The time has finally come.

Well it took forever but the time has finally come where the family and I are headed back to WI!!!!  I got a new job with the same 9 to 5er I work for now and begin working there at the end of june and my family will be coming up shortly after.  The tying and fishing gear is getting packed up for now until we get up there but now that we'll be back where the fishing is great expect  to see a bit more posted around here.

Vedavoo TL Beast Sling

One of my favorite things about not being in the industry now is I get to support and use what ever products and manufacturers I please.

One such company is Vedavoo.

Quality, American made, durable, well designed, and comfortable. Hard to say much more about these packs.

I picked up the TL  Beast Sling about a year ago now.  This is easily one of the best on the market.  Sky is the limit with how you can organize and in my case customize it.  Personally I have two cliff bugger barns for streamers and several other boxes for all my flies and leaders in the main compartment. 

I use my own tippet spool holder and not the one provided as I have too many spools to fit on the one attached to the pack.   All my other odds and ends easily fit in the other compartments.  There are two buckling straps on the bottom of the pack perfect for a rod tube or rain jacket, some guys use the fishpond sushi roll here.  The water bottle holder is perfect.  Not much else to say about that.  Hold my Grayl so it doesn't go anywhere.

Now as to the customization... on the shoulder strap there is a nylon loop.  I glued some magnets to this and a piece of cloth over the top  so that I can easily slide my forceps here for easier  access.

I have also added a secure strap.  I carry the sling on my left shoulder.  The strap comes under my left armso when the pack is not in use and I bend over to lad a fish....more likely tie my shoe or pick up something I dropped... the pack stays on my back. 

                                    

Do yourself a favor and pick up some Vedavoo gear if you are looking for small business American made gear with exceptional quality.  Proud to call myself a Torchbearer. 

The Grayl Water filter

I thought I'd add a but more content to the blog with some honest gear reviews.  I am completely unbiased on everything that I will be doing a review as no one is paying me or giving me free stuff for doing this....just thought I would share my thoughts on all sorts of gear.

First up are my Grayl Water filter water bottles (yes bottles as in more than one).

I've been using these for a little better than a year now.  They are a french press style water filter.  You fill the container with water and just take the top and press it in to filter the water.  You have filtered water in less than 30 seconds.  I love this because you can then take that water and quickly use it however you wish; drink it, use it to cook with, pour in your dog's bowl, whatever you want.  You have three options for filters tap, trail, and tavel.  The amount of filtration and safety  goes up with each respectively.

They are a bit pricey around $70 but you can take these everywhere with you.  I no longer go fishing without it and I no longer have to worry about hydration.

New Year and New Goals

Going on a year now since I left the fly fishing industry and it has been a little strange;  I miss it a lot at times and there are other times I'm glad I'm out for the most part. 

So here we are onto a new year year and I have some new goals. 

I have decided it's time to take my fly tying a lot more seriously.  In the past my designs have come from a need I had and I wanted to make a fly to fill that need.  That's how the Meal Ticket and Protein Crunch, which are now both being produced by Rainy's Fly Company, came to be.  I needed a smaller articulated streamer for the Driftless Area and a replacement for the woolly bugger.
 
I have a few more that have been sent off to Rainy's for consideration;  The Harasser and the Food Stamp.   We'll see how these do in the new future....fingers crossed and they get picked up.

 

Now with the new goal of pushing myself t work on my fly tying more I've decided to make the transition into fishing only my patterns (there will be some exceptions)  in the future.  I've decided this will be the best way to push myself to become more creative.  Now will this lead to more flies with Rainy's?  I have no idea but it can't hurt.