Fly Fishing Best of 2024: Gear That Improved Performance - Favorites From a Year of Testing

I put a lot of fly fishing gear through its paces every year. This list highlights the gear that stood out, made a difference, and led to more caught fish.

What dreams are made of. / photo by Ken Baldwin

Sunglasses for Fly Fishing - Make It a Priority

You can't overemphasize the importance of having a good pair of polarized sunglasses with UV protection. They protect your eyes from stray hooks and exposure to UV rays, and they drastically improve your ability to see fish.

Landing a cow. Bajio sunglasses cut through the glare and ease eye strain. / photo provided by Bajio

Last year, I was introduced to Bajio sunglasses while fly fishing. They were a quality pair of glasses with lenses that made everything look clear and crisp, blocked blue light, and the polarization allowed me to see through the glare of the water. They did everything I expected from a pair of quality sunglasses. However, they also fogged up.

Here's how Bajio became the best pair of glasses I tested last year. Instead of telling me that all sunglasses will fog up on you because "that's just what they do" (I swear, an executive from another company actually said that to me.), the Bajio customer service rep insisted that this was an issue that was fixable and will teach me to pick out a pair that will fit me in such a way that fogging won't be an issue.

The Bajio rep was true to her word. the wrap-around design was the problem; they sat too close to my face, and the lack of air circulation led to lens fog. More importantly, I learned Bajio is about customer service. Their sunglasses are high quality, but so is their customer service. They care enough to stick around after the sale has been made.

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A Stripping Basket That’s Lightweight and Easy To Use

Stripping baskets have been a pain in my butt since I started trying to use them 30 years ago. I've used the dish tub, the mesh net, a foam basket, and a high-tech contraption that I couldn't make sense of. They were either heavy and cumbersome, good on paper but not in reality, or flat out didn't perform. I know a stripping basket is supposed to make casting in the surf easier, but I've never found one that I was comfortable with. That changed this past year.

Easy Shrimp Eyes is a company out of Denmark. They build a stripping basket that is lightweight, easy to carry, smart in design, and most importantly does what it's supposed to do. This thing is a joy to fish, and whoever designed it really went outside the box and came up with a functioning basket that excels.

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Fly Fishing the Surf by Angelo Peluso

Learn about the world of fly fishing the surf. / photo by Ken Baldwin

If you're interested in learning the ins and outs of fly fishing the surf, or expanding your knowledge of fly fishing in general, Fly Fishing the Surf by Angelo Peluso is about as comprehensive as it gets. Not a quick read, Peluso covers a lot of ground in the chapters, but it is a book worth reading. Angelo's ability to entertain with a story, drawn from years of personal experience, makes the educational content easy to digest. Winter is still on us, so you have time to prepare for the upcoming season. And if you've never fly fished in the salt, I highly recommend it, this book is a good place to start.

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Wet Wading Just Got a Big Upgrade

I'm a big fan of wet wading and will do it over wearing waders whenever the conditions are right. Backcountry Skinz has made wet wading pants that make the conditions right more often. I wore them while fly fishing for striped bass on the Atlantic coast. The water was cold, and the conditions were sometimes brutal. Wearing the Backcountry Z-series pant was a marked improvement over regular wet wading or wearing heavy dry waders. I wasn't worn out by the end of the day, or chilled to the bone.

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Features of the Backcountry Z-series Wet Wading Pant

- They are a cross between low-profile compression pants and regular pants with two front pockets.
- The low profile makes moving in the water easy.
- They slide on and off because of a nylon lining.
- Easy maintenance. A quick rinse with a hose, then I hang them to dry.
- The thin neoprene was enough to keep me warm without overheating and acted as a layer of protection against bugs. poison ivy, leeches, jellyfish stings, but not great white shark bites.
- Easy to pack: the pants fold down thin and take up very little space in my luggage.
- I feel safer. If I fall in a river or a wave gets me, I have better mobility to stand up or swim. Plus, these don't have the danger of filling up with water like waders do.
- The comfort and mobility make them great for kayaking and SUPs.

There you go, ditch the compromised vision, tangled lines, and soggy waders for an upgrade. And while you are waiting for Spring to get here, explore the world of fishing the surf, you may discover a side of fly fishing you didn't know existed. KB

Read Next:

Fly Fishing Best of 2024 List: Fishing Packs - Favorites From a Year of Testing

Keep it simple. / photo by Ken Baldwin

Fly Fishing Best of 2024 List: Tech Clothing - Favorites From a Year of Testing

Geared up for weather. / photo by Ken Baldwin

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“The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover

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The gear reviewed in this article was provided to me at no cost for evaluation. The views and assessments presented are my own.