Gadgets Anonymous: The EZ Tie

The meeting will come to order.  Hi, my name is Lee Murdock and I am a gadget junkie. crowd responds: "Hello Lee Murdock."

If I don't watch myself carefully, my fishing vests will jingle more than a group of hikers walking through thick brush in Katmai National Park.  I carry far too many things in my pack already so I was hesitant when the nice lady offered to demo the EZ Tie for me.    The EZ Tie is a device, like about three others that I own, that is supposed to make tying blood and barrel knots quick and easy.  I suppose I've always felt guilty about my chronic overuse of the surgeons knot, so I agreed to watch the demo.


The difference in this tool and the three others is that this one works (I made the lady let me try it myself).  I ended up buying one and have found it works pretty well once you get the hang of it.   It's a little pricey at  $27.95 plus $5 shipping but it is all made in the USA out of very sturdy material.  I met the inventor who sales these for himself and he's a nice guy.  They way I see it, if it gets me rigged up and on the water quicker, it's worth the price. 

The Science of Knots

Ever wonder why your tippet can turn from a sleek aerodynamic length of fluorocarbon into a hopeless bird's nest in two shakes of a fly rod? LiveScience.com explains how easily this can happen to even the best caster:

"Surprisingly little disturbance or motion is even needed," Smith said. "It's quite easy for something to get knotted." Even the act of picking up the phone and placing it back down could be enough jostling to trigger knot formation.