Another Great tampa bay fishing guide Article
Faith For Dummies--Fly Fishing With Dub

Years ago I lived next door to the perfect neighbor. His name was Dub. He was an avid sportsman and often included me on his Saturday adventures into the woods and wilds of Northern Colorado.

Dub has since gone on to his eternal reward, but I think about him often. My favorite memories of Dub center on the occasions when we grappled with spiritual matters. He often surprised me with his well thought out answers to my many questions. He made sense out of deep and profound concepts. Dub answered questions without making a person feel dumb and embarrassed for not knowing the answer.

I discovered this one fall morning on the first of many fishing expeditions with Dub. We loaded up his old truck with fly rods, waders and tackle. By 5 AM we were rumbling toward The Poudre canyon and the great fishing spot he had told me about.

The first light of dawn sliced through the canyon to meet us as we donned our gear and began making our way down to the treasured "s" curves of the river below. Dub stopped and pointed silently at the river. Looking down at the dark water I saw a small triangular shaped patch of light playing on the surface of the river. The outlines of four fish were illuminated by the sudden splash of sunlight. Dub turned to me. His voice just above a whisper, "Isn't that the perfect picture of how God works?"

"I guess I'm not sure what you mean."

"Those fish were there all along, but we didn't know it. A higher source, in this case the sun, had to do something to help us see." He looked at me to gauge my reaction. My face no doubt belied my lack of understanding. Dub persisted. "Don't you see? The truth about God is all around us, but we don't have a clue. We can't see it until God opens our eyes and then suddenly he reveals himself and we see the truth."

It was my initiation in to what I call Dub's Bible Basics for Dummies Like Me. That Saturday as we fished together standing waist deep in the frigid water of the Cache Le Poudre River, Dub began to teach me about God and His creation. Woven into the memory of that day is the joy of catching a lot of fish and having a great deal of discussion about the nature of God.

At one point I asked, "Dub, are you saying that God actually reveals himself in nature?"

"Sure, its what the theologians call general revelation."

"You'll have to explain that one, Dub."

"Its simply the idea that a man can figure some things out about God just by looking at the things God created. The Bible puts it like this." To my surprise Dub reached into his pocket and pulled out a little book which I supposed was a Bible. He began reading. "because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse."

Dub put the tiny Bible back in his pocket before continuing. "Although we can't possible fathom everything about an infinite and divine being like God, it is clear that we have been given enough information about God that we have no excuse not to acknowledge Him."

"But aren't you making an assumption that there is a God and that he created everything?

"You're right on both accounts." Dub conceded. "But what if, for the sake of argument, we decided to proceed under those assumptions?" He stopped to collect his thoughts. "After all, didn't we sort of do that this morning before we left the house?"

"Sorry, Dub, you lost me again."

"Well, I told you that I knew about a great fishing hole, right?"

"Right."

"So, did you know for sure that you would catch fish here?"

"No, but I had a pretty good idea that I would."

"So you made an assumption. And I'm betting you're glad you made that assumption." He winked at me as I nodded affirmatively. "But let me ask you this." Dub stopped talking momentarily to adjust the tension on his line. "What if you had made the assumption that there were no fish and therefore decided not to make the trip this morning?"
I could see where he was going. "I would have been wrong and..."

"You would have missed something really great wouldn't you."

Suddenly as if on cue the tip of my rod dipped violently toward the water. I instinctively lifted my rod and gripped the line to keep it taut. The fish broke the surface exposing his white belly, and flared gills, revealing the red intricacy within. Twisting and bucking he cleared the water by his own length or more. I struggled to keep the tension on the line, but the Herculean leap toward me had too much power and velocity behind it. The elk hair caddis that had been lodged in his mouth was suddenly free and the fish was gone. For a moment the only sound I could hear was the rapid drumming of my heartbeat in my ears.

Dub continued talking as I inspected my leader. "So why can't we talk about God from the assumption that there actually is a God? If we're wrong, no harm done. But, if we are right Well, we might just find something good."

It was a reasonable proposition. We fished and talked until the sun slipped behind the western peaks. Exhausted and fulfilled we made our way back to the truck. As we drove home I thought of one last question I needed to ask. I found the right words as the headlights of Dub's truck illuminated his driveway.

"Dub, today while we were talking about God." He looked at me over the rim of his glasses. "You said a lot of things that came out of the Bible. Right?"

"Yeah, you're right."

"Well, I don't mean to be hard headed or anything, but what would you say to the man who is not so sure he believes in the Bible?"

Dub smiled and said, "Well, I would say to him, 'You know, I read about this great fishing place up on the Big Thompson. Why don't we go check it out?'"

Ken is a pastor, writer, composer,web designer,promoter living in Greeley Colorado with his wife and two children. His articles and poems have been published in various magazines. He writes a monthly column for the Greeley Tribune called "Faith For Dummies" which features spiritual insights gathered through outdoor sports and recreation

Fishing for phishers.d

Netcraft goes fishing for phishers.

Netcraft has released an Internet Explorer plug-in that could help people avoid becoming victims of online fraud.
The Internet security company heralded the plug-in toolbar, which displays information about the Web sites a surfer is visiting, as a strong weapon against phishing attacks.
The Netcraft Toolbar provides you with constantly updated information about the sites you visit as well as blocking dangerous sites, the company, best known for providing statistics on what software Web sites are running, stated in a posting. "This information will help you make an informed choice about the integrity of those sites."
The toolbar displays information about the popularity of a site, the country in which the site is hosted and the Internet address of the site. It also indicates whether other toolbar users have flagged the site as a possible phishing scam, which uses fake Web sites that look like they belong to a trusted provider, such as a bank, to fool people into handing over sensitive personal information.
The effectiveness of the toolbar will largely depend on how widely the software is adopted, Netcraft Director Mike Prettejohn said.
"If the big banks go for branded versions to give to their customers, then (it will be) very effective," he said. "It's only been public for two days, and there is already an effective community of people blocking phishing sites."
The software is available as a plug-in for Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser and can be downloaded from Netcraft. A version of the program that runs on the Firefox browser from the Mozilla Foundation is also under development, the company said.
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Netcraft has released an Internet Explorer plug-in that could help people avoid becoming victims of online fraud.
The Internet security company heralded the plug-in toolbar, which displays information about the Web sites a surfer is visiting, as a strong weapon against phishing attacks.
The Netcraft Toolbar provides you with constantly updated information about the sites you visit as well as blocking dangerous sites, the company, best known for providing statistics on what software Web sites are running, stated in a posting. "This information will help you make an informed choice about the integrity of those sites."
The toolbar displays information about the popularity of a site, the country in which the site is hosted and the Internet address of the site. It also indicates whether other toolbar users have flagged the site as a possible phishing scam, which uses fake Web sites that look like they belong to a trusted provider, such as a bank, to fool people into handing over sensitive personal information.
The effectiveness of the toolbar will largely depend on how widely the software is adopted, Netcraft Director Mike Prettejohn said.
"If the big banks go for branded versions to give to their customers, then (it will be) very effective," he said. "It's only been public for two days, and there is already an effective community of people blocking phishing sites."
The software is available as a plug-in for Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser and can be downloaded from Netcraft. A version of the program that runs on the Firefox browser from the Mozilla Foundation is also under development, the company said.
An elite team of regular "Joes's" fighting back & making huge cash online one day at a time.
dDawg as a team has been able to create a profit on the internet.
str8junk/heavyhitter.html

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

An elite team of regular "Joes's" fighting back & making huge cash online one day at a time.
dDawg as a team has been able to create a profit on the internet.
str8junk/heavyhitter.html

Choosing The Proper Fly Fishing Leader and Tippet

Selecting the correct tapered leader and tippet for the type of fishing you are about to do is crucial. Nothing can spook fish quicker than an oversized tippet for the particular situation. On the other hand, and undersized tippet can result in the fly fisher losing their trophy before they even get a photo opportunity. We will start at the very basic of leader and tippet selection and then get more specific, and hopefully conclude with enough information so well always have the proper leader and tippet for all upcoming fishing scenarios.

What is leader and tippet

Leader and tippet is the final connection between the fly fisher and their fly. It is the section of line after the fly line and before the fly. Its purpose is to transfer energy from the fly line down to the fly, allow for natural presentation of the fly, and then be strong enough for the fly fisher to retrieve any fish that might strike at the naturally presented fly. Sounds simple enough, but this is fly fishing, and fly fishers have been around a long time. And as a group we seem to think about everything related to our sport a lot, and therefore probably have over complicated things a tad.

The leader in fly fishing is tapered. It is thicker at the butt section, then at the tippet section. It is usually divided into three sections, the butt is tied directly to the fly line, and is the longest portion of the leader, about 60%. The mid-section is next and its purpose is to taper down to the tippet without losing a lot of strength. The final section is the tippet, it is the actual section that is tied to the fly. It is the thinnest section, it needs to be strong, yet allow for a natural drift, without alarming the fish that your offering is connected to a person that will pull back.

Commercial leaders by and large achieve all this in one smooth product. Although there are still knotted leaders out there, by and large knotless leaders are the choice. It is possible to construct you own leaders and many people do. But that is the topic of another article. A fly fisher does, however need to know how to attach new tippet portion to the fly line, I prefer the double surgeons knot, but the blood knot is also popular. Learn how to tie these knots before fighting that monster! A poorly tied knot will reveal itself at the most opportune times.

X factor

Now comes the fun part. A new set of numbers to learn. Different numbers then choosing flies or fly rods. Fly fishing is overwrought with numbering systems, and unfortunately leaders and tippets you are just going to need to learn. They are sized on the X numbering system. So when you hear someone say they are switching to a 6X, you now know they are talking about their tippet. X measures the diameter of the leader minus .011. So a 6X would measure .005. A 0X would actually measure .011. One really only needs to remember the HIGER the X, the smaller the diameter. The other number worth noting the test, or breaking factor, a 4lb test leader will break when more than 4lbs pressure are applied. This is worth noting, and many a trophy are lost when violating that #.

There are many variable to consider when selecting the right X, but the two most common are the size of fish you are going after, and the size of fly you are using when going after them. A quick guide is as follows:

X Fly
0 2-6
1 4-8
2 4-10
3 6-12
4 6-14
5 12-16
6 16-20
7 20-24
8 24 and smaller

Length

One must also think about the length of the leader itself. Leaders are sold these days anywhere from 4 feet to 15 feet. There are many things to consider when deciding on length, some are variable like wind and water clarity. Other variable are static like size of fish, current, etc.

Typically the easier it is to spook a fish, the longer the leader you will need to use. So

The industry seems to have settled on 91/2 feet as a good all-around length. For everything from trout to steelhead to tarpon. It is a good length to handle for all levels of fly casters, and it gives enough distance between the splash down of the fly line and the fly as to not spook most fish under most circumstances.

From this standard we can then begin to think of reasons we might need to adjust. Spring creeks or spring fed lakes will probably require 15 feet of leader. Whereas sinking tip lines used in spring run off will use as leaders as short as 4 feet. A weed choked largemouth bass pond will require a shorter, stouter leader, and therefore you will be able to muscle your fish away from snags. But a trout caught in a spring creek will have the advantage because your leader will easily break off due to its lightness. Windy days might require one to shorten up a bit to ease in casting. When switching from nymphing to dry flies one might need to lengthen a bit.

Summary

I hope this has clarified and not complicated things a bit. What all this means is one must carry a good assortment of tapered leaders and even more importantly tippets with them at all times. There are many times I switch sizes in the same day. If I am fighting fish deep in faster current during the day, I might go down one X factor, and then in the evening if I am dry fly fishing in shallow slow water, Ill go up two X factors.

Not having the correct tippet can handicap ones ability to land fish, either by breaking off if too small, or spooking them if too large. It is a nominal expense compared to the rest of your equipment, and a bad place to start watching that fly fishing budget. So make sure youre well stocked for every imaginable situation before you hit the water. I guarantee you at some point you will be glad you are.

About The Author

Cameron Larsen is a retired commericial fly tier and fly fishing guide. He now operates The Big Y Fly Company. bigyflyco/flyfishinghome.html. He can be reached at info@bigyflyco. This article will appear in the Big Y Fly Fishing E-Zine at Http://www.bigyflyco/Bigyflyfishingezine.html.

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