Gear We Use
The rods, packs, bins, and batteries that actually earn a place in the truck and on the water — the stuff we reach for on East Tennessee trout water, honestly reviewed and grouped so you can find it fast.
Fly Rods
From small-stream glass to a do-everything 5-weight and a dedicated Euro rod.
Douglas Sky G 9' 5wt Fly Rod
My go-to do everything rod. A premium fast-action 9-foot 5-weight that covers most Tennessee trout water from wading to float trips, with the reserve to turn over a hopper-dropper or reach across a tailwater seam. If you keep one do-everything rod, this one is my recommendation.
View on Amazon →Thomas & Thomas Contact II Fly Rod
Our favorite Euro rod! A long, ultra-sensitive euro-nymphing rod from a Massachusetts rod house, built to protect fine tippet and telegraph the softest take on a tight line. A specialist's tool for the tight-line game, and a good one.
View on Amazon →Orvis Superfine Graphite Fly Rod
Made for small streams and tight lanes. A slow, delicate graphite rod made for small water and short casts, where protecting fine tippet and dropping a dry gently matters more than distance. On a brookie creek it's pure fun.
View at Orvis →Orvis Superfine Glass Fly Rod
Fiberglass, deliberately: a deep, slow flex that loads at rod's-length range and turns a seven-inch wild fish into a genuine bend. The rod for the small blue lines where the reward is the take, not the tape.
View at Orvis →Orvis Encounter Fly Rod Outfit
A complete rod-reel-line-leader outfit at an honest price, rigged and ready to fish out of the tube. The one we point a brand-new angler toward when they don't want to buy four things and guess.
View on Amazon →Maxcatch Premier Starter Kit
A budget all-in starter kit for someone testing whether the fly bug is going to bite before they spend real money. Serviceable, and it removes every excuse not to start. Contains everything you need to fish when the package arrives.
View on Amazon →Reels
Sealed-drag trout reels, from a lifetime buy to an honest workhorse.
Ross Evolution LTX Reel
Our go-to reel for East Tennessee trout waters. A machined-aluminum reel from Colorado's Ross, light for its size with a smooth sealed drag that holds up to grit and cold water. A lifetime reel for a 4- or 5-weight.
View at Fin & Fire →Ross Evolution LTX Reel (Platinum)
The same Evolution LTX in the platinum finish, for anyone who wants the look to match the build.
View on Amazon →Sage ESN Fly Reel
Sage's dedicated euro-nymph reel, weighted to balance a long nymph rod so the rig sits in the hand instead of tiring the wrist over a full day of high-sticking.
View at Trident →Lamson Liquid Fly Reel
A sealed-drag reel at a price that surprises people, light and tough enough to be the workhorse on a trout rod. The easy answer to "a good reel that isn't a splurge." We carry this as our emergency backup – great reel that doesn’t break the budget.
View on Amazon →Fly Lines
Trout tapers that load at the range creek and tailwater fishing actually happens at.
SA Amplitude Creek Trout Fly Line
A Scientific Anglers line tapered for short, accurate casts on small streams, so it loads the rod at the close range creek fishing actually happens at. Built for exactly the water this series is about.
View at Trident →Orvis Pro Trout Textured Fly Line
A do-everything trout taper with a textured finish that shoots cleanly and floats high. The line to put on the 5-weight and stop thinking about.
View at Trident →Leaders & Tippet
Tapered leaders, Euro rigs, sighter, tippet, rings, and shot.
SA Euronymph Leader 13.5ft 4X
A pre-built Scientific Anglers euro-nymph leader with the long, fine taper the tight-line game wants, so you can rig up and fish instead of hand-tying a formula at the tailgate. Easy to rig right out of the package.
View on Amazon →SA Stealth Trout Leader 5X
A tapered mono leader built to turn over a dry or a light nymph and land soft, in the 5X most Tennessee trout work lives at. A reliable default on the reel.
View on Amazon →Trout Hunter Finesse Leader 9ft 5X
A supple, well-tapered 9-foot 5X leader from Trout Hunter that turns over a small dry and lands it soft, for the presentation-first days. The same great Trout Hunter quality now in a ready to go tapered leader.
View on Amazon →Mad River Outfitters Trout Nymph Leader
This is our favorite nymph leader – high quality and affordable. A shop-built nymph leader from Mad River Outfitters, formulated to get flies down and drift clean under an indicator. Buying a specialist's formula instead of hand-tying it.
View at Mad River →SA Fluorocarbon Tippet 6.5X
Ultra-fine fluorocarbon for spooky fish and tiny flies, low-vis under the surface and abrasion-tough for its diameter. What you reach for when 5X is putting them down or a stealthy way of rigging your dropper fly.
View on Amazon →Cortland Sighter
Three-color sighter material for the business end of a euro rig, giving you the visual take detection that method lives on. Add in a few feet and you're reading the drift, not guessing. I’ve tried lots of them and this is where I landed – great confidence in this product.
View on Amazon →Cortland Tippet Rings
Tiny rings that let you rebuild tippet all day without eating into your tapered leader, and give you a clean junction for a dropper. Cheap, and they save leaders.
View on Amazon →Micro Split Shot
Small, reusable removable shot for fine-tuning how deep a nymph rides. On technical water the difference between a foot and eighteen inches is the difference between a good day and a slow one.
View on Amazon →Strike Indicators
Yarn for spooky water, hard indicators for wind and distance.
Aventik Yarn Indicators
Soft yarn indicators that land quietly and ride low, which matters on the clear, pressured pools where a hard bobber puts fish down. Easy to trim to the size the drift needs. Easy to attach and adjust on the go. We’ve tried multiple other indicators and have landed on these as the go-to.
View on Amazon →Oros Strike Indicators
Hard, twist-lock indicators that seat on the leader without a toothpick and adjust depth in seconds. Where wind and distance beat a yarn indicator, these earn their keep. We keep these in our kit at all times – great for higher and faster water that would sink a yarn indicator.
View on Amazon →Nets
A big-hoop landing net and a budget backup.
Nomad El Jefe Fishing Net
Fishpond's big-hoop Nomad, built from a molded composite that shrugs off being dropped on rock and floats if it goes in the drink. The deep bag is honest insurance for the once-a-year fish that's bigger than the water had any right to hold. My preferred net when Euronymphing – the extra reach is gold for netting more fish.
View on Amazon →SF Landing Net
A budget-friendly rubber-mesh net that does the one job a net has to do without costing what a good reel does. A functional workhorse at a good price.
View on Amazon →Tools & Accessories
The small stuff you touch every trip — nippers, floatant, clip, cleaner, thermometer.
Magnetic Net Release Holder
A magnetic clip that keeps the net on your back and out of your hands until a fish is ready to be scooped up, then lets go clean when you reach for it. Fewer nets left hanging on a rhododendron branch or floating down the river.
View on Amazon →Loon Nippers
Sharp, no-nonsense nippers that cut fine tippet clean instead of mashing it, with a pin for clearing hook eyes. The one tool you touch on every fly change.
View on Amazon →High and Dry Floatant
A shake-and-dry powder with a brush included for finer application that pulls the water out of a slimed or waterlogged dry fly and puts the float back in it. On dry-dropper water it's what brings a size 16 back to life after a couple of fish instead of making you tie on a fresh one. A must have for dry flies.
View on Amazon →Loon Fly Line Cleaning Kit
Cleaner and dressing that gets the grit off a fly line so it shoots and floats like it should. A clean line mends better and lasts longer, and this is a ten-minute job at the kitchen sink.
View on Amazon →Fishpond Riverkeeper Digital Thermometer
A quick-reading stream thermometer, which is a conservation tool as much as a fishing one: when the water climbs toward the high 60s, it's time to leave the trout alone. Read the water before you fish it.
View on Amazon →Hoshanho Filet Knife
A flexible filet knife for the days you're keeping a limit of stockers for the pan. Sharp, precise, and after doing the research, a good value.
View on Amazon →Fly Boxes & Packs
Slim boxes, a leader wallet, and a bag to haul wet waders home.
Aventik Silicone Slim Fly Box (3-Pack)
Slim, silicone-slotted boxes that grip the fly and disappear into a chest pack, so you can carry three organized boxes in the space one clamshell used to take. Our go-to fly boxes – easy to organize and carry.
View on Amazon →SA Leader Wallet
A simple wallet that keeps your spare tapered leaders coiled, labeled, and untangled instead of birds-nested in a vest pocket. Small thing, big time-saver at the truck. Holds most leader packages in a re-sealable clear pocket.
View on Amazon →Bassdash Wader Bag
A water resistant bag that doubles as a stand-on changing mat, so wet waders and muddy boots ride home in the bag instead of on the seat. Vented ends for air flow through to avoid musty smells.
View on Amazon →Sunglasses
Polarized glass to read the water and protect your eyes.
Smith Guide's Choice Sunglasses
Smith's guide-grade polarized glasses with ChromaPop lenses that cut glare and lift contrast, so you can read the bottom, spot the fish, and find the seam. Eye protection first, fish-spotting second — a bare hook at speed is why. We love the yellow low light lenses.
View on Amazon →Oakley Holbrook Polarized Sunglasses
Polarized Holbrooks for anglers who want everyday styling that still kills surface glare on the water. Copper or bronze lenses earn their keep on a trout stream. These are our everyday polarized lenses for sunny days on the water. Great quality, work extremely well and at a price point less than Costa.
View on Amazon →Waders
Stockingfoot waders from buy-once to wallet-friendly.
Orvis Pro Waders
Orvis's top stockingfoot waders, burly where waders blow out (seams, knees, gravel guards) and built to take seasons of Tennessee bank brush and rock. Our just keep going and going and going.
View at Orvis →Grundens Bedrock Stockingfoot Waders
Grundens' Bedrock waders bring the brand's foul-weather pedigree to fresh water at a mid-tier price, breathable up top with a reinforced lower. A lot of wader for the money. A great starter or upgrade wader that is comfy and very durable.
View on Amazon →Frogg Toggs Hellbender Waders
Dependable, wallet-friendly stockingfoot waders that get a new or occasional angler on the water dry. Named, fittingly, for the giant Appalachian salamander that shares this trout water. We keep these for our guests and friends who tag along now and again but don’t want to spend a lot for a day on the water.
View on Amazon →Wading Boots
Rubber and felt soles — know your regs before you pick.
Grundens Bedrock Wading Boots (Rubber Sole)
Grundens' Bedrock boot in a rubber (studdable) sole, the legal, felt-free choice for anglers moving between drainages and the responsible default for stopping the spread of aquatic hitchhikers. Love these boots! Stable, solid construction and going strong with lots of use.
View on Amazon →Grundens Bedrock Wading Boots (Felt Sole)
The felt-sole version, for grip on slick rock where felt is still allowed and biosecurity between waters is handled. Know your regs before you pick a sole.
View at Fin & Fire →Orvis Pro LT Wading Boots
Orvis's lightweight Pro boot, less weight to lift on the long hikes small-water fishing demands without giving up support on uneven bottom. Rubber sole, studdable (get the studs, huge difference).
View at Orvis →Cleats & Studs
Real bite on slick freestone rock.
Orvis PosiGrip Screw-In Studs
Carbide-tipped studs that thread into a rubber wading-boot sole for real bite on slick freestone rock. The honest upgrade that keeps you upright on the greasy stuff. The best upgrade to our boots that we ever made.
View at Orvis →Grundens Hexagrip Cleat Studs
Grundens' hex-shaped studs, a puck of replacements to add grip to compatible boots and swap out as they wear. Traction is cheap insurance on Tennessee bedrock. Game changing grip with the cleats!
View at Grundens →Wading Socks & Layers
Socks, gloves, a wading staff, and a boot dryer for the cold months.
Simms Wading Socks
These are our favorite fishing socks! Guide-weight socks cut to sit right under stocking foot waders, so your foot stays put and warm instead of sliding around inside the bootie on a long walk in.
View on Amazon →Simms Wool Socks
Merino-blend socks for the cold-water months, warm even when damp and short on the itch. What goes on before a January wade in the Smokies.
View on Amazon →Orvis Neoprene Wading Socks
0.5mm neoprene socks that add a layer of warmth under stockingfoot waders and cut the rub on a long hike in. Cold-water-season comfort and wet wading standard for the summer months.
View at Orvis →Wool Fishing Gloves
Fingerless wool gloves that keep the hands working through a cold morning while leaving your fingertips free to tie knots and handle fish. The compromise that actually gets worn. We love these for those chilly mornings and cold days. Very warm and very functional.
View on Amazon →Aventik Wading Staff
A folding staff that snaps out to length when the bottom turns to greased bowling balls. On pushy freestone flows it's a third leg, and it stows on your belt the rest of the day. Honest about the hazard: a staff is cheaper than a swim or significant injury. The staff has saved me from so many spills I have lost count.
View on Amazon →Peet Boot Dryer
One of our best accessory purchases ever! A quiet electric dryer that has your wading boots and waders warm and dry by morning, which is as much about killing the funk and slowing rot as it is about comfort. Also part of doing felt-sole cleanup right between drainages.
View on Amazon →Rod Vaults
Carry rigged rods between access points, locked and out of the weather.
River Quiver 2-Banger Rod Vault
A locking, weatherproof tube that carries two rigged rods on the vehicle so you can move between access points without breaking down and rebuilding. Rods stay strung, reels stay out of the sun, and nothing walks off at the pull-off.
View on Amazon →River Quiver 4-Banger Rod Vault
The four-rod version, for guiding, floats, or a day of trying three rigs on the same water. Same locking, weatherproof carry, twice the rods. One of the best investments we ever made – ready to fish right out of the vehicle and avoids broken tips and rod damage.
View on Amazon →RiverSmith Rod Chairs
A valuable accessory for your River Quiver. Keeps rods stable and quiet while being transported in the tubes.
View on Amazon →River Quiver Euro Extension Kit
An extension that lets a rod vault swallow the extra length of long euro-nymph rods, so your 10- and 11-footers travel rigged like everything else. Game changer for transporting the extra long rods all ready to go.
View on Amazon →Camp Kitchen & Cooking
The two-burner, the skillet, the coffee — everything for feeding a camp.
Coleman Propane Stove
A two-burner Coleman that's been the standard camp stove for generations because it lights, it holds a flame in wind, and it never lets you down. The reliable heart of car-camp cooking.
View on Amazon →Camp Griddle
A flat-top griddle for a two-burner stove, for breakfast that feeds a full camp at once.
View on Amazon →OXO Outdoor Skillet
A camp skillet built to take a live fire and clean up easy, the one-pan answer for a small camp. Sized for two, honest for one.
View on Amazon →OXO Nylon Camp Utensil Set
Nylon serving tools that won't scratch the camp skillet and won't melt on the griddle. The kitchen drawer you forget until you don't have it.
View on Amazon →OXO Outdoor Kitchen Set
A packable camp-kitchen set that keeps your cook tools in one organized roll instead of loose in a bin. This has been our most pleasant surprise – a highly functional mini-kitchen that is compact, easy to transport, and will up your camp cooking game.
View on Amazon →Collapsible Colander Set
Collapsing colanders that flatten for the tote and hold their shape for rinsing and draining at camp. Space is the currency of a packed truck.
View on Amazon →Percolator Coffee Pot
A stovetop percolator for real camp coffee over the burner or the fire, no power and no pods. Morning ritual before a cold wade.
View on Amazon →LifeStraw Water Purifier
A personal filter that makes backcountry water drinkable, so you carry less and refill at the creek on a long walk in. Backup water security that weighs almost nothing.
View on Amazon →Tent & Sleeping
A roomy tent, an air bed, and stakes that hold in rocky, root-bound ground.
Purebox 4-Person Tent
A roomy four-person tent that sleeps two with gear in comfort, for a base camp you can stand up in. Solid in wet and windy weather and is the perfect size for a two-person weekend fishing trip. Sets up in minutes.
View on Amazon →Luxchoice Queen Air Mattress
A queen air bed for car-camping comfort, the difference between fishing hard on day two and fishing sore. Game changer in our camping outings – great night sleeping means better fishing in the morning.
View on Amazon →Heavy Duty Tent Stakes
Stronger stakes than the bent aluminum that ships with most tents, for the rocky, root-bound ground you actually camp on up here. Cheap upgrade, fewer 2 a.m. re-stakes.
View on Amazon →Camp Comforts
Tarp and poles, chairs, lights, bug spray, and the odds and ends that make camp livable.
Geertop Tarp
A rugged tarp for a rain fly, a ground cloth, or a shade wall, the piece that saves a trip when the weather turns.
View on Amazon →Avoforest Tarp Poles
Adjustable poles to pitch a tarp for shade or rain, turning a flat tarp into a real shelter. Vital part of our camp setup and so versatile.
View on Amazon →Alpha Camp Camping Chairs
Sturdy folding camp chairs for the fire at the end of a fishing day.
View on Amazon →Camping LED String Lights
Soft string lights to throw over a tarp or a tailgate so camp has a little light to cook and tie by after dark. Runs off a battery pack.
View on Amazon →LED Lanterns
Battery lanterns for area light around camp, the ones that live in the tote and just work. Rechargeable and adjustable to give just the right amount of light. Easy to hang and very light. These finally replaced my ancient Coleman lantern – no more mantles to burn out.
View on Amazon →Off! Tick Repellent
Tick spray, and in this country that's health gear, not a nicety: check for ticks every trip. Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme both ride the same hills these fish live in.
View on Amazon →Deep Woods Off!
DEET-strength repellent for the gnat-and-mosquito evenings a summer trip runs into. Keeps a streamside dinner from turning into a retreat.
View on Amazon →Paracord
550 paracord, the do-anything cordage for guy-lines, gear repairs, a ridgeline, or a boot lace. Always in the tote.
View on Amazon →Hikeman Camping Rope & Pulleys
A rope-and-pulley set for hanging a bear bag or hauling gear at camp. Keeping food off the ground is bear-country manners in these mountains.
View on Amazon →Fiskars Hatchet
A Fiskars hatchet that holds an edge and splits kindling without a fuss, a genuinely good tool at a fair price. The camp workhorse.
View on Amazon →Camping Mini Dust Pan Set
A little brush-and-pan for sweeping out the tent floor and the truck bed, the unglamorous tool that keeps grit out of your bag and your gear. Small, cheap, oddly essential.
View on Amazon →Storage
The bin the rest of the gear lives in.
Kobalt 5-Gallon Storage Container
A latching, heavy-duty tote that keeps a full kit sorted and dry in the bed of the truck and takes being stood on and rained on. The bin the rest of the gear lives in.
View at Lowe's →Electronics
Cameras, comms, and the waterproof case for your phone.
Sportlink iPhone 17 Waterproof Case
A waterproof case so your phone can ride in a chest pocket and still shoot photos, run the maps, and drop a GPS pin without you babysitting it over the water.
View on Amazon →Baofeng Two-Way Radio
Inexpensive handheld radios to keep a party in contact where cell service dies, which up most of these drainages is immediately. Safety gear for splitting up on big water. Note: transmitting on some bands requires a license.
View on Amazon →GoPro Hero 13 Bundle
The current GoPro action-camera bundle for waterproof, hands-free footage of the take and the release. What the on-the-water clips are shot on. Everything you need to start making high-quality fishing videos.
View on Amazon →GoPro Hero 13 Gimbal
A stabilizer for the GoPro so the walking-and-talking footage isn't seasick. Easy to transform to stable mini-tripod so you can star in your own video catching a monster trout.
View on Amazon →GoPro Hero 13 Lens Kit
Add-on lenses (macro/wide) for the GoPro, for tight fly shots and big-water wides.
View on Amazon →GoPro Chest Mount
A chest harness that puts the camera at rod level for the first-person view of a fish coming to hand. The angle that actually looks like fishing.
View on Amazon →Neith XG Drone
A compact drone for the sweeping valley-and-river aerials that open a film. Drones are prohibited in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and National Forests, including Cherokee.
View on Amazon →