FlyFish Mag at IFTD--Part 2

So I have a bit of a drooling problem when it comes to fly fishing gear. Here's what I found at the International Fly Tackle Dealer show over the weekend in Denver:

Buff Pro Series Angler Gloves
available now: MSRP $40

At one point over the summer, my brother said to me, "Your hands look like hell." Wait, calloused palms, sunburned knuckles and cracked stripping fingers aren't sexy? Shoot. I have never before worn angling gloves. And I have the claw-like cramping in my hands to prove it. So, with a stacked fall season of fishing in the NW and Canada ahead of me, I'm ready to put Buff's solution to the test. The Buff Pro Series features UPF 50+ breathable Italian comfort stretch fabric with a Clarino Diamond aquatic suede grip--similar to the kind found in golf gloves. The accordion grip in the finger joint area is designed to enhance your fingers' surface area on the rod and prevent fatigue. The gloves are comfortable, good-looking and come in four sizes--which do not include XS, so some small-mitt women and kids will need to wait until next year when the company plans to add an XS size.


Smith Optics
Tenet ($159-$199), Precept ($159-$199), and Scientist ($159-$179) Techlite Polarized Sunglasses with TLT Lenses
available October 2010

By now you've hopefully basked in the fish-fabulousness of the premium Techlite Polarized Glass collection from Smith. The only problem with the impressively-light glass is that it allows me to see so many fish in the water that I start corking in circles and frothing at the mouth. The lenses are on par with quality typically featured in the highest-end telescopes, cameras and microscopes. I think the catalog writers at Smith should add the words "X-Ray Vision" to the product descriptions.
The Tenet, the Precept and the Scientist styles are the latest in the collection. The Scientist is pretty hot. (Especially with all this talk of microscopes and telescopes.)


R.L. Winston Rod Co Boron IIIx
available end of September 2010
MSRP: $775-$822

The news out of Twin Bridges, MT is that the Boron IIx is being replaced by the new Boron IIIx series. The new B IIIx is a 4pc made with a lighter, stronger third generation Boron/Graphite composite. The product developer tells me it features a quicker recovery and offers fishermen a broader application with more line speed control. Meaning, while you'll still feel that smooth butter you know and love from the green stick, you'll also enjoy a faster action in a lighter rod that is more for forgiving in variable casting situations than its predecessor. I love R.L. Winston and still fish the old discontinued IM6. It's a sentimental thing--the first rod I ever had with my name handwritten in cursive on it. So it was fun to check out the company's latest and greatest.

I've still got drool-ables to talk about...including my choice for "Best of IFTD"...stay perched for Part 3 tomorrow.