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Recommended Fly Rods
Solderini Hydrophsyche Full Contact 10'6" 0-3wt
The Solderini Full Contact is my go-to all purpose nymph rod at the moment. It comes with two tips: one solid, the other hollow. The solid tip is an exceptional step up for throwing light rigs and fighting and landing small fish. It still has enough backbone to fight the big ones, but enough finesse and bend that breaking off fish is no concern.
Solderini Hydrophsyche Sensor XUT 10'6" 0-3wt
The Solderini Sensor is a very similar blank to the Full Contact, but just a tiny bit less stiff and does not have an integrated carbon handle. It has a slightly different feel, with only a little less sensitivity and crispness. Overall it’s just as capable as the FC, and it’s about $100 less expensive. If a little more refinement in the blank isn’t worth the extra price, this is the rod for you.
Highland Stealth 10' 3wt
The Highland Stealth 10’ 3wt is the Highland’s flagship product. It’s an exceptional rod, with a unique design and deflection profile. It casts the range of weights well, however I particularly like it for fishing heavier rigs and fighting bigger fish. It’s an exceptional fish fighting tool. It’s also my primary ultralight dry fly rod.
Highland Stealth 10'6" 3wt
The Highland Stealth 10’6” 3wt builds off the same deflection profile as the 10’ 3wt Stealth. The 10’6” is a bit stiffer, but the extra leverage makes it better for casting very light flies. It’s an exceptional rod for big water and one of my go-to’s for fishing places like New Zealand.
Cortland Nymph 10' 3wt
The Cortland Nymph 10’ 3wt is a great rod for anglers looking for a cheaper, entry level option. It has a good deflection and recovery for casting the range of fly weights, without faltering too much on the very light or heavy ends of the spectrum. The sensitivity and refinement of the blank is not to the level of some of the other rods on this list, but at only $330, it’s a great deal for a very nice rod.
Diamondback Ideal Nymph 10' 2wt
The Diamondback Ideal Nymph 10’ 2wt is a great rod at an excellent price point. It has a deflection profile and recovery rate that makes it great for throwing lighter flies, dry dropper, and dries. It has a bit of a softer feel than many of the other rods on my list, which some anglers prefer.
Diamondback Ideal Nymph 10'10" 2wt
The 10’10” 2wt Diamondback Ideal Nymph is a rod I used for many years. It was the first rod I used specifically for micro leaders. The extra leverage and deflection profile make it a solid option for lighter bugs and leaders, and the extra few inches of length are nice on bigger rivers. I now use the Solderini over this rod because it work’s better with my current casting technique, however the 10’10” 2wt is still a great rod.
Hardy Ultralite LL 9'9" 4wt
The Hardy Ultralite 9’9” 4wt is my go-to rod for fishing a more standard WF fly line and casting dries at distance. It has just the right amount of stiffness and a fast recovery that makes it perfect for the “Spanish Style” dry fly fishing, as well as more traditional methods. It’s always a client favorite when we use it on guide trips.
Highland 10' 7wt
The Highland 10’ 7wt is my go-to Stillwater fly rod. It is based on the same deflection profile as the 10’ 3wt, making it incredibly unique among 10’ 6 or 7wt rods. It has a much softer tip, which makes it feel a lot smoother on the cast. In fact, it’s one of my favorite casting rods in general. It also makes it a much better rod for fighting fish, especially smaller ones, in Stillwater situations.
Orvis Helios 9' 11wt
The Helios 9’ 11wt is my favorite musky rod. It has a ton of backbone, which makes it great for boatside and figure-8 eats. It casts well with a 450gr line, both water loading and overhead casting. More importantly, it handles heavy flies well enough that your shoulder won’t feel too bad at the end of the day.
Greys Wing 9' 7wt
I have a fleet of Grey’s Wing rods for bass guiding. They throw big, air resistant flies into wind with no problem, have enough bend to fight fish well, and are easy on the shoulder. For a mid-priced rod, they have a great feel to them while casting.
Recommended Fly Reels
Lamson Speedster
The Lamson Speedsters have served me well for over 12 years. I have three that have travel to and fished in five World Championships, numerous smaller competitions, and hundreds of trips locally and around the world. I fish them hard, and they look almost as new as the day I bought them. The drag is bombproof and smooth, and the tolerances are tight enough to keep even micro leaders in most of the time. In my opinion, they’re one of the best reels ever made.
Lamson Guru E
The Guru E is another bombproof offering from Lamson. It puts all the durability and drag quality the Speedster has into a full cage option that keeps micro leaders a bit more controlled than open cage reels. It has a nice weight system as well, which I don’t use personally, but some anglers really like.
Hardy Averon
The Hardy Averon is the latest in Hardy’s line of Cassette reels. It’s fixed a lot of issues that popped up in the last few models, bringing the quality back to the old days of the Ultralite 1000 series. It’s one of the best overall cassette reels on the market, with a fully machined aluminum housing, streamlined cassette system, and great drag. If you’re looking for the best cassette reel available, this is it!
OCR Bighorn
The OCR Bighorn is my favorite semi auto reel on the market. It has a smooth trigger pull and great drag system. My favorite feature is the fact that it has a standard handle in addition to the semi auto system, which makes fighting fish easier, and gives you a backup in case the gears get clogged or otherwise unusable.
Cheeky Burst 400
The Cheeky Burst is the reel I use for most o my warm water and saltwater fishing. It has a great build quality, and a smooth, fully sealed drag. I’ve landed everything from smallmouth to snakehead to mid-sized tarpon on it, and it’s handled them all well. And, it’s just over $300!
Redington Behemoth
I have Redington Behemoths on all my musky rods. They have large arbors and solid drags, and have handled plenty of big musky and pike for me over the years. At only $160, you can’t get anything better for the price, and you don’t need anything better for targeting these fish.
Recommended Fly Lines
Solderini Braid Core Nymph Line
I recently switched to the Solderini euro line, and have been extremely happy with the performance. It’s exactly true to size at 0.022” diameter, making it lighter than most of the other lines on the market. It’s very supple and has what seems to be a high quality outer coating, It’s everything I want in a nymph line.
Cortland Mono Core Nymph Line
I use the Cortland Mono Core nymph line for my ultralite euro-dry setup. It is a bit stiffer and heavier than other euro lines on the market, which makes it great for loading euro rods and casting dries.
Airflo Tactical Taper 2wt
The airflo tactical taper is my favorite weight forward dry fly line at the moment. It has a nice, punchy taper that works well for both traditional and “Spanish-style” dry fly tactics. It also floats better and for longer than many lines on the market and has good durability and longevity.
Orvis Pro Depth Charge 450gr
The Depth Charge is my line of choice for musky fishing. I mainly target deep, slow water with relatively buoyant flies, and the depth charge gets them down and keeps them there. It’s landed me a lot of fish over the years, and is the most durable line I’ve tried yet.
Airflo 6th Sense Lake Lines
I’ve just switched to the Airflo lines after years of using a set of Rio lines I bought in 2016. I’ve been told by my teammates that they are the best son the market at the moment, and so far I’ve been impressed.