I Want It!

BLOOD KNOT'S Seven: Sweet Toys I Needed Yesterday!

By Jason Duong

The snow is falling, the creepy fat man in the red suit is at the mall and you just gained ten pounds of turkey weight. That’s right, once again we’re in the holiday season and the ritual of exchanging gifts has begun.  Before Aunt Gurtrude gives you another glitter infused Christmas sweater, or your Uncle Carmine hands you a jar of PowerBait because trout are only caught on the goo, get your Wish List together! Here are seven sweet fly fishing toys that should be at the top of the list: 

Buff, leading the way with innovative and versatile headgear, is also leading the category, Why Didn’t I Think of That? They’ve busted onto the scene with help from CBS’s Survivor and movies like Location X and Soulfish. Across continents, the Buff Original and UV Angler Buff have been protecting facial regions from harsh UV rays and limiting that ridiculous raccoon look for years. I could care less about Survivor, but I’m definitely a fan of Buff’s Cyclone! The Cyclone sports a warm, duel layer microfiber top section and a Gore-Tex wind-stopper fleece material for around the neck, keeping you toasty on the harshest of days. Think of it as foreskin for your face, keeping your mouth, ears and cheeks protected from the brutal winds of winter. Check them out at www.buffwear.com.

After a day on the water harassing fish, there’s nothing like the sweet smell of a nice cigar. The thought sounds great, but more often than not the cigar falls victim to being crushed, drenched, or lost during the day’s adventure. The Sage Humidor addresses those issues with its cedar lined, crush-proof exterior and water tight seal. So even if you bust your ass, your cigars are always kept fresh and safe. And it looks identical to their rod tubes!  Honey, if you’re reading this, go to www.sageflyfish.com and stuff this bad boy in my stocking!

It’s on those hot days an aroma bellows from my waders. I wish I could say it smells like a valley of wildflowers or of Chandelier – the previous night’s entertainment. It doesn’t. I reek of sweat and funk, and need me a healthy sprinklin’ of Anti-Monkey Butt Powder. …I can’t even type that with a straight face. Seriously, this stuff’s specifically designed to absorb excess sweat and reduce skin friction and irritation. And it’s good for a Christmas morning laugh! Pick some up at www.antimonkeybutt.com, and tell them BLOOD KNOT says thanks!

Most of the rivers I frequent are hammered by fly anglers and the fish are wary and spooky. Trout can only be lined so many times before they connect bright neon green with danger. But Monic Fly Lines to the rescue! Those guys have developed clear lines that float high, mend easily, and can deliver a presentation no worse than God himself—just what an angler needs for pressured waters. Also check out their clear tropic lines, great for bones and tarpon. Get more information at www.monic.com . 

There’s something about fly fishing the tropics with an ice cold beer—celebrating the day or drowning the memory of a 150lb tarpon that threw your fly. Don’t risk that panicked feeling that rolls over the body when you realize you’ve left the bottle opener in your luggage. Don’t put yourself in that gearless position only a lid away from sweet utopia! Pick up a pair of Reef sandals instead. Reef, the makers of quality footwear, has ingeniously designed a sandal with a bottle opener built into the bottom of each sole. Check them out at www.reef.com and start breaking those long necks open with your feet like you’re the Sebastian janikowski of beer drinking.

Fly tying is an art. If you’re gonna craft flies like the Royal Coachman and the Prince Nymph, you need tools fit for a king. The new line of products from the Montana Fly Company, dubbed River Camo, has done just that. Infused with rainbow trout, brown trout and river bed patterns, these tools have pizzazz! Break from the norm and go to www.montanafly.com to add a little Elton to your tying desk.

I’ve seen my fair share of horrible in-flight movies traveling across the country to fly fish.  I don’t have much against PG-13 movies, but watching Failure to Launch for entertainment? Come on, really? Next time I’m packing a pair of I-glasses, a contraption worn across your eyes just like a normal pair of glasses, but damn near like watching a 50” TV from 6 ½ feet away. With the built in 36GB of memory and the ability to hook up to any video device with composite outputs, it truly gives you the best possible way to ignore the screaming baby three rows up.  And so what if I look like Geordi  Laforge in ‘em? Check them out at www.i-glassesstore.com. They’re sick!