Gear Reviews

WBFC Gear Reviews- Pulling product off the shelves and testing it out.  An honest look at the stuff we sell.

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Simms Boat Patch

The boat patch is an invaluable tool that most drift boat folks have come to depend on for drying flies, laying out the days selection and all around fly organization.  Forget those tiny little patches on your vest or bag, a boat patch is the only way to go!

Impressions: The patch retails for 24.95.  I did buy mine, it was not free or anything.  We buy the products we test!  

First, I like the grey color, as it won't stain or discolor easily. The second thing I noticed about the patch was that it is sized almost right to offer ample space and still be out of the way.  I would have liked it to have been an inch bigger in both directions however.  It seems like it would be a bit small for bass fishing or anytime you are throwing big flies and need lots of room. 

 I really do like the slit foam.  Slit foam is always very cool and convenient, and not having to tear up a 24 dollar patch is nice.  Below the slit foam is a really cool magnetic patch.  If your fishing tiny flies, still water chironomids or just tossing a fly there to put into the foam later, you can be assured that it will stay there.  You can see in my picture that I have tilted the foam 90 degrees and the flies are staying put.  

Attaching:  An angler can attach the patch about anywhere you can lay it flat and get the velcro to adhere.  Speaking of which, the patch comes with one extra velcro patch and a "glass cleaning" patch to prep your boat with. It's smaller size means that it will work in a canoe or pontoon as well as the traditional drift boat.  

The Honest Part:  There isn't a lot of negative to say about a foam patch that keeps flies in place, right?  Overall the patch is a good, slit foam patch that will last several seasons of recreational use.  Only time will tell how it withstands guiding, but I imagine it will do ok, as Simms stands by their products and they don't sell junk.  The size is a bit small for what we do here at WBFC, but on the trout rivers or lakes, it will work and work well. 

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Veevus 16/0 Thread-  Strong! 

For our first review we wanted to go with simple.  You can't get more simple than thread.

Thread being the basis of all fly tying, well, mostly the basis, we wanted to highlight a product we love.  Veevus, the best thread no one talks about!  Seriously, not a lot of tyers talk about veevus.  It's advertised, in the 16/0 size, to be as strong as many other companies 6/0.( Veevus has 20 different products offered!!)  After tying with and using the thread, I think they are right.  I tied up a few small nymphs and some renegades to see how it performed and I can attest to it's strength.

A closer look:

I broke out the macro lens so that I could get a close up shot of the thread and how it might compare to other, "standard" 8/0 threads.  I was surprised that the 16/0 was of very similar diameter upon visual inspection.  However, it does look barely smaller and it lays down flatter and has a much different look than standard threads.  In a very unscientific test, I tied on both threads to a standard hook and "broke" them off.  The Veevus did break slightly "harder" compared to Uni. (which we sell a ton of as well)

"Standard" 8/0 on Left Vs. Veevus 16/0 on Right.  Both Black. 

The Veevus thread on the Right is only slightly more thin, if at all.  The major difference, and an important one, is that the Veevus thread looks twisted in two primary strands.  Without a microscope, I can't say much more than that.  However, it can be untwisted to lay very flat.

So here is the honest part:  I'd still tie my flies with 8/0 Uni and feel good about them, but on the small Chironomid patters and midge dries we use in our desert fisheries, I will stick with Veevus.  It is slightly stronger and easy to work with.  We can barely keep the 10/0 and 16/0 in stock, so others feel the same way.

Veevus used on middle and righ bottom PT's.