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Scientific Angler System 2 Large Arbor Reels
In this picture you will see a prototype of the new System 2 LA 678. The reel I have is black but the reels coming out in February are a handsome, anodized pewter. Besides being great looking this reel has guts. And I have put it to the test. I mean a serious test. Two trips to Alaska for big rainbows and silvers, plus bonefishing in Ascension Bay and North Andros. Throw in over 40 days of steelheading and I can say with confidence that this is already one of my favorite reels of all time. It is light and strong. After all those trips it still looks brand new. It has a stainless, caliper disc drag with carbon fiber pads. It is smooth. The frame is machined from barstock aluminum and it has a handle that you can really grab. From the fly line, I put on 30 yards of 30 pound dacron backing then with a uni-knot I added "a ton" of 30 pound gel spun XTS backing. 75% of the steelhead I catch stay in the dacron, but the others...!! I really like this reel. It is the best new product I've seen in a long time.
Chota Boot Foot Waders
The whole name for this product is the Chota Telico Shoals Mukluk Boot Foot Wader. Maybe I'm getting a little lazy but I am finding the "easy on" and "easy off" ability of boot foots to be very handy. There are many days when I want the full on studded wading boot and stocking foot wader combo but I'll do anything to convince myself that it's a boot foot day. The times that I pick the boot foot over the stocking foot are times when I am going out for a quick morning or evening fish and can just throw on the boot foots over whatever I am wearing. Other times are for very cold water. These boots are warm and comfortable. They have heavy duty, double layered, articulated knees and a built in wading belt. The QuickLace System is a Chota original and a very new concept in boot foots. The elastic laces hold your heel in place and because the actual boot is quite light you can cavort around like the log, fence and rock hopping gazelle you are. Breathable, good looking and you can ace out your buddies to the water every time.
Scott Supr-Ply S3 Steelhead Rods
On a three day float last year on the Deschutes there ended up being one of each of the Scott nine and a half foot, four piece steelhead rods in six, seven and eight weight, in the boat. That would be, in Scott-speak, the S3956/4, the S3957/4 and the S3958/4. All three of us swapped rods around and we liked all of them. These rods are quick and powerful but they have "soul". They are not just super fast, line whipping sticks. They cast a mile but with a "have a nice day" attitude. So user friendly that they would take off your wading shoes at the end of the day if they could. I like rods that load easy and early but don't wash out, in the wind and at distance. The look of the rod is very nice. At first, I thought they were black. Then, in the light, I saw the dark green. Tricky. The internal ferrule wins points for fashion and function. I have always wondered why some high-end, multi-piece rods have huge bulbous ferrules that make your rod look like a snake swallowing eggs. The internal ferrule doesn't have a low profile, it has no profile. Basically, it looks and functions like a one piece blank. Very tricky.
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