Over My Waders

Home

Streamside Thoughts - shallow, no chest waders required

Clippings from a fishermans library

Old Rodmakers ads, fly plates, etc.

How you do, that voodoo, that you do, so well

Trapped in the fishing net

Home

Streamside Thoughts - shallow, no chest waders required

Clippings from a fishermans library

Old Rodmakers ads, fly plates, etc.

How you do, that voodoo, that you do, so well

Trapped in the fishing net

main - Tips

How you do, that voodoo, that you do, so well

If you have any tips on fishing, things related to fishing, recipes, etc., please share them with us by submitting to Reed Curry at overmywaders@adelphia.net

Another Fly Floatant

Stuck Ferrules

The Quick Scraper

The Perils of the Red Tin

The Versatile Candle Stub

The Other Fly Floatant

Swelled Butts

Another Fly Floatant -- from Bill Stieger
George Harvey makes his fly floatant from a mix of red Mucilin and lighter fluid. He says it's still the best floatant he's ever used.

Stuck Ferrules -- from Bill Stieger
If you have a stuck ferrule and the old "bow legged-behind-the-legs" method of usticking a ferrule fails, remember--always carry a pair of rubber dishwashing gloves. They'll help you get a grip that won't slide. Rubber gloves never fail.

The Quick Scraper

For years I used cabinet scrapers, made by Stanley, Sandvik, or from old power hacksaw blades. These scrapers are superb for final finishing, but burn your fingers if you hurry, and require frequent squaring and re-burring. The next time your ten-year-old hits a line drive through the storm window, save the glass. Using a straight edge and a $1 glass cutter, you can make many excellent scrapers, perhaps superior in cut to a cabinet scraper. To make one, just cut a strip of glass 4" wide by 1.5" high. This is now your scraper, giving you four sharp edges. It won't burn your fingers, and when it gets dull you throw it away.

The Perils of the Red Tin

As you may recall, Mucilin, the acme of line dressings, was once sold in a red tin, much like a shoe polish tin, but more difficult to open. Perhaps the Mucilin lasted so much better because of the tight seal, or perhaps because you might give up after struggling to open it with wet hands. At any rate, the clever fellows at Aspinal decided to change the packaging and the "red tin" is now a plastic "tin" of one quarter the size. This new package opens easily, but is difficult to keep closed, with the result that on a warm day, the now-liquid Mucilin drips out of the container all over your fishing vest. Tip: Empty the Mucilin, with its felt applicator, into a snack size zip-lock bag, and carry that in your fishing vest.

The Versatile Candle Stub

I carry a candle stub in a pocket of my fishing vest. This white parrafin has been used for five years to tighten a loose ferrule or lubricate a tight ferrule, wax a line to float it, scrapings became firestarters, and it could even light my way off the stream, if I should lose my flashlight.

The Other Fly Floatant

Albolene, a cosmetic cream for dry skin, has long been used as a fly floatant. It does a excellent job of floating the fly, melts at skin temperature, and leaves no oily or sticky mess on your hands. A lifetime supply of twelve ounces is available for $9 - $11 at most pharmacies. The best container for this is the accordion-like reel grease containers, they make squirting the gel quite easy. Heat the Albolene by the double boiler method and pour it into your chosen container for streamside use.

Swelled Butts

When handplaning swelled butts for a cane rod, you might want to try an old luthier’s trick. Before starting your planing, glue a ¼” strip of “ladder-grade” (quarter sawn with very tight rings) Sitka spruce, the same width as the section that will be swelled to the cane. This will prevent the strip from rocking and will fill would otherwise be a hollow in the finished rod. Sitka spruce of this specification is incredibly strong, light, and easy to plane. As an alternative, Western Red Cedar is also excellent.

© 2000 Reed Curry