dcabarle
Administrator
Well... I paid for a 2 day pass this year figuring maybe I'd stay all day Friday and part of Saturday then go home. Now I'm a little disappointed and annoyed that I didn't spend the day on Sunday too.
I don't typically sit through seminars because I can't stand hearing people talk about how you should fish a river their way using the techniques that they've learned or "developed" over the years. One thing I've realized over the years for me at least is that the fishing equipment changes more often than some of you change your underwear but the fishing never changes. There are too many people out there looking to really over complicate things.
I had one guy trying to sell me some plastic bag wings with a wing burner. Essentially it was printed wings on very thin plastic. You put the ole' wing burner over the wings and cut around it. Then you burn the burner and it seals most of the wings together however, leaving air bubbles within the space between the wings. In theory it's a nice idea because this will ensure the wings float (or if you spring a hole in a wing, it might fill with water and sink!) I'll also note that if you're someone who can't cast, you might destroy these wings within a few casts. Well, when I asked the guy about the helicopter effect his answer was that these were meant to be roll casted. If you purchased the wings (10 bux) you most certainly had to purchase the wing tool too (20 bux). Not to worry though, they had a special deal... If you call within the next 3 1/2 minutes we'll also include...., 3 for 20 bux but you still had to purchase the wing burner. Ok so let's have it, who purchased the wings!?!?!? I have flies in my box from 1985 and I'm sure if I put one of those flies on, they'll catch fish.
Anyhow, I figured I'd try to use the time to do what I normally do at these shows and that is, cast rods. The rods I cast were the Sage 596-4 vxp, Scott S4, Loomis NSX, Hardy Zenith, and a few bamboo rods from RK Bolt.
I'll start off with 2 solid performers, the Scott S4 and the Loomis NRX. I wasn't even going to look at the Loomis because I really haven't heard many good things about them over the past 3-4 years. BKill-Dan asked me if I wanted to try one out and I was a bit hesitant but I agreed. Well... The first thing I noticed was the uglyness of this rod. WTF were they thinking? It has sky blue wraps on their traditional carbon fiber colored blank and the rod is just butt ugly. I mean... If you haven't seen one of these rods but want to imagine one, sit back and think to yourself, "If I were to build the ugliest rod, what would it look like?" Now of course who the hell would set out to do something like that in the first place?
Well Loomis did and they did a very good job of it. Now take that rod you just imagined and multiply that uglyness by 100 and there you have the Loomis. Yeah, it's that F'ng ugly.
Aside of that though, the rod holds its own and casts much nicer than the Sage. Of course there are 2 sacrifices... The weight and that ugly ass color scheme. Overall, this rod is a great performining rod and you should go buy one (no, I don't get paid a dime to say that). Just don't let anyone see you on the river with it as you might turn them to stone.
Now for the Scott... See, I've never liked Scott Rods, EVER. The last one I tried was a very smooth casting rod but something was missing from it (as with all Scott rods). However, the S4 changes all of this. The S4 was on par with the Loomis and definetely a much nicer casting rod than the Sage. The rod loads up really nice but again, it's a bit heavier feeling than the poor performing Sage. That all being said, it is a nice looking rod as well as a sweet performing rod.
The Loomis and the Scott performed incredibly well. If I were to choose one over the other, I'd have to go with the Scott simply because the Loomis is one ugly MF'r. I have to tell yah... Everyone was commenting on the uglyness of this rod. Perhaps that's a marketing thing to get people talking about it? I dunno but I can't seem to get it out of my head.
I also tried a Scott glass rod and didn't like it at all. It was a really crappy rod. If you're looking for a really nice glass rod, check out the Diamondbacks by Cortland Diamondback line. These rods all cast well and are aesthetically pleasing to look at. (Cortland - Diamondback Glass Rods)
R.K. Bolt - The rods I cast were a 7 1/2ft 4wt (3pc) and another that I just couldn't get the hang of. The 7 1/2 rod was a really nice rod and for 2150.00, it damned well should be! This is a guy who pays very close attention to detail!
(click picture to enlarge)
I did watch Lefty's demonstration on how to cast. It was pretty interesting to see him cast 60 feet of line with only the rod tip but this wasn't the highlight of the show.
(click picture to enlarge)
Other than rods, I saw a few other surprises at the show. Dave Whitlock was a pleasure to see.
(click picture to enlarge)
I've known Dave's art work over the years but never read what he had to say. I'm just not a reader. I like the artwork and the imagination that goes into it. Seeing a guy like Dave here at the show made me pretty happy. I went over and there was a guy (Jeff) feeding Dave books to sign... 1 book after another. Now I've never met Dave but have always admired his artwork.
Dave doesn't just sign a book, he writes a little something from the heart before signing it. If you've ever had a book signed by Dave than you know this. Jeff obviously did. Soooo... I started to snap pictures, one after another. I of course asked Dave if it was ok and he just smiled and said to take as many pictures as I liked. I also had a short conversation with him and quickly learned that this is one guy who sacrifices ZERO over his commitment to sign your book in the most sincere artful way possible. He's just an overall pleasant person to be around. As far as the book signing! Well this is what mine looked like but each one was different. Not everyone could be "Jeff".
(click picture to enlarge)
The other highlight of the show was the after show party held in the bar. I was going to meet up with AK and a few others I'd been wanting to see. On my way in I ran into Allan (Broadheadscreak) and chatted with him for a few, then headed to the bar area. Well... I walk in and thought to myself, this can't be right. Was I in the right place? Scratching my head, I hear this awkward music then a mans voice speaking to me, “There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition.” - You get where I'm coming from yet? I mean really bizarre. See if you can figure this out cuz I'm still scratching my head.
I searched high and low in the show for COZ and Joe D but couldn't find them anywhere until now.... COZ on the left with Joe D, FUDR / Cross Current Guiding Service and Border Water Outfitters. Also, Jeff Church (West Branch Angler) behind Joe D and behind Jeff is another WBA guide John Miller. I forgot the guys name behind COZ.
The past few years I gave the FF show negative reviews and a not so good outlook. Last year I didn't even go because I thought it was boring. With everything that I was able to see this year, I have made 180 degree turn. This year I saw a few new vendors and some of the same, some new products (even the gimmicks were pretty cool), and got to speak with a lot of people. There were also some pretty good deals to be had if you looked hard enough. I can't wait for next years show and I'll be there all 3 days next year!!!
Edit: Wing burner price 3 for $20, not 3 for $10.
I don't typically sit through seminars because I can't stand hearing people talk about how you should fish a river their way using the techniques that they've learned or "developed" over the years. One thing I've realized over the years for me at least is that the fishing equipment changes more often than some of you change your underwear but the fishing never changes. There are too many people out there looking to really over complicate things.
I had one guy trying to sell me some plastic bag wings with a wing burner. Essentially it was printed wings on very thin plastic. You put the ole' wing burner over the wings and cut around it. Then you burn the burner and it seals most of the wings together however, leaving air bubbles within the space between the wings. In theory it's a nice idea because this will ensure the wings float (or if you spring a hole in a wing, it might fill with water and sink!) I'll also note that if you're someone who can't cast, you might destroy these wings within a few casts. Well, when I asked the guy about the helicopter effect his answer was that these were meant to be roll casted. If you purchased the wings (10 bux) you most certainly had to purchase the wing tool too (20 bux). Not to worry though, they had a special deal... If you call within the next 3 1/2 minutes we'll also include...., 3 for 20 bux but you still had to purchase the wing burner. Ok so let's have it, who purchased the wings!?!?!? I have flies in my box from 1985 and I'm sure if I put one of those flies on, they'll catch fish.
Anyhow, I figured I'd try to use the time to do what I normally do at these shows and that is, cast rods. The rods I cast were the Sage 596-4 vxp, Scott S4, Loomis NSX, Hardy Zenith, and a few bamboo rods from RK Bolt.
I'll start off with 2 solid performers, the Scott S4 and the Loomis NRX. I wasn't even going to look at the Loomis because I really haven't heard many good things about them over the past 3-4 years. BKill-Dan asked me if I wanted to try one out and I was a bit hesitant but I agreed. Well... The first thing I noticed was the uglyness of this rod. WTF were they thinking? It has sky blue wraps on their traditional carbon fiber colored blank and the rod is just butt ugly. I mean... If you haven't seen one of these rods but want to imagine one, sit back and think to yourself, "If I were to build the ugliest rod, what would it look like?" Now of course who the hell would set out to do something like that in the first place?
Well Loomis did and they did a very good job of it. Now take that rod you just imagined and multiply that uglyness by 100 and there you have the Loomis. Yeah, it's that F'ng ugly.Aside of that though, the rod holds its own and casts much nicer than the Sage. Of course there are 2 sacrifices... The weight and that ugly ass color scheme. Overall, this rod is a great performining rod and you should go buy one (no, I don't get paid a dime to say that). Just don't let anyone see you on the river with it as you might turn them to stone.
Now for the Scott... See, I've never liked Scott Rods, EVER. The last one I tried was a very smooth casting rod but something was missing from it (as with all Scott rods). However, the S4 changes all of this. The S4 was on par with the Loomis and definetely a much nicer casting rod than the Sage. The rod loads up really nice but again, it's a bit heavier feeling than the poor performing Sage. That all being said, it is a nice looking rod as well as a sweet performing rod.
The Loomis and the Scott performed incredibly well. If I were to choose one over the other, I'd have to go with the Scott simply because the Loomis is one ugly MF'r. I have to tell yah... Everyone was commenting on the uglyness of this rod. Perhaps that's a marketing thing to get people talking about it? I dunno but I can't seem to get it out of my head.
I also tried a Scott glass rod and didn't like it at all. It was a really crappy rod. If you're looking for a really nice glass rod, check out the Diamondbacks by Cortland Diamondback line. These rods all cast well and are aesthetically pleasing to look at. (Cortland - Diamondback Glass Rods)
R.K. Bolt - The rods I cast were a 7 1/2ft 4wt (3pc) and another that I just couldn't get the hang of. The 7 1/2 rod was a really nice rod and for 2150.00, it damned well should be! This is a guy who pays very close attention to detail!
(click picture to enlarge)
I did watch Lefty's demonstration on how to cast. It was pretty interesting to see him cast 60 feet of line with only the rod tip but this wasn't the highlight of the show.
(click picture to enlarge)
Other than rods, I saw a few other surprises at the show. Dave Whitlock was a pleasure to see.
(click picture to enlarge)
I've known Dave's art work over the years but never read what he had to say. I'm just not a reader. I like the artwork and the imagination that goes into it. Seeing a guy like Dave here at the show made me pretty happy. I went over and there was a guy (Jeff) feeding Dave books to sign... 1 book after another. Now I've never met Dave but have always admired his artwork.
Dave doesn't just sign a book, he writes a little something from the heart before signing it. If you've ever had a book signed by Dave than you know this. Jeff obviously did. Soooo... I started to snap pictures, one after another. I of course asked Dave if it was ok and he just smiled and said to take as many pictures as I liked. I also had a short conversation with him and quickly learned that this is one guy who sacrifices ZERO over his commitment to sign your book in the most sincere artful way possible. He's just an overall pleasant person to be around. As far as the book signing! Well this is what mine looked like but each one was different. Not everyone could be "Jeff".
(click picture to enlarge)
The other highlight of the show was the after show party held in the bar. I was going to meet up with AK and a few others I'd been wanting to see. On my way in I ran into Allan (Broadheadscreak) and chatted with him for a few, then headed to the bar area. Well... I walk in and thought to myself, this can't be right. Was I in the right place? Scratching my head, I hear this awkward music then a mans voice speaking to me, “There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition.” - You get where I'm coming from yet? I mean really bizarre. See if you can figure this out cuz I'm still scratching my head.
I searched high and low in the show for COZ and Joe D but couldn't find them anywhere until now.... COZ on the left with Joe D, FUDR / Cross Current Guiding Service and Border Water Outfitters. Also, Jeff Church (West Branch Angler) behind Joe D and behind Jeff is another WBA guide John Miller. I forgot the guys name behind COZ.
The past few years I gave the FF show negative reviews and a not so good outlook. Last year I didn't even go because I thought it was boring. With everything that I was able to see this year, I have made 180 degree turn. This year I saw a few new vendors and some of the same, some new products (even the gimmicks were pretty cool), and got to speak with a lot of people. There were also some pretty good deals to be had if you looked hard enough. I can't wait for next years show and I'll be there all 3 days next year!!!
Edit: Wing burner price 3 for $20, not 3 for $10.
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