MTM

I had fuel taken from my truck's tank twice. The local police said that kids were doing it. Seem's they just don't have the money to do there curzing around so they are stealing the gas from car's and truck's around here. I got two locking gas caps just last week. No problems now. I live on the edge of town so there are not many people to watch out up here. You have to watch what you do to anyone now days even if they are stealing from you. Lawyer's you know. Ron

Terry- Is this one of those Pyramid style of things you are thinking of? ron

Sorry about that I got in on the butt end of it. Ron

I agree with you jOrOb. Maybe if people are so worried about this why not just ask the state or go through a local club and ask if you can get some sign's made up asking people not to do this. You know something like "Be A Sportsman Don't Shuffle your Catch" Thank You. Then the name of the club. Give people a chance to do the right thing before you go passing laws that may never work anyway. By the way I only know of a few streams that you can even do this on. I do not believe there are all that many in this country. I think I can name 5. Like jOrOb said were do you draw the line. Fish from the Banks???? Out of a boat????? Ron

The first time I ever saw someone doing the Shuffle was in 1973 on Arm Strong's Sprinp Creek outside of Livingston Montana. It is not a very large stream but there were a lot of fish at the time. I remember wadding in and starting to fish and after about 5 minutes looking down and seeing about 8 or so fish right at my feet feeding on what I was kicking up. And yes I caught two of those fish. We got to talking about it that night and figured it wasn't the right thing to be doing and that was the last time I did it just to catch a fish. I did do it some years later while guiding a client. Hot day (90's) Bright sky's and few fish. He had caught 3 fish early but nothing after about 9 or so. At about 2 in the afternoon he said that no one could catch a fish on that creek at that time. I said I could and he said he would bet me $50.00 that I could not catch a fish in 30 minutes. Being a guide and needing the money. ($60.00 a day at the time) I said I would take that bet if he stayed were he was and I could walk just around the bend. He could see me from the waist up but not my feet. Yep I did the shuffle and caught a fish in about 5 minute's. He was beside himself and he did pay up. I didn't tell him how I did it for about 5 years. He became one of my good clints and I guided him for many years. We still get a laugh over that one. Haven't done it in all of these years now. Don't figure it right. Everyone thinks it started on the San Juan River. Nope it started in Montana on the spring creeks many years ago. And people were doing it here long before I did it. How many people wade the same areas over and over each and everyday? I think the stream is OK because there is so much that can't be wadded. I don't think a lot of people even do it? I could be wrong but I fished a lot of river's over a lot of years and I can remember seeing it being done about 3 or 4 times at the most? Like I said I don't do it and I do not think it is right but I don't like laws passed everytime I turn around either. Kind of like the Gun Laws, we have over 20 thousand of them that they never use but they are always trying to pass new one's?? Ron

I just punched it for about 10 minutes . Back and forth LOL. You know I was wondering if they like animals so much "Why the heck would they hook that poor dog like that just for an add" Ron

I wouldn't touch either party. One has more fake thing's on her than a kid at Holloween and the other party's have a mouth you could park a Mack Truck in Ron

You know I spent more time on the river's taking fish off of Hook's than any 10 of the people you are giving as an example. Sorry experence has taught me that a barbed hook is no big deal if you know how to handle a fish in the correct manner. You can give all the sience you want to. I will believe the person that does it day in and day out first, and everytime. In my view you have an opinion that you are intitled to and I am glad that you have one. You read and "Believe" Everything that some one say's that is OK by me. But I would rather take the guide that is on the river day in and day out than the guy that spends 10 or 15 days a year doing some research. Just think during that 10 day's he saw 5 out of 50 trout hurt because the angler was using a barbed hook. Did he ask the fisherman how he handled the fish? Was that in the study? Bet not. What happened to the other 355 day's he wasn't there? And I will bet that NO one in those groups spent everyday, Day in and day out on stream's. Seen to may of those study's being preformed out here. 10 to 15 day's top's during the season. Not enough money to do other wise. Plus they have to spend time in the lab and doing all the other stuff to come up with an opinion. They way I look at it if you don't like barb's don't use them. If the law say's I can't use one I will bend it down. (By the way what Mr Lilley said I have seen happen in two other states. If they stick the hook into there shirt and it picks up anything they fine you. Saw it in Wisconsin and in PA. And in both places I was told the same as Mr Lilley has stated, it is all about the fine and nothing more. I chose to leave the barb were it is unless it is illigel. Then I will follow the law. But I will make dang sure that the barb is gone from the hook and it comes out clean when pulled through a shirt. I will also make sure that I handle the fish in the proper manner if I am releasing it. I do everything in my power to make sure the fish is returned to the river in the proper manner. We all, will kill some fish no matter how well we handle them. It is just a part of fishing. Fishing is Hunting but with a rod and not a gun. You are hunting fish to catch. Even if you let them all go you will kill some of them. That is fact and a part 0f life. A small barb will do no worse than no barb. Sometime take a look at the new barbs and a hook without a barb. Not much difference at all. Any hole in the fish would not be much different than the hook going in with or without the barb on the hook. Even if the hook is torn out. What about the barbless hook that hooks a fish and is torn out when the fish jump's or takes a run? What happens to that fish? Might have an even bigger hole than one released that was caught with a barb on the hook. Reminds me of a saying that I was told of while in Collage. " When Playing with Number's or Statistics You can make Them say anything you want if you play with them long enough" Ron

Will someone please tell me how they keep there Tax Free status? I know that the FBI has been investigating them for years so what goes? Amazing if you ask me. Must be some high up politician on there pay someplace I guess? Ron

Well I guess I will weigh in on this a might. I started guiding in 1969 on the Henry's Fork in Idaho and have guided for about what 37 or so years. I was on the water about 200 or more day's a year in that time. When I started about half the people we took were spin fishermen and used lure's. I never took bait fishermen. The year the Big Horn opened I guided that river 131 day's and kept all length's and weight's of fish that we took for the whole year for the Fish and Game. Seem's out here at least they think the good guides know about as much as they do about the fish in a given river. Thing is both party's make there living off of those fish and want them in the best shape they can be. I was also around when the first Catch and Release came out. I have one of the first patches they ever made on the subject. It reads "Limit Your Kill Don't Kill Your Limit" Here we go. Most hook's used today have what we call "Micro Barb" On them. (Talking Fly Hook's Here) They are for the most part very small. Not like the old hook's we use to tie on. I "Do Not Feel That The Barb On A New Style Hook Hurt's A Fish At All" Period. I think fish are misplayed and miss handled and cause much more problem to the fish than any barb ever has. I see guy's on line all the time bragging about how they catch fish on 12x and O, 1 and 2wgt rod's. Sorry but that put's one heck of a lot more stress on fish than a small barb ever well. I have landed and let lose many thousand's of trout in my life and if handled properly there is no problem with any barb on a hook. I see people taking 10 picture's of a fish and holding them out of the water all of that time. I see them lay them on a "DRY" bank to get a shot. But most of all I see them over play fish all the time because they do not know the limit's of there gear. Stop all of that then complain about the Micro Barb on a hook to me. Teach people to quit fishing when the river's get to warm. Teach them how to play and handle a fish. Teach them that 0, 1 and 2wgt rods with 8x, 9x 10x and 12x is not good for the fish. Teach them to leave the fish in the water while taking the hook out and release the fish without handling them. Then I will worry about a Micro Barb on a hook. Also put a limit to the number of fishermen on some river's in a day. Like on the Horn you see fish with 6 or 7 flies stuck in there face. Then Tell me about Barb's on hooks. Micro Barb's or for that matter any barb on a fly hook is the least of the worries a fish has. Ron

The pinch method work fine. Something you may want to try is the marabou from the butt's of hackle feather's. It is much nicer for real small flies. I find it much better for tailing emerger's and even small jig's. Give it a try. It is something that most people just throw out LOL. It is fuller than regular marabou and is much shorter to. The ends end in a point and I think it just moves better in the water. You can get it in any color that hackle is dyed in or natural. In fact I am tying 10 dozen Flavilinea Emerger's of my own pattern for Dan Bailey's right now. Just thought about it when I read this post. Another very good place to get Marabou like this is off of hen capes and saddles. Good Tying Ron

Whle I do not live there my state has gambling and I hate it. They tell you of all the great things the tax money from gambling will do for your area. "BULL". It is like the lottery here they use the money to pay for the teacher's retirement here. Supposed to have been enough forever but not anymore. Everytime the Politician's want to get reelected they spend more money to look good. Then they have to get a porgram to help the people that get addicted to Gambling and that is paid for by tax money. Funy isn't it. It ends up causing more problems than it is worth. Ron

You might give Dan Bailey's waders a look see. I have been using a pair for two season's now and they are holding up well. I also have a pair of there bootfooted hip boot's and like them well to. I should say that the waders are bootfoot's also. I got to wear I hate the stocking foot waders. Getting old and hate all the lacing up and when it get's cold my hands freeze putting the boot's on and taking them off. I used the stocking footer's for many years and went back to the bootfoot's two years ago and will never go back the other way again. Ron

Nice collection Phil. Bet I got a new one for you. Here in Montana we do not have a trout stamp. But we do have a warmwater stamp. For all fish like Bass Walleye and such. They built a new hatchery for those tyes of fish and that is how they are paying for it LOL. I think we are the only state that has such a stamp. Ron

I am disabled and I have seen people park in HandiCapped parking without sticker's on there car's many times. I normally park else were. But the other day I went to park in a HandiCapped spot and a guy from California pull's in and his wife get's out and goes into the store while he get's out and goes for a walk. This was right in front of me and the only other spot was way out. I got mad and called the police and an officer show's up and didn't wnat to give the guy a ticket because he was from out of state and a tourist. I got so mad that I told the officer that I would have him called up on charges if he didn't give the guy a ticket. Right then the guy show's up and he start's to raise hell about this. I just backed off and along comes the police captian. He get's mad at the guy from California and tell's him he will run him in if he dosen't close his mouth. He also tell's the officer that if he doesn't write the ticket he will have him called in on the carpet. I got a big smile right then and there. We get a lot of that in our town because it is a tourist town. Nice to see the local's have something to say about thing's now and then. I should tell you that my wife is the head of the county health department and know's all the officer's both county and town police and that she gives them all there shot's. The Captian knew me and I didn't say a word after he showed up. Seem's he hates shot's LOL By the way the fine is $100.00 for parking in a Handicapped spot. Ron

Bill I have guided fly fishermen and woman for more than 37 years for trout and have done many show's and casting Demon's all over the country. May I suggest there is no such thing as a ladies grip. I know ladies that can cast a 10' rod with a full Well's grip on it.LOL I suggest you buy her an 8' 5wgt rod. We have found over the years that is one of the best sizes of rods for a lady. A lot of company's have different grips that you can choose from. If not you can have a good rod maker turn the grip down for her and it should not cost a lot to have done. I have very large hands I can pick up a basketball with one hand but I like a small grip on my rods. That is what it is all about take her to a shop and have her tell you what gripe fit's her hand. I don't know what kind of money you are talking about? But for the money you can't beat the new EHCO 2 rods. I just bought a very nice 9' 4wgt and really like it. You get two tips that will make it a different rod either slower or faster depending on what you need for the day. "Nice to have the spare tip to" LOL. There rod's run $269.00 for the rod two tips and the tube and sock. Heck of a price for what you are getting. The Rajeff boy's know there rod's and they make a good one. They have a web-site on line if you wish to look them over. Ron

Here you go if you tie your own. If not I can give a place to buy them but they are not a cheap fly. Ron http://www.flyfishlouisiana.com/Spoon_fly_1.htm

May I suggest that you buy a book by Chuck Skates and Phil H. Shook. "Fly Fishing the Texas Coast" IT goes by area and gives you a lot of information on all areas of the coast. It cost's $19.00 and is worth every penny. I fish the Port O'conner area as my son lives down there and I sure love to catch Red's and Trout. Lot's of flies work. I use spoons to. Just remember it is a short trip and if the wind is blowing you may need a spinning rod. I would also suggest you getting a Red Dot map of the area you are gong to fish as it will give you places to wade fish and how to get to them. Also all the tackle shops in that area. Lot's of information for very little money. Here is a web-site for you to get information on that area. They have a fly fishing area so you can ask there. You will have to log on to make a post but it is worth the time and you will also be able to learn a lot from this site about that area. This site is out of the area you are going to. Good Luck be safe. Ron http://2coolfishing.net/

Thanking about all the weather you may get back there here is a Web-Site that I use a lot and think you folks may enjoy. Just click on the state you want the information for on the weather map of the US and it will come up with all the weather and all of the local weather Web-Cam's for that state. I am sure you all will get the hang of it. You can scroll down and there is a list of states there to. Good site. Enjoy. Ron http://www.wxnation.com/#StateCityList

Just wondering if anyone has seen hide nor hair of GoneFishin? I PMed him sometime back and no word and I have not seen him posting on the board. Kinda worried as he lived in the path of all those storms you folks had? Give a holler if you have herd from him. Thanks Ron

ILLEGAL

I just got "Arkansas Fishing" in the mail. I just ordered it over the internet from the state. In it they say that the state record Gar is an Alligator Gar that weighed in at 240 pds caught in the White River on 07/28/04 by John Stortz of St Charles Akransas. Now that is one big fish. WOW. Ron

The fishing and the weather has been real good this winter. And we still got snow in the mountains that we needed. Real odd year for sure. But according to the weather forcast next week may bring a change. Talking about the teens for highs. YUK LOL. I may go fishing on Sunday or Monday as it is supposed to be in the mid 50's. If it isn't to windy? Ron

justfishing55 is right on. It is the Yellowstone. The picture I posted is right in town at the local park and I do catch a lot of fish in that area. LOL I know were the picture you posted is to. I guided this river for over 35 years LOL. Ron

Nope farther north LOL Ron Wrong state