Pimping Rides, Recrafting Waders, and an Affordable Bulletproof Reel

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Ross  Cimarron 2024

Cimarron has a few different definitions. In Spanish, cimarrón means “wild or untamed” and it’s formed from the root cima, which means peak or summit. Fly fishers, however, equate it with Colorado’s Cimarron Creek and more frequently, with the classic Ross Cimarron reel, which was first introduced in the 1980s, and helped build the company’s reputation for bedrock-tough, made-in-America reels. Many of the originals are still out there catching fish, and many others have been squirreled away as keepsakes for grandchildren.

With the new 2024 Cimarron there’s no need for hand-me-down reels. This one is a gateway for newer fly fishers who want a machined, anodized reel, made in Montrose Colorado, for under $300. It has a dependable disk-drag braking system borrowed from the more expensive ($385) Ross Animas reel, and a textured Cerakote drag knob and handle that are easy to grip when wet, and they stand up to any abuse you can throw at them. In an age when everything is getting more and more expensive, it’s refreshing to see a company like Ross master the logistics of making bulletproof fishing tackle at an affordable price.

$295 | scheels.com

Patagonia  ReCrafted Wader Collection

After many years of keeping you dry, and sharing your favorite highlights on the river, too many waders end up in landfills. Even when they finally develop leaks that are unrepairable, those old waders are filled with fishy mojo, so it seems a shame to throw them out.

Patagonia—living true to its corporate motto of “repair, reuse, recycle”—has found new ways of putting old waders back to work with its ReCrafted Wader Collection, which includes a ReCrafted Wader Tote Bag ($79), Travel Kit ($79), Wallet ($35), and Work Station ($69).

Each piece is built from salvaged Patagonia wader fabrics and has unique colors, panels, and features. These are pieced together by hand, so no two articles are exactly the same. But they are all durable, water-resistant, and give you an opportunity to give old waders a new home.

“The ReCrafted Wader Collection is just a cool idea,” said Nicole Labrie, Patagonia product line manager for fly fishing. “These are simple, hard-working essentials made for a lifetime. Not only do they keep waders out of landfills, they’re super useful, unique, and keep us thinking about fishing when we can’t get to the water.”

The ReCrafted Wader Collection is available at select specialty fly shops nationwide, but is not available on patagonia.com.

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Pimp Your Ride

More than a few heated barroom debates have spurred from the topic of how to equip vehicles most efficiently for transporting fishing equipment. Among popular solutions are rod vaults, rocket boxes, DIY bungee cord suspension systems, and the ever-common, yet precarious dashboard shelf. Some anglers try everything. Others put no effort into improving their program. Then, some believe they’ve finally figured it out. Among the latter are anglers who have discovered the coveted Decked and Leitner Designs systems.

Decked (decked.com) recently launched its redesigned drawer systems, boasting 30% increased capacity, customization, and free shipping. Decked says feedback from customers, especially vertically challenged users who struggled to reach the back of the drawers, pushed them to increase drawer extension. Now, with full bed-length draws, side access, and a pass-through to the wheel wells, the company says it has achieved nearly zero wasted space and a 100% increase in using the truck bed. The system is fully waterproof, impact-resistant, and customizable with accessories like dividers, drawer organizers, stash bins, and tie-downs.

The Decked system is often paired with the Leitner Designs Active Cargo System (leitnerdesigns.com), which hangs its hat on modular expandability. The unit is centered on a truck utility rack with one-piece aluminum alloy uprights and high-grade fasteners. Its patented sliding load bar offers twist-knob accommodation for large items like bikes, and the quad-rail load beam offers options to mount other storage options like Thule or Yakima racks. Leitner’s Gear Pods give anglers water-resistant locking storage for waders, boots, packs, and camping gear. One feature anglers might find particularly attractive is the HydroPod ACS Rack Shower Kit, as it offers a method for preventing the transport of aquatic invasive species like zebra mussels.

Fly Fisherman contributing editor Hilary Hutcheson says the shower kit gives her peace of mind as she jumps between Western rivers. “Getting into the habit of cleaning all my gear at the truck as I’m taking off my waders, and inviting my fishing buddies to do the same, has been part of the solution to stopping the transport of aquatic invasives.”

For anglers often traveling considerable distances to fish, roof-top tents, like RoofNest (roofnest.com) come in clutch. Critics have quipped, “Why not just set up a tent? Are you afraid of bears? Why not get an over-cab camper, or better yet, a hotel? You on your way to an overlanders’ conference, bro?”

Fair questions . . . for those who have not yet tried RoofNest hard shell, roof/rack-top tents. RoofNest produces nearly a dozen tent models, varied for different vehicles and uses.

“I don’t always know when or where I’m going to need to crash on a fishing road trip,” says Hutcheson. “The RoofNest allows me to just pop it open and go to sleep. For me, the efficiency is the sell. I found out the hard way when I’m driving across the state that I don’t want to set up a tent in the middle of the night in the pouring rain, in the Walmart parking lot, or my fishing buddy’s driveway. And I’m not going to spend an hour or more trying to heave a camper on my truck. With RoofNest, I just grab a spot at a state park, sleep comfortably, get up and go.”