Articles

IFTD 2014 Highlights: Accessories, Fly Boxes, etc

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Jul 24th, 2014

A great number of new products are debuted at the annual International Fly Tackle Dealers show. Each year, a handful items stand out among the crowd of new introductions. In order to help highlight some of the new products, IFTD allows attendees of the show to vote for their favorites in its New Products Showcase. While this helps bring attention to some great products, there are many that don't win awards or that aren't entered in the showcase which don't always get the attention they deserve. Over the next few weeks, in an effort to help highlight some of this year's best new products, we'll be publishing a series of pieces highlighting some of the new products that caught our eye at this year's show in Orlando.

Fishpond Sushi Roll

Although accessory manufacturers are always trying to reinvent the fly box, with varying levels of success, Fishpond has decided to go in another direction with its new Sushi Roll. The Sushi Roll is a storage solution for big streamers, saltwater flies and the like which aims to improve over big fly boxes and their issues with bulk, durability and moisture retention. The Sushi Roll is a nylon backed foam mat that you can plunk a hefty number of streamers onto. Once you've plucked off the fly of your choice, simply roll up the Sushi Roll and stash it. The Sushi Roll is lined with foam teeth that separate its layers which, according to Fishpond, lets air to flow through, allowing your streamers to dry and preventing your hooks from rusting. Once rolled up, the Sushi Roll takes up considerably less real estate than a hard box. Retail: $30.

Connections

by Steve Zakur - Wednesday, Jul 23rd, 2014

Yesterday afternoon I had the water to myself. During the dog days, the Farmington is one of the few local places to reliably find trout. Weekends it can be crowded but mid-week you can still find places to be alone. I fished and caught in solitude until rush hour. The road across the way, unnoticed through the afternoon, suddenly had a spurt of life. It was the only indication of the rhythm of elsewhere.

A little while later I heard commotion in the small lot behind me. Late of some workplace, three guys entered the pool above me. While they were a hundred yards off the quiet of the valley and the reflective quality of lazy water made their banter easily heard. These three took up what seemed like the usual spots and the cliche, stream-side taunts bounced back and forth. Portly guy was into fish quickly and rated a few hoots while his buddies struggled. Before long the abundance of the Farmington yielded bent rods for the lot of them.

Deep in the Weeds

by Mike Sepelak - Monday, Jul 21st, 2014

I fully expected to bump into Mowgli and Baloo, bopping their way through the jungle. Or to have some hideous children-of-the-corn moment. Or to simply lose my way in the sea of seven-foot black-eyed susans, never to be found again. It was delicious.

I'd asked Mac, somewhat skeptically, if waders were really necessary. My early glimpses of the sweet little stream seemed to belie the need to get wet, and it was bloody hot, but he had nodded and I reluctantly suited up. Good thing too, for without that slick outer surface I might still be out in that deep Wisconsin meadow, tightly wrapped in bright green tendrils.

Instead I slithered my way through the growth, pausing in the occasional gaps of matted grasses formed the night before by bedding deer, listening to the constant drone of bees, enjoying nose-to-nose stare downs with curious hummingbirds, and following the sound of running water - often the only clue that a stream was near.

IFTD 2014 'Best of Show' Winners Announced

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Jul 18th, 2014

Sage's "Best of Show" winning SALT fly rod.

At its annual "party at the pond" last night, IFTD announced the winners of its new products showcase at this year's show. Over 1,000 attendees voted, selecting their pick for the best product in 28 different categories which included several new women-specific categories. Simms and Sage stood out from the crowd, with Simms walking away with seven total awards and Sage winning both fly rod categories as well as taking home 'Best of Show' honors for its new SALT fly rod series.

Other multiple category winners included Nautilus, which swept both fly reel categories and Fishpond, which received honors in both the chest pack/vest, eco-friendly product and the luggage categories. The full list of winners at the 2014 IFTD show in Orlando, Florida follows.

The Dog Days of August

by Todd Tanner - Thursday, Jul 17th, 2014

An angler makes his final casts to rising trout during sunset on the Missouri River in Montana.

A few months ago, while I was working on a climate essay for Fly Fisherman magazine, a well-known angler dropped me a note and mentioned that he no longer enjoys fishing the West during July and August. His reason? Summers out here have gotten too hot, and the fishing isn’t as good, or as reliable, as it used to be.

That’s a valid point, and while my buddies who own fly shops or guide services here in Montana don’t usually broadcast this info, I can tell you that our summers are indeed hotter and smokier than they used to be; a fact confirmed by our longterm temperature records and the increasing frequency of major wildfires. It also seems as if our winds are stronger, which makes sense. More heat in the atmosphere translates to more energy, and that energy has the potential to manifest itself as more wind.

Now as a story line, this pretty much sucks. The trends are heading in the wrong direction, at least for those of us who like cold mountain streams and rising trout, and barring strong, concerted action to reduce our fossil fuel emissions and put the breaks on climate change, the future is likely to be bleak. In other words, we’re not doing our kids or grandkids any favors by ignoring the overwhelming scientific consensus on global warming.