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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.

As part of an effort to highlight the potential impacts of natural gas drilling in the eastern states of Pennsylvania, New York, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and Ohio, Trout Unlimited recently began revealing its list of "10 Special Places." These 10 places, found in the Marcellus and Utica Shale regions, offer some of the most unique and highest value angling opportunities in the eastern United States.

According to the Trout Unlimited report, "The longstanding sporting tradition in the eastern United States has been a part of the region’s history and culture since colonial times and this heritage still holds true. Today, the central Appalachians’ remote mountains, forest and rivers that have provided abundant fish and wildlife habitat, and attracted generations of sportsmen, are at risk."

TU calls the threat from natural gas development a "big deal," noting that the continuing rush to extract natural gas from far beneath our hunting and fishing lands could "fundamentally alter" these pristine resources.

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.

RIO has continued adding to its arsenal of lines for spey anglers as well as its integration of its "ultra-low stretch" ConnectCore technology across its lineup with the addition of the new Skagit Max Long shooting head. Also new to RIO's array of two-hander offerings is the two new VersiTip packages, the Skagit Max Long VersiTip and the Skagit Max Short VersiTip.

The new Skagit Max Long is a new, extra long skagit head designed for casting big flies and big tips with big rods. The Skagit Max Long ranges in length from 27 ft to 30 ft, starting where many traditional skagit heads end and venturing into lengths traditionally the domain of Scandinavian style heads. Grain weights range from 500 to 750 grains.

RIO calls the new head "an exceptionally easy casting Skagit style shooting head that will cast big flies, and the heaviest sinking tips with the utmost of ease. A unique taper design not only casts all the nasty stuff associated with Skagit fishing, but also forms beautiful loops and is extremely pleasant to cast." As noted, the Skagit Max Long is built on RIO's ConnectCore technology. And, like all of RIO's lines of late, includes welded front and back loops with their Easy ID labeling system for quick line identification.

The most important day of the year for anglers is almost here. And no, it’s not Christmas, or Thanksgiving, or New Year’s Day. Nor is it the opener of trout season, or the peak of the steelhead run, or your best chance to wade a pristine flat for bonefish or permit.

Tuesday, November 4th, is the day that America chooses its elected officials. And if you’re a passionate fisherman, then nothing is more important than casting your vote for people who will protect our landscapes and waterways. In a world where greed and idiocy run rampant, and where Washington, D.C. seems up for sale to the highest bidder, any politician willing to stand up for sportsmen, and for fish and wildlife, is literally worth his or her weight in gold.

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