Category Archives: product

Will the real McCoy simply show hisself

The label from the Following up on a comment from Phil Huewe on the “Cheaper Ice Dub” post I did about a week ago. I knew I had the right fiber, it was the right “flavor” of fiber that was my consternation.

I contacted the maker of Angelina, the Meadowbrook Inventions Inc. and asked them what I was looking for – I’d tried the straight, crimped, and hot melt, knew it was the right fiber, but asked if there was something they made I didn’t know about.

The manufacturer referred me to a new form called “Soft Crimp” Angelina, and was nice enough to provide a couple half ounce packages as samples…

Bingo.

Which is the Ice Dub?Angelina is available in 2″, 4″, 6″, and 8″ lengths, not only the texture can be different but the length will throw you off as well. Anything longer than the 2″ will look “orderly” compared to Ice Dub, as they’ve trimmed the Angelina to 1″ and then mixed it all up.

If you want Ice Dub, buy the 2″ flavor of “soft crimp” Angelina. The “soft” part of soft crimp is markedly different than the straight, regular crimp, or hot melt fiber. It’s identical to Ice Dub in texture (although the length will be a bit longer).

All flavors of Angelina have worthy uses, and I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface. What makes it doubly insidious is the other two styles they told me about that I haven’t seen… sometimes your cup runs over…

I have inquiries to vendors the manufacturer recommended, and I’ll post them as soon as I have found a reputable source. I need one with all 41 colors so I can decide what to buy.

I can toss a pinch of the straight and “soft crimp” fibers into an envelope if you want to inspect them for yourself, just email me your mailing address – mine is in the “About” section at the top of the page.

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I’m thinking ROCK is far from dead

Some poor fellow probably spent a decade or two on this – not knowing I was planning something nefarious. He’s looking to improve Mankind and all I see is a better way to torture fellow anglers.

Flight of the Valkyrie would be good, especially around hatch time In-stream substrate has always been my weakness, as abandoned cars and sectional sofa’s take on new meaning to a brownline devotee. This may be a “mainstream moment” as I can see hundreds of uses to put the “wireless rock speaker” to work increasing both habitat for critters, and amusement for us sinister types, crouched in the bushes with a microphone.

At $150 these suckers are cheap. Add a dozen to your favorite run crank the volume knob, and eliminate rock snot, mud snails, and all interlopers.

Some fellow intent on his fly with you hidden offering timely elementary school tips, “Hey Batter-Batter, Swing!”

If that doesn’t get him off his game, queue the Grizzly Bear growl…

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Meet the Brownliner Microwave

“Bait and Switch” describes most restaurant menus I’ve ever seen. Crisp green lettuce, ruby red tomatoes, white onions, crisp pickles – then the order lands with a leaden thump, and the sodden mass of “cow-like substance” winks back at you…

exhaust_burger I always assumed that’s why they took the menus away when they took your order, so you couldn’t point at the picture and protest.

The “Cheeseburger in a can” looked promising, it’s the only meal that advertises itself with no letdown, you don’t need to open it, you already know what it looks like.

For the Epi-Curious the “Tail Pipe Barbeque” has Brownliner written all over it. Slap some grease meat into the device and head for the creek. On arrival you can add bun and assorted condiments, and be the envy of all them tired heroes plodding back to the car.

For the Blueline fishermen we’ll add cutlery, as they don’t appreciate the natural floatation qualities inherent in cow fat.

What’s missing is a couple of large diameter hose clamps, and extra garlic – in case I encounter something tasty near the center divider…

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I never heard so much as a whisper, and now it’s much too late

The last of the Redditch hookmakers I don’t know why I expected anything different, I wrote enough articles on the decline in “genetic diversity” to know better. It’s part and parcel of the “WalMart” phenomenon, small Mom and Pop business’s forced out of existence by sinister and cavernous chain stores.

It began innocent enough, I’m low on the special hooks used for my steelhead flies. The slim chance that I will confront a steelhead forces me to attempt every advantage, and I was down to my last box of razor sharp Partridge hooks that I’d squirreled away for personal use. To my horror they’re unavailable, worse yet the company has been swallowed by the mighty minions of Mustad.

The bloody coup occurred a year ago, I don’t even get a chance to rush to their defense in an orgy of protective consumerism.

“Partridge of Redditch” is no more, and with their demise a lot of small custom hooks have vanished from the market. I’ve used quite a few of their hooks, and fiddled with many of the odd styles – their quality was unsurpassed and their responsiveness to the public was remarkable.

They still make fish hooks, but only the mainstream conventional stuff remains of what was once a vibrant catalog. Rest in Peace, beloved SEB Steelhead hook…

I like supporting the “little guy,” in the back of my mind I preserve the fantasy of chucking the real world and retiring to some fly shop close to where trout sleep at night. It’s an unrealistic dream, but I still find a way to dump fifty bucks at even the smallest of destination shops, these guys are living our retirement fantasy and deserve the support.

It reinforces my notion that you should always buy plenty when you find something nice, you can’t put off the inevitable – but at least you’ll get another year before you get the bad news.

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I had a hell of time getting hooks last year, I may have solved that problem nicely, compliments of Togen

All I need is more things to fiddle with and nothing stirring to eat my creations. They say that’s what Winter is for and it appears as if I’m going to give Old Daytripper a run for his money…

Natural Bend Togen fish hooks caught my eye recently, a Japanese hook marketed by the Togen fly shop in Canada, their appearance is akin to a Tiemco, light colored bronzing, sharp small points (chemically sharpened), well formed and graceful, and really cheap…

My shipment showed this morning – I’d ordered the “scud” style (#18528), dry fly (#26528), 1X Nymph (#18538), and Natural Bend (#16428), figuring that would give me a nice cross section of the trout styles for testing purposes.

Standard Dry Fly The “Natural Bend” is an elongated hook and #20’s are about the size of a traditional #16, I ordered #20 – #16’s to accommodate the normal sizes I use.

Really nice hooks, nicely formed eyes, and I managed to imbed a point in my finger just opening the plastic bag – so they’re plenty sharp.

Now the “Good News” – they’re $7.00 US per hundred hooks, so it may be time to think on what you’re currently using. Togen sells them in packs of 100, or packs of 1000 – you can mix and match sizes and styles to build the 1000 pack. The price drops to $6.80 US per 100 if ordered in the “mix and match” 1000 bundles.

1X Long Nymph My thoughts on the subject are well documented. 100 years ago almost every fish hook in the world came from Redditch, England. No matter what the label said, it was a Sealy, a Partridge, or an Allcock. I think the same holds true today – no matter what the label says, it’s likely a Tiemco, Gamakatsu, or an affiliated factory.

As nothing else is biting, I may have to try these in the seafood aisle of my supermarket, I think I saw a Catfish fillet that weighed enough to deform a #20 – that’s if the damn Mergansers don’t beat me to it…

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If you’re looking for cheaper "Ice Dub" then you’re at the right place

Mother of Pearl Angelina I found a better retailer for the Angelina (“Ice Dub”) fibers, Joggles.com features a better color selection of the “straight cut” Angelina, and the price is a buck cheaper.

These are half ounce packages, which is equivalent to about 4 packages of Ice Dub, featured at $3.75 per half ounce. 36 colors are available as well as some quarter ounce sampler packs.

I picked up another dozen colors, mostly the “hot” steelhead variety.

I spent part of the weekend dying hare’s masks and beaver pelts to build some nymph dubbing blends, tossing a little Angelina into each blend will add some needed sparkle.

I was eyeballing the “Angelina” film as a likely Czech nymph shellback material, these are pearlescent sheets of Angelina similar to mylar with the Angelina color scheme – still scratching my chin over this one. The film is listed with the dubbing material at the above link.

Update: See the latest post on Angelina for information on the “soft crimp” flavor, this is what you’re looking for if you want the Ice Dub you’re used to buying at the fly shop.

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It sure looks like the Hatch will be on time to me

Fly fishermen are always preoccupied with bugs and hatches, alternately bemoaning the lack of – or the lateness of the bugs. An enterprising artist has taken that one better, incorporating time and insect obsession to yield art.

Mike Libby Spider I can’t confirm whether he’s a fisherman or not, but the watch parts should make additional weight unnecessary.

I don’t tie many spiders, as I’m reluctant to share the planet with them, incorporating a fish hook into the mix appears to be child’s play.

This is one of those subjects where the fine line between realism and “screaming like a schoolgirl” is blurred.

I’ll let you peruse Mike’s gallery of art, I’m scared to…

Mancave adornment, it if doesn’t warm enough, burn your rod

bamboo_light I lack the refinement to get sentimental over rod materials, mostly because I went from a steel Ace Hardware rod, straight to Fiberglas. Gentlemen of leisure owned bamboo, but only the Ladies lived in my neighborhood. If you’ve gambled away the ancestral castle and suffer further indignity by being banished to the garage, we may have the decor you’re seeking.

Perhaps you earned the “ManCave” banishment by emptying the entire box of mothballs in your tying stash, we warned you. Now you sit shivering, scratching tentatively at the door hoping they’ll let you back inside where it’s warm?

No chance. Wrap yourself in a car blanket and gaze in fondness at your bamboo light fixtures.

A Mackerel by any other name smells as sour

Nose on a chip I have nothing against Canaries, but they’ll be joining the ranks of the unemployed due to nano-science. It’s bad enough that the television has smiling, well coifed, ersatz people hawking underarm protection – but soon they’ll be hunting fishermen with torches and pitchforks.

Lots of different applications for the Electronic Nose in business, even in Society, but around fishermen these devices will likely achieve nano-overload. We’ll be the “dead spot” in coverage, the metrosexuals will turn surly, and we’ll be shunned as troglodytes.

I lurk on the fringe of society anyway, so no great impact to my social itinerary – you productive types may want to look at a new hobby though.

A couple of months from now and Orvis will debut the “Seersucker Florida Guide Shirt (available in; Sand, Mango, and Peach Blossom), that’ll display an LED on your Louis Vuitton Faux Semblant Rectangle LV Landscape sunglasses, a “pooty” meter, warning you when you’ve reached a socially unacceptable level.

That’ll give you ample time to tell the guide to head for the  barn. I’ll wave, then slide my pram over to your spot – where “Igor” and I will “bust a cap” on your fish.

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Don’t Bogart the Weed’Ez, don’t leave it adrift either

Tough Choice I can’t decide whether it’s chumming or littering, I guess I’ll leave it up to you.

“Weed’Ez” is artificial weed cover for fishermen. Plunk it into the water, and create your own navigational hazard. For merely $19.99 you can foul the propellers of your fellow fishermen, transport unwanted parasites to pristine waterways, and then get pissed and abandon it after you snag it repeatedly.

Each Weed’Ez pack includes four individual 60-inch plant clusters, which consist of three attached “stalks.” A float on top of each Weed’Ez keeps it floating upright, while a clip at the base lets the user attach a sinker for keeping the artificial plant anchored to bottom. Constructed of a tough synthetic material that won’t absorb water, Weed’Ez are tear resistant, even in the icy conditions of winter. When not in use, Weed’Ez fold up and fit into an included mesh storage bag, not much larger than a paperback novel, and light as a feather. Retailing for $19.99, Weed’Ez are portable and affordable fish attractors.

A perfect stocking stuffer for that hard to please fisherman. Remember that sound carries a great distance over water, and your trip will be shortened if you yell at your pal, “Dude, You need more Weed? I brought a ton with me..”

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