Fly Rod & Reel

William Joseph's sales manager Paul Swint says that "this year we've decided to really try to focus on giving our consumers value for their money and still make some great products." Despite a "218%" increase in the price of the rare earth magnets William Joseph has been using for clasps, many of their existing bag lines are getting revamped with easy-open magnetic closures. They have a new Sling Pack, with zippers to allow easy access from both the left and right hand (these bags are super popular with Spey and switch casters). But probably the coolest new introductions were from the luggage and boat bag line.

Day Two of the IFTD trade show is in the books, and we continued to find many impressive new products. Buff has a very unique creation coming out this Christmas: called the Infinity Scarf, it is basically a Buff tube which is approximately five times longer than a normal Buff and fused end-to-end to make a large hoop.

Cortland Line Company revealed four new, very targeted lines, each of which fills a very important niche.  The Trout Boss is Cortland's new ultra-premium trout line.  Built with a 65' front head with a color change to indicate the back of the taper, the line's jacket (the plastic part) also boats what Cortland is calling HDT--"heat dissipation technology" meant to help resist guide friction and help the guide stay slick.

Hatch has a very sweet new reel called the Fanatic, hot off the presses.  It makes use of the same Hatch drag core which has been in the line from the start, but for the first time it is available all the way from the size 1 (appropriate for 2 and 3 weight rods and light as a feather on up to the 12Plus (a monster which would swallow literally a mile of ba

Patagonia certainly takes the prize for one of the most radical new products, with their new Cramp Ons ($199) and the accompanying Rock Grip Boot ($239). Both items feature aluminum bars based on the original cramp ons designed by Yvon Chouinard from the early days of Patagonia (in fact, so early it was still known as Chouinard Equipment).

Montana Fly Company is about to give the popular Cliff Bugger Beast a run for its money with this new, sealed, paneled big fly box.  The same size as the Bugger Beast, this box also boasts high-quality slit foam for both large and small flies.  The center panel is removable, and best of all, it's entirely waterproof (with four strong clamps to make certain).

Day One of the IFTD trade show is drawing to a close. The Drake Magazine fly fishing video contest will go down in a few hours. Showgoers for the most part have expressed satisfaction with the New Orleans location (except perhaps for those who spent a tad too much time on Bourbon St. last night), but rumors are circulating that next year's show will return to the West--potentially to Reno, Nevada. Attendance is down from its peak in the early 2000s but does not appear to be much worse than the last two or three years. No doubt the ongoing economic doldrums have a lot to do with that.

Meanwhile it's always fun to look for the unexpected gems that stand out.

Rio Products has five new line releases and an entirely revamped leader lineup.  For the two-handed anglers out there (Spey is in Rio's collective blood), they have released a new, all-around, general purpose spey line called the Unispey, which will be available in a full floater, as well as as a shooting head and a part of Rio's existing VersaTip system.  Intended for beginning spey anglers as well, the line has a black section that clearly illustrates where to carry the line to properly load the rod.

Simms Fishing Products is one of the few fly fishing companies that is actually growing in a down economy; their expansion into the conventional fishing market has largely been a success, and their clothing lines have expanded and sold well.

Simms 2012 Guide Wader