RECYCLED WADERS - The Making of the T.F.M. Zippered Stash Bags

I guess it was a couple of months ago now that I was left home alone for the weekend.  I decided to take advantage of the time and did a deep dive into the gear closet working on getting rid of quite a few things that needed new homes.  During this cleanse, I came across three old pairs of waders that either failed or had enough history of falls, scrapes, or leaks to not trust on my next trip.  I tossed them in the corner and continued working.

It had been awhile since I had last talked to Patrick Jenkins of Recycled Waders but didn't want to toss the waders without talking with him first to see if he wanted them.  I sent a text and he answered back with his mailing address and asked if I wanted to do use them for some sort of collaboration.  That spurred a volley of text messages and phone calls where we hashed out a bunch of ideas even down to tweaking the Recycled Waders logo by tucking the Retro Fly where the "A" should be. 

Every now and then I'd get a couple teaser photos with an update on our project and I'm stoked that a box of Recycled Waders X T.F.M. Zippered Stash Bags are in my hands now. 

I added the Zippered Stash Bags to the T.F.M. Store this morning and I thought it would be fun to share a few images from the Recycled Waders shop showing how these were built and with what.  Everything except the thread and zipper has been upcycled from the three pairs of waders (or something else he had in the shop) that I sent and it's certainly neat to see what was worn now gets a new life. 

If you want your own R.W. X T.F.M. Zippered Stash Bag, jump over to the T.F.M. Store and send me an email.  I have three dozen of the stash bags in stock with another dozen or so coming soon. 

Please note these there were made from worn waders and there's going to be variations in each one.  I can give you a color choice of either a green or gray color from the waders they were made from.   

Have your own pair of worn out waders?  Consider sending them to Recycled Waders for future T.F.M. collaboration gear to be made and maybe we can work out a deal on getting something to you as thanks.

Check out the Recycled Waders website and follow along with the latest shop news on Facebook and Instagram.

6 GOOD READS

Here's a six-pack of reads to ease you into your weekend from all over the internet...

TROUTS FLY FISHING - COPI'S BAD RUN

PATAGONIA - MR. DUDA ON THE KLAMATH RIVER DAMS

BOB WHITE STUDIO - BROTHERS

TAIL FLY FISHING - HANDICAPPING OURSELVES

FLYLORDS - REMICK WITH A PYRAMID LAKE TUTORIAL

TROUT UNLIMITED - MR. ROMANO ON RIVER ETIQUETTE

TOM MORGAN RODSMITHS - Meet the Team

Who's making your fly rod at Tom Morgan Rodsmiths?  A recent post on the TMR Blog links to eight different team members giving their background and what they do at the shop.  

 

I liked it and figured that you would too.  No one does it all at TMR and it takes a lot of working together to produce some of the finest fly rods being made today in glass, bamboo, and graphite.

 

 

Visit the Tom Morgan Rodsmiths website (there's still time to get in on a summer delivered fly rod), check out the TMR Blog, and then look for the latest shop news on Facebook and Instagram. 

SWIFT FLY FISHING - "Color Pop" in Ready to Wrap Fly Rod Kits

Thinking of building a new fiberglass fly rod?  Swift Fly Fishing has made an update to their popular Ready to Wrap Fly Rod Kits which now include a color matched fiberglass reel seat to match the blank of your build.  Snazzy.

The Ready to Wrap Fly Rod Kits are offered for every Epic fiberglass blank from 3-weight to 12-weight.  Lots of winners in the mix with the Epic 686 and Bandit being my forever favorites.

 

If you've never built your own fly rod before, Swift Fly Fishing has quite a few resources on their website to help you along with videos and tutorials.  Don't forget about the Custom Fly Rod Build Book which is available as a free download whether you're building something "Epic" or not.

A couple of other things to pass along...

First, there are some "Special Offers" to take a look at on the Swift Fly Fishing website and second, look for something fun to be announced in the next week that you'll want to toss your name in for. 

Check out the Swift Fly Fishing website and if you ever have questions about my experience with nearly all of the Epic line up, send an email.  I always like talking glass fly rods.
 

NATIVE FISH COALITION - Raffle to Support Wild Fish Projects

Are you familiar with the Native Fish Coalition?  If not, you should be.  Over the last year or so, they have grown with chapters through the northeast and recently, a new state chapter in Alabama with a focus on native and wild fish.

To support their work, the Native Fish Coalition is raffling off a Swift Packlight 7'6" 4-weight which just happens to be one of my favorite four-weight fly rods.  This is a great progressive glass taper and five pieces makes it a snap for travel. 

There will only be 100 tickets sold and you can play for $20 for a single ticket or $50 for three tickets.  A winner will be randomly chosen when all 100 tickets has been sold. 

 
If I remember correctly, a T.F.M. reader was picked the winner during the last Native Fish Coalition fly rod raffle and it would be neat to see that happen again.

Check out the Native Fish Coalition website for more on their work and get your raffle tickets HERE.

HOWLER BROTHERS - World of Gaucho

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Howler Brothers and their limited edition Guacho shirts.  I must have a dozen of them on my side of the closet which started with a Dancing Prawn snapshirt and seem to have picked up one or two each season since.  Side note, can you believe that Howler Brothers is 10 years old?

The folks at Howler Brothers have created a neat timeline that they've dubbed the World of the Gaucho which is a fun trip down memory lane and provides some background and history to their unique and limited edition snapshirts.

How many and which Gaucho snapshirts do you have?  Which one is your favorite?

Check out the Howler Brothers World of Gaucho and keep an eye out for some possible contests, giveaways, and other fun centered around these most famous snapshirts.

Follow along on the Howler Brothers website and Instagram for the latest.

MFFC - Fly Fishing with Fiberglass Fly Rods Presentation

While I'm sure we're all a little (or a lot) fatigued with work or school Zoom meetings, I'm trying something new this week with a presentation to the Metropolitan Fly Fishing Club on Wednesday, April 7th at 7:00 EST.  We'll talk fiberglass fly rods and why you should be using them, touch on some history, buyer's guide, what the future in glass holds, and then wrap it up with some Q&A.

I've done quite a few in-person presentations on fiberglass fly rods over the years so we'll see how the slides and discussion work out online.  Maybe I'll put together a T.F.M. swag package for a random or best chat room question.  

Want to tune in?  You do not have to be a Metropolitan Fly Fishing Club member to join in on this presentation and discussion. 

Visit this ZOOM link to attend on Wednesday, April 7th at 7:00 EST.