Review - Wright & McGill Madison Pod Pack

Price: $109  (After purchasing this item I found a lot of places selling it online have discounted it from $40-70 so likely could have gotten it a bit cheaper after factoring in taxes and shipping)

Visual Appeal: The pack appears very functional at the first glance. It seems well thought out and has all of the features you would expect in a fly fishing pack.

Product Description:

The ultimate in fly gear organization, the Wright & McGill Madison Pod Pack is perfect for long days on the water or even overnight pack trips. You can load it down for anything that you might encounter. The full sized backpack has room for food, extra clothes and even a hydration bladder. It has pockets for two 4-piece fly rods, a stretch cord for coats or hats, and D-rings for hanging wading shoes while hiking. The Madison features two detachable chest "pods" for fly boxes, forceps, nippers and other accessories. Each pod includes a leader management system for tippets. The pods can be easily removed and worn as a belt bag when you only need the most important accessories. The Madison Pod Pack will be the last vest or pack you'll ever need. Dimensions: 13" wide x 17" high x 5" deep

	Features Two removable "pods" Leader management system Rain fly Converts to a belt bag I played around with this pack as mentioned in a previous post by seeing how I could arrange the pods so they would not be in my way. I ended up taking one pod off and leaving it at home and the other I attached to the strap for holding in a rod tube on the left side of the back pack. I have used this pack twice now on the water for the combined total of around 14 hours. I enjoy the size and capacity, the ability to bring along a snack, lunch, water, extra fly boxes, tools, and even an extra rod. On the first trip out I brought my 9'6 6wt and my tenkara rod and was able to switch back and forth as needed throughout the day. I was worried about the rod tube coming loose and going down river but throughout the entire day whatever I had stored stayed secured. I did not like having to take one shoulder of the bag off to swing it around and access my tools and supplies. I really have fallen in love with the functionality of the swing pack and miss its function but I guess its a small price to pay for having more storage room. For longer days on the water and trips this pack will do the trick, although I still prefer a swing pack and wish I could find one with larger capacity.

Northern Fur - A Review

With this post I wanted to shine a light on a great company that I have been dealing with for over a year now and help get all you Canadian fly tying junkies into some great quality and priced furs.

I first contacted Bill from Northern Furs while looking for a red fox pelt in order to tie up some foxee clousers. After ripping through a few small patches from the fly shop while tying this fly I realized that a pelt would be a much more economical option and would allow me to tie a lot more flies for a whole lot cheaper. From the start Bill has always been very quick to respond to my emails, has given me great customer service and is always willing to answer questions and try to get me what I need for my next batch of flies.

On the main website you will find tons of beautiful pelts, mounts, wall hangings and other fur products. Most of the items on the website are grade A quality and are not priced or meant for fly tying, but that is were the personal touch of Northern Furs comes in to play. I would recommend contacting Bill through email or phone and asking for fly tying or craft grade pelts, tails or furs. Often he has many items that are not listed on the website and often will work out deals with you for exactly what you are looking for.

 Since my first transaction with Bill I have padded my fur collection with  a coyote pelt, red fox, arctic fox, Australian opossum, skunk and many other types of animal. Even Bill's "Craft Grade" fur is amazing quality, usually the characteristics that put the furs into this quality is a small section that has been cut out due to mange or damage to the pelt. I highly recommend using Bill for all of your fly tying fur needs, he is pleasant, quick to respond back to emails and messages and a pleasure to work with.


Here are some photos of the high quality fur offered by Northern Fur out of Iron Bridge Ontario. Keep in mind most of these pelts have been picked at by me for tying and dying, we have in order of appearance Red Fox, Coyote, Arctic Fox, Australian Opossum and Mink.