stuart that an 8wt is typically too much rod for sporty fishing for smallmouth.There are plenty of flies in sizes 1/0-4 other than cumbersome oversize deerhair that appeal to big smallies that can be comfortably cast to 70+' when necessary by a good caster with a 6wt or lighter rod.Why opt then for flies requiring an 8wt unless specifically warranted?

This topic has been beaten to death. It's been debated and answered ad nauseum on this same forum.

If you look at the readings at the roll dam, you'll see them pushing 3000 cfs, but...

 

When you get to the river, the water height and flow is more realistically that of around 800 cfs. and is completely fishable. You can't wade fish at the levels shown.

 

Wonder if the gauge is stuck?

How do the guages work?

It's called "Bronzeback Brown", a "brown" color tone----a very appropriate name.

Clever name.

The one I looked at was brown. Compared to new Fireline, it was considerably lighter. Maybe it was a bum batch. It may match certain backgrounds anyway.

Seems like darker blends in better wherver I am fishing.

Cortlands Masterbraid "color" doesn't ware off, like other coated superbraid lines, I've ever used.

I looked at in the store. It's kind of a light color to begin with.

I tried reel magic on Fireline in an effort to help it hold color. Don't think it did anything.

Got to fish it tonight. I hope this reel isn't afflicted with SBD (Shimano Binding Disease, not to be confused with your partners case of SBD, silent but deadly) cause so far I like it a lot. It's on the heavy side, but it has a nice positive feel and it doesn't feel too delicate. It takes some force to close the bail, which I consider to be a good thing. I hate reels that have a bail so easy to trip that they snap shut as you cast. Ever have that happen? I call it "Premature Snapulation" or PS. Actually a lot of other reels are afflicted with PS.

This reel is a winner so far and I'm happy about that cause I love Shimano Products (bike and fishing) and it would be nice to be won back to their spinning reels.

So I loaded my ultralight up with 4lb Excel. It fishes really nice. It's very limp and i see no advantage in using Trilene XL over it. It might even be better than XL.

The stuff is filthy cheap 10 bucks for 1500 yards. I'm going to try the 8lb stuff in Lake Michigan. If you ae a mono guy, this stuff is worth a go around.

Back in 1997 or so I caught a 12" rainbow trout

Sure it was a Rainbow and not a King Trout?

Had to add a few drops of oil to the inside of the diawa ss this loosened it up a bit. So far so good.

Phil

I do that too. Triflow works good. Take the spool off and drip it on the shaft while cranking.

A year and a half later...

I was in the same store. The reel was still there. Marked down heavily. 27 bucks out the door. I could not resist.

Filled it with 10 lb Suffix.

I'm trying out a couple of basic reels this year. Easy to maintain that won't gum up if you get a little dirt or water in them. So far they aren't as smooth as my high end reels but they've been very consistent. Also picked up a Bass Pro rod med action 6' 3" with extra fast tip might be good for feeling light bites and being able to set the hook through plastic. I'll let you know how this goes.

Phil

The Daiwa SS will never gum up. Mine works exactly the same way as the day I bought it. Clunky, by today's standards but it will never let you down. It also has one of the best drags ever made and it's way lighter, almost an ounce than most comparable reels.

I heard they are made in Malasia now. The old ones were made in Japan. Not sure if there is a difference.

Here's my clear water theory: I enjoy fishing it because I love seeing the minnows, crayfish, etc. as I wade. I feel more confident because I can see cover and structure, and know when I place the perfect cast alongside that submerged log. And even if I haven't caught a fish, seeing one follow but turn away in clear water gives me the adrenaline rush and gets the confidence back up.

 

Bottom line is, I don't know if the fish behave any differently. I DO know that I behave differently, and because of that I do much better in low, clear water. I'm more confident, more alert, more in tune with the river, and more entertained.

Amen. Could not have said it better myself.

Rod Warranty(s)

 

Rod manufacturers warranty their rods against "defect in material and workmanship".

Rods that are broke due to missuse or abuse, are not covered by most warranty(s).

 

OEM's rod warranties vary----1 year, 2 years, 5 years and Limited Lifetime.

 

GLoomis offers an "expeditor program"---the only one in the business---

if you break a rod by accident, or the like, you can get a replacement for a nominal fee of

$50 (regular ground delivery---for a speedier service, $60 gets it their in 3 days).

 

(The $50 covers the shipping and handling costs ONLY---NO FEE for the replacement broken rod).

 

Call GLoomis, order the new replacement rod, it'll be delivered to your front door.

Remove the NEW rod from the shipping container and put the broken rod into the shipping container,

affix applicable return shipping labels to the container, give it back to the shippers driver.

It's that simple.

That's the best any OEM offers.

Handy too, when your wife finds out that you spent 300 dollars on a fishing rod and she breaks it over your head. The secret is to have so many that she loses count. HA!

I would go with a G Loomis SJR782 or the slightly lighter SJR781. The IMX blank is your best bet for the money.

http://products.gloomis.com/gl/products/al...D=1215086117361

Notice the handle. The grip screws downward, resulting in a shorter rear grip so effectively your rod is lengthened. line up the reel seats next to say an avid and the 6 1/2 foot Loomis. No bulky rear grip-great for fishing topwaters and Flukes. The blank is really light, so I never had any balance issues with the short rear grip.

I have St Croix Avids and IMX. I like the IMX rods much more. So much that I am thinking of throwing them on Ebay just to trade up to an IMX. One of the two that I mentioned.

The bronzebacks and GL3s are nice rods but not as light or fast actioned as the IMXs. To me they feel like an Avid. I like Loomis's Expeditor program too-if hey still offer it. Break a rod? Call them up, they charge a new rod to your credit card and send it to you second day. When the new rod arrives take the old one and throw it in the tube ship it back to Loomis. When they get it, they credit you account for everything but 70 bucks. That goes back a few years so it's probably more now. But thats a darn nice progam.

I once broke a bunch of rods on a plane on the way to Florida. They were St. Croixs. If they were Loomis rods, I would have been fishing two days later.

Just curious. Very little discussion on livebait techniques. Am I the only one using them? I really like float fishing live bait. I've been really fond of live helgies, but lately I'm really impressed with what a good old fashioned crawler will do. I have been keeping them in an old insulated lunch bag with an ice pack. Buying several dozen at a time ( at BPS) and rebaiting frequently. Light line, light bobbers, quality swivels and fine (not too fine) wire hooks.

Matt Mullady talked about using conditioned crawlers in his seminars. It was pretty interesting.

I am always open to livebaiting technique, but in particular suing "native " baits such as helgies, mollies (or madtoms), chubs etc....

also rigging technique...rods lines etc.

For wet wading you'll need to insert cushioned insoles for wading rocky streams like the Kank.Of course they won't last as long as a heavier wading boot but on the other hand they're only $30.

Neoprene booties work pretty well for wet wading as a cushioned liner and they will keep those damn pointy snail shells out too. Make sure you get one that does not have seem up the middle- blisters from hell.

Orvis makes a really nice pair of wet wading boots. I have had mine for several years now.

You can also add additional ankle weights, as needed.

That was a joke...right?

Korkers felt soles with steel studs are the best combo I found.

Please note that the date has changed for this event. July 19 @ 8:00 am is the new date/time.

 

Hopefully the Fox will settle down a bit by then.

Great!

I'll do my best to be there!