What You Get When You Upgrade Your Fly Rod, with Shawn Combs

What benefits do you get when you upgrade from a $40 Big Box store rod to a Clearwater or Encounter?  How much better is a Recon rod, and will you see and appreciate the performance improvements?  And what are you missing out on by getting a Recon instead of a Helios?  This is a common podcast question, and I've asked Shawn Combs [44:53], Orvis rod and reel designer, to walk us through the various price points of Orvis rod and how the rods differ.  There is a true price/value equation in Orvis rod models, but is the difference important to you?  We hope to guide you through those questions.   In the Fly Box this week, we have some terrific questions.  No phone calls this week so they are all e-mail questions, including:  

• Which river types are richer in insect life, and does that affect your success with dry flies?
• Why is there so much shame about fishing around brown trout redds but not the same with brook, rainbow, and cutthroat trout?
• How do you set up your leaders for striper fishing?
• Why don't we go through the eye of the hook twice on every knot, as we do for the Trilene Knot?
• Why is there so much spot burning with social media?
• A listener who had a life-threatening experience in a kayak gives us some great tips on being safe on the water.
• Any thoughts on organizing fly boxes?
• A listener tells us that washing CDC feathers will not let them float properly but I respectfully beg to differ.
• A tip from a listener on how to lessen line tangles when fishing from a pedal kayak.
• What is meant by "nervous water"?