By John Merwin

by John Merwin

In last week’s post I mentioned that this week I was going to talk about abrasion resistance in fishing lines. The ability of different types and brands of line to withstand being rubbed hard over any rough surface is obviously important. When a hooked fish drags your line across an underwater rock, you are of course hoping--maybe even expecting--that the line won’t break.

Line companies make all sorts of claims as to the abrasion resistance of their respective products. And it’s quite true that some lines are more abrasion resistant than others. The problem comes in the way in which manufacturers measure abrasion resistance, which to my mind bears little relation to actual fishing situations. I think dragging a line under tension between your hands and across a rough-surfaced rock (as shown in the photo) is the best test. But first, let’s look at what the line companies do.

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By John Merwin

by John Merwin

The International Fly Tackle Dealer Show--a fly fishing trade show--takes place in New Orleans this week, and you’re going to be hearing a lot about it. Websites and blogs devoted all or in part to fly fishing will be all over it, covering new products introduced for the coming season as well as whatever industry gossip comes their way.

With that in mind, I thought I’d offer a little inside history of the whole deal, which also involves considerable personal history as well. Through the 1970s, both fly fishing itself and fly fishing media--then mostly magazines--were growing rapidly. There was no fly fishing trade association back then, nor was there any fly fishing media devoted to the trade. There was instead a general fishing-tackle trade show (formerly known as AFTMA, now called ICAST) within which the much smaller fly fishing community felt somewhat marginalized and lost.

In 1979, when I was leaving my editing job at Fly Fisherman magazine to start what became Fly Rod & Reel magazine, I was also taking part in some industry meetings aimed at possibly starting a fly fishing trade association. Scott Rods founder Harry Wilson, Scientific Anglers head Lew Jewett, and Leon Chandler from Cortland Line were in the forefront at the time--all friends of mine and all now very unfortunately deceased. [ Read Full Post ]

By Kirk Deeter

Let's cut right to brass tacks.  Sure, we can talk about fancy graphite technologies and all the other stuff that makes a $750 fly rod a $750 fly rod... but in truth, 99 percent of fly casters cannot honestly feel the difference. (It's like me and a $10 bottle of red wine vs. a $30 bottle... I sniff, I swirl, I roll my tongue, and then I go get a PBR from the cooler.) 

And in fairness, there are a lot of cheap rods that are exactly that--cheap. Not just inexpensive. Cheap. As in, "Why did I pay $100 for this piece of junk that casts like a curtain rod, and is already falling apart?"

The holy grail for fly rod marketers, therefore, is finding that sweet spot of maximum functionality, at a minimum price.  And based on the fishing I have done this summer with over two dozen different rods--and more importantly, having put different options in the hands of other casters, from total beginners to guides--the Cabela's LSi lives in that sweet spot. I've fished 4-weight and a 5-weight versions of LSi, both 8'-6" long.  They cost $180.
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By Kirk Deeter

Where do fly fishing companies go to expand their sales horizons? Well, some go bass fishing. And some are hanging out at the Outdoor Retailer trade show, with the hope that they'll tap a demographic that includes hikers, bikers, climbers, and kayakers.

For example, Simms Fishing Products just announced a series of sponsorships in the world of competitive fishing. And they're not messing around. You're going to see Simms products on six big-name professional bass anglers: Gary Klein, Shaw Grigsby, Aaron Martens, Kelly Jordon, Ish Monroe and Brett Ehrler. These guys helped Simms develop its new Pro Dry GORE-TEX Parka, Bibs and Pants.

“Simms is the perfect company for me to partner with when you consider I spend 300-plus days a year outside in the elements,” Martens said. “Simms has everything I need to protect my skin from the sun, wind and more.”

I wonder what kind of sponsorship deal it will take to get one or two of these guys to actually compete with a fly rod. [ Read Full Post ]

By Kirk Deeter

There's a special category in the fly fishing retail world labeled "accessories," which, in my mind, includes just about anything a fly angler buys that doesn't actually help them catch fish in any way, shape, or form whatsoever. This might be the most important product category for friends and relatives of fly fishers who want to buy gifts with sentimental value, but alas, have no idea (whatsoever) how to actually catch fish on the fly.

That's why a lot of us have drawers full of Green-Butt Skunk printed socks, sterling flasks with dry fly etchings, toilet seats with a Royal Coachman motif, and wall clocks with classic fly patterns that mark every hour of the day. I will admit that I might be the most "poorly-accessorized" angler on the planet, having little use for neckties (if you see me choked by a silky fly print around my neck, that usually means someone either died or got married, which in certain angling circles is almost one in the same), fly-themed wallets, and the rest of the niff-naff that says, "I'm a fly fisher."

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By Joe Cermele

So I'm in Las Vegas at the annual ICAST industry tackle show checking out the latest wares (of which you'll see plenty over the next few weeks) and I bumped into Tom Tredup of RayGear looking rather Darth Vader-like. That's because he was wearing one of his new X-Shield masks, complete with vent holes for breathing and a dark, smoky finish. So what's the deal? Well, Tom believes that the X-Shield is the future of facial sun protection on the water. He's hoping you might consider replacing your sunglasses with some of his headgear.

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