Summer 2010 - Dakota Flyfishers Club

Transcription

Summer 2010 - Dakota Flyfishers Club
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The Dakota
Fly Fisher
Summer 2010
Club Officers and Directors for the 2009/2010:
President: Todd Pope ([email protected])
Vice President: M. Byron Grubb ([email protected])
Secretary Treasurer: Clint Baxter ([email protected])
Board of Directors:
Scott Renfandt, ([email protected])
Mark Olinger, ([email protected])
Randy Olson ([email protected])
Murray Greer ([email protected]
Mike Kroh ([email protected])
Lee Brend ([email protected])
Editor: Bob Morenski ([email protected])
President’s Message
Right now I’m trying to gather my thoughts and focus on what is probably my last
“President’s Message”. However, I’m struggling to concentrate on the task at hand.
Instead, I’m thinking my fly rod and reel have been freed only a couple times this spring.
The month of May is almost gone! The sun is actually shining today. The weather
forecast looks promising the next two or three days (no rain!) and I don’t have to work.
If I can get my act together, a quick trip to Tokaryk and Patterson may be on the menu!
I’ve heard little on fishing successes (or failures) from most club members this spring. As
always, if you’d like to share a “hot spot” with other club supporters please forward the
details and I’ll disseminate. Preliminary research and investigation suggests some nice
trout are still cruising Northgate Dam. Our summer outing is “right around the corner”.
The rendezvous is scheduled for June 4th and 5th, 2010, at Northgate Dam. If the weather
holds I’m thinking the fishing should be good. Please try and join us.
As most everyone is aware, my family and I are relocating to Bismarck, North Dakota, by
the end of this summer. If I’m lucky, the Missouri Valley Fly Fishers Club is looking for
new members. I can still recall the first meeting I attended. I was fascinated by the fact
there were so many fly fishing opportunities in this area. I was equally confused by all
the crazy fly patterns to which I was being introduced! I had been “out of the game” for
a few years, and DFF rejuvenated my love for fly fishing. I have learned more from DFF
and its members than I have given back, that is for certain. I will continue to fully
support the Dakota Fly Fishers.
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As always, please feel free to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
Todd Pope
President,
Dakota Fly Fishers
Nominations for Club Officers
Our 2009-2010 cycle for elected officers and board members is coming to a close.
Our current President, Todd Pope, is moving to Bismarck. So, we will require
someone to run for the post. We also need to see which of our current officers and
board members are planning to stay on and who will be stepping down. If you are
currently an officer or director, please contact Todd Pope with your intentions. If
you would like to serve or would like to nominate someone for a post, please contact
Todd, as well. All terms are for two years.
Everybody is a DFF Membership Chair!
Maintaining a sufficient number of club members is always a constant struggle. This is
one area where everyone can pitch in a little. If you know someone who fly fishes or
would like to learn, just ask them for $10.00 and get their address and email address Send
it to Clint Baxter and forward me their email address. If everyone made it a point to sign
up one person, we would easily hit all of our membership targets. Clint’s address is as
follows:
Dakota Fly Fishers
c/o Clint Baxter
1520 Burdick Expressway East
Minot, ND 58701
If you would like to send me any written material, fly patterns etc., my address is as
follows:
Bob Morenski
PO Box 32
Parshall, ND 58770
[email protected]
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Don Rider was one of charter members of the Dakota Fly Fishers. I met Don for the
first time on McGregor Dam in May of 1983. It seems like it was only yesterday.
Unlike many of the original members of the club, Don was already a seasoned lake
fly fisherman and fly tier. It was refreshing to have someone with whom, I could
consult and exchange fly patterns. I was always amazed with the size of Don’s
hands. I have fairly large hands but they would be swallowed up his huge mitts.
When people told me that there was no way that they could do the delicate work of
fly tying, I would point to Don’ hands and also those of former member, Art Ellis. If
would tell them that if Don could tie with hands the size of a catchers mitt and if Art
could tie with several fingers missing, they should have no problem what so ever.
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I have many fine memories of fishing with Don on McGregor and Sather Dams over
the years. From 1982 through 1985 and again from 1989 to 1994, McGregor was the
best trout lake in the state of North Dakota and it was our home away from home.
Don would always camp in his motor home on the north side of the lake. It was
always a great place to fish. Unlike most lakes, McGregor was easily to wade and we
both made good use of that fact. Many a nice brown and rainbow were seduced by
Don’s flies.
In March, Don passed away after a short but aggressive bout with pancreatic cancer
at the age of 88. Despite his age, Don stayed an active member of the club right to
the end. I travel to Williston frequently to visit my son and I would often run into
Don at various places throughout that city. Every time that I travel to Williston, I
know that I look for him like I still look Art Ellis when I go to Market Place Foods.
I and many of our members will miss Don greatly.
2010 Fly Fisherman’s Rendezvous June 4th - 6th,
Northgate Dam
Mark Olinger shown giving a lesson in aquatic entomology at the 2007 Rendezvous at Northgate.
Photo by Bob Morenski
We have not had a Rendezvous for a few years now due a summer fish kill at
Northgate in July of 2007. But the lake is back and so are the fish. We had good
spring reports of rainbows at Northgate in the 20 to 21 inch size range. Fishing is
also good here for warm water species, such as, bluegill, crappie and walleye. Being
that I fish for trout most of the season, I enjoy targeting bluegill and crappie at the
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rendezvous. Bluegills over 14 inches have been caught on this lake and black
crappie often top 16 inches.
The Rendezvous has always served as an educational event for the club. This year,
we will once again have our world class casting instructor, Randy Olson, to
demonstrate proper casting techniques and to help teach anyone who requires
assistance. Randy is a member of the US World Fly Casting team and we our proud
to have him as a member. He is going to be bringing his casting computer to help
diagnose casting flaws. (Maybe he can teach me to running line better. (see, The
Last Cast!)
Bob Morenski will be bringing his new Dave Scadden, Outlaw Renegade pontoon
boat for people to see and try out. Also if you are new to fly fishing and would like to
get some on the water instruction, we can try to pair you with one of our season
members.
We will have a barbecue and maybe a fish fry on Saturday evening. Everybody is
asked to bring a little something for the feast.
Randy Olson teaching us how to throw a fly line 110 feet into a strong wind at the 2006 Rendezvous.
Randy is a phenomenal fly caster which you will have to see to believe. He will available to help
correct your fly casting problems at this year’s Rendezvous! Photo by Bob Morenski
The Rendezvous has always been our most enjoyed and attended event. This year
should be not different. It has always been a great social experience. It is open to
ALL Fly Fishers and their families. So, please make plans to attend. Camping at
Northgate was $10 a night for an electrical camp site the last that I checked. I plan
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on coming in on Thursday afternoon and staying through Sunday afternoon. If you
only can come out for the day, come up on Saturday and plan on staying the day.
This is when we hold all of our educational events.
See you at the Rendezvous!
Bob Morenski
Pybus Lake: First Look
By Bob Morenski
Located: 1 mile South of Sandy Lake at the junction of
Provincial HWY #45 and Provincial Road #250
Until I fished it, I have to admit that I was not very excited about this lake. While it has a
very good over all depth, the lake is not very deep. Water clarity is a concern but it is not
as bad as Bower Lake up in the Turtle Mountains. Although it was stocked with tiger
trout, we have seen no evidence of them. I have heard of one as large as 6 pounds being
taken through the ice but I have not heard or seen anyone catch a tiger. I talked with a
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farmer who owns the house on the northwest corner of the lake. He ice fishes the lake
often and only has caught one tiger that went 18 inches last winter. I fished it once in
2009 and did see a fish which I am sure was a tiger. So what has me encouraged at
fishing this one? The rainbows here are just awesome. There seems to be several age
classes of fish. The smaller group is around 19 inches and weighs around 2 pounds. The
next size group is 24 to 27 inches and start at around 6 pounds! We have heard of fish up
to 27.5 inches from this age group. For those of you who are familiar with the rainbows
on Tokaryk Lake, it may be a surprise but these fish are heavier. Those of you who
fished Silver Beach Lake in the past might remember what the big rainbows there looked
like. We are talking about fish in the same size class.
Dave LaFrance and I got good sampling of what the possibilities of this lake on the
afternoon of May 17th. We had fished Lake 400 in the early afternoon. At around 1:00,
Dave pulled out and went to Pybus Lake. I headed over there about 4:00 PM. Dave was
in ecstasy. He had found the spot on the spot. A bunch of big female rainbows were
milling around in a hole in the bulrushes that was as big as two pickup trucks. He was
fishing a chironomid using a strike indicator which a technique that we just call bonging.
He had already landed 5 trout over 25 inches by the time that I arrived with the largest
fish going 26.75. I joined Dave. It started out slow for me. I am not much of a bong
fisherman. It seemed like it took forever for me to get my first hookup. I think that it was
over an hour. Dave said that the action slowed a little. He was still taking an occasional
fish. He hooked one which I saw jump. I would say that that one went at least 27 inches
but it threw the hook. He landed another 25 inch bow and several smaller fish of 22 to 24
inches.
Author poses with one of or "smaller" rainbows of the evening. This one was a mere 25 inches. I had
landed several over 26 but I did not dare have Dave come out for any more pictures that evening.
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Finally, it was my turn. The first trout that I hooked was a chucky 25 inch hen. The fish
took one jump and bore straight into the heaviest bulrushes there. I thought that there was
no way that I would ever work that fish out. Never the less, luck was on my side. It took
about a minute but I worked her out of there and got her to head into deep water. Right
after I got out there, I realized that I had really screwed up. I left my landing net by the
launch site. I had to have Dave come out and bring me his net. I netted the fish and the
first thing you notice was how heavy the fish was. I had landed a couple 24 inch bows
here that I know were at least 6 pounds. The fish that I had in the net was at least 8
pounds.
I went back into the hole an immediately hooked up with another 25 inch bow. I did not
want to bother Dave for his net again. I tried to slide the fish up on my apron. Once her
head started up on the apron, she had other ideas. She broke me off. I counted that one as
a short range release. I immediately went back and hooked another rainbow. This one
was 25.5. I had Dave come out to borrow his net and a take a picture. At that point, Dave
made me go in to get my own net. When I returned, I hooked up again. I don’t know how
I got any of these fish out through the bulrushes. Every one of these fish wrapped up on
at least a few of the reeds before I worked them out to deeper water to fight. This one was
26 inches. I didn’t dare ask Dave to come out and take a picture. Dave hooked and landed
a 26 inch rainbow. I followed him out for pictures but the fish slipped out of his hand and
I didn’t get a shot of the hog.
Dave LaFrance battles one of his numerous large rainbows for the evening. This one was 26 inches.
Butterfingers dropped it before I could get a picture of the fish. Photo by Bob Morenski
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I returned and hooked my biggest fish of the evening. I have not put new marks on my
stripping apron. The ruler only goes to 24. This last fish was close to 26.5. Again we
didn’t get a picture. Dave had a few more fish but they were little by the standards set
that night. They were paltry 24 inch specimens. The last of these were caught on a size 8
1X long Mark’s Minnow in olive and gold. I don’t think that Mark ever envisioned that
pattern ever being fished under a bong. In all, it was a great night. I hooked and landed 5
rainbows over 25 inches in a row. Together, Dave and I had landed a eleven rainbows
over 25 inches. That is an incredible number of big fish for one day on any lake.
Allen Kiffen from Alberta displays a nice Pybus Lake rainbow. Photo by Bob Morenski
Having fished it a few times, I must admit that this is a tough lake. It can be feast or
famine. The fish seem to like gold. A gold Pheasant tail streamer, brown & gold Zonkers,
a black Matuka, Black and Kelly green Zonker were among some of the better flies. The
rewards were well worth the effort. When you fish this lake, you have to think trophy size
trout. You are not going to put up huge numbers. By the end of this year, we are going to
be seeing 29 to 30 inch fish and with the forage in this lake, they are going to be huge.
All that I can say is that if you are going to bet the farm on catching a trout over 25
inches, Pybus Lake is the place to go.
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Lake 400 First Look
Lake 400 is a small trout lake just outside the town of Sandy Lake. I do not know the
acreage but it is approximately the size of Lightning Lake in North Dakota. It is a put
take lake trout lake and normal Manitoba trout regulations apply. The water in Lake 400
is very clear. You can see down at least 8 feet. Despite it being heavily ice fished, it holds
some very nice trout. I had a local tell me that he landed a 26 inch rainbow the weekend
before. I caught rainbows to 22 inches and one of the people camped at Patterson Lake
caught a 24 inch bow.
It would be a great lake to fish on a real windy day. It is sheltered from the wind on the
North, west and east sides. However, there is little protection if the wind is out of the
south.
I did not use a great number of fly patterns there but I did have success on a Bead Head
Mohair Leech and an orange headed Tokaryk brown.
The lake is only 2 miles away from Pybus. So if you are in the area, give it a shot. It just
may surprise you.
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Black Bead Head Mohair Leech
By Bob Morenski
This fly comes indirectly from Dave and Amelia Jensen who run Fortress Lake Lodge
which is one of the premier brook trout destinations in North America. They were up this
spring fishing Patterson Lake. It was the first fly that they tied on and they slaughtered
the spawning rainbows near the dock on Patterson with it. They fished it from an
anchored boat and used it with a strike indicator. They would toss the fly out and let it sit
right next to the bulrushes.
This a simple fly. The version that they used had a black bead head, brown marabou tail,
and a Canadian Blood mohair body on a size 8, 1X hook. I tied them up using a size 6
heavy wet fly hook. When tied, they are the same size. I also tied and fished several
versions. One had a Canadian blood body and a black tail. On another, I used a black tail,
pond olive body. Just use your imagination. I caught fish on all of them.
Materials:
Hook: Size 6 heavy wet fly hook
Bead: Black, size 5/32
Tail: Brown marabou
Body: Canadian Blood mohair yarn
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Equipment Corner: No Frame Pontoon Boats
By Bob Morenski
One of the biggest drawbacks to owning a pontoon boat is portability. If you buy a big
pontoon boat, you also need a vehicle that is large enough to transport it. While some
pontoon boats break down nicely and can be packed into a smaller vehicle, many do not.
For those that do, it takes a lot of time to reassemble them once you get to the water and
then a fair amount of time to disassemble them again when you come off the water. Then
you have the hassle and expense of trolling motors and batteries and the like. If you have
fished with me lately, you know how much I long for the old days when I was young and
I could just drive up to a lake, slip my waders, and toss my tube in the water and go.
Since I have been stricken with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, I thought that those days
were over. I am glad to say that I was wrong.
North Fork Outdoors launched a new series of Pontoon boats in 2008. These are light
weight, have no internal bladder and best of all, they are frameless. I have been running a
North Fork Outdoors pontoon for the past 4 seasons. I am totally sold on the heat sealed
bladderless technology. There are no internal bladders to rot out, no stitching to rot out,
or zippers to go bad. Best of all, they have over double the capacity of the average
pontoon style craft. If you do not want the expense and hassle of putting a trolling motor
and battery on the boat, the boat comes complete with ours that break down into two
pieces for easy portability. In short, you can throw this sucker in the trunk of your car. I
was so impressed with this boat; I bought one for myself as a Christmas present. I wanted
it for running over to Tokaryk and other Parkland Lakes so I do not have to break down
my other boat on Patterson Lake. There are four different models of this boat. The ones
that I think that would be of the most interest to lake fly fishers are the Outlaw Escape
and the Outlaw Renegade.
The Outlaw Escape is a small boat. The big question is whether to call it a pontoon or a
float tube. The amazing thing is that it has a 600 pound capacity. If you never intend to
add a battery and a motor, this may be the boat for you.
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The Outlaw Renegade is a nine foot boat that weighs only 32 pounds and can fit in the
trunk of your car. Should you later want to add a trolling motor, you can buy a cargo deck
for this one. You place the motor off to the side of the boat. This boat has an 800 pound
carrying capacity. That is double the capacity of your typical pontoon boat.
For more information, checkout North Fork Outdoors website at
www.northforkoutdoors.com for these and other great products.
Editors Note: I have been using this Outlaw Renegade quite a bit this spring. I have
been using it to run over to Lake 400, Tokaryk and Pybus Lakes. I really like it. Last
season, I was getting run down tearing down my other boat to run over to Tokaryk Lake
and tearing it down again to run back to Patterson Lake. This year, I had no problems. I
have an 8 foot box and I can almost shut the lid on my topper without letting the air out. I
don’t have to deflate it much to shut the lid. I use a Hurricane Air Pump which airs it up
totally in just minutes. I bought a cargo deck for it and a trolling motor can easily be used
when placed on the edge of the deck. It does come with oars but with my Chronic Fatigue
Syndrome, my rowing days are long behind me. I will have the boat available at the
Rendezvous for people to try out.
Poached Trout
By Byron Grubb
The spring thaw came late on the West Fork River of Montana that year, It was July 3rd
and the tributary creeks were out of their banks, grim looking, icy and dirty. Bluejacket,
Doc and Randy were camped on the lower flat of the upper meadow of the river, halfway
up a mountain lined valley. The meadow consisted of a series of terraced plateaus and
provided an ideal setting for the annual rendezvous. In a group of mushroom like rings,
the camp consisted of three hundred or more lodges of various shades of brown and
white. A stratified layer of blue wood smoke lay above the tipis’ bristling crowns of pole
ends; the scene was a living antique, a most painterly painting.
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The trio of campers was silent in the early AM shadows, as last night fire was stirred to
life. Seldom was there much palaver early in the morning and often there was none at all.
Bluejacket pulled at the gorget ring in his nose in a somewhat distracting manner, looking
for all the world like his Shawnee name sake. Fly fishing the streams for brookies was
out of the question and other options were either not readily available or too costly. Blue
looked pensive.
While breakfast began sputtering and popping in the frying pan, Doc wiped the light,
bright red rust from the breech of the pan of his R. Wetnight Southern Mountain rifle.
Though no words had been spoken, Randy grumbled about the unnecessary noise and
racket.
Slowly and spontaneously, the camp was coming alive. Our three doughty buckskinners
finished breakfast and sprawled in front of the fire drinking very large enamel pot of
coffee down to the dregs. It was decided a scout was called for after Randy observed,
”them blamed dudes up the road must be fishing somewhere.” The three set off in
different directions with leggings fringes and breech cloths swishing., moving in a rolling
gait experienced foot travelers seem to acquire. Looking nonchalant and purposeless was
important-this was serious and too many people knowing your business wasn’t a good
idea. It was late in the morning, though the sun had just cleared the steep mountain wall
to the east of the valley when Doc reached the top of an elevation in the upper meadow.
This overlooked a small tarn-like, willow rimmed, hidden lake. This lake was probably
under 20 acres in size and was bright and crystal in nature. As Doc relaxed and enjoyed
his chew, a dark shadow was noted on the water moving slowly and counter clockwise
around the shallow circumference of the pond. This was in spite of the sky being
cloudless. A start of sudden recognition sent a subtle shutter through the spy followed by
a broad grin and an emotive “Hurrah.” He realized that the shadow was a very, very large
school of fish. Though the distance was considerable, it was clear that the fish were
indeed trout, probably rainbows with some approaching the thirty inch in size. Further
observation revealed that the western and northwestern shorelines of this round lake
consisted of a steep six to fifteen foot cutbank. The lake structure appeared saucerine.
Above the cutbank, two to three hundred yards, stood a large chalet of bright yellow
wood overlooking the entire vista. This was duly appraised as a possible threat but
quickly rejected as being a serious problem. Doc headed back to camp gloating inwardly
about his “find”. All of the scouts arrived back at the lodge at almost the same moment.
The other scouts had come up empty and thought a good “drunk” was the best prospect
for the afternoon and evening but such thinking stopped on hearing Doc’s report.
Everyone looked to their equipment. Randy rummaged for his fine, light, Hardy cane rod
and Model perfect reel. Bluejacket remembered he’d traded his fly fishing outfit the night
before for a Barnett Northwest Gun and was making growling noises, as was his want
when aggravated. Doc pulled his Goodwin Granger Victory, nine foot rod from its case
and was thinking about line weights and tippet diameters appropriate for the venture.
The trio rather abruptly came to the realization that the assault intended probably would
require serious hardware and Tonkin cane rods weren’t the answer. This thought
brightened Bluejacket’s visage considerably. The resulting conflab finally lead to the best
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design of weaponry for the task upcoming. The equipment arrived at, consisted of a
straight willow rod, twelve feet long, a short four to six foot reach of braided dacron
thirty pound backing attached to the tip of the rod and a number 4 Mustad 2XL nymph
hook attached to the line. The night fly selected was buffalo liver diced into one half inch
cubes, he purplish, brown and red color being much like Canadian Blood seal in tone.
This was certainly not a fly for the squeamish.
The mid-afternoon was warm, drowsy and swarming with flies. A brief typical five pm
shower gave way to the bright early evening for which the Shining Mountains are known.
The gloaming rapidly gathered and found our fine fellowship afoot in single file line
heading for the hidden lake. The night was blackish purple and very still. From time to
time the silence was punctuated by a splash and the sloshing sound of Churchillian
proportions. Randy, being the fine Kentucky gentleman he is, passed a corked wine bottle
full of Ralph Markham’s finest handmade whiskey. This doings was seriously attended
to-spirits were high. Angling rapidly commenced.
Almost simultaneously, all three mountaineers were “hooked up” and promptly with an
overhead lift, thumped their twisting, muscular prey on the shore.
Loud whoops followed as the fish were compared and found to be of gigantic
proportions. Many others followed as the technique dabbling the line with it’s gory lure,
giving the line to the tug, then suddenly lifting and slinging the unlucky quarry upward
and backward. In time, a break was needed and Ralph’s pottage was again sampled.
Sitting tight under the cutbank, our trio was well hidden. Unfortunately, their perch was
next to the trail, splitting the cutbank and leading to the water. The remuda from the
overlying dude ranch quietly flowed downward throughout the bank. The lead horses
were enormously and horrifically startled by poachers. Immediately, a stampede of
neighing, whinnying and thundering horses was created. This was followed by a
sequence of spotlights glaring bright and shooting downward from the deck of the dude
ranch quarters. The jig was up – coup had been counted- now for the dashing escape
through the whipping frenzy of the tightly packed willows. Belts though the mouths and
gills served as fish carriers.
Scratched and skeeter-et, yet proud of their adventure, the fishers found camp well in to
the bear’s rotation about the North Star. The fish were quickly tended to and the buffalo
robes beckoned.
A breakfast of trout steaks, frybread and seet black medicine attracted a crowd – the
“goats” were sent packing and the select “sheep” invited to partake. Jugs of Mateaus
wine post cibum served as a digestive. Their mischief was discussed and the tale fine
tuned. Brookies, cane rods and grasshopper flies would come in their good time but at
present, the romance of poaching, evilly held sway.
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”.
The Last Cast
Many people may be surprised but until this year, I never had used a strike indicator. Like
everything else, there is a time and a place for it. This spring on Patterson, Tokaryk and
Pybus Lakes using a strike indicator in combination with nymphs was a hot technique
for rainbows. I do not like fishing for spawning trout very much but Dave LaFrance
really pounded the rainbows using this technique. On one evening alone, Dave LaFrance
and I landed 11 rainbows over 25 inches on Pybus Lake. Most of these were caught on
chironomids.
I have a humorous story to go along with my first excursion into bong fishing. Last year
when I had thought that all my reels were stolen, I bought a new Rio floating fly line. I
bought the line as new in box on ebay. The line had the standard little tags stating this
end to reel. I followed that instruction and attached that end to the backing and rigged the
line accordingly.
This year, I rigged up with a strike indicator and for the first time ever, I cast a fly line
with a slip type indicator. I was surprised at how difficult it was to cast. It required just
about all of my concentration and experience to throw a 30 to 40 foot cast. This was the
first time that I ever used a Rio fly line. It only cost me $20 but if it only casts 20 feet, I
felt that it was not worth 20 cents. I later discovered that it did not cast any better without
a strike indicator. I thought that I am either going to have to put a new floating line on
this reel or I was going to have to contract to have Randy Olson provide private lessons.
I had a different floating line but I wanted to use the Okuma SLV reel that I had the Rio
line loaded on. While taking the line off the reel, I realized my problem. Near the end of
spool, I noticed the tapered end of the fly line coming off the spool. I thought to myself,
“What and idiot!” The fly line was backwards. After realizing that I had only been
casting the running line, I felt kind of good about those 30 to 40 foot casts with a strike
indicator. That is worse than trying to cast a 2 weight level fly line on a 6/7 weight rod. I
felt stupid about not noticing this sooner.
The moral of the story is that you can teach an old dog like myself new tricks but you
can’t make him any smarter!
Bob Morenski
Editor