Fly Fishing Tip # 91
Removable Weed/Snag Guard

I fish shallow, grassy and snaggy water at least 90 percent of the time. A fly without some sort of snag protection gets fouled or hung every few casts. I've experimented with every sort of weed guard imaginable and have settled on a few that work for me.

Weed guards that are tied right into the fly sometimes make tying an awkward experience. I've experimented with removable weed guards for at least 10 years and my latest version works best and is super simple to make.

Here is how I make a removable weed guard.
All I use is my el-cheap-o rotary vise, small wire cutters a sewing needle and a little #2 or 3 single strand leader wire.

First: Lock a regular sewing needle into your rotary vise as shown below with the needle eye extending about 5/8” past the end of the vise jaws.


Second: Insert the end of the leader wire through the needle eye and wind a tight coil (~20 turns) of wire around the needle as shown.


Third: Remove the needle from your vise and slip the coiled wire off the needle.

Fourth: Trim the almost completed weed guard as shown. The guard on the far right side of the photo shows how to make the final little bends. After making a few, you will get it exactly right. The final photo shows how the weed guard is used.


To install the weed guard, simply slip it on to your leader before tying on the fly. Tie on your fly then slip the long end of the wire through the eye of your hook and carefully pull the leader tight through the coil.

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Capt. Ken

Ken, how do you sleep with all those gadget ideas bubbling in your brain? I'll have to try that one.

If you have a clean heart and clean conscience, sleep is no problem. That being said, when I have a brainphart like this, I just get up and try it or never go back to sleep. Sometimes I just get up and make a drawing or note. I've kept a small tape recorder by my bed for years. Imagine the comments I have had from ladies on a sleepover when I took a few notes on the recorder. If I don't take notes, record something or just get up and make it, some ideas are irretrievably lost. That is a bummer.

A bunch of the "Tips and Tricks" in my e-book started out late at night. This was one that started at about 2AM. BTW, my latest E-book will be available for the Kindle real soon. That ought to increase sales but sure cuts into profit.

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Capt. Ken

Pure genius.

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