My wife got me one of those fancy, newfangled fishing vests for my birthday last July. It’s one of those new styles with several adjustable straps and a dozen zippered and velcroed compartments inside a chest pack. L.L. Bean calls it a Modular Fishing System, and each time I see it hanging in my equipment closet I admire its sleek lines and compactness.

I know my new vest is going to be durable and very versatile, but I’m having just a bit of separation anxiety about my ripped and ratty, 25-pocket, worn-but-wonderful old standby. As you read this, I’m biting the bullet, a wash of emotions and years of memories, as I make a weekend project of changing fly fishing vests. Shake your head and chuckle if you will, but any devout angler will expound that a perfect fishing vest is like a good house, a place for everything and everything in its place.

If you’re a neophyte sportsman about to purchase and stock that first vest – or chest pack, fanny pack, equipment bag, knapsack, gear bandoleer, or other tackle system, I have some ideas on stocking up. Even you old pros might find a new item or two from my gear pockets that would be a good in-VEST-ment for your fishing wardrobes.

Basic bounty

Each individual angler will have certain idiosyncrasies in the way they pack their vest. Items most used will be put in the most convenient pockets, while other larger items will only fit in certain spaces. It’s also important to spread equipment out so the weight is evenly distributed and the garment is comfortable to wear for long periods of casting.

Ardent anglers who pursue a wide variety of fish and visit far destinations to enjoy their sport will need several gear carrying systems or be willing to restock a single vest for each diverse style of fishing. Many items in a vest will stay in place, but a sportsman who fishes blueback trout on a remote northern Aroostook pond one weekend and Atlantic salmon in Quebec the next will need to make adjustments.

Compound that by spending a few days casting to striped bass on the coast, making a trip to Florida for tarpon, or a week casting to silver salmon and giant zebra rainbows on an Alaskan river, and certain gear changes are mandatory. The best bet is to find a single vest with comfort and multiple compartments, and restock essentials for each special outing, while leaving the day-to-day basic gear for any sort of fishing in place.

First and foremost in every vest will be the fly boxes. Some are the size of a deck of playing cards while larger multi-layer boxes are the size of a video tape. Pockets for fly boxes need to be near the front of the vest, easy to access and of a size that allows simple insertion and extraction and also has a sturdy closure to prevent accidental loss. Plan on setting aside 4 to 6 prominent compartments for fly box storage.

Insect repellant is a must for one pocket. Steer clear of larger aerosol cans and carry a tube of cream or a squeeze bottle of fly dope. They take up less space and give exact, even coverage when applied. I carry two containers in case one runs out or my buddy forgets his.

In the very next pocket I carry a head net that goes clear to my shoulders and is held in place with elastic. There have been some evenings in Maine and Alaska when a healthy coating of bug juice just wasn’t enough, and without the net and a thin pair of gloves the outing would have been ruined. Also in this spot is a small squeeze tube of sun block.

A small plastic container with liquid fly floatant and another with paste have their own compartment, and a bottle of Gink Quick Sink goes here as well. When fish are being particular, those fluids will keep a dry fly high floating or get it to the bottom quickly and keep it there. There are special holders for these vials that pin to the outside of the vest and keep them inverted. If you only carry one container the outside attachment is fine, but a pocket works better for multiple bottles.

Distributed among the other products should be a jackknife, a pen light, a fishing file for hook sharpening, a thermometer and a small but accurate scale. If you can find a combination scale and retractable tape measure, all the better, if not, there are tapes smaller than a 50-cent piece and less than 1/4-inch thick.

In some remote compartment of my vest is a tool to aid in tying a multitude of fishing knots. Also on hand is a small set of waterproof cards demonstrating in pictures and words how to tie more than a dozen essential knots, just in case I have a senior moment, want to tie a new knot, or need to help a novice angler learn the ins and outs of a nail, surgeons or blood knot. I have a fishing friend who also carries one of those tiny containers of Super Glue, of which he uses one drop to strengthen any line or leader joint used on big fish.

One of my vest’s inner pockets has a Ziploc bag with some toilet paper and a few paper towels. Aside from the obvious uses, these paper products can be used for cleaning glasses, camera lens, as a handkerchief, for first aid, to remove debris from the gears and drag system of a fishing reel and dozens of other chores. A few Handiwipes for cleaning the hands after handling fish are also available. At least two giant size baggies are also carried along just in case I decide to keep a trout or two for breakfast or locate some fiddlehead, raspberries, blueberries or wild strawberries.

Reserve a fairly large pocket for a camera, just in case some wildlife ventures near or a trophy fish is caught. For digital or 35 mm cameras, place them in a waterproof plastic bag, just in case of heavy rain or an unexpected dunking due to slippery rocks. An even better and less expensive option is to purchase a disposable, waterproof unit for less than $20. Some can even be used to take photos underwater of fish being played, landed and released, which is a unique perspective.

Lines and leaders

Leader material will take up at least two pockets of every fly fishing vest, especially if the angler builds his own leaders and wants all the bases covered. Up to a dozen of the small rolls will crowd a couple of pockets, and strengths will range from two-pound test tippet material for trout, right up to 30-pound strength if salmon and striper fishing are in vogue.

Even more spools may be kept in some vests if a selection of the new fluorocarbon leader material is added to the regular monofilament. Many sportsmen will also carry a selection of factory-built tapered leaders of various lengths and strengths in another pocket.

Most hard-core fly fishermen use a loop system to attach lines to backing and leaders to lines. With the loop system an entire line, or a shorter, shooting head line, can be replaced in less than five minutes if it’s suddenly necessary to go from a full floating dry fly line to a full sinking line for nymphs.

Extra fly leaders and shooting heads can be rolled and held together with pipe cleaners or wire ties and kept clean and separate in sandwich bags. Three extra lines is about average, and these store well in a larger inside vest pocket.

A few fishermen prefer to carry a second reel or a couple of extra spools, especially if the tackle box is a long ways away, back at camp or in the vehicle. This certainly saves time changing lines and also is a trip saver if a reel malfunctions, but reels are fairly heavy, bulky and space consuming, none the less, most vests have at least six pockets that will store a large size reel or two medium size extra spools.

Zingers

Don’t confuse these with the quips and snide remarks I get from companions about my old, overloaded, misshapen fly vest. Zingers, also called zip lines, retractors and retrievers are light weight, nearly indestructible gadgets for attaching a piece of equipment right to the vest. Ranging from the diameter of a nickel to that of a shot glass, zingers allow quick access to clippers, hook removers and other tools on a pull-out line that quickly zips back out of the way after use.

Forceps, multi-tools, hook sharpeners, fly threaders, magnifying monocles, floatant bottles, tippet dispensers, lights, tape measures, knot tools, glasses and even cell phones are all zinger attachable. It’s not uncommon to have two or three retractors and utensils on the front of the vest and one on back with a net or wading staff.

A few extras

If your vest still has an empty pocket or two, or perhaps a vacant ring or velcro attachment, consider adding a few eccentric extras. A folding or retractable wading staff can be very useful. Hook degougers make it easier to release fish of all sizes. Sunglasses are a must for some types of spot and stalk casting during the day. I highly recommend a top quality lens cleaning cloth for glasses and camera lenses.

A few Band-Aids and a roll of adhesive tape might come in handy at some point. Anglers who fish in the hot sun day after day, especially fair-skinned individuals would be wise to have a pair of fingerless, UV impermeable sun gloves and a bandana for the neck. It’s not a bad idea to stuff a folded law book for the current year into some empty spot as well.

Stocking a fishing vest is an individual effort akin to decorating your den, a lot of personal taste and preference is involved. Once you have a vest perfectly stocked, it fits like a second skin and your fingers know where to reach for any specific item without having to think about it. If you don’t’ already have a tackle carrying system, it’s time to in-VEST in one. Even when you can’t go fishing or the season has ended, a good vest will offer hours of entertainment as you restock, rearrange and remember your outings together.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com