Articles

Review: Redington BEHEMOTH fly reel

A look at the ultra-affordable big-game offering from Redington

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Dec 4th, 2015

Angler Alex Tejeda releases a BEHEMOTH-caught bonefish off the beaches of Miami (photo: Chad Shmukler).

Fly reels are expensive. At least, a lot of them are. For the most part, this is with good reason. Fly reels are relatively intricate pieces of equipment that need to be designed in a way that makes them perform reliably. Though playing most trout won't put most reels to the test, fighting bigger species — especially those found in saltwater — requires a well-constructed, strong reel with a powerful drag that you can count on. Anything less simply won't be up to the task.

Streamer tenkara

Swinging meat with a tenkara rod? You bet.

by Tom Sadler - Tuesday, Dec 1st, 2015

Brown trout from the Raritan River in NJ (photo: Michael Smith).

Most people don’t think of tenkara when they think of fishing streamers. Dries, soft hackles, sakaska kebari? Yes. Streamers? Not so much. But tenkara can be an effective method for fishing streamers, especially in the winter months when the dries and terrestrials are taking a break.

What makes a tenkara rod an effective streamer tool is the ability to subtlety manipulate the streamer in the water. The soft action of the tenkara rod helps impart small strike-inducing twitches or jumps.

Review: Tenkara Rod Co. Teton rod

A look at the Idaho rod maker's do-it-all offering

by Chris Hunt - Monday, Nov 30th, 2015

The Tenkara Rod Co. Teton rod.

I first started fly fishing with Tenkara rods seven or eight years ago—I found the simplicity attractive, given the industry trend at the time that demanded anglers have a full quiver of fly rods, reels with a number of spools ready to go and a fly box that looked more like carry-on luggage. There was something very appealing to me about wandering off the pavement with a lanyard that toted along a set of nippers, some tippet and maybe a dozen flies. And a Tenkara rod.

Review: Korkers Devil's Canyon wading boot

Korkers' light, versatile wading boots offer a premium in convenience and comfort

by Spencer Durrant - Wednesday, Nov 25th, 2015

Fly fishing the Utah backcountry in autumn (photo: Spencer Durrant).

Over the past two years, I’ve gone through a half-dozen pairs of wading boots. The first few pairs were cheap - what I could afford at the time - but as I started fishing more and more, I began to realize the need for a solid, dependable boot that wasn’t going to cost me more than I’ve ever spent on a fly rod ($365 on an antique bamboo rod that was just too perfect a deal to pass up).

That’s when I turned to Korkers. One my best fishing buddies fishes Korkers religiously, and between that and their pricing, I had all the endorsement I needed to give them a try.

$89 ECHO Base turning heads, dropping jaws

Tim Rajeff's entry-level fly rod may be anything but

by Ben Kryzinski - Tuesday, Nov 24th, 2015

Tim Rajeff, the man behind every rod that bears the ECHO name, has long been swimming upstream by scoffing at the idea that a good fly rod has to cost a month's rent. And Tim has delivered many ECHO rods that cast and fish extremely well and do so at a price point that drastically lowers the barrier to entry for newcomers to the sport of fly fishing and allows experienced anglers to expand their quiver of rods without going broke in the process.