bryan hulse
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Moosedog,
There are a number of catalogs listing used rods for sale that you can subscribe to for a nominal fee. The internet is free and a simple Google search will lead you to dozens of sights dealing in used cane. I’m not sure when it was published, but there is a spiral bound book titled The Bamboo Rod Restoration Handbook that is a pretty good reference for determining value based on manufacturer, condition, etc. (not present day market value); and, will also explain the old lettering system of identifying line size. But it sounds like your best resource for getting started would be your father-in-law. I’d approach him about buying two or three from his collectioin. I would think, too, that anyone who owned over 100 bamboo fly rods would know a little bit about the subject. Just a few notable manufacturers to look for in his collection would be Granger, Heddon, Phillipson, Wright & McGill, Orvis, even some of the old Montagues and South Bends were good fishing tools.
I’m no bamboo expert, but have owned and cast enough rods to have figured out that while knowing what I like/would like to fish with is no different than graphite, the wading through all of the variables to get there takes a lot longer. Taper is so important, so too is whether or not the cane was baked, flamed, impregnated with some kind of resin, treated with ammonia, finished with varnish or polyeurethane, or what kind of glue was used to hold the strips together. But, all of that stuff is what makes the learning fun–even if you just half-ass do it like I have :-/.
Bryan
What would you think of dealing in used cane, Joel? It would eliminate the wait that Jay was speaking of, and provide you and your clients a broader variety of tapers to choose from. You could keep a small inventory of good working rods on hand and maybe one or two sticks with real collectors’ value, like a Howells, Payne, some of the old Winstons, or something by one of the highly sought after, more contemporary builders like Mike Clark or Walt Carpenter.
Bryan
My wife and I stayed in Redstone, CO a few years ago. It is somewhat of an art community, but was once a mining town. It is south of Grand Junction, off of the 70. The inn we stayed at had been built to house the miners. The accomodations are nice (or charming, if it helps for the wife), but by no means are they luxurious. The little town of Redstone is small enough to walk through in an hour, even if you stop to look in most of the shops. It is a pretty little area. The residents seem to take a lot of pride in their community, lots of flower gardens and manicured lawns; we were there in July and the air literally buzzed with the beating of humming bird wings.
The area has access to good fishing.The Crystal River flows through the property and the inn can arrange for a guide; the Roaring Fork and Frying Pan are a scenic 30 minute drive.
If you are looking for night life and skiing, longitudinally, Aspen is only 15 miles away, but it takes better than an hour to navigate the distance.
From Redstone, it is about four hours to Denver and the 25, which will take you to NM.
Fishing in the Smokies has been spotty at that time of year, at least from my experiences. And, it wouldn’t be uncommon to see the day time temperatures not get out of the 30s. The AR tailwaters, on the other hand, are usually ramping up around then.
I would do AR in late March; and, next time around, plan to do GSMNP in late April or early May.
Bryan
Didn’t Nautilus used to be Old Florida, and the Nautilus the last model they introduced under the Old Florida name before going under, or being bought out?
Cameron,
That is a beautiful rod. Did you get the impression it would handle larger nymphs, or a couple of bbs, without a lot of horsing?
Splitshot
Drifter,
I’ve hiked and fished Pebble just the one time. It is beautiful and scenery and the fishing warrants another trip.
I live in Nashville and used to make about three trips to the Hiwassee each year, usually December, March or April, and again in September. I used to camp at Quinn Springs, and I still prefer it to the other camping areas, but it began to get too much night time traffic to make me feel I, or my things, were really safe. The Outfitter is good because it is somewhat monitored, right on the river, and they have those cold showers to look forward to at the end of the day–as part of the cost of admission.
Would you want to look at a weekend in early April for the caddis, Hendrickson, and bwos? We could throw out a date, keep it informal, and make it an all comers are welcome?
Splitshot
It’s pretty cool to read that so many on the board enjoy both so much. We should put together a long weekend trip to Eagle or Hazel Creeks, for those of us living in the SE. I would still like to organize a Spring car camping to Elkmont or the Hiwassee. Both have advantages. The Hi fishes very well from late March until the rafters take over in mid-May. I believe it is one of the most beautiful rivers anywhere. It also offers several good day long floats for those with boats, canoes, pacs, and float tubes. Elkmont is great because–it’s just great.
Moosedog, thanks for posting the pics. I’m attaching a few that I’ve taken while in the backcountry. The first two were made with a cheap Polaroid.
Somewhere in the Sierra
Deer in camp, Pebble Creek
Elk on the bank of the Madison
Camp in Sierras
Bison at Hellroaring Creek
Buddy eating instant pudding, shore of Ostrander Lake.Bryan
I watched a documentary on the Xingu on the Travel Channel two weekends ago. I imagine it will be rebroadcast.
Bryan
Matt,
I recently saw that lens and thought it looked pretty nice. I think it is a relatively new addition to Canon’s lineup. Eventually pair that with the 10-22 and you will be set.
I also read last week that Canon might be announcing some new models early next month (Feb.), a 40D another version of the 5D, and an even bigger improvement on one of the MKII…–the naming confuses me. The 40D is expected to have a DIGI II processor, 10.2 mps, and some other minor enhancements, including better dust sealing.
Bryan
Zach,
Nice mouse. . .lemming. . .rodent 😉
When you guys tie(or buy)mouse patterns do you do so mostly with bass or big trout in mind? Mouse patterns are common for big trout in AK. I’ve read that taimen like them, too. See them all the time among the bass ties in catalogs. But last year I saw a contest show on OLN and the winners were out west and chucking and stripping them across a small river for relatively big, but not huge, trout.
What part of a deer do you use for the best results?
Bryan
Davy,
Thank you for responding. What I was trying to get at is: could tungsten, because of its density, ever be used in nymph and midge hooks. I figured it might be one more way to sink a fly, and in the case of midge larvae and pupae, still retain a slender profile.
Thanks again for letting me wonder out loud.
Bryan
My favorite winter fishing garment is a yak wool sweater my brother bought for $5 while in Kathmandu. It is about 3/8s of an inch thick and sheds perspiration, retains heat, and repels water about as well as any treated plastic costing 50 or 60 times more. But, it smells like a yak when it is wet and can be a little scratchy. I would still take my Gore-Tex for an extended rain, and certainly a storm, but for off and on again drizzles or snow the natural fiber stuff is just fine. Especially gloves. I don’t think a $5 pair of wool gloves can be beat for winter fishing.
Dave, you, Steve, and Cameron have me convinced that maybe I should give the UA stuff a look–maybe the Smart Wool, too–for layering.
Thanks.
Bryan
Richard,
Thanks for responding to the post, and there is certainly no reason to apologize for the delay. I look through the galleries on your web site from time to time and can’t believe that changing equipment could improve them; you’ve made some beautiful images.
I wasn’t trying to fuel the debate of which is better either–Nikon vs. Canon. For the most part theirs is a neck and neck race with no finish line in sight, which certainly benefits everyone who enjoys taking pictures.
Zach, you were right when you recently wrote that some people just lack an eye for what is artistic, or good composition. In the end cameras don’t take pictures, people do :-?. For most of us the technical aspects that you, Richard, and several others on the board seem to know so well, is a little like wedding planning:
Zach (and all interested),
Here is the link to the Tennessean article http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070123/NEWS02/701230347. It provides a little more detail than the WKRN news story I watched last night.
The Channel 2 story led me to believe that the water release would be for an extended period of time. According to the paper the draw down would be only two weeks. Regardless of the time frame, both mention that the long term-term effects on the fishery could be far reaching.
It is a shame that this is happening. The Cumberland, in my opinion, easily rivals the White River system in terms of quality fishing, and my casual observations lead me to think it has richer and more diverse aquatic ecosystem. But honestly, what is the loss of a few thousand brown trout and a bunch of bugs compared to the death of just one person because of a dam breach.
Zach, is your article for Fly Fisherman posted in the Articles section. I’d like to read it.
Bryan
