reviews

Expanded Maryland Fly Tying Materials Selection

Revising and reworking flies, even the classics, can be an easy way to tie patterns you already know. Many tying companies offer new materials that add flash, weight and movement to create new versions of old designs. Hareline’s selection and innovative products offer something for all anglers and the Backwater Angler fly has recently expanded our tying room selection to offer more tying materials for Mid-Atlantic fly anglers. Looking for soft hackles capes, wires and tinsels? We currently have plenty of genetic hen, english grouse, starling, hungarian partridge and over 26 different colors and sizes of wire and tinsel. 17/0 and 14/0 thread are new …

Read more

Testing Out the New Cloudveil 8X Stealth Wading Shoe

Each Fall Backwater Angler staff demos new products for the upcoming season. A pair of size ten wading boots from Cloudveil are about to be put through the paces on the Gunpowder River. After a few days of fishing, I plan to hand them off to other Gunpowder Guides for more testing. We will be posting reviews by different guides in the coming weeks. The Cloudveil 8X Stealth Wading Boot is extremely lightweight and features a 5.10 rubber sole. Soft rubbers like 5.10 are found on soles of rock climbing shoes. The sole smears to the rock, wet or dry, and provides constant contact by …

Read more

T&T Horizon II Review at BACKWATERANGLER.COM

Thanks to Gunpowder regular Terry Newendorp for the following gear review on the Thomas & Thomas Horizon II 9ft 8wt 4pc fly rod. Hi Theaux: I’m down at my place in Florida and went snook/redfish fishing yesterday with that T&T H II you sold me a few months back. It was the second time I fished it, but the first time in wind and for 8 straight hours in the flats and mangrove swamps. It was nothing less than fantastic: I put unweighted flies right on the nose of fish 70 ft away, weighted crab and shrimp flies right in front of tailing redfish at …

Read more

Bauer MacKenzie Superlight Series Review

The following is a review of the Bauer MacKenzie Superlight Series by Scott Burns. Thanks Scott! I have fished one of these reels for two years now- fished pretty hard. Smooth drag. Takes a lickin and keeps on tickin. A great reel for the price. Scott Burns

Sage Z-Axis Review

I just fished the 10 foot five weight Sage Z-Axis rod for the second time after this morning’s float, along with a 11 foot 6 weight Sage Z-Axis Rod with a Spey grip. These rods can cast a mile, but more importantly, the ten foot rod length manages every inch of twenty to thirty feet of line anglers routinely fish on Maryland rivers. The common response by anglers is why do you need all that rod for smaller fish and shorter casts? Consider that using a shorter rod may mean not catching anything of size, because it is unable to effectively cover the water with …

Read more

iPhone Review and Activation Foiled in Baltimore, Maryland

June 30, and I’m still looking, but not using the iPhone. It’s my fault really, this dialogue, (or is it a diatribe?) is coming from a guy who has a 33 year old Cub Cadet riding mower, a rotary phone and no TV. I’m driving to the Apple store tonight to buy a Macbook Pro. After all, we’re putting together one to two fly fishing videos a week for the site www.backwaterangler.com and I’ve been secretly coveting Jason du Pont’s Machine since last Summer. So, I’m mentally ready to take the tech plunge. I’m hoping to get the iPhone “synched” and working using the Apple …

Read more