Great Outdoor Blog

Scott & Sara took a break from the Great Outdoor Provision Co. Main Offices to fly fish for stripers. They fished the Roanoke River near Weldon, NC last week.

We have some great events coming up for anyone interested (or experienced) in Fly Fishing. Lots of new spring fishing tackle and clothing in the shop.

Fly Fishing Demo - Wed, April 23

Wilmington Shop - 6pm
Join local fishing guide, Seth Vernon, for an evening of basic introduction to fly fishing. He will cover equipment selection (including rods, reels, clothing), what you can fish for, where you can fly fish, and will have a brief casting demonstration. The event is sponsored by Scott Fly Rods, Patagonia & Double Haul Guide Service. FREE Event!

Magnifly–What a Trout Sees - Fri, April 25

Art Show presented by local artist & painter, Brian Hester
7:00-8:30pm @ our Charlotte Shop

Spring 2008 Fly Fishing Classes

Clearwater Lake - Chapel Hill : Apr 26, 27, May 3
Charlotte : May 10
Wilmington : May 17

WINSTON ANNOUNCES WINNERS OF SECOND FILM FESTIVAL

Winston has announced the winners of its second FlyFishingMovies.com Film Festival. Over 50 films were submitted for the current festival.

Josh Eddings (Wilmington Shop Staff), Luke Pearson (videographer) & Capt. Seth Vernon recently took Third Place (Bronze Trout) honors for saltwater in the Winston Rods contest with their video trailer for “Redfish Can’t Jump”.

How to enter a flyfishing movie: simply logon to flyfishingmovies.com and follow the instructions.

M’s Watermaster II Waders by Patagonia

The Watermaster II Waders are the toughest, most puncture-resistant breathable waders on the market, and feature our innovative internal suspension system that allows “relief” without removing jacket or vest.

These days, waders have to do more than just wade. They need to breathe easily and resist the thorns – from blackberries to Argentine Califate – that guard our favorite waters. Patagonia’s Watermaster II Waders feature a proprietary 3-layer HydroStorm waterproof/breathable polyester fabric package that’s quantitatively tougher (not to mention 25% more waterproof) than the competition. An innovative internal suspension system provides quick, layers-on “relief” without hard-to-operate and failure-prone zippers, safety when taking an unexpected swim, and cool comfort when worn at waist height in hot weather. Strategically placed reinforcement fabric, patterned neoprene feet, contoured crotch and knees, grit-stopping gravel guards and a built-in wading belt round out the package. Field repair kit included

» More Patagonia Fly Fishing

GUIDE TESTIMONIAL:

I wanted to take a minute and express my admiration for the Patagonia Watermaster II breathable waders. Frank, owner of the Pere Marquette River Lodge had told me how well they held up, but I was a little skeptical. After all, I not only guide steelhead and salmon on Michigan’s Pere Marquette River in the spring and fall – I spend the entire summer guiding 7 days a week on the Naknek River in Alaska, from early June until the snow flies in early October. This includes a lot of days hiking into wilderness streams and dodging bears in thick brush, not to mention dragging jet boats on and off of beaches, putting docks in and out of the water, refueling boats, etc.

Last summer, I went through 3 pairs of waders and by the first week of July this summer, I was already on my second pair. When Frank fished with me in early July, he saw that I was in need and left his Watermaster’s for me to test for the rest of the summer.

Amazing hardly begins to describe the difference. Not only were they dry and comfortable to hike around in, but, at the end of the season, I was still wearing the same pair. I had completely wore of the pair of wading shoes that I had started the summer with (not Patagonia’s shoes – another brand) but the waders were still going strong. I didn’t even need to use my patch kit.

I am only half joking when I tell my guests that I spend more time in my chest waders that I do in a pair of jeans. For the last couple of seasons, I have started out almost every day by pulling on a 7 or 8 year old pair of silkweight Capilene bottoms, an equally old and beloved pair of Patagonia fleece pants and then switched to a different companies waders. No longer. Patagonia’s commitment to quality and durability has convinced me to look to them for their waders as well.

I have already spoken to Frank about a pair of Patagonia wading shoes for next summer. I have been hearing only rave reviews from other guides on the shoes as well, and I can’t wait to put them to the test.

Thanks for the great products – keep them coming.

Jim Johnson
Owner, Alaska’s Naknek River Camp

The Fly Fishing Film Tour is a year round organization dedicated to bringing a new face-vision and scene to the fly-fishing entertainment world. Our goal is to inspire fly fishers and film makers to make new, innovative, entertaining and cutting edge films.

McGlohon Theatre - Charlotte

Thursday March 13, 2008 @ 7:00 PM
345 N. College Street
Charlotte, NC 28202

» WATCH VIDEOS

» MORE INFO

» BUY TICKETS

Here’s a trailer from Patagonia:

Stop by and check out the new Vibram FiveFingers in our Raleigh ,  Greenville, Charlotte, Chapel Hill & Wilmington Shops.

barefooting (bare•foot•n) n. 1. The exhilarating joy of going barefoot without leaving yourself exposed; 2. any activity requiring unconventional footwear offering the protection of a thin, flexible Vibram skin; 3. an intelligent way to deepen your connection with your natural surroundings.

M’s & W’s FiveFingers Sprint: Hook and loop closures along the heel and instep provide a comfortable secure fit. A thin, abrasion-resistant stretch polyamide fabric fits low on the foot—for comfort and quick drying. A flexible, non-marking TC1 performance rubber sole is razor siped to enhance grip over a variety of terrain.

SPRINT IS BEST FOR: Light Trekking, Bouldering, Pose Method Running, ChiRunning, Fitness Training, Yoga, Pilates, Sailing, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Surfing, Windsurfing, Flats Fishing, Travel

$80

Bristol Bay, located in southwest Alaska, is home to pristine waters and habitat that sustains world class trout and salmon populations and the largest sockeye and king salmons runs remaining. Wildlife is abundant in this area. The proposed Pebble Mine will create North America’s largest open-pit gold and copper strip mine. The Pebble Mine complex, covering some 15 square miles, would include the largest dam in the world, 2 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide, made of earth not concrete, to hold back the toxic waste created in the mining process.

Experts agree that the Bristol Bay fishery will ultimately be destroyed. The land to be mined is currently owned by every American citizen and is managed by the US Bureau of Land Management. Trout Unlimited and numerous other conservation minded organizations have committed themselves to stop mining in this region. For more information on Bristol Bay go to www.tu.org/bristolbay.

Save Bristol Bay Raffle

To raise money for this project, Triangle Fly Fishers will raffle off a limited edition fly fishing outfit. View the Raffle Flyer here (PDF).

Visit triangleflyfishers.org for more info

STOP PEBBLE MINE

The Pebble Partnership, comprised of the worlds second largest multinational mining corporation, Anglo American, in partnership with mining junior Northern Dynasty, wants to create one of North America’s largest open-pit gold-copper mega mines within a much larger potential mining district in the headwaters of Bristol Bay. The Pebble Mine complex, covering some 15 square miles, would include the largest dam in the world, larger than Three Gorges Dam in China, made of earth not concrete, to hold back the toxic waste created in the mining process. Over its lifetime, Pebble will produce 2.5 BILLION TONS of waste.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

The Pebble Mine site lies on state land in the heart of WORLD CLASS TROUT and SALMON STREAMS, a land veined with brooks and rivulets, riddled with pools and puddles. In addition, Bristol Bay is home to the WORLD’S LARGEST commercial wild salmon fishery; many of those fish spawn in the Kvichak and other tributaries in the Iliamna Lake area.

While Pebble directly threatens the health of our Bristol Bay fisheries, equally disturbing is the Federal Bureau of Land Management and Department of the Interior’s proposed land management plan which recommends opening over a million acres of pristine federal wild lands in Bristol Bay to hard rock mining, a dangerous move for fish and people living in the region. Not only would the planned “Bristol Bay Mining District” mar the region’s remarkably wild and beautiful landscape, but it risks grave consequences for the health of all living things downstream.

The harvest and processing of Bristol Bay fish generates nearly $320 million a year and provides jobs for some 12,500 people. Sport fishermen spend nearly $60 million a year to experience the prize fishing in this area.

Year after year, Bristol Bay produces MILLIONS OF FISH worth hundreds of millions of dollars, like no other place in the world.

BLOG Time:
Check out filmmakers Travis Rummel and Ben Knight of Felt Soul Media’s blog about the production of their documentary on Bristol Bay’s world renowned fisheries and pristine waters. See some amazing photos and laugh about the day-to-day challenges of the production of this amazing film. »Read their blog

Learn More @ www.savebristolbay.org

First of all, do not panic. Unless the rod is somehow holding the door closed on a burning car with a baby trapped inside, which is highly unlikely, time is on your side.

Do:

Get a helper: Four hands are better than two. Both of you clean your hands. Get rid of anything that would make your hands slippery like grease from your fried chicken lunch, Dapper Dan hair treatment, 10W40, etc. Also clean the rod. Use rubbing alcohol for this. Now get one guy on either side of the ferrule and pull. Make sure your hands are away from the guides and you are pulling straight!

Chill Out: Often the reason the rod is stuck is that it was put together when cool and now it’s warm. This tightens the connection. Lay the rod on a table and put a bag of ice on the ferrule for 20 minutes or so. Then follow the instructions above. In the field I’ve submerged rods in the river for a while to cool them off. I’ve never had this fail.

Do not:

Twist the rod. Use pliers, wire cutters, vice grips, bench vices or any other mechanical equipment to hold the rod. Use the guides to get a better grip on the rod. Heat the rod with a lighter, blow torch, candle, match, friendly dragon, or any other heat source (heat is really bad for epoxy.)

- Scott Wood, Fly Fishing Product Manager

Our Triangle class will focus primarily on Trout. This is partly a response to our customer’s requests and partly to take advantage of this very unique location. Clearwater Lake in Chatham County is a cool, clear, spring fed lake that has been stocked with pond raised rainbow and brook trout. The last hour or two of this class will be on the water casting to and, hopefully, catching trout. Read more about our full day class

• Oct 20 - Chapel Hill
• Nov 10 - Chapel Hill

» REGISTER ONLINE