Great book about Quanah Parker, a white/comanche chief, is Empire of the Summer Moon. Turns out the commanches were very good calvary soldiers, and the early Texans, Mexicans and other indigenous tribes could not contain them. They terrorized a huge area from the northern plains down into Mexico. Finally, the Texas rangers got hold of surplus .36 caliber Navy revolvers that allowed them to fight from horseback. This was the turning point, but too late for hundreds of settlers who had been massacred.
There are two basic methods of fly fishing for trout; dry fly or surface fishing, and wet fly or nymph fishing. I have been fly fishing for trout since I was 5 years old, and all the men I knew were fly fishermen first, and spin fishermen second.
Dry fly fishing is most fun for me, because it is very visual - you keep the fly on the surface and you see the take. Nymph fishing is similar to spin fishing with bait, as you cast upstream and allow the weighted nymph to flow downstream. It is partly visual, as you must keep an eye on the line to assure the drift is natural, but the take is totally by feel.
Both forms of fly fishing for trout differ from other types of fishing because trout are very spooky. They can see out of the water, they can hear your footsteps, sense waives you create when wading and most importantly, they can see the tippet if it's too large -you cannot use heavy tippets. So, fly fishing is much more about finesse than other types of fishing. It also requires walking along stream beds, wading in rivers and other physical exertion, often all day. All the above make it a very special sport, but not for everyone.
One piece of advice is to avoid spending a lot of money on gear. The gear, other than the flies and the tippet, accounts for no more than 10% of your success. It's mostly about learning where the fish lie in the water, approaching carefully, presenting the fly softly and maintaining a natural drift. Then once you hook a fish, you must play it well to land it without breaking the tippet.
I hope this helps. Feel free to contact me at DryFlySam@gmail.com, or my brother Ellis at ellisfishnfix@gmail. com. Ellis is a fly fishing guide on the Sacramento, McCloud, Scott and Klamath rivers in Northern California.
That's a good one. Did Uncle suffer from Asperger's syndrome?
Ivey, so sorry to hear of your pain...on so many levels. Lost your peace of mind, some stuff, and I suspect what hurts most of all is losing your belief in "the system". This type of police activity just makes no sense at all. It was mostly unnecessary and certainly excessive. Why so many police? Why the expense? Why such mistreatment? Even if you were guilty, there was no need for the attitudes they expressed. It was totally unprofessional on all levels. And the police wonder why communities are considering cutting down their budgets. Disgusting.
Yes, it is! There is a scupper hole there, and the crack runs right into it. The hole is black, so it makes it hard to see if the crack extends into the hole. I probably could shine a strong light there to see if it penetrates from the scupper hole to the interior of the yak.
Thanks Hacksaw. I'm in the middle of negotiations with BKC now, and they want me to be sure the crack is the source of the leak. I'm not sure it is, and haven't had the time to check it out yet. If it turns out it is causing the leak I'll do as you suggest.
Whtoak,
Thanks for the input. Sure would be worth it for $17.00. I sent off photos today to BKC. I have no idea how they will deal with it. So far they have been remarkably responsive, and I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. I'll keep y'all posted.
Thanks for sharing your story. Never did like Bronco's though.
I moved to Key Biscayne in 1981, and the zoo had just moved out. That was 39 years ago. It's still a great place, and I am able to catch bone fish on a fly right in front of my condo. My moniker comes from the first 35 years of my life fishing the Sacramento, Scott, Klamath and McCloud rivers in Northern California. My brother is a guide there, and I return every fall for the trout and steelhead, so I guess I'm still entitled to be DryFlySam.
Robert,
I did not check the bottom before launching, however the crack is very thin and straight as an arrow. It is obviously a manufacturing defect. I'll send the manufacturer a photo tomorrow.
Thanks.
Hey Huntmn,
I'm taking your advice. Calling BYC tomorrow.
Probably under warranty, but the last thing I want to do is send it back. Took too long to get it in the first place. But, you are right. I should ask BKC if they have a repair program during warranty. Thanks for the suggestion.
I just received my 12.5 foot sit on kayak from Brooklyn Kayak Company. Been out briefly two times and notice a lot of water in the hold. Turned it over on my lawn, and I see a crack about 2 inches long mid ship. Can anyone recommend a good seal?
I have a lot of time on my hands, and I would really like to be fly fishing the flats (wading) for bonefish. However, Miami-Dade and Broward Counties have closed the beaches. Any ideas where I could get access to some flats at low tide without getting arrested?