Articles

Review: Redington Vapen Red Fly Rod

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Oct 25th, 2013

The grip, featuring a season of filth. The handle reportedly cleans off easily for those who aren't too lazy to wipe it down.

The Vapen Red is a fly rod I didn't want to like. I'm just being honest. While I'm most certainly gear addicted, and particularly giddy about the next new thing, there was something that rubbed me wrong about the Vapen as soon as Redington introduced it. The Vapen introduces two entirely new technologies into the world of fly rods, with its X-Wrap blank construction and -- of course -- the bright red polymer handle that Redington co-developed with golf club grip manufacturer Winn Grips. For some reason, the combination of the two made the Vapen Red feel gimmicky rather than innovative, so I was prepared to be disappointed when the rod landed on the front steps.

While I consider myself quite adept at quickly judging the character of people, never let it be said that I am adept at doing so with fly rods. I've been fishing the Vapen Red for many months now, on everything from small Pennsylvania spring creeks to big Alaskan rivers, and in that time it has become one of my favorite rods currently in my quiver. That's not to say the Vapen Red is right for everything, but it is a very versatile rod that impresses in many arenas. And, despite my holding out as long as I could, I've even come around on the grip.

What are Some Good Uses for Old Fly Lines?

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, Oct 22nd, 2013

What are your favorite uses for your retired fly lines?

The other day, I reluctantly headed down to my basement for some long overdue purging and cleaning. Though, at times of the year, the shelves on which virtually all of my fly fishing gear is stored are an picture of organization and care, by this point in the season they're typically a horrifying mess. This year has proved no exception to this pattern. So, amongst tasks like bagging up old toys for Goodwill and gathering up the 50 empty bottles of Tide my wife has accumulated in the laundry area, I did a bit of surveying of my fly fishing gear to see what could go on eBay, what I could offer to friends and what could just get junked in order to clean up the disaster that has developed. In the process of doing so, I came upon the rat's nest seen below.

Of course none of the fly lines pictured above are labeled. Labeling my lines as I take them off the reel is a good habit I've only more recently developed, previously lingering under the delusion that I would remember by sight what each fly line was and be able to quickly identify it. The reality could not possibly be farther from that delusion, as not only can I not accurately identify any of these fly lines, I can't even hazard a guess as to what they might be.

Hatch Magazine to Donate Portion of Advertising Space to Non-Profit Conservation Organizations

by Chad Shmukler - Monday, Oct 21st, 2013

Part of the Tongass National Forest, one of many locations where important conservation efforts are underway (photo: Chad Shmukler).

Hatch Magazine has seen some changes over the last few months, with several more to come as we close out 2013. Some of the changes that have already happened have been small, such as changes in layout. Other changes have been more significant, such as the addition of advertising to the site. Ads began popping up a few months ago, and it is worth noting that the decision to add advertising to hatchmag.com was one not taken lightly, as the site was initially envisioned as an ad-free destination. That said, we abandoned the idea of keeping ads off the site in favor of growing the site and bringing readers more of what we strive to do well: showcasing fly fishing photography, covering conservation news specifically as it relates to anglers, producing pieces about travel and fly fishing destinations, bringing you news and reviews on new gear and providing fly fishing tips and insight when we can. As part of making the decision to introduce advertising "work" in our minds, we've decided to reserve a portion of the advertising available on the site for non-profit organizations that are doing work to conserve and protect waters and lands that are important to anglers. This advertising will, of course, be offered free of charge to these organizations.

Currently, we're reserving 5% of our total inventory of advertising (total ad impressions) for this purpose. If you represent an organization that fits the description above would like to advertise your organization, project or other aspect of what you do on Hatch Magazine, please contact us and let us know. We'll limit the number of advertisers in this regard each month, in order to be able to give each group a reasonable level of visibility, as opposed to spreading things too thin.

Yeti Auctioning Off One-of-a-Kind Pink Cooler to Benefit Charity

by Marshall Walker - Friday, Oct 18th, 2013

Yeti Pink Cooler

YETI Coolers is joining the fight against breast cancer by auctioning off a pink version of their Roadie cooler. The premium ice chest is capable of keeping up to 14 cans ice cold thanks to its 2 inches of cold-retaining insulation. The smaller Roadie cooler also features the same tough construction and bear-proof locks as YETI's larger Tundra ice chests, and its "No Sweat Design" stops unwanted messes.

The one of a kind cooler will be auctioned off to raise awareness for the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (NBCAM), and all proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.

"This year we made a single pink cooler with the American Cancer Society in mind," says Corey Maynard, YETI marketing director. "We want to raise awareness with our consumers and give back to this important cause."

The Scale of Shale

The impacts of fracking go well beyond water quality

by Chad Shmukler - Wednesday, Oct 16th, 2013

Autumn has come to a stretch of slow water on Pine Creek downstream from its confluence with Slate Run. Several hundred yards away, a water withdrawal pipe is authorized to siphon up to 900,000 gallons of water per day at that site alone (photo: Chad Shmukler).

We turn onto the gas company improved access road and head into one of the many tracts of public, state forest land in Pennsylvania. Our SUV bounces and clatters along through dense stands of mixed deciduous and evergreen forest, gravel from the road kicking up into the truck’s undercarriage. Thanks to the condition of the road, which is without question the most well-maintained state forest access road I’ve ever ventured along, we’re able to carry on at a brisk pace. Nevertheless, we continue on into the forest for 10 or 15 minutes before we reach our destination, an Anadarko natural gas well pad in Pennsylvania’s Pine Creek Valley. From those of us who haven’t previously seen first hand the real-world impacts of gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale region of Pennsylvania, there’s a collective, palpable sense of awe, though for altogether unexpected reasons.

As an angler and a conservationist, environmentalist or any other label I might choose to identify myself as someone who puts a great deal of value on preserving and protecting wild and natural places, especially wild and natural waters, there are a myriad of reasons to be concerned about the potential impacts of hydraulic fracturing (aka “fracking”) on these places. The typical reflex is to contemplate the sensational: overturned trucks carrying fracking wastewater, mountain creeks drawn dry by unregulated industry water withdrawal, pristine streams choked by out-of-control sediment resulting from erosion of disturbed forest parcels and so on. And, while all of these threats are real, and have occurred in Pennsylvania to some extent or another, what I encounter when we arrive is in stark contrast to these horror stories.