There may be plenty of debate over whether Blane Chocklett’s Gummy Minnow is a fly or not. But there is little doubt that the Gummy Minnow is one of the hottest selling patterns around. Even at $5 a pop, these soft silicon baitfish are flying out of fly shops everywhere where baitfish are eaten by bigger fish.

Smooth is the word that comes to mind. Pretty is another word I hadn’t thought I’d ever use on a reel but the Lamson Velocity Open Back is all that. Elegant would be another way of describing the company’s new smoke finish on these reels too. So much so I have actually been looking at a new rod just to show off the color. The brown tones of my old Sage DS2 just don’t quite work.

It has been a public relations coup any politician or spin-doctor would love on their resume. The single most derided fish in freshwater has become trendy.
Somehow, that scum-sucking scourge of the waterways, the carp, is being described as the bonefish of inland waterways. Big name magazines are devoting pages to the where, how and why. Hell there are even Carp On Fly schools up and running. The Michigan Lower Peninsula this past summer became Carp Central USA, with otherwise well-credentialled and sensible trout fly fishers running around like schoolboys, talking excitedly of golden shapes across sand flats rather than their normal urbane cool towards the Brown drake and Hexagenia hatches.

Most of us spend a fair amount of time travelling to fish, since few are lucky enough to live on their home water. Travelling fly fishing isn't just about aircraft, 99% of our excursions would involve a road trip. Usually, it means a pile of fishing gear in the back of your vehicle, perhaps if your particularly organised a plastic bin or duffel. But Loon Outdoors have now released the perfect road trip bag in their Loon Travel Wader Bag.

You might have thought the specialty fly line market had reach saturation point with various designs for species from bonefish to bass and a whole fistful of lines for trout. But this season you will find two new specialized trout lines from both Scientific Anglers and Rio. Both are a shift away from the overweight distance casting weapons like the GPX or XXD lines from SA or RIO’s Grand line, instead focusing on control and finesse.