yes im at a&m. spending $700 on books is normal now days. i buy used when i can but sometimes the book stores only have new. i could probably spend less money if i shopped online on amazon/ebay or something but you really never know what your getting from those sites since you cant look at it before you buy.

baught a math book for $3 online last semester. didn't crack it once though.

never heard of fly fishing being taught here...

GPX from Albright are pretty good reels also.

The Ross Momentum LT is a nice reel too, up there with a Tibor...but the Lamson's are difficult to beat for the price.

Don't guess they do so anymore. http://agnewsarchive.tamu.edu/dailynews/stories/ENTO/Nov0404a.htm

Unfortunately, my old friend John Jackman passed away. He used to teach the course. I miss fishing and going to fly tying events with him.

The orvis hydros is going to
Have a sealed drag system but I don't think it is suposed to come out till feb.

But I have really enjoyed my rls reel from cabelas
It has done well for me teamed with my 6wt for reds in POC

casey smart has a website article on reels for redfish(I think) go to www.caseysmartt.com and I think its under articles-p-

John's class syllabus is still available online:

Aquatic Entomology for Anglers

Thanks for the sweet link. Just bookmarked.

I like my quantum array 30 spinning reel for reds.

I love the Orvis Battenkill, also can find some at great deals if you look. I'm a student right now too so I know that you gotta make the dollars last and have a solid piece of gear

Okuma Integrity for my money. I can't catch any more fish nor enjoy it any more with a fancy expensive reel. I'll spend the money I saved buying gas to get to the fishing hole. Of course I'll arrive at the fishin hole in a 1996 Ranger vs some hybrid SUV.

Some of the outfits I see fly fishermen wearing reminds me of the clowns who come down to the Hill Country decked out in camo with scent blockers, etc etc. Then they sit in plywood blinds and shoot deer 100 feet away who are drooling over the corn that comes gushing out of a feeder. HUNTING - NOT SO MUCH. Country boys around here wear levi's, flannel shirts, and shoot about 5X the number of deer for 1/100th the cost. Some shoot them like I do - off my back porch before breakfast. My neighbor who is a world class Olympic target shooter shoots them from his grandson's tree house.

Two things about any salt water reel, particularly for any reel on the Texas coast:

You want the simplest cork or graphite washer drag you can get your hands on. Easy to clean, easy to rinse and dry, not subject to hidden corrosion failure. Sealed drags are fine so long as they stay sealed.

You want dogs, not the one-way roller bearing common to many fly reels. While the one way bearing is the neatest thing since sliced bread in a freshwater reel, works just fine in the salt if carefully maintained, it's not as easy to maintain as a set of dogs.

KISS...Keep It Simple, Stoopid. Not just goot advice, it oughta be the law. LC

I'm a newbie here, but been in Houston for 51 years. Fished all over Galveston/Freeport when I had my boat. I'm in the process of building my first split bamboo 8wt rod from total scratch. I need a reel eventually. I sure like the looks of the large arbor Orvis Battenkill. Can anybody talk me out of it or tell me why that wouldn't be a good choice? I haven't done much fly fishing but always wanted to, so now I am going to. I don't want that to be one of those things to put on my "bucket list" when it's too late.

Anybody know how to access the north shoreline of West Bay by car for wade fishing??????

Thank

cwood3

you can get a really good deal at www.coltonfly.com on a great reel