Forward-facing sonar through the ice: my setup, and whether it's worth it
Forward-facing sonar through Colorado ice: what it shows, what a full setup costs, how it's used to find and hold fish, and whether it's worth the money.
Tested on the water, not in a catalog
Gear Reviews.
Gear I own. Gear I fish. Gear that's earned its place, or hasn't. No gifted product, no padded scores.
Newest reviews
53 reviews
Loon Outdoors on the Tying Bench: The Tools Worth Buying
An honest look at Loon Outdoors tying gear: UV Clear Fly Finish, the UV Bench Light, the Ergo whip finisher, Swax, the Core kit. Not sponsored, no commission.
Bamboo Rod Builders Are Getting Older, and Cane Needs New Hands
Bamboo rod builders are getting older and too few new small shops are starting. Why that worries me, the hopeful side, and five ways to help.
Best Trout Streamer Rods for Colorado Tailwaters: Six Worth a Look
Six trout streamer rods for Colorado tailwaters, sorted by 6wt vs 7wt, sink-tips, South Park wind and swing weight, plus the upgrade I'd make from my Vice.
The Blue-Line Setup: Gear & Tactics for Small Colorado Creeks
The rod, reel, leader, flies, and on-water tactics I use to fish small Colorado blue-line creeks — short soft glass, dry-dropper rigs, and a stealth game built on moving slow.
Ross Coors Banquet Cimarron Creek Review: The Cimarron That Finally Got Me
I never liked the Cimarron. Then the Coors Banquet edition landed on my Madison and changed my mind. An honest review of Ross Reels' limited Colorado click-pawl collab.
The archive
46 older- Fly Lines Explained: Weights, Tapers, and the Thing That Actually Casts 12 min
- Fly Fishing in Movies & TV: What Hollywood Gets Right (and Hilariously Wrong) 13 min
- Lid Rig 3.0 Review: The Hat-Mounted Nipper That Finally Stuck 10 min
- Are Expensive Fly Rods Worth It? The $300 vs $1,000 Question 15 min
- The Best Click-and-Pawl Reels of 2026 29 min
- Headwaters Madison Review — the Payne 200L 8-Foot 4-Weight 10 min
- Best Bamboo Fly Rods of 2026 — From $500 to Heirloom 27 min
- Fiberglass vs Graphite vs Bamboo: Three Feels for Trout 15 min
- I Fished the QuickDrift at Deckers — and Stopped Overthinking Fly Changes 8 min
- Fleeger's Flies: Guide-Tied Euro Nymphs & Eggs for Colorado Tailwater 8 min
- What Is Reel Startup Inertia (and Why It Matters on Light Tippet)? 11 min
- Headwaters Gallatin Review — Bamboo on a Colorado Tailwater 15 min
- Click-and-Pawl vs Disc Drag (for Trout): Which Do You Actually Need? 10 min
- Why Bamboo Fly Rods Are So Expensive 15 min
- Euro Rod vs Indicator-Nymph Rod: Why They're Not the Same Tool 10 min
- Fishpond Stormshadow Chest Pack Review: Slim, Waxed, and My New Everyday 11 min
- How a Bamboo Fly Rod Is Actually Made 11 min
- Why Your Flies Cost Twice What They Used To 6 min
- How Many Fly Rods Do You Really Need? 12 min
- What Is Tonkin Cane — and Why Every Bamboo Rod Depends on One Chinese River 8 min
- Fly Rod Action Explained: Fast vs Medium vs Slow 9 min
- Best Fly Rods for Blue Lines — Small-Stream Picks for 2026 18 min
- Poncho Outdoors — The Fishing Shirt Brand I Keep Coming Back To 6 min
- Fly Tying Materials That Earn Space on My Bench 12 min
- Getting Started in Fly Tying: A Realistic Beginner's Guide 13 min
- A Long Time at the Vise — What's Actually on My Bench 8 min
- Building a Fly Box for the South Platte — What's Actually in Mine 9 min
- Hardy Built a Reel Just for Streamer Fishing — the Averon 11 min
- C&F Universal System Review: The Lanyard and Chest Box I Carry on Small Water 12 min
- The Truck Kit — What Lives in My Rig Year-Round 8 min
- The Father's Day Gift Guide for the Fly Fisher in Your Life 14 min
- Building a Euro Nymphing Rig from Scratch 10 min
- I Run a Riversmith — and I'm Eyeing a Switch to Trxstle's CRC Euro 5 min
- Fly Fishing Essentials for Beginners: The Honest Minimum 6 min
- What I Bring to the River: The Day Pack That Survived the Edits 7 min
- My Fly Rod Quiver — Five Rods, Five Jobs on the South Platte 11 min
- Umpqua SWIFTLINK Review: Every Pack, Every LINK Accessory, Full Specs 14 min
- Why First Lite Took Over Every Layer of My Wardrobe — and I'm a Fly Fisher 16 min
- Winston Pure 2 Review: The Best Medium-Action Dry Fly Rod Made 7 min
- Wading Boots for the South Platte — Brands, Soles, and What Actually Works 9 min
- Scott Centric 9'0" 5wt Review — The Best Tailwater Rod Made in Colorado 8 min
- Scott Centric vs Sage R8 Core — Which Tailwater Rod for the South Platte? 8 min
- Skwala RS Waders Review — Two Seasons, Every Season 8 min
- Montana Knife Company Westslope Review — The Trout Knife Worth $275 9 min
- YETI Hopper M30 Soft Cooler Review — Day Trips on the South Platte 8 min
- Best 4-Weight Fly Rods for Tailwater Fishing in 2026 8 min