Why Hatch Reels Are Worth It

Hatch reels are made in the the US, well California actually. The anodization is as good as it gets which results in less corrosion, scratches, etc. The reel foot is actually part of the housing, so the housing is all one piece which ends up making the reel stronger and less susceptible to corrosion. The drag surfaces are a high tech plastic and stainless steel. The drag mechanism is in a fully sealed spindle and works by adjusting the tension between a series of plates or discs. What this does is nets a gigantic surface area of resistance as the drag knob is adjusted. The reels are a little heavier than some of the other manufactures but they balance really well and they kind of feel like you're just holding something of substance.

The trout sizes start at $400 and they're worth it. I've been using one  for 3 years now without any problems and it is as fine a reel now as the first time I fished with it. The drag is smooth, has a sweet sound to it, and the tension adjustment range is effective with every click. IMHO the only reel I'v ever seen that would be the equivalent were the Charlestons, but the Hatch wins with the aesthetics.

The sealed drag, which is not unique to Hatch, is great in cold weather like today. There's just no way for the water to get into the drag mechanism, so it works great even when everything is frozen You might have to give the line tug to break the frost seal between housing and spool, but after that it's pretty amazing how well the drag works in all types of conditions.

Yes they are expensive, but so is a Cadillac when compared to Pontiac. They both get you to the same place but the ride in the Caddy is much more fun.

More Wader Stuff

These are some photos of the new bootfoot waders that I've been using. Note the sharp edges on the tread, they seem to work well for me. The neoprene uppers make for some real comfortable on/off and walking.

I leave for NZ in a little less than 10 days and am getting pretty excited about that to say the least. The weather there has been pretty crappy so hopefully that will continue until we get there, keeping pressure on the fish to a minimum. Cicadas should just be starting and river flows should be getting perfect. Very much looking forward to the trip with everyone that's going this year.

Let it Snow

Well it looks like winter is back again. I'm not sure where we are sitting in terms of snowpack but I imagine it's probably around 80% of average so we can use some more. Honestly though, I'd be good with less water than we've had the last couple of year and a cool summer.

I've been testing a prototype bootfoot wader from Orvis for the last couple of months. They are the new Pro Guide IV with an attached boot. I really like them! The Pro Guide's have been overbuilt the last few years resulting in a heavier than needed construction and too many features.

What I really like about the new model is that they are lighter weight (in the body), cut better so they are easy to get around in, and the boots. The boots are made by BOGS and are breathable. They are really comfortable and have great support. They have a Vibram sole which seems to be improved over the first ones out by other mfr.'s last year. I've worn them about 10 days so far and have had no issues regarding traction in the water.

I prefer bootfoot wader over stocking foot for most of my uses as I usually only wear waders during the colder months. It's easier to wear warmer socks becuase they typically give you a little extra room. The ease of getting them on and off is ideal for me when guiding as it's one less thing I need to do in getting ready to go. Bootfoots are less popular today than they used to be but I think it has more to do with marketing than anything. We'd all prefer to see you a pair of waders and boots, but I'd really recommend giving these some consideration for your next wader purchase.

The only disadvantage to BF waders is that they don't offer as much ankle support as seperate boots, so they're not the choice if you do a lot of walking. I do a lot of walking but I primarily am fishing out of a boat so the few times I go for a walk of more than a 1/2 mile in waders, they're fine. If I only wade-fished and did a lot wolking into places with my waders on...I'd stick with stockingfoots and boots. By a lot I mean regularly walking in over 1/2 mile and then fishing all day.

Missouri and Stuff

I fished the Missouri up near Craig this past weekend and had a great time. The weather was cooperative and the bite was pretty good. We saw a few midges and the odd rise here and there, but the nymph bite was pretty good. We only fished a couple of spots and really got into them good down lower on the river, fishing just off a deep drop off.

Winter fishing is like that around here most of the time. Cold water temps has the fish sitting in the deeper runs and holes. Hatches are pretty sporadic but the fish will move up into shallower slow water during the peak of the hatch. I like to look for heads in slack water that is next to some really deep stuff this time of year.

Bug selection is pretty simple this time of year. Usually a San Jaun with a dropper of some kind on tailwaters and a small golden stone nymph with dropper on the freestones. If the hatch is going, I pay more attention to the dropper selection. If there aren't too many bugs out, I like to use a sowbug on the tailwaters and an egg on the freestones. The only hatches of significance right now are midges, so I'll use a midge pupa of some type when I start to see some hatch activity.

There! That's something meaningful.

We are working on a Facebook page which should be live in a week. It already is live, but we haven't done any friends invite yet. Here's a link to the page though if you want to check it out at this stage. http://www.facebook.com/pages/Fins-and-Feathers/156073141911?v=wall&ref=ts

Winter Winter Winter

I used to really like winter! Maybe that was before I discovered NZ.
I head out in about 3 weeks and am particularly excited about this year's adventure. The group consists of 7 of my guide clienst from over the years. I've more or less become friends with mots of them so it should be great to hang out and do some fishing with them all in NZ. Also, this will probably be my last trip to NZ for a few years...so I'm going to try to enjoy it for what it is.
We've had a really cold and crappy winter thus far! I've spent more time trying to stay warm and doing website updates than anything else. I'm planning on fishing the Missouri this weekend one day so I'll keep the world posted on how that pans out.