Joel Thompson
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Cameron you silly, silly boy. You don’t know what cold is! The “high” today at the cabin was 5 above zero! It is suppose to get into the double digits below zero up there tonight! I am glad to be back here in the balmy Missoula where it is currently a very warm 10 degrees out.
Nice post by the way. What a great way to free your mind to give thanks. And don’t let anyone who eats tofu give you a hard time about your cool old stuff! It is why we are where we are today! 🙂
Joel
I have a very strict rule of barbless hooks only when I am guiding clients. I even like to tie all flies on just so I know that the barbs have been crushed. It is one thing getting a hook in your finger, but it is a whole other ball of wax getting it in your eyeball! It just isn’t worth taking the chance. I pratice what I preach and only use barbless when fishing on my own as well. I don’t think it makes that much difference if you play the fish properly.
Joel
Great fish TWiles! I love fishing the mouse! I have never actually fished one at night but here that it can be a hoot! I have had my best luck with them on spring days in the middle of the day. My buddies and I always say the key to success is talking like a mouse when you are fishing it! 🙂 It always amazes me that ANY size Brown will go after a mouse too. Here is a picture of a smaller brown caught on a mouse this past spring.
Joel
We got a foot of the good wet stuff here in Missoula last night and it is still coming down! Could make for an interesting week as I have jury duty today, leave to Vegas tonight for a funeral and don’t return until Wednesday morning and…oh ya I am in charge of plowing about ten miles of road in my neighborhood.
Love the snow, hate the timing!
JT
Interesting topic Neal. One of the first “expensive” rods I bought was an Orvis clearwater off of ebay. I paid $125 for the rod, a fly tying kit, and a pair of Orvis boot foot neoprene waders. Too good of a deal to pass up. Now I like the rod and I have got good use from the fly tying stuff but you can have the neoprene waders! I hate those things!! My yellow lab Riley has even assisted my in breaking the rod while trying to release a fish. And Orvis took great care of me and replaced that rod with a new one in a matter of just a couple of weeks. But…I am guilty of having a problem with Orvis gear. I feel that Orvis come with too much of a Yuppie lable for me to own. I want a working mans gear like Sage, Scott, or Winston. Plus I feel like Ovris has spent their money more on marketing then they have on innovation and trying to make their gear better than everyone elses. That is just my opinion. But any of the Orvis rods that I have casted in the past few years only leave me with a so so feeling. They just don’t have the “WOW” factor to me.
That is my two bits.
Joel
Drifter, I have a Toyota Tacoma with the six cylinder and I think that you would be greatly disappointed with the fuel economy when towing with it. I like the truck a lot and it satisfies my needs very well, but you hook a boat or snowmobiles behind that thing and you can count on getting about 12mpg. I would much rather have a v8 if I was going to be towing a lot with it.
It sounds like you are getting a lot of great ideas here. You will have to keep us posted on what you end up with.
Joel
You know Drifter young Patrick has a good point there. With gas prices going the way they are you may want to consider a Subaru Outback. They are great cars and they do have the towing power. I work with several guides who use them everyday for getting back and fourth to the river with their boats. They all tell me how much they have saved in gas.
I think the only tricky thing for you would be the sleeping arrangement. You could fold the seats down and probably have enough room but then you wouldn’t be able to keep much of you stuff in the car…but a Yakima spacecase should take care of that!
Joel
Great picture of you and your daughter Cameron! Is that a self portrait? Oh and by the way…Riley is sporting a nice hunters orange colar these days! 🙂 I thought he was going to get beat up at day care so I had to make the switch! ;D
Joel
Neal, My wife and I love to hunt Morel mushrooms! We had a great year up by our cabin this year on Memorial day weekend. We picked over 5 gallons in two days!!
I really want to make fun of your little dog, but I will hold back! ;D
Joel
If you are truely trying to stay under $150 and you want new I would go with a Ross Cimarron. It is like the modern day Gunnison.
Joel
Yea Seafood I am a very blessed man! I got the pleasure of sharing it this year with Cameron and PoudreRiver from the board here. I think they could both tell you what a special place it is.
The cabin is located in the Flint Creek mountain range in western Montana.
Joel
Oh I almost forgot. Morsie I love the photo you took with the rod spinning very fast! That looks like a happy time for sure!!!
Joel
This is kind of a tough post for me as so many places make me very happy. I love being on the river in the fall when the colors are booming, and I love going on that backpack trip that take you into places that make you feel like you are the first person to have ever stepped foot there before. But if I have to choose one place it be…..at my cabin with my wife and dog Riley. It is the greatest basecamp in the world! Tons of great hiking and fishing.
Hippie Man did I see some heavy metal sculpins in that bugger box? I would have thought you to be more of a purist than that! 🙂
Great photos. Was everything subsurface or did you get a little baetis action in the afternoon?
Joel
Great pod cast Zach and Morsie! It is the first one I have listened to in awhile and I loved it!
Morsie your photos are outstanding! That bait ball picture is so damn cool and the one with the Croc gave me shivers! Great stuff!!!
Morsie I would love to pick your brain about good Australian wine some time. Always looking for that good bottle of juice that doesn’t break the bank! 😉
Joel
