Articles

There are days when the pull of the water is strong; the burden of the workaday world has tipped the balance and out of sorts I will go despite conditions, and hatches and the real possibility of catching. I go for other reasons, I tell myself, but mostly I go because I want to be shocked back to that other person by the charged particles delivered through a tense, alive line. I also go because, like most anglers, I am an optimist filled with hope.

Indiana isn't a very trouty place. That doesn't mean one can't find trout in the state, though I'm not sure you can, but it's not a destination that one would pick for an adventure if one were a trout angler. The long car drive to Indiana was for camaraderie and carp. There were likely other reasons too but those were the primary motivators that caused Jonny and I to drive thousands of miles during five days in June.

The fishing in Indiana was a bust. After a week of great company and mediocre angling we had only managed some smaller largemouth and a couple of handfuls of bluegills. Our lack of opportunity was primarily attributable to what the weather gods had delivered. The rivers throughout the region were muddy and full. The carp flats roiled, not from the fat bodies of eager fish, but wind driven flood waters. Even in the numerous lakes and ponds it appeared the fish were off of that something they were supposed to be on. Not far from downtown Indianapolis, we watched a large pod of carp feed in an unreachable eddy. In a way is was comforting to know that the fish were actually there. It was also deeply disturbing.

With the International Fly Tackle Dealers show (IFTD) in Orlando just days away, Simms has released its list of products that it will debut for its Spring 2015 lineup. Included in the list of new offerings are additions to almost every category of products that Simms manufactures, including a number of new items designed specifically for female anglers.

Simms popular Dry Creek line of water-resistant bags is seeing many of its existing bags upgraded from water-resistant storage to waterproof storage through the addition of waterproof TiZIP zippers. New incarnations of the backpack, duffel and hip pack have been adorned with the TIZIP waterproof closures and will wear the moniker "Dry Creek Z." The new bags/packs will retail for $299.95, $349.95 and $199.95, respectively.

Until YETI introduced its original cooler almost a decade ago, there weren't very many people out there that could get excited about a cooler. After all, we had all been toting around different versions of what amounted to the same clumsy cooler for years. These cheap plastic doppelgängers required lots of ice refills to keep things cold and ended up being fairly disposable, since their flimsy construction didn't offer up much durability. But they got the job done, we were satisfied. That is, until YETI came along and showed us we were setting our expecations way too low.

YETI's flagship Tundra series holds ice for over a week in some cases, offers up bomb-proof (read: bear proof) construction, is dry ice safe and is packed with other should-have-thought-of-it features that for many years now have made an ice box into a conversation piece, something to covet, and a very serious piece of gear. YETI unquestionably revolutionized how we think about coolers, and now they're back to try to do it again.

On Wednesday, YETI introduced what it is confidently referring to as product that is just as game-changing as its hard sided cooler. The new YETI Hopper is a soft-sided cooler, designed from the ground up to provide much of what its hard-sided coolers provide -- long-term ice retention, robust durability and thoughtful features and construction that address the shortcomings in the industry standard of design -- only in a vastly more portable package.

As summer air temperatures in New England veer sharply from their northern roots most water courses warm beyond the tolerance of trout. With trout hunkered in thermal refuges the sulking trout angler has some options. There's opportunity on stillwater for largemouth, crappie and bluegills but that requires tactics and tackle that is foreign to many. In several renowned trout rivers smallmouth share the same neighborhood with their sleeker kin. With yin to trout's yang, smallmouth come alive when water temps suppress trout. While both are a fine distraction, truly tormented trout anglers seek the succor of a tailwater in the days after the mid-year solstice.

Last week I had smallmouth on the brain and was prepared to make the hour drive for a few hours fishing. The previous evening a summer storm rolled up the valley and created a muddy torrent while sparing neighboring, smallmouth-free watersheds. I could have scrapped the whole notion but my buddy Steve had planted a few seeds with solid tailwater intel.

Steve is one of those quiet anglers who goes about his business without calling attention to himself. Not knowing Steve you might dismiss the counsel of this unassuming gentleman. But he's committed to his craft, puts his hours in, and when Steve says that a #26 Olive will work until 6 p.m. and a #16 Sulphur spinner until dark, you stock your fly box, pack your car, and drive north.

Dr. Slick's new Typhoon pliers.

Continuing the trend of new product announcements in advance of the IFTD/ICAST show in Orlando, Dr. Slick has unveiled their lineup of new tools and gadgets for the coming year. Included in their new product offerings are their Typhoon pliers, a pair of premium pliers that are targeted at fly and conventional anglers alike.

Dr. Slick's new Typhoon pliers are made of 6061-T6 aircraft quality anodized, salt-water resistant aluminum that is fully machined, not die cast. Also featured are non-slip rubber grips and a self-opening
spring. The Typhoon's cutters are HR (Rockwell Hardness) 70+, which Dr. Slick describes as "lethal on all monofilament, new age braid and synthetic lines plus coated wire up to 60-pound." The pliers' jaws offer a half smooth and half striated design.

Pages