Rio’s UniSpey line is a relatively new design especially targeted at general purpose Spey casting and fishing. In a lot of respects this is kind of the equivalent of the Rio ‘Trout’ or SA ‘GPX’ line: it’s meant as an all-around go-to with a couple of features targeted at anglers …
I’ve now been reviewing outdoor equipment for over ten years–sometimes here, oftentimes in magazines. One of the things I’ve learned is the importance of giving the product some time to really break in and show its strengths and weaknesses before jumping to conclusions. This, of course, differs in many respects …
Two years ago Scott Fly Rods’ chief designer Jim Bartschi to some extent took the world by storm with the release of the Radian freshwater series of rods. A culmination of years of work, Bartschi was quick to point out that there was no secret sauce, no groundbreaking new technology, …
The Thermarest NeoAir sleeping mattress was a revolutionary piece of tech when it was released four or five years ago. Able to …
Everyone knows Chaco makes great flip flops. I’ve used a very similar model to the Fishpond Flips above for years (I can’t …
The hardest thing about sunglasses is adding *function.* Form is everything; after all, for most people shades are nothing more than …
My friends will tell you that I do as much hunting as I do fishing. Having come later to hunting, I’m not …
When I first received a Yeti Hopper soft-sided cooler to try out, I didn’t think I’d use it much. I was shocked …
I remember the first time I saw a Buff. I thought it was ridiculous. “You expect people to wear these stretchy bandana …
Every now and then a product comes along which is so good at being what it is supposed to be… and …
There’s a new player in the fly fishing market for sunglasses, which seems like something I end up saying every year. This …
This article originally ran in the Spring 2014 issue of Life Refined magazine. Today’s bamboo fly rod makers connect anglers to the history …
This article originally ran in the Angling Adventures 2012 issue of Fly Rod & Reel Magazine. All of us dream of adventure—the three-day …
This article originally ran in the summer 2014 issue of Fly Rod & Reel magazine. ROTO-MOLDED COOLERS are all the rage these days. In …
Fishpond debuted a number of additions to their waterproof line, including this roll-top, fully waterproof boat bag/backpack. I like Fishpond’s new glossy …
Howler Bros. is a fun crew to talk to, and I love their slightly surfer-y designs. They seem to have a sweet …
The new Sage Domain reel is interesting. I had a chance to play with some of these in Mexico. From a looks …
This was one of the most creative new products at the show this year. Umpqua has developed a boat bin with …
These basically speak for themselves, but I think they’re a pretty attractive and eye-catching option if you’re interested in making a …
There are two kinds of fly reels: the kind you’re used to using and anti-reverse or AR reels. With normal fly reels, …
Winston’s chief rod designer/VP of Operations Annette McLean and the company’s owner David Ondaatje collaborated on a new rod which was announced …
At this year’s IFTD show, Umpqua (previously Umpqua Feather Merchants, primarily known as a fly dealer) released a new line of waterproof …
Nothing beats an ice cold beer except a really really good ice cold beer. Especially when that really good beer is poured from a …
Yeti carved out the rotomolded cooler market with great marketing and an attention to detail, but technically speaking they did not invent …
I had the opportunity recently to fish with the new-ish Nomad net series from Fishpond. These nets are outstanding. Synthetic like an …
