[GRN]

I experienced some outer material failure on my rivertread boots, mentioned it to one of the guys while noticing the use of a new material while in Beans yesterday, and without hesitation he told me to bring them in for replacement. I told him I thought I had gotten pretty good service from these boots over the past four years, and that I really punish footwear but he still insisted. went in today with my waders just to confirm fit, bam, brand new boots, didn't charge me a dime even though the new ones are more $ AND I bought the old ones on close out. Amazing.

I also took some reels/lines and played a bit with the new Double L rods which had caught my attention the day before - they are no longer produced by Loomis, and have the benefit of Rajeff design. They have, IMO, a very distinct sweet spot in the shorter, lighter tapers. The 6'6" for 3wt and 7'6" for 4wt 4pc rods are absolute gems... the 6'6" 3wt performed solidly in all ways, and with a 2/3 Delta Taper laid out some very impressive roll casts for such a short rod. It came home, and will likely take up residence in the hard bags on my motorbikes :-). the 8'6" and 9' 5&6wts were not nearly as impressive, and felt tip heavy... slightly clubby to me. I didn't get to play with the 9' 4wt, but I suspect if the 8'6" 5wt feels tip heavy that I might have found same with the 9' 4wt. The components and workmanship closely rival that of $600+ premium rods, and the total satisfaction guaranty is better than anything any other rod manufacturer offers.

If you are looking for a short 3 or 4wt, I think these are a heck of a good value for $195... worth a look for sure.

[FlyDog]

The 7' 6" 4 wt. has got my interest for all those small Sierra streams.

The Double L Reel got a real good review in one of the fly mag.s I was thumbing through.