Gear: The Mayfly Kayak - Optimized for Fly Fishing.

Jackson Kayak Designs recently announced production of the Mayfly.  The Mayfly is a kayak optimized for the fly fisher.

From their press release:

This kayak will feature some great new fly fishing specific accessories and features like fly patches, fly rod and hidden fly box sized storage.

Kayak anglers will appreciate these MayFly features:

• Thoughtful design to aid in fly line management
• Longer length – 12’6” for increased speed and tracking
• Versatile hull design for flat and calm moving water fishing environments

• Increased width – 34” for enhanced stability while seated and standing, beginner-friendly
• New Elite Seat System with Hi-Low and Fore-Aft trimming for better comfort
• Rod tip tubes to protect gear
• New hinging hatches and footrest designed to be fly line friendly
• YakAttack track systems to add accessories and customize placement within reach
• Standing pad for comfort when sight fishing
• Standard accessories like RAM Mounts® fishing rod
• Designed to easily add on Power-Pole® accessories for customization

“Kayak fishing had matured to a point where there’s a kayak made specifically for nearly every fishing style and body of water – except fly fishing,” explained Jackson Kayak Brand Manager Damon Bungard. “There’s always something that got in the way. That time is over. As the specialty leader, we felt it was time to make a no-compromise fly fishing kayak with the features and performance demanded by both beginner and dedicated fly anglers. We’ve come up with a hull optimized to perform in still-water and in-shore conditions, prioritized stability for standing and casting and developed features focused on fly line management – like a snag-free footrest and hidden fly box compartments. The MayFly represents years of real-world experience kayak fly fishing all over the world, and says that yes, you too, may fly fish from a kayak.”

Jackson Kayak is located in Sparta, TN (near newly returned home, FlyfishMagazine contributor, Jay Moore) and the Caney Fork River where we all enjoy wetting a line.  

The Mayfly will be available in 2017 with a MSRP of $1,799

Kickstarter Watch: ActiCool

The folks at @ActiCool dropped us a message asking for us to check out their Kickstarter campaign for their shirts.   Having survived the heat of our first Texas summer the promise of staying cooler while on the water caught our eye.   According to the data they sent, you can expect a three degree drop in core temperatures when wearing their shirts. As of right now there is one super earlybird backer package left which gets you the shirt for $27 USD. They are from north of the boarder so you need to check with them on the cost of international shipping to the States.

Happy National Coffee Day - Yeti Edition

On National Coffee Day we pay homage to the #Yeti line of caffeinated libation containers.  Able to keep our coffee hot (almost too hot) from well before leaving the house until our arrival at the office and sturdy enough to double as a viable weapon in a zombie apocalypse.   #Yeti! We salute you!    

Gear: Tidal Vision Salmon Leather Wallets

Tidal Vision makes use a byproduct of the salmon fishing industry to make unique sustainable  wallets.  They were pretty popular on Kickstarter:

Tidal Vision  launched their introductory line of aquatic leather products, Alaska salmon leather wallets, on Kickstarter on May 27th 2015. The successful Kickstarter campaign exceeded its goal in the first 24 hours and closed with over $55K! 

Thankfully, for those of us who fish in Grizzly country they don't smell like fish. .

Gadgets Anonymous: Sportsman Bumper

From the broken tips file comes a product that I came across at the Denver version of The Fly Fishing Show. The Sportsman Bumper is the brainchild of Bo Pitto who came up with the magnetic gun / rod holder as a way to secure your gear to the side of your vehicle while suiting up for a day on the water.

Made of heavy duty rubber, the bumper has embedded magnets that affix it to metal surfaces without marring your paint job. The clips hold your gear firmly enough that some anglers are buying two and using them to transport up to three rods on a moving vehicle.

The Sportsman Bumper is available from www.SportBumper.com and retails for $18.99 and is currently on sale for $16.99. Think of it as functional insurance. I picked up one for myself at the show. Skiers might want to consider Bo's other product The Ski Bumper.

 

Gadgets Anonymous: The EZ Tie

The meeting will come to order.  Hi, my name is Lee Murdock and I am a gadget junkie. crowd responds: "Hello Lee Murdock."

If I don't watch myself carefully, my fishing vests will jingle more than a group of hikers walking through thick brush in Katmai National Park.  I carry far too many things in my pack already so I was hesitant when the nice lady offered to demo the EZ Tie for me.    The EZ Tie is a device, like about three others that I own, that is supposed to make tying blood and barrel knots quick and easy.  I suppose I've always felt guilty about my chronic overuse of the surgeons knot, so I agreed to watch the demo.


The difference in this tool and the three others is that this one works (I made the lady let me try it myself).  I ended up buying one and have found it works pretty well once you get the hang of it.   It's a little pricey at  $27.95 plus $5 shipping but it is all made in the USA out of very sturdy material.  I met the inventor who sales these for himself and he's a nice guy.  They way I see it, if it gets me rigged up and on the water quicker, it's worth the price. 

Gear: Leatherman Super Tool 300 EOD

I recently picked up a Leatherman 300 Super Tool EOD while visiting Portland, Oregon.  Leatherman has an outlet store and I couldn't resist when I found this military version made for those who defuse things exponentially more dangerous than the occasional stream side disagreement. Sure a fly fisherman may not have a need for a C4 spike (maybe use it to tie nail knots?) but why quibble over details.  The full featured multitool weighs in at 9.6 ounces and its comfort grip handle contains 19 different tools.  It retails for $109 but is available at Amazon.com at various lesser prices. 

Gear: Google Glass on the river

From the, "It was bound to happen file", according to the Billings Gazette, a Montana Tech professor has started thinking about a use for Google glass on the river.  I must admit I kind of like the idea of grip and grin photos with only the blink of an eye. However, that's not all they are thinking about.

"Hawthorne is creating an app, with the help of Scott Fleener, a computer science major at Tech, he hopes to submit to Google for use on all Google Glass devices. With a seed grant from Tech, the app will, using a Glass wearer’s GPS location, be able to give fishermen details on nearby rivers in southwest Montana."

Read more: http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/montana-tech-professor-developing-fly-fishing-app-for-google-glass/article_85ba93e3-3637-529a-bcd0-d4021d29b2cd.html#ixzz35amdjR3O

Back in the late 90's, our pal Zugbug wrote a article for the BRFFA newsletter that predicted anglers using digital cameras and Palm Pilots would sell their catch on ebay while still standing in the river.  The man was sort of a prophet.

No word if Google has plans to release a version of their hardware in tweed with bison leather accents.

Gear: FreeSteps6 Wading Crampons

A while ago, I decided to forsake the felt soles of my youth and go with some of the, now not so new, rubber soled wading boots (with spikes).  I did this for various reasons that included invasive species as well as comfort when hiking into remote fishing spots.  When I tried them for a the first time I suffered from what I'll call a "lack of confidence" which seemed to manifest itself whenever I found myself waist deep in a tail water, trying to balance atop bowling ball sized rocks which were covered in rock snot.  This lack of confidence (and an adequate wading staff) led to many Fred Flintstone like moments.

Enter some friends from Hillsound, who sent us a set of Freesteps6 crampons to try. While Freesteps6 look a lot like a traditional light weight ice crampon, they are also being marketed as an easy on/off option for river wading anglers. The "independent studs" (note possible new name for our fishing club) with twenty-one 1/4 inch spikes are made of stainless steel so they should be fairly durable. I plan on giving them a test this summer, so look for a full report later this season.

At a MSRP of $39.99 a set of these won't break the bank and might keep you from breaking something else. 

Gear: Jesse James Fly Reels

It stands to reason that a guy who bends steel to build custom motor cycles might make the leap to bar stock aluminum fly reels. After all they do look sort of look like the wheels on an old school chopper. Enter The Jesse James Fly Reel Company. The company is actually a colaboration between Alaska fishing guide Mark Mahoric and James.

" Our goal from the beginning was to design and build fly fishing reels that have a strong foundation and are tool-like in their form and function. Add to that a ton of inspiration from Jesse James and many custom influences from West Coast Choppers, and you have the first of our fly reels...

We like the fact that the Jesse James reels evoke emotion from anglers that own our Fly Reels. WICKED! COOL! BADASS! SICK! are a few words used by Anglers to describe our products. Hearing it, let’s us know we are on the right track"

Check them out on the web at JessieJamesReels.com

I could see our Gangster buddy Zugbug rocking one of these on the San Juan in a few weeks.

 

Gear: San Juan 2014 - Getting Small

A dozen flies with room for more.

Continuing on our theme focusing on gear for the upcoming FlyfishMagazine trip to the San Juan River in New Mexico, much research is being put into fly selection. Jeff Paisley, our staff tail water specialist, advised small flies, but I didn't realize just how small until I got in touch with Greg Sabin of http://www.sanjuanriverflies.com. His website let me know pretty quickly that my size 18-20 definition of small was a bit on the big size.

Greg put together a personalized assortment of nymphs ranging from size 22-28 coupled with a few traditional local flies. This should give me a leg up as long as I can figure out how to get them tied to the end of my leader (note to self get some magnifying lenses). He shipped them quickly and at a very fair price. Just so we are clear on the sizes, the photo above shows a dozen midges on the face of a dime with room for a few more.

Stay tuned for more gear features, including some innovative strike indicator options we will be testing on the river.

Extra points if you picked up on the vague Steve Martin reference.

 

Gear: MacWet Climatec Gloves

Recently I received a pair of MacWet gloves to test drive. These light weight gloves come billed as "equipped for grip" and are popular with shooters and equestrian sportsmen. The gloves are form fitting, comfortable and have a tactical feel. They are definitely not intended for extremely cold temperatures, nor are they waterproof (as evidenced during a recent snow shoveling adventure), but if you need keep hold of anything from a fly rod, MP5 sub machine gun, or the oars of your favorite drift boat, these will do the trick.

All grip, no slip. That is the mission statement of these fantastic MacWet Climatec ® long cuff sports gloves. For sports where a good grip enhances your performance wear these maximum grip Macwet gloves. 100% great grip, even in the wettest weather, these gloves are ideal for golf, horse riding, watersports, shooting, fishing, cycling and even paragliding, to name a few activities. The long gloves finishes just above the wrist and has a thick elasticated cuff which uses a durable Velcro strap for a secure fit. The ideal glove for any sporting activity where a good grip enhances performance: MacWet Climatec ® long cuff sports gloves.

These gloves will be a permanent addition to our fishing pack and will most likely find the most use during mild spring and fall fishing trips. They are available from various retailers including Amazon.com via this link:

Macwet Men's & Women's 1 Pair Long Climatec Sports Gloves 6 Green

MSRP around $49.

What does a Yeti wear under its kilt?

I haven't seen one of these up close and personal but Smith Fly's new Cooler Kilt, launching in late November, makes sense to me. Especially in light of limited space in the boat, pickup truck, or campsite.

From their press release: By snapping directly to a cooler, the Cooler Kilt keeps gear consolidated, out of the way, and easily accessible. It was designed for people fishing on small watercraft, including stand up paddleboards, kayaks, and micro skiffs, as well as spin-and-bait casting fisherman and hunters.

Many anglers keep coolers on board of their watercraft to carry water, lunch, snacks, and beverages. They also carry cumbersome bags that are intended for wading. SmithFly owner and fisherman Ethan Smith set out to design a product that easily enables people to attach their gear directly to the front of their coolers.

“There wasn’t a good solution for carrying fly boxes and tackle on the water while fishing from smaller, more nimble boats,” said Smith. “Now you can haul your gear and your beer in one trip from the truck to the boat. The Cooler Kilt lets you put your stuff right where you can access it, without any hassle.”

Cooler Kilts are made in the U.S.A. and will be available in five sizes accommodating cooler sizes from 25 to 65 quarts. They’re constructed of 1000D Cordura, and feature multiple rows of Mil-Spec nylon webbing with one-inch tactical bar tacks. The back of each kilt has snaps that attach to coolers. The snaps are available as stainless steel self-tapping screws similar to those of boat covers, or as pressure sensitive adhesive pads with snap heads.

Preorder for the Cooler Kilt, which starts at $45 (including shipping), is available beginning on October 28. For more information and to place a preorder, visit smithfly.net/2013/09/21/cooler-kilt.

Gear: Spyderco Knife with the Emerson Opening System

No matter if you find yourself in a dark urban alleyway, tangled in your personal pontoon boat's anchor line, or hanging from your parachute behind enemy lines, (I have done two of these three things) you might find it handy to have quick access to good steel.

During a recent visit to the Spyderco factory outside of Golden, Colorado, I noticed that, in addition to their signature hawk eyed opening hole, some knives had a hook like protrusion facing forward, above the blade. When I asked what this was for, the clerk advised that it was the Emerson Opening system.  What a wonderful idea, I immediately thought, a bottle opener built right into the blade of your knife.

It turns out that while it could possibly used to open a cold brew, the Emerson Opening System is actually a remarkably simple one hand opening mechanism built into the knife.  Clipped inside your pants pocket with the blade facing toward the rear, the bottle opener hook thing is perfectly aligned with the lip of the pocket so that upon drawing the blade rearward, in one smooth motion you end up holding an open knife. Since the knife opens completely when drawn, it is open and usable much quicker than even the fastest assisted opening knife.

YouTube user rwb1500 has a video that demonstrates how it works.

Your mileage may vary - don't blame us if you inadvertently remove any vital appendages during the use of this fine product.

Spyderco Endura 4 Wave Plain Edge Folding Knife

Apps for Anglers: The Fin

The Fin App is now live and available in the itunes store. Chances are, if you are an angler, you like to take pictures of your catch and taunt share them with your fishing buddies. The Fin is a photo sharing app that allows you to post your photos direct from your smart phone and easily share them on both the app and other social media outlets.

I've been beta testing the app for a few weeks now and can say that, aside from the features you've come to expect from a photo sharing app, the real beauty of The Fin is that it gives you an instant connection to a ready made community of like minded anglers from around the world. Think of it as a virtual fishing club of sorts. A club well worth the nominal dues.

Editor's Note: Around 12-13 years ago I remember our buddy Zugbug writing a fly fishing sci-fi article for our club newsletter. The story was about fishermen using their PDA's to post pictures of their catch directly to the web while standing streamside. I seem to remember his story including selling the fish on ebay as well but for them most part he may well be the Gene Rodenberry of the fly fishing internet world. But I digress...

Jason Puris, the man behind the code, described his creation for us:

"The Fin is a social photosharing APP for fishermen. It allows users toshare photos with The Fin community and distribute them on popularsocial networks like Facebook, Twitter, and Foursquare. The Fin userscan also find, follow and invite friends to the APP, comment on and like photos, and add fishing spots as "check in" points. Join the Fin today to chronicle your adventures on the water and help build this incredible fishing community!" We're starting out on the iPhone today but will be launching on Droidin the months to come (hopefully not too long as we're getting tons of requests)

 

Oldie but goodie: Gerber River Shortie

I've carried a Gerber river shorty knife on my personal pontoon boat for years. On more than one occasion it has kept me out of what might have been serious trouble. The stubby serrated blade can be used to do everything from dig a hole to cut away a hopelessly stuck anchor. The lack of a sharp point and the locking plastic sheath make the knife "toon-safe."

I have wallet pics of my oars

You know how annoying it is when you just meet someone and they whip out their iPhone and show you tons of photos of their kids, wife, dog and house? Well, now I'm THAT GUY. Only, I'm showing pictures of my oars. I can't help it. They're psychedelic.

After saving up for forever, my adoring husband finally let me pull the trigger on these tie-dye wrapped Sawyer MX-F composite shafts with Cataract Magnum II blades. The shafts are made with lightweight fiberglass and fiberglass/graphite composite tubes in a just-right balance of weight, flex, strength and durability. And the blades are made of high-density structural urethane and a composite core for moderate flex and super strength. The svelte cross-section is a water-dicer.

It's a great combo, and they look dang slick on our 143D Aire raft and NRS rowing frame, and I can't help showing them off. But I promise, when I get a new boat anchor or cooler, I won't make you look at pictures.

One for the fishing vest- Tool Logic SLP2

It's a knife, flashlight, fire starter and signal whistle all in one. Tool logic is better known for those credit card tool kits you see in the "Men's Gift" section at department stores. The only problem is they are never really the size of a credit card nor do they strike me as being very functional.

The SLP2 however, with its knife, light, whistle, fire starter combo seems to have all the things you might need. Especially, if you find yourself needing to find your way in the dark, dry your wet clothes by a fire, or cut something. It also has a whistle so you can signal your buddies when they come looking for your sorry hide. Available from Amazon.com and other retailers for around $30.

Tool Logic SLP2 Tactical Folding 1/2 Serrated Knife With LED Flashlight, Magnesium Fire Starter and Signal Whistle, Silver

Dragonfly Paddle Boards

Clearing out a few more of the sights we took in during our coverage of #IFTD, we bring you a fishing accessory that can make anybody look cool on the water. Dragonfly Boatwork's new paddle boards combine fishing, surfing, and paddling to give you a stealthy approach to your quarry. MSRP $1,700 - 1,900 depending on the model. Mondo cool WWII nose art has to be extra.

Patagonia's Aluminum Bar Wading Boots

Could aluminum bars on the bottom of your boots keep you from slipping while wading? Patagonia, whose very existence goes back products forged in fire, certainly has expertise in this sort of thing. Aluminum is a soft metal, so it makes sense to me that it could work on slippery moss covered rocks. What do you think?

The crampon version in the second picture, could make for a nice addition to your recently purchased rubber soled wading boots.