What's in or on your vest?

[MickM]

Hey All, Been lurking here for a week or so and this is my 1st post from Harrisburg.

I'm starting to fly fish again after a 33 yr absence (never replaced my gear after my brothers chopped it up with a brush hog when I was 17 yrs old.....yep, brothers) I'll be fishing Clarks, Stoney, Breeches and maybe the Pine Creek-Slate Run area and would like opinions on what tools I'll need to do the job so to speak.

I'm talking forceps? straight, curved, long, short?
I've seen pliers from $5 to $300 with assorted shaped jaws.
Clippers, knot tyers etc etc.
Also seem to be many more sizes and shapes of nets than there used to be.
I started when I was 12 yrs old in 1969 and it didn't seem that complicated back then. Thanks for any and all of your advice and opinions. Mick

 

[TimMurphy]

Dear Mick,

As far as the gadgets go just find something that you are comfortable with. I will say that I like forceps with flat jaws simply because they make it easier to debarb a hook. I have curved forceps, straight forceps, and offset forceps in a variety of sizes mostly because I'm either misplacing them or finding a pair that somebody else lost.

For a clipper I just use those el-cheapo River Run nippers that cost about $ 2.50. They last a couple of years and then you throw them out and get new ones. I carry a leather and rubber leader straightener and that rounds out my tool assortment.

Get yourself some good "zingers" to attach your tools to your vest otherwise you may find yourself having the whole set-up fall off at an inopportune time. I'm partial to the newer models that have the plastic pigtail instead of the old cloth covered cord retractors that always seemed to get frayed and break.

I don't carry a net so I can't help you there. See you on Clarks.

Regards,
Tim Murphy

 

[Maurice]

Hey Mick,

Welcome aboard. For me, I like it simple and cheap.

I use the surgical hemos for about $2.50 each. No zinger here. Just clamp them to the strap on my chest pack. I've lost two pair that cost $20.00 and although I like the grip type rather than the scissor type, I don't like them on a zinger. When I lose them I just get another pair out of my pack. I have a good ($12.50) pair of nippers with an eye cleaner needle and a Nail knot tool. (what a waste). This I have on a zinger.

As stated I wear a chest pack, from Orvis. It has a back pack for water bottles and lunch, cheap cigars, snacks, headlamp, etc. On the front is two deep pockets that hold four fly boxes organized as; 1.) a streamer wallet, 2.) buggers and steelhead flies, 3.)Standard Drys and nymphs, 4.)Terrestrials and flies #18 and over.

In the surface pockets I show my license through a mesh pocket so it won't get lost. I keep an Altoids tin with a piece of foam in it for my cheapskate fly trap. (drying chamber) and my extra leaders in another surface pocket. Also my indicators.

I have three nets, but don't carry one. I should but have not come to terms with buying one of those magnetic thing-a-mabobs that seem to work so well but cost $25 bucks. Instead I bought a $29 dollar net made in Korea that lasted one season before I had to screw it together. I shudda bought the magnetic thingy to hold one of the other nets I already owned.

Anyway, Thats how I do it...

Maurice

 

[Maurice]

TimMurphy wrote:
Dear Mick,

I have curved forceps, straight forceps, and offset forceps in a variety of sizes mostly because I'm either misplacing them or finding a pair that somebody else lost.
Regards,
Tim Murphy

So you found my foreceps Tim....Enjoy!

 

[DanW]

For tools, I use a cheap pair of forceps clipped to my vest with a spare pair in an inside pocket. Don't like them on a zinger. I also prefer the smooth jaw for barb crimping and minimal fly damage during removal. On the zinger is a pair of nippers, the ones that have an eye cleaner (pin) on the back, and a hook sharpner.

That's pretty much it for tools, haven't carried a net in years. If you do decide to carry a net, rubber bagged models are best for protecting the fish slime, assuming you plan to practice catch and release. Other contents would be flies, an assortment of tippet, floatant, soft lead and a pack of cigars and lighter. Best insect repellent known to man!

 

[JackM]

Hemostat-like forceps with cutting edge; 4 fly boxes (1 for nymphs & streamers, 2 for dries, 1 for tiny dries); stream thermometer; hook sharpener; Leaders; 4 rolls tippet; splitshot; strike putty/indicators; disposable camera; plastic snuff can with holes for flies that are wet; clip-on sungalsses.

 

[jayL]

All of my stuff got stolen recently, so i'm starting from scratch.

So far, i've got a little bag with two large fly boxes (one full of all-around flies like buggers, glo bugs, pheasant tails, zug bugs, etc) and the other gets populated before I leave for the stream. The bag has a compartment for split shot, tippet, indicators, and a few other things.

Throw in a leatherman and a pair of forceps clipped on somewhere and i'm good to go. I dry flies on my hat because I use exclusively barbless.

Until the beginning of last week, there was a tin of skoal too... needless to say, i'm getting antsy.

 

[Bamboozle]

MickM:

Yea pretty much the same junk here although I sewed-up a pouch that goes on my belt to hold my hemos. I hardly ever use them but when I need them they are there.

I also have found LOTS of lost pairs stream side and I never lost mine so I vote for my pouch!

I keep the gadgets to a minimum except for nippers, (Orvis) and essentals like a cigar cutter & lighter and a flask! A Swiss Army knife covers everything else although I do have a EZ-Lap hook hone which gets a workout when I fish wets.

As far as nets go I only use one on the Letort 'cause I have a few horror stories related to trying to beach 20"+ fish on 6X. I also use one at other places in the summer when I'm fishing light tippets. Despite their lack of beauty I'm partial to folding nets because they are so dang portable. I like the long-handled Solvkroken (Norwegian), or the Cabela's knock-off for places where I bank fish and an old Orvis North Fork for places where I wade.

Be secure in the knowledge that things haven't changed that much since 1969 in regards to essential gadgets. It all works, it's just a matter of whether it can tie knots, crimp barbs, land fish, straighten leaders AND open beer bottles.

 

[tomgamber]

I have a chest pack now that I can convert to a waist pack, so I have less room than I did with my old vest. But I still have room for 2 large and 2 small fly boxes. 1- streamers and nymphs, 1- dries and another of dries and another with terrestrials and egg patterns and such. About a half dozen spools of tippet in various sizes, Oh, and 2 really small boxes with midges and tiny (mostly pupa) patterns) in an outer compartment. Gink, Xink, an oversized pair of nail clipper, leader straightener and hemos hang from zingers clipped inside the pack with the wire coming out through grommetted holes. Oh yeah and a buck knife in a pocket I think is supposed to be for sunglasses.

 

[afishinado]

FF Stuff needed to get started after rod / reel / line / flies / waders.

Essentials?:
Tools: Nipper / Hemostats / Polarized sunglasses
Tackle: Small split shots (or putty) / Indicators (if your of that persuasion) / Floatant / Fly drying powder or crystals / leaders / tippet 3x – 6x

Optional:
Fishing net / Bug catching net / Stream thermometer / Small flashlight / Rain gear / Insect repellent / sun screen

Surprised no one mentioned a stream thermometer or a bug net –I never leave home without them.

Ps: C’mon Jack, I'm a smoker too, and I know you’re holding out. Are you telling me that you don’t carry an extra pack of smokes and lighter in your vest in case the unthinkable happens – your smokes or lighter fall into the drink!

 

[Spyder20oz]

I like to carry a small hook hone to get those hooks nice and sharp, especially for the nymphs that are bouncing in the rocks all day. I also carry a spare pair of hemostats, just never know when they will get lost or my buddy forgot his. A spare spool of 6x tippet always helps to bring along. Granola bars and a waterbottle sure make lunch on the water enjoyable.

 

[MickM]

Thanks for all the replies! It's coming back to me now. Fly fishing is one of those "things" that cause you to continue to accumulate gear long after the basics are taken care of, prompting friends and relatives to ask questions that revolve around the words "why"? "need"? and "how many"? I love it.

 

[JackM]

afishinado wrote:

Surprised no one mentioned a stream thermometer or a bug net –I never leave home without them.

Ps: C’mon Jack, I'm a smoker too, and I know you’re holding out. Are you telling me that you don’t carry an extra pack of smokes and lighter in your vest in case the unthinkable happens – your smokes or lighter fall into the drink!

I mentioned the thermometer. The reason I left out the cigs and lighter as well as the nymph seine is they aren't really essential items. I only carry the pack of smokes I plan to use and the lighter, but I do have a stash of matches in one of the very highest pockets of my vest in case the lighter gets wet and I really can't wait for it to dry out.

 

[Fredrick]

MickM,Why not go modern and get a Chest Pack you can fit just about anything you need to fish in the pack . I got one from William&Joseph that came with built in zingers and a tippet dispenser and a slot in the pack to put a hydration bladder.If your like me and fish for about 4 to 6 hours you will probally want to pack a lunch which will fit no problem in a chest pack. Just my very short and to the point 2 cents :-D

 

[MickM]

That's something I'll definitely look into. I have a 15 year old orvis vest that I used mostly for wading/bass fishing but most of my memories of that vest invove the collar digging into the back of my neck in T shirt weather once it had any gear in it.

I've been out looking at gear a few times lately but only glanced at the vests and didn't really notice that most of them were actually chest packs. I just took a quick look at the stuff on Cabella's site and it looks like the newer stuff is designed to rest the weight on the shoulders. Thanks for the heads up. Mick

 

[jpavoncello]

I use a lanyard to carry the important tools, straight hemos, knot tying tool, leatherman micro (instead of clippers) and a fly dryer/leader straightener.
I really like using the lanyard, everything has it's place and is almost impossible to loose.
I still use a vest, except for when it is really hot. In the vest I carry a thermometer, tippet, extra leaders, flyboxes.

 

[BigBronco]

I pretty much carry al the same "stuff"as everyone else. I do always carry a net on me, because I lost a few fish that I could have landed if I had a net with me. The net that I carry is cheap, under $15 I beleive, it folds into a figure 8 then gets stored into a holster. The net isn't that large, but I have landed plenty of Steelhead in it. This net is made right here in PA: http://www.gudebrod.com/fishing2005/Accessories.htm

Some members mentioned insect repellant and it reminded me of a ruined line that I have. DO NOT get deet on your line. Wash your hands as best as you can before you start to fish after applying the repellant.

 

[RangerKeen]

I carry about 12 fly boxes on me plus all the mormal stuff as the guys say . I can say a chest pack is nice . I wear one and my vest .. But i fish 5 out 7 days a week .. I f you plan on going away from the car a distance , you need to have room for food and water . I also carry markers pantone to be exact , to change colors on my flies its a quick fix during a hatch ....

 

[Padraic]

I use a Richardson Chest Box. i use that to carry the "generals" and flies I use more-or-less year round (terrestrials, miges, streamers, nymphs, attractors). They have holders for a tube of floatant and a small flashlight. The upside of a chestbox is that they hold a lot of flies in a very compact box. The dowside is that it's a pain to switch out those flies, and that they don't hold anything else. So, I added some additional storage...

I added a small pouch on the front myself. In that, I have 4x, 5x and 6x tippet, some soft lead weight, some strike putty. I clip my hemstats (I like the kind that have scissors and flat jaws, so that I don't have to carry a nipper or switch tools to prep a fly) to the harness for the chest box. I have a net on a magnetic clip off the back (it is handy and balances the weight of the box).

I put a small pouch (this is close, but not the exact match) on the belt. In that, I carry flyboxes that I use for "match-the-hatch" flies. I also carry the things I don't use to frequently, sink paste for wet flies, backup hemostats. I can also carry a snack or some water in this. I carry 3x and 7x tippet in there and a backup on 5x. I rarely use the 3 and 7, and go through a LOT of 5. Occassionally, I put my camera in there too, but I struggle with this as I am told fishing with a camera is bad luck. :-D

My fishin' buddy Paul G and I used to carry walkie talkies. I got tired of this, as it's depressing enough to hear how badly he outfished me at the end of the day... I don't need to hear it all through the day too.

PS: I'm from Harrisburg also. While I am recooping from an accident, I don't think I'll be fishing much. But if you would like to get some info on local streams, drop me a note. Also, check out the local TU chapter, www.DFTU.org. I've been very active in the past and had a great time. Nice group of guys and a lot of good work.