I’ve been wearing Patagonia Swiftcurrent Expedition Zip-Front waders for about 5 years now. In my opinion they’re the best waders out there. I don’t fish as much as I used to but I still get out probably 10 times more a year than the next guy, and I put my waders through hell, and these hold up for a long time. And they should. They’re not cheap. There’s a reason why you see so many fly fishing guides wearing the Swiftcurrent waders these days. They’re extremely tough. They’ll hold up to a lot of abuse, and being backed by Patagonia’s Iron Clad Guarantee, they’re hard to beat. Features like the fleece lined booties, removeable knee pads, the reinforced gravel guards, the padded suspenders, a waterproof pocket, and an overall very comfy fit, are just some of the features that make Patagonia Swiftcurrent Expedition Zip-Front waders some of the best waders out there.
One thing that has become an essential piece of gear for me is my Tight Lines rod rack. When I’m road fishing and going from spot to spot, I’ve always got it on my truck. It saves a lot of time by not having to break down my rods. And when I do trips to the Grand Ronde in the fall my tight lines rod rack lives on my truck for the entire trip. My buddy that I fish with a lot even rigged one up on his raft and it’s hands down the best way to keep Spey rods on a raft!
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’ve always been attracted to Hardy reels. The nostalgic history of these reels, or maybe it’s just the classic look, or how they sound. Or maybe it’s all of those reasons. But I just love fishing Hardy click pawl reels. I’ve seen a lot of click pawl reels over the years, and there’s few out there that can compete with a Hardy reel made in England. The Hardy Perfect has always been my favorite. They’re just the most aesthetically pleasing to my eye. The 1921 Wide Spool Perfect in the 4” and the 3 ¾” are in my humble opinion the best Spey reels out on the market currently.
I dreamt of one day owning a Burkheimer, and that dream lived for a long time. I now am lucky to own quite a few of them and they definitely hold up to the hype. The little subtleties in a CF Burkheimer rod along with how great they’re to cast and fish are what makes CF Burkheimer Spey rods so special. The “Vintage” is my favorite. I love the California Buckeye reel seats and the vintage hardware and black blank. CF Burkheimer two handers are not the fastest action rods out there, but I appreciate that. They’ve got the “Burkie Feel” “Hand rolled soul” My quiver includes a 6139-4 which is my favorite summer-run rod with a traditional Spey line. Then I’ve got a 7127-4 which I use in a lot of scenarios. But most of the time it’s rigged up with a Skagit head if I’m on the coast, or a Scandi in the summer and fall. And then I’ve got the 7134-4 & the 8134-4. These are kind of my go to rods for winter, and my fall trips to BC.
