Category Archives: product

Is the fast action rod etched indelibly on young minds?

Are future generations of fishermen being subtly pre-programmed to prefer the fast action rod?

Singlebarbed’s penchant for “conspiracy” is well documented; we’ve always preferred word-of-mouth to facts – and if it’s carved into a bathroom stall or penned sloppily near a pay phone we know it’s gospel.

We’ve seen OPEC and endured OGRE, the Organization of Graphite Rod Exporters, but this latest entry smacks of something much more sinister.

XBox 360 Fast Action rod

Only the rubber cap bends, making this an extremely fast action rod capable of trimming hedges, can be employed as an ersatz Lightsaber, and is capable of spearing domestic pets.

The Strike puts the fishing rod in players’ hands as they head out to their favorite fishing holes, including ten of North America’s greatest lakes.  Featuring realistic lake bottom topography, advanced graphics, life-like fish behaviors, fully customizable characters and an abundance of boats, lures, rods and reels, The Strike offers virtual anglers the most realistic fishing game experience to-date.

Blame Bass Pro Shops for the Fall 2009 release of “The Strike” – we’ll see whether it’s the kiddies or Poppa with nose pressed against the glass come Christmas.

One quick cut with the Sawzall, mount that old Pfleuger Medalist with sliding bands of duct tape and lookout …

Available for the Wii and XBox 360, Fall 2009. $69.95 for game and controller.

The fly tying equivalent of two buck chuck is a three buck flyer

While everyone else is hunting a “10” – us unkempt fly tying types are content with a four. We’re not lowering the bar, rather it’s how many dozen flies we bang out before exhaling.

New materials are like that, anything capable of strumming the Creativity gene, leaving an “Edward Scissorhands” cloud of snips, tucks, flying debris, and a wake of forgotten half-filled coffee cups – is worthy.

Friday’s mail included a “three dollar flyer” – a package of unknown yarn whose grainy eBay picture looked promising, but out of focus. I saw sparkle and the potential for a trophy mutt – whose colors and qualities could generate a four or better.

 Berocco Crystal FX "Amber Mix"

Saturday morning I woke with fly tying scissors still in hand and a trail of dander leading to neatly ordered phalanx’s of replacements marching across my desk.

The yarn is called “Crystal FX” from the Berroco Yarn Company of Italy. It ceased production in 2007, so like everything else it’s in limited supply. eBay still has plenty, offering an assortment of colors for $8 per 147 yard skein.

Leech patterns showing color transitions 

I’d describe it as similar to an Estaz, Fritz, Cactus, or Glimmer chenille – but in a soft and flexible yarn form. Comprised of 100% nylon, it’s a flexible, semi-stretchy braid with mylar strands coming off as a fringe. It’s a trophy “mutt” – with color changes every 3 inches, which allows flies to take on any number of color transitions as the yarn is wrapped forward.

I’d purchased two skeins of “Amber Mix” which is blue, green, olive, gold, rust, and brown repeated along the fiber. It lacks the opalescence of glimmer chenille, but makes a fly that looks like shattered glass, with enough sparkle to blind a camera lens. 

 Czech style caddis with a single wrap

Ribbing the finished body reduces the scruffiness somewhat, allowing you to adjust the fringe effect to whatever length is desired. It’ll produce a “Czech” style caddis with a single wrap, and yield a worm if you plan a color transition at the head.

It’s heat sensitive, so you can melt the top fibers and leave the bottom shaggy, and lends itself to just about everything.

 An AP style mayfly nymph tied with Crystal FX

The yarn is thin enough to be useful on flies down to a size #12. The AP style mayfly above is a size 10, and showcases the fiber sizes and width of the mylar straggle.

You can trim the fibers easily with scissors to allow the dull nylon braid to show – I’ve left mine full length to test whether they break with abuse.

I grabbed some hot pink to use for Shad flies and the magenta mutt to use for steelhead. I tested them yesterday for fragility and they’re bulletproof.

Good color transition for streamers and leeches

This is first class leech material. Most of the patterns I’ve used in the past have some sparkle, some hackle, and fur to complete the forward portion of the fly. This delivers all three plus the added bonus of the color transition – which can be planned at any point on the completed fly.

Roughfisher has a good thing going with his glimmer chenille patterns, this may be a useful addition as the yarn dimensions are different enough to allow use in areas where glimmer chenille becomes unwieldy.

Part 2 of 2 : Is the fly line industry running out of superlatives?

RIO NymphIn the last installment we looked at the Scientific Angler and Airflo brands and pointed to similarities of taper and how advertising didn’t always correspond to the line’s attributes. Without a standard we suggested every change to a fly line could be spun into a benefit, and how advertising artfully avoids using the same superlatives to describe features and capability.

Admittedly our research is simplistic; discarding color, texture, slickness, and softness, and most of the hype to focus on taper alone. Taper is responsible for the feel of a line in flight, and that’s something each of us is expert in, it’s something we’ve practiced for years.

We’re hoping that all the Excedrin Migraine we swallowed building the charts will be useful going forward. Knowing your manufacturer and his tendencies can assist in making an informed purchase.

Of the “Big Four” manufacturers only RIO and Cortland remain. We’ve cataloged their tapers and noted some examples of their practices below:

RIO

 RIO Fly lines

RIO doesn’t reinvent the wheel as much as SA and Airflo, it takes proven and popular tapers adds new boxes and artwork and labels them as new lines – often species specific, or topology related. 

The RIO Carp is identical to their Mainstream Floater, the Mainstream Saltwater has an identical taper to their Mainstream Bass/Pike/Panfish, and if you snip 3″ off the tip of a RIO Striped Bass, it’s a RIO Clouser – only about $10 cheaper.

The RIO Lake and RIO Classic share an identical taper, but the Lake is an intermediate sink fly line, which is a marked difference.

The RIO website has the following for the CARP line:

Designed for the carp fly fisher, this weight forward fly line combines a medium length head with a smooth front taper for a subtle presentation. Wary carp will not be spooked by either the presentation, or the camo olive color. The slick XS Technology coating, over a braided multifilament core ensures easy and confident casts.

… and for it’s twin, the Mainstream Floater:

Designed to optimize rod performance at normal casting ranges with shorter heads, tapers and running lines that empower novice casters to make the cast. MainStream lines undergo the same rigorous production processes and quality control standards as all RIO products. The MainStream floating lines have a supple self-lubricating coating that remains memory-free in cold water.

The advertisements are different, no mention of “smooth front taper” on the MainStream, and they didn’t claim Carp fishermen are novice casters, which was a selling point of the MainStream. “Memory free in cold water?” – is that better or worse than XS Technology?

The RIO CARP retails for $69.95 and the Mainstream floater for $39.95, which is a significant hit despite the XS technology. Is the same taper worth the extra dollars?

You be the judge.

If we look at forward tapers, as we  did with SA and Airflo, RIO has 7 lines with forward tapers in excess of 7 feet. If the practice we’ve seen with SA and Airflo holds true we would expect the Selective Trout II to tout its long tip as that’s the “money” superlative to use; fine tip = soft presentation = selective trout.

The Indicator:

MainStream® Indicator Fly Line • NEW for 2009 With a short front taper and a front loaded head, this line is designed for casting big indicators and heavier flies, and does so with ease. The line is built on a supple braided multifilament core and has a self-lubricating coating that remains memory-free in cold water.

Huh? Short Front Taper? A delicate tip would be worse at turning over large flies as it lacks the mass of a heavier line. The front 7′ of the belly of the line is what they’re trying to suggest as the weight forward, it’ll have to transition its energy into the decreasing diameter of the 8′ forward taper otherwise it’s a mess when it lands.

The RIO Grand:

The RIO Grand is one half size heavier and features more weight distributed towards the front of the line to easily load fast action fly rods. AgentX Technology gives the RIO Grand maximum floatation and the XS Technology produces a wonderfully slick finish for easy distance. The line remains supple in coldwater conditions and is ultra smooth for maximum casting distance. The Super Floatation Tip™ has a welded loop for changing leaders. Tests prove that when you land a fish, the loop slides through the rod guides more easily than the customary nail knot.

No mention of the longer front taper, but has “Agent X” as a wildcard to feel safer about the purchase. “One half size heavier” means the line is AFTMA #7.5, and it’s likely a thicker diameter throughout the taper. We’ll have to take their word on it because a long front taper doesn’t concentrate the weight towards the front of the line, that’s an attribute of a short front taper.

The Selective Trout II:

One of the softest, memory-free fly lines made. A unique manufacturing process enables this line to have a relaxed off-the-reel feel yet the harder outer coating ensures the highest casting performance and durability. The Selective Trout II line is for discerning anglers and technical fishing situations where the long, fine front taper provide the softest of presentations. This line is the best for bamboo and traditional action trout rods. RIO has slightly increased the diameter behind the front taper of the double taper for easy turnover of long leaders. The AgentX coating makes these high floating lines incredibly easy to lift quietly off the water, while the XS Technology results in a very smooth and slick finish.

Predictable isn’t it? Here’s our mention of the benefits of a long front taper and how it assists a gentle presentation. Note how “soft” is immediately diffused by “hard outer coating” and durability is no longer in question. 

There’s little question that the marketing is genius – and fascinating how each line contains attributes that are selectively ignored or pronounced ensuring each line is marketed to a unique niche. This style is constant among all line manufacturers – and is required to ensure we’re lining up for more spools and the lines to go on them.

Real genius is touting a long front taper as good, and not having to  explain why a short front taper isn’t bad.

In my mind RIO takes it past the line of good taste however. I give high marks to its authors, their prose is deft, subtle, and you can’t argue with any of it. Claiming the delicate tip will assist in turning over large flies and a longer front taper is “more weight forward,” isn’t consistent with physics. The belly of the line is not part of the forward taper, and RIO blurs that distinction.

SA and Cortland were both effusive and elusive about their products, but they didn’t require a 4th dimension or a rift in the space-time continuum to validate their assertions.

CORTLAND

 Cortland Fly Lines

Cortland 444 LineCortland appears to have made a concious decision to simplify everything but the box art. It’s as if their strategy is, “We’ll make a taper that we like and use it on everything, if you like the feel of how a Cortland casts, then you’ll like all our lines.”

I can’t argue with the logic as it’s sound. It could also be indicative of a company attempting to keep pace with others and ill prepared for the specialization wave. It’s a reasonable explanation but it’s entirely conjecture on my part.

Cortland makes many lines but very few distinct tapers. Like Airflo they like a full foot of level line at the tip, and prefer 90′ and 105′ lines, and are betting on one of two things; either their coatings and textures are so much better than everyone else, or you won’t look at the above chart and realize they only make 2-3 different lines.

The chart speaks volumes, and suggests you’d be best served looking at price. Despite the box art, the line hasn’t had its taper tuned to match the advertised quarry or conditions, and with so little variance in taper the real difference is what you pay.

The SYLK and Classic Clear Creek have an uncommon amount of level tip and should be noted as such, let’s take a look at the marketing:

444 Classic Sylk is the first modern line designed specifically for fine bamboo and rods. The “Sylk” replicates the fine diameter, long taper, supple feel and subtle color of natural silk, but in a modern, easy to care for fly line. But, the “Sylk” isn’t just for bamboo! If you are one of the many anglers who have rediscovered the delights of fiberglass fly rods, this line is for you! It even works well on graphite for the finest presentations under the most demanding low water conditions. Can you say “midges?” 

… and the Classic Clear Creek:

Whether you’re on the legendary creeks of Paradise Valley, the Chalk Streams of Hampshire, or in the Limestone country of Pennsylvania, spring creeks (and tail waters!) present special challenges. The extra long, supple tip of the Clear Creek helps put the body of the line further from the target, resulting in a softer, more precise delivery of the fly. The mute olive color blends into both bank-side and aquatic vegetation. And our cold-water formulation remains coil free in any condition. 444 Clear Creek, the choice of spring creek experts!

No mention of the 400% longer tip on the SYLK (as compared to SA or RIO), which is being marketed to the bamboo crowd, that “extra long supple tip” is reserved for their technical offering, the Clear Creek.

Artfully chosen verbiage ensures no two lines appear the same in print, regardless of their physical properties.

Summary:

Fly line manufacturers are playing a game of words with us consumers. That’s not terribly surprising, but inclusion and omission requires us to do our homework before assuming anything about a fly line.

It doesn’t appear that a Bonefish line is required to catch a Bonefish, and you may have known that instinctively – but the new fly fisherman who’s looking to fly shop staff and magazines to make decisions doesn’t.

Advertising copy used by fly line makers are slicker than their line coatings. Features they tout on the box are shared by other lines in their product suite, many of their tapers are similar, and there’s no standard to judge words like; longer, shorter, and slicker.

A desirable feature is touted by the maker, its opposite is present on another line – where it too is an asset, and all we’re supposed to acknowledge is “it’s all Good.”

Fly lines are limited in their physical properties by the AFTMA standard. Weight (taper) is either pushed forward on the line or pulled rearward, with predictable consequences. Skagit lines and shooting heads are “all the weight stuffed forward” – and there’s no parallel for everything pushed to the rear other than … kite string.

Our research for these articles is inherently flawed. We’ve ignored all qualities of fly lines other than their taper, but taper is the entire feel of a line in flight and quite possibly the most important portion of any cast. Manufacturers toss us buzzwords; “Agent X”, “hydrophobic”, and “repeating geometric micro patterns” and like fish we swallow the bait whole.

Not all technical breakthroughs are worthy, and it’s up to us to determine what really works, what we really like, and to reward those firms that consistently produce superior quality in addition to superior ad copy.

Note: As an added bonus you can use the charts above to quickly determine who is repackaging another vendor’s lines. While the colors may change, the tapers should remain the same.

Part 1 of 2: Is the fly line industry running out of superlatives?

Scientific Anglers UltraI just can’t seem to leave well enough alone. Dogged determinism has me squinting at the screen digesting numbers and errata when I should be mowing lawn or squinting at a small fly going in harm’s way.

Like the evolution of medicine, fly line manufacturers are no longer content with a general practitioner, they’ve pushed us down the specialization path with glee – leaving us to ponder whether Mango is better than Avocado, slick is superior to textured, and whether a line called Salmon is needed for Salmon, or just another gimmick to add to the already horrendous weight of our vest.

Much is made of all the differences, with anglers professing allegiance to one camp or another, or merely shivering in the middle; unsure and undecided whether the voices of vendors and vendor-backed media are taking them down the primrose path.

Our angling publications aren’t much help, authors vie to give manufacturers the least offense, hoping the flow of freebies continue unabated. Product reviews always contain superlatives, the marketing materials contain even more  – and  end prematurely with little more than, “it’s cool, definitely slick despite the ridged and  bubbled finish and the Puce polka dots allow you to maintain contact despite blending with bankside shrubbery.”

Vendors are in constant competition, and pricing depends on mass production, each manufacturer wants as few pots of bubbling plastic polymer as possible. Cortland and Scientific anglers prefer PVC, Airflo likes Polyurethane, and everyone touts their mixture as the “one true God.”

But with the plethora of specialty lines and the maker’s desire to ensure you own all of them, they’ve trapped themselves. The AFTMA standard requires the line adhere to a given grain weight in its first 30 feet. Like NASCAR, everyone has a similar rule set – and there’s only so much you can do to a fly line taper. Shorten, lengthen, make “stairsteps” of increasing or decreasing line size, but when you’re done it’d better weigh within a fixed range just like your competitor.

We’ll assume everything they say about coatings, compounds, and textures is true, allowing us to get past the nouns and acronyms, past the religious fervor of Sharkskin, SYLK, and softeners, and focus on the product’s taper. We may not be able to discern the difference between hydrophobic and hydroponic, but we’re expert in soft butts,  big bellies, and a long tip when cast.

That “feel” comes from the taper – and whether it’s a sinking line imbued with Tungsten dust or a floating line with microbubbles, we’ve flung them with great passion for years; we know what we like, and might be able to answer, “are all these specialty lines really necessary?”

Remember, “as few pots of bubbling plastic as necessary” – and regardless of the spittle and vitriol, it’s likely all these lines use the same basic formula of plasticizers and polymers.

Method

I chose a AFTMA WF7 F/I/S to show the taper of each vendor fly line. These numbers are taken from the vendors website and/or discrete PDF’s constructed by the vendor which contain their line specifications.

We’ve ignored sink tips intentionally as their taper is compounded by the sinking portion.

Length = Total length of the fly line (feet)

Running Line = Length of the level running line portion (feet)

Rear Taper = The length of the rear taper of the head (feet)

Belly = The length of the fly line belly (feet)

Front Taper = Length of the front taper (feet)

Tip = the length of the level tip (feet)

If the line has a compound taper in the belly portion that taper is denoted by its overall length, and the steps of the taper in parenthesis. 35(Front20Rear15) is 35 foot overall belly length, the front 20′ is different from the rear 15′.

Lastly, I took every WF7 the vendor sold and compared their respective tapers in a chart, allowing you to see real differences in the line taper without being swayed by box art and advertising.

Scientific Anglers

Scientific Anglers fly linesScientific Anglers fly lines

I’d describe Scientific Anglers as the most prolific of the fly line kingdom. It’s apparent that almost every discrete line they manufacture has some small difference. These differences are not drastic and begs the question, “can the average angler detect the taper, and will it make much difference in his casting?”

Example: Take the Lefty Kreh Signature and the SA Professional floating line.  The differences between the two are a 2.4 feet longer rear taper on the Kreh line, and the Professional floater is the converse of the above, a 2.4 foot longer head taken from the rear taper. Both are the same price at Cabela’s.

All other line specifications are identical, suggesting the Kreh and Professional are largely the same. Manufacturers would claim the Kreh gives the softer presentation due to its longer tip – you’ll note in the marketing material below taken from the 3M and Cabela’s websites – no mention is made for the longer tip – it’s not considered an asset.

The marketing at Cabela’s is very different, differentiating the two, and there’s no mention that the Professional series contains the Lefty Kreh Signature line, as demonstrated by the Scientific Anglers website. That’s not an indictment so much as demonstrates the pains by which advertising attempts to make them all quite different.

Lefty Kreh:

It’s specially engineered by Scientific Anglers to possess optimal density for high-flotation applications. Both supple and easy to use, this line has a versatile midlength head that makes it suitable for a wide range of fishing situations. Special 3M lubricants increase the slickness of the Signature Series, resulting in superior casting performance.

Professional:

Scientific Angler’s new Professional Series Floating Line has optimal density for high flotation, and is supple for ease of use. With a braided multifilament core, internal lubricants to increase slickness and enhance shootability, and integrated UV inhibitors, this line is ideal for a wide range of conditions.

The Scientific Anglers website is terse in its prose, listing an abbreviated preamble and bullet points to describe each line’s attributes.

Lefty Kreh Signature

Applications:

  • Excellent general-purpose line
  • Easy to cast and high floating
  • Optimal line density for high floatation
  • Supple and easy to use in most conditions

WF taper characteristics:

  • Versatile mid-length head designed with input from the master himself – Lefty Kreh

Core:

  • Braided multifilament nylon

Coating:

  • 3M PVC formulated with special internal lubricants to increase slickness and enhance shootability
  • Integrated UV inhibitors for increased durability

Professional Series Floating

Applications:

  • Excellent general-purpose line for all weather
  • Optimal line density for high floatation
  • Supple for ease of use in all conditions

WF Taper Characteristics:

  • Group-tailored heads for general use

Core:

  • Braided multifilament nylon

Coating:

  • 3M PVC formulated with special internal lubricants to increase slickness and enhance shootability
  • Integrated UV inhibitors for increased durability

We find both have the UV Inhibitors, both have the same superlatives in describing function and use, the only difference being that the Lefty Kreh line is “designed by the Master himself” and “easy to use.”

I’d suggest that the lines are identical (except for the 2.4 foot reallocation) and that a casual angler isn’t looking at two different lines – but is in fact looking at pretty much the same line.

So why would a vendor go to the trouble of building a feature into the line that was singular when compared to other tapers, yet make no mention of it?  It’s likely they’ve used the superlative already in a half dozen other lines, and it’s important to distinguish each line as an asset to the angler’s overall quiver.

So you feel you need them all.

Note that the SA Mastery Stillwater has the 2nd longest front taper of any fly line they make, but it’s length isn’t mentioned in the marketing material. Ditto for the Supra Floater, it’s the third longest forward taper SA makes – yet no mention of that attribute on their website.

The Mastery Bonefish and Sharkskin Ultimate Trout Taper both advocate their long tips to provide graceful presentation, and there’s no sense confusing you as to how many “long tip” fly lines you really need, is there?

Both the Mastery series and Sharkskin lines are more expensive than the Professional and Supra series – why not save the best superlatives for your high end lines? That’s good marketing.

Scanning the chart of the Scientific Angler lines above, many more similarities announce themselves, like the Saltwater Specialty, and the Specialty Bonefish line – a mere two foot difference in taper location akin to the Lefty / Professional.

There are many pronounced differences in the tapers as well, what the angler needs to ask themselves is outside of the marketing hype of slickness, texture, color, plasticizers, and coatings – is there much difference between my choices for a Carp line – and would the Bonefish taper be just as good?

Most anglers won’t be able to discern the difference between 2 foot of taper shoved forward, and as we’re ignoring all else other than their functional spec, it appears much of the cornucopia of fly lines tapers are not as distinct as we’ve been led to believe.

Airflo

Airflo_Lines

Airflo fly linesAirflo has a much smaller stable of fly lines than Scientific Angler, and like SA they’re showing the same advertising tendencies.  Both Airflo and Cortland include a full foot of level taper at the tip, unlike RIO and SA which opted for 6″.

The Delta, Sixth Sense, and 40 Plus all have long front tapers to ease the splash of presentation, and the balance of the Airflo suite are roughly similar with the weight shifted forward or backward by less than 5 feet.

Despite the differences between the two basic groupings of Airflo lines, only the Delta advertising mentions the long tip. The Sixth Sense and 40 Plus make no reference to the tip at all.

(The 1.5′ tip on the Ridge Delta Floating appears to be a website typo)

We should be asking ourselves when the manufacturer touts his “extra long belly” as an aid to long casts, long as compared to what?  There’s no such thing as a normal belly, tip, or rear taper, ensuring every possible change to the line can be touted as a benefit.

“With the debut of the Singlebarbed line and it’s Zero-Taper tip, the sumbitch lands like a gutshot mallard – offering the angler the advantage of visual feedback on the location of his fly. Available in Raspberry Red, Lemon Yellow, and Orange Orange..”

Whether it really makes a difference in your casting, you’ll have to try one and find out. 

I fear there’s plenty of lip gloss in fly line advertising, largely to differentiate similar products – giving us anglers the illusion we need multiple lines.

Wednesday, Part 2 of the series, “Are they Rogues or Demons, and why didn’t they tell me snipping 3 ” off the tip of a RIO Striped Bass line yields a RIO Clouser and $9 savings?

105 in the shade might be an appropriate proving ground

The pace is glacial but someone’s keeping their ear to the catcalls from the brown water…

RIO's new Carp Taper

Summer is truly inhospitable and the combination of blazing daytime temperatures and chemicals in the water have bleached the SA Sharkskin and Cortland lines I’ve used in past seasons. It’s only a little bit less harsh on me – with my thin membrane of waders all that separates me from the chemical brew.

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Backorder is out of the Question

With the government’s intent to pursue the assets of the Madoff clan, it would suggest that Abel Reels might be inching closer to receivership. News announced yesterday states the government’s intent to freeze the assets of both Ruth Madoff and her two sons, and their interest in “20 other entities.”

Could "Poppa Behind Bars" be the last in the line of fancy finishes?

That would suggest the Abel Reels might have their production curtailed, as both Andrew and Mark Madoff are co-owners of Abel Holdings LLC, the firm that owns the company. If you’ve considered owning some of their product, I’d think you’d move smartly.

Details are sketchy and rumors are flying, and forum chatter suggests a connection to the venerable Thomas & Thomas Rod Co, and Sharpe’s of Aberdeen.

Rumors should be taken with a large dose of salt, other than their ownership of Abel, nothing else has been confirmed. Abel Holdings LLC may have bid on other enterprises or expressed interest – I can find nothing that suggests either company is owned by Abel Holdings LLC.

From the Abel Press release (of November 2007):

Andrew Madoff, Abel Holdings LLC lead investor, said, “Abel’s 20-year legacy of unparalleled quality and performance makes it an attractive investment. As I’ve gotten to know the company through this process it has become clear that its most important assets are the people that create these excellent products. We’re thrilled to lend our expertise and join them in building this business and the Abel brand.

“We will work with existing management to help refine all operations of the business, reposition it for growth, and maintain the manufacturing processes that allows Abel to produce the finest fly reels in the world.”

Swanson, with Abel in various capacities since 1994, will continue to run the company day-to-day and assumes the title of president and chief operating officer. Representing Abel Holdings LLC, Madoff will be the CEO.

With the legacy of Poppa Madoff, backorder is out of the question.

Update: The tie in between Sharpe’s of Aberdeen and Thomas & Thomas rods does not involve the Madoff’s or Abel Holdings LLC. Sharpe’s attempted to purchase Thomas & Thomas in 2007, an agreement was reached for the sale of the company, but Sharpe’s became insolvent and was run by the Bank of Scotland.

While making the initial payment for T&T (in the amount of $100,000) Sharpe’s failed to make any other payments nor surrender 10% of their stock to the owners of T&T.

T&T sued them in Ohio courts, but the Articles of Incorporation show T&T’s president remains (as of 11/2008) John Metcalf, who was appointed by Sharpe’s, so the deal has apparently completed. Part of the court record is available including the terms of the purchase and subsequent suit.

How to broach the "fly fishing" subject to the significant other without undue suffering

Before sharing with your clients, make sure SWMBO has a case You too can enjoy the official vineyard of the Federation of Fly Fishermen.

Program Objectives
The purpose of the StoneFly Vineyards customer and partner loyalty program is to help our fellow members of the angling and fly fishing trade boost their businesses by increasing customer loyalty and strengthening relationships with valued partners. At StoneFly we also appreciate the opportunity to get the word out about our winery and fine wine products.

How it works:

Your spouse or gal friend finds out you can score really fine wines from Napa Valley at a 33% discount, and you’re rendered insolvent by her sudden demand for aged grape juice.

… at least that’s how it would work at my house.

My mistake was moving my lips while I read the advert, her radar is so finely attuned that before I could voice the thought – I saw the “arms folded on chest – stony stare” posture and quickly crumpled the application.

“YouAintSendingNothing2NobodyUntilYouTakeMeThereFirst.”

At least I got her interested in fly fishing …

Fly fishing is chemical resistant, even when it may be a boon

Who you gonna call? While the rest of you debate whether it adheres to the spirit of things I’ll be quietly mixing it into my head cement.  I’m preprogrammed to break ranks with the crowd at the first opportunity, exploit fish horribly, then asks forgiveness in a cataclysm of guilt.

My theory is fly fishermen are the last rung on the outdoorsman ladder, if you’ve tried everything else and failed – ours is a sport that celebrates its lack of scent, there’s no stigma if you don’t wash your hands.

Real outdoor types pull guts out of deer, blow daylight through a duck’s arse, or add cherry-flavored salmon eggs to a hook – and resume eating their sandwich. They regard our mincing gait and “ew-ew-ew” sounds with mild scorn – and we fancy them boorish cavemen without the good sense to bring either silverware or napkins.

We’ve always recoiled in disgust at chemical use; we curl lip at a fly tinted with magic marker, get enraged at spritzing our flies with anything other than floatant, and backpedal at the sight of things that sink or scent our flies.

I don’t, as I’m a reformed killer. I lack all those social graces and spurn proper behavior; I dipped my anchovies in dish detergent when trolling for salmon, spritzed whatever was necessary to kill more than the other fellow, and was amused by Pautzke’s fingerprints on my Velveeta sandwich, then wolfed it quickly so I wouldn’t be forced to share.

When I see something that violates all them lofty principles, it’s twice as compelling.

Vision Baits has introduced a substance called “Ecto-Plasm” – a brownish gel when wiped on lures flies gives them the same eerie green gelatinous color we’ve admired in all the horror movies.

… once it is in the water it gives off a luminescent green glow that lasts up to eight hours.

I keep thinking of the Stripers we chased from the breakwaters of the Marina at night, and how nine inches of conehead equipped bucktail, would be vastly improved with a generous dollop of the above.

Saltwater flies have similar issues with visibility as brownlining, it’s a lot of water to cover – plenty of seaweed to obscure movement, and a short lived tide controlling your destiny, why wouldn’t vision enhancement be anything other than a boon?

The gel is activated by contact with water, so you’ll need to be cognizant of the dog walkers and joggers – if they’re pointing and laughing – you may want to wipe your nose.

You can’t beat the fully enclosed propeller

It’s not just streams suffering overcrowding, lakes can host flotillas of boorish fly fishermen equipped with expensive tackle. Those of you looking for that last bolt in your offensive quiver might consider the Flat Water Dominator, shown below:

 Ram the opposition and board with impugnity

Nothing will prepare the opposition for the watery salvo across his bow, followed by a “D-cell” equipped motor capable of Ramming Speed…

A little camo would assist a stealthy approach, but harsh language and an RPG was enough for the Somali Irregular Navy, whose endorsement of the Dominator is liable to secure you all the Sage tackle you can carry.

Batteries ransomed separately.

Too much information to entrust to a four legged former pal whose loyalties shift with the sound of crinkled cellophane

He'd rat you out for a treat It might be the perfect campsite companion, she cuts off your air supply wrapping the GPS waterproof cell phone around your neck, and can reel you in when dinner’s ready.

The PetsCELL™ is the first voice enabled waterproof GPS cell phone optimized for animals. It will be available for commercial distribution early in 2008 and consumer distribution in mid 2008.

The possibilities are limitless, but the original concept leaves me puzzled.

Combining industry leading GPS technology with the ability of 2-way communication.

What are you supposed to do when you hear, “Grrr, arf Arf, ARF” on your end? Small dogs are known conversationalists, but your big lumpy Labrador or Golden Retriever is suddenly able to tell you where them quail went?

I don’t get it.

I figure most dogs could master text messaging in seconds, but there’s no mention of voice or data plans, what they cost, or whether you can screen 900 numbers from “Meathead’s” call list, and if he chews it are you responsible for the charges when he accidentally calls the Pentagon?

A two way waterproof cell phone with voice activation might be pretty snazzy for anglers, but only if it can filter the white noise of rapids and won’t embarrass you with a simulcast to either spouse or fishing pals.

This cell phone costs quite a bit more than the iPhone 3G, however, at $400 plus a monthly service fee.

Fish and Game would love you to wear them, it’s likely a shared data source hosted by somebody. They’ll dial into the Upper Sacramento and figure which bank they need to visit and how often.

… and is he still “man’s best friend” when your pals downlink the record of where you fished, how long, and that brief stop at … Safeway?

Nothing like a passive transponder to reveal all the secrets of your favorite creek, and the source of that enormous salmon fillet. You’ve got more to worry about than simply removing the price tag…