Conor

To clarify, magpies aren't directly protected under any legislation, but I ndirectly by bylaws that protect people (e.g. no firing of projectiles within city limits). I find it easier to deal with nuisance wildlife than nuisance neighbors.

I know magpie traps can be quite effective. Crows might be too wily. I have never tried but I doubt a trap would be hard to come by. Keeps you honest by requiring you to do the deed yourself rather than with a projectile at long range!

That made my day. Thanks

Winchel (sp?) is just NW of Calgary and would probably meet your needs. Never been myself. Just pointing it out as it is a whole lot closer than other suggestions.

Is say fiberglass products are included but also an indication of this trend. I don't keep up on current models and marketing, but Winston BXt and Sage Circa are a few recent carbon products that qualify. Also there are plenty of smaller companies that have current products and have consistently filled the niche over the past few years. Burkenheimer, Morgan and Stephen are a few of those. But why look new when there is a wealth of aftermarket options? Any Sage RPL and earlier are fine rods. I have a Graphite II that's keeps me smiling. All older and some modern Winstons. Older Scott, Orvis and other major brand offers all have great options. And then there is cane and glass. The number of <$200 rods out there that are exceptional casting and fishing tools is huge.

I buy the fancy stuff. I like frog hair. The pricy flouro has way better strength to diameter ratios and tends to be much more supple as well. I'm a cheap sob at heart, but I consol myself with the fact that even stripping off a whole leader length of frog hair is cheaper than cracking a can of Budweiser.

Nicely done wraps.

What Chrome said. Also, you loose knot strength as the wire diameter of a hook goes up, and tipper stays the same. Negligible except in the extremes, which 4x and a dirty worm is pushing. A loop knot mitigates the issue completely. If your tieing on a big ol' worm, don't worry too much about how heavy your tippet is. A lot of very experienced guys heed closely to tippet choices by hook size still.

Thanks for the reminder. I actually didn't see the sign and launched to the north. All boats were launching there and there was a line of wade anglers south of the bridge. Seemed to make sense. Also saw a cop cruiser driving around down there. Not sure what they were up to, but considering they were not launching, they could have parked and walked out there...

That depends how particular you are! It would be very similar, but wraps are slightly different with each different varnish method. If your not picky, you probably wouldn't notice. Always worth checking though. I like that look quite a bit. The dark grey looks great on the light blank. I have a light grey build pending and cheated and got NCP nylon for it, because I want the light grey look.

Make sure to test some with the epoxy. Either on the butt or similar colored dowel. That grey particularly will have a very different look when varnished.

What is the denatured for? If just for thinner, acetone works well for epoxy. I do one part each for the first coat, and lay it very thin, just soaking the wraps. I've cast the blue halo and butter sticks and was not impressed. I'd guess they don't compare with epic. One of the demo rods blue halo had at the show wasn't even straight. There are so many quality vintage rods out there, and even blanks, I can't see getting one of those. Or a small bump in price gets you into quality modern stuff.

I have a 10' 5wt custom build I could part with. It is a high mod fairly fast (for a 10 ft) taper. Dancraft FT blank and high end components. 4 piece. I like it with a 6 wt or more, but you may be different. I always liked it best on lakes. A canon with backbone for bigger fish. You could try it out for a bit if interested.

Was in Eluthra last year. Flys seemed to be slightly bigger and gaudier than standard patterns. Pinks, Browns, chartreuse flash etc.

Any work there would need a Water Act approval, which will need a land owner go ahead. No point drawing anything up until you know who the landowner is and that they are on board. I could help with some of the regulatory process if things move forward.

I think EHC look fine with trimmed hackle. Fish don't care either. Trim barbs to length before wrapping. Also get some dry fly hackle for other patterns. They don't look so good with trimmed hackle. I actually find EHC work better without the hackle anyway.

Fish pro, it's a good question. Id say it has to do with practicality and specifics of the target species. I think what your poking at is whether it is ethical to fight large game on fly tackle, which is a fair question. To keep the same ratio of rod power to fish size, we would be looking at a 50 weight or so for tarpon and other large quarry. But you can fight a tarpon for and hour and release it safely. Not so with trout. And it is easy to bring an 8 weight for baby tarpon, not so easy to find a 50 weight for the big boys. That's the practicality aspect which takes linear out of the equation.

That's been kicking around the inter webs for a few years. It is a large salamander photoshopped onto an ice fishing pic. Tricked me last year.

Missed 2014 and looks like I will miss another. Bad dates for me. Bummer. It is looking more and more likely this hobby will come later in life for me. I was determined to get a rod done this winter, but it ain't gonna happen. It's been two years since I finished my first. It would help if we stopped moving.

The dollies in unicorn were out of this world. Some of the most spectacular fish I have ever seen. Tuna on the fly just seems crazy to me. I've caught plenty on heavy gear. I think using fly gear is just making things difficult. Maybe I like my fingers to much. The east coast film was good. Heading out to see family on Cape Cod this summer. Looking forward to some stripers on the flats.

The dollies in unicorn were out of this world. Some of the most spectacular fish I have ever seen. Tuna on the fly just seems crazy to me. I've caught plenty on heavy gear. I think using fly gear is just making things difficult. Maybe I like my fingers to much. The east coast film was good. Heading out to see family on Cape Cod this summer. Looking forward to some stripers on the flats.

Freestone. That is a crime. $700 should get you a day on a $300K boat with prof fishing captain. With fuel costs where they are, even that is a bit of a rip off. Pack your gear and head to the dock bright and early. Bring a hundred dollar bill with you. Chat to some guys. I almost guarantee you'll spend the day fishing or line something up for another day.

Not what you asked, but since others are throwing out recommendations, this kit is one of the best purchases I have made. Won't get them as sharp as a good service, but gets them really sharp (not scrape away the steel sharp) and does it consistantly and quickly. I've been through diamonds and steels and stones and lanskies, etc, and wish I had bought 10 of these in place of everything else (for knives anyway; I use the stones and plates for straight razors and flat tools). http://www.amazon.ca/Work-Sharp-WSKTSC-Knife-Sharpener/dp/B005HV0EFS/ref=sr_1_1/178-0550022-9858751?ie=UTF8&qid=1452655240&sr=8-1&keywords=work+sharp+knife+sharpener

I think I have mentioned it on this Board before, but one of the biggest benefits of simplifying, I saw, was it got me back into tying. Last year about this time I decided to focus on a few patterns in the next season. I also sloughed off a couple lifetimes of materials at the same time. I spent more hours at the desk last winter than I had in the several previous. I think I was just overwhelmed by the endless possibilities of patterns, variations, material subsitutes, etc. I had stopped enjoying tying and was only at the desk when I needed something specifically.

Yeah, I have done something similar and don't feel wanting of patterns stream side anymore. When I tied whatever, I always felt like the pattern I was using just didn't quite cut it.