Villageidiot

Epic shots neil!

Dry out very quick because the sides are made of what seems to be some sort of mesh material, and grip is as good as vibram rubber gets. Didymo is still slick but thats the case for any rubber soled boot.

Exactly what troutlover mentioned, is the reason the california blonde is so unbelievably deadly on pressured trout. Sits low in the water, trout love it.

While the Rip Rap shoes are good, i just bought a pair of merrell waterproof jogging/trail shoes with vibram soles that were on sale at WSS for 54 bucks. Have to say thats the best 54 bucks i've ever spent. Very very impressed. Offer a bit more ankle support than the rip rap sandals, and very very light. Love them.

Put and take fisheries pump out pretty big trout when the majority are getting wacked all the time... I'm actually a little cheesed about the Muir selection. Yes, drive more traffic to the friggen lake.

390 Sage one.

Are you fishing a swivel above your flies?

Never had a rod take 4-6 months. Maximum wait i've had is a month. I've broken... a ton.

Sage Method 796-4.

I have the Rio Pike/Musky in WF9 Floating and one WF9 in Intermediate (which i haven't used yet). I also have the Loop Booster Line which is also made by RIO. All good choices. The intermediate lines really seem to have the stronghold for the serious european pike guys. Can't wait for opening day!

Standing platform = a lot of cons that outweigh its pros. The standing platform drags in the water moving from spot to spot, they're tiny, you cant really rotate at all, you're stuck in one position, they give you minimal difference in visual if sight fishing is your intentions.... The bar is a real PTA and gets in the way when stowed back behind the seat. But you can remove the platform and brace thankfully. Its a pretty nice, comfy pontoon without the standing platform. I still ditched mine for an aluminum pram in a heartbeat. Honestly if you're looking at brand new, I'd get the 9ir instead, save the 200 bucks.

Good lord. University graduation gift to myself is going to be a "winter" in New Zealand. Looks like heaven.

They dont have to update their product or lower their costs when April Vokey, OSF, Humble, Faceless and everyone with thousands of followers advertises them every chance they get. Brilliant marketing. Why haven't the other companies sold out like that? It might be because, they don't need to. However if you could get one used for about half of what they want new, I think a guy could justify one. However they're majorly overpriced.

I'd go with the pontoon. Or have a look at dave scaddens assault x. Heck theres even some good one man boats from Alpacka Raft if back country is your thing. The interwebs just say they're the best because everyone on social media with any amount of followers is getting one for free. They plow water (no rocker), and are difficult to row (again, plow water, no rocker). The guys on the washington fly forum are pretty well in favour of scadden over the water master. There is multiple threads on the forum about the advantages and disadvantages of the scadden vs the watermaster. I myself own a scadden, and honestly the only thing i could think that i'd want from the water master is its cargo deck, but thats a tough trade off because sitting on plywood all day bites the big one. Not to mention with the watermaster having no rocker, pontoons and other frameless boats just row circles around them. My assault x only weighs 18lbs, pretty well half of the watermaster. Here is a link to one of the threads that compare the two boats. http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/forum/index.php?threads/dave-scadden-vs-watermaster.87431/ All of that said, dave is a business man and is willing to haggle, I got my boat for about half of what water master wanted for theirs. Not to mention their prices on accessories are a little excessive. Especially their bogus shipping rate to Canada. When i asked about getting some accessories, their response was "We'll just bring them to the show in january for you, and save you the shipping" thats only 9 months away.... If you're just looking at the bow, i would recommend something like scaddens boats, or an outcast model, the fishcat scout is well priced and so is the stealh pro, and the outcast commander is just plain SWEET. The kicker behind the outcast models is you're not paying the ridiculous exchange rates from either watermaster or scadden. They're 500 dollars or more less expensive and easy to get through retailers. I myself am now looking at a 2-3 man raft series and debating going the with scaddens dragonfly assault XT or the Pac 1300 from outcast.

Sure hope they aren't put in any 5 fish limit lakes. Sounding like this could potentially be a big waste of money if they're put in where the wack and stack crowd goes.

I like to practice the the 7ps. Proper Prior Planning Prevents Piss Poor Performance That being said, I've streamlined my fly collection to the point where I only fish a grand total of about 10 different flies dries and streamers included. It's rare that I carry much beyond line, flies, foreceps, water, maybe one leader and maybe a camera. I've mostly used a hip pack, but i think i'm switching to a sling pack here shortly. Likely the fishpond sling.

They eat streamers, chironomids, bugs, poppers, mice, frogs with reckless abandon. They're also pretty easy on the eyes. Oh right, they also aren't F&*$ing rainbows.

Rushton Dragon's are nice, use that primarily out of the drift boat. Also have a moby whale and a moby crane. The moby's are a bit more budget minded, however still not cheap.

Creekside, I use the 140c on the specific lake you're talking about. Yes it does work, a little too well sometimes. Helps us put on clinics. We'll see you out there again this June. Blue Low pro Hyde drifter.

I can cast double streamer rigs with my 596 one better than another high end brands 7wt. It also nymphs like a dream. Light enough i'd have no problem fishing dries with it, however i like my 390 one more for dries. I have 7 lines for mine, Rio Gold wf5f, Rio indicator wf5f, rio streamer tip wf5f/i, Rio hover wf5s1, Rio Aqualux wf6i, Rio intouch deep wf5s3 and rio intouch deep wf5s6. Needless to say, its my do it all rod. Keep it.

Their reels look vaguely similar to a lot of other start up companies. However the drag is definitely much nicer. They kind of remind me what Allen Fly Fishing originally put out, and they were very popular amongst anglers.

I wouldn't be buying it if i had the $ for a TXL-f, so this will have to do. Should be fun on grayling, cutts and browns in small water.

Tough to justify any fishing in April. Bulls and browns are brutally skinny and beat up, rainbows are on the spawn. Cutts are typically closed/spawning. Just a matter of being conscious about it and limiting your impact. Of course there are a few exceptions, but for the most part it is what it is. I typically dont like fishing for fish when they're at their easiest to catch which is during the spawning times as it represents zero challenge, if you can't catch them/trick them in their prime health it represents what type of angler you really are. However i do fish in April, sometimes I drive way south across the border, other times i get out 2-3 times around central/northern Alberta through April. I just try to pick and choose the most appropriate place and what/where can handle having hooks stuck in them. Half the time April fishing is a crapshoot anyways if you cant find wintering holes. But those "epic" days some people have early season are really more detrimental to fisheries, then they are to boosting a persons ego. Not many people realize what exactly is going on. Its a matter of limiting your impact on fish at a vulnerable time in the year.

That was quick. Well i pulled the trigger. I was thinking late season BWO/Tricos on the bow too. Just thought to leave that out as some people are pretty quick to jump on using a 2wt on those "monster" trout.

Anyone fish this stick? I noticed the 5wt and 6wt have some very good reviews. Curious how the 2wt stacks up. Thinking it would be a fun cutthroat stick and central ab brown trout dry fly rod.