Save Your Saltwater Flies

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Photo by Louis Cahill

Photo by Louis Cahill

By Louis Cahill

Have you ever put a saltwater fly back in you box while it was still wet from fishing?

If you have, you know the heartache of finding a bunch of your best patterns ruined by the salt you locked in there. It’s no fun. If you’re fishing on your own boat, you probably have a drying patch but if you’re wading or fishing with a guide, it’s hard to find a good place to store your used patterns. They too often end up lost or thrown away. Even if you keep up with them, it’s a pain to wash and dry them later.

I learned a good trick to save those veteran flies from one of the guides at Abaco Lodge. Just drink half a bottle of water, and save the rest. When you change flies drop them in the bottle. Your flies get rinsed and are all together in one easy-to-remember place. Lay them out to dry when you get back and put them back in the box the next morning.

Don’t ruin or discard any more saltwater flies. And don’t get your water bottles mixed up and swallow any either. That’s the fish’s job.

Louis Cahill
Gink & Gasoline
www.ginkandgasoline.com
hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
 
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5 thoughts on “Save Your Saltwater Flies

  1. I do the same thing When I fish Pyramid Lake In Nevada Because of the high saline content In that lake. It has saved me a ton of money over the years? ? Tight lines and blue skies! !

  2. This very clever & efficient idea was independently developed several years ago by Captain John Hand, MCI, who operates Redfish Landing Guide Service in Everglades City, Florida. Captain Hand is an excellent guide and fly casting instructor specializing in tarpon, snook and redfish in the Ten Thousand Islands of southwest Florida.
    A wide mouth clear plastic pill bottle is an excellent alternative to bottled water. It easily fits in a fanny pack, and its unlikely someone will chug its contents by mistake.

  3. Pingback: Tippets: Saving Saltwater Flies, Keys to Fishing Runoff | MidCurrent

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