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Ramblings of an old cuss


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I was in the Abercrombie & Fitch store in New York City, once, back in the 1970s. They had high quality sporting goods from around the world back then. That's the only time I've seen a Hardy reel or a Holland & Holland double.

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Hardy got it's reputation from the Scots and English fishing brotherhood back in the early 1900s. It was a small shop that sold reels to the gentry at the time. The poachers could not afford them. Hardy made some interesting reels for the time. Most had an agate line guard on them. Alnwick is on the NE coast of England, in Yorkshire, I believe. I am not too well studied in English topography but i believe that is in the lake country. If not, close by.

 

The ones that I have are of the 1970s design and made for the lower end market. Well made but no way as expensive as some of the high end reels. I believe that Orvis had some reels made in England at one time.

My memory gets fuzzy on that time frame.

 

I have only seen pictures of Holland and Holland guns.

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The older Battenkill models were made in England as well as, I believe, the CFO model. That is no longer the case.

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Been over on the other forum reading about fishing. Washington Fly fishing. com.

 

I hope to get out soon and use some of this fishing inventory. I am still nursing this sore throat and cold so I will stay inside. Maybe set up some bug luggage for the opener in May. I hope to get over to the east side of the state to wet a line.

 

Orvis has some top of the line stuff. I toyed with the idea of buying some of it before I bought the Hardy.

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I've accumulated a fair amount Orvis equipment over the years. I like the "Superfine" line of rods that they had about 15 years ago. They had a nice full flex action to them. I have two, both 5 wt. One is the 8'6" "Henry's Fork" and the other a 7'9" "Far and Fine". Both have a split bamboo type action and are easy to cast. They're easy on fine tippets but still have enough backbone. They're both made in Manchester, VT.

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I have a lamiglas blank that a friend made into an 586 for me. I think I will put that Scientific Angler reel on it with the six weight floater and see how that works. I had been using it on my 4 piece sage which I believe is an 584 LL. I know it don't cast near as well as my 2 piece rods.

 

I just finished putting all my threads into marked baggies so I know what I have.

 

Do you ever tie with a ceramic bobbin?

 

I was wondering about using one with soft wire for bodies.

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I use a Griffin bobbin and it has a ceramic tube. It works OK for the wire bodied small nymphs I tie. I don't tie a large number of flies though.

When I go to the Catskills I always like stop in at Dettes Fly Shop. The late Walt and Minnie Dette were extraordinary, professional local fly tyers. Their daughter Mary still carries on the family tying business. She can tie a Quill Gordon in about 2 minutes while carrying on a conversation with you. It's amazing to watch her. The Catskill area tyers originated a lot of the dry fly patterns you still hear of today, Hendrickson, Cahill and Quill Gordon to name a few.

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They also conducted conversations via letter to England to discuss patterns. They soon found out that the English bugs didn't work over here so well so they designed new ones. Most were sparse dressed flies with

upright feather wings and dry hackle. I believe that all of the patterns that you mentioned are designs of

local hatches.

 

Out west the attractor patterns seem to be more in vogue. I like the humpy patterns in yellow, orange, red and green. Size 12 is just about right. Maybe 14s.

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All things need a beginning and that was, indeed, the British Isles.

Theodore Gordon started the use of the dry fly in the Catskill streams in the mid/late 1800s with the Gordon Quill. Catskill fly tyers, Rube Cross, Roy Steenrod and Herman Christianson, developed more dry fly imitations during the early part of the 1900s. Steenrod who was also a fishing guide, had a good client, a NYC businessman A.E.Hendrickson, Steenrod designed and tied a Mayfly imitation and named it after him. Noted Catskill fly tyers Walt Dette, Minnie Dette, Ted Townsend, Art Flick, Harry Darby, and Pop Robbins all developed fly patterns that we still use today. Lee Wulff made adaptations to some of the basic Catskill patterns.

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You fill your belly with Chinese food.

You're hungry again in 20 miniutes.

You fill your mind with knowledge.

You're full of it for years. :lol:

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I like the Humpy too. It's a good one to use in the summer as a terrestrial. It floats nice and high and looks like a beetle. I like Humpys, Ants and Hoppers to blind cast when there is nothing hatching. Picked up some nice fish on them over the years.

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Time to replace the leaders on my fly reels. I like to have fresh leaders at the beginning of the year.

I tied my own at one time, but I got tired of all of the knots catching all of the debris in the water and

having to clean them all the time. So now I start off with tapered leaders.

 

Some I buy the 7.5 foot leaders and tie on a tippet for subsurface fishing and others I use a 9 ft leader

for floating and sink tips.

 

They are getting expensive though.

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I have been using "Blue Sky Furled Leaders" for the past several seasons. They turn over the fly nice and don't have a memory so they don't coil. If you are changing your leaders you might want to give one a try. Cabelas carry them.

I have a question relative to your "Todays Report" post. What is cts ?

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I have been using "Blue Sky Furled Leaders" for the past several seasons. They turn over the fly nice and don't have a memory so they don't coil. If you are changing your leaders you might want to give one a try. Cabelas carry them.

I have a question relative to your "Todays Report" post. What is cts ?

 

 

That is called poor editing in some circles. Actually it is the product of loss of an hour of sleep, a miserable

head cold and sore throat, lack of attention. :wacko:

 

I have edited both post to reflect more (I hope) accurage information. This is a little drill for myself to

follow t he river stages. I suppose I could put it in a private document, but I thought I might share it with those that might have an interest. Silly, I guess. But then I have often been accused of being silly. Ask Mrs. Badger. ;)

 

I have tried the furled leaders, but I went back to the old fashion type. Guess I am a creature of habit.

 

Guess that is what makes the world what it is.

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I think it's an interesting and informative post.

 

How do you attach your leader to your fly line ?

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I use a loop to loop connection. I have braided loops on most of the fly lines, but some I have attached mono with a nail not and tied a perfection knot in the end of the mono.

 

I attach the tippet with a uni knot to uni knot connection now. Before I used a Blood knot but with the

advent of fluorocarbon tippets I have gone to the Uni knot. I think it is a better connection.

 

For larger tippets I use the Palomar knot to attach flies, other wise I use the Uni knot for smaller ones.

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The built in loops that are on the ends of most fly lines now are great.

 

I like the surgeon's knot for attaching tippet.

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I tried the surgeons knot but I can't get past the idea of the offset on the leader tippet. Maybe I don't tie it correctly. The Uni/Uni is easy and I believe the tightest and strongest knot with flouocarbon material.

Retains about 85% of knot strength, if you can believe the web.

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Must be not. Running and tag ends should come out parallel.

 

What do you use CB ?

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I had some lunch and took a little nap, just woke up. We are supposed to have some fine weather here this week. Maybe the fishing gods will smile upon me. I hear the Midges and early Stonefly are hatching on the Beaverkill.

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Well

 

Did not get to go fishin today , rainin , bangin, and SPARKIN :blink:

 

I use an end loop on the tippet section loop to loop , run a 4 to 5 ft tippet

 

No taper just flat line , does well for me

 

CB

 

That is probably because you are a better caster than I am. I can't say that I have all that much finesse

that the taper is that important. I use mostly a flat line with my sinking and sinking tip fly lines. Ig I am trolling a fly, definitely a flat line.

 

My dry fly presentation is a hit or miss presentation. I am a firm believer that presentation is the name of

the game in dry fly fishing.

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In your necks of the woods, what bug makes up the first hatch that you fish dry flies with ?

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SKERTERS , up to the size of a B-52 :blink:

 

other than that a little white midge , about a 18 to a 20

 

tiny little critter , ARTHER , will not let me tye that small .

 

Have you ever tryed a burlap bug , up there ? burlap body with a peacock herl head , also works with out peacock , a tad easier to see with a bit of flash , for me ,

 

I do a lot of sight fishing , when the water is clear .

 

CB

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Depends on which side of the mountains you fish. The ecosystem is so different between the east and the west side of the Cascades. The Yakima which is a year round river and very diverse has the skawala stone flies hatching now. They are hitting the rainbow right now with them. Up north in the Rocky Ford which is a spring fed stream, the are apparently still on the scuds and will be most of the year. That is a strange fishery, but I have never fished it so I can not make much comment. The Yak is a freestone river.

 

On this side of the mountains (west), there are not any hatches going on except the Blue Wing Olive,

which goes on most of the winter. Odd fly that BWO, the naturals are about a size 20 or 22 but they are

fished with a size 16 or 18 hook. Maybe they can't tie down to a size 20/22. I know I can't.

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That "Burlap Bug" might be what we call a "Peeking Caddis". It has a rough body with a green head.

 

The Blue Wing Olive's are one of our firsts too. They're bigger in the spring, 14/16 and the fall ones are small 20/22.

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BBW

 

I would assume by now , you have guessed , I do not go in for all the fancy names and such , just a country boy that makes due with what I got . :)

 

I have seen a bunch of differant names for the same flys and lures , must be a regional thing .

 

Most of what I tye is a verration of a classic fly , adapted to local waters .

 

But I will also throw smallmouth bass flys at trout , Ie a Zonker strip also called a BUNNY BUGGER

 

to say the least I am unconventional , but it works more often than not .

 

CB

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Chickasaw, you should tie and try a few Carey Specials about size 8 or 10. Should work fine on those

bass and trout. Just change out the body color. I tie mine with a dark brown pheasant tail and hackle and a bright orange body. It is a wet fly and I think the fish take it for a hatching caddis. But what the heck do I know about what a fish thinks.

 

Original was tied with a peacock hurl body and Pheasant tail and brass wire. Another great wet pattern is the flashback pheasant tail.

 

I got my self a nice little problem. I was going through my fishing gear and I took out an old Fenwick rod I built years ago. Not too proud of the wrap but it works and that is what is important. Well, actually I got two problems. I want to use it as a boat rod for bass this year. I found out that the end of the reel seat is missing the fighting butt. I have no idea of what happened to it. Wonder where I can get one?

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BMC

 

I have somewhat the same problem , EXCEPT , none of my rod were made with fighting butts , I have a cheap rod in the shop , I am going to drill into the back of the reel seat , , fit a chunk of round steel in the hole and make a knob on the end out of a LARGE rubber ball , trim to shape and cover with the plastic dip , like you would use for insulating tools .

It might be easier to make one that way insted of trying to find one :huh:

 

I will have to l@@k up the patteran you suggested , not fimilar with it .

 

Where did I put the 3 volumes of Orvis patterans ? :unsure:

 

CB

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