Accessories

What Sort of Fly Fishing Accessories Are There?

Cool fly fishing accessories are fun. But that’s what we’re talking about. The best fly fishing accessories are not about how you look but about making your life easier and your hobby more enjoyable. As you become an expert at fly fishing, you will realize that there are some essential fly fishing accessories that can help develop your skill and maximize the fun.

Net

You might think we are getting ahead of ourselves believing that we need a net when we haven’t even caught our first trout yet.  A decent landing net is essential to actually safely landing and releasing fish.  Without a net you don’t really have a good way to handle and remove the hook.  Grabbing your line above the fish will often create so much tension on the line that it will either snapp and you lose the fish and your fly.  Or the fish will thrash around and unhook itself and that thigh line will make the fly go right into your hand(OUCH!) A net helps to protect the trout from being handled or dragged up on the bank.

NOTE: Trout have skin, not scales.  Their skin is protected by a slimy coating, that coating protects them from diseases.  By handling a trout with dry hands you are essentially going to slowly kill them.  Always handle Trout with wet hands if you must.

Wading Staff

A Wading staff is a very essential piece of equipment in most western rivers. The bottom of the rivers or streams are almost always rocks, boulders and other debris that maybe you can’t see. Think of a staff as a third leg when you need it. Wading in rivers is sooooooo much easier and safer with a staff, no matter your age or physical ability. Falling down in the river is no fun. Wading staffs are available in many different styles and can easily be attached to your wading belt with a tether or even a simple bungee strap.

Wading Belt

Wading belts are good for a number of reasons. First of all a good wading belt will keep water from filling up your waders if you should fall in or wade too deep. Nowadays wading belts are made to serve more than just to keep water out of your waders. Most wading belts now come with a net holder in the back for your longer handled nets that have become so popular. Quick access to your net is essential. Wading belts also have many places where you can attach small packs with your flies, leader/tippets, tools and much more. Fishpond has great Wading belt systems that can make your day just that much more pleasant.

Clamps/Forceps

Clamps/Forceps help you remove hooks from fish, crush barbs, cut your tippet, open and close split shots, tie knots, and more. Knowing what tasks you regularly perform stream-side will help you select the clamp(s) that best suit your angling needs. By using clamps/forceps to and a net you don’t have to physically handle fish. Trout especially should not be handled at all if possible.

Fly fishing aficionados can be particular about their fly fishing clamps. Some like them long, others prefer them short. Some choose straight clamps while others opt for curved ones. Once you have your chosen clamps, you will likely stick to them and no fly fishing trip will be complete without your clamps in your bag. You will also find clamps that are coated in titanium to withstand salt water.

Nippers

Nippers are like nail clippers. They cut tag ends and strands of line and tippet and help you with hooks.

Quality fly fishing nippers should be non-slip for better grip and made of stainless steel to weather humidity.

Indicators

If you are fly fishing with nymphs that sink in the water, you want to know whether fish have taken the bait. The easiest way is to attach an indicator to your fly line. When you catch your fish, the indicator will start wiggling.

Indicators are made of different materials that float on water, such as foam, cork, or yarn. There are many types of indicators, so ask a pro which ones are best for your fishing conditions.

Lanyards

If you want to carry all your accessories in a tidy fashion, you need a lanyard. Quality lanyards are perfect for docking your tools and equipment and will not stand in your way when you cast your line. Lanyards have clips and other smart docking options for your fly fishing tools, accessories, and equipment. They will hold your tools in place and keep them easily accessible when you need them. For instance, if you want to have quick access to your flies to attach them to your fly line and cast, then you need to place them in your lanyard.

Lanyards are made in such a way that they don’t swing when you move. This way, they will not impede your fly fishing. Instead of looking into your pockets and losing flies and fly lines, keep everything well organized and close at hand.

You can also buy a loaded lanyard. For example, this loaded Orvis lanyard comes with Comfy Grip Forceps, Comfy Grip Nippers, Hyflote Gel, Floatant Holder, Tippet Bar, and 3 spools of 30m SuperStrong Plus Tippet.

Fly Floatant

You want your dry flies to float on the water. To make sure they float perfectly, you can coat them in a fly floatant material that prevents your dry flies form sinking

Tippet Holder

Your fly is attached to the tippet. A tippet is an almost invisible filament placed at the end of the line, where you attach the fly. Because of your tippet’s light weight, the fly swims and floats in a more natural way to perfectly mimic the gentle and genuine movement of bugs and insects.

A tippet holder will hold on to your tippet dispensers and prevent them from getting tangled. Whenever you need a tippet to add to your line, you don’t need to look frantically into your pockets: your tippet holder has them all.

Zingers

When you need to attach things to your vest, you need zingers. Wire cord zingers attach to your vest without making holes and help you hang tools and keep your accessories close at hand. You won’t need to search in pockets and backpacks: you only need your zingers and you have everything you want at close proximity.

Fly Fishing Accessories Will Make Your Life Easier

The more you get into fly fishing, the more you will want to invest in accessories to make your sport even more enjoyable. Even so, you don’t need to over-accessorize your fly fishing expedition. You only need to invest in essential fly fishing accessories that will make your fly fishing easier and more effective.

Fly fishing accessories have been developed by experts who understand how they can improve the fly fishing experience. From clamps and nippers to lanyards and zingers, invest in the best fly fishing accessories from specialized companies like Orvis and Umpqua and take your fly fishing experience to the next level!