flysmallie

I do a lot of fly fishing for bass and also used to be one of those Bascar guys. The reason these 7' 11" rods never caught on in bass tournaments is because very few of these guys have any idea how to fly fish. Rod companies were trying to create a market that didn't exist and since most of them have no idea what goes on in a bass tournament they did a poor job of it. A couple of years ago I was able to pick up a 7' 11" 8wt rod at a ridiculous price. It's now my favorite rod and I have never fished a tournament with it and never plan on it. I'm not going to say it's better that a 9 or 10 foot rod because everybody has a different style. But for me it is better than a longer rod for many reasons. I will never give it up.

In a hundred years it will be like it never happened.

I agree with you. The tightly packed ones are beautiful to look at but the less dense, ugly flies fish better. My thoughts always been that it you have it so tightly packed that it's really no different than foam, then why did you just use foam. Deer hair to me is used for flies you want to ride lower in the surface film. Like a frog.

They like soft hackles a lot, but they like everything a lot. It will be a challenge to catch a bigger one but those smaller ones will keep you entertained on your journey.

Hobby Lobby is your friend.

Light is the only thing that can cause it in paint. The pearl undercoating shouldn't have anything to do with it except that it might speed up the process due to the way it refracts light. I've been in the automotive coatings business for 25+ years. I understand it. No idea about the inks though, that's why I have stayed away from the Copic. It could even be the solvents in the epoxy that are destroying the pigments. What pearl coating is it? Is that part of the Copic system?

Brighter colors, especially fluorescent colors are quick to fade. Inks are going to be quicker to fade than paint. Epoxy doesn't have any UV protection at all so it really doesn't help. An automotive clear will help because it has UV screeners in it.

Bigger is always better. But having a backup/spare card is always a good idea. If I had to choose I would go with the bigger capacity card. But you have to pay attention to the class of the card more than the size. I wouldn't use anything below class 10. That's going to give you nice useable video. HD Hero 960 detailed specifications: Storage Memory: SD card, up to 32GB capacity (SDHC) Average recording times with 32GB SD card: 960p (30 fps): 5 hrs. 26 minutes 720p (30 fps): 8 hrs. 9 minutes WVGA (848x480 60fps): 8 hrs. 9 minutes Power & Battery Battery Type: Rechargeable 1100 mAh Lithium-Ion Battery Life: Approx. 2.5 hrs Charging: via USB to computer or optional power adapter Charge Time: 80% capacity after 1 hour with optional power adapter; or 2 hours with a computer’s USB port

But what about the wonderful animation? Actually that's the part that torques me off the most. Lots of room for improvement.

Well you are watching TV. What did you expect. I watch it from time to time and it's interesting, but I never believe anything I see on TV as being the absolute truth. It's only the opinions of those that create it. Liberal or conservative doesn't matter. They ALL bend the truth to push their agenda.

I'm of the same camp. Use the $15 Berkley's from Wal-Mart. After going through several pairs of expensive ones I gave up. I never lost any but they would get smashed or even one day I had a lens blow out on a $300 pair of shades running across a lake in a bass boat. And no they wouldn't warranty that. Hell if I have to buy a new pair of Berkley's every 3 or 4 months I'm still ahead. Plus I can afford to carry a couple of extra new pairs with me.

Buy a cheap 7wt line. It will be a lot better than trying to throw a 10wt line on a 7. http://www.basspro.com/White-River-Fly-Shop-Hobbs-Creek-Fly-Line/product/1202220500584/

I've seen a lot of bad ones but I know a lot of good ones too. Bass guides, trout guides, salt guides. There are a lot of good ones out there. You can't base everything off of one bad experience. I know one in particular, a trout guide, and if he guided your kid you might not feel obligated to tip but I bet you wouldn't walk away without tipping him. There are some real classy guides out there that will try everything to make it a great experience.

One of my good friends is a guide and he regularly receives 10 to 20%.

If you do it right it shouldn't take up any of the hook gap. Maybe the thickness of the foam, but that's it. If you join the edges of the foam together right underneath the hook you ensure that you have protected the hook gap, it also helps in keeping the face of the fly open. But sometimes they like a flat one.

If you decide to part with it let me know.

More light with help with the grain, focus would help a bunch too.

I like glass a lot. Still fish a lot of graphite but the "slowness" of fiberglass works great for me when casting bulky type flies. Yeah I know you would think it would be the other way around but I learned to slow down and give the rod and line time to work and things fly beautifully. I don't have the distance that I do with graphite but my accuracy is better. I like the way they fish. It's supposed to be a relaxing sport. If you can get me a 6' or 6'6" one piece in a 5/6 then I would be interested.

Yes it does.

I've been using one of these for several years, works great. You can usually pick up a new one for around $20. All you need is the motor and then build from there.

I shoot almost everything in Manual. Not saying it's the best way, I probably should spend more time in one of the priority modes, but manual is where I feel comfortable. Just make sure you understand how to use the controls to change the settings without having to search around for what you want. If you can quickly change on the fly then things become a lot easier. I also shoot everything in RAW. It's easily converted to jpeg and it always makes sure that you have the purest file of that image. It may be the purest form of crap, but at least you have as much control as possible over how it is processed. I'll second the recommendation on Lightroom, great product. Photoshop Elements is no slouch either for the beginner but it's not much of a savings over LR.

I'm liking your videos. Very nicely done. This is my all time favorite midge pattern. And don't take this as a knock to your pattern but in the original Charlie used Blue Lagartun Wire. It probably doesn't make a difference but the color is noticeably different than anything Ultra Wire offers. But either way, it's a great tailwater midge.

I just drag mine around like a bum. Hard on waders, they spend a lot of time in the trunk. I haven't ever had any problems but I buy good quality waders so I don't have to worry. The only thing I wouldn't do is leave the hanging or laying out in the sun. Be careful about leaving them in the sun in your car/ truck. Even tinted windows may not block the harmful UV rays.

Those are nice. Can you use that head on a hook?

Yes they are but they don't work like a double. A single is made of thicker metal and won't flex like a double. The singles will just break. Plus they don't hold an edge nearly as well.