Fly Fishing Accessories: Forceps Revisited

I re-read this article recently (it’s previously published title was Clamps, Hemostats & Forceps) and I decided I had more to say on the topic.

Hemostats. Every fly fisher has a pair. Some call them forceps, some call them hemostats, my wife the nurse, calls them “snaps”, but I like the word “clamps” because that’s what I do with them: clamp stuff. Flies, lines, big honkin’ splinters, little-stinkin’-flies-that-I-can-barely-see, etc.

I’ve heard people say that they liked a stainless steel or brass colored clamp because when (not if) they accidentally drop them into the water they will be easier to see and recover. Whenever I’ve dropped mine, seeing them would not have helped. In most cases I dropped them because other things were happening, either my graceless legs gave out and my feet slipped, or my cold-as-ice and horribly numb hands missed a grip and fumbled the clamp 5 feet away into a foamy seam of deep water where I could only glare at the ephemeral location where they had dropped and imagine them down there possibly within reach but impossibly difficult to recover.

So color doesn’t really matter to me when it comes to finding a dropped pair of hemostats but some other things do. I do not like shiny things anywhere on on my body when I’m fishing. I think it scares the fish away. Fly fishing is tricky enough without my gear spooking the fish by flashing a warning that there’s a predator nearby trying to stick them with a clever sharp thing that looks eerily like a meal of caddis pupa. I like my clamps to be black. I have to caveat that with this: I really like that prism finish some manufacturers have started using. This finish gives the hemostats a coppery blue color that nearly glows. They just look cool. Sometimes it’s important to feel like you are looking cool. Coolness is hard to achieve, I need all the help I can get.

When it comes to the shape, size, and features of hemostats, there are hundreds of different choices out there. You should try several different finger-loop sizes, shapes and proximity configurations to see which one fits your hand best. Clamps come in sizes from 3.5″ to 10″ or more but I think the 4-6″ clamps are probably the most functional. The most traditional hemostat comes with a simple locking system that keeps them clamped closed. When you want to open them you force the finger loops laterally away from each other and open the jaw. Another variety is the mitten clamp that you squeeze to open and squeeze again to close. The mitten clamp is a little more unusual and takes a little time and use to get comfortable with but once you get it, it is as simple as click, click, click, POW! and they are opened ready to do their job. Repeat the process with a little less vigor and they’re clamped shut again. It took me a while to get used to them but eventually I could not imagine living without them.

For fly anglers, the jaws are the single most important aspect of a good hemostat. They should be smooth, not serrated. There can be some serration back toward the fulcrum of the tool but the tips should be smooth as silk so they do not damage your expensive or carefully tied flies. Jaws with serration can break wire segmentation on nymphs, cut thread on dry flies, tear latex on scuds and Czech nymphs, etc. Make sure they’re smooth, and take care of those precious flies.

Some extra, and very useful features that may be seen on hemostats are a hook-eye cleaner which is simply a small needle point built into the clamp somewhere, and scissors-which I’ve had mixed feelings about. On the one hand, the built-in scissor is very handy, but on the other, I once cut a very nice, very expensive, very new, Patagonia wading jacket while trying to clamp my hemostats to a pocket flap and juggle a nice, netted 21″ brown trout at the same time. Oh well.

Whether you call them clamps, hemostats, snaps or forceps, you’ve got a favorite too, I’m sure.

Fish On!
Shannon Long
Hook Flyfishing

Choosing Sunglasses for Fly Fishing

Polarized sunglasses are an absolute necessity for every fly angler.  Normal sunglasses are better than no sunglasses and they reduce eye strain but they do nothing to help you see fish. When you are hunting for fish, the only lenses that will do you any good are the Polarized variety.

How they work:
(a highly un-scientific explanation)
Light is reflected from water surfaces horizontally.  Polarized lenses have horizontal striations that block almost 100% of those waves.  They filter the light, greatly reducing eye strain as well as glare from the water surface – this means you can see deeper into the water and spot more fish.  Any sunglasses you intend to use for fly fishing should be labeled as “Polarized” and made by a reputable company.  Polarization is not created equal so ask permission to take the glasses outside and look at the clouds.  You should be able to clearly see depth in the cloud formations and distinguish the edges of the cloud-banks.

What to look for in a sunglass frame:
Get a frame with great side coverage.  This means very wide temples (the temple is the piece that goes over your ear) that block a lot of light.  They should wrap around your face and fit snugly.  You will see the advantage of this by cupping your hands around the bill of  your hat and your sunglasses.  By blocking more light you are able to see everything in higher contrast.

Lens color:
When it comes to the color of the lens things get specific real fast.  For salt water a light gray or blue lens works very well.  For most fresh water conditions a bronze, copper or rose lens is the choice.  For low light conditions, yellow or orange works best.  Light transmission is also important.  Light transmission is how much light is allowed through the lens or, in other words, how dark the lens is.  A lens that is too dark does not permit enough light for you to distinguish the fish from the river-bed so be sure you don’t pick a lens that is too dark.

Lens color, Strike Indicators & Water Color:
Rose lenses – fluorescent orange indicators will be the most visible – this color cuts through green water very well.

Blue and Grey lenses – fluorescent orange and fluorescent pink indicators will be the most visible – these lenses cut through turquoise water very well.

Bronze or Copper lenses – orange, fluorescent orange and fluorescent pink indicators will be the most visible – these lenses help you see into most fresh water colors.

Fish On!
–Shannon Long
Hook Flyfishing

Fly Fishing with Children Part 1-Getting them started

My children have been fly fishing since they were 5 & 7.  Now one is a teen-ager and the other is getting unbearably close to teen-hood.  Teaching them to fish was, as it should be, a big priority in my life because fishing has meant so much to me.  I know they will remember the great times they had with their pop on the waters of Colorado, Wyoming, Florida and many more.  I also know they will pass this on to their children.  I only hope that I taught them to teach their own children in a way that will allow them to love the sport and remember the great feelings of stalking fish with good company.

There are a few critical things I did that meant the difference between frustration and fun for everyone (pop and kid alike).  It is tempting to put a child on a short fly rod because they are short themselves but that thinking doesn’t really work unless you can find a wispy zero or 1 weight fly rod and put a heavier fly line on it (a tactic called over-lining).  I choose a 9′0″ slow action fly rod, which I found at a garage sale.  I later learned from my buddy and business partner, Andy, that a 9 foot, slow rod or an over-lined, faster rod really helps people feel the loading of the fly-line.  This is a great teaching aid for everyone.

With that rod, we practiced casting in the park on big, treeless, stretches of grass.  One of the boy’s favorite fly-casting-practice games was “Fry the Fly” which is a game of H-O-R-S-E played just like the basketball game except with a fly rod.  It got it’s name from aiming the little puff of egg yarn that was tied onto the end of a nasty old 1x leader at the BBQ grills in the park near our house – “Fry the Fly”.

Later, when I was teaching them on the water I resisted the urge to do any fishing for myself.  Instead, I opted to simply observe and help them.  I focused on the skill-sets that needed the most attention then carefully showed them how to develop that skill using my own rod, fly line and flies.  I would demonstrate for them and talk them through the motions, but I tried very hard not to grab the rod from their hands and use it for the demonstration.  Occasionally, though, it does became necessary to physically guide their bodies through the motions.

Working like this, they developed some fine casting skills including several techniques for presenting flies in a variety of conditions at some very precise targets.

Most importantly, they had a good time and have grown to love the sport.

Fish On!
–Shannon Long
Hook Flyfishing

Fly Tying Hooks For Nymphs

Choosing a nymph hook with a nice wide gape will help end those missed hook-ups.  I tend to pick shrimp or egg hooks for the nymphs that I tie.  Tiemco’s 2487, 2488 and 2499 hooks are some of the most appealing I’ve worked with.  Their arcs are perfect.  When my flies are tied on those hooks they look more life-like.  That hook twists and turns in the water and that gorgeous arc makes that fake bug look like it is actually wriggling.

Tiemco 2499

Tiemco 2488

Tiemco 2487

Partridge 15BN Klinkhamer

Another hook I like is Partridge’s 15BN Klinkhamer.  Beautiful hook.  This is nice for an unbeaded or very slim profile nymph because the wire is thinner.  Before tying on this hook open the gape just a touch for better setting-be sure you do this first instead of investing all the effort of tying just to break the hook.

Fish On!
–Shannon Long
Hook Flyfishing

Read as much as you can about fly fishing!

I read all the fly fishing magazines I can get my hands on.  Books too.  I should also say that I watch as many Fly Fishing DVD’s as I can.  I’m a junkie.  I’m also pretty far behind – there are so many great books, magazines and DVD’s out there on our sport.   Every article, book or video I dig into gives me an hour or two of enjoyment and another handful of gems that help me become a better angler.  Whether they lead me to a greater enjoyment the sport or to catching better fish, I get a leg up each time.

Don’t get overwhelmed by the terminology.  If you are new to this “quiet sport” some of the lingo may be a little confusing but push through it.  Eventually you’ll be an old hand at talking fluently about the differences between arbor knots, albright knots, nail knots, perfection loops, nymphs, drys, streamers, larva, pupa, duns, hackles, chenille, targeting Brown Trout, Brookies or Rainbows, about whether they were hitting on Caddis or Callibaetis, and you’ll know that it’s really rare to strip a dry fly :)

Every word you read every video you watch, will become more and more informative and helpful because you will be building your background knowledge with every article, movie or book.

Grab a fly fishing book, pick up a tying magazine or plug in a trout-porn video.  You’ll get a lot more from it than just an hour or two of enjoyment.

Fish On!
–Shannon Long
Hook Flyfishing

Thingamabobbers

The Thingamabobber may be the most talked about strike-indicater of all time.  Some people think it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread and some think it’s merely a glorified bait bobber.  I think Thingamabobbers are a fantastic tool.  They cast smoothly, stay put (until you try to put them too far down the taper of your leader – but they probably shouldn’t be that far down anyway), they are highly sensitive to underwater taps and are VERY light.

When I first used the Thingamabobber, I had trouble figuring out what was going on because they are perfectly round.  It doesn’t take long to realize that, when your drift is good, all you’re looking for is a plunge of the sphere.  With other indicators you get used to looking for the asymmetrical indicator to tip over which tells you to set your hook.  Thingamabobbers are much more sensitive than traditional styro-foam, closed cell foam, and yarn indicators.  All you have to do is SET when you see it plunge a little.  Your hookups will increase with this dandy tool.

Fish On!
–Shannon Long
Hook Flyfishing

Bass on the Fly

Water temps are on the rise in the urban lakes and that means really great action targeting Small Mouth Bass. Fishing for this sport fish with flies is as much fun as anything else you will do in your life. There are a few things to think about when targeting bass. Use bigger, nastier flies, which means heavier leaders and tippets to as well as faster rods and heavier lines. Don’t forget that bass fishing is an early riser’s sport. Don’t let those “10am Dry Fly Hatch” habits foul your opportunity for fishing here. You’ll need to be on the water and rolling early in the morning.

Check out Weapons of Bass Production, a video starring Landon Mayer and John Barr. It really nails the specifics on some of the most important things everyone should know about going after this great fish. Landon and John cover the equipment from flies and tippet to rods and float tubes, they talk tactics, weather, locations, holding lies and everything else. The final word is that they hook up on some MONSTERS!

Fish On!
–Shannon Long
Hook Flyfishing

The 16-20 Knot

I’ve spent years tying the improved clinch knot on my flies and droppers. I’ve gotten good enough that I can tie it with numb hands in howling winds and blackout conditions. It’s a fine, serviceable knot. It is not the strongest knot, though, and it does take a bunch of steps so I started kicking around ideas about learning a new knot. After trying several, I ended up going with a knot commonly called a 16-20. It is very easy to tie, strong and practically tells you that it’s tied and seated properly with a nice little “CLICK”. This knot is especially great for size 4x-7x tippet.

Steps:
1. Thread down through a down eye, up through an up eye.
2. Lay the tag end parallel to and behind the standing line.
3. Pinch the loop you just made and wrap around the front of the paralleled lines 3x.
4. Go through the loop at the top between the standing line and the top arc of the loop.
5. Lubricate the whole mess and work the knot down to the eye of the hook. Hold the tag end snug and tighten everything up. When feel and hear that distinct “CLICK” you are done.

Fish On!
–Shannon