Orvis Superfine Touch 7'6" 1 Weight

So I had a 8'6" 5wt version of this rod a while back - traded it on a Barclay built Epic 686 rod. I like the SFT 8'6" 5wt alot, but I LOVE the Epic 686. So funny how I ended up with the 7'6" 1wt version of the superfine touch on a trade (one for one swap, this 7'6" 1wt for a Steffen 8'0" 4/5wt). Looking forward to catching some feisty, bad attitude bluegs on the 1wt!!!

New Dog, Old Tricks

I haven't fixed a ding in a long time. Today, I still didn't fix a ding - I taught Mike A how to fix a ding. It's been a while since I've worked on a surfboard - I miss this kind of work.

Impulse Waves

Marlon checking out science!!! Oh yeah... impulse waves on a slinky. He even figured out destructive wave interference.

Land Yacht

Yesterday was my last day working in the Navy. Today I start my permissive TDY (job finding and house hunting leave) and terminal leave (my built up leave). I go off active duty at the end of August, so between then and now my priorities are as follows: relax and spend time with the family (making up for lost time on deployments/unaccompanied tours); flyfish; surf; prepare the house for the packers; find a job; start looking for a house. A major part of this is where the heck we will put our heads at night. This move, especially since we don't know how long it will be or where we will end up, is positioned to be the most chaotic one yet. That was until yesterday. My first official act (or act in general) in my non-working mode was to go and pick up a used camper trailer. Now we don't have to worry about what hotel we are going to stay in, or which friend's house we are going to crash at, and staying at a campground is way more affordable on a fixed income. The other reason we are doing this is to make sure we can adjust to a life aboard a smaller living space (i.e. a liveaboard catamaran) - doing this on land is a way cheaper way to determine if we can get along with less stuff and live in a more confined space. And when you really break it all down, the truck cab space is the helm and engine room, the truck bed is hull and hold storage space, the trailer when opened is the interior (and external) living space - this is our big catamaran distilled down to the basics (just in a terrestrial form). The camper towed very easily. I even had to drive through two thunderstorms with really gusty winds. It didn't even strain the engine. I have visions of waking up next to a surf break in my head - we are going to have an awesome time with this trailer!!! Technically, if we are treating this as a boat, we need to name it, but La and I have not discussed that yet - I am for the name "Sabbatical". Oddly enough, we're going to store the trailer in the garage until we depart... I just cleared the garage and now I have something bigger to jam in there...

Marlon In Double Digits

He used a tan ostrich plume, bead chain eyed nymph. Caught over ten bluegill and bass and one crappie (his first for this year)! That poor fly got the crap beat out of it, but Marlon was stoked!!!

Memorial Day - Remembering What Is Important

I do not take anything for granted. Time spent enjoying the simpler things in life is a gift given to us by those that fought to ensure we can live free, and many died on foreign soil, in the worst of conditions. Tomorrow is my last day working as a service member and I am one of the lucky ones to have made it through 20 years with most of me still intact - I did not have to give more than my share to help the larger cause. Thank you to all that gave everything - I caught these fish for you all (and with a Barclay Glass 5wt, not all the stokedness went to the remembering - I had fun in the here and now)!

Short "Black Over Copper" Clouser School

A set of flies I tied up for the bigger fish swimming in the lake.

Skunk Repellant

The dependable bluegill and the power of a copper and black clouser!!! No skunk here today!!! Casting the Kabuto was super fun today! I want to line it with a RIO Gold WF5F line to see how it performs with a slightly heavier line. I've still got to try the other 5wt lines I have (Orvis Powertaper, Orvis Depth Charge, SA GPX), but I am anticipation a great pairing between the Kabuto 7653 and the RIO Gold (we'll see - I also want to use the Gold for the Barclay Glass 5wt). Thank goodness for Bluegill!

Blast From The Past

I caught up with an old buddy of mine from the time that I spent in Baghdad - Eric R. He's been crossbow fishing for gators and snakehead, but recently picked up his own bow and kayak. Even managed to rig a set of pontoons to increase stand-up stability. We paddled out of Fort Belvoir into the Pohick Bay area. The water was super murky. I though enough time had passed since the last rain, but I guess I was way wrong. We actually didn't catch anything. BIG FAT SKUNKING. There were fish though - and the ospreys were out to prove it (several were flying around with some pretty big fish that were bleeding out in the talon grips). I also saw the water swirls left behind by fish of decent size fleeing the scene as they get notice that something not piscine is floating by... As bad as skunking is, beer does take the edge off - as does catching up with old friends.

The Other Rod I'll Be Casting Over the Long Weekend

Steffen 8'0" 4/5wt 3 piece rod. I lined it with the same RIO Perception WF5 I used on the Kabuto 7653 and it had a similar feel to the Kabuto (not as crisp, but equally refined). I'm not sure if the difference in feel was more a factor with the extra 6 inches in length, or more a factor of that they are just very different blanks (from almost completely opposite ends of the earth - literally). I didn't fish this one today, but tomorrow morning I'll be taking out the paddleboard in hopes of tagging some bigger bass on some poppers. We'll see what tomorrow brings!!! UPDATE: I actually ended up trading this rod for an Orvis 7'6" 1wt 4 piece Superfine Touch graphite rod, almost immediately after posting this. The Steffen is off to it's new home and I ended up going to the Orvis in Leesburg to pickup a WF1F line and a size 1 Battenkill reel. I'll have all this put together mid-week, at which time I'll post more. Bluegills are going to rock even harder than they did the 3wts!!!!

Kabuto 7653 - Fantastic Fly Rod!!!

I will be trying to put some miles on this rod over the Memorial Day Weekend - I've only got a few 5wt lines, so I'll be cycling through them pretty quickly as I try a develop a feel for this Kabuto. From the first lawn casts, I could tell this rod is really something special. Snappy, medium action and refined (keeps the line under control very easily). Made me look like someone that knew what they were doing... Then I took it out to the lake. Fishing with it is an absolute pleasure. Casts nicely in close and just as well out to 60'. I managed to get a couple of bluegill to hand, one bass to take (but got off while I was fumbling with the camera), and one crappie. It's a wonderful thing to pick up a rod that works well with you - casting, aesthetics, versatility and fish conquering prowess are all qualities I want out of a rod. Most times you get a few of these, but not all out of a rod. From this first experience, I am inclined to say this is a wonderful thing this Kabuto 7653 ;)