Aaron Christensen
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I’ They also have an interesting promotional photo in their ad.
Is this what I think it is? 😮
So long as you are thinking “japanese maple,” then yes, it is exactly what you think it is. 😉
Considering what you are looking for in a camera, it would be worth looking at the D60 (or perhaps D40). My bride just bought the D60. It has a nice compact size and is impressive for a relatively light and small camera with good features.
Nice shots, Neal.
I have a 50 mm (1.8) which I like, but don’t use — mostly because I am too lazy to change lenses. I will keep it on my D70 when I get my next camera body and I suspect that I might use it then.
Not sure about the price point on the 1.4, but maybe pick up or borrow a 1.8 and see if you will really use the new lens in that fixed focal length enough to justify the purchase.
I like the concept of prime lenses, but the 2.8 series of zooms have my strong attention at the moment. One down and two to go.
A guy in our local FFF affiliate club (Carolina Fly Fishing Club) has two toons built on JPW tubes, plus custom trailer, for sale due to some neck issues that prevent continued use. I can try to get you in touch with him if that would be helpful. They look like great boats but I don’t float toons enough to justify a second and third.
An interesting and thoughtful piece. The first downside for me is that I dislike dealing with insurance companies, even my own, despite the fact that my agent lives down the street. I also hesitate to make claims because I don’t want my rates to go up. Next, insurance companies can charge way too much for a rider on a given item. (for example, $300/year on an overpriced watch). Finally, some carriers might get the concept you propose but others would not. I don’t want to change my insurance carrier just because they are clueless about my fishing rods or anticipated experience rating.
Moving directly to the rod industry, maybe there is a middle-ground solution in the position that “I don’t want my rates to go up.” Seems to me that the “problem” consumer is the problem. The retail price can absorb one replacement but not several.
Maybe a rod mfg could benefit by limiting a fisherperson to one replacement for each registered rod. This could build brand loyalty, too. For example, a Wxyz owner could replace his/her 9 ft 5 wt two times, but doing so that second time would mean he/she is cashing in the warranty on some second Wxyz rod in the registered arsenal. Perhaps it could also be possible to buy additional replacement warranties once the first is used.
At the end of the day, since there is a real marginal cost to the mfg for each replacement, why not have an appreciable marginal cost to the consumer (maybe 30 to 50% of the new rod price), too? For practical purposes, insurance companies would reach the same result by raising rates in the face of too many claims.
Interesting conversation. Thanks for thinking about these issues and proposing some ideas.
Frank Burt Smoot — renowned fishing artist, fly angler, writer, conservationist, teacher, and humorist. Died a few years ago at age 99.
I became curious about the careful lettering.
Like Eric, I have always had success with tweezers, getting them close to the head/pincers and being careful to avoid squeezing their goo back into wherever they are attached.
A few more thoughts:
I don’t know much about paddles, but I do recommend the rudder. I would be very frustrated (or perhaps rudderless) without one.
Think through the type of anchor(s) best suited to your fishing conditions. Folding grapnel anchors are nice on sand/mud bottoms but they can be dangerous in current (leading you to tip over), very difficult to retrieve (especially if the current makes it difficult to get back up stream) and they can get hung up on trees/roots. As you can imagine, there are pros and cons to each type of anchor.
Before you mount accessories, think through whether they will interfere with your line. My next accessory will be some kind of stripping basket. It can be tough to manage a large pile of line in a kayak, especially with things like seat buckles, rod mounts and misc. items sticking out.
Not sure how stable that boat is, but outriggers can be useful in some unexpected ways. I caught some tows back up a river this past weekend. The boat would have flipped without them. Admittedly, outriggers are a fringe accessory so I would not rush into it. Yes, some people will say they look like sissy floats, but I like mine.
Not sure how you will transport the boat, but I usually put mine on a Yakima rack.
Try 9:30 – 10pm, under the bridge lights and the fish come alive. (At least they did for top water plugs back in my days of throwing hardware).
Brett,
I’m very new to this so I’ll tell you what I did for my first purchase. I could only afford one good(not incredible) lens so I went with the Nikon 18-200. Being a rookie I figure it is capable of doing most everything I would need at my current skill level. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been out fishing yet, mostly just around town and at home. I’m very happy with it so far. I also bought the 50mm 1.8. I bought the 50 for taking a lot of portraits of my daughter. I know its not the best portrait lens out there, but it is a lot of bang for the buck IMO and I really like the lens. I’ve used these two for about 4 months now and feel very comfortable that they were good purchases for starting out. That being said, I envy anyone with a 70-200 2.8 😉 and would love to have a Tokina 11-16 2.8 as an ultra wide. The 50mm 1.8 has showed me how great fast lenses are, which has pointed out some of the weaknesses of the 18-200. Unfortunately for me the 70-200 2.8 won’t be in the budget for a long time, but the Tokina may be with a birthday approaching.
Heres a few results from the 50mm 1.8. I know you can look at some of Neal Osborn’s stuff if you want to see some good results from the 18-200. I probably have more stuff right now that would show the shortcomings of the 18-200 than how good it is, but thats because I often try to use it for things it can’t do well(stopping fast action), which is my fault not the lens’. I’m rambling now so I’ll stop.
Nice work!
#1, at least so far. Maybe burn a little on the next few color images? #2 has strong potential and would probably be my favorite with better color because it presents the fly very well. Very nice work on the B&W, and maybe that could be better for some uses, but IMVHO the color really catches the eye for that particular image.
I pulled in a few hours ago from a kids & dads fishing weekend in the NC mountains. We stayed at a campground and there were plenty of trailers. (I was in a tent.) Several members of our group had pop ups but I still think I prefer an Airstream. While there, I looked at trailers of varying lengths and can see that a 20 – 22 foot trailer would probably be best for my wants. (Thanks for the comments, dannyo, your points certainly make sense) Would such a trailer be comfortable for a family of 4? The kids hate camp ground bathrooms so a “potty” would be a key component of the rig.
Not sure how far I would travel to get one, but if the deal was right I don’t mind travel through the south and southeast. (I have family in AL and PA)
Sometimes it is hard to find a 25 footer. Basically, anything 25ft and smaller is considered a “smaller” trailer, which means it can be pulled by a variety of vehicles. It seems that the smaller trailers hold their value better, perhaps because they appeal to a broader base of customers. People don’t have to buy a huge diesel or enormous truck to adequately pull a 6000lb. trailer. The diesel may do a better job, but a V8 will get it done as well. I’ll post some pics of our setup when I get off work tomorrow and figure it out. I love rollin’ with the Airstream and couldn’t imagine having anything else.
From my research you are right about shorter trailers holding their value better than longer trailers. Basically, there are some really nice deals on longer trailers. How much hassle is an extra 9 feet? I found a very affordable 34 foot 3-axle Airstream that appears to be in very good condition. I would prefer 20 – 22 foot, but I am not sure i want to pay several thousand extra so I can have a shorter trailer.
I have an 8 cylinder Durango with the towing package.
I have spent this Easter afternoon with my Father watching one of the best final rounds of the Masters in recent memory. The problem is every time they show the ponds on 13 and 15, I am focused on the proliferation of rise rings on the water. Great golf is happening and all I am thinking about is casting dries to the rising fish in the pond. My name is Shane and I am an addict.
Sounds like a good ad for HD television.
Dannyo, I am looking for a 23 or 25ft Safari, with a couch and twin beds. Not in a hurry, willing to wait to find exactly what I want. I hear you about the hail damage and expense of repair, definitely a downside to Airstreams. Because of local restrictions on parking a RV in the driveway, I will be storing the trailer in one of the storage caves we have here in the Kansas City area. Climate and
humidity controlled, plus reduces my chances of hail damage.I ran across this one –http://charlotte.craigslist.org/rvs/1114639890.html. It seems they are still proud of it but the inside looks amazing. The same unit is advertised in the Charlotte Observer newspaper and their ads suggest that there might be room to negotiate.
