jack

The politics of water knows no "party" boundaries. Yes, I know AB has been Conservative since the beginning of history, but just look at next door. Many different colours of political parties over the past 100 years, the BC Water Act has not changed in over 100 years and look how many BC rivers are in very deep trouble. It is not the political party, it is about political will, and THAT comes from ordinary people. j

What he said. It is extremely important to immediately practice the physical movements of casting to instill those movements so they are not forgotten. Practice daily, even on grass. An hour's practice is equal to one days fishing in actual stickwaving. Winter is also the time to absorb the "academic" part of fly fishing; where, when and how to place what fly. It is about how to handle and release fish, it is about personal ethics and how to share. In my estimation, "fly fishing" is 90% non-physical(if you classify flytying as non-physical) and 10% actually flinging flies. j

I just wonder what's worse, tiring the fish out so much that they don't fight the unhooking and release or using a glove to tail a still somewhat energetic fish ? j

The President Obama enhanced the chances of peaceful resolutions in this world and won the Peace Prize for changing the basis of U.S. foreign policy that, for the past 100+ years, has been "Might is Right". He dismissed the use of the term: ".....in this nation's best interests." He established an attitude of dealing with other nations as equals. This he did in the first 4 days. Has he accomplished anything? Of course not. Has he established the groundwork for progress? Except for the military/industrial complex, everyone certainly hopes so. j

Very "professional" of him. Tell C/O's you are willing and able to go to court to support charges. j

Not an obsessed "steelie guy", but have often wondered about thin, thoroughly wet,(as in dip in the water immediately prior to tailing a fish) cotton gloves. Any thoughts? j

I have a friend that has organized a small group of disabled U.S. military vets who tie and supply flies to local markets in Washington and Oregon states, to supplement their pensions. Would that be a "good thing" or exploitation of the disabled and by whose "standard" ? Do we actually have to visit the source ourselves to confirm "fair trade" or is there really someone out there, that we can trust to be intelligent and objective in their assessment? By the way, the "markup" of flies also has to include the hidden, absorbed cost of tossing below standard flies into the dumpster. And from Kenya in particular, that is not infrequent. From the point of view of someone who has no intention of personally inspecting a production facility(or contract tyer's living room), I think that products of consistent, high quality are produced by people who are paid a fair(in their economy) wage. Inconsistent and low quality flies ring a warning bell. j

Non-tying comment deleted. :derby racer: j

"I have sat back while you take your shots at Sage and advertise your product line on the chat sites." Never "took shots" at, or have ever discredited the product, Rubin. Please objectively review your perception. But, like it or not, policies and procedures, marketing, et al, are not "above" criticism, no matter how strong the urge is to protect the image. And(just to clarify), I have paid for the advertising banner and "Sponsor's Events/Announcements" on this and one other website because I felt that both of them provide valuable information to fly fishers and that is a good thing to materially support. j

"Sages are made, rolled, finished, etc, etc, right on Bainbridge Island near Seattle. " Of course they are. There is way too much money invested in the design, development and building of those rods, in that facility. No question, even by a critic. "They aren't slapped together in some third world factory with pennies-per-hour labor, loaded by the metric ton into shipping containers, and sent across the ocean. Isn't that statement perpetrating a myth very similar to the "Offshore-built Sage" BS ? The truth is, if someone wants to build well-designed, durable "stuff", no matter what continent, they have to pay their people a fair wage, relative to the the economy where the factory is. Try not to fall for the old "equivalent pay" scenarios that some people project as "truth". If it costs you $100 a day to live and you're making $200 a day income, is that different from a manufacturing job paying the equivalent of $10 a day, if it costs that worker the equivalant of $5 a day to live just as well as you? j

It is "statistically valid" in THAT market. It may not be "valid" where the marketing is not quite as intense or the area has a viable, cost effective, alternative for at least part of that market. Just as one example does not indicate "policy", another example may not be an example of a non-policy, but may be an indication that a policy just isn't working as well as it is somewhere else. j

Non-tying comment deleted. :$*%&: j

Just to repeat myself and make it absolutely clear: "They have driven TFO almost completely out of the Wet Coast". My statement was based on first-hand knowledge of the BC market. No where else. j

"Predatory and anti-competitive practices are something entirely different. If you feel that's happening, then contact your attorney general's office to find out how to file a complaint." There are no laws preventing aggressive marketing, none preventing one company from setting their own price. None preventing the arm-twisting and manipulation to place a dealer in a position of dependency. Oil companies do it all the time. It's when they conspire among themselves to set prices that it becomes illegal. j

A bold statement? It's called truth. In spite of the list of "TFO" dealers, try and actually buy one one in the BC Lower Rainland. We can all dream up unlikely scenarios to defend our agendas, but the reality is that the environment is primed for pressure marketing. " I guess Sage feels like they have enough power in the market that they can play hardball with even the small shops." Precisely. And who wouldn't, if the situation was reversed? I'm not bashing Sage, just telling it like it really is. With the acquisition of Redington and Reo, they have broadened their product lines to encompass almost every niche possible. Even selling through big boxes, which only a few years ago was "something we will never do". Remember "Only qualified shops can carry Sage." ?? There is no such thing as "exclusivity" or loyalty anymore. But they do have one hell of an advertising budget/campaign. "If a company is shoved out of a market it is because they are not pushing in the advertising field or because their product is truly inferior and is pushed out by quality." Or it's a closed market. j

That has been a "Sage Law" for sometime. Cut prices without the Sage OK, and shops can loose their ever-so-treasured Sage dealership. Goes right along with " You aren't a credible fly shop if you don't carry Sage". "As a Sage dealer, you have to carry the full line." And to the consumer: "You haven't reached your full potential unless you have a Sage." It's all about ruthless market control. Prepared by years of propaganda(OK, elitist advertising, then) and now with a weakened economy and competition being somewhat vulnerable, as well as shops being stuck with full inventories, Sage now can apply the pressure to squeeze out the brand variety in shops. They have driven TFO almost completely out of the Wet Coast. One previously successful shop that I know of, fell for the "all Sage" gambit and is now very close to going down the drain. Just doesn't have the variety to supply a wide range of customers, anymore. j

It's a back and forth jabbing by friends. Wolfie is originally from "Fantasy Island"(Vancouver Island) so us far-superior "Mainlanders" are honour-bound to flog them every now and then. j

j

RUN !! RUN LIKE THE WIND !! Seriously, don't buy a "kit". Buy individual components that suit you and your hands. j

If it is Coho thou art seeking: j

j

As others have said, too much weight and length. You've overloaded the rod and it's collapsing during your forecast. Try the WF line, no tip. Long leader(1.5 times the vertical depth required) with your clouser. Sloooooow your cast down, allow the rod to load and do not try a "gun it" during the casting stroke. j

And that is a story for another time. It involves four guys meeting in Vancouver Airport, one idiot yelling "HI JACK !!" and all of us being "attended to" by security, and we were all "packing" !! j

The point is that, although "regulations" are "there" somewhere in the long list of thou shalt and thou shalt not, the application of those regs are somewhat discretionary. I wore a hat flying from Vancouver to Las Vegas (US Airways/Westjet return) with a large, prominent fly attached( "Professor" #8) to the front. Nobody blinked. However, on my next flight from our one airline, one runway, 2 flights a day, small town "airport" I was stopped by security and had to remove the fly from my hat, in order to board the Dash 8. So, I can see where people can be confused as to what the rules are. Besides, this is not about the flies, it's about missing her flight. And it is something we can do to negate the antics of a couple of "authority figures". Having spent a considerable amount of my working life in law enforcement, most of the time(no not all) I managed to subscribe to: "Let common sense prevail". I tend to think that in this case, there was a failure to communicate, probably on both "sides". j

Rethought my previous idea and am sending 4 fly boxes. I bit more "theme friendly" it seems to me. j