Product Review: Fishpond Buckhorn Sling
Had a chance to review the Fishpond Buckhorn Sling for the past few weeks. I’ve used other Fishpond products before, and find them to be well constructed with plenty of useful features. Here are a few of the specifics from the product spec for the Buckhorn Sling:
- Cyclepond Fishpond fabric
- YKK Aquaguard #8 external water resistant zippered main pocket
- Structured back air mesh panel to help carry loads and keep cool
- Zippered main storage compartment for secure fly box storage
- Signature molded zip down fly bench with replaceable foam
- Exterior VELCRO® attachment for foam, tools or accessory attachment
- Exterior Hypalon® tabs and cord loops for tool and accessory attachment
- Integrated guide net slot
- Exterior water bottle pocket
- 7 zippered pockets
After spending a few days on the water with it, here’s what I like most about the Buckhorn Sling:
The two zippered pockets in the fly bench are spacious enough to carry tippet, leaders and other supplies. The fly bench itself is large enough to carry a number of flies, more than I typically use in a day. I actually carried more on the water than what is seen here, but wanted to show just how large it is.
Behind the fly bench is another large pocket with compartments, enough to carry an extra reel, fly box, water bottle, sandwich or rain jacket.
I don’t personally carry much on the outside other than nippers, forceps and floatant, but there are plenty of clips and tabs for other equipment. The water bottle holder also comes in handy.
I really liked the zippered mesh pockets, suitable for licenses, keys or a phone in a waterproof case.
On The Water
So while the Buckhorn Sling has plenty of room for gear and some neat features, how comfortable does it feel on the water?
The good news is that you really don’t notice it until you need it. During the day I positioned it on both sides, and am happy to say it didn’t interfere or feel awkward with my casting or wading.
I’ve used a vest, Fishpond Black Canyon Backpack, and now largely rely on a Fishpond Westwater Chest Pack. The Buckhorn Sling has much more room than my chest pack and felt comfortable throughout the day. If you’re making full day trips, I would definitely consider the Buckhorn.
Here are links to some other reviews:
Overall, I would recommend the Buckhorn Sling. It’s light weight, capacity, comfort and price (~$130) make it a great choice.
Note: I received a Buckhorn Sling to test, but no compensation for this review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.
Enjoy, and Happy Holidays!
Did I Catch One Fish or Two? A Sad and Tangled Tail
Took advantage of one of the last mild days in December and hit the Housatonic River for an afternoon.
Had the water to myself.
The solitude was welcome. I soaked in the beautiful day, which felt more like October than December.
The train was one of the few interruptions.
My olive and tinsel streamer connected with a nice brown on the third cast. But as I stripped it in, the fish became heavy and unmanageable. I knew it was in the 14″ – 16″ range from watching it jump, but it was feeling much heavier. Had my rod started to break down? Was I losing my touch?
As soon as I started to bring it to the net, I realized what had happened. On the retrieve it swam through some leftover line.
Put the net away and began to free the fish.
I was able to quickly untangle the brown and release it unharmed. Then I started pulling at the fluorescent line. This wasn’t a simple case of 10′ – 20′ of broken mono; this was quite a few feet of heavy line, and a marble-sized sinker.
Then I saw what was behind the sudden increase in weight. There was a sizeable long-dead brown, equal to the one I had caught, on the other end. Sorry the quality of the photo isn’t better.
I cut the line at the trout’s mouth and returned it to the water.
What’s disturbing about this is the amount of line retrieved and the size of the fish. Maybe the line broke, but it was really heavy stuff, and a lot of it. The dead brown was at one time a beautiful fish that might’ve been caught more than once, or been the one that got away.
During the year I pick up a lot of bobbers, hooks, lures, mono, containers and other debris left by anglers who enjoy all styles of fishing. No big deal. I also realize that accidents happen, and you can’t save every fish. That said, the line and fish were in water that was less than waist deep, and I used my bare hands to pull it in with minimal resistance.
Hope the last few days of the year are productive, and the fish you pull in are your own. Enjoy!
A Fall Day on the Housatonic
This is the time of year when you’re reminded that the remaining comfortable fishing days are few, and you better get out and enjoy them while you can. During my drive to the river, I heard on the radio that the number of daylight hours in CT is now less than 12, and falling.
The temperatures have dropped by about 10 degrees in the past week. With the daily highs only reaching the low 70’s, it makes for some very cold water and enjoyable fishing.
Both the Housatonic and the Farmington are fishing nicely, and there are many new reports touting the quality of fish caught. This post is no exception.
Yesterday afternoon I met up with a friend on the Housatonic. We stuck to an area that we knew held both rainbows and browns, and on occasion produced some nice smallmouth as well.
Thanks in part to the state’s stocking program, I picked up a number of rainbows and browns. Although I don’t think all of these came from a truck, I’m guessing most did. The mix of caught fish was about 75% browns, 25% rainbows. The browns looked really good, but the rainbows had some of the scrape marks associated with stocked fish.
While I would like to say that I took most of these on dries, the truth is I watched a number of dry fly anglers walk away frustrated while I continued to catch fish on a nymph rig. I did pick up a couple on a Usual, but they really wanted small BWO emergers. We just couldn’t go small enough to satisfy them.
The browns were especially aggressive, and I found that my nymphs were in shreds after 2 or 3 hook ups.
Another noticeable difference was that the most of the fish were caught in the early afternoon – not the evening. Usually the fishing picks up around dusk. While we did see quite a few fish sipping emergers, they were not as active or aggressive compared to the early afternoon.
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, the markings on the fish in these pics vary dramatically, proving that some of the best fall colors are not always on the foliage.
Hope you’re finding time to get out and enjoy some fall fishing and the colors that come with it. Enjoy!
The Great Pumpkin Ales, 2015
Back in 2011, I wrote this review on a handful of pumpkin ales. I quickly learned that pumpkin ale is a divisive topic in the word of craft brewing. It is viewed by some as more of a marketing opportunity than true example of brewing craftsmanship. Instead of making this an annual event, I held off until the tension subsided.
That said, here are a few we’ve tried this year:
Roadsmary’s Baby from Two Roads Brewing: This one gets the award for most original name, great artwork and also a few extra points for being based here in Connecticut. Aged in rum barrels, I found it to be smooth and flavorful. Check out their site for a number of other seasonal favorites.
Harvest Patch Shandy from Leinenkugel‘s: I have long been a Leinenekugel’s fan and hope one day to drive a VW Camper Van to the Leinie Lodge. Their Summer Shandy and Sunset Wheat are staples in our fridge. That said, we felt that Harvest Patch Shandy tastes more like a gingerbread cookie than a pumpkin ale. Don’t tell your kids . . .
UFO Pumpkin from Harpoon Brewery: Harpoon is just up the road in Boston, and UFO (Un Filtered Offering) Pumpkin is a great seasonal brew that truly tastes like a pumpkin ale should.
Blue Point Brewing’s Pumpkin Ale turned out to be a nice surprise. I wasn’t as familiar with Long Island’s Blue Point, but it is a solid offering.
Wilhelm Scream from Magic Hat has probably one of the best web sites I’ve seen, which includes an animated video. The Burlington VT brewery got this one right. Great taste without overdoing the pumpkin flavor.
Regardless of your brand, hope you have time for some seasonal brews as we move into the fall. Enjoy!