ladystrange

i am kind of looking forward to a couple of weeks off at some point

waders $150 -200 boots 150 - 200 line $75 - 120 reel $75 - 200 extra spool $50 - 100 the high side of what i have given you is sort of mid range approx cost and only leaves you about 180 - 200 for a rod, which you can do but then you have also spent your full $1000 if your boots and waders are ok and can last through the season, spend the money on rod, reel and line now and see what kind of deal you can get when the Expo comes around again. toss the 2nd spool idea for now as most reels do not include a second spool, if you were thinking of using the spare spool for a full sinking line or something, you can get away with sink tips on a floating line and use loop to loop connections for quick change outs.

Dave - some of us dont have good little wives like you to do the laundry for us i really should look into getting one you for my very own self. the tying room could use a vaccum with all the deer hair and marabou

yep, that was me. casting at gophers and laughing my butt off gopher fishng as a new sport... it might catch on

GOPHERS. a nice big field full of gophers and gopher holes. i recently picked up the Amundson Wind Warrior, 9 1/2 foot, 8 weight for pike, and decided to take it for a dry run before the water test. so i wandered over to the field near my house, there are a ton of gopher holes, full of gophers. originally i was going to use them as distance markers and aim points. which they are really good for because they generally just stand there and stare back. the odd time you get a mover. the holes seemed to be about 10 ft from each other so it was a good gage of distance. finally i started getting good and close. 1 i bonked on the head with my yarn fly, it just kept staring back at me. he wasnt all that fun but i was getting pretty good at getting the yarn on top of him because he wasnt running around. i eventually got bored with him and moved on to the next distance. this little guy was much more fun. he followed the yarn, so i was able to do some variable speed strip retrieves, once i got good and close to him i was able to get a hook up. the little bugger kept trying to grab my yarn and take it back in to the hole with him. i spent a good hour or so with my casting practice which usually only lasts about 20 minutes before i get bored. i had follows, strikes, one decent fight for the yarn and others that would just sit there and let you bonk them on the nose with the yarn endlessly. some ducked, others ran. all in all, i would recommend gophers as targets for practice, at least they are interactive, unlike flowers, hoops, rocks or books.

sorry Eelpout - that was not meant to be a slag against sales people, i have worked in a retail sporting store. even in specialty stores, there are some people who know what they are talking about and there are those who do not. and generally if you ask questions and have any interpersonal skills you can figure out who doesnt know what they are talking about. obviously investigation is needed but it helps if you get the person in the shop who knows what they are talking about from experience and have been around the block a few times. and even if the sales person is not on commission, they are still being paid to be at work to sell people things. i just dont want to see people how are still relatively new to sport get talked into $1000 rod and reel because the sales person said it was the best thing out there and promised the moon. which i have seen time and again. and the poor person just doesnt understand why the equipment doesnt work for them and they give up.

i went through this as well and managed to pare down to this. i tossed the vest because of the uhhh, well, chest. too much stuff in the front pockets on top of the girls made casting a bit of a pain and i didnt have anywhere to put the water bottle. i swtiched to a fanny pack and tossed the lanyard, messes with the tan line and really, how close do you want the fish to your face (depending on what you hang off of it) in the fanny pack i carry 1 pocket knife nippers 1 roll of tippet 1 package of extra leaders for the rod that i am using given where and what i am fishing a bag of bb's floatant strike indicators needle nose pliers foreceps water bottle granola bar 1 fly box and sometimes the spare spool thats it. it all fits in my fanny pack with room to spare. i dont find that i am hauling around more than i need with too much weight, i have both hands free to climb with out crap falling in front of me. i find that i am not wanting for more.

i think i would look funny with a brush cut and a mustache

oh now you tell me. is it for sale yet? i might as well have the head that is developed for the rod...

that's it im never wearing the touque again... i dont care how cold and wet it is.

thanks Jack... as you can see, yes it has an apron that attaches at 4 points. 2 clips in the front and 2 at the waste that are velcro. i personally find it a pain in the arse, but it keeps the kids in. kind of like the kids seat in the grocery cart

i have not tried this. i may have to this season

i have a fish cat 4. i have been using it for 5 years now, no leaks, no damage, no holes it gets tossed in the truck come spring and then back in the basement. i'm hard on my gear and it has been put through the paces. if it can stand up to me it can handle most kids. you do sit more or less out of the water buti find sometimes my butt still gets damp. the U boat is very stable, i havent tried to slide out the front but i have managed to fall out leaning forward to land a fish either

yea me... i caught fish!!!! i still lost but at least i finally caught something other than a cold or a stick troutlover 4 - LS 2

go down to the Bow... bring eco friendly camp soap... beat shirt against rock... rinse, repeat... hang on tree to dry... fish while drying... unbutton, it doesnt mess with the lining fold

if it is 3 years old, check for other cracks and see if it is even worth keeping.

brian, find me a 31 inch in seam and a size 6 womens foot and doesnt look like dan devito can wear them and we'll talk

fertilizer??

best advice is can give you is dont get stuck on "name brands". go to a or several fly shops and test as many rods as you possibly can. figure out what suits your cast and compare the rods to each other, find out the warranty details. the reel will depend on what you intend to fish for, do some research, figure out what you need and what will suit your needs. ask questions. lots of questions, ask the same questions to people in a few different shops, figure out who knows what they are talking about and who knows sh!tte about sh!tte and is there to kill time. and remember they are sales people, there to sell you things. understand your cast, your needs, what you intend to use the rod for and where before you go to the shops. sure i can talk you into a high mountain stream rod but it will be completely useless to you if all you want to do is fish lakes or even drift the Bow. ask yourself some questions - why do you want to jump to a high end rod - is it for the name only, why do you need to upgrade, what dont you like about the TFO you have, what isnt working for you? do you want a brand just for the sake of having a brand, to look cool, the perception that a brand will make your cast better? if you can honestly answer those questions to yourself, you will have a better idea of what you need. keep in mind, if you cant cast and havent spent the time practicing, no brand of rod is going to help that, that is the one thing you can't take a short cut on, more money will not = a better cast. lines - i have used everything from the Wal-Mart combo lines, snowbee, Opti, SA to Rio and several types of each. personally so far my favourite is SA GPX. but it all depends on preference and what you are doing. I can say for sure that the Opti-creek although great in concept, is not worth $140 and i have gone through 2 lines used 4 times each, 1 completely split and the other is cracked already. as for flies, i cant really help you there, i tie my own but when most shops are selling 12 for $22-$28 and WS is selling theme for $8-12, you have to ask about the quality. good luck

i take it back... you are too young to shape your boobies and substitute with pre-shaped boobies

mother nature can be very cruel indeed

spent sunday fishing in the snow too

you shaped your boobies very well

i have the opposite problem. i`m 5 ft 3 +. my inseam is 30 inches. and i have a size 6 womens. neoprenes are fine, the foot is a little big but my hodgemans are ok. for the life of me i cannot find breathables that arent 5 inches too long in the inseam and the crotch is hanging at my knees. i think all of the major lines need to go into their offices, pull out 20 women and measure them. maybe they will figure out that women are shaped differently than men.

on the bright side at least it didnt happen in downtown montreal and swallow an appartment building