When I'm on the water, my fly fishing equipment is an extension of me. When I'm casting, I'm not whipping my forearm forward and backward and tensioning the rod to propel the fly. I'm just casting. I'm not actively protecting my tackle and other essential gear in my backpack, although that is happening. And while I'm keeping my legs dry under my waterproof waders, really the waders are doing that all on their own. And so I can just cast. Functioning fly fishing equipment is essential so it can disappear and leave you to be present in the moment.

But when your gear breaks down—maybe a wader gets punctured or a zipper snags—suddenly those failures are all in your face and the zen bliss of fly fishing is what disappears. Cold, wet socks are brutally distracting. In this blog we're going to review five must-have tools for repairing fly fishing equipment. Now, if your rod snaps, your day is probably over. But for many other fly fishing gear failures, a fix can be easy and permanent, and probably even done in the field. Here are five repair items to always keep in your fly fishing kit.

#1 Zipper Lubricant

Lord knows our fly fishing gear has a lot of zippers. Tackle bags, hip packs, backpacks, jackets, sweatshirts—if I caught one fish for every zipper on my body, that'd be a banner day. Zipper lubricant makes sure those zippers can open and close properly, which is especially important for waterproof zippers. With everything sealed up, you can fish knowing your gear is dry and secure.

#2 Zipper Pulls

There's one pocket on my tackle bag that I'm reaching into way more than any other. For me it's the one where I keep my floatant and chapstick. I'm guessing you have a pocket like that, too. If that pocket hasn't lost its zipper pull at some point already, it will. Trust me. When it does, you'll want to have a few backups on hand. It's an easy and more or less permanent fix that will make you glad you fixed it every time you reach into that pocket.

#3 Aquaseal UV / Aquaseal FD

Aside from a snapped rod, a leaking pair of waders is among the most debilitating fly fishing gear failure that can happen if you're fishing cold water. Fly fishing is a game of trial, error, and more trial that takes place while you're literally waist deep in sub-sixty-five-degree water. If you can't stay in the water for more than a couple minutes at a time because cold water is entering your waders, then you can't very well play the game. But with Aquaseal UV or Aquaseal FD you can easily and permanently seal small punctures and tears in fly fishing waders. All you need to do is find the puncture, dry the area, apply the sealant in a thin coat over the puncture, and let it cure. If you're using Aquaseal UV, the cure process happens in as little as 30 seconds(!)—perfect for field repairs. While well-applied Aquaseal UV can last for multiple seasons of use, Aquaseal FD is the true long term, practically bomb-proof solution to wader punctures. It does require 8-12 hours to cure, though, and therefore will likely require an at-home, overnight repair. That is, unless you have Aquaseal Cure Accelerator, which will give you a fully cured, water tight seal in only two hours. Once it's sealed, this stuff bonds permanently to neoprene, rubber, nylon, vinyl, canvas, and waterproof-breathable fabrics. My recommendation: Keep one of each at the ready—Aquaseal UV for quick field repairs, and Aquaseal FD for those permanent, cure-overnight fixes.

#4 T-Tape (GORE-TEX Patches / Neoprene Iron-On Patches)

Always carry Tenacious Tape. I repeat: Always carry T-Tape! I don't know whcih sorcerer from Middle Earth consulted with an engineer to create Tenacious Tape, but these patches are truly magical. On its own, a Tenacious Tape GORE-TEX patch is often enough to fully patch a puncture in waders. And when you put a T-Tape patch over a seal you've created using Aquaseal FD, you can be doubly sure that your waterproof repair will last through the (extended) life of your waders. For a waterproof material like waders, the GORE-TEX Tenacious Tape patches are the best. They come in convenient hexagonal and rectangular shapes that are about 2" wide and 2"-4" long. These cover most rips and tears perfectly. If the neoprene booties attached to your fly fishing waders are what's leaking, the Tenacious Tape Neoprene Iron-On Patches are the way to go.

#5 Quick Dry Microfiber Towel

When you're outdoors, the potential uses for a quick dry towel are numerous, but the reason I carry one while fly fishing is to clean my fly line. I've dropped my reel in the sand or dirt countless times. Sometimes you can just dunk it in the river and keep fishing, but other times the line gets dirty enough to warrant a full wipe down. Fly lines aren't cheap and if one stays dirty or gritty with sand, the line will get abraided much quicker and need to be replaced. An abraded line can be a pain to cast and it can even damage the eyelets on your fly rod as it repeatedly slides through them. To fix this, simply pull the entire line out from your reel and let it spool on the ground (ideally on grass, concrete, river rocks, or another relatively clean surface). Then, gently wrap your quick-dry towel around the line as you reel it back in. As the line pulls through the towel and wraps back around the reel, the dirt gets wiped off. This is one of those repairs that has a somewhat ASMR-like satisfaction to it.

#6 Bonus! Cold Beer

If it's not your gear that's banged up but your ego after a day of catching zero fish, I've heard a cold beer is a great short term repair. This has never happened to me, of course. In fact, I have a hard time imagining how it could happen or even what it could feel like. But apparently getting skunked is a thing. If you or someone you know is at risk of fishing and not catching, we recommend keeping a cold beer in your fishing kit for just such an emergency. I'm told it helps dejected anglers shed their grief and imagine their next, super-successful day of fishing (and catching).

With the right items on hand, unexpected fly fishing equipment failures won't cut your day short or steal your focus from the water. Whether it's fixing a leaky wader or keeping your fly line in top shape, the five essential repair items listed here will ensure your gear remains an invisible extension of you, leaving you free to focus on what really matters: the fish. Tight lines!

Want to be even more prepared? Explore our full range of GEAR AID's fishing-specific products here.

Guest Written By: Ryan Shepherd