Less time fussing with your gear means more time with flies in the water, which means more fish. As anglers, maximizing your efficiency and eliminating hassle not only makes fly fishing more efficient, but also more enjoyable. There’s nothing worse than spending ten minutes reaching into various pockets, swearing you left your nippers in there somewhere, only to realize you’ve lost your footing in the water, slip and fall and lose a fly box full of flies. Not that that has happened to me…

Anyway, organization and orderliness will help you avoid these frustrating (and potentially embarrassing) situations and help you catch more fish. Certain tools outside of the necessities can help you maximize your efficiency so you can spend more time actually fishing and not running down the bank trying to fetch the gear you just dropped when you fell in the water (again, not me personally, but this guy I know…).

The following tools help you increase your efficiency and effectiveness through organization, versatility, or simply comfort. Use these tools to help you catch more fish!

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for your support!

Zingers

Zingers, or retractable leashes, are an “essential” nonessential tool that make you exponentially more efficient on the water. Simply attach your zinger somewhere accessible on your waders, hip pack, or vest, then attach tools you consistently use to the end. You’ll have quick and easy access to the tools you use most often and unless something freakish happens, you won’t lose them either.

Zingers solve that problem. You’ll be able to access any tool you need nearly instantaneously. I carry multiple on my bag for nippers and pliers and haven’t gone back to my pockets in years.

Wooly Buggin’s Pick: Fishpond Arrowhead Fishing Retractor is a high quality zinger. I’d invest a little more in quality products when it comes to zingers, cheap ones break over time. With the sturdy attachments that come with this product, you won’t lose them either.

Tippet Spool Holder

In a day of fishing, you could end up cutting and retying flies, leaders, and tippets dozens of times. Often you’ll need different sizes to match nymphs, dry flies, and streamers, all requiring different types of materials of tippet. This means that you’ll need to carry several sizes and materials of tippet each time you go fishing.

Digging around for tippet spools becomes a hassle. You simply will require easy and consistent access to your tippet throughout the day and leaving a heap of spools in your bag is a recipe for frustration.

Enter tippet spools. Tippet spools make access and applications of tippets significantly more efficient. Similar to zingers, they can attach to a vest, backpack, or even waders so all your tippet is within reach. Tippet also comes off these tools way easier than by hand.

You can certainly get away with sticking your tippet in your backpack or vest, but like everything else on this list, tippet spool holders save you time so you can spend more time fishing and less time digging around your gear.

Wooly Buggin’s Pick: Fishpond Headgate Tippet Spool Holder. This is another high quality product that will last forever. Easy to use and doesn’t require a lot of hassle to exchange spools out, providing increased versatility.

Fly Box

Fly boxes organize your flies. While not absolutely necessary, fly boxes are a much more efficient system than jumbling your flies in a bag where they will instantly become tangled in disarray. 

Fly boxes come in dozens of styles, sizes, and materials, the most important in most cases is size. Fly boxes range in size from a small notecard to a large laptop computer. Choosing the size of your fly boxes will depend on

1. The size of your flies
2. The number of your flies
3. Transportability

If you are planning on using small flies like nymphs or dry flies, smaller compact fly boxes are perfect and fit in your waders or pack. Larger streamers require larger boxes that can be slightly more cumbersome to carry, but there are plenty of options out there that fit in bags or hip packs. The largest fly boxes are fantastic if you plan on fishing from a boat and don’t need to carry them all day.

In a typical day of fishing, I carry 2-3 small to medium sized fly boxes, each organized with specific styles of flies. One box is designated for nymphs, another for dry flies, and another for streamers. If I only want to carry 1 box on the day, it’s simple to condense your flies into one appropriately sized box.

How you organize your flies in your fly box is up to you. Whether by size, color, or style, fly box organization is very individualized and whatever allows you to access the fly you need quickly will work. 

Similar to all gear in fly fishing, you’ll end up with many fly boxes over time. You’ll learn if you prefer to keep your flies in separate boxes or to condense them into one with the flies you think you’ll need for the day. Neatly organized fly boxes become a source of pride for some people and a fully stuffed, perfectly arranged fly box will begin to rev your engine in an inexplicable way.

Wooly Buggin’s Pick: Dr. Fish Fly Box comes in a variety of sizes at an affordable price. You can get a handful of these in a variety of sizes to fit your needs.

Forcep/Plier/Nipper Combos

One tool, many uses. Several brands combine two tools you constantly use- pliers/forceps and nippers- into one easy to use device. 

Three of the most common things you do in a day of fishing are cut line, pinch down barbs or split shot, and unhook fish. Many nippers out there only do the former and many pliers/forceps only do the latter. Tools like the Loon Rogue Forceps allow you to do all three with ease. 

Wooly Buggin’s Pick: Loon Rogue Scissor Forceps are a fantastic product that give you all you need. While they are on the higher end of the forceps price range, they are well worth it. I’ve had mine for years and the blade is still sharp and the clamp has not worn out at all.

Magnetic Net Release

Carrying your net while wading or hiking to your next spot can be cumbersome and sticking them in a backpack serves no good when you are trying to land a fish. 

Magnetic net releases let you carry your net out of the way and give you access to it when you actually need it. These accessories are so useful to the wading angler that many nets already come with one provided. 

Net releases have strong magnets that don’t come apart until you want them and when you do, the cord compacts itself into a tidy coil. Attach one side of the release to your bag, pack, or wading belt and you’ll forget it’s there and be thankful you have easy access when you catch the big fish you’re targeting.

Wooly Buggin’s Pick: SF Magnetic Net Release is a very strong magnet for a great price. You’ll only need one of these and you won’t have to worry about the magnet losing strength or coming undone while wading.

Thermometer

Water temperature plays a key role in determining fish behavior, location, and overall activity levels. If there’s one factor consider that will strongly predict fish behavior, it’s water temperature.

Knowing the temperature will help determine where fish are (deep or shallow), or whether or not they’re spawning (depending on the time of the year). There are certain times of the year and certain conditions that a degree or two will actually make a difference in whether or not fish are feeding. 

Thermometers will help you find the exact temperatures of the water for those delicate times of the year where every degree matters. Temperatures can also change during a cold front (learn more about Cold Fronts and Smallmouth Bass), but how much is hard to tell without a thermometer. The following chart is a general guideline for when common freshwater fish are active, when they spawn, and when they start to become inactive

Fish can be caught in any temperature, but knowing these temperature ranges can help determine how, when, and where to fish for them. Use your thermometer to get a quick reading of the water you’re fishing to better understand if the fish are likely to be deep, shallow, active, or lethargic. You’ll start to notice patterns the more often you take readings and over time you can dial in the ideal temperatures for the fish in your local waters.

Wooly Buggin’s Pick: Umpqua Stream Thermometer is a simple tool that goes a long way. Provides quick and accurate readings for when you need to dial in the water temperature.

Crocs

Crocs are the perfect fishing shoe when the weather, water, and terrain allow for it. They’re comfortable, durable, and despite what 99% of people say, they’re damn stylish. 

When the water is warm enough, ditch the waders and throw on some Crocs. I’ve worn sneakers, sandals, wading boots, and gone barefoot when fishing but nothing provides the comfort and ease of good ‘ole Crocs.

You’ll spend less time gearing up with waders or wading socks and boots with the Crocs’ slip-on style. Crocs dry remarkably fast so when the day is done, they won’t reek of river muck. While they aren’t great for rocky environments, they’re perfectly good for most fishing scenarios. If I’m not wearing waders, I’m wearing camouflage Crocs to be stylish, comfortable, and sneaky.

Wooly Buggin’s Pick: Crocs come in a variety of colors, I personally choose camouflage. They’re also perfect as knock-around shoes you can keep in the trunk of your car or gear bag for when you want something easy to slip on.

A Flask

Sometimes, fishing is slow. So slow that you need sip or two of your favorite liquor to warm yourself up and forget that the fish aren’t biting. 

Sometimes, fishing is great. So great that you need a sip or two of your favorite liquor to celebrate that the fish are biting anything you throw.

Take a swig to celebrate the fish caught, to mourn the fish lost, or just because you’re out in nature. Just be safe while doing so!

Wooly Buggin’s Pick: The Stanley Flask is a very high quality product that gives you plenty of room for the spirit of your choice and easily packs into any bag or vest. It’s durable material will last and the cap will stay on tight.

Conclusion

While these products aren’t necessarily vital to catching fish, they’ll help you maximize your efficiency and enjoyment on the water. You can go out there with a rod, reel, line, and a fly and catch fish, but you may not be the most efficient doing so. Over time, you will grow weary and frustrated when you don’t have or can’t find the tools you need in that moment. Organization and comfort are key to catching fish in the long term.

Whether it be organization, comfort, or versatility, tools like the ones listed above will help you catch more fish. Less time should be spent fumbling around your gear bag for the tool you need and more time should be spent with a fly in the water. These tools will help you do that and more.

What tools or accessories do you use to streamline your fly fishing efficiency?