2009 Gear Review – : Flyfishing, Mountain Biking + Rock Snot
Hike, Bike, Fish the Good Life Outdoors.
The Dual Use Outdoorsman.
There is nothing better than combining my two favorite passions — mountain biking and fly fishing.
Crow Peak is a key landmark above my fly fishing trout stream. The name Crow Peak is an English translation of the Sioux name for the peak, “Paha Karitukateyapi”, which means, “the hill where the Crows were killed.” It refers to a battle between the Sioux and Crow Indians in which the Sioux were victorious. Paha means mountain in Sioux.
Luckily I have never found any bodies floating downstream in my favorite trout stream!
Many parts of my trout stream are semi wilderness, meaning the waters and streambed and banks are as pristine as they were when the Sioux and Crow Indians speared fish here.
Lone Peak Cycling Bags.
I found a great handlebar cycling bag from Lone Peak Packs.
The fire engine red Alta bag is easily detachable with a flip of a switch from the bike handlebars, and I can use it as a lunch box and then after a while as a fishing creel, hopefully filled with trout.
A dual purpose product for my outdoors lifestyle!
Lone Peak Packs makes their products 100% in Utah. They have achieved a superior design that is unsurpassed in quality with a lifetime defect guarantee on the Cordura material. The bag is strong and it avoids abrasions, tears and scuffs when I am following a game trail through the under brush along my trout stream.
Lone Peak Packs makes panniers and other packs too. Check them out at www.lonepeakpacks.com
How to Avoid The Spread of Rock Snot.
Rock Snot destroys
stream habitat.
\Rock Snot, or Didymo, has been showing up on occasion in the streams in the Paha Sapa, but not in my trout stream. Rock Snot is a nuisance algae species that appears in colonies on streambeds. It has become established in one streambed about 50 miles from my spectacular trout stream. Rock Snot dominates the stream’s habitat and reduces the ability for stream insects to reproduce, thus reducing the native trout populations.
You can prevent the spread of Rock Snot by cleaning and drying all your fishing gear before moving between stream watersheds.
All summer long I stay in my trout stream watershed because it drains an area of 139 square miles, plenty of stream for me to roam. I know when the best time is for trout fishing by checking the stream flow tables from the U.S. Geological Survey in my local newspaper. I love my trout stream because I am usually the only one on it all day long.
Pearl Izumi Creates Innovative Cycling Gear.
What I appreciate about Pearl Izumi’s line of products is how fast they dry – a good choice to avoid the spread of Rock Snot. I have never encountered any Rock Snot in my trout stream, but I don’t use waders, so I cross my trout stream quickly and stand on a sand bar to cast my fly and within minutes my feet and pants are not just dry, they are comfortably dry. (Click photos to purchase Pearl Izumi products.)
That is because I wear Pearl Izumi Team regular socks. You may ask why I wear biking clothing when trout fishing — hey dual purpose, and I like the feel of Pearl’s Izumi’s products. The socks have filter transfer yarns that exceed any trout fisherman/woman’s drying time expectations. The forefoot sole ventilation keeps the high pressure area cool — that is when I am out of the water or cycling down a cow path. The arch compression keeps the sock in place. Single thickness cuffs provide a lighter weight; constructed of 65% nylon, 33% coolmax, and 2% spandex.
I certainly enjoy my Pearl Izumi ruby red Pure Ride cycling shoes because they are also quick drying and crafted with innovative fabrics, with an intuitive functional design, and impeccable construction to enhance my riding and fishing performance advantages. The company also produces a Pure Run line as well. www.runlikeananimal.com
Pearl Izumi’s produces the lightest jacket I have ever owned, called the Fly Jacket, and it is almost as light as one of my hand-tied flies. I don’t think Pearl Izumi envisioned the jacket as a “fly fishing” jacket, but I can crunch it so small it fits in my back pocket.
The Lightweight Optik fabric is even in the arms, with direct vent armpits. Maybe the Coloradocompany was thinking of fly fishing with the secure zip splash pocket. This is a true wind and water barrier protective shield that is breathable; the exclusive microfilament fabrics deliver high level wind and water resistance. I keep the jacket tucked away in my Pearl Izumi Tailgate pouch because it adapts to many outdoor conditions.
The Pearl Izumi Tailgate pouch is a high performance bag for road or mountain biking and it stows completely under the saddle thus avoiding chaffing my cycle shorts or pants. The reliable three point attachment system prevents sway during use. The 3M Scotchlite prism reflective material has a rear strap for tail light attachment.
I have found another use for Pearl Izumi’s cycling Attack gloves — avoiding splinters and barbs when climbing over post and barb wire fences when clambering down to one of my favorite trout holes. I also have experienced fewer fly hooks in the palm of my hand when rigging.
The glove’s U-bridge design alleviates pressure on the ulnar nerve. The direct vent panel on the back provides optimized ventilation. The soft terry thumb wiping surface provides flexibility. Because they are cycling gloves the finger tips are exposed, which is great for tying a fly on a line. Another dual use outdoors product!
Pearl Izumi’s Phase Tight Pants were designed for cold weather — like my cold trout stream in the height of summer.
The quick drying pants have an integrated support brief that provides maximum support and comfort. The internal key pocket is where I keep my folding fishing knife. There is reflective detail for night time visibility when biking back from my trout stream at dusk. The fabric’s sensor moisture transfer system is the world’s standard for dry comfort, even when standing in a trout stream. The patented one way capillary action and hydrophobic fibers actively pull moisture away from the skin when I am on the stream bank because the superior moisture transport technology accelerates the evaporative process.
The same technology from Pearl Izumi holds true with the Phase T shirt. The direct vent panels ventilate moisture quickly; also constructed of Sensor transfer fabrics that keep moisture at bay.
For more about Pearl Izumi cycling products check out www.pearlizumi.com
A new use for Cool Bandannas.
I soak these unique Cool Bandanas in my cold trout stream — about 15 minutes — then I place them in the bottom of my fishing creel — I mean my Alta pack — to keep my catch of rainbows, brook, and browns cool and fresh. The Cool Bandanas are easy to clean — just hand wash in soap and water. Cool Bandanas also makes headbands that are extra wide and extra thick and reversible and machine washable. The Terry Toppers Headbands comes in Navy or Grey. From OccuNomix International in New York. (Click the photo to order.)
Fishing lures have a rich and colorful history.
Many earlier lures made since the mid-1800s are quite valuable and sought after by collectors worldwide. While visiting a mountain lodge I bought a pack of playing cards called “Lures of the Past” with beautiful renditions of past fishing lures.
The 54 cards are illustrated and designed by Jon O. Wright (www.jonqwright.com) for River’s Edge Products of St. Clair, Missouri (www.riversedgeproducts.com). The cards showcase some of America’s most notable antique lures from the 1890s to the 1940s.
The illustrations are so accurate I was able to recreate many of the lures in my home workshop.
Some fishing aficionados say only flies should be used to catch trout. But in truth, my state allows lures as well in public streams. I have used many commercial lures, like the Mepps, in the past, but now that I have my own recreated historical lures, I give the fish a chance to bite on a little bit of the past to see if their primal instincts are still alive. The native trout from my stream were actually bred and stocked in Yellowstone National Park back in the 1890s, when many fishermen were familiar with these lures.
Mr. Wright also designs other trout gift ideas, including furniture, clothing, racks, posters, etc.
A few of my creations created out of carved wood from the card deck include:
The Dowagiac Minnow #100 (c. 1917) — the 4 of Diamonds.
The Hand Carved frog (c. 1890) — the Ace of Spades
Luminous Flying Helgramite (c. 1883) — the 3 of Spades — my favorite lure of all time.
The Pikie Kazoo (c 1925) — the 6 of Spades — a treble hooked awesome looking green minnow.
The Prince Edward (c. 1890) — the Jack of Hearts — looks more like a fly than a lure.
The Popper Scout (c. 1945) — the 7 of Clubs — looks somewhat like a green grasshopper.
The Hell Diver (c. 1918) — the 9 of Clubs — looks exactly like a trout minnow but with black spots.
The Punkinseed (c. 1940) — the 10 of Diamonds — looks just like a small sunfish minnow.
So there you have some ideas for dual use outdoorsmen products — so avoid the Rock Snot, stay dry, and dip a lure or fly in your favorite trout stream.
— Feature by Kriss Hammond, Editor, Jetsetters Magazine.