Tackle Tips

Rods

We will begin our tackle tips with your rod, as it is rather central to your equipment inventory.

So many times when you get home from a trip where you took several three or four piece rods, you will find that you are unable to identify which section goes with which.

A great tip is to put a little dab of different colored paint, the kind model builders use, at the ends of each section will serve well to identify which section fits with which.

Putting a multi-piece rod together correctly.

Almost every fisherman has at one time or another experienced the rod tip falling off while casting.

This is due to using improper techniques when assembling the rod. Many hold the rod pieces at eye-level and line up the guides then shove the two pieces together.

Try this tackle tip. Position the rod sections so that the guides are about 90 degrees offset, then as the the sections are mated, twist the tip section such that as they come together, the guides are lined up properly.

This twisting action insures that they will not separate during use.

Lubricating Rod Ferrules

Rod tips can come off during casting for another reason. When the male section becomes very dry, the tip will work itself free and continually fall off.

The male sections should be lubricated from time to time. Some use paraffin, but it soon wears off. Beeswax is also sometimes used for this task, but tends to be oily and pick up dirt which can crack the ferrule.

Our tip is to use a candle with just enough wax to lube well and not be too tacky. A common solution is to use a birthday cake candle and rub a small amount on the male section of the ferrule from time to time.

Checking the Guides

Ceramic rod guides can get chipped or develop small cracks, which are too small to detect. Such damage can really chew up a fly line so checking for even the tiniest chips or cracks can be critical.

Our tackle tip is draw a Q-Tip thru it. The soft material on the Q-Tip will snag on any cracks or chips.

Rod Reel Seats

Most fly rods use one of two different type of reel seats. The "down-locking" type, and the "up-locking" type.

The 'down-locking reel seat requires the reel mount be inserted downward into the seat and the tightening rings are screwed downward to hold it in place.

The "up-locking" type works just the opposite, with the tightening rings being screwed up from the rod butt to seat the reel.

A good tackle tip is to use the 'up-locking' style so that it leaves a short rod butt with which you will have an extended leverage point for fighting those bigger fish, and more importantly, your hands won't tend to loosen the locking ring when casting.

Transporting Rods

The most common method of transporting fly rods is to break them down into sections and load them into a hard tube. There are times when you you will find one of the snake guides of your rod is loose after being stored in a rod tube.

The cause for such damage comes from improperly placing the rod in the transport tube. When you drop a section into the tube, the guides may catch on the tube lip, or on the guides of previously loaded rod sections. A good tackle tip is when placing rod sections in a transport tube, be sure to store the sections in a rod bag, then lower the rod gently into the tube without dropping them.

Traveling With Your Rod/s and Equipment

Modern rods are now designed to be broken down into 3 or 4 sections, allowing for shorter rod cases. This in turn allows for taking your rods aboard an airplane as carry-on luggage, so that your tackle will arrive when you do.

A common-sense tip is to select a carrying case that allows for carrying several rods AND reels AND the rest of your tackle. Keeping it together will insure when you arrive, your tackle arrives with you.

How To Carry Your Rod In The Woods

By now, you most likely have learned that carrying your rods in the bush or through the woods most likely will result in a broken rod tip. To avoid this little outing-spoiler, carry your rod with the tip pointing rearwards.

But, even this tackle tip may not completely solve the problem of snagged lines or damage to your rod. To avoid snagging your line in bushes and tree branches, pull off enough line and leader that you can put a hook into a guide two or three inches back from the tip. Then bring the leader back and around the handle of the rod just behind the reel. This will result in the leader lying flat along the rod. Wind in the excess line and you are good to go.

Reels

There are all sorts of bags for storing reels. The rounded bag with a flap that fits over the reel from the top with the flat part at the base of the reel. Fold the flap over the base and close it with a velcro tab. This type of reel cover can be installed on a rod attached to an assembled rod. It also can be used to store a reel alone.

Marking Spools

To insure you are prepared for changing conditions and/or locations in the course of an outing, experienced anglers load extra spools with a variety of different lines. Remembering which line is which is just not an option. A good tackle tip is to mark each spare spool with a piece of masking tape with the type of line written on the tape with permanent marker is the easiest and best method we have found to manage this potential problem.

Leaders

Leaders are made from monofilament and tend to have a curl in them when they are removed from the spool. To cast accurately and to get a good drift, the curls must be removed.

To straighten the leader, use your bare hands. Drawing it through such materials as rubber or leather may generate high heat and score the leader and significantly reduce its strength.

Hold the leader in your clenched fist and draw it lightly through the hand. If you feel discomfort, you are gripping too tightly causing heat build up which may destroy the integrity of the line.

Storing Leaders

Most leader material comes on spools. A great tackle tip is to simply drill two (2) holes about an 1/8th of an inch apart on the rim of the leader spool. Thread the free end out one hole and back thru the next. This will insure the line never unspools and can be found without trouble.

Check fo Nicks

Monofilament is drastically weakened by nicks in the line. To detect a nick/s, hold the line between the forefinger and the thumb with the thumbnail resting lightly on the line. Drawn the line thru your pinched fingers and any nicks will be easily detected by the thumbnail riding on the surface of the line..

Trimming Leader Knots

Many anglers after tying a knot in the line, will clip off the excess leaving a tiny spur (or two) protruding from the line. These 'spurs' tend to snag underwater vegetation and when casting, can snag on your tippet as well. Trim these 'spurs' down to the knot body to avoid these problems.

Disposing of Broken or Damaged Leader

When using monofilament leaders, a good tackle tip is don't throw them away on the ground. These loose strands tend to attract birds as nesting material. When they pick it up, they may become tangled causung injury, or even suffocation.

Bring your used leaders home and either burn it, or dispose of it in a secured container or bag.

Flies

Visit any fly fishing shop and you will soon find the conversation focused on flies. Which ones, what size, where to use, etc., etc.

There are literally thousands of fly designs and sizes, all intended for specific fish, in specific waters, at a specific time in the season. For the purposes of simplification, we will speak to the seven basic dry fly designs used by most anglers.

First, it is important to recognize that trout will take caddis flies, terrestrials, and mayflies, all of which produce adult insects that fall into the water. As an angler, your fly selection should attempt to imitate these insects as closely as possible. When offering a fly to a trout, you will need to duplicate the shape, color, and most importantly, it's size as closely as possible.

While shape is important in your efforts to duplicate any of the insects currently on the trout's menu, size is most important.(usually from size 12 to 18)

There are seven flies that will do the job most of the time.

If you'll arm yourself with these seven basic fly patterns in a variety of sizes, you'll generally do well. Be observant as to the type of insects floating on the surface and which ones the trout are taking.

Storing Your Flies Safely

There is a little wire guide on most rods located just forward of the handle. Almost everyone who has ever fly fished has stored their current fly on this ring, and probably at one time or another, impaled themselves on the hook-point when handling the rod.

Our tackle tip to avoid this situation is to slip the hook-point under the hood at the forward end of the reel seat.

Oiling Your Dry Fly

Many trout fisherman dip their dry flies in oil, then cast it to the fish. While oiling your flies will certainly improve the fly's flotation characteristics, any fly that has been freshly oiled will usually fail to attract a fish. Why? Because the fresh oil on the fly will leech into the water surrounding the fly and create a prism-like affect around the fly, thus discouraging the fish from taking it.

A tackle tip to remedy this problem, after oiling a fly, false cast it several times into an area away from the fish's habitat, then drag the fly under the surface and maybe false cast it several more times to get it thoroughly dry -- thus eliminating the prism affect for the fish.

Fly Boxes

Fly storage boxes come in many, many different sizes and shapes. And many will not fit conveniently into a pocket on your fishing vest. Our tackle tip to overcome this problem is to try using a handy, chest box that hangs around your neck. These boxes have multiple compartments and will hold almost all the flies you might need for any particular outing.. they are easy to carry and are accessible under almost all conditions.

If you wade, sooner or later you will take a spill and that flybox looped around your neck is going to get soaked. And if not drained and dried immediately, the flies will deteriorate, and the hooks will rust.

Since you really only will need a few flies when wading, a good tackle tip is to use a small foam block to carry your stream side flies. Use a string to build a loop to carry the block around your neck and load it with just those flies you intend to use while wading. This arrangement also makes getting to those flies much easier while wading.

Treat Your Dry Fies in Advance

Don't waste time at the stream side treating your dry flies, then waiting for them to dry. Treat them as you tie them and store them in a zip-lock bag, and they will be ready to use when you arrive at your chosen site.

Soak Those Dry Flies in Advance

When you are fishing sinking flies that tend to float, place them in a zip-lock bag of water ten or so minutes before setting out and they will be ready to fish when you arrive.

Drying Flies

Flies that get mashed out of shape can be restored quickly and easily. A great tackle tip is to place the damaged flies in a tea strainer, cover the open end of the strainer with cheese cloth or a fine mesh wire. Using a hair dryer turned up to max-heat, blow the flies dry in just a few minutes and the fly will be restored to near perfect condition almost immediately.