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I went fishing with an old friend last week for salmon here in Washington.
We were by the trunks of our cars 'gearing up,' and I reached for a jacket
I was considering wearing. He is in the outdoor clothing business (he
designs the stuff, but not the one I had) and I showed him the jackets zipper.
"Look Bob, they make a nice jacket and put a stupid metal zipper on the
darn thing. See all that salt corrosion! How dumb can they get? I even
complained to them and sent both of ours back to have the zippers replaced.
Ya know what? I asked if they could replace them with some big plastic ones.
They said, nope, sent them back with these. Stuck again. Good jackets, just
don't wear them around the ocean!"
Once, a few years back up in British Columbia, I stuck the zipper tab in my
mouth to dissolve the salt so I could zip up the jacket on a chilly fishing day.
I don't recommend the practice, but it did work.
He agreed with me and continued to put his breathable waders on. "Hey, look
at this." I waved the inside chest pouch of my neoprene waders at him. "More
of it on here too. This pocket went to heck the first year I had these. Love
the waders, just can't figure why they put a dumb metal zipper on the inside
pocket. Bugs me."
A buddy borrowed a fly rod to use for some exotic salt type fishing. He
only had it out five or six days, cleaned it all up pretty and returned it.
When I checked it over I noticed the end cap on the aluminum rod tube
seemed to grind a bit. Sure enough, corrosion had already started. It
was not a big job to correct, but, I put a dab of light grease on the
threads.
Many years ago I loaned a real nice 35mm 'Rollie' camera to a pal heading
for the same region. I didn't get so lucky on that. The salt in the air completely
ruined it. Seems like I am a slow learner.
There may be some hope though. My friend Bob told me about a new
clothing company soon on the market, (so new they do not yet have a
name) and he is sure they will not have metal zippers on their stuff. In fact,
he asked me if I knew anything about the 'water-resistant' zippers? I don't
know if I should or not, but, said I didn't know anything about them. I always
figured some genius would invent a 'water-proof' one. Be great for my
chest-high waders! Some guy will probably make a million on that when
he does.
I don't remember worrying much about salt corrosion when I lived in the
mid-west, just rust, but out here and traveling it can become a nuisance,
or a down-right problem. It seems like I am spending far too much time
cleaning lines, maintaining reels, washing down rods and cleaning the cork
handles,( yes, I use bleach on them and a small brush). Now I have to
keep an eye on my rod tubes too. Oh well . . .
P.S. I carry a small bottle of lens cleaner and a special little cloth in
the car. If you wear glasses and double-haul in the salt and would like to
be able to see driving home, you understand why.
Addendum (The Salt Lake City Show)
I do this every year, the 'Pick of the Show' thing. This year I had it
down cold. I knew in advance of the new 'Poly' leaders from Climax; I didn't
think anything at the show could top them for the pick. Wrong again. Hey, don't
misunderstand, they are great. There are some others on the market, but no one
makes them the way Climax does. If you have not yet tried one, go for it. They
will lay out a longer section of tippet than an old-fashioned leader and do it better
as well. It was a 'Poly' leader I used in the A.C.A. distance contest in New York
this last summer. Anyway, they are not my 'Pick of the Show.'
I don't know how Cortland did it, but I can say this, they sure can keep a secret!
I had no idea they had a new fly line. Now, does the world need another new fly line?
Not now they don't. Not since Cortland hit the market with this new 555. You
all know of the famous 333 and it's big brother, the 444. I suppose it's natural
they would continue the family with the 555.
It is new. Right from the core on up. The yellow floater is a fine caster, I know,
I cast it on the pond there. I have not cast any line which floats higher or goes
through the guides any faster. Hard to improve on the old standbys, but they
have done it. Watch for them soon at your Cortland dealers.
The astounding line in the 555 series is the clear one. I am sure you are familiar
with the clear lines on the market today and the problems most of them have.
This 555 Clear is a 'Floater!' Not only that, it is a breakthrough in the
development of floatation. The number of .7 probably won't mean anything to
you, but it is the buoyancy factor of this technology. Trust me, that number has
not been hit by anyone. This line sits on the surface like nothing I have ever seen,
and shot through the guides like a snake. Higher floating and less effort; works
for me.
The third line in the series is the intermediate, longer (125 feet) super-slick and
nearly invisible with a camo-core. (Sink rate - 1.5" per second) Called the
'Little Tunny,' it's a good addition to the series.
I picked the 555 family of lines because the ones that float,
float; they float higher and better than any others. The ones that don't float,
disappear! I figure this will be a help to all of us, from the 'tyro' to the
'old-timer.' I sure hope so. When I want my line to float, I want it to float.
They should have called the floaters "007" after all, they are the first ones
to develop a line with this much buoyancy.
~ James Castwell
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