We've all been there. Standing in our local fly shop when the associate asks "What style of fly reel do you prefer?" For many freshwater fishing situations, the reel is mainly a line holder, but for hard fighting or big fish the reel becomes one of the most important pieces of equipment. The Arbor The arbor is the center of the reel that the backing and line are tied to and wound around. There are three general sizes of arbor: large, mid and small. The arbor you pick is not just about the
No doubt while shopping at your local fly shop, you've seen a stack of these. What is it? Do I need it? A stripping guard is a basically a protective sleeve that goes over your stripping fingers to prevent them from getting cuts and burns while stripping and setting the hook.A stripping guard can really come in handy when you're fishing saltwater, large fish, textured or thin fly lines. In addition, these can be helpful when your hands have seen a lot of time in the water and can also protect
There are round threads and flat threads. There are single and multi-strand threads. There are threads with texture and threads that stretch. There are even threads that are pre-waxed, and all come in every color of the rainbow. Telling them apart can be a nightmare. Understanding the difference will make picking the right thread for the right fly easy. In this edition we will talk about the different sizes of threads. Threads are measured in two main ways in fly tying: Denier and aught:
Spend any time around fly tiers and someone is bound to bring up the term bodkin or ask you if they can borrow yours. At that point, knowing what a bodkin is could be quite helpful. What is a bodkin? A bodkin is basically a needle in a holder for easy use. Bodkins can make many aspects of tying easier. Here are a few ways that we use our bodkins. 1) Applying head cement to a finished fly. 2) Picking out trapped fibers after wrapping or palmering a material. 3) Stabbing your next door
It’s always interesting for me, being an aquatic biologist and angler, to look down into the water and see the diversity of life on the bottom of a beautiful stream. It wasn’t until recently during my time researching invertebrates, that I now go out to a stream while fishing and wonder how much mercury, a neurotoxin, is in the body of the small critter my fly is trying to resemble. Billowing smoke stacks of coal burning industries fill the Midwest. These rolling fumes contain mercury (Hg) th
It may be cold, but winter is still the time when a lot of folks go fly fishing. It isn’t always fun to continually break the ice out of the guides on your fly rod, or have your legs get numb because they’ve stood in the water for hours while you cast, but the rewards of a gorgeous Steelhead, a late-run Salmon, spawning Char or big, migrating Arctic Grayling sure can make it worthwhile. Most winter anglers know how important it is to do what is called “layer-up” before heading outside. Howeve
