Portable Kit for Tying Salmon Flies "In-Hand"

Getting back into the swing of things  

     As a professional musician, a lot of time is spent waiting around. We wait before and after sound checks. We wait during travel. We wait for our perpetually tardy colleagues to show up for rehearsal. I figured there had to be a better way to kill time. With a little inspiration from Adrian Cortes, who seems to tie flies in the most unlikely places, I decided to make a portable kit for tying salmon flies "in-hand." 

Old fly box, repurposed

     I needed to use minimal tools and materials. The first step was portioning out materials that can be used in many different patterns. I gutted an old fly box, lined half of it with cork, and filled it with thread, tinsels, dubbing, floss, wax, etc. I can stick hooks into the cork and keep a pair of scissors, hackle pliers, tweezers, and a bodkin inside and still manage to close the box. If I know the pattern I want to tie, I pre-portion the materials, put them inside a small baggie, and store them in the fly box. This is truly portable.

Time to kill...

The main kit

     To store more materials, I repurposed a case for a portable DVD player. The DVD player is long gone, but the case is still useful. In it, I keep hackle, more hooks, feathers of all sorts, etc. The fly box fits inside this case, so everything is right where I need it. I keep the case in the back of my car, just in case I find myself waiting.

Portable lighting

      Since most of my work happens at night, one issue that has arisen is a lack of light. I bought a small USB power bank from Marshall's and a couple of small USB lamps from Ikea. They don't produce a ton of light, but they're not too back as long as the fly is held directly beneath them. The power bank and lamps fit in the DVD player case. 

Small and very portable

     Viola...a better way to wait around. I'd rather fish in those waiting times, but I'm not usually near bodies of water. Tying can be done virtually anywhere...in the car, backstage, or at the train station. I can even stash the kit in my cymbal bag. I wish I had thought to do this sooner! 

   

Black Silk and Rosy Dawn...ready to fish!

Good Riddance, Winter!

First fish of 2018

     Whew! Spring is finally here! Prior to February, I hadn't wet a line since Christmas Eve. A brief, but intense, February warmup made us think that spring would be very early this year. I was able to take advantage of ice out by hitting a local carp pond. It took a little while for the water to warm up enough for the carp to feed, but I waited patiently. It was a good day, bringing three common carp to the net. I didn't move any grass carp, a fish that has been taunting me since last summer, but that's a different story...

      Shortly thereafter, winter returned with a vengeance. March was pretty much awash in snow. I think it has snowed three times in April so far. Unbelievable! But, it melted quick and it was time to start the hunt for spring migrators. Schoolies were on the menu on my first trip, which was fun. Unfortunately, the keeper-sized holdovers moved out a few days before I was able to get to the river, but the migratory fish will be here soon enough. The river is COLD. That might be slowing things down a bit. 

First striper of the year

     I went out today for a couple hours. The river was lower, clearer, and slightly warmer. Today, April 12, the Connecticut River was 41º, which is quite cold for April 12. The schoolies had vanished, but had been replaced with good sized smallmouth bass. It was the "wrong" species but, at that size, I am not complaining. 

     I'm sure it will only get better from here. I haven't felt like writing much, but I do have a few posts planned when I get a moment. I'm experimenting with a new tube fly that I'll test out and, if it works out, will post here. Anyhow, enjoy your spring fishing. I know I will! 

First smallie of the year