Mayfly (Gotta Love It!)

I first met the Mayfly at the dealer summit in October of 2016. It was a rough prototype that was robin egg blue and there was a line to get to it to paddle. I was patient and waited till everyone else went to lunch before I jumped in it but it was worth the wait. I fell in love immediately; so much so that I placed my order that day.
Fast forward to February 2017 and the Mayfly is shipping. This was to be the first time seeing the finished product and I was pumped. When my friends Brooks and Jameson rolled into town with 3 of them in tow, I knew it was going to be an awesome adventure; especially since one of them was mine!

So what makes the Mayfly such an awesome kayak? That is like asking which facet makes a diamond sparkle. The first thing folks notice is the extremely low side profile. This really helps in the wind and keeps the kayak from getting blown about. It will make for extremely easy deep water reentry as well. The very next thing to notice is the open deck. I mean this is a beautiful, flat, wide open expanse of real estate with absolutely nothing to snag a fly line on. I am not a purist fly fisherman but when I do I need all the help I can get!
That wide deck allows me to move my feet around more when standing so I am not “locked” into a certain stance. This made for MUCH more comfort throughout the day since I could shuffle my feet and change positions regularly. The stability is off the charts as well allowing me to turn and fish sideways or cast in just about any position. Did I tell you that I am in love with this boat?
It was easy to get the Mayfly up to speed and keep it there and tracking was excellent. I am not sure how many miles we paddled over 4 days of our trip but it was a pile of them. I wish I knew how many I paddled standing up because I am positive I set a personal record for me.

The new footrest is comfortable and since I am short legged there was enough room in front of it to put my camera bag. There is a cavernous amount of room behind the seat as well and that is where my other camera sat through the trip. My Jkrate sat in the tank well and between it and the 2 flush mount rod holders I had plenty of spots for rods. The 2 fly rod stagers were awesome; I had a 9’ 10WT rod in one and an 8’ 8WT in the other. They were easily removed and replaced on the water and most importantly safe and secure. (those suckers are expensive!)

The new hatch covers are outstanding; easy to open and access and very tight sealing. There is a gear pan in the bow hatch for small stuff and I was very impressed with it. No more chasing small stuff through the hull of your boat! The small fly box holders on the sides are a neat feature. I will not be using them for fly boxes but now I have a place for those never ending bags of soft plastics that usually litter my deck. It will keep them at arm’s length and out of the way.

I really can’t say enough how impressed I am with this kayak. The combined attributes of stability, paddle-ability and comfort added to a vessel that handles any kind of gear an angler could hope for is just a dream come true to me. I have already seen it with fly gear and conventional gear and it won’t be long before I will be breaking the bow out as well. The Mayfly has far surpassed my hopes and expectations and this is just my first week in it. If you see me on the water, just holler at me and I will let you give her a try!