Zach Matthews
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I should also mention that we set out just as the Braves were in the 7th inning stretch, meaning this guy was belting out his thing. Jay cranked the radio and we saluted our fellow anglers with a rousing rendition ourselves:
That’s awesome Jay. And of course the Clacka-built front casting harness thingie will fit down over that point, so I guess all you really need there is the support structure.
Boat is looking great! Can’t wait to do some attack runs.
Zach
Very cool Aaron. It looks great too.
If you ever had another one made, I bet you could get the same effect but without the gaps (which I imagine pinch the hands) by interspersing a soft foam disk between cork, which could compress under load as the rod flexed. It’d look a lot like rattan cane handles of the 19th century, which that kind of does too.
Zach
Wow, Brett, that is extremely interesting. I did not know that. Do their antlers look like deer antler when they shed the sheath or what?
That’s awesome guys.
I have never hunted pronghorn but I was very curious about them when I saw them out west. They’re a relic of the Pleistocene. The reason they’re so fast is that they evolved to evade the North American Cheetah.
That kind of tidbit always piques my interest. For example I read a story one day on the cama, a llama-camel hybrid, and I asked myself, how come a llama, from South America, is genetically-similar enough to a camel, from Arabia, to be cross-bred? Turns out it’s because both are descended from the North American Camel, which was running around at the same time as those cheetahs and the granddaddies of your pronghorns.
I guess extreme speed was a good enough defense against men with spear-chuckers and bows and arrows to allow a species like pronghorns to make it all the way through. (Men didn’t have horses in North America until the 1600s, having eaten all the native horses. The horse was also native to North America, much like the first camels, and spread back to Eurasia across Beringia. Thus the Spaniards were actually re-introducing the horse after a 13,000-year interstitial, which is one reason why they did so freaking well on the Great Plains).
Anyway, I learned all of that after seeing pronghorns for the first time and getting curious, and these pics brought it all back to mind. Thought you guys might enjoy.
Zach
Yeah it’s possible to switch your displayed name out for the real name, which is all I ask.
That’s very cool Randy. Sorry about the delay getting back to this – I was out of town. So in addition to just burning in the scales, you actually also etch the fish out with the burner? That’s amazing. Very similar to high end rifle stock checkering, I would imagine.
If you get a chance, we would all love to see the final product.
Zach
That IS good stuff, Mike. Thanks for sharing! I have a couple pairs of older Simms Guides where the only real issue is that they have ‘wet out.’ I basically have nothing to lose by trying this…
ZachIt’s interesting that 303 Protectant is specifically recommended by NRS. I’ve had very bad experiences with this stuff: it definitely eats fly line. But not all plastics are created equal. I still feel like a wax product is the safest thing to do.
Zach
The good news on that front, Jay, is that I think the casting deck you’re having made is going to fit to and cover over that repair anyway. And also reinforce it. Although it looks to me like this thing is going to wind up being even stronger than before.
Zach
Oooh that is very cool! Randy, do you mind running us through your process? I’m intrigued.
(Also just a side note, this board does have a real name policy when you get a chance. Thanks!)
Zach
Mark –
In my experience, rafts do best when stored inflated but not drum tight. You want to avoid having the raft rest for a lengthy period on a creased seam where the deflated boat can put all its weight against a fold. I used to deflate and break down my raft after use, and I fixed pinhole leaks for a long time before I finally learned to just leave it inflated.
Obviously you also want to keep the boat in a temperature-stable environment if you’re going to have air in it; I learned that the hard way when I blew out my bladder this summer on the beach.
I would also stay away from protectant products. Stuff like Armor All and 303 Protectant can actually leach the plasticizers out of plastic product, making them brittle. Obviously keep the raft out of the sun. If you need to scrub it off, I’d use a bristle brush and regular dish soap then *wax* the boat with Turtle Wax for a non-leaching protective coating.
As for the raft frame, I would make sure to keep it lubed. Semi-solid axle or wheel grease is good for inner parts like those pressure buttons and for rivet points. Also, dope your zippers. I’ve had several of mine lock up over the years.
Zach
That’s awesome Jay! If you do bring the boat home, please post a shot of your three ongoing backyard board projects. Hahahaha. (The main boat, of course, has been technically finished for years, but we all know there’s no such thing as a finished boat project…)
Zach
Interesting. Looks like the asking price is $2250 and that it dates to the 1890s, which surprises me. That thing is in good condition!
http://www.harpgallery.com/showroom/item16312.html
Actually, looking closer, scratch that — this doesn’t have the same side. But man those two chests must have been brothers.
John –
Depending on how high up you get, most of the Southern Appalachians have a small yellow stonefly called the Little Yellow Sally. Especially for high altitude brook trout, bring Stimulators in size #10 and #12 with a lot of yellow in their bodies. It wouldn’t hurt to also bring a foam variant; you’re going to want to drop these right in the foam and curl of whatever micro-rapids you see; the brookies like to sit under that. But that turmoil can soak a fly quickly, so you’ll want to pinch them dry, flick them dry, and replace them a lot. Foam is good for that.
Zach
Only $180!
Hahhaha. (I actually like it but I know you’re looking for a realistic trophy).
This guy looks legit and he looks particularly comfortable with rainbow trout:
http://www.carbonesflyfishing.com/wood.htm
I’ve looked into high end striper mounts for a while. If I were ever to catch a 30 lb.+ striper on the fly I think I would need to have it mounted. One thing I have learned is that the shimmery effect necessary for some fish can be very well reproduced with gold leaf as a backing layer below the airbrush. But, it’s expensive. A high end fiberglass striper mount is over $1,000.00 and that obviously does not require hand-carving.
