F3t Report-Fort Collins

Saturday morning, the dawn light struggled to work its way through the dark gray sky.  Light snow fell from the heavens, and the tulips of early spring had to wait another day to grow.

Thus, the day was perfect for an evening spent watching movies about fly fishing in warmer locations.   I've attended the show every year that it has been in Fort Collins, and it is great seeing the F3T tour continue to grow in Fort Collins.

This year, a dozen of us planned met for dinner before heading to the Lincoln Center.   It gave us a chance to talk about our past trips, and plan future excursions. 







My friend Dave and I stopped by St. Peter's Fly Shop to pick up a few items before we headed to the movies.  Aaron was tending shop at the time, and it was great talking with him.   Aaron is usually at the south St. Pete's location, and is a great guy, as well as a wealth of information about the local fishing.  Fort Collins is lucky to have two St. Peter's locations, both are in beautifully restored buildings, and staffed with some of the nicest folks in the fly fishing industry.


F3T was held in the main auditorium in the Lincoln Center in downtown Fort Collins.   The building was recently renovated, and is a great place to hold this event.  Several hundred people were in attendance, and it was nice to see familiar faces from the industry and the local fly fishing community.


The show was well presented, and as always, had a nice variety of movies.  F3T gave away some nice gear, including two Sage fly rods.

One of my favorite films was about fishing Labrador, Canada.   John Gierach and others flew into areas that had most likely not seen humans before, and caught huge brook trout.   I've always enjoyed Geirach's books, and it was nice watching him on the big screen. The group I was with included Al from http://noconympher.blogspot.com/   (check out his post about the show), and this show was one of the best times that I have had at F3t.  Now, it is time to hit the water, and catch some trout!

Fly Fishing Film Tour-Fort Collins

One of my favorite events each winter is the Fly Fishing Film Tour stop in Fort Collins.  If you have never been to F3T, I encourage you to check it out.   There is nothing better than spending a winter evening with friends watching short films about our favorite sport. 

F3T is in Fort Collins next Saturday night, March 22, at 7pm at the Lincoln Center.  Tickets are slightly discounted if you buy them at St. Peter's fly shop, or you can buy them online.  If you don't live near Fort Collins...don't panic.   F3T has numerous stops around the country.  

Hope to see you there!

http://www.flyfilmtour.com/

Reactor Gamma Ti Watch-Gear Review

Grandpa was a fisherman, and I will always credit him with teaching me to enjoy the outdoor sports.  Even though he dabbled in fly fishing, most of the time we went fishing when I was a child was to throw a lure into a clear lake in the eastern mountains. Grandpa also collected watches, and I have fond memories of looking at the different watches he would wear.  That must have planted a seed for the appreciation of time pieces that I would later develop.  For years I wore a single watch, an L.L. Bean Field watch, that served me well.

About two years ago, when traveling on the east coast, I wandered into an Orvis Store, and started looking around.  I spotted a display of watches, and decided that it might be time to update my timepiece.   My wife pointed out a nice looking watch that I had not heard of, the Reactor Gamma.   As I examined it, I was impressed by its quality, and its lightweight construction.   I purchased it, and have used it extensively since that time.  Researching the watch renewed my interest in watches, and I've added a few more watches since then, but this watch remains a favorite.   The Reactor is my primary watch for fly fishing.  I've decided to review this watch for those of you who might have a need for a durable watch for the river.

The Reactor Gamma that I have is made of Titanium.  This material is tough, light, and has a nice gunmetal look.  The Gamma also comes in a stainless steel model, but the Ti is about 40% lighter.   The Gamma has Reactor's Never Dark technology, which combines luminous material on the dial, along with tritium, which is a material that does not need light to "charge" it.  Thus, when the luminous material grows dim during the night, the tritium stays well lit.  During fishing trips, I've found this very important when sleeping in a cabin with little electricity...you can always tell how many hours until you get to hit the river.

The watch that I have has a glossy, deep black dial, a rotating bezel, and is water resistant to 300 meters (plenty for any trout stream I fall into).  It is quartz powered, which is nice for the rigorous activities in fly fishing, plus Reactor says that the battery lasts for 10 years, which is outstanding for a quartz watch.  The accuracy of this watch has been spot on.  There is a rubber strap option, but my watch is on a titanium bracelet.   I've found that the bracelet is extremely well made.  Unlike most watches that attach the strap to the watch case with spring bars, the Gamma has a unique lug system that seems very tough.  Not much chance of the bracelet accidentally coming off. 

Reactor uses a coated mineral crystal on this watch.  Generally, I prefer a sapphire crystal on my watches, but I understand that Reactor uses this due to the fact that mineral crystal is more shatter resistant than sapphire, which is nice if you are on a fishing trip, and this is your only watch.   I've not had any issues with scratching on the crystal of this watch.   There is an anti-reflective coating which helps reduce the glare of the sun, and allows you to see the time easily.

I've had first hand experience dealing with Reactor's customer service, and I can tell you that it was outstanding.   I've read reports online that they had great service, but I can verify that they are top notch.   I normally take my watches to a local watchmaker for any servicing, but if I need to change the battery, I plan to send it to Reactor.

The watch is comfortable to wear, quite rugged, and I think the styling fits well with the outdoor theme in which I use it.  Check out Reactor's website for additional information on their watches.   http://www.reactorwatch.com

 BDF uses a three tiered gear rating system for gear reviews.

Dry Fly =       Great Product
Emerger=       Good product with potential
Nymph=         Could use improvement   

The Reactor Gamma Ti watch earns Dry Fly status.

Fly Tying Show-Fort Collins

Rocky Mountain Flycasters and Trout Unlimited are hosting a fly tying show tomorrow evening here in Fort Collins.  I've gone in the past, and it is an opportunity to watch some great fly tyers in action, and hang out with friends while the rivers are frozen.

Check out the website for more information.  

http://www.rockymtnflycasters.org