SlowPoke

Throw a NF (non fishing) in the title will ya? I thought you were doing a reel comparison.

While it's true that you only lose when you sell, it's not always a bad choice. I sold to stop the bleeding (not as early as I should have) and will reinvest on the steady uptrend. I have some time on my hands thankfully.

Thanks for all the great comments! I'm really looking forward to trying some creations out this year... the flies might have to wait however. I might take you up on that. Seeing it first hand made the learning process much easier than watching youtube videos. I don't know about fly fishing but we'll have to hit the river this year for sure! I threw one together with that big boulder in mind - you know the one. Pink was the right colour but that biggun spit the Senko back at me. Maybe this jig will keep it on longer. Wow, thanks! I thought about dressing a jig with hackle and marabou; I have some in my box with chenille and marabou and thought the hackle instead of chenille would look really cool! I'm glad to know it's effective. I'll try that once I stock up on more supplies. At this point all I have is synthetic hair, bucktails, angel hair and flash. Oh, and a pouch of malamute hair - used that on the pink jig for dubbing/bulk. -Brian

And here's one I really like! This was tied on one of GCD's hand made jigheads.

Thanks. The trebles are 1/0. I don't really have anything in mind for them yet, just practicing.

I didn't get a chance to go fishing Friday with Mike but I did get a chance to play with my tackle! :whistle: I wanted to start making tackle and one of the techniques I'd need to master would be dressing trebles. I took the plunge and bought a vice, shaved the neighbours cat and tried my hand at tying. My initial attempts were suitable for backup trebles in the event I had to cut one off while fishing at night in very murky water for blind fish. Sunsequent efforts saw some improvement but I knew it was time to call on a team of experts. I enrolled in a fly tying course at Jay's Fly Fishing in London. I was tipped off about Jay's when vise shopping and paid them a visit. Super nice crew at Jay's and I was looking forward to the tying course. There were 5 or 6 students with varying degrees of experience and 2 instructors with lots of vise time under their belts. It was nice to be in a small 'class' and we moved along at a good pace. Jay performing a magic trick. Some of the graduating class My first ever fly "Woolly Bugger" and then the "Gold Ribbed Hares Ear" followed by the "Elk Hair Caddis" (my favourite) and then the "Black Nose Dace" and finally, the "Usual" I don't think I'll ever end up trying these flies but they were fun to learn. Once I got home with a few supplies, I decided to put my new techniques to work. A lot yet to learn and many more hours of practice to come. -Brian

http://www.sportsmanswarehouse.com/ Sportsman's Warehouse - not the glitz of a Cabela's or Bass Pro but great prices and selection! Not far from Detroit either, in fact I think it's closer to the bridge than all the other big names.

I have a Blackberry Curve 8310 with Rogers after switching from Bell. My current plan is no longer offered but looks like they have a better plan for a better price. Rogers My5 Canada with 500mb for $45... almost $20 cheaper than my current plan. I love the BB. Battery life is good after a few initial charges and it does everything I want it to do and more. I hate to say it but I'd be lost without it.

Muhahaahaahaa

I can change Joe. I wasn't myself. It'll be different this time, I promise. Please come back. -Brian

Okay... how much did WFN pay you to promote them in this thread?

I'm in, thanks for setting it up Dan. Pretty slick interface this year. -Brian

Joey is just a fan. As far as I know, she doesn'trace.

The person building your house doesn't need a license but the person that cuts your hair does? Good on Mike for exposing some of the workmanship out there. It's unfortunate that his efforts have made the job harder for the trades but think of it this way; if you're good at what you do, your stock is rising. You are a commodity. With new home starts dwindling and reno's on the slide, the cream will rise to the top and eventual newcomers to the trades will learn from the best. I agree with pike slayer; we need smaller, more efficient homes with two-storey double garages. Okay, I added the last part. -Brian

I have a few but the most common is... "Well it's about time!" Occasionaly I get to say... "That was quick!"

I've been on nights for 137 years straight.. at least it feels that way. I don't gripe about the hours but the job is getting old. After 3,000,000 kms between London and Toronto over the years, I still can't say "I've seen it all" but I'm damn close! The hours work well for me/us. It offers more family time than a regular day gig when compared to most truck drivers. -Brian

Welcome back Jamie, all the best for 2009. We missed you at the swill but there's a good chance it won't be the last one. Brian

Forgeting the age of the sled and the people involved.... This doesn't sound too unreasonable and you can USE the damn thing. Factor in the cost of getting a basket of parts back and finding someone else to slap it together. It may or may not be cheaper and it could be another month lost. This might be the cheapest way out of your situation. You got hosed on this deal from all angles and winning the arguement might feel good but it could cost you more in the long run.

Hmmm, not a bad idea. I'm normally in the "we don't need more topics" camp but this is the best arguement I've heard for a new one. There are so many good reports; it would be tough to settle on parameters/qualifications but it's worth consideration. -Brian

Thanks for the offer! I just ordered a Danvise from Cabela's. I'm not sure I would have if I saw the Zephyr first - that's a nice setup! Perhaps I should have done more homework but I'll keep the Zephyr in mind for my next one LOL. It seems everyone has some backups! -Brian

Well done and a beauty brown! I'm already looking forward to your next softwater report! -Brian

So far the Danvise is the leading candidate. I looked at an Integra Royale today and it was nice but not a true rotary. Because I'm new at this, I'd like something that won't frustrate me to no end and turn me off tying.

I'm looking for a rotary vise under $100 for dressing trebles. In the future I might want to tie flies but for now I'm more concerned about stuffing big (5/0, 6/0) trebles in the jaws. Any suggestions? New or used is fine. -Brian

I should add that I received my wire bender on SUNDAY(?) sent expidited parcel from the kind folks at www.luremaking.com Thanks again to them for donating this item to the auction. P.S. Roy, you would really like this wire bender! -Brian

I have not always enjoyed great service at BPS Vaughn but I'm glad they are there. Even our favourite hometown/smalltown/Ma & Pop tackle shop can disappoint us from time to time. They get slagged on here because everybody feels the need to post a bad experiance. Perhaps we set our expectations too high? Consider this, BPS Vaughn sees more customers in one day than your local shop might see in a year. I'd suggest that the overwhelming majority is very happy. The silent majority. Cudos to BPS for everything they do in the community, for kids and their product selection. -Brian