Equipment tips

[cingras53]

Would you share some off beat equipment tips? Like carrying some small patches of bicycle tire tube to straighten your leaders or using generic hand cream to float your flies. Even how you fix up you r vest or pack that might keep things straight or handy on the stream. I keep screwing up my magnifying glass lanyard with my sunglass lanyard when I go from one to the other. I happen to see great for distance but need a lense to tie knots and a different lense to see my small flies. I don't want to carry 2 different lense just to pick out a midge and then tie it on. Does anyone else have problems like this that they have solved?

 

[frogge]

Hey,
I'm no expert but these things work for me. I have a pair of magnifiers that attach to the bill of my hat. I can flip them down for small work. I can wear my sunglasses and still flip the mag down. I just got a set of threaders to help manage the midges. I store several on a threader so I can just put that tiney tippet through the treader and pull a midge on it. Then it is just a question of managing the knot. Hope this helps,frogge.

 

[Pete]

To sink wetflys, nymphs, & streamers, without waiting for them to get waterlogged.

Use a drop of "wetting agent" (used when processing & printing photographic film) to break the surface tension, and get rid of trapped air.

A pint of Kodak "Photo-Flo 200" (or equilivant) will last for many years. Use an empty, well rinsed, nazal decongestant spray bottle to carry and dispense it.

 

[Tom Nakashima]

"frogge" <frogge.34b8f2@njflyfishing.com> wrote in message
news:frogge.34b8f2@njflyfishing.com...
>
> Hey,
> I'm no expert but these things work for me. I have a pair of magnifiers
> that attach to the bill of my hat. I can flip them down for small work.
> I can wear my sunglasses and still flip the mag down. I just got a set
> of threaders to help manage the midges. I store several on a threader
> so I can just put that tiney tippet through the treader and pull a
> midge on it. Then it is just a question of managing the knot. Hope this
> helps,frogge.
> frogge

I'll ditto frogge suggestions.
I also have the flip-down magnifiers on my hat and found them to be
very useful. I also use the Scientific Anglers threaders for threading the
tippet
through hooks of the fly.
Others goodies are; amber Polaroid sun glasses with a chum attachment to go
around my neck. Sunscreen/skin lotion, chapstick. Vest with outside foam
fly-attachment. Organized tippet dispensers in various sizes and nippers
handy. Hemostats attached to vest.
-tom

 

[JR]

Pete wrote:
> To sink wetflys, nymphs, & streamers, without waiting for them to get
> waterlogged.
>
> Use a drop of "wetting agent" (used when processing & printing
> photographic film) to break the surface tension, and get rid of trapped
> air.
>
> A pint of Kodak "Photo-Flo 200" (or equilivant) will last for many
> years. Use an empty, well rinsed, nazal decongestant spray bottle to
> carry and dispense it.

Seems overly complicated, most people having been born with a
lifetime supply of spit readily at hand....

- JR

 

[Dave LaCourse]

On Tue, 5 Feb 2008 08:27:23 -0500, cingras53
<cingras53.34b7yf@njflyfishing.com> wrote:

>Would you share some off beat equipment tips? Like carrying some small
>patches of bicycle tire tube to straighten your leaders

You could damage your leader by using a leader straightener be it a
commercial piece of leather or a home made one. It is better to feel
the heat in your fingers. If it is too hot for your hand/fingers, it
is too hot for the leader.

or using
>generic hand cream to float your flies.

Gink hung on my vest does that job. For cdc flies I used Frog's Fanny
desicant. I fill my gink bottle with Albolene a petroleum jelly based
hand/face cleaner.

Even how you fix up you r vest
>or pack that might keep things straight or handy on the stream. I keep
>screwing up my magnifying glass lanyard with my sunglass lanyard when I
>go from one to the other. I happen to see great for distance but need a
>lense to tie knots and a different lense to see my small flies. I don't
>want to carry 2 different lense just to pick out a midge and then tie
>it on. Does anyone else have problems like this that they have solved?

Buy a pair of sunglasses with magnifying glasses built in. Orvis and
others sell them at a reasonable price. They are great glasses and
allow you to see the smallest of flies. I typically fish with nymphs
as small as 24 and have no problem seeing them/tying on the tippet
with my sunglass/magnifying lense combo.

Dave




>

 

[JR]

Dave LaCourse wrote:
> Buy a pair of sunglasses with magnifying glasses built in. Orvis and
> others sell them at a reasonable price. They are great glasses and
> allow you to see the smallest of flies.

I've got the Action Optics sort (though not, as I recall, at a
very reasonable price). They rank up there with breathable
waders in the making-life-easy department.

- JR

 

[Dave LaCourse]

On Tue, 05 Feb 2008 16:44:16 -0500, JR <me@privacy.net> wrote:

>I've got the Action Optics sort (though not, as I recall, at a
>very reasonable price). They rank up there with breathable
>waders in the making-life-easy department.

I got mine for around $80, which IS reasonable for good optics.

Dave

 

[dcabarle]

I use Frogs fanny religiously. I rarely use gink like products but do carry a tube of gink with me.

To straighten my leaders, I use my hands to stretch them out. This usually does the trick.

I don't really have too many other things. I'm pretty simple when I'm on the river. One tool I use which is great is this little nail knot tool. It's not one of those big clunky things, it's pretty small and doesn't get in the way. I use it to tie my fly line to the backing and my leader onto my fly line. I clip it onto my vest and occassionally have it hold a fly or two. The magnet is pretty strong.

Top photo is what it looks like when it's not doing anything. Second, the tool separates. Third, notice the small hole in the tip of the needle and the hole at the end of the larger piece (for the nail knot). FInally, a small demo of the magnet utility.

It's a pretty handy tool that I couldn't leave home without. NOw I have to run and put it back on my vest because knowing me, I'll forget it!

 

[Corndog]

Would you share some off beat equipment tips? Like carrying some small patches of bicycle tire tube to straighten your leaders or using generic hand cream to float your flies. Even how you fix up you r vest or pack that might keep things straight or handy on the stream. I keep screwing up my magnifying glass lanyard with my sunglass lanyard when I go from one to the other. I happen to see great for distance but need a lense to tie knots and a different lense to see my small flies. I don't want to carry 2 different lense just to pick out a midge and then tie it on. Does anyone else have problems like this that they have solved?

Cingras, I purchased the C&F Midge Threader box ($45.00) which comes with 5 threaders and I bought 3 additional threaders that come in a pack. So the night before my trip I put on my reading glasses and put 5 flies on each threader. So when I hit the river I have 8 different flies ready to go. Just stick my tippet thru my threader and slide the fly onto the tippet. I can tie knots with my eyes closed so I don't need my glasses. You probably can to.

As for sinking my nymphs, as JR said "spit"...I put my nymph in my mouth and soak it with spit. Works great and faster than sink (which contain cancer causing agents).

As for dry flies, I always carry a paper towel in my vest pocket so when I can't get a fly to stay afloat I just pinch it in the paper towel then blow on it to fluff it back out and it's ready to go.

For emergers that won't stay in the surface film or just under the surface the way I want them to, I carry those little stick on foam indicators. When I buy them I take a razor blade and cut them into smaller pieces (without cutting through the paper) and depending on the current and size of the fly I pinch a piece of the foam to my tippet an inch or two above the fly. Keeps him right where you want him and the trout don't seem to mind.

Cdog

 

[onemorecast]

Cingras, I purchased the C&F Midge Threader box ($45.00) which comes with 5 threaders and I bought 3 additional threaders that come in a pack. . . .

For emergers that won't stay in the surface film or just under the surface the way I want them to, I carry those little stick on foam indicators. When I buy them I take a razor blade and cut them into smaller pieces (without cutting through the paper) and depending on the current and size of the fly I pinch a piece of the foam to my tippet an inch or two above the fly. Keeps him right where you want him and the trout don't seem to mind.

Cdog

Good stuff, CD.

For magnification, I switched to bifocal contacts because I got tired of switching glasses all the time. I do find I push my sunglasses up on my forehead to tie on small flies, though, because I need more light.

I just replaced my Tie-Rite with something I picked up at the LL Bean store in Center Valley, PA. It's got a tiny little magnifying glass and a threader built in to it. But I can thread up to a size 24 fly without it. I've never fished a smaller fly than that. I have the most threading trouble with stacked deer hair heads.

I would like to get the Orvis dropper rig box, but since it won't fit in my chestpack and I refuse to carry anything bigger or heavier on the river, I'll just keep rigging them as needed.

 

[flyman23]

CD,

Rather than fussing around cutting up those foam indicators, I use the biostrike putty. You can put on as little or as much as you want. I mainly use a very small amount when fishing soft hackles or emergers in the film. Not only is it good for strike detection, but I find it really useful to see if there is any drag on my drifts.

 

[Corndog]

CD,

Rather than fussing around cutting up those foam indicators, I use the biostrike putty. You can put on as little or as much as you want. I mainly use a very small amount when fishing soft hackles or emergers in the film. Not only is it good for strike detection, but I find it really useful to see if there is any drag on my drifts.

Yes it does help in strike indication.

I forgot to mention that I slice off the top colored part of the foam indicator. This way I only use the white foam part. I think it looks like foam bubbles to a trout so they ignore it. If someone made white putty I would give it a try. For some reason, and it's just me, I hate it when a trout takes my indicator, so I won't use colored ones very often.

But, I do agree with you that the theory behind it's purpose is the same.

Cdog