| Name: Phil Wilde |
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| E-mail: wilde1p@btinternet.com |
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Experience:
I fish for trout and Atlantic salmon all over the world. I am 50 years old and have been fly fishing for many years. I fish in England, Wales, Scotland, Russia and South America. |
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Product Being Tested:
The Mustang F3 inflatable fishing vest. |
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Snapshot of your experience with products of this sort:
I normally fish for salmon by wading or from a boat. The water is usually very cold. I like to carry all my gear with me, so I would normally use a separate vest with an inflatable life jacket over the top. |
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Date of Test:
May 16-23, 2008 |
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Place of Test:
Varzuga River, Kola Peninsula, Russia. A large river with plentiful Atlantic salmon. This was the first week of the season with water temps 0.5-3 degrees Celsius. |
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Test Condition:
Air temps ranged from -4 to 6 degrees C. Moderate winds and snow, water temp cold with regular ice blocks in river!! |
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Relevant related equipment or products:
Plenty of warm clothing and chest waders with belt. 15-foot double-handed spey rod with sinking line. |
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Your experience with the product:
The vest was comfortable to wear. I wore it continually for a whole day’s fishing from 9 am to 6 pm on five consecutive days. It was easily adjustable and did not have any effect on casting or playing fish. It felt somewhat more comfortable than the separate products I was used to. As the water was so cold, I did not deliberately test out its life saving properties in the field, but on my return I tested its buoyancy in a local swimming pool. It supported the upper torso well but did tend to ride up a bit under the arms due to the lack of a groin strap. In combination with waders however it provided adequate support. |
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Qualities you liked about the product:
Its comfort and ease of adjustment. There were some nice features in the pockets, such as a tippet dispenser and a fly tray. Inside it had mesh pockets for soft items (spare gloves, hat etc.), which was a nice touch as they were kept dry. |
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Qualities you didn't liked about the product:
For my style of fishing it lacked enough larger easily accessible pockets. There were only two on the front, large enough for a decent fly box. There were a number of small pockets that were not large enough for most items (not even big enough for a spool of nylon). These could have been made more useful by combining two small pockets into one large one, especially on the upper parts of the vest. |
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Summary Comments
A comfortable inflatable vest that can be worn all day. Ideal for a fisherman who likes to travel light and compact but safely. |
