New season, new toys

Christmas has arrived.

As customers come into 3 Rivers Fly and Tackle, there are new toys and presents awaiting them. For them, Christmas comes around the end of April, when thoughts turn to rainbow trout and king salmon, and the store's manager, Mike Hudson, is a Santa Claus of sorts.

There are new toys of all shapes and sizes -- from high-dollar rods to size 22 flies -- and many anglers are just starting to find out about them as they gear up for another fishing season.

Rods

If you are looking for a new top-shelf rod, G

Loomis has come out with a new model in its popular GL3 and GLX series.

The Crosscurrent GLX rod is a beauty, complete with a reel seat that features aluminum fittings over a woven graphite seat, with the Loomis logo in a cutout.

The GLX version retails for a bump over $600.

For anglers looking to get into fly fishing, there are plenty of options.

"Sage acquired Redington over the winter and they have some real affordable stuff for beginners who want a quality rod," Hudson said. "And St. Croix's new rod is the Premier series. They have really affordable, quality kits."

The St. Croix rods go for $150, complete with a reel, backing and line already rigged up and ready to go. The rod only is $100.

The Redington entry-level rods retail for around $100.

Reels

"Last year, Ross introduced the Evolution fly reel and it did real well," Hudson said. "There's some good ultra large arbor reels coming out."

Some manufacturers to check out include Galvin and Lamson.

Hudson pointed out that Lamson has given two popular reels, the Velocity and the Litespeed, new looks.

For spin fisherman, Shimano has redone their top reels, and they are, as Hudson pointed out, "mostly top-shelf type reels."

Tackle

As king salmon hit the rivers, anglers stock up on Corkies and Spin-N-Glos. This year, there are more choices than ever.

here have been several new colors added, including those that glow in the dark.

"Of course, the core colors are still popular, but they've added some new ones, like some yellows instead of chartreuses, and even metallic lavender and chartreuse colors," Hudson said.

Trolling buffs may want to pick up one of the new Kone Zone flashers.

They've been out two years now, and are starting to catch on with saltwater anglers or those trolling for lake trout.

Anglers who look to beads can find those in any shape and color, and new ones are added constantly as more and more people turn to that style.

Flies

Riverborn Flies have developed some Alaska-specific patterns, and Hudson sees it as a way to corner the market here.

"They have really gone strong after the Alaska market and the West Coast market and come to the table with effective patterns people have been asking for," Hudson said.

New sculpin patterns, smolt patterns and extended, articulated leech patterns are among the highlights.

Accessories

Anyone who has torn their hand up on a stick while whacking a salmon over its head will appreciate the new Kombat Kombo, a toy Hudson said will definitely be in his boat this season. For $31.95, you get a fillet knife that snaps into a clubhead, giving you two toys for the price of one.

There's also a hard plastic V-shaped spoon to help you clean the bloodline in the fish, as well as a knife sharpener.

"It's not the best fillet knife, but you can definitely put an edge on it," Hudson said.

Other knife-related accessories include combo packs from Rapala. Rapala has also introduced an AC/DC electric fillet knife that can be plugged into a boat.