S--'E

There's a couple things going on in a Gore-Tex fabric. One, is the "DWR", which is short for Durable Water Repellent which is on the outer layer. Products like Revivex are specifically for bringing back the brand new "water off a duck's back" behavior you see on the surface of Gore-Tex (and many other breathable) products. This really has nothing to do with leaks, but does effect the comfort and performance. Next is the actual membrane. If there are no holes in the membrane, water in liquid form will not pass through, whether there is DWR or not. If the DWR has failed it can feel like your Gore-Tex is leaking as it may feel cold and damp, but it's not. If you have a hole in the membrane you have to patch it (and this would obviously also be an actual leak). If the DWR is functioning properly it MAY hold back the water if it isn't under pressure. Plenty of good info on the Gore Tex website. The main take away is that even if a Gore-Tex product no longer breads, it can still be waterproof, even if the DWR has failed. And you can have a Gore-Tex product that beads water, but still leaks.

I've only used the 50#. It's very thick compared to most 50# braids. Otherwise, it was just a braided line, nothing really stood out.

Sorry, no 4500 Saltiga in stock at the moment. I have several on the way so I'll check them out when they arrive.

Well, to throw some additional confusion into this, the way I measured them I came up with 29mm on both spools instead of 30 or 32mm. More importantly though they measured the same the way I was measuring them. I'd have to think there's a chance a Saltiga drag would drop right in as well, they are twins from the outside anyways. Obviously without spooling them up and taking some casts I can't be truly sure they are the same, but they are REALLY similar.

Yes.

Got Strypers are a bargain and fish well.

Not sure. I'll take a look tomorrow if I can, I can't remember if I have a Saltiga that size in stock right now or not. If I do, I'll let you know.

They at least fit each other perfectly. Didn't spool them up (which would truly be proof) but they sure look like they would work. Drags worked fine. The lip of the Saltiga 6000GT has a smaller diameter then the 5000, 6000, and 6500 Saltist (which all the have same diameter lip). Different capacities of the Saltists are achieved in the normal manner reel companies typically do it, just by cutting the spool deeper.

I did have a problem with Daiwa Saltiga braid. It got fuzzy to the point I was concerned after an unknown number of hard casts. Probably an hour to 2 hours tops. Other braids don't seem to (as easily) get frayed by the Kevlar. In summary, I'd say for the most part, it's a non-issue.

No worries Woody, time tends to fog my memory as well. I had forgotten about the "Darter Incident" where everyone thought we had tons of plugs when there was really very few. I do happen to remember the Cowboys clearly and had photographic evidence of that RISAA show, so if things had got out of line I was planning to bring the pain.

That I remember. We only had only 60 2 ounce Darters. Even with a limit, your talking a VERY short run of plugs in show conditions. There were many, MANY more Cowboys.

We came home with quite a few which sold over the next couple of days after the show to assure that if you showed up in person, called us on the phone after the show, or bought them online, you got a chance. Daily limits were in place to assure each day of the show started with plugs. And they were $23, not $28. Limit was 4 per person for that batch if I remember correctly. Limits vary depending on the quantity and demand of the plugs we get and have varied from 2 to unlimited. Beachmaster was there, so if there was a problem with the above I'm sure he would have said something. But, the Legend of the Cowboys just works so much better the other way. So let's stick with the exaggerated pricing and no limit free for all that supposedly happened.

Above is the best answer. That said, on occasion, you might have to run and gun. But if you actually compared your results after a day of drifting to a day of running you'll find the drift is usually just as deadly or more so. Once I'm on site I rarely ever get on plane again unless I'm re-locating. I think the reason many run and gun is two fold. One, they like running the boat boat. Two, it FEELS like you're doing something since there's always action from jumping on and off plane and racing towards the nearest school of fish. Put a bigger lure on so you can cast further if you want to. Accurate casts are often just as or more important then lure choice. Enjoy greater success, less frustration, and keep the gas money in your pocket.

flytyingguy, you can always talk to us when there is something you aren't happy with. It is the FIRST statement you will run into on our polices page. It's effectively a "happiness" policy. We basically state we will do what we can to make you happy including of course handling returns and refunding you if you aren't. For me there are two parts of this thread. One (and I'll address it first) the bucktail, and two (and far more importantly in my eyes) the customer service, or lack there of. Up front I'd like to apologize that the tails were not what you expected. Bucktails are subjective, and we always aim towards hair quality and length, NOT necessarily overall tail size (although obviously, ideally, we'd all love both). Some people go WILD over straight hair, some want a little crinkle, and some like it kinky. Some coarse, some soft. And some just want a whole lot of bucktail with hair quality taking a back seat. One man's trash is another man's treasure when it comes to bucktail. I've seen people violently rip tail off the wall in our show booth, throw it down instead of putting it back on the wall, and then have it be grabbed by another shopper who runs to the register as though he just found gold for $7.99. Different strokes for different folks I guess. The photo you mentioned you sent to us clearly shows a Rumpf tail, famous for being the longest around. They are, for me, also stinky, greasy, and often really don't offer that much great hair despite their large size. That said, they vary and some are very nice and many people love them for their tying and that's all that matters. As such, especially with things such as hackle and bucktail, and even more so being bought without being seen first we often pro-actively state to customers who call or email us that if you don't like it, you can send it back. Seems only fair to me. You didn't like the size and we have no problem with that, we'd be happy to take them back. What really concerned me was the apparent failings of our customer service so this evening I followed up on it to see who handled your order and if there was any interaction between us and you. Our policies are pretty simple as stated above, we just want happy customers and that makes it fairly easy for the guys in shipping and customer service to do their job, which made this thread all the more odd. I easily found your order and the associated emails, your SOL name is your email. When you made your purchase you sent a follow up email immediately after the order you placed late at night asking for "the best tails you have, the longest & uniform that you have I want to tye long as possible." to which Corey responded to the following morning by stating that he would have Steve pull the best he could and that "If you're unhappy with what we send, please feel free to send it on back for a credit." That email is from February 6th and we shipped your order the same day you ordered it via USPS as you had chosen. After you received the order, you sent an email stating you were disappointed with the size and included pictures with your tails which were bigger then ours (longer physically, as in the meat in the middle, but not longer hair, and if I may add in my opinion less good hair for tying overall) to which Corey responded by once again stating "If you're unhappy send them back Ron no worries, we'll credit you plus shipping and that's that." That was February 9th. After discovering the above, I am really struggling to understand some of your statements in this thread. We clearly state our policies and on top of that offered you the option to return them and that we would refund you, including the shipping, not just after but before the order shipped. I guess I'm just disappointed as stating on a public forum that a company didn't respond to your concerns and didn't try to remedy the situation is pretty harsh when I really feel just the opposite occurred here. Once again we apolgize that you were disappointed with the tails. You can still send them back as we stated via email earlier this year. You can call me at the shop anytime or you can find my email on our "about us" page if you have any other concerns. Thanks, Peter Graeber

The answer to your question is above, but as a side note you might want to double that 20# with a bimini or spider hitch; while a uni to uni will work with those differing diameters you'll definitely achieve higher knot strength with a doubled line. If you don't be sure to snug down the 40 with a lot of force. With line differences like that sometimes the uni in the braid can shoot into the uni in the mono. The doubled line is less likely to do that.

I guess it's not a plug, but Andrus Bucktails.

Very high teens, low 20's with a smooth drag. You can get them higher then that but you'll lose a bit of the smooth start up. Arrived at those numbers using a Boga, with a 275 on a bent rod (not a straight line pull).

Thanks for the laugh.

I've always dreamed of a 1 ounce or so version in the Point Jude line up. Same size swim plate to kick around the bigger baits, but less weight, and the hook from the bigger one (or bigger). Jay the 1 3/4 never allows me to fish as slow as I want to in a lot of the spots around here either, it just sinks a step too quick.

Howlin' Wolf Charters with Bruce Macomber out of Newport, RI would be my favorite. Good sized and comfortable boat (38' Luhrs). Like most, 6 max though.

The Simms Warranty is solid especially as it relates to surfcasters who are way tougher then most fisherman on waders. They do not offer a true "no-questions asked" no matter how old or destroyed your waders are warranty, but since they are built better in the first place you likely won't need to worry about that. But you can argue it either way, "disposable" waders make a lot of sense for surf fisherman as well. From the Simms website: Workmanship & Materials Guarantee Workmanship & Materials are Guaranteed for the Life of the Product. If a Simms wader fails due to workmanship or material defect during the life of the product, please return it to us for repair or replacement. All defective or damaged waders should be returned to Simms for evaluation and will be repaired, replaced or returned at the sole discretion of Simms Fishing Products. This warranty does not cover damages caused by improper care, accidents or the natural breakdown of materials over extended use and time. 30 Day "Across the Counter" Wader Exchange. If, within 30 days of the purchase date, you are unhappy with a Simms wader, bring it back to the dealer you bought it from. Present your sales receipt, and we will replace it, no questions asked. The First Repair Is On Us. At Simms, we stand behind everything we make. But, from time to time, we all take a tumble in the pursuit of fish. If you accidentally damage your Simms wader during the first year that you own it, the first repair is on us. Go here to begin the repair process. To allow us to better serve you, please include a copy of your receipt when sending your waders. Further, we will only charge you our actual cost for any additional repairs that you may need during the life of your wader. Our Repair Department is not a profit center. Simply bring the wader to your dealer or create a Return Authorization number and begin the repair process. Once the Return Authorization number is created, we will work with you to repair or replace your waders.

Don't worry Vic, it wasn't so much an agree or disagree thing. I have no idea how to properly regulate or whether there's even anything wrong with how things are currently done. I was just running with your thread to point out my view that when it comes to pogies, there's a lot of financial and employment interests that need to be factored in, outside of the obvious, which is the pogie boat.

Vic I'm not picking on you by any means, just presenting a different viewpoint regarding jobs and pogies. Adding fuel to the fire even. You just happened to open the door for it. Hope the season is treating you well. I haven't had the heart to throw your plug in the water yet, it's still hanging out in the display case at the SWE. Suppose a business here in RI gets a boost when fishing is good (tackle shop, boat yard, rod builder, etc.) A business that provides good paying jobs with health insurance to it's employees. Is it still ok for an outside company to come in and potentially reduce the quality of fishing in the Bay (I know that would be extremely tough to quantify) which would possibly slow their sales? My point is that pogies are always going to have a price on their head and almost everyone has an interest in them, and usually it's a selfish interest. I often see the commercial fisherman defended and that is important and valid but there are others that see a different value in the same exact fish. They have value dead and alive so as Rockhound says the science is key. Many have an interest in them but it is essential that the interests are balanced but that the science protects the resource first. My interest (as a local business) just happens to be good for the pogies (until an angler snags it and feeds it to a bass) since great fishing is a good thing for a tackle shop. As such I always hope, and really have no choice but to trust, that the 50% rule is "good" for the fishery. It does seem odd that if we're so rich in pogies that they would be so focused up in the River this year. It would be great to see them spread out around the Bay.

Isn't peeing in a drysuit defeating the whole concept of the drysuit? As to the original question, a 2-piece that mates in the middle makes it easy if you aren't into peeing in your wetsuit. It's effectively pants and a shirt. Usually I have no issues peeing in a wetsuit but since it's so easy and my wetsuit is a 2 piece in this style I don't bother as long as it isn't too cold out. Unfortunately this style is somewhat rare. Unhook the beaver tail, flop your self out, and have at it. I will warn you that direct contact 50 degree water, after being cozy inside your wetsuit, is a bit unpleasant.

Stay covered as best you can out there if you fish during the day. Buff USA Headwear makes a UV protective scarf/headwear made of Coolmax. Coupled with a hat and glasses you can basically be completely covered and comfortable and not be re-applying sunblock all day. Definitely worth checking out if you're out there under the sun all the time. Getting checked regularly is of course key, but avoiding or reducing exposure in the first place is even better.