Bass Flies of A.J. McClane, Part 2

Bass Flies of A.J. McClane, Part 2

David Hutton, ©2018

    In our first installment, part 1, "The Bass Flies Of A. J. McClane", we took a look at some of the favorite flies of one of America's greatest fishing writers and sportsmen: A.J. McClane.
If you'll recall, these came from McClane's book, "The Practical Fly Fisherman," which was first published in 1953.
    In that work, Mr. McClane devotes an enter chapter to fly fishing for bass.

    Given the date, it's possible this was before many of you were born. So, while the flies he offers were commonplace in the 1950's, they may seem unusual as bass flies..., and likely unknown to you. That's okay, though, because you can bet the bass haven't seen much of them, either!

    Here, in part 2, we are going to discuss a few more of McClanes favored bass flies, but we'll dig into them....

---------------- ↭ ---------------

The Woolly Worm 

    Here's one both familiar and arcane: the Wooly Worm.
It is a classic pattern that traces its roots way back in time. We know for a fact that Izaak Walton described this fly in 1653. 
Even with that, a wool body spiral-wound with hackle was at lease two hundred years old when he came along. 

What Is It?
    Most people are of the opinion that the Woolly Worm mimics one of the many hairy caterpillars found in Nature, commonly known as "woolly bears," or something like it. 
    There is even a festival in Vermillion, Ohio around the first of October each year, which honors the ability of the woolly bear to predict the severity of the coming Winter. (5) 

    However, there is reason to believe the Woolly Worm fly is something more than that. 

    No less an expert than Don Martinez, famed Western fly angler and contemporary of McClane, well, he had another idea.
    Mr. Martinez suggested the Woolly Worm also imitates swimming, underwater creatures like gilled and leggy nymphs. And in darker colors, I can see that.

    Second, if the fish only saw it as a caterpillar, then its effects on them might only be seasonal. But the Woolly Worm works year round, so its highly likely that is represents something more than just caterpillars.

Make a Wooly Worm
    In construction, few flies are simpler. Plenty of resources exist if you want to tie up some Wooly Worm's, and I'm including one at the end of this section. 

    At the vise, you'll find the Woolly Worm is pretty simple:

1. A tail of wool, yarn, marabou, or hackle fibers begins the job. Traditionally, this tail is red, and made of wool.
2. A cylindrical body of chenille or a thick dubbing noodle, is wrapped along the hook shank, 

3. A feather hackle palmered over that and running the full length of the hook shank. 
4. To finish off, tinsel, wire, or monofilament is usually wrapped over the hackle to guard it from the sharp teeth of fish.

 

NOTE: You should strive to apply the palmered hackle so it faces forward, or at least upright.

This way, it undulates back and forth as the fly is stripped through the water.

    The two main colors are a yellow body, and a black body. The yellow version was first introduced in the Ozarks, where Don Martinez learned of it in 1935. 
He then took it out West and quickly made it famous as a trout fly.
While he tied them in many colors, his personal favorite was black. (2)

    While not specific to bass, my pal Bart Lombardo offers tying tips and has plenty of good things to say about the Woolly Worm on his site, "Panfish on the Fly":

https://www.panfishonthefly.com/blog/2017/8/7/the-wooly-worm


Fur Bodied nymphs
    Now you might not think of nymphs as bass food - but you should. Stomach sampling studies of fish, including top predators like bass, find they are often stuffed with nymphs.
    This is especially so in the warmer months, and I have personally found swimming dragonfly nymphs over 2 inches long!
With that said....

    The next fly out of McClanes box is really one among a class of flies, the fur bodied nymph, These are based on the bass's habit of picking up it's food and swimming a short distance before eating.
    This phenomenon is known to most soft plastic lure anglers, but wasn't widely acknowledged among fly anglers in the early days.
The large nymphs described here by Mr. McClane cash in on this idea; they give Mr. Bass something to chew on until the hook set. 

    This type of fly is also one of the few where it is okay to fish it with some slack in the line. This allows the bass to swim off with it; even then, they tend not to spit it out.
    Mr. McClane attributes this to the soft, furry body.

Gray Nymph 

Drawing from, "Professional Fly Tying, Spinning and Tackle Making," 
by George Herter (2)

    “In 1935, an attractor type of nymph, known as the' Gray Nymph,' or, 'Muskrat Nymph,' gained popularity quite extensively all over North America.... 

    Wherever this nymph was used, whether on trout, bass, or panfish, it produces exceptionally well. Today it is held in awe by many fishermen. I have used them for a number of years with very good results.”

- George Herter (2)

The Gray Nymph dressing 

Tail – Soft, wet-fly quality, medium gray rooster neck hackle fibers

Body – Muskrat underfur dubbed heavy, thick, and full

Hackle - Soft, wet-fly quality, medium grey rooster neck hackle

Wing – none 

(In the drawing above the soft hackle appears as a symmetrical cone-shaped collar at the front of the fly. This rendering was typical of the period.)

Craft Fur Nymph

    Here's another fly along the same lines as the Grey Nymph, one I've been tying with fish-catching success. 

    This was originally inspired by Polly Rosboroughs, "Casual Dress," a fly tied wholly from fur, one of several patterns he developed and called, "fuzzy nymphs."
    Like all of the flies in this class, it is not intended to represent a specific creature. Rather, the aim is to suggest life, and, as Rosborough wrote.... "to create something a fish might want to eat," 

    This one differs from the Grey Nymph in that it is more slender and tied entirely from craft fur - tail, body, and hackle are all from the same hank of synthetic hair, in Rosboroughs manner. It serves to illustrate the idea of a fur bodied nymph, perfectly.

    I'll say more on Polly Rosborough in a moment.

NOTE: These are NOT the near-microscopic mayfly nymphs adored by trout anglers. Tie these fur nymphs big, in size 4-8. Seriously, don't be afraid to do this. 

    Okay, the last two flies presented are gonna get out there a little bit. These are wet flies, or streamers,... or something in between.

Hot Orange Marabou 

Hot Orange Marabou, aka, the Silver Garland
foto courtesy of FAOL (3) 

    Mr. Ernest H. (“Polly”) Rosborough honed his fly tying craft on the banks of Oregon’s Williamson River. He is maybe best known for his book from 1965, "Tying and Fishing the Fuzzy Nymphs."
He is also credited with some pretty famous trout flies, like the previously mentioned, “Casual Dress,” “The Fledermouse,” “The Near Enough," and others.

    But he also liked marabou, and may have been the first of the West Coast tyers to make much use of it. 
    In 1936 he developed the Silver Garland Marabou Streamer fly, and it became one of the most effective streamers going. He envisioned it as a large trout and steelhead fly, but saltwater fish, and bass, are also attracted to this versatile fly.

Materials

Hook: Mustad 9671, 9672; sizes 8-1/0

Thread: 3/0 black monocord

Body: Silver Christmas tinsel garland 

Wing: Hot orange marabou with black ostrich herl topping

Head: Black (large black heads with painted eyes of white or yellow, with red, black or orange pupils are often applied)

    According to Polly... 

"The Silver Garland has a fairly fat and heavy body, dressed with tinsel garland (over a weighted body if desired). This provides a brush-like body with a metallic sparkle which should be lacquered to keep it bright. 

The value of this body is due largely to the flash of reflected light which this type of tinsel provides. This makes the fly especially productive in high or discolored waters." 

    For instructions on how to tie it, Mr. Rosborough refers us to a short article written by none other than A.J. McClane, himself. It is as follows: 

"In regard to wrapping the Silver Garland body, tie in at least one-fourth inch of the body material with heavy nylon working thread and have a good thread base under it, well lacquered and dried. Otherwise the body material will skid around the shank of the hook.

It is best to use a core of long fibered Scotch wool, well saturated with lacquer, under the tinsel.*

The wire core of the tinsel** sinks into the wool somewhat, eliminating any possibility of skidding later. Force back the tinsel strands as you go and you will end up with a body better tapered than if you were to shear it afterward." 

* - In the fashion of the day, this would be yarn wrapped into a cigar shape and tapered at both ends. 

** - The tinsel mentioned here is a small, wire-cored garland once common as a Christmas decoration. It is about 3-6mm in diameter. Today it can be found as a miniature decoration for dollhouses! Cactus chenille makes a good substitute.

For the source article, see the following link: http://flyanglersonline.com/features/oldflies/part156.php (3)


The Dazzler

Scarlet Dazzler
tied by author

    A man by the name of Wallace Gallagher created “The Dazzler” in Missouri, about 1910. 40 years later, McClane not only knew of it, but wrote the praises of its qualities as a bass catcher.

    Mr. Gallaghers' aim was to add the metallic shimmer of spinners and spoons to a casting fly. To do this, he also used Christmas tinsel, rather like we saw with the 'Silver Garland.' 
    Was he the first to use this material? Probably. 
    His 'Dazzler' came 25 years before Rosborough's 'Silver Garland,' so I'll peg him in for that honor.

    The Dazzler is essentially a large, chunky wet fly.
It sports marabou for wing and tail, But, its the bristly body and head of sparkly Christmas tinsel that gets all the attention.

    So, while you're prowling the aisles of Christmas decorations this year looking for fly tying materials - think of Wallace Gallagher and score another point for those early fly tying guys.

More Dazzler Lore
    Gallagher published a fairly good book in 1937, called, “Black Bass Lore,” of which I obtained an e-copy. 
    It is typical of the period - full of excellent bass fishing advice, once you adapt to its literary style. I recommend it if you like that kind of thing.

    And there in the book, on page 107, he mentions his own fly, "The Dazzler," then says he will detail its construction in a later chapter. 

    “Now we're getting somewhere," I exclaimed. "This will be great!” 

    But, my excitement was short lived... he never delivers on that promise in the book. 
    I thought maybe I found a defective printing, but other people have said the same thing. He promises to describe The Dazzler... and then falls short.

    With his son Paul, who also illustrated, "Black Bass Lore," Wallace offered the fly commercially in red, as the 'Scarlet Dazzler,' and in black, as the 'Black Dazzler.' 
    Silver and gold were also worked in at some point, as we'll see later on. But when McClane writes of its virtues as bass fly, he only mentions the red and black Dazzlers. 

    Nevertheless, he devotes several paragraphs to the fly, claiming it is best fished “dead,” so the marabou can flutter in the water. 
The body material is what McClane refers to as “Christmas spangle,”... the now familiar tinsel garland. 

    Not only could you use small, "wired tinsel garland," but cactus chenille, and the hairy, sparkle yarns found at craft stores might also suffice. You might also be able to craft your own wire-core dubbing brushes using silver angel hair or flashabou.
    Just make sure whatever you use is sparkly and, well,... tinsel-like.

The Dazzler Detective
    Honestly, this fly was a struggle for me. 

    There are no details about it in Wallace's book, as we've learned. 
There is also nearly nothing to be discovered about it, anywhere else. But after a lot of sleuthing, and with help from the guys at the "Bass Pond" website, I was able to get the right idea from the picture, below. 

    Part of a 1949 article by McClane himself, in 'Field and Stream,' the picture is clearly labeled, "Bass Flies," at the bottom. 

    In it we see many of the flies being discussed in this series, and it shows both the red and black Dazzlers pretty clearly. 

    I also found this ad from the May 1918 issue of 'Field and Stream,' which shows the general impression of The Dazzler. You'll note here that son Paul is named as “manufacturer,” and the 1918 versions are offered with, “... silver and gold combination metallic bodies.”

    As you can see from all of this research, The Dazzler was not diminutive; it was a fat mouthful.
There also is an obvious difference around the head in these early versions: The head appears to have been separately wrapped from the spangly tinsel/chenille. 

    McClanes Dazzlers clearly differ in this regard. But, since this is about HIS favorite bass flies, his version is the one I tied as a sample for the article. 

    I have no idea what other colors might have been seen on the early Dazzlers. All I am aware of are the scarlet and black versions.
But, If I were to guess, I'd say the 1918 ad depicts a red metallic body with a gold or silver head.

    Here again, please note that there is nothing subdued about these flies. They are big mouthfuls, they are gaudy, and they are flashy. 
Personally, I can see a whole range of Dazzlers in many colors!

The e-book version of, "Black Bass Lore," by William Gallagher, can be found here:
Black Bass Lore

    In our final installment, we will run into "real" bass flies - the 'bugs," deer-hair jobs and poppers most people associate with bass fishing. 
And there will be a twist - one you may find surprising, and maybe a bit disagreeable…

Bass Flies of A.J. McClane, Part 3

------------- ↭ -----------

Thanks so much for reading and I hoped you learned something. I get no reward from this except satisfaction for a job well done. So, if you enjoyed this, a like and share is appreciated. And as always...

Tight Lines and Fair Winds,

David Hutton

Please do comment with your thoughts, subscribe if you like, and if you want to be part of a no-hype, no-drama fishing group, come join us at:

Palmetto Fly n Fish

© All rights reserved, David Hutton and Palmetto Fly N Fish, 2018/2023

References

1. “The Practical Fly Fisherman,” Albert Jules, “A.J.” McClane, 2nd Edition, 1975, Prentice Hall

2.  “Professional Fly Tying, Spinning and Tackle Making Manual and Manufacturers Guide,” George L. Herter, 17th Edition, 1968, Herters, Inc.

3. Fly Anglers Online – www.flyanglersonline.com

4.  “Black Bass Lore,” Wallace Gallagher, 1937, Van Rees Press

5. Google, of course

Catfish and the Princess Bride

Catfish and the Princess Bride

Aug 8, 2018

I haven't been fishing in a while. 
Work commitments, mostly, are the culprit. I'm in the fire alarm service business, and summer is the busiest time of year for us. 
And it's hot as beejeezus, anyway. 
I'd prefer to be on the water, of course. But when I'm not working, I find a nap in the cool, dark of an air-conditioned room sounds nice.
The nap wins.

And I'm not what I consider "addicted" to fishing.
That seems to be a pretty common sentiment these days, although I'm a little confused by it. You've heard it, I'm sure; people going around with the phrase 'fishing addiction' on their lips. 

Maybe its tying flies, or fly fishing - these folks seem to get addicted a lot. I do both, and they are absorbing, to be sure.
Or maybe it's bass fishing, or they just gotta get their "fix" with a hook. 
You know what I mean; you might even be one of these 'addicted' ones.

When I hear this 'addicted' comment, I think of the 'Cliffs of Insanity' scene from the movie, "The Princess Bride".... 

We find ourselves atop the deadly, windswept "Cliffs of Insanity," with three unlikely companions: Vizzini, the outlaw Sicilian boss, Inigo Montoya, the honorable fencing master, and Fezzik the Giant from Greenland.

If you've never seen the movie, let me tell you that by this point in the film, the snarky Vizzini has said the word, "inconceivable" at least a hundred times: its his standard answer for everything that happens.
It has become a popular, almost cult-like catch phrase, and plays a pivotal role in what comes next.
If you know the movie - you know how this works.

These three are being hotly pursued by the Man In Black.
After defying death to reach the top of the cliffs, and after cutting the rope in an attempt to send their pursuer to his doom, the three men peer over the precipice... to see the Man In Black still climbing towards them.

"He didn't fall to his death?!"exclaims Vizzini. 
"That's INCONCEIVABLE!" 

Montoya, turns to him, pauses wryly, and says....

I identify with Montoya when I hear that phrase, "fishing addiction."
I probably need therapy, or something.

For a clip of the scene, go here:
It Doesn't Mean What You Think

=========================================

Without any good fishing adventures going on, however, I find myself in a quandary: Just what to post? 

This is when I dive into my files. Somewhere in my vast archive I'm sure I can find something useful and interesting. Lets see whats in there....

Understanding Catfish Senses

With more than 250,000 taste buds on even the smallest catfish, these fish can rightly be called "swimming tongues." 
But that's just the tip of the sensory iceberg when it comes to catfish.

To most folks, catfish don't inspire much admiration. They're great on a dinner plate with a side of hushpuppies, for sure. 
And no one could dispute they'll put a bend in your rod. But there's really nothing special about a catfish, right?

Well, guess again, friend. 

Catfish are among the most extraordinary animals on earth. 
More than 2,200 species of siluridae swim the waters of the world - about 8 percent of the total number of fishes, in fact.
They're found on every continent except Antarctica and comprise what many aquatic biologists consider the most diverse group of fishes on earth.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about catfish is their astounding sensory abilities. No fish has a more finely honed senses of taste, touch, smell and hearing to keep them attuned to their environment. In fact, the sensory abilities of catfish are like something out of Ripley's Believe It or Not.

TASTE 
A catfish just 6 inches long has more than a quarter-million taste buds on its body. On a giant blue cat or flathead . . . well, who knows? No one wants to count.

The mouth and gill rakers are packed with taste buds, and these sensory receptors cover the outside of the catfish as well - the whiskers, fins, back, belly, sides and even the tail. 
If you were a catfish, you could taste a slice of pizza just by sitting on it.

"Catfish are swimming tongues," says Dr. John Caprio of Louisiana State University. "You can't touch any place on a catfish without touching thousands of taste buds. To use an analogy, it's as if the tip of your own tongue grew out and covered your entire body."

Caprio, a neurophysiologist, has studied what fish taste and smell since 1971. His research has given him extraordinary insights into catfish feeding behavior, insights that can help you understand what makes catfish bite.

SMELL 
"The catfish's sense of smell is equally keen," says Caprio. 
"Catfish can smell some compounds at one part to 10 billion parts of water."
Water flows over folds of highly sensitive tissue inside the catfish's nostrils, allowing the fish to detect certain substances in its environment. The number of these folds seems related to sharpness of smell. 
Channel cats have more than 140. 
Rainbow trout have only 18, and largemouth bass have just 8 to 13.

By this virtue, many catfish anglers believe smelly baits are best for catfish, but Caprio disputes this.

"Most anglers think horrible-smelling baits work best," he notes. "But that's way off. What stinks to you doesn't stink to fish. 
You're smelling chemicals volatilized in the air, which give these distinctive odors. But animals living in water can't detect them. Catfish detect certain chemical compounds in the water, primarily water-soluble aminase compounds associated with the decomposition of proteins. 
So, what drives your wife from the house with its stench, well, the cats don't smell it the same way."

HEARING 
With no visible ears, it might seem that catfish can't hear well, but that's not true, either. 
A catfish's body is the same density as the water in which it swims, so it doesn't need external ears. Sound waves traveling through water go right into, and through, a catfish. 

When these sound waves hit the fish's swim bladder, the bladder starts vibrating. This amplifies sound waves, which then travel to small bones (otoliths) in the inner ear. The otoliths start vibrating, too, and as they vibrate, they bend little hairlike projections on the cells beneath them. Nerves in these cells carry a sound message to the brain.

The swim bladder on most fish is independent of the inner ear, but in catfish, a series of bones connects the swim bladder to the inner ear. 
Fish without these bone connections (e.g., bass and trout) can detect sounds from about 20 to 1,000 cycles per second. 
The hearing of catfish, however, is much more acute. 
They can hear sounds of much higher frequency, up to about 13,000 cycles per second.

Lower frequency sounds undetectable by the catfish's inner ear are picked up by the lateral line, a series of little pores along the fish's sides. Inside the pores are cells with hairlike projections. These projections bend in response to pressure variations in the water caused by sound, thus stimulating nerve endings that signal the brain. 

The catfish uses this system to locate nearby prey, potential enemies, and other catfish. Creatures scurrying across the bottom, flopping at the surface, swimming through the water or clomping along a riverbank all create low-frequency vibrations which the lateral line detects.

"This 'vibrational' sense is very well developed in catfish," Caprio notes. "The Chinese have used catfish for centuries to warn of earthquakes. Catfish can detect quakes days in advance, because they have an ultra-sensitivity to low frequency vibrations."

TOUCH AND SIGHT 
Catfish also have excellent senses of touch and sight. "Channel catfish, in particular, have great eyesight," says Caprio. 
"The eye of the channel catfish is used in many medical centers for research in vision."

Caprio points out that channel cats in clear water - and other species as well - often will strike fishing lures with no sensory cues other than sight triggering the action. They see something that looks like prey, and they attack.

The lack of scales heightens the catfish's sense of touch as well. Their smooth skin is very sensitive, and the brush of wiry fishing line or something else out of place in their environment may send them scurrying.

ELECTRORECEPTION 
Most extraordinary of all, perhaps, is a sense called, "electroreception." 
Catfish don't have to see prey, or smell it, or taste it. 
That's because tiny clusters of special cells on the head and along the lateral line detect the electrical fields emitted by all living organisms. A catfish can find its prey through electroreception, just like sharks.

"A catfish has little pores called 'electroreceptors,' all over its head," says Caprio.  
Every living cell is a battery, to use an analogy. That is, if you stick an electrode inside a cell and outside a cell, you get some kind of reading just as if you were measuring a battery with a voltmeter. 
Catfish can sense this minute electrical charge to help them find food. 

It's a close proximity sense; they must be within centimeters of the object. Thus, catfish can dig in the mud and find insect larvae, worms and such by using their electric sense alone."

ANATOMY OF THE BITE 
All the senses interact when a catfish seeks something to eat. 
The sensory organs all detect chemicals, vibrations (sound) and/or electric charges from potential food items and send messages to the fish's brain telling it to find the food. 
Then, when the cat picks up the food, taste buds in the mouth relay messages to another part of the brain and tell it to eat the food - or spit it out.

"All the catfish's senses are used," says Caprio. 
"It's like going to a restaurant. You walk in. It looks and smells good, so you order a steak.
The waiter brings it on a covered platter; it smells great.
You really want this steak, but when the waiter lifts the top, the steak is bright blue.
Now you don't want it.
You see, many sensory cues control your feeding behavior. 

The same thing with fish. A catfish doesn't just search with its nose or taste buds or eyes. It uses every sensory cue available before deciding to eat."

SENSORY TURNOFFS 
And they decide not to eat, as often as not. 
If a catfish tastes or smells certain compounds in the water or on your bait, feeding activities may cease. 
These compounds include such things as gasoline and certain ingredients in sunscreen, tobacco, insect repellent and other items commonly used by fishermen. 
You'll catch more cats if you avoid contact with such materials as much as possible.

Vision, however, is the sense most likely to cause fright in a catfish, Caprio says.

"If a bird flies overhead, or someone casts a shadow that moves across the water, all feeding may cease," he says. 
"We have fouled up lab experiments for weeks just by having someone put their hand over the top of a tank. 
If you tape the silhouette of a predatory bird to the top of a tank, the cat inside won't come out to eat, no matter how hungry it gets.
The fish will die before he goes out and gets food right in front of it, unless you turn the lights off; then he'll come out and hungrily get it.
That's a prime reason much catfishing success comes when fishing at night."

The exceptionally powerful senses of catfish enable them to thrive in a wide variety of habitats. They cope better than other fish in difficult environments, and thus are often found where other fish are not. 

The next time you feel a fish tugging on your line, and find a catfish there - don't curse it.
Think about the almost miraculous processes and mechanisims that allowed it to find your bait. It will help you better appreciate the remarkable senses of these extraordinary fish

Tight Lines, 
David

Comment, subscribe, and visit us at Palmetto Fly N Fish

TIP TIME: 4 Must-Haves For Fly Fishing Leaders

Aug 3 2018, updated May 2023

"L" is for Leader ------------ <~~> ------------

"If you would really take this leader business seriously, you should have four crucial items of tackle, three of which are carried with you on the stream.

1. The first is most important – and the one you will leave at home while fishing. This is a micrometer. Whether it costs you $10 or $100 matters not. What is needed is a way to measure line diameters, as diameter is the most important element of matching leaders to line. Even a basic slide micrometer will at least give a proportionate value you can work with.

2. The second item is for those who tie their own leaders. It is a leader material holder of some sort. With the holder at hand, you will have the materials needed to customize leaders as needed, ready for use.

3. The next item you want is a leader pouch or wallet in which to carry spares, all marked as to taper and use.

4. The final must-have is a piece of soft rubber. That's right... rubber.

This last item will put more fish in the bag than a dozen extra fly patterns.

Why rubber, you ask? Before stepping near the water, your leader should be gripped tightly between two pieces of rubber and pulled through until it lies out perfectly straight. A handy piece cut from and old inner tube will do the job.

Pulling the modern polymer leader through the rubber causes friction and heat, which softens, stretches, and straightens the leader as you pull it through. This will prevent kinking, and the resultant flexibility will cause the fly to go straight to the target. It is most important in fly fishing to have a straight leader. It only takes a few seconds to do this, and it guarantees optimum casting efficiency."

- A. J. McClane

Rubber, you say? Straighten leaders, you say?

Who does THAT?

Well... Here's the DIY leader straightener I use.

Materials

2 - Discs of 1/16" sheet rubber. 2 - Tear-drop shaped leather ears, the leather salvaged from an old shoe. 1 - Split ring, to connect the two ears. 1- Keychain latch clip The rubber discs are affixed to the leather ears with contact cement or Shoe Goo. Once the adhesive has cured, the new leader straightener is hung by the latch clip on a zipper of my vest - it serves as the zipper pull.

A lot of people, at this point, will say, "You don't need no stinkin' leader straightener. Just grip the leader tightly and run it between your fingers a couple times!"

Contrary to what my wife says, I do listen to others, so I tried the finger-straightening method.

Result: NO CONTEST.

Either the skin of my fingers was nearly cut through by the nylon, or they caught fire from the friction before I ever got the leader straight.

Joking aside, it's not even close. The rubber works exponentially better than human flesh. I strongly suggest you buy or make one of these, and use it as McClane suggests.

------------ <~~> ------------

Writers should always strive for a job well done... even half-baked ones like me. So if you found value in this article, please like, comment, and share it. 

Do you have questions, compliments, or suggestions?
If so, email me at...dahutist@gmail.com

If you appreciate a no-drama, no-hype Facebook group, follow this link and come join us at: 

Palmetto Fly n Fish

Thanks so much for reading, and...

Tight Lines,

Dave Hutton

© All rights reserved, David Hutton/Palmetto Fly N Fish 2018/2023