It's good to know famous people: Hilary Hutcheson Edition

Through The Guides from The Noble Lab on Vimeo.

Talented individual alert at the 2:23 mark.

I have wallet pics of my oars

You know how annoying it is when you just meet someone and they whip out their iPhone and show you tons of photos of their kids, wife, dog and house? Well, now I'm THAT GUY. Only, I'm showing pictures of my oars. I can't help it. They're psychedelic.

After saving up for forever, my adoring husband finally let me pull the trigger on these tie-dye wrapped Sawyer MX-F composite shafts with Cataract Magnum II blades. The shafts are made with lightweight fiberglass and fiberglass/graphite composite tubes in a just-right balance of weight, flex, strength and durability. And the blades are made of high-density structural urethane and a composite core for moderate flex and super strength. The svelte cross-section is a water-dicer.

It's a great combo, and they look dang slick on our 143D Aire raft and NRS rowing frame, and I can't help showing them off. But I promise, when I get a new boat anchor or cooler, I won't make you look at pictures.

FlyFish Mag at IFTD--Part 1

Sure, I'm as distracted as the next gal about all the jazz, beads and feather boas glimmering at us from the future. In a year from now we'll be recovering from IFTD 2011 in New Orleans; telling our trade show tales with spent voices, squinting at blurry phone pictures to figure out who flashed us, and saying over and over, "One fish, two fish, redfish, redfish."

But today I'm still happy to be stripping in the good times and great gear found at IFTD 2010 in Denver September 9-11.

First off--here are some immediate things that caught my attention:

• An AAFTA board member asked my honest opinion on how to make fly fishing less exclusive
• Logo changes for Redington and Sage
• People introduced by their Twitter handles ie: @troutscout @kyleindenver @roughfisher @midcurrent @deneki @fbrglssmnfsto @fishykid @fethastyx @tundralove @flyfishpro @outsidehilary @iftd
  
• Ross F1 Reel Series
• Free Moose Drool (Made in Montana)
• Not even close to free internet access (Made in NEVERland--as in, I ain't never payin'! )
• Watch out fishy men--the polite, capable and informative fishy kid Tyler Befus could do your job if he was legally old enough
• Tough-guys-turned-art-aficionados standing in line to have their copy of The Drake autographed by Derek DeYoung

Here are some pics from the points above:






Tomorrow I'll be breaking down the features of some of the show's top products, including those from Ross, Sage, Redington, Buff, R.L. Winston, Big Sky Inflatables, fishpond, Smith Optics and more.
And I'll explain why the Ross F1 Series is my "Best of Show" choice.
Hilary