Fly Fishing Equipment- Starting Off and Beyond by Johnny Butler - Fly South
Learner’s Corner - Wading Stuff by Johnny Butler of Fly South (JohnBButlerIII-FlySouth@yahoo.com)
I. Waders
A. Bootfoot vs. stocking foot. Bootfoot are easier to get off and on but they are clunkier and not as agile.
B. Neoprene vs. breathable. Neoprene are more durable and more form fitting so as to limit filling up with water but are they hot! Breathable are more comfortable and more versatile
C. Hip or waist high vs. chest waders. Most chest waders now have straps that can be used as a belt for waist high use. When ever you wear waist high or hip waders it always seems that where ever you want to fish is about 6 inches above your wader tops.
D. Warranties are somewhat limited so you need to consider cost and length of use. A sharp stick or a barb wire fence does not know the difference between a $100 pair of waders and a $300 pair of waders, each will rip with equal impunity.
Here is what Orvis says: "What is the warranty on waders? Answer: Orvis fly fishing waders are guaranteed to be free from defects in materials and workmanship or we will repair or replace your waders free of charge. The guarantee does not cover abuse, improper care, accidents, or the normal breakdown of materials over time. No one expects fly fishing waders to last forever, any more than you should expect a pair of pants or shoes to last forever. Waders will wear out over time, and how long depends on how often and how hard you use them. In other words, if a seam on your waders gives out after a year we will repair or replace them. If you tear your waders on barbed wire after two years, or if your waders leak after five years, we can repair most waders for a $30 repair charge."
II. Wading boots
A. Felt vs. regular rubber. Regular rubber boots are for duck hunting. Do not wear them in a trout stream as they do not provide sufficient traction on wet rocky surfaces.
B. Felt vs. Studded felt. I prefer studded felt soles on any stream where algae, moss or other vegetation is on the rocks. I think the studs cut through the vegetation and give a better grip than regular felt. The studded felt are a little more slippery than regular felt on bare rock. The studded felts also make more noise than regular felts. Furthermore, many guides do not want you to wear studded felts in their drift boats.
C. Felt vs. new rubber. Alaska, Vermont, Maryland, Rhode Island, and Yellowstone have banned regular felt soles due to concerns about whirling disease and other aquatic born invasive species. Many boot manufacturers have now come up with rubber soles which they say replace felt and work just as well. Clingon, Vibram StreamTread Rubber soles. Color, etc. me skeptical; I do not believe the new rubber soles offer the same traction and footing as felt soles so I would not recommend you buy boots which only have the new rubber option.
D. A word of caution. In my opinion apart from your rod, your leader and your fly, the most important piece of equipment is your wading boots. The wrong pair of boots are detrimental to your day on the river, your comfort and even your health. Do not buy boots without trying them on with your waders!! Wading boots do not come in widths or half sizes and do not have arch support. All wading boots are not the same width i.e. the width varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. A word of caution, if you like your feet the way they are, do not buy your boots too small in length.
III. Miscellaneous
A. Wading staffs. If you are wading the Saluda, Snake, Chatooga, Tuck or just about any tailwater then make one, borrow one or buy one but don’t leave home without one.
B. Wading belt. See A above. Any type of belt is better than nothing. Just do not buy a stretchable belt as it can stretch and let more and more water in your waders.
C. Floatation. You can buy inflatable suspenders or belts or an aquatic aerobics belt or use an old ski belt.
D. Try filling your waders in a safe environment so you can see what it feels like before it happens on the river.-
Unless you are one of the fortunate few who have yachts, boats, kayaks or other water craft suitable for the Congaree and Saluda, then you will be forced to wade for it. Wading for stripers is a whole new ball game. I call it a contact sport, because if you do it long enough you are going to have some resulting health consequences. Why you ask? Well prime time for striper fishing is in the dark. Sure there are some times you can catch stripers in the daylight, but that is not the norm. Stripers are apex predators, and like many apex predators they hunt in the dark. Humans are also apex predators, but we are not nearly as suited for night fishing as stripers. Let me share some tips for night fishing learned while chasing stripers at night for more than 34 years.
First, wet wade whenever possible. Wet wading is safer at least with respect to buoyancy and the ability to get yourself out of the water if you take a swim. If you are going to wet wade buy neoprene wading socks or gravel cuffs to keep the small rocks and the grit (at least some of it) out of your boots.
Whether you wet wade or not, your wading boots should be good. Do not wear tennis shoes or other non-wading boots or rafting sandals. The rocks are slick enough even when you can clearly see. When it is dark, the risk increases exponentially. Felt soles or name brand rubber wading soles are best. Some rubber wading soles are better than others, so check then out before you buy rubber soled wading boots. I prefer felt soles. If the rocks I will be traversing at night are covered with slime or moss, I prefer studs in the felt to cut through the layers of whatever it is that grows on rocks. If the rocks you are wading are bare, then I prefer non-studded felt soles, as the studs will slide on bare rock. If you have to compromise, then put 7 or 8 studs in each boot. It is better if the studs are specialized ones for wading as they generally are larger and stick in the soles better than machine screws, but if you want to skimp on traction while walking on slick surfaces - be my guest - I know some great orthopaedic doctors. I take the studs out or put more in depending on the type of rocks I am clambering over. I also do not use the lightest weight wading boots I can find. Bump your ankle against a rock at 10 p.m. and you will remember for quite a while. A sturdy wading boot with good padding is a great idea anytime, but especially when you cannot see the ankle biters lying in wait.
If you choose not to wet wade during the chillier weather that we have during the start of striper season, I don‘t blame you, standing in 60 degree water for hours is a good way to get cold in or out of waders. Even in the dog days of summer, it will not take you long to get cold if you wet wade. Whether you wet wade or wear waders WEAR A BELT. If you are wearing waders always wear a belt. Once you get in over your waders, the water is going to run into your waders. If you do not have a wading belt, then it is going to pour in faster, and at best fill up the legs quickly, and at worst start stretching your waders as more water comes in. A belt will not stop all of it, but it certainly helps. If you are wet wading, wear a belt if for no other reason than to have a place to strap on your wading staff which we will discuss below. If you have never filled up your waders in the water, then you should find a safe place preferably a pool where you can stand and fill your waders up and see what it is like. You do not want to experience this for the first time by accident, it is better to know what it is like in a controlled environment. You will find your waders fill up until you look like the Michelin Man. You will also find your boots start pointing to the bottom, and it is hard to swim. I found the best way to swim is to turn sideways and frog kick with your feet while paddling with both hands on one side of your body. It’s up to you to determine when the situation is so bad that it is time to drop your rod. If you drop your rod, one possible compromise is to hold on the fly line and then drop the rod as you paddle sideways to safety. Just remember you probably do not have to swim very far to reach a point where you can stand up. You can then pull on your fly line and hope that you can reel in your rod. As an aside note, there is a very good chance your lifetime rod warranty will not cover your rod if you cannot produce some portion of your rod to the manufacturer. One more thing on involuntary swimming, when you go in the second or tenth time, I guarantee you that one thing will happen first - you will panic. The quicker you quit panicking, the better off you will be.
Now as you have been waiting or wading patiently, on to wading belts. You can use a leather belt, a nylon belt, Orion’s belt or any belt. I prefer to wear a flotation belt or what older people call a ski belt. Nowadays it is used for water aerobics and is large and made of foam. People laugh at me, because I wear a nice blue flotation belt. One snarky friend asked me if I wore it in the shower and I quickly replied, “no but I wear in the tub.” Seriously, you can get it right 9,999 times out of 10,000 and still be dead on the 10,000th time.
Now on to wading staffs. You have on your wading belt right? Of course you do or you would not have read this far down. Your wading belt is the perfect place to hang your wading staff. If you do not have a wading staff, make one, borrow one, or buy one. I prefer you buy it from me, but that is beside the point. Remember above when we talked about wading in the dark. Remember all those times in the daylight when you thought the water was one depth and you stepped down and it wasn’t, and you stumbled. Remember the time you thought the water wasn’t really that fast, but it was. Remember that time you tripped over a rock you did not see. Now think what it would be like in the dark. Still with me, THAT IS WHAT A WADING STAFF IS FOR. It keeps you from falling as you feel your way along with or without your headlamp, because even with your 5,000 lumen headlamp you cannot see to the bottom all the time. A shock corded collapsible wading staff folds up into about 18 inch sections, fits in the holster and can be put on the side of your waist where it is not too uncomfortable.
Headlamp, let’s throw some light on that subject. To fish after dark you need a headlamp. You don’t use it all the time you are fishing. You cut it off when you get there, you cut it on when you land a fish to get the hook out or to make sure it is what you thought before you put your thumb in its mouth. You may cut it on as you move from one place to the other to fish. You cut it on when you rig up or change flies or tie on more 20 pound tippet (get the hint 20 pounds, not 12 not 15). You cut it on when you walk out even if you are on a paved river walk, because it would be embarrassing to have successfully waded in the river and caught fish to then twist your ankle walking out. And guess what it should be - headlampS as more than one. Headlamps get cut on accidentally, the batteries get old, and the bulbs run out. Worst of all you drop your headlamp in 5 feet of water and it lies on the bottom and shines at you maliciously; you would not believe how long they can shine underwater. Get 2 and make sure they are at least 500 lumens preferably more.
Do not be afraid of the dark, just be ready for it. Btw the stripers will not thank you for it.
JB
Learner's Corner by Johnny Butler at Fly South LLC, johnbbutleriii-flysouth@yahoo.com
Fly Tying?
A lot of people ask me this question. It seems pretty daunting to get started with all the patterns, materials, tools, techniques, etc. Well the best way is to just get started.
First realize what fly tying will not do for you.
It will not save you money or room in your house
It will probably will not allow you to tie flies as pretty as the ones you see in the store
It will not raise your blood pressure (most of the time)
It will not make you spend more time with your family
It will not keep your kitchen table uncluttered
What will fly tying do for you?
It will make you a better problem solver
It will make you better with your hands
It will improve your patience
It will make you a better fisherman fisherperson(?)
It will help you tie flies you cannot buy
It will help you tie flies in the size, color shape, etc. you cannot otherwise find
It will help you look forward to the trips you take
It will let you forget about things while you are tying.
What do I do to get started?
Buy a fly tying kit, throw the vise away, and buy a decent vise
Get a fly tying friend to help you; you really cannot learn from a book; you can sort of learn from videos especially more advanced techniques, but the best way is in person with the instructor helping you every step of the way
Watch videos and practice the techniques
Set aside a dedicated area for tying. If you don’t, it is unlikely you will tie flies on a regular basis
If you stick with it, buy more and nicer tools and buy materials for specific flies you want to tie
Start off simple and work your way up to more difficult patterns
Tie several of the same fly at one time, repetition is your friend
Buy a recipe book (we call it a pattern book in fly tying). Put the materials on the hook in the order listed in the pattern.
Keep notes of what works on certain patterns
Realize there are a lot of ways to do something, so don’t be afraid to experiment. That is part of the fun.
First, learn to use a half hitch tool and then learn to whip finish as soon as possible.
Buy several bobbins, so you can keep several types and colors of thread ready
Realize even ugly flies can catch fish, so can simple flies, so can complex flies
Learn to improvise, otherwise the bit above about your blood pressure not going up will not be true.
Try to keep your fly tying area tidy. Come up with an organization system that works for you.
Tie regularly, at least at first. After you have been tying a while you can pick it back up easier if you take a break.
Download the hareline app at Apple App Store or Google Play, Fill up your cart and forward it to me for easy ordering. You cannot buy it direct you must go through a Hareline Dealer.
Remember if you are a beginner and buy a kit from me, I will give you a free 45 minute fly tying lesson (actually it will probably go longer than that)! If you have questions about buying a kit for yourself, getting a kit for a gift or giving a kit for a gift, call me at 803-466-8162 and save yourself a lot of stress and confusion.