Well fella's, I survivied the surgery and the damage was not as severe as we feared. Got myself a new ACL which currently hurts like hell but I should be back on the waters by Spring time with no problem. Maybe even sneak out in my boat before Amber closes in Nov. I wanted to add my thoughts about the Sportsmens Warehouse as I was just cranking out initial impressions before I left for the hospital. It certainly isn't going to replace my business at the Blue Dunn for all my rod building supplies. It isn't going to replace some of my fly buying as they carry specific patterns that the SWarehouse isn't going to have. I like the little guy and love to root for their success. In Spokane, we have limited resources available to the fly fishing nut. We have two fine fly shops that stock all the big name gear, especially rods and reels and we have the massive stocks of the White Elephant that offer some fun bargains when you know where to look but I use them mostly for hunting merchandise. We have had a void in our selection since the Outdoor Sportsmen closed a few years ago. They carried some great buys on float tubes, fly lines and wading boots that the other guys didn't have. Being on a budget, I tried to stay local and shop the best price among the 4 stores which was easy to do. The Sportsmens Warehouse posses an interesting dilema. They offer some nice gear and a wide selection. None of the local fly shops carry Okuma reels for example but SWarehouse does. I like Okuma reels and I get a bit miffed when I can't look at a fly reel in the local shop for under $125.00 and that is their cheap reel. I honestly don't know how often I will go to this new store but I will buy some things there. My high end items like rods and blanks will always get my local business as will the items that I need expert help with. Anyway, nice to see the list so active. P.S. Anything I stated above can be taken back at anytime as this was written while being absolutely blasted on pain pills. (Everybody sing along to Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb now!) Mike W
