Notes from the Show

Dad and I attended the Midwest Fly Fishing show on Saturday. Even got the pleasure of meeting up with my uncle Bill and cousin Travis - always nice to see these guys.

Always some cool stuff to see at the show. A few highlights...

• Narrowly avoided purchasing a St. Croix Bank Robber rod. Designed by Michigan expatriate Kelly Galloup, this burly stick is purpose-built for pitching streamers into the deep dark holes where the big trout live. I'm loving hucking streamers, so this was mighty tempting. But it's a pretty narrow-use stick, for me.
• I've never really had much opinion about Lamson reels. I know folks who love them, and others who swear they'll never touch another. But the Lamson Vanquish has to be about the most innovative, rugged, and beautifully manufactured as I've seen. One big beautiful reel.
• Speaking of reel innovation, have you seen the new Ross F1? Ross definitely turned up the volume on this reel. Nothing conservative about it, including the look and finish or the performance. I've seen the reel before, but at the show the rep had the 5 size for chasing bigger species. Wow, this is a sweet reel...
• The updated Fish Pimp indicators. I've been struggling with nymphing indicators for trout. Met one guide who swears by Thingamabobbers. Sadly, for me, they don't work. When you use tapered leaders, they continually slip. This ruins both your drift and usually your leader, too. Thill Ice n' Fly's are the industry standard. But you have to run line thru the bobber. The included pegs are bulletproof - until you lose it. a friend taught me how to use a rubber band as a reliable, cost-effective  stop. The Fish Pimp's benefit hugely from some new innnovations. For exmple the new natural rubber band (replacing synthetic) provides more consistent grip, and the dimpled surface improves casting and sensitivity to takes. Also, they come conveniently packed in a storage tube. I'm eager to fish these as they seem to address a lot of issues.
• This show was the coming out part for my buddy Mike Schultz's Schultz Outfitters fly shop. A well-stocked and presented booth seemed to have tons of traffic. Nice to see a solid start for a Michigan business.

Look for more in upcoming posts!

-Sean-