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Bug Sampling Courtesy of Home Depot

26 comments / Posted on February 9, 2012 / by Kent Klewein

Putting the Paint Strainer to work. Photos By: Louis Cahill

Man, I love my $2 paint strainer from Home Depot.

I’m a big believer in aquatic bug sampling on the water. It has saved the day for me guiding numerous times. Eighteen years ago, Angling Designs won a tackle dealer show award for its “Quick Seine Net“, specifically designed for instant bug sampling on the water. It’s an ingenious product, but I can’t use it because it won’t fit over my big guide net. Searching for a fix, I found myself standing in the paint section at Home Depot staring at a 5-gallon paint strainer thinking, “this should work and it’s only 2 bucks”. I’ve carried this inexpensive piece of gear on the water with me ever since, and I love it.

Keep it Reel,

Kent Klewein

Gink & Gasoline

www.ginkandgasoline.com

hookups@ginkandgasoline.com

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26 thoughts on “Bug Sampling Courtesy of Home Depot”

Turnip Truck Driver on February 9, 2012 at 7:32 am said:

Not since “Hints From Heloise,” have I read such a good tip.

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- Kent Klewein on February 9, 2012 at 9:37 am said:
  
  Grant,
  
  Glad you liked the tip, I use it on the water all the time. By the way, I enjoyed your “Fly Fishing with the Stars” post on your blog. Did you stick around to see William cast?
  
  Kent
  
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Brent on February 9, 2012 at 9:48 am said:

Just the other day I was cleaning windows at a rental property and thought a window screen would work well… But your idea is much easier to pack!

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Brad on February 9, 2012 at 4:23 pm said:

Great idea. Thanks for sharing!

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Teeg Stouffer on February 9, 2012 at 7:16 pm said:

Love nifty, thrifty stuff. A+

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- Kent Klewein on February 9, 2012 at 7:21 pm said:
  
  Teeg,
  
  We should have plenty more where that came from. Stay tuned.
  
  Kent
  
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Jay Thomas on February 9, 2012 at 10:28 pm said:

Kent,

that is brilliant! What kind of bugs did you find there?

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- Kent Klewein on February 12, 2012 at 1:45 pm said:
  
  Jay,
  
  I should have examined the big bug a little closer so I could provide you with an exact specie. Below is what I know and hope you find it helpful.
  
  Its for sure in the family of the Flathead Mayflies (Heptageniidae) these are very important for fly fisherman.
  
  Best I can tell it is one of the two:
  
  Light Cahill (stenacron interpunctatum, or stenonema ithaca)
  
  Or
  
  March Brown (stenonema vicarium)
  
  If you google them you will see they are very similiar. Trout in my homewaters eat these guys like crazy. I will be tying up and showcasing a fly pattern that works very well for me soon.
  
  Hope this helps.
  
  Kent
  
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Charlie Murphy on February 10, 2012 at 9:10 am said:

D.I.Y…..Diggin it. Just finished sanding and re-staining my smaller brodin excalibur. Added a hand painted ruler to the handle between stain layers. Will have some pictures up on the BRM blog soon, as well as my DIY Cliff box.

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Darren on February 11, 2012 at 10:12 am said:

Awesome tip.

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- Kent Klewein on February 11, 2012 at 1:59 pm said:
  
  Darren,
  
  Thanks man. I’ve started following your blog. I am a streamer junky as well. Keep up the great tying.
  
  Kent
  
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  - Darren on February 12, 2012 at 7:45 am said:
    
    Thanks Kent! Keep up the great work here.
    
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Capt. Joel Dickey on February 12, 2012 at 7:23 pm said:

Kent nice one dude… I got you and Louis a net to take home when y’all get down here… The Brodin ghost net… Drift boat size… I tried landing some tarpon in it but for some reason it just wasn’t large enough lol…..

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- Kent Klewein on February 12, 2012 at 7:35 pm said:
  
  Joel,
  
  I thought you would like that. Super stoked to head your way on th 22nd this month. Save a few hotspots for us 😉
  
  Kent
  
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cliftz on February 13, 2012 at 6:56 am said:

yea, that’s the ticket. i was stealing and cutting up my wifes’ pantyhose, which works really well, too. But, the paint strainer is much nicer and bigger…gonna have to go out to home depot or the hardware store and pick one up. Great tip. Thanks.

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Wayne on February 13, 2012 at 11:21 am said:

Nice tip, and right in my budget ha!

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Hugh on February 13, 2012 at 5:50 pm said:

Love DIY stuff: tying flies, making bodkins, cleaning road kill for flies, tying tables, whatever. It just feels more authentic when you do it yourself. This is a great tip! Think about making DIY a regular part of your blog!

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- Kent Klewein on February 13, 2012 at 6:27 pm said:
  
  Hugh,
  
  Thays great you are enjoying the DIY posts. We will continue to share them as we come up with good ideas. I am happy we provided two this week. Thanks for following blog and your comment.
  
  Kent
  
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Pingback: Bug Net | Simms sells direct | Definition of Life — Willfishforwork.com
yoopternal on February 17, 2012 at 2:56 am said:

great tip.

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Pingback: Quick Seine Net on the Cheap | The Daily Fly Paper Blog
Darin on March 20, 2012 at 11:16 pm said:

INCREDIBLE, what an idea, can’t wait to try it out next month!

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Mark Lee on July 9, 2016 at 9:37 am said:

Incredible tip! I bought a new fishpond net this past spring and the paint strainer fits it perfectly. This has really helped me see what bugs are around any given day as well as helped my fly tying. Thanks!

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Will on December 12, 2018 at 4:44 pm said:

That’s an awesome tip! Just grabbed the 5 gallon net for $4 (2 pack) and this is gonna make a world of difference. Thanks!

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