Roast

Very cool video, thanks for sharing. I thought don was using a Morgan hand mill now. Cool to see the tools used, both bought and engineered like the rod binder.

Last year I bought a dewalt dw 745. I thought that this was a good saw for me, as I'm not a pro, but still wanted a capable saw for projects at home. The rack and pinion fence is great but can only rip up to 20". The drawback to the saw is that the arbor isn't large enough to allow it to use a dado stack. I have a router table that I can use, however I really wish a dado stack was an option. You had to go up to the next level to get one that supports this and looking back I kick myself a bit. The other drawback is there isn't a really good place to clamp a feather board on the table surface and you cant use the magnetic ones due to the aluminum base. All things to think about. I thought I just needed a basic saw, but it doesn't take long for your eye to wander. I paid $260 through lowes online when they were having one of their web only sales, our dollar didn't suck and everything was 15% off;) $400 for a Bosch sounds really good, especially if it includes a stand. I think that dewalt wants over $100 bucks for a basic scissor stand thats usually not included.

I just downloaded a booklet that comes highly recommended from Members on the Fiberglass rod forum. I'm ordering a build kit from swift this winter, and hope to document the process. The booklet is free and you can get it here: http://swiftflyfishing.com/collections/epic-premium-ready-to-wrap-fly-rod-kits/products/epic-custom-fly-rod-build-book

Totally agree, really enjoyed his presentation. He is such an excellent teacher who really drives home the message: as long as you're having fun, your doing it right. Trout, carp, tenkara, czech nymphing, big streamers... who cares. I think that many fly fisherman loose sight of this. I also loved both of Borgers sessions today. He is the foil to resenbauer, as his presentations have a more serious tone. He is a weath of knowledge, and I like his scientific approach to the sport, for me that's fun. They're both great. As for the show, ya it's similar to other years. But where else can you try the latest rods when it's -10 C outside. It got me excited for spring and has given me a kick in the but to start tying for next season.

Just checked out the website for the upcoming fly fishing expo. I am really excited to see Gary Borger coming back this year. I really enjoyed his seminars a couple years back. Also really excited to see Tom Rosenbauer. During the winter I love listening to his podcast while tying flies. It's also great to see Mr McLennan back to share his knowledge. Looking forward to attending the expo this year! http://www.flyfishingevents.com/presentation-schedule.html

Cabelas (USA) has their cgr Fiberglas rods 60% off today only. http://www.cabelas.com/product/CABELAS-CGR-FLY-RODS/1873450.uts

Great feedback, I will stay tuned to this thread.

I have Patagonia river walkers (discontinued) that have treated me well. Super light, EASY to get into, and have held up to 3 years of fishing, however I am not hard on gear. My next boots will be Patagonia foot tractors. I haven't read anything overly positive on the new tacky rubber, Felt is ok but I still slip a lot wading the bow, the aluminum bars seem like they would offer the best traction but have a weight penalty.

Thanks for posting:)

Cool video and great collection taco. This winter I'm building an epic 686 glass rod. I am hoping it will be my new nymph, streamer and large terrestrial workhorse for the bow. Never fished glass before, but I love my cane rod for dries. I really enjoy feeling the rod load and I hope the epic will give me a similar experience when fishing those subsurface flies.

I also got mine at wholesale. I think they were around 20 bucks. Super easy to do and I will be able to get at least another couple years out of the boots. I would advise getting the biggest felts that they sell. I have size 11 boots, and the biggest they sold barely fit. Use the steps in the video here:

Glad you mentioned this. I have been mulling around getting a mindshift trail all summer but may hold out a bit longer. I always though fly fishing specific companies charged a premium, however camera companies take this to a whole new level. The weak dollar hasn't helped either. Any details you can share about the new fly pack (size comparison, features, etc?)

Swift has made 'once in a blue moon' available for free for a limited time. This film is awesome, and I enjoyed Carl's casting as much as the scenery and fish. You have to choose unlimited download and a they will email, you a Vimeo link to the video. A great way to spend some time with the recent closures, http://swiftflyfishing.com/collections/dvds/products/once-in-a-blue-moon?utm_source=The+Swift+Fly+Fishing+Company+VIP+list&utm_campaign=842697ea78-Rewards_OiBM_digital_8_11_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_038eb805f2-842697ea78-423555025&mc_cid=842697ea78&mc_eid=3b7b13e006

I really like 8'6" for a 4wt. For tight waters shorter can be an advantage. If possible demo different lengths. Personally I don't really love short rods but everyone is different;)

Bamboo is a bit out of your price range, however I would suggest that you try out some glass rods if you are looking for something slow that's good for delicate dry fly work. You will have to slow down your stroke, but you might really like it. I know that fish tales have butter sticks and echo glass. Orvis also recently put out a new glass rod, but I don't know if country pleasures stocks it. Best of luck in your search, however ensure that you cast the rod before you buy. Shops are more than happy to let you try them. It's also a good idea to bring your current reel to see how the rods balances.

Very cool work Brent! You also need to start a thread on your cane rods;)

We had our daughter out at 5 months doing Grassi lakes in canmore. It may depend on the type of pack you get. We have an osprey, which we like, but I like the design of the deuter a bit better. They have to be able to support their heads which takes a few months.

That's awesome! When I broke my sage it took about 5 months to get it back. They had to build me a whole new rod as well. Your lucky! The warrenties rod companies offer are pretty crazy. You pay a premium up front, but I have always got my money's worth out of the program.

I'm an amateur photographer, so take my advice with a grain of salt. I really like Lightroom, however as previously mentioned it isn't free. However it does have a lot of great features that make it worthwhile. It lets you easily organize your photos and makes it easy to adjust your photos or add various effects. I don't have a go pro, so I don't know what the file options are, but if it has RAW use that. RAW files allow you to easily change things like white balance and edit the photo in a nondestructive way. If your getting blurry photos in low light, up the ISO on the camera. However raising the ISO introduces digital noise and your photos can start to look grainy. Which can be good or bad depending on the look you want. For bright conditions keep the ISO low for the least amount of noise and generally the best results. The best thing to do is to play around with your camera, In the digital age, it doesn't cost anything to experiment.

Sorry to hear about your loss. Mental illness is very real, and as you said, talking about it is an important first step.

Fiberglass has my interest piqued. I finished out a bamboo rod a couple years ago and really enjoy fishing with it. Never fished with glass, but it's next on the list. I am very interested in the modern epic (476, 580, 686) and steffen (7'9 or 8' 4wts) glass rods. I hope to also pick up some vintage fenwicks.

Today scadden is having a cyber Monday sale. $200 off clearanced priced boats under $1000 and $300 off clearance boats $1000-$2000 . Those are probably the best prices you will see all season. I have a scadden pontoon with the laser lock frame. I bought it when I had a truck. Now that I have a car, I would opt for frameless since I don't have as much space. The frame is really nice to fish from since you are a bit higher up. If it were me and I had a big vehicle I would go for the andreason model. Super easy to set up with a v shaped toon and I like the frame. If space was tight I would go for the predator. I Don't think I would like having a tube in front of me when fishing, but haven't tried it so who knows. http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/show-season-sale/

Hey Bob, I have a pair of simms guide waders that I have had 7+ years. During that time I have only had to do pinhole repairs. If your waders are gortex, turn the waders inside out and spray the waders with dilute isopropyl alcohol. The holes will appear as a dark spot. Use a small amount of aqua seal and rub it into the hole. This will seal the waders up good as new. You want to only cover the hole as the aqua seal does breath. Never repaired a tear, but you can find some good videos here: http://www.simmsfishing.com/support/repairs.html

This is great advice when you are checking out used bikes. When I need to replace a drivetrain on my bike I buy stuff from chain reaction cycle out of the uk. Even with the weak dollar their prices on components (especially shimano) are way below local retail. Orders over $99 ship free and I haven't been charged duty yet (knock on wood). http://www.chainreactioncycles.com