No matter what kind of angler you are, at some point you’ve probably pondered buying a boat. It’s a rite of passage, really, to daydream about floating down a beautiful river with just you, the scenery, and all the fish downstream. One of the more frustrating things about purchasing a boat is that it’s not a cheap endeavor. Fiberglass drift boats can cost as much as a vehicle, and some of the smaller single-person inflatables just don’t provide enough storage or rowing power. Enter the Outcast OSG Clearwater.

The Clearwater, brand new for 2021, takes some of the design elements from Outcast’s multi-person inflatable rafts and transitions them to a sturdy, well-appointed, single-person frameless raft. For gear heads, the Clearwater features trampoline-style cargo spaces in the front and the rear, allowing you to pack up to 450-lbs. of gear (including yourself, of course.) The open oarlock system accommodates longer strokes, allowing you to really get after it in rough water, if need be, and the high back seat sits on top of an inflatable thwart, allowing for excellent visibility and rowing. The best part? The boat only weighs 35-lbs. and can easily fit in the back of a pickup truck. No trailers required.

$1,299 | outcastboats.com

Let’s be honest. Does anyone truly need a $300 camp chair? No. But, as always with Yeti, the Trailhead Camp Chair is another example of the company taking a simple product, over-engineering it to the max, and coming out with something that looks great, performs very well, and will stand the test of time. Falling squarely into the “just barely related enough to fly fishing accessories for us to include it on this list,” the Trailhead is the ultimate camp chair. After a long day of walking and wading, it’s good to know you’ll have a sturdy, comfortable chair waiting for you back by the campfire.

The first thing you’ll notice about the Trailhead is just how well-built it is. This thing is solid. Featuring a lightweight crossover frame that snaps into place with color-coded tensioners and the forgiving Flexgrid fabric, the Trailhead can support up to 500-lbs., yet remains comfortable while sitting for hours at a time. With an included cup holder, and extra-strong feet, there aren’t many things Yeti didn’t think of; speaking of which, the entire chair is UV-rated, meaning it won’t break down in the sun over time.

$299.99 | yeti.com 

The new SuperFlo series from Airflo features three different tapers designed for all your trout-fishing needs: the Tactical Taper, the Universal Taper, and the Power Taper. Each is meant to solve a different problem. The Tactical Taper, available in 2- through 6-weights, features a delicate front taper and an extended rear taper, perfect for placing tiny dries on a dime from any distance. The Universal Taper is designed as a more do-it-all line for anglers who may nymph, throw dries, and toss streamers from the same rod on the same day. It’s available in 3- through 9-weights, which should cover a variety of situations. At the other end of the spectrum is the Power Taper, an aggressively weighted line meant to throw far, turn over larger flies, and counteract today’s fast-action rods. It’s available in 3- through 9-weights. Each of the SuperFlo lines is 90-feet long and features welded loops on both ends. No matter where you find yourself in trout country, Airflo has built a SuperFlo line for you.

Fluorocarbon is an interesting material. For starters, it’s nearly invisible under water, it has a higher abrasion-resistance than monofilament, and also sinks faster than mono. While that doesn’t make it ideal for dry-fly fishing, many anglers use it on small dry flies. That being said, fluorocarbon is an absolute must for nymphing or throwing streamers, and especially in salt water. In recent years, the fluorocarbon game has been somewhat stagnant, with no real notable advancements. This year, that’s changed.

The team over at SA has developed a breakthrough fluorocarbon material, improving the break strength over its previous material by up to 33%. The innovation here begins with the material: it features a unique dual-layer construction, with a softer outer layer to help knots grip into themselves and a harder core that provides much of the tensile strength. While each 30-meter spool comes in at a hefty $29.95, if SA’s strength claims are true, it will be worth every penny the next time your knots hold on the fish of a lifetime. Absolute Tippet Supreme is geared mainly to big-game and saltwater anglers, and is available in 8-lbs. Through 20-lbs., with SA’s patented cutter spool and easy ID tippet band.

$29.95 | scientificanglers.com

Fly-fishing packs have taken a number of forms over the years, starting with vests, then transitioning to backpacks, chest packs, hip packs, and sling packs. We can say pretty confidently we haven’t seen a pack like this come along in a while. From a host of innovative features to standard Orvis-quality construction, the Bugout Backpack is a solution for those anglers looking for the next great pack to wear on the water.

Designed as an angling pack, but just as handy as a carry-on, the Bugout Backpack offers all the features an angler would need: a back-panel integrated net holder, an external water bottle or rod tube holder with an extended sock to keep rod tubes from going anywhere, and accessory docking stations on the shoulder straps. It also features an internal zippered drop pocket with a removable divider, a tricot-lined sunglasses or phone pocket on the top flap, as well as a padded front pocket that will fit a hydration bladder or a laptop (though ideally not both at the same time.) But perhaps the most innovative feature is the side-entry access. By simply swinging the backpack around like a sling pack, you gain access to the main compartment, which has been a gripe of ours about backpacks for a long time. For those that need additional storage, the Bugout Backpack is also compatible with the new Chest Pack and Chest/Hip Pack.

$189 | orvis.com

No matter which rod manufacturer you look at, you’ll find a wide range of models, line weights, and lengths available. But at the end of the day, the bread-and-butter models for most manufacturers are trout rods. Many technological advancements in fly-rod design have been made with trout in mind. From gently placing tiny midge patterns on tailwaters to throwing articulated streamers for big browns, trout rods have become specialized in a variety of ways.

The new Centric, from Scott Fly Rods in Montrose, Colorado, is a testament to the idea that a good trout rod can, and will, do it all. At the heart of the new Centric is its combination of new tapers and new resin system, which reduces the overall weight of the rod and provides anglers with unparalleled stability and recovery speed. This is the fastest, and most efficient, rod Scott has ever produced, and it’s quite apparent after just a few casts that this is a well thought-out rod, designed to do everything a trout angler could ever need. The Centric is available in lengths from 8-foot 6-inches up to 10-feet, and in 4- through 7-weights.

$895 | scottflyrod.com

The last thing you want to worry about on a trip to a tropical destination is your fly line, so it pays to choose the right one before you go. When targeting bonefish, permit, or tarpon, your fly line needs to be durable, provide enough mass to turn over heavy flies in stiff winds, and allow you to make quick shots at moving fish.

The Rio Elite Flats Pro provides all of that—and more. Built on RIO’s low-stretch DirectCore, and featuring its new SlickCast coating, the Elite Flats Pro has all the bells and whistles a top-notch fly line should have. Its taper design is deadly for the flats; it features a variable length head (meaning it is different lengths for different line weights), a long rear taper (for carrying large amounts of line), and a long-enough front taper to ensure delicate deliveries when needed. These lines are built to do it all on the flats, and with welded loops and the Surefire triple-color line-marking system, you shouldn’t need anything else. The Elite Flats Pro is available in line weights 6- through 12 and is comes in full-floating (F), 6-foot intermediate StealthTip (F/I), 15-foot intermediate tip, and full intermediate (I) densities.

$129.99 | rioproducts.com