Fly fishing is ingrained in American culture — Ernest Hemingway and Norman MacLean romanticised it fiction, outdoor brands like Patagonia and Yeti do the same through photos and videos of adventure. Even Teddy Roosevelt fished with a dry fly. And yet, despite the sport’s prevalence in our culture it remains slightly guarded, the hitch to its gate barred by a perception of eliteness and of course, a daunting list of gear to purchase.
This week a new company launched with a single product — a fly rod — that might have a shot at refocusing those views. It’s called Reyr Gear and its rod, the First Cast, is designed to be super-portable and very easy to use. The 8-foot six-inch rod packs down to just 17 inches and stores rigged and reeled inside of a handy neoprene case. The entire package fits easily into an everyday backpack.
The First Cast, which Reyr bills as a medium-weight rod, comes with an aluminum reel attached and a line that’s internally-routed through its telescoping segments. Transitioning from packed and stowed to extended and ready takes less than a minute, even for beginners (we can confirm this from first-hand experience). The beauty of the First Cast is that it does away with much of the technical know-how required to fish with a fly rod, and lets would-be anglers focus less on the equipment and more on the cast (they’ll still have to learn how to do that).
Ordering Info
The first batch of First Cast Fly Rods are set to ship on July 20, 2018. There are only 100 units available in this first run. Each rod comes with a box containing an assortment of flies, but additional flies and tools can be ordered separately for $25.
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