Phil Brna
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Zach, why don’t you conduct one of your excellent, unbiased product evaluations? I just cannot bring myself to pay 20 bucks for a fly line which I will use when I fly in somewhere, or drive hours to fish, or walk miles to my spot when I have a risk of product failure. I have never been happy with the end result when buying poorly made or low quality stuff. I just read your boga article vs brand x comparison and that is a prime example. The fly lines I buy are expensive but I know I can depend on them.
Mike, send me a few free lines (if you dare), and I will test them here in Alaska, compare them to my Rio lines, and then tell the world how well they stand up? If you are interested let me know and I’ll tell you what I fish. Phil
I saw something about this somewhere else and someone who sounded informed said the lines were from China and the color was added by whomever was selling these. Also, there was some discussion about the lines falling apart or delaminating pretty quickly.
Justin, yup, it snapped at the boat. He really was not high sticking it so not sure what happened. It is a 9wt TFO BVK and we have both broken a few. They are great casting rods but they are very light and I think they snap pretty easily with any high sticking, even if not real high.
When you are done the test, can you send the Yeti my way? One of our guides in Belize has one and it is one solid cooler. As far as how long ice lasts, I also doubt the claims. The interesting thing about the Yeti is when we open it and let some warm air in and then close it, you can hear it creating a vacuum, as the warm air contracts. The seal is so good you then cannot get the friggin thing open without breaking the seal by opening the drain plug. Would I buy one- NOPE, not for that price.
I don’t know anything about redfish in the Carolinas. In general the water we fish in LA is from 6 inches to 1.5 feet deep, but sometimes the fish might be in 3 feet but we can’t see them unless they are up. It clears up this time of the year when the mighty Miss. goes down. The big bulls are deeper and the runts can be in just a few inches and the runts are spookier because of that. Of course we want to get a shot as far from the boat as we can and the first one is the best. I use an 8 wt and Vernon was using a 9. I like the lighter rod and that is what most guys are using. As far as the boga comment I was going to provide a smart ass response but I’ll let it ride. FYI, these are the only fish I am around that get boga-ed.
I don’t want to make this political in any way but how about Dr. Carol Ann Woody and Dr. David Chambers who can tell us why we ALL should be concerned about large scale development of copper porphyry deposits (mines) in Bristol Bay, Alaska. Let me know if interested and I can provide contact information.
I fish the flats quite a bit in Belize. I think the two most essential pieces of gear are good shades and a good stripping basket. My go to shades for bright days are Haber rose/copper and for dark days are Haber amber. http://www.habervision.com/ If you can’t see the fish you are going to have problems. Next most important piece of gear is the Sea Level bucket shooter. http://www.sealevelflyfish.com/bucket-shooter/ Line control is critical on the flats; so many times you have one shot and if the line is caught ain’t gonna happen. I suppose the third most important gear would be good flats boots. I use Simms flats boots with their goretex socks.
How much do you want to spend? How many days do you want to fish? What kind of salmon? Lots of them or fewer but bigger? Do you mind being around other people where you fish; lots, few, no one? My suggestion is to just start goggling lodges and see what looks good and then ask more questions.
There are many great flies you can use on redfish. However, I have caught more redfish on the Waldner spoon fly than anything else. Maybe that is because when I tie something else on Rich implores me to go back to his spoon fly. I have cast that BEHIND fish and they have turned around and nailed it. You can look on Uptown Angler for some ideas and also go to: http://www.laflyfish.com/cgi-bin/bforum/index.php
Interesting to see this come back but I like when they do because it usually means someone added something.
As an after-thought and in reply to the previous post, obviously perception of rod action can be modified by line selection for different applications and even by selection of flies. In my first post about rods I like, I failed to mention the lines I like to fish with these rods. This influences where I fish these rod/line/fly combinations (e.g. big deep rivers vs big shallow rivers; or long-shots at tarpon I see vs. short shots at fish I see vs deep fish).
I guess the bottom line for me is I really do not care what category my rod fits in. Also, without having well defined terms this is not a very useful exercise for most of us. I know what I like and what will work for me in different situations. I also know I can modify my stroke to account for many varibles and and make any rod work.
I am having a difficult time deciding what category the rods I love should be placed in. I fish a Sage 8wt Xi3, and 10 wt Redington CPS, or TFO BVK for most saltwater. For fresh water big trout, I love a 10 foot 7wt Z-axis and 10 foot 7wt Loomis native run or a 9 foot 7 wt TFO BVK, or for small fish a 5 wt z-axis. Where do these rods fit?
I totally agree that some models of rods of different weights fish totally differently. For example, I love a sage xp 5wt but I absolutely hated the 8wt. I was fishing them for different fish and with different lines.
I tied these to float to fish for tarpon off a dock at night. If you don’t want floaters don’t use foam and they will slowly sink. If you want one that sinks faster add some lead eyes before tying near where the weed guard is tied in. These are tied with EP shrimp dub brush and I now use the 0.5″ tarantula hairy. What else: rubber legs; a pinch of rabbit; homemade eyes with glass beads; and Farrar blend for the back covered with tuffleye or CCG.
