Tagged

buyers guide

11 posts tagged "buyers guide".

11 posts

Six High N Dry floatant products in a row — gel, liquid, spray, paste, powder-and-desiccant and pre-treatment — the shelf that makes this confusing (photo: High N Dry Fishing Products)

Which Floatant Should You Actually Use?

Gel, liquid, powder, paste, desiccant — six products doing four different jobs. What each one is for, the one that ruins CDC, and what I carry now.

October 26, 202612 min read

Hardy Firecrest 9-foot 7-weight fly rod, close-up of the butt section with the Hardy, Firecrest and Sintrix FLT lettering on a dark blank (photo: Hardy)

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.

October 1, 202614 min read

A Scientific Anglers Amplitude Smooth Infinity box — black and red packaging reading 'freshwater floating fly line', a swatch of olive camo line, icons for AST Plus, welded loops and improved dry tip, and along the bottom the words 'half-size heavy line'

Fly Lines Explained: Weights, Tapers, and the Thing That Actually Casts

Fly line weights, the AFFTA grain system, WF vs DT tapers, and the 'lines run heavy' reality — why the line you choose matters as much as the rod, explained simply.

September 21, 202612 min read

A fly rod bent deep into a running fish on a clear South Platte canyon run — the load under a real fish is where a blank shows you what it's actually made of.

Are Expensive Fly Rods Worth It? The $300 vs $1,000 Question

An honest breakdown of what separates a $300 fly rod from a $1,000 one — modulus, swing weight, recovery, warranty — and where the money is real versus marketing.

September 11, 202615 min read

Ross Colorado click-and-pawl fly reel in matte black, machined in Montrose, Colorado, with the San Juan Mountains silhouette on the clicker

The Best Click-and-Pawl Reels of 2026

Click-and-pawl fly reels still rule trout water — here are the best of 2026, from the $110 Redington Zero to the made-in-Montrose Ross Colorado.

September 4, 202629 min read

Knee-deep on a Colorado tailwater under a bluebird winter sky, my rod bent deep into a running fish with the net already in hand — the moment the reel's startup inertia either protects the tippet or pops it.

What Is Reel Startup Inertia (and Why It Matters on Light Tippet)?

Startup inertia is the fly-reel spec nobody explains — and the one that actually protects light tippet when a trout runs. What it is, the physics, and why it beats max drag.

August 21, 202611 min read

Ross Colorado click-and-pawl reel in matte olive, mounted on a cork-gripped light rod and loaded with fly line over red backing

Click-and-Pawl vs Disc Drag (for Trout): Which Do You Actually Need?

Click-and-pawl or sealed disc drag for trout? How each works, when each wins, and the honest truth about how little drag a trout reel really needs.

July 31, 202610 min read

South Platte pocket water and braided runs, classic nymphing water

Euro Rod vs Indicator-Nymph Rod: Why They're Not the Same Tool

Both fish nymphs and both run about ten feet — but a euro rod and an indicator rod are built for opposite jobs. How they differ, and when to fish each.

July 24, 202610 min read

A fly angler loading a fly rod mid-cast, line looping out over a mountain lake

How Many Fly Rods Do You Really Need?

The honest 1-rod, 2-rod and 3-rod trout quiver logic, what each one adds, and then my six-rod pile as the cautionary tale.

July 20, 202612 min read

A wide open South Platte tailwater run, classic casting water

Fly Rod Action Explained: Fast vs Medium vs Slow

What fly rod action actually means — where a rod bends, how fast it recovers, and which action is right for your fishing and your casting.

July 13, 20269 min read

A fly angler seen from behind with a Fishpond pack and a rubber-bag landing net slung across their back, casting toward a big mountain lake — the kind of buy-it-for-life gear this guide is built around

The Father's Day Gift Guide for the Fly Fisher in Your Life

What to actually buy the fly fisher in your life — a Father's Day gift guide by budget. Real gear I fish on the South Platte, real prices, two reader discounts.

June 4, 202614 min read