Pond Stalker 2015 and Beyond

From the ponds in and around Loveland, Colorado.

I am a retired Fly Fisher & Fly Tyer who has spent most of his fly fishing past chasing Trout in Stillwaters across the Western United States with brief excursions on small streams and warmwater ponds.

I won't make any attempt to mislead anyone here,  I have loved fishing lakes and ponds for years.  My passion has always led me to these waters and the fun they offer to the flyfisher and fly tyer.  Although, most trips out were for chasing the big trout that lakes produce, my secret passion has been the fun of fly fishing for Bluegill, Crappie, Sunfish, and other assorted warm water fish.  I am currently taking an interest in getting to know more about fly fishing for Bass.  Perhaps even some Carp in the future.  One step at a time you Ol' Geezer, I remind myself!

Living in Northern Colorado where I do offers plenty of opportunity for me to chase my dreams in warm water fly fishing and fly tying.  What I love most about it is that I can drive less than (15) minutes from my home and be on the water with a chance at a good time.  Economical, time saving, and, that word "FUN" again.  Which in turn means more fishing and tying time for me.   I am also very Grandchildren oriented so I have plenty of other activity to keep me busy so time on the water still needs to be worked around everything else.  

I, also, have to be a very budget oriented Geezer.   Being a Senior Citizen on a fixed budget requires that I spend my money wisely and my time efficiently.
I take great pleasure in keeping my fly fishing time as simple as possible.    From the gear I use to the techniques I use. It works! 

 Please take the time to look around on my blog and enjoy what is here. Your support is greatly appreciated! 

Please ignore this silly box here showed up and won't go away!!!!!

Bloggin' Time Or Something From Ground Control...........

Sometimes it seems that even during the winter months a fly fishing fanatic can be busy enough that sometimes it is hard to keep caught up.  For instance, check out this Blogger.

Anyhow, a few things have been going on to keep me more than busy it seems.  Time to catch up my blog readers with a few updates.

Let's begin with the announcement that I have started a new Facebook Group over on, of course, Facebook.   It is called Budget Minded Fly Fishing Gear.  

Being a Senior Citizen on a restricted budget really causes me to have to shop very closely and thoroughly when determining rather I can afford to add a piece of gear to my current fly fishing world.  There are many fly fishers out there just like me.  So, I decided to put up a page for Group input and feedback on those fly fishing related items that will help us all when looking for just the right piece of gear at the right price,  Anyway, we are off to a good start on the Group with about (40) participants already.  If you are interested please feel free to take a look at the link to the page and join in on the fun and sharing of real and practical information that any budget minded angler could use.  Your participation is appreciated.

Like most other fly fishers, winter is also a time for staying pretty close to the fly tying vise and I am no different than anyone else.  Here is picture I took just this morning of a hodgepodge of flies I have cranked out over the last 2 or 3 days.  This is just a sampling of the flies I have been adding to my boxes for Spring season.

To finish up with this update, Colorado has had some unusually warm days for a short stretch of time.  With that the ice has melted off some of the ponds.  However, I suspect we will have more cold and ice and snow before too long.  Spring is coming and I am going to be ready.  I have not yet received my custom Blue Halo Fiberglass rod from Average Joe's Fishn Poles.  However, Phillip, has it near ready and sent a photo yesterday.  I wanted to share it with you.

I am stoked to get this in my hands so I can begin my end of the job as a rod tester..............

Budget Minded Fly Fishing Tackle - Graphite Rods

Recently, I wrote a blog post on "Budget Minded Fly Fishing Tackle - Fiberglass Rods" .  I am very thankful for all the great comments that were left pertaining to the subject at hand.  True, "Glass Is Not Dead", and is becoming more and more evident as the days and weeks pass in the fly fishing scene.  Many fly fishers are in the process of trying the new generation fiberglass rods and tracking down models from yesteryear at auction sites, estate sales, and yard sales.  Other fly fishers have already made a complete change and fish only fiberglass rods at this point in time.  I would place myself in the group that is "curious" about all this fiberglass rod stuff.  I have picked up a few on the very low budget end and have been learning to use them.  

However, clearly I am not ready to adapt to strictly just the use of fiberglass rods.  To be fair, most all of my experience has been with graphite rods, in my thirty some year fly fishing career.  From expensive Sage, G. Loomis, Orvis brand rods to moderately priced rods like Lamiglas, St. Croix, and, TFO fly rods.  I have owned and fished graphite models from each.  They all had my attention at one time or another.  What I would like to do with this post is take a look at some Budget Minded Fly Rods on the graphite side of the seen.  Again, there are some nice ones available at a price that most any of us could get into without breaking the bank, so to speak.  Again, as a senior citizen on a fixed income, I am always looking for good quality at the best price for what my budget limits are.  Below are a few that have been well received and offer fly fishers an opportunity to enjoy the sport of fly fishing with a fly rod that doesn't cause you to take out a second mortgage.

Let's begin with 

Cabela's Three Forks Fly Rod Series

$69 - $79  (Even less when on sale)

These rods are a great way to have a decent set up for under $100.

They come in 2 or 4 piece models with out the case.
One year limited warranty

Have had excellent reviews on this rod.

Another option

Redington Crosswater Fly Rod Series

$69 - $89

Redington offers these nice rods to fit in the under $100 price range,  too.

They come in 2 or 4 piece models with out the case.
One Year warranty

I own this rod and have been very pleased with it and its responsiveness.

Or, how about a

This is TFO's Lefty Kreh Signature Series Fly Rods

$120

They come in a 2 piece rod with out the case 
Warrantied for the life of the original registered owner with shipping and handling fee paid by user.

Lefty is a fly fishing legend.  His expertise has made these rods a welcome addition

Again, I own this rod and I believe it is a delight to fish with.

Or a

This is the Echo Solo Series Fly Rods

$119

This rod is a 4 piece rod only (Great for the traveling angler)
Comes with a Lifetime Warranty

This series was designed by Tim Rajeff with the plan to be able to get more people out fly fishing.  I think mission accomplished from all that I have seen.

Now all of these are fine budget minded fly rods, however, they are not the only ones that are available at a budget offering.  Other fly rod company's have gotten into the scene with their offerings also.  St. Croix, Ross, Allen, and a number of other companies have gotten on the bandwagon lately.  Truth be told, there are other Cabela's, Redington's, TFO's, and Echo fly rods that are priced at another step up, yet, they also fit within the budget minded fly fishers approach.  Just to be clear, I have independently chosen the $200. price or below for inclusion in my fly rod options.

I hope I have balanced my views on what is available for both the graphite and fiberglass fly rod leaners in this series on budget minded fly rods.  You might be surprised at what spending a little "less" money will do when you shop for your next rod.

Happy hook ups!

Budget Minded Fly Fishing Tackle - Fiberglass Rods

Anyone who has hung around the fly fishing scene, rather it be the local fly shop, online fly tackle retailers, or online fly fishing forums have been made aware of the re-energized interest in the market of Fiberglass Fly Rods.  Cameron Mortenson over at The Fiberglass Manifesto 
deserves a lot of credit for the growing interest in Fiberglass Rods, too!

Yesterday, when I was young, I started out fishing Fenwick Fiberglass Rods.  I remember paying $35.00 for a new Fenwick back then and thought I was on top of the fly fishing world at the time.  Well, as we probably all know, Graphite production came along and most all of the normal fly fishing crowd went to Graphite rods for easier casting and more power for distance etc. etc.  Though some remained with the Fiberglass or Bamboo scene, Graphite rods became the in thing.  So, I went Graphite Fly Rods.  Fast forward a significant number of years, through Sage, G. Loomis, Orvis, etc. days.   Now cometh, the resurgence of the Fiberglass Fly Rods.  Like a lot of things in life, it seems things can come 360 degrees ever so often.

Currently, I own Graphite Fly Rods and Fiberglass Fly Rods.  However, due to my fixed income and senior citizen lifestyle, I have to focus on budget minded fly fishing tackle!  With that in mine, my current Fiberglass Fly Rod selection consists of an Eagle Claw Featherlight $35.00, and, a yard sale purchase of an old Berkley that cost me $5.00.

While I enjoy fishing these two rods, I have began to look at some of the new Fiberglass Fly Rods  that are hitting the market at what I consider to be a budget minded price level.  Let me skim over some of them in this post.

 Green Caddis Outfitters

Ruby River Fiberglass Fly Rods

$120.00

The early reviews on these rods have been positive and I look forward to further investigating these rods.

Echo Fiberglass Fly Rods

$200.00

Again, very good early reviews on these rods.  Already available in some local fly shops.  These are superb rods for the budget minded fly angler!

 

Now comes the soon to be released new Cabela's CGR Series Fiberglass Rods.  

$129.00

These rods are being updated and released in the Fall of this year.  The original CGR Series rods were received very favorably by many of my blogging friends.  Cabela's stopped production on the original series, but, listened to the demands of the fly fishing crowd and will be putting these on the market soon.

 

So, budget minded fly fishing tackle folks, rather you fish with an inexpensive Eagle Claw Featherlight model, a yard sale find, or one of the new wave of budget minded fly rods, you certainly deserve to see if Fiberglass is for you.  Yup, "Glass Is Not Dead".