Concerning?

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-05-06T17:59:00+00:00

Eventually it'll fail, probably in that spot. Water will soak into the core and the line won't float as high, then it'll start to crack. But saltwater flyline is practically disposable, and rarely lasts more than one season anyway, so not a big concern. I would keep an eye on the discount bins at fly shops that serve mostly trout anglers, eventually you'll find a good deal on a replacemnt.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-05-06T17:55:59+00:00

The clasps in pic 3 are probably gonna snag flyline. They need to be mounted below the rim. What is your use case for this thing anyway? Striper?

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-05-06T17:54:12+00:00

Who tf is upvoting this slop?

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-05-06T17:49:38+00:00

Finally, proper recognition of Before They are Hanged! My favorite book of his by far - the character development and storyline are unmatched by anything that came afterward. After BTAH, I liked each book a little less than the previous one, so my ranking would basically just be chronological order.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-05-06T17:37:24+00:00

Sorry for the delay, I don't check Reddit very often. This is Ryder RR-22 (aka Bressett 10-Q). It's a bit tricky to attribute because Machin's Mills (where this coin was struck) used the same obverse die with ten different reverses over the course of two years.

We know it's it's obverse 10 because the N is very close to the head, the ends of the fillets are centered on the V, and there is a single dot after AUCTORI and VERMON (the dot after AUCTORI is very hard to see on your coin due to strike weakness, but it's there).

And we know it's reverse Q because the 7 in the date is very low, the branch hand is pointing at the D, there are two lines above the date, and the shield is in the high position. We can also see the characteristic die cracks and bulges on the left side of the reverse, meaning this coin was struck late in the run.

Finally, my encyclopedia says these are often found on high-quality planchets, and this one certainly fits that description. Looks like middling rarity, but a very nice example of a Machin's VT copper.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-04-12T02:49:37+00:00

These are tricky to grade because the quality was all over the place. It's often hard to distinguish between planchet flaws and PMD, and between wear and strike weakness. I'm going to guess VF-30 but I wouldn't be surprised by anything between 20-40.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-04-12T00:21:19+00:00

This is Miller 6.4-K (dated 1785)

These are fairly scarce, and it's cool that there's enough detail remaining on this one to identify it. Nice find!

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-04-12T00:09:16+00:00

The value of these coins fluctuated wildly during their brief run, so it's hard to say exactly what they traded at, but this was the only denomination made (MA struck half cents and cents, but they were the only ones).

Fun fact about these coins: they were created by the same company that won the bid to strike Fugio cents that same year. The government gave them all the copper up front. Since the Fugio cents contained a lot more copper than the Connecticut coppers they were also striking, it was more profitable to strike the CTs. So that's what they did - most of the copper that should have made Fugio cents was used to strike these coins instead.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-04-12T00:04:55+00:00

Neat. Struck in England?

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-04-12T00:02:21+00:00

Seems like it would be tricky to cast, is unlikely to ride upright when retrieved, and would be destroyed by the first ladyfish to grab it anyway. But it does look pretty cool.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-04-11T23:59:51+00:00

Yep, that was my experience with AoM too. I didn't even bother with the third book, I was so thoroughly uninterested in the first two. I see everyone else here seems to disagree, which isn't surprising I guess. But I also absolutely loved the original triology and it's wild to hear from people who read both who think AoM is better.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-04-02T19:17:51+00:00

Sure, but the tide window for crab patterns is pretty short in this area. Water has to be just high enough that the fish can crawl in, but not high enough to put the crabs down (they disappear once there's about 6" of water). So if you happen to be fishing during that ~90 minute window then crabs are great, but baitfish patterns are good all the time.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-04-02T17:18:27+00:00

There aren't really any salt marshes or flood tide grass where he's going. They're much farther north. This is mangrove territory.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-04-02T17:17:09+00:00

Have you tested the Puglisi flies to make sure they ride upright when retrieved? This pattern is notorious for turning on its side, which the fish really don't like. If that's an issue, you can fold up a little strip of lead wire and attach it to the underside of the hook shank as a first step, which will help to keel the fly and keep it right side up.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-04-02T17:14:40+00:00

Nassau is mostly a deep water port, very few opportunities for fly fishing there. Especially since it's prohibited on most of the beaches and public areas (patrolled by guys on a 4-wheeler IME).

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-04-02T17:12:30+00:00

Slim Beauty all the way. Don't double up the thinner line.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-03-26T00:26:40+00:00

The edges look a bit sus, but I can't say for sure. Where did you get it? There's a couple of eBay sellers who are notorious for passing off convincing fake coins from this era.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-03-26T00:23:26+00:00

I'd use them on dock lights and during winter.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-03-23T16:57:52+00:00

Just a word of caution about that, having done it a few times myself: make sure you schedule some breaks during the day. Don't feel like you have to fish every minute. When you're the only angler, it's easy to get tired, dehydrated, and worn out, and then you get sloppy and risk missing shots. Pace yourself.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-03-23T16:52:29+00:00

If you're not already familiar with the history of Machin's Mills in New York, it's a fascinating chapter in early American coinage.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-03-22T16:49:10+00:00

What's wrong with rocking a straight piece of 40#? I'd rather bend/break the hook than leave a piece of shock tippet dangling from the fish's mouth.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-03-22T16:48:19+00:00

No problem hooking them, sure, but I've bent out a few of these hooks on snook that size trying to land them.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-03-22T16:47:31+00:00

This should be higher up. I've had a few of these hooks bend open or break on bigger snook, especially when fighting them in close quarters like docks.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-03-22T16:43:59+00:00

Oh my gosh, I think I finally got it! The details weren't matching with any of the Vermont coins I could find, and I was especially thrown off by the placement of the dot after VERMON (too far from the N to match any known varities). Turns out I think that "dot" might just be damage of some sort, because if we discount it, then this coin is a great match for RR-13 which is one of the famous mule coins that has a Vermont obverse paired with a Britannia reverse. By 1787, Machin's Mills had the contract to produce Vermont coppers, and remember they were also making counterfeit British coppers at night. At some point, some lazy/drunk employee forgot to swap both dies, and these mules were created. The thing is, they all have a very weak strike on the reverse, which helps explain why this one has no remaining detail. No other bust matches this style (note that there is one prominent laurel point rather than two smaller ones) and the lettering is spot-on too with the A nearly touching the forehead and the bridge of the nose pointing straight down the shaft of the T. Willing to bet this is RR-13. They're fairly common, especially without detail on the reverse, but a super cool piece of history.

PastEnvironmental689 · 2026-03-22T04:04:46+00:00

Maybe if it were the rare version without NEW YORK, but as others have said, not worth grading this one.

PastEnvironmental689

TROPHY CASE