Tom S

You probably want to look for a salmon jerky recipe, instead of a smoked salmon or lox recipe. I'd be tempted to try this one (http://www.alaskafromscratch.com/2012/03/27/salmon-jerky/), eliminate the liquid smoke and do the dehydrating on the smoker. Use alder wood for the first bit to get the smoke flavor in there. Something with not enough smoke flavor can still be very tasty, while something with to much smoke flavor can be awful and can actually turn people off smoked food. So if you're unsure of how much smoke to add, I'd start on the light end and adjust the next time you smoke until you reach the level you like.

Yet those houses sell at prices that would justify plywood and metal roofs. Someone is going to make a lot of money in the next 20-30 year doing repairs to all these new houses.

This should keep you busy until opener: https://www.fieldandstream.com/how-to-flyfish-with-deer-hair-flies#page-5

Here's some inspiration for you Brian

HTHM and I watched a fellow roll his father's nice new fiberglass wakeboard boat almost off the trailer in Grimsby. Boat was on a roller trailer, and he had removed all the straps, including the winch line, before backing this boat down the ramp and tapping his brakes 10' before the water. Thankfully (?) the lower unit was down and the aluminum skeg stopped the entire boat from dropping off the trailer. It rolled back about 8-10', a group of us were able to push it back on. I wonder if the father was ever told? Of if the boat is ever sold if the buyer will be told about the possible transom damage?

I'm sure you can figure out something cheaper. Pair of binder clips for that matter. PS - some good deals can be had out of the UK & Europe. You're more likely to find a free shipping deal from Europe than from the US, they sometimes offer free international shipping and will honor it to Canada.

Brian, you inspired me to break out my vise tonight and tie up a mouse. I'm calling it the lab rat, even though it looks more like a gerbil with that poofy tail.

Awful to see. What dives a person to be so angry at themselves and others that they would want to do something like this? I'm glad that they did capture rather than kill, perhaps by exploring his motive and mindset there can be something done to prevent similar things from happening again. I'm not happy that we'll be housing and feeding him at tax payer expense, but if it prevents a death by similar motive then I'm for it. Besides, his problem is going to change from being Involuntarily Celibate to being Involuntarily Active.

Basically what you see is what you get, nothing to special. I started out on a 60" drafting table, but found the depth of the table a hindrance. Changed now to a 48" long desk, with drawers and a bookshelf for storage. Much better. Good lamp so I can see what I'm doing and all tools within reach. My wrapper is actually still the cardboard one I initially purchased from Mudhole, keep meaning to upgrade it but haven't gotten around to that yet. Thread tension is done via fly tying bobbin, I'll have one set up with my primary thread colour and a second bobbin set up with my tipping colour. CRB rod dryer with an upgraded Fuji chuck (well worth the money). My next step will be to set up a dedicated area with a lathe for doing cork work, getting tired of buying pre-made grips and having to super clean everything when done. You don't need a $400 wrapper and all kinds of tools to build a nice rod. I've seen some really nice rods come off of cardboard box rod dryers, and some of the best builders of fly rods don't even use wrappers, they wrap freehand. What you need is the patience and dedication to do it and redo it until you have it right.

FYI, I believe that that in the eyes of the ministry that would still be a single hook since it is of a one piece construction. Similar to how a treble is considered a single hook. Barbless, well I fly fish barbless anyhow, makes it easier to remove flies from yourself. I just finished up a 7wt that I’m looking forward to putting to use this summer for smallies.

Be sure to have the Go-Pro strapped on if you do! You'll be an internet celebrity!

Two rules of thumb for materials: 1. Finer hair absorbs more water than coarse hair. 2. The fur from land-dwelling animals tends to hold more water than water-dwelling animals. Rabbits have fine fur and live on land, so it will absorb a good bit of water. Plan on an 8 or 9 wt rod to compensate for that. As far as leaders, you probably want shorter and stiffer to help turn over a heavy fly. Too soft of a leader will collapse on you before the fly makes it to the end. I like RIO's bass leaders.

http://www.jannsnetcraft.com/double-fish-hooks/830310.aspx

What size?

Nice. Just imagining that moment when you see a dark shadow slowly float up under one to check it out. A little twitch and BOOM!

Right. It snowed, and then warmed up to 15C in the afternoon. Just gave a glimpse of what we’re missing before back to cold this morning.

Sounds like it's going to be a fun job...stainless to boot. Hot & cold cycles can be your friend to break it loose like Dan said. Good luck.

What pattern are you tying? Mouse makes me think deer hair, not rabbit fur. Unless you are using rabbit strips for tails. Why not save yourself the gas and order from Flymart? Support an Ontario business, get the exact material and colour you want, not compromise on what Cabelas or Sail has in stock.

Or exchange via PayPal, it has a $10K limit on unverified accounts and a formal dispute process if anyone tries something fishy.

If you bank online you should be able to do an e-transfer even between different banks. Secure and easy for both parties.

Yeppers. Line weights are great for a general idea, but for choosing an actual line go by how it feels on the rod. Especially if you're using a newer rod, as the current trend seems to be 'faster and lighter', meaning the rods don't always load up nicely with the line they are labeled for in real fishing conditions.

You'll need a sensitive scale and something to measure with. Take the weight of the first 30 feet of the line and compare it to this chart: https://thelimpcobra.com/2012/08/30/single-and-double-hand-fly-line-weight-charts/#jp-carousel-8331 That should give you an idea of what line weights you have.

Come to the dark side... we have scotch. But seriously, looks good. Hint with the bucktail - I had a a dyed tail that was a PITA to work with - wouldn't stack nicely, wouldn't tie in nicely. Upon someone else's recommendation I gave it a wash in warm water and a couple drops of Dawn. Make sure to dry it out completely. It's now a really nice tail to work with.

Hypercar-smipercar. I'll be saving my pennies for a Caterham Super 7 (if I fit in one). Great horsepower to weight ratio, and probably a whole lot more fun to drive than some overly-plush Lambo or Ferrari that was designed for a trust-fund kid to drive.

Yep. It's a bit more understandable on a high-powered car like those though, since keeping that power under control while shifting could be difficult for the average driver. But on a Subaru? Nah, give me the stick and let me have fun. I feel like you loose your connection to the drivetrain, I guess I'm just a control freak. Kind of reminds me of the last flying Vulcan bomber that was grounded because all it's systems are 50's era electronics and the knowledge to keep it flying is disappearing. If something goes wrong it's game over for the pilots. Compare that to a 40's era bomber, which can be flown as long as the airframe and engines are solid because all the systems are mechanical or simple electrics.