Smith Creek: Middle Fork Fly Patch & Rig Keeper

More innovation from Smith Creek

We first tried some of the Smith Creek products last year and were impressed with the form and
function of these innovative designs. So when we saw these two new fly patch products a while back, we needed to give them a try.

Smith Creek Middle Fork Fly Patch

First off, I don't like to carry a lot of dangling things when I fish. Not only can things bust off as you traipse through the bushes, but some things will just get in the way. So the first thing I noticed with these two products is they have a very secure (read: won't just break off), fastening system with the locking screw/cable design. But they hold flies and rigs secure enough that you can also just throw them into your pocket. Anyway, let's look at these two products here...

Rig Keeper: This little gem is something I've been needing for a long time. When I nymph fish, I like to swap out a set of flies sometimes rather than just one at a time. This patch allows you to keep a rigged set of nymphs, dries/dropper, or dry/dry without having to stuff it in the fly box with tippet materials hanging out.

Smith Creek Rig Keeper

Middle Fork Fly Patch

Middle Fork Fly Patch: Granted there are a million different styles of on-the-vest fly patches, but this is probably the winner in terms of design and usability. Besides the awesome attachment cable mentioned above, there are a few cool little features going on here. First off, the patch has raised ribs on each end to protect the flies from being bumped and jarred loose. That, paired with the secure slits on the patch, and I didn't see any flies missing at the end of the day. Plus, it comes with a zinger so you can keep it always at the ready.