Steve Smith

Yummy; there is probably others that can chime in here on this subject of Handheld GPS units. Mine is a Meridian Platinum series from Magellan. I believe I bought it at Wally Worlds for around $199. Then I purchased $99 Hot Spots chip map from Navionics. The best advice I can give you is try to find a place that knows something about GPS units, which may be hard to find. Luckily, I had a friend who already owned one, so I knew the map chips would work. This one also has a USB port and software to archive map information.

I'm here.

Don't know Dan. The last time I logged in, they were going to keep the site going a little longer, but closing the forums to future postings. I never went back, but it looks to be still kicking

JD; there's no problem with handhelds at all. When my Lowrance sonar GPS went south, I purchased a Meridian Platinum series and a Hot Spots chip. I still use the handheld because I'm not always fishing in my boat. It too has the USB port and I have downloaded my favorite coordinates. Unfortunately, I have to manually load them into the Hummingbird, but at least they are not lost.

Sure. I can do a CDC EHC

Great report Mr. Ducky. Spring break is about over so the park will clear out a little now until probably Memorial Day during the week. It will pack next weekend for Easter and the following weekend is the annual Dogwood Car Show. During the week is the best time to fish Roaring River this month if you can get there. There have also been some big some big hatches of mayfly and stones mid morning to early afternoon. Dry fly heaven!

I understand the wife not buying into our "toys thing" all too well John. That 565 is a good unit that you'll be happy with. Later on you might decide to experiment with the handheld units too. But, even those units run $200 - $300 by the time you buy the maps chip.

Mine are in the mail this afternoon.

While we are discussing dubbing, and not to derail this thread. I have been noticing a lot of hype about using "dry fly" dubbing on dry flys. Many here have tied much longer than I, so does dry fly type dubbing really help a pattern to float? Or is it just marketing hype?

Web; stop by Wally Worlds and pick up a $1.99 wax toliet ring. You'll have enough dubbing wax to last a lifetime.

Terry; get you a tube of Loon's Knot Sense UV glue. Give that furled leader loop several coatings being careful not to fill the inside. That will keep the loop from collapsing. If the loop is already gone, take Spider Wire, a darning needle, and one of those rings. Then sew it into the furled leader. Coat that with the Loons.

John; I don't know if Hummingbird is the best. To be honest, the Lowrance was a really good sonar GPS unit. I just don't like making that much of an investment in a product that can't be repaired. Only time will tell if Hummingbird will continue to repair their unit after a few years. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if all the GPS functionality wasn't provided by Garmin on all units. Skeeter; my unit was the smaller Lowrance LMS-160

I don’t remember what model it was, but I’ll check it out tonight and let you know. You might be able to salvage some parts off of it. I was really disappointed with Lawrence after it quit. Not because it broke, but because they wouldn’t fix it. They said it was probably the main circuit board, and they didn’t carry that part anymore due to the cost of manufacturing. Then they added insult to injury by just offering 10% off a new unit. I have had a Hummingbird 3D model [Not GPS] 16 years and they have rebuilt it twice at a very reasonable price. I figured I’d give Hummingbird a try this time to see if I can get some repairable longevity out of my investment. Skeeter; I bought the Hummingbird 595C and it too can use the new HD Map chip. As soon as I can get over the shock of purchasing the new unit, that will be next.

Snake bites... right Terry? We are going to have to ween you off that Canuk stuff Buddy. Knob Creek is much better for curing ills, bites, and jus' because. In any case, I'm sittin' next to Troutman and his homemade brew. How do they make it so good and sell it so cheap.

Only if you do the dishes too. Most like a tad bit of Crown?

I’ve had GPS sonar in my boat for several years now. My first was a Lowrance, and I’m installing a new color Hummingbird as a replacement. Personally, I wouldn’t be without GPS, either handheld or built in sonar, but I would insist on having a lake map model. If you have ever been on the water during a storm that forces you to find shelter or sudden heavy fog, they can save your butt. During low water, I would mark structure like humps, drop-offs, tree stands, and hazards like the shallow islands that eat lower units. They make finding that special brush pile or line of cedar trees a snap over and over again without excessive searching. On the negative side, even good handhelds can be really expensive. If they don’t come with lake maps, the chip with the feature adds to the cost of the unit, and not all lake maps are on the chip in detail. There is a small amount of error built into the GPS, so they basically get you close, but not pinpointed. Finally, like all expensive electronics they become obsolete rather quickly. Lowrance no longer manufactures the parts to repair my old unit. That didn’t make me happy, so I’m trying the Hummingbird model. The main reason for me is I spend two weeks a year fishing Lake of the Woods in Ontario. That is a huge lake where all the islands look the same, and there are boulders inches under the water. A $600 GPS/sonar is way cheaper than a lower unit, or worse, the hull of my boat.

I wanted to try and tie some Waterwisp patterns, but they use a special hook and won't take orders for less than $50. I don't want to buy $50 worth of hooks just to try their pattern.

I'm planning to attend. Dogs and green salsa. Nathan dogs of course.

What is nice Phil is you can shop by manufacturer on the site. I don't think I've seen that at many online stores

Trout derbys and tournaments are usually sponsored by local Chambers of Commerce, local government, and other businesses [like fly shops] to draw in business and advertising.

Terry; I have the three drawer stainless model. I am not sure of the model number.

I carry a dental pick in my box and lift the loose loops until I finally find the key to the tangle. A crochet needle works good too, but I find the dental pick works best. I carry one in my fly vest too for those testy wind knots.

McCords Bend would be quite a run from Bridgeport up the James River. Others may be able to be more specific. McCords is right off of Hwy 248 just west of Galena by auto. Last year, the lake was so low you couldn't get a medium size boat through McCord's shoals. This year should be different, but I haven't checked it out yet.

It is really very comfortable. I was having shoulder problems, especially when wearing a standard vest. I tried to really lighten the vest up, but it didn't help. I finally choked up the bucks and bought a Richardson Chest Box. I was so impressed with it, I bought another for warm water patterns [smallies] and never looked back. Tim's Fly Shop at Roaring River carries them, and usually has several in stock.

Very nice patterns folks. Ditto on the thanks to Leonard.