Guide Reviews Must-Have Accessories
You know, if you ask ten guides (who happen to be standing around the fly tying table) what they would recommend when it comes to fly fishing gear – from waders to rods to tippet — you will get ten different responses. Well, that’s exactly what we did. We asked Angler’s Covey guides what gear they use and why. Their responses? We’re going to start with a fun one first: what accessory is a must-have.
Neil Luehring: I am a big fan of the Simms retractors. I had one break last year after about ten years of service; you will not find a coiled line retractor that is anywhere near that durable.
Neil couldn’t choose just one must-have accessory: The other product I use constantly is the desiccant powders to dry the fly after it swamps. I don’t remember what I did before this stuff showed up. It will save you a lot of time, tippet, and knot tying as it allows you to keep fishing the same fly for long periods of time.
David Carragher: Frog Fanny is a must-have. It does the best job of keeping size 26 BWO or a 12 Amy’s Ant on the surface.
Kenny Romero: This is a great question because there are so many accessories that make life so much easier including, forceps, lanyards, good optics, parka/raingear, sine, thermometer, long handled rubber net, etc. Having the right accessories at your fingertips is so important. But the one accessory I can’t live without these days is a rod vault for my vehicle. I like the 3-rod Titan rod vault. When doing a lot of fishing on back to back to back days it’s so nice to be always rigged up and ready to go! Just remember to close the case before backing into your garage!
Greg Blessing: Nippers– ones with replaceable blades – like the ones from Simms and Abel. Ever try to put a small (6x) tippet that’s been cut with dull nippers, teeth, etc., into a #24 fly? Did I mention the hatch is on, but starting to wane? #$@%& !! You get the drift. This is tough stuff!
Zack Tokach: My Sunglasses! Smith sunglasses I swear by! I cannot stress the importance of observing the fish! Totally worth every penny.
Paul Martinez agrees: This is a tough question to answer. As a typical fly fisher, I have a ton of accessories. But one stands out over all others: polarized sunglasses! This becomes a safety issue along with a fishing issue. The polarization cuts the glare which helps you spot obstacles when wading: a safety issue. The polarization helps you spot and sight cast to trout: a fishing issue. Finally, sunglasses work as safety goggles helping keeping flies, or split shot, from hitting you in the eyes. I suggest you do not skimp on sunglasses. Make sure they are polarized with a safety lens.
Watch our blog for their reviews of rods, reels, waders, tippet … and more in the next couple of weeks.