MidCurrent Tested and Trusted: Orvis Non-Toxic Tin Split Shot

As much as we all love dry fly fishing, there are times when you’ve got to get your flies below the surface. Whether you’re nymphing or fishing streamers, most of the action often happens underwater, and it’s up to you to get your flies down to the trout’s level. While you can rely on the natural weight of beads or weighted eyes on your flies, when fishing especially deep holes or fast water, weighted flies alone won’t cut it—you’ve got to add some weight.

Adding weight to your line helps sink your flies or leader quickly, ensuring your bugs drift right in the trout’s living room. Yet fly anglers are fairly limited in weight options. You can go the cheap route with a baggie of lead shot designed for bait fishing, which usually comes in limited sizes and isn’t designed for the constant movement of fly fishing. You can also try the plethora of heavy wire, sinking putty, and other overcomplicated options on the fly fishing market. For my money though, nothing is more efficient or easier to use than split shot, and the best I’ve found is Orvis Non-Toxic Tin Shot.

The Right Size and Shape

Orvis split shot may seem like an overpriced way to sink your flies deeper, but trust me—it’s worth the extra expense. Like many Orvis products, their Non-Toxic Split Shot was designed by fly fishermen for fly fishermen. It comes in packs with 6 different sizes, from 0.4g BB (great for nymphing in slow shallow water) to the big 1.6g SSG (perfect for rapids or adding a deeper dive to your streamers).

Orvis split shot is also designed to not spook fish. Many other split shot options clip to your line and drift through the water like giant reflective weather balloons, alerting trout that something’s off. However, Orvis split shot features natural colors and a subtle mottled texture that won’t scare even the spookiest fish like glossy “camouflage” weights often do. You can fish with it in the low-clear water of a spring creek or on popular, high-pressured waterways where trout sprint for cover at the slightest unnatural sign, and you’ll fool them every time.

Easy to Attach and Easy to Fish

Another issue with most weights is that during a day of fishing, you’ll practically drop the entire package into the river while trying to attach them to your leader. Most split shot have tiny slits or soft foldable edges that make them trickier to attach to thin tippet than field stripping a pistol blindfolded. However, Orvis split shot has wide-gaped cuts and is made of tin, making it extremely pliable so you can easily slip it onto spider-web thin tippet, even with numb fingers.

The biggest advantage of Orvis split shot is that it stays on the line. When fly fishing, you’re constantly casting, flipping, and jerking your leader around and dragging it through rocks and snags. Most split shot falls off quicker than the final season of Game of Thrones, forcing you to clip on more after catching just a couple of fish. However, Orvis split shot is coated with a durable matte finish that adds durability and prevents sliding on the line. This means each split shot lasts longer. So while you may pay more for Orvis split shot, with multi-sized packages running around $20, you’ll only need one pack for the entire fishing season.

Getting Down and Dirty

There are plenty of times when trout aren’t rising in the sexy water and are only feeding in the deeper, rough water beneath the surface. Having the ability to get your flies down to them consistently and adapt to different water conditions is vital to putting consistent bends in your rod. The only way to do that dependably is by carrying a variety of split shot in your fishing pack, which makes Orvis Non-Toxic Split Shot perhaps the most important weapon in your underwater angling arsenal.