by Mike Sepelak - Monday, Aug 25th, 2014
“You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make him drink.”
The wry, completely accurate observation comes from the man on the sticks behind me and I have to admit, after missing a half-dozen hooksets, that I do appear to be stubbornly equine.
by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Aug 22nd, 2014
Although the list of winners that emerge from each year's International Fly Tackle Dealer show helps highlight the crowd favorites in many a category of fly fishing gear, very notable products often don't get enough recognition. Recently, we highlighted some of the most intriguing fly fishing accessories from this year's show in Orlando, Florida, and now we're back to shed light on some of the standouts packs and bags.
Waist packs, chest packs and sling packs have become as essential a piece of fly fishing gear as the venerable vest, but are constantly evolving as they still relatively new. Manufacturers keep finding way to pack in more thoughtful features, make the packs wear better, hold up longer and so on. And much of the same can be said of waterproof storage and fly fishing luggage. Here are a few of this year's highlights.
by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Aug 21st, 2014
There is a considerable amount of diversity in the world of wading boots. Simms alone has 10 different boot models for men, with other manufacturers also offering a mixed bag of options. And, although it might not seem like it at first glance, most of this diversity is meaningful. Rather than these models being differentiated by little more than purposeless bells and whistles or aesthetic differences, most of these boots have substantive differences in design that tailor them best to decidedly different purposes. As a result, most of these boots are tailored best to different anglers as well, dependent on what each angler seeks to accomplish with said boots.
None of this is to suggest that there aren't boots that can do it all. There most certainly are. In fact, most can. But some boots do some things better than others, as a result of how they've been designed. Some boots scream winter steelheading, with roomy foot boxes that will generously accept thick neoprene booties underlaid by a couple pairs of wool hiking socks. Others are built with guides in mind, where the durability demanded by what can sometimes be hundreds of days per year on the water trumps other design concerns such as shedding weight. Still others are built for the flats, where studdability, slip-protection and ankle support take a back seat to things like puncture resistance against shells and other hazards of the salt.
by Steve Zakur - Wednesday, Aug 20th, 2014
When you're two miles in with thirty pounds on your back you realize two things. First, thirty pounds weighs more on the trail than it did in your dining room. Second, two miles on foot has no relationship whatsoever with two miles in any conveyance. You also realize that leaving behind the rod, reel and fly box just to save a pound or two may have been the wrong decision though that's an easy regret to have when faced with a startling green pool in a fast moving mountain river. Such regrets will evaporate twenty miles onward when the ounces crush your arches and leaden the spirit.
On a recent Friday evening, my son and I camped along the banks of the Housatonic River. The relatively short hike into the Ten Mile River campground allowed us a jump off point for an early start on Saturday. Sam has aspirations to do a thru hike of the Appalachian Trail after high school. He has read alluring tales of the AT penned by AWOL and Bryson and his mind has been captured with the epic adventure of it all. I figured a taste of the reality of an encumbered walk in the woods would provide data for a more informed decision. We planned to go north as far as we could muster. At a minimum we'd get to test out knees and muscles and equipment against a fine summer day or two on the AT.
by Ben Kryzinski - Tuesday, Aug 19th, 2014
Simms Fishing and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) are teaming up in an effort to raise money to fuel efforts to conserve what the two companies call critical fish habitat. For a limited time, Simms will donate a portion of the proceeds from sales one of its best-selling fishing shirts to the TRCP.
Until August 28th, Simms will send a full 50 percent its revenue from sales of its Ebbtide fishing shirts (retail price $59.95) to the TRCP, with that money specifically slated for fish habitat conservation efforts. Regarding the partnership effort, Simms' president K.C. Walsh noted, “Helping conserve critical fishing habitat is something we are very concerned about at SIMMS. TRCP has always been at the forefront of assuring anglers will have great fisheries for generations to come.”
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