mattyvac

I shore fish the lake exclusively in the downtown area between NavyPier and 31st Street, and when the smallies are near shore, you can consistently catch them. The Lake holds some spectacular specimens, having caught bunches and bunches between 15 and 20 inches. I imagine the breakwalls hold lots of beauties. I just never get out there. I wouldn't try going beyond the breakers with that 17 though. Kinda rough going, depending on the waves, swells, wind, etc. But they are definitely there! Good Luck!

Love the ideas about the 5wt. instead of 6 or 7. Being one of the crazy ones, I, too, like fishing a lighter wt., faster/stiffer rod than most would recommend. I like rods that offer plenty of 'give' in the tip down about a third. then stiffen thru the middle. 8'6" minimum. I don't know the river, so you might take the water into consideration when deciding about length. Some waters are quite crowded with trees, etc. Shorter rods help in that respect, but I've found overall, shorter rods restrict you more than help. What's your budget? There are definitely options out there. More if you don't mind the price. Good luck finding the right match!

Thanks for some great responses! Makes me realize so much depends on natural forage, depth of presentation, still or moving water, water clarity, and more. I need to decide where I will be fishing, what the are eating, etc., then plan from there.

With the myriad choices of fly types, it's difficult for me to settle on what to tie. Since I have so little time to experiment with varying patterns to see what works best, I am relying on you for your experience and opinions. My question is this: What has served you best, flies that have a distinct head and neck, like one that has a marabou jig type profile, or ones that have no neck, like a clouser? Hope this doesn't start any arguments. Remember it's Christmas. Thanks!!

Love the Cabelas reels. They are a good value, and do 95% of what the expensive ones do.

Got it! Sounds reasonable. Probably will cramp the style of many C&R anglers who thought they were doing the right thing. I guess if we all were that concerned with fish, we wouldn't hook them in the face and take them out of the water, and sometimes eat them.

Try Mike G's repair ferule before you toss your rod out. Its good the break is on the butt half. With some epoxy and thread you'll be back on the water quick. That rod has mojo!

One rod used over twenty years? Do yourself a favor. When the new stick gets there, string it up with your favorite line and give it a flick. Your arm will likely not allow you to send it back. Technology over the last 20 years has given us rods that far out-perform old rods, and they are much easier on our bodies. And it just might help you catch more fish.

Rob, I'm not understanding why anyone would elect to cut the hook from the lure. How could you catch the fish if there's no hook? Is this something specific to the gar?

After introducing kids of all stripes to fishing, I've developed a couple personal rules. The key to fishing with young kids is to find any size fish that are biting so they catch something, and don't keep them out too long. Leave as soon as they indicate disinterest, because that's when they start entertaining themselves by using the rod as a whip, or for anything except what it was intended. Once the hook starts spending time out of the water, thats when they hook themselves. But action and brevity are the keys. Even if they spend 20 minutes catching bluegills the size of Rattle Traps, that's still catching fish to a five year old, and the Mission will be accomplished. Even better if you can outfit them with safety glasses. Sorry I don't know of a nearby spot for you. You're a good grandfather. Have a great time!

I like fluorocarbon. But the important thing is setting the drag correctly. If the drags not right, you might as well be using a banjo.

I took a second look at your post. There are certainly reasons why you might find alignment dots on any multi-piece rod. But I might question the maker if dots on the rod didn't line up, because that might signal that the the sections are not matched. Matching different rod sections according to spine is time consuming, and not all makers do it. I can explain. When I make a graphite rod, I like to align the assembled sections of the rod according to the spine of the rod. Each section of any graphite rod blank has has a stronger side and a weaker side. That stronger side is called the spine. I can build the rod, either with the spine along the top, which I like for more fighting power, or on the bottom, which I prefer for faster casting action. I will mark the end of each section at the spot where the spine is. Then I can use these marks to assemble the rod sections so as to orient the spine and the guides, etc. in a straight line along one side of the rod from end to end. That explains one reason to put marks along a rod. Whether these rod makers are actually doing this to match the sections is a mystery. But there is ZERO reason (that I can think of) for any rod builder to just randomly mark any rod with dots with no purpose.

AllCanada is giving tickets to the first 50 new friends on Facebook. Hope you make the cut!

Date and time for Coren's outing?

Yes, please bring them. Just don't let any aging rock stars know about it.

Jude, Have you thought to return the broken rod to the mfr? Most rods are warranted for breakage. And some don't require original receipt. Then you could take the first rod (after the mfr returns it to you) and trade it for a 3wt. Or keep both. Then you'll have two rods, which is always better than one. In fact, everyone knows the more rods and gear we have, the more fish we catch.

I'm kind of tired of fishing off the walkways above the water of Lake Michigan, and I'm looking for ways to get into the available fish. Maybe I'm looking for something that isn't there, but I'd love to find wadeable water that might produce. I've pretty much flogged the shore line as much as I want, and I've always wondered how to approach walking into some productive areas, if they exist. Anyone have any luck getting into the water - not in a boat?

Got one in March. I like it, so far. Can't argue that the bigger spool helps line avoid getting those annoying tight loops. Of course, it doesn't completely eliminate memory problems, it just keeps the curls softer. Line falls off easier, and casts go a bit smoother. It's spooled with 6 pound Vanish. I'll update later, especially if the thing fails.

Gentlemen, I want to thank everyone for sharing their opinions, experiences, and fishing history on this topic. In writing my opening post, I was hoping to find someone I could agree with. I am happy to have found some common ground with all of you. As I have said before, I use conventional tackle, but I love fly fishing. I want it to thrive so future generations can feel what I feel when I fly fish. And if we in this forum are any scale of fly fishing enthusiasm, that scale tips convincingly in favor of a bright future for fly flingers everywhere. Speaking to the issue of high cost of fly gear, I want to offer a small piece of advice. When I wanted a high performance 3wt, I did a bit of research, and built one myself. I'd be just as happy with my old cheapo $30 vise, but my wife got me a Renzetti. They both work. Pick a few simple fly patterns that work and buy bulk materials and hooks. What's my point? There are ways to save money, if you are serious. And I seriously don't spend any more on my above average performing fly gear than anybody else spends on similar performing spin gear. Then there are guys who just rather complain. There is no conspiracy to deprive the world of affordably priced fishing products. There are just companies who enjoy great success selling their gear at high prices to very willing customers. Look at it this way....If I could build a product that people would pay $800 to own, why would I waste my time building a competing product for $39.95? The potential for profit is way better for higher priced products. Makes perfect economic sense. I think its a bit irresponsible to act as if an entire industry is actively suppressing participation with lower income consumers for some reason. Fly fishers, go forth and enjoy! Have a great season!

It seems to be just about unanimous. We love to fly fish, and we all seek to use fly gear whenever we can, including inventing ways to squeeze fly fishing into places that no one has gone before. We all seem to be finding ways to get around the costs of gear, tying tools, waders, and whatever else we need, to approach our favorite water with fly tackle. We are all just fishing fans, mostly regular guys, and we have little problem doing the fly fishing we need to do. We just get creative, and find a solution. Just look at the BassBugger topics in the ISA forum. Its rich with encouraging communication. So, why is there such talk of extinction? I admit, I'm way down the food chain from the people who really know things - manufacturers, retailers, shop owners, guides and lodges - these are the folks who live and die by fishing trends. Is extinction what they are talking about? Or is it just Cornwall?

Great points. Sounds like fly fishing has been excluding itself from wider acceptance - by its somewhat limited capabilities, and by its above average cost. There really aren't many fish a spin outfit can't fish for. To a point, same could be said for fly fishing, only it seems to be a much farther stretch to make it all work. I'm sure it's been done, catching all bass species with fly gear, for example. But when the cultural trend is to streamline everything, from cars to lightbulbs, a one-outfit-does-it-all setup does not aim toward fly gear. As much as I love fly fishing, I can still see why its losing ground in the marketplace. The solution might lie in marketing. Until the 1970's, America was more devoted to Trout fishing than black bass. People used all methods to catch them. Then Ray Scott changed everything with B.A.S.S. He pretty much single handedly invented black bass fishing as a sport. We can use a voice like that for fly fishing.

I have some ideas that are based only on simple opinions and observations; please forgive me if I get some facts wrong. Of course, we all are in the middle of a recession that is now over three years old, and lots of small businesses are failing. Fly shops are pretty specific places, and cater to a narrow slice of the fishing public. Most shops I have visited stock fly gear that is exponentially more expensive than conventional spin gear. I imagine most people considering beginning a hobby in angling could get a fine spin outfit for $50-$100 just about anywhere. Only BPS and Cabelas carry affordably priced fly gear, but still only a small portion of that is priced near most spin gear. The cost of even cheaper tying materials and tools is still prohibitive in the aggregate. So my first explanation for the decline in fly fishing would be economic reasons. Next, culture has an influence, too. It's pretty obvious that Tournament Bass Fishing has exploded. There are bass tournaments everywhere, and the outdoor cable channels are choked with tournament fishing and bass fishing shows. These bass pros are celebrities. Kids want to be like them. There go our recruits. Another point is, catching fish is harder with fly gear. You need a bit more skill to cast a fly. You need as much room behind you as you do in front of you, unless you roll cast exclusively. Unless you use dry/floating flies, you can have a really difficult time determining that your sinking lure has been taken. A smaller percentage of fish take lures off the top all season. We're fortunate that our favorite fish will....many, many more fish just won't. Good thing is, none of this is really permanent. All fly fishing needs is a funny thing like 'A River Runs Through It" to happen, and the fly cycle will start up again. Similar thing about the decline in dinosaur films, but the avalanche of vampire/werewolf movies? Maybe fishing is vulnerable to faddish trends like anything else. For me, I really love throwing a fly, and I'm grateful to the ones who got me started. But fickle as I am, if the perch are biting, I'll be dropping and dragging minnows on the big lake in the morning. There's nothing quite like fishing, except for fishing and catching.

Thanks for your suggestions Rod, Thats what I'm looking for. I want to know what our members like to read, and if they think that they might meet my needs. I didn't think I'd be so lucky to find one magazine that has everything. But I'd be happy to find it. I'm pretty much expecting I will need to get at least two magazines, maybe three. I was at Barnes and Noble and saw about 10 common fishing mags, and 5 to 10 more that were highly specialized. That would cost me about $75-$125 just to sample a copy of each. Some were $15. No thanks!

OK. I understand that when you get to a certain level, you can be resentful when your once respected source for info goes hopelessly commercial. But is that IT? This is actually a bit of Deja Vu for me. Before I took to fishing, I was completely involved with hunting. After 15-20 years, I really started noticing the same articles showing up. It was a complete circle...take ammo for instance. First it was common military cartridges for all around reliable hunting performance. Then it was the renaissance of the old style heavy calibers, and new ones that improve on the big, slow bullet theory. Then we had to have newly designed super-velocity cartridges that went so fast they could vaporize the organs of a charging rhino. So goes fishing. We have to hear about spoon plugging every 5-10 years, then it's all about lure color, then it's the way the lure sounds, then we have lures that look like the real thing, then it's the hooks, then the line, then the rod, then the reel. Hey, Look! Here's a new spoon plugging article! Is there no honest mag out there that just sticks to the truth, and leaves the rest to us? Isn't there a mag that addresses common angling mysteries and explains them plainly, but still entertains us? BTW, I just found an old issue of Fishing & Hunting News (Great Lakes Region), July 14-28, 2005. It mapped 3 lakes in detail, with complete overview of species, depth/topography details, nearest tackle shops and guides, and tried and true methods that the locals recommend. It featured 31 different places to go fish and hunt in one issue, and included all the above details. They were cross referenced by species, season and location. On top of that, it came to my door twice a month!!! These guys stopped publishing not long after this issue.

I enjoy In-Fisherman too. Did you mean to say the FLW pros on tour do not feature fly info for bass? I guess that makes sense. Truth is, our bass buggers at ISA pretty much define the pursuit of SMB on the fly anyway, so I'm not so lost for a magazine in that department. Our guys provide a more than adequate resource in that respect. I used to get a magazine named 'Hunting and Fishing.....' something . Journal , Digest, I don't remember. It was made of newspaper stock, nothing slick or shiney like our Bulletin. But it had where, when, and how to fish, and who local guides were, and local bait and gear. They are no longer published. Even had maps and charts. Thanks for the input! Its just what I'm looking for. Hope I get a good number of opinions.