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AWJAM fly hook threader

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Wednesday, 12 September 2007

Nifty little Aussie invention

AWJAM fly hook threader

As is typically the case, when I landed from todays yak fishing trip I was approached at waters edge by a curious onlooker who initiated a conversation by asking if I'd caught anything. We started gasbagging about all things fishing and I think it was when he realized just how enthusiastic an angler I was he told me he had something interesting to show me. He walked over to his car and came back with a curious little device that I'd never seen before. He then opened up a little tin full of flies (the fishing lure type, of course) and gave me a quick demonstration of what the device was. He did this by placing the eye of the hook into the edge of a little groove and the first thing I noticed was how it just seem to stick there. 'A magnet' he soon revealed, although that wasn't all he wanted to show me.

He then ran a length of line into the groove, which passed through the eye of the hook as it came out the other end. Instantly I realized what it was - a hook threading device. A really nifty one at that. Alan Wragg, as he later revealed himself to be, is the very same guy who invented the product, which has been selling very well amongst fly fishermen in the USA. It hasn't yet hit mainstream in Australia (even though it was invented and is made here), although Compleat Angler have started selling them (for $12.95). Ironically, they are sold for twice as much in yankee-land. Alan was kind enough to give me this particular sample.

Although I'm yet to embrace fly fishing (that'll be my final frontier I reckon) I could see the beauty in the AWJAM fly hook threader instantly and would definitely put it to use for threading those miniscule little hooks. Hopefully I will have stopped cheweing my damned fingernails by then but if not, I'll probably need one of these by default. Fingernails or not, I reckon these would prove to be highly valuable on those cold, wintery mornings - especially if fly-fishing from a kayak.

awjam fly hook threader