Fly Boxes

• C1 Carbon Fiber Fly Box ($79.99)
  Yes, you can choose to be a fool for fly boxes; our friends are proving it to us all the time. The latest, coolest evidence is Carbon Flybox Company's C1 box, an ultra-light, ultra-rigid box with aerospace-grade fasteners and Neodymium magnets.
• Cliff Outdoors Super Days Worth ($24.00)
  The Super Days Worth™ is an impressive little $24 fly box with a triple-layer design for maximum fly storage. First, a magnetic layer on the bottom is meant to hold nymphs and other small flies. Then a removable leaf in the middle holds a layer of slit blue foam that is Cliff's trademark solution for larger flies. The top is set up with 7 rows of blue foam for dry flies. At 6" by 4" by 1 5/8" this box easily fits in a fishing shirt.

Apparel & Sunglasses

• Patagonia's Sun Shade Shirt ($48)
  The sailcloth look is finally gone from men's fly fishing shirts. Patagonia takes new sun-protective fabric and delivers it in a smart new design that we have been wearing for several months now. Heck, we even wear it doing yard work.
• ExOfficio Men's Give-N-Go Boxer ($24)
  We recently threw away all of our other underwear. Enough said.
• Simms WindStopper SL Jackets ($179.95)
  Simms was the first manufacturer to take Gore-Tex™ WindStopper fabric and show how functional and effective a comfortable, lightweight jacket could be. If you don't own at least one WindStopper jacket, you're really missing out on a great combination of protection and wearability. We got caught in a fall snowstorm on Wyoming's Snake last year and hardly noticed the upriver blast of freezing wind.
• Kaenon Bolsa Polarized Sunglasses ($159.00)
  Behind the scenes, Kaenon has been providing the optical industry with their premium SR-91 polarized lenses for years. For visual acuity, these ultra-light lenses are state of the art. Glenn Pittard, our fishing-fanatic marketing director, has had a pair of Kaenon's Bolsa frames hanging around his neck for 3 months now; we'd almost swear he sleeps with them on.

Fly Rods

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• Sage BASS Series Rods (Fresh and Saltwater, pictured above) $350.00
  When Sage introduced their new under-eight-foot BASS rods at this year's Fly Fishing Retailer Show, we thought "Someone's trying to revive the short-rod debate." That's before we had a chance to cast some 4-inch bugs at snook under the mangroves. Now we think this rod — which comes with a custom 330- or 290-grain line — belongs in the arsenal of anyone who casts oversized flies (or for that matter just wants to have fun casting).
• Orvis Helios Rods (Fresh and Saltwater) ($755.00 - $775.00)
  Jim LePage's stroke of genius for 2008 is available only in limited editions prior to January, when 13 different sizes come to market. This is probably the lightest, most responsive rod you're going to fish this year, and if you are considering a higher-end rod, we suggest this go on the list.

Fly Reels

• Tibor Reels with SpeedHandles™ ($49.95 - $55.00 for SpeedHandle option, pictured at left)
  The new SpeedHandle option for all 2008 Tibor reels shifts the second handle from the outer rim of the spool, making spool rotation with a slack line easier. Sounds simple, but it makes retrieval of line on big saltwater fish a pleasure rather than a pain.
  
  
• Prosek Signature Edition Striper Super 8 ($1095.00)
  Abel Reels were used to set more fly fishing world records in 2006 than any other reel. It's not surprising, given their careful engineering and bulletproof manufacture. If you are looking for a reel for the fly fisherman who has a taste for custom work, take a look at the Prosek Signature Edition Striper Super 8. Only 36 of the run of 100 reels are still left as of November 2007.

Fly Lines, Flies and Leader Systems

• Reel Combo Pre-Rigged Dropper Flies ($29.95, pictured at right)
  A dry fly and dropper combination is a deadly way to fish. Reel Combo takes the fuss out with these pre-tied dual-fly setups that come stored on foam spools. Perfect for cold weather, low light, and situations where you don't want to spend time tying complicated rigs.
• Mini Tippet Rings ($6.55)
  All the rage among European fly fishers, these seamless nickel silver rings are increasingly popular with anglers who want to change tippets quickly and easily without nibbling away at their leaders.
• Monic Tropical Seamless Phantom Tip Fly Lines ($64.95)
  Monic's stealth lines for saltwater fly fishers have been the secret choice of Keys tournament anglers for many years. Now they've improved on their Tropical Clear fly line by making it easier for fly fishers to track the line in the water.
• Frog Hair Deep Blue Dual Tapered Tarpon Leader ($9.95)
  Performance-minded Frog Hair announced these new knotless saltwater leader at the FFR show in September. They're a great choice for packing along on trips where you have limited space for materials and pre-tied leader storage, and they minimize the number of knots you need when replacing a tarpon rig.

Books & DVDs

• Fishing Knots ($16.47 on Amazon)
  Lefty Kreh's latest book improves on his collected advice on knot tying and leader construction. The inclusion of a DVD makes this a great value. If you have yet to buy a book about knots and knot tying, or if you'd just like to stay current with the best book of simple and useful knots out there, this is the book to own.
• Fly Fishing the Madison with Craig Mathews (DVD) ($24.95 from Yellowstone Media)
  Craig Mathews has been fishing Montana's most famous trout river — month in and month out — for far longer than many of us have been fly fishing. This excellent 77-minute DVD captures the cadence of the various types of fishing on the river — from nymph fishing to fishing emergers and dries to swinging streamers.
• Fly-Fishing for Bonefish ($32.97 on Amazon)
  Proving itself to be the crowd favorite when it comes to books on fly fishing for bonefish, Chico Fernandez's 2004 tome on hunting these challenging fish belongs on any serious saltwater fly fisher's bookshelf.
• Location X (DVD) ($30.00 from Howard Films)
  Filmmaker Jamie Howard once again raises the bar when it comes to delivering a saltwater video that excites the senses while portraying the finest details of the sport of tarpon fishing. If you don't already fly fish for tarpon, this DVD will turn you into a convert.
• Fly Fishing for Striped Bass ($37.77 on Amazon)
  Striped bass are finally getting the attention from federal agencies they deserve. What better time to get into striper fishing, and what better way to start than with Rich Murphy's giant new book on wade fishing for these incredible fish? The photos alone are worth the price.

Fly Fishing Art

• Tim Borski Art (call or email for pricing)
  Master fly tier Tim Borski is also a highly developed stylist when it comes to painting saltwater fish and birds.
• Ellen McCaleb Fish Carvings (call or email for pricing) New Hampshire artist Ellen McCaleb was influenced by 19th-century decoy carver John B. Russell — draw knives, spoke shaves and rasps help her coax fish shapes from wood — but her techniques are her own, employing layer upon layer of oil paint and shellac to create texture and lifelike color.
• Mike Savlen Acrylic Paintings (call or email for pricing)
  Mike Savlen's unique style uses bold brushstrokes and fluid, explosive color. He uses as many as 50 layers of acrylic paint and washes on a single piece to create a hologram or 3D effect that makes viewers feel they can reach right into the painting and grab a fish.

 

Accessories

• M-Clip Engraved Money Clips ($125.00 - $250.00)
  M-Clip's elegant Sportsman Series clips are engraved with the sport fish of your choice — from permit to trout to false albacore — and can be ordered in aluminum, stainless steel or rhodium. The patented design provides a great way to carry cash and credit cards without the trouble of a bulky wallet.
  
• Fishpond Sweetwater Reel Cases ($16.00-$27.00, pictured at right)
  Fishpond has the most visually creative bag and luggage designers in the business. You can see the creativity that sets them apart even in their lower-priced pieces like these soft reel storage cases with molded tops and bottoms.
• Regal Rotary C-Clamp Vise ($165.00)
  We've been tying flies — both fresh- and saltwater — with this vise for too many years to remember. It's bullet-proof, provides 360° rotation and 220° angle adjustment, and clamps well onto almost any desk edge.