Out of Alaska

After numerous attempts, I discovered proper form for redeye flights last night: I fell asleep before we backed away from the gate in Fairbanks and was out cold until the descent into Minneapolis. Brilliant.

Thus closing this Alaskan chapter of my life.

It was a good trip, but the lack of sleep from working night shifts did me in, and yesterday's hunt for pike on my 7wt ended up being more of a snipe hunt.

But there were highlights...

Highlight #5:

• Working night shift that far north was cool and it made for some pretty combination sunsets/sunrises.

Highlight #4:

• Catching my first grayling on the fly. It isn't a technical fishery by any stretch, but they were fun for a diversion. Small flies, light leaders, etc. Pretty fish, too; though I didn't take any pictures save one. I needed the pic for the Species Journal, after all...

Highlight #3:

• This is more a personal thing than an Alaskan thing: I decided on new path for this site. Maybe not a new path; perhaps widening the path is more apt. More on this in a very-near-future post.

Highlight #2b:

• Finding this cabin in the middle of nowhere down a random dirt road while looking for a fishy spot. Something about it brought a smile to the cockles of my heart.

Highlight #2a:

• Seconds after finding the cabin, the realization that I sometimes can't believe I get paid for this.
• This also ties in with Highlight #3...but hours later, while being chewed alive by bugs and being busy as hell, this upbeat attitude diminished slightly. I was still excited about Highlight #3 and the cabin, however.

Highlight #1:

• Being present in the precise moment in space and time to be able to see this:

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So that was Alaska. 

Quick shout-outs to:

Matt H - may he have good fortune with his new Sage Largemouth rod & not have anymore minor incidents with company rental trucks.

JR at Big Ray's fly shop - thanks for the help. My inability to roll-cast that robin-sized diver on my 7wt in no way diminished the appreciation I have for time spent giving me directions for the pike hunt.

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Here's a tune.

Appropriate title, considering I'm on the verge of wandering over to the complimentary bar to fix one for myself. Aeroplan Elite status has its perks.

Project Site Tying Bench

I got a little creative one night during some downtime on the drill rig.

Definitely one of the more random places I had ever tied a fly. Quite...rustic...?

'Twas productive, though; it was the first time I had ever sat down & tied 5 flies in a row without interruption.

Enjoy the tune...

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A post about new gear I haven't used yet. With music.

Time/Date: 1825 AST, 05-Apr-11
Location: F'ton

I have finally decided on a reel for my future fresh & saltwater 8 wt rig.

This was a process and a half. Trust me.

It was mostly due to it not being anywhere close to fishing season in these parts for the past few months (season opens April 15th in NB). It seemed every time I had decided on a reel, I'd change my mind four additional times.

But I finally narrowed it down to two: option A, which will remain nameless, and option B, which is the reel I bought.

Option A, in the end, seemed a little too excessive for me in price. It is definitely a high-quality reel, and one of the biggest names in saltwater fishing. Yes, it is still on my 'maybe someday' list, but for now, it wasn't to be.

• First reason: price. 
• Second reason: price of spare spools (I wanted one or two spare spools). 
• Third reason: I have never used this brand before, and was just going from online or magazine reviews.
• Fourth reason: I would've had to get Chris at the shop bring in a new line-up of gear for me to get it ('cuz I ain't buying it from anyone else!!)

Feel free to try to guess what reel option A is in the comments. Winning guess will get something awesome from me, like...I dunno...me telling them they're right (and cool).

Option B was truly the logical choice: I have one of their reels already, as do several of my fishing buddies. I know they make quality gear and their reels are extremely reasonably priced. I personally hadn't fished with this model, but am familiar with it, and reviews online are very positive. 

Plus we already had the reel & a spare spool in stock at the shop, so I can start fondling it without waiting for it to arrive. Always a bonus.

Option B, aka the 'winning' reel, is.....

The Lamson-Waterworks Litespeed.

This little work of art will hold 200 yards of 20lb backing with a WF-9 line. And it has one hell of a drag system.

(I was about to say the drag could slow down one of the submarines the Canadian Navy bought from Great Britain a few years back...but that's not really complimenting the reel much)

One spool will have Loop's OptiStream WF-8F; the other, Orvis' Wonderline Generation 3 WF-8I clear sink tip. So I'll probably get almost 250 yards of backing on there. 

You reading this, you saltwater bruisers? You're not gonna be lining this guy.

(For that little bit of smack-talk, I'm losing both these lines, aren't I?)

I am very excited for another 10 days to pass so I can start fishing with this. 

Or I might just pile my gear & Awesome the Dog into my truck and haul-ass to Nova Scotia. Their season opened April 1st.

I will post a full review of all new gear once I've spent some time abusing it.

Here's some music:

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