headscan

Yeah, this got me wondering if these threads are even worthwhile. You end up getting recommendations for almost every rod out there, or at least the ones that people on this board own. What works for one person doesn't necessarily work for someone else, and describing the feel and action of a rod is too esoteric to convey in a post. Much more effective to stop by a few shops, tell them what you're looking for (length, weight, price) and try them out with a line on them.

I thought the fish farms and lice connection had already been fairly well established years ago. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/stor...61002/20061002/ http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/20...almon-lice.html http://www.cfb.ie/fisheries_research/sea_lice/seatrout.htm http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2002/08/15170/9405 The consensus seems to be that while other things contribute to the depletion of the stocks (commercial fishing, pollution, etc.) that sea lice directly attributable to fish farms have been shown to cause the greatest impact. Like anything else, I'm sure the corporate spin doctors can deny and place blame elsewhere. People will believe what they want no matter what the science says.

I got the impression that the OP was looking for recommendations as a starting point for rods to try in the limited time he had before leaving. Anyone is free to post a recommendation or let him know about a rod they have for sale in the trading post. Are you implying that he doesn't have the free will to make his own determination in the end and will only choose based upon how many posts there are in the thread for a specific brand? Anyhow, Jack makes an excellent point. Since you don't have a lot of time before you leave to really cast a few different rods, why not see if one of the local shops or site sponsors will let you take a demo rod on an extended test drive for your trip?

See if Southbow still has any of those Loop AEG Trout Bum rods left - they're 9' 5wt. It's a $400+ rod for $250. Worth casting.

That would be Maxwell, who I believe offers both floats and walk and wade. Jim's Listening to the Bow is also walk and wade.

It's not just the location, but the right flies and presentation are a pretty big factor too. If you're new to the Bow booking a day with Maxwell or someone would be a huge help to you. He'll show you a few spots as well as some good rigs and flies and where/how to present them properly. Jim McLennan's Listening to the Bow would be another good option.

There are still fish to be had in the NW stretch, there just aren't as many as in the south and they don't get really big because there isn't as much aquatic vegetation compared to below Bonnybrook. You can still find risers and swinging streamers works too. At the very least if you only have an hour or two you can get on the water and practice your cast. I live in Citadel but only fish the NW stretch a few times a year.

Anyone try one yet? http://www.rioproducts.com/product.php?recKey=139

Do you already have a Gold 6wt or are you buying one for it? I'd try it with a 5wt Gold as well. I'm using a 4wt Gold on my 4wt Loop Opti Stream, which I feel is a faster rod than the AEG and it casts beautifully for dry flies. Honestly I'm not crazy about using the Gold for nymphing or single hand spey casting though. Try a Loop Opti Stream line for those purposes.

Brad, I think you may be stereotyping big box stores based on the higher standard of service that you give people. I've been to lots of big box stores and good service is the exception, not the rule. To the 17 year old kid who's only working there because the hours are flexible and it's on the bus route you're just another of the faceless masses. It's just the nature of a store that has hundreds of people walk through the door every day. I was once ignored while standing at the fly fishing counter in a local big box sporting goods store while the staff was just shooting the *hit. When I walk into Fish Tales, West Winds, and Country Pleasures (or phone Whistler) the staff either know me by name or at the very least recognize me and always say hi the minute I walk in the door. Staff at the smaller shops also tend to be more knowledgeable and passionate about the industry they're in, while the kid at the big box store is usually just there for a paycheque. And even the younger guys in the local shops are great to deal with. If you want to look at it from the computer side of things, I only deal with Westworld, Memory Express, or the Apple Store. Getting repairs and warranty work done in those places is straightforward and easy. Also, if I have a complex question the staff is almost always able to give me an answer. At Future Shop, Best Buy, etc. if I ask a question like that I get a blank stare or a complete bullshit answer just so they can get rid of me. Good luck getting a Mac serviced at one of those places too, even though they sell them. And don't get me started on the extended warranty they all push on you. I've worked in a big box computer store and have seen the service, err, I mean lack thereof on a daily basis. I've also heard the sales guys and in-store techs talking in the break room and know what they think of "customer service". If you know exactly what you want and saving a few bucks is important, then go to the big box store. If you need help with your purchase and want the extra mile they tend to go for you, then go to the smaller shop. A few lost sales at a big box store don't impact the bottom line much, but at a smaller shop it affects whether or not they can bring in the new XYZ rod next month.

I feel like the shops I deal with are "on my side" and any shop where I don't feel that way simply doesn't get my business any more. The shops that do well and have been around a while realize that they can all carry the same or similar products so where they get the return business is by offering exceptional customer service.

Wait - constant motion, constant movement, or constant tension? I'm constantly moving to keep my rod in constant motion while casting in order to keep constant tension on the line. Now this whole thing has me tense. Fortunately the fish don't seem to care what we call it...

I think the fish will feel the disturbance on/in the water. I always make sure that my hoppers hit the water hard to imitate one being blown off the bank and into the water. Twitching hoppers doesn't hurt either. Doing this with a mayfly on the other hand would probably not work at all. Like Max, I prefer to fish streamers after dark. You don't have to try to guess where your fly is and the takes are unambiguous.

Really odd that the titanium ones break so often. Titanium has the highest strength to weight ratio of any metal, so you'd think they'd hold up better. Maybe a poor alloy or they aren't really titanium.

Unfortunately any anonymous review online is suspect. You have no way of knowing if a positive review was posted by someone who sells the product or if a negative one was posted by a competitor. And yes, a negative review carries way more weight than a positive one. Rick, you're way more lenient than me on eBay. 98% is my cut off.

Wow, that's beyond insulting. Talk about a slap in the face. After reading the original post in this thread I was starting to think I'd check out a pair of Maui Jims if I needed to replace my sunglasses. After reading this post there's no way I will. Think I'll stick with my Oakleys.

No I didn't. The Airflo compact kit doesn't come with one that's light enough for it and that's what I used to dial my rods in. I hear the 360 grn they put out later works well on it, but I have the rod up for sale now because the action doesn't suit me.

http://www.rioproducts.com/product.php?recKey=112 Rio calls it a skagit shooting head so I must be right and you're wrong (note the little smiley dude means I'm joking) Anyhow, back to the original question. I prefer the Airflo skagit and scandi short heads because I tend to fish shorter two-handed rods. For streamers I use a 420 grn with 15' type 3 and type 6 tips on a Loop Goran 6120. A little above the 380 grn upper limit, but I can't find a lighter two-handed rod with an action I like.

Personally, I think of scandi and skagit both as shooting heads - ie. you cast them with the head entirely out of the rod tip and shoot line behind them. There are probably many who disagree, but it's a debate that's been done to death over on Spey Pages and elsewhere. I agree with you about the difference in grain windows. I use a 360 grn compact scandi and 420 grn compact skagit on the same rod. The scandi for when I just want to swing a wet fly or skate a dry and the skagit for throwing small animals with a sink tip.

Was that before or after you got your scooter from the scooter store?

What exactly does being from Ontario have to do with it?

Sentences were handed out. Two of them get $5000 each and the third gets $6000. All three get 3 year bans on hunting licenses and the rifles they used were seized and forfeited. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/stor...d-shooters.html

A few things to try: Download Firefox and see if it exhibits the same behaviour See if the same problem happens with Safari on other forums Use the Disk Utility to verify and repair permissions Try creating another user account on your iMac and see if the problem still occurs Verifying and repairing disk permissions usually fixes most odd little problems like that for me. Did you recently upgrade to 10.5.8? Might be some weird issue with that.

Which browser are you using?

Oh yeah, Keith's kicks some serious ass. There was one sandwich with gravy on it that just makes my mouth water thinking about. You could actually feel your arteries hardening while eating it. How does it compare to Schwartz's? I've never been able to find a good smoked meat sandwich outside of Montreal.