Last week, many different products were honored with awards at IFTD 2011, the International Fly Tackle Dealer show in New Orleans, LA. However, only two companies stood out by winning more than one award, Simms and Sage. This will likely come as a surprise to absolutely no one, as Simms and Sage are widely considered two of the finest manufacturers in the fly fishing world. Each manufacturer was honored for products they are best known for, Simms for outwear and Sage for rods.

Simms not only received honors in two individual categories (Best Outerwear, Best Wading Gear), but also received Best in Show honors. Surprisingly enough, the product for which Simms received Best in Show honors -- their brand new Simms ProDry GORE-TEX Jacket, Bib and Pants -- isn't even targeted at the fly fishing community. Well, at least not primarily. The ProDry series is a new, waterproof outwear line Simms has been developing and testing in partnership with the folks at GORE-TEX for several years and which Simms is targeting primarily at the bass fishing community. If you're aching to run out and outfit yourself with the ProDry parka and bibs at the kindly retail price of $899, you'll have to wait. The ProDry lineup is only available via the Simms Pro Program for 2011. The rest of us rabble will have to wait till 2012 to get our hands on them.

Sage, for its part, swept the rod award categories, taking both the Best Saltwater and Best Freshwater Rod honors. Offering its own measure of surprise, Sage managed to win both categories with a single rod -- the Sage ONE. Sage introduced the ONE rod back in June as its new flagship model, to much fanfare. The ONE series is an entirely new method of construction for Sage, incorporating their Konnetic technology, which Sage has spent the last 3 years developing. As its name implies, the Sage ONE is intended to be a versatile, all-around rod suited to fishing a wide variety of conditions. Available in sizes ranging from 3 to 10 and lengths of 8'6" to 10', the ONE series is a vast lineup currently including 22 different rods. Pricing ranges from $720-$740.

Visit Simms' website for more information on the Simms ProDry GORE-TEX Jacket, Bib and Pants.

Visit Sage's website for more information on the Sage ONE Series rods.