Hooking the right tackle and waders for fly fishing

The river and stream fishing season opens Sunday, so now's a good time to look at fishing gear. Anglers who spend a lot of time in pursuit of their favorite activity know the importance of quality gear that performs well and lasts more than a season or two.

With that in mind, we sent a selection of gear out with testers to see what would stand up to the rigors of year-round angling in the Northwest. We went after winter steelhead on the Methow, cutthroats on the upper Yakima, and fighting rainbow in the Middle Fork Snoqualmie. We scrambled over logs in the Tucannon, crawled through sagebrush along Rocky Ford Creek and hiked into the lakes of the Lower Crab Creek basin. In the end, we could recommend a couple of true standout pieces of angling gear, including a wonderfully versatile do-it-all rod. The Orvis Zero-Gravity 906-4 Fly Rod proved to be a powerful casting tool. It is capable of powering out the line on long casts, while letting you drop a fly on a rainbow's nose at 30 yards. Once the hook is set, the rod gives you the control you need to finesse the fish into the net, whether it is a stubborn Snake River cutthroat or a monster Hoh River sockeye.

At the same time, this 6-weight rod offered unmatched control for delicate fly presentations in small streams such as the Tucannon and Skate Creek. The Zero-G carries a hefty price tag, but it is a durable rod likely to serve you well throughout your life — and still be a nice legacy to pass on to your kids. The four-piece, 6-weight version of the Zero-G runs $655. See www.orvis.com.

For you fly fishermen who rely on your own feet rather than a boatman to get you to the fish, a quality pair of waders on your legs can be as important as the rod in your hand. Wading through snow-fed Cascade streams can turn bare skin blue in a matter of minutes, even in the summer months; staying dry means more casting time for you.

But not all waders are created equally. They need to be durable; our mountain streams are loaded with abrasive volcanic rocks, fallen trees and other wader-ripping materials.

Some of the stoutest waders we tested were the Cloudveil 8X Pro Waders. The folks at Cloudveil know how to work with Gore-Tex, having won many awards with their skiing and mountaineer jackets over the years. So when it came time to whip up a pair of waders, the Cloudveil team turned to Gore-Tex once more. The 8X Waders feature five-ply Gore-Tex for waterproof durability, while the articulated knees and crotch let active anglers comfortably work the rivers in pursuit of wily trout.

We crossed numerous logs, and even climbed over a few barbed-wire fences in these waders with nary a leak; when we snagged them, the multiple layers of material kept the barb from pushing all the way through.

Cloudveil adds key features such as sewn-on belt loops to keep your waders cinched, and a zippered pass-through hand-warmer pocket on the bib. What's more, Cloudveil waders are cut to fit comfortably without excess material. Too often, breathable waders are overly baggy, but Cloudveil targets a more athletic fit. (So if you have a beer-keg belly, you'll want to look elsewhere.)

At $475-$495 (depending on size), the 8x Pro Waders aren't cheap, yet they will take a lot of abuse and still keep you dry. See www.cloudveil.com.

— Dan A. Nelson, special to The Seattle Times

Freelancer Dan A. Nelson, of Puyallup, is a regular contributor to Backpacker magazine, and an author of outdoor guides with The Mountaineers Books. For the purpose of review, gear manufacturers lend products, which are returned after a typical use of four to six weeks. There is no payment from manufacturers and they have no control over the content of reviews. Contact Dan with gear-related questions at gearguy@adventuresnw.net.