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Guest contributor, Sponsored Post

Orvis Fly Fishing, the ultimate fly-fishing app

Screen Shot 2015-12-13 at 9.57.14 AMBy Jeff Williams

Guest Contributor

Anyone who’s ever gone fly fishing has undoubtedly heard of Orvis, and the brand has become known for its range of gear and equipment for the outdoorsman. Be it fly-fishing, hunting or travelling, Orvis seems to have thought about everything there is to keep in mind, and with our growing reliance to our smartphones, they’ve also released a great app for fly fishers.

Over the past few years, the mobile app market has skyrocketed to unprecedented heights, much of its growth is due to the fact that mobile internet is among the fastest growing trends on the Internet landscape today, as more and more people use their phones to access information. Through dedicated apps, there’s no need to do Google searches for information you need, and for the outdoorsman, an app that puts all the information on knot-tying, fishing spots and fishing reports in one place is indispensible.

Orvis’s Fly Fishing App puts all of this information together, and more. It’s great for both beginners and advanced fisherman alike, as not only does it have hours and hours of instructional videos for the budding fisherman, but it also has fishing reports for over 300 of the top fly fishing destinations in North America, Central America, South America and the UK, with real-time updates sent directly to your device. This means that even the experienced fly fishers can use the app to explore spots they haven’t fished in yet. What’s more, renowned fly fishing author Tom Rosenbauer uploads podcasts to the app for all users to listen to, sharing tips and tricks for fly fishing as well.

“This is some real forward-thinking from ORVIS,” says Fly Fish America, “and one of the most useful and practical fishing apps we’ve used.”

While the app is free to download, certain content must be bought, but any in-app purchase will get you a $10 Orvis gift card.

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Sponsored Post: Tackle Box Essentials

If you are going to embark on fishing as either a career or hobby, you are going to need to be sure you have all of the necessary gear to make your fishing trips successful.  Although the right gear won’t guarantee that you will come home with a successful catch, the wrong equipment can all but guarantee that you won’t.  It has been said that an artist is only as good as his tools and the same can be said about a fisherman.  One piece of essential equipment is a tackle bod.

A tackle box is an important piece of fishing equipment because it houses many of the things that will make your fishing successful.  It is a necessary way to keep your lures and hooks organized and safe.  But not all tackle boxes are created equal.  There are many different types of tackle boxes, from trunk-style boxes to drawer boxes.  Choosing the right one for your needs is important.

Whichever type of tackle box you choose (available from sites such as Sea Gear Marine) there are several features to look for.  First, you should ensure that it is sturdy and well-built, with a comfortable handle.  By far the most important thing you should check, however, is the latch.  It should be stiff and slightly tough to open and close, forming a firm closure.  Otherwise, you could risk the very annoying and time-consuming task of having to clean up a very messy spill of all of your previously well-organized lures and hooks.  Don’t be afraid to pull the latch to ensure that it is strong and that it will stay closed when the tackle box is lifted up.

Once you have the tackle box, it’s important to consider what you are going to put in it.  Of course, there are the usual suspects of lures and hooks, but there are some items that you may not expect that should be in your tackle box.  They include:

A set of pliers:  Needlenose pliers are very handy for removing hooks from the fish.  Most varieties also feature the ability to serve as cutters, so you can use them to snip line when necessary.

A small (but sharp) knife:  Used for cutting bait, opening up packaging, snipping line, etc.

A sharp file:  Used to re-sharpen your hooks or your knife while you are on the water

Baby wipes: For cleaning your hands or wiping up spills (fishing is messy business!)

Bug spray:  Mosquitos and other pests love water, so it’s always a good idea to protect yourself

Sunscreen:  Don’t get a nasty sunburn while you are on the lake.  Tote along a good waterproof sunscreen.

Lighter:  Besides lighting a fire when necessary, a lighter can come in handy for things like melting the ends of nylon rope to keep it from fraying and other such tasks.