cuzza

I've used Canadian Llama as well before for beads and the service is great but not sure they'll be with you by the weekend - http://www.canadianllama.com/ FWIW a 4mm sphere of brass is 1/100oz so to take into account the hole, you probably need 5mm or so which is 3/16"

I use Nanofil on my 'pin but use a shot line, first outing I tried without and it was a mess!! For the fly side (assuming single hand), I use a steelhead taper line on my 8wt but pretty much any WFF line will work for nymphing, if you mean leaders/tippets, I use mono leaders (normally no need for tapered) with flurocarbon tippet, usually 6/8lb

These might work for you http://www.basspro.com/NoKnot-FasSnap/product/2463/ once it's tied on, you just need to get the free end into the eye of the lure and pull, I use them when changing lures frequently. I like those Berkley Easy Snaps too, great for cold fingers!

Jedi - I can't seem to post links but Google "Point 65 Modular Fishing Kayak" which is a little more apartment friendly, they also do non angler versions that might fit the bill for a few less bills

Looks like John has them - he's in London so shipping should be quick http://www.freewebs.com/johnsflymaterials/

Very cool - used to see/hear one just like sat in the tree outside my old place near Appleby College, probably watching all the robins we had too

Looking at the thickness of the tip, it looks more like a beach-caster than a fly rod, they're much stouter for casting bigger weights - nice find!

When I moved into my new place, I contacted Reliance about a tankless water heater to replace the current one we have, they wanted about $30 per month for it which is a big chunk more than I pay them now (similar figure to porkpie). Not sure how much they are to buy but I think I'd go that route over rental assuming they aren't crazy money.

Sail have some reasonably priced rod/reel cases that would probably work (think the spey ones are blue) but like Bill says, it depends on your reel position, if you have it near the bottom like a spey rod , it'll work if you have it near the top, it might not fit.

The Wii is regioned like DVDs are so it won't work - there is probably a hack to get round it but you run the risk of turning your Wii into a white door stop. Shame if they really aren't doing Wii games for North America any more as they had some good titles, FIFA being one of them.

If your son has plans to upgrade, go with an Xbox One, if not, pick up a pre-owned 360 from EB Game or somewhere like that (they warranty it for a short while so you know it's not a dud) - you're unlikely to find many games that are produced for both platforms and you both need the same version of the same game to play online.

I've tried all sorts of vests, chest packs etc and have settled on the Orvis sling pack, it goes over your shoulder out of the way while fishing slides round when you need it, plenty of room for gear too. I have one of these http://www.basspro.com/White-River-Fly-Shop-Spring-Creek-Technical-Chest-Pack/product/93606/ sat in my garage that you can have if you think it'll work

You're complaining about other people's English?

Looks like a fantastic trip - great report and nice to see some big fish on the spey rod!

I fish corn all the time, normally 3 grains on a hair rig and I've watched fish home in straight away on the larger bait and others pick up everything but the hookbait so I'm not sure there's a pattern. Before I moved to Canada, i fished for carp a lot in the UK and I used boilies (16 or 18mm) and particles (normally tiger nuts) and there was no difference in the size of fish taken with either bait. If the fish you're going for have never seen a boilie before it might take a while for them to turn on to them If you're using larger hooks for your hair rigs, you still need the same gap between hook and bait, if you scale up the length of the hair relative to the size of the hook, you'll miss fish as they'll take the bait but not always the hook or the can eject the whole lot much easier. Fish caught on float gear will move off and you see the bite before they feel resistance and panic,fish caught on the bottom feel the weight of the rig and bolt before or at the same time as you see the bite.

That spot in the second photo screams carp! Nice going

Nice going - bet it's quite refreshing being in a tube in this weather! I bought one last year and still haven't been out in it - must try harder!

Lots of carp in Hamilton harbour - that's where the fish in my avatar came from on a fly, no need to chum, just go for a walk and find some Fly-wise - woolly buggers and crayfish patterns as Chris suggests will do the trick. The hardest part is not spooking them with your cast.

I've had a pair of Bass Pro breathable waders for 3 years and they've served me well, with hindsight i went a size too big and they rubbed through on the seam but a bit of Aquaseal and they're waterproof again. Seem to remember they were just over $100 and they do make cheaper ones but no idea what they're like - looking their site, mine are the White River Classic ones. Agree with Bill on neoprenes, they'll cook you on all but the coldest days - I wear thermals and fleece pants with breathables all winter for steelheading

Nice going Chris! Using a rod you made yourself must just make it even more satisfying!

Float reel - free spooling, designed to pay out line at the pace of the current to give a drag free drift, normally larger diameter than an average freshwater fly reel, narrower and shallower spool. No drag (on most) and just has a clicker to stop it free spooling line all over the place when moving around with a rigged up rod. Designed to carry about 200yds of 8lb mono. Fly reel - no free spool, has a permamnent check mechanism to stop line coming off the spool unless it's pulled by the angler, deeper, wider spool to carry a thick fly line (~90ft long) plus 50-200yds of dacron backing. Many have a adjustable drag especially in larger sizes. Example - float reel on left, fly reel on right, it doesn't look it but the fly reel sppol is quite a bit wider...... Mike, those reels looks great, fantastic pieces of engineering - great job spinnerdoc!

Start off light with the bait until you find a spot, for lots of large fish in big water like Mike sees, gallons may be the order of the day but a small handful (half a cup to a cup) thrown where you can see it will still get eaten and will do just fine as a bed of bait as well. If they're not used to beds of bait, it spook them as much as attract them especially in shallow water. I just buy the larger cans from somewhere like Food Basics and take two with me but aalmost alway come home with one unopened. I don't bother with flavours or anything, the liquid the corn is in is nice and sweet. For rigs, I find hair rigs more effective than straight hooking but that could just be a confidence thing for me, otherwise I use the same as the pics above (Harrison - best rig pic - ever! ) Good luck!

There are lots of variations on spey casting - Skagit is one of the most simple and hence popular - here's a video..... As christopher says, it's great for casting with trees or a steep bank behind you - it's also a lot easier on your body than trying to punch out big flies lond distance with a single handed setup. That said you can do spey style casts with single handed rods too, I use that a lot on small streams for trout. It's not the most effective way to catch fish but it's fun - once it gets cold and the fish won't chase a fly, the float rod comes out with a stonefly or a bead on the end Edit to fix the video

This has to be one of the most informative threads on here - great job Lorne! FWIW I use the same up to the swivel but use braid (power pro) and a hair off the shank of the hook. Works well in clear water when you want the bait to move naturally - anything that doesn't behave right when they suck at it gets rejected. Need to find one of those forties when I've got my fly rod with me (the one in my avatar was taken on it) - that would be fun!!

Nice going! That last one is a beaut