Aaron Christensen
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I would call Pete Petre of Ducks Plus hunting lodge outside of Houma, LA, to see if he could set you up with a room. Pete knows fish, since that is what he does for a day job. He would tell you where to go and wish you the best, if that is what you wanted.
However, while his place is on the water, it might still be filled with BP folks – I think he cancelled duck hunting for this year once they rented for the entire season.
In a worst case, he might give you suggestions for where to stay – not many options down in that part of the bayou.
In a best case, you might end up there when they are cooking ducks on the grill and crawfish in the pot.
The story idea is excellent – maybe run the trip as a break even with hopes that publicity might result in more revenues.
Every year, some friends put on a Kids and Dads fly fishing weekend. Here is a video of last year’s trip: http://vimeo.com/11124836 as put together by one of the lead organizers. We even made t-shirts. (We eat right, too. Spaghetti on Friday night. Pulled pork on Saturday night.) Traditionally, we hold this at Helton Creek Campground, in the area of West Jefferson, NC, usually in April. If anyone with kids wants to join us, send me a PM.
Here is a photo I like from one of the trips:
My girls have pink fly rod combos from Bass Pro Shop. Yesterday, I bought some small pom poms from Michael’s, thinking they might like to “tie” some of their own flies.
The kids love the weekend — they can fish for as long as their attention span holds, or just have fun. Some of the older kids are very good fishermen and getting better. The one young man (age 15 at the time) is already very accomplished fisherman and tier. His younger brother is not far behind.
Some of the technical gear is the best stuff made — A few years back, I scored a Mountain Hardware down coat for 75% off in a local Charlotte store. It is made for climbing Everest but I guess there were not enough people interested in that kind of product in our local market. I can think of two trips in particular where I was very glad I had it. Smart Wool socks? — I love those, too.
Simms are great products but I don’t use them (except for a pair of Simms boots that I am not overly impressed with). Admittedly, I covet a pair of Simms wading pants. For the money, however, the top end Hodgman are very good (but I have found their lower end product to be worse than worthless). Some of the high-priced fishing shirts seem hard to justify, as well.
I have tried some of the highest priced rods on the market but I don’t need them to enjoy my day.
It is an impressive effort. The tribute article was very moving – and it is rare to describe a magazine in those terms. The photography was also very engaging. Some magazines have that quality, but not most. (I didn’t read the hunting article, but I will – the images were engaging but I ran out of time to give the article its due).
I have the highest hopes that your effort will succeed for you as a business proposition, as well. Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I wonder how the merchandise side is working out? Nothing wrong with it, but out of my tinted lenses, there seems to be an industrial edge to some of the merchandise design. Nothing wrong with it, but I wonder if that is really talking to your target audience. Maybe broaden it a little? I can think of several people that would be engaged in the media but probably would not like the merchandise.
That Camera Armor Seattle bag looks like the closest thing to a solution I have ever seen.
For hobbyists, another option is to keep an older DSLR for rugged terrain. I keep my old D70 for this purpose but use my better gear in more forgiving environments. Admittedly, my new camera is more rugged, and has a better sensor, but I still can’t bring myself to taking it into rough conditions. I would think differently if the trip was more about photos than it was about fishing.
Here is a shot I took with my older (spare) D70. This was between the 3rd and 4th falls on this particular stream, as I recall:
It takes a rope to get to the spot, after a few miles of hiking. Tough to manage a fly rod getting up there. Having a camera makes it just a little bit harder. The newer camera would have been better, but I am too nervous to risk it.
That is my friend Doc in the photo. He is mellowing some with age, after a life of outdoor adventure sports. However, he is still game for types of outdoor recreation that most will never experience.
For wild fish on western NC steams, the Thunder Head is a traditional pattern that is supposed to be a trout slayer.
I have been using the Induro C-314 for almost a year now. I purchased it from Andorama on sale for $249, I really scored on a awesome tripod IMO. This Induro tripod retails for a little more than double the amount of what I paid. It’s rock solid and very durable, it has been trouble free since day one!
Wow, that was an awesome deal.
I finally bit the bullet (12/13/10) and ordered the tripod I think will meet my needs, but admittedly, it is not a travel category killer if price is ignored.
That photo from National Geographic still gives me the willies: http://www.thomaspeschak.com/
Paul, I have the D300s matched with a dream lens, at least for me. I love the setup. Very glad to have it but it does seem indulgent for my amateur uses. I could get by fine with the D90 or D200 and the same lens but I appreciate and value what the 300 offers. I would buy it again so long as it wouldn’t stretch the budget and cause excessive domestic unrest. (I got by with eye rolls at the time of purchase.) If I wanted to cut corners somewhere, I would go with the lens (in my case a 24-70 2.8) and the more affordable body. I am in the Cotswold area if you want to stop by sometime and check it out.
Here is a picture that reflects the potential of the set up:
It can use some work – straightening and whitening the teeth, maybe a closer crop – but otherwise I like it and have convinced myself that the right equipment (good lens, better sensor than I had before on my D70, quick auto focus, multiple FPS) helps me get the results I am after, even as a relative hack. Truth be told, however, I have some great shots off my old D70, as well. Good equipment helps, but I don’t think you can buy your way to great results.I will chase smallies tomorrow (despite the fact that it is opening day for doves in NC) and feathers on Monday.
