An Ode to Blake and 1970's Glass

If there is any reason to continue to wade through all of the pervasive negativeness of social media, its to find little gems like Andrew Nepsund's Instagram post from over the weekend.  

I asked if he's send the images for a quickie post on T.F.M. along with a little narrative to with it.  What he sent was a stellar reminder that old school glass still deserves a place in your buddy's drift boat, popper eats rule, and maybe I'm that friend in my own text circles...

Andrew wrote...  "Every group chat has that one friend who won’t stop talking about his 1970’s Shakespeare Wonder Rod.  At least ours does.  That one friend is Blake Barnell.  Fiberglass this, fiberglass that.  And in a world full of fast action graphite, casts so long you can’t get a proper hook set, and 6” swim flies, Blake sure is a breath of fresh air. 

So go ahead, fish a Boogle Bug on a long leader, tell your buddy to row a little closer to the bank, bend that old school glass to the cork and smile. 

Just shut up about it in the group chat."

Here's to more old school glass adventures and smallies that fall all over themselves to eat a popper.

FISHBEER - Periodical Cicada Syllabic Verse

The the cicada emergence for this summer is slowly winding down and here's Matt Dunn's take on it all with both words on his Substack and this shortie film.  Read and press PLAY...



Sign up for the FishBeer updates to your inbox and follow along on YouTube.

LAST CALL - Retro Fly Tees and the Greens & Streams Giveaway

UPDATE - The random number generator picked MICHAEL RHUBRIGHT out of nearly fifty orders.  The prize package will go in the mail next week.  Congratulations.

Thanks to everyone who's placed an order for a box (or several) of the restocked Western Birch custom Retro Fly Tees.  If you haven't seen them yet, they are listed in the T.F.M. Shop.

This is a reminder that the giveaway with Greens & Streams for on of Brad's custom brown trout micarta single prong divot tool is winding TODAY.  I'll close the books on the giveaway and let the random number generator pick a winner tomorrow.  Are you feeling lucky?

Want in?  Send an email today to place your order.  For every box of Retro Fly tees purchased, it puts your name in the hat one more time for the custom divot tool.

Interested in a box or several?  Send me an email at thefiberglassmanifesto@gmail.com and I'll get a package in the mail pronto. 

Check out Greens and Streams and follow along on Instagram for the latest garage shop news.

Introducing Kinni Forge Kustom Landing Nets

In the same vein of rod makers handcrafting custom fly rods, those who focus on building wooden landing nets are always interesting to me and when John Cain of Kinni Forge reached out to talk about his recently formed company, I was intrigued.  He's keeping things simple with offerings the K1 and K2 landing nets, while leaving a "Kustom" option open to discuss other ideas with clients.  

After several deep dives into Kinni Forge website, digging the sharply designed logo, and better understanding the build ethos of John's nets from our conversations, it all checked the boxes of a company worth following along with.  

It wasn't until a package arrived the other day with a freshly made Kinni Forge K2 landing net did it put into full perspective the top shelf work that John is doing in his River Falls, Wisconsin shop.

I should have taken photographs on all six sides of the box but the Kinni Forge branding stamped into the packaging on various sides was a very nice touch.  You could immediately feel the care that John puts into his work with the stamping on the exterior of the box and even more so once the box was opened to find several layers of foam with a cut out that protected his hard work and ensured that the K2 arrived in flawless condition.  

The size of the K2 is a great fit for me since I'm more often in a kayak, boat, or needing a longer handle to stash through a sling pack or belt.  The clear rubber netting is deep with a flat floor, which I like a lot since it allows a fish to lay more or less flat across the bottom when held in the water.  

And, a larger net means larger fish, right?  Right?

John's hardwood choice, build quality, and overall work is impeccable.  The Kinni Forge logo burnt into the handle with the brass lash points for the clear rubber netting are a tasteful touch.  The Guguluza 3/4 inch sling swivel screw mounting hardware is a great addition for a net release to protect your custom built investment.

This past weekend, I had the chance to get out on the family pond for a couple of afternoon sessions and even though I didn't net anything of size, the extended handle of the K2 was perfect for sliding a few bass and bluegill into the clear rubber netting from my kayak seat.  I'm looking forward to a few evenings on the pond this week and the K2 will be along sure sure.

John and I have a few other ideas to highlight the excellent work he's doing in the future but in the meantime, check out the Kinni Forge website and be sure to follow along on Instagram, too.

SKWALA - Bait & Switch

Here's a fun NYC striper adventure from the folks at Skwala.  Press PLAY...



And, if you're wondering what Skwala gear they were wearing in the film, check out the RS Jacket, Carbon Jacket, Carbon Pant, and the Fusion 3/2 Puffy.

CAMPBELL OUTFITTERS - A River Lunch Done Right

A Monday in the office, especially after a long weekend away from work, is a good time to reflect on the where I wish I was at instead of where I am actually at.  I wrote about a recent river float with guide Allen Campbell of Campbell Outfitters and the river lunch deserves it's own post with a few images to illustrate the goodness.

Since we started our float early, we stopped for lunch around 11:00 a.m., which was fine by me.  Allen parked his Upriver Boatworks Stream King on an inches deep gravel bar and hopped out to quickly set up his river kitchen using a YETI GoBox 30 as the base for a Blackstone Camping Griddle.  I had never seen one of these and was immediately impressed by it's features, portability, and ease of use.  

Allen screwed on the propane tank and sparked off the flame to start warming up the griddle surface.  Within just a couple of minutes, Allen placed a half dozen bratwursts from his local butcher shop on the hot cooking surface and kept rolling them every few minutes for an even grilling.  As they were getting close to being done, he laid the buns down on the griddle to toast them.  He then quickly assembled each bun with a slice of cheese, laid a brat down, and gave them a quick zig zag of spicy mustard.

This is proof that you don't need to get fancy to have a great lunch on the river.  Keep scrolling...

This is a reminder to fish with guides who take river lunches with this much care.  The right tools and gear can be a big help and I have some ideas of my own where a Blackstone Camping Griddle would come in handy.  

Check out the Campbell Outfitters website and follow along with Allen on Instagram for fishing, flies, and his river lunch culinary skills. 

AMFF - Fishing the Collection - Season 3 - Episode 1

The Fishing the Collection film series continues with the American Museum of Fly Fishing with a fun angling story involving a vintage bamboo Hardy C.C. DeFrance 6'6" 4-weight.  Such fun...



Visit the American Museum of Fly Fishing website and consider supporting their work of preserving the history and heritage of fly fishing with your membership.

A Long Walk on the Beach

After a morning spent adding the Kirkland's Warbler off my "Life List", I continued north to Wilderness State Park, which is about as far north and west that you can go in lower Michigan.  I've heard tales of smallmouth and carp on the flats of this park for years with and just never had the time to check it out.    

I had a bit of local knowledge from friends who spend a lot of time there but this is a vast area.  Spring in northern Michigan had been weird enough that things hadn't warmed up that much yet and carp were no where to be found.  Smallmouth appeared to be in pockets on the flats here and there.

Though somewhat elusive, I did find a few smallmouth in the late afternoon, including a brute that I missed on the first pass through a deep rocky gully of milky green water with a white baitfish pattern.  I saw enough of the fish to know it was a good one.  I laid a long second cast to the other side of the channel, let the fly sink for a few seconds, and then slow swam it back with short strips.  I felt a heavy tug and head shake.  A few moments later, a full-sized smallmouth lay in the shallow water at my feet.  

That fish is what I'd come for and it was a nice welcome to northern Michigan.  

I ended up walking over seven miles around the park through the afternoon and saw some incredible water.  This is a special place and I can only imagine the possibilities once the flats warm up.  

Just a few gear notes to cover on this long afternoon trip to Wilderness State Park...

 

ATOLLAS 2GO FLY BOX

I've mentioned it before around here that I like a well organized fly box.  OCD much?  Yes.  I've been using the Atollas 2GO Fly Box for the past several trips and the fly box size and slit foam layout are great.  One or two fly boxes might be all you need, even for a big trip.  There is a silicone-molded docking station on the lid of the fly box that you can slide a foam Fly Caddy to store and dry flies.

I also like supporting a small shop (husband and wife) company from Charleston, South Carolina.  

EPIC REFERENCE SERIES 888 FASTGLASS FLY ROD 
I have a short list of favorite 8-weight's and the Epic 888 on high on that list.  It takes on all sorts of fly lines without issues, capable, fun to cast, and handles a ton of angling situations with ease.  

The Reference Series is a great choice in a heavy line weight fly rod since if there is an issue with a broken tip, it's an easy fix.    

SCIENTIFIC ANGLERS MAGNITUDE TEXTURED INFINITY CLEAR TIP FLOAT

I arrived at my folks house in Michigan to find a little box from Scientific Anglers with a short stack of new Magnitude Infinity Clear Tip and Clear Head fly lines in 6-weight and 8-weight to demo and review on the trip.  After this trip and then a long week on Beaver Island, I like these clear tip and head fly lines a lot.  And, the more that I fish the Infinity taper, in it's many forms and on various fiberglass fly rods, the more that I like it.  It's a half-size heavy and matches well from trout weight to warmwater to saltwater fiberglass fly rod tapers.

SKWALA CARBON WADING BOOTS
I've been wearing these new wading boots for the past couple of months and this was the first opportunity that I've had to put some actual miles on them.  Over the day, I walked more than seven miles and these boots felt great.   These are overbuilt, cushioned, and protective for your feet in all the right ways.  

I will say that the "burrito-wrap" tongue takes a little getting used to but breaking these wading boots in with a few days on the water will make for a great fit.  

VEDAVOO VOODOO CONVERTIBLE SLING PACK

The VooDoo Sling Pack has been part of my kit for a few years now and it's perfect for situations where you just need a few essentials.  On this day this included a fly box, spools of tippet and extra leader, and my iPhone.  That was it.  

On trips the VooDoo stays tucked in my boat bag, where it takes up near zero space, and is always at the ready for a walk away from the guide boat.  

As with much of Vedavoo's gear, Scott Hunter gives customizable options with three fabric choices of Cordura, Ballistic Nylon, or Legacy Waxed Twill. And, you can add a Comrade or Retro Fly patch for $5 to $10 depending on the patch size requested.

And, after hiking back to the car, I drove around Mackinaw City just long enough to realize that it had serious tourist trap vibes.  I opted to continue down to Petoskey, checked into my room, took a quick shower, and then headed downtown for dinner.  I ended up at TAP30 with a street seat since the large roll-up door was open.  Great meal to cap off a great day.  

Sportsman's Journal with Andy Mill | Downtown Bonefish on Fly

If you aren't getting enough Andy Mill on the Mill House podcast, you can deep dive into the the Sportsman's Journal episodes on their YouTube page.  Kinda perfect for a Sunday morning...



Add the Mill House to your podcast essentials and subscribe to their YouTube channel.

OAK & OSCAR - A Decade of Incredible Watches

Earlier this year, I spent a weekend with Chase Fancher of Oak & Oscar in Atlanta for the Fly Fishing Show and during a late night chat, we talked about what was on the horizon that he was excited about.  He mentioned that the 10 year anniversary of Oak & Oscar was approaching and they were hashing out some "Make No Little Plans" to celebrate this milestone with a look back to watches they have offered in the past.  

It all begins this week with a lottery for two limited edition Burnham watches and will be followed by other releases every two weeks.  This is going to be fun to follow along with.

From Oak & Oscar...

"Oak & Oscar started with a big idea and has grown into something truly special. Over the last decade, it’s transformed into a watch company with its own distinctive design language, an incredible community of Owners, some amazing brand collabs, and big plans for the future.

The first ten years have been filled with memorable moments and even more memorable watches. From our first watch, the Burnham, all the way to the Atwood, we’ve maintained our passion for what we do. We’re proud of the watches we’ve made; we’re honored to have worked with so many great people to build our products; and we can’t wait to see what the next decade has in store!

To commemorate this special milestone, we’re dipping back into the archive and offering you an exclusive opportunity to purchase some of your favorite watches that have long since been sold out or retired.

Over the course of the year, we’ll release small batches of everything from the Burnham to the Humboldt 12HR. Each release will consist of only two to five rare examples. These watches will come from either new old stock, pieces we’ve acquired on the secondary market, or watches we’ve built at the HQ. The watches feature the same specs and design cues you know and love but with a couple new details to celebrate our first ten years. Each watch will be available at its original sale price."

Take a few moments to visit the Oak & Oscar website.  Be sure to sign up for their newsletter and follow along on Facebook and Instagram for the latest news.

TOM'S TIPS - Why Dead Drifting a Streamer is Sometimes Best

In this episode of "Tom's Tips", Mr. Rosenbauer gives a lesson on an alternative streamer technique.

See more on the Orvis YouTube channel and check out the latest gear on the Orvis website.

SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE FLY - Issue 55

The latest issue of Southern Culture on the Fly is ready for you to Read It Raw.  Enjoy...

 CHECK IT.

FISH HOUSES - Andy Mill's Florida Home Fully Dedicated to Tarpon

This is a fun one with Any Mill of Mill House walking through his Florida home.  Press PLAY...



This is a great idea for a new video series and look forward to Flylords rolling other episodes out.

D MAGAZINE - Meet the Compleat Dallas Angler

Longtime T.F.M. reader and glass junkie, David Hale Smith, has written a fun article for D Magazine that is worth a read.  It appeared in the printed June issue and is now available online.

 

CHECK IT.

AMFF - Fishing the Collection - Season 2 - Episode 3

The Fishing the Collection film series continues with the American Museum of Fly Fishing with an Austin, Texas warmwater SUP trip with Beth and a vintage bamboo Paul H. Young 7'6" 5-weight.



Visit the American Museum of Fly Fishing website and consider supporting their work of preserving the history and heritage of fly fishing with your membership.

LIFE LIST - Notes on Seeing the Kirkland's Warbler

My spring trips to Michigan are typically a whirlwind of getting somewhere to go fly fishing, meeting up with guides for evening or overnight floats, sleeping in the car, and fetching friends from the airport to get them up to the next airport to fly over to Beaver Island for the week.  The days are always a blur and I rarely take time for anything else.

This year's trip was more of a slow down with me having the better part of a day and a half to find my way up north.  It gave me the opportunity to make an early morning stop at Hartwick Pines State Park to take in the Michigan Audubon Kirkland's Warbler Tour, which had been on my list for years.

 

I grew up somewhat of a "Bird Nerd" and that followed me through college with Saturday morning birding trips all around southwest Michigan, trips to Point Pelee National Park for spring migrations, winter trips to the Upper Peninsula and into Ontario, and I was even was on a team for several years for "wild" 24-hour Southwest Michigan Birdathons.  I've more or less pressed pause on any sort of serious bird watching for the last twenty-five years but seem to be getting pulled back in.

On my "Life List" of nearly 40 warblers already seen, the one that has been missing was the Kirkland's Warbler.  This large warbler is rare since it only ground nests in particular jack pine forested areas, which are limited to areas of northern Michigan around Grayling, Wisconsin, and areas of Ontario.  Numbers of mating pairs have held steady but still not a bird that most have seen. 

 

After meeting everyone in our group at Hartwick Pines State Park, the guide led us a few miles away to a sand road parking lot where the dozen of us went for a walk with jack pine on either side of rarely driven road.  Within minutes, the song of the male Kirkland's Warbler could be heard, followed by another some distance away.  These calls were followed by others and through the morning we heard more than a dozen Kirkland's Warblers sing.  They were here but we needed to wait it out until hopefully one would fly up to one of the many dead trees mixed in above the jack pine forest to sing.  We had some sharp eyes in the group, which was a collection of birdwatchers from the deep south to out east and places between.  

Photograph Provided by Beth Fritts

It didn't take too long before someone from the group found a Kirkland's Warbler off in the distance sitting on a limb but in the morning light, all I could see through my binoculars was the dark chunky silhouette of the bird.  No real field markings.  I really hoped that this wouldn't be the only one we saw as I didn't want to check it off in my field guide by just that look.

We continued to walk slowly down the road with the group spreading out over hundreds of feet.  Stopping.  Listening.  Glassing.  More singing was heard but the birds were near the ground and not up in the trees where they could be seen.  This meant more glassing and listening.  

Patience paid off awhile later when a Kirkland's Warbler flew up to a nearby tree and sang for a few moments to allow most in the group to get an extended look.  One of the birdwatchers had a telephoto lens on her camera and snapped a quick photograph that she graciously shared with several of us days later with an email.  

We saw another for just a moment as it flew from one side of the forest to the other and then one other a bit farther back in the woods.  Certainly not as good of a look as the one that you see in this post.  

By mid-morning I was ready to get on the road to head farther north, but what a neat experience.

Just a couple of gear notes to wrap this up that if you're interested in birds as all, the Merlin app is an essential.  It's really unbelievable how handy this application is with identifying bird sounds, photo, and Bird ID Wizard.  It's free and works worldwide.

I am a huge fan of Maven optics and have been using a pair of B.7 10X50 binoculars since last spring.  They are compact, lightweight, and are perfect to always have along for bird watching, sporting events, hunting, and more.  The optics are super sharp with high contrast and these binoculars may be small but offer a lot being waterproof, fog proof, with multi-coated lenses.  I've decided that after this trip that they will always be tucked in my gear bag for impromptu birding and even looking for fish activity when on the water.

If you are ever in the area of Grayling, Michigan in the spring, the Kirkland's Warbler Tour is well worth taking a morning for.  It only cost $20 per person and was easy to sign up for online.

CATCH MAGAZINE - Finnish Troutland

Big browns busting bait?  Yes, please.  Check out the latest from Todd Moen of Catch Magazine...



Dive down a rabbit hole of fine fly fishing films on the Catch Magazine YouTube channel.  

6 Good Reads

Here's a six-pack of great articles to get you through your morning at the office.  From Alaska to the links and everything in between.  Enjoy...

SKWALA - ALASKA STEELHEAD FROM THE ADVENTUROUS

VINTAGE TROUTS - CURRENTS ON GRANDPA'S FISHING VEST

WINSTON FIELD NOTES - CRAIG MATTHEWS ON BAETIS

FISHPOND - THE LONG WAY IN

CTS FISHING - CAMEL CITY CUSTOM RODS

THE OLD GHOSTS - HICKORY GOLF AND HIDDEN TREASURES

What's been on your summer online reading list?  Email to share any favorites.

CAMPBELL OUTFITTERS - A Downstate Float

On most trips up to Michigan, I make a beeline from South Carolina stopping in at my folks house, maybe for an overnight but often not, and then quickly head north.  This trip however, I decided to stick around for a couple of days and reached out to guide Allen Campbell of Campbell Outfitters to float one of his back pocket warmwater streams.  Where most would focus on coldwater fisheries, Allen is going a different direction in spending the majority of his guide time logging floats on various warmwater streams in lower Michigan.  Add to his growing resume that he's a fantastic fly tier and photographer making him a fun follow on Instagram.

We've been talking about doing a day together for a couple of years now and were even a little unsure if this trip would work out since he and his family just welcomed their second child.  Through some careful scheduling his very understanding wife and helpful mother-in-law, we were able to meet up for a morning into the afternoon float on a stream that was surprising close to where I grew up.

Along for the day was artist Jeff Kennedy, who I've known online since the very beginning of T.F.M., which you have to take the wayback machine to 2008 when he was working on Drawing Flies 365.  He's also the artist who created the Retro Fly design that first appeared as No. 158 on his daily fly art project.  

Somehow we've gone all these years never meeting in person and this day on the water was long overdue. 

I can't thank him enough for allowing me to use that piece of artwork as a logo for T.F.M. over the past almost 18 years.  It's showed up all over the world on t-shirts, decals, fly patches, golf tees, and more.  You can read this previous T.F.M. post with notes from Jeff on the inspiration and background of this, dare I say, "iconic" piece of artwork turned T.F.M. logo.

We met before 7:00 a.m. on what was going to be a spring day with a mix of overcast and sun and temperatures that started out cool but warmed through the day.  This stream holds a mix of warmwater fish but we were specifically looking for smallmouth, pike, and heard rumors of musky.  The nice thing about it is that the gaudy flies of bucktail and feathers from Allen's boat box work on all three with a bit of wire leader tied on, just in case.

It wasn't long before we picked off a few smallmouth followed by a decent pike.  This continued through the morning and was topped off with the rush of a three foot long musky who came from beneath a downed tree, barrel rolled the fly, and cleanly sliced the wire leader.  GONE.

What a rush.  I'm not even mad about losing the fish.  I was just glad that I didn't troutset it and the wire parting was just a freak thing to happen.  I can't stop thinking about that fish, though.

An early start meant an early stop for lunch and there will be a follow up post for this A+ lunch of brats and hotdogs that Allen quickly put together on his Blackstone Camping Griddle.  This stop gave me a few minutes to poke around Allen's fly boxes, take some photographs, and see some of the sketchbook art work that Jeff brought along with him.  There will be a fun follow up post to look forward to with a sketch and painting that Jeff created from this float.

So, if you're keeping score, there is a follow up lunch post and art post both in the works.

Our float wound down in the early afternoon with Jeff hooking into a pike that was holding in some structure in stained water.  We pulled Allen's Upriver Boatworks Stream King over to take a few photographs before continuing down the river.  What a day.

If you find yourself in lower Michigan, take a day (or several) with Campbell Outfitters.  Allen runs a great operation and I look forward to future time with him on the water.  Follow along on Instagram, too.