How to look after flies so they last

Never box a wet fly

A single wet fly closed into a foam box will rust its own hook and, worse, raise the humidity enough to spot the hooks either side of it. Foam holds moisture against steel, which is exactly the wrong thing.

Hook a used fly into the sheepskin patch on your pack or the outside of your hat and let it dry for the rest of the session. Empty and air the box at home, lid open, before it goes back in the bag.

Rinse the salt, always

Saltwater destroys hooks fast. Rinse flies in fresh water after a salt session, dry them properly, and expect a shorter life from them regardless. This applies to the box too, and to the nippers hanging beside it.

Check the point before you trust the fly

Draw the hook point across a thumbnail. If it skates rather than biting, it is blunt, and a blunt hook is why the fish came off. Points are dulled by rocks and by the backcast far more often than by fish.

A few strokes of a hook file restores most points. On small flies it is usually not worth it — tie on a fresh one.

Reviving a crushed dry fly

Hackle flattened in a box will often spring back if you hold the fly in the steam from a kettle for a few seconds. It works better than it has any right to, and it saves flies that look finished.