So you want to travel thousands of miles to go fly fishing in Alaska, home to giant flesh-eating Rainbow Trout, float planes, and remote wilderness. It is important to prioritize desired fishing tactics, species, and weather patterns before planning your fishy getaway. It is also important to arrive with a thorough fly selection. Fly patterns can make or break a trip to Alaska, and having the right patterns in your fly box is paramount. Here are a few pertinent fly suggestions for Alaskan Rainbow Trout and when/how to use them. Read on to find out more.
Hardy joins the Scott Tidal and the Sage Motive in the mid-priced saltwater fly rod market with their new Hardy Demon Salt. Today’s saltwater rod market is saturated with big names like Thomas & Thomas, Sage, and Scott. Hardy seems to fly a bit under the radar when it comes to well-known saltwater fly rod manufacturers, however, it seems they’re trying to put the Hardy name into the saltwater tide pool. Do they succeed? Read on to find out.
If you ask any angler what he/she prioritizes when buying a fly rod, a common answer likely utilizes the words capability, affordability, and durability (or some combination of words with similar sentiment). G. Loomis wraps these three phrases into a “purpose-built rod series” in the new IMX Pro. Stiff mid and tip sections give power to the IMX Pro, the USA crafted blank and rod provides durability, and as the G. Loomis mid-priced model, the IMX Pro is the pride and joy of Loomis affordability. The all-new IMX Pro is priority achieved. Read on to find out why.
Grab a fly rod, attach a fly reel via uplocking or downlocking reel seat, thread line, and you’re ready to fish, right? Not quite. The Lamson Center Axis takes out (or should I say builds in?) the step of screwing your favorite reel onto your favorite rod. With a Center Axis, the fly reel is built into the fly rod and mounted on a center axis (thus, the name). While rod companies in the past have toyed with this idea, Lamson is the first to truly perfect the rod-and-reel-in-one design. This may be the single largest breakthrough in fly fishing innovation since graphite. Why should you care? Read on to find out.
Everyone wants a saltwater fly rod faster than the rest, right? In a world of fast, faster, fastest, Loop replaced the Cross S1 Flatsman with the slightly faster Cross SW. The Cross SW was built based on feedback Loop received from guides and anglers alike and caters to the heavy-handed, long distance saltwater caster. Accurate 40-foot casts and more delicate presentations your style? Don’t worry, Loop thought of you, too. The Cross SW comes in a fast-action model AND a medium-fast model. An informed blank design with typical Loop high-quality fit and finish makes the Cross SW one of the top saltwater fly rods on the market. Read on to find out more.
Hardy seems to like the idea of fly fishing as a way to release your inner demons. We’ve seen several rods from Hardy marketed with the image of a demon including the Hardy Demon Smuggler and the Hardy Demon Salt. Well, they’re back at it again with a new mid-priced rod series that includes the Hardy Demon FWS (freshwater series). The Demon FWS replaces the Jet as Hardy’s well-rounded, do-it-all fly rod series. What demons will Hardy’s new FWS help you release? Read on to find out.
Are you a minimalist? Me too… when it comes to a 4 wt anyway. Slimmed down, sleek, functional, ultra-responsive and ultra-light. That’s what I look for in a 4wt rod and that’s what Hardy has produced in the Zephrus Ultralite. I’m excited, to say the least. The Ultralite joins the Zephrus family and rounds out Hardy’s line of top-notch, multi-purpose, do-it-all fly rods built with Sintrix 440 technology. The Ultralite, therefore, is the best-of-the-best and stands in a 4wt class of its own. Read more to find out why.
Thomas & Thomas has finally come out with a mid-priced saltwater fly rod… and it’s already making waves. The all-new Zone won best new saltwater rod at IFTD this year, dethroning the perennial powerhouse of saltwater fly rods: Sage. That’s a big deal, especially at such an affordable price point. Read on to find out why.
As the summer season winds down, fall knocks at our front door bringing blistering winds, colder temperatures, unique river conditions, and ample angling opportunities. Tired of summer crowds and high sun? Skeptical about fishing in windy weather? Fall turns many anglers away from a fly rod and toward skis, shovels, and pumpkins. That doesn’t have to be you. Proper layering goes a long way in keeping you dry and comfortable on the water. Here are a few layering suggestions to help battle cold temps this fall.
In an industry where Trout Spey is becoming increasingly popular, it makes sense that one of the largest rod manufacturers has created a Trout Spey series that combines contemporary fly rod technology and heightened engineering. Sage’s new TROUT SPEY HD rod offers five rod models from 1wt-4wt and from 10′ 3″ to 11′ 3″ to cater to every style of two-handed trout angling.
