[Roger Stouff]

Awesome, thanks for that.

[Roger Stouff]

Looks like a successful trip!

[Roger Stouff]

Spring Mississippi River flood. Followed by months and months of drought with no end in sight. 🙁 Creeks of central La. bone dry. Fishing license expired June 30 and haven’t bothered to renew. It’s been a lousy year, but hey, we maintain hope!

[Roger Stouff]

Dunno if you’ve been to Grand Isle before, but the fishing was on fire there earlier in the week…hope it sticks for you, and have fun!

[Roger Stouff]

Diamondback rods, pre-Cortland. I miss ’em.

[Roger Stouff]

Thanks, Lawrence, and you’re so right.
Jason, unfortunately, that was the point. On the west side of the protection levee, Lake Fausse Pointe

[Roger Stouff]

Thanks guys.
Trigg, I’m about 35 miles east of Lafayette, 20 miles west of the Atchafalaya River.

[Roger Stouff]

The Haynesville Shale, in north Louisiana, is also one of the “boom” areas.
I think the BP spill we suffered through last year was proof enough that things can get really bad, really quick.
My own .02, I don’t like it. I don’t buy the reassurances that fresh water and aquifers cannot be contaminated. Such declarations of certainty are often famous last words.
Nothing, nothing, nothing should be exempt from the Clean Water Act.

[Roger Stouff]

Hey Ron,
I am mostly satisfied. It is convenient for where my seat is located. I usually fish alone in the boat, but when I have another person with me, I still seat myself forward. The only problem I have is that, due to the sweep of the bow, I’ll need to get a longer shaft motor to get more “bite” in the water.
I would worry about having the motor at the center of the boat. It seems to me like it would be harder to navigate, with the engine trying to turn the hull from a broadside position. Straight-forward propulsion would probably be fine, but turning…I have my doubts. Especially in fast current.
Hope this helps,
R

[Roger Stouff]

Well, guys, down here in the bayous we roll our own. Here’s a Lousyana version of a drift boat I built last spring:

Ain’t too bad for the swamps and bayous, but probably wouldn’t cut it on a roaring river, eh?

Best,
R

[Roger Stouff]

Find a maker in your area. I’m sure they’d let you try a rod on hand. Most keep demo rods available for just that purpose. The maker should try to determine what kind of rod you like, action, type of fishing, etc.

[Roger Stouff]

What I’m interested is, since the rod making conditions are the best they have ever been (best available tools, internet making sharing info a breeze, best synthetic glues available, etc.), how good a rod are the current crops of bamboo rods these days? How can they be a true alternative to modern graphite rods?

…What are their limits, what are these rods good at, what does the nostalgic ‘sound’ of bamboo adds to the fishing experience, etc.

The bamboo rods being made today are probably the finest ever. As noted, the materials, glues and such have allowed tremendous strides. Hollow-built rods, like my Boyd 8′ Dickerson 8014 Guide taper, are not nearly as heavy as they would have been decades ago. Modern adhesives and finishes assure more strength against delaminating and better waterproofing.

But the rod is a tool, like any other. Lee Wulff caught huge salmon on a 6′ bamboo rod. I personally don’t see the bamboo “debate” as any different than a similar discussion between Sage and Scott, Orvis and Thomas & Thomas. It’s all personal. It may work for you, it may not. Same for any rod brand, or particular rod in a brand lineup.

I appreciate the craftsmanship of bamboo, and the organic feel of it. Like Zach, I rarely take my bamboo in boats, usually only if I’m alone. In graphite, I prefer a moderate to moderate-fast rod, so at my basic fly fishing preference level, I guess I am a suitable candidate for bamboo.

[Roger Stouff]

I fish bamboo, graphite and ‘glass, and love them all.
My South Bend 290 for small stream spotted bass is a joy. My Phillipson Preferred is a great trout rod.
My Harry Boyd (Winnsboro, La.) 7-wt is a fantastic largemouth rod, and Harry says it’ll take a bull redfish, but I haven’t managed to hook into one with it yet.
I’ve broken one…a cheap H-I.
Zach’s opinions are well-regarded on my part. But just as what I wrote above…just opinions. Everybody’s wild about TFO as affordable rods. Personally, I don’t care for them, preferring Redington rods much more in that price range. It’s the old Ford vs. Chevy argument after all.

[Roger Stouff]

Awesome trip/workshop/report, great photographs!

[Roger Stouff]

Wow! Don’t want to pull a Roland Martin and lip that bad boy! Great pics.

[Roger Stouff]

Very true, Neal. As a 30-year newsman, it’s not often I get to go shoot something fun in a small town, rural area. I’m glad it shows. 🙂

[Roger Stouff]

Much appreciated. I expect some improvement as I get more of a handle on Elements…have been working with PS6 up until now!

[Roger Stouff]

Thanks for the replies!
I kinda expect nothing but cricket sounds… 🙂
It all started when I wanted to downsize physically, and upsize in pixels. I strongly considered the Canon g11, decided I couldn’t get the focal length I need; then the Panasonic Lumix G2 but again, too expensive for my wallet. I kept reading positive review after review of the K-x and took the plunge.
Also got the DA 55-300. Sharp lens, for its category. I do intend to get into some faster glass as time goes by.
Taking it on a short hike through the Bayou Teche National Wildlife Refuge this morning.

[Roger Stouff]

Wow, that low? OK, I give. 🙂 thanks for the heads up.
It is a great unit, but I got a PN40 Delorme, and it has some things the Garmin doesn’t that I really wanted.

[Roger Stouff]

Thanks, Buzz. I looked hard at the G1, and a lot of other cameras over the last few weeks!
In the end, I opted to drop out of my 20 year Nikon devotion, largely due to budget. My six year old D100 of course just wasn’t cutting it anymore.
Anyway, based on the reviews, the price point and the much smaller size, I just got a Pentax K-X with the kit lens and an 18-200 Tamron. I’ve been playing with it all week, and have to admit, though it’s not pro-level, the image quality is quite good and the high ISO results are very impressive.
Holding to the notion that better glass is a major factor in making good photos, I’ll start saving for some 2.8s or faster if I can. But I am not disappointed with the K-X at all, for an entry level camera. I’m perhaps advanced enthusiast since I do a lot of photojournalism in my work as a small town newspaper reporter, and in that regard the D100 served me well since reproducing on newsprint is really like printing on toilet paper! High-rez just didn’t make a difference. For my personal use, though, I think I made an upgrade.

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