rusty

Great job guys!

It's a common misconception that TFOs are made in Calgary - they're just distributed here. I believe that they are made off shore (Korea?), which explains the price. Sage and most of the other major manufacturers are building blanks and finishing rods in the USA, which is a nice selling feature. My favorite thing about my Islander is the little "Made in Canada" sticker on the back of the reel foot.

Yeah, people talk about the TFO warranty - but that's like buying a car because the towing is free every time it breaks down.

Sages kill everything else out there in my books. The 390XP and 690RPL+ are the two nicest rods they've ever made. DBT - Sages aren't cheap, but they don't have to be expensive either. I just picked up my eighth - a beautiful custom 1090-4 Xi2 - and at $500 it's the most I've spent on one yet. There are some great deals on the used market, and with the rate that Sage discontinues rods at, you can frequently find a brand new outstanding rod for $300-400. A lot of guys on here probably got awesome deals on XPs. Custom builds are also a great way to save money. You could buy XP blanks for $150 last year, which means you could put a better-than-factory rod in your mitts for $250-300. When they discontinued the VPS, you could get two piece midweight blanks for $100-120.

The new Sharskin notwithstanding, I love the Airflo Freshwater Tacticals. They last a long time and have a warranty if anything goes wrong. They have bad memory in the cold, but that's the only bad thing I could say.

12 weights in float tubes for giant tarpon...WOW. Laughed out loud at some of the photography tips too. Great mag for sure.

Catch a big salmon in Alaska in June Catch a 30" rainbow in stillwater Catch the elusive 28" brown on the Bow The last two are probably more like life goals than resolutions - but hey, you gotta aim high.

This is definitely the most unique catch I've ever seen on the Bow. We were fishing in March when the ice was breaking up and this guy must have gone for an unintentional swim. We pulled him out and put him in the wader pouch to dry off and warm up. He didn't want to leave afterwards.

Yeah the Wii is unreal - check out Super Mario Galaxy, Zelda, and Metroid Prime 3. RE 4 is also an awesome game and well worth the $30. Zelda's worth playing just for the fishing. They could make the most awesome flyfishing game on the Wii - I'm just not sure how many people would buy it.

I have the grandfather of the grandfather of that cam - the Optio 43WR. I got it 4 years ago and it's taken over 8,000 fabulous pics. Mine is only rated "water resistant" but I've taken several hundred underwater shots with great results. One tip about the underwater thing - you can't see the LCD very well, so line it up above the surface then put it in. I always try to take a lot of pics underwater because it seems like only 1 in 10 gets composed properly (totally not the camera's fault). The only other real underwater cam is that Olympus Stylus, but I haven't heard much about them yet.

If it's in the south end, I'd be in plus one former Junior B goalie avec full gear.

Gord is pure gold, baby. Would take his version anyday. Far as I'm concerned, Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald may be the greatest tune of all time.

What kind of icefishing is he after? Is he against bait fishing for coarse fish? Or would he prefer trout? How far is he willing to drive?

oops...double post.

I've rowed both kinds and the wooden ones are way heavier. There is also more maintenance - but for some that's part of the attraction. Have seen some custom built boats on the Bow and many of them look absolutely incredible. I believe that Brunsie built a really nice boat a few years back - if he's lurking around he could no doubt give some good input.

I'd rather not post exact location (no doubt some here already know) - but it's less than two hours SE of Calgary. Most of the lakes down there are fishing well. Pike are phenomenal table fare in the winter once you figure out how to remove the Y-bones. There are some great youtube videos. My favorite pike recipe: plate 1: cornstarch+flour, 3 tbsp each plate 2: two eggs + 1/2c buttermilk plate 3: 1/2c cornmeal, salt and pepper, 1/4c parmesan cheese, 1/2c bread crumbs, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp chopped lemon zest Fillet chunks go in plate 1 and get dusted off thoroughly, then dredged in 2 and breaded in 3. Give 15 minutes for the breading to set up and fry 3 minutes per side in hot oil in a cast iron pan. Severn's a great spot but it gets meated out pretty good. Awesome to hear that there are some bigger fish in there now.

The pike fishing the last few weeks has been pretty darn good. Haven't nailed any monsters yet, but those 8-10s make for good eats.

Only three hours, eh Weedy? I usually go at least 4, even 8 sometimes. You know it's worked when it gels up when it cools. Best stock tip I've ever heard - leave the skins on the onions. Gives the stock a lovely golden color. I also love sage and sometimes even a lemon or two. I love what stock does to your house...the windows get all foggy and the whole place just smells amazing.

So that's what that smell is.

3-1 win tonight - outside of the first 10 minutes they looked great. Good to see Huselius get one too. Gotta admire the way the Oil have played lately though.

A little easier on the pocket would be a Lamson Velocity. Great reel and lots of folks on the board here have one.

Wow...I was going to post a picture but would be embarassed to do so now. That's a really nice rig - definitely the way to go.

Sure that wasn't the open bar talking?

Real nice job. The body's a little short because you've used a 1X hook instead of a 2X, but some people like that because you get a small body and a nice wide gap. The pheasant tail is generally tied in so that the tips of the feather barbules are at the end of the fly. Looks like you may have cut them off. Remember that a natural mayfly nymph has a very sparse and slender tail, which is represented well if you use the tips. Excellent job though - good proportions and it looks like a very neatly tied fly. The thorax is perfect. It would undoubtedly catch fish anywhere.

Din, your mice look great and I like the lighter color at the head. Curious though as far as Dr. BT's comment goes - how many people shape with a razor vs. scissors? I've only ever used the latter but have heard a lot of talk about the razor.