No cell signal in the boonies? No problemo.

Well, I went to the Klamath this fall to fish.The cabin we were in was about 40 road miles from a cell signal. My friends, at whose cabin I was staying, had a gizmo that they had used to make calls from way out in the sticks. It was this cell phone signal booster.

We were able to use it to make calls back home. It consists of a main unit that you plug into the wall or cancer stick lighter. This was connected via a long cable to a foot-tall antenna to pick up the cell signal. The other part of the unit was a cable connection to a little handset cradle that picked up your phone's signal. Using this combo we were able to make calls from bumfudge nowhere. I'm going to pick one up next year before my future trips so I can stay in touch with the wife and babies when I'm driving out in the boonies somewhere. Very cool.

Review: Monic Clear Fly Line

I bought the All-Weather Clear Floating Fly Line in a 6 weight from the Monic web site after researching clear fly lines and reading some reviews. All the reviews I'd found on it were positive. I've used this line now in warm-ish ponds as well as in waters down to the low 50s in rivers. Here's my summary.

• The line is clear, although kind of cloudy clear, since it is obviously thicker than a mono line, but definitely less visible in the air and/or water than any fly line I've seen. I haven't gotten in the water to see if it presents a significantly smaller silhouette from below so I'll try that in the future.
• It casts well, and has low memory, although not as low as regular fly line. It feels a little stiffer and has a bit more memory than regular fly line, so it retains a few more coils but not enough that it was a problem for me. Cold water appeared to have no effect on the line performance.
• The only negative I found, and it's a very small one, is that the line is a bit less slick than other fly lines I've used, so it shoots a bit less. It's not quite as nice as the Scientific Angler's Mastery GPX in slickness and shooting. However, I need to update this once I dress the Monic line with some fly line dressing. I haven't done that since I bought it over a year ago.
• It's got a pretty standard weight forward taper that casts well. It felt slightly heavier than my 6 weight Rio Mainstream Trout WF6F I have and it casts farther than that line. I like the taper.
• The line is of course harder to see on the water but it wasn't an issue for me at all. I think any decent fisherman with average vision should be able to tell where his fly and line are just from the angle of exit from his rod and his knowledge of currents and presentation. The line was still plenty easy to see at 40 feet away or less, where 95.643% of all fishing takes place.

I'd buy this line again.

Review: The Underwater World of Trout

There are 3 DVDs in this set:

The Underwater World of Trout Volume 1: Discovery

The Underwater World of Trout Volume 2: Feeding Lies

The Underwater World of Trout Volume 3: Trout Vision and Refraction

I've only watched "Discovery" and "Feeding Lies".
These are two excellent DVDs because they are about 95% underwater footage of trout. I find that any trout educational materials that provide underwater footage of insect or trout behavior and feeding are invaluable. That kind of knowledge is hard to pick up via experience unless you get in the river with mask and snorkel yourself.

"Discovery" covers Trout behavior and habitat in a general sense. It's entertaining and informative, allowing us to see bits and pieces of how trout operate underwater. It shows trout spawning, fighting, resting, swimming, and feeding.

I enjoyed "Discovery" but "Feeding Lies" was a bit more directly relevant to me because, of course, it showed where and how trout feed. It shows where they hold, what kind of water they prefer to feed in, what they're picking out of the water, etc. That in itself was a lot of useful information.

The single biggest takeaway I got from both videos was how water that was very shallow and/or very fast, and looked fishless from the surface, held so many fish in active feeding mode. Fish are happier in faster water than we think, and seem to spend a lot of time there. Fish in slower water tend to be resting more and feeding less. I'm going to fish the fast, shallow water that I used to pass up.

I'm definitely going to check out "Trout Vision & Refraction" soon. I'm really curious about this subject.

Review: Simms Headwater Wading Boot

So I bought the Headwater boot 2 months ago and have used it about 12 river days now on varied terrain. I have never owned a wading boot before so I have nothing to compare it to but the summary is that I am very happy with my pair. They feature the Vibram Streamtread rubber sole and I also bought their aluminum cleats to go with it. I haven't tested the boots without the cleats. I've always had cleats in. Also, I traveled in a jet boat for part of my fishing and the cleats don't seem to damage anything. They are flat and flush so the boat's floor was unblemished. That wouldn't be the case with studs.

The pluses

• Very light compared to other wading boots.
• Traction appeared to be comparable to my companions' who were all wearing felt.
• The rubber tread seems to be more aggressive than any other wading boot I've seen
• Easy to get on and off

The minuses

• The shoelaces that came with the boot are already starting to wear through after only 12 days of river use. I'm going to have to find some tougher replacements.
• The Alumibite cleats that Simms sends only come in a pack of 14. That's only seven per boot but all their photos show at least 10 cleats per boot being used. I used the boots like this for 6 river days and they performed fine, but under easy to moderate wading conditions. I later ordered 6 more Hardbite cleats (3 per boot) to see if they would improve the traction. To be fair, I didn't notice a difference in traction. However, I need to test this further in more difficult conditions (let me see if the wife will give me time to perform these very important tests).
• This is minor for me, but these boots aren't going to support your ankles as much as sturdier boots when you're stumbling and sliding on the sides of underwater boulders, so you're going to have to work a little harder to support your ankles yourself. These lighter weight boots just have less material in them. For me it's a worthy trade off.

My only other minor gripe is that Simms' web site has very little descriptive info about their boots and cleats and why you'd want to use one or the other. I had to scour the web for reviews to figure it out. They really should have someone write up why and where you'd want to use one boot and/or cleat or the other. Their web site would be much better if they put some sort of buyers guide on it for the boots and cleats.

The Hardbite cleats look more aggressive than the Alumibite cleats but I couldn't tell the difference when wading with the mix of cleats on my fit. I still don't know how the cleats differ. A review on the Simms website indicates that the Alumibite cleats are actually more aggressive. It appears that the softer aluminum cleats mold to the bottom more so they provide a bit better traction. However, I'm still confused. My wife would agree with that statement.

Finally, the sizing was hard to figure out. I called Simms and they said to get the boots 1 size larger than my street shoes, in order to compensate for wader booties. However, other reviews/forums said to get them true to size. I'm a size 12 shoe so I tried on the 12 and 13. They both fit ok, but the 12 just felt a hair tight and the 13 a hair loose with my wading booties on. Since tight boots generally will hurt more than loose boots I went with the 13. I also figured I could add socks on cold days as well. They have been comfortable and very functional for hiking and wading all day with just bare feet in my waders. I just make sure to lace up tight. I think my toes would have jammed up in the size 12s.


All in all, I really like the boots, my gripes are minor, and I'd buy them again in a heartbeat.