epzamora

I've packed in my waders at times. I have an older pair of Orvis Pro Guide IIs (I think) and they have 3 layer construction in some areas, 5 layers in others. Someday i'd like to get a pair of lightweight waders for less bulk, or even wading pants. But the current waders will fit in my 40 liter REI day pack, with the boots tied on outside, each boot hanging on each side of the pack, not in back, tied together with their laces. If BOA laced, i'm sure you could come up with a method still i imagine, try using carabiners. My boots are rubber soled, and much better than my old pair of felt soled waders. For walk-ins under 2 miles, i'll just wear the boots, pack the waders, or wear both. anything longer, i'm hiking in my hiking shoes. eric fresno, ca.

Email is so convenient for us as consumers. We could be surfing/researching late at night and pop an email over to whichever company we're trying to reach. On the other hand, many companies have been downsized over the years and it's a struggle to reach the level of service and attention than before. I have colleagues, who upon glancing, have 1,000, 2,000, 3,000 unread email in their inbox. because email is so easy, people get swamped. and some of it is simply spam. i'm not justifying it, but showing there are other reasons out of their control. in the end, a phone call is always best. eric fresno, ca.

Here's a good source for rod building supplies, i've used them many times over the years, very friendly service. I'd contact them for YOUR price on a Quickline blank. http://www.utmostenterprises.com/pbblanks.htm eric fresno, ca.

Yeah. I won't even consider buying a factory built rod anymore. I'm with you on that. Except for a Cabelas CGR on deep discount last year, I'm all about wrapping my own, and now tying my own flies. That's a very nice build, love the color and hardware choices. Grip shape, DL reel seat, thread, etc. I need to jump at some of the offerings Matt has over at Proof. He's got some nice options for cork grips. I wonder how nice the quality is on those. So you weren't impressed with the rod initially? what was wrong? eric/fresno, ca.

I'm looking for a backup/secondary/thirdary/loaner reel for freshwater bass fishing and the TFO NXT LA reel is on my short list. Has anyone fished with one? Any thoughts on its performance? I just cannot find any reviews anywhere. thanks eric fresno, ca.

Niiiiice.

it seems like most of these material suggestions are for subsurface flies. fantastic. most successful method. if you're fishing in the mountains for trout, you could throw in a $4 clump of elk hair too. that and thread will make you elk hair caddis flies, my most successful dry fly in the california sierra eric fresno, ca.

If you needed to save money, and since you have a White River rod, which is a Bass Pro brand, take a look at Bass Pro's White River Hobbs Creek reel for $49. it's a 7/8 reel. BPS should have a good warranty. Not sure how important a drag is for northern pike. If it is, check out the Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor for $98. It's a lighter reel made for 7-9 wt lines. Personally, i'd choose the Orvis or Redington Behemoth. Or find a good deal on a Lamson Guru 3.0 or 3.5 (used). http://www.orvis.com/p/clearwater-large-arbor-fly-reels/4y55 looking forward to hearing what you ended up buying. I know the choices can be dizzying at times. eric fresno, ca.

If I was looking for a reel in that size, i too would seriously consider the Redington Behemoth. Redington has a good warranty and it would probably maintain a good resale value compared to cheaper reels if you ever wanted to sell it. eric fresno, ca.

I hope this doesn't cross any rules, but are there any sellers on the big auction site people have had success with in purchasing full skins? A private message would be fine if deemed best. thanks! eric fresno, ca

This is just one of many versions subtitling Downfall. Hilarious. Wish there were no typos. No way do i see it as provocative. Fun find! eric fresno, ca.

That's purdy.... eric fresno, ca.

Nice. What kind and size of thread are you using? You may want to concentrate on minimizing your head wraps. Just makes a neater looking fly. As you've seen, the fish don't care, but you may save a bit of thread in the long run, plus extra pride. By the way, I started off using Uni 6/0. I then switched to UTC 70. Much neater for me. Plus Veevus makes 10/0, 12/0, etc... eric fresno, ca.

There will be a few who have critical words for the Atlas, and somewhat warranted. Minor details though. It's not the end-all of vises, but it's a damn good deal for the price. Yes, I have one. But I do not have a lot of experience with other vises. If you're in the "Southwest," you could get it for $119 if picked up, $125 shipped. there is no bobbin holder, or travel case, but you also do not need to buy a separate jaw for bigger hooks. by the way, i've been using it for almost 2 years now, from size 22 trout flies to 2/0 bass bugs. eric fresno, ca.

That 3-Tand reel seems a bit overkill to me for trout and panfish, but as Cold said, if it's what you want, go for it. I'm not an Orvis-fanboy, but they do have their $159 Mid Access fly reel on sale right now for $95 (in any color you want as long as it's black-nickel). put the savings towards a good line, and some of the misc gear you'll need. i too would encourage focusing on a quality line. I am also a Rio-fan, and the Mainstream is something I would suggest for a friend. Consider a Scientific Anglers GPX too. I have been, and still am, a fan of not-spending-much-money (and never-ever-pay-full-price but there are some places like a line that buying quality really counts. I buy top end lines when i can find them on closeout. or even slightly used. some guys buy several lines to test which works best for a certain rod, then sell off the ones that didn't fit the bill. I jump on those $30 for an $80 line deals. conversely, i do buy Cabelas lines on sale at $19 or less. They work fine, but there can be a huge difference in a top end line. and it does pain me to say that. eric fresno, ca.