Out of all the waders I’ve owned over the years the Patagonia Swiftcurrent Expedition Zip Front waders have been my favorite. From the fit and comfort of these waders to the unmatched durability these waders have got it all. Mine have gone through many seasons and 50 plus days a year on the river and they are still performing just as good as they did day one.
If I could only have one trout fly for the rest of my life, I guarantee you I would choose an olive and white Dolly Llama. It always works. Some of my biggest trout were caught on this fly, and even the little guys love to eat it.
I tie a lot of flies and I used to tie commercially and to me there is nothing better tying on a Regal Vise. I actually was passed down the second shank vise ever made, and it has taken the abuse of thousands and thousands of flies, from size 14 soft hackles to 3/0 Partridge Bartleet's to tube flies and shank flies of all sorts. Regal Vises are strong, simple to use, and they are pretty handsome looking vises as well. As for the shank vise, it has a groove that runs through one side of the jaws, and it holds shanks like the Aqua Flies shanks in place better than any other vise out there!
I fish a lot of different shooting heads throughout the year and I love casting Scandi’s but the head I always come back to since it came out is the SA Skagit. This head is effortless to cast and because of the taper it is a very clean casting Skagit head unlike a lot of other Skagit heads that can be pretty clunky.
I am a huge fan of Click and Pawl reels, and having a classic looking reel. Well there’s nothing quite as classic as the Hardy Perfect! I prefer using mono running lines and having a full frame reel like the Hardy Perfect has is crucial. I also like a heavy reel to add ballast to my cast, and Hardy Perfect's are pretty heavy. It also allows me to comfortably choke up on my grip a little bit keeping my casting stroke nice and compact. Hardy Perfect’s look great and sound even better!
I love Winston Rods and the Air TH Spey rods are no exception! They've got that classic Winston feel with a slightly faster more aggressive action then Winston two handers of the past. It's hard to say which one I like the most as they are all great! The 7133-4 is my go to steelhead rod with a Scandi or a Skagit, summer or winter. I love the 6133-4 for summer steelhead, and the 5120-4 is the stick for bull trout up on the Sauk and Skagit river, but it also makes for a super fun little summer run steelhead rod!
