Articles

Airflo releases new Streamer Switch fly line, two-handed trout fishing gets better

It is a good time to be a two-handed trout fisherman, even if our numbers are limited.
Tom Larimer with a prototype of an Airflo line.

It is possible that there is no longer running experiment in the world of fly fishing than that of switch rods. At some point, trout and other smaller-game anglers realized that many of the benefits experienced by fishermen chasing steelhead and salmon fishermen with spey rods would come in handy on their trout streams as well. And so, switch rods were born. But, ever since their introduction, most switch rods have been trying to be many things at once -- a spey caster, a nymphing rig, an overhead caster -- instead of just being a two-handed rod for smaller fish on smaller water.

Always never homeless

Where does the fisherman with no homewater call home?
Make yourself at home. An autumn morning on northern Wisconsin's Chippewa River (photo: Dave Karczynski).

On a recent Northern Wisconsin smallmouth float a chilling thought occurred to me: I'm homeless.

I don't mean in the literal sense, but rather that I have no body of water I can called homewater. I've worked through all reasonable definitions of the term. All have come up short.

Review: Orvis Safe Passage Guide sling pack

A close look at Orvis' significant redesign of its flagship sling pack.
Photo: Steve Zakur

When I fish a small stream I'm content to go minimal; a fly box in my pocket, a lanyard full of tools, and a trusty small stream rod. But on bigger water I tend to go big. A fly box for every condition, clothing for changeable weather, snacks, lunch and a water bottle. I sometimes carry two rods and a spare spool as well. I need storage, lots of storage.

Tanner's extra special #1 best ever nymphing tip

You can catch what you can't see.
Photo: Chad Shmukler

She couldn’t do it.

I don’t remember her name, or where she was from, or why she wanted to fish the Madison with a guide. All I can tell you for sure is that she couldn’t catch a trout on a nymph. Not on a bet. Not to save her life. To paraphrase one of my favorite authors:

Drifter intros new, 'ideal' fly rod for technical trout fisherman

New rod from boutique Colorado rod maker targets technical anglers.
The Drifter Covert fly rod.

Drifter is a rod company that many anglers likely haven't heard of. A small, boutique rod building company out of Denver, Drifter likes to make it known that they build hundreds of fly rods per year, not thousands. Their latest offering, the Drifter Covert, is described as a rod that is "ideally tuned to the needs of trout fishermen."

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