This hook simply doesn't let me down. I won't say I've never lost a fish on these hooks, but the landing ratio is very impressive. I've used these for GT's, sailfish, roosterfish, yellowfin tuna, dorado, albacore, tarpon, and even my largest ever Chinook salmon on the fly when using the SL12S with a big tube fly. I've never had one bend out and they seem to hold pretty dang well. Over the years, it seems like lots of other guys agree that this hook is simply effective.
Super Floss may seem like something strange to be excited about but this is very handy stuff for lots of different fly patterns. First off, Super Floss doesn't get old and brittle and break off like rubber legs do. That is reason enough in my mind. Plus, there are tons of colors available. I use it for any bass deer hair poppers, nymphs, and even bodies on chironomids.
Another super handy "I can't live without it" product. These Leader Band-Its replace the elastic band around your tippet spools and are much easier to handle and use. The various colors allow me to color code my spools and know what tippet I'm grabbing at a glance. And, it never fails that I pull off more than I need so the bead makes it easy to spin the extra tippet back onto the spool after I cut off what I need. If you use Maxima.... you have to buy these!
Next time you are tromping around a stream and need to breakdown your rod into 2-pieces just to go through thick brush, or to put into the truck between fishing spots, think about having this product in your pocket. Rod Band-Its are so handy I have them all over the place, in my pack, jacket pockets, glove box, etc. I even use them to secure my phone charger!!
RIO 15ft Replacement Tips go way back and were originally for replacing the tips on the Windcutter and single-hand VersiTip line systems. Today, they are most often purchased for attaching to Skagit heads on Spey line setups. That is where I'm using them and simply like the way they cast better than straight T-material tips. Even with heavily weighted flies, I'll rock the 15ft Replacement Tips. They have a more finesse feel and the 15-foot length fits my casting style better. When throwing monster Chinook flies, I'll go withe straight T-14, T-17, etc., but for pretty much all steelhead applications, it's these 15ft Replacement Tips for me.
I've always liked the action of Sage Spey rods and the R8 Spey rods are certainly no exception. Today, I fish the R8 Spey 8136-4 more than any other rod. I don't think it is a rod for everyone, but if you like them fast and powerful, you may like this rod as well. Favorites we carry in the store are the 8126, 6130, 7130, and 8130. Those are no-brainer awesome rods for any casting style. That 8126 has become a favorite in the group and it is another quick, powerful rod and perfect for medium sized rivers and tight casting quarters. As all arounders, we like to recommend the 6130, 7130 and 8130. That 7130 is our best seller and the rod to get if you're going to do everything PNW with one rod.
More and more modern flies are being tied with rabbit hair that is removed from the hide and put into a dubbing loop. This tying method is used for the head area on many Intruder-style flies and I have used it for years on my pattern, the Exasperator. After years of using my hands, the Dubbing Loop Material Clip makes it so much faster and allows you to put more hair in the loop much easier. It is also very effective for ostrich, rhea, and even other things like various flash materials.
This is a product we make here at the shop. It is really just a clip you can buy at an office supply store but then we line the inside of the clip with foam so that it holds onto the materials better. There are other products on the market to do this but they are much more expensive and aren’t as wide to hold as much material as this one.
Love this fly! I have had great success with the Sheila’s Sculpin on both trout and bass, but it is a great Bull/Dolly fly as well. It has just the right rate of fall for casting to docks for bass. I like to fish it on an intermediate sinking line for bass on the docks, keeping the line just taut enough to feel a fish picking the fly up on the fall, then twitching the fly a couple short strips, then letting it fall again.
This is a fly of my design but I have to include it. The Halo just gets it done for steelhead in late summer and fall when the rivers run clear and the steelhead have been in fresh water for a while. The fly was designed to have a “buggy” appeal to those steelhead that have been in the river long enough to start going back to their trouty ways. Ninety-percent of the time you’ll find me fishing the Halo on a floating line, but it has had some great days for me on sink-tips as well. I fish the Halo in conjunction with its brother, the Last Light, preferring the Last Light in low light situations first thing in the morning and last light of the evening.
Click here to see a video on how to tie Bennett's Halo.
