Fly Vines Giveaway

Last month, I went steelheading with LG (of 406 Productions, 406 Outfitters, Getting Guided, and Fly Vines) and Matt Breuer (of Ponoi River Company). LG is a man of many hats. All of them ugly. One of those hats is Fly Vines.

Fly Vines takes used fly-lines and recycles them to make sunglass-retainers, bracelets, and lanyards. I have been wearing my sunglass retainers and lanyard for more than a month now and I am a big fan. Gone are the neoprene and cloth retainers. Gone are the ropes of thread from around my neck. The retainers can accommodate thicker frames which other retainers struggle with handling. The lanyard, a simple and light-weight design, carries the basics (tippet, nippers, and forceps) on the water. With previous lanyards, I had too much hanging off my neck. Too many points for my fly line to get tangled around. Too many things going unused. I like the simplicity of the lanyard.

(Left to Right) Fly Vines sunglass retainers, lanyard, and bracelet

At a recent showing in Missoula, I won a full set (lanyard, sunglass retainers, and bracelet) of Fly Vines. Since I already have my fair share of the recycled fly line products, I figured I would share the love with the internets. So, here are the goods. The winner of this giveaway will receive the Fly Vines lanyard, sunglass retainers, and bracelet. Each person has the chance for three entries into the giveaway.

You get one entry for each of the following completed actions.

Entry #1) Leave a comment in the comments section.
Entry #2) Like Yukon Goes Fishing on Facebook and leave a separate comment reading "I like YGF on FB"
Entry #3) Like Fly Vines on Facebook and leave a separate comment reading "I like Fly Vines on FB"

The act of like-ing or following does not enter you into the contest. The entry is official when the comment describing the action took is submitted. If you already like YGF on Facebook, you aren't entered until you leave the comment "I like YGF on FB." Same goes for Fly Vines. Count 'em - that is three separate comments, resulting in three separate entries into the Fly Vines giveaway.

The contest/giveaway will close at 12:00 AM (Midnight) Mountain Time on Tuesday, April 10th, 2012. The winner will be chosen via the dastardly RNG and will be announced on Tuesday, April 10th, 2012 around 12:00 PM (Noon) Mountain Time.

Glacier Glove Pro Angler Glove Review and Giveaway

It gets cold in the winter in Montana. Hell, it gets cold in the winter everywhere. Apparently, it was 18 degrees in Tallahassee on Wednesday.

As some you may know, I have a fishing problem. I really have no other winter hobbies. Sure, skiing is fun and all, but that costs too much money up front. Plus, I have other things to spend money on....like fishing. Part of fishing during the winter is cold. Cold fingers and cold toes. A good pair of gloves can solve one of those two problems.

For the purposes of reviewing and testing, I was provided with a pair of Glacier Glove Pro Angler Gloves. The Pro Angler gloves were designed with anglers in mind. Constructed 2mm fleece lined neoprene, the glove features slits in the thumb and index finger that allow you to tie knots and handle line without taking the gloves off. Here is my review....

Glacier Glove Pro Angler Glove under the christmas tree...it's probably time to take that down, right?

I am going to do this review Troutrageous and Arizona Wanderings style. PROS AND CONS. Why? Well, it is effective.

PRO: Warm. Very warm. Fishing the Mo in December, I was expecting the worst. Cold water, cold weather. Fortunately for me, only the water was cold. My fingers were comfortably warm in the Pro Angler gloves during a 40 degree day. Hands warm. Ivan happy.

PRO: Other than my index finger and thumb, I don't need the other three fingers on my hand while fishing. With standard fingerless/"fingered" fishing gloves, it is all or nothing. Either all of your fingers are warm and dry or none of them are. With the Pro Glacier Glove, my three normally neglected digits (six if you count both hands, for those of you counting at home) were warm and dry throughout the day.

an unprofessional hand model

PRO: Untangling windknots, retying nymph rigs, switching leaders, and handling size 20 flies and 6x tippet was a breeze. Well using my fingers effectively was a breeze. Untangling windknots, well, that is hard on the warmest of days. I could go from a fully covered hand to handling line with the four most important of my ten fingers in about 10 seconds. The gloves never came off in the process.

CON: I wish there was a slit allowing the middle finger to be used. I don't use my middle finger often. But, I will use it to manage line when stripping and/or swinging streamers. It would have been nice to have the option to use the middle finger in some fishing situations.

PRO: Dry. Part of my day on the water involves dumping my hands into the river to get underwater release shots with my GoPro. My hands stayed dry throughout the process of filming. Dry hands=Warm hands. See PRO #1.

CON: They are gloves. No matter how you slice it, you will lose a certain amount of feel when wearing gloves. Feel can be very important in fly fishing. With time, the gloves became more comfortable and casting, stripping, and line management became easier. It took some time to get used to have gloves on. But, it is a sacrifice that is worth making

Overall, the Pro Angler Glove is a great alternative to the conventional winter fishing gloves out on the market. It is a versatile glove that allows the angler the touch needed to tie knots and handle line while also keeping the angler's hands dry and warm. If you are in the market for a pair of fishing gloves, I would recommend the Pro Angler Glove, for sure.

A professional hand model

Okay, now for the fun stuff. Glacier Glove was kind enough to offer up a pair of the Pro Angler gloves for YGF to giveaway. So, again, we are doing this Troutrageous style with the potential for up to four entries per contestant. You get one entry for each of the following completed actions.

Entry #1) Leave a comment in the comments section.
Entry #2) Like Yukon Goes Fishing on Facebook and leave a separate comment reading "I like YGF on FB"
Entry #3) Follow Yukon Goes Fishing on Twitter and leave a separate comment reading "I follow YGF on Twitter"
Entry #4) Like Glacier Outdoor on Facebook and leave a separate comment reading "I like Glacier Outdoor on FB"

The act of like-ing or following does not enter you into the contest. You leave a comment indicating that the action was completed. If you already like YGF on Facebook, leave a comment "I like YGF on FB." The same goes for YGF on Twitter and Glacier Outdoor on FB. Count 'em - that is four separate comments, resulting in four separate entries into the Glacier Glove Giveaway Extravaganza.

The contest/giveaway will close at 12:00 AM Mountain Time on Friday, January 13th, 2012. The winner will be chosen via the dastardly RNG and will be announced on Friday, January 13th, 2012 around 12:00 PM Mountain Time.

For a similar review, check out the Lunker Hunt.

DISCLAIMER: The Glacier Glove Pro Angler Glove tested in this product review were provided to me at no cost, but hold a retail value of $39.99 each for both top and bottom. I currently hold no association with Glacier Glove whatsoever. Although, Glacier Glove or any other fly fishing company is welcome to sponsor YGF in any capacity. This is YGF's first gear review. As with this review and all future reviews, I will do my best to offer up my honest and unbiased opinion, good or bad.