I dont really have anything to add other than I feel the exact same way. I have a camp on a very famous, very popular trout river. The first thing i did when I bought it was rip down the posted signs.
I think both covid POTUS took it seriously. One fast tracked the development of the shot and the next one more or less mandated it.
The entire country pretty much shut down if I remember correctly. Not sure how American citizens or American Politicians are to blame (regardless of their...
I have an 01 (or maybe it's 04 I can't remember) WF. I wouldn't trade it for anything. It's beat to shit I should take care of it better. I never took it to a lake and I don't think I'd want to.
First it was egg patterns, then eventually all nymphs, then it was anything with cdc. Now, when I think about it I haven't tied a dry fly with hackle in 2 or 3 years.
95% of my ties are variations of comparaduns with either snowshoe hare or deer hair, variations of muddler minnows, and...
Mine doesn't have a leather bottom, but no baffles and it's a dig. I keep tippet (maxima one shot spools) in a zip lock and my flies in a bunch of Plano boxes.
Years ago I bought a waxed canvas (I think) Filson bag that was on sale. Don't have a pic handy but I still use it. It was like 60 bucks or something. I just googled and it seems like everything they have now is way fancier and way more expensive.