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05/31/10

bonefishing hawaii:

the loomis glx stinger and the end of may as we know it.

 

nwff crew member craig and i just picked up the g. loomis stinger 12’ 6” 450gr. and went out with a bunch of other peeps to hi kai the other day to give it a swing.  the rod felt very light in hand much like its shorter brethren the roaring river switch.  just like the roaring river switch the stingers cast like a dream.  these rods brought back the original “glxness” (i call it fast with feel), something that i personally felt got lost in the crosscurrents and subsequent versions of loomis fly rods since the original glx fly rod came on the scene oh so many years ago.  take it from this novice two hand caster, the stinger, and the roaring river switch rods for that matter, are very forgiving rods that are a cinch to cast.  the rodw matched with a airflo scandi compact 450gr. is the cat’s meow.  it is capable of launching all the line you’ll ever need to and then some with the greatest of ease.  the finish on the rods are great and the cork is as good as it gets these days.  the rods have rec recoil guides (which i am a huge fan of) that are made of a noncorroding shape memory metal. so far it has actually proven to be non corroding even in our harsh salt environment, unlike many other “saltwater safe” products that i have put through the ringer in our waters.  it also has a cool looking cut out style reel seat that deserves mentioning.

 

as i always say, there is good and bad to everything and the stinger is no different.  the knocks on this rod are very few and minor.  the rod i got was missing some of the plugs in the male section of the blank (easily fixed with silicone and something that gets forgot every once in a while by all manufacturers) and the rod comes with a snuggie of a sock that looks like its for a fifteen foot 9 or 10wt. rod... like i said minor.  the 450gr stinger, although not incapable, doesn’t have quite the boosting power that i like for the big boys or in places with gnarly gear eating reef.  that’s true (to me) of all seven weights across the board both single and double hand and just means that i'll probably have to get the 500gr stinger too, ouch.  the loomis stinger glx is great fun for smaller bones, small trevally and the less sketch reefs like hi kai and should work well on the rivers of the nw for steelies, but i don’t know much about that... yet.  it'll cast far all day with ease (i was the last guy out of the water on the day we took them out for a spin).  definitely, one of my favorite rods in the ole quiver and one that will be seeing a lot of action.

 

the little omilu (bluefin trevally) has been a constant companion of mine this summer.  this guy got the "stink" off my new stinger... thanks buddy.

 

craigy and the first bonefish of his stinger.

 

it's memorial day so shout outs go to all the peeps who served or are serving in the military (amanda, asa, deano, duff, earl, jose, kenny b., matt, stan, to name a few) and especially all those who gave their lives for the cause.  it's because of all of these people that i can live the life of clay... and get away with it.  good times.

 

clay.


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