Fly Fishing Equipment Reviews
RiverFly Fly Fishing Tackle and Equipment reviews
Sage Rods
For Riverfly I choose to use and recommend Sage rods. Other manufacturers certainly make rods that are just as pleasurable to use, but Sage’s warranty, service and quality over their complete range of rods is in my experience unparalleled. To explain this further, I believe that whether you pick up an entry level Launch, or a top of the range Z-Axis, you will be picking up a rod with leading performance and features for its price range. Versatility amongst the complete range of Sage rods is the major feature in placing Sage at the top of the pile - Sage tapers and manufacturing technologies translate to plenty of power in the butt of the rods across the range, which for the fisher translates to the capability of the rod to cast into the wind, cast heavy flies, or load the rod up quickly.
Sage 490–4 XP
The 586–4 was my rod of choice for polaroiding and river fishing until this rod came along. The best way to explain it is that it’s one of those things that the designers got 100% right. It casts anything from a four to a six weight line comfortably, fights the wind and casts big flies when required, and of course, being a four weight, it is a delight to use. It is great at cushioning light tippets on rivers, or when fighting big fish in the western lakes. This is my recommended rod for anyone who predominantly river fishes or sight fishes. Unbelievable is my best description – try it when you’re next fishing with Riverfly.
Sage TXL 4710-3
The TXL rods are purpose made as creek and small streams rods using SAGE’s latest generation 5 technology. They are ultra thin, ultralight, but super powerful for their appearances. They can cast type loops, beadhead combinations into the wind, and have tremendous power down low to pull in big fish quickly. This is the ultimate creek rod for casting dry flies to the spooky stream dwellers. I got to try the first one in Tasmania, and short for time found myself using it on Penstock Lagoon (not the ideal place for a creek rod I know). A 5¼ lb brown trout later and I was impressed with the fish playing power in such a small rod to say the least!
Sage SLT 586-4
For me this is my ‘classic’ dry fly fishing rod. A slower actioned rod, sped up by its reduced length (8’6’’), this rod is my favourite for a day of fishing the small rivers (ala North Esk) and casting to rising fish with a single dry. A great rod for manoeuvring big fish around logs and away from weed whilst protecting light tippets.
Sage XP 586–4
This is my rafting rod, and it does the job exceptionally. The slightly shorter 8 foot 6 length makes it versatile enough to also use on smaller streams. The taper is suited for close in work such as river fishing and polaroiding, and in fact it was my rod of choice for most of the 2004-2005 season when polaroiding and river fishing.
586 Z-Axis
This is a versatile rod for small to large rivers and polaroising the western lakes. A true five weight, this new rod is slightly slower taper than the XP but throws the line noticeable further. New ‘generation 5 technology’ has enabled Sage to build the Z-Axis lighter and stronger than its predecessor, the XP.
490 Z-Axis
Once again, this is a true weight rod, ideally suited to casting a 4 weight line. Beautiful dry fly rod, or nymph and dry rig. Easy casting. Great specialty rod for rivers or close in sight fishing.
Polaroids
For the past two seasons I have been using Maui Jim polaroids. The reason was two-fold, their lenses were as good as any I have used, and secondly, they are so light and comfortable, you forget that you’re wearing them. My only complaint about MJ’s was that they let in a little bit more peripheral light then the big black blowfly style polaroids (eg: Spotters), however MJ have gone a long way to fix this problem with one of their latest models, the MJ – 405’s. This Maui Jim Sport model has a slightly wider, more pronounced wrap around than my previous Sport model, but the improvement is immense.
Scratch resistance was one area where I was worried that the MJ’s wouldn’t be able to complete with glass lensed Spotters/Stalkers – I was wrong. My first pair of MJ’s lasted two season without significant scratches which was comparable to my old glass lensed Stalkers.
An added bonus for Maui Jim customers is a very quick turnaround for warranty and repairs, and a prescription glass service on request.
If you’re sick of sore nose bridges, bald spots in your sideburns or sweaty glasses, then jettison you’re heavy blowfly frames and pick up a pair of Maui Jims – I highly recommend them.
Fly Lines
Which fly line to use???? As a river fishing guide my biggest frustration is lines that sink at the tip. In the past season I have been using Rio flylines that have over come this problem with super-high floating tips that make the other brands look like intermediates. The Rio Grande’s are my favourite, and an added bonus is their supple feel for curve casts and mending.
Recently I have been testing the new Gillies long haul line – LHL. So far it has performed exceptionally, adding 10 foot to my cast and showing very little memory. As long as it performs on the water (as opposed to the lawn), this will join my arsenal of lake fishing lines. A useful feature of this line is the colour coded head and running line sections. This enables the caster to see when the head of the taper ends and the running line starts, enabling the correct amount of line to be aerialised before any distance cast is attempted.
Simms Waders
There isn’t a reason for not using breathable waders in this day and age, and Simms are without doubt the best quality available.
For the budget conscious the Simms freestone breathables come in at under $400, and represent excellent value. Whilst they aren’t made of Gore-Tex, they are still made of a four-layer construction and they are tough. My pair lasting lasted two seasons of gorse and blackberry induced abuse (don’t try this at home) - this translates to hundreds of days of use.
If you are really hard on waders then step up to the Classic Guide waders, made from Gore Tex. These have stood the test of time and are undoubtedly the toughest breathable around. I know of two pairs in their fourth season!
More Reviews
Simms L2 Aquastealth wading boots. These boots are by far my favourite wading boot. The Aquastealth (made for rock climbing) is extremely versatile, as sticky as felt and as good as rubber. At the time of writing I have had in excess of 50 days use, including 7 days of pack hiking, with little complaint beyond some minor maintenance work to re-secure rivets on a couple eyelets. I am very hard on gear using it day after day in harsh conditions, so I am very happy with this performance.
Rio Windcutter II flylines. These are my favourite flyline by far, a great delicate long taper that excels in roll casting, mending, tight loops and handles the wind well. Great on both modern Sage rods and cane rods.
Garrison 206 cane rod by Peter McKean. This is one of my favourite rods. If playing bigger fish in tight waters is your goal, then a cane rod is the tool for the job. This material (bamboo) is able to cast a 5 weight line on a shorter length rod without being to stiff in the action, and has great cushioning and strength properties for bullying big fish away from obstructions.
Running Down the Man, A Foam Odyssey and Trout Bum Diaries 1 and 2 are all excellent entertainment for those after a good fly fishing dvd. See Gin Clear for further details. These dvd’s are very much modern dvd’s aimed at the next generation of fly fishers. Running Down The Man is a short high quality production about chasing roosterfish off the beaches of Mexico. A Foam Odyssey is a fly tying dvd with tonnes of rock and roll and fishing from NZ, and the Trout Bum Diaries are just that, journals of fly fishing in Patagonia and NZ.
