Fly fishing vests are highly beneficial for the way they hold various accessories useful for the waters. However, there’s the risk of overloading it, which can cause it to weigh over 20 pounds and be difficult to move around in. That’s why you need to learn how to organize a fly fishing vest to feel comfortable AND reach your needed items efficiently.
Read on as I show you tips on organizing your fly fishing vest!
How to Organize a Fly Fishing Vest
If you don’t take time to organize your vest correctly, you may end up taking too much time looking for gear rather than casting to fish. To avoid wasting time and energy, follow these five helpful tips:
1. What Items Should You Carry?
Prepare the items you need for your fly fishing trip and what to put in your vest, such as your:
- Flies: Keep this simple, depending on the time of day and where you want to fish
- Fly box: To keep your flies organized and protected
- Split shot: For sinking your nymphs
- Strike indicator: To indicate if you have a strike or snag
- Floatants and leaders
- Thermometer: To let you know what fish feed on based on temperature
- Tools such as fly tying scissors, tippet spools, needle-nose pliers, bug repellent, fishing net, fly line dressing, and zingers
- Your lunch, if it fits your fly fishing vest!
2. Where to Put The Fly Boxes
We all have different ways of organizing our fly boxes. My strategy for this is to have a working fly box that holds all the flies I use the most. I then place this box in my large pockets which I can access using my dominant hand (if I am left-handed, I place it on the right side of my vest).
For those who carry different flies, you can use smaller fly boxes and stash them in pockets of the appropriate size. They are still easily accessible if necessary!
3. Using the Smaller Pockets
There are a ton of small tools and items involved when it comes to fly fishing, such as your leaders, desiccant powder, pocket knives, even your lip balm among others!
When organizing your small items to put in your pocket, place the items you don’t use as much first. The less often you use something, the further away the item should be tucked to the vest. Then, place items you use the most in the smaller pockets closest to outside your fly fishing vest.
4. Where Do I Store Tools and Tippets?
As for tools, your zingers will be o great value when organizing your vest. The nippers and hemostats should be attached to individual zingers. You can also attach other tools that can work with the zinger, then place it in the tool tab on your vest.
As for the spools of tippet, you need to keep them accessible. Consider using tippet caddies, which are tools that can slide through the center of various tippet spools. Attach it to your vest for easier and quicker access.
5. Do You Have Lunch to Pack?
Of course, you should pack your lunch and water to keep you fueled for your whole-day trip. A lot of fly fishing vests usually have large zippered pockets at the back. This can store a sandwich and water bottle.
If you plan on staying out all day and need more space for rain gear, food, water, and other personal necessary items, then consider investing in a hybrid fishing vest. This acts as a vest and has a backpack attached to store more essentials as needed.
If you need to learn more about organizing your fly fishing vest, then check out this informative video:
Wrapping It Up
You don’t just need a high-quality fishing vest, but the knowledge on how to use it properly. However, there are many different ways to do so, there is no single right way. Experiment and rearrange your fly fishing vest to see what works best for you and your individual needs.
That’s why I hope my guide on how to organize a fly fishing vest gave you that starting point. Start following my tips and gear up for a great fishing day ahead!
