Njardar

I have the peak and like it, but I did need to buy the midge jaws to tie flies. The standard jaws were just to big for trout flies and nymphs. - Charlie

Orvis Pack for sale...I used it three times, all in the past year, and it is in excellent condition. I bought it as a "second" because the Orvis label on the front pack was sewn on the wrong side, but since it faces the wearer, no one knows There is nothing wrong with the pack, I just found something I had to have... at least that's what I told the admiral. The price is $50 including shipping to the lower 48 states. I know I can pay with paypal so I assume I can accept it as well, otherwise snail mail and when the check clears I'll ship. If you're interested send me a PM. I'll gladly answer any questions. Tight lines to all. - Charlie

Instead of buying a kit have you considered buying a quality vice (possibly a Peak) and tools? The reason being if you decide tying is not for you they can be sold on ebay, or here, but if you buy a kit, you are out that money. I started off with a kit a quickly caught a case of upgradeitis, plus I've never used most of the material that came with the kit. I researched where I would be fishing and started tying those flies and they were not in the kit. Good luck to you whatever you decide. - Charlie

Phil, On thing to keep in mind is that you will be buying into a system, so you may want to look at the price and quality of accessories such as a dedicated flash, lenses and the like. A digital camera body may be obsolete in a few years, but the accessories may not. I bought a Minolta Maxxum a number of years ago and recently purchased a Sony (who bought Minolta) alpha and all my lenses and flash work are 100% compatable. - Charlie

Never been to Hargroves (yet), but I will check them out. As for FC all my experiences have been fine, staff has been knowledgeable and helpful. Definitely one of my go to places for supplies. - Charlie

I came across this quote the other day and thought about a very good friend of mine also battling cancer: "Before we can know what natural warmth really is, often we must experience loss. We go along for years moving through our days, propelled by habit, taking life pretty much for granted. Then we or someone dear to us has an accident or gets seriously ill, and it’s as if blinders have been removed from our eyes. We see the meaninglessness of so much of what we do and the emptiness of so much we cling to." Taking the Leap (Pema Chodron) The example set by your brother, and his loss, are a wake up call to the rest of us. Peace.

After reading all the posts I'm confused as to why some people are upset. If the law says fly fishing and snagging are both legal in this part of the river then it is up to each of us to get along. It's like driving through the Wally-World parking lot. There are courteous drivers and anal sphincter muscle drivers (ASMD). The actions of the ASMD will only affect us if we choose to let them. How others see us does not matter, but how we see ourselves… that is important. We can chose to be courteous, even when others are not, and at the end of the day we are the only ones who will need to deal with the memories of our actions. My opinion, my two cents and my Nomex suit. - Charlie

Here's a link you might find interesting: http://www.macscouter.com/Cooking/

Great write up, that trip is on my bucket list and I printed out your post for my wife to read. Sounds like a wonderful trip. - Charlie

We went to the Illinois State Fair today and my wife always likes to see the animals getting groomed. So as we're carefully walking through the sheep buliding there is a group of women doing a wool spinning demonstration. Not one to pass up an opportunity I now have some nice natural wool for tying. In the back of my mind I recall that it is used as an indicator in either Scotland or Ireland because the natural oils keep it waterproof it floats well. Any one have any info on this, or other possible fly patterns using sheep's wool? - Charlie

My personal preference is the Sam's Club four pack of "cheaters" that way I have them stashed where I need them... usually on top of my head.

Bought some too.

As always, great advice from everyonem thank you. After doing some additional research I came across this video: I'll give it a shot, certainly a lot cheaper than purchasing indicators, but then who said fly fishing was inexpensive. - Charlie

I asked this question the last time I was at Montauk and the answer is: you can fish for trout with a regular license but you cannot keep them without a trout stamp. - Charlie

What started this was when I used a large dry fly and a dropper (nymph) on the Big Thompson in CO a few weeks ago. The river was running very fast and I just could not see a big enough difference in the dry fly to tell me of a possible strike on the nymph. I prefer to use this setup because I double my chances, but only if I can detect a difference in the dry fly's drift. I'm going to Montauk in October and hope to improve my odds when nymphing by using an indicator... plus I'm still learning and like to hear what others are using. I spoke with an acquaintance today who uses only "corky's", any one use these? A quick search showed Cabela's selling Corky bodies, but I'm not sure how they're rigged... any suggestions? Thanks and I appreciate all the advice so far. - Charlie

The latest Feather-Craft catalog has a listing for Dave Whitlock's Telstrike Indicators and it caught my attention. According to Feather-Craft "The Telstrike 'flag' visually telegraphs every move the fly makes and alerts you 1/2 to one second faster than other indicators. Commit 100% of your attention on the Telstrike flag, reading its every move, and you will catch more and larger fish." Question 1: Has anyone tried this indicator and what are your opinions? (Actually that's two questions) Question 2: What indicator do you use and why do you like it? Telstrikes are $3.95/3-pak which is not a big expense, but more sucessful nymphing is worth a whole lot more. - Charlie

Trout are odd beasties, they often pass up a seemingly a delicious bug (lure) in favor of what is more plentiful and what they are feeding on at that moment. I hired a guide two weeks ago in Estes Park, CO who showed us how to match the hatch. He took out a small seine net and had us disturb the weeds and rocks to see what insects were there. We then matched our flies to these insects. Trout parks are a bit different, in Montauk the trout are farm raised and released during the night. These fish seem to lack the intelligence of wild trout in that they bite at anything that looks like their farm food. Powerbait balls work well, however you may need to try different colors to see what works. Also, learn where the trout like to feed. Unlike other species, trout like to stay put and have the food come to them. So your task is to get your bait/lure/fly to got to the trout... and it is not as easy as it looks. In a way it is a bit embarassing to be outsmarted by a fish, but I guess that is why I keep going back... for the occasional "I'm smarter than a trout." - Charlie

One caught five the other seven, I think Mike would be hooked if he had the money so I will keep my eye out for any deals I can snatch up for him. His brother did not seem as enthusiastic to go again. Good luck and have a great time! - Charlie PS Simms wading staffs are just inside the door at Kirks

It went well and I'm very glad that Gregg brought an extra wading staff. There was a lot of flow and it was a struggle to walk upstream I finally gave up out of exhaustion after 4.5 hrs...could barely walk. I did catch a nice sized brown on my new ECHO 4wt... now that was fun! - Charlie

You could easily go the cheapo special route, and if you decide its not for you you're out $70 bucks give or take. The alternative is to buy a decent intro rod (TFO, ECHO etc...) and if you find fly fishing is not your thing you can always sell the rod and reel on e-bay. My first rod was a TFO Lefty Kreh Professional that a Sage rep helped me pick out. One of my wife's coworkers loaned her his bargain fly rod for a trip...one look and one cast and we left the loaner home. The advice you've received so far is dead on... go try the rods, then decide. - Charlie

I received the Echo2 4wt and I love it. It allows me to feel much more of what the line is doing than my TFO Lefty Kreh Professional 5wt. The downside (not really) is that it accentuates casting errors and what I mean by that is I know when I'm not casting correctly so when I make a correction the result is obvious. The best way I can describe it is comparing driving a truck and a sports car. The improved performance is noticable and having the extra tip is fun to explore as well. Definitely a rod worth looking at especially at this price point. - Charlie I forgot to add that I matched the rod with a Lamson Konic 1.5 which also has a great price point. The folks at Feathercraft really know their stuff. I am so please I called Mike J. to thank him for his recommendation.

That was a hoot, thanks for the laugh I mean advice.

Is there a general rule on how much to tip a guide for their services? This will be for a 1/2 day fly fishing for three prople in Colorado in case in makes a difference. - Charlie

After reading the advice from this forum and doing more research I settled on the St. Croix Avid 9' 4wt... until I talked to Mike at Feathercraft. An Echo 2 9' 4wt is on its way to me. The Echo seems like a good value for the price and has the characteristics in a rod that I'm looking for (according to Mike). The real proof will be when I get my hands on it and cast it for a while. I'll let you know. - Charlie

Jerod, I appreciate your feedback and candor. Your suggestion to try before I buy is a good one… even if I miss out on a deal. I think I’ll save up, go to Feathercraft in St. Louis and spend some time with them. My current rod is a TFO Lefthy Kreh Pro that the sales rep from Sage helped me select at BassPro. He was a very considerate man who spent two hours with me helping me decide. Must of been a slow day. - Charlie