Your Favorite Gear Of All Time
- Thread starter jaredoconnor
- Start date
miller special
Member
That looks like a Stevens net, I have the same, great piece of work.
wetswinger
Active Member
After several switch rods, used for 2-hand overhead, I'm smitten with a CND Oceana. Like the first time I got power steering in a car, smooth sailing. Love it so much I bought a backup...its a true overhead design...
Greg Armstrong
WFF Supporter
Good eye.
I understand he and his wife stopped making the nets. I feel fortunate to have gotten this one a few years ago.
chief
Active Member
I have the 5wt version of the one piece Zenith, and it is also a sweet rod. Probably the smoothest casting trout rod I have ever owned. I also have a one piece Orvis H2 8wt that I really like. Maybe it is in my head, but I also have the 4-piece version of both these rods, and the action of the one piece version just feels better. The difference id subtle, but there is a difference.... Transport is a little bit of a pain sometimes depending on who's car we take and/or the rod storage system in the boat or raft we are using. Any new car I look at needs to be long enough to fit the one piece tubes inside.
BDD
Active Member
I have never really felt that a certain rod model fit me like no other; it seems like I can make most work for my needs, so long as I'm in the same ball park (right length and weight for the water conditions needed). That said, I do have favorites for specific waters. Small creeks, I like the Scott Fibertouch in a 6' 1 weight matched with a Ross Colorado 0 reel. For larger creeks and smaller rivers, a Sage LL 379 or 389 with a Ross Gunnison or Colorado reel is hard to beat.
However I am a boat guy and have found over the years that for me, the right boat for the conditions is way more important than rods or reels. Some of you feel the same since a lot have posted boat pictures.
My favorite boat for lake fishing, from which I have caught more fish from than all other boats combined, is a 10' Clacka Coastal Drifter. Double anchored on a shoal drop off has accounted for more fish than the average person needs to catch. And I have incorporated that fishing method for over the past 20 years from this little trailered pram.
While I have used the pram above it on the Yakima, Ronde, and a few other rivers, it really is a lake boat. For moving water and fishing solo, I have not found an equal to this boat (when launching within 100 yards of the rig) when gear fishing or fly-fishing with a single hand rod. Too bad it got stolen but I'm hoping for a replacement this year. I have had a couple replacements since this was taken, but we wind up selling them faster than we can make them. The next one I plan on keeping.
When fishing multiple people, fly or gear fishing on calm lakes or in rivers, this boat has been great. Just watch the weather and hope for light winds as even a little chop on the water can make for a bumpy ride.
When lake fishing further than about a 1/2 mile from the road, I love my Xstream pontoon boat that fits nicely in its own backpack with shoulder straps.
As said many times, there is no one perfect boat. I have a few more that get limited use but the only one I really "need" that is missing is a 2 and 3 person river boat.
However I am a boat guy and have found over the years that for me, the right boat for the conditions is way more important than rods or reels. Some of you feel the same since a lot have posted boat pictures.
My favorite boat for lake fishing, from which I have caught more fish from than all other boats combined, is a 10' Clacka Coastal Drifter. Double anchored on a shoal drop off has accounted for more fish than the average person needs to catch. And I have incorporated that fishing method for over the past 20 years from this little trailered pram.
While I have used the pram above it on the Yakima, Ronde, and a few other rivers, it really is a lake boat. For moving water and fishing solo, I have not found an equal to this boat (when launching within 100 yards of the rig) when gear fishing or fly-fishing with a single hand rod. Too bad it got stolen but I'm hoping for a replacement this year. I have had a couple replacements since this was taken, but we wind up selling them faster than we can make them. The next one I plan on keeping.
When fishing multiple people, fly or gear fishing on calm lakes or in rivers, this boat has been great. Just watch the weather and hope for light winds as even a little chop on the water can make for a bumpy ride.
When lake fishing further than about a 1/2 mile from the road, I love my Xstream pontoon boat that fits nicely in its own backpack with shoulder straps.
As said many times, there is no one perfect boat. I have a few more that get limited use but the only one I really "need" that is missing is a 2 and 3 person river boat.
Last edited:
Olive bugger
Active Member
My Sage 8 wt. RPL, casting a Skaget head or a 9 wt floater.
skyriver
Active Member
G Loomis IMX 9' 5wt that I built back in the early 90s. It's still the fastest rod I own and when I want to fish bushy dries on long lines (just for the fun of it) it can't be beat.
Sage Guide Line wader bag purchased, on sale from Creekside, in the early 90s that is still my everyday wader bag. The thing has outlasted all the waders and boots (including a pair of Freestones that lasted 20 years!) it has ever carried. I keep waiting for a zipper to fail, but it just keeps going.
William Joseph chest pack from the early 2000s that is also my wader belt and net hauler. It's just big enough for 3 or 4 trout boxes, or more likely, a steelhead box, tip wallet and 12, 10 & 8 lb Maxima, hook hone, Swiss Army knife, punchcard & pen and a pair of needle nose pliers. It's even had to do GoPro mount duty.
2014 Outcast Commander that I bought used for $600 in the spring of 2017. It has been a game changer for local lakes, basin lakes and is my go to for Yakima solo trips. It's a weapon.
Sage Guide Line wader bag purchased, on sale from Creekside, in the early 90s that is still my everyday wader bag. The thing has outlasted all the waders and boots (including a pair of Freestones that lasted 20 years!) it has ever carried. I keep waiting for a zipper to fail, but it just keeps going.
William Joseph chest pack from the early 2000s that is also my wader belt and net hauler. It's just big enough for 3 or 4 trout boxes, or more likely, a steelhead box, tip wallet and 12, 10 & 8 lb Maxima, hook hone, Swiss Army knife, punchcard & pen and a pair of needle nose pliers. It's even had to do GoPro mount duty.
2014 Outcast Commander that I bought used for $600 in the spring of 2017. It has been a game changer for local lakes, basin lakes and is my go to for Yakima solo trips. It's a weapon.
EmergingFisher
Active Member
Newish to fly fishing, I’ve built my collection at budget (lots of estate sale buys for gear, some big auction site for tying materials) which has led to an eclectic mix of cool stuff. A couple highlights included in here:
Favorite rod is probably the Redington Classic 4wt - emergency purchase when 20 minutes into my 3-day trip on the Naches I snapped the top off my 5wt cheap rod. While I had with me my Montague Holloglass rod (~$30 on big auction site, sort of by accident when I forgot I had bid on it) with a Montague Rapidan reel (bottom of a $10 tackle box at an estate sale) with a 3wt line which is plenty for the Naches, I wanted versatility. Or whatever. Ran back to Red’s and liked the feel and price of the Classic. Instead of getting up-sold to a much more expensive rod was somewhat quietly told by the staff member that the Classic was a favorite they use a lot when guiding. However, I recently got a W.W. Grigg IM-900 5wt for about $18 at an estate auction that, while I haven’t been able to fish it yet, feels dang good and will probably take top spot soon.
Love my Creek Company U-Boat 2000 Super Combo that I got unused, new-in-box, for $25 off big internet classifieds website. Tough to beat that deal.
My wife got me a Simms G3 Guide Tactical Wading Jacket for Christmas which is incredible, an instant favorite, and means she either loves me very much, needs me out of the house more, or both. (It’s both, I’m lucky)
Favorite rod is probably the Redington Classic 4wt - emergency purchase when 20 minutes into my 3-day trip on the Naches I snapped the top off my 5wt cheap rod. While I had with me my Montague Holloglass rod (~$30 on big auction site, sort of by accident when I forgot I had bid on it) with a Montague Rapidan reel (bottom of a $10 tackle box at an estate sale) with a 3wt line which is plenty for the Naches, I wanted versatility. Or whatever. Ran back to Red’s and liked the feel and price of the Classic. Instead of getting up-sold to a much more expensive rod was somewhat quietly told by the staff member that the Classic was a favorite they use a lot when guiding. However, I recently got a W.W. Grigg IM-900 5wt for about $18 at an estate auction that, while I haven’t been able to fish it yet, feels dang good and will probably take top spot soon.
Love my Creek Company U-Boat 2000 Super Combo that I got unused, new-in-box, for $25 off big internet classifieds website. Tough to beat that deal.
My wife got me a Simms G3 Guide Tactical Wading Jacket for Christmas which is incredible, an instant favorite, and means she either loves me very much, needs me out of the house more, or both. (It’s both, I’m lucky)
jasmillo
WFF Supporter
Our family didn’t have a lot of money for discretionary purchases growing up, with very young parents and 3 kids. Same deal extended well into my twenties as I worked to pay off student loan debt and save money for things like a house. Since then though, I have been fortunate enough to pretty much buy what I want gear wise, the benefit of stable, well paying jobs and a dual income, no kids household. I have some high end rods which are great, and some rods I purchased when I was younger, I will never get rid of. I have a 4 weight TFO professional, I have probably caught more fish on than any rod I have ever owned that is special to me. Even though I never fish it now, I’ll never sell it. Some day I’ll be an old man and will want to fish it for nostalgic purposes. A way to remember all those beautiful Montana trout I caught on dry flies when I was in college and treated that $150 rod like it was a priceless. It’s also just a great rod for that purpose btw. To this day, I still have trouble buying expensive gear for light trout work. So much reasonably priced gear is great for that purpose.
As far as what I have now. I agree 100% with @Nick Clayton on the Linkurv stripping basket and the Orvis Hydros reels. PS game changers. I also love Orvis Battenkill reels for trout. Love My Winston Radian 6 weight, Sage One Seven weight and Winston BIIIX 4 weight. Love my Rio OBS lines even with the durability and running line tangle issues (pricks need to fix those issues
). However, this year, my favorite piece of gear is below. Due delayed deliver due to covid, a dying dog going through chemo, two new dogs, and a wife who injured herself badly chasing one of said new dogs around the yard during the heart of coho season, I did not use her as much as I would have liked. That WILL change in 2021 though!
As far as what I have now. I agree 100% with @Nick Clayton on the Linkurv stripping basket and the Orvis Hydros reels. PS game changers. I also love Orvis Battenkill reels for trout. Love My Winston Radian 6 weight, Sage One Seven weight and Winston BIIIX 4 weight. Love my Rio OBS lines even with the durability and running line tangle issues (pricks need to fix those issues
). However, this year, my favorite piece of gear is below. Due delayed deliver due to covid, a dying dog going through chemo, two new dogs, and a wife who injured herself badly chasing one of said new dogs around the yard during the heart of coho season, I did not use her as much as I would have liked. That WILL change in 2021 though!
Kfish
WFF Supporter
Sweet boat man! I really like the color of that hull.Our family didn’t have a lot of money for discretionary purchases growing up, with very young parents and 3 kids. Same deal extended well into my twenties as I worked to pay off student loan debt and save money for things like a house. Since then though, I have been fortunate enough to pretty much buy what I want gear wise, the benefit of stable, well paying jobs and a dual income, no kids household. I have some high end rods which are great, and some rods I purchased when I was younger, I will never get rid of. I have a 4 weight TFO professional, I have probably caught more fish on than any rod I have ever owned that is special to me. Even though I never fish it now, I’ll never sell it. Some day I’ll be an old man and will want to fish it for nostalgic purposes. A way to remember all those beautiful Montana trout I caught on dry flies when I was in college and treated that $150 rod like it was a priceless. It’s also just a great rod for that purpose btw. To this day, I still have trouble buying expensive gear for light trout work. So much reasonably priced gear is great for that purpose.
As far as what I have now. I agree 100% with @Nick Clayton on the Linkurv stripping basket and the Orvis Hydros reels. PS game changers. I also love Orvis Battenkill reels for trout. Love My Winston Radian 6 weight, Sage One Seven weight and Winston BIIIX 4 weight. Love my Rio OBS lines even with the durability and running line tangle issues (pricks need to fix those issues
View attachment 265565
Mine is a deeper "Bahamian blue"
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