Ask anyone involved in the business of fly fishing what fly rod price range sells the most and they'll tell you the same thing: mid-range. And mid-range, these days, means rods in the $300 to $500 price bracket. Some of the bigger brands in the industry are only just beginning to realize this and have started turning their focus more intently to the middle ranges of their lineup. It's not that they haven't long been selling less expensive rods than those at the pinnacle of their lineups; they just weren't selling ones that were all that good. Smaller companies and rod building upstarts, however, figured out the draw of the mid-range long ago. In fact, selling quality, high-performance fly rods at prices that most anglers could live with is what allowed many of these upstart companies to get a foothold in the industry.

Some of those fledgling companies have gone on to become household names in the industry (think Redington and TFO). Others continue to grow rapidly and are approaching household name status. And as they grow, more upstarts pop up, most of which are seeking to do what they did -- offer quality, high performance products at attractive prices -- to make their own name in the world of fly fishing.

Shadow Fly Fishing, out of Pennsylvania, is one of those companies. Started a little more than a year ago by Mike Skibo, an avid steelheader from Pennsylvania's northwestern reaches, Shadow has been offering two rods -- its "Stalker" and "Warrior" models -- to fishermen since its launch and has received positive feedback from anglers in the field. We've been fishing the a 7 weight Warrior for almost a year, everywhere from trout streams to frigid steelhead waters to sunny bonefish flats.

When you're new to fly fishing your view of the sport is largely shaped by what you know and you generally don't know shit. At best you have some idealized view of what it's all about because you watched "The Movie", read Hemingway's Metaphor for War or because you saw some guy do it and now you're a dry fly purist too. Even after a couple of outings, you still don't know anything but are convinced that your way is good enough.

When you're first introduced to the dark arts you shudder, give a wave of the hand and move on trying not to retch.

Nymphing. You don't want to do it but you must fish and when the trout aren't looking up you can either practice casting or man up and get it done. So you slip a bit of fuzz on the leader and chuck line. Nymphing is the gateway drug to the underworld. The leap from a Catskill dry to a Prince Nymph may be great, but the slide from there to Wooley Buggers and articulated junk is a small one. Then you learn about sink tips and sinking lines and soon you're fishing everything from sipping trout in thin-water to raging flood with five hundred grains cutting through a vicious cross wind.