Tailing looper

I just bought a Temple Forks Outfitters BVK series 9' 5-wt. four piece rod and I really like it. I've always been primarily an Orvis guy (I live close to the company HQ and knew people that worked there over the years), but my current budget kind of pushes them out of the picture. I go on an annual saltwater fly fishing trip to Cape Cod every year and noticed that several of the guys had bought TFO rods as back-ups or as lower cost alternatives for loaners, etc. I casted a couple and was impressed, so I decided to try one of their trout rods. Another budget rod I was surprised with is a Ross Worldwide I bought a couple of years ago. I think it casts well above its pay grade. I've also read a lot of great reports on the ECHO rods and will probably try one of those next. It seems there is growing competition to the big name, high-end rods; excellent alternatives at excellent prices. Another alternative is to roll you own. I have a 2-wt. I put together with a Pacific Bay blank that was inexpensive but is a nice rod. Same goes for a 6-wt. I built with a G. Loomis IM6 blank several years ago. God luck with your choice, Bob

I'm 53 years old and wear contact lenses to correct my nearsightedness. In recent years, my near vision when wearing my contacts has really deteriorated. I tried a ring light/magnifier and didn't care for it. It was a very nice one that came from a precision manufacturing facility that was upgrading/modernizing their equipment. A friend of mine worked there and was able to get one of the older ones being replaced. Now, I use a Verilux lamp (very much like an Ott) and cheap "cheaters" from the drug store (or take out my contacts and wear bifocal eyeglasses). I think having a high-quality lamp eliminates about half the need for magnification. Tight lines, Bob

That was interesting! I had never read about the Adams and had always assumed it was one of the old Catskill classics. Now I know the real story! Thanks for sharing. Tight lines, Bob

I started out with a Browning Predator traditional float tube (XL size for big guys) and eventually moved to an Outcast Super Fat Cat (also an XL version of a standard model). What a wonderful watercraft! It was kind of pricey, but I've had mine for many years, used it a lot, and have no complaints. It has a high weight capacity and inflates very easily in just a couple of minutes. The foam seat keeps you pretty much out of the water but, as previously mentioned, also makes the boat a little bulkier when deflated. I can partially deflate mine and slide it in the back of my Subaru Forester through either of the side rear doors (if the rear seatback is folded down). I would highly recommend this tube, but with your storage constraints, you may prefer something smaller. This spring (if it ever gets here!), I plan to buy an Outcast Stealth Pro, which is sort of a frameless pontoon boat. It weighs 35 lbs. and will fold up small enough to fit in a roller duffel. Expensive ($1K) though.... Tight lines, Bob

I'm right-handed and cast right/reel right. I used to reel lefty until I started doing a lot of saltwater fly fishing where a good percentage of the fish are put on the reel. I set up my salty stuff to reel righty and eventually changed all my reels to right hand retrieve. Tight lines, Bob

I have a couple of five weight rods I use for trout and panfish: an old Orvis Rocky Mountain Series 9' 4-pc. and an Orvis HLS Series 9' 2-pc. The Rocky Mt. is old; it was my first four piece rod. The action is fairly slow and the rod has the old external ferrules and is pretty heavy. The HLS is a much faster and lighter rod, but I never really fell in love with it. To me, it has a kind of "vague" feel to it and and I never felt like I could cast it accurately. I was interested in replacing the old Rocky Mt. with a new 4-piece rod and decided on the TFO BVK Series 9' 4-pc. When I got it, I got out the two Orvis 5-wt. rods, a reel with a WF-5-F line, and did a comparison casting test in the back yard (on the snow). I guess it's like tasting beers, scotches or wines... to really notice the differences and find your preferences, it's best to line them up all at once and compare them, head-to-head. After casting all three rods, back to back, I found the old Rocky Mountain felt heavy and slow, with lots of bounce and tip wobble. The HLS felt lighter, had better dampening, and threw tighter loops easier. But the new TFO... what a difference. It felt SO light! With the same effort, it threw noticeably tighter loops and longer casts. It may be a little on the tippy or stiff side for accurate short casts on the streams, but I think it's going to be wonderful for float tubing and big water fishing. I really like this rod and the price is very reasonable. I'm really looking forward for Spring to get here and the ice to melt off the lakes and ponds so I can use it! Tight lines, Bob