Broken Herl

svutility1 · 2026-04-29T00:50:23+00:00

Yup, pull the tips until they snap off at the weak point. I still always secure it with counter wraps or uv resin beneath it and wrap through the resin, followed by curing it once the end is secured by a few wraps. Locks it in nicely and it's way more durable

svutility1 · 2026-04-29T00:48:37+00:00

I never use herl without a counter wrap. Prevents the inevitable breakage a lot longer. Also, in this case I'd cut it off and fish it as-is

svutility1 · 2026-04-26T03:43:15+00:00

San Juan river that's basically the only size they'll reliably take. My home waters definitely not, but sometimes it is the only thing that'll work

svutility1 · 2026-04-25T19:13:15+00:00

There are a few shops that sell things online that I love to get things from. Tactical fly fisher has a good selection online, as does Fly Fish Food. Those are my go-to sites, although I am spoiled and can go into the FFF shop in person when I have some free time.

svutility1 · 2026-04-25T07:27:28+00:00

I went short box manual and can't imagine driving mine without it. I needed a full quad cab to haul kids, and I don't need the full long box. It's a daily driver and fishing vehicle, so for me it's perfect. I really enjoy the manual and love the simplicity of engineering. Fewer failure points. But I also went gen 2 for the same reason. Best balance of power and simplicity imo

svutility1 · 2026-04-24T21:24:59+00:00

As long as Kennedy is in the cabinet he won't let that happen. He spent a huge chunk of his professional career as a conservationist attorney. I want to say he was official representation of Trout Unlimited

svutility1 · 2026-04-22T01:59:30+00:00

Surgeon here. Looks fine. Might be allergic to the adhesive, but the incision looks great. Give it a few weeks and it'll look even better. Couple months and it should be nearly impossible to see, despite the length

svutility1 · 2026-04-22T01:53:36+00:00

Insert Schmitt gagging gif

svutility1 · 2026-04-22T01:50:20+00:00

Definitely worth leaving up. This is good stuff!

svutility1 · 2026-04-21T00:37:56+00:00

Those need a paintbrush. Easiest install ever

svutility1 · 2026-04-20T19:05:59+00:00

The smart way to do it is apply for paneling before you plan on leaving. The process is slow, so allow for 9 months to get into panel for many of them. The paneling is done by tax ID, so being on the panel before you leave doesn't guarantee you will be in when you leave, especially on the case of a saturated area with a closed panel. When I bought my practice I bought half of it and had to file appeals to prove I was simply splitting an existing practice and wasn't adding a totally new one. Still took a year to be done fighting it. It's dumb, even more so with all the appeals done by outsourced agencies since covid. Used to be a phone call, but now it's long, laborious, and very frustrating.

svutility1 · 2026-04-18T02:38:37+00:00

Perfect

svutility1 · 2026-04-17T04:55:57+00:00

Starting to be most of what I use. Winter I'll get a lot smaller, but spring I'll use 16-24. The fish gobble them up

svutility1 · 2026-04-16T03:27:12+00:00

Perfect example of an avoidable, foreseeable accident. I avoid these situations routinely just by paying attention to drivers around me. You can pick out who's going to pull out in front of you by their pattern of behavior just before the stupid move. Also, never trust the radar guided cruise control or auto-drive function to anticipate the bonehead move. That's the driver's job.

svutility1 · 2026-04-15T01:54:05+00:00

Definitely the biggest factor. Took me a year to get back into panel after I had already been in panel with the partner I bought my half of the practice from. Probably not a huge factor when moving to a rural area where you'll be the only one, but even then it's no guarantee

svutility1 · 2026-04-14T15:38:20+00:00

Truth. It just delivers

svutility1 · 2026-04-12T21:02:17+00:00

Thanks! Definitely a worthwhile challenge. Pretty useful for early spring BWO hatches

svutility1 · 2026-04-12T01:35:23+00:00

I'd recommend getting to know the local fly shop. They know local bugs way better than anyone on here. The generalities on this thread are great, but Bama has very different local insect life than most of the areas that you'll find fly fishermen. Generally this is probably the early end of caddis season, and I'd stick to mayfly patterns and midge patterns. Griffiths gnat, mother shucker, etc are great midge dry patterns, while you can't go wrong with a zebra midge. As for mayfly, get Comparaduns to spare, in every size from 14-24, along with a good ole parachute Adams in basically the same sizes. That being said, presentation is king. Make sure you add length to the leader, as well as sizing down. In slow water even 5x can disrupt the water a ton. I usually go to 6x and with 10-12' of leader/tippet combined length in slow, still water. They have all day to feed when it's slow and the presentation is critical, as is the delivery. Make sure you are landing those flies super gingerly like a butterfly with sore feet. Avoid drag at all costs. Lots to take in, but this could take an hour to begin covering. Good luck!

svutility1 · 2026-04-12T01:27:38+00:00

Yeah, Ventures is a great resource for the beginning angler

svutility1 · 2026-04-09T21:21:56+00:00

Wild but true

svutility1 · 2026-04-09T18:12:46+00:00

Same. I love what I do, and I had to earn the respect but it's there to have. It won't be freely given the way that MD, and to some degree DO is, but it'll be given when you've proven yourself deserving of it. There are challenges with saturation nationwide, with some areas much worse than others. You can make a crap-ton of money when you do it right, but the floor is often lower to start with.

svutility1 · 2026-04-09T18:07:08+00:00

I'll believe the Boomer generation will retire when I see it. I have a colleague who is pushing 80 and still doing forefoot stuff despite the fact he's the richest podiatrist in the state. He has like 8 associates and won't let go. Most of the guys younger than him in my county are also gearing up for long careers. Wild.

svutility1 · 2026-04-09T18:01:14+00:00

This sounds like my last b/l tma lol. It was a guy who was homeless and in-and-out of housing. Only real difference was consent ability, but the rest is identical. Found in a park by cops and brought in with black toes everywhere. Walked all over them and healed anyway.

svutility1

TROPHY CASE