Alaska, fly fishing, production kephart

[hasco]

Really nice! The spots on the edge look more like micro-chipping to me. You might consider a slightly thicker bevel.

Man, those fish are huge! I am envious of your excursion and would hope to journey up there myself one day.

One of the spots is definitely some micro chipping. I didn't notice it till I got home. My theory is that that micro chip occurred where some water collected and lay against it in the sheath and some rust built up. It was a wet week and I was negligent at night. It was only on the last day that I pulled it out and saw a little rust. I have had knives in 01 tool steel do that in a night being left in a wet sheath. There is a chance that micro chip occurred during my use or when I let my dad try it. Either way it is small and a slightly thicker bevel would not hurt.

 

[hasco]

:thumbup: Great thread Tod! Thanks for sharing.

Hasco that looks like one hell of a trip. Great photos, great knife. Thanks so much for sharing.

All kinds of awesome! Your dad is legendary!

This is one great thread. Thanks for taking the time to share.

Fantastic!!! Would give my right hand for something like this at the moment.

Loved the pics and the post. Hats off to your dad.

Thanks gentlemen!!!

 

[hasco]

Awesome pictures, thank you for sharing!

Out of curiosity, what knives were the old timers carrying?

Thanks!

My dad was carrying a cheap buck folding knife. I let him try the kephart and he was amazed. He mentioned it several times. I might have to get him one sometime as a gift.

 

[ExtraBaconPlease]

Thanks!

My dad was carrying a cheap buck folding knife. I let him try the kephart and he was amazed. He mentioned it several times. I might have to get him one sometime as a gift.

Interesting!

Yep, that would make a lovely gift :thumbup:

 

[hasco]

Thanks for sharing this and it looks like a great trip.

I keep trying to convince myself that outdoor excursions are the reason I have my knives even though if that were entirely true I could have stopped buying them a long time ago.

I hope I am able to do things like your Dad and friend when I get to be that age as well. Awesome!

Jim

Lol. I know what you mean. I have a lot of knives that are for that future trip or just in case. I will say that my knife purchases have gone down since buying this one.

Thank you, that looked like a really fun time

That looks like an amazing trip! Thanks for sharing.

Very cool. Thanks for sharing.


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Thanks guys!

Absolutely amazing thread. Thanks for sharing those picture and details of your trip. The mid-tech Kephart has peaked my interest but this thread may have pushed it to the #1 spot.

It is a great knife and I would recommend it without hesitancy.

Wow--now that's fishing! And those bear tracks were very substantial... that would have made me very nervous! Beautiful area, and great to see the smiles on everyone's faces too. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you!

Great adventure- thanks for sharing your pics. If you ever get hooked again I've had luck wrapping mono around the bend, then pushing down between the eye and bend pull it backwards.

I have heard that works well too! I hope I don't have to do that again but I will definitely keep it in mind.

Fantastic post Todd! Looks like an amazing adventure, thanks for sharing it! I sure hope I am still able to wander the wilds at age 79!

Thanks Brian! The interesting thing about my dad's friend who is 79 is that over 30 years ago he was in bad shape. His doctor said if he didn't start exercising he was going to die. He took it to heart and started running. For a long time he ran between 6 and 12 miles a day. He even did some ultra marathons. Now he hikes or jogs 6-10 miles every other day. The choices we make now could effect our future woods wandering.

What a great trip. Thanks for posting.

a beautiful thing - nice going

Thanks guys!

This may be a dumb question but I didn't think the production line of the CPM S35VN Stainless Steel could rust let alone in a week or so. At least thats what I thought I had read here on the forums some where .

I don't think any steel is totally stainless. This thing was literally wet for the whole week. The rust on the side wiped right off with some flitz with no pitting. A lot of other steels would have faired worse. I was pretty impressed how well it did. In the future I will be sure to make sure it is dry at night.

Awesome trip, now I'm hungry. Yet another reason every fiddleback owner should buy one of these pro-keps. Great all around blade.

Thanks. It looks like a lot of folks agree that it is a great knife. The custom kephart has always been my favorite convex Fiddleback and having it in S35V is pretty awesome.

 

[necrolicious]

Fantastic pics! I saw a couple on your IG feed and am really happy your trip was so awesome. I had a feeling it would be Thanks for sharing and enjoy the salmon almost as much as the memories made.

 

[prom52]

Tod:

I guess we know the answer to the question...."What's for dinner" ?

Thanks for sharing this awesome adventure. It's great that you were able to experience it together with your father & his buddy. Lasting memories for sure!

Peter

 

[trestle]

Love the pics and looks like a great time spent with cherished companions.

 

[Odaon]

What a cool trip. Alaska is definitely on my bucket list, but I'm afraid if I go I may not want to leave.

Thanks for sharing man!

 

[Mistwalker]

Thanks Brian! The interesting thing about my dad's friend who is 79 is that over 30 years ago he was in bad shape. His doctor said if he didn't start exercising he was going to die. He took it to heart and started running. For a long time he ran between 6 and 12 miles a day. He even did some ultra marathons. Now he hikes or jogs 6-10 miles every other day. The choices we make now could effect our future woods wandering.

Oh I know, I am having to rethink some choices myself and do more work that keeps me trapped at a desk in chair less.

What a cool trip. Alaska is definitely on my bucket list, but I'm afraid if I go I may not want to leave.

Thanks for sharing man!

Go in late spring when the mosquitoes are getting cranked up good, it may help offset the desire to stay

 

[NoFair]

Thanks for posting. Looks like you all had a great time. With a good sharpening that knife is going to be good as new again

 

[PolRoger]

That looks like an amazing fishing trip!

Those fish you all were catching...

 

[gusnuts]

Great post! Thank you for sharing that amazing fishing trip.

 

[Fiddleback]

Man, what an adventure. Those paw prints would have me on edge for sure. Hope you had something with you that went bang. I am very jealous of the fishing.

Looked like chipping on the edge. I wonder if you hit any rocks in the dirt when you were cleaning the fish?

 

[SA Condor]

Oh man! What a great post. Makes me miss Alaska and the fishing! Let's just say that I never had a nice Fiddleback way back then. I think the knife I had all those years ago was a Buck 500.

 

[Mistwalker]

Man, what an adventure. Those paw prints would have me on edge for sure. Hope you had something with you that went bang. I am very jealous of the fishing.

Looked like chipping on the edge. I wonder if you hit any rocks in the dirt when you were cleaning the fish?

That's what I was about to ask, what were the fish cut on? I did some damage to a knife once in a similar fashion cutting fish heads off on the ground. The fish weren't a problem, but the rocks in the dirt were.

 

[Comprehensivist]

You are a fantastic storyteller Tod. Your photos and comments make me long to go on a trip like that. The fact that you got to share the experience with your dad is so cool. Eating the fish will be a delicious reminder of your trip. The memories will continue to warm your heart long after the fish is gone.

The constantly wet environment in Alaska is hard on equipment. I appreciate your comments about how everything performed for you. I am not surprised that the production Kephart and Rick's sheath served you well. I expect we will hear more about this knife in future posts from you.

Thanks so much for sharing your adventure with us.

Phil

 

[martentrapper]

Awesome story. Silvers(cohos) are real fighters and lots of fun and challenge on rod and real. They are jumpers. I'm guessing you were on the Kenai Peninsula somewhere.
Silvers are great eating too.
I live in Fairbanks

 

[Diomedes Industries]

That knife and sheath are perfect combo's for that trip - given the weather. Great trip.

Jason

 

[hasco]

Fantastic pics! I saw a couple on your IG feed and am really happy your trip was so awesome. I had a feeling it would be Thanks for sharing and enjoy the salmon almost as much as the memories made.

Thanks Anthony!

Tod:

I guess we know the answer to the question...."What's for dinner" ?

Thanks for sharing this awesome adventure. It's great that you were able to experience it together with your father & his buddy. Lasting memories for sure!

Peter

Thanks Peter! Yes, lots of salmon for dinner. The only bummer of the trip was the place that filleted and vacuum packed the fish for us, somehow misplaced 2 days worth of fish , but I still came home with 50lbs of salmon. We have been trying lots of different recipes. The best preparation so far has been a recipe by Mark Bittman of the New York times, salmon roasted in butter with fresh dill.

Love the pics and looks like a great time spent with cherished companions.

What a cool trip. Alaska is definitely on my bucket list, but I'm afraid if I go I may not want to leave.

Thanks for sharing man!

Thanks so much guys!

Thanks for posting. Looks like you all had a great time. With a good sharpening that knife is going to be good as new again

Definitely!

That looks like an amazing fishing trip!

Those fish you all were catching...

Great post! Thank you for sharing that amazing fishing trip.

Thanks gentlemen!

Man, what an adventure. Those paw prints would have me on edge for sure. Hope you had something with you that went bang. I am very jealous of the fishing.

Looked like chipping on the edge. I wonder if you hit any rocks in the dirt when you were cleaning the fish?

Thanks Andy! The only protection I had on me was my kephart! I have always found that awareness is usually my best tool for staying safe. I have never really been afraid of animals but going to the mall or an amusement park terrifies me! It is around the two legged that I wouldn't mind being prepared but living in this part of California cc is not an option so...

Yes, that little chip could have definitely come from hitting a small rock removing fish heads. I am very careful when I do it, but a few other folks used it on the trip and they were cutting more like it was on an invisible cutting board . My custom kephart got a tiny chip in the same area when I let someone cut a watermelon with it. I heard a little ping from 20 yards away and just cringed. No worries though. I like thinly ground knives that cut like a razor. I don't mind touching them up if I need to.

Oh man! What a great post. Makes me miss Alaska and the fishing! Let's just say that I never had a nice Fiddleback way back then. I think the knife I had all those years ago was a Buck 500.

I miss it already too!

You are a fantastic storyteller Tod. Your photos and comments make me long to go on a trip like that. The fact that you got to share the experience with your dad is so cool. Eating the fish will be a delicious reminder of your trip. The memories will continue to warm your heart long after the fish is gone.

The constantly wet environment in Alaska is hard on equipment. I appreciate your comments about how everything performed for you. I am not surprised that the production Kephart and Rick's sheath served you well. I expect we will hear more about this knife in future posts from you.

Thanks so much for sharing your adventure with us.

Phil

Thanks Phil! I really love fly fishing but a big reason I like to do this trip is to spend is to spend time with my dad. My uncle and brother in law were there this time too, so it was a good group. My step dad passed away at 59 this year unexpectedly, so that was some extra motivation to get in some quality time with my dad.

Awesome story. Silvers(cohos) are real fighters and lots of fun and challenge on rod and real. They are jumpers. I'm guessing you were on the Kenai Peninsula somewhere.
Silvers are great eating too.
I live in Fairbanks

Yes, they are super fun to catch and very delicious. Every time I have made the trip, I have given a lot away and everyone is surprised how good it is. We were fishing on the eastern side of Prince William Sound.

That knife and sheath are perfect combo's for that trip - given the weather. Great trip.

Jason

Thanks Jason! I had a lot of knives to choose from and I am happy I brought this one.