September/October’s “One More Cast” column suggested several tools to help anglers fish well and safely. At the end of the column, we asked for additional ideas from readers. Charlie Moore of the Amador Flyfishers sent us a note recommending “mini grabbers,” also known as “test hook clips” for testing electronic components, to keep flies under control when changing them while fishing. Here’s what Charlie says:
I use a mini grabber to hold the fly and keep my big fat fingers out of the way. This works especially well on small flies, and at my age a small fly is any fly size 16 or smaller.
Mini grabbers are used by fly tyers to display flies when tying. For fishing, what I do is drill a small hole across from the hole at the base of the grabber so that I can thread it on a small key ring, which I then use to attach the grabber to my vest. I usually have more than one mini grabber on my vest. They come in handy when changing flies. You can hook the fly being replaced on one grabber and the next fly on another grabber, then cut off the former and tie on the latter. When making a two-fly rig, hook both f lies on grabbers and then tie them to the tippets of your preference. Both flies stay in the grabbers until you release them.
A mini grabber attached to your vest is also a good place to let a used fly dry.
