Unleash the Hydra! - The MNRiverdageous Lunkerdooress Scavenger Hunt

GRRRR!

Yes, the five-headed monster is on the loose and it's protecting a $50 Cabela's gift card with its life.  Want to snatch it from its grasp?  Sure you do.  Ancient Greek mythology says the only way to defeat the Hydra (besides decapitation closely followed by a blazing firebrand) is to answer the following riddles on these 5 blogs ("following" them via the various social media outlets below doesn't hurt either):

Lunker Hunt: http://lunkerhunt.blogspot.com/ - Facebook
"Which species of fish did I catch and then release without submitting for the state record it deserved."

Journal of a Minnesota Angler: http://www.journalofamnangler.com/ - Facebook - Twitter
"In which of my top adventures of 2010 did I catch my personal best largemouth bass?"

Troutrageous!: http://www.troutrageous.com/  (duh, you're already here) - Facebook - Twitter
"I hate a specific day of the week. In fact I think it's the worst day of the week. What day is it?"

The River Damsel: http://theriverdamsel.blogspot.com/ - Facebook
"I took 'Idaho By Storm' with Rebecca 'The Outdooress' and Cardboard Kirk...What did we have for lunch?"

Outdooress: http://www.outdooress.com/ - Facebook - Twitter
"What was the nickname of my first fly rod?" (She wants the nickname, not the make/model)


Official Rules:

• Send all 5 answers to me, or any of the participating bloggers.  See their post of this contest for their contact information. Click here to view my contact info.  Don't put them in the comments section below!
• You must answer all 5 questions correctly, as determined by each blogger, to qualify for the drawing.
• You are allowed to send your answers to multiple bloggers, thereby increasing your chances of winning. So if you send your answer to all 5 of us, you get 5 entries.
• We will put all the correct entries together, sort by date received and pick a winner using OBN's famous RNG.
• Contest runs from today (April 21st) to 11:59:59.9 PM CDT, April 30th
• Contest winner must be from U.S. or Canada. Gift card will be in U.S. funds.

Think you can slay the beast?  I guess we'll have to see...

The Next Generation of Fishing Maps

When I was at the Greater Philadelphia Sportsman's Show in February, I met Mike Gogal from Gogal Publishing at his booth.  Up until now, his company was primarily known for making print (paper) maps of regional Pennsylvania trout & bass waters.  Well all of that changed, and what he's concocted as the next generation fishing map is pretty damn cool.

This new gizmo is a little SD card that fits inside your Garmin Nuvi car GPS unit, and instantly transforms it into a fish finding machine.  What do I mean?  Say you're driving around one Saturday afternoon (& happen to have your fishing rod in the back of your truck) and get the urge to fish for trout.  With the software uploaded, your Garmin will not only tell you where the closest trout water is, but also tell you what kind of water it is (i.e. special regulations), what the seasonal limits are, and all kinds of other good info.

You can search by species

Or by body of water

and pull up tons of information

But no...the software isn't limited to trout.  That would be silly.  You can pretty much bring up any type of game fish in Pennsylvania and it will tell you where the closest water is (or how to get to a distant location).  Shoot, if you've got a bass boat, it'll even tell you where the ramp is, and if there are any motor regulations.

Yeah, I'll Go! here

The GPS Fishing Guide is really a tight piece of technology, and I'm not the only one who thinks so, as several local news outlets have also picked up on it too.  You can read their articles HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, HERE, or HERE.

The only thing it doesn't do is actually find the fish in the water for you...if you need something to take care of that, I'd suggest checking out say, Fishfinders.com.

Now for the somewhat fine print.  If this sounds a bit like a commercial, well, it kinda is.  Here's the deal.  For every sale of the GPS Fishing Guide on the Gogal Publishing website that comes from Troutrageous! using THIS LINK (or the one in my sidebar), they've decided to make a 12% donation of the sale back to my non-profit trout club, the Stony Creek Anglers (not me). Basically, it will help us feed the fish.  Actually, the club gets 12% on any purchase, so if the paper maps get you excited, use THIS LINK too.

Potential donations aside, this really is an awesome piece of technology.  I wish there was a video to show you (I'm twisting Mike's arm to make one), but believe me when I say I was amazed by how much info this thing contains.

EDIT (4/12/11 @ 11:42AM) - A video exists! See what I'm talking about below!

Gear Review - River of Monsters - Holy Crap, Stories of Prehistoric Fish!!!!

I received a copy of River of Monsters in the mail the other week from the folks over at Kype Magazine. For those of you not familiar with Kype, they run a pretty slick magazine on steelhead, salmon, & trout fishing - one that you can also read free back-issues of HERE.

Imposing water on that cover

Anyway, I took the opportunity on my flights to & from Disneyworld last week to knock this book out. It's different from what George Douglas usually puts out, as it's a work of fiction, not the typical instructional how-to catch fish book. It actually borders on science-fiction, since the target species is prehistoric sabertooth salmon with luminescent red tails (no kidding)!

Now, I'm not going to give away all the details the story - or if the main character Jeff Warner catches the aforementioned fish, but I will tell you this - the book is a pretty entertaining read. No, it's not a candidate for a National Book Award, but it's a quick 125 pages of engaging fun. You kind of get wrapped up following the characters through uncharted territory in British Columbia, navigating treacherous terrain, and adapting steelhead & salmon tactics on the fly to try and land the elusive beast.

With all the good, this wouldn't be an honest review without calling out the book's major shortcoming.  No pictures!  I really would have enjoyed seeing some of the maps/river charts of the wild landscapes that are frequently referenced during their travels. Some diagrams of the rigs & tackle they were using would also have made the book a bit more engaging for the novice angler, or one not used to chasing salmon or steelies. And of course, since the fish was based on an actual ancient species called Smilodonichthys Rastrosus, a rendering of what that fish might have looked like would have been clutch. If this book goes to a second printing, it needs to include these aspects.

Skull Image from University of Oregon

Even with no picutres, this book was a fun and engaging read.  If you're a traditional angler, one that rolls thick in Orvis & dreams about casting dries to brookies, this story probably isn't for you.  However, if you're looking for a nice brisk story, one that is part fantasy, part fun, and all rooted in reality, I would recommend River of Monsters.

Now to all of my loyal readers, sorry...I got nothing for you...but guess what...if you act fast...Leigh over at FinFollower is giving a copy of River of Monsters away!  You might want to check it out HERE.  Or if you don't want to wait to get your dinofish fix, of course you could always buy one HERE.

DISCLAIMER:
The copy of River of Monsters read in this product review was provided to me for free from the folks at Kype Magazine; other than posting their online mags and occasionally getting stuff to preview, I receive no monetary compensation whatsoever. My relationship with Kype is further explored HERE. As with all independent gear reviews at Troutrageous!, I try my best to keep my reviews honest and unbiased. If something is good, it deserves applause; if it sucks, I'll let you know that too. That said, I probably wont waste my or your time reviewing something that sucks, unless it's really sucks obscenely hard...like the New York Mets.

Guest Post - K.C. on Maximizing Rebate Offers

My wife K.C. offered to write a guest post yesterday after she read all of my rebate posts from the other day.  Hey, less work for me.  Enjoy, and hopefully save a few bucks in the process.

_______________________________________________________________________

Hi There! it's Mrs. Troutrageous! a.k.a. The Diaper Bag Wrangler. This post is about 2 things: shopping and saving money- so guys, feel free to forward this to your ladies if you don't give a crap about the shopping part, but want to reinforce the "saving money" part.

I saw Mike posting all the rebates last night and I offered to write a guest post about maximizing your discounts when online shopping.  I  use 2 "cash back" websites - Ebates and Shop at Home. Essentially you join for free, use the sites to search for current online cash back rebates and/or coupons. Once you decide where to shop, you click on the link and are redirected to the retailer. When you make a purchase a % cash back rebate is deposited into your account and a check is sent to you either quarterly or when you reach a specific balance. It is really that easy!

Right now (at the time of this post) the cash back percentages for 2 major online fishing retailers are:

Cabela's:
Shop at Home - 3%
Ebates- 2%

Bass Pro Shops:
Shop at Home - 4.5%
Ebates - 4.5%

The percentage cash back can vary day to day/week to week, sometimes there are double cash back days, and not all online retailers participate, but it is FREE MONEY. There are also sometimes coupon codes for free shipping or exclusive promotions. I belong to both sites because a) sometimes an online retailer is offered through say Ebates, but not ShopatHome and b) the % cash back might vary between Ebates and ShopatHome.

Here are some examples of not only (1) getting the manufacturers rebates but also the (2) cash back rebates....I call it a "double dip". Have a Rewards card for Cabela's or Bass Pro? You, my friend have hit the "trifecta" (3). I am always intent on getting the best deal, so I put a little extra effort into not only checking which cash back site has the higher % cash back for a specific retail website, but which site has a the better retail price and/or shipping deal.

Mojo Rebate - Free Swag with Rod Purchase
http://www.troutrageous.com/2011/02/free-stuff-st-croix-mojo-bass-cap-shirt.html

Buy this rod at BassPro.com:

You can get this:
1. the mail-in Mojo Swag rebate from the manufacturer.
2. 4.5% cash back from either Ebates or Shop at Home (earn $4.50 back for a $100 rod)
3. Have a Bass Pro Outdoor Rewards Card? You will earn points on your purchase as well.


Abu Garcia - Rebate / Swag with Rod and Reel Purchase
http://www.troutrageous.com/2011/02/free-stuff-abu-garcia-2011-mail-in.html

Buy this Rod and Reel at BassPro.com:

You can get this:
1. the mail-in $25 cash back rebate AND the Swag rebate from the manufacturer.
2. 4.5% cash back from either Ebates or Shopat Home (earn $12.15 back for a $269.98 product total)
3. Have a Bass Pro Outdoor Rewards Card? You will earn points on your purchase as well.


My largest cash back conquest occurred when I recently booked our family trip to Walt Disney World. You can read about it HERE:
http://diaperbagwrangler.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-i-saved-483-on-my-walt-disney-world.html

Free Stuff - A Crapload of Fishing Line Rebates

There's a lot of fishing line rebates this Spring.  I'm sure I'm missing a ton, but here's a few I scrounged up for your reference.  Quite a few different brands, so there's a little bit for everyone.

P-Line
Receive a $6 rebate on the purchase of two spools of P-Line now through 3/15/2011.
http://www.p-line.com/specials/P-Line_Rebate2011.pdf

Berkley
This isn't necessarily just a line rebate, it's the Berkley Mix & Match Rebate.  Buy any combination of Line, Bait, Tools, or Rods and get some money back depending on how much you spend.

• Buy $10, get $3 back
• Buy $20, get $7 back
• Buy $40, get $15 back

http://www.berkley-fishing.com/sites/default/files/mix-match-promo_0.pdf

Spiderwire
Receive a $7 rebate on the purchase of 1 spool of Spiderwire Stealth Braid or Ultracast Fluoro-Braid now through 7/31/2011.
http://www.spiderwire.com/images/4-10_rebate_form.pdf

Receive a free hat with the purchase of any 1 box of Spiderwire line now through 12/31/2011.
http://www.spiderwire.com/images/hat_promo_form.pdf

Sufix
Receive a free Sufix t-shirt with the purchase of 2 spools of Sufix Elite, Siege, or Elite Crankin' monofilament now through 9/15/2011.
http://www.sufix.com/downloads/download.php?f=sufix_2011_coupon.pdf

Stren
Receive a free hat with the purchase of any 1 box of Stren line now through 12/31/2011.
http://www.stren.com/images/hat_promo_form.pdf

Free Stuff - Berkley Long Sleeve T-Shirt Rebate

Yet another free t-shirt rebate. You think Pflueger, Shakespeare, and Berkley all answer to the same corporate marketing Mother Ship...?

Anywho...buy any Berkley rod (like one of these extremely popular Lightning Rods) now between 12/31/11 and get a free t-shirt.

Catch more fish

Download the Berkley T-Shirt Rebate form here:
http://www.berkley-fishing.com/sites/default/files/tshirt_promo_form.pdf

Free Stuff - Abu Garcia 2011 Mail In Rebates

Here's two rebates from Abu Garcia.  Good stuff too.

First you can get a FREE Abu Garcia hooded sweatshirt with the purchase of any Abu Garcia rod or reel $79.99 or more.

Love me some hoodies

Even better, you can get a $25 rebate if you purchase any Abu Garcia REVO reel and any Abu Garcia rod.

For example, pick up a REVO SX and pair it with a Veritas rod, and you qualify for both rebates!  Pretty sweet deal if you're looking to upgrade your gear this spring.





Download the Sweatshirt Rebate form here:
http://www.abugarcia.com/sites/default/files/hoodie_promo_form.pdf

Download the $25 Rebate form here:
http://www.abugarcia.com/sites/default/files/abu_promo_form_25MIR.pdf

Free Stuff - Ugly Stik Long Sleeve T-Shirt Rebate

Another t-shirt rebate, this time from Ugly Stik.

Buy an Ugly Stik rod or combo between now and 12/31/11, and get this handsome Ugly Stik tee for free.  Chicks dig Ugly Stiks, at least that what your Mom told me.

Most Sensitive, for your pleasure.

Download the Ugly Stik T-Shirt Rebate form here:
http://www.shakespeare-fishing.com/images/SKP_Claim_Form_Tshirt.pdf

Free Stuff - Pflueger Long Sleeve T-Shirt Rebate

This deal ain't new, but it's back for 2011, simple as ever.

Buy any Pflueger reel by 12/31/2011, get a free Pflueger long sleeve t-shirt.  That easy.

Nothing screams macho more than Pflueger across your chest

Download Pflueger T-Shirt Rebate form below:
http://www.pfluegerfishing.com/images/shirt_promo_form.pdf

Free Stuff - St. Croix Mojo Bass Cap, Shirt, & Decal Rebate

Some sweet gear is available by rebate if you decide to pick up a St. Croix Mojo Bass rod between now and June 30, 2011.  Check it out, a free t-shirt, free hat, and free decal is all for the taking!

You know you want some...

"The passionate angler is presented with many palettes to express their affections. Cars. Boats. T-shirts. Other people’s cars and boats. But ultimately the greatest expressions are not made with adhesive plastic but with a St. Croix® Mojo Bass rod. These technique-specific rods are fully loaded SCII graphite magic wands dressed up in a hot black-cherry metallic finish. And the components? Only the finest. No shortcuts were taken. In fact, they’ve become so popular we added two new glass models this year – the Crankster and Big Crankster. You’re welcome." 

- stcroixrods.com

Download the rebate form here:
http://www.stcroixrods.com/pdfs/Mojo_Bass_Free_Gear_Promo.pdf

Wednesday Nibbles - Monkeys Run Amok Edition

This winter has been brutal.  Seems like every 3 or 4 days we get hit with snow, and lucky for me the ice storms are evidently coming this week.  Now it's not enough snow to cripple the region (despite what the weathermen say), but enough to make all the shoveling a pain, create stupid slow traffic jams, and make fishing opportunities few and far between.  At least some humor can be found in the local weather big board....

He's in the wrong profession.

On that note, time for the nibbles...

Got this email from Bass Pro yesterday.  Looks like they did an off-price buy on some of last year's Pflueger Supreme XT spinning reels.  Originally $129.99, now $69.88.  Gotta make room for the 2011s I guess.  I've never used this reel so I can't say if it's good or bad (it did get a 4.4/5.0 customer rating), but seems like a good deal, at least from a savings standpoint.

Hot Buy?  Sure, why not.

Now I treated you all to a stupid video yesterday, but here's an equally stupid video that I assume will entertain and amaze and all that good stuff...it's far from new (it has over 4 and a half million views since last fall) but tell me you won't be humming this tune after watching this.



Midcurrent's Ask The Expert section posed the question "Imitation or Presenation" in last week's newsletter.  Lots of good responses/opinions from very reputable sources.  It's a very good read if you have 10 or so minutes.  I'm not typically serious in the nibbles, but I enjoyed this so much I figured I'd pass it on.  For real. There's no imitation in this presentation.

Not a MidCurrent subscriber?  Change that now.

Is there a football game or something this weekend?  Oh, yeah, that's right, I guess there is.  So who are you rooting for, Packers, Steelers, or the commercials?  I really don't care who wins the game, but I've got my fingers crossed that standbys like Coke, Pepsi, Miller Lite, & Budweiser bring their A-Game.  Everything old is new again, so I think it might be time to bring Spuds MacKenzie out of mothballs...I mean the "Big Game" is in Dallas this year after all.



Finally, I got the blessing of the better half to go "have fun" at this summer's (date TBA) OBN Rendezvous in Colorado.  K.C. has no interest in going, so I guess I'm rollin' solo.

Speaking of the OBN, I'm going to use their weekly writing prompt as a way to share the blog love this week.  I believe the question was "Which Outdoor Bloggers Would You Like To Meet?"

Pleased to meet you

Now I read & actively participate in a lot of great blogs, but I suppose this is my short list (there's so many so this was pretty tough).  Mel from Blog Cabin Angler, Shoreman from Northern California Trout, Clif from Lunker Hunt, Ben from Ben G. Outdoors, and maybe that guy from Georgia.

Honestly, I was originally going to make that a list of all female bloggers (such as Kari, RD, Lizzy, Stephanie, & Tami)...but I don't want my travel ticket to be revoked.

I Love Pflueger Reels...and the Rebates That Come With Them!

What can I say...I do.

Was looking at a few of their new for 2011 models (yes, they're pricey) and if man, these aren't as sexy as an inanimate object gets, I don't know what is...

The Patriarch will run you 2 large...

Full of Magnesium & Carbon Goodness!

And the Supreme XT sits right beneath it at $150

10 Bearings of Slickness

Lucky for you, there's also some nice rebates involved.

From February 1st through June 30th, buy one of these and any filler spool of Berkley Trilene, Fireline or Vanish and get $15 off.  Rebate form HERE.

-or-

From February 1st through December 31st, buy one of these (actually any Pflueger reel or combo) and get a free Long Sleeve T-Shirt.  Rebate form HERE.

I got no skin in this game.  Pflueger hasn't adopted me (yet).  I'm just a Pflueger spinning reel fanboy.  I can admit it.

I Got Nothing

Okay, okay, I know...I waited for the last minute to write this...but what kind of blogbuddy would I be to good ol' Owl, if I didn't support him by trying my hand at his FFSBR / Hook & Hackle fly rod giveaway?  A pretty crappy buddy, that's what I'd be.

The exact question/statement/incomplete sentence posed was "Why I deserve to win a Hook & Hackle Rod Building Kit".  After giving it some thought, I came to the conclusion that I really don't deserve to win it.

See, I'm one of the fortunate (and I can't stress fortunate enough in these times) that has a steady job that supports my family nicely.  I'm also in no shortage of fly rods - I already have 4 fly rods & 2 tenkara rods.  So if I won this rod, although I might build it - never done that before - I probably wouldn't have a use for it.

I know, I know..."but you could give it to Lilly,"...yeah...but I'm leaving Lilly's leap into fly fishing up to her.  She's still of the age where she loves the color pink, princesses, and thinks her Barbie spincast rod is the coolest thing ever.  Why even attempt to take that away from her early?  She's gonna want a cell phone and to be dropped off at the mall with her friends soon enough.

I mean okay, I'm generally a good person...but what exactly did I do that's so redeeming to have such a oozingly sweet rod building kit put into my grubby hands?  I certainly can't come up with anything.

So please FFSBR and Hook & Hackle...don't give this rod building kit to me.  I'd only put it up for auction on eBay anyway, promising 100% of the proceeds to Casting For Recovery.

Because if you read this blog regularly, you already know I'm all about the ladies.

Wednesday Nibbles - 'Twas Three Nights Before Christmas Edition

'Twas three nights before Christmas and all through the house,

Not a blogger was blogging...eh, screw it, I'm not in the mood to rhyme.  Christmas music playing on local radio stations since Halloween will do that to you.  Time for the nibbles.

If I hear Bing Crosby & David Bowie sing Little Drummer Boy one more time...

Has anyone been over to Deals On The Fly recently?  For those of you not familiar, it's basically Fishwest's clearance shop.  One product at a time, deep discounts, limited time offers.  Usually what you find is obscure stuff like size extra small t-shirts in yellow or pink, or felt-bottomed wading boots in men's size 5.  Didn't even know any men actually wear a size 5.  

Anyway, they actually had some stuff in real human dimensions this week and I snapped them up.  First was a Simms Derek DeYoung Permit long sleeved T-Shirt in size XL for $5.  Second was a Simms Tarpon Polo in white/XL for $1.  Yes, a polo shirt for $1.  Even after you add shipping, the polo still only came to $6.  That's a deal any way you slice it.  

What an overwhelmingly positive response to the "Lilly Making Pizzelles" post on Monday!  I couldn't help but notice a few requests for the recipe as well.  Ask and you shall receive.

I'd like to lie and say it's a guarded family secret that made its way over from the Old Country with my great-grandmother Anna, but it's not.  It came out of the instruction manual of the VillaWare pizzelle maker K.C. & I got a few years ago.  Yes, I'm a disgrace to my heritage.  Enjoy my dishonor.

Thin...Crisp...Delicious!

OBN featured blogger of the week Owl Jones posted this killer Cabela's fly rod deal on his blog this week...and tell you what, how can you possibly lose on this deal?  Backup rod.  Stick for a novice angler.  Gift for a Amish man or jockey.  Makeshift lightning rod.  Seriously, $24 for a 4-weight graphite fly rod?  Even has a customer rating of 4.1 outta 5.  That deal's crazier than Owl.  And that's saying a lot.

Cheap Stick.

You see this video?  I didn't think so.  We used to do this on the back of station wagons when I was a kid.  This is taking it to the next level.  I was hoping for some death, or at least dismemberment at the end, but alas, it was not to be.  Did I mention this happened in France?

Finally some blog love goes out to some regulars to the comments section of this blog.  First, Clif at Lunker Hunt wrote an awesomely under appreciated post on Sunday.  I didn't read it until today, and damn if it isn't hilarious in a snarkily understated way.

Just like all of my pictures.

Second, congrats to HeyBJK, who like Owl, was also named an OBN featured blogger of the week.  Brian runs a great blog full of all kinds of interesting outdoor stuff, and also wears a cowboy hat much better than most.

A real cowboy & a rodeo clown
(Hey, unintentional TFM spotting!)

My Apologies

No post yesterday, for that I am sorry.  I don't always write a post every day of the week, but I'm usually good for a Monday post.  Just didn't get around to it because I was busy taking pictures and posting stuff on eBay on Sunday night.  Yeah, that eBay.

As you might notice from my eBay feedback score of 12, I don't really use eBay all that much as a buyer or seller.  I am on a 12-step program to get rid of my Amazon.com addiction.  Don't listen to what they say, the patches don't work.  

I decided to post these items because I thought it might be a good time to lighten some of my excess fishing gear.  There are just some things I bought with every intention of using them, (like my baitcast reel - which is a steal at $15 as I type this) but simply never did, and I've come to the realization that I likely never will.  

It's something I've been meaning to do, plus there's a ton of suckers people out holiday shopping right about now just waiting to send me some cash via PayPal.

Which leads me to these questions to ask all of you, my loyal and clearly chemically-imbalanced readers:

Do any of you use eBay (or even Craigslist) to buy or sell fishing or hunting stuff?  If so, what kind of items do you look to buy or sell?

If This Was Twitter...

...I guess this would be considered a Retweet.  Since I know my readers are into free stuff (who isn't), figured I'd give all you guys the skinny on two contests, assuming you haven't already read and entered them yourself.

But then again, don't bother entering, cuz I'm gonna win them anyway.

Troutrageous! blogbuddy HeyBJK wrote up a great review of a pair of Magnum Work Horse 6.0 Boots and is also holding a giveaway for a FREE pair!.  Contest runs between now and November 1st.

And then Rick at Whitetail Woods called out a contest yesterday that he saw over at Life on a Southern Farm for a very interesting looking automatic dog feeder.  All I know is if I got this for my dog Caesar, he'd find a way to break inside and eat, and eat, and eat, and eat.  He's a pug...that's fat...and lives for food.

Biscuit?

A Sweet Deal...If The Shoe Fits

Being an angler, I like hanging out at Cabela's website quite a bit. And being cheap, I especially like frequenting the Cabela's Bargain Cave (their outlet).

I saw these Teva B-1 hiking shoes in the Bargain Cave the other night and...well...they got me by the credit card.

Note: I'm a sneaker whore, so this was not a difficult achievement.

Teva® B-1 Shoes

Cabela's is selling them for $29.99 (MSRP $100.00) - while other websites are nowhere close. Most are actually selling them anywhere from $55 to $99 - (King of internet shoe stores) Zappos included.

So will they actually fit when I get them?  Who knows.  Guess that's always a risk of buying footwear online.  But I thought I'd pass it along if anyone's looking for a new pair of light-duty hikers to take on your local trails this fall.

DISCLAIMER:
While this isn't technically a product review, I thought it would be worthwhile to note that Cabela's didn't prompt me to write this post in any way.  I simply observed them selling stuff cheap. As a matter of fact, they recently redesigned their site and I think it's very slow to load (comparatively) and makes shopping a bit of a hassle. While I usually enjoy shopping at Cabela's website, I also spend too much time at Bass Pro's site...and Gander Mountain's...and REI...and L.L. Bean...and...

Albright Oktoberfest

I don't typically highlight sales in the "Deals N' Offers" posts on this blog, but Albright's Oktoberfest is always worth mentioning, especially considering the size of the discounts.

Albright is generally value-priced product to start with, but when you take 40% to 80% of the retails, you can get some of this stuff cheap.

I own a three Albright products.  Two I really like; a 5-wt GP fly rod & a 3/4-wt click & pawl reel (I don't believe they make the reel anymore).  The Bugatti reel (which is also no longer made), I don't particularly care for as I've been spoiled by a Lamson Konic.

I will attest that they are pretty good performing products for their price points.  There's actually a few GP rods left for only $44.99!  No, that's not a typo.  They might not replace your Sage, Orvis, or whatever...but as a backup, travel option, or a way to outfit someone just starting out, they are worth checking out.

DISCLAIMER:

Other than being a consumer, I have no business relationship with Albright Fly Fishing.  That said Albright folks, if you're out there reading this, and want to send one of those new 3-wt A5s my way, I'm not going to complain...

My Hunting & Fishing Blog: Win a $35 Burton Backpack!

There's a great giveaway over at nimrod243's "My Hunting & Fishing" blog this month.  He's holding a story & photo contest where all you need to do to enter is submit a story of a hunting or fishing outing.  I figure since most of my readers are fellow bloggers, this shouldn't be that difficult to do, right?

The prize is a Burton Treble Yell backpack valued at $35.  That sounds perfect to me for this time of year...anybody got kids going back to school?

Check out his blog here for additional details on how to enter, as well as to submit your stories!

Kype Fishing Magazine - Free Online Issues

Was recently contacted by Kype Magazine about doing a little link exchange.  Figured why not, I've read about Kype on various other blogs like Fin Follower & The Fiberglass Manifesto Facebook page over the past few weeks, read an online copy, and thought the magazine was a pretty solid stuff.  Plus it's topical - about Steelhead, Salmon, & Trout fishing.  Yeah, I'm easy like that.

So here's the deal, if you want to read free online back-issues of Kype Magazine, just click on the little banner over on the right side of my blog (attaway ---->), or click the label/topic tag named...what else?..."Kype Magazine."

Enjoy!