Ian Crabtree
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Andrew,
Sounds like you’re in the same category as I am with thin wrists/forearms. I absolutely loathed my Simms G3 Jacket, hands down the worst fishing jacket I’ve ever owned (the cuffs were only one of the reasons…). I spent a very wet summer in that jacket.
It sounds like you’re really concerned about the cuffs, in that case, I’d suggest the Patagonia Stretch SST. The cuff system works really well, I can ratchet it down and keep my lower arms dry for short periods of immersion – without having to cut off blood flow. Can’t ask for much more than that.
The Classic Guide is a sweet wading jacket, but is really lacking in the cuff system in comparison with the SST. It does have built in zingers though. I hate having to add my own onto the Patagonia jacket.
The Simms Rivertek
Completely off-topic, but still worthy of note
The person guiding your fellow ambassador Hayes Wauford holds the distinction of being the first person I’ve ever seen wearing a HAD while trout fishing.
Sigh…
I’ve caught myself carrying 6 fly boxes and have decided that that’s too many and I need to organize better! Seems I have a little bit of the same stuff in each box—redundant redundancy! I am in search of suggestions on the best way to nail this mess down to a proper and neat method and hope to carry no more boxes than necessary. How do you folks categorize, store, section, divide your fly boxes? Not sure, but, I think I may head toward having the boxes adjusted by size of fly OR by size of dry fly and size of Nymph/Streamer. Or, I guess I could designate a box per river???? Hmm???
Thanks in advance!!
dlfD.L.
It sounds like you’re just carrying way too many flies rather than suffering from a lack of organization. It’s alright not to have the perfect fly for every situation you encounter. You’re not guiding, and your paycheck isn’t dependent on being able to produce fish all day, day in and day out.
Some people are into the wading fly shop approach, and that’s cool. Just don’t think that there’s something wrong with deciding to do otherwise.
That’s great advice from Ian who’s no doubt witnessed and tried to help correct more poor fish-fighting-form than myself. Sorry I can’t offer more of that, I just play by feel.
I’ve actually stopped teaching people how to do this. Once someone learned, fish were being brought to the boat waaaay too green.
I’ve focused on instructing use of angles rather than how hard to pull. It’s safer for me, being the one who has to handle the fish, and to prevent the fish from injuring themselves being brought in hot.
The story about the hook in the hand I referenced was caused by a hot fish that had been dealt the business by a client.
Wow Scott, the rainbow taking a midge series is pretty incredible.
Off topic – What’s hiding under the bunny fur in the “brown bunny concoction”?
There’s something hilarious about attempting to avoid lemming status by purchasing a Microsoft product.
That’s rough Bob.
I can attest that this is possible with just about any weight rod. The key to heavy lifting is the realization that the movement is more akin to pulling the butt of the rod toward your stomach with a low rod angle rather than lifting upward to apply pressure. Candy caning any fly rod with this much weight is probably going to break it. You’re really using the reel and the bottom quarter of the rod to fight the fish, rather than the upper 3/4’s of the rod.
The disadvantage of this style is that you’re losing the majority of the shock absorption capabilities of the rod. You can and will break ten pound tippet on large fish if you can’t absorb shock with your elbows when the fish makes a surge or jumps.
Combine this style with an effective pulling angle and you can turn fish head over tail surprisingly easily.
Sorry about the rod.
Over the summer I got a barbed 1/0 stainless stuck in the top of my right hand between my index and middle finger. It took pliers to get it out. Brutal.
The funny/sad thing is that I’m all barbless with clients, but a barbed fly got tied on without me being aware. Of all the flies that could have stuck me, that was the one…
Hey Matt,
I’ve talked with Steve at some length about the Riverwalkers and the durability issues I’ve had. They’re being redesigned this spring, so hopefully some of the issues will be resolved.
The 2007 models I received seem a little more robust than previous versions.
I got my first pair of sticky rubber Riverwalkers last fall, and managed to blow out the seams over the summer. Durability issues aside, I was pretty pleased with them in certain environments.
There are some rivers where they’re very likely to end up sending you into the drink if you’re not careful- River X that Zach and I fish is a great example of this. On slick non-algae coated rocks they just don’t work well. I haven’t used them on any rivers with lots of moss/algae, so I can’t say how they’ll work there.
For 75% of the rivers I’ve used them in I never noticed any significant difference in traction compared to felt. The other 25% were experiences where I very much regretted wearing them.
On the plus side, at least the soles didn’t fall off of the boots like my felt riverwalkers have. I’ve also yet to find a boot as comfortable and light as the Patagonia’s, so I’ve just gotten used to replacing them every year.
If you ever wanted to get in a bar fight with fly fishermen, this would be a great way to do it.
I thought real fly fisherman hung out in $5,000 a week lodges, sipping on fine whiskey and smoking cigars – not in grungy bars.
Well for 5 grand a week I’d sure as hell expect there to be a bar in the lodge.
nice bows
I was worried you might forget to tell him that he wasn’t fishing for actual steelhead. Thanks for reminding us.
How are they not actual steelhead? True they are not anadromous, but are really potamodromous. But look at where they are from, the west coast. Just becuase they took a little train ride over to the Great Lakes doesn’t mean they still are not steelhead. I find it funny that so many guys travel out here to the Great Lakes to fish steelhead when they are from states like Washington. Most of the fish that are over here are from the Klamath River and the McCloud River strains. Not to mention the skamania strain of steelhead we have here. I believe there are a total of 4 strains of steelhead in the Great Lake region. The beauty of it is that almost year round in some states such as Indiana there are steelies in the systems.
I don’t disagree at all. I get annoyed when people call them lake run rainbows just to take the piss out of others.
nice bows
I was worried you might forget to tell him that he wasn’t fishing for actual steelhead. Thanks for reminding us.
I should have looked at this earlier.
I’ve done a number of “tear downs” on reels ranging from the Okuma to Lamson to Ross to Tibor. There are very few differences from a 20 dollar Okuma China special and a top of the line reel, in terms of drag, start up inertia, and other features that people look for in reels. The main differences, as many people have pointed out so far, is the way they are made and the components used. It’s like comparing the Chevy Prism to a Cadillac. Both are gonna get you from A to B the same, but how comfortable you get there is the big difference. A Prism could last just as long as the Cadillac too, but it just might not be in the greatest shape at the end of it’s life. My point is, cheap reels will “get the job done” but they most likely not be as smooth, as reliable, and/or as pretty. I buy both “cheap” and expensive reels, depending on what I am using them for. Same goes with rods.
But then again, I am a hyper-consuming gear head. What do I know?
Here’s my question, why can’t I find a cheap version of a Tibor/Abel/Bauer/other cork disc reel? The only ones I’m aware of are the TFO Hayden reels, and even those are in the $350’s. The design of these reels doesn’t seem all that complex. You would think someone could have built these offshore pretty cheap.
All good points Jay.
Just to put my comments in perspective, I can’t see the logic in spending a large amount of money on a trout reel and justifying it with superior performance (for average use…). To buy an expensive trout reel for aesthetic or other subjective reasons is a personal thing. So, all my comments are based on an environment where a reel’s drag will actually be used.
Lifetime ownership may be a bit overstated on my part – I plan to live quite a long time. But, to be fair, it’s only within the past few decades that reels have been made that are capable of delivering a lifetime of service (once again, not talking trout). But you’re right, the number of high end reels on eBay can’t be accounted for by people leaving the sport. A good number are probably being upgraded. As they say, a fool and his money are soon parted.
But, I’m inclined to believe that low and mid-range reels are far more likely to be viewed as consumables, being replaced somewhat often for the next big thing. I don’t think that’s a good thing for anyone but the manufacturers.
As far as the high end reels being made overseas, you’re spot on. I don’t understand why they’re bought, especially at the prices they’re asking.
Oh well, I’m young enough to still have gaps in my reel needs, and the only ones that have been replaced were the cheap reels I bought when I started.
I chose the huge monster bones in the poll, but only because it implies exposure to saltwater. I’ve seen enough supposedly “saltwater safe” reels fail to live up to their claims.
I’ll put forward a couple of other perspectives…
There’s definitely a “bigger is better” mindset in American culture, and that often correlates to price, but it’s just as common in our culture to view items as disposable, and buy another after something breaks. There’s something to be said for making an investment in a quality item. Whether it be minimizing environmental impact or justifying cost over a lifetime of ownership, I don’t think I was suckered into buying any high-end reel.
I also haven’t seen and don’t foresee any dramatic advancements in reel technology during my time in fly fishing. If Abel Big Game reels are still considered one of the benchmarks, and their design hasn’t been fundamentally changed in 20 years, I can’t see any of my Tibors, Bauers, or Abels becoming obsolete anytime soon. Carbon fiber drags in the Charlton’s and Nautilus reels may be a viable alternative to cork, but you’d be hard-pressed to argue they provide any significant performance advantage. The only area where noticeable advancements are likely to take place is in weight reduction, and I don’t place much value in that area of reel design.
Finally, and this is really a pretty poor point… I like to understand how the drag on a reel functions. Pull it apart, look at it, understand it. I have no idea how the drag works on a number of reels on the market, and that bothers me for some reason.
I have a feeling that the point of this poll was to suggest that high-end reels are over-priced – or more specifically, a poor value. I’m not sure how to respond to that, other than to say I think over a lifetime of ownership I can justify the cost of a high end reel.
All that being said, if you’re not using the drag (I’m always shocked by how often I see this), and the reel’s never going to see saltwater, what’s the point? Buy a click and pawl and be done with it.
