Gear Review - William Joseph Eddy

Over the past couple years fly gear companies have listened to anglers requests and begun offering waterproof or highly water resistant gear items.  This of course makes sense as fly fishing is a water sport and it's also not uncommon to brave a storm or two while out.  As more anglers are carrying expensive camera gear on trips it's essential to have dry spaces to protect their electronics. 

One of the benefits of being a William Joseph Ambassador is that I get a few pieces of gear each year to run through the paces.  Lately I've been using the Eddy, which is one of the smaller gear bags out of the Storm Series.  The Eddy is a perfect choice for putting together a small kit for the kayak or when wade fishing.  Truth told the children have been using it a lot lately as well to keep their snacks and drinks in on family paddling trips.

The Eddy is sized at 360 cubic inches which might not seem like a lot but the simple design of just a large zippered gear space area and a small exterior pocket make the best possible use of each cubic inch.  Sonic welded construction keeps the bag innards dry and the only chance of water seeping in would be through the water resistant zippers which I've found have worked flawlessly in keeping gear dry.

The only downside I've found with the Eddy is the padded backside which acts like a sponge if this gear bag gets wet.  The padded shoulder strap also will draw up water as well if it takes a dip.  This isn't a big deal and I realize that the padding was built into the gear bag to aid in comfort, which is does quite well, but I likely would have been just as happy without the padding.  Not a big deal at all but something to consider.

The Eddy is priced at $45 and is available in either Stone (two tone gray) or Clay (dark brown/black).  William Joseph got it right with the Storm Series as the lineup has a ton of function built into each piece and the prices are in check as well.  

Look for the Eddy, along with the other Storm Series items, at your local William Joseph dealer.

If you want to buy online and would like to support a shop that advertises on T.F.M. then consider placing your order through Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co.  The Eddy is not listed on the Tailwaters website but can be ordered with a phone call to the shop at 1-888-TAIL-H20.

T.F.M. Spotting - Fly Tying Lessons

Even though Michael Decoteau of RedSpotFly is already a T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest finalist I still thought that these photos of him teaching the next generation the finer points of fly tying were worth sharing.

The RedSpotFly website is still in the works but follow along on Facebook and Instagram (@redspotfly) until then.

Pond Play With Kids 101

With temps hovering in the high 90's and low 100's for over a month now in South Carolina it would be easy to spend the weekend inside in the air conditioning. Instead the children and I spent yesterday afternoon out on the family pond in the kayaks.  We spent the hottest part of the day paddling, swimming, and even had a chance to cast a line on a yellow stick as well.  Good times.

Paddling on the pond yesterday got me thinking about what makes a trip outside with the children a success and came up with these three never to be forgotten rules. 

Pond Play Rules:
1.  Snacks
2.  Juice Boxes
3.  Whatever you do...don't forget #1 or #2

Trips now start with Hadley and Finn pilfering the pantry and filling up a small gear bag with a few eats and drinks.  Always bring more than you'll think they will need. 

Finn is typically the first one into the snacks and I'll hear the zipper opening just about the time we've pushed off to begin paddling.  Hadley will wait until we've found a spot that she can swim and relax for a bit. 

The heat of the day may not be the best time to toss flies in the pond but there always seems to be a couple bluegill who can't resist putting a bit of foam or feathers in their mouth.

The last rule should be to always leave while the children are still having a good time.  The transition from "FUN" to "NOT FUN" happens quick (I've learned the hard way a couple times) and we head back to the house at the first mention of being tired or being ready to leave.

A couple hours of pond play in the heat usually leads to naps all around without complaint and that certainly is not a bad thing for the kids...or mom and dad as well.

Another Tightloop Fly Rods Beauty

As an admirer of small shop fly rod builders it is always neat to see a builder find a series of blanks which really show off his style and excellent work.  Without a doubt George Minculete of Tightloop Fly Rods has found it with his Steffen Brothers blank builds.

George's latest, another 8' 3/4 weight, is just stunning.

George wrote...  "This rod's got the magic and some surprising power too.  It casts a three weight double taper line or a four weight weight forward line and presents a fly with great accuracy and finesse only glass is known for, with a relaxed casting rhythm or a more energetic one when in need to deliver more line speed and distance.  I simply love to fish these rods.  When I pick mine and roll cast a line with a fly to a rising trout I remember why fly fishing is more fun with glass."

A Tightloop Fly Rods build such as this runs about $515 and wait times for a build are two to three months after George receives the blank from Mark Steffen, which can add a couple months to the build process as well.

Check out the Tightloop Fly Rods website and Facebook page for more information.

Frontline's "Alaska Gold"

It's pretty easy to slap a NO PEBBLE MINE sticker on the grocery getter and not really understand what's at stake in Alaska's Bristol Bay.  Take an hour this weekend and watch these four chapters of Frontline's recently aired "Alaska Gold" which give a balanced look at what's going on with the Pebble Mine project.

Watch Alaska Gold on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Watch Alaska Gold on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Watch Alaska Gold on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Watch Alaska Gold on PBS. See more from FRONTLINE.

Tailwaters Carp Photo Contest Ending

Just a quick heads up that the Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co. Carp Photo Contest is winding down in a couple days and there is still time to email your submissions in for consideration.

There are quite a few solid prizes in the mix so it's worth your time to send in a photo.  So far there are just over sixty images in the Facebook Carp Photo Contest Album.

Check out the T.F.M. post which helped announced the contest for more information.  Email submissions to carp@tailwatersflyfishing.com.

Lilly Pond Yellow Glass Series Build

Brian Ebert of Lilly Pond Rod Company found a bit of time this summer to work on a few builds and recently completed a James Green Yellow Glass Series 8033 which he took along on a trip to the Driftless Area.

Brian wrote...  "I thought I'd drop you a line with some photos of the James Green Yellow Glass Series eight foot three piece three weight along with a photo from the Driftless trip.  The fish were very spooky and it was HOT out.  The sun was bright keeping the fish down after late morning and fishing was relatively slow but was a good time anyway.  Always is.  The rod is very nice and what I would consider to be a true three weight that can punch a long cast into a stiff breeze.  I was surprised to see that.  Casts a good variety of flies from size 18 dry flies to size 8 beadhead buggers.  It's also at home casting ten feet to forty feet and beyond."

Brian is offering this James Green blank build for sale for $275.00 plus $16.00 shipping.  Please send Brian an email if you are interested in purchasing this fly rod.

Check out the Relax The Cast website for more information about the Lilly Pond Rod Company.

T.F.M. Spotting - Crawfish Bling

A couple weekends back the FlyMasters of Indianapolis hosted their yearly Crawfish Roundup complete with a crawfish boil and afternoon fly tying session.  The event was B.Y.O.B. which may or may not have helped inspire Scotty Heeg in this moment in T.F.M. Spotting fashion firsts.

A Hot Look, No Doubt

"Fashion" Hurts

Check out Pile Cast and the Warmwater Chronicles for more on this good times with fly fishing friends event.

The Build #100 Giveaway Continues

Submissions for the Graywolf Rods Build #100 Giveaway are still streaming in and thought I would also give you a glimpse of how this build is coming together now that it's wrapped and ready for varnish.
 

Here are the Build #100 specifications:

- Translucent Silk Wraps
- Flor Grade Cigar Grip
- Mildrum Blued Nickel Stripper
- Titanium Snakes/Tip Top
- Blued Nickel Winding Check
- Lemke Limited Edition Slide Band Reel Seat
- Custom Labeled Rod Sock
- Aluminum Tube

Check out the Build #100 Giveaway rules and email in your submission for the contest.  Come August 13th a very lucky random winner will call Build #100 their own.

Check out the Graywolf Rods website and Facebook page for more information on his work.

Southern Trout - July/August 2012

The latest issue of Southern Trout is live.

CHECK IT.

R.W. Summers Fisher Blank Build

Abe Lee of the Fiberglass Flyrodders forum has a very excellent collection of fiberglass, bamboo, and even a few choice graphite fly rods as well.  Where some grow their collection in numbers, Abe seems to add to his with obscure and quality fly rods such as this R.W. Summers built Fisher four weight that he received earlier this summer.

Abe wrote...  "One of my favorite rods in the rack is a R.W. Summers #260, a semi-parabolic 7'6" 3/4 weight bamboo rod.  Recently, I received a much anticipated glass sibling built by Bob on a vintage new old stock Fisher 8' four weight blank.  Other than requesting the same grip/reel seat as the #260, I gladly let him take care of the rest of the decisions.  It was fun to discover various surprise details of the build.

Casting? Somewhat expected, this Fisher 8' four weight strongly resembles my Winston Stalker of the same configuration.  A dreamy medium-slow progressive taper that mates well with a Hook & Hackle Hi-Floater 4DT."

Absolutely stunning and I really like all the well done details of this build.

Please check out the R.W. Summers website for more information.

Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club

This short doc on the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club is a neat insight about the facility, fly casting, and the members that spend their free time there.



I know for a fact that there is a group of dedicated glass junkies that meet at the GGACC regularly and cast fiberglass fly rods of all sorts together. I bet they have a damn good time...even if there aren't fish in those concrete ponds.

Gear Review - M.F.C. Boat Box

To say that I am a fly box junkie might be going a little to light on the idea.  I like fly boxes of all shapes and sizes and have a large plastic storage bin full of fly boxes filled with flies to proof it.  I am also a bit of a freak about keeping fly boxes organized and this affliction borders on obsessive compulsive.  I like to keep all my fly boxes neat for organization sake as well as keeping them clean looking for when they show up in my photography as well.  An organized fly box is a happy fly box.  I'm not too weird, right?

One of several highlights from the Montana Fly Company last year at IFTD was their large suitcase style fly box which they dubbed the Boat Box.  This large waterproof fly box comes in four color choices (Burnt Orange, Light Olive, Olive, and Tan) with a choice of two different removable double sided foam leafs in either small or large slots.  This fly box can literally hold hundreds, if not thousands (small stuff), if packed carefully.  

Being that I am spending more and more time in a kayak or other watercraft, I have found the prototype Boat Box that I've had over the course of this summer to be a great fit for my warmwater fly fishing needs.  I've been using the large slotted foam leaf and it's perfect for keeping big flies secure and in place.  It's also got me thinking it would be nice to have a second one just for redfish flies as well.

My only gripe with the prototype Boat Box that I have been using has been the plastic exterior latches since I felt the design could be worked over a bit more to keep them from falling off and getting lost.  When I sent a note to Montana Fly Company about my concern, they were already steps ahead and said that they corrected the latch issue for the production run.  Good idea and I'll be interested in seeing how the current model differs from the prototype.

The Montana Fly Company Boat Box is a great choice for anglers who want to keep all of their meat, foam, or feathers secure in a single fly box.  The Boat Box is priced at $70 which includes a small or large slot foam center leaf.  Additional foam center leafs can be purchased separately.  The Boat Box is just now starting to show up in fly shops and online.  Check with your favorite Montana Fly Company dealer for more information and availability.

One by One Bengal Kabuto Build

The fellows at One by One Custom Rods recently took on a custom Kabuto Rods blank build to create a retirement for a die hard Cincinnati Bengals fan and this is the finished product complete with "tiger wrap" on the butt section of the blank.  Almost makes you want to growl. 

Check out the One by One Custom Rods website for more information and examples of their work.

Casting For Conservation In Bristol Bay

This is really important. Watch and then send your comments to the EPA regarding your opposition to the Pebble Mine project on Bristol Bay, Alaska.



THIS IS THE LAST DAY COMMENTS ARE ACCEPTED.

Tip of the cap to Moldy Chum (where I found this video yesterday) for always keeping pertinent conservation issues on a hot burner and being a good reminder that fly fishing isn't always just fun and games.

Four Kabutos By Graywolf Rods

I've said it before but the white Kabuto Rods fiberglass blanks provide rod builders a very unique canvas to build on and these four recent creations by Shane Gray of Graywolf Rods are no exception. 

For those of you that haven't sent in your entry yet for the Graywolf Rods Build #100 Giveaway it's worth your time to do so.

Check out the Graywolf Rods website and follow along on Facebook (Click "LIKE") for more information.

Low & Clear Kickstarter Project

I've been waiting for this film to be released for quite some time now and if it takes a Kickstarter project to get it pressed to DVD then so be it.  I'm a Backer.

Consider supporting what looks to be a very worthy and interesting fly fishing documentary.

More information can be found on both the Kickstarter and the Finback Films website pages.

B.R.R.'s Phillipson Master Project

Scott Bennett of Bennett's Rod Restoration posted photos of a very special Phillipson Master rebuild along with the interesting back story on the Mountain Khakis Blog this week.  A father's gift, a fire, and then a rod builder that helped put a memory back together again.  A great story.

Check out the Bennett's Rod Restoration Facebook page for a giveaway that is associated with this story as well.

Duff's Thomas & Thomas Factory Tour

(Tom Anderson, a.k.a. "Duff", posted a few photos and thoughts after a tour at the Thomas & Thomas factory on the Fiberglass Flyrodders forum a couple weeks back and I thought it would be neat to share his trip here as well.   I always appreciate Duff's angle on things and it's also pretty neat to hear how complimentary the fellows were about the rod work of Matt Leiderman as well.  Enjoy.)

Since I was going to be in New England, I e-mailed Trevor Bross, sales and production manager for Thomas & Thomas, to see if I might stop in to have them fix the butt cap on an old T&T rod.  Very quickly I received a reply from Trevor saying that it would be fine and that he would give me a tour while they repaired my rod.  With my appointment set up, I began thinking that it might be a neat idea to show them Matt Leiderman's homage to Doc's Kaneglass rod.  I thought I might make a pitch for them to possibly make a Kaneglass II based on their Heirloom blanks.

Long story reasonably short, a gentleman in the bamboo shop quickly attended to my 70's Special Dry Fly and Trevor gave a memorable tour of the entire plant which turned out to be a much larger facility than I had imagined.  They have a great facility with tons of space in a beautiful rural setting outside the town of Greenfield, Massachusetts.  At one end of the building is a large casting pool complete with several casting platforms.

I was truly impressed with their complete focus on quality and pride in keeping everything "Made in the U.S.A." and in the end began thinking that the price they charge for their rods is a deal.  Trevor showed me some blanks that were to be destroyed that looked darn near perfect.  "Darn near" just doesn't cut it at T&T.  Trevor showed me examples of almost every rod that they have ever offered which allows them to perfectly replicate a certain model in a repair situations.  They treat every returned rod needing repair as an opportunity to learn.  By tracing the "Born On Date" they can even determine the source of the graphite for a particular rod as well as the builder.  Pretty impressive.  To be honest, my brain began to overload and I cannot remember half of the information Trevor generously shared with me.

Back to Matt's rod.  I showed Trevor Matt's Kaneglass/Heirloom replica and to say he was impressed is an understatement.  He thought it was perhaps the most impressive build on one of their blanks that he had ever seen.  He asked if he could show it to Troy Jacques their master rod builder in the bamboo shop.  Well, Troy agreed with Trevor's assessment and said that he would be proud to have whoever built it work with him.  He simply could not get over it and in particular was so complimentary of the wraps which he said were so beautifully "flat" which is rarely seen.  He hated wraps with bulbous epoxy wraps and was pleased to see varnish being used.  They both agreed that there was no way that they could even begin to produce a rod like it and make a profit.  I remember him saying that some builders think they are a 10 when they are more like a 4.  "This guy is a 10 without question."  Then Troy said, "I think Tom would like to see this rod."

And now here is the point when I began to reach fly rod Nirvana.  Yes, it turned out that Mr. Tom Dorsey was there.  Tom turned the rod over and over in his hands and said something to the effect that it was perfect.  He said what he particularlly liked is that no one part took away from the whole. He said that highly figured inserts and agate strippers for example tend to be a focal point and sometimes can overshadow other parts of a rod.  He loved the straight grain walnut insert and mildrum stripper as well as the color of the wraps.  Tom spent some time talking with me about what he liked in fly rods and dry fly rods in particular.  He said he really didn't care what a rod was made from but just that it was a good rod.  He told me he likes a faster dry fly rod that can dry off a fly and with enough power to put some waves in the line at the end of a cast.  He felt that some dry fly rods being built today were a little too slow.

Tom was also pleased to see my old special Dry Fly with the nickle silver ferrules.  He loved how it had changed over the thirty-five years to a greenish blank with gold tipping and writing.  He told me that the tipping and writing were originally white.  When he looked at the writing he said, "That's my wife's writing."  I had always mistakenly thought that Tom Maxwell had done it.

Trevor graciously permitted me to take photographs wherever I wanted but the lighting conditions were challenging and I didn't want to use flash so only a few are worth posting. 

Trevor did share that they are rolling more Heirloom glass and that there will be another glass line in addition to the Heirloom series.

One last comment I would like to make is that it is obvious that Thomas & Thomas is doing well.  I was glad to see that Mr. Dorsey continues to be involved with every aspect of production and design. Trevor told me that almost all T&T rods were designed by Mr. Dorsey including the Heirloom series.