We dig the new Accel Series for Sage. These Rods use Generation 5 technology reimagined with new tapers and design. The fit and finish on these mid priced premium rods is second to none. If you liked the XP or Z rods these deserve a look. Any of the Accel rods would make a fabulous gift.

Sage says,

One of the greatest benefits of always pushing the limits of rod technology is that it gives us vital insights to rod design using previous technologies. Case in point: our new medium-fast action ACCEL family of rods. Created using our responsive Generation 5 technology, our all-new ACCEL benefits from key insights garnered through the development of Konnetic Technology®. Light and ultra-responsive to throw tight wind-busting loops, it’s like going back in time to bet on your favorite sports team with the score in hand—you’ve got a winner and you know it.

What do you get a fly angler that has everything? The answer is cold weather gear. It has often been said, "that there is no such thing as bad weather only bad clothing" and we couldn't agree more. We fish year round and if your angler is not it might be because they do not have the right gear to stay warm, dry and mobile in the cold weather. Above we have featured several of our favorite cold weather items. Simms Extreme Hat and Fold Over Mitts were game changers for us. Nothing keeps your head or hands warm and dry like these awesome pieces from Simms can. We also like Simms Gore-Tex windstopper jackets. We have several different styles and colors in stock.  The Simms Fall Run jacket is the ultimate in insulation layer featuring PrimaLoft insulation. It is equally at home under a G4 Jacket or as an out later running into the coffee shop.

We love UV everything. We put it in our trout and steelhead patterns. We also add just a little to most of our salt patternes. Any fly tyer would love to add these great materials to their tying table.

A New pack makes a great gift for the fly fisher in your life. Pictured are bags from Simms, Fishpond, Umpqua, Clear Creek and Sage.

A Marblehead Flyfisher shop box makes a great gift. We stock these rugged and affordable boxes in several different sizes and configurations. Pictured above is the largest option which makes a great box for the boat of for those monster streamer patterns that always get mangled in smaller boxes.

Why not try some new hooks. The shop is packed with hooks from Tiemco and Mustad. We have picked out two of our favorite styles here.

The 8089 NPis a nickel played version of everyone's favorite bass hook. We've tied flies on this hook that have caught striper, largemouth, smallmouth, bluefish, musky, snook, redfish, lady fish, jack and mangrove snapper.

The 2499 SPBL is the toughest little hook on the market. We use it to tie all of our egg, sucker spawn, and worm patterns. We even use it for some terrestrial and serendipity style patterns. The hook is extra strong and extra sticky with its barbless super point.

The Lamson Speedster is a large arbor reel with style. We love the Art Deco lines and super fast pick up the large arbor design offers. Like all Lamson reels the conical drag is maintenance free and will stop a truck.

What fly tyer wouldn't like a new vise. If the angler in your home doesn't have a Renzetti or other premium vise they may be due for an upgrade. A nice vise will last a lifetime and provide hours of enjoyment while not on the water.

We love the Redington Butter Sticks. So much is made over distance and throwing right loops into the wind. While the majority if our fishing is in close where these shorter fiberglass sticks shine. Whether your chasing brookies in a small stream or slamming sunfish on the Brandywine you need to experience the fun these rods provide. If you do not have a short glass stick in your arsenal you are missing out. We keep pulling ours out of the quiver.

  All sections of the White Clay will continue to receive good stockings of fish until the middle of May. This should allow for good, local fishing for quite some time.  

  As mentioned earlier Rick and I spent last Sunday (4-7) fishing together. We had a great day fishing for wild Browns. I started with tandem nymph rig with a few fish taking the Walt's Worm. We then moved to a trib of the main river. The water level was alarmingly low (this was before the Friday storm) so I switched to a dry and dropper. After the warm days we had two weeks ago the water temp here was pushing 50 degrees and the bug action was great. We found BIG clingers in the water, as well as Caddis larva, smaller clingers and some Black Stones. I only managed 1 fish on the dropper, the red Copper John when all of a sudden the fish started to take the dry. At one point the dropper hung in a rock and I had to break it off. I didn't tie it back on and just fished with the dry. The fish were taking Stones. Rick was using his CDC Black Stone and I was fishing a Stimulator. Here are a few shots from that day. 

  The East Branch of the Brandywine is fishing well. Greg, one of our customers, spent a few nights up there last week and reported good top water action. Browns were rising to midges three nights in a row. CDC puffs, Sprout Midges and Griffiths Gnats are all productive patterns. Be sure to have a few Caddis imitations with you as well. We saw a blanket hatch of Caddis on the Brandywine while scouting for Shad last night. 

  The White Clay Fly Fishers had an outing on the West Branch of the Octoraro a week or so ago. All reports were positive about the outing and the fishing. The West branch has been fishing well for a month now. Attractor flies will work on the fresh stocked fish. As the fish are in the river for a bit they will become more acclimated to natural feeding habits. This is when you want to switch to more natural patterns. Pheasant Tails, Midge Larva, and Hares Ears are all great choices. Steve Burke wrote a great article summarizing the event, it was published in the clubs news letter that all members receive. If you are not a member you might want to check them out. They are a great organization. 

 As mentioned earlier we are keeping a close eye on the Shad, both Hickories and Americans. We have received a few spotty reports from Deer creek as well as the Brandywine. A scouting trip last night produced only marginal sightings of Hickories and no Americans. It was nice to knock the rust off of the two handed cast last night. Jared did manage to bring one Hickory to hand. We did see a true blanket hatch of Caddis right at dark. Believe me, nobody wants the Shad here more than me, it just isn't happening yet. We will put the word out as soon as we find them in fishable numbers. 

  On Tuesday this week our G Loomis rep, Dick Kondak, stopped by the shop to show us all of the new Loomis gear. Now, anyone who has met Dick knows you will be laughing from the time he gets there until the time he leaves. He is a class act, the kind of person we need more of in this industry. In between jokes, stories, and laughs we actually got some work done. The first thing he showed us was the fantastic line of clothes the crew at Loomis has put together this year. Everything from tropical shirts, soft shell jackets, light rain gear, foul weather gear, hats and bags are first rate. I personally really liked the the lined and un-lined hoodie and the Soft Shell jacket. Terry seemed to like the deep, roomy pockets in the Soft Shell, Native Run and the Max 3 jacket. The Bonded Fleece jacket was a favorite of both of ours. All quality stuff and all with the un-mistakable G Loomis logo throughout. I believe Loomis will do well with the new clothing line.  

 The highlight of any of these meetings is always when the new rods come out and Tuesday was no exception. We got to see all of the new Loomis rods and all I can say is DAMN! We spent most of the time with the new LP series of NRX rods. The LP Stands for Light Presentation. These rods are extremely slim, especially at the tip, and feather light. They load with a deep bend, but have plenty of reserve power. Loomis has done a exceptional job of creating a series of rods that are deep loading, but don't feel "whippy". We cast the 9' 3 weight, the 9' 4 weight and the 7 and a half foot 3 weight. All were cast with S/A GPX lines and these lines preformed well. If I am to own one of these in the future I would like to try one of the longer "trout" taper lines such as the RIO Trout LT. I must say my favorite was the 7.5 foot 3 weight, I have the perfect spot for that rod in my arsenal...it is always fun to dream! 

  Definitely not the first choice for throwing an indicator nymph rig, but that is not what the series are designed for. If you are a native brookie "guy" or a guy that loves the subtle sip of a Midge and the dimple in the water that follows  these rods should should get serious consideration if you are in the market for something new.

  The most fun part of the night was when we rigged up the new 13 foot 460 grain NRX Spey rod.  

   This is a true big boy spey rod with a price to match. The first thing I noticed was how light in the hand the rod felt even though it was 13 feet long. We were throwing the Air Flo Scandi compact head and a .032 running line. Because we were in the grass and not on the water we were limited as to what we could do with the traditional underhanded casting. We did throw a couple of C spey and Perry Poke casts. The rod felt great and we REALLY want to get it on the water to see what it can do with a proper load on the rod!  

   Now for the really cool part. As we use our 2 handers on the beach more and more the 2 handed overhand cast becomes a very important tool. Typically we would go with a integrated shooting head like the RIO outbound for this type of casting, but the night was getting long and we decided to give it a go with the Scandi compact set up.  I can say it was a pleasure to see the line launch off of the rod and travel through the air. We were booming 100 foot plus casts with very little effort. I am confident Terry went WELL over 100 feet with a few of his casts. It is truly a pleasure to watch a technically sound caster do his thing. 

We would like to thank Dick for coming out and letting us see all the new stuff. Please feel free to stop in or give a call if you have any questions. 

                                                                                                                                                  Tight lines...
                                                                                                                                                                 Tim