Roast

I would put your money towards a day with a good guide. Your current setup will work fine and a guide will help you to be more successful than a new setup will. I am all for new gear, but you can shave years off the learning curve by spending time with a pro.

Though I have not tried them, I have heard great thing about the patagonia rock grip wading boots. They have aluminum bars which are suppose to really grip.

Happy holidays;)

#163 5005 Dalhousie Dr NW. Great shop and I hope it's doing well. Don't know if they had a grand opening or not...

This winter I think that I am going to build up a Steffen 8' 3/4 glass rod:) I have never fished glass, however the rod has a cult following with fiberglass gurus. I will be pairing mine with a Islander LA IR3 (which I love), however I would probably pair with with a new hardy bougle which rumor has it will be made once again in England:)

He was always helpful whenever I was looking for a material for a pattern. He will be missed.

Sorry if some of the areas I posted are closed, forgot the check. It was a quick copy paste;)

Taken from a local xc skiing blog: ... Other wonderful larch destinations in Kananaskis Country include: Mt. Allan-Marmot Creek Basin, Fortress ski area and Fortress Lake, Tent Ridge, Tryst Lake, Commonwealth Creek/Smuts Pass, Burstall Pass, Piggy Plus valley, Rummel Lake, Chester Lake, Mt. Indefatigable, Lake Rae, Tombstone Pass and Tombstone Lakes, Pocaterra Basin & Pocaterra Ridge, Running Rain Lake, Odlum Ridge, Mist Ridge, Picklejar Pass, Loomis Lake, Bishop Pass and Pasque Ridge. In Banff Park, there are excellent larch forests at Wenkchemna Pass, Consolation Valley, Panorama Ridge, Taylor Lake, Rockbound Lake, Gibbons Pass, Healy Pass, Egypt Lake, Boulder Pass, the Skoki area and of course the Lake O’Hara area in Yoho Park too.

Last year I broke my z axis is 3 places (pontoon... my fault... whoops). They ended up having to roll me a whole new blank because they didn't have any old stock. I sent it in over the winter and it took a few months to get it back. I thought $60 was pretty good. It makes me wonder how long the manufacturers will keep this up...

Thanks for posting pictures, great looking shop that I will check it out soon. Very nice to have a quality shop in the NW.

Hey Dick, You're right, its been done for quite sometime, however it's been a busy month. I will give you a call to work out a drop off time. Conor, it is a Dennis Stone Cascade Blank, 7'9" 5wt:)

Don will definitely have more answers however here are a couple brokers I have heard of: http://www.tonkincane.com/tonkprice.html http://www.bamboobroker.com/products.html The best bamboo comes from the Tonkin region of China. Here is a great video about bamboo, importing, etc: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=uKE-6GsZBZg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DuKE-6GsZBZg

Don isn't kidding about how much time it takes to finish a blank, especially if you choose fine grade silk. I used yli 100 wt silk that is just a little thicker than pearsall gossamer. Having never used silk before, it took me a really long time in the beginning to get it to where I was happy with it. However I got more proficient with every wrap and I am happy with the finished product: Another option is to use silk that is heavier, like yli 50 wt which is much easier to work with. I would highly suggest ordering a rod and working on it over the winter so that you aren't tempted to rush:) As another user mentioned, you can always buy a new or used rod, but ensure that it is from a respected dealer. Here are a few that I am aware of: - http://www.coldwatercollectibles.com/classics.html - http://classicflyfisherman.com/PRE_OWNED_RODS.htm - http://www.codella.com/binventory.htm (already mentioned) - http://www.vintageflytackle.com/collections/bamboo-rods Bamboo veterans will suggest that you try a taper before you purchase a rod. This can be very hard to do, and some of the dealers above offer a 3 day inspection period where you can see if the rod is for you.

Those are some really nice looking blanks:) Looking more at blanks there are some really nice looking options from Epic, Steffen, McFarland. I also saw that Tom Morgan's fiberglass blanks are available with a bit of a wait. Reading more about the man in the past few weeks, I respect his and his companies work even more. The cost of the blanks cost a bit more compared to other glass however they still seem like a bargain. Then like you I think about making my own bamboo rod. I know I am getting ahead of myself, however that's what I love about fly fishing, there is always more to learn.

You're not kidding, so many tapers that I would like to try. What's closest bamboo gathering to Calgary? I would really like to try a parabolic/Young taper to see what they are all about. It's going to be a fun journey:)

I have been watching a few blogs and it appears that a couple of manufacturers (Orvis and Echo, maybe others?) are working on new fiberglass rods. I personally have been gravitating towards slower rods and recently purchased a bamboo blank that I just finished wrapping out. Just casting it on the lawn, I'm amazed at the feel and how effortless casting is. I started fishing with graphite, I hadn't tried anything else until now. For another winter project, I am considering ordering a fiberglass rod blank (McFarland or Steffen or both) to see how it compares. With all that being said, who on the forum uses fiberglass or bamboo and why?

This year I started building my own leaders and I have liked the results. I like the simplicity of Borgers system and have built a number of leaders according to his specs. For nymphing I use his Bottom Bouncing design (attached). It was tough to find maxima chameleon in the various diameters, however I found some when I was in the states but I have seen some of the smaller diameters at canadian tire. The attach design is for water that is waist deep or shallower. If the water is deeper, add length to the 0x section. I use blood knots to attach the various diameters together, but use a triple surgeon for the final piece of tippet. To attach the hook to tippet I use a regular clinch knot as it has been shown to be stronger than the improved clinch. For multiple flies on a nymph rig, I attached them by tying the tippet to eye of the hook. I use a nail knot tool as it makes things a lot faster and easier, but haven't found the need for any other knot tools. Country Pleasures posted an interesting way to setup a nymph rig, but I haven't tried it yet: http://countrypleasuresff.blogspot.ca/2012/03/monday-tips-and-techniques-nymph.html

Give Wild Rose Brown Ale a try, it fits your criteria. Then around Christmas pick up a bottle of Chocolate Cherry Porter, soooo good.

It's too bad some of the restaurants are not carrying the locals stuff. However some restaurants are now carrying Wild Rose and Village beers which are also excellent local breweries.

I would also look at a scadden outlaw escape. No bladders to worry about and not a lot more money. http://www.northforkoutdoors.com/2013summersale/2013summersale.html

The globe and mail reports "Five of those six are carrying petroleum distillate, a type of diluent used to water down oil sands bitumen for shipment. It’s also used as a solvent in metal polishes, paint thinner, oil-based stains and paint, the rail company said." I feel sick.

They said it is some kind of petroleum product:( Fingers crossed they can solve this...

I had a garmin Oregon 450 that I really liked, until it was stolen. I really liked the touch screen and it wasn't too bad to see in direct sunlight, but not the best. I bought mine at GPSCity in Calgary and their prices was the best I found anywhere.

Submitted a complaint on the city's new 311 app.

I just rigged one up, looking forward to seeing how it works next time I am out:)