Late season trout news and hot new fresh and saltwater gear.

Published: Fri, 03/29/19

Hi , here is a little late season report and some cool stuff for you to look at.

West is best and a Bopper Hopper helps

Mike had a day in the western lakes recently. It is late in the season, but the trout are still on the prowl.

The fish on the left was one of four cast to on the day and three of those ate the Bopper Hopper shown bottom left.

The day started with frozen water around the edges and as the sun warmed things up the ice melted and fish started to move - very slowly, but move they did.

It does become hard spotting fish as the sun is lower at this time of the year, but pick the right day and some great action can still be had.

Mike fished with a #4 weight, ten foot Sage X. This is an outstanding rod - it gives a bit more lift and the length helps getting a little higher than the bushes behind. It is plenty powerful enough for most days out west and a four weight has less line mass so you do get a lighter presentation.

Mike uses a Scientific Angler Amplitude Trout in a #4 weight. It has a long head and delivers a dry fly gently.

If you get a chance at a nice day before the end of the season 'out west' take it. Buy Bopper Hoppers here.

MagMini universal fly holder

The best way to store and dry your flies whilst on the water
Flies stick securely to the MagMini. It can be attached to your Vest, Pack or Waders via the carabiner or magnetically. The MagMini is around 6 cm long and made to the highest standards, using the best quality materials available.
The MagMini is made up from three separate components:
Mini's - One of each colour (White and Green). Made from a "soft touch" TPE, this is the part which holds your flies securely.
MagHub - The metal plate which the Mini's connect to. Made from a non-corrosive steel which can be used near water without fear of discolouration.
Carabiner - Small but very strong, made from marine grade stainless steel.
We believe that this accessory is the first of it's kind to the market where stunning design meets unrivalled usability. There are numerous areas where it really excels:
Holding Flies - What it was originally designed for!
Used as a Day Fly Box - One side for dries, and one for nymphs
For Competition Use - All the flies you need, to hand immediately
Holding Droppers - So they don't tangle when changing flies
Storing Beads & Hooks when fly tying - see images here
Whatever you use the MagMini for, we really do think you will love it.
Check it out here.

Half Price - Airflo fibreglass 7'2" #4 weight rod $125 or combo $295

Perfect for Creeks, Kayaks and Kids.
Fishing with fibreglass is fun and with these rods it is not big bucks. The 3pc Airflo Ambush fibreglass fly rod is here to satisfy that bendy stick urge when you've had your fast action fix.

No good things happen quickly and slowing down is a super way to enjoy small streams. Fibreglass is tough and can take abuse that would have modern graphite broken into many pieces. Perfect for scrub bashing creeks, for bendy under the kayak antics and kids that just want to have fun.
These are serious rods though that will deliver the shortest cast with delicacy and medium casts with finesse. Roll cast and bow and arrow cast like you have done it for a lifetime.
We have lines and reels to suit and shipping is free if you get over $150.
Quality alloy reel seat with exotic wood insert
Silicon carbide stripper guides
Titanium coated single foot guides
Comes complete with Cordura rod tube and cloth bags

Also available in a Combo. The 7'2" #4 weight also comes as a combo with a Flylab reel, backing, #4 weight double taper line and leader, plus cordura rod tube. We have put this combo together to save you the trouble of trying to match things up. Whether you are casting ten feet or fifty this is a great outfit. It is a great kayak rod/combo as it is almost impossible to break. $455 value, but a bargain at $295. The RRP on the rod is $250. This includes Express postage in Australia. 12 only available.

Buy the Rod on its own or Combo here.

Redington Path 8 Weight Behemoth outfit combo $140 OFF

NOW $420 including shipping

Redington's Path/Behemoth Fly Combo. All-water, medium-fast-action Path rod boasts premium graphite blanks for reliable performance. Rods feature full-wells handles and anodized-aluminum reel seats. Alignment dots make assembly easy. Matched with a Redington Behemoth 7/8 Reel / Backing & WF8F Fly line.
The Redington Path rod has lifetime replacement warranty, so if it gets broken for any reason you pay around $100 and Redington replace your rod with a new one.
The Redington Behemoth reel is an amazing value for money reel. Check out any review and you will see. Great drag and great value.

Only 10 of these available.

Grab one now and we will ship it for FREE.

GLoomis NRX LP

GLoomis has some outstanding fly rods, but we do not see them much in Australia.
Under the ownership of Shimano, the parent company, they seem to have let the fly rods hide from view, despite their outstanding performance. World Champion caster and GLoomis rod designer Steve Rajeff has built a couple of absolute crackers. The first is the GLoomis NRX LP 9’ #5 weight. What a beautiful rod this is. Yellowstone Angler said ‘The best 5-weight rod at any price, bar none.’ Yellowstone Angler do very comprehensive fly rod shootouts and the NRX LP won best #5 weight four consecutive times. Performance to 65 feet is outstanding and it is one of Steve Rajeff’s finest achievements. This rod is in stock at the moment. I love this rod with Scientific Anglers MPX and Infinity lines. It is a lovely dry fly rod. Price $1140. You can buy it here. We only have two in stock, but have more on order.

There is also the Asquith rod by Shimano, but we will talk about that another day.

Hatch Finatic fly reels

Hatch Finatic fly fishing reels are superbly crafted, high quality, machined finished reels, featuring a multi-stack stainless steel disk drag.
If you were stranded on a desert island and had only one reel, it would be the 7 Plus. From bonefish to permit, steelhead to carp, this reel has you covered.
Made in USA and tough as it gets.

2 PLUS GEN 2 FINATIC
Small water perfection. The 2 Plus is rated for 2 through 4 weight lines, weighs only 3.2 oz. without line, and measures 3” in diameter. Match up with your favorite lightweight fly rod and you’re ready to fish any small stream, lake, or favorite dry fly stretch of water. Fully CNC machined in Vista, CA with a proprietary Rulon/Stainless Steel stacked disk drag, the 2 Plus is available in Large arbor only. Available within a few days. Phone to order.

3 PLUS GEN 2 FINATIC
The 3 Plus is capable of running 3–5 weight lines with ample backing capacity for the occasional whopper that might come along. At first glance you’ll notice this ain’t no dainty trout reel. This little wonder means business. Available within a few days. Phone to order.

4 PLUS GEN 2 FINATIC
The 4 Plus bridges the gap in size and weight between the 3 and 5 plus models. If you’re looking for the perfect reel for your 9′ 5 weight rod then look no further. Designed to be the perfect 5 weight reel — but feels equally balanced with 4-6 weight lines as well.

5 PLUS GEN 2 FINATIC
We’ve used this workhorse surf fishing in So Cal, light steelheading in Oregon, chucking nasty streamers to ravenous browns in Montana, and stalking bones on the flats in Belize. We call this bad boy the “do it all” reel — designed for running 5–7 line weights.

7 PLUS GEN 2 FINATIC
If I was stranded on a desert island and had only one reel to bring, it would be the 7 Plus. We have sold more of these bad boys than any other size in the Hatch line up. From bonefish to permit, steelhead to carp, this reel has you covered. The perfect crossover reel for both salt and fresh water fly fishing.

9 PLUS GEN 2 FINATIC
Where the rubber meets the road my friends! If you’ve been dreaming of a reel that has the look, feel and performance of a Ferrari, then look no further. Capable of running 9–11 weight lines, and your choice of mid or large arbor spools, this reel is one versatile hombre. If you are truly serious about saltwater or spey fishing then this is your next reel.

11 PLUS GEN 2 FINATIC
The goal was to create a larger reel that bridged the gap between the 9 and 12 Plus models. We also wanted to make sure it had an oversized handle for greater grip control when fighting those big silver critters. The mid arbor option is also great for spey rods from 13.5–14.5 feet. We had one thing in mind when we designed this reel — Tarpon.

12 PLUS GEN 2 FINATIC
Conventional wisdom says: Never take a knife to a gunfight. And when you’re tackling big fish like the ones this reel was designed for, then I think that’s really sound advice. GTs or tuna, just to name a few, can undo your average gear in a fraction of a second. You will not find a better fish-fighting tool on the market for these situations. Oh yeah, it’s also great for big spey applications. Designed for fish that are notorious for being really hard to handle.

Check what is available here.

Saltwater gear

Plenty of other saltwater reels available from Redington, Tibor, Sage, Lamson, Orvis and others. If you are going saltwater fishing this Winter give us a call. We have a huge range of rods, reels and lines.

We EXPRESS Post everything.

You will usually get it next business day.

essential FLYFISHER

www.essentialflyfisher.com.au

mike@essentialflyfisher.com.au