Review - Lifeproof Case & LifeJacket

A few years ago I had to face the reality that I have to have a cellphone with me at all times.  My work, when not tapping away on the keyboard on T.F.M., requires me to be on call and available at the most inopportune times.  There is an expectation by "The Man" that if they need something, no matter how seemingly unimportant, that they can get to me in an instant with a text or phone call.  Might seem like a hassle for some but it's all part of doing what I do.  

Taking any electronic device out on the water is a bit unnerving and up until coming across Lifeproof I had tried keeping my iPhone dry by using a Ziplock bag or stowing it in a water resistant pocket on a gear bag.  I would always get a bit nervous about having it out while on the water or when in the kayak since if I dropped it in the water being clumsy it would be toast.    

For the past six months I have been demoing and using the Lifeproof Case and Lifeproof Lifejacket Float any time on the water and so far I've been nothing but impressed.  The iPhone fits securely inside the Lifeproof Case and is fully sealed with a large o-ring that runs around the inner edge of the two halves of the case.  Without the Lifejacket Float the Lifeproof Case is quite thin and fits in my pocket as easily as any other iPhone case that I've used.

Since I am not on the water every day I typically opt to use a couple other cases that I have and save the Lifeproof Case for when I'll be out in the elements for the day or a week at a time.  I've found that the heavy duty screen material of the Lifeproof Case requires you to use a bit more pressure when typing or touching the iPhone screen which isn't a big deal but for ease of daily use I'd rather have a thin protective shield instead.  The other thing that keeps the Lifeproof Case from being used daily is that I use headphones all the time and the process of screwing in the headphone jack every time isn't something I want to do several times a day.  First world problems, I know... 

The first time you dunk your iPhone inside the Lifeproof Case it's a close your eyes and hope you just didn't zap your iPhone but now I am fully confident that it will stay dry and wade, swim, and kayak without worry.  If it gets wet, who cares. 

Admittedly the Lifejacket Float looks a like a big orange pillow, smells like a new pair of Crocs, but damn it...it floats under the weight of an iPhone and the Lifeproof Case like a blaze orange cork.  The Lifejacket Float also comes with a couple different carry straps (short and long) and there are lashing points on all four corners of the orange foam.  If you are on the water much then the Lifejacket Float is a no brainer to use with your Lifeproof Case.

PROS:
- Fully protects your iPhone from the elements.
- Lifeproof Case is a very low profile and slim.
- Lifejacket Float is easy to see and floats like a cork.
- Fully confident in this case to keep my iPhone safe and dry.

CONS:
- You're going to have to buy another damn case.
- Heavy duty material makes screen not as sensitive to touch.
- Taking case on and off may damage o-ring over time.
- Screwing the headphone jack in to use is kind of a hassle.

The first trick with the Lifeproof Case was keeping the iPhone dry and the follow up trick with the Lifeproof Lifejacket Float was keeping it both dry and on top of the water.  Both of which they do without fail.

Check out the Lifeproof website for more information, videos, or to place an order.  

22 Inches Short

Two minutes of GoPro genius from Yukon Goes Fishing with his latest video 22 Inches Short.



This is just a hunch but I bet Ivan used to rock the parachute pants and popped his collar. Members Only jacket maybe? 

Featherlight Review From Down Under

Some time back I started offering for sale both the 6'6" and 7' models of the Eagle Claw Featherlight fly rods which I feel are a great exposure to what a fiberglass fly rod is without much expense.

Last month I sent five of the 6'6" 4/5 weight Featherlight fly rods over to Adam Maskew in Australia and last week he sent this dispatch and review of their first time out on the water with them.

Adam wrote...  "I was super excited when I went to the post office last Thursday and became the holder of a very long box containing the four Eagle Claw Featherlight 4/5 weight 6’6” fly rods.  The timing was right as we had a friend up and had planned to go to Rocky Pool, one of the permanent fresh water pools on the Gascoyne River, the following day.  I quickly dug up my five weight fly reel and some small flies the kids had. I don’t usually fish this light but have been looking for a fun stick in this weight and something the kids could learn on too.  

The smallest flies I had were tied on #8's and I had to make a detour on the out to get some 8 pound tippet so that I could tie the flies on.  After the initial isn’t it strange seeing so much water in an arid environment we quickly strung up the Featherlight.  

To say I was impressed with the little fibreglass rod is an understatement.  I didn’t expect it to cast nearly so well as it handled the 5-10 knot winds well.  Most importantly it was a delight to throw such a light line and fly.  The spangled perch cooperated very nicely with over twenty fish bought to hand between myself and the two kids ranging from 4 – 8 inches.  Also importantly the kids really liked using the little yellow stick as much as I did.  One of the biggest surprises was that my wife, a long time ambivalent fisher, picked the rod up and had a crack as well.  Thanks for providing some advice about these fun little sticks and sorting me out for them.  I’m in the process of giving the other couple of sticks to friends and I’m sure they will have as much fun with them as I have."

If you are interested in a Featherlight of your own please check out the T.F.M. Store page and send an email to thefiberglassmanifesto@gmail.com to place an order.  

The Lil' Hollywood Hopper

Juan Ramirez, a.k.a. The Hopper Juan, has come up with a new pattern that he's dubbed the Lil' Hollywood Hopper.

Click play to learn how to tie it.



I could see a few of these working their way into my hopper box before next summer.

Check out The Hopper Juan for more fly goodness.

Carp Camp 2013

This is just a heads up that Jean-Paul Lipton of roughfisher.com has announced his plans for Carp Camp 2013 at Beaver Island and it's going to be good. 

Of all five of the Beaver Island hosted trips this summer, which are listed on the carptrip.com website, the roughfisher.com Carp Camp was designed for the true carp addict with four and a half days of guided fly fishing and five nights lodging.  Sure there will be some smallmouth mixed in but head hunting for tank sized carp are going to be on the minds of everyone that attends.

JP is putting a lot of time and effort into putting this trip together and it should be a very excellent time.  I wouldn't be surprised if some of the largest carp of the summer are caught on this trip.

Check out roughfisher.com for more information or to get signed up for this trip.  More information can also be found on the carptrip.com website.

T.F.M. Spotting - Shawn's Wood Troutz

When he's not sketching on his iPad, Shawn Bixel of Lines In The Dirt can be found in his backyard shop creating art with pieces of wood and various tools.  Recently he was caught posing with one of his "Wood Troutz" and sent in these images for the T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest. 

 
Shawn wrote...  "The infamous "Wood Troutz" is rarely seen and is even rarer to catch.  With its native habitat consisting of an area roughly 10’ x 16’, located somewhere in a woodshed in the middle of Central Texas.  Catching this elusive, but prized creature is truly a game of “He, who holds the keys to the shed, can catch all the wood troutz he wants!”  Within this tiny area, the wood troutz is most commonly found perched in the current behind the scroll saw.  It could be along the banks or under the logs, playing a classic game of cat and mouse with a chisel and the drill.  Or it could be lying in the shallows, basking in the sun, waiting for a fresh application of paint.

The wood troutz feed primarily on broken saw blades, dull drill bits, rusty chisels and well used sandpaper.  Matching the hatch for the feeding wood troutz will always consist of choosing the tool which inflicted the most pain during the creative process.  However, your best bet for getting these guys to the wall (DON’T EAT THE WOOD TROUTZ) will be a drill and a screw!  There is no need to practice Catch and Release fishing for these fish.  Because, as you can probably see…if you catch and mount one, the next one can be found, cleverly disguised as a piece of pine planking on the shelf of your local hardware store.  Again, DON’T EAT THE WOOD TROUTZ!"

Check out Lines In The Dirt and also the Etsy storefront as well.  Shawn offers up all sorts of his artwork there and it's worth a look.

Anatomy Of A Dave Whitlock Autograph

A couple years ago I met the Dave and Emily Whitlock at the Fly Fishing Show in North Carolina and on the drive home kind of kicked myself for not purchasing one of Dave's prints.  At the shows he will typically take a few minutes to autograph and sketch a bit in the corners on prints that are purchased to further personalize them.  Knowing that the Whitlock's would be at the Somerset show I had already made up my mind that I wanted to purchase one of Dave's prints as long as I could carry it home on the couple flights home from New Jersey to South Carolina.

Friday when I arrived at the show I spent some time at the Whitlock's booth flipping through the stacks of prints and found one with a carp and smallmouth in the shallows that immediately made me think of Beaver Island.  Dave was incredibly busy just then and I planned on coming back by later in the weekend.

The pace of the show was a little slower yesterday morning and I went back to the Whitlock booth to find that the print was still available and then asked Dave if he would sign it for me.  We had a fun conversation about fishing for carp on the fly and that this print was inspired from his trips to the northern Michigan coast.  While Dave sketched and colored I snapped a few photos that I thought would be neat to share what a Dave Whitlock autograph entails.  It's definitely impressive to see him work.  

Dave and Emily Whitlock are by far some of the nicest and most genuine people in the fly fishing industry and I am honored to add this special piece of artwork to my collection.

For further reading check out this previous T.F.M. post about my last experience watching Dave Whitlock create his artwork and autographing prints along with one of his books that a fellow brought to the show with him.

FlyLife - Summer 2013

FlyLife recently released their Summer 2013 e-magazine which covers angling in Australia and New Zealand.  It takes a few minutes to load but is well worth it.

CHECK IT.

Midge Thread And Wire

Tiny midge flies are certainly not the ones I ever want to buy at a fly shop since they are really just a short strand of thread, a few strands of dubbing, a tuft of CDC, or a piece of wire.  Easy to tie and an ever important part of a trout's diet.



Lucas Carrol of Proven Patterns posted this video the other day and it did a very good job of comparing a few threads and wire in macro on a size #32 hook.  Yes...a trout will eat a fly on a hook that small.  Unbelievable I know.

As a side note if you are looking for what I consider to be "the bibles" of midge fly tying then look not further than Midge Magic and Modern Midges.  Both are required reading with literally thousands of photos for reference, instruction, and ideas.

Graywolf Rods Tom Morgan Builds

Shane Gray of Graywolf Rods has been busy lately in the shop with a couple Tom Morgan Rods fiberglass blanks being over the last few days.  The 8' five weight and the 8'3" six weight were finished out beautifully and will certainly be a special addition to each client's collection.

It is really good to see these long awaited glass blanks get into the hands of builders.

Check out the Graywolf Rods website, blog, and Facebook page for more information.

Leiderman Rods Epic Demo Build

I really thought that the Swift Fly Fishing Epic demo builds were going to be done over the course of several months but it looks like all three builders are steadily moving through them and I might have this one as soon as this weekend when I meet up with Matt Leiderman of Leiderman Rods at the Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, New Jersey.  Fingers crossed...

Matt posted these images last night on the Leiderman Rods Facebook page and I am again astounded by his fine work.  If you are not familiar (likely you already are) please notice that besides his flawless wraps and finish work that he also makes all the reel seat hardware in his shop as well.

These T.F.M. demo builds are certainly an amazing example of the fine work that Matt Leiderman and the other involved builders are doing and I am really thankful that they accepted the invitation to build out these fly rods.

Check out the Leiderman Rods website and Facebook page for more information about his work.

Puckett's Catch & Release Permit

I know that there was a recent Paul Puckett post on T.F.M. about his trip to Mexico but he's busy in his Charleston studio (really just a spare bedroom at Mad Mike's house) and finished this stellar catch and release permit painting this week that is worth a share.

Check out Right Brain Retrieve for the step by step images showing this maybe once in a lifetime permit from first sketch to finished painting.

Camera Care In Saltwater

Informative and useful videos like this are just another reason why Gink & Gasoline rocks. Click the play button.



Check out the Gink & Gasoline blog post for more on this topic and others.

Fellows...thanks for the timely lesson.

T.F.M. Cartoon Life

If I were a cartoon I just might look something like this.

Wes Ashcraft is a T.F.M. regular and posted this original piece of artwork on my Facebook wall this morning.  Wes took this photo and created this neat cartoon image.  So cool. 

Tightloop Fly Rods Epic Demo Build

I mentioned it the other day with a T.F.M. post that three very talented fly rod builders are working their way through Swift Fly Fishing Epic builds which will end up being part of the T.F.M. Fly Rod Loan Program.

George Minculete of Tightloop Fly Rods has posted on his website several times over the last week with updates on his progress on the eight foot five weight build.

Check out the Tightloop Fly Rods website for more information on these builds.  Follow the latest shop news on the Facebook page.

Who Will Be At The Somerset Show?

I've always heard good things about the Somerset, New Jersey stop of the Fly Fishing Show and decided to snap up a cheap plane ticket to fly up to check things out this coming weekend.

I hear there are big crowds and the list of exhibitors this year is impressive.  It will also be really neat to connect with a lot of people that I follow online.  The weekend activities should make for an interesting post with a mess of photographs on T.F.M. next week.

I'll be around all weekend (no T.F.M. booth - just walking around) so send me an email if you'd like to meet up.  I'll likely have a stash of decals and patches in my backpack if anyone is interested.

Check out the Fly Fishing Show website for more information about this show and the others coming up.

Simms Fishing 2013 Catalog

The Simms Fishing 2013 catalog is live online for a flip through and besides being chock full of gear this magazine style catalog has some damn good photography in it as well.

It takes a minute to load but worth it.

CHECK IT.