ness

I'm curious if you guys went downstream from the park area, or concentrated on that part. I don't recognize the section in the picture for sure, but it looks like just down from the bridge. The most I've done is about 1/4 mile down from the old bridge, but I understand others fish below that.

Yep - I think it's an example of the marketing guys writing the copy. 'Fast action' is what they think folks want to hear, but it's not fast.

You forgot about the "at times" part. Longer rod allows more line in the air and the ability to cast farther, all things being equal. I fish warm water from a tube or canoe much of the time, and it's a help there too. A shorter rod is more suited to tight surroundings or short casts. But - both are generalizations. I thought his description of fishing Taney and warm water warranted a longer rod. I'd venture a guess that there are far, far more who are not 'trout snobs' and will fish for warm water fish. You might be running with the wrong crowd.

I bought a Traditional II for my son last summer. First, I was really impressed with the fit and finish for a rod at that price point. And, it's a very nice casting rod - a moderate action, which is what I prefer (and therefore, so shall he ). The Prestige Plus reel is pretty nice too. I like that it's aluminum rather than composite. You should be able to get setup with a rod, reel and line for under $200.

I think I'd focus on the rod. No significant difference between 8-1/2 and 9, all else being the same. If you plan on fishing bigger water, like Taneycomo, or bank fishing for panfish, the longer rods will help and a shorter rod (say, 7-1/2 foot) would be a hindrance at times. A good, generic rod for what you're describing is an 8-1/2 foot 4 or 5 weight, and I'd probably go for the 4. You don't mention what your budget is, but you probably already know rods are priced all over the board. The guys at Cabela's in KCK are usually quite helpful. They stock everything from rod/reel combos at around $100 to the high-end stuff from Sage, with a lot in between.

LL Bean has a lot of fly fishing stuff that folks don't seem to know about. They've got a modular chest pack, waist pack thing that looks promising, and is prices pretty good. There stuff is always good quality, and everything they sell has a lifetime, unlimited, no questions asked, warranty.

I tie a nail knot with a surgeon's loop on the end of the fly line. Attach leaders with a surgeon's loop. I've got a knot tying tool to help with the nail knots. Can't remember what it's called, but I still see them in tackle shops.

I've only broken one rod. Lost my balance and slapped the tip on the ground in front of me. But, something that I've done more times than I'd like to admit: leave a rod on top of, or leaning against the car. Lost one completely (including reel, line, leader and fly, Roaring River); banged up one pretty bad when it slid off onto the road (Baptist Camp); ran over one, destroying the reel: I realized I'd left it on top of the car, stopped and it wasn't there, turned around to go back and ran over it in the parking lot (local lake). Couple other close calls. I just don't put them on the car anymore. Pretty smart, huh?

Ditto on the Battenkills. And, as is getting discussed in another thread, Orvis will stand behind it and fix, repair or replace it if you need. They've been making them for years, and you can buy extra spools, etc. I replaced a spool on one last year that was about 10 years old.

That's one of the good things about Orvis. They stand behind their stuff, and treat you good when you have an issue. That's what you get for their premium pricing. I dropped a Battenkill and broke off the knob several years back. I took it into a local shop, explained what happened, and they gave me a new spool.

I'm too cheap to buy one at that level. I can tell you that I have the Renzetti Traveler, and it's extremely well-made. I've got the pedestal version, and it's plenty heavy plus it has a sticky foam bottom that helps keep it put. Mine's about 10-years old, and I've got no plans to retire it yet, but when I do Renzetti will get a hard look.

Terraserver has them. I'm a map junkie, and I have purchased several from My Topo. They print them on a Tyvek-like material that's tough, tear-resistant and waterproof. The use the USGS data, and look like their topo maps, but you can customize the coverage, and avoid having to purchase multiple maps.

Actually, I've plumped up a bit for the winter, but thanks. Yes, it does work good as a solo. Not so hot as a tandem. It did work great when my babies were smaller: me in the middle one in front and one in back.

Al, Great post. I love the ingenuity and use of battery box, etc to accomplish something other than what it was designed for. Woodman: Al's info is very good re: the keel. I'll just add that 'tracking' is generally not an issue with a well-designed canoe. The front-to-back curve or 'rocker' of a canoe coupled with the curve side-to-side a well-designed craft will strike the right balance between the canoe going the direction you want it to and allowing you to change directions when you want too. Keels are generally added to provide rigidity, especially in very wide, flat-bottomed canoes. They also add material to provide protection from rocks, gravel or reduce wear when the canoe is dragged over stuff. Of course, the wider, flat boats have a lot of initial stability, and give a sense of comfort and allow you to stand up if you want. But, put one of those past the tipping point, and there's no turning back. A rounder-bottomed canoe may feel less stable, but the point of no return is farther up the side. Grizwilson: You and Al have hit on what I think is one of the major advantages of a canoe: the ability to hold multiple fully-rigged rods. Kayaks have their plusses, and you see more and more of them out on the water these days. They're more maneuverable, so if you're the type that zig-zags across streams, or changes your mind frequently requiring frequent u-turns , a kayak may be best. And, like you suggest - getting out of one of those is a tad more challenging the older I get. For me, the storage capacity, comfort and versatility of a solo canoe are ideal for stream fishing.

I hear you on that. For now, I just continuously hike the dang thing up. I figure in about 20 years I'll get to that stage where I just don't give a rat's arse how I look, and my kids will have grown up enough that they're not embarrassed by things, and I'll throw on some suspenders. Big red ones!

Looks like it was 30. You can have your thread back now.

How many times do I gotta post to shake this 'Chesnut Lamprey' designation??

Conehead stripper?

I use the same pack I use when I wet-wade, wade-wade, fish at the park from the shore, whatever. Too much crap to move to another system, but honestly it's not TOO much crap. Just don't want to head out without something I need, and it's all in the pack, or I don't have it at all. If I'm fishing warm water on foot I go to a fanny pack, since I'm not in the water and fishing less technically that I do with trout.

Those would compliment my Harris tweed fishing blazer and rubber knickerbockers nicely. Perhaps I shall have one of the staff investigate further, and what not.

I haven't really found anything I REALLY like. I liked my old Orvis vest, but often wished it was a shorty. When it's hot out, it's a little too warm. But I don't really like the mesh style. I got an Orvis pack with the hydration bladder a few years ago. I thought it looked like the ultimate solution: pack style so it's comfortable and gives lots of freedom for arm movement; carry some water with you; room for a rain jacket and snacks in the back; nice pockets up front. But - I find myself jacking with it a lot. Here's some things I don't like: * There are a ton of zippers on the front, and they've all got a little opening in the ring where the tab joins the zipper. I seem to get my tippet caught in there pretty often. * The pockets zip about halfway down on one side, so if I forget to zip it closed, I can lose a $$$ box of flies pretty easily. It'd be nice if they only opened across the top, then I could leave them open. * The vest is adjustable in all the right places, but there are tag-ends hanging all over the place. It would be nice if there was either a pocket to hide them in, or some other kind of gizmo to tidy things up. * I don't use the bladder like I thought I would. I feel the need to clean it between uses, which for me means removing it, washing it and drying it out completely for a couple days so I don't get mold. * The tube over the shoulder always seems to be in the way. (Come to think of it - I'm just gonna take that thing out). So the search continues...

Some interesting stuff being thrown out here. I think the key to a lot of the issues we encounter could be better enforcement. The regs are about right, I'd say. It's just hard to get attention on these places for a number of reasons. First - there's only a limited number of agents. When I called to report some violations on Crane Creek a while back, she asked 'what county is that', then said they'll send 'the agent' down to check it out. I know it's a stretch to assume there's one agent per county based on that, but the point is - there's limited manpower to cover a very wide area. Add to that the size and remoteness of these locations, and the agents have a pretty difficult time policing it. But here's something all of us can do: Call the Game thief hot line as soon as possible when you see something. And, be prepared to give details like physical descriptions, license number, whatever. Be the squeaky wheel, and keep this front-of-mind for the agents. They'll respond, and though they might not catch anybody red-handed, the increased presence will encourage the bad guys to straighten up, or move somewhere else. The number is 1-800-392-1111. Stick it in your phone. As to fly fishermen looking down their noses at bait fishermen. Welp, I think that's probably overplayed a bit. None of the ffermen I know give a hoot, and most fish by other means as well. I suspect that attitude carries over to the vast majority of people.

Nicely done DADAKOTA. You had me riveted! Great start to the morning.

Are they okay to put in the water, i.e. won't rust? I can see having a lot of fun with that thing when fishing. The shot like you took, or from in a canoe - really anything where you'd like to put the camera down for the shot, especially if it's uneven.

I used Photoshop Elements for several years and just hated it. The photo organizing stuff was a nightmare, it frequently caused my computer to hang, it would 'lose' pictures from it's catalog. Always had something going on that ticked me off. I ended up switching to Adobe Lightroom, and haven't looked back. The interface is much more logical for starters. It's look and feel is completely different than PS. It's excellent at keywording, or metadata browsing/filtering - which has become a much bigger deal as my library has grown (to over 9,000 photos). Exposure adjustments - the most common adjustment you'll make - are a snap. And there are multiple ways to tackle them - sliders, curves, etc. And, if your camera shoots RAW, Lightroom will convert it and open up all the benefits of that (such as being much more forgiving when correcting exposure/white balance problems). What it's not - a full-blown pixel-level photo editor. You won't be able to chop a tree out of a picture, or paste Selma Hayek's body under someone else's head. There's clone stamp, healing brush, sharpening, noise reduction. Basically, the stuff most people need to adjust photos. Adobe offers trial downloads of all their products. Give any of them a try, but I really like Lightroom.