What you should carry in your fly fishing vest is as important as what you shouldn’t. We dig into the three things every fly fisherman needs in her pack while identifying two things you should leave at home.
Hemostats w/ cutters and eyelet cleaner
Why carry a pair of hemostats and clippers separately? Spend a little more money and buy a hemostat with a cutter built in. It saves space in your bag/vest.
Water thermometer
This may seem goofy since many of you are thinking “why can’t I stick my fingers in the water?” Many times a degree or two is the difference between the midges hatching or the carp spawning. Either way, you need to know when to change your game plan and putting your fingers in the water will not work.
Weighted wrap or putty
Sometimes you need additional weight to get your fly down to the fish. Split shot is annoying most of the time. It can dent your tippet making it weaker and threatens your chances of landing that fish of your dreams.
Weighted wrap and putty does not dent your line.
| Product Image | Product Name / Primary Rating | Primary Button |
|---|---|---|
|
|
||
|
|
Tippet
Spools of tippet in various sizes are a must. The tippet we carry depends on the fish we’re targeting. If we’re targeting trout, we’ll carry tippet spools running from 3x down to 7x. Carrying tippet as large as 2x allows us to repair a frayed leader or switch to a streamer strategy.
Floatant
There is nothing more annoying than a sinking dry fly. Of course, you can false cast numerous times to dry the fly but do you want to spend your entire day false casting? Keep a container of floatant in your vest to always keep your dry flies a float.
Extra leaders
Extra leaders are a life saver. It’s a piece of cake to repair a frayed leader but you don’t want to waste valuable fishing time building a new leader. Keep a couple of leaders with varying tappers in your vest depending on the fish you’re targeting. We typically carry at least two extra leaders. The saying goes “one is none and two is one”.
First aid
Be safe and carry a first aid kit. A small first aid kit could save your life or someone else’s. It’s better to be safe than sorry. Always carry a first aid kit and keep it stocked with the essentials.
