Steve Dally

I meant didymo in the Chota poly felt LOL I know a little about Didymo LOl Cheers

Windstopper _ expensive fleece but the best. Simms very good but youd expectme to say that. The killer on your fingers is getting wet then the evaporation etc from wind. Yep your fingers are going to get wet, expecially if your guiding trying to keep the clients warm. But the windstopper block the wind chill. Just wring the gloves out put em back on and away you go Cheers Steve

Like the Chotas myself. and my Simms L2 are nice. I have one caution on the STL Plus. My next pair is going to be the plain STL. I wore down the felt in about 6 months of wading (remember Im probably on my feet a lot more than most) leaving the rubber standing higher. Very very skatey. I don't need the studs that often, and prefer to get longer wear out of the felt. Michael Interested in teh Didymo comments?? can you fill us in more? Cheers

If there is glamour, somehow it misses my boat LOL I didn't want to put the young fella off but yeh I reckon you can either pay money to go to school or get a job and get someone to teach you. Kinda makes up my mind. Ive heard some decent things on these schools but none of the comments have been actually from working guides, and Ive never met a single guide who did one. Everyone I know has come the other way, just doing the job, which is ultimately what your employer will be looking for. Then again some lodge owners, particularly alaska, just want a "warm body" Ive been offered those jobs in the past LOL The other thing on guiding out West per say, do the majority of guides own their own boat (everyone I met, got rowed by did) or do a lot of outfitters own boats, guides use. Something else for Kayser to ponder. Cheers Steve

try Zach Matthews at www.itinerantangler.com hedid a piece on guide schools for American Angler. I think he went to sweetwater not sure tho. Best thing about most of them is try to use their connection to get some work asap. Credentials on the ground doing the job at a reputable outfit will be better than any school. Alaska can be a great place to start, lots of work, and I mean work. Most places won't tell you about all the extra work you need to do before/after the days guiding to keep the lodge running. But you will learn heaps guiding everyday. Mostly its not about fishing skills its people skills, how to keep them entertained, keep them safe, keep their spirits/confidence up. It maybe just another day on the water to you but its a very special expensive and valuable part of their time. Have fun and enjoy it Cheers Steve

Me friendly and helpful you must have got the wrong guy Ham, and anyone else off here, introduce yourself as being off the Board. I like putting faces behind these nicks. Davy will also have a new tying video of his patterns out in a couple of weeks Cheers Steve

Report I posted on another website When I heard about Rio 10lb 5x tippet my immediate reaction was cool and "do they make a 6x" given its necessity on the White River system, due to fishing pressure/water clarity. Then I had the letdown its black floats and the smallest diameter is a 5x. It took me a while to get the courage to fish it after getting a sample in Denver. Wasn't confident in it holding in a triple surgeons, kinda waxy slippery surface, so used 2 Eugene Bends and a tippet ring. (Anyone else got a better join?) Ive heard about using 2 unis. The Eugene bend does work. Seems pretty limp. Used its once in high flows heavy nymph, caught a lot of fish, and low low water not as many fish. Jury still out but my initial gut reaction of "ohno" wasn't right. I didn't notice the low stretch so much, probably given the amount of stretch/give still present in the system with leader line 5wt rod etc. Apart from possibly once on a serious fish in fast water histicking on a short line, when I pulled the hook, maybe too heavy handed. At this point _ worth testing, given the high breaking strain per diameter if you have big fish. Will it spook them, apparently its black because it can't be clear. Cheers Steve

Wow, Im watching watching Davy and Jimmy T on Davys new DVD "White River with Davy Wotton" here in the store on a rainy day. We got our shipment last night at the NAFF Christmas do, so I grabbed one to watch, wish I could have been there last night tho. Great looking DVD, the river looks gorgeous (Jimmy less so - you needed a better looking model Davy lol) great information and 2hours of the White from the Dam to Calico Rock. This is a great resource for everyone who fishes here, and all of us who make our living from the river should be congratulating Davy too. Its going to go a long way towards selling the White, and demystifying generation and where/how to fish, so mate thanks. Now for those who might be thinking "oh no more crowds" I think its actually going to be better, showing off more sections than Wildcat, the Dam, Rim and Cotter, spreading out the fly fishers. Superb and very classy effort Here's a preview Enjoy Steve

Probably the best bang for your buck outfit in your price range Ive found is the TFO NXT. TFO 4 piece rod green blank disc drag Reel (basically the company entry level reels without the extra spool) backing, flyline leader and case plus the TFO lifetime warranty. All for $184.95 _ the TFO website shows the old price but they have gone up according to information we have received. They have been hard to find, we are back ordered on them. I went looking to see if we had one left at the old price but all gone. I think we should get more in the next week. The rod is the standard 4-piece $139 Professional, different color, 1 less snake guide and cheaper reel seat/handle. Casts like a dream, very easy in this setup. A lot of others have suggested getting a flyshop to put together an outfit, well we, and every other flyshops, simply can't package something of comparable quality/value together at that mark. Particularly with a case. If people say they can you are generally getting cheap clothesline or a very nasty rod. Ive also had outfits from other companies with lines on backwards, no backing etc etc. To me there is no contest Have fun with your new toy Cheers Steve

Just purchased my first and went through some of these questions. I was picking the brains of every guide I saw on the what why etc. When I moved to Arkansas basically everyone told me that the Supreme's were the best _pricier but the best. Finally ended up with a Supreme 2000 9.9Merc 4 stroke prop. The bigger 2060 would be nice, but the opportunity came up on the 2000. I was looking for a propboat on advice of a couple of friends but particularly after fishing with one, Kevin brandtonies. The jet is great for shallow running, but harder to get a controlled drift with. Kev reckons he uses way more gas, has to work more, to keep the boa drifting when you are fishing. Upside is he doesn't have to worry about a lower unit/prop. You mention looks, yep it looks sweet, but very good layout, love the rod trays for flyrods _ you can even travelwith rods in there _ runs nicely even with some big clients and a bunch of gear. And as for looks not catching fish _ first guide trip out 60+ fish in the boat. LOL The other thing I like about the Supreme's is resale value. Which mens they are pricier to get into but they sell extremely quickly second hand and don't devalue. Even well used guide boats LOL Supreme is under new ownership, John Quintrell is a good guy, fly fisher too, they are keeping making the true Supreme's 2000 2060 etc but looking at larger wider boats. They have also upped production so you can get them faster. Chad Johnson, who used to work here got "poached" by John as their new sales manager, looking to expand dealerships and markets. I mention this cos I know Chad was doing a lot of testing, measurements on draft, etc etc etc. You can get them through www.supremeboats.com. Cheers Steve

Gday mate, haven't seen you in a while, hope your getting plenty of fishing in. First off Softshell or Traditional Shell traditional shell 2 fold roles windbreaking/waterproofing. No insulation to speak off, but the windbreaking role can go a long way to keeping you warm on those nasty days. Look for a good hood, with firm brim and adjustment at sides back so you can get a ood fit when it is seriously raining. Soft Shell: wind-proof, insulating, better "feel", lesser rainproofing. Good option for warmth, cold days without rain, or with some damp. GoreTex v Others: Gore-Tex is made by a seperate company WL Gore, who supplies the materials. They were the first andbest in the breathable game. Work very hard to stay on top of the heap. Not to say others can't don't come up wih stuff very close to or as good as Gore but you know what you are getting. The other thing about Gore products, you can't just buy them. If you are Simms or whoever you have to pass Gore standards, factory, skill levels, quality control etc etc. I'm told they aren't easy and if you get Gore you have to stay good. Again as a consumer you know your getting stuff made well. Here's the kicker _ what are you really going to be doing in the jacket. Is is mainly for windchill etc or are you really going to be standing out in the pouring rain. I have a Simms G3, Simms DL Windstopper, Patagonia Deep Wading; couple of noname windblocker jackets; NorthFace windstopper jacket now passed onto my wife, Redington Wading jacket. I just added the DL Windstopper, love it, wearing it right now and Ill geta lot more use out of it than just fishing. It will be worn probably everyday between now and summer, except on the really cold days when the down jacket will re-emerge. I'll wear it fishing or guiding So in that regard your getting more bang for your buck in the softshell, it can double as a casual piece, better justifying your expenditure But I would be a little leery of fishing all day in pouring rain. No hood, collar is high but I'd prefer higher for that sort ofday. Then traditional shells come into their own. I have to say the G3 is probably overkill for 90% of the days I wear it. Heavier than the jackets your mentioning (and double the price) but on those 10% days worth every penny. Im dry and comfortable, while everyone else is complaining. The collar is the best on the market hands down. But the Freestone/Deep wader are very good buys for the money. Ive got the Deep and have played with the freestone. Freestone has zingers and handwarmer pockets. Both pack down pretty small and because they are lighter, are nicer to wear when you get some heat in the day into summer. Either way is a compromise, work our which way you want to lean. Cheers.Steve

The best way to get "cheap flies" is to learn to tie them yourself. Yes there are some startup costs, vice materials (the list you "need" seems never ending. But if your worried about cents per fly its the best way to go. Lots of stores/clubs have tying classes, for instance we are starting a whole new program in '08, thatare either free or charge pretty much for materials you will take home. And its fun. And a lot of the flies we use here, zebra midges, scuds etc are pretty easy to replicate. You can fiddle with weighting color etc to suit your own needs. Fly costs are basically about the time to tie them and what it costs. The cheapie flies are basically African in origin (did anyone say sweatshop lol) with minimalist salary conditions. The good commercial patterns Umpqua Rainys etc have well established o/s operations (cos the labor is still cheaper) with well trained and for the local economy well paid workers. These companies use better materials better hooks etc and the quality if generally very high. Now think about whatyour time is worth. How long would it take you to tie a dozen flies _ an hour? that's one every 5 minutes for the full hour? Even at minimum wage that makes the fly more expensive than the 50c figure you mentioned, not including the materials. We buy a pretty extensive list of local patterns, soft hackles, midges, sowbugs, speciality buggers and so on we contract out to local tiers. The demand is there because they work. They are more expensive, but we think local tiers deserve a better deal than someone in a factory in Africa and y'all deserve better flies. Oh BTW, check out our remodelled web store Cheers Steve

Simms L2 is a great lightweight wader, its the cheapest model made from GoreTex, which means not only is it constructed from GoreTex materials, the factory has to pass Gore standards of workmanship etc etc etc. Lightweight basically means its going to wear out faster than the heavier models given the same use. Now I used an earlier pair of lightweights for 3 years at what I'd describe at normal fishing levels 20 days a year, (once every couple of weeks) no problems at all. But if your fishing at least once a week there is a strong argument for heavier (more expensive) waders, to cope with the wear and tear. As for Simms being expensive sure their high end are, but check out the Blackfeet $149, very good value, very tough. Cheers

Ok it was Marc Poulos. He's showed me it but it took long enough to get my knot down Im not learning any more LOL

If it was me I bet it was the Eugene Bend Tying like I do http://www.flyfisherman.com/skills/lkknots/index15.html Tying it with hemos http://www.rackelhanen.se/eng/10066.htm Handy that its strong and lets you know when its tied correctly _ telltale click Hope this helps But it might not have been me, could have been Chad, Marc or Mike LOL Cheers Steve

i was going to say you should have had a crack with the 8wts. mind your ive thrown 8wts so little this year it was harder stretching out and maintaining some control. still i was pleased to finish under a foot behind shulin, Jim can cast very nicely, helped me a lot over the last couple of years, my accuracy sucked 20 pts lol any time your over stop by and we can go ping some line

Zach the 26 was an adult (pro) and the next two at 20 were also pros. Did you win the junior's distance??? That wind was knocking a bunch off the distance. Top pro was 93'8 (8wts tho), Jim Shulin from TFO, top amatuer I think was 73 something

Zach it was the results page from Livingstone Zach all the scores. I remember watching Zach casting at the Smallmouth rendezvous and then at Conclave this weekend. He's worked hard and its showing. The kid can cast. Pity about the wind for the Conclave casting sport, kinda blew everyone's scores out the window. You know its windy when the highest accuracy score (from a possible 100) was 26 LOL Good to see you again Zach PS: He ties nicesalmon flies too

Tan tan tan tan size 10 Good looking fly of toby's Cheers Steve

Very interesting lists, though as mentioned above there is lots of writing here, very very fine writing, which wouldn't be classed as novels or fiction. But some great reads here of which fly fishing is central like Gierach Lyons and McGuane. Of the novels, I spent some in the company of Joe Heywood, good guy, and I have every so often thought i would like to read his books. You have inspired me to track them down Cheers Steve

Lots to choose from in that sector. Launch is a very good rod, very easy to cast. Scott A2s, TFO TiCR for a faster action (but don't forget tube will cost $20-25 more. Winston, Echo, Albright and St Croix make some rods in that secto but these can be harder to find in the area My personal choices would be Launch, TiCR A2 or Echo They will all be fine rods, choice will be yours on what you like to cast. Line them up with a Rio Grand or GPx and they will serve you well. Cheers Steve

Hey Tim, You can camp right there are the Norfork campground _ even a couple of spots overlooking lower end of Dry run, or grab some of those along the Norfork. If you look at the map the camping is at quarry park. Flies Scuds, Sowbugs Eggs (particularly for fall) San Juans Soft Hackles in red/orange Woollies Caryr a big net LOl Cheers Steve

Time to say to an old friend the SLT Found out last night, We are marking down the SLTs 20% have 5 left 4 wt, 8’6”: Delicate and precise a great midge rod. Was $610, Now $488. 4 wt, 9‘: Fine low water stick with small nymphs and small indicators. You would use this a lot. Was 615, Now $492. 5 wt, 9’ (2 rods): The great all-rounder for trout waters across the country. Was $620, Now $496. 6 wt, 9: Nice streamer rod, or for BIG flies or windy days. Unhurried action. Was $620, Now $496. SLT SALE Cheers Steve

LOl Gavin you know my wife has appropriate my 8'9" 3wt SLT too My personal fav low water rod. Tempted to buy one and put it away for a few years. If you get down this way set you up to drive the ZXL, ZAxis Scott G2 Hardy Marksman and maybe the S4 from scott head to head. One way to sort them all out. Cheers

Well we had our first play with the new Sage ZXL series rods today. This is the SLT replacement The rods models are (rod weight-length) 376 386 476 480 486 490 580 586 590 690 This is a moderate casting dry fly rod, sweet action. Yes its a $650 rod, which doesn't appeal to a lot of people on here, others like them, personal choice, we've had that debate here lol. But to talk about how it casts. Pretty effortless, and I get to cast a lot of rods. Its not a cannon, very approachable. Now there is a trend among a lot of highend rods to have a dramatically soft tip, moving towards a stiff butt. Think ZAxis; Winston Biix type of action. Very noticable when your pulling line off the water, and they do protect light tippets. This rod has a tippet protecting tip, but its a much gentler transition through the midsection into the butt. for me at least that means smooth. I can relax fishign these rods, there's no alarm bells going off through the pickup, false casts and delivery. Lightness of the G5 rods (Sage's tradename for this technology) is right there, pretty color (pomegranate -burgundy to males) We have a play model 9' 5wt in the shop if anyone want to check it out, just cast it, either to order or merely experience it. Cheers Steve