Njardar

Nice fish, thanks for posting... can I go with you next time?

I got out on the boat this weekend and brought the rod with me. So while the wife read the Sunday paper I got to practice casting without worrying about trees and the like. First off, I'm new to casting an 8 wt, so distance casting is new to me. With that said it doesn't take much effort to cast a laser minnow. In fact with most casts the line would stop suddenly because I didn't have enough line out and the fly wanted to go further. Pulling a length of line, leader, tippet and fly out of the water to cast was pretty easy. I found the action slow enough (compared to my Echo 2 4wt) that it was easy to analyse casting problems and solve them. The best casts were the ones I didn't think about. I don't know if this helps you, but at the price point for the rod it is really hard to go wrong. I got mine on close out which made the decision a no brainer. - Charlie

When I had a sailboat I learned the value of a boat buck ($1 boat buck = $100.00), which made it easy to say the new widget only cost $3 boat bucks. Now I fly fish, and boat bucks are now fly bucks; however, the ratio is still the same. Congratulations on spending only $2 fly bucks on waders. - Charlie

Received my Echo Ion 8wt, Echo Ion 6/7 reel loaded with Airflo Bass/Musky WF8F...man does that think cast well. It feels quite a bit different than my Echo2 4wt but practicing is going to be fun. All I did was yard cast with nothing on the end of the fly line but I can only imagine when there's leaader, tippit and a large fly on the end. - Charlie

I don't know if fly shops around yellowstone do this, but those in Estes Park, CO rent gear for as little as a few hours to days. Why not just rent waders and boots?

Retail is all about customer loyalty and repeat business. I have no problem spending a few extra $ at a store that treats me well and appreciates my business. Stores that are not loyal to their client base will loose customers and they are very hard to get back, especially in this economy. The quick buck is not worth it in retail unless you're retiring right after the current fad cash grab. My $0.02. - Charlie

Thank you all who responded, just knowing that there are people who take the time to post a reply is deeply appreciated. My cousin and his family are fine, as the story goes, the tornado hopped over his place damaging trees but the house is fine and everyone is safe. Warm wishes to all for a safe and enjoyable Memorial day weekend. - Charlie

All, I'm hoping some of you might have advice on how to locate my cousin in Joplin, MO. Sadly, I cannot get through on his home phone and I've lost his sister-in-law's phone number. Here's what I do know, my cousin is Wayne Johnson, and last address I had was on Mina, but that was probably 15 years ago or more. Wayne's brother was Bernie Johnson who passed away around 2007-2008. His wife Sharon moved and I lost the address. Sharon was a professor at one of the southern MO colleges/universities before she moved. Any thoughts or advice on how I might learn more is deeply appreciated. Please, no beating me up for not keeping up with them, I got enough guilt to cover that. Thanks to all who reply. - Charlie

Last year I had to replace my well pump and being a relatively shallow well it was easy to release the black flexible piping and pull all 32 ft out by hand. All I had to do was just keep backing up in a straight line so the flexible pipe could lay on the ground. When that was done I started cutting the electrical tape that held the pump wires to the flexible pipe...that was until the flexible pipe became soft and squeshy. That was when I jumped back 10' with a high pitched scream (never knew I could hit that note). So if I'm reading this thread correctly the snake came out of the well and was there since the last time the pump was replaced... got to figure out whom to sue. - Charlie P.S. Forgot to add it was a garder snake not a copperhead

Eagles Park is practically across the road. http://eaglespark.com/ - Charlie

If you go for the Peak check out the midge jaws, to me the stock jaws were to big for 18 and smaller hooks. - Charlie

The Corps often uses the term "unamed tributary to" [insert lager body name] to regulate things as small as drainage ditches at construction project and small stream. The term navigable has a very broad legal definition. - Charlie

The ONLY issue I had was the lack of communication and even with that I tried to give Justin the benefit of the doubt, at least that was my intent. (Sometimes my brain and my language skills get out of sync.) Justin gave me a reasonable explaination that he was out of the country and I for one believe him. He seems like a nice guy, tries to do right by his customers, and I for one will continue to give him by business. Starting up a business in this economy is tough and there will be growing pains. I wish him nothing but the best and I hope he suceeds. - Charlie

It turns out that I was not be patient enough, I did recieve an email from Justin and he was out of the country. Justin comes across as a solid individual and I for one will continue to do business with him and I encourage others to do so as well. - Charlie

I'm with you on the quality of the reel AND the lawn casting. The only criticism I have is the lack of communication, Justin might be over extended, but in today's society if you want to grow a business good, prompt communication is essential.

Yes, I finally did get a response, my hooks will ship today and my spool is on backorder. No explanation, but I don't need one and the issues could be personal. - Charlie

The company is Allen Fly Fishing and the offer was his 1500 hooks and a 3/4 or 5/6 fly reel for $75 offer. Let me say I'm not encouraging anyone to cancel any orders with Justin, or avoid his business; he does have some very nice products. I'm giving him the benefit of the doubt that there are probably valid reasons for not responding, but when there is a total lack of communication it is hard to remain positive. I did receive the reel and I am very pleased with it, so much so that I placed and order for a second spool, but I have not heard anything back on that order. As for the hooks, I received 850 of the 1500 and have not heard anything about the remainder. Granted this was a great deal, but I have to assume Justin would not have made if he was going to lose money, but that is his business. - Charlie

It's for these reasons that I want to give this person the benefit of the doubt and why I've tried reaching out to him through PMs and voice mail. What is for certain is that the lack of communication is a very poor business practice.

Thanks for pointing that out, I have tried calling.

I purchased goods from someone on this forum in early December and at first there were legitimate delays in not providing the goods. Finally I got part of the order and was told the rest was on the way. Yesterday I got what I thought was the remainder of the order, but again it was only a partial order and there was no packing slip or anything indicating it was a partial order. A week ago I sent another PayPal payment for another item, but I have not received any acknowledgement of that order, or of my emails. I’m being purposefully ambiguous because I want to give this person the benefit of the doubt, but the total lack of communication from someone who has an online business is frustrating. I don’t want to needlessly accuse someone of poor business practices, but how patient is being to patient? I have the PM of the offer and his acceptance of the offer. To me if someone has a good reputation on this forum and is legitimate, there is an obligation to delivery the merchandise, or risk ruining their reputation.

My late uncle once demonstrated pendulum dowsing to me and being a skeptic I drew a map for him of my property, with two houses and a cottage, and asked him to draw in the water lines. He got everything including the waterline from my house to the cottage including where they enter the buildings. He also had another line which I knew was incorrect. The next week I had to snake out a drain leading from the cottage where he drew a water line. So I called him and asked him what was the question he used while pendulum dowsing... he replied "show me pipes with water." I am no longer a skeptic. A good local dowser might be able to help, and it might be fun; however, I personally would not dig until I had some confirmation. - Charlie

I recently purchased one of Allen Fly Fishing's Alpha 5/6 reels and I am very impressed with the quality. I haven't had a chance to use it yet but it sure looks well made and has some good reviews. Considering the cost it may be worth considering. - Charlie

JoAnn Fabric has a good scissor selection for needlework that work fine for fly tying. You can easily buy expensive ones or Fiskars for a fraction of the price. - Charlie

We were heading to Byerly RV tomorrow in Eureka to pick up our new camper... I think we'll reschedule. - Charlie

Thanks for the great report, felt like I was there. Springfield, IL never rose above freezing this weekend so I was really suprised to read how warm it was at Montauk. - Charlie