Fly Patch for Vest?

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blackdog
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Fly Patch for Vest?

#1

Post by blackdog »

I need a new fly patch for my vest. After 15+ years this one is done for. What do you guys recommend? Just another fleece patch, or us there something better I should know about? Thanks!

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ibookje
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Fly Patch for Vest?

#2

Post by ibookje »

I just love the look of a sheep skin patch. And it works wonderfully well too.

Not sure where to get one these days

Ear4
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#3

Post by Ear4 »

I am a huge fan of the Finsport Fly keeper. It is a foam patch that has a cover around it. Pull down the velcro cover to open, stick the fly in foam, and push it closed. The cover means I don’t lose the flies I put there when I am walking around the river or woods.

It has a clip that I attach to my vest.

Blue Ribbon Flies is the only place I have seen them and they were out of stock for a while but now have them again. When they got them back in stock I bought a couple to cover me for the next decade or two.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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DrLogik
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#4

Post by DrLogik »

The best fly "patch" I ever found were two 1" x 1/8" neodymium magnets. Place one on the inside of your vest and clamp the other carefully on the outside. They hold flies tight, even on windy days, flies don't rust, you can put them anywhere you want (I like my hat) and they are fairly cheap depending on where you get them.

I've been using these magnets for probably 25+ years. Even had a Trademark issued for an idea I had for them back then.

Like these:
https://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DX22

St Vrain Angler
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#5

Post by St Vrain Angler »

I've tried them all but always came back to fleece.

Genuine Lambs Wool Patch: https://shop.littleriveroutfitters.com/ ... -shipping/

Synthetic Fleece Patch: https://www.avidmax.com/anglers-accesso ... gIjgfD_BwE

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Loogie
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#6

Post by Loogie »

DrLogik wrote:
09/17/20 17:23
The best fly "patch" I ever found were two 1" x 1/8" neodymium magnets. Place one on the inside of your vest and clamp the other carefully on the outside. They hold flies tight, even on windy days, flies don't rust, you can put them anywhere you want (I like my hat) and they are fairly cheap depending on where you get them.

I've been using these magnets for probably 25+ years. Even had a Trademark issued for an idea I had for them back then.

Like these:
https://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=DX22
This sounds promising, do you think those magnets would work on a fiberglass wall in a boat?

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DrLogik
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#7

Post by DrLogik »

Loogie,

Probably but it will depend on how thick the fiberglass is. If it's more than 1/8" or so I think you may need a thicker magnet. The thicker the magnet the stronger it is. Be careful, neodymium magnets in large sizes can really sting you if you're not careful. We're talking really bad skin pinches. Been there done that and it is ugly.

Mistermike
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#8

Post by Mistermike »

I agree 100%. The Finsport Fly Keeper is a great product. I fish barbless and got tired of losing flies. Smaller flies seemed especially prone to being dislodged while walking about. Wool patches were the worst and I lost my share with foam patches as well. Haven't lost anything with the finsport, and it's ventilated so the flies dry as usual. I found mine in the bargain bin of a fly shop in West Yellowstone, so I thought maybe it had been discontinued. Glad to hear that isn't the case.

Ear4 wrote:
09/17/20 15:01
I am a huge fan of the Finsport Fly keeper. It is a foam patch that has a cover around it. Pull down the velcro cover to open, stick the fly in foam, and push it closed. The cover means I don’t lose the flies I put there when I am walking around the river or woods.

It has a clip that I attach to my vest.

Blue Ribbon Flies is the only place I have seen them and they were out of stock for a while but now have them again. When they got them back in stock I bought a couple to cover me for the next decade or two.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

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ibookje
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Fly Patch for Vest?

#9

Post by ibookje »

Guys at Timber & Fins are just going to make some genuine sheep skin fly patches on my request.

Get in touch with them at their website: timberandfins.com

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DrLogik
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#10

Post by DrLogik »

If you attach a couple of neodymium magnets to the fleece patch (one on the front and one on the back), barbless flies will not fall off. They work on ripple foam patches as well.

photoguy
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#11

Post by photoguy »

I've been using a foam patch on a zinger with pre-cut spaces on both sides for flys. Mines made by Smith Creek but a quick search shows that there's a zillion different ones. I like the fact that I can store a days worth of flys on it but even better for me is I can grab it and get it in front of my face to see it. Also helps when I'm changing flys...I hook my used one in it before cutting the tippet, get my new fly picked out and then cut off the old and on with the new without losing the tippet end.

Image

RymanType
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#12

Post by RymanType »

I certainly think the sheep patch is the best looking due to its classic appearance. One came with my Filson strap vest; however, I have yet to use it as it seems barbless flies would fall out.
I always keep a spare plastic cup (ones used when purchase flies at a shop) to put my used wet flies in for the day. Just open it up at home/lodge/truck for the night to let them air out, eliminates the lost flies issue, unless you drop the cup in the river of course

dublhaul
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#13

Post by dublhaul »

I'm a big fan of the Finsport products, although I mostly use the larger sizes to hold saltwater flies For my trout flies, and I'll admit to using a lot of itty teeny flies on a tailwater, I've been happy lately with a small plastic box that has ripple foam on one side and flat foam on the other. Works well for holding midge, nymph, dries, even small streamers without mashing hackle or losing flies.

Easily holds a day's worth of flies, and I can sort and replace them pretty easily from that box at the end of the day. And the box fits in the upper left pocket on my vest.

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Shrimpman
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#14

Post by Shrimpman »

Real sheep/lamb's wool patches last a long, long time. A lot of the patches on vests are fake hair with straight fibers that don't hold flies worth a damn. I came across a big bag of dense, curly lambskin offcuts in a clearance store years ago, so I'm set for life. O0

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DrLogik
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#15

Post by DrLogik »

Brandon,
One came with my Filson strap vest; however, I have yet to use it as it seems barbless flies would fall out.
I have a Filson Guide vest with the fleece patch. I decided to attach a couple of neodymium magnets to it and bingo! It worked great. Seriously, you can have your fleece patch and barbless flies too. The cool thing is that if you get 3/8" round magnets they will sort of disappear in the fleece yet they still hold flies really well.

RymanType
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#16

Post by RymanType »

Thanks for the suggestion Logik, I may give it a try
To Shrimpmans report, I suspect the Filson patches aren’t real lambswool?

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blackdog
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#17

Post by blackdog »

Thank you all, I got a lamb skin patch to replace my old one.

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mer
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#18

Post by mer »

Altoids tin, magnetic strips inside industrial strength velcro on the back.

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Silver Doctor
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#19

Post by Silver Doctor »

Here is my hi tec fly drier for my vest.

Image

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ibookje
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Re: Fly Patch for Vest?

#20

Post by ibookje »

Brilliant! :rollin

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