Tangled Lines reveals what anglers want for Xmas

Shopping for the angler is not easy, even for other anglers. The sport involves a lot of technical stuff, which combined with personal preference and a hearty dose of completely irrational prejudice, makes it easy for the unwary to drop the proverbial brick.

Example: Buying a Euronymphing rod for someone who believes that anything other than a dry fly presentation equals the End of Western Civilization.

Or buying a Tenkara rod for someone who thinks the fixed-line method equals the End of Western Civilization.

If you think I am exaggerating, just lurk on fly fishing forums for a while. One of them had an argument about expensive nippers that raged for years.

So here are some highly idiosyncratic suggestions:

Cabelas CGR fiberglass rods, at about $70, are not budget busters. They come in weights 2 through 5 and there is a 7 and/or 8 weight for the bass people.

The one I like, and use more often than any other for small stream trout fishing, is the 6 ½ foot 4 weight. Paired with a double taper line, it is about as versatile a stick as anyone could want, with enough oomph to turn over a weighted nymph or small streamer.

Lamson Liquid reels come in a set with the reel and two extra spools starting at about $220. They used to be about 60 bucks cheaper but hey, that’s so 2021.

These reels are sturdy, easy to clean, easy to switch retrieve direction, and with the extra spools you can get your main trout lines (in weights 4, 5, and 6 for example) in one handy carrying case. Less stuff rattling around in the car is always better.

Kold Kutters: These are studs designed for racing motorcycles on ice. They also work very well when screwed into wading boots. I use the ⅜ inch version, which are long enough to grab and not long enough to penetrate into the foot-type area, thus causing dismay and concern. And unlike official fly-fishing wading boot studs, around $28 gets you a bag of 250, rather than a set of 24.

Bat Belt: Say goodbye to flimsy wading belt misery forever with the Blackhawk Black Web Duty Belt (around $27). Designed for sport shooters, this thing has a Velcro adjuster, and is so stiff it can handle your wading stick, water bottle and net, thus getting all that weight off the shoulders. Pair it with a Koolbak wading staff holster or two, for said staff and for a water bottle (the insulated Yeti Rambler 18 ounce bottle fits snugly).

You can find a lot of this stuff on Amazon, and if that annoys you, buy direct from some of the companies (Cabelas), fly shops (UpCountry in New Hartford), or a hardware store that sells Yeti products.

And then there is the safe choice: the gift certificate. Orvis will provide, as will most fly shops. This is foolproof; the only disadvantage is cosmetic, as a wrapped box generates far more Christmas cheer than an envelope or an emailed QR code.

Feel free to email me with questions: patricks@lakevillejournal.com. Put “FISHING GEAR QUESTION” in the subject line so I don’t think you’re some kind of weirdo. (I get a lot of peculiar emails.)

  
This short fiberglass rod from Cabelas is a Tangled Lines favorite for small streams. Photo by Patrick L. Sullivan

Latest News

'Gather' at Troutbeck

'Gather' at Troutbeck

Romane Recalde speaking about her new business at Gather.

Natalia Zukerman

Hosted by Jason Klein and Sascha Lewis, an ongoing series called “Gather” at Troutbeck in Amenia brings together a curious crowd of local entrepreneurs, artists, and others with a story to tell for an intimate midday chat. On Thursday, Jan. 16, floral designer Romane Recalde, owner of the newly opened Le Jardin in Amenia, took center stage to share her journey from modeling in Miami to cultivating flowers in the Hudson Valley. Gather is a place to share stories, swap advice, and celebrate some of the unique businesses that make our area vibrant — all with a delicious lunch on the side. The gatherings are unconventional in the best way, with no agenda beyond good conversation and community building.

Recalde’s story isn’t just about creating a flower shop; it’s about a complete reinvention of self. “I hated Miami so much,” said the French-born Recalde, recalling her time in Florida before moving to New York. She worked as a model in New York, and eventually met her husband, James. Their pandemic escape to Turks and Caicos turned into a six-month stay, which in turn led them to Millbrook and finally to their home in Amenia, where Recalde’s connection to nature blossomed.

Keep ReadingShow less
community

Mad Rose opens ‘Assembled’ exhibition

Mad Rose opens ‘Assembled’ exhibition
Mad Rose Gallery director Michael Flowers contributed to the gallery's "Assembled" exhibit with a series of collaged landscape photographs
Nathan Miller

Mad Rose Gallery’s “Assembled” exhibition opened Saturday, Jan. 18, with a public reception.

The eclectic exhibition — on view until March 2 at the gallery on the intersection of Routes 22 and 44 in Millerton — gathers together work from a group of diverse artists with decades of experience between them. The exhibition itself is true to the name, featuring photographs, sculptures, drawings and mixed media works in all shapes and sizes.

Keep ReadingShow less
exhibit

The fragile bonds of family: a review of Betsy Lerner’s 'Shred Sisters'

The fragile bonds of family: a review of Betsy Lerner’s 'Shred Sisters'

Betsy Lerner’s 'Shred Sisters' is written with such verve and poetic imagination that it’s hard to fathom how it could be the author’s first novel. Ms. Lerner, 64, has worked for three decades as a literary agent, editor, and non-fiction writer, but at some point during the Covid pandemic — without any forethought — she sat down and typed out the first line of the novel exactly as it now appears in the book, and then completed it without telling anyone what she was up to.

The novel takes place over twenty years — from the 1970s into the ’90s — and is a kind of guide for that era. It reads like a memoir accompanied by some bouncy dialogue, but is actually a work of what’s called autofiction in which Lerner mixes her own experiences — including her own struggle with mental illness — with things she simply makes up. The fictional narrator is Amy Shred, the younger of two sisters in an upper-middle-class, secular Jewish family living in the suburbs of New Haven, Connecticut.

Keep ReadingShow less
books

Lazy, hazy days of...winter?

Lazy, hazy days of...winter?

This small stream is fishable, despite the wintry conditions. It probably won't be a pleasant or productive experience, but it can be done.

Patrick L. Sullivan

When syndicated columnists run out of ideas they do one of two things.

First they collect the last couple year’s worth of columns and call it a book. These are published to great acclaim from other syndicated columnists and show up in due course in gigantic, ziggurat-shaped mounds at Costco for $4.98 a pop.

Keep ReadingShow less