I found a nice deal on some new boots and went ahead and got them. I asked around, and it seems the new Simms boots aren’t coming out until February, and I would like to get my wife into some better boots (my old L2s) since I hope she will get out on the water a few times over the upcoming break.
Since I was in the mood to spend some money, I went ahead and did my usual Google pounding to see if I could find a deal on some waders. I have seen lots of great deals on waders for the last month, and stock is dwindling so it was time to buy. Once again I came down to deciding if I wanted to go down the Cloudveil route or not. Due to the upcoming model changes, you can get some killer Cloudveils for as little as two hundred bucks. I have heard mixed things about them, but some guides swear by them and will go on and on about how durable they are. However, I like to roll down the tops on my waders for a lot of the water I fish, and I think the bulk of the pocket and accoutrements would just get in the way.
My decision came down to the L2 or the 2007 Guide model. I think the light weight of the L2s would be nice, but during the summer I tend to wet wade, so having really light waders isn’t all that big of a concern. I ended up getting the Guides as I think the extra durability will pay off with the beating I plan to put on these waders over the next few years. I am thankful to finally be getting waders with built in gravel guards. The options at the big box store before my last trip were the Simms velcro ones I keep losing, the over priced guide models, or some cheap Hodgmans that velcro (and I would lose). I learned on my last trip that guards are helpful and all for keeping crap out of your boots, but more importantly they act as a guard against your fly line. Never again will I fish without gravel guards.
Once again I escaped from paying retail. I suppose the hunt for bargains is half of the fun, but with as much gear as I have been buying every little bit I save will mean I can spend more. I will be saving close to $120.00 on the waders, but they go for more than what I am paying on eBay. Perhaps I will come out with a little feed of deals I come across when looking for my own gear. Forums and Google trump eBay any day when I am searching for a deal.
December 15th, 2007
I suppose one of the things that crosses over from being a geek to fishing is the love I have for gadgets and products. Apple riles my loins just as much as a nice Scott rod or Waterworks reel. I am one of those people that tries to justify a purchase in some way, especially since I will tend to buy higher end gear, but those justifications can be thrown out the window at Christmas as it is that time of year when if it’s on the list, you feel dejected and unloved if you don’t receive it. I didn’t go as far as putting a pony on my list, but I will follow the trend of others and talk a little bit about what is on my list and why.
Before I start I will toss out something I wish could be on my list, but it isn’t released yet and the price sounds a little steep at $1,700.00. The promise of the waterproof Olympus E-3 DSLR is a interesting one, but I am curious what Olympus’s definition of waterproof is. The tests shown in the link were only done in the rain, but I don’t think I would pay $1,700.00 unless I could submerge the whole damn thing. If I could do that I will find some way to get my hands on one.
Since I live in a world of gear lust and there is always something around the corner, such as a thin Macbook Pro, I went and did some research and soul searching and have come up with my Chrsitmas list. Most of my list is fishing related, and I think only a few Xbox 360 games will be on my list as it’s my latest tech toy and needs to get its use.
Times are changing and my beloved Canon Digital Elph - one of the original models with its quaint 2MP resolution - gave out on me after several mild submersions and touch and go behavior. It seems the Pentax Optio W30 is all the rage these days with the anglers, and countless people have been wowing us with underwater shots of brown trout getting freaky or gorgeous steelhead getting ready to bolt. I plan to get a little more adventurous in the next year and capture some more quality photos with the DSLR, but for most of my fishing I don’t want to have to worry about dunking my camera. In the spring I plan on using the Pentax to capture the underwater life of one of the most ignored fish in OK waters, the Long Nose Gar.
I have been wanting a wading jacket for the colder months, but always tended to buy a rod or reel instead of saving my pennies for a nice wading jacket. I, like many others, belong to the Simms tribe for various reasons and have heard great things about the G3 wading jacket, but the price tag has always scared me away. Being the intrepid gear whore that I am, I scoured the net and found someone mentioning a killer deal on Cloudveil waders at Sierra Trading Post here. I wish more people read my blog as I bet I could rack up some serious affiliate dollars with a link to the Cloudveil specials Sierra Trading Post is flogging. The Cloudveil 8x Wading Jacket (deal is here) the comparable product, and I think will look less out of place in the general populous than the very fly fishy G3. I really hope someone comes through on this one.
I was considering just getting the 8x waders since they seem like a steal, but I am waiting to see what kind of Simms deals pop up in the next few months. I have heard mixed things about Cloudveil’s waders. Granted their new models look killer, but I love all of my Simms gear with the exception of the the neoprene gravel guards. I have lost one and a half pairs of them over the past year, and I am done with having to always track back my steps in an effort to find them. It’s time to get a pair of waders with gravel guards built in so I don’t have to worry about forgetting them, or in the case of the wraps just wearing out and coming off in the dark when I bang against a brush pile. There are some great deals coming up as all of the manufacturers are coming out with new wading gear and being able to get them at half off is something I will just wait for. There are still lots of great deals to be had by Googling and scouring around on forums.
After several years of rocking Columbia’s polarized shades its time to step up to some higher quality lenses. There were some pretty good things said about the Smith Interlock sunglasses after the Fly Fishing Retailer show a few months ago. My friend told me I am wasting my time with my grey-lensed Columbias and I needed to be cool and get some yellow shades for chasing carp in low light. The Interlock design seems to be spot on for my needs since they have the ability to change out lenses, and Smith offers a huge amount of different lenses that are pretty reasonably priced. I am pretty hard on my sunglasses so being able to just buy lenses instead of a whole new pair will allow me to get a few more miles out of my purchase.
In addition to my big ticket items, I plan to use some gift cards I am sure to acquire to the big box stores to pick up a sinking line for the 6wt as well as a line for the new glass 8wt. If it wasn’t trout season, I would already have put a line on the 8wt, but for the time being it sits just waiting to be used. I hope to get some high tech shirts to make the OK summers a little more bearable out on the water, and Sierra Trading Post is paying dividends on those too. I don’t know why I am so obsessed with finding good deals on things, but paying $200.00 for a $400.00 wading jacket is something most anglers would jump at.
Hopefully my wishes will come true, but as always I am keeping my fingers ready to pick up one a pair of Simms Guides in the near future at a steep discount. I also need to pass my L2 boots to my wife as I could use a tad more room for when I am doubling up the socks. I have loved my Simms Travel Waders and they are great during the summer months, but I have already fixed a few leaks, and the fabric boot - not neoprene like most waders - is a tad uncomfortable. They have been tanks, but I know they aren’t going to last another season and there is nothing wrong with having a backup. Hopefully those buying for you this holiday season feel it in their hearts to put up with your obsession and put something special under the tree.
November 26th, 2007