Fly Fishing BS thread

One year of fly tying today. Wild.

 

This is my fishing rig!



I have thought about getting a Decked system to store all my gear in the truck but with the shell it wouldn't leave much room on top of the Decked. I ended up finding a large Husky tote bin at home depot with wheels on it that fits all of my gear perfectly (including rod tubes and my net), so I just throw that in the bed. Works great!

 

@teledan sick rig/rigs!! Dream setup right there. Do you sleep in the truck bed? That's my exact truck but getting the Leer 180 for extra headroom (I'll store rods inside). What bike rack is that? I have the Harbor Freight version and had some troubles with it.

 

Thanks man! I don't sleep in the truck, usually just a tent. I usually have my wife and kids with me so we need a bit more room. I have thought about getting a taller topper and doing a drawer system but this setup is working for me so I'll keep the one I have for now. The bike rack is a Versahaul, not cheap but it is solid, and it is basically the only carrier on the market that has the hitch receiver in the end. Its great because I can use the carrier on its own without the trailer, or I can use the trailer without the carrier if I don't need to take my bike. I might look into getting some airbags for the truck, it does sag a bit in the back when I have everything loaded up. Its not bottoming out or anything but it would be nice to get the rear back up and level.

 

Our summer season in Montana is over and we had a great time. Brought back some of the regulars and got a bunch of new clients out.



Bighorn -

Best flows we've had over the last couple of years for the time we went. River wasn't high at all and we had some epic dry fly action chasing heads. Our 8 clients had a blast and a lot of bows and browns were caught. Lodge was fantastic, food was epic.

 

Bighorn Cont'd

 

Missouri River -

Next trip was out by Craig. Temps were ridiculously hot (103F when we got there). Hatches were scattered and the dry fly fishing was pretty tough due to the hotter temps. Fish wanted the cold deep water so nymphing was more productive. Fishing was decent in the morning but shutdown by 1-2PM. Guides were great and we ended up getting an earlier start than normal so we could maximize the best time on the water. As always the lodge was fantastic and we had an epic private concert with Jarred Hanson & the SunsAh406. Our 16 clients (many were Montana newbies) had a fantastic time. With the hot temps we even did some tubing late in the day to cool off.

 

Missouri - Streamer Trip

I turned 50 so we put a client/buddy trip together in late Sept. While not the best time for throwing streamers we were hoping we could get the right conditions. As with most of the year everything was about 2-3 weeks later than usual. On the main river we chucked streamers in the mornings until the sun really started hitting the water and then switched over to nymphing. At Land of the Giants we had it all come together and threw streamers all day and had good fishing all day long.

 

Next big adventure for us is Patagonia in Chile in March. If anyone is looking to escape winter we have one spot available: https://flyingfishadventure.com/chilean-patagonia/

 

Getting some steel head flies knocked off for the Ohio run. Pretty soon. My daughter 4 designed the deceiver .

 

Happy to say that this pattern won me the most votes for tie of the month. Up against some very very good tiers and feel like this is quite the accomplishment against such talent.

 

https://idigbigcutts.blogspot.com/2024/07/test.html

My blog/photo essay of a British Columbia stream trip back in July.

 

Any recommendations on a sub $300 setup?

 

Echo makes great budget rods. The Traverse combo would be a solid choice in that budget.

Or get the cheaper one and spend more money on flies and gear.

 

I have heard good things about the Echo Lift or the Echo Traverse

https://www.fishwest.com/echo-lift-fly-outfit?quantity=1&color=6715&size=2644

https://www.fishwest.com/echo-traverse-kit-with-rod-reel-and-case?quantity=1&color=6715&size=2644

Or if you are willing to spend more, the Orvis Clearwater is a great rod. I recently bought a Redington kit for my son, I think it was the Path II which they don't make anymore, and the rod actually casts pretty good. The line and reel aren't that great but for a beginner set up I think it is good. It would probably be comparable to their Original Freshwater kit.

 

I know it’s tough starting out but I will guarantee if it sticks you will look back and regret not buying a quality rod and gear from the start. I shoulda just bought a Sage to start with.

 

Second the option of a Orvis Clearwater. I do think it’s a bit above the listed budget but 25 year warranty, great brand and reputation and not a huge amount more than another full setup.

 

Thank you guys

 

That’s right, give it them cheap till you get them hooked. lol! You’ll end up like the rest of us with a rack full of rod tubes. Enjoy the ride.