Fly Tying Tip #126

Many years ago, I fished Atlantic Salmon  in New Brunswick, Canada  out of Arlington Bamfords camp.  Sadly I only knew Mr. Bamford in his ending years.  He was a wise angler who lived the legends of the Marimachi and I remember one very valuable piece of information he shared with me.

One day in October he asked me, "what is the first thing you do when you get to the river?.  Looking puzzled and too young to bother with anything other than jumping in and catching a fish, he said, "ya take a big hand full of gravel and wash your hands, they can smell you"

Given the incredible sense of smell that fish possess, and the understanding that fish automatically turn off instinctively when factors are out of sync, it has led me to think about this statement in broader terms.  Not only what smells I am adding to my fly just to tie it on, but the storage containers where I keep my materials that could be adding unwanted aroma.  We might enjoy the distinctive value of a good Cuban cigar, but last I heard, fish don't smoke....