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  1. HT, Mike, Great to hear from you both and touch base again. Happy to hear your recommendations and ideas. The US would be the most convenient but ultimately it doesn't particularly matter as eventually the rod will make it's way to Australia where I am permanently. I'm not sure how private messages work on here, but feel free to reach out privately if that's easier. Cheers gents!
  2. Hi Lads and Lasses, It's been almost 10 years since my last post but was hoping to see if I could chum the forum waters to elicit a strike from @Mike Oliver and Co. Back in 2013 I bought a blank from you guys after the Cape Cod meet up and Connor and I were going to build them. I've ended up moving away overseas indefinitely but in a recent trip home found my rod blanks with all the gear and was wonder if Mike (or people familiar with the blanks Mike uses) would be willing to finish the build for me (I'd pay of course). I tried Mike's webpage but my overseas phone number seems to make the contact form freeze up. Thanks all. Tight lines. -Bryan
  3. I'm a huge Kelley Galloup fan. In his book he often talks about his flies are meant to illicit a territorial and predatory response. He says that a lot of his big fish are caught in the middle of the day when trout are generally not feeding. His theory then is that these noisy loud flies hit the "fight" button in the "flight or fight" response in big trout. In terms of using his style of flies in the salt I have tried that with some success. I tied a large chartruese and white "Heffer Groomer" with an olive and white striped stacked deer hair head. I don't throw it all the time, but usually, if I can't find anything to work, that's one of the flies I go to as a "last resort". The fish of caught with it have almost all been at slack tide which makes me think I might have provoked a response rather than imitated a baitfish, but who knows? I'll post a picture of the fly later today.
  4. Maybe I can shed some light (or make things worse) on this subject as I'm a polymer chemist. Fluorocarbon is primarily, if not completely polyvinylidene fluoride. If a company is claiming to be "100% fluorocarbon" then most likely it is no different than any other brand that makes fluoro. The reason being is that longer, more uniform polymer chains of polyvinylidene fluoride are what gives the tippet/leader its strength ("Why fix what isn't broke?" in other words). PVDF is extremely similar to normal polyethylene (PE) in strength, which when the polymer chains are long and more uniform in length is extremely strong. The added fluorine atoms in the polymers is what give fluoro its desired properties. It has an almost identical refractive index to that of water (ie "invisible"), its much more abrasion resistant/hard (think of similar fluorinated products like Teflon on your cooking pans), it sinks faster, and it does not stretch nearly as much as mono. Mono on the other hand can vary a little more from company to company as it is usually only utilizing the polyamide class of polymers (nylon, kevlar, etc.) thus allowing for more "creative license" (aka "proprietary") in crafting unique blends of polymers to make monofiliment. The nature of the polyamide chemical bond lend it to being stretchier, lighter, and float ever so slightly better. Now back to the fishing terms When I'm fishing for stripers or anything subsurface, I use fluoro, as others earlier have stated, because it sinks better and is more abrasion resistant. It is definitely more invisible, but I'm not convinced that the fish really care. I just make sure that I attach my fly, when using fluoro, to my tippet with a loop knot so that the fly moves more freely through the water. Presentation is king when tricking fish. I'm not convinced that on heavily fished rivers that people have to drop down to 8x tippet with size 24s. I think the reason people say that that is "the right way" to go is because at that small of a fly, with that flimsy of a leader/tippet, the fly is always going to move much more naturally just because of how small it is. I've fished "heavily fly fished waters" where tiny tippet and tiny flies where "the right way" with 10lb fluoro, a 1/0, bright yellow zoo cougar fly and out-fished the people I was with. Not because of the size of the fly, color of the fly or type of tippet I was using, but because the fly was darting through the water the way a sculpin/small fish would move if it were running away from a large hungry trout. Presentation is king!
  5. I know I'm a little late to the line discussion but for those of you interested in custom building lines to match these rods I've heard of a group of fly fisherman out in California that spend all their time designing and custom building their own fly lines. They fly fish specifically for calico bass and are always looking for very intense head weights and lengths. They go by "The Calico Syndicate" for those interested in looking them up. They're pretty specific to SH rods but, for those interested, might be able to share some valuable insight on designing and building lines. I'm pretty sure they actually use welds and primitive extrusions to make fly lines without knots or braid or shrink wrap, but I could be wrong. They also have a youtube channel by the same name. Cheers
  6. I second everything everyone on this thread has said. 5-10 Olive or Chartruese (or both) over white clousers or decievers, one pink over white, one white over white and two or three beefy deciever-like flies like a bunker fly and you're all set. The only thing I might add is maybe a popper or crease fly. Not because they're absolutely deadly patterns but because its just super fun to see a striper blast the surface. All of my New England salt flies fit in a single, relatively small (for streamers anyway) fly box.
  7. On a side note (or should I say back on topic) I was with Albieaddict when we went to test cast the Beulah surf rods and they were absolutely no comparison to the CTS rods we got to throw. I wanted to actually cast something else before I posted my impressions of the CTS rods (granted it is only one other reference point and there are some others out there to be tested I suppose). The CTS rods are definitely a niche rod but I feel they're phenomenal in that niche. Super stiff, high line speeds, tight loops to get out far in front and over the breakers. Herb and Mike (and everyone else at the meet-up) were great and super helpful getting me, a SH, double hauling, "young buck", started in casting these TH OH rods. Herb, the 12' rod sounds like it would be a blast to cast! If schedules allow, I would love (and I'm sure Connor would agree with me) to toss a line a few times. I also realize I have not posted a joke, so maybe this will lighten the mood of this thread a bit, especially since we have a group of international guys here: You know that you're in heaven when: The cooks are French, the police are British, the mechanics are German, the lovers are Italian, and the bankers are Swiss. However, you know you're in hell when: The cooks are British, the police are German, the mechanics are French, the lovers are Swiss, and the bankers are Italian Cheers.
  8. Hi Everyone, Let this be my maiden post in thanking MIke, Herb and all of you guys that were there helping us single-handed guys learn the ropes to two handed rods. I'm Bryan, the friend that showed up with Connor. Connor is right, we were both looking at each other with that frustrated smile when the bass were just out of reach. A special thanks to Herb for taking the time to personally help Connor and myself learn the ropes and cast his rods that he's put so much TLC into creating, a truly delightful experience. I look forward to meeting and fishing with you guys again soon. Cheers.
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