Man, fly fishing desperately needed Hank Patterson. As a discipline, its practitioners are quick to take themselves a bit too seriously. Travis Schwartz, the filmmaker-turned-comedian, flipped the sport on its ear several years back, and reminded us just how silly the pasttime can be, with its proprietary lexicon, uber-expensive equipment and the general snooty flare many perceived our craft to possess.
Unafraid to poke fun at the sport, its passionate practitioners, its guides and, yes, its uber-expensive equipment, Schwartz’s character, the know-it-all guide with a high-school diploma and a dire thirst for PBR, kind of brought us all back to earth. And, frankly, that’s where we belong.
Patterson has gotten into the gear-review game of late, and it’s a series I love, given that, frequently, our own editorial team is asked to review gear for the fly fishing masses. We, of course, take the process as seriously as we can—good gear at the right price is kind of the fly-fishing sweet spot for consumers. Patterson, on the other hand, throws functionality out the window, and finds the hilarity in damn near any product (take his review of the Orvis Ultra-light rain jacket for instance).
Above, he reviews a rod vault—the top-of-car rod carrier that allows anglers to arrive to the river with rods ready to fish. It’s brilliant, if a bit bulky (and, of course, you’ll need roof racks to make it work). But Patterson takes it to a whole new level.
See for yourself.
— Chris Hunt