Looks Like I'm The First!!

[garyj]

Hello Fellow Flyflingers!!
Well, we asked for a long time for a new and improved Forum, and it appears an attempt has been made to offer a new look. Time will tell just how well it will work out. I must say, I am somewhat confused by the new look, but perhaps in a short time this old dog will learn the new trick. I will be e-mailing those former Forum members that I have in my e-mail database to inform them of the change. If any of the old gang is still around, please do the same and let's see if we can re-create the old charisma we once had at this site a few years back, and hopefully make it even better! I would appreciate it if soem of you more computer-savvy individuals would play with the features of this new site and teach some of us old guys how to more easily use the site. O.K., folks, let's get to talking fly fishing!! Anyone been out fly fishing lately? Give us a report! (It has been too cold, wet, muddy, and nasty here in West TN to do any fishing. Besides, we are in the middle of flood control operations here on the Tennessee River!)

[Dave E.]

Hey there youngster......
If you're the first, I guess that makes me number two.....

Dave

[AWJ]

Hey Gary and Dave

Just trying things out here and nothing seems to work yet. I tried to post a pic of my new toy using VBCode, IMG code, HTML, and the pic upload button, but it doesn't show up during the preview. How can we possibly have any fun if we can't post pics? Tried all the emoticons too with no success...could be they're not linked to the graphics yet. Or it could be my lovable Opera browser:-) Anyway, here's the new toy, maybe it'll show up when the post is submitted.



Haven't done much fishing lately. If I had any sense I'd be out chasing steelhead but noooo, I have to keep beating myself up looking for trout in lakes in the winter. Talk about an excercise in futility.

I was out last weekend on a local reservoir and the water was a puke milky lime green, it rained on me the whole time, and not a single strike. Good thing I was just out there trying out the new boat or I mighta gotten discouraged

I managed to log in without cookies but my javascript isn't completely working. I've got it turned on but I'm missing some stuff here in the dialogues. And everytime I do anything new, like submit the post for preview, there's a 2-3 minute delay while my browser tries to connect to spinbox.consumerreview.com. Then there's another delay while it tries to get to spinbox2.consumerreview.com. It eventually gives up, hopefully not before I do. I'll approach it all slowly to see just how minimal I can be and still post.

Paranoid as ever,
AWJ (AKA AllanJ) ;)

[garyj]

Hey there youngster......
If you're the first, I guess that makes me number two.....

Dave

So, we are Number 1 and 2 again, eh, Dave? Just like the size of the trout we caught when I was out there with you in September! I'm not certain just how this reply is going to show up on the Forum; I'm typing it beneath your comment. Let's see what happens ......

[garyj]

Long time; no see (hear?)! WOW! I like your new ride! Tell me though - will it float with a 200hp Merc on the stern? I'll bet that sucker would get on plane fast with an engine like that, if'n it doesn't immediately go to the bottom. Also, where does the trolling motor mount? I'd have a hard time stowing my 42 rods and reels aboard your vessel!
All kidding aside, I'll bet you really enjoy it. Looks like it should do the job for you. HHmmmm - you talk about your water color being "puke green". Have you all had a bunch of rain to cause that color? When we have heavy rain, our rivers just turn the color of coffee with cream if it is a local event, or blood red if the rain has fallen on the cotton patches of north Alabama! Water clarity is then measured in microns! The TN River hit flood stage at Savannah, TN this a.m. - only about 20 feet above normal elevation. And, yep, it is an Alabama Crimson Tide. No fishin' here for quite a while! However, when the water goes back down, I expect the sauger to start biting. Not much chance to ketch 'em fly flinging since they will be down about 25-50 feet and in heavy current, but I'll sling some hardware at 'em (a 1 oz. football head jig with a minnow). Yep, I'll be one of them ol' nasty bait fishermen then. However, considering how tasty a freshly caught sauger is when deep-fried in peanut oil, I doesn't care whut yuh calls me, as long as yuh calls me fer supper!

[John J]

whats up gents??

I hope all is well and warm cuz its been too dang cold up here in yankee land this winter.

too many below zero days (Most), I usualy dont mind winter but this one YUK!! well to break the ice conditions Im heading to Florida tomorrow, the only bummer is Im driving as this was a last minute decision and we have to bring the dogs.

My wife is a teacher and has the week off anyway and My sister in law is renting a house in fla untill april so It all fits. we will be just south west of orlando, My wife has the details.

also FAOL is having a fish-in next week about an hour or so from where ill be so I may just scoot over and visit with Bob Hook and Chuck S as they will be there. looks like Chuck is putting together a shad sub-trip. I'll skip that one, too much driving as its an additional 2.5 hours . we get a halacious shad run in the hudson river every spring so ill just go shadin in the home waters.

Gary , how do you think the bass fishing will be this time of year?? Im bringing a 4wt a new 6/7 that I just built (More a fast 7) and just in case I get lucky to get to salt Im bringing a 9wt too. but all said and done Id be happy catching bream all week right in front of the house If Ya know what I mean.

But seeing the wife has lots of family in FLA and some very close friends are here for the winter as well I can see lots of road time. "Sigh" That might work as there may be fishing ops!

well thats it from yankee land for now.

hopfully this new forum gets some steam again though I always thought the old format was the most user friendly on the web. well see

glad your all still around

TLs and Big Bs

[Dave G.]

Guess that makes me # 5 .

[Dave E.]

Just like the size of the trout we caught when I was out there with you in September!

Hmmmmm? Looking to the left, I see that we've all been hung with the label "Junior Member" ~ Maybe we should hold off a while on the relative size comparisons, be it fish, flies, feet or what have you. ;)

[Colston Newton]

Well, boys, I got in but it took some doing. I'm going put this page up as the one that comes up whenever I go on the Internet. I like the cascading format at the top.
Almost warm enough to fish down here, but snow forecast for Friday.

[AWJ]

hey Gary

Everything looks normal posting-wise - not sure why things were so outta whack last night.

I think the 200HP merc is outta the question - there's no place for the gas tank. Besides, I actually enjoy rowing and it's about the only excersize I get anymore. I've been making heroic efforts to quit smoking and a little physical exertion seems to help. There's supposed to be a motor mount for trolling if you add a piece of wood to the back side of the deck, but I'm not all that convinced it's a good idea. The rear deck just straps to the pontoons and I'd feel better if the motor were attached more directly to the frame.

Some thoughts on the new boat...

It's a Dave Scadden Madison River, 9 foot, bladderless welded seam pontoons, and an aluminum frame with 7 foot two-piece oars and Oar-Rites (not sure whether I like those or not yet - I'm kinda partial to pin locks on stillwater). It's unbelievably light but sems to be plenty strong. the frame breaks down for transporting, but I leave it inflated and ready to go at all times - you never know when the sun will accidently come out.

I like the way it rows. It tracks really straight, due I think, to the extra straight section in the middle of the pontoons. My old 8 footer had fully rockered pontoons and it took me a month to learn how to keep it in a straight line. The obvious extra carrying capacity is really noticable too. I'm only 6 foot tall but I have really long legs (if I was a babe, I'd be sexy:-) and I had to push the seat all the way back on my old one, meaning I was always just aft of center. I can stretch out in this one and the boat stays level with no back tilt. It kicks ever bit as easy as the 8 footer too. I need to get it out on a rivers this summer and see how it handles in moving water. I'm not much of an oarsman when it comes to real whitewater (I can do Class III if it's only for 20 feet ) but I'd like to improve my skills a bit.

The only downsides to the boat are in the areas of fit and finish - that could be improved, especially on the edges of the rear deck. Overall though I'm pretty happy with it and I got a great deal on it. I bought it off the show room floor pre-punctured. The display window at the store broke and sent a glass shard thru one pontoon, requiring a small patch. I don't have a problem with patches, my old boat had plenty of them! Depending on where it's purchased, I saved 200-400 dollars because of the patch.

As for that puke milky green water...lots of runoff I suppose was the culprit. The water was absolutely opaque. Not very pretty. So whats a sauger? I've never heard of them.

[JiB]

Shoot things are picking up around here already .

So who's ready for spring? Last week I had a dream about a full & ice free Davis Lake.

John

[AWJ]

I hear ya' John, I'm ready for spring. What is it about Davis Lake that causes people to dream? I love that lake. I've got a plan for those big bass this year too. Last year, for hours, I watched herds of those guys swimming around the edges of the tulies and with my best stealth mode on, tried to sight-cast to them...have you ever seen a bass laugh?

Well, this year, I'm gonna outsmart 'em. My plan is to tie up some good lookin' crawdads and park my boat just within casting range of the reeds. As soon as I see a pod of them suckers, I'm gonna toss one of the dads right in the middle of them and let them scatter. Then I'm gonna let the fly sink to the bottom and just wait. I noticed last year that the herd would always eventually came back so even if I have to pitch a tent out there, I'm just gonna wait till they return. Then, as soon as the group swims by my resting crawdad, I'm gonna give it a little twitch...even our resident BassMaster Gary can agree that it's a foolproof plan. I'm counting on short term fish memory and superior human intellect for this to work.

In the meantime, Ollala Lake will get it's first infusion of steelhead on Feb. 16th so I'm tying up some 5 inch long, red bead head, black wooly buggers for the 18th or so - gotta give them time to adjust. This is kinda like the Junction City Pond thing, but at least Ollala is a real lake...well, that's what I keep telling myself anyway Those fish are a riot.

[JiB]

Been there done that with the lookers Allen. Those suckers can be a touch picky at times. Your crawdad plan sounds like it's worth a try, might want to use some fluro for the tippet. If a guy gets out there early season & fish pre-spawn they will eat leeches & eel patterns on a sinking line. Quite a few of the fish I hook subsurface I never even feel the hit, I'll just see my line move funny & he's already chewing on it. After the water warms I like to toss top water stuff, usually don't get many takes but when one decides to eat he's usually a good one. We need to hook up over there this spring.

Good luck on Ollala.
John

[AWJ]

John - when you're talking eels, do you mean something like a long rabbit strip type fly? Any particular colors? (I would assume dark ones). Do you tie them on bass hooks? I've got a hundred or so TMC 8089 in #2 and #4 that need to be used.

I'll be heading up there as soon as a 2-wheel drive truck can get in - maybe sooner if I can talk a buddy into taking his 4-wheel. With all the snow this year, that could be late May. I'll let you know when so we can try and cross paths.

[JiB]

Here's a link from last year showing some of my favorite flies for Davis bass... the bottom fly in the pic is the eel. It's around 3 1/2" or 4" long. It's a feather wing, I'd guess a rabbit strip would work well too. I fish em in a black & a purple.

John

http://gallery.consumerreview.com/webcrossing/images/Bassflies(1).jpg

[garyj]

Yep, I feel somewhat inadequate being listed as a "Junior Member". Might give me a complex or somethin' like that. Mine was still larger than yours; the trout I caught in Northern CA last year, I mean! BTW - thanks for the photo of Siskiyou Lake beneath Mt. Shasta with the snow. That is one pretty place up there!! Been out harassing any stripers?

[garyj]

I wish you the best on your smoking cessation program, Allan! I know how difficult that is - I used to smoke and stopped cold turkey. If I can do it, anyone can do it. My brother-in-law is undergoing triple bypass surgery as I write this. Smoking, Mountain Dew (soft drink, not the hard stuff!), and improper eating habits took their toll on him, and he is only 46 years old!
The pontoon boat sound slike a dandy! I'll probably break down and buy a float tube or two for the wife and me to play in some smaller waters around west TN. Dave E. pretty well hooked me on fishing from them out in CA last fall. Lots of fun!!
A sauger is a cousin to the walleye. It is in the Percidae family, and quite a tasty fish for the table. They typically make spawning runs up the Tennessee and other rivers in this part of the world in late winter. That is one of the two times they are easily caught, however, they typically inhabit deep water and it is difficult to get a fly down to them. I'll include a link with a picture and some info:
http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/agfd/FNASauger.html
Here's another one with some KY Lake info:
http://www.ky-lake.com/sauger-fishing.htm
Enjoy!

[garyj]

John, I think you may do all right on the basses in FL. It seems to be warming up down there, and this is the time of year things start happening down there. However, beware the cold fronts! They seem to really hit those Florida bass more so than our Northern largemouths. I think you have a sound game plan!

[AWJ]

Thanks John. That picture rang a bell...I think we had this conversation last year. I swear I'm gettin' senile.

[AWJ]

Thanks for the support Gary. I have to go to yet another funeral tomorrow on Whidbey Island in Washington. Another uncle died Wednesday of cancer and at the rate they're dropping lately, I won't have any relatives at all in another year. Something's going to get me eventually, but I haven't been all that impressed with the way cancer treats people...at the very least, I'd like to go some other way. What I really need is a good woman that doesn't smoke and sees that as my only fault - she'd have to be willing to let me fish as much as I wanted to as long as I quit.

My brother is flying up from San Diego and I'm picking him up in Seattle; I know it's crass, but we actually found ourselves talking about bringing a rod and float tube and fishing Pass Lake again since it's just a few miles from the cemetery. Figured it'd be a little insensitive to show up in waders and fins though.

Thanks for the links to the Sauger - sounds like a fun fish. Some of us feel the same about our resident whitefish.

[cemejacky]

Hello gerry

I tried to post a pic of my new bike using VBCode, IMG code, HTML, and the pic upload button, but it doesn't show up during the preview. How can we possibly have any fun if we can't post pics? Tried all the emoticons too with no success...could be they're not linked to the graphics yet.

How i could post that here.?

[MarklyPetrello]

Wow thats seems really interesting. Thnx for sharing ...