douglas mc.
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I think everyone’s really missing the point here… A THIRTY DAY FLOAT TRIP?!?! That sounds unbelievably epic. I did a few 4 or so day ones this season and they were physically draining enough (admittedly we pushed the boundaries of daylight)… I can’t even imagine thirty days. That sounds absolutely fantastic though. How are you planning on dealing with things like camera batteries for that duration?
I agree. It’s unbelievable that a 30 day float trip is even possible anymore. That is unreal. After listening to your podcast episode recently, Justin, I must say that I am extremely jealous of your lifestyle.
Hi Douglas,
What are the differences, in your view? Why/how is the Echo rod better? I’ve actually only been messing with Spey sticks for a couple of years now, and so am still in the process of learning the thing, and any specifics you could provide would be much appreciated.
The Echo TR has a stiffer butt and mid section, which I find makes it easier to lift big flies and sink tips and sinking heads. I’m not good at describing actions, but I personally think the Echo has a nicer action and feel (ie, I can put my casts where I want them whereas I feel like I’m just hucking the cast in a general direction with the TFO). I have a harder time with snap T’s using the TFO. I can cast further with the Echo.
The warranty and service are about the same for TFO and Echo with both being excellent. I know a lot of people who absolutely love their Deer Creek’s and everyone’s perception and opionion is different, so it wouldn’t hurt to cast both if you get a chance. Bob Meiser designed the Deer Creek series, and he knows what he is doing.
If you’re in the States, Poppy at the Red Shed Fly shop on the Clearwater river in Idaho has a program where he will loan out demo rods for the cost of shipping and I believe he carries both brands, so that may be a good chance to try both. I know you are buying a back-up, but either of these rods may become primary rods after you cast and fish with them.
Hope this helps, Justin.
For the same money, look at the Echo TR, especially if you have flipped to the Skagit darkside. I have a TFO and think it is a good value and ok rod, but the Echo is a really good rod.
Is it weird that I voted “Super fast recovery/Limber” with a couple of modern fiberglass rod models in mind?
I also had a specific type of fishing in mind, as well. Skip to a different scenario, my answer would change.
My intention was not to insult, but if that insulted you, then you have other issues.
There are many good programs and methods to train a finished dog (on obedience, hunting, or otherwise). Seek out a professional trainer (not at the local pet store either) that can teach you the proper way about training your dog and you’ll have a dog you can live with, fish with, or whatever else you want to do, regardless of breed or pedigree of a dog.
To answer the question about Wolters, my grandfather was good friends with a trainer that helped correct Wolters dogs. I believe his books were the best selling dog training books of all time, but, fact is, Wolter’s never trained a dog in his life. He would pay someone for a finished dog and he would try to continue “training’ on his own, undoing much of the progress along the way. Then he would pay someone to correct the dog. This can be verified by many current breeders and professional trainers still in the business that knew Wolters personally. You can google dog training sites and find many instances of similiar acknowledgement to this fact as well. His program does not include the tools to properly build a groundwork of solid obedience and moves too quickly. It’s good to start early, but obedience should be solid before moving along in the dog’s training program.
For whatever reason, telling a person that their dog isn’t trained is like calling their first born kid fat and ugly (but 99% of the time the kid [s:35pvdk9h]is fat[/s:35pvdk9h] was beaten by Honey Boo Boo in a beauty pagent and the dog is a nutcase). For that, I don’t apologize. Disagreeing is like disagreeing with the laws of gravity (or global warming), yet plenty of people disagree with that, so I’m not suprised with the response here.
Craig:
1) I did not intend for it to be insulting
2) You don’t have to use force to train a dog (ie, “beating”, “ear pinching {not even the correct term}”). In addition, correct force training does not involve abuse.
3) Please don’t ever use force training yourself as you will be abusing your dog due to your own ignorance.
4) There are many holes in Wolters training. He actually never trained any of his personal dogs. He had to hire trainers to frequently correct his dogs. It isn’t “outdated” as it was never considered effective training. Wolters is sorta like Martha Stewart; her face is crafting, cooking, etc but she doesn’t know the first thing about actually ‘doing’ it. Or like learning fly fishing from Roland Martin.
5) Sure, you can teach basic obedience from the book, but you will not have a master hunter or field trial champion from methods in his book. I guarantee you that your dog is not finished no matter how well behaved you think it is. You may end up with a dog that hunts ok (at best). This is accepted as fact and proven year and after year in countless hunt tests, field trials, and by properly trained dogs used by the best guides.
6) Ignorance is bliss.
7) I don’t talk about dismantling nuclear bombs because I don’t know a thing about it. However, I can make fictional statements about it all day long and may even sound like I know something.I don’t mean this as an insult, but if you have to ask the question, then forget about having a fishing dog. A properly trained retriever or sporting dog will not be a problem. If you think Wolters writes a good training book, forget about it. If you don’t know what that last sentence means, buy a Shitzu or a Yorkie and leave it at home.
Nice!! I love the Big Hole (and fishing around Twin Bridges in general). Had an epic day a couple of weeks ago on that river where I caught 6 20+ inch browns in 9 casts with a size 18 comparadun.
Also like the Winston Glass. That one looks mint. Unlike most, I think the pre-stalker Winstions are the best. I don’t think anything can beat roaming around Twin Bridges with Winston glass.
Hero Shots…Of Yourself…On Your Own Site…
If I created a site as nice as this, I would post pictures of my smiling mug with every single fish I caught.
Looks like you just went fishing with Rene Harrop and stayed at Trouthuner…no interviews from that experience? Sounds like those could be two good ones to add.
It probably wouldn’t be that great for fly fishing the flats as it isn’t very stealthy. I would go with the Gheenoe.
I tried to book a guide in that area last September about 1 month ahead of my trip and didn’t have any luck. All the guides I talked to were booked solid. But yes, that is THE place to go for huge reds.
The only place I’ve found it recently is eBay. Little river outfitters and blue ribbon flies never have it when I look and they are two of the best shops for flytying materials in existence. The guy selling most of the capes on eBay is in an eastern European country and not sure it is imported properly or legally, so it is a gamble.
You can do a google search and buy domestic from a few shops online, but paying $200 or more for a cape you haven’t seen in person is risky too.
Quote:Anyone had any luck with some of the Grey’s offerings? A friend has a 3wt that has a pretty slow action and he said its great for monster bluegill!Quote:I have a 10ft 3wt Greys Streamflex that I use during the winter in the Smokies on the larger streams(which are still small by most peoples standards), mostly on Little River, Abrams, or in the Tellico area. I absolutely love it. Great, inexpensive choice and one of the best nymphing rods available. I use the fiberglass rods mentioned in my earlier post in the spring to early fall and on brookie streams.I fish the Smokies about 95% of the time and I would definately consider one of the modern, faster S-glass fiberglass rods available today.
I’ve got a 3pc. Steffen Bros. 7’9″ 3-4wt fiberglass rod that is just about the perfect Smokies rod. Mark will charge about $370 for a custom built rod or he will sell you one of his 3 piece blanks for about $175 shipped, but you’ll have to wait a few months for either one.
My next favorite Smokies rod, which is nearly as good as the Steffen, is a Diamondglass 7′ 4wt (not the current version, the old black blank version) that I fish with a 3wt line, as do most people who own this rod. They’ll pop up on ebay from time to time in near new condition and go for about $170, but are steadily increasing in value with time.
Is it the Spring in late April, May and early June or do you prefer the late September-October time frame?
Best months in my opinion are April, May, and October. Hazel is nice, but there has been quite a bit of bear activity in a few of the campsites this year forcing the park service to close them, so, if I was planning a trip from out of State, I would definatley have a plan B and C.
