Fishing Gear

Generally, I meet two types of fly anglers—those who tie their own flies and those who don’t. It seems to be a zero-sum game, but I’m here to make an argument for a gray area in the middle. Enter myself, the purely functional fly tyer. I’ve never smuggled exotic bird feathers to save up for a rare...

Where I’m from, you’re not really an angler until you have a decent pair of waders. In the Pacific Northwest and many other regions, you need to be able to get comfortable standing in chilly water if you’re going to catch anything outside of July and August. Whether that’s wading deep in glacial...

Walking down the dock on Day One of the 2014 Bassmaster Classic at Alabama’s Lake Guntersville, dodging fanboys, photographers, and jersey-laden anglers who looked like NASCAR drivers, I stopped at each boat. I didn’t need to talk to anyone, I just wanted to know what the fish were biting. Sure...

Captain Jamie L. Potter is one of three captains leading water rescue teams with Virginia’s Richmond Fire Department. The Richmond teams respond to more than 100 boating, wading, and driving accident calls a year, so her insights are hard-won. Capt. Potter tells us what we can do to avoid a rescue...

All nuances aside, there are really two distinct types of spearfishing out there. First, there’s spearfishing in Hawaii. Then, there’s spearfishing everywhere else. Don’t mistake one for the other: Do so and you might find yourself off the coast of Hawaii exhausted, cut up, and frustrated with the...

Sunglasses are to fishing what binoculars are to hunting: you’re not quite doing it right without a decent pair, and any serious participant always has a set glued to their face or hanging around their neck. Besides the rod and the reel, your shades are just about the most important tools in your...

While most consumer dealings are relatively frictionless, there’s something about buying and selling a boat that turns people into lunatics. I’ve sold six fiberglass boats in my lifetime, and one Coleman Crawdad jon boat. I’ve also been on the buying end of an equal number of transactions, and I can...

“Here’s a little song I wrote You might want to sing it note for note Don’t worry, be happy.” As 2020 careens toward its long-awaited end, lyrics from Bobby McFerrin’s 1980’s classic “Don’t Worry Be Happy” conjure a lightened mood and a mantra of hope. I mean, go ahead and try to read those lyrics...

Many a MeatEater reader and crew member has ventured into sporting goods and fishing stores this summer only to be met with empty rod racks and sparse shelves. Most leave without the gear and tackle they sought, wondering what gives. Did the pandemic break overseas supply chains? Is the industry...

The big muskie ate my fly a foot from the rod tip. But the fight didn’t last long. I set the hook, the muskie shook its enormous head, the hook flew out, and I cursed so loud my ears rang. I inspected my fly: 10 inches of black schlappen and gold flash. I knew that hard-mouthed species like muskie...

We’ve all been there. You try to sneak in a couple hours of fishing after work, but in the rush to get to the water your rod gets slammed in the car door, a guide breaks from bouncing in the truck bed, or your reel picks up a few new dings. For less than $20 you can build a durable rod tube that...