Tippet Fly Pouch
The Tippet Fly Pouch is BW Sports’ entry into the minimalist chest pack field. Although simplicity and minimalism are not the same, many American anglers attracted to the simplicity of tenkara are realizing that they do not need all the gear they carried as fly fishermen. More and more are abandoning their vests in favor of small chest packs. The pouch comes on a lanyard that has several clips for nippers, an emergency whistle, etc., and the pouch itself holds a small fly box, tippet, and all the tenkara lines you could possibly want.
Let me rephrase that. It holds all the tenkara lines even I could possibly want. On any given day I usually test several different lines with a variety of rods, and I rarely have fewer than half a dozen lines with me.
Tippet Fly Pouch Front View
For some time I’d been looking for a leader wallet to hold the lines I do carry. I had seen a number of different small bags or pouches or chest packs, but they all seemed too large for what I wanted.
The main reason I chose the Tippet Fly Pouch was that it incorporates a leader wallet in the bag. There are five zip closure envelopes that can be removed (as a unit). Each envelope is 4.25" by 4.75" inside the zip part.
Tippet Fly Pouch side view
Although BW Sports makes a fly box to go with the Tippet Fly Pouch, I do not stock it and sell the pouches without the fly box. I much prefer the Easy Grip box, which just barely fits in the pouch, or the small Morell Fly Box, which slides into the fly box pocket with enough extra room to hold a Varivas tippet spool.
The TenkaraBum minimalist fly box leaves enough room for two Varivas spools. There is room for a bottle of floatant, too, if like me you enjoy fishing a CDC & Elk.
On the back side of the main compartment, and also on the back of the pouch itself are three pockets that will easily hold flat items (like a Tip Grip) but will also hold a Varivas tippet spool.
When I first got the Tippet Fly Pouch, and before I actually used it, I was a little concerned that the main part of the pouch doesn’t fully close. It’s an open pocket that is held tight by a velcro strap, but I thought it might not be secure for carrying small items. After using the the pouch for quite some time now, that has never proven to be a problem. I don’t carry any small items that don’t fit on the lanyard clips.
From this point on it it is T- Stillwater speaking and not Chris… I carry my lines coiled individually and placed in the Zip-Lock Bag Book Pages of the BW Tippet Pouch with identifying labeling, and a C&F DESIGN UL Light 10 Row Fly Box that measures - 4.25 X 3 X 1” Deep, with the lid carrying 4 different colors and sizes of Down Wing Attractor dry fly patterns, and 1 row of High Country Hopper patterns. The bottom of the box carries 2 sizes of Two-Toned Beetle patterns, one row of the Well-Hung Foam Spider patterns, 2 rows of #12 & #16 Two-Toned X-Rated Ant patterns, and 6 Purple Haze, Pheasant and Chartreuse Soft Hackles, for just in case the dry flies do not work.
I also carry an Ebira Guide model Rod Quiver, containing 2 T-rods, Hemostats, floatant paste, line nippers, 6X tippet spool, magnifiers, a thermometer, insect repellent, a Fishing License, all in the front strap pouch, with a Lighter, a small Knife, Matador Sit Cloth, a segment grip pad, and a 3m Titanium Line on its spool in the back pouch mounted on the back of the Ebira. The only times I do not carry the Ebira is when I am fishing out of a float tube.
For my Stillwater fishing, I carry a Fishpond Chest Pack, with the above mentioned dry fly box in an external zippered pouch, plus a C&F Design 3 - 9/16 X 4 - 7/8 X 1 - 3/8” Deep, 3-Level UL Fly Box Carried inside the pack, containing the following fly patterns:
The Lid - The Olive, Blue and Grizzly Herl Things; The Black, Orange and Gray # 12 Sheeps Creek Fly Patterns, and the # 14 Blue Tag, #14 Orange Tag and The #14 Green Tag Sheep’s Creek Fly Patterns.
On the middle Leaf, the #16 Blond, #14 Red Butt, #12 Orange, and #12 White Midge Pupa patterns, along with the #14 Orange and #14 Black Midge Emerger Patterns, Plus the #12 Blue/Gray, #14 Pink/Oyster, #16 Orange/Autumn and the #16 Green/Gray Pregnant Killer Scud Patterns.
On the Bottom: The #14 Bloody/Black, #14 Orange/Orange, #14 Green/Black and The #14 Blue/Chartreuse Slinky Fly Patterns, The #12 Shakey Beeley Pattern, and The #12 Green and #12 Orange Tenkara Intruder Fly Patterns.
Plus 5X FC. Tippet material and a headlamp in the pack, with a Plunger Style Set of Hackle Pliers and a Line Nipper carried out side the pack on a Zinger. Also, inside the pack is a 6-page Leader Book carring 3 Different lengths of Floating fly lines with leaders, 4 different lengths and sizes of Level FC. T-lines, and 3 different lengths and different densities of Sinking Fly Lines, Plus one 12 foot long Furled Tapered FC. Sinking T-line, to cover everything from small high mountain streams, high lakes, float tubing and boat trolling. The Chest Pack is 4” thick X 6” wide and 8.5” high. That is a lot of tackle packed into not very much space for very little weight…Karl.