Steve S.

I get it Norm

That makes sense John, especially if you're focused on the same water year in and year out. How about catching one while standing on your head Norm? That would change things up a bit. I like the thought of challenging yourself to learn something new; you might stumble on a pattern that is unique but has its time and place.

Your flies look too nice to fish with!

I really like the EP patterns; another neat one is the floating minnow, which has foam disks in the head portion. I fished these with a sink tip on my floating line and they worked really well on the smallies. Excellent ties Tim!

Used to use this lure a long time ago, also the Bang-O Honey Bee. Brings back memories!

I like that Jonn

http://slickdeals.net/ This site will have some fishing stuff from time to time.

Looks like it was a great event!

Hey Bart, is that you in the 2nd picture?

More like you ran up so I didn't catch you and beat you!

Its been nice scaling down and keeping it simple, and the lanyard helps and sure is convenient.

That was a fun hike after a long day of wading! I wouldn't trade the memories for anything!!!

Jonn Nice setup. I bought my VT2 7 weight in the Fall of 2010 and loved it until I got my 6 wt Z-Axis! It's a shame you can't fish them all every time out.

Did the hunting start? Something to be mindful of I suppose if you're looking to float yet this Fall.

Boogle Bug in Solar Flare; sure helps when you can pick out your presentation amongst the bubbles as well.

Ask Don R. about them. I think the ones he purchased have been collecting dust somewhere the past two seasons.

I have a float trip booked with Austin and was hoping to be posting a report soon but the high waters of the K3 have postponed things a bit. I'm really looking forward to getting my Dad out on the river as he hasn't fished it very much since the days he would take me and brother fishing there when we were kids. Looking forward to it Austin, and we'll have to squeeze one of these flats boat trips in as well.

Bass are on the beds in WI too. Try Canada!

I fish a lot of bigger waters and at times distance matters to me. It also comes into play when your fishing partner is a gear guy and is always hitting the spots before you can get to them! Whine, whine, whine...... Can't wait to try the line out again, this time more extensively and on bigger waters.

Gave the new 6 wt with the Smallmouth line a quick tryout after work. It was my first time out with a fly rod this year! Just did a little bank hopping and couldn't really wind up much with all the trees and brush. I was anxious to try out some Tullis Wiggle Bugs I picked up from Tight Lines recently and I think this fly will be a winner this season! Ended up with just a couple dinks but at least I got the new rod jinx off! Wait for it.....

It's the roughly the same price point as a Clouser line, so thought it would be worth the test. Besides, it has a picture of a smallmouth on the box, so it must work, right? Gullible Steve

I have it on my new 6 wt but have yet to use it. Guess that doesn't qualify as "tried".

Excellent job Mark and good to hear from you!

How about me? I guess if anyone has witnessed firsthand my journey into the fly fishing world, it has been Don. Come to think of it, Norm, you're right, I am a negative, whiny rat bastard sometimes! Its been well worth the struggles that come with being on the learning curve. I truly enjoy the challenges.

I can't speak for all of the whiny fly fishermen , but personally I keep my options open and choose the fishing method that I think best fits in any given situation. Sometimes that means choosing not to fly fish on extremely windy days, especially when I'm bank hopping and overhanging trees and brush are difficult enough an obstacle for a fly fishermen to deal with much less combined with high winds. There are other times when I'm fishing with another (which is almost always) some days we may be running and gunning a lot, which I feel can be more effectively accomplished via spin or cast (which I also still enjoy) and might also be considered a courtesy to your fishing partner if you're not slowing them down fly fishing (which is what I generally have to do). Is that considered negativity? Eric, as for your sentiments towards ole smiley face Ron K., I concur. He does inspire me to become a more accomplished fly angler and I also admire that he can generally shake off enough crust to embrace both new technologies and old school know-how to get the job done, and when he doesn't, well it makes for some great reading.