A compact desktop Swim Tank (Fly tester) for trialling your creations.
...So you've spent the better part of an hour building an intruder. You want to ensure it looks as tasty as possible to potential takers. You have options:
1. Leave it up to the gods.
2. Head out on the river. Take your fishing buddy (who lost you that fish once upon a time) and send him downstream with a camera and snorkel.
3. Buy this Swim Tank!
This is an ideal way to make corrections to your fly patterns from the comfort of your own tying bench. Take the guess work out of the presentation and swing through the run with confidence.
Manufactured and assembled in our shop in Northern BC.
Upgrades from the original model:
- Built in nylon leader guides on pump and face of tank.
- Feet to ensure gap between tank and surface to reduce vibration.
- Taller sides to minimize risk of overspill during running.
- Various aesthetic improvements.
Included in package
Tank & Pump
*Flies not included
Technical specs
Dimensions: 16.0" L X 6.25" W X 4.25" H
Weight: Approx 1.0 kg
Pump: 120V, 60Hz (3-pole US plug as shown in image)
Cable length: 67.0" (1.7 metres)
The tank will take flies from 0.5" spey flies up to 6" intruders.
Setup instructions found here:
https://swungflies.com/blogs/blog/proving-ground-desktop-swim-tank-operating-instructions
Customer Reviews
This thing is great! Looked at another brand’s test tank (the only other one out there that I know of) and contemplated just making my own as well. The price of the competitor was a turn off and making my own was going to take time along with still having to spend a little bit. Then I found this tester and at the price point it can’t be beat. Definitely worth not buying all the materials and taking the time to construct my own.
I have just recently gotten into swinging flies for steelhead and along with that tying my own flies. Going along with established recipes leaves you with a good amount of confidence that the fly will swim as it should just so long as you tied it correctly. However, it’s always fun to make your own creation(s) in the hopes it can be that something different that makes a steely come up and grab it right after your buddy stepped through the run right before you without even a bump (That was the exact scenario for the fly pictured below! I dubbed it “The Irishman”). But you never know if it’s going to swim correctly or have the profile you want. This test tank changes that, and it’s pretty awesome watching any fly swim in this. Take a slo-mo video on your phone and you can see every little movement your fly makes. So cool. So much fun. My wife who doesn’t fish and isn’t too keen on my steelhead addiction even likes watching when I test flies!
100% would buy again and worth every penny!
