Fish Art...Kimberly Z

I found Kimberly on IG a few months ago as a suggested page and my jaw hit the floor when I saw her art. Fresh flavor with huge drop of creativity made me instantly click through to her site and want some of her art for my home's walls. Cam of TFM did a great feature on her so I'll direct you over there to see more, but be sure to check out her website to be awed yourself!

Boom...Morgan

Match the Hatch

Like something our of a saltwater scene, this is unreal...thank you Cam from TFM for pointing this one out!

Boom...Morgan

Fly Product...TFM X Vedavoo Super Fly Wallets

Via TFM:

Cam from The Fiberglass Manifesto and Scott from Vedavoo have paired up again to bring you some super rad Super Fly Wallets. All Woodland Camo and all Handmade here in the USA with USA made materials and tagged with one TFM's Comrade patches. Roll on over to the TFM Store and get yourself one for $50 shipped (includes a few TFM deeks too).

To learn more about the TFM X Vedavoo collab piece, click here.

TFM's '10 for Spring'

Photo via The Fiberglass Manifesto

So Cam over at The Fiberglass Manifesto just posted his "10 for Spring", a selection of ten must-have products to make this spring beyond epic. Better late than never...head on over to TFM for some gear porn goodness...

Boom...Morgan

E-Zine...Revive - Spring 2015

Boom...Morgan

The Fiberglass Manifesto's '12 Days of Christmas'

Its here...more details on TFM, click the link to head on over.

Boom...Morgan

The Fiberglass Manifesto's '12 Days of Christmas'

Its coming...more details on TFM, click the link to head on over.

Boom...Morgan

Iron Fly x Asheville, NC = YES

Boom...Morgan

TFM - The Martinez Frankenstein Sculpin

This pattern has proven itself, not only to Cam of TFM but to many other anglers that have fished Beaver Island with Steve. Mario caught one of his first BI carp on this famed pattern and actually had the privilege of learning it from Steve himself at one of Schultz Outfitters tying nights. Check it...

Via TFM:

FRANKENSTEIN SCULPIN MATERIALS:
Daiichi 2151 - Size #1 - #4
Barred Marabou Tail - Olive or Brown
Yellow Mallard Flank
Senyo's Ice Dub
Small Sculpin Helmet

To see the rest of this awesome tutorial, click here to head on over to The Fiberglass Manifesto. Keep an eye out for the Indigo gents latest venture, their new fly shop, Twisted Hackle.

Check out the Indigo Guide Service website for more information on the flies used for Lake Michigan carp and follow along on the Third Coast Fly blog for the latest news.

Boom...Morgan

Fly Product...Fish-Skull Fly Tester

Via TFM:

The Flymen Fishing Co. recently launched the Fish-Skull Fly Tester at IFTD and I have a feeling that we'll all be seeing quite a few of these on the custom tier tables at the fly fishing shows come fall and winter with flies of all sorts swimming in the micro current. 

From the Flymen Fishing Co. website...

• High quality, crystal-clear, acrylic swim tank with innovative (bi-directional) water flow design.
• Upper, middle, and lower sections allow you to swim up to 3 different types of flies (streamers, nymphs and surface flies) at the same time.
• Test streamer flies up to a foot long!
• The slim line design is light-weight (less 8 lbs.), portable with a small footprint for any fly tying table or shop counter.
• Powerful water pump with adjustable speed flow control.
• Retail ready (boxed and bar coded).
• 1-year limited warranty.
• Retail price of $285.

Check out the Flymen Fishing Co. website for more information on the Fish-Skull Fly Tester along with other innovative products.



Boom...Morgan

Fly Product...The Drake App

Via TFM:

I subscribe to just a couple fly fishing magazines and am always eager for the fresh copy of The Drake to show up in my mailbox, though the last several issues I've picked up for my iPad mini through The Drake app, available for iPad and iPhone, just to see how it reads and flows from the print version.  I like the digital version a lot and feel that it's a stellar compliment to the magazine.  Navigation is easy page by page and there are some added benefits to the digital version with the ability to add videos to stories along with following up on websites linked within the pages as well. 

Recently Tom Bie and I traded a few emails and he passed along these thoughts on The Drake app...

- None of this happens without a talented, contemporary designer with a keen grasp of how print and digital designs should compliment each other. We are fortunate to be working with Mark Lesh, who has a lot of experience with both, and also happens to be a dedicated flyfisher.

- The two-layer concept of Mag+ (The company we run The Drake app through) is key, allowing you to scroll text without losing the background image. This makes for simple, intuitive navigation, yet offers a viewing experience far surpassing that of a basic flipbook or strictly PDF-designed digi-mag, especially in the iPhone or iPad mini. 

- Allowing users to access all of our advertisers' websites in-app, rather than needing to open a browser, is a huge plus for both users and advertisers, making it a faster, easier, and more streamlined way to get information. 

- As you allude to--embedding video is a huge part of this, especially with so many talented writers and photographers now shooting video as part of their trip. Ryan Peterson's excellent taimen collaboration with John Sherman in the spring issue is a perfect example of that.

- Probably my biggest surprise over the past year is how many foreign digital subscribers we've added. I simply had no idea how many people were interested in flyfishing, or in The Drake, who just didn't want to pay the outrageous shipping costs to send copies overseas.

- Easily one of the biggest benefits—beyond just the ever-growing influence of tablets and smartphones—is the number of people who can now pass along mag content to their friends through social media channels. When I see, for example, someone send out a tweet that includes John Larison's steelhead essay from the winter issue, I know that wouldn't have happened without the app. 

Check out iTunes to purchase The Drake issue by issue or subscribe for the year.


Boom...Morgan

The Drake Magazine App

Via TFM:

I subscribe to just a couple fly fishing magazines and am always eager for the fresh copy of The Drake to show up in my mailbox, though the last several issues I've picked up for my iPad mini through The Drake app, available for iPad and iPhone, just to see how it reads and flows from the print version.  I like the digital version a lot and feel that it's a stellar compliment to the magazine.  Navigation is easy page by page and there are some added benefits to the digital version with the ability to add videos to stories along with following up on websites linked within the pages as well. 

Recently Tom Bie and I traded a few emails and he passed along these thoughts on The Drake app...

- None of this happens without a talented, contemporary designer with a keen grasp of how print and digital designs should compliment each other. We are fortunate to be working with Mark Lesh, who has a lot of experience with both, and also happens to be a dedicated flyfisher.

- The two-layer concept of Mag+ (The company we run The Drake app through) is key, allowing you to scroll text without losing the background image. This makes for simple, intuitive navigation, yet offers a viewing experience far surpassing that of a basic flipbook or strictly PDF-designed digi-mag, especially in the iPhone or iPad mini. 

- Allowing users to access all of our advertisers' websites in-app, rather than needing to open a browser, is a huge plus for both users and advertisers, making it a faster, easier, and more streamlined way to get information. 

- As you allude to--embedding video is a huge part of this, especially with so many talented writers and photographers now shooting video as part of their trip. Ryan Peterson's excellent taimen collaboration with John Sherman in the spring issue is a perfect example of that.

- Probably my biggest surprise over the past year is how many foreign digital subscribers we've added. I simply had no idea how many people were interested in flyfishing, or in The Drake, who just didn't want to pay the outrageous shipping costs to send copies overseas.

- Easily one of the biggest benefits—beyond just the ever-growing influence of tablets and smartphones—is the number of people who can now pass along mag content to their friends through social media channels. When I see, for example, someone send out a tweet that includes John Larison's steelhead essay from the winter issue, I know that wouldn't have happened without the app. 

Check out iTunes to purchase The Drake issue by issue or subscribe for the year.


Boom...Morgan

Fly Product...Smith Creek Rig Keeper

Via TFM:

You should already be familiar with the New Zealand company Smith Creek as they have been a long time sponsor of this website and I am excited to tip everyone off on the first of several new products for 2015 with the Rig Keeper.  This small dropper rig device allows anglers to set up multi fly rigs and have them ready when needed on the water.    

I can think of several locations that I fish regularly where this would come in handy since the flies that work day in and day out are the same and it would be good to have the Rig Keeper loaded up before a day on the water. 

Check out the Smith Creek website for more information. The Rig Keeper will be available for purchase from your local Smith Creek dealer soon and online as well.

Boom...Morgan

Alex's Six Takes on Beaver Island

The media crew visited Beaver Island and fished with the Indigo gang about a week before us and had as amazing of a time as we did. Here's a pretty good write up from Cam Mortenson of TFM and one of the photographers on the trip, Alex Landeen.

Via TFM:

There are a couple things that you should know about Alex Landeen.  First, the guy is a serious shooter and he came to Beaver Bash with a Pelican box that was filled with digital camera bodies, lenses, and lights.  He was ready to put a lot of time behind the camera lens and the images that he captured from the trip are already being used by several media outlets.  Second, he's a lot of damn fun to have around and always kept the mood light at the house and on the water breaking into song, an impromptu dance, or tossing out some obscure movie quote.  I mentioned to him that he had a "beautiful mind" which I hope he took as a compliment...

Once Alex was back from Beaver Island, he broke down the week with a series of six posts on his website and did a really stellar job of highlighting all the different angles from the trip.  Take a few minutes and visit each of these posts by clicking through the highlighted title over each image of Alex's below.  I don't think this will be the last time he makes it over to Beaver Island. 

DAY ONE:  OUR PEOPLE

DAY TWO:  THE ISLAND

DAY THREE:  NIGHT MOVES

DAY FOUR:  THE FISHES

DAY FIVE:  THE GEAR

DAY SIX:  THE END OF THE BEGINNING

The last thing that I'll mention in this post is that if you want to feel like a total photog hack than hang out with a someone with real skills behind the lens.  I learned a few things from Alex, listened to a few conversations he and John Arnold had on what makes "good photos", and you know, will likely will go lighter on the filters I use on photos from here on out.  It can be a hard habit to break.

Visit the Alex Landeen website for more awesomeness of all sorts.

We watched as the posts went live via Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter accounts of the media crew as they were up in Beaver prior to our visit and even during to add to the stoke, well done by all! Our final post goes live on Thursday, be on the lookup for the final guided day and trip wrap up.


Boom...Morgan

Kickstarter...Bloodknots - "Our Two Hands"

Via TFM:

The peeps at Bloodknots have just launched a new Kickstarter film project called "Our Two Hands" and this video is a glimpse inside what they are working on and looking for your support. 

Check out the Kickstarter page for more information.  I'll be backing this one and looking forward to seeing the full length film. 

More goodness on the Bloodknots website too for your viewing pleasure.



Boom...Morgan

Giveaway...RC Cone + Howler Brothers = AWESOMENESS

Via TFM:

Howler Brothers is giving away five Pescador shirts to a few random winners for comments left on this video on theirFacebook, Instagram, and Vimeo pages.  

Check out the Howler Brothers Blog for details. 


Boom...Morgan

Kickstarter...The CORTICA

Via TFM:

Here's an interesting Kickstarter project to give a look where rod builder Robert Knox is looking for support with a porcelain travel mug with a cork exterior for insulation.  

I dig it and backed it. 

Check out the Cortica website and Kickstarter for more information. The project is almost halfway to be funded.

Boom...Morgan

BEAVER BASH 2014

With only about 10 days until Luis and I head up to Michigan for our hosted Beaver Island trip, we're stoked to be able to keep an eye on how the lake is fishing through Cam and crew for Beaver Bash 2014...

Via TFM:

Over the winter Kevin Morlock of Indigo Guide Service and I began talking about what's becoming my yearly trip to Beaver Island and he was in the mood to do an early season media/industry trip to expose a few key people to the island, the fishery, hopefully develop some content, and overall just have a good time on the water and off.  

Plans were made, dates were picked, invites were sent out, and a surprising amount of industry support has come together for what's been dubbed as "BEAVER BASH 2014".

The attendees of this year's event cover all the bases from a couple freelance writers, to photographers, to videographers, to a hack (me) that writes a blog before work almost every morning.  This will be a fun group to  hang with for the week.

Everything starts next early on Tuesday with all of us flying over on Island Airways, dropping our luggage and extra gear off at The Fisherman's House, and then hopefully jumping into the boats by late morning.  Weather permitting we'll be on the water for the better part of a week during a spring season that has already been quite stellar carp wise for the the Indigo Guide Service crew and their clients.

I will be posting daily dispatches from Beaver Island as well as social media updates using the hashtag #beaverbash2014 along with my usual #glassisnotdead.

Follow along on the fun with more updates and likely some hijinks to follow.


Boom...Morgan

VEDAVOO - Reel Service 2014

Via TFM:

One of the many cool things that Vedavoo does, along with building rock solid gear, is that Scott Hunter and crew, have always supported and looked for interesting ways to raise money for those who have served in our military.

To celebrate and honor those that have served, Vedavoo has built two camo Hero Packs, and is asking for veterans and their families to submit inspiring stories.  From those stories two service men or women will be given one of these very special Tightlines Sling Packs.

In an effort to support the work and help fund Project Healing Waters and Trout Unlimited Veteran Service Partnership, Vedavoo has worked with several artists to create a series of one of a kind Tightline Sling Packs with original artwork from each artist that will be auctioned off from now to Flag Day.

Click on the names to visit the Vedavoo website where there are additional images and information on each artist series sling pack.  The Jeff Currier sling pack auction ends tonight at midnight.

JEFF CURRIER - AUCTION ENDS MAY 30TH

A.D. MADDOX - SOLD AT PRIVATE EVENT

To read the rest of the TFM post, click here...amazing art from our FAVORITE artists. You can also visit the Vedavoo website for more information.

Boom...Morgan

Tying The Linwood Blue Crab

Via TFM:

The boys at Pursuit Flies recently released a video with the step by step instructions on how to tie their Linwood Blue Crab pattern.  I bet there are quite a few redfish who wouldn't say no to this pattern. 

Don't want to tie your own?  Look for this pattern, among others, on the Pursuit Flies website.  Follow along onFacebook and Instagram as well.

Boom...Morgan