FlannelCladlad

On 7/25/2022 at 6:00 PM, partsman said:

Loved the American Sportsmen, Curt Gowdy was a real gentleman. Michigan out of doors hosted by Mort Kneff was also a favorite. 
Mike.

Do you still watch it with Jimmy and the gang? Been watching for years now!

Dude, thanks for this. Mine were looking a bit haggard and more like a parachute. This was helpful. Cheers.

2 hours ago, skeet3t said:

Never flew with fishing gear, only on business. However, one guy was at an airport, carrying a rod case. A security guard hollered, "Weapon,!" and tackled the guy. The genius security guard thought he was carrying a rocket launcher. Ah, meshuggah.

I bet that settlement was nice. 

I will be traveling mid-May to Colorado from Michigan. I haven't flown since 2004 and that was with scuba gear. Any seasoned vets have advice or tips for modern airlines? I will need a weekend of wading clothing, two rods (have tubes), stockingfoot waders and boots and a small sling of the usual. What would you be willing to check/carry on? Thanks.

11 hours ago, flytire said:

wow thanks for the information

 

i dont know how many more snow strorms i can take at my age (norwich area)

That's a lot at once. I was just complaining about another 12" here. Good luck. 

12 hours ago, SalarMan said:

First thing - don't...DON'T...DON'T let yourself be fooled by the price. The high end rods are things of beauty with lovely gingerbread that is very eye appealing but means nothing in the end.

Now what I am about to say please do not take personally. But...probably 98% to 99% of the fly fishers in this world who walk into a fly shop cannot make a $300 graphite rod perform up to its full capabilities let alone the $1000 extra high tech jobs. My long time friend Ed Jaworoski...who Lefty called the best casting instructor in the U.S....assured me this is oh so true.

I fished for Atlantic Salmon for many years with an Orvis Clearwater 10'0" 8wt and I didn't cast any further, anymore accurate, land a fish any faster than their most expensive rod would have done for me...well you get the idea. I am one of those 98%'ers.

Do as planned and try some at the Midwest Expo. Buy what works for you and your budget allows. DO NOT allow any sales pitch fool you.

Solid advice. Really I just need a bass rod but didn't care for the TFO and Orvis they had in stock. Just need to find one that feels good. There is definitely a budget. Thanks!

8 hours ago, chugbug27 said:

I was wondering, why an 8 weight rod for nymphs and dries? Whatchafishinfer, @FlannelCladlad? Whatchatyin? The answer to that will likely influence the higher quality vise you'd be most happy with...

I have a great smallmouth fishery nearby. 

7 hours ago, robow7 said:

I definitely agree with what was stated above, to actually get your hands on and try as many vises as possible, and often times, one vise might "just speak to you more than the others".  That's how I came to own the vise I have used for 25 years, but back then fly fishing shows were much more common and vise manufacturers often had a booth that would allow you to play with their vise.  It's a shame it's more difficult to do that these days.  

It really is. I'm in the market for an 8WT and my only local is a Cabelas. I'm hoping to make it to the Midwest Expo so I can actually cast a bunch. Some things you just have to get hands on. 

4 minutes ago, DFoster said:

The Regal Medallion, Renzetti Traveler and Peak rotary are all very popular and therefore common vises.  Here in Mass they are sitting on the shelves of almost every fly shop and I would think that would be true in Northern Michigan.  All of them are excellent, quality tools and any one of them will pretty much last a lifetime.  It really comes down to which one you like the best.   I would recommend going to a local shop and trying each of them out.  Feeling how they operate will go a long way towards helping you making a decision.

That's good advice. I'm sure my local shop would let me tie a few on both. Didnt think of that. Cheers.

47 minutes ago, chugbug27 said:

With the Traveler, your material hand goes horizontally across the back of the vise for the fingers to present the materials angled down onto the hook. The Medallion allows you to tie in that position horizontally, but also allows you to adjust the vise head upward so your materials hand goes up at an angle for the fingers to present the materials approaching up and angled along the hook as on your Cabela's.

Both rotate to allow you to see and tie onto the fly from different sides of the hook, but the Renzetti allows for a true in-line hook shank rotation. On the Medallion, if you want to wrap materials around the hook shank by rotating the hook, the hook shank will move up and down a little (more the bigger the hook gap) as you rotate it.

The Renzetti has a larger official hook range -- 28 to 4/0, versus 22 to 1/0 on the Medallion.

The Medallion has a beefier feel and a spring mechanism you squeeze to open the jaws to place the hook. The Traveler has a finer feel and a cam lever that you adjust to tighten the vise jaws on the hook.

The Medallion allows for a horizontal platform for long flowing materials to lay flat over the top. With the Traveler there is a v shaped dip that long flowing materials will drop down into.

I think those are the main practical differences. They're both quality vises, but there are many other choices. Take your time. If your Cabela's works, there's also nothing wrong with learning on it and choosing a quality vise down the road.

I appreciate the insight. And yes, this will be something I purchase down the road as I progress. Thanks! 

This forum has really been an awesome find, and I have only looked around about an hour. After running walleye charters in the Great Lakes for years, I finally picked up a fly rod. You all know the rest of the story. If I'm not playing guitar I'm thinking about fishing. Started a little over four years ago. I love to fish the AuSable, and will be heading out to a retreat on the South Platte in Colorado this year to try my hand at cutthroats. Wintering in my state means it was inevitable for me to dive into tying as well. It looked really intimidating at first but I see the zen even in the mistakes. Just wanted to say hey, and introduce myself before I start firing questions at everyone. Cheers! - Andrew

2 minutes ago, flytire said:

renzetti traveler

That model keeps coming up everywhere I ask. Thanks a lot. I am really leaning that way. Cheers.

I was raised on the Lake Erie Islands running walleye charters with my father. I still take the lady out panfishing, but if I'm being honest I have kind of done it all on spin and trolling gear and was looking for something more in-depth. Came across a ragged copy of "Trout Bum" by John Gierach about 4 years ago and slowly began the process of accumulating fly gear. This is my preferred way to fish now and I don't see that changing. 

I have an old Cabelas Master Vise, but am kind of unhappy with the quality. It's just OKAY. I would mostly be tying dries and nymphs. Most my streamer friends pray to a Regal, but I'm seeing a lot more professional tyers using a Renzetti. Anyone have a hot take as to why one over the other? Total greenhorn here. Thanks!