Linekurv.dk Line Tray Experiment
Depending on which kayak you fly fish from, deciding on where or how to strip your line can be a problem, fly line has a habit of hooking around the nearest or sometimes furthest fitting on the kayak and messing up your cast, always when you've seen a fish and feel everything is going so well!
I have found that sitting centrally on the kayak with my legs over the gunwale in the water and stripping into the seat works quite well, but every now and then I get a horrible tangle in the running line, just as I'm shooting the line, which can be a right pain if you hook into a nice fish on the drop!
Line trays have been in the back of my mind for some time, I've used various types when fishing in the surf, even made my own, but have not been happy with any of them, talking to friends and wading through the various fly fishing forums, there are two favourites that come up time and time again. The Orvis Line Tray which is a solid square plastic line tray with cones to control the line (reduce tangles) and a pair of cut outs either side to rest your rod when changing fly or holding your catch. The other is the LL.Bean Line Tray which for some reason has been discontinued and for many US fly fishermen this is the favourite of the two it has a curved front and rear face and its mentioned that it is more user friendly. The LL.Bean has the same style plastic cones moulded into the base to control the line and reduce tangles, it also has cut outs to hold the rod.
Digging a little deeper on one of the forums I found a recent link posted by a gentleman in Denmark he didn't say much, just a link. It was for his website and on it a line tray, the Linekurv which looks very much like the discontinued LL.Bean a short email was sent off, and three days later the Linekurv arrived at my door.
The Linekurv comes with an adjust able web belt, well its designed to be worn around the waist, which will be useful at a couple of marks where I paddle then wade in the shallows. But the idea is to fit the Linekurv to the kayak in someway.
Before making something a little more permanent I have used a pair of short bungee clips, these can be picked up from B&Q ready made, I had one knocking around and made up another with a short piece of thin bungee and a plastic clip.
Utilising two of the Pad Eyes on the gunwale I have attached the line tray to side of the kayak, looping the bunee through the centre belt hole, its in the ideal place for stripping.
It was time for a test at sea. Lyme Bay in relatively calm conditions was chosen.
Once I had paddled into position with my drogue out slowing my drift I placed the Linekurv was connected to the side of the kayak, it sat well resting on the water and at the perfect level to catch the line as I stripped. It couldn't have worked better.
When it came time to retrieve the drogue and move and set up for a drift I stupidly tried to paddle with the Linekurv still connected, it was OK for a few metres and then it started to fill after a small bit of swell helped its on its way to filling. I made a note to remember to disconnect when paddling!
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