recommended gear for Durango area?

Mark E. Wallace wrote:
...
Do YOU have a recommendation for Durango fly gear, or did you just want
to flame Ken?

Nah, mostly I just flame.

One observation though. Buying one's own fly fishing gear is
damn near as much fun as using it.

--
Ken Fortenberry

Ken Fortenberry wrote:
Mark E. Wallace wrote:

... Do YOU have a recommendation for Durango fly gear, or did you just
want to flame Ken?


Nah, mostly I just flame.

Note that my message was to Gene in response to flaming you. Didn't take
your message as a flame at all.

One observation though. Buying one's own fly fishing gear is
damn near as much fun as using it.

True, true. But then that would take away the fun of buying a custom rod
for him.

Point taken though.

Cheers,

Mark

bruiser wrote:
Hey Mark. I fish up there a bit and I'd suggest a 9' five weight for the
Animas and a 7.5' 3 weight for the area's smaller streams.


Noted. Thanks for the response, Bruce!

Mark

wrote:

Let him take the lessons first.

That's the plan, actually.

He might not like it, or he might really take a
shine to it, and in either case, there's a pretty good chance that whatever
y'all pick out, while special as a gift, won't be the rod he would have picked
for himself.

Yeah, I know. I may try to find a way to hook him up with an instructor
in Durango and then stay in contact with that instructor to see if he
gets much of a sense for what sort of action worked best for my Dad.

If you really want to get him a FFing-related gift, get him some
_serious_ lessons with a shorenuf real instructor.

That's another very good option. The custom rod option just has a little
more "glamour" to it. Besides, my father is the type to make sure he
gets hooked up with no less than a shorenuf real instructor. He does his
homework as far as that sort of thing goes.

If you feel a rod is a must,
too, might I suggest y'all get him something like a Temple Fork in 4 or 5 wt.
Just a decent rod, well under $200USD, with a great warranty to boot.

Will keep that in mind. It will end up being a tough decision to go with
just the lessons or just the rod, but we probably won't go for both.
Have heard lots of good things about the TFO rods, though.

Mark

On Mon, 06 Dec 2004 02:59:44 GMT, "Gene Cottrell"
wrote:

What a useless, ignorant post!

If you even admit it, then why in the **** did you hit "send?"

Gene Cottrell

Ken Fortenberry wrote:
OK, instead of a full set of Ping irons buy just
the 4 through 9, nobody can hit the small irons
anyway, and replace them with the geezer's best
friend, the 7 wood and then fill out the bag with
specialty wedges.


What would you think about doing 5 through 9 irons and adding a Big
Bertha mongo driver? He could then just overline the five iron when he
needs the extra distance.

I think this would make a poor combo for nymphing small streams though.

I'm also going to get him a Medicast training aid so he can tell when
he's breaking his wrist too much. I hear you can even cast real flies
with it. ;-)

Mark

Mark E. Wallace wrote:
My father is retiring soon and moving from Houston to Durango. He
doesn't fish right now but has expressed an interest in taking some
lessons up there after the move.

As a retirement gift, our family is considering getting him a custom
built fly rod. Unfortunately, we know very little about the area and
the
tackle requirements.

What sort of specs should I have in mind for a good quality
beginner's
rod for that area?

You've been given good and prudent advice on the fly rod whatever
direction you choose. I'm partial myself to Tripper's recomendation but
that's just me.

My reason for posting is on the custom part. If you want a really
unique product, Tom Hargrove, the owner of T. Hargrove Fly Shop in St.
Louis does really amazing custom work and would be worth a phone call
once you decide what you want. 314-968-4223 or www.thargrove.com.

"Mark E. Wallace"

Yeah, I know. I may try to find a way to hook him up with an instructor in
Durango

I'd recommend Mark Engler @

http://www.duranglers.com

Or Jerry Freeman @

http://www.sanjuantrout.com

Anyone at either place would probably be great - those are just two guys
that I know are excellent. Anasazi Anglers is in Durango although they
guide a bunch on the San Juan.

bruce h

bruiser wrote:
"Mark E. Wallace"

Yeah, I know. I may try to find a way to hook him up with an instructor in
Durango


I'd recommend Mark Engler @

http://www.duranglers.com

Actually already had Duranglers in mind, courtesy of a tip elsewhere.
Didn't have a name until now, so thanks for that! My dad was actually in
there last time that he visited Durango, so I'll probably start there.

Or Jerry Freeman @

http://www.sanjuantrout.com

And I'll make sure to keep them in mind.

Thanks again!

Mark

Wayne Knight wrote:
You've been given good and prudent advice on the fly rod whatever
direction you choose. I'm partial myself to Tripper's recomendation but
that's just me.

grin That may be a little steep for me, but that's just me. ;-)

My reason for posting is on the custom part. If you want a really
unique product, Tom Hargrove, the owner of T. Hargrove Fly Shop in St.
Louis does really amazing custom work and would be worth a phone call
once you decide what you want. 314-968-4223 or www.thargrove.com.

I'll check Tom's site out. I actually already have some experience with
Dan Craft, and though I'm very happy with the job that he did for
another recent gift, I'm certainly open to other ideas.

Thanks!

Mark