DOUG DUVALL

Colin, Sometimes here in the U.S. too! The bigger the "bass boat", the bigger the ego, attitudes, & usually problems. I have noticed however, that usually the small craft with one man are more cordial & observant & will steer clear of us bank bound anglers fairly well. Alas, another similarity between our lands! Yours in America, Doug Duvall

Gentlemen, Well, thank you for the replies! Far be it from me to act in any other way than...awe! I am really not a purest to any one particular fly or school or method. I like them all! But, I do have a particular pension for the wets, nymphs, & streamers of the past because they work so well on my local waters. Again, not for trout although not by choice but by geography. I would love to have the beautiful trouts a little closer to home. I fish for what I have locally i.e. bluegill, bass, crappies, etc. On my list of things to do someday is the line item "visit England & all the fine friends there abouts". You also have a large & diverse county with alot of large & diverse waters & methods to fish them. Again, I stand in awe of the folks who ushered in the modern way of fishing with flies. Teach me what you know & how it is in your part of that greatest of countries, England! I will be listening from now on & not talking so much. More later as you request it! From this side of the Atlantic, Doug Duvall P.S. Many thanks to all of you for the kind responses to my many questions! In the future, I would like to know about the "terminal tackle" of how you fish. The knots, leaders, rods, etc.

Dear Trout Temptor, Again, some more silly questions from your Member for America. I just read your post about foot & mouth disease that ran rampant through your great country last year. How did that affect fishing especially in your area? I remember watching on tv (the telly?) the carnage that the farmers & livestock growers had to endure because of the rapid spread of that disease. I too live on a small farm here in eastern Ohio & we raise cattle. We also have 2 small ponds surrounded by pasture land. If this were to happen in this country, how would that affect the fish & fishing in those ponds? I hope you respond & you don't think these questions to much. Curious in U.S.A., DOUG DUVALL dduvall@ovis.net e-mail if you so desire!

Gentlemen, I will try to be a little more brief this evening. By the way, it's going toward 10pm as I am writing this. And I understand that you fine folks in England are 5 hours ahead of us in the states. This is stated to give myself a little perspective in this shrinking world connected by the famous internet! I have a question. It's about G.E.M. Skues. I just got done reading a book about him by Kenneth Robson entitled "The Essential G.E.M. Skues". To me the book is fascinating! I realize that Mr. Robson took the best writings & manuscripts from each of Skues books & alot of his personal letters & articles from various magazines that he (Skues) contributed. My question, is Skues still respected & read & appreciated by all in England? I am aware of the ill feelings between the followers of F.M. Halford & Skues himself (Halford dying many years before Skues) and the friction of nymph & wet fly fishing versus dryfly only fly fishing on certain waters especially in the south of England. Does anyone care to comment? How is it today? Are many waters (private or public) still dry fly only? Do most of the fly fishers in your part of the county favor (favour?) one fly (or method) over the other? I guess that's more than one question. Also, I have a keen liking toward soft-hackled wet flies which are credited as being used more often by your neighbors in the north county. I hope by making this simple statement that I haven't offended anyone. What is the reality of fishing the north country? Do some of you fish there often? At all? Is it ok to do so? Again, excuse me for being more than just a little stupid on most of these matters which transend the realm of flyfishing into social & potentially political issues. Here in the states, we have alot of water. But the ways of men & how they fish differ greatly. It is not unusual to find flyfishers & spincasters pounding the same stretch of water for trout (especially) & it's tough sometimes to find a section of water that is somewhat private & peaceful. That's why pond & small stream fishing for other species appeals to me. Please let me know how it is in your "neck of the woods"! With a question always at the ready, Doug Duvall

Friends, Wow! These responses have been great! Newt, you asked about how & what I fish for here in the states. I would like to answer that one first if I may. In the area where I live, which is in the southestern side of the state of Ohio, there are no native trout. None. Our gracious state & federal fisheries fellows stock our local lakes (not too many streams though) with mainly rainbow trout. They are trucked in every spring feb/mar/apr & dumped into the lakes at differing spots. The fish, if left alone, usually disperse quite well over the next week or so after they are planted. Trolling with spinners or baiting your hook with corn or marshmellows or "powerbait" is usually the norm in taking these fish. Rarely, are any taken on the flyrod from either a boat or shore. I have taken trout this way & it's o.k. It is definately a "put & take" fishery. By early summer, one can hardly catch a trout in either the shallows or the deep. I truly don't know where they go or what happens to them (assuming some make it past the eager fishermen). One does not hear of hold over trout too often. The species of fish I like to take in the lakes & ponds are largemouth bass, black & white crappie, & bluegill. Forgive me folks, catfish & carp just do not seem all that interesting to me. I grew up fishing for both of these species but I don't persue them much anymore. In the streams around my home we have smallmouth bass. We have lots of other fish living in these streams with carp & catfish & white bass all occupying the same space in the stream as our beloved smallie. For him, I fish with the flyrod & the spinning rod. In & around my home (I live in the country) I have several small ponds which our locals stock (but not on any regular basis) with bluegill, largemouth bass & crappie. The bluegill is my all-time favorite because of his willingness to readily take a great variety of my flies that are offered to him. I have fished for them twelve months out of the year with winters being occasionally kind & the waters remaining open. We are blessed with abundant rainfall & many good waters to fish & for that I am eternally greatful. I have fished many other waters in this great land of ours but not as often as I would like. I particularly like matching time honored traditional patterns to our local ponds & lakes & we even "match the hatch" when appropriate (which isn't too often unfortunately). Enough about me. I would like to talk sometime about the tackle and flies that I use & compare notes with all of you. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am very interested in author/anglers such as G.E.M. Skues, F.M. Halford, and others more contemporary too! Can anyone offer insights, likes & dislikes, comments pro or con? I am hungry for any info. I can get my hands on. Thank you for listening. More later if you would like more ramblings. Doug

Colin, Many thanks to you for the interesting web-sites. I will try them as time permits. I am having a little difficulty with the time difference between here & there. When I posted last, the clock on main menu of the message board said that my message had been issued at 4:22 a.m. the previous day. It was appx. 11:22 p.m. from where I sat. Would that be correct? Yes, I was aware that my caplocks was on. It's a habit I have fallen into. Over here, it is said that when that happens, you are yelling at someone. Believe me, I am yelling at none of you! I am looking forward to "listening in" once in a while to these posts & I hope you do not mind the occasional question from a rank amateur such as myself. Remember to "Fish when you can, not only when you should"! Best Regards, Doug Duvall

TO ALL THE NEW FRIENDS IN ENGLAND, ALLOW ME TO INTRODUCE MYSELF. MY NAME IS DOUG DUVALL. I LIVE IN A SMALL TOWN IN OHIO, USA & WE ARE DRAWN TOGETHER WITH A COMMONALITY CALLED FLYFISHING. I HAVE, OVER THE YEARS, BEEN READING ABOUT THE HALLOWED WATERS & THE MEN WHO HAVE FISHED THEM OF ENGLAND. FASCINATING! WHAT A RICH HERITAGE & TRADITION. I AM A LITTLE HESITANT TO SAY OUT LOUD MY FAVORITE BRITISH AUTHOR(S) FOR FEAR OF SCORN. WE ALL HAVE A CERTAIN LEVEL THAT WE GRAVITATE TOWARD IN FLYFISHING (I.E. DRYFLY ONLY, WETFLY ONLY, LAKE FISHING VS. STREAMS OR SMALL PONDS). I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW BEFORE I BLOW OFF AT THE MOUTH WHERE I STAND WITH SUCH A DISTINGUISHED GROUP. I HAVE MANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING HISTORIES OF PATTERNS & THE PEOPLE WHO CREATED THEM & ABOUT THE WATERS BOTH RUNNING & STILL OF WHICH YOU SEEM TO BE SO RICHLY BLESSED. MAYBE, THROUGH CASUAL OBSERVING OF THESE BOARDS & THE OCCASIONAL QUESTION OR TWO, I CAN GAIN SOME INSIGHT INTO YOUR WORLD OF FLYFISHING AS IT GOES IN GREAT BRITAIN. IF I AM OUT OF LINE IN INQUIRING OF SUCH PLEASE TELL ME SO RIGHT OFF. I WILL CHECK OUT THESE POSTS NIGHTLY FOR ANY RESPONSES. YOURS IN THE SPIRIT OF ANGLING WITH THE LONG RODS, DOUG DUVALL U.S.A.