When Patagonia first came out with the Great Divider I thought it had issues; the waterproof zipper and it’s price. I must not have been the only one because Patagonia dropped the bag for a year or two, however enough consumers must have liked it since Patagonia eventually brought it back.
Not much changed with it on its second go around, but during that time I’d been through a number of other boat bags supposedly designed to perform as the Patagonia Great Divider was intended to do, but they all failed so miserably that I finally bit the bullet and bought the Patagonia bag. That was a long time ago and it was a purchase well worth the investment.
One of the design features that bugged me was the waterproof zipper, yet after having cameras floating around in the bottom of the other bags and after having on a number of occasions to empty the contents of those other boat bags and dry everything out I understood that if your going to have a fly-fishing bag its going to be getting wet, yet the idea is it’s contents should remain dry and protected.
So I’ve gotten over the bulky zipper after I realized that it was a necessary evil and that it was a feature that made the bag truly waterproof, which for a boat bag is a necessity. In the latest version of this bag, I’m still sporting the original green one, the zipper is much easier to use, yet it performs well with a lot less effort and bulk.
After all the years and places I’ve traveled and used this bag I haven’t found another one that performs as well or is as durable as the Patagonia Great Divider. It’s adjustable compartments gives you a myriad of options for packing your reels, cameras, tablet, phone, flies, leaders, tippets, cigars, and articles of light clothing. It’s not only a great boat bag, but excellent for carryon when traveling, or storing your stuff in, between trips.
There’s a reason why just about everyone in the shop uses this bag. It’s a great bag and the Great Divider flawlessly does what it’s suppose to. If you’re looking for a boat bag that will serve you well for years, protect your valuable fly-fishing equipment and accessories Patagonia’s Great Divider will do just that.
To purchase or see other great fly fishing products visit our website here…
So how does this new series of spey rods differ from some of the other rods that are out there? Why are I and my staff so impressed with this Sage’s latest series of spey rod? For starters it is light thanks to its boron carbon fiber blend. The markedly slim profile is also quite evident, yet amazingly these rods possess a thicker wall construction compared to other Sage spey rods. That doesn’t sound like much, but given the average length of today’s spey rod the narrow profile will allow for improved line speed and on those blustery fall steelhead days, make a significant difference in your ability to turn over a fly. All this is good on the water, but that said probably their most noticeable attribute thanks to Sage’s Konetic technology is the ability of these rods to track like few other rods we’ve had the pleasure of putting a line on. Having now fished and cast most of these new spey rods, I find them to be consistently nice in the hand, smooth and throw a line rather effortlessly when matched with the appropriate line.
Fly-fishing rod tubes have been around for a long time. Looking back, Sage has offered a variety of cases and rod tubes over the years. Until recently most rod tubes, including theirs are constructed of Cordura, are round and are structurally supported by a PVC lining. Like their great line of fly rods, Sage now offers what I think is the best bomber rod tubes available. Instead of finding a Cordura and PVC tube their new rod tubes are constructed of brushed aluminum and are rectangular in shape rather than round. The year they were introduced I thought they were one of the best new products at the annual Fly-Tackle Retailer show. Now after purchasing one and having trekked it across continent’s I know for a fact that for traveling and protecting your precious fly rods, these rod tubes have no superiors. 
Western Rivers Fly Fisher 