DEMYSTIFLY

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship Bonefish are widely-known as one of the spookiest fish on the flats. I've only been fortunate enough to specifically target bonefish a handful of times, but I can still attest to the fact that you need to be super quiet and super skilled in your presentations. While I rarely get to cast a line to those critters, I do have a ton of experience sight-fishing for snook on the beach. Although snook can occasionally be dumb as rocks, they are more often sk

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship The 8-weight fly rod is definitely the majority favorite heavy freshwater and lighter saltwater fly rod, but I've always had a big soft spot for the 9-weight. Despite being less popular overall, that size has always played a key role in my arsenal for fish like stripers, false albacore, and largemouth bass. The 9-weight's advantage comes in the ability to handle a little more wind, larger flies, and bigger fish, yet if you choose your rod wisely, cas

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship With the introduction of the SD (Sealed Drag) series a few years ago, Abel finally entered the world of, well, sealed-drag fly reels. After building their legendary reputation with offerings like the still-awesome-to-this-day Big Game series and several others, many of us (me included) were elated that they finally had a reel family offering a maintenance-free drag system. While the SD series was indeed pretty great, Abel found a way to turn up the d

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship I'll be the first to admit that I've always had a soft spot for the G. Loomis brand. Starting in my early teenage years, I began fishing both their conventional and fly rods and quickly became a complete "Loomis nut" nearly to the exclusion of all other rods. From a trusty old-school GL3 MEGA 8/9 up to today's cutting-edge offerings, I grew up a fan of G. Loomis technology and performance. I've also been critical of a few rods as well, but let's face

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship In saltwater fly fishing, long-distance presentations are often not the norm. Being able to double-haul a streamer a country mile is undoubtedly a great and very useful skill to have, but possessing a solid short game is equally as important. Especially true when flats fishing, being both accurate and quick at short range can pay huge dividends when chasing species like bonefish, tarpon, and redfish. Speaking of the latter, I can remember catching a

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship Beulah (pronounced byoo-luh) fly rods have been on my radar for a long time. Based in Medford, Oregon, this company may not be as prominent as some of the biggest names in the industry, but these rods sure are gorgeous. In fact, that beauty is what first caught my eye some time ago and led me to pursue this review. Having never held a Beulah rod before, I was both curious to see the custom touches and feel the performance for myself. I recently had a

Intro/Specs/Craftsmanship At IFTD 2016, I had my first glimpse of the upcoming Ross Evolution R reel here. Despite scarce details and the release date being many months off, it was a treat being able to hold and examine one of these specimens in person. Well, fast forward to present-day, and the Evolution R is finally here...literally...on my desk! Taking its place at the top of the Ross lineup and well above the Evolution LT, the R has some big shoes to fill as the flagship

It was probably 19 or 20 years ago when I first learned the importance of using a bite tippet. I was on vacation with my family on Florida's east coast doing some barracuda fishing from an inlet jetty. Armed with a spinning rod and a bunch of medium-sized plugs, I walked out to the end of the rocks, found a nice flat one to stand on, and began casting a big Rapala tied directly to 15-pound test (big mistake). While violently ripping the lure back on about my third retrieve a

The Sage METHOD series of rods has been on the market for some time now. These ultra-fast rods are made to be lightweight and capable of delivering flies in demanding conditions. I can't remember exactly how long I've been fishing the 790-4 model, but it hasn't disappointed. METHOD rods don't come cheap, but if you want to treat yourself to something very special they deserve a closer look. The 790-4 is a 9-foot 7-weight 4-piece rod. The Magma Red color scheme looks incredibl

What is sight-fishing, you ask? It's one of the most EXCITING ways to catch fish, that's what! Okay but seriously, it does have a true meaning. Sight-fishing means that you see the fish first and try to coax it to eat your fly, bait, or lure. Despite it sounding relatively easy, often times it's not—and that's what makes it so fun. Stalking a stubborn fish and getting it to eat is one of the most rewarding prizes in all of fishing. I've been addicted to it for years and will