Brown Trout, Blue Wing Olives, and fly fishing with the Hopper Juan. I have been very lucky to spend the past few weekends fishing some beautiful country. More pictures and dialogue to come.
Browns, Blue Wings, and The Hopper Juan
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Rambling Review – ECS Gun Case
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Rambling Review – ECS Gun Case
Why:
I had the amazing opportunity to review this ECS Gun Case through the Outdoor Blogger Network after learning about sig sauer gun safety.. After being selected, a member of the ECS team contacted me and discussed the dimensions of the case and what I would be using it for. Within a couple of weeks I had a custom-made, next-to-industructable gun case sitting on my doorstep. With a month left of quail season and some of the bumpiest roads in Arizona ahead of me, I put the ECS Gun Case through the paces and here is what I found.
First impressions:
The Dimensions – When the ECS Gun Case showed up on my doorstep I was amazed at the size of it. The exterior dimmensions of the case are:
52.0”L x 13.0”W x 11.0”H
It weighs roughly 28 lbs.
The Interior – The inside of the ECS Gun Case is lined with a thick foam that allows a firearm to be fitted snuggly into place. There is room for two long guns with a maximum length of 44 inches. Additionally there are three other 13 inch slots for accessories.
Field Use:
The first thing that I really appreciated about the ECS Rifle Case is the overall construction and durability of this case. The case itself is made out of what ECS calls “Low Linear Density Polyethylene” or LLDP. Coupled with four solid latches, heavy duty hinges, and a watertight gasket makes this case almost indestructible.
I loaded up the ECS Gun Case with a 12 guage shotgun, a Ruger 30-06 mounted with a scope, a 9mm Glock in it’s factory case, a wooden gun cleaning kit, and shells/bullets for all the different guns. I was amazed that I had been able to fit all that gear into the case and I was slightly nervous about trusting several of my guns in the back of my truck over some extremely bumpy roads. Regardless, I wheeled the case through the house, hoisted it into the back of the truck, and took a rattling ride through some of the back washes of the Arizona desert. Even after bouncing around in the back of my truck, I pulled the 30-06 out of the case and put a couple of rounds through, just to make sure the scope was still dialed in. Needless to say, everything was spot on, and I confidently put the gun back into the case for the return trip.
At the end of the day, I would have no qualms about entrusting my firearms to the baggage handlers at the airport as long as the gun was in an ECS Gun Case. The ECS Case would also do well for an extended trip where a gun would have to be safely stowed for a long period of time.
If you’re still not convinced, check out the video below, put together by the folks over at ECS. Pretty cool to see.
Pros:
Solid Construction
High Quality Components
Watertight and Floats
Maximum Protection
Room for Acceseries
Cons:
Price
Heavy
Prognosis: If you are looking for a high quality, virtually indestructible travel gun case that the boys at baggage claim can’t hurt, the ECS Gun Case is the ticket for you.
* Disclaimer:
The reviews at Arizona Wanderings are my honest opinion. The ECS Gun Case was provided by ECS Case in conjunction with the Outdoor Blogger Network for the purpose of this review. Arizona Wanderings is not sponsored by or associated with any of the stated companies and is accepting no compensation, monetary or otherwise, in exchange for this review. My independent status may change in the future but, as of the date of publication, no relationship other than described above has been pursued or established.
Arizona Fly Fishing – Lees Ferry (Part 2)
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There are times when I find it difficult to take an experience and put into words. I guess that’s what is nice about a camera.
Arizona Fly Fishing: Lees Ferry (Part 1)
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A month or two ago, my buddy Kyle, of Sleep When You’re Dead, invited me to head up to the famous Colorado River and fish Lees Ferry with him and a couple of other guys. Having always wanted to fish this unique and beautiful river, I jumped at the chance and started tying a whole passel of bugs. With the car packed to the gills and thermos full of coffee, we headed north to Flagstaff and then through the reservation to the river. The first day we met up with Kevin Krai, a well known Arizona fly fisherman, and sped up the river on his boat. We found an empty bar with some prime riffle water and spent the rest of the day hooking fish on midge patterns, red hots, and eggs.
Most of the fish that we brought to the net were between 12 and 14 inches with a few pushing 15, possibly 16. For their size, these fish fought hard, knowing how to use the ice cold current to their advantage.
Kevin, Kyle, and I met up with some standup guys from the local fly fishing forum. It was a real pleasure getting to fish with Scott and Chad and finally put a face with the name.
After fishing the evening, we left the river as things were getting dark. Kyle had arranged for us to stay in the Cliff Dwellers house that Lees Ferry Anglers rent out. Very nice to have a warm place to dry out our waders and boots and get some grub in our stomachs. I had cooked up a batch of venison stew and luckily everyone was starving so they gulped it down. The rest of the evening was spent tying flies and telling some lies about big fish we caught.
Arizona Fly Fishing: Lees Ferry
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I spent the weekend in northern Arizona fly fishing the Colorado River for the famous Lees Ferry rainbow trout. The weather was beautiful, the fishing was fantastic, and the company was superb. I could not have asked for a better weekend with a great group of guys. I have a whole passel of pictures to sort through, but should have a report up in a day or two.
Arizona Fly Fishing: Creek Fishing (Part 2)
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A few photos from the rest of the day fly fishing Arizona. The beauty of this state never ceases to amaze me. Enjoy.
Fly Fishing Arizona: Creek Fishing (Part 1)
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My last small stream outing left much to be desired, so after a long week at work, I met up with my friend Barry to go try our luck at on the Mogollon Rim. We made good time and arrived as the sun was starting creep over the hills. When when we opened the truck doors, the wind and 18 degree thermometer reading caused us to seriously reconsider our plans.
But everything changed when we made it to the water. Streamers were the name of the game, and for the first couple hours, dead drifted and stripped streamers brought many fish to the net. As the day warmed up, the fishing slowed down a bit. We expected to see some bugs coming off, but even with the sun full on the water, no hatches. With not much action and some other anglers on the creek, we opted to head somewhere else for the afternoon. Great morning fly fishing in Arizona.
Fly Tying: Sparklebutt Parachute
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The Sparklebutt Parachute is an awesome pattern that I usually tie in a #18 down to a #22. Often times this is the perfect fly to turn to when the little mayflies or even midges are starting hatch. When fish stop rising to an Adams, this usually does the trick.
Ingredients:
– #18-22 curved caddis hook
– Gray thread – UTC 70 or 8/0 Uni-thread
– Sulky Holoshimmer Thread – found at Jo-Anns
– Polypropelene (or whatever post material you like to use)
– Dry fly hackle
