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troutbert said:
Mend your ways!!

More seriously, mending is a big deal on big water.

On small streams, not so much.
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That's what I was starting to think since I was alone on that island 🤣. I don't fish much smaller water anymore but I see what everyone is getting at when I think about it.
 
McSneek said:
Not a hunter but there is some really irresponsible comments in this thread about shooting deer at long distances. PA ain’t the Rocky Mountains. Good chance that 200+ yard shot you’re firing off is passing very close to someone.
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I can only speak for myself and my comments. Again, as a general rule, I agree. And I wouldn't try it if I didn't know what was in and beyond the shooting lane.

I apologize for the partial hijack of this thread, but it did start out as a good analogy. I wouldn't and haven't suggested anyone shoot at a running deer at that distance. In other words, it's all pcray's fault. 😁

The one time I did it...
  • I was hunting on private land (brother's farm).
  • I knew were all the hunters were on the farm.
  • Deer popped out of the woods about 500 yards away, quartering towards me across an open field on the side of a hill.
  • I was shooting across a small valley, into that hillside. Nothing for anyone or anything to hide behind.
  • I took my time and dropped him with a broadside shot at about 250 yards. He was as close as he was going to get and if I let him get much farther, the shot would have been questionable.
  • I knew my brother's farm probably better than my brother knew it.
Distance was a guess. It could have been more like 200 or 225. 🙂

If it makes you feel better, the rest of the deer I shot, and there were quite a few, were probably inside 125 yards. Closest, and biggest one was at about 20 feet.

You are correct that PA is not the Rockies, but the rolling foothills of Clarion County aren't exactly Kansas, either.

Pure luck that I was where I was when that buck popped out of those woods. If I had walked much farther, I wouldn't have even seen the deer or at least wouldn't have had a clear shot. I was heading out to try and move some deer past a handicapped hunter (friend of my brother). My brother was on crutches, so he called me the night before and asked if I would help out. I was able to push some deer past him later that day, but he never got a shot off. But he had a good time and took some venison home with him. He died the following Spring.

Even I can't make all that up.

My shot was very safe for everyone but the deer.
i believe in karma, and I like to think I was being rewarded for helping that guy who I didn't even know before that day.

I've helped others get their deer as well. I used to enjoy helping others get their deer as much or maybe even more than getting one myself. I am pretty much the same way with fishing.

Enough about hunting on this thread.
 
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krayfish2 said:
That's what I was starting to think since I was alone on that island 🤣. I don't fish much smaller water anymore but I see what everyone is getting at when I think about it.
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Makes sense to me as well. Most of my fishing for trout has been on small streams, definitely too small for a drift boat.🙂
 
Some years back I fished with an old guy in New Hampshire. He told me to mend until my fly was on the bank below me. .GG
 
A lot of the things you learn fishing the bigger streams can come in handy on smaller water at times. Feeding line by shaking it out the end of rod for a longer drift is a good technique if you have a fish in an inaccessible place way downstream, say in some impenetrable rhododendron tunnel. ( not that I ever fish those places anymore). And some of the small stream techniques can be helpful on big water too. Sometimes you have a tough fish that you need to get below and drop a fly from that angle. That means a stealthy approach and usually one accurate cast with just the end of tippett and fly. For whatever reason sometimes it works.
 
I took a shot 5 years ago at 480yards, measured with a rangefinder. It wasn't running, in fact, it was fighting another buck, and backed off the fight briefly when I shot. And, I missed, because I didn't have a rangefinder, and judged it at 350 yards, lol. Which explains why I missed. I suck at judging distance without electronic help. My buddy measured it after the shot. That miss resulted in the purchase of new rifle, scope, and rangefinder. Plus I started bowhunting so needed the rangefinder for that.

Yes, there are lots of opportunities to get safe shots at long distances in PA. Again, I shoot at a 700 yard range sometimes. We are not talking SE or central PA here, with U shaped valleys, but the rolling hills on the plateau with V shaped valleys. It's typically from the side of one hillside across to the side of another with an entire hill as a backstop. A skylined deer is dangerous for sure, you don't take that shot, but that's true if it's 30 yards or 400.

I prefer to get closer in order to count points on the borderline ones and if I don't tag out with the bow first, then the Saturday after Thanksgiving I'll be in a blind in a little narrow thickish (for that area) bottom in the ANF where most shooting is under 75 yards. In sight of a brookie stream! Killed a couple of bucks out of that stand. As far as safety, it's a place that's more dangerous than most. I'm low, and there's a skylining ridge above me in the one direction I gotta stay aware of. My hunting partners generally go treestands on the mid-hill ridges overlooking benches, and 100-200 yard shooting is common there. Their answer to counting points is higher power optics.

As far as a running deer, it's safer (for people) at distance than it is at 50 yards. Running at close range you're swinging pretty fast, that's when things get dangerous. I try not to shoot at running deer, because I'm not very good at it and I'm better off hoping it stops or slows, but not because I find it unsafe.
 
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krayfish2 said:
That would be me 😁. I think you'll agree that fish on the Delaware system are heavily pressured and become very selective. Most of my dry fly stuff will be on 3-4x until after the drake's. Occasionally I have to go 5x on an olive or smaller caddis in late spring.

You can still catch plenty on heavier tippet. The higher spring flows combined with fish that are "feeling it" due to temperature/food supply .... heavy tippet reduces break offs and allows you to put the heat on the fish and land them quickly. I fight them so hard, I don't understand how I haven't broken a dozen rods in the last 20 years. Once I hook up, I feel my options are to get that fish in the net in under a minute or break them off. Photo attached of cranking on a fish trying to net for the 3rd or 4th time
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I get what you are saying. I definitely go with 3 or 4 using big flies. Yes pressured fish. And I do like landing them as fast as possible. I am surprised at how much pressure I can put on the 5.5 or 6x fluorocarbon. I very rarely have snapped one off. Usually if they get off it is the fly coming loose.
Due to my work I often don't get up to Delaware until end of Drakes and then into summer so it is a lot of smaller bugs and pickier fish so I feel like the smaller tippett helps. I am still learning every trip.
 
pcray1231 said:
I took a shot 5 years ago at 480yards, measured with a rangefinder. It wasn't running, in fact, it was fighting another buck, and backed off the fight briefly when I shot. And, I missed, because I didn't have a rangefinder, and judged it at 350 yards, lol. Which explains why I missed. I suck at judging distance without electronic help. My buddy measured it after the shot. That miss resulted in the purchase of new rifle, scope, and rangefinder. Plus I started bowhunting so needed the rangefinder for that.
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That made me smile a little bit. My uncle (may he rest in peace) once shot at a couple of deer across a valley. This valley had been clearcut and then burnt off, many years earlier. You could see everything clearly on the opposite side of the valley but could not see much at close range. 100 yards would be a long shot on the same plane unless you were looking down an old logging road. They were both doe, and it was doe season. They were positioned on the other hillside, one above the other. He shot at the upper one but hit the lower one in the head. Apparently, he was about as good as you at judging distance and not very good at lying. "I meant to do that." 😂
 
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Mending is #1

I am with ya on tippet - 4x is perfect for most dryfly fishing. If it fits in the hole then your good to go.

Lunch has been left off this list - that is a solid #2 IMO
 
1. Tippet size...length also SUPER critical...helps manage depth
2. Mending....depth/ presentation
3. Cast ...ranked here cuz I am " functional" , but average, at best
4. Fly...when I first started FF, to build my confidence, I would change to different fly pattern after EVERY fish to hand.
( works for me)
 
New to site but I notice this happens quite often on these threads. Not necessarily a bad thing but it makes me wonder if fly fishermen suffer from higher rates of ADHD.
 
caddisflyer said:
New to site but I notice this happens quite often on these threads. Not necessarily a bad thing but it makes me wonder if fly fishermen suffer from higher rates of ADHD.
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Hey! I resemble that remark!
 
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