The Suburban Angler

Tuesday, September 09, 2014

Photos from iCAST and IFTD Day 3

Updated photos from iCast and IFTD Day 3! I finally got more captions done! Only one more group left, I'm on 'em, I promise!

-Nick

Mornin' Folks!

Here's more unedited, uncaptioned photos from IFTD. Today is the last day of the show, so I should have a few more photos tomorrow and I'll caption them all this weekend!

Tight Lines!

Nick

The Abel booth was packed full the entire week of the show. I was able to get close enough to take a couple pictures of one display case. I really liked the heft of these line nippers though, and you have to love Abel's different anodizing patterns.

One of Abel's beautiful reels that was on that display. I love the way these trout patterns look on their reels.

Yakima had this sweet little trailer on display at the show. I think even my little car could tow it, instead of strapping the kayak to the roof! I wonder if I'd get any more respect at the boat launch?

This and the next few photos were taken at the L.L. Bean Media Luncheon that I was invited to. I've had a nostalgic affection for L.L. Bean for most of my life and it's gotten stronger as I've gone deeper down the rabbit whole that is fly fishing. I must say, though, that I was a bit disappointed at the luncheon. I really liked some of the new products that Beans had on display, but I was sad to see that every one of them was made in China. It doesn't matter to most people, but it does matter to me and I try not to purchase Chinese items when I can help it. These were all nice items that appeared to be constructed with quality in mind, so just let that guide your opinions of them.

How about zip front waders?

This was a really good looking jacket with lots of pockets and some innovative storage solutions.

Talk about storage! This fishing travel bag had more pockets than I could fill!

The Fishpond booth had some really nice looking products on display. I tend to use a lumber pack when fishing, so I was really attracted to this one that's actually designed for fishing!

A good looking satchel from Fishpond.

Outcast Sporting Gear was showing a bunch of their inflatable boats. Really nice, full featured and well thought out designs I'd love to try one!

The Renzetti Traveller vice, such a great little size, I love this thing!

A whole basket of FlyVines Bracelets.

FlyVines Sunglass Keepers. Such a great idea for recycling used fly lines!

This, quite obviously, is a terrible picture of some folks at the casting pond. Not sure why I kept it in here.

One of my favorite booths at the show, Finn Utility out of Vermont. Hand crafted, heirloom quality, traditional fly fishing accessories. I really need to place an order, but I can't narrow down my wish list!

Awesome drying patches, the big one on the left is for your vehicle's visor! NEED!!!

Another product that is just one of those fantastic ideas! It's a net and a wading staff!

How's this for a stream side fly tying setup! This set from C&F Designs includes everything but the feathers!

These J:son Match'n Catch flies are the epitome of realism and durability in a fly! They've got to be seen to be believed!

Flambeau had a massive booth at ICAST. This was the fly fishing section...

Bote Paddle Boards had one of the sexiest booths at the show. The graphics on these are awesome. I've really got to try one soon!

The fly tying competition at IFTD. It was so cool watching these guys tie as fast as they could!

I scored a very appropriately named beer from Rio Fly Lines!

The Best of Show Old Towne Predator XL motorized kayak! How cool is that?

A nice lineup of Ocean Kayaks.

Sunday, September 07, 2014

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.

Thursday, August 28, 2014

A Mess of Bluegill

Mornin' Folks,

I've got a bunch of fish pictures for you today. I caught all these (and a few more I couldn't get photos of) in about a two hour window on Sunday evening. In that time I was able to bring 20 fish to hand! Some, naturally, bigger than others, but catching a fish every other cast is always a ball, no matter the size. I was using the "popper-dropper" setup that's outlined in Steve Hudson's book "Bream Bugs". I think it was right around 50/50 on taking the popper or the dropper. For the popper I used a Betts Fancy Grade Bluegill Popper in white and for the dropper (because of the submerged cover) I went through several assorted nymphs that I had in my box. One thing Steve stresses in the book is that trout flies aren't just for trout! Look for a full review of the book "Bream Bugs" to appear on the blog soon!

Enjoy the pictures, and for size reference, I wear a size 16 ring!

Tight Lines!

-Nick

Friday, July 25, 2014

Photos from iCAST & IFTD 2014

UPDATE:
Ok guys, it took a little longer than I wanted, but I've captioned all the photos on this post! There was some really interesting new gear at the iCAST New Product Showcase. Just let me know if you want any more information on any of the products, I plan to put up a few product specific posts of the items that really caught my attention.
Tight Lines!
-Nick

Good morning Folks!
I'm in Orlando, Florida attending iCAST and IFTD as a media representative for The Suburban Angler. I've been posting pictures to Instagram as I take them, I wanted to make sure to get them on the blog as well. I'll try to come back and caption the photos later, I'm without computer down here(!!!) and blogging from my phone has its challenges! This first group is from my campsite and the New Product Showcase Media Preview last night. Enjoy!
Tight Lines!
Nick