Bags, Watercraft and Accessories

One of the "coolest" items that I stumbled upon at the show this year was the Frogg Toggs "Chilly Pad," a 33" X 13" light towel that turns cold with the only the application of water. You pick this thing up and and it honest to goodness feels like it has just come out of a refrigerator — except that that it has not been near ice or refrigeration of any kind. The secret is in the fabric weave, which evaporates water at such a high rate that the temperature of the material drops rapidly as soon as it is wet. And it stays cool as long as it doesn't dry out. If you are planning a trip to the tropics this year, you might want to take a look at these.

Surprisingly, there were also two watercraft suppliers at the show who knocked our socks off with their new fishing craft. First, Legacy Paddlesports was demonstrating their brand new Native fishing kayak, designed by the former owner of Wilderness Systems and Jimbo Meador. We've played around with plenty of kayaks but have never seen a design so well-thought out, with some really clever features like a seat that slides forward on rails for easy forward hatch access, an outside-the-gunwale rail attachment system that allows for the addition or removal of multiple accessories (like pole holders), and a hull configuration that places the Native somewhere between the "sit-in" and "sit-on" style of modern kayaks. We can't wait to fish in one. For more information you can contact Legacy Paddlesports directly at 336.454.8385. Or you can wait a few months until Orvis introduces their own branded version of the Native.

The second product in the watercraft category that seems like a perfect idea, especially for hiking and high-mountain lake anglers, is Outcast Sporting Gear's "Trinity" Backcountry Float Tube. The Trinity ($330) has been available for a little over a year now, and hasn't gotten much attention because it is a niche product. But our "blue-liner" and high mountain lake fishing pals agree that it is great product, weighing in at only 8 pounds and coming with its own economy hand pump and backpack. Outcast is also rightly proud of their Prowler Float Tube ($450), which is indeed a brand new product. A tube "for fully grown fishermen," the Prowler has a full-length inflatable floor and an adjustable-height stripping apron.

William Joseph also showed us some very nice products for the backpacking fly fisher, including some packs utilizing a clever new technology called Hypervent, which allows cool air to pass between the gear and body. Basically it's a series of channels and suspended webbing, but in the gear it looks great and functions quite nicely, even reducing the weight of the packs by close to 30%. William Joseph demonstrated some nifty little thermometers at the show, including one laser-powered model that is about the size of a tube of ChapStick. Point it at any object and it instantaneously gives you a surface temperature. We were impressed by the reasonable prices on all the William Joseph products.

MidCurrent readers ask us regularly about fly boxes for big flies, and until we saw the Cliff Outdoors Bugger Beast Fly Boxes at the show, we had been disappointed with the standard questionable material choices and poor design we had come across. Finally somebody seems to have gotten it right. The Bugger Beast boxes use a unique hook-gripping, slotted blue material that seems extremely durable and gets a firm grip on big fly hooks. Cliff's Bugger Beast is 13.5" by 9" by 3". The Beast Jr. is 10" by 6.5" by 2.75". These boxes also won one of American Angler's KaChing! awards as voted on by fly fishing retailers.

Angling Designs' Dry-Tech MRT Fly Box caught the eye of attendees with its promise to extend the durability and life span of flies. 'MRT' stands for Moisture Reduction Technology, which in the case of this box means the inclusion of absorbent crystals to soak up moisture and maintain a dry climate inside the box.

There were a few items at the FFR show last week that weren't designed specifically for fly fishers (we've already mentioned the Frogg Togg's towel) but nonetheless may prove exciting just because they fit an existing need. I've always had questions about the safety of DEET-based insect repellents and of course everyone knows what DEET can do to any kind of plastic, including the plastic coating of fly lines. So I grabbed a bottle of RAGE All Natural Insect Repellent from their booth, got the demo, and came away impressed by the notion that a repellent with all-natural ingredients — citronella, lemon grass and juniper berry — might do the job. Beyond having ingredients that have shown effectiveness in research — citronella and lemon grass — RAGE says their patented secret is the juniper berry.

PETZL America introduced the new TACTIKKA XP ADAPT, a modular headlamp that allows the light source to be disconnected from the headband and attached to clip or adhesive mount. Great idea for those who love night-fishing and always wanted a way to attach a light to a belt or vest or to the side of a boat.

Simms has a new Carry-On Roller bag ($199) designed for expedition and destination fishing with ballistic nylon and a 420 pack-cloth exterior. They've also expanded their dry bag selection and now have several new options in color and size for those wanting waterproof storage.

The Gear Keeper Wading Staff Retractor keeps your wading staff at your side and keeps it from getting in your way or getting dropped in the middle of a river. Gear Keeper also demonstrated their highly durable Landing Net Retractor at the show.

Other notable accessories: K-Pump's 2-Stage Manual Pump, McNett's Aquaseal-UV, Aquaseal Wader Repair Kit and ReviveX Spray-On Water Repellent for Soft Shells, and REC Components' corrosion-proof Recoil Guides.

Jump To:    Rods   Reels   Fly Lines   Tools   Waders   Apparel   Eyewear   Accessories