Safety - Fly Rod Protection
When you pull up to a stream to fish and you are now ready to gear up… string your fly rod last. Keep it in the tube until you are fully dressed and the last thing to do is string the fly rod / reel. I have seen too many accidents with fly rods around car doors that slam in the wind / people walking around stepping on rods and the like. Keep your rod safe at all times and you can be worry free. :)
When travelling from one fishing spot to another, be careful how you transport the rod. I have seen people throw them in the back of a pickup truck, stick them out the back passenger window, place a 9’ rod in a van with really only the safe room for an 8’ rod. I have even heard of one guy that lost his rod out of the back of his truck while driving. Be careful how you transport it. I like to break it down and sore it in the backseat area. I simply break it apart, leave the line on, hook the fly in the hook holder on the fly rod and reel the loose line so that the line and the rod are very close with no looseness. Then I place it in the backseat or securely placed in a pickup truck.
If you have unfortunately caught a tree and your fly is within reach of the fly rod tip. Be careful not to break your $100 + fly rod to get a $2 fly. Rod tips are very delicate and if the fly does not come out easily then back up and pull the line STRAIGHT toward you without bending the fly rod. Let the fly line pull the leader / tippet directly and the fly should break at the tippet knot.