I can still remember my first "real" fly reel. As a brand new fly angler, I had dumped almost every penny I had into a rod—a handsome, noodley 5-weight Diamondback that I still break out of the basement every few years when I'm feeling a bit nostalgic and know that I'm going to spend the day mostly throwing dry flies. Because virtually every dollar I had went into that rod, the reel that I paired it with was unimpressive to say the very most.

Scientist the world over have gushed enough terrifying data on the perils that accompany human-induced climate change over the last decade to where many across the globe are now numb to it. Rising sea levels? Got it. More frequent and more severe storms? Check. Longer droughts? Understood. Ocean acidification? Uh huh.