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Review taken from Fly Fishing and Fly Tying magazine By Magnus Angus (Chief Reviewer) June 2006 |
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This has the"Why didn't I think of that" feel in spades. The Fly Palette is a fly box, designed to be worn on a lanyard around the angler's neck. Clip your essentials (snips, torch, or floatant) to the rings on the lanyard and you're good to go. The Palette comes in two halves, anodised aluminium frames with clear plastic ends, the halves hinge together on a stainless steel hoop. Inside, the clear plastic ends and inner leaf are fitted with cutout foam. The whole deal closes firmly on a magnetic catch and an adjustable nylon lanyard clips to the hoop. |
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From the picture you'll see that holes have been drilled in the sides of the Fly Palette - which reduces weight and allows some ventilation so soggy flies can be put away without too much worry of rusting. This version is the Sea Trout Palette hybrid -meaning it has one deep tray and one shallower one; the salmon has two deep and the trout two shallow trays. In use: feels substantial, has a nice heft to it, the hinges are bold and strong, riveted to the frames, all the edges are rounded and smooth. If I put the lanyard around my neck and open the box, it patiently hangs flat while I fiddle with my flies and do what fly-fishers do. Opening and closing the box is simplicity itself, even with cold, gloved hands. In this form, Sea Trout size, the Palette is chunky but certainly not heavy enough to cause me neck problems. On a bare, sweaty neck the lanyard can chafe a little - wear a collared shirt. I expected the Palette to dangle and tangle a bit; nope! Sure, if I stand on my head it gets in my face, thankfully I don't often do that while fishing. (I don't often do that while not fishing, either) I usually wear breast-high breathable waders when river fishing and this fits nicely under the breast bit, fishing a stillwater, all I need is on one lanyard. With either type of fishing the Palette is the ideal way to keep tackle-clutter to the bare minimum. |