Articles

RIO Still at it, Intros Another New Trout Line

by Ben Kryzinski - Tuesday, Jul 1st, 2014

RIO In Touch Gold

RIO has been busy over the last few months, introducing a bevy of new lines to its arsenal. Its "Outbound" saltwater lineup saw the addition of new lines and shooting heads, it added two new lines for stillwater anglers, its list of spey and switch offerings grew, and its trout lineup was refreshed and expanded with the addition of a new line for indicator fishing and one specifically designed euro-nymphing styles. Today, RIO announced another expansion to its selection of trout lines with the introduction of its new In Touch RIO Gold line.

The RIO Gold is a long-time staple in RIO's lineup and its best selling line. This new "In Touch" RIO Gold builds on that success by combining a host of technologies found in other RIO products -- including RIO's "ultra low-stretch" ConnectCore, SureFire line coloration system, Easy ID Tag for quick line identification, MaxFloat Tip and MaxCast line coating -- with its very popular Gold taper. According to RIO, the improvements result in a line that offers faster hook sets, increased sensitivity, improved accuracy and better distance.

New Sage DOMAIN Reel Aimed at Two Handed Casters

by Ben Kryzinski - Monday, Jun 30th, 2014

The new Sage DOMAIN fly reel in platinum.

Along with the two new rod families that Sage announced last week, the company also outed its new DOMAIN reel series which is designed specifically with two handed rods in mind. According to Sage, the DOMAIN series' full frame construction marries classic design concepts with modern technology to offer switch and spey anglers the best of both worlds.

The reels feature quality hallmarks found in many of Sage's reels, such as cold forged, fully machined 6061-T6 aerospace grade aluminum construction, hard anodization, a large spool capacity via its concave, large arbor spool, and Sage's "one-revolution" drag knob.

Quick Review: Howler Brothers Horizon Hybrid Shorts

by Chad Shmukler - Saturday, Jun 28th, 2014

That monkey.

Are a pair of shorts exciting enough to warrant a review? Probably not. There's not much to a pair of shorts (literally, not figuratively), so how much can there be to say about them? Not a lot. Still, when a piece of gear or apparel makes an impression, that impression is worth passing along. Any piece of gear that performs up to or above expectations, no matter how simple, makes for a better day on the water (or elsewhere). And, after all, money well spent is money well spent.

Howler Brother's Horizon Hybrid shorts are one of those pieces of gear. A few pairs arrived earlier this year, part of planning for some winter trips to warm, salty destinations. And, in the half a year that has passed, they've spent very little time in the drawer. Instead, they've seen consistent duty on the flats, wading the stream, swimming in the surf, on my mountain bike and other less exciting places like the gym and garden.

Trout Unlimited Launches 'TroutBlitz', Fisherman-Fueled Effort to Catalog Wild Trout

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Jun 27th, 2014

A small native brook trout from a pond in Maine's interior, submitted to the TroutBlitz project.

There is a seemingly countless number of fishermen that somewhat religiously photograph the fish they catch. Or at least the good ones. Ultimately, these photos get shared on social media, sent from person to person by text message, circulated via email or simply end up clogging up hard drive space somewhere. A new initiative from Trout Unlimited, which they are calling 'TroutBlitz', seeks to put all these angler photos to good use by using them to help map native and wild trout populations across the United States.

How it all works is very straightforward. Using the TroutBlitz interface, anglers simply upload images of fish they've caught, identify the speices as best they are able and enter information about where the photo was taken (coordinates, water body, etc). Images and the information shared with them will be instantly compiled into a massive database for later use in countless research efforts.

According to Trout Unlimited senior scientist, Jack Williams, the images and information shared by anglers has "virtually endless" applications and will complement many existing efforts already underway by the group.

How to Fish

by Steve Zakur - Thursday, Jun 26th, 2014

Alaskan fly fishing guide Mark Heironymous. Not going hungry. (photo: Chad Shmukler)

A buddy of mine went fishing with an angler of local repute. Having not fished the particular stream before, he was looking for guidance. His companion pointed to the rocks and runs where fish he virtually knew by name were lurking. They caught fish in the right places. They caught fish on the right flies.

The observation my buddy later made was that this guy wasn't so much a fine angler as an he was an expert on this particular fishery. He presumed that if this expert was taken to a new place he might not possess the skills to quickly identify the holding water and fly selection that would make for such a successful day. And while it seemed to me a bit of a leap to assume the expert would struggle elsewhere, it got me thinking.

There are several streams that I know very well. Often my success on them isn't due to my knowledge of fishing technique, but rather from knowing where to fish. A sizable rainbow trout came to hand the other night because I deduced, through limited observation and lots of experience, where to put my Parachute Adams in a particular pool for the given water level. While I didn't expect the rainbow, I did have a fairly high expectation of hooking something. It's a reliably fishy spot.