Matt Jones
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Here’s Justin Crump doing some beach casting in Baja. I’ve always loved this photo. The colors are great and it just makes me want to go back down there every time I look at it!
www.mattjonesphotography.com
Tosh, I haven’t finished my uploads to photoshelter yet. I don’t even have anything linked PS yet. What you are seeing is strictly the blog portion of the move.
As far as Graph Paper Press goes, you have the option to turn the clutter areas on/off as you please. You could simply have a slideshow and menu just like your previous home page. Now that I know my way around (thanks Kurt!) I can answer any questions if you have any.
www.mattjonesphotography.com
Didn’t have time to read all the posts. Below is what we like to set up our customers for trips to Southern LA:
You’ll want a rod (prefer 9wt in case of wind) with a softer tip so you can load a short cast easily- you will be surprised how many casts you will make within 10ft of your rod tip. Last year I literally cast 2 feet from the bow and caught that fish!
As far as line goes, I would go with the SA Coldwater Redfish line. It casts much better in the cold than the regular redfish line. I wouldn’t bother with a sinking line at all. The fish SHOULD be in shallow water.
Reel- anything with a good drag. You will most likely run into fish upwards of 20lbs.
Flies- big crabby stuff.
Check out our online brochure for the operation we have going down there. You will get a good feel for what the area is all about…
http://www.tailwatersflyfishing.com/travel/destination/view/id/80
Click the magazine to the right of the sliding images.Have fun down there, we have been getting nothing but outstanding reports!
Matt
www.mattjonesphotography.com
The same thing happened to me, except the hoya I bought was $140! My boss took the filter to the Seychelles and he said it simply just fell apart. We sent it back and got a new one and haven’t had a problem as of yet.
From what I know and have heard, Hoya makes a good product. I could be wrong though…
Matt
www.mattjonesphotography.com
Guys, I agree with most of what you are saying regarding the typical asshole at any given specialty shop. I have not experienced this in a fly shop yet, but have in ski shops, ect.
Our shop in Dallas I believe is an exception to a lot of what I’ve read on these replies. First I want to say that I am not trying to “toot my own horn” here but simply giving feedback to what has been posted.
Being in Dallas, we have all types of anglers. First timers, intermediates, and advanced. Whether they have money or not, we DO offer equipment (particularly rods/reels) in all price ranges and don’t go above the MSRP. We offer rods from TFO to Sage, Ross Fly Start to Tibor. For those of you on this board that have been in the shop, I sure hope that we have not earned the typical reputation that some of you speak of. Not once have I personally tried to screw someone into a $700 rod unless they specifically ask for one. Being down the street from the TFO warehouse, we sell more TFO rods than I can count.
My reaction to Winston going to Cabelas may have been abrubt, but for a fly shop trying to reach all of Texas as well as the nation, we do take a hit when this happens, no matter what company it is. Thats just the nature of business.
Either way, I didn’t mean to start such a shit storm here.
Matt
www.mattjonesphotography.com
If companies continue to do this, say good bye to your local fly shop. It only hurts us.
www.mattjonesphotography.com
Here are some sunset shots from last week in Alaska…
i was using 2 and 3 stop ND filters. I regrettably didn’t have a reverse ND filter, though. I love using filters, it just adds the fun experience to photography rather than on the computer screen.
www.mattjonesphotography.com
Don’t go to Cabelas, swing by Tailwaters. We have the best fly selection in town and would love to meet you.
www.mattjonesphotography.com
I have plenty more hats in the back burners, but for obvious reasons, didn’t want to over populate the selection. As of now, the Montana hat is listed under a custom hat, but it’s looking like enough people are wanting it, so I might put the order in.
As the company is still so young, I am still trying to get a feel for which hats will sell — one of the reasons I put this catalog out with a pre-order statement. Unfortunately, the minimums are quite high (200pcs per logo) making it difficult to make decisions on which hats to order. All I know is that 6 months down the road, I don’t want to have 150 hats collecting dust.
We will see over time, that’s what is so fun about starting a business!
www.mattjonesphotography.com
Guys,
This is all great feedback!! This really gives me an idea of the small things that I normally wouldn’t have thought of. I am confident that we will bring all of these suggestions to the table and get them taken care of.
www.mattjonesphotography.com
Chris, our e commerce system is compatible with every country in the world. So, there ya go!
www.mattjonesphotography.com
David,
We (Tailwaters) ended up getting one of these to hold our crap in the shops rigging station. It held up well considering we rig up around 3-4 reels per day. I would highly recommend it. Before, everything was impossible to find and this little guy took care of it.
Matt
www.mattjonesphotography.com
I also have stayed at the Key Lantern. Best place to sleep on the cheap for sure. Jason is right, the AC there is rock solid!
www.mattjonesphotography.com
Thanks for the compliments guys! To answer the question about my equipment, I am using an Ikelite housing with a 8″ dome port for my Canon 30D. I feel very fortunate that the shop I work for (Tailwaters Fly Fishing) brought me along to be the photographer. It was a blast! I can’t wait until I get to go back.
www.mattjonesphotography.com
Steve,
Split shots are without a doubt my favorite thing to shoot now. I can’t get enough of them. Here are things that you will want to consider:
1. The clearer the water the better. I had days in Alaska when the river was blown out, it wasn’t even worth taking the housing out. The water may look clear from above with your glasses on, but when you stick the camera under, it will pick up every spec of sand, dirt, leaves, ect. Which brings me to the next tip..
2. ALWAYS be thinking about your position relative to the current/tide. You want to be sure to keep the subject out of the debri kicked up by your feet or the fish.
3. For split shots, high sunlight is best. You can achieve even exposures much easier this time of day.
4. I am always shooting in aperture priority usually within range of f8-f14. If you want the subject(s) on the top side of the split shot to be out of focus, open the aperture up. The salmon shot I have on midcurrent was shot at f5.6. ISO range is typically in the 200-500 range, of which I am constantly adjusting.
5. Always try to find someway to brace the housing against something to prevent shake. I use my knees, objects on the bottom, stick the housing in between my legs, ect.
6. You don’t need strobes unless you plan to dive or shoot at night.
As for equipment, the bigger the dome, the better. I have an 8″ dome for an Ikelite housing that works great. It’s acrylic, but it’s better than paying $5000 for a housing. Glass domes are better for the reason that they don’t scratch as easily and the water beads off of it better. Again, I have an acrylic dome, but if the water is beaded up, I just do a quick dunk and its gone.
I could continue blabbering on, but I am running out of time. I hope this helps. If you have any detailed questions please post them!
I just returned from Los Roques, and I will be posting a few pictures soon!
www.mattjonesphotography.com
