The brook trout that didn't get away

4 habits of highly successful fly anglers

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#3  SHARPEN YOUR HOOKS

I recently passed my box of pike flies around a group of anglers, and every single person who plucked a fly out of its compartment got pricked. That’s how I knew my hooks were razor sharp and, judging by their surprise and leaking plasma, theirs weren’t. Nothing in fly fishing offers more benefit with such little effort as sharpening your hooks. Sharp hooks penetrate and hold, giving you a margin of error to overcome a poor hookset or miscues during the fight. And all you need is a $10 sharpener and 20 seconds per hook. I suggest sharpening every hook before a fly goes into your box. Then when you tie the fly on, the hook only needs a touch-up, at most. And make sure you check the point after every connection with a fish or the bottom.

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