Zach Matthews
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Alan I did not pack it. I’ve rebuilt it twice now and got it good and cleaned out last time, but I still need a new seal kit.
Zach
Those are American Hen Hackle by Whiting. I had to look long and hard and then special order them to get something that fuzzy.
PS, when you catch a monster brown trout–the fish of a lifetime–for God’s sake smile. See the guides? They’re smiling.
Here’s a view showing the front red light. It’s bright as the dickens and kind of overwhelms the iPhone. I’ll get better pics this weekend.
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Finally decided there was nothing wrong with the upper unit, and took apart the lower end instead. Bingo: seals failed, whole thing was corroded up. I soaked everything in WD-40 and cleaned it with cotton and light sandpaper where needed, and it seems to be working properly again. Likely won’t work forever, but it ought to go for a season or so. I may pack it with marine grease (a la a trailer hub) in order to keep the electrical parts dry until I can get all the interior parts ordered and rebuild it properly.
Zach
I just did a whole lot of nodding reading Karlin’s post, which was excellent. I did guide school on a magazine assignment and would not want to talk anyone out of something they had set their hearts on, but there is a whole lotta truth to what Karlin just said.
Zach
Nice fish, Jeff.
When I attended Guide School for an American Angler article, it was hosted by Greg Lilly (who ran Healing Waters Lodge) and was a very valuable experience. At that time Sweetwater were kind of the big name in guide schools, and to my knowledge they have remained so. If you were going to go through a formal curriculum I would probably recommend them but that’s really just a recommendation on reputation alone. Are you actually looking to work as a guide, and if so, where?
Zach
Eric:
That’s super bad business on the shop owner’s part and you are 100% in the right to demand your full deposit back. If he held that offer out via his website, he can’t come along and change the terms after you asked him to make good on it. I would take the issue up with my credit card company and see if they can reverse the charge.
Zach
That’s annoying Jim. That would influence my decision as to my next choice, for sure. Smith also makes excellent sunglasses.
Zach
One possibility which occurs to me would be delamination between the filter layers, or potentially a breakdown of the filter (which I don’t believe is made of silica glass like the rest of the lens). I would bring this one directly to Costa and see if they would view this as a warranty repair.
Another possibility is sunscreen or bug spray etching the protective coating, which again may not be glass.
Zach
Grant, wow! Mind telling us a little more about it? Public land or private? All bobwhite quail or some scaled in the mix? What’s different from a habitat perspective from that area versus the Southeast, where the quail are all just about gone?
I’ve preserved quite a few squirrel skins and other exotics like roadrunner or heron that were hit on the highway or given to me by farmers. All I’ve ever used is salt, but I understand Borax is a better deal. Salt eventually needs to be reapplied or you can get mites and other nasties in there. It helps to keep each item in an individually sealed bag so you don’t get cross-contamination.
I need a pattern that requires quail feathers…
Zach
Yeah Alan’s right. Google something called the “water haul.” It’s a good technique for managing heavy sinking heads and setting yourself up for a big cast.
Lanier is just starting to happen right now. Word is if you circle Lake Lanier Island at dawn and look in all the coves for birds busting bait, you’ll find the school.
Unfortunately Clay we’re not trying to. We want the rain, actually. Did a little time this weekend as well:
That last one was actually a solid seven inches long — so snaky though. This area was dammed up by a big beaver dam complex but at some point it got breached and the beavers moved over to the next watershed (creating the pond with that little bridge about to fall into it). Brookies like this used to dominate the Appalachians — it’s fun to think about how it might be today if we hadn’t come along and cut the forests and thrown in rainbows and browns. Once upon a time there were 20″+ brook trout in Georgia…
Zach
