Visit from Santa

[Scudly]

Anybody get outdoor stuff?

I got a G Loomis 6' lightweight fast action rod rated 6-12 lbs. Shimano Sahara 2500, plus 10lb braided Firewire to go with it. $155 for the rod. I liked it better than a similar St Croix that was going for $170. G Loomis has lifetime warranty like St Croix, no receipt required. That makes me feel better. Most I've ever spent on a pole. Lightweight with a strong backbone to fight the big 'uns.

[waterbound]

Everything I got was for ice fishing, but I'm still happy. I got an underwater camera, a heater, chains for my boots and a set of ice picks. I'm looking forward to seeing some trout action on the camera once the season opens!

[Scudly]

Sweet! Where do you ice fish? I need to get into ice fishing. Understand HSO has the best ice fishing forum around.

What kind of underwater camera did you get? I too am excited to use my new Panisonic for underwater shots, especially trout release shots. Impressed so far. Plus no worries on ruining your camera. I posted some underwater shots under the Camera Recomendations thread.

[waterbound]

I do alot of ice fishing on Minnetonka for walleyes and crappies, spearing on Medicine and Christmas and I'm going to try catching some of the stocked rainbows in Christmas through the ice this year (but it sounds like nobody ever has much luck for them through the ice there). I think I'll be hitting Grindstone for lakers and maybe some stream trout and Cenaiko on the winter opener. The underwater camera was just one of the cheap ones from Menards that shows a video on a little TV screen, I'm really looking forward to using it on the clear trout lakes.

[so haaad]

I got a few books, including two from John Gierach that I actually haven't already read.

[fsh4trout]

I got new waders. Waist high frogg toggs. Gonna go out tomorrow and get some wading boots to go with it.

[Scudly]

My new chest waders are Frogg Toggs. Wore them once and happy so far. Reinforced in knees even.

What kind of boots are you going to get? Felt really suck even in the summer?

Aaron - you can never go wrong with a Gierach book! His stories are excellent.

[so haaad]

Oh, I also got a new fly vest from my wife. It was kind of hard to retire the last one after 15 or so years, but it was time.

[fsh4trout]

Heading over to the world's foremost outfitter to look at the cabelas guidewear boot, today actually. I agree felt sucks, it's useful maybe up on the north shore or out west wear you are in the wader most of time, and have to deal with slippery rocks. Rubber lug soles are the way to go, good for walking along the stream. Waders also protect you from nettles and parsnip.

Last year my hippers fell apart so I wet waded from late june to the end of the year. Ouch, the nettles and parsnip get to ya after a while.

[Scudly]

New fly vest you say? Now that is a gift! Good ones are not cheap. Generally get what you pay for with fishing gear. My $30 vest is quickly falling apart after one season.

fish4trout you sound frugal. I did wet wading for several years befor hippers and now just starting second pair of chest waders. Wet walking back through the itch weed no fun. I think I built up an immunity for a while. Same with the parsnip for the most part. Although last summer I got some on my hands that gave me small temporary blisters - first major reaction to the stuff. Right when the stuff was all flowering.

[s t fanatic]

TC Triumph Bone Collector. my first smoke pole, pretty excited to shoot it.

[fsh4trout]

Scudly, I actually started to make up reasons to justify not having waders. The best one is you felt more part of the stream without waders, you felt the cool water, the sting of the nettles, the morning dew, etc. This all fell apart when I wanted to fish a parsnip choked small stream. I looked like I had survived a nuclear blast. My justification worked perfectly if you were fishing a pastured stream but did not hold up when I wanted to fish a brushy stream.

Real reason, no money. The cheap hippers are just that, cheap. They do not last more than one season, so I decided to tough it out.

[Scudly]

Had a pair of rubber Hodgman hippers that were lined with canvas inside and out. They lasted a couple of seasons. Only problem I did not care for the built in thin rubber boot. I ended up spraining my ankle in Trout Run Creek, WW and literally crawled out of the woods for a mile before I reached some hikers that shouldered me back to my car. Where my heels clicked the rubber wore out on the boot and it did not seem fixable. IMO, breathable is also easier to fix a leak.

You should be happy with waist high waders although there are enough times I go up to the tip top of my chest waders to retrieve a lure or cross a deep hole that I want to keep using breathable chest waders.

Wild parsnip must have been in full bloom? Take any photos of your injuries? It would serve as a good reminder to take the stuff seriously. How long did the burns last?

[s t fanatic]

i got into parsnip last year. it scarred for weeks after the rash dried up.

[fsh4trout]

First it blisters, then drained, and left a red inflamed area. If you look closely you can still see the faint scars. It hurt but it is not unbearable. People just gotta know what it looks like and steer clear.