Timekeeping - Photo essay

I'm a huge fan of manufacturing and love seeing companies work on the "nano" and "micro" level.  This means they're working and machining parts that are minute in size and require great precision and care to not only make the part, but then clean and finish it without breaking it.  

Old school watch making is one area that I typically drool over, as the amount of precision craftsmanship that goes in to each is tremendous.  Most of the components are hand built and assembled and it's a painstaking process.  Gear Patrol offers quite a bit of watch porn throughout the year, and they mostly highlight companies and watches I could only dream of.  Fifteen grand for a watch is a bit out of my budget, and even it ever did become tangible, I think I'd probably spend it on Ari T' Hart reels instead.  But even if I can't afford one, it's always cool to see why they're worth every penny.  

 


The Fly Fish Journal

By now I'm sure most of you guys have seen the new Fly Fish Journal, maybe through your subscription or seeing it on the rack at the local fly shop.  But I wanted to throw a huge shout out to my guy Jonathan Marquardt over at Bad Axe Design for not only getting a sweet spread, but also landing the cover.

I met Jonathan at one of his first shows and he was just beginning to bring his art to the mass public.  Over the last 3+ years it's been so awesome to see his artwork pop up all over the fly fishing industry.  To now see his carp on the cover of TFFJ, really shows how far he's come and how hard he's worked.  

Congrats buddy!  You've earned it. 

To see how Jonathan is handling his new found fame, check out our opening day video.


 

Best Gift

If you ever wonder what to do with your old waders, wonder no more. Under my Christmas tree was a messenger bag from Recycled Waders (RW) a company that transforms your old "funky" waders as they call them, into a number of unusual products from wallets to lunch bags. 

These products are made in the USA and according to RW, "...intentionally do not have the latest gadgets, zingers, fold down fly trays, magnets, etc. Instead, our Seattle made wallets, bags and accessories are simple, lightweight, durable, water resistant, and most importantly they are versatile." 

Yes they are and the product is top notch. I normally carry the following items in my coat pockets: phone, camera, second lens, gloves, sunglasses, regular glasses, flash drive, sometimes a portable hard drive, battery and cards for camera, book, pen and or pencil, watch cap, sometimes a field recorder, and yep, I have big pockets on all of my coats. 

So now I have a bag with some history or a story to it. All the stains and blemishes are part of its history. As the folks at RW state: "We capture these unique character marks within our products so that each bag may tell it's own story, maybe to you." 

So I'm going to make up a story about my bag and share it with you, check back soon. 

To learn more about Recycled Waders: 

http://recycledwaders.com 

 

Stuart Van Dorn