Fly Fishing Show Roundup - New Gear

    This past Friday I managed to get the time off of work to make the pilgrimage up to Winston Salem for the annual Fly Fishing Show.  It is a journey I try to make every year but unfortunately last year I was unable to get the time off.  This year however I planned out my time and took the three hour car trip from Greenville SC up 85 to the Southeasts premier fly fishing event.
    It was a little smaller of a show than I remember when it was held in Raleigh two years ago but it was still jam packed with enough gear and presenters to keep this angler busy.  It was also too big to jam it all in one post so I have split it up into a few posts.  For this one I'll showcase two new manufactures that really stood out.

The Gear

    First off, quite a few of us love these shows because the new gear we find there.  From waders to reels to a new fly tying setup, these companies wait all year for an opportunity like this show to present their products to people like me.
   This year a few new companies to me really stood out both in quality and usability.

Smith Fly
  First to catch my eye was gear manufacture - Smith Fly.  Specializing in packs and fly gear storage, this company represented by Ethan Smith showed real promise.  Not only are these companies products are manufactured in the US, ( A BIG deal in an age of global trade) they are quite possibly the most bullet proof gear storage kits I have ever found.  Not only do they share my love for simplicity in design (very little extra junk attached to a pack you will never use) but they use the same materials our military uses for their gear.  Fantastic looking gear and I will be keeping my eye on this company.

Hatch
  Fairly new to the fly fishing world with just over ten years of manufacturing top quality reels, Hatch may still be a little known company but that will change.  They took the time to discuss their product with me including a little info on the process they use to create their quality products.  As advertised on their reels with a red blazed 'Made In USA', these guys are dedicated to bring the US back to the forefront of fly gear manufacturing.  In a market where there is a lot of quality reel companies, these guys are on the right track.  I of course took quite a bit of time clicking the drags on their reels and was impressed with the smoothness of action.  They definitely have the quality of a top manufacture and these are another company to keep an eye on.

There was of course quite a few other quality companies presenting their products but these two were the ones that stood out to this angler as both new and unique and guys you might not have heard of.