Fall in North Georgia. Can you think of a better place to be? Crisp,
clear days, technicolor mountain scenery, frost on the pumpkin, and happy,
happy little fishies! If you can’t find a reason to be on a trout stream
right now you may need professional psychological help. But don’t waste
your money on a shrink. Come see us and allow one of our friendly staff
members to heal your twisted mind. If you are unable to schedule an appointment
soon, try a little guided imagery in the meantime. Visualize your Royal
Trude making the perfect drag-free drift over that dark green patch of water
that’s just a little deeper than everything else
around it. In your mind’s eye, the first cast is perfect and, almost
in slow motion, you see a long form rise from the bottom and drift in perfect
synchronization just beneath your fly. Almost unbearably slow, the snout
of a huge brown trout in full spawning colors of butter yellow and moss
green breaks the surface and engulfs the Trude. With perfect timing, you
lift your rod tip and make the connection. This is the essence of the attraction.
Not fighting the fish, not bringing it to hand, not even the Kodak moment
to record the memory, can hold a candle to those first few seconds when
that electricity passes from the trout to the angler. In your
mind’s eye, you play the fish to perfection and carefully cradle it
in your hand before releasing it without lifting it from the stream. In
real time, only minutes have elapsed. In your memory, it will burn brightly
for a lifetime.
Now, tell us once again why you aren’t fishing as much as you would
like? Do you really think that’s a good reason?
What's New
As mentioned last month, we want to report any new and exciting products
from the Fly Fishing Retailer Show in Denver last month. The following is
a summary of what we think are the most notable items:
SAGE
Sage has introduced a new line of entry level rods; the LE series. These
rods are
available in line sizes 4 through 8 as two-piece and a 5 wt. and 8 wt. in
a four-
piece travel series. After casting them at the show, our staff thinks they
are the
best casting rods available for less than $200.00. The two-piece rods are
priced
at $160-$170; the four-piece rods are $190 and $195. These new rods arrived
at
the shop this week along with a few pieces of Sage’s Guideline luggage
and other
new Sage accessories.
ROSS
We mentioned last month that Ross was discontinuing the trout models of
their
popular Canyon series. The replacement is the new, ultralight large arbor
Evolution. This state of the art, precision machined reel is available in
sizes to
accommodate lines 0 through 6 weight and weighs almost an ounce less than
other large arbors. Before the show we were fortunate to have been given
a tour
of the Ross Reel facility in Montrose, CO. It’s an impressive operation
that
reflects quality at every step in the manufacturing process and it comes
through
vividly in the Evolution.
ABEL
The big news from Abel is the drastic price DECREASES over their entire
line of
Abel Reels. In some cases, the prices have dropped 25%. Now there is even
more incentive to go ahead and buy the best reels available. They’ve
added a
new 7 wt. to the popular Super Series of large arbor reels. Also, consider
the
versatility of the Abel Super Series as a result of the ability to interchange
spools
with the Abel Big Game Series. For example, an angler can purchase a supreme
all around trout reel, the Super 5, and get a Big Game #2 spool to assemble
the
classic ported bonefish reel. Abel is even giving a special price break
on the
combo when purchased as a kit.
SIMMS
You now have the option of purchasing a quality $150.00 breathable wader
that
is made in the U.S.A. Simms has introduced the new Freestone wader, made
right in their Montana facility. They aren’t Gore-Tex, but neither
is anyone else’s
$150.00 breathable wader. Typically, they exhibit the level of quality found
only
in Simms waders. Each pair is tested for leaks before leaving their warehouse.
They have the same comfortable ergonomic foot design that all other Simms
waders possess and they sell for $149.00. What more can we say? They’re
already in stock and we have them in all available sizes.
LAMSON
There are some really good things being done at Waterworks/Lamson these
days.
We all came away from the show with the impression that the Lamson series
of
reels may be some of the best manufactured equipment on the market. In
particular, the Velocity and Radius series challenge anyone’s reels
in design,
functionality, and value. The Velocity is priced from $190.00 for the 3
wt. size
to $245.00 for the 10 wt. and is as smooth as any reel you’ll find.
Start up torque
is virtually non-existent, the conical drag system is totally enclosed and
impervious to the effects of moisture and grit, and the anodizing is the
hardest
found on any reel. The Radius series is Lamson’s entry into the mid-$100
price
range. And although it has a smaller overall diameter and smaller arbor
than the
Velocity, it does employ the exact same drag system as the more expensive
reels.
Priced at $140.00 to $160.00, the Radius is an excellent choice for the
fly fisher
on a budget. We have these reels in stock now. Go to http://www.waterworks-
lamson.com and have a look for yourself.
WaterSkeeter
If you’ve been around the shop very much this year, you may have heard
members of our staff going on about fishing from our WaterSkeeter pontoon
boats. We’ve used them on tailwater trout streams, for shoal bass on
the
Chattahoochee, and in local lakes for bream and bass. Needless to say, we
have a
blast fishing from them. Some of us even own two of them so our pontoonless
friends can fish with us. The WaterSkeeter we keep in stock at the shop
is the
Back Cast, but we can order any of them for you. The Back Cast is a steel
frame
boat with 8 ft. pontoons, folding seat, mesh nylon stripping apron, adjustable
leg
rests, rear storage rack, trolling motor mount and an anchor mount. It weighs
in
at about 55 lbs. The Back Cast’s suggested retail price is $450.00;
however, we
were able to purchase several at the show for a considerable discount. We
are
selling the boats we currently have in stock for 15% off the suggested retail
price.
This is a great way to get into a pontoon boat without floating a loan to
do it.
Stop by and take a look at them. To see the entire WaterSkeeter line, visit
their
website at http://www.waterskeeter.com FISHING REPORT
Now, don’t take this too lightly, but you don’t need a specific
fishing report for north Georgia this time of the year. Fishing is good
all across the area and there are no major hatches to be concerned with.
Here’s the deal: Fish with traditional flies - parachute Adams, stimulators,
trudes, humpies, and Wulffs for dries and drop a pheasant tail, hares ear,
prince or other nymph off the back. Be stealthy in your approach, make good
casts, get a good drag free drift with just about any reasonable fly pattern,
and you should catch fish right now. If the dry/dropper rig isn’t productive,
try a tandem nymph rig with something like a double bead stone
fly with a caddis larva, Island Park Special or Tellico nymph behind it.
Bounce it right along the bottom beneath an indicator. Remember, just about
any flies will work if you make a good presentation. Seriously, that’s
about it!
As always, we are grateful for your friendship and your patronage. If
you ever need current fishing information or specifications and recommendations
on gear, please call us or drop us an email.
Tight lines!
The Liars Club |