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Jun 2018 - Tips - Daily fishing and tying tips

Free organizing

I don't know about you , but when I sit to tie some flies, I tie more than a dozen at a time. That means I have my materials ready, prepared and in a logical order for me to access as I assemble my flies.

Reparing a nicked fly line

Broken coating Martin Joergensen Ever so often a line will hit a rock or stone and get a small bruise or even a large nick. This will not only weaken the line in that spot, but make it susceptible to further damage and to water entering the kernel. If the core is undamaged or only slightly marked, the line can be repaired with a bit of Aquaseal or a similar substance.

Changing tying thread color

There are often occasions where you want to use various different colors of thread on the same fly, whether as the thread in a dubbed body, ribbing, or for the head. Tying in strands of various colors may add bulk in places where it is not appropriate. It can also add multiple bobbins to the array of gadgets hanging from the fly, and the smaller the fly, the more difficult this condition can become.

Change weight, not pattern

If you had to choose 5 different flies or the same fly in 5 different weights, which option would it be?

Dubbing wax dispenser

By cutting the tip off a syringe you can make yourself a fine dubbing wax dispenser. Choose a syringe with a diameter of about 1.5-2 centimeters (½") and cut the off the tip where the narrow opening is. Remove any irregularities with a knife or fine sand paper. You can now pour your melted wax into the newly opened end of the syringe until it is almost full. When the wax has stiffened, you can slowly push the piston and expose a little wax beyond the opening. Pull this along the tying thread and push again when the exposed wax has been used.

Make a sheep skin patch

Sheepskin slipper Global FlyFisher Many vests and jackets are equipped with a sheep skin patch to hold the wet, used flies on while they dry. This is a good idea because the wet flies tend to loose their shape and freshness and even rust if you return them to the flybox before they are dry.

Staying warm in cold water

Glazed waders Global FlyFisher It might not be freezing right now, but the water can still be very cold, even during a northern hemisphere summer. The main issue to observe if you want to stay warm during the cold season is not as much insulation as it is moisture. If you can avoid getting moist close to the skin, your are almost sure to stay warm.

Reusable Palsa Indicators

Palsa indicators Global FlyFisher Palsa indicators are single use foam indicators, that are folded over the leader and sit there until you don't need them any more. But they can be reused. John Dann writes: As far as I know, Lefty Kreh originated this idea, but I'm amazed at how little I've seen this indicator in print or on the stream. Basically it is simply a Palsa foam indicator with a small diameter tube sandwiched in the middle as you fold over the adhesive halves.

Cleaning Wax from Bobbins

Stan Sjursen wites: Eventually all bobbins pick up enough wax to make threading them difficult or impossible. Moreover, this build up can even increase the tension enough to break the tying thread. Here's a simple solution shown me by Norm Norlander at a recent Fly fishing Exposition.

Bobbin threading

You know the situation: your thread just broke or you are preparing a new color thread, and need to get that ridiculously thin 8/0 thread through that unrealistically small hole in the bobbinholder. Not possible! The thread is frayed, the hole is stuffed with wax and your hands are trembling as you see the fly slowly unravel in front of you. You need help! The help is a bobbin threader or a small trick. Let us take the trick first.

Cementing hard to get at places

Tip from Rodger Phillips.

To get head cement (or super glue) into difficult places like parachute post bases, use a syringe made for diabetics. Very thin needle. head cement and even super glue sta...

Fly Heads

Jan Grandal-Johansen writes: Over in the UK we have a product called Floo Gloo. If you put one good coat of Floo Gloo over your fly heads, and let it dry give 2 coats of normal fly varnish, and see the results, perfect also for buzzer heads then varnish also twice. Looks the perfect finish on ie salmon flies which are larger.

Epoxying rod wraps

This will help solving problems with epoxying rod wraps Number one thing to get is a rod turning motor. If your epoxy isn't curing - try this procedure. Get a pair of syringes for mixing your epoxy. Measure 3cc's of each part carefully with clean syringes. Empty each syringe into a shot glass and stir for five minutes. I use an old paintbrush handle to stir with, rotating the glass in my hands as I stir and continuously scrape the sides.

Cleaning the hook-eye

When you varnish, cement or glue the head of a fly, and the stuff runs into the hook-eye, use a small feather (hackle) as a clearing-brush. Just poke the feather stem into the eye, and pull it through...

Go fishing!

Get of your couch, chair, out of bed and go and fish. There are only so many free days in our lives. And you will only be able to fish some of them.
Nobody can go on your behalf and fish for you. You...

Fly fishing driving range

I have heard so many fly fishers who say "I do not fish stocked ponds... I only fish wild fish or those rivers etc." and they have so many reasons. Well, none of the reasons convince me and they do no...

Select the right strike indicator

If you are fishing a tiny mountain stream, you cannot use a huge Thingamabobber to hold up a tiny nymph with a 2 millimeter bead. When that Thingamabobber lands, it will spook all the fish for the nex...

Cheap Polaroid glasses

We all fish with Polaroid sunglasses. When it is bright, the normal Polaroid sunglasses are great. But when it is overcast, late in the afternoon or in the shadows, like lots of trees on the banks, or...

Cheap fly fishing bags

When traveling, it is always a pain in the back to have to take an extra bag to carry your gear (wet boots, waders, fly vest, net etc).
Most of the modern tackle bags are works of art, with so many c...

Taking stuck rod sections apart

If you have two sections that are stuck, there are various ways of pulling the sections apart.
you can try by putting the sections behind your knees, crouch with the rod in the bent section behind y...

Lubricate the rod ferrules

Always lubricate the ferrules on your rod, before you assemble your rod. Ferrules both sit better and get apart easier when lubricated. Whether you pull the male ferrule along your nose or thru your h...

Cleaning the fly line

How often do you clean your fly line? Once a year, once every 2 years?
Probably not often enough!
I recommend that you clean you fly line 3 or 4 times a day!
On the clean Cape Streams twice a day i...

Fantastic dry fly floatants

Rain Away, WYNN’S C THRU, Rain-X and such are really great for your windscreen, but even better than the best fly floatant. It is thin, will not clog up the hackles.
Dunk all the flies in your box. T...

Drying your flies

The best, easiest, and cheapest way to dry a dry fly is packet of 10 Kleenex tissues. The best for drying your dry flies, is Kleenex tissues. Buy yourself one of the little packets of 10 tissues and k...

Cast longer when casting "softer"

I have seen so many fly fishers, when they have to do a very gentle presentation that they end up casting “softer” because the fly has to land very gentle. In the end the fly lands short or the gentle...

See the take

I have seen so many fly fishers when they nymph, that they do not see or recognize a take. The take is often so gentle and surreptitious that the fly fishers think it is the current or the bottom.
Wh...

Change position, not fly

How many times have you got to a perfect looking spot in the river, but no visible fish and not a take after 3 or 4-5 drifts, you change fly and still nothing from this perfect looking spot and you mo...

Fish edges and margins

My Italian friend, Edoardo Ferrero says, "We sometimes catch the most fish where other people wade." As everyone wants to fish the deepest with the longest casts, the edges and margins never or hardly...

Windscreen wiper rod holder

The doors, boots and roofs of vehicles have claimed more broken rods than all the fish put together.

Waders and buckles

We all had to go and answer Nature’s call when in our waders. You end up unclipping the shoulder straps and the straps are over your shoulders and when done, you struggle to find the right clip for t...