Done with Haverford Orvis

[jifigz]

I have a bunch of 40v Ryobi battery tools. Hedge trimmer, push mower, and weed whacker. I'd never go back to gas for those tools. Ever. Just gotta make sure the batteries are charged when you need em.

My Cub Cadet ZT1 54 cuts the majority of my grass. That mower has been alright so far for the 2.5 years I've owned it.

For small stuff, battery is great!

 

[dudemanspecial]

My only thing against batteries is longevity. Being a mechanic I can make a gas powered tool last forever as long as the price of parts doesn't exceed the value of a new tool, which is almost never. I have had a Stihl weedwacker and chainsaw for 20+ years and they fire right up and run like a champ.

My experience with battery drills and things of that nature are that the batteries only last 3 ish years before you notice a change in discharge rate and the batteries cost almost as much as a new tool.

 

[Nympho]

So you won't be buying a new H3 anytime soon?

 

[Bamboozle]

I bought my wife several of the mid-weight Stihl battery powered tools like a leaf blower, string trimmer & and a hedge trimmer so I don't have to walk out to the shed and start up my gas versions for her use.

She loves them and they work great for the short duration jobs she does BUT she has 4 spare batteries and the best battery is the heaviest one and it cost more than the tools, not to mention she has already noticed their decline in performance.

However, yesterday I cut my grass for the first time in almost three weeks. There ain't a battery mower out there that would have handed that job without requiring at least 20 or more batteries. For that simple reason and the economics, ALL of MY lawn & garden tools are gas powered.

I also still use my corded Milwaukee Hole Shooter more than my battery drills...

 

[jeffroey]

I'd like to formally nominate this post for the PAFF Awards "Most Unexpected Derail" category.

 

[Bamboozle]

---

I'm a fan of water gremlin and basic Eagle Claw BB sized shot. It's about all I need. I'm usually employing shot on bigger creeks in faster water where the shot isn't going to spook fish. Sometimes, on a small water, there may be a need for "micro-shot," but those times are few and far between and a weighted nymph can usually get the job done...

Back to Haverford Orvis & lead shot...

I'm lucky enough to have a stash of the old Soft Lead in the black containers and it's all I use when I need extra weight fly fishing, however...

I still bait fish for sunnies & stuff and recently switched over from my tried & true Water Gremlin removable lead shot to Dinsmore's Cushion Shot which isn't lead.

I didn't switch because I lost sleep over the lead in the Water Gremlin stuff, it's because when I initially tried the Dinsmore's, I noticed it didn't slip on my line like the Water Gremlin. I like the football shape better that the round Water Gremlin with "ears" for snag reduction. It's also very soft.

Often with Water Gremlin on a shot that I used a few times the ears would get flattened so to remove them I ended up needing pliers or hemos. Removing the Dinsmores is about as hard as opening a pistachio nut and because I like pistachio nuts and the shot is soft, I actually find it easier to remove.

The sizes are different that the old Water Gremlin "frying pan' sizes I'm most familiar with and they are slightly bigger because they are not lead, but it isn't hard to figure out how that a Dinsmore size AB is roughly equivalent to a Water Gremlin BB.

They also make micro sizes that are suitable for fly fishing or micro fishing.

 

[wildtrout2]

I'd like to formally nominate this post for the PAFF Awards "Most Unexpected Derail" category.

I was thinking the same. From split shot to mowers/batteries. Has to be in the running. I wouldn't necessarily label it "unexpected" though.

 

[Bamboozle]

I was thinking the same. From split shot to mowers/batteries. Has to be in the running. I wouldn't necessarily label it "unexpected" though.

Can I segue into swear words, or how about getting Caitlin Clark & the Olympics * in here somewhere...???

* Even though I don't give a rat's a$$ about either (although I did get a swear word in... )

 

[OSlumpBuster18]

I get shot at Cabelas or BPS usually. Maybe once every 5 years, if I’m low, and in the store anyway I buy a new pack. But I don’t usually make a run just for shot. I buy a 100 pack of size BB, that’s all I use. I figure if I need shot, I’m gonna put some heavy stuff on. IIRC it was $3.99 for 100 last time I was there, 2-3 years ago prob.

Fly shops are weird for me. I like going into them, but I generally don’t like spending my money in them. I get supporting your local business, but the markups are outrageous a lot of the time. And that’s across the board, not picking on any one shop in particular. They cater to a certain crowd, and that’s fine, nothing wrong with that. A few flies, and tippet or gink if I’m running low and plan to do more fishing before heading home, are about all I’ll usually buy. Or, if I have a catastrophic failure of waders or boots on a trip maybe.

Agree Swattie, I also like going into fly shops but I never spend money at them either. I've had a $200 GC to the only fly shop in the Pittsburgh area for the last five years, still haven't used it. Anymore I buy stuff off of Ebay, Amazon or direct from the manufacturer.

 

[simpliFly]

What’s the issue with moving away from lead shot?

Do you not believe lead has harmful side effects?

Honestly confused by this obsession with lead shot.

 

[wildtrout2]

What’s the issue with moving away from lead shot?

Do you not believe lead has harmful side effects?

Honestly confused by this obsession with lead shot.

No obsession here, but I can count on one hand the number of times I use split shot during an entire season. I only use it to get my bugger down deeper on a few rare occasions. That said, I doubt my limited use of toxic lead shot has much, if any effect at all on the fish/wildlife.

 

[springer1]

Today, I went into the Orvis store in Haverford, just to pick up some split shot. It's only ten mins from my home. Anyway, as I'm looking at their selection, an employee comes over and asks if he can help me. I said "I'm just looking for some spit shot, but I'd rather not spend $15 on it". The fellow says "this is a fly shop and we sell non-toxic split shot". I felt like saying, "oh, this is a fly shop?" I thanked him for his time and I left.

This is a store where I've probably spent no less than $1000 on various items over the years it's been there. Waders and wading boots account for the bulk of my spending there. But, I don't need an employee reminding me what type of store I'm in. I've been going there for a long while, and this may have been a new employee who doesn't know any better. Either way, I didn't care for the comment, so I won't be shopping there again.
I continued up the road to the Bryn Mawr TCO, where I got the split shot I wanted for $5, and I had a pleasant conversation about Valley Creek with one of the employees. Anyone else get rubbed the wrong way at an Orvis museum, I mean store?

To answer your question - No, I’ve not been rubbed the wrong way there. I’m 72 and recall the nearby other fly shops that are now out of business because they can’t make a profit. I go there a few times every year - and every Christmas to get some fly stuff and some nice sweaters, etc that my wife likes - she picks out herself. I’m all for local shops staying in business against the on-line shops which have so little overhead. I wonder what that Main-Line Pa Orvis store’s monthly rent is.

 

[wildtrout2]

To answer your question - No, I’ve not been rubbed the wrong way there. I’m 72 and recall the nearby other fly shops that are now out of business because they can’t make a profit. I go there a few times every year - and every Christmas to get some fly stuff and some nice sweaters, etc that my wife likes - she picks out herself. I’m all for local shops staying in business against the on-line shops which have so little overhead. I wonder what that Main-Line Pa Orvis store’s monthly rent is.

FWIW Since it opened, almost every single time I've been in that Haverford store, I've been the only customer in the place. So, they are making money somehow to pay what is probably crazy rent costs. My guess is online sales are picking up the slack.

 

[jifigz]

What’s the issue with moving away from lead shot?

Do you not believe lead has harmful side effects?

Honestly confused by this obsession with lead shot.

The only perceived "issue" I have with moving away from lead shot is that the majority of other options offer terrible performance in comparison.

Yes, lead can be very hazardous material. That's well documented. Do I think that streams and wildlife are negatively affected by lead shot? Not really, no. Maybe heavily used streams, but 99.99999999999% of situations lead shot had zero effect on the stream. My opinion of course.

I don't think there is any "obsession" with lead shot.

 

[lycoflyfisher]

Lead story. There was a major rehab project on the stilling basin of a popular dam spillway that gets heavily fished. The work was completed a few summers ago. One part of the project wad for divers to clean out the weep holes in the bottom slab, these were 4" holes through 6' of concrete. The divers reported many of the weepholes were filled with lead fishing weights.

 

[Nymph-wristed]

I hate split shot. Hate is a strong word for Orvis, but I try to avoid when I can. Not a popular opinion on this here forum, but PA flatlanders (ie SEPA folk) are lucky to have TCO in the region as an alternative. I would rather go to TCO any day.

Not for nothing, but I have been using a tungsten bead instead of shot for some time. Smaller size for more weight = more bang for your buck and fewer tangles. On a bugger with 4X or something it's not going to mess with your tippet enough to worry about.

Also, a countersunk bead will often set if you tie a bigger knot like an improved clinch instead of a clinch.