Hatches: New & Notable Fly-Fishing Gear

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Scott GT Series Fly Rods

In 1976, the Scott Fly Rod Company was a tiny shop in a basement on Cook Street in San Francisco. It was there that owner and rod designer Harry Wilson made Scott’s first graphite rod. He was a practical man with a passion for function and performance, and evidently little flair for marketing. He named it the G series, “G” for graphite to distinguish it from the company’s F series fiberglass rods.

The rest is the stuff of legends. Graphite rods revolutionized the marketplace. G series fly rods gained a global following of fly fishers who are passionate about long leaders, small flies, and delicate presentations to finicky trout. Buoyed by the success of its graphite rods, in 1990s Scott moved its base of operations to Telluride and then Montrose, Colorado.

Current Scott president and rod designer Jim Bartschi was a young acolyte in the original California rod shop, and has shepherded the G series through more than three decades and several iterations to arrive at a new graphite series that is lighter, more sensitive, and with more feel and soul—all attributes that made the original G series so successful.

The new GT Series has significant technical and hardware advancements that make a great rod series even better. According to Scott, they have updated their X-Core design and combined it with their ARC2 multidirectional fibers to produce the thinnest rod walls in company history. I haven’t cut my 8'10" 4-weight in half and used a micrometer to measure, but the rod feels lighter in my hand and gives me a softer touch when I’m making delicate presentations to spring creek trout that are quietly kissing the surface of the water.

Scott’s famous hollow internal ferrules have also been redesigned for this series, and are now up to 20% lighter overall in some models. These joints are sometimes stiff transition points in some other rods, but in the GT Series they disappear and let the smooth-flexing blank do the talking. It needs to be smooth, because this is a deep-flexing rod that bends well past the midsection on even short casts and into the butt section when you are reaching farther targets. Despite that full flex, the tip is not wobbly, and stays stable for accurate casting at most ranges.

Scott has also spiced up their recipes in terms of line weight and rod length combinations. There’s no tired 9-foot 5-weight in this series, each combination of weight/length feels like it’s made for a special purpose, and most of them have never been available in any previous G series generation. The line weights range from 3- to 6-weight and the lengths are 7'4", 8'10", and 9'8".

Due in part perhaps to the new lighter and smoother ferrules, there are also two 5-piece models; 3- and 4-weight rods that are just 8'4" and a joy on any mountain stream with native trout.

As always, Scott has paid attention to the minutiae on the GT Series with fish-measuring wraps, alignment dots, and rich cocobolo wood inserts. They have milled aluminum reel seats with a type 3 anodization, titanium-framed Zirconia No Tangle stripping guides and Snake Brand Universal snake guides.

—Ross Purnell

$1,095 | tridentflyfishing.com

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Skwala RS Glove

Numb and painful hands have ended many fishing trips prematurely, and made many more of them more painful than they needed to be. Skwala has potentially solved this problem with the first waterproof, taped, breathable gloves designed specifically for fly fishing with the RS Glove. The 4-way-stretch face textile gives you a greater range of motion than your old ski gloves, and the extended, adjustable, Framis Dream reinforced cuffs integrate with the Skwala RS Jacket to prevent water incursion. The fingers are articulated for dexterity and the gloves have an H-Dry waterproof, breathable lining with a Framis Dream reinforced palm and primary fingertips for durability and added tractions. Available in three sizes M, L, and XL.

$149 | skwalafishing.com

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Rambler Angler & Blade Co. Nomad Fly Tying Vise

One of my favorite historic TV shows of all time was an episode of The American Sportsman when Curt Gowdy and Lee Wulff fished the Minipi Lakes system in Labrador for giant brook trout. In that episode, Lee Wulff tied flies with his bare hands (no vise) and caught enomous brookies. Tying flies on location has always been a magical addition to any trip, but you don’t have to go without a vise.

The Rambler Nomad is a lightweight travel vise that allows you to tie flies anywhere—at a camp site, on a flats skiff, at a fishing lodge, the tailgate of a truck, or on a rock on the riverbank. It has zero-point full rotary action, is made from anodized aluminum, and has hardened O-1 tool grade steel jaws designed to hold size 7/0 to #32 hooks. The knurled tension control knob and a precise adjustment lock knob allow you to lock hooks in place to prevent frustration.

Although it’s lightweight and portable it doesn’t feel like a travel vise—the Delrin sleeve bearings and Teflon bushing make it feel like a vise twice this expensive. It comes with a machined C-clamp and a large pedestal base so you can take it anywhere, and tie any fly you want, wherever you go. They are  manufactured and assembled in Spartanburg, South Carolina by Rambler Angler & Blade Co. They also manufacture and sell all sorts of knives and scissors for many applications, including fly-tying scissors, hunting knives, and shellfish knives.

$300 | tcoflyfishing.com

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Skwala Thermo 260 Top & Bottom Layers

I’m a huge fan of Merino wool. It’s my go-to layering material to keep me warm, dry, and comfortable while fishing in cool and frigid weather. It wicks moisture, is naturally antimicrobial to keep odors at bay, and even performs when wet. It allows my skin to breathe and not become overly hot and clammy, unlike many synthetic materials. A downside to Merino wool is that it’s not traditionally a robust and hardy material. Skwala aimed to solve this problem by introducing a complex, double jersey knit interlocking weave into their Thermo collection, creating soft and warm layering pieces that are also highly durable for adventurous fly fishers.

Skwala released the Thermo 350 Hoody in 2023. It earned the “Best New Layering System” award from Fly Fisherman in Gear Guide 2024. Later, they introduced the Thermo 150 Hoody, a lighter moderate weather top. The latest iteration, Thermo 260, rounds out the collection with an 18.5 micron Merino wool (95%) and nylon (5%) blend system for a 260-gram base layer designed to be worn next-to-skin with unrestricted movement.

The top can be a standalone fishing shirt for cool days and can easily become your thermal refuge during foul weather when paired with an insulated shell or rain jacket. Unlike the previous Thermo 350 and 150 Hoodies, the Thermo 260 has a quarter zip neckline with an extendable collar for temperature control. An athletic cut moves with you. Articulation under the armpits helps to avoid bunching. Thumb loops keep the sleeve in place for maximum coverage and make throwing on an additional midlayer or jacket easy.

The bottoms are also athletic cut keeping you free to flex and move throughout the day. A standard fly allows for quick relief, and the thick elastic waistband keeps them snuggly in place. Available in men’s sizes M-2XL.

­—Dennis Pastucha

$129-$149 | skwalafishing.com (bottoms); skwalafishing (top)

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Simms Access Boot

I love the Vibram IdroGrip Flex soles on my Flyweight Access Wading Boots. If you’ve used it, you know it also and you love it—it’s light, soft, and grips the river bottom like felt. However, like felt, it’s not all that sturdy. It begins to deteriorate around the edges after a few weeks of hard wading. It still works, it just looks worn.

With this new for 2026 Access Boot, Simms has solved this problem with a Vibram IdroGrip Flex zone in the center of the sole, wrapped with a much harder Vibram IdroGrip on the outsole edges.

If a mullet haircut is “business up front, party in the back” this boot is best described as “grippy in the middle, and tough on the outside.”

Simms is calling this design G.O.A.T. (Grip On Aquatic Terrain) sole construction—it combines the best of two worlds, and it’s unique to Simms. The outsole is compatible with Simms HardBite/AlumiBite Star Cleats and HardBite Studs, but you should not attempt to attach cleats to the softer  inside Vibram IdroGrip Flex zone.

The durable and lightweight TPU woven upper material sheds water, and armorlike TPU overlays on the sides and heels protect against wear and tear.

A high-cushioning self-draining EVA midsole, and drain holes in the sidewall, provide comfort, stability, and remove water quickly to reduce weight while walking.

The corrosion- and abrasion-resistant lace construction uses low-profile brass lace hooks and eyelets at the ankles. Available in men’s sizes 7-14.

$299.95 | simmsfishing.com

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Airflo Superflo Max Ridge 2.0 Universal Fly Lines

Every floating freshwater line in the Airflo catalog is new for 2026, with a revised polyurethane formulation and an improved production process called Superflo Max. The new fly line technology is called Elevate Elite, and it’s in every Superflo Max Ridge 2.0 line. It doesn’t just make fly lines more buoyant, it improves the consistency of that buoyancy along the length of the line, reduces cracking, and improves the life of the line so it keeps floating week after week. This new coating also flows through the extruder with lower resistance, so the diameter transitions are smoother and more precise, particularly with the thin parts of the line at the tip and running line.

Superflo Max Ridge 2.0 lines come in multiple tapers including the Power, Tactical, Double Taper, and Super Trout. I used the popular Universal taper on a weeklong trip to Idaho and Wyoming, and it proved to be a perfect do-it-all line on the South Fork, throwing Mutant Stonefly imitations at sunrise, dry/dropper combinations from the boat, and tiny single drys in the riffles for fine-spotted cutthroat trout.

In Wyoming the Universal threw tungsten-bead Pat’s Rubber Legs under an indicator, and adeptly switched to small caddis when the hatch came off in Grand Teton National Park. The Airflo Superflo Max Ridge 2.0 Universal also proved itself on small tributaries, loading the rod in tight quarters, roll casting, and in technical situations where trout were picky and looking for the perfect drift. The lines are available in weights 5 though 8 in chartreuse/white and in weights 3 through 9 in a more stealthy moss/chartreuse combination.

$129 | tridentflyfishing.com

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Simms Drifter & Drifter AT

What Simms has done with the Drifter and Drifter AT is provide the comfort of a pair of Crocs with significantly upgraded performance features. To be clear, if you plan on doing a significant amount of walking and wading over the course of a summer day, we recommend something like the Simms Pursuit Shoe ($149.95). But if you are fishing from a raft or drift boat, and plan on only occasionally dipping your toes, these light, easy-to-clean, quick-dry shoes are the way to go.

Simms has bridged the gap between comfort and functionality, and I think they’ve hit a home run here with a shoe that might make you give up your Crocs forever—even at home in the yard.

The Drifter ($79.95) has an ultra-light EVA upper and a non-marking gum rubber outsole, which makes it perfect for flats skiffs and drift boats from the Bahamas to Yellowstone. A tough 360-degree exterior nylon strap helps you cinch up the tension when you need to wade.

The Drifter AT ($99.95) ups the ante for improved wading with a Vibram IdroGrip outsole, a self-draining liner, and a self-draining neoprene sock for a more secure fit and protection from sand and pebbles.

$79.95 Drifter, $99.95 Drifter AT | simmsfishing.com

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Skwala RS Bib

There are a lot of great bibs out there for cold- and foul-weather fishing, but the Skwala RS Bib is the first fully waterproof, breathable, 4-way-stretch bib. That stretch makes it more flexible, mobile, and comfortable—especially when you add insulation layers underneath.

A stretch-woven panel across the back increases your range of motion, and a fully adjustable cam buckle suspender system completes the comfortable fit. The legs and knees are fully articulated, and there is an internal knee pad pocket for integrated, removable knee pads. The Framis Dream reinforced ankle cuffs are adjustable with Velcro fasteners.

Dual waterproof upper side zips give your hands access to the interior so you can warm your hands or adjust your layers. Two-way waterproof zippers on both sides also run from the hip to the ankle so you can get these bibs on and off easily in changing weather conditions, or simply reach into your pants pockets.

There is one zippered chest pocket and two zippered, waterproof front pockets for fly boxes, tools, or other essentials. These are obviously boat bibs, and there are dual front D-rings for tools and to attach the kill switch. They weigh only 30.4 oz (size large) and are made from 96% nylon with a 4% PU 2-way-stretch laminate with a DWR finish. Available in four sizes M through XXL.

$599 | skwalafishing.com

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Cross Point Pro Wool Waterproof Knit Gloves

Cross Point Pro Wool Waterproof Knit Gloves strike a smart balance between comfort, dexterity, and weather protection. The wool‑blend knit exterior provides moisture management, while a waterproof, breathable membrane keeps hands dry during rain, snow, or repeated contact with cold water. Unlike traditional winter gloves, these maintain excellent feel for line handling and reeling, making them a versatile option for shoulder‑season trout fishing, steelheading, or any wet day on the water. 

While not particularly warm they are comfortable and fully adept at keeping moisture out. I don't think we can say that we have found our solution for gloves you can tie knots in, they do offer more dexterity than most cold-water gloves. The silicone grips are fantastic for climbing out of canyons and the touchscreen-compatible fingertips are bascially a necessity anymore.

Cross Point also makes waterproof socks for wet-wading season. 

An easy, low‑profile solution for anglers who fish through the weather rather than waiting it out.

$59 | crosspointgear.com

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