But at least I have a new hat

First of all, you should know that The Editorial Trophy Wife says I am strictly a ball cap kind of guy. She is certain that I have absolutely no business whatsoever wearing a fez, stetson, fedora, or any other headgear short of a something that covers my ears and keeps my follically challenged head warm in the winter. I, partially because of said folically challenged state, have always appreciated a unique chapeaux.

I am sure you can imagine her chagrin and my delight when I found myself at an estate sale this weekend, standing in front of a closet emblazoned with a sign declaring "Hats 2 for $1". There where seven or so headpieces mustily taking up space inside the closet ranging in style from carnival barker to that Russell guy from survivor. At first nothing caught my eye and I feared I would be leaving with my head continuing to be exposed to the harsh rays of the sun. Then I saw it sitting all alone on the bottom shelf. Not quite a cross between Hank Williams Sr. and Raylan Givens but close enough for me to shell out fifty cents just the same.

Upon seeing my planned acquisition, The Editorial Trophy Wife had the anticipated response and made her way down to the basement of the home continuing her search for further, more useful, bargains. I continued to mill around the upstairs debating my purchase, made up my mind, and then, content with my purchase, finally decided to check out the basement.

It was as I reached the bottom of the basement stairs, hat in hand, that I saw him. He was hastily making his way towards the cashier with a look on his face that can only be described as the look one would sport if one were getting away with something. In his hand was an aged canvas rod bag and protruding from said forlorn bag was what appeared to be the cork handle of a fly rod. As he passed me I spoke to him saying something along the lines of "Found something good eh?" He averted his eyes, mumbled something unintelligible and made a bee line for the door.

My suspicions confirmed, I realized that had I not spent all my time hat shopping I might have been that guy heading for the door with what I imagined to be nothing less than a famous maker bamboo fly rod worth at least two grand. The Trophy Wife, who never fails to point out the obvious, was not totally unsympathetic and even helped me unsuccessfully scour the nooks and crannies of the basement for other fishing treasures.

But at least I have my hat.

Things we didn't buy...

Abercrombie & Fitch once sold bamboo travel rods that fit in a passport sized box. Now they hawk clothes to cool kids who probably haven't ever seen a fly rod. Can you imagine the ads they would have for fly rods if they sold them today? At $450 I seriously considered whipping out the plastic...

Much to the Editorial Trophy Wife's relief, I did not consider purchasing this copy of Izaac Walton's famous book. Note the price in the lower right...

Hardy and Greys Announces New Fly Rod Innovation

Press release below, product expected to hit the shelves Jan. 2011.

Hardy & Greys Ltd are proud to announce the most significant development in fishing rod design for twenty five years.

SINTRIX ™material provides rods which are 60% stronger, up to 30% lighter and with hugely improved impact resistance over conventional carbon fibre.

Initially the new technology will be used in Hardy fly rods but eventually SINTRIX™ will also be used in Carp, Coarse and Sea ranges within the Greys and Chub brands.

Decades ago when we moved away from cane and fiberglass, carbon fibre changed the way fishing rods were made. Carbon being remarkably strong for its weight gives us many advantages for modern rod design.

The carbon rods we use today have of course advanced over the years but the trends for lighter and faster blanks lead to rods which can be brittle, unforgiving and prone to breakage during use.

The carbon fibre in any fly rod blank is supported by a bed of resin, typically this resin or matrix simply holds the fibres in parallel alignment so that as the rod bends, the fibres can flex and return into position. However if a carbon rod is suddenly bent beyond its limits, the normal resins used in manufacture are unable to support the fibres adequately because the carbon fibres are stronger than the resin. The result is catastrophic failure due to the fibres buckling or, put simply, the rod breaks. These failures occur because typical modern fishing rod resins simply do not contain enough toughening mechanisms to give the fibres enough protection.

SINTRIX™ is an enhanced fortified matrix resin which supports and bolsters the carbon fibres to withstand a far higher degree of bending and loading than ever before. Through technology, exclusive to Hardy & Greys Ltd, specially treated silica nano spheres are blended into a SINTRIX™ resin. Thousands of the nano spheres surround every individual carbon fibre giving a very even distribution of the particles throughout the resin which results in rods with unparalleled smooth casting actions. This technology is radically different to any previous nano rods using titanium nano or carbon nano tubes. These previous carbon nano technologies simply attempted to reinforce the carbon and not the all important resin. The bending strength of a SINTRIX™ fly rod is vastly improved over outdated common designs. Controlled testing has proven that SINTRIX ™fly rods are over 60% stronger and up to 30% lighter than previous carbon rods. A SINTRIX ™fly rod will bend further without damage and will also take incidental impacts far better than any conventional fly rod design.

On a recent test trip to Florida five Hardy & Greys product developers caught around 1,000 fish on SINTRIX ™rods .The fish ranged from 5lbs to 350lbs and the idea was to put the SINTRIX blanks in situations above and beyond normal use. Despite their best efforts to test the rods to destruction our testers did not break a single SINTRIX ™rod! Some of this action is available to view on YouTube.

Andy Mill, Hardy & Greys US based consultant and five time gold cup Tarpon tournament winner said about SINTRIX™ rods.

“These new SINTRIX™ rods are the most powerful, lightest, smoothest casting rods ever designed EVER!”

Andy recently landed an 80lb Tarpon in Just four minutes using a SINTRIX™ rod.

Peter McLeod from Aardvark McLeod, International fly fishing specialists on the Hardy SINTRIX™ rods.

“The perfect rods for the flats, I adored using them. They are light, responsive, have quick recovery, fantastic presentation and huge reserves of power. The blanks were so thin they just cut through the wind. Bottom line is these are without doubt the best rods I have ever used and when they go into production I will use nothing else”.

Initial SINTRIX™ developments involve three Hardy fly rod ranges, one saltwater range and two freshwater ranges which will include double handed models. The new Hardy SINTRIX™ rods are set to be available in January 2011.

In addition to these increases in performance and durability the company retains its commitment to using the highest quality fittings. This combination has not, however, resulted in a price increase which puts this material and its advantages out of reach to most consumers and prices should be comparable with other premium fly rod ranges.

At Hardy & Greys Ltd. We believe that SINTRIX™ is THE new generation of carbon fibre technology and is the most significant breakthrough in rod development since the move from glass to carbon fibre twenty five years ago.

Press Release: Sage's New Xi3 Saltwater Series

Sage Brings Innovation and Technology to the New Xi3 Series:

The Ultimate Saltwater Fly Rod

March 1, 2010 (Bainbridge Island, WA) – After six more months of rigorous field-testing since the launch and with warmer weather around the corner, Sage is proud to name the Xi3 the best saltwater rod series Sage has ever created. Utilizing SaltH2O Technology, a proprietary taper construction providing torque and torsion for superior tracking and maximum energy efficiency, the Xi3 performs with true precision. Sage’s Generation 5 (G5) construction employs 100% graphite hoop fibers to provide more power in the butt section and increased sensitivity in the tip. The Modulus Positioning System (MPS) maximizes performance and reduces rod weight by varying the modulus or flex according to the need of each inch of the rod. This provides a startlingly acute level of line feel throughout the casting stroke and allows more efficient application of power.

“With all the design modifications and technological advances applied to the Xi3, we have created a rod that tracks seamlessly and has the backbone to pick up 60 to 70 feet of line all while significantly reducing the weight,” explains Jerry Siem, Sage Rod Designer. “We are very proud of this new design. Everyone who casts an Xi3 feels the difference immediately.”

Other features of the Xi3 include an EVA/cork fighting butt, saltwater-safe, black anodized reel seat, and a full wells cork grip. Fuji hard chrome-plated stripping guides with Alconite inserts are used for durability and line wear resistance. The use of over-sized Tip-tops and snake guides allow smooth line movement. The Xi3 has a Pacific blue colored shaft with Electra blue trim wraps and Cobalt blue primary wraps. It comes in four pieces and in line weights from #6 to #16. The Xi3 includes a black fabric rod sock and powder-coated aluminum tube.

About Sage:Founded in 1980, Sage was created with one idea in mind - to build the world's finest performance fly rods. Passionate about creating fly fishing products that continually exceed expectations, Sage strives to seek performance advantages through new materials and designs based on a foundation of research and innovation. Sage also offers fly reels, fly lines, apparel, accessories and luggage for avid anglers.

Things I Really Like: Orvis Helios Fly Rod

I have decided to dub this week, "Things I Really Like Week" here at FlyfishMagazine.com. As the name suggests, my posts this week will be all about fly fishing related gear (and other things) that I really like. By way of disclosure, most of this we purchased on our own. Some, like the subject today, were most excellent Birthday gifts from the Editorial Trophy Wife. Some of these things came in the form of schwag. Trust me when I say that an item's inclusion in "Things I like Week" has nothing to do with origins and everything to do with performance.

My Orvis Helios 9' 5 Wt fly rod is probably is hands down the most versatile fly rod that I own. I have used it to cast everything from size 22 midges to the three inch long dragon fly over a dropper that you see me casting in the picture above. It is light as a feather which means you can cast it all day without wearing your arms out. It has caught everything from bluegill and bass to trout. It came close to catching a massive carp once but the tippet failed me. It has bluelined, brownlined, and just about any other kind of "line" I could get it near.

My own casting issues aside, this rod casts like a dream and I have found that it really excels when trying to punch the fly into tight spaces under the cover of bushes or between boulders on a mountain stream. Owning a high end fly rod is something that I thought (almost swore) I would never do. However, since I got the chance to put the Helios through it's paces, I have found it difficult to pick up any of my other rods. The Helios has quickly become my go to rod for 5 weight quarry.

We all have our favorite things and as the title "Things I Really Like" implies, these are a few of mine. Feel free to share your own in the comments section. More of mine will be posted as "Things I Really Like Week" continues.

They say it's your birthday....

Happy Birthday to ya! R.L. Winston Turns 80 this month. We present the only video we could find on the subject via Youtube