Articles

Review: High-E Hoodie by Fishpond VOORMI Co-Lab

Small batch wool? You bet.

by Dave Karczynski - Monday, Mar 23rd, 2015

Small batch. Until now it’s an epithet I’ve mostly associated with high-end consumables: whiskeys, cigars, a few beatifically rank cheeses. Whatever the product, when it comes to making the best of the best of something, the process is the same: take superior natural ingredients, process them with the most advanced technology, embrace the finitude of your supply. But what on earth is small-batch wool? And what happens when it’s used to make a hoodie? Enter one of the more impressively engineered garments I’ve come across in a long time, the High-E Hoodie from the Colorado collaboration that is the Fishpond VOORMI Co-Lab, aimed at bringing the best of climbing and skiing technology to the fly fishing world.

What Works

The Materials
To appreciate what makes the High-E Hoodie so special, you’ve got to know a little something about wool, particularly ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH COUNTRY MERINO (TM), which comes from Colorado sheep bred for generations to produce fibers with a preternaturally high degree of crimp. For those unfamiliar with the physics of “crimp,” it refers to the spring-like texture of individual wool fibers. When the degree of crimp is low, you’ve got fibers that pack tightly one on top of the other—this is not good for warmth and breathability. What you want is a high degree of crimp, which results in fibers that don’t pack as tightly together in the final weave, thus creating tiny pockets of air that both trap heat and permit the movement of air through the fibers—what the user experiences as thermal regulation. Beneath a wind-proof shell, the High-E adds a warm layer of insulation. Used as a stand-alone layer, the High-E permits airflow and wicking during periods of intense activity and warmth for periods of low activity. A win-win.

Smith and Howler Bros collaborating on co-branded sunglasses, apparel

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Mar 20th, 2015

Smith Optics X Howler Bros co-branded Dockside frames with ChromaPop polarized bronze lens.

Given the brand image put forth by both Smith Optics and Howler Bros., it will probably come as little surprise that the two brands have decided to collaborate on some co-branded products. But in addition to portraying a modern, casual image, both brands also regularly turn out quality gear. Smith Optics ChromaPop sunglasses, which are part of the collaboration, are some of the finest fishing tools available on the market and Howler Bros has been turning out stylish, functional and well-made fishing apparel for quite some time now. So, fans of either brand have a legitimate reason to have their interests piqued.

Smith is offering two of their existing frames, the Lowdown and Dockside, in special Smith X Howler Bros styles. The "lifestyle" Lowdown co-branded frame is available only in a plastic, non-ChromaPop polarized brown lens, while the more technical Dockside frame is available with every lens in the ChromaPop lineup.

The better bobber: Air-Lock strike indicators

by Chad Shmukler - Thursday, Mar 19th, 2015

Air-lock strike indicators.

For years, thingamabobbers have been my go-to strike indicators. When I'm expecting truly subtle strikes and need something very sensitive, I'll reach for yarn, but otherwise a bobber is typically what I'll choose. They're ultra-visible, float as high or higher as any other indicator I've used, and they're easy to attach and remove. But they're not perfect. They often slide when used on thinner pieces of leader or tippet and when used on thicker material, typically leave the butt section of your leader kinked and twisted beyond repair.

This past year, Rajeff Sports introduced a new strike indicator, Air-Lock, which we've quickly accepted as the better bobber. The company that designs and manufactures Air-Lock strike indicators -- a small company based in Portland, Oregon named Field Systems Research --recognized the faults the existing bobber designs had and set to task at fixing them. The solution started with a prototype fashioned out of the top of a toothpaste tube. The eventual result, Air-Lock's screw-on cap design, eliminates both of the aforementioned issues of slippage and kinking.

An open letter to America's anglers

We love America. We love our landscapes, and our sporting traditions, and our rich outdoors culture, and our fisheries, and we’re willing to fight for it.

by Todd Tanner - Tuesday, Mar 17th, 2015

Sunset on the Yellowstone River (photo: Tim Saunders).

We love to fish. We love it. Not in that juvenile, sloppy-wet-kiss way that so many of us remember from high school, but with an “I come alive with a fly rod in my hand” love that’s grounded in maturity, appreciation and respect for our angling traditions. We’ve been fishing for decades and there are very few other activities that bring us so much joy or help us connect to the natural world on such an elemental level.

Unfortunately, those of us who love to fish, and who see the necessity for protecting our landscapes and waterways, are coming under attack. It turns out - and no, we’re not making this up - that we are “radicals.” As Ty Hansen pointed out in a recent Hatch Magazine piece, the energy and resource extraction industries are targeting hunters and anglers. Those of us who support conservation are being portrayed as extremists and radicals.

So what is a radical? Seriously, what does it mean? Is protecting our favorite trout stream a radical act? What about defending an Alaskan salmon river from a mining company? Or how about passing on a healthy natural world to our kids and grandkids? Because those of us who want to share clean water, clean air and healthy landscapes with future generations are being ridiculed and marginalized. It’s almost as if our love for the great outdoors is standing in the way of “progress.”

Tenkara as a teaching tool

Many are beginning to see tenkara as the ideal introduction to fly fishing.

by Tom Sadler - Monday, Mar 16th, 2015

Photo: Daniel Galhardo

Stand around with a group of fly fishers and mention tenkara and the response can be both enlightening and entertaining. Tenkara evokes strong responses from some while it is ignored by others because it doesn’t fit the more common image of modern fly fishing.

But, haters are going to hate and I have no interest in getting into a prolonged discussion with haters of any stripe. On the other hand, every day more and more people are looking into tenkara and becoming interested in fly fishing because of it.