Michael Exl
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Saw all the new Far Bank stuff today. Some pretty awesome stuff. Looked at the new Tibor a little bit too.
Zach,
The Sage logo is a fly. Redington also has a new logo as well. It is two mountain peaks divided by a river going down to a lake.-Mike
I have guided out of both plastic (Hog Island) & fiberglass (Hyde). I have found advantages and disadvantages with both. The plasitc boats are nice for the fact that the material can really take some abuse. Plus you do not take those bone jarring hits when you nail that rock you didn’t see in them. The disadvantages I have found is that they are slow and heavy. The weight of the boat can be an issue sometimes when trying to launch or retrieve the boat, but like I said it can take abuse, so you don’t have to baby it. Now getting to the fiberglass boats. Biggest advantage to me is weight, nice and light. They are quick and responsive. The one big disadvantage to me is that they are the more fragile then plastic or aluminum, but they are still pretty strong.
If I had to select a boat out of the materials listed I would take a fiberglass drift boat.
I agree with him about the rods being around for sometime, but after that I get lost in his rambling. Lets be honest the using two-handed rods and/or switch rods is new to “average” fly fisherman in the United States. When you have the big name companies come out with a new line of rods, people take notice, or at least they should, or else some one needs to get fired that is in their marketing department. Most people are not going to build their own rod too.
One thing that he did not touch on and he really should have is the lines being produced today that easily match up to switch rod like your compact scandi and skagit lines. Before and still in many cases today you had to chop and splice your own lines for two-handers and switch rods to get them dialed in. With companies like Rio and SA putting out lines designed to easily match up with a switch, it takes much less effort for some one to get started. But heck, half the fun in using two-handers is messing around with different lines and getting them dialed in.
I also really don’t get when he starts rambling on about switch rods being lighter then their longer two-handed brothers. Last time I checked in my rod closet my 8110-4 Z-Axis was still an 8wt. Also, last time I checked there are 5wt. two-handers and even lighter.
I then do not understand where he starts talking about the versatility of the rod, or the lack of it. These are the guys that you are typically going to run into that are getting into/own switch rods. Steelheaders/ salmon fisherman that have two-handers, but want to swing flies on smaller waters, and nymph anglers that want a longer rod for line control. Having the shorted length switch allows me to fish some of the favorite steelhead water in Michigan, where my two-handers would be a pain in the butt. Plus I don’t need to shoot a ton of line either because of the size of the water.
Switch rods allow people to fish in whatever way they would like. Remember they are a jack of all trades, but master of none. By the larger companies producing and marketing these rods over the past couple years, it has really opened the door to people to try something new. Isn’t that what most of us are always looking for, something new and different for us to experience.
A casting DVD that comes with an accompanying i-pod download to remind me of things I forgot from the house to the water.
Amen.
“I agree with some people that there needs to be more camo/natural color shirts.”
Really?
and $120 isnt bad for a fishing shirt?? wow im out of the loop…
I didn’t say that every shirt needs to be at that price point. I think that most fishing shirts should fall in the price range of $30 to $60.
Just because you would not pay that much for a product doesn’t mean it would not fit the need for someone else. That is why you see products meeting different price points. Take for instance the Redington Campbell River II Tee Long Sleeve price is $30. Versus Patagonia’s Sunshade Shirt for $55. Both great products, and more or less the same product with some slight differences. Some people would buy the Redington because of the cost. Some people would buy the Patagonia because of the name and so on. The products have the same purpose, just a preference of the buyer’s taste is all.
$120 is not that bad for a shirt like the Patagonia Guidewater. The shirt is pretty sweet I have had mine since they released it. With Patagonia you get what you paid for.
I agree with some people that there needs to be more camo/natural color shirts. The only issue is that your normal customer at the shop isn’t going to want those colors, they want the bright orange, blues, and bright green ones.
Since I work as a guide and at a fly shop, I get to hear customers suggestions for products all the time. Here are some of them.
-Small break down nets with the “ghost” net bag.
-Backpacks with rod tube holder on the side at a lower price point.
-More natural colors in lines( this is already happening of course)Use fluorocarbon and be able to put the fly a foot in front of the fish without making too much noise. I would stick with flies that are crayfish, damsel, or dragon fly imitations. Also go early if possible or right after a rain.
Soccer is a game of strategy with plays building from the defense, just like in hockey (another sport most Americans dont get).
Couldn’t agree more, but hockey is better then soccer.
In some areas you must have a captain license to guide. There are even certain sections of river up in Michigan where once are a certain distance from Lake Michigan it is required.
Here is the problem with multi-tip lines on smaller rods of that size, the connection point. The snake guides have a small enough diameter that the connection point will catch on the guides. I have lost several fish because of this. The cut off point seems to be 7wt. and higher for using multi-tip systems in my opinion.
As far as overlining, I don’t like it. Rods are a certain weight for a reason. If someone is constantly overlining their rods, I would suggest to them that they work on there casting to improve it.
I will through another line into the equation that you may want to consider Abe. The Rio Outbound Short. Great for large flies like the Clouser line, and you can really get it out there. I used the Rio Clouser line for several years, but I have switched everything to Outbounds. The great thing is that they make a sink version of it as well. Not to mention these lines are great for faster action rods like the S4 and Z-axis.
-Mike
I can catch them at will on one of the rivers by me. They will even chase down streamers and even bass bugs. It is awesome.
rod weight for carp?
It depends on where you are fishing and the size of the fish. A 6wt. is a good all around rod for most carp that range from 5-10lbs. for most anglers. Larger carp I would suggest an 8wt.
If you really know how to fight a fish by getting down and dirty, you can use as low as a 4wt for carp up to 15lbs. and still catch them quickly.
We had Bill Klyn from Patagonia in the shop the other day, and he brought up a great point. Even if you do away with felt soles, you still have the laces and materials on the boot to transfer invasive species. Granted the sole is the largest contact area, the laces and other materials can still transfer invasives.
Spawners will eat.
All of these flies will work on spawning carp.
Here is proof:
Large female loaded with eggs.
If you look carefully at some of the fish you wil notice some of the sores they get from spawning.
As some of the others have said, targeting spawners is the must productive way, but it can be done. There are times when thats all there is is spawners sometimes when I go out and I have no trouble hooking up. As Tim stated the best position is to be taken the fish head on. That being said though, I do take a large amount of spawning carp on the swing. I have found that flies less then 2 inches are the most productive. I have also found that I hit more females then males. It is funny when you hook a female though, the males rush her and at times will lift her out of the water as they are bumping in to her.
The best tips that I can offer are:
Try to get the fish facing you.
Fish smaller flies with some contrast( Like a brown body with an orange tail)
Be patient and keep trying.
Match the color of the bottom with regards to the fly.
If that doesn’t work try something bright, like chartreuse.-Mike
I use the smaller size 600SP in some of my large tube flies, and they are awesome. The only thing that I like to use Gamakatsu on are my intruders.
-Mike
I was on the PM on Oct. 16th of last year. We got into them, but they were already spawned out and looking rather spent. From what we were told, I got there two weeks too late for the salmon and two weeks too early for the steelies.
D.Spawned out isn’t the word for them, more like the swimming dead.
