Casting the Mauser Waterman 486

I was very impressed casting the Mauser Waterman 486 while I was in North Georgia! Testing will continue and video and write up will be posted as soon as I can get to it! Give @mauserflyfishing a follow and check them out if you haven't already.

via Instagram https://www.instagram.com/p/BorgE5BnhcA/

My Favorite Accessories from IFTD and ICAST 2015

Mornin' Folks,

  Here's the third installment of my favorite products from IFTD and ICAST this year.  This post contains, what I consider, some of the best new accessory products and companies in fly fishing for the coming season.  Keep in mind that these are in no particular order whatsoever and I've included links to each company's website. 

  Tight lines,

       Nick

WetFly

WetFly are purveyors of rods, reels, lines, tenkara and fishing accessories.

This is WetFly's Voyager insulated bottle.  On the first day of the show the guys loaded this bottle up with ice.  On Friday, there was still ice in the bottle!  My current water bottle doesn't do that, and it would sure be nice to have cold water while spending the day fishing.

Release Ruler

The folks at Release Ruler have taken decades worth of fish size data, threw some math at it and came up with a ruler that, based on that statistical analysis, will give an approximate weight of your catch based on it's length.  The rulers are species specific, but they have them available for seemingly everything from largemouth bass up to mako shark!

The Release Ruler also won Best FishSmart Product in the ICAST New Product Showcase, which proves that I'm not the only one that thinks this is a great idea!

Hatch Outdoors

The Hatch Outdoors folks had a few cool tools on display, including their IFTD Best of Show Accessory, The Hatch Nipper.  The size and heft of these nippers really felt good and secure in the hand.  The Fish Tail bottle opener looks like a waterside necessity, too!

 

 Here's a beautifully machined knot tightener.  Used to tighten the knots on heavy

saltwater line, it's a tool I didn't even know existed!

Weego

 I'm a big fan of the "get your ass home" products.  After a day of bluelining a dead battery in the truck is one of my worst fears.

The folks in the Weego booth told me that the larger battery could jump start my truck 6-8 times on a single charge, charge my cell phone or laptop and do all that after sitting in the glove box for a year! 

Rising

 Determined to make your fly fishing life easier, with a strong made in America showing, Rising has everything from the aluminum Lunker and Brookie nets to multiple pliers and nippers to the Flask and Shot minimalist packs.  Since fly fishing tends to be more of a lifestyle than a hobby, they even make a grilling multi-tool called the PopsQTool!

 

Cigars in a Pouch

I would consider a good cigar a fly fishing accessory, especially one packed in a pouch that maintains freshness for up to three years! 

Brook Fishing Equipment

 I got to hang out for a little while with a couple of really nice guys from Brook Fishing Equipment.

 American made, silicon insert fly boxes. They even float!

Brook Fishing Equipment already has a pretty good range of sizes and styles for their fly boxes.  The Outta The Box patch would be great for the tying bench or drift boat, too!

Western Rise

 I've already mentioned Western Rise in the My Favorite Softgoods post, but they really have some great accessories as well.  Like this hatchet that's a collaboration with Victor Axe and Tool.

 If a full axe is more your thing, they've got you covered there, too!

 Enameled cups, water bottles, koozies and an ever expanding line.  Western Rise has your fishing camp needs pretty well covered.

TyWheel

Here's a cool item that was introduced at IFTD, the TyWheel is a magnetic, modular fly tying station that attaches to your fly vise. 

 The pieces hold on securely with magnets (with the side benefit of keeping your hooks in check) and can easily be swapped based on the configuration needed for the fly you're tying.

RIO Products

RIO had their new Cranky Kit on display.  Basically it's an empty line spool with a removable crank handle so you can strip line off your reel and back onto a spool for storage or to swap line on the same reel.  This would definitely be easier than trying to do it by hand!

 

RIO also introduced the new LightLine series of fly lines.  Designed to get the best performance out of fiberglass, bamboo and vintage action fly rods.  Available in Weight Forward and Double Taper from 2-6 weight.

 Tacky Fly Fishing

This was a long awaited item for me, the Tacky Big Bug Box!  I like to think I had a hand in this one when I asked the guys to make a box tall enough to house my bluegill poppers.  They delivered here, room for 72 large flies with a taller profile than the original box and a sculpted silicon mat to ease fly insertion.  Look for a review on TheSuburbanAngler.com soon and, in the mean time, check out my review of the original Tacky Fly Box.

 

Huge congrats to the Tackiest guys in fly fishing for their Best of Show Fly Box/Storage System win at IFTD 2015!

 

PostFly

I don't know about you, but I love getting fly fishing gear in the mail.  A subscription to PostFly Monthly Fly Box will ensure that you get a selection of quality, trout, bass or saltwater flies delivered to your door every month.  If that's not enough for you, you can add leader, tippet, fly line, fly dressing, t-shirts, a Tacky Fly Box, or even a Taylor reel!  And, the longer the period you sign up for, the bigger the discount you'll get!  I need to see if I can talk them into a Bluegill box...

 

Orion Coolers

Orion Coolers are probably the most thoughtful coolers I have ever seen.  It's awesome enough that this high end cooler is made by the same folks that make Jackson Kayaks and that they're made right in Sparta, Tennessee, but the standard accessories on this one really made it stand out to me.  The first thing that caught my eye was the removable Princeton Tec flashlight that's molded into the removable tray.  Looking closer, the standing pad on the lid is included as well as the YakAttak/RAM Mounts accessory tracks, tie down points, bottle openers and, one of the best parts in my opinion, Orion Coolers are certified bear proof by the IGBC!  

 

ARC Fishing

The ARC Fishing guys were on hand to introduce their New for 2016 ARC Dry Fly and ARC 99 Salt Coldwater lines.  Both lines feature the low-stretch Response Core, permanent PTFE coating for slickness and float, welded front and back loops and line ID system, as well as features specific to the lines intended conditions.  A big congratulations goes to them as well for winning a 2015 Fly Fish America Editor's Choice Award for the ARC Flourocoat Tippet!

 

We Have A Winner!!!

Thanks to everyone who followed, liked and shared!  This giveaway was a lot of fun for me!  Thanks so much for all the support!  Instagram follower @dcasto128 is the lucky winner of all these goodies!  Just shoot an email with your mailing info to TheSuburbanAngler@gmail.com and I'll send it right out to you!

Huge thanks to Tacky Fly Box, ARC Fishing and Fly Box Outfitters for donating to the giveaway!!  And thanks, too, to all the vendors I was able to get the decals from!! 

Happy New Year 2015!!!!

Happy New Year!!! 2014 was a great year for The Suburban Angler and 2015 will be even better!! We've got some big plans in the works, starting with our first giveaway, so stay tuned! Thanks for all the support in 2014 and here's to a happy, healthy and prosperous new year!! 
   Thanks again,
        -Nick

Orvis Alpharetta Grand Opening

Evenin' Folks,

  This past Friday night (November 14) the Little Girl and I went over to the new Avalon shopping center off Old Milton Parkway in Alpharetta to attend the Orvis Alpharetta store's grand opening party.  They had quite the turnout, that little shop was absolutely packed with folks celebrating the new store.  With the barbecue sandwiches, beer from Sweetwater Brewery and classic country music from Whiskey Belt, a good time was practically guaranteed.  If you're in the vicinity of Alpharetta and you're into Orvis' clothing, then this is definitely the store for you!  Lots of apparel and accessories to suit the sporting lifestyle.  The back of the store (or front, depending on which entrance you use) is dedicated to fly fishing gear.  It's probably not the largest fly fishing selection in an Orvis store, but they certainly stock the essentials.  As far as the hunting gear goes, you're probably going to be directed to a catalog as it didn't seem like there was enough room in the store to stock any of it.  

  I wish them success in their latest location.  In my opinion, you can never have too many fly shops!  If you're in the neighborhood, drop by and check them out.  

    Tight lines and happy shopping,

        -Nick

  Orvis Alpharetta

First Cast: Bamboo 2/3 Weight

A while back my grandfather gave me a 6' 2/3 weight bamboo flyrod that had belonged to my late uncle. I've put off using it until I could get the perfect reel for it. Well, today I got impatient, I've been dying to fish it, so I took the White River reel from my TFO, mounted it up and set out for Suwanee Creek. The bamboo had a totally different feel from my TFO, but it cast really well once I got used to the stiffness. I think if I put a 3 or 4 weight line on it it'll cast like a dream. I can't wait to fish it again, but for now, I'm back to searching for a reel. 

Damn fine 'gill!  They weren't biting too well the day I tried out the bamboo rod, but this guy decided to take a brown woolly bugger.

It is a beautiful rod, but I still need to find a good reel to complement it.

I still need to work on the photo skills, but the moss makes a great backdrop!

I just wanted to show you what Suwanee Creek looks like.  This is just upstream from a 90 degree turn.  You can see a wood fence in the background, the other side of the fence is an industrial park and between the water and the fence is the Suwanee Creek Greenway, a heavily used walking/running/biking trail.

Photos from iCAST and IFTD Day 2

Morning Folks,

  Here is the second installment of photos from the International Fly Tackle Dealer's show in Orlando, FL. 

  Enjoy,

     Nick

ARC Fishing is a new fly line company that is making some very innovative changes to the world of fly lines and tippets.  Their products are also geared toward making fly line selection a little bit easier.  I really like the camo tippet material and I can't wait to try out all their products!

Adipose Boatworks had one of their beautiful driftboats on display. I'd sure like to try floating the Chattahoochee in one of these boats.

I thought this was one of the coolest innovations of the show.  Umpqua was showing the new for 2015 Tailgater Organizer.  This is a "saddle bag" design that can be adjusted to fit almost any style tote box, it will even hang on seat backs or railings!

This is the Mystic Fly Rods  booth.  You need to check out their 3-weight switch rod!

Reddington had some awesome products on display in their booth.  I really like the looks of these Sonicdry Pants.

Allen Fly Fishing had a table full of their beautiful reels.  Wish I had a table that looked like this!

I was very impressed with Galvan Fly Reels, a family owned and operated company making some really nice reels right here in the U.S.A.

I got to talk with the co-founders and inventors of the Tacky Fly Box, they're great guys and they've come up with a fantastic product.  Look for a full review on this fly box revolution on the blog soon!

Sorry I don't have a better picture, but these Korkers boots are just awesome!  These are the K5 Bombers, built with fishing guides in mind.  They're like the Swiss Army Knife of wading boots!

The new Living Eyes from Fish Skull were amazing.  They're a 3D, Holographic eye for flies and lures and they are very lifelike! You'd have to see them in person to get the full effect.

This is the Atlas fly tying vise from Wolff Indiana.  I loved this full featured, full rotary vise.  Made in USA and guaranteed to firmly hold from a 7/0 down to a size 32 fly hook!

This is how I spent my second night in camp!