My Favorite Softgoods from IFTD and ICAST 2015

Evenin' Folks,
  I'm going to try to do the IFTD posts a little differently this year.  I'm going to break up the posts into product categories, such as Softgoods, Rods, Reels, Line and Accessories.  I'll start with this post and Softgoods, let's see how it goes!  These are just some of my favorite products and companies as far as clothes and packs that were at IFTD this year.
  Hope you're all doing well,
    Tight Lines,
        -Nick

Orvis

Orvis had some great looking jackets and waders on display, but, as usual, their booth was packed and this was the only photo I could get.  I do love this hat, though!

Vedavoo | Better American Gear

I got to spend some time talking to Chris Hart about Vedavoo gear and, man, the passion in this company definitely radiates from it's employees!

Getting some hands-on time with these fine products really piqued my interest.  The thought that goes into every piece is very impressive.  Kind of like if I were to make this stuff for myself, just with way better quality!!

See the awl on the right side of the bench?  Chris put that through a piece of the canvas Vedavoo use for their gear.  He then scratched at the fabric until the hole completely disappeared!  Very impressive, and I think it would hold up well against rhododendron!

On display at this year's IFTD show, some of the packs had been hand painted by some of the most popular fishing artists around.  The packs are to be auctioned off later for charity!

Souplefly

The Souplefly folks had some really cool products and T-shirt designs at the show.  The Bug Visor and Bug Visor Lite organizers and the hats with fly patches were really good ideas!  The origin story for the name is pretty cool, too (check it out, it's on the website).

Western Rise

I was so glad to meet the folks behind Western Rise.  I've been following them on social media for a while and they post some of the most beautiful pictures to feature their products.  I love the vintage vibe that their clothing all has.

Estrada Art

Such a cool hat from Eric Estrada Art, the design is called Back Country Camo.  His awesome artwork is on everything from hats to SUPs!!

RepYourWater

I'm a hat guy, if you haven't noticed already, these are my three favorites, in order, from RepYourWater.  

L.L. Bean

Bean's has some nice looking new clothes and packs coming out for 2016 like this Ultralight Packable Wading Jacket.  It packs down smaller than a Nalgene bottle, the perfect size to keep in a sling pack.

Again with the hats!  The vintage feel of this one is sharp!!!

The L.L. Bean Rapid River Lumbar Pack.  The folks in Freeport have worked hard to reduce snag points on their gear.  The cover for the fly patch is simple, but genius!

They also had a good looking vest pack and sling pack, both, also, under the Rapid River line.

Fishmasks

Made in Colorado!

More than 25 stock designs, plus custom printing available.

I picked out this one to try.  I'll let you know what I think after I've worn it a few times!

HeyBo Southern

I've been an adopted Southerner for a long time now, and I lived for a while in the South Carolina Low Country where HeyBo Southern hails from.  I really dig the southern salt water designs and having been called "Hey Bo!" many times, I could relate to the name!!!

Kast Extreme Fishing Gear

Some really nice technical clothing from Kast Extreme Fishing Gear.  I really like their ventilated fishing shirts that don't look like everyone else's ventilated fishing shirts.  And the best part, they carry my size!!!

And they have some sweet hats! That brown one with the off centered trout patch is sharp!

Flood Tide Co.

Flood Tide Co. has some of the coolest logos and artwork going!  The Little Girl and I are both partial to the Fighting Fiddler!

Umpqua Feather Merchants

Some booths were so busy they were tough to get pictures in, even when being shown all the products by one of the top guys!  Umpqua has gone through doing redesigns and updates to all their packs.  The Surveyor 2000 would be perfect for a quick overnight fly fishing trip in the mountains or a fantastic carry-on bag for my next long distance trip!

Cablz Eyewear Retention

Cablz Eyewear Retention has come out with a new glasses retainer made from fly line.  Nice and light and the length is easily adjustable.  

Norway Trip 2015 no. 4

Evening Folks,

The Umpqua Steamboat enjoying its own seat on the train
to Stockholm.

  We've been home from our Norway trip for almost a month already, sure doesn't seem like it!  I feel like I owe you all an explanation for my lack of fishing on the trip.  Going into the trip, I was very excited to have the opportunity to fish in northern Europe.  I tried to do as much research as I could before we left, but Norway doesn't seem to post much information on their fishing opportunities in English.  I was able to find some sites, mostly in Norwegian that I had to have Google translate, and got a little bit of a feel for what to expect, but I was in for a bit of a surprise.
   The research that I was able to do indicated that a fishing license is not required when fishing freshwater fish in Norway.  The beautiful country is really better known for it's Atlantic salmon fishing, which does require a license and has a plethora of information published throughout the web.  For this trip I was on a very limited budget, so hiring a guide and purchasing the saltwater fishing licenses were out of the question.  

The only fly in Lundgrens Fishredskap.

  Online, I found an incredible public park inside Oslo's city limits called (oddly enough) Oslomarka, which has no direct translation, but refers to a naturally forested area outside the city that locals use to get outdoors and unwind.  We were lucky enough to have a tackle shop right next to our hotel, but, unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of it!!!  It's called Stram Line Sportsfiske and it was the perfect place to stop in and find some more information.  
  As it turns out, a fishing license is not required when fishing in the country side, but a fishing pass is required when fishing in the markas.  The helpful fellow behind the counter went on to tell me that he was only able to sell me the pass in a one year increment, which cost around $85USD, but I could send a text message to the department of fisheries for a 3 day pass.  This would have been the perfect solution.  The 3 day pass was around $20USD, so much more affordable for me than the yearly pass, however, I never had my phone unlocked before we left, so never purchased a chip to use while in Europe.  Therefore, I had no phone, no way to text message and no way to receive a 3 day pass to fish in Oslomarka.

100 year old tackle shop in Stockholm.

  On top of all that, the day that I had planned to fish was the Norwegian Constitution Day.  Much like our Independence Day, there are cookouts, parties and parades all over the country to celebrate their declaration of being an independent kingdom in 1814.  I'm not a big fan of parades (too many people packed into too narrow a space!), so I thought it would be the perfect day for me to head out to the Oslomarka and attempt to fish (thinking this before I found out about the permit) and to enjoy some outdoor space during our trip.  It never dawned on me that, due to the holiday, public transportation would be a bit more limited.  I was told by our hotel concierge that it could take me upwards of 2-3 hours to get out to the parks.
  So, fishing in Norway was kind of doomed from the start.  Luckily, we got to spend a couple of days in Stockholm, Sweden.  The capital of Sweden, Stockholm is made up of a series of islands in the Baltic Sea.  The hotel we stayed in was a nice walk to the area where the saltwater of the Baltic Sea meets the freshwater of Lake Mälaren.  Very fortunately for me, there is no fishing license required to fish the brackish water of Stockholm!  While the Little Girl and the rest of our small band of merry travelers went to visit the Abba Museum (yup, you read that correctly), I slipped down to the water to wet a line.  I didn't catch anything while there, the folks at the 100 year old tackle shop Lundgrens Fiskredskap told me I was about a month too early for the salmon run, but I was almost giddy with the realization that I was fishing in Stockholm, Sweden!  I fished on a small island called Stromsborg, with a view of Riksdagshuset (the Parliament House), Riddarhuset (the Noble Meeting House), Stenbock Palaces and, in the distance, Riddarholmskyrkan (Riddarholmen Church, where Sweden's monarchs are buried).  

A huge thanks goes to Umpqua Feather Merchants, Orvis,
ARC Fishing and Smith Optics

  I'm disappointed that I didn't get to fish in Norway.  I really enjoyed our visit there, the beauty of the country and the kindness of the people will really stick with me for a long time.  Hopefully someday I'll get the opportunity to go back and actually get some fishing in.  I am very happy that I got to fish in Stockholm.  It really was an incredible feeling to fish in the middle of a city who's history dates back further than the United States has been in existence.  I can't tell you how humble I feel that I've been able to do such amazing things and fish in some gorgeous places since starting this website.  Without the Little Girl and her sister and brother-in-law this trip wouldn't have happened and without their encouragement, I probably wouldn't have even bothered trying to fish.  I hope they all know how much I deeply appreciate that.  

Fishing in Stockholm.

  I've got a few hundred more pictures from the trip, but I'd hate to bore you all with them, so I'll just leave you with a few more.  Drop me a comment if you are interested in seeing more, if there is enough interest then I can do one more photo post.  I still have a bunch from the Viking ships, out and about in Stockholm and the Vasa Museum.  
  I hope you're all doing well.  I hope you're fishing any time and any where you get the chance, even on a European vacation!
  Stramme linjer,
      -Nick
 

Norway Trip 2015 no. 1

Afternoon Folks,

Orvis 9'-6" Frequent Flyer Rod.

  As I write this post we are on an electric train heading south from Bergen to Oslo on our Great Norwegian Adventure.  Leaving from Atlanta on Friday morning we've endured about 30 hours of travel time, between flights and layovers.  We spent two nights in a beautiful, historic hotel in Bergen that, when built in 1928, was the most luxurious hotel in the city.  From Bergen we took a ferry through the fjords to Flåm where we hopped a train to start heading toward Oslo.  If you follow The Suburban Angler on any of the social media outlets then you've heard me say this before, the scenery here beyond every turn is absolutely stunning!  Even riding on a commuter type train, the time seems to pass quickly because you’re constantly looking out the windows and taking pictures.  We spent last night in the ski town of Geilo.  It is amazing to think that back home in mid-May the temperatures are in the upper 80s and creeping close to 90, but in Geilo there is still 3 feet of snow on the ground!  We’re going to be in Oslo now for about a day and a half before we head on to Stockholm, Sweden.  There is a park in the city, almost a wildlife preserve, that is set aside for all sorts of outdoor activities called Oslomarka.  I've got my Orvis Frequent Flyer rod and a box full of flies in my suitcase, so I’m really hoping to get out and do some fishing while we’re here.  If there’s any luck I’ll have some fish pictures in an upcoming update!  I’m going to keep this post short and just share a bunch of photos.  I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

  I hope you’re all doing well,

    Stramme Linjer (Tight Lines),

         Nick

After our layover in Oslo and heading to Bergen.

Funny bathroom doors in the Bergen airport. No question where these doors lead, is there?

Norway has more than 50,000 islands and over 83,000 km of coastline!

The lobby of the beautiful and historic Terminus Hotel in Bergen.

On Saturday night many Norwegians eat pizza or tacos for dinner.  We opted for pizza from Dolly Dimple's and it was really good!

The view across the wharf to the Hanseatic buildings of Bryggen, established in 1360.

Aboard the Fløibanen, the funicular railroad, above Bergen.

The Rhododendron are in full bloom!!

Imagine living here, overlooking the city?

This would be your view! Bergen is the second largest city in Norway and, of course, surrounds the end of a fjord.

The Troll is a mythical Norse creature deeply rooted in Scandinavian folklore going back to the 9th century.

A cherry tree in front of the fountain in Lille Lungegårdsvann just before a rain shower.

Dinner at Pingvinen (Penguin).  House made lamb sausages with foraged wild garlic, pureed celeriac, pickled red onions, broccoli and cauliflower.  Traditional Norwegian cooking!

 

The local suds!

Artwork by Karen Bit Vejle at the Bryggens Museum.  This is hand-cut with scissors from one sheet of paper!

A reconstructed section of the Bryggen Ship, including original pieces found during excavations of Bryggen after a fire in the 1950s.  The ship was presumed dismantled and the wood used to build foundations to reconstruct the town after a fire in 1248 (!!!).

Another shot of the Hanseatic shops.  Its hard to see in the picture, but the door and window frames on the ground floor are all about 15 degrees out of plumb!  You would be too, if you stood in the same spot for 300 years!!!

Taken outside our hotel in Bergen to show how light the sky was on a rainy evening.  The photo was taken around 10pm!  We are too early in the year for the midnight sun, but the nights are definitely shorter around here!

The front of our hotel, the Grand Terminus Bergen, built in 1928.