truth in advertising

looks like it could be another post w/out a pic

almost even a state of the craftsmanshit address '12 edition

people have told me that I don't advertise much or enough

I don't at all actually and there is a reason for that

nor I do much in promoting bamboo as a material 

there is a reason for that as well

why advertise when I simply cannot produce any more rods per year than I currently can?

I guess I could invest a couple g's in some sort of ac

and produce oh maybe a half dozen more rods

but why?  

I am quite happy building six or eight rods a year

I'm not sure how much more wear and tear my fingers and hands can take

I mentioned it in passing below but arthritis is working its black magic in my hands

which means I have to take a lot of breaks to let my fingers relax

especially when I'm planing

which has been a lot this past week

and my hands ache haunt me

I'm more likely to direct a guy toward a nice $200 graphite rod

or the best rod you can afford

than suggest that they get a bamboo rod

why?

that is a decision that is made by the angler himself

a moment when he knows it is right in his soul

to fish bamboo and find out what it is like to fish with a tool that lives

*a couple hours later I was talking on the phone
to just such a guy
nice coincidence?*

finishing touches

this week we take care of all the little things

the little things that go into finishing a rod

you almost get reluctant to finish the damn things

you've lived them for so long

I'm sure I've stated before that I split rod building into two phases

first stage is the gruntwork or preparation 

this basically put is building the blank

after that is all finishing the rod

sanding out of the glue

setting ferrules

building grip

wrapping rod

varnishing wraps

varnishing and polishing the rod

I will prolly polish up the rods I've got ready and glue up a couple reelseats

possibly preparing for a final dip en la manana

after that we closed for summer

I've got a couple blanks built on hold for myself

and absolutely nothing in or going into gruntwork

there should be something...

fishin' not fashion redux...

my fishin' buddy josh coined the phrase

"it's fishin' not fashion"

and it is

 we don't dress to be seen we dress to disappear

to become one w/ our surroundings

not stand out

like the guy geared up head to toe in simms gear

w/ a brand new >$1000.00 rig
a spotless fedora and costa del mar shades
ironically, I guess it seems that most of our fishing wardrobe (if you will)
is in various shades of simms grey
or I've read/heard it called sage
the color not the rod company

  does any of this matter?

I've said in the past that no it doesn't
and kind of set out to prove myself right
regularly fishing in brightly colored clothes or at least a hat

whoopsie!  I thought that was the yellow shirt!

there we go!  jrunk nimpin'

nevertheless I'm usually wearing some variation of the simms grey or sage sage color scheme
even though my favorite fishing shirts are yellow or what I call rawhide
and they say columbia or cabela's on them
even though I ruint one of the pockets on the yellow one w/ a cigarette cherry burn


I've also commented on how lotsa fishing specific packs
make you look like yer going to do battle w/ aliens
rather than fish
most of these packs are you guessed it simms grey or sage sage
 (which we could call light olive perhaps)
and here we go again w/ yet another trial run w/ a pack
this time a sling
of course we'll let you know how things pan out


our clothes/gear need to be functional and comfortable and versatile
it needs to stand up to adverse conditions we encounter in the backcountry
it's pretty rugged out there
yer clothes need to handle that

all that said, a fedora is still pretty stylish...

hey!

shut up and fish!

things I've been thinking about while varnish cures

I've been wearing knee pads for years now 

through various indoor construction and remodels

even painting

why not use them while fishing?

why hadn't I thought of this earlier

but I'm doing it

I've got two sets the good ones and the shitty ones

shitty ones won't cut it so the good ones it is

I think I've posted a pic of my kneepads

back when I was painting the house

thing number two

we carry way too much shit

it's absurd

which is why my experiment w/ the filson chest pack is likely over

I carry too much shit when I have it

I am gravitating toward a sling

before I even saw the sling in question 

I'd decided that everything we carry

should be carried in a camera bag

see the sense in that?

relatively inexpensive

everything that needs to be protected is

and if you've got a camera in there

(which you likely will)

yer limited as too what else will fit

that way yer not a walking flyshop

whatever floats yer boat

tied some wool headed streamers w/ doll eyes the other day

doll eyes are a pain in the ass plain and simple

one of the flies came out pretty sharp

it took four at least applications of superglue to get those eyes to stay put

I have to tie a half dozen muddlers for a swap

I'm not sure I have turkey feathers

and that's just lame

finally as I research things a bit

outfitting yerself for hammock camping or hanging

in the vernacular

is everybit as expensive as getting yerself 

a large strong and easily erected tent

suitable for long stays in inclement weather

you know it happens

unless...you do it yerself

we'll see...

endless depth

hackneyed and arty - HA!

the backyard is a riot of color this spring

the herbery

lemongrass parsley thyme lemon thyme chives tarragon cilantro nasturiums

rose blossoms nearly big as mah head!

planet orange

unsettling

couple rotations later equilibrium is restored

or not

it's a tough life

someone's gotta live it

life is good