Great vid man! Fishing for them with dries on a 4wt is a riot! Like you said, once you find them surfacing, you've pretty much found the motherload. Haven't tried it with my float rig, but it sure sounds like a lot of fun.
I'd like to see him in the blue and white when he's got a bunch of rookies to show the ropes to. That's where his value comes in.. At least in my opinion.
Even if it was sugar in the tank, the car would have started fine. Don't forget the system is already primed and ready to go. It would have started fine, then started to run badly a few mins later when the fuel filter got contaminated.
Look on Kijiji for used glass. The Canon EF-S 17-55mm f2.8 IS USM is a killer walk around, day to day lens. Add to that a Canon EF 70-200 F4 L USM and you've got a lot of the range covered.
Good glass definitely isn't cheap, but there are some examples (Like Canons EF 70-200 F4 L USM) which is a steal at $649. It's definitely an investment no matter which camp you choose.