u/ChanceWhole6565

Flatlanders fishing the high country

I've lived my 78 years in New England..at about 200 ft above sea level. I love fishing the west and the high ( 7500 to 12000) country. I've made annual trips for the last 33 years, anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks to Wyoming and Utah. My best friend lives at about 7000 feet, and the day after I arrive, we head to our favorite beaver pond at 8900 feet. Slight headache on the first day, but after that, im fine. I've read that your blood type can affect your ability to climatize. Im type O

I kept catching fish higher on each trip, finally broke the 11000 foot barrier, and caught fish on Boulder Mountain in Utah.

Grumpy Steve, another New Englander, and i headed to Colorado to fish at over12k. On that trip, 2 very much younger people died from altitude disease, 1 at 9k the other at 10k. Steve and I were perplexed.. we were smoking cigars at 12k and fishing.

So here's the question for fellow flatlanders. Do you go west to fish? How high up? Are you stressed by the altitude?

I posted twice about my ongoing skin cancers from too much sun exposure. Ive had 16 surgeries for skin cancer. I have fished the high country 8 to 10 thousand feet for the last 33 years. I started taking niacinamide after reading several studies on how it may reduce skin cancer by 25 percent for high-risk people..thats me. The whole family has had skin cancers..aunts uncles cousins siblings parents..I just had my 6 month check up hoping the niacinamide worked.

Well apparently not...4 biopsies...suspected basil cells cancers.. I've had 12 squamous and 4 basil cells so far, so maybe the basil cells are trying to catch up.

I posted twice about my ongoing skin cancers from too much sun exposure. Ive had 16 surgeries for skin cancer. I have fished the high country 8 to 10 thousand feet for the last 33 years. I started taking niacinamide after reading several studies on how it may reduce skin cancer by 25 percent for high-risk people..thats me. The whole family has had skin cancers..aunts uncles cousins siblings parents..I just had my 6 month check up hoping the niacinamide worked.

Well apparently not...4 biopsies...suspected basil cells cancers.. I've had 12 squamous and 4 basil cells so far, so maybe the basil cells are trying to catch up.

I have a profound hearing loss sometimes described as deaf as a haddock, over 100 dB in both ears. I wear Phonac hearing aids and speech read. I didn't start using hearing protection until I was around 30 when I bought my first 45 acp. As a kid, we shot 22s all the time , with no hearing protection. So now, at the range, I wear muffs, sometimes with foam plugs, if it's a particularly loud day.

Im off to Wyoming to fish.. been doing Wyoming trips since 1993. One of the hazards is bear encounters. We carry bear spray, but the wind never stops blowing in Wyoming, and if the bear is up wind, you could spray yourself. I also carry a 44 mag bear blaster. My great fear is I would have to use it and deafening myself even more. So I just bought inexpensive in the ear hunting hearing protection that amplifies sound but gives about 32 dB protection when you pull the trigger. I intend to use them while fishing. I've gone swimming more than once unintentionally and don't want to wear my usual $5k aids for that reason. We generally fish in pairs.. one guy has spray. The other guy has a hand cannon.

I have electronic muffs that amplify sound until there's a gunshot, but wearing skull crushing muffs while fishing would not be fun.

Is anyone else in the same boat? Any other deaf fly fishers?

While fishing a Lee's Ferry with Grumpy Steve, our guide, Dr. Pete showed me how to tie a fly on with forceps. I've been using forceps ever since. Tried to show a couple of fishing friends, but it was like..well, they didn't get it. I can change a fly twice as fast as they can.

Do you use forceps to tie on your fly?

I posted about my battle with skin cancers. This is a follow-up. During my 15th surgery, my dermatologist suggested I contact an oncologist. Good idea. I now consult with an oncologist at Boston Eye and Eye Hospital. He handles skin cancers above your shoulders as in facial and scalp cancers. I've had 4. I read an article in the BBC news that a study in the UK discovered that high-risk people , thats me ,that took 500mg of niacinamide twice daily reduced their cancers by 25%. I've been taking it for about 18 months and have been skin cancer free. I got really tired of being carved up every few months over the last couple of years. In my case, it's apparently working. I have my six month check soon, but I can't find any indication of skin cancer, and I'm really good at finding them, I check daily. So consider niacinamid... no side effects and cheap, especially when compared to MOHs surgery. I was paying my dermatologist Mercedes payments monthly for a while.

I bought a Filson vest in the mid-1990s and fished with it for around 10 years. At that time, I fished at least 100 days a year. I was on the San Juan fishing with Utah Jim, and he said if I was standing on a street corner in that vest, people would hand me change. It had completely faded and had a few holes and loose threads. So it went back to filson for repairs. Filson contacted me and said it was beyond repair, so they sent me a new Guide Pro Vest. Still have it and use it, but it's been back for repairs at least twice. I bought a small chest pack a few years back and now alternate between the two.

I bought the Filson based on their reputation and the advertising which stated you could hand it down to your grandchild. I love the design and still default to it frequently, but it wasn't bulletproof. I have other Folson products, but for the money, I can't justify buying any more. Do you have an opinion about Filson products?

My F150 came with P235/75r/17 originally... time for new tires. I have a set of P265/65r/17.. which came off my wife's SUV... About 4000 miles of use..im considering mounting on the Ford..the diameter difference is 0.3 inches ..the suv are slightly smaller. So rather than sped around 800 bucks, it seems like a good idea.

Opinions please

Larson liquid

Every time someone asks advice of a fly reel the immediate response is a lamson liquid. There's something suspicious about that. No one asks what their budget is or offers an alternative. Now I've been fly fishing for over 60 years..fished in 19 states and never met anyone using a Lansom. I've seen Hardy, Orvis, Loop..myriad other brands but not a Lansom. So im curious...why?

I've been fishing above 7000 feet for about 30 years. Wore a hat and long sleeve fishing shirts that i would roll the cuffs up, exposing the lower part of my forearms. Wet waded a lot. Well, 16 skin cancer surgeries later, I have some regrets.. not about fishing but not being more careful about sun exposure. Now I wear sunblock shirts and never roll the cuffs...sun gloves and sunscreen oh and hat. Occasionally, a face mask bandana.

Be careful, or you may end up like me.

I thought I'd add this.. was fishing Maine got a black fly bite. Was at my dermatologist and said ca. You look at this black fly bite. It hasn't healed. That's no black fly bite. That's a basil cell cancer. That was my first..so a black fly saved my life

My never humble opinion...Markey has been in Congress for 50 years, a professional politician who has been totally ineffective and introduced no bill of significance that passed. When he first ran for office, he championed term limits..

Moulton... I can't stand this guy! His political advertising is obnoxious. He is obnoxious! Another do nothing .

So it comes down to the lesser of two evils.

I prefer Matkey for 1 reason.. he's older than dirt, and if he's reelected, maybe in 6 years, we will get a candidate for the senate that is worth voting for rather than against.

What's your pick and why?

It will always be 128 to me...and when it's routes 95 and 93 at the same time, it's easier to just call it 128. What about you?

I've owned 3 F150s. The first 1979 that I retired at 249k miles . It was a Cape Cod truck, and everything on the cape rusts. My wife said you're not parking that in the driveway anymore, so it went. It lost an oil pump as I was turning into my drive way so no damage. Did timing chain once.. couple of clutches but nothing major. Next was a 1996 that I clocked 273,000 miles on until a corrosion issue killed the electrical system. Seven windshields due to the big dig in Boston, i had moved off the cape, and 3 alternators..never touched the motor except for plugs and serpentine belts. The current one is a 2014...only 130k but it came out of Texas and the bed has some rot above the wheel wells. Im currently looking for a pre 1990 online 6 300..I only drive 6000 miles a year now that I'm retired, and I figure the inline 6 will out live me.

The plastic bubble wrap on packaging is just nuts. I've been wearing hearing aids since 1996.. I recently bought Rayovac batteries. They came in a child proof package that instructed you to use scissors to open. Now I have to carry scissors to change batteries? Bought Zippo flints for a lighter I received as a gift. I used Zoppos 50 years ago, and the flints were packaged in cardboard..now some crazy plastic dispenser that's a nightmare. Button batteries..Duracell razor in particular.. if you don't have a razor-sharp knife, you'll never get through the plastic packaging. Any hand tool you buy now comes in impenetrable plastic bubble packaging. This is just plain nuts.

I bought a Filson vest in the mid-1990s and fished with it for around 10 years. At that time, I fished at least 100 days a year. I was on the San Juan fishing with Utah Jim, and he said if I was standing on a street corner in that vest, people would hand me change. It had completely faded and had a few holes and loose threads. So it went back to filson for repairs. Filson contacted me and said it was beyond repair, so they sent me a new Guide Pro Vest. Still have it and use it, but it's been back for repairs at least twice. I bought a small chest pack a few years back and now alternate between the two.

I bought the Filson based on their reputation and the advertising which stated you could hand it down to your grandchild. I love the design and still default to it frequently, but it wasn't bulletproof. I have other Folson products, but for the money, I can't justify buying any more. Do you have an opinion about Filson products?

I just saw an advertisement for hand tied flies. Since no machine can tie flies, I thought it was both rather odd and disingenuous . Long ago, many flies sold were made in Tanzania..I was told they were tied by villagers that were supplied with the materials and got a pittance per fly. Now, many flies are tied in Thailand..were the tier ties one type and size for their first 30 days of employment, and if they are consistent, they become full tome employees.

Larson liquid

Every time someone asks advice of a fly reel the immediate response is a lamson liquid. There's something suspicious about that. No one asks what their budget is or offers an alternative. Now I've been fly fishing for over 60 years..fished in 19 states and never met anyone using a Lansom. I've seen Hardy, Orvis, Loop..myriad other brands but not a Lansom. So im curious...why?