Roast

Hi Peter, Through university I worked at a shop (sales/mechanic) who sold giant bikes. The trance model from is a good bike that was one of the early designs to use a virtual pivot point which doesn't rely on a fancy rear shock to reduce suspension bob. Giant is a huge company that makes frames for a number of other brands. They offer a good spec a decent price. The trance 3 would have been one of their lowest levels in the trance line and wouldn't have been over $2000 new. I would pass on that bike given it's age and the high asking price. There is a good chance you would have to replace the drivetrain, rebuild the front and rear shocks and possibly the pivots. It would depend on how much maintenance the bike received and how often it was used. Aluminum frames have a fatigue life and depending on how it was ridden it could be near the end. Hope that helps;)

My next rod will be a 4 wt glass rod. The ones that I am looking at are the steffen 7'9"-8' 4wt which is one of the most highly regarded 4 wts on the fiberglass flyrodder forum and is very reasonable priced as a blank or full rod from Mark. I am also looking at the epic glass rods. Asking for the best 4wt is like asking what are the best running shoes, you really have to try a bunch out;)

Sounds awesome. Have you built a quad before? /end derail

I picked these up down south. Super cheap and can store a lot of different flies. I use two in the summer. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cabelas-Poly-20-Compartment-Box/1514352.uts?Ntk=AllProducts&searchPath=%2Fcatalog%2Fsearch%2F%3FN%3D1000002949%2B5100297%26Ntk%3DAllProducts%26Ntt%3DFly%2Bbox%26Ntx%3Dmode%252Bmatchallpartial%26WTz_l%3DHeader%253BSearch-All%2BProducts%26WTz_srn%3DBy%2BCategory%2BSearch%26WTz_st%3DSearchRefinements%26form_state%3DsearchForm%26nl%3Dtrue%26search%3DFly%2Bbox%26searchTypeByFilter%3DAllProducts%26x%3D-738%26y%3D-52&Ntt=Fly+box&WTz_l=Header%3BSearch-All+Products

Thanks for the great tip, I like it:)

Any word on distribution? (tv channel, webisodes etc). I have kept my eyes open for old iron bow episodes, but have only found an episode on YouTube. I'm really looking forward to this series:)

I enjoy these way too much...

Thanks everyone, I will look into your suggestions. The rear brakes are drums, so I am going to go with a pro;)

Hey Everyone, I am looking for a reputable mechanic/ business to replace the brakes on my honda fit. I don't want to bring it to the dealership if possible as they tend to be quite expensive for this kind of work. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks, Brent

These are my favorite kind of 'tough decisions'. If it were me, I would look for a used drift boat, or a lhw hardy perfect or a new bamboo rod.... decisions, decisions:)

Also consider the new orvis CFO click pawl. Made in the USA ( rumoured to be made by Abel). http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=9P4A

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.