Gear Fixes - The Troutbitten Podcast -- S15, Ep7

(From June 1, 2025) When you fish long enough, things break. That’s the nature of life, really . . . things fall apart. But if you're resourceful, you put them back together.

Sometimes it’s out of necessity. Honestly, a couple decades ago, I simply couldn’t afford to go through gear as fast as it was wearing down, so I learned to patch waders, fix a fly rod, mend a fly line, resole my boots, sew tears in my fishing vest and fix my landing net.

Likewise, we’ve all run into those moments on a fishing trip where we need a quick fix for a broken rod tip or a wader patch . . . whatever it is.

We all spend a lot of time, money and effort to get to the river and go fishing. But as we all know, even the simplest gear failure can change the day — it can ruin your trip. But by carrying a few things like zip ties, electrical tape, tension straps, Dacron and maybe a sewing kit, field repair or maybe just fifteen minutes spent at the tailgate can save the day.

Also, part of a life on the water is the maintenance and preparation — doing what you need to do — to keep your fishing gear stocked, functional and ready to go.

Being a versatile angler, like we talk about so much, requires a lot of stuff, and if you don’t think it through and keep on top of it, gear failures can hold you back.

That’s what the guys are here to talk about tonight.

My friends, Matt Grobe, Bill Dell, Dr. Trevor Smith and Steve Sawyer join me for a great discussion.

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Fish hard, friends.
Dom