Deeter: A Fix for Bonefish-Shredded Fingers?

Does anyone have a preventive medicine fix for the cuts and welts you get from a fly line? I’ve tried everything from duct tape to gloves, and nothing really works for me, especially after my hands get soggy.

I don’t think it’s the line either. Granted, the Scientific Anglers Sharkskin lines have the rougher texture, and when a bonefish peels away with my fly at 28 miles per hour (bonefish swim roughly three times the maximum speed of trout), I do feel it. But I’ve found the texture of the Sharkskin actually alerts me to the line abrasion in my hands, so I let go of it. I actually get cut less with Sharkskin. I worry more about the smooth line that you don’t feel biting into your fingers… often times, I’ll cut myself stripping and making casts, and and won’t know it until I look down at the blood dripping off my fingers.

Not that I’m complaining. I’m getting ready to head down to Andros South Lodge[ ](http:// www.deneki.com/androssouth/)in the Bahamas for a little bonefishing. What I like about Andros is that the island has both large schools of fish, and the occasional big cruisers.

If you have any handy advice… great. If not, no worries, I’ll let ’em bleed, and I’ll be smiling the whole time.

Deeter