Gear Prep for the Fall Fly Fishing Campaign

I have a bad habit of saying salmon season is coming. But that also means it’s time to get our gear in order which, let’s be honest, is exciting. 

Usually when I wrap up my campaign chasing salmon and steelhead, some of my gear is pretty worn out. But like many of you, I turn immediately to the trout season, and it usually gets placed in the corner of my basement (or our readers, perhaps a garage).    

Here are a few tips on how I get ready for the fall fishing campaign which starts out with salmon season. To start, I like to inspect my waders and give them an inspection for holes which I’ll patch if any are found (for those of you who are unsure of how to locate leaks and repair wader, check out this video). I always recommend starting out with waders that don’t leak too badly as the water will only get colder as the season goes on. 

While I’m looking over my waders, I’ll also give my wading shoes a once over - replace worn laces and inspect the spikes / studs. Quite often, I find spikes on my boots that are worn away or even missing. Footing is key when fighting large fish, so you’ll want to ensure that the bottom of your boots is taken care of. 

As anglers, we also know that a solid connection is important. Therefore, this is also a good time to go over your rods and reels, and more importantly, fly line and running line. If the lines have seen more than two or three seasons on the water, it may be time to change them out - trying to cast old beat-up fly line can be very frustrating. And while you are at it, inspect the backing on the reels and consider replacing it. Rocks and time can beat up your backing when you are fishing for lake-run fish. The next hook-up can easily be a fish of a lifetime and you do not want to lose it due to rotting backing or old fly line (gel-spun backing is a good bet but be careful as it gets “sharp” when we and can but your fingers). Also, take inventory of your leaders and tippet. This stuff, in the grand scheme of things, are relatively inexpensive. I would suggest getting rid of all old stuff and starting out fresh. Leader material can break down sitting in our gear bags in storage, particularly if exposed to heat and sun. The best thing to do is just start with fresh material.  

Finally, now is the time to start tying flies and re-organizing the fly boxes. I don’t know about you, but my boxes always end up a big mess by the end of the season. Rusty ]hooks...chewed up flies....disorganized flies...broken boxes. The boxes may not stay organized for long but it’s nice starting out with everything organized. 

I hope to see you on the river this fall with a fish on.

Jay