Kenny Klimes

Ken

Your FATC has many demo rods you can try and get for 20% off regular price. Let me know. Plus remember that instead of getting the “same” rod you might want to buy a slightly different rod like a 4wt, euro rod or a “different” 5wt rod like a medium action Vice a fast action. Those rods are different i.e. 5wt fast versus 5wt medium.  Or you can pick up a “cheaper rod?? Before you buy always cast the rod.

NagleJP,

I have used the New Zealand indicator system and it is very effective and extremely sensitive when dead drifting. It is not as effective if you are using heavy flies but one or two smaller flies it will hold them up well.  I also “comb” the wool with floatant before using by using a velcro strip (the hooked part of velcro) glued to a tongue depressor or popsicle stick. I also carry a small scissors to trim the top of the yarn to the size I prefer for the flies I am using. Hope that helps.

Probably the number one thing that guys don’t do properly when fly fishing thus preventing them from catching more fish is the drift. To get the perfect drift you have to mend as the current takes your flies and indicator downstream. As in life we definitely need to mend – as the currents continually change each location we decide to fish so to our life is continually changing just like the currents. A better mend in life will keep you on course when life gets tough.

Just my two cents.

Stag,

My humble opinion. I use a curved barbed hook size 8-10 set 2 – 1 1/2 inches from the bead (learned in Alaska).  I also have several made up ahead of time and I “wrap” them around a piece of foam 3″ x 3″ with slits cut at both ends.

But with that said I bought my beads from Troutbeads.com.  I would recommend that you get the “Rocky Mountain Selection”. They are smaller beads that imitate the trout and sucker eggs which we have here. If you get about 5-6 guys together on this purchase and you buy the RM-01 selection then you will all have various colors and sizes to chose from. Contact Jim Craig who runs the FATC fly tying session for FATC and he may be able to find a few guys in the session that will go along with you. BTW his next session is about tying egg patterns.

K

Thanks Mike,

We are hoping to fish Taneycomo then but we will see about the flows. I’ll put on our FATC calendar about the Sowbug Roundup in case anyone from here would like to go. I’ll have them contact you. I will be unable this year because I am leading the Taneycomo trip that weekend.

But we definitely need to meet up and fish Arkansas!!

Kenny

Danstag

Actually it hurts to leave any hook/fly in a tree. If it didn’t you wouldn’t see me climbing halfway up it to fetch my fly. I believe barbless is the way to go. Just keep “tension” on the line and the fish won’t get away. Plus, they are easier to take out of the back of the head. I find that a good 60% of the time when the fish gets into the net – it’s then when he spits the hook. I like Firehole Sticks for hooks. I like the black color too – seems to be “more invisible” under water. Just sayin

Ethos? A great word with meanings that go as far back as ancient Greece.  As a 20 year USAF fighter pilot, I realize the importance of brotherhood for me. It’s not only being with “brothers” but being able to trust those “brothers” with your life.  For me, whether it be during combat or practicing for combat, I had to trust in my brothers to have my back when racing around at 500mph at 100 feet off the ground or 20,000 feet in the air. That “trust” – that “brotherhood” is so important to get the mission done.

But it is also important for the heart of a man to know he belongs to a “brotherhood” of men that will be there for him – anytime, anywhere. That’s what I see in this fellowship – brotherhood ethos! Remember “It isn’t just about the fly fishing”

Thanks for the great question.

Unfortunately most Vintage lures are just “old” lures. I have many too that I bought when I was a boy. Here is an article I found to distinguish between lure of value and just lures. Also, look on Ebay and type in the name of your lure to see what might be the going rate for an old time lure. I think only “lure” collectors will pay the “price” for a special lure.

OLD VERSUS ANTIQUE

The way to start is by ascertaining what era or age you’re talking about. Lures made forty to sixty years ago are old, but very few have significant value. They can well be used to catch fish today if you’re so inclined.

There are some exceptions, however. Certain wooden lures that were discontinued by their manufacturers a few decades ago but favored by anglers were hoarded by those in the know and can still fetch a good buck.

The original Big O, a balsa wood crankbait made by Tennessean Fred C. Young in the late 1960s, is one such lure, and it started the crankbaits-for-bass industry. While plastic versions are still made today, signed and numbered wooden Big O originals are legendary and valuable lures that are now in the collectible fishing lures category even though they’re not a century old.

Another example is the large Creek Chub Husky Pikie made by Heddon. A metal-lipped lure, it was especially popular with muskie trollers. Many were dismayed when Heddon started making this lure out of plastic, so the last wooden models were snapped up by anglers to fish with more so than to collect, although they are now viewed as vintage fishing lures.

The definition of vintage goes back further than the mid-20th century, and truly antique lures are those a century or more old, including some of the first wooden and metal lures ever produced in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Some of these are worth many thousands of dollars, especially if accompanied by the original box they were sold in.

A one-of-a-kind Musky Charmer Minnow was sold in 2018 for $21,000, which is an eye-popping sum until you learn that the most ever paid for old fishing lures was $101,200 for a Riley Haskell Minnow in 2003. Vintage Heddon, Shakespeare, and Pflueger lures are valuable collectibles, but there are many from less well known manufacturers.

A friend of mine, Pat Salimeno, had one of the most valuable vintage fishing lure collections when he passed away over a decade ago. Like most true antique tackle collectors, Pat was astute and wary. He specialized in lures and learned his hobby over decades, finding bargains by doing a lot of pre-Internet legwork. I accompanied him to two eye-opening (for me) sales held by Lang’s Auctions, which is the premier antique fishing tackle auction house, and later sold Pat’s collection. If you sign up with them you can access past auction catalogs and search for previously sold items.

Another source of information is the National Fishing Lure Collectors Club, a nonprofit educational organization which provides member forums and publishes a quarterly magazine. If you become a member you can access their bibliography of educational resources, including antique tackle collecting books. Some such books have become collectible themselves and, though published two or more decades ago, have value for identification purposes if not for valuation of tackle in the current market.