Gadgets Anonymous: Sportsman Bumper

From the broken tips file comes a product that I came across at the Denver version of The Fly Fishing Show. The Sportsman Bumper is the brainchild of Bo Pitto who came up with the magnetic gun / rod holder as a way to secure your gear to the side of your vehicle while suiting up for a day on the water.

Made of heavy duty rubber, the bumper has embedded magnets that affix it to metal surfaces without marring your paint job. The clips hold your gear firmly enough that some anglers are buying two and using them to transport up to three rods on a moving vehicle.

The Sportsman Bumper is available from www.SportBumper.com and retails for $18.99 and is currently on sale for $16.99. Think of it as functional insurance. I picked up one for myself at the show. Skiers might want to consider Bo's other product The Ski Bumper.

 

Gadgets Anonymous: The EZ Tie

The meeting will come to order.  Hi, my name is Lee Murdock and I am a gadget junkie. crowd responds: "Hello Lee Murdock."

If I don't watch myself carefully, my fishing vests will jingle more than a group of hikers walking through thick brush in Katmai National Park.  I carry far too many things in my pack already so I was hesitant when the nice lady offered to demo the EZ Tie for me.    The EZ Tie is a device, like about three others that I own, that is supposed to make tying blood and barrel knots quick and easy.  I suppose I've always felt guilty about my chronic overuse of the surgeons knot, so I agreed to watch the demo.


The difference in this tool and the three others is that this one works (I made the lady let me try it myself).  I ended up buying one and have found it works pretty well once you get the hang of it.   It's a little pricey at  $27.95 plus $5 shipping but it is all made in the USA out of very sturdy material.  I met the inventor who sales these for himself and he's a nice guy.  They way I see it, if it gets me rigged up and on the water quicker, it's worth the price. 

The Fly Fishing Show Denver Edition

Wherein we learn that the good folks @Patagoniaflyfish bring out the big guns to staff their booth. Bill Klyn, Patagonia's International Fishing Development Manager.

 

Better work on your roll cast boys and girls...

 My fellow Colorado anglers might want to think about sharpening that roll cast this winter.  It looks like plans to "suspend 5.9 miles of silvery, luminous fabric panels high above the Arkansas River" by artist Christo may be good to go.  The artist's website (which has pictures of the project) reports :

On January 2, 2015, the Federal District Court upheld the Bureau of Land Management’s approval of Over The River. The dismissal of this challenge marks a major victory toward making this two-week temporary work of art a reality. The only legal challenge still outstanding is now being heard in the Colorado Court of Appeals.

No word if it's going to be a nice shady fishing spot or a big tangled mess. Dibs on all the flies caught in the "silvery, luminous fabric"