Best Buy: Blue Coolers 50L Ice Vault Cooler

If there’s one thing we’ve seen an influx of the last several years across the outdoors industry, it’s heavily engineered, nearly indestructible coolers. What we haven’t seen is one as affordable as Blue Coolers’ 50L Ice Vault. With all the features and functions of the higher-priced models—roto-molded construction, lockable lids, non-slip feet, insulated walls, just to name a few—at a fraction of the price, Blue Coolers may just be on to something here. The performance alone makes this cooler worth hundreds more than its MSRP, and it’s refreshing to find a high-end cooler that doesn’t cost as much as a car payment.

Check out all cooler and accessories available at Blue Coolers today!  www.bluecoolers.com

Best Transport System: Yakima Double Haul

Roof top rod carriers have become common place in many areas of the US. An easy identifier for fly fisherman no matter where you go. In recent months a number of new rooftop rod carriers have come out and the Yakima Double Haul is the latest, and quite possibly the best. A 4-rod roof top carrier that I will be the first to say, finally looks good on your vehicle. The Double Haul’s tough appearance comes from a solid black, full welded construction with a molded black reel compartment. Unpacking the Double Haul, the first thing you will notice is the same quality you have come to expect from Yakima, with high end components like weather resistant locks, full aluminum construction with stout connections between the tubes and the cross bar mounts. It can also be shortened to hold rods broken down into two sections 5’ or less. A plus from this engineering is the lack of road vibration that can eventually create wear spots on rod blanks. Assembly and installation took about 30 minutes and was easily a one person job. The best surprise was on the inside. Each of the tubes is lined with a soft plastic tube to protect rods against blank rubbing. The reel compartment is lined in carpet and reels are cradled on their side, rather than hanging, which saves fly lines and protects those high end reels. The system is also a breeze to take on and off with large hand-tightened bolts clamping to a variety of sizes of roof racks, and a single lock to prevent theft. At $699 the Double Haul is not the cheapest system but when protecting up to 4 high end fly fishing outfits that could easily be worth over $5,000, it seems like a solid investment.

yakima.com

Umpqua X-Series

 If we’re being honest, fly-fishing hooks are sort of like an anonymous cog in a well-oiled machine; they’re only noticed when they fail. That’s why it’s important to use quality hooks in your own tying, and Umpqua’s new X-Series is a great place to start. Developed with what they dub a BN5X, or black nickel 5 times, finish for extreme corrosion resistance, the X-Series hooks also feature a high carbon content, which not only makes the points sharper, but makes the hooks stronger as well. One feature we particularly like is the V-Lock Bend, which is a slight angle placed in the bend of the hook that, when combined with the Micro Barbs, results in less fish lost. The X-Series is available in Saltwater and Trout offerings, including some of Umpqua’s most popular models over the years.

Check ’em out online!

If you’ve attended any Fly Fishing Show in North America, you’ve likely run into David Danforth this year.  And, its not an encounter you would soon forget.  His artwork is a psychedelic mix of media and colour that is like nothing you have seen in the fly-world previously.  We have fallen hopelessly in love with more pieces than we have wall space to exhibit and we’re sure you will feel the same.

Check out David’s work and follow his cross-country journey on IG @reellocal

Looking for the perfect gift for Dad this Father’s Day? Here’s a recap on the list of new and noteworthy products we awarded with the distinction of Fly Fusion Editor’s Choice in 2019….

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