denduke

Not all kits are a waste. Here's Wapsi's for about $55. You can't get started any cheaper. Upgrade other stuff at your BP Shop once you get started... Later DL http://www.wapsifly.com/wapkits.html

Thanks for the heads up JD. My dates were wrong...5/24-27/10...not 17-20 wrong week. Your right is was messed up week before. But great thing about the Spring it clears up and falls out pretty quick. Fished there last fall. Had a couple break off right below Dam 3 across the chute. There's still some around... I had planned on camping and fishing JFK on the Lil Red but the non reserve spots were gone, ereything full up. I had been watching the low water/10 to 10 generation pattern even with 4' above pool and was gonna beat the holiday crowd. Got a cabin at Lobo/Libby and was gonna drive/fish but the dang powers that be decided on one generator for 3 days. I caught 2 in the Park as I discovered high water when I got there and noticed high water at Libby Shoals. Drats!!! So, we packed up and came to Mammoth. Third year now I've missed the Lil Red. Maybe things will settle down by fall. I expected to tangle with some chunk bows at the Spring and was pleaseantly surprised when I kept catching browns... Here's a few I killed for the motel man. last year. It's a shame to watch the baiters kill gut hooked fish till they get 5 big ones. No wonder the snakes are so big... Later DL

Just got back from Mammoth/Spring River the water's little cloudy, prolly helped not to spook fish....Lotta rainbows on brite stuff...Missed a couple of hoss rainbows. 18" Next day same run, 20" Found a wad of stockers in a flat run near the surface and caught bunch on a dry fly. They thought the Humpy was hatchery pellets, I guess The browns liked my sculpins and cdads...the bows too. Released them all to be caught another day... Thanks Arkie Land for some great trouting! Couldn't edit the title...the dates should read 5/24-27/10...My bad.

I's here Boss...

Notice some talking about some bright flies using colored beads lately. Here's some of my candy. Also some with the orange "hot collar" or bead. And a reminder fellars check the Xmas decoration aisles there's some great Flashbeau/XMAS TREE TINSEL around!

Posted this on FTF thought I'd drop it here cuz this place is so slow... Hope this helps someone. I use 20#, 30# would be better on big poppers. You gotta start your thread on the eye ahead of the cork to tie'em off and you can't forget them in the beginning... I like to seperate mine...

The Spring makes the place unique...Friendly people too...

Hey you pecker heads...all tying kits ain't junk. http://www.wapsifly.com/wapkits.html Later DL

The lil craws were alright; caught some at Spring River but couldn't get the big browns on the White to take'em. I think these will "act" more like craws.... Also, along that idea some d-rib and some mono eyes for some stone/dragon possibilities. Wana try Lil Red next week, if it ever quits raining Later DL

Any recent reports from anybody? The report from the fly shop has been carbon copy for a couple of months now. Did the rains effect it any and does the fall DO become a problem for fish activity? Antsy about another trip in a couple of weeks. Thanks for any info. Later DL

The beads did come from Michaels. They aern't consistent, ie some won't go around the hook bend but they are indeed glass and not plastic. Large assorted package is $3. The whole idea came when I noticed the buggy skirts on the jigs. I'd rather have the tiny rubber legs also. There ain't no fly shops around here except BP in Jackson, Ms. 2 hrs. away. Thus the foraging and the idea passed along... I use the lil glass beads alot. Being glass they add a little weight but I wrap lead wire underbodies on most of'em anyway. The different colors and the clearness adds to the buggyness, is why I use them. Later DL Oh, "aint's" http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Aints.jpg

Got some glass beads from the craft store and some legs off some bass jigs, lil dubbing, wire....Thought I'd pass it along.... Later DL

Maybe I shouldn't weight'em down with the lead wire?

Jaun mo time... Last year, my first trip, the water was dingy and I came up with a weighted "egg critter" that I tied in the motel room that knocked 'em dead. Got the idea from a saltwter pattern. I killed a few bows for the Motel manager. I watched some baiters release about a dozen smaller trout that appeared gut hooked to me before they got 5 big ones each. As they were leaving I asked did they think those they released would make it. "Yeh the'd be aight". Shesh! Later DL

Even though they seem to be flashing, maybe picking snails off the rocks. Humped up chennile or peacock herl with a soft hackle is the usual dressing. I tried my snails but after lotta refusals I favored a more heartier offering of the crawdads or sculpins...Maybe I didn't give the snails enough chance and mine were weighted. Since the fish are full of snails and they're so plentiful I wanted to think they wanted sumthin different.... They jumped on the dads! Failed to get a 5 pounder but caught more browns than before on the Spring this trip. Here's some of my other favorites on the Spring. Use lotta streamers too...sorry no pic now. The pink scuds'a goodin in dingy water... Hope this helps and lil eye candy to get the spirits up for your trip!!!!! Later DL

Fished the Spring first week in June. Caught lotta rainbows at Lassiter and below Dam 1 on nymphs amd pupas. Tried streamers/crawdads below Dam 3 for bigger fish. Caught lotta small browns and chunk rainbows. Had one 'bout 5 pounder break off! Found some small browns in some still water and had a blast on a dry fly. Used a Renegade w/ white hackle to see it better. Don't think it mattered... The water is up a little and not completely clear yet.

Watched a couple of bait fishermen haul in rainbow trout on the Spring River last year, pull the deep/gut hooks out, toss'em back, till they got 5 bigger fish, and then leave. I asked them did they think those released were gonna survive; yeh, they'd be awright... Was wondering if the new circle hook deal would work on small hooks even though the fish were large size compared to the hooks. I.e. will the rolling effect and side jaw hook up characteristic of the typical circle hook also work on smaller versions. Seems like a good way maybe for baiters to not destroy the resource! My wife cannot grasp the flyfishing concept so she uses salmon eggs, shrimp, meal worms, etc. on her Zebco 33. She's an old catfish, bream killer. So, on our upcoming trip I bent some hooks to maybe allow her to catch more fish instead of stopping at the first 5 gut hookers... Not all hooks are "bendable". Was asking if anybody has tried this and what da ya think? Thanks, DL

$.02 from a newbie from Ms. Make it as big as you want. The best forums are the ones hosted by great admin./dictators. Besides when you come on click "new posts" if you don't wanta browse the whole thing everytime... DL

JD, good point. So I tied a couple of'em on to see how they tracked. Yes they were mostly upside down but wanted to spin slowly when pulled. When jerked/paused didn't seem to matter. I spun the whole thing around on the hook (prolly ruined that'un) and tried. It stayed upside down. I put the wire wraps in the middle when tying. Prolly an issue in still water. In current drifting won't matter till the swing and then rolling/spinning problem. These have no breathing action like the fur or marabou type, for sure. Might need some of that rather than the pheasant hackle underneath for better realism in the action. I agree they gotta act like crawdads not just look like 'em to work the best! Gonna get some hour glass lead eyes insted of the mono eyes, reverse the hook and add some softer leg stuff....work in progress... Thanks for the suggestion. Later DL

I relize no one asked for this but always try to get youngins/adults too into fly fishing, fly tying, fishing, hunting. Lotta this stuff like the cork,feathers, doll eyes, paint, hooks, rubber legs didn't come from a fly shop. Mostly the wifey's chickens running around and Wallyworld....Anyway, hope this helps a least one tyer! I start out with some small corks from the hardware store and cut, shape with emery paper, razor knife. Balance the corks to the size of your hooks. Next I take some bendable worm hooks from Wallyworld and make hump shanks out'em and split the bottom of the corks and line with thread and glue them to the hooks. After a day or so for the glue to dry I paint the bodies a few times with some Testors paint from the model section of WW. You'd be surprised at some of the hot colors they have. After a day or so after the paint coats are hard put'em in your vice and tie in saddle hackles for tails, with flashbaeu, crystal flash, rubber legs, etc. Then tie in a couple of hackles and wind around the hook and whip finish right behind the cork body. After you do the tails take a pair of pliers and some of your rubber legs ( mine came from a jig skirt making kit from BP Shop) and using a large enough needle to get the rubbers in the needle eye push them trough the cork at angle from back to front and each side. The legs I have are matted together so I leave 2 or 3 together for a stouter leg. This is tricky and sometimes it all screws up and you gotta start over. Soon you'll get the hang of doing it. Now you can get some glitter fingernail polish and jazz'em up, glue some doll eyes (also from WallyW), dabb on spots, whatever! I skipped a step that you can do after you get the hang of it. That is before you tie your tails on and hackle tie in couple of strands of 20# mono on the back of the hook bend and when finifhed start your thread on the hook eye and bend the mono just right and tie off at the hook eye. With a little practice you can learn to seperate the 2 with just the right bend to make the popper weedless! Hope this helps someone. Later DL

Been adding to the "meat" box. Started with the crawdads and then the sculpins and the "King George" boogers (named after the peacock where the feathers came). Took the d-rib and mono eyes and made some big stones/damsels/dragon fly possibilities. Won't be but one hellgramite...tied each biot separately and wound the blackened mono rib between trying to keep all that strait...Shesh. Then added some snails with some "junebug" chennile I had. Gonna start now with some feathered streamers like "Spruce" or sumthin. Any suggestions? Zoo Cougars when I can get some longer marabou... Can't get that giant brown that cruised by me at JFK one time outa my mind....Looked like a BARACUDA 3' long....Man Oh Man!!!! Later DL