How about a thread on favorite tying or fishing gadgets? No real form or outline, and can be more than one in each catagory. The Denver Trade show is chock full of gadgets every year, and I'd be curious as to which of them are actually being used. Newer ones to the sport can get an idea of which items in the catalogs are actually finding their way into vests or onto benches. And Byard can procure the ones people have an interest in obtaining.
I'll start: I cherish my vise and bobbins, since I started tying without these, but my Matarelli whip-finisher is now indispensible, even though I can whip by hand. My little plastic head cement squeeze bottle with the needle clean-out cap is another. Next would come hackle pliers and hair stackers and misc. dubbing brushes and the like. For fishing, I thank the guy who invented zingers. I Mexico, the only tool hanging off me was a nipper on a zinger- an extremely 'used' combination. On trout streams I add a hemostat to the nipper, but not while saltwater fishing. Another 'gadget' I like is the braided looped leader connection that slides over the tip of the flyline and then cinches down. When I was young, all we had was the little barbed/eyed insert needles that rusted or broke. (Are these even still available? I like them for backing attachment for trout rigs. ) I also use braided and tapered leaders quite a bit. OK...Who's next? DonO
