Roast

I’ve have 2 islander Large arbor IR reels. I have had problems with both of them. One had too much play when locked on the spool. Islander was great to deal with and when it came back it was much better. The other has drag issues, the drag locks up. Switched out pawls and posts, still doesn’t work correctly. Will have to send it back as well. Not impressed when compared to my Hardy’s that are 30-40 years old and have no issues. Wanted to support a Canadian company, but won’t buy islander again.

I have a scientific angler system 6 reel that was made by Hardy and I believe was a precursor to the marquis line. I also have a Marquis 6 and they are both great reels. Yours looks to have the ring tension system versus the click pawl, and I haven’t used one with that style drag. I found the drag know doesn’t make a huge difference, but It doesn’t matter as it has the palming rim. I love when you get a hot fish on these, they sing. I want my ringtone to be a screaming hardy click pawl reel, it’s one of my favorite sounds.

Those Patagonia Danners look killer, but will require some serious saving to afford. But if they last the rest of my wading days, could be good bang for the buck. I picked up the hodgman H5 http://www.hodgman.com/hodgman-wade-boots/ when wholesale sports was closing everything out. I have one season on them and so far so good. I like that I can swap out the soles for winter time/hiking. I only fish the bow, so I use the felt 99% of the time. The sole is pretty easy to change and I haven't had a sole come loose. Build quality has been good. I wish they had the Vion model in my size when I was buying as I think the nubuck leather would hold up better than the synthetic. The downside is they are way heavier than my old Patagonia river walkers, and more comparable to something from Simms. Not sure if anyone in Calgary is carrying the Hodgman stuff right now. http://www.hodgman.com/hodgman-wade-boots/

MEC carries it as well. Bought some last month for wader repairs:)

Wrapped out a (stone) 8'6" 5wt cascade blank a few years back. Really nice dry fly rod. Looked at his website and many pages are missing. Hope he's still making rods

Who is selling the Hodgman boots in Calgary? Any comments if they run narrow or wide? I find Simms are too wide for my feet. Currently use Patagonia river walkers that should have been retired 2 seasons ago.

Given that they have all the sizes left at the end of the season. I am guessing they are trying to reign in the price a bit to make it more appealing. Both look like nice jackets but I would buy the older one.

Patagonia has their top of the line wading jackets on clearance now. $317 with all the bells and whistles http://www.patagonia.ca/product/sst-jacket-for-fly-fishing/81863.html?dwvar_81863_color=TRLG&cgid=web-specials#tile-8=&prefn1=sport&prefv1=fly-fishing&start=1&sz=24

If buying at Michaels check their website for coupons.

Man, I would be pumped if my wife bought me a cfo. They are made by Abel and I have only heard great things. Sometimes steel is the real deal;)

Well that's some disappointing news... It was one of my favourite winter events:(

Ya we have bought those in the past and they are great. We have went the cutting route for something fun to do on the weekend with our daughter

If your on the fence, put it on your Christmas list. More info here: https://norvise.com/pdfs/Newsletter2017pricechanges.pdf

Thanks for the help. I ended up finding a great page with links to maps, rules etc. For anyone who is interested: https://www.agric.gov.ab.ca/app21/forestrypage?cat1=Tree%20Cutting&cat2=Permit%20Maps

For the last few years we have went to the junior Forrest warden lot out west of the city, The trees have always been very sparse and I am looking to go the permit route, For those who cut their own, where is a good area to find a tree? My two year old doesn't have a lot of patience. Any help is appreciated

This is such a tragedy, but hats off to the person who went in after him, you're a hero. I have only fell in shallow water and luckily have never been swept downstream. I fish alone most of the time and want to get a inflatable pfd. Can anyone post their experience with them. Belt versus shoulder? I switch between a backpack and hip pack depending on the length of the fishing day and want something that works for both. Auto or manual inflation? With stories like this, money on a pfd appears to be money well spent.

Korkers never looked like a high quality product. Materials always looked like something you would find on something from Walmart. They have a great idea, but it looks to be poorly executed. Not a fan of the boa system either. Complex solution for a simple task I have had a pair of Patagonia river walkers for about 6 years, all walk and wade and I fish about 50-60 days a year. Replaced the felts twice, and they are really showing their age. Theyre discontinued so I will be aqua sealing and stitching them back up until they're really unusable. You can get them on in a few seconds. Best boots I have ever had and will be the first brand I try when they give up the ghost.

For me it's usually a reel. I should just put an old one permanently in the glovebox...

I would just pick a councillor and express that you are someone from out of town that wants more launches for fishing access. A word about the businesses you support while in town to fish will help drive the point across that river access helps everyone.

Me too:)

Ya I totally get it, and it does sound very interesting, I would like to cast one. Interesting that he isn't offering a 5wt, the typical do it all trout weight.

Interesting that he chose to use kickstarter to fund this, pretty sure he could cover it...

I'm really liking my new glass rod (epic 686), if you would like to try it send me a pm. There is a field right by my house where you can make some casts. As you can see from the various responses, some guys like a fast rod like a z axis and some like a more moderate action. Im gravitating to slower rods now. Its easier for me to feel glass and bamboo rods load. They have great tippet protection, and it's easy to cast in close with only a foot or two of line out. Plus when you hook a fish, they really bend and you feel every head shake. It would be good to head to a shop like fish tales and get them to line up a bunch of rods with different actions in your price range (they do carry some glass rods as well). Then try casting them at the distances you typically dry fly fish, which is really important. Go on a slower day and place some targets out or try to pick off some dandelions. There will be rods that just work better for you.

Thinning the epoxy helped to keep them down, and I used a straw to get out the big ones. Some guys use an alcohol lamp to heat the epoxy to remove them, however I was way too concerned to mix flame with alcohol thinner. The micro bubbles happened when I didn't let the epoxy wick off the brush. In the future I'm going get a faster motor for epoxy application. I found it hard to keep my hand steady and focus on only letting only the epoxy wick onto the blank while also turning the blank. A faster motor would also help get the epoxy lines straight at the ends of the wraps. I also think it would be a little bit easier to push epoxy around when applying it.

Finished up the rod this weekend. Ended up putting on 4 thinned coats of epoxy. Overall I'm very happy with the results Casting: Line used: SA GPX Line 6wt (used for majority of test) Also tried: Rio Indicator 6wt Reel: Hardy Golden Prince 7/8wt Its only been out to the neighborhood school field, but all I can say is WOW! The rod is accurate at typical fishing distances and really smooth. I brought a hoola hoop with me and I had the yarn landing on target most of the time. It casts nicely off the tip, however add a few hauls and the line just sails out of the guides. I have never been great at distance casting, but with this rod I almost had the backing knot through the guides. Not super practical for the fishing that I do, but it was really fun. I attribute the distance to the increased feel as it was easier for me to feel when to apply power. I have never had better looking loops. Overall: This was a great experience. There really is something to building your own rod, and I would recommend going the kit route to anyone that hasn't built a rod before. Almost everything that you need was included and the components fit very well together. There are a few moments that will be a little nerve wracking (any time epoxy is used), but it added to the experience. My only suggestion is to order so that it arrives in winter. I am going to head to the river tomorrow to see how it does on the water. The next question is what to build next.... a Steffen 3/4 or epic 476. Hopefully by next winter I know.