What are some of the biggest things to come along in fly fishing world?

Inflatables, kick boats, pontoons, sup, etc.. also European nymphing and Tenkara.

I think it is that a lot of trout fisheries have improved since the '80s.

John sv +1.

I'll be 30 next year and some of the fisheries that my dad took my brother and I fly fishing when we were little kids are undoubtedly fishing better now, the Truckee comes to mind...going back to the 80s obviously I wasn't around but from talking to older anglers it is heartening to hear that about some rivers. While the narrative on steelhead fisheries is generally the opposite and rather bleak, the Russian and Eel rivers are both an exception. Both rivers had winter SH runs that were close to obliterated by the time I was born while they are nowhere close to what they once were, nor will they ever be, there has undeniably been huge improvement in my lifetime. Of course on the Russian, hatcheries played a big part but not so on the eel. 80% of the adult winter fish I've landed on the Russian have been wild fish and, while just anecdotal, this winter I've seen and heard about more wild fish being caught and released than any other season I've fished, despite poor numbers at the hatchery this year. Point I'm making is that, despite all the doom and gloom that is so easy to fall into, things like barbless hooks, C&R, education on fish handling, fighting for flows that can allow young fish to have a chance etc have all had a noticeable impact on at least some of our rivers in our state.

And let us not forget a most important one . . . very good IPA's!