December 01, 2011
By Lance Egan
It's the time of year for giving, and we fly fishers tend to be gear junkies which means we ALWAYS need something. With that in mind I created a quick gift guide for the discriminating angler. Forward this list to anyone giving to you or ensure you get exactly what you want and take care of the gift yourself ;)
Get or give a gift designed to get wet. Hopefully you'll find something on this list that is missing from your arsenal, if not, buy a tank of gas and go fish.
Flies
Fly fishers are always going through them, and you can't have too many. Stop by your local fly shop to get as many as the budget allows or select an assortment online from
Cabela's or
Orvis.
Ketchum Release
The
Ketchum Release from Waterworks-Lamson. This little tool will save you a lot of money in flies by using the bend of the hook to remove the fly from the fish rather than using forceps and destroying the body of the fly. Also great for cold weather to keep your hands dry and warm (you don't have to touch the fish or fly).
A New Fly Box
Current fly boxes are usually waterproof, sport microslit foam and are light yet durable. My favorites are the
Umpqua UPG Midge box or the
C&F Design 1506F. These go nicely with a fly assortment or empty for the fly tyer to fill with his/her own creations.
A Rubber Bag Landing Net
Rubber nets are easy on the fish and reduce tangles with mulit-fly rigs in the net.
Brodin and
Fisknat both make high performance nets that are a work of art.
Cabela's offers a less expensive option that is still very functional, but not as choice looking.
A Gift Card
Nothing says I don't want to waste money on something you don't need like a gift card Really though, a gift card is always a great gift since the recipient can put it toward a larger purchase or use it for a few odds and ends that only they know they need. Most fly shops have gift cards available or you can get one online.
New Fly Line
Fly lines are now made in every conceivable taper, color and sink rate and are available for cold or tropical climates. For the river Trout fisher a nice floating line will cover most techniques. Popular choices include the Scientific Anglers
Sharkskin or
Textured lines and Rio's
Gold or
Grand. For lake anglers, the
Cortland Clear Camo or
Rio Midge Tip are great for searching the shallows for big Trout.
A Chest Pack or Vest.
William Joseph,
Fishpond and
Simms all have great designs. My personal favorite is the Confluence from William Joseph with magnetic pockets on the front pack (sans zippers).
A Fly Rod
A top notch fly rod from Sage, Loomis, Winston or St. Croix. I've really enjoyed the
Sage 3100-4 ESN lately. They are long, light and spectacular for Euro-Nymphing. Also new from Sage is the
One rod. Loomis' hot rod is the
NRX, the
BIIIX from Winston is a popular 'green stick ' and St. Croix produced the
Bank Robber series specifically for tossing streamers.
A Drift Boat
A new drift boat always makes a fly fisher's friends a little green with envy. Think of how easy it would be to wrap! Slap a cheap adhesive bow on it and call it good. A boat can help get the whole family out, or give the single angler a sudden influx of new friends. Popular brands include
Hyde,
ClackaCraft,
RO,
Boulder Boat Works and newcomers
Pavati and
Adipose.
