Watch any fly angler that has been fishing for a while and you’ll see some subtle things that they do to make their lives easier and their setup time way faster. Instead of repeating the same process of rigging up again and again, these pro anglers have been constantly tuning their setup season after season, perfecting the art of the gear-up.

Want to skip the learning curve? Alright well if you don’t tell anyone I’ll share the tips that will get you started and help you get on the water faster. Actually, tell everyone these tips, just don’t tell the old timers with the bamboo rods that I shared the knowledge–they’ll revoke my honorary old man card.

1. Double Over Your Line

No, I don’t mean fish with two fly lines at once and demand your friends call you Whiplash (anyone?). Instead of holding onto the end of your leader and stringing up your rod, then pulling the rest of your line through before tying on a fly, pull out nine feet (or however long your rod is) of fly line and fold your leader on top.

Now you can hold the bottom of the loop, which should be where the leader joins the fly line, and push that through the guides. Not only is hanging onto this loop easier than holding the end of your leader, but once you reach the tip of your rod you’ll have the exact amount of fly line and leader to tie on your fly and hit the water.

2. Take Your Time

If you rush getting ready, tying your knots and rigging up your gear, there’s a greater chance that you’re going make a mistake and have to do something over again. As military snipers say (according to the movies), “Slow is steady and steady is fast.” Take the time to do it right and you’ll be able to spend more time fishing, not fixing mistakes.

One area that you should take your time doing more than anything else when getting ready is tying on your fly. Here’s at Postfly we think the fly is the most important piece of gear, so it makes no sense in rushing this crucial step. Every time I tie a knot I say to myself, usually out loud like a crazy person, “make it look pretty.” If that knot isn’t worthy of a picture to hang on your fridge it’ll probably break–take the time and retie, even if it just doesn’t feel like 100% your best. This is also probably a good lesson for the rest of your life, just saying.

3. Get A Backup Fly Ready

No matter how much time you just spent going slow and making sure your knot was perfect and your fly was the right one, you never know what the river is going to throw at you. Even if there’s a hatch steadily peeling off or I’m already seeing fish work the surface of a flat before I hit the water, I always pick a backup fly.

If I’ve tied on a dry fly, I’ll make sure to throw a nymph or a streamer into the brim of my Wade For It hat or onto the fly patch on my coat. The point of the backup fly is to have a distinctly different pattern that you can quickly tie on if the fish aren’t biting or if you lose your fly in the heat of battle. Sure you may never have to use it, but wouldn’t you rather have it and not need it than seriously need it and not have it?

4. Don’t Break Your Rods

It’s the worst sound in the entire world and it also makes scratches all over the side of your car as if a tiger couldn’t find its scratching post in time. What am I talking about? You piece together your rod, lean it up against your car and go do something else like pick out a fly (or crack a beer). SCREEEEEECH. There goes your rod dragging guides across your car and falling to the ground. If you time it right you might even close your car door the same time that it falls, snapping that beautiful tool like a twig.

Keeping your rods protected is so important that we’ve partnered with Sport Bumper to give away a FREE Sportsman Bumper Mini to any new subscriber that signs up before 8/15. These things magnetically attach to your car and will hold your rod or gun as gently and securely as you would. That way while you’re running around getting ready you won’t need to worry about breaking your rod right as you’re about to head to the water. Seriously, I’ve done it, take my word for it: IT SUCKS.

Subscribe by 8/15 to get a FREE Sportsman Bumper Mini. Use the code “BUMPIT” and we’ll make sure to drop one of these bad boys into your first box of flies, gear and swag.

 

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