Golfman09

I expected a much better game than that from Chicago....I don't think game two will be as easy for Vancouver......although I'd take it if it was. Montreal just tied it up....hopefully they can make this a close series with a win today!

i use my on lakes almost all of the time....no motor, I need the exercise! I can't suggest a motor size but unless your hitting large lakes I wouldn't worry about having one. As long as your not going against a gale force wind you should have no problems getting around.

Post your questions here......you will get lots of good advice. The whole gang has helped me a ton the last couple of years.

The TFO gang treated me very well and 2 days after I shipped my broken reel away I had a new one in its place. Very happy I don't have to make a change to something else. Just in time to use this weekend out at Bullshead!

Tons of question marks for the Canucks this playoffs BUT....I think they have the most potential coming in than they have had in years. Looking forward to seeing how deep they can go! How can anyone be cheering for the Habs....if they were in the west they would be golfing right now.....not that there is anything wrong with Golf!

I hear you Silverdoctor......I have cases for both reels that I own that has space for the spools as well.....just one of those things that I've always done to maximize my time on the water when I have a couple hours to sneak away to the river while on the family camping trip. I now see the need to at least make sure that they are in their cases/ tubes before I start shuffling gear around. On a bright note one of the guys from TFO saw my post and has contacted me to let me know that getting it replaced should be possible as its still an existing product. So I'm stoked about that and impressed by the fact that they got in touch with me to save me time in searching for the best alternative. I will put it in the mail shortly and see what they can do.

So I have this bad habit of leaving my rods and reels put together and ready to go when we are out camping in the RV. When traveling I have been known to leave them on the slideout that is now been sucked in for travel mode. As I am going over my gear from last year I seem to have found that my TFO Midge reel somehow got in the way of the movement of the slide at some point. I don't every remember having an issue but when getting the gear ready for spring the cast part of the reel that is attached to the reel seat actually cracked. Totally my fault for being lazy but now I have 2 spools with no reel so will have to start shopping around to see if they still sell that reel so I can use the loaded spools. Anyone know if they have seen that reel for sale at any local shops? It was not a pricey reel but its a big pain to go and buy something different and reload the lines I have on new spools. I will learn a valuable lesson from this.....I hope!

I double the foul hooked muskrat.........poor little guy!

I would agree with anything by Syd Marty just into the second book written by him and really enjoy the way he writes. Also, there is a book by Dick Proenekke about his time in the Alaskan wilderness, written as a journal. Its quite interesting to see how he lived building a cabin completely by hand and describing his surroundings and daily life. Puts some of what we spend our time doing in perspective.

I'm starting to look around for a camcorder and wondered if anyone has suggestions as to good models/ brands to go after. I'm not looking to spend huge dollars but would like to find some thing that is high definition if possible. I've seen a few waterproof ones around but wasn't sure about the quality. Any insight would be great. Mark

I have a fisknat from last year and really love it....the rubber net is awesome for multiple fly rigs, they don't get caught up like the mesh style.

Burrows needs to die his hair red and grow a goatee.....great chemistry with those three!

A buddy of mine had one come over from the Philipines and it took about a year to set up. I think they pay her about $1200/ month plus provide accomodation in a basement suite for a preset 40 hour work week. They did have to wait quite a while and when she first arrived the was a point where she actually almost left which would have taken another year to replace her. But it seems to be going smoothly now and they are happy with the arrangement.

I can't make it this year.....too much hockey to ref that weekend! I'm quite disappointed......may have to head to Cowtown to check out the fly shops beforehand!

I'll finally take the bag off my head and declare I'm a fan.....I was getting worried after watching the first few this year. They looked like crap.....

I have ordered from either of those online and was quite impressed....also Thorne's Manufacturing that has an online store as well.

My assumption from what Jack was saying is that Sage is requiring the full line to be carried by the small shops which is a lot of money sunk into just one line of rods. Depending on what that particular shop is "open to buy" each year it may substantially hinder the other options for them to stock. A difficult choice to make when Sage is as well know as it is......some will only want Sage....others maybe not. I guess Sage feels like they have enough power in the market that they can play hardball with even the small shops.

I am jumping in on this late but perhaps have a somewhat different take on it coming from a similar background in a slightly different field. First off, if a person thinks that $500 is too much to spend than make that choice and look for alternative way to get better at your preferred sport. A guide or instructor when they do their job correctly will help you attain skills more quickly than you figuring it out on your own. Anybody is perfectly capable in becoming great at anything that they put the effort into. Instruction added to your own effort will speed up the process which for some is why the $500 up front cost is enticing. Their knowledge becomes yours and thus speeds up the learning curve and you can see success a lot earlier than you would have if left to your own devices. Think about how much of your time it will take to get some of the skills a guide can offer not to mention the cost of flies, gear, etc that will be consumed in not catching fish before you get the experience that will increase your knowledge base. Is it worth it for you? Maybe not if your unemployed, sitting on the couch with nothing else to do but study the art. However, it definitely is for someone who needs the skills more quickly in order to get to a level of success with the amount of time they may have to enjoy the pursuit. I was a golf instructor in a previous life and find it a very similar situation. An individual golf lesson is expensive in most cases where a similar 6 hour block of time would easily create $500 in revenue. Basically, the student is paying for a level of expertise, not value per minute of instruction. In simple form a golf lesson is 5-10 minutes of instruction and then the rest is repetition. It is often package so that the student doesn't realize the story is all the same but the idea is to not confuse things with various stages of a golf swing but gradually teach drills that will enforce slow changes in a persons skill set. It has to be that way because with each new concept being introduced the student needs time and practice to move to the next step. In the end the time that is offered for the lesson is more so because there is a minimum amount of time that is expected for a certain level of income. Some jump at it and others continue to hit range balls that only help to create bad habits. Look at the high profile instructors in the US and you'll find that you can spend ridiculous dough if you think it might help. In my fishing I have chosen to read books, search online and find people to fish with that have more experience than myself. The option of a guide is always there but I have found ways to enjoy the pace at which I am learning to fly fish. I could afford a guide if the situation came up where I need to kick start my knowledge base of a certain type of fishing. However, I also need to spend my money buying a putter once a month that will immediately solve all my problems on the greens. Either way it is a choice that we can look at and decide for yourself. For a guide they have to set a price where they can make enough money to survive while balancing the demand on their time. Someone, who is continually booked can keep jacking the price to where the amount of time worked is balanced by the income they need. If we don't like what they are charging than we won't use the service. Obviously someone is getting value from the dollars being charged as there is a range in price that seems to be consistent over a large segment of the industry. My hope is that a successful and knowledgeable guide will still offer help to youth that cannot possibly pay the big price tag. However, in the end its good old supply and demand.........

Right now I am on the second Lightening McQueen rod although the first princess rod is the only one to catch a fish at this point. Hopefully that will change through the fall. It is a blast getting them out and seeing their reaction to the fish.

I picked up a Clack 15LP this spring out of the states....Price was pretty good compared to slightly used stuff. I finally had it out on the river last week as most of my fishing is stillwater. It rows well and in my opinion the finishing touches with mainly rounded edges on storage clasps and smooth contours on the boat in generally have helped to lessen the chance of snagging line. I also like the look of the clack over some others but that'll just be personal preference. My favorite part is the 2 rod holders and 5 cup holders.......mmmmmm coffee, beer and fishing...... I found a lot of used boats hold their value so there wasn't a huge difference in price on the stuff I could find. I watched craigslist and kijiji quite often as well as the new and used stuff from Clack and Hyde. Good luck in your search.

I'm heading back down there next week. Wondering if anyone else has been down there and has any recent updates on the conditions.

Mine is my other Obsessive Compulsive passtime.....which has taken a back seat to fly fishing at the moment.

This is a pic that a buddy took of me on a canoe trip last year. We stopped to set up camp the first night and I noticed a couple of rises just off the the edge of a drop off. I grabbed the rod real quick and made a few casts. Its a great reminder of somewhere to go to get away from a cell phone!