Flyfishing Articles

Fly Fishing Tackle

Inspect Fly Fishing Tackle Before Putting It To Work

Before you hit your favorite stream or lake, you should take stock of your fly fishing tackle and make sure it is in good condition. You would not want to lose the lunker of the lake just because you failed to inspect your equipment and a big fish was able to escape the grips of you fly fishing tackle due to age or deterioration.

Especially if it is the first time out for the season and your line and other equipment has been sitting in a tackle box for a few months aging in the dampness that remained during the last time you were on the water. Leaders and swivels can rust and your flies may have developed dry rot, which you will not be able to detect unless you take a close look at your fly fishing tackle before you leave home.

You should also check the condition of any pliers you may have in your tackle box and, even though they should have been cleaned and oiled with the rest of your fly fishing tackle at the end of the last season, making sure they are still in working order would be a good idea at the beginning of the new season. Bullet nose pliers and especially forceps should be checked to ensure there is no rust beginning to form that could render them useless at the time you need them.

Check Equipment For Working Condition

All the equipment in your tackle box should be checked prior to packing the car for the first trip of the year. If part of your fly fishing tackle is a stream thermometer, you should probably make sure it is calibrated. If it is adjustable, you can place it in a glass of ice water and it will read 32 degrees. If not, adjust it until it does and you are ready to test the waters.

If any of your fly fishing tackle is in twist dispenser containers such as crimp-on lead shot, make sure no water got into the box last year. Even though the box is plastic, water-logged led can still form a rusty film on the inside of the box. While checking your split shot you may want to make non-toxic split shot part of your fly fishing tackle to be more environmental friendly.

However you carry your fly fishing tackle and tools, in a vest or on a lanyard, making sure all of your fly fishing tackle is in prime condition should be the first thing you check when you begin to think about the new season.