Fly Shop - A.A. Outfitters Online Fly Fishing Catalog 2008

I thought I’d give some feedback on some of the newer fly fishing gear for 2008. This review is based on Shop Employee and Owner experience and evaluation along with Customer feedback from product use. Here you go:

Simms Rivershed and all Simms Wading Boots - The new Rivershed Wading Boot is absoulutely the best wading boots I’ve ever worn … period. Great comfort, great fit, not too difficult to get on and off and the studded Aquastealth sole gives great traction in all conditions. The entire new line of Simms Wading Boots is a big hit this year with across-the-board improvements.

Scientific Anglers Sharkskin Fly Lines - Haven’t fished one yet but it casts great. A bit “noisy” but most Customers don’t condsider that an issue. Feedback from about 20 Customers who have fished these lines is VERY positive, sighting floatability, ease of line pick-up and shootability as the most positive attributes.

Sage Smallmouth Rods - Selling these like crazy and it’s nowhere near Smallmouth season here yet. Just cast one and you’ll be hooked. One of our Customers used one for Stripers already and was extremely impressed. Being a very experienced Susquehanna River Smallmouth and Striper Fisherman, I’m very excited to get mine out there as soon as possible. Simply a very “fun” rod and priced way too low for what you get!

All Simms Goretex Waders - Dependable, comfortable and great sizing options as usual. Big Sellers this year are the G3 Guide with new Gore Pro fabric, the new Rivershed and Rivertek waders. Simms is simply the best wader available.

Sage ZXL and Z Axis Fly Rods - The Z Axis continues to be a strong seller, maybe the best “fast” rod available and the slightly softer action ZXL is a great rod for presentation and an extremely smooth feel.

Sage FLi and Launch Outfits - The best mid priced Outfits available. Dollar for dollar, you can match these rod/reel/line Outfits against any others out there. Sales are strong with great Customer feedback.

Bauer Rogue Fly Reels - I think this is one of the best Fly Reels available. Light, smooth, dependable, attractive, a great drag system and made in the USA. Bauer has a reputation for great quality and dependability. I don’t think we have ever sent a reel back to Bauer because of a defect or manufacturing problem.

Thanks for checking out A.A. Outfitters. Let us know if we can help. Call 800-443-8119.
Gene Ercolani - Owner A.A. Outfitters Fly Shop

Here’s a little helpful information to help figure out which fly to use here in Northeast Pennsylvania. We could get very specific here, use Latin, make this extremely complicated, like many prefer to do but … here’s a simple guideline to use. Please keep in mind there are always exceptions to rules, especially when dealing with nature and keep in mind this is simplified information to help novices with deciding which flies to use in a particular season. This is a simplified reference.
Firstly, Trout flies hatch generally in a particular order and this order rarely or never varies from year to year. Knowing this, we can sort of know which flies come first, and in what order hatches will come. After a fly becomes active or “hatches” and goes thru it’s adult life cycle, it will become dormant as far as living in it’s adult “dry fly” stage until about the same time next year. We can therefore generally predict which flies will hatch at what time of the year. The Hatch Chart below will give you a good idea of which flies to have in your fly box at particular times of the year. Here’s a general guideline for fly hatches here in northeast Pa:
Begining Season - Late March / Mid April
Little Black Stoneflies
Quill Gordons
Hendricksons, Red Quills
Blue Quills
Caddis - Tan
Early Season - End April / Early May
Quill Gordons
Blue Quills
Hendricksons, Red Quills
Blue Winged Olives
March Browns
Caddis - Black, Tan
Sulphurs
Mid Season - Mid May / Early June
March Browns
Blue Winged Olives
Sulphurs
Caddis - Tan, Olive, Grey, Black
Green Drakes
Yellow Stoneflies
Tricos
Midges
Inchworms
Late season - Mid June / July / August / Sept
Sulphurs
Light Cahills
Blue winged Olives
Caddis
Slate Drakes
Midges
Terrestrials - Hoppers, Ants, Crickets, Beetles, Caterpillars
Flying Ants

Hope this helps! Visit us at the Shop in the Poconos, online at www.aaoutfitters.com or call toll free 800-443-8119 for all your Fly Fishing needs.
Gene Ercolani,
Owner A.A. Outfitters

Free Fly Tying classes at A.A. Outfitters Fly Shop on Saturdays - Feb. 9, 16 and 23rd. Classes are from 11:00 to 2:00 on Saturdays in Feb. Please call 570-643-8000 for information and details. No equipment, no registration and no fees required. Classes may go into March depending on interest and demand.

Hi folks. Here’s a little info for you all … some are aware of this fact and many are not:
Did you know that many models of HARDY Fly Reels are now being made in Korea and most or all will be made in Korea over time? How’s that for a shocker? I was disappointed to find this out myself, especially because the retail price of Hardy Reels has increased so much in the past year or so. Not sure I understand the “economics” from the Consumer end on this one … $300.00 to $500.00+ for a classic styled click-drag reel made in Korea??? One of Hardy’s biggest selling points was the Classic “Made in England” appeal. I’m sure the “collectibility of newer reels will also be hurt.
Gene Ercolani - Owner A.A. Outfitters

Limited time free shipping offer from A.A. Outfitters for our “online shoppers”.
Free shipping on international orders via Express Air Mail on any order totaling $500.00 or more with package weight less than 8 pounds.
Free shipping to US addresses via UPS Ground on orders totaling $300.00 or more with package weight less than 15 pounds.
Offer valid for online orders placed August 1, 2007 thru August 14, 2007. Alaska and Hawaii shipments are via USPS Priority Mail.
Order online at www.aaoutfitters.com

I’d like to take this opportunity to try to help Fly Fishermen with choosing a new rod, or any other gear. I want to place an emphasis on all the information that is currently available thru the many “forums”, “chat rooms”, “blogs” and “Gear Guide” articles out there.
Almost daily, I get e-mails, phone calls and customers, in person, asking about rods, and other equipment. Somewhere along the conversation it always comes up - “Expert A” says this about a rod. Or the “”Expert” forum says this, or I heard something about this rod in the “Expert” chat room. Or I read about this in a magazine article. Most potential buyers are armed with tons of information they found “Online” or in some magazine article.
I’ve been involved in the Fly Fishing Business for over 15 years. I’ve been fly fishing since the 1970s. I’ve owned this Shop for nearly 10 years. I make it my business to know about and use most of the equipment I sell. I have facts and opinions on everything I sell. If someone asks, I’ll share this information. I like to help. I consider myself very knowledgable in Fly Fishing equipment.
I urge Fly Fishermen to take all the information they find online, in forums, in chat rooms and in magazine or internet articles with a “grain of salt”. Here’s my advise and some examples of problems with “expert opinion”:
- Consider the source - is the Guy trashing the Winston Rod a Loomis employee? You don’t know what affiliation the article author has with the rod company he’s praising (or trashing). Maybe the Shop Owner sells Orvis and Winston Rods, so his opinion of Sage Rods may not be that great. The author may use only very fast action rods and may not have any tolerance for other action rods.
- I’ve heard stories that some of the “Experts” in these forums turned out to be a 14 year old kid! Do you know who’s writing the article?
- Everyone has opinions. Get 15 Guys together and have them cast 3 different rods from 3 different manufacturers. I’ll bet you’ll never get 100% agreement on which is the best, so WHO’S RIGHT? We’re all entitled to our opinion. Why give too much credence to someone’s opinion in an online article or magazine article. They simply may like something you don’t!
- There’s a reason Rod Companies like Sage and Winston make several top-end rods. It doesn’t mean that one is better than the other, it means they’re a little different - because people are all a little different. When “Expert A” says a certain rod is “the biggest disappointment of 2007″ that simply means he does not like the rod. It DOES NOT mean that you can’t think the rod is the best rod ever made. There’s only one opinion that really matters, since you are the one dropping the $600.00 down on the counter - the only opinion that matters is yours!
- So, bottom line. All the info out there is great to compare specs, weights, cosmetics, warranties, company reliability, etc. But when it comes to buying a rod here’s my advise - TRY IT YOURSELF. Instead of spending hours in forums, chat rooms, reading magazine articles to learn the OPINION of others (who may or may not know more than you) spend the time casting the rods yourself. Compare rods yourself and make your own decision. You decide which is the best for you. We at A.A. Outfitters encourage our customers to come in and try a few rods and pick the one they like best. We’ll be glad to help you choose the rod that’s best for you.
Gene Ercolani - Owner A.A. Outfitters Fly shop

Here’s a “MUST HAVE” list of early season flies for Northeast Pennsylvania. Of course there are more, and many of us have thousands of flies in our boxes, but these are what you definitely should have in the fly box for the first month or so of the Trout season:
Wooly Buggers - #8, #10 in colors like black, olive and a few bright/flashy ones.
Beadhead Prince Nymph, Hares Ear and Beadhead Pheasant Tails in #12, #14, #16.
Hendrickson Duns and emergers#12, #14.
Red Quill Duns and emergers #14, #16.
Blue Quill Duns and emergers #16, #18, #20.
Little Black Stonefly Nymphs #14, #16, and Black Stimulators or Black Caddis Dries #16, #18.
Elk Hair or Henry’s Fork Caddis in Black, Tan, Grey, Olive #14, #16.
A.A. Outfitters Fly Shop has all you Fly Fishing supplies including THOUSANDS of flies. Give us a call 800-443-8119 or stop in the Shop.

March 16, 2007. Another setback this weekend. We closed early Friday, due to snow. There’s a state of emergency here., which means driving on the roads is illegal! So, with the 12 to 18 inches of snow we’re getting, not much emphasis is on fishing. However, it’s a good time to get out the gear, check your fly lines, leaders, tippet, clean-up the reels and see what you need for the season. We’re stocked to the gills with new Sage and Winston Rods, Scientific Anglers and Rio Fly Lines, Simms wafers and clothing, Simms Boots, action Optics Sunglasses, leaders, tippet, C&F fly Boxes, Renzetti Vises and more. Our Fly bins are filling up and we should be completely stocked with early season flies within the next week or two. Stop by A.A. Outfitters Fly Shop or give us a call 800-443-8119.

We have a few beautiful, new Bamboo Rods in stock. These are among the finest rods built today. Currently we have:
Bellinger 8 foot, 4 weight, 2 piece, 2 tips
Baginski 8 foot, 4 weight, 2 piece, 2 tips
Baginski 7 foot, 3/4 weight, 3 piece, 2 tips
Call A.A. Outfitters Fly Shop with serious inquiries and pricing 800-443-8119.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year to all! Thank you for visiting and supporting A.A. Outfitters. We appreciate your support. Looking forward to a great 2007. Check back often, as we will be adding new product in the next month or so, to complete our 2007 catalog. All additions, deletions and changes should be complete by the end of January, 2007.
Thanks …. Gene Ercolani - Owner A.A. Outfitters Fly Shop