Rolan Duffield

Check your bobbin. Some of the tips arn't polished adequately and will abrade thread. You probably will need to replace it unless you have some fine diamond compond to polish it. Rolan

I can send you a writeup I made for building a fly rod. This includes a list of the materials most likely used in making a fly rod. Email me your address, if interrested. One of the most important steps is to locate the "Spline" of the rod before you start construction. OK. do you know what the spline is? Cabelas also makes a booklet titled "Cabelas rod building instructions." I have seen these in the Cabelas store near the rod building materials. They also include a copy when you purchase one of their kits. Rolan

Wow, that was a close call for loosing the main dock at Lilleys. Hope there wasn't any boats under the area that collapsed. Thanks for the pics, Phil. We're all thankful everyone's safe. Rolan

Wish I was there. Woe is me, I'm not close enough to Taney to enjoy the day fishing -- so I'm playing golf. Rolan

Best advice would be to visit one of the fly fishing shops near Taney. Phil has a very complete inventory there and i'm cetain their advice would sincere. Rolan

Welcome aboard Megan. Always glad to see and talk to you folks when at Taney. Phil and I have had many great fishing trips in the past and he's one of my favorite friends. So are all of the Lilleys clan. Rolan

Thanks for the great reports Bill. You really write very interresting articles and a special thanks for sharing your knowledge with us. And we appreciate your efforts. Rolan

I'm extending an offer to take photo's of the flies for the forum. Rolan

Click on the message "Link to Corp Site" on that page. This provides the current info. Rolan

USAF 1951-55 Rolan

Phil: Save one for me. Thanks, Rolan

John: during my last trip to Taney I had that same problem. Engine would run fairly good at low speeds though when I tried to open it up it would stall out and not respond. Finally called my dealer and took the boat to them. The plugs, cylinders and electronics checked out fine. They isolated the problem to one cylinder. Finally decided to pull a carburetor and found a lot of sediment in it. Had to clean both carburetors and that corrected the problems. I had them install a water separating filter on the incoming gas line. This also filters the gas to 10 microns. I hope this cures future problems of this type. I have always used fuel stabilizers and Yahama's ring free. That still did not prevent the problem. I understand that many of the older motors will have problems with rubber seals and components that are affected by the ethanol. We just don't know if we're getting good gas. A recent article in the local paper indicated that some supplietrs might be adding more than 10% ethanol to the gas. Rolan

Make sure you refinish the rod -- first. You should remove any remaining guides and refinish the blank before replacing the guides. Cabelas.com has a full line of guides and accessories for fly rods. They will be glad to send you a catalog. If you have questions, send me an email. Rolan

My brothers and i fished the Trophy area from my boat Oct 3 through the 10 th. The water temp was 62 - 63 degrees throughout the time we were there. Not good. The temps were taken from Lilleys to the dam. Rolan

Eagle Claw has a size 10 in the Hook type #575. Mustad has a size 10 in their #32756 hook. It has a slightly longer shank. This is a very soft hook that bends easily. The problem with these small jig hooks is the lack of sufficient gap for the bite. You need a longer shank to make them workable. So far I haven't found a source for a good small jig hook. My preference is the 575 hook in size 8 at the present time because of the short shank size in these hooks. Rolan

My sons and I were on Taney Friday (9-5-08 ) when they opened the flood gates that afternoon. The flood gates were shut off by Saturday morning. Remember what Phil was woried about earlier in the Summer --- warm water. Under normal conditions we normally see water temps in 45 degree range. Last Thursday at Lilleys, my boat indicated the water temp at approximately 54 degrees with 4 gates open. When we went up to the dam Friday afternoon the water temp varied from 66 degrees to 74 degrees with the 10 flood gates open at their reported low flow output (thats water coming over the dam). Saturday morning the temp was about 58 degrees in the upper watershed. Glad they didn't have to leave the gates open any longer than than they did. I wonder what the impact was on the health of our trout in Taney. Fishing was just fair for us. You need to keep the lure on the bottom to catch them consistently. they're good fighters and they appear to be in good condition.

My first choice is Dai-Riki for sharpness and strength, then TMC and Mustad. I mostly prefer the Sproat bend style of hooks. Standard Mustad hooks are generally reasonably strong hooks though not as sharp as other brands. Always prefer to buy them in quantities of 100 per box. buying in smaller quantities really drives up the cost.

I've bought Fly Tying materials from Phil since he first offered them for sale. He has a very extensive inventory, However, you can't expect any dealer to have every item you want. For instance, what hook types and sizes do you use and how large of a quantity do you buy? Maybe it's 25 hooks or a box of 100 or even 1,000 of a given size and type. It's not practible to expect a supplier to stock hooks from several manufacturers and the many sizes available. Whats important to me is to have a reliable supplier that will get me what I need or want in a reasonable time. Rolan

It's a scam. Article in the Kansas City Star today indicated they discovered the face was a rubber mask.

Phil: That looks like a moth.

LMW Glad to see your report and your successful surgery. I've been there - have 4 stints as a result of my surgery.I give a big thanks to a great Surgen here in KC St. Lukes Hospital which I believe is one of the finest hospitals in this area for heart problems. I exercise and walk most every day, unless I'm playing golf of fishing. Thats very important for all of us and my doctor always wants the weight down. Keep up the good work. -- Rolan

Great Pictures Josh. Thanks for sharing and posting them. Rolan

Welcome back Phil. Enjoyed your reports from Alaska. Rolan

You did goooooood. These are great. Rolan

Phil: Please let me know what's needed. Send me an email. I'll be glad to tie what you need and send it. Rolan