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.