Rolan Duffield

I'm referring to all of the guides. You will normally find the greatest wear at the top inside of the guides as well as the tip guide. Rolan

Does anyone have suggestions on a type of glue, etc. that will keep the dubbing from coming off the hook when in use? I would like to prevent my scuds from tearing up so fast. Rolan

High dollar rods--- Why. There's a lot of very good rods out there that arn't expensive. Perhaps some enjoy the HD rods because of the status symbol. I prefer to have a fly rod that has a straight blank (doesn't have any missalignment) and good hardloy guides that don't wear out. If you use a rod a lot -- have you checked the guides for wear? Many years ago when I fished the state parks every weekend, I would wear out two sets of the chrome guides every year. Rolan

Boy --- that doesn't sound like Bill Babler. You must have had a hickup. Rolan

Really enjoyed those pictures Phil. :good job: Rolan

We're going to try and make it. What time will it start? Rolan & Ellen

Peppy" He was a really great Cockapoo dog. He passed away in 1988. Gray in color though it was a mixture of several shades of gray. My wife sheared him every spring because thats what you did with that type of dog. His name lives on and I still have a limited supply of his fur. The fur is blended with medium Gray Antron to achieve the desired color. If tied correctly and fished correctly "Peppy" is a very productive fly. Rolan

Bill: If your interrested in checking out B&H their web page is: www.bhphotovideo.com I was satisfied with their service when I placed an order a year ago. I haven't dealt with Calumet for years though if this is the same as I knew back then, they have been in business at least 50 years. Good idea to stick with your Nikkon lenses. Their lenses have always been top quality. Just make certain it is a glass lens, not plastic. I also recommend a digital camera. You can perform many editing tasks yourself on your computer using the digital system. With film systems, you would need to find a professional photo finishing source to accomplish the same changes using film. Rolan

Bill: Lots of good information for you above. Many current digital cameras have a single zoom lens that can cover wide angle views to telephoto. Example 38mm to 380mm. These will do a lot of jobs with a single lens that comes with the camera. You may not need to change the image resolution providing the pictures are relatively small such as those used in most brochures. Check with the people who print your brochures and ask them what they recommend or require. Then again, I'll be glad to help take those pics. Just give me a call. Rolan

Leonard: My flies will go out tomorrow --- Friday the 26. Rolan

Hey Leonard: I was there that night. You, Phil and me. You were showing me the way in the Big Hole area. That giant squid really toppled you. Guess I witnessed a classic. (I've been there too.) Rolan

The jig I gave Danioark is painted a gold color. I normally use spray cans of enamel. ---- Spray a small amount on to a piece of aluminun foil. Then take a 1/4" width artist brush and paint the jig heads. Sometimes I need to give them two coats to obtain the desired color. Phil carries the powder paint. This works well for the larger jigs, however it builds up too heavy (for me) when trying to paint the very small jigs. Be careful when someone tells you they have jigs smaller than 1/100 ounce. It probably isn't a true weight. You can not weigh these using normal weight systems as they are too light. The way to check this is to take a quantity of the jigs and weigh them as a bunch. I like to weigh 25 at a time. You'll need a chemical scale that can weigh in "grains". I made a study of this at one time. If I can find the data, I'll post it for you. Rolan

Dano: that is a size 10 mustad gold #575 hook. Got them from Cabelas catalog. Rolan

I'm game again. I will tie a true 1/100 oz. ginger jig. Also will be glad to photograph these for posting on this foreum providing Phil accepts our offering. Be sure you identify your fly and include your name for the posting. Rolan

Greg: Phil indicated we will try to reschedule this sometime in the spring. We're well aware of the hardships encountered because of the bad weather. Rolan

Sunday Jan. 14th. We left Branson this morning heading home to Kansas City. It had rained Friday and Saturday in Branson. Very hard rain at times on Saturday. They predicted another front moving in today so we decided to try and get home before the storm hit. About 10 miles north of Branson started seeing ice on trees, though the pavement was clear. (Great job by the highway crews.) Approaching Springfield we did not see any homes or businesses with lights on, a bad sign. Reports were that Springfield had 90% of power out. Trees annd power lines were covered with ice. Tree limbs bent over and snapped off or touching the ground. This pattern was evident all the way to Bolivar, continually seeing branches pulling down power lines and no lights in many areas. Continued to see some ice on trees all the way to Clinton. Approaching Clinton, it started raining and the temp dropped to 24 degrees. Our windshield started icing up and it became difficult to keep it clean. Nearing the southern part of KC we started running into ice and sleet conditions. Reports are thar we will have the ice and some snow tonight. Made it home safely. Always glad to be home on days like this. Sorry the weather created so many problems for people. Missed you guys at Phils classes. We'll try again. Rolan

Correction --- The starting time is 11:00am for the rod building class. Rolan

Bill: Today is Monday January 8, Ho, Ho. The rod building class is Saturday January 13, 2007 as indicated in Phil's email. Correct time to start is 11:00am. We'll cover everything he indicated and include some hands on information. I'll have a detailed handout for everyone attending. Rolan

AK: We'll be hosting a Rod Building class at Lilley's Landing this coming Saturday Jan. 13, 2007 at 9;00AM. I don't know how many have signed up though you can call Phil if interrested. Doesn't sound like the weather man is going to be helpful as they are predicting cold and possibly icy conditions here in KC. Rolan

Hey, I play golf also and really enjoy it same as my fly fishing. You remarked that you were fishing in water 18" to 3 ' deep. I expect you probably had many strikes that you didn't see. Possibly because you had too much weight or too much distance from the weight to the fly. I prefer to have about 15" of leader between the weight and the fly. Too short of a leader between the weight and the fly may turn the trout away. Too long of the leader will present a problem in sensing the strike if the weight drags bottom. When fishing an unweighted nymph, it's imperitive that you keep a degree of tension to the fly at all times, else you will not see the strike. This is magnified when you attempt to fish in very shallow water as the weight is likely dragging bottom and will hinder the action of the fly. You can correct this by casting across the stream and mending the line as it travels downstream. This normally will keep some tension on the fly as it drifts downstream and is less affected by the weight you are using. You might try using a smaller weight that sinks the fly slower. Another method is to add some weight to the fly when you tie it. The most important part is to keep a light tension on the line and the fly being used. Be aware that most strikes are very, very suttle. Set the hook anytime you notice any unusual movement of the float. Best fishing -- Rolan

Fly rod building class: Several of you have expressed an interest in building a fly rod. Phil has set the date for January 13, 2007. Here's a quick outline of the class. Selecting the rod blank and the necessary parts. Preparing the rod and guides. Discussion of basic equipment needed. How to install the cork grip, reel seat and guides. Hands on to learn how to wrap a guide and tie it off. Finishing the rod. I will have a rod blank to demo the steps. We will also provide a detailed handout for building the fly rod. Rolan

John: I mailed you a quantity of small jigs and woolies, today. I also included a check for $10.00 to assist with mailing expenses. Rolan

John: Include me in this great project. I'll supply some small 1/75 oz. jigs. These are good anywhere. I will find some other flies to send also. Rolan

The Kansas City chapter of the Missouri Trout Fishermans Assoociation (KCMTFA) holds fly tying classes during the year. They have been holding classes for many, many years. I first learned about Fly tying and fly fishing from the MTFA back in the late 1950's. The chapter is still very active and continues to be dedicated to improving Trout fishing in Missouri. I was a very active member in those early years. Visit their web site at: www.geocities.com/kcmtfa/ Dave Cook is the current President.

We haven't finalized anything about a class. Phil indicated sometime in January, possibly mid to late January. I'll talk to Phil about a schedule. I expect this will be primarily a demonstration with some hands on experience. We will not be able to complete a rod in one day. The most important part of rod building is understanding the construction steps, learning to wrap a guide and finishing the rod. I plan on having a handout for building a basic fly rod. Does anyone have any particular requests or information you need in building a fly rod? Rolan