My fly-reel assortment is not much varied either: I trust the Waterworks-Lamson and the Swedish Danielsson reels. These two brands have been able, in my opinion, to come up with cost-effective reels that are beautifully and modernly designed, and with tremendously efficient and simple drag systems.

I own two Lamson Velocity size 2 ane one Lamson Velocity Hard Alox size 3 reels, mostly for my trout fishing, one Lamson Litespeed Hard Alox size 3 and one size 4 for my Spey fishing, and one Danielsson 6nine for heavier single-handed fishing.

In my early fishing years, I bitterly learned the importance of proper clothing when fishing. Since then I have never compromised on this aspect. Hence, I am a bit more religious on this aspect of fly-gear. I trust Patagonia for all of my outer clothing, including waders, wading boots and jacket. The company's environmental and business philosophy is one other companies should take example on! I highly recommend you to read Patagonia's founder Yvon Chouinard's book, called "Let my people go surfing". Patagonia is part of the "1% for the Planet" movement, meaning that the company donates 1% of their sales to a network of environmental organizations.

Patagonia's new Guidewater waders with integrated merino wool in the neoprene foot are simply stunning! The Canyonwalker wading boot is simple in its construction, lightweight yet robust, with no metal parts which saltwater like to attack! And my trustful SST jacket has never failed me in pouring rain over the last 5 years that I have owned it. I would never exchange it for another model.

As for insulating layers, I have become increasingly fond of the merino wool material, which has great heat retaining capabilities. But the best is yet to come: it does not pick up your body odors! You can wear it several days in a row, on a remote river, without it becoming stinky! Result: no need to pack so many first layer clothes anymore. The brand I prefer in the merino business is Icebreaker, a company also converted to responsible business.