Apparel & Sunglasses

• Long-Sleeved World Trout T-Shirt ($30)
  For three years Patagonia has been selling World Trout T-Shirts and giving $5 of each sale to grassroots conservation groups ($208,060 at last count). Buy a great T-Shirt, and at the same time support great causes that happen at the individual and community level.
  
  
• Simms Fishing Flats Hat ($24.95)
  It's hard to find a comfortable long-billed fishing cap. This is our favorite hat for tropical, bright-sun fishing. It's extremely light-weight but sturdy and has a convenient Velcro adjustment strap. The long bill offers a great advantage in fish-spotting and sun protection. And besides, it looks great.



• Oakley Straight Jacket Sunglasses ($125.00)
  Smart design, great price in a new model from one of the world's pre-eminent sports sunglass makers. Even after you're done fishing, you'll wear these driving, cycling, skiiing, or even going to the grocery store.

Books & DVDs

• "Tarpon" (DVD, $34.95)
  Recently re-mastered and released on DVD, "Tarpon" is a window into the earlier days of saltwater fly fishing, when writers and artists first explored the sport. More than 30 years ago, French filmmakers Guy de la Valdene and Christian Odasso began shooting a movie about fly fishing for tarpon in Key West. The final production captured a unique moment in the history of the sport and helped establish a conservation ethic for saltwater fly fishing.
  
  
• Casting With Lefty Kreh (Book, $37.77)
  This encyclopedic new book from Stackpole publishing combines 451 pages of text advice and terrific photographs to provide almost endless instruction for those who want to learn, improve, or perfect their fly casting and presentation abilities.
  

  

• "Why Fly Fishing" (DVD, $30)
  Recently released by the American Museum of Fly Fishing, "Why Fly Fishing" was filmed in high definition and is optimized for full-screen viewing. It contains 11 chapters covering virtually every aspect of fly fishing, and features many popular figures in the sport, including Joan Wulff, Flip Pallot, Diana Rudolph, Nick Lyons, and, for the first time on film, John Gierach. In our opinion it is one of the best-directed productions on the sport and belongs in every fly fisher's media library.
  
  
  
  
• Shadow Country (Modern Library) (Book, $26.40)
  Not a fly fishing book, but a trilogy penned by one of the more famous fly fishing authors of our day, Peter Matthiessen, Shadow Country is a reworking of three earlier novels: Killing Mister Watson, Lost Man's River and Bone by Bone. It also just one Matthiessen his second National Book Award.

 

Fly Fishing Art & Posters

• Derek DeYoung (call or email for pricing) We first came across Derek DeYoung's art three years ago, and since then his fly fishing work has gained much attention for it's bold compositions and unique personal style. The "4-in-1" paintings (example pictured at right) are among his most popular new works.
  
  
  

  

• "Trout of North America" (Poster, $29.95 or $175 framed) displays a collection of 34 beautiful trout illustrations by Joseph R. Tomelleri. The 25- by 38-inch, full color poster, printed on 80-lb paper stock, will enhance any fly tier's wall or reading nook.
  
  
• Bob White's "Small Fry Cards" ($24.95) White's note and greeting card selections grow every year, and they reflect the artist's countless hours spent researching sportsmen and women in action, from the wilderness of Alaska and his rural Minnesota home to the wide-reaching expanses of Argentina.
  
  
• Galen Mercer (call or email for pricing)
  If you take a look at Mercer's paintings of Keys waters, you may find it hard to believe that they were painted in a single sitting. But maybe that is what it takes to capture the light of thunderstorms, which is both brilliant and foreboding.

Fly Boxes

• Scientific Anglers System X Waterproof Fly Box ($21.95)
  Who doesn't need the latest in waterproof fly boxes? We're impressed by a few key features: the tapered rubber gasket seal, the streamlined latches and thin profiles, and an intelligent angled-insert model that makes it possible to add large flies without making the box thicker.
  
  
• C&F Design Saltwater 8 Row Waterproof Fly Box - Permit ($54.95) For the saltwater angler, C&F's micro-slit foam box offers the combined advantages of easy access and secure placement for bulky permit, striper and snook flies.

 

Fly Rods

• Scientific Anglers Species Specific Fly Fishing Outfit Combo ($94.95 - $109.95)
  SA's "Panfish" 5/6-weight 4-piece rod is a perfect starter kit for kids and comes prerigged with backing, fly line, tapered leader, and reel. No worries about what line or reel to buy for your starter rod.
  
  
• ZG Helios 911-4 Tip 9.5 Fly Rod ($775.00)
  Available November 28, the eleven-weight Helios sets the standard for super-light rods made for big saltwater fish. The 911-4 is the perfect rod for tarpon, bonita and other hard-fighting ocean fish. If the thought of casting big rods all day without ending up sore and tired appeals to you, go test-cast one of these. It'll change your mind about what big-rod performance is.
  
  
• Ross Essence FC Fly Rod ($149)
  Reviewer Robert Morselli gave the mid-priced Ross Essence FC a hearty endorsement, saying "just five years ago, few would have thought of taking a 3-weight to any place but a trout stream with smallish fish. This just isn't the case anymore with the better-made mid-price rods. The FC is responsive and delivers the strong sense that you can land an unexpectedly large fish if you have to."

Fly Reels

• Ross Vexsis Fly Reel ($245-305)
  When you pick up the Vexsis, the first thing you notice is the unique concave design of the frame and spool â?? a feature that allowed Ross to add more porting and remove material without compromising strength. The second thing you'll notice is how smoothly the magnetic spool release mechanism works. A MidCurrent "Best of Show" 2009 Award winner.
  
  
• Hardy Perfect Fly Reel ($850-950)
  Hardy just announced their brand new 2009 version of the 1923 model Hardy Perfect reel. Hold one of these little gems in your hand and you will know immediately why the design remains relevant: it is very light and simple, but excellent engineering makes it a reliable performer. Also a MidCurrent "Best of Show" 2009 Award winner. For info on where to buy the new Perfect, email info@hardyna.com.

 

Accessories

• 20/20 Magnetic Tippet Threader ($10)
  This clever little gadget is designed to make threading leaders through small fly eyes a whole lot easier. The Threader grabs the hook eye and uses a small groove to hold it upright; the fly fisher then slides the tippet end down the groove and, voila, the tag end appears on the other side of the threaded eye.
  

  

  
  
• Fishpond Firefly Women's Fishing Vest ($139)
  Fishpond has the most visually creative vest, bag and luggage designers in the business. If you want to make the female fly fisher in your life happy this season, put one of the several color options of the Firefly vest on your list.
  
  
• Glacier Glove's Split-Finger ($34.99) and Lycra Sun Gloves with Synthetic Palms ($14.99) Got a friend who spends way too many hours casting fly lines into frigid streams or rowing a driftboat down chilly canyons? Buy them the new 710GY split-finger all-purpose fleece gloves. On the other hand, if you know someone who likes poling a skiff and hunting fish on the flats, the new durable synthetic-palm sun gloves are just the ticket.