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

Great point! All walk and wade 20+ days a year.

I bought Simms guide waders almost 10 years ago and theyre still going. I can't speak to their lower models, but simms has a reputation for quality. I take care of my gear, and tend to get a lot of life out of it. Another thing to consider is fit. I am a string bean, and with all their size options you can get ones that fit your shape. I will cough up the money for Simms when they need to be replaced. I know they had to lower their prices recently because they were getting really out of hand with the exchange rate. I know fish tales had some models on sale last time I was in.

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.

Another good video here from the Jensens and Fish Tales

That whole Jensen bank series is awesome.

You can fish streamers with a 4 wt and a great primer on streamer fishing can be found here: http://howtoflyfish.orvis.com/video-lessons/chapter-seven-streamer-fishing With a traditional 4 wt setup you will be limited on the size of fly you can throw, however recently there have been some really interesting developments with super short Skagit heads that allow you to throw some pretty meaty flies with lower weight single handed trout rods. Given your interest in double handed rods, this could be a relatively cheap way to learn some skagit casts, throw some bigger flies and fish some streamers, Check out opst's youtube channel. Here is a good primer on what can be done with a 3/4 wt glass rod. Note Ed Ward, Jerry French and Co make what they are doing look really easy (it's not) but I have been having a lot of fun with it this year. Skagit trout heads ~$50 are available at fish tales and country pleasures carry opst heads $75

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:)