William Joseph W20 Wading Boots

     As you see by both the Current Mag pack and Squall wading jacket review, we think highly of the William Joseph brand; their packs in my opinion are second to none.  This made the decision to try out the William Joseph W20 wading boots a no brainer for me.  However, after a few months of use the results of the W20 wading boots were not up to par with the previous William Joseph products we have reviewed.

            I have mentioned that between guiding in the summer months and spending a lot of time on the water personally, I am hard on gear.  I put a lot of miles on my gear and I am not a little dude at 250 pounds, so I go through boots specifically quite fast.  When I saw that William Joseph had a wading boot I knew I had to try them. 

            My initial thought of the William Joseph W20 wading boot was that I was very impressed by the comfort and lightweight feel of the boot.  They felt like hiking boots, which was nice for a guy like me that does spend a fair amount of time hiking in to rivers and stillwaters to fish.  I wear a size 10 ½ shoe so I went with a size 11 in the boot which worked great for me.  The sole of the boots have a different combination of both rubber on the heel and toes with felt throughout the middle of the sole. I wasn’t sure about this combination at first, but the rubber toe tips and heels are nice while hiking up and down hills (including in the snow), and the felt is of course nice while wading through slippery rock bottom rivers. 

So as far as comfort, lightweight and function the William Joseph W20 wading boots worked out pretty well, but as far as durability I am not impressed. After about 4 months of use the felt started to peel off the bottom of the boot, which even with putting a lot of time on the water, 4 months is not very long.  This is very frustrating for someone who spends a lot of time fishing and hates for gear malfunctioning to slow me down.  It’s also disappointing after telling everybody how impressive William Joseph products are.  William Joseph does have a lifetime warranty of all their products which is pretty cool and not something most companies do, so I’ll be sending in my boots when I have time.  I have since moved on and went with a pair of Simms boots which will give me the opportunity to send in the W20 boots and test just how “iron clad” William Joseph’s warranty is, as they claim.

    

We love summer!

We have neglected posting for sometime and have committed to trying to stay more up to date. So here is a little update on what's been going on. The last few weeks have been anything short of phenomenal on our Southern Utah waters. The runoff has died down and the fish are hungry and very cooperative for anything looking tasty, be it on top, or subsurface. We are just now starting to see fish get a little more picky and key in on certain hatches. The caddis have been hatching in abundance several times a day with other bugs coming out to play as well. End of May there was a short couple weeks of salmon flies and large stoneflies; now we're seeing green drakes come out and play. A couple of evenings ago there was the staple caddis hatch, green drakes, yellow adult stones, and other smaller mayflies. Plenty of food + plenty of fish feeding = a lot of fun. I simply love this time of year. The fish cooperate and make you look like you know what you're doing, also making it fun to try new patterns. Interested in a guided trip? Contact us!

Orvis Access Fly Line Review

    I was really bummed after one guided trip I did last summer.  As I was putting my gear away and cleaning up, I noticed a big gash in my fly line.  I had let a client use it for the day and something happened to almost cut it in half.  I had the line for about three years and really liked it, so I was as sad as a fish out of water.  I needed a line right away for other trips and personal use, so I picked up an Orvis Access WF5F since it was in stock.
    I've always been a Scientific Anglers guy.  I fish SA Sharkskin on three rods and SA Mastery series on another two.  This Orvis line has exceeded my expectations.  Right out of the box I noticed it was thinner than my other 5 weight lines.  I double checked my make sure I had the right size.  I did.  I wondered how a thinner line would work on the water . . . but I was pleasantly surprised.  I like the thin diameter as it lays out more subtly on the water than my other lines of thicker diameter.  Smaller diameter means less surface area also, so the line floats and shoots really well also.  The welded loop is still holding strong, though it's only been a few months.  Most of my welded loops have been cut off and replaced by a nail knot.  Hopefully this one keeps holding strong.
    My first outing with the line was on the Provo River, and it worked great loading my rod for all sorts of casts.  We caught a bunch of fish and the line got the job done. The line feels slick, which I like to think helps it shoot through the guides and repel dirt and grime.  I've used the line now for everything from tiny dries to stripping streamers and it has performed great.
     My only qualms with the line is that it has a lot of line memory in cold water.  The line stays coiled up even after I've peeled line off the reel.  As you may know, this is a pain when casting and shooting line, and when reeling up the slack.  Also, the tip has started to sink.  It didn't the first few outings, but now it requires some assistance from floatant like Aquel to remain on top.  I've cleaned the line, but the tip still sinks.
    If there's any other drawback, it may be that the line only comes in one color (Mist Green, which appears to be more yellowish than green). The line is labeled with the size (Line ID) and comes in recycled packaging that is 100% compostable. Props to Orvis for helping protect our natural resources and doing their part.  For $59, this is a decent line that gets the job done and will come through for you in a pinch.

Rep Your Water Hat

    I first stumbled across Rep Your Water while scrolling through fly fishing photos on Instagram.  I saw a sweet fly fishing hat in one of the photos and took a closer look.  The photo was posted by Rep Your Water.  I visited the website and fell in love.  Rep Your Water makes hats and clothing representing individual states and certain types of fish.  A lot of hats (according to my unscientific analysis of their website) seem to incorporate a state's flag or other identifiable feature on them in the shape of a trout.  They're all pretty sweet too.  For example, the Colorado hat features the state's flag on the front, but in the outline of a fish.  Being in Utah, I checked out the Utah hats.  They feature the famous arch from Arches National Park in the form of a fish.  The gray hat with the orange arch and white mesh back is pretty awesome.  But what really struck my fancy was the Native Cutthroat hat.  This hat has a gray front, red mesh back, and a cutthroat trout on the front.  Underneath the cutthroat is the word "NATIVE".  It represents the native Utah Bonneville Cutthroat, which happens to be the state fish.  It is one sick lid.

    I had to have one.  So CurrentSeams contacted Rep Your Water and they sent us two hats and two buffs.  I am loving life.   I love the look of the hat and it looks good when being worn.  I know it might sound weird, but it gives me confidence. I feel good wearing it and like the appearance.  And I've been fly fishing long enough that I know feeling confident on the water can make or break a day of fly fishing.   I love representing my state with a sweet lid.  This has become my go-to hat for my fly fishing.  

   The hat's construction is quality.  I've had it a couple months and fished with it constantly.  I feel it's going to hold up for a long time.  All the stitching is even and looks strong.  The colors are vibrant and look good in their respective color combinations.  The hat isn't flexfit; it has adjustable snaps on the back.  The hat is deep, which I like.  It offers a lot of coverage and the bill can be pulled down low to help block out the glare.  The bill is really stiff though.  Jace likes his bills rounded and has had a hard time getting his bill to bend and hold its shape.  I don't mind a flatter bill, so I have no complaints, but this is something to consider depending on your preference.  The website says the bill is easily shaped, but it's actually not that easy to do.

    Rep Your Water has sweet products and they donate 1% to conservation! So why not get a sweet product and donate to conservation at the same time?  Seems like a win-win to me.  Overall, this is a great company started by a Colorado couple that loves the outdoors, so props to them for making some killer products.