Hi Bob,

You can most likely buy the materials (of better quality) to tie a couple dozen blue wings olives for the price of one of those kits.  If you need a list, feel free to ask. 

Cheers,

Mike

Today I was browsing for a good video that would show how to tie a Blue Winged Olive.  I discovered the Learn To Tie series by Bill Black at Spirit River.  Wow!  Very impressive.

He showd and talked about his kits which are specific to each particular fly.  The Blue Winged Olive kit will tie 6 or 8 flies (I think), and includes everything you need except thread. 

I searched the Spirit River site for them - no luck.  Anyone know if they are still being sold?

Thanks.

Using a heavier indicated line on a rod will have the effect of slowing the rod down slightly, and making the rod load a bit better with only a little line; a lighter than indicated line makes the rod feel a little faster, and capable of aerilizing more line.

A line is given weight based on the first thirty feet of that line; longer or shorter than that it is effectively a different weight.  For example , a four line might load the rod like a 5 weight line with forty feet out, or like a three weight with only twenty feet out. (They actual results of course vary with which particular taper the line has.)

For the moderate action 5 wt, putting a 6 on it may very well make it feel "mushy" on longer casts, but may be just the thing if you're short line nymphing. Whether the effect would be more pronounced on the 3 weight would depend on both the particular rod and line, but since a three weight is typically used for short distance work, it may very well benefit from the 4 weight line.

If you feel the need to upline a rod, you also might want to consider "half weight" lines, such Rio's Grande, where the "5" printed on the box is really halfway between a 5 and a six.

The weight printed on a rod is only manufacturer's (educated) guess about which line would suit most people for the purpose to which most people would put that rod.  It may take some experimentation to find the line weight which suits you the best for purpose for which you want to use the rod.

That looks like a good access point, and its nice and close.  Too bad it hasn't been fishing well.  Let me know next time you plan on going out.

I have been planning to hit the lower susquehanna soon.  I have had some luck there with small schoolies in the fall.  I haven't been in MD for very long so there are a lot of places I have been meaning to try.  Do you always fish the Middle River area? 

Lefty Kreh says you can use one weight higher or lower with no ill effects on most modern rods. I use a WF6F line on my 5wt Loomis GLX on larger water, when there's wind, or when throwing either weighted buggers or larger poppers.   

hey mike, there is the public ramp at rocky pt state park that i usually use very easy to get to and never busy. you ahve to cross the channel from the island at hart miller to get to it which can be a real pain if your catching confused wind against tide conditions but overall its a pretty easy spot to use. i'll be fishing the entire  year so if you ever want to meet up and fish the powerplants ill be down.

Mis-matching line weights can sometimes be used as a crutch to mask poor casting form, but other than that there really are no advantages. 

What would be the expected effect of mis-matching a fly line to the recommended rod weight... For example.. If i had an 8'6 moderate action 5wt, would would I expect to find if i put a 6 weight line on it; or if I put a 4 weight line on?  Would the effect be more pronounced with a 7'6 3wt rod and a four weight line?  Would there be any advantage to such pairings?

Thanks for the comments. I had been leaning toward the Redington Rod based on what I had read on the net. I have discovered that someone somewhere will swear that a curtain rod is the best they've ever seen and casts beautifully!!!  I've done a bit more research and will probably get a Grey's GS2 7'6 3wt in the near future. Could you go into more detail on why the Redington would be a poor choice?

Does anyone on the forum have any experience with the GS2 they would be willing to share?

thanks

the GRXi rods are the best for the price, as are the GS2s.  these two rods will have a slower action (but not a "slow" action by any means, ie. fiberglass or bamboo) they have power in the butt section yet a softer tip for presentation and tippet protection.  the temple fork's rod will be a fast action rod, which in my opinoin is not the best for small trout streams or dry flies, not to say it will not work, but for a light rod it has very little flex.  and i wouldnt buy a redington

short rods like these are mostly used for dry flies, wet flies or very small nymphs. 

another option would be the Hardy Uniqua, it is a little bit more, around 225