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Product Review:  Simms Windstopper Softshell Jacket

Made by:  Simms

I recently purchased my Simms Windstopper Jacket and right out of the box I fell in love.  First off, I was expecting a much heavier jacket.  To my pleasant surprise it was very light weight.  Now, it is not as light as my packable rain jacket, but it is not as heavy as some of the heavy weight windstopper fleece jackets out there.  I really wanted something that I can layer and also help with some light rain and stream side dampness.  This really fits the bill.  It's been raining for four days straight here and I've been wearing it everyday to see how it fares.  I am dry and smiling.

Product Review:   Simms Headwaters Mesh Fly Fishing Vest

Made By:  Simms

Over the years I have tried different ways of carrying gear on the water.  I have used a vest, a chest pack and a fanny pack.  I am always looking for the best and lightest way to carry my necessary fly fishing gear for a long day of fishing.  Recently, I decided to go back to the fly vest.  I wanted the most comfortable, durable, light weight, and functional fishing vest I could find.  Hands down the Simms Headwaters Mesh Vest is the way to go.

Fly fishing requires more knots than most other forms of fishing where, generally, if you can tie your line to the hook you are golden.   In fly fishing, you need to connect your backing to the reel, then you need to connect the fly line to the backing, then the leader to the fly line,  then the tippet to the leader, and then you can tie your fly on the end of the tippet.  In the instructions for each knot, you will see why each one is vital for a specific purpose.  It is important to be able tie all of these knots, however, it is not necessary to memorize all of them.   I will explain the hows and whys of each knot and a little practice goes a long way.  There are several more knots that you can add to your arsenal, but the ones I have here will do just about everything required for fly fishing.  Most of these knots I've learned from a handy tool called The Fisherman's Ultimate Knot Guide by J.E. Sherry.  The man who taught me to fly fish insisted I purchase this folding, light weight knot guide and it has been in my vest for years.  Get one, you'll thank me later.

The Basics

* Fly Rods are quite possibly the most important purchase when you start looking for your own fly fishing gear.  If you’ve been in a fly shop or browsed online for fly rods, you know the sheer number of options can be mind numbing.  You will have also noticed that the prices for these rods vary from around $50 to over $3,000 for some hand crafted bamboo fly rods.  

Product Review:  SAGE ZXL #5 Weight, 9'

Made By:  SAGE

Well my review of the SAGE ZXL has been a long time coming.  A little while back I wrote a blog post about trying to find the perfect #5 weight fly rod.  After trying several rods, including a Winston Boron IIX, an Orvis Helios, and the "budget" Sage Vantage, my two favorites were the SAGE Z-Axis and ZXL.  I understand the Z-Axis is SAGE's most popular rod.  In fact, it may be best selling fly rod of all time.  But, I instead chose the ZXL.  Well, I finally had a chance to take mine out on the water and I couldn't be happier with my choice.  Without question it is the best #5 weight fly rod...  for me. 

Product Review: Litespeed Hard Alox Reel

Made By:  Waterworks-Lamson

I was looking for the perfect reel to put onto my new 5 weight Sage ZXL rod.  I knew I wanted a durable, large arbor reel.  I didn't want a budget reel, but I didn't want it to cost an arm an a leg either.  Finally, I wanted to keep it light.  I narrowed down my list to a couple of reels and opted for the Lamson Litespeed.  I could not be happier.  In fact, "love" may be the perfect word to describe how I feel about this reel.