Rusty Spiders for Dusk

[Smuggler]

Thanks Bob, that would be a handy tool for sure. Maybe William will enlighten us!

[William Anderson]

Sorry I had to bolt yesterday. That's just the way things are going.

Anyway, thanks again for all the comments. I was going to wax eloquent about the joys and perils of night fishing. I'll just move on. I do wear a nice headlamp, essential for any fly finding, knot tying, fish landing activities. But it's still a fuss. And the fly fishing specific reader lenses that attach to my hat are clumsy in the dark and hard enough to use during the day. I'm going to have to go to some other lens set up. enough of that.

So the box shown above I saw a few years ago in an Orvis shop and I believe I saw one recently in the Beaverkill Angler in Roscoe when we were there in June. As Bob said they are designed as nymphing rigs, apparently if you've got several nymphs on a leader. That sounds terrible, but for what I'm thinking, tying on a point fly to about 18" of tippet, and tying a length of the next size tippet material to some length. Then tying in a short dropper just above that knot. I imagine tying a number of these rigs using a couple variations of fly combos. Maybe even some seasonal variations. A single double surgeons knot in the dark is no problem, but tying on multiple flies or droppers when the hatch you've been waiting for all day if finally on, is enough to make me look for a solution. And as Bob pointed out...you have to do it ahead of time. I planning to get it done.

The box shown above is probably not hard to locate, I haven't even tried. I imagine a piece of sturdy cardboard cut to shape and a piece of craft foam adhered the length of the cardboard would be a simple enough solution.

Bob, what size tippet were you sporting when you broke of your evening takes? I broke a couple off with 5x and straightened the hook on one with 4x. No need to go smaller than that after dark, but these aren't streamers either.

If I find a link for the box I'll post it.

w

[tie2fish]

Here ya go guys ... http://www.orvis.com/p/dropper-rig-fly-box/76kh

[William Anderson]

Here ya go guys ... http://www.orvis.com/p/dropper-rig-fly-box/76kh

Thanks, Bill. I would have gotten there eventually. Best to support a fly shop. I'm sure most Orvis dealers can get them.

[Roadkill]

Nice flies William!

Grab a beer at your local pub and make your own cast carrier...



See Forum post http://www.flymphforum.com/viewtopic.ph ... st+carrier

[William Anderson]

See Forum post http://www.flymphforum.com/viewtopic.ph ... st+carrier

Bill, this is hilarious. We have had a nice discussion on this topic a couple years ago, with lots of solutions and even though I participated in the thread, I have absolutely no recollection of ever discussing this. My memory may never recover entirely it seems. It's sad to realize, I recalled the same Orvis nymph box (page 2 of that thread) back then and found the link for the box, but completely forgot doing that. No memory of every discussing this at all. Thanks for the thread link. Your Kiwi casts look great.

Ariel's plastic and foam solution was awesome and the beer coasters are spot on for the old cast carriers from generations ago. About 10 years ago our friend Alan Goodwin (Highlander) was kind enough to send me a cast card complete with a cast of three Clyde style flies on a leader. Seems solutions are not the limiting factor at this point. It's getting the time to go downstairs and tie up a few and make sure I have them on me when the time comes. What are the chances I will forget? (don't answer that.)

One of our readers sent me this little gem. Smith Creek makes a Rig Keeper that seems really efficient. Their stuff isn't cheap but their quality and design is top rate.



I think they're primary intended for the ever popular dry/dropper rigs, but it would look much nicer with a cast of wingless wets.

[redietz]

Bob, what size tippet were you sporting when you broke of your evening takes? I broke a couple off with 5x and straightened the hook on one with 4x. No need to go smaller than that after dark, but these aren't streamers either.

That's the odd thing. The tippet didnt' break; the leaders themselves broke at about the midpoint (as in leaving me with about 4 or 5 feet of leader that started out at 9 feet.) They were all brand new leaders. This is not the first time this has happened. A few years ago, I bought a couple of two packs of Orvis leaders (4x) up in Roscoe. It didn't take me 15 minutes to break the first one off on a fish; it had never even been inside the guides, let alone on a reel, so wear wasn't the cause. Two more broke trying to retrieve flies from a tree; both times again mid-point, not on the tippet or on a knot. The final one cost me a one-fly contest. I figured I had just gotten a bad batch; I've used Orvis Super Strong for decades without any problems.

The same thing happened to me over Memorial Day. A couple of two packs of Super Strong, with the new black package so I know they weren't old or from the same batch as before. Three I broke on Pine; one I broke on Spring. All broke the first time I fished them out of package. I've since swtiched to Rio for leaders. (OTOH, I've never had a problem with Orvis tippet material.)

I can't remember the last time I lost a fish because the tippet broke.

[redietz]

Here ya go guys ... http://www.orvis.com/p/dropper-rig-fly-box/76kh

Just ordered one. I've been using a piece of cardboard, which I have to enclose in baggie before putting in my vest, and even then manage to have the cardboard collapse on me from time-to-time, tangling the various sections of leader. This looks like a much cleaner solution.

[swellcat]

Thick foam—door hangers, anyone?—with notches seems easy enough.

What role does the plastic play? Aesthetics? Stiffening?

[Mataura mayfly]

Jeff, I am guessing the plastic "wings" stop the flies from becoming crushed and bent out of shape as they sit in position ready for deployment.
There may be a central plastic rod running top to bottom to add rigidity?
Doesn't much matter, anything with a Smith name attached just screams quality does it not?