Living in the heart of American trout country and spending in excess of one hundred days annually with a fly rod in my hands does not mean that an excuse to spend even more time on the water is not entirely welcome.
This was the effect of a package recently received from Gareth Jones.
With more than a year of development already in the books, it was finally my turn to try a new series of specialized fly lines from Airflo. Enthusiastic reports over the preceding months had revved the anticipation to the top of the scale by the time I was able to spool the first of several new tapers and head for the Henry’s Fork.
The timing for testing the SuperFlo Elite presentation line could not have been more ideal on a river known for its high demands in all aspects of the tool set required for consistent success in overcoming some of the world’s most elusive trout.
With the full length of the most productive stretch in prime condition, my testing has been covering the delicate and precise requirements of fishing small dries to muscular rainbows on the slow moving and mostly wadable Harriman Ranch as well as a bigger and quicker Henry’s Fork thirty miles downstream. It is on the lower Fork where size ten and twelve drake hatches bring a heavier work load when a sixty foot or longer cast is often needed to reach big browns rising in deeper water.
The Still Water Taper was the other line selected for immediate sampling as all local lakes become hard to resist. With names like Henry’s, Hebgen, and Sheridan to choose from, there is no shortage of opportunity to a shoot accurate and well-timed casts to cruising surface feeders or extend to maximum distance when fishing a team of nymphs beneath the surface.
With the new SuperFlo Xceed and River and Stream tapers still waiting for my attention, the work continues. And while not always comforting to Bonnie, the excuse to fish more is not likely to end anytime soon. This is an exciting time to be a part of the Airflo team.