Articles

SmithFly Introduces the Cooler Kilt

by Marshall Walker - Friday, Nov 1st, 2013

SmithFly Cooler Kilt

SmithFly has developed a solution for anglers looking for a way to consolidate their gear while fishing in tight places such as drift boats and rafts. Designed with coolers like the YETI in mind, the Cooler Kilt eliminates the need for you to carry both a cooler and bag by directly snapping to the front of your ice chest. And, like all of SmithFly's MOLLE webbing-based modular gear, the kilt allows you to attach various pouches and other accessories to your cooler so you can easily carry and access your gear.

"There wasn't a good solution for carrying fly boxes and tackle on the water while fishing from smaller, more nimble boats," explains SmithFly owner Ethan Smith. "Now you can haul your gear and your beer in one trip from the truck to the boat."

The kilt is attached to your cooler using six stainless steel self tapping screws with snap heads. Drilling screws into your expensive cooler can be a little scary at first, but Smith says to "put on your big boy shorts and do it." The company also promises that attaching the kilt will not "compromise the integrity or performance of your high quality cooler." If you're a YETI owner and have added accessories like the lid-top seat cushion, you're already familiar with taking the plunge into poking holes in your cooler.

Turneffe Flats Honored with Green Globe Certification

by Marshall Walker - Wednesday, Oct 30th, 2013

A permit from the waters surrounding Turneffe Flats.

The Turneffe Flats Resort in Belize announced today that it has earned Green Globe certification. The Green Globe Standard is a "structured assessment of the sustainability performance of travel and tourism businesses and their supply chain partners," according to GreenGlobe.com. To earn the certification members must have high standards in environmental, sociocultural, quality, health, and safety issues, plus contribute to local communities and their local environment.

Turneffe Flats Resort, located 30 miles off the coast of Belize, recently led efforts to establish Turneffe Atoll as the country’s largest Marine Reserve. The resort offers fly fishing, scuba diving and marine eco-tourism activities. It also features a spa, casual dining, private villas and guest rooms.

Pebble Isn't the Only Mine Threatening Alaska's Fisheries

by Chad Shmukler - Tuesday, Oct 29th, 2013

Proposed KSM mine site.

The Unuk River in southeast Alaska is home to one of the largest king salmon runs in the world, as well as the other four species of pacific salmon, steelhead, rainbow and cutthroat trout, char and whitefish. The waters where the Unuk flows into Behm Canal and eventually the Pacific Ocean are bountiful shrimp and crab fisheries. And, while so many eyes are justifiably trained on the saga surrounding the Pebble Mine project in Bristol Bay, the proposed KSM (Kerr-Sulphurets-Mitchell) mine -- which is part of what Trout Unlimited describes as a "mining frenzy" in northern British Columbia -- that poses serious threats to the Unuk and other nearby rivers edges closer to becoming a reality.

Trout Unlimited notes, "spurred by weakened environmental regulations and the construction of a massive new power line that is one of Canada’s biggest transmission projects ever, as many as 10 new large-scale mines are undergoing exploration in the mineral-rich region that borders Southeast Alaska. Five of these Canadian mineral projects are located in trans-boundary watersheds of key salmon rivers including the Stikine, the Taku, and the Unuk. These mines could produce water pollution that may harm Southeast Alaska fishing and tourism industries while offering few, if any, economic benefits to the communities of Southeast Alaska."

Winston's New Boron III Two Handers Shipping Soon

by Ben Kryzinski - Monday, Oct 28th, 2013

The new Winston Boron III TH series.

Winston's all-new lineup of two-handed spey and switch rods are expected to begin shipping in the next 1-2 weeks. The new two-hander lineup from Winston brings Winston's newest blank technology, Boron III, to its spey and switch rods. The Boron III line of two handers features eight different rods, ranging in size from a 11' 6-weight to a 15' 9-weight.

According to Winston, the new series is "more powerful, more responsive, smoother casting and has faster recovery than the incredibly popular Boron IIx two-handed series it replaces. This rod is also lightweight and allows an angler to present a fly with incredible accuracy and cast long distances, with ease."

Review: Redington Vapen Red Fly Rod

by Chad Shmukler - Friday, Oct 25th, 2013

The grip, featuring a season of filth. The handle reportedly cleans off easily for those who aren't too lazy to wipe it down.

The Vapen Red is a fly rod I didn't want to like. I'm just being honest. While I'm most certainly gear addicted, and particularly giddy about the next new thing, there was something that rubbed me wrong about the Vapen as soon as Redington introduced it. The Vapen introduces two entirely new technologies into the world of fly rods, with its X-Wrap blank construction and -- of course -- the bright red polymer handle that Redington co-developed with golf club grip manufacturer Winn Grips. For some reason, the combination of the two made the Vapen Red feel gimmicky rather than innovative, so I was prepared to be disappointed when the rod landed on the front steps.

While I consider myself quite adept at quickly judging the character of people, never let it be said that I am adept at doing so with fly rods. I've been fishing the Vapen Red for many months now, on everything from small Pennsylvania spring creeks to big Alaskan rivers, and in that time it has become one of my favorite rods currently in my quiver. That's not to say the Vapen Red is right for everything, but it is a very versatile rod that impresses in many arenas. And, despite my holding out as long as I could, I've even come around on the grip.