Posted on January 02 2015
Each New Year brings new resolutions that likely get broken within hours the first day but this year I'm committing to two things regarding fly fishing. Fixed camera lenses and click and pawl fly reels. Here's a few reasons why...
FIXED LENSES
This past summer while on Beaver Island I had a realization that I was essentially taking the same damn photographs over and over with my wide angle and fisheye lenses with maybe the guide and angler being the only difference from trips past. I went through the past several years of photographs and it was a lot of the same. I think can do better than this.
When I look at the photographs that I enjoy most that I've shot or that get the most positive reactions through social media, it's typically the images that were shot with a shallow depth of field on a fixed lens. These images are more interesting to look at and aren't the result of the "spray and pray" mentality that I typically work of of that if you take a lot of images at least a few will turn out.
The idea started with a plan to only shoot with my 50mm lens but I ended up getting further inspired last night and ordered a Nikon 35mm 1.8/f lens. I also have a Nikon 60mm macro lens that will get some work and I need to learn the ins and outs of the Fuji X100S with a fixed 23mm lens that I purchased from a friend last year. This is looking like a lot of fixed lens fun for me.
I need to do something to kick start my photography to a different place and a year of shooting with only fixed lenses should be a good study.
CLICK & PAWL FLY REELS
When dove headfirst into this fiberglass fly rod obsession almost ten years ago, I flushed all my disc drag fly reels and started a couple of collections that centered mostly on J.W. Young and Martin click and pawl fly reels of all sorts. These are all very dependable fly reels and I got a real kick searching out, bidding, and collecting these fly reels, especially if they had never been used.
Over the years I bought quite a few disc drag fly reels, maybe more for looks than anything else. I really don't think there is much that I fish for that really needs a disc drag and this year we'll find out if I miss them at all.
More recently I've bought contemporary click and pawl fly reels and there are quite a few solid choices to consider. A few favorites are from The Spey Company, the new Orvis C.F.O., Abel TR series, Bozeman Reel Co. SC series, and of course the classics offered by Hardy.
This year I'll fish click and pawl fly reels from two weight to ten weight to two hander switch and spey rods. I'm hoping to make some click and pawls scream as that noise can be addicting.
Here's to 2015 and learning new things. What are your fly fishing resolutions?
FIXED LENSES
This past summer while on Beaver Island I had a realization that I was essentially taking the same damn photographs over and over with my wide angle and fisheye lenses with maybe the guide and angler being the only difference from trips past. I went through the past several years of photographs and it was a lot of the same. I think can do better than this.
When I look at the photographs that I enjoy most that I've shot or that get the most positive reactions through social media, it's typically the images that were shot with a shallow depth of field on a fixed lens. These images are more interesting to look at and aren't the result of the "spray and pray" mentality that I typically work of of that if you take a lot of images at least a few will turn out.
The idea started with a plan to only shoot with my 50mm lens but I ended up getting further inspired last night and ordered a Nikon 35mm 1.8/f lens. I also have a Nikon 60mm macro lens that will get some work and I need to learn the ins and outs of the Fuji X100S with a fixed 23mm lens that I purchased from a friend last year. This is looking like a lot of fixed lens fun for me.
I need to do something to kick start my photography to a different place and a year of shooting with only fixed lenses should be a good study.
CLICK & PAWL FLY REELS
When dove headfirst into this fiberglass fly rod obsession almost ten years ago, I flushed all my disc drag fly reels and started a couple of collections that centered mostly on J.W. Young and Martin click and pawl fly reels of all sorts. These are all very dependable fly reels and I got a real kick searching out, bidding, and collecting these fly reels, especially if they had never been used.
Over the years I bought quite a few disc drag fly reels, maybe more for looks than anything else. I really don't think there is much that I fish for that really needs a disc drag and this year we'll find out if I miss them at all.
More recently I've bought contemporary click and pawl fly reels and there are quite a few solid choices to consider. A few favorites are from The Spey Company, the new Orvis C.F.O., Abel TR series, Bozeman Reel Co. SC series, and of course the classics offered by Hardy.
This year I'll fish click and pawl fly reels from two weight to ten weight to two hander switch and spey rods. I'm hoping to make some click and pawls scream as that noise can be addicting.
Here's to 2015 and learning new things. What are your fly fishing resolutions?
