I had a chance to stop by the
Tailwaters Holiday Bash this past Saturday - under the innocent plan of just swinging by to pick up a new pair of waders. What I ended up with was a bad case of the "I-wants!"
First off - the new waders. I've always had a difficult time finding waders that fit. I'm 6'1" and 175-180 lbs. with a size 12 foot. Usually, if I find waders that are long enough or have a large enough bootie, the chest is a 48-52 or so and there is SO much extra fabric in the mid-section/thighs that I can feel the excess flowing in the current downstream. Carrying/pulling all that extra drag gets VERY old after a few hours. All this has been eliminated with my new
Patagonia Watermaster Lights!
In the Patagonia tradition of uber-design, these waders have it ALL! Lightweight, excellent suspender design, anatomical shaped booties, and a trim, athletic cut. I'm told that the design of Patagonia waders will change with the 2009 product line and I would have loved to get my hands on the "latest and greatest" but I needed new waders NOW. Another great feature of the Watermaster Lights is packability - they take up about as much room as a pair of jeans. Look for further product reports later.
Now for the reels! 2009 will see some great additions to an already stacked market of quality fly reels. Here's another reason to support your local flyshop . . . when you go into Tailwaters; (1) they already have the "latest and greatest" of the 2009 products (and not 5 dozen of last year's model that the home office is trying to unload), and (2) the guy that you're talking to actually went to the trade show in Denver a few months ago and talked to the manufacturer. Hell, he PROBABLY KNOWS the manufacturer. Anyway, here's example #1 - the
Hatch Reel. . .
this thing is an amazing piece of machining. It's THE LIGHTEST, with the BADDEST DRAG of any reel I've seen. You have an option of colors and body styles (the "Monsoon" is pictured), and you should for a reel well north of $500. Any reel in this price range will get the job done but the thing about the Hatch is the QUALITY. Stare at that picture for awhile and see if you spot something unique . . .
Give up? NO SCREWS! The reel seat and the frame are all machined out of ONE PIECE OF ALUMINUM. Holy crap that's cool! It's going to cost you but if you are super hard on equipment or just appreciate unbelieveable workmanship, this reel's for you.
Next up, two new reels from Lamson - the updated Velocity and the new Guru. The Velocity is another awesome example of precision machining. Notice the secondary cuts in the spool; these reduce weight quite a bit while still providing that Lamson strength that has kept them at the top of the market since the LP series (of which I have three and they are still some of my favorite reels). The Velocity is the BEST reel on the market in the $200-300 price range. PERIOD. Lightweight, Lamson conical drag, excellent anodization, competitive price - it has it all.
Another offering from Lamson is the new Guru. This reel replaces the Radius in the product line and uses the same Lamson conical drag and is fully machined. Costs are saved with a less expensive finish than the "Hard Alox" anodization on the Litespeed and Velocity. Good thing is that you can get a 6 wt. Lamson reel for $189
Finally, there's something new from the geniuses at Abel. These guys have been turning out amazing products for decades. If you look back over the history of the sport, Abel was one of the FEW manufacturers that survived the growing pains. They did this by constant and thorough R&D and a dedication to craftmanship. Abel reels are just SOLID (and I don't think anyone has developed a better anodization process). They may not be the lightest, or have the most modern drag made out of the latest HD polymer; but they work, and they LAST! Look at the evolution of the "Big Game" fly reel - put an old Fin Nor "wedding cake" or Seamaster (and you know you've been around for awhile if you know what those are or can find one) in one hand and a new Loop or Hatch in the other. Totally different beasts. What's the missing link? ABEL!
Anyway, I'm sure you're aware that Abel finishes reels with all kinds of colors, patterns, and fish prints. Well, thanks to the guys at Tailwaters (and thanks to Matt Jones for the great photo)there's now an official CARP print as well. Finally, they gave a nod to a REAL gamefish!
Stop by the shop and check it out - heck, BUY it and I'll help you catch a carp to go with it!!
