Spent your whole life fly fishing with a vest stuffed with all your fly fishing gear? It’s a bit like walking around with a robocop utility vest. These days, in my eyes anyway, it’s a bit overkill when a great fly fishing lanyard can actually remove the need for using a vest and your vest pockets.
A fully loaded lanyard has the ability to carry every bit of fly fishing gear you need to access quickly on a long day and you can leave the rest of it in your backpack/fanny pack. Plus it is a much lighter and more convenient way to operate while you’re on the water.
| Image | Product | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Best ValueMountain River Angler Lanyard |
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| Best Nipper LanyardRiver Canyon Fishing Lanyard |
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| Best AllrounderLoon Outdoors Neckvest Lanyard |
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| Best On A BudgetUltimate Fly Fishing Lanyard |
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| Best Of The BestScientific Anglers Lanyard |
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Finding a good fly fishing lanyard isn’t so easy as there are a ton of different options out there which is why I have gathered up the best fly fishing lanyards on the market and reviewed them so can save time and get the right lanyard for you.
Our Best Fly Fishing Lanyards
Mountain River Angler Lanyard
Best Value
Specs
- Weight: 5.9 ounces
- No. Attachments: 5
- Closure: Clip
Pros
- Comfortable cushioning for your neck
- Adjustable elastic shock cord
- Quality build that lasts
- Built-in shirt clip to stop it from swinging
- List Item
- 5 attachment points for tools and accessories
- Fly drying chamois included
- Tippet holder for multiple tippet spools
- Easy to put on and take off
- Solid quick release system
- Looks cool
- Foam patch for flies so you don’t need a fly box
Cons
- No floatant holder
The Mountain River Angler Lanyard is an excellent fly fishing lanyard that can hold all the tools, accessories, and flies you need for a day on the water.
The easy docking system features four different attachment points which include a lower fly dock, an upper forceps dock, and a tippet holder in the middle too.
You can hang your bug jelly on one, two rpd retractors with nippers on the next, comfy grip forceps on another, and use the lower portion of foam to put your backup flies on too. The middle tippet bar will hold up to 6 or more spools of tippet too, so you are ready for anything.
When it comes to wearing these fly fishing lanyards, you will find a shirt clip at the bottom which keeps all your tools and accessories from bouncing around and getting tangled in bushes.
To make the loaded lanyard more comfortable it comes with a foam top that sits on your neck so you can spend time fishing without any discomfort. It is fully adjustable too so you can ensure the lanyard fits perfectly and the quick-release pops off if you ever get it stuck somewhere.
See this video review here.
The only issue with this fly fishing lanyard is that it doesn’t come with an integrated floatant holder, but you can always add one if it is relevant to you.
River Canyon Fishing Lanyard
Best Nipper Lanyard
Pros
- Very affordable
- Durable design
- Six paracord loops provide a sturdy connection
- Adjustable for the perfect size
- Well-made carabiner clip for tool storage
- Super simple design
- Lightweight and comfy
Cons
- Only holds one tool
Specs
- Weight: 7 ounces
- No. Attachments: 1
- Closure: Clip
The River Canyon Fishing Lanyard is very different from the other fishing lanyards featured in this article as this isn’t a lanyard you can customize with a load of tools and accessories.
This lanyard will only carry maybe one or two tools and the most essential tool you need are your nippers, so I’d say this is a great nipper lanyard.
It is built from a super durable piece of paracord which features a quick-release clip at one end, an adjustable length slider in the middle, and then 6 or more loops that connect to a durable carabiner.
The quick-release clip is there for safety reasons as it will pop off if you get stuck on something, while the slide ensures you can adjust it to be the perfect length.
The carabiner clip is great for adding comfy grip nippers or forceps too or any other relevant bit of gear you want to carry with you while you fish.
Here are some customer reviews on Amazon.
The lanyard is comfy to wear, super light, super basic, and affordable but it is not the kind of lanyard that holds more than one or two tools, so it might not be the right one for quite a lot of anglers.
Loon Outdoors Neckvest Lanyard
Loon Outdoors Neckvest Lanyard
Best Allrounder
Pros
- 5 attachment points for tools and accessories
- Easy to add a fly box to one of them
- The tippet bar in the middle holds multiple spools
- Padded neck rest for comfort
- List Item
- Fully adjustable so it sits at the right height
- The quality cord lasts well in all environments
- Simple and easy to use
- Easy access to your fly fishing gear
- Affordable for the quality
- Fly patch removes the need for a fly box
Cons
- Only a floatant holder is missing
Specs
- Weight: 2.8 ounces
- No. Attachments: 5
- Closure: Knot
The Loon Outdoors Neckvest Lanyard is an awesome bit of fly fishing gear as it is a lanyard you can customize with everything you need to tie knots, tie flies on your tippet, join leaders, bend hooks, and more. All the essential gear you need while you fish in the wild can be added to this lanyard.
This fly fishing lanyard is built from a tough cord that will survive all environments from fresh to saltwater. It features an adjustable stopper at the top so it hangs that the right height, padded neck foam for comfort, plus 5 attachment clips for tools, 2 foam fly patches, and a tippet bar too.
You can customize the settings of this lanyard to match exactly what you need for every essential part of your fishing day. Between nippers, forceps, flies, floatant, tippet spools, retractors, and more, there isn’t much you can’t re-rig on your fly rod with this lanyard.
These lanyards sit super comfortably on your chest while you are fly fishing thanks to the padding and the fact they are light. They are super affordable too and the only con I can find is that lack of a floatant holder but you can add one with ease.
Ultimate Fly Fishing Lanyard
Best On A Budget
Pros
- The built-in shirt clip stops it from swinging
- 4 attachment clips for your tools and accessories
- More than enough tool storage
- Padded for neck comfort
- A foam fly patch on each side removes the need for fly boxes
- Adjustable to sit on your chest in the right spot
- A durable cord that lasts
- Very affordable
- Easy access to your gear
- Lightweight and comfy
Cons
- No tippet holder or floatant holder
Specs
- Weight: 1.6 ounces
- No. Attachments: 5
- Closure: Knot
The Ultimate Fishing Lanyard has a similar design to most of the other lanyards featured but it is a little bit more affordable and comes with a few fewer features.
Like the others, this lanyard takes a ton of useful relevant tools and puts them in a super accessible place so you don’t have to search for them in your pockets or bags.
This lanyard comes with a fly patch on each side, 4 clips for fish tools/gear, and a shirt clip that keeps it in place but it is missing a tippet bar and a floatant tube.
It also comes with a fully adjustable paracord for the perfect fit plus between the low weight and the neck pad, the lanyard is super comfortable to wear.
Here are some of the customer reviews on Amazon.
Overall, this is a great lanyard as it allows you to customize your gear settings and have all the right things close by so you don’t have to search for them while you fish. It is quite affordable compared to the others but you are missing out on a floatant/tippet holder.
Scientific Anglers Lanyard
Best Of The Best
Pros
- Includes a floatant holder
- Has a handy tippet bar
- Foam patch for flies
- Chamois for drying dry flies
- Shirt clip so it doesn’t swing
- Light and cushioned for your neck comfort
- Fully adjustable so it sits at the right height
- Tough for all environments
Cons
- None I can find
Specs
- Weight: 2.11 ounces
- No. Attachments: 6
- Closure: Stopper
The Scientific Anglers Lanyard is the best lanyard featured here in my opinion as it comes with everything you need and doesn’t miss a trick.
Like all the others, you can create your own settings as to what this lanyard holds while you search for fish. There are two fly patches made from foam, a tippet bar, a chamois for drying a fly, a holder for floatant, plus two more clips for anything else you want to add to it.
With this lanyard full of gear, you should be able to fish all day without going into your bag apart from adding/removing layers or getting some water/food. It simply makes your fishing life so much more convenient than ever.
It also features a tough cord that is fully adjustable, super light, has a lot of neck padding, plus a quick-release connector. This means it is extremely comfortable to fish with and safe too as it will pop off if you get caught on anything.
Here are some of the customer reviews on Amazon.
Overall, I can’t find anything wrong with this lanyard and it is pretty affordable too so I’d highly recommend getting this lanyard over the others.
Should I Swap A Lanyard For A Vest?
Whether a lanyard or a vest will suit you better is a personal preference but in my opinion, life with a lanyard is a lot easier on the water.
With a good lanyard, you have all your essential gear hanging on your chest readily accessible so you can add floatant to a fly, snip tag ends, change flies, remove hooks from trout, add tippet, create leaders, and more.
The great thing is, you don’t have to find any of it, as it is all on show and you can then carry any extras like layers, food, and drinks plus your big fly boxes in your backpack.
When you use a vest, you have everything in a little pocket somewhere and the only things hanging will be nippers and floatant. This means you have to find your tippets and put them back, same with forceps, drying chamois, and more.
It is generally just more time-consuming and more annoying than using a lanyard.
What Gear Should I Have On My Lanyards?
You should have the things you use most hanging around your neck as this is the whole idea of owning any of the lanyards featured. When I go out with lanyards this is what I have on mine.
- Nippers on a retractor to snip
- Forceps on a retractor to remove hooks
- A selection of top 10 fly patterns on each foam patch
- Floatant for dries
- Tippets along the bar
- A drying cloth for dries
You can, of course, chop and change what you need for every situation which is so useful but having the above on your setup should get you through most days out on the water.
What Essential Things Do Good Lanyards Have?
If you have read through all the layards reviewed, you will have noticed that they are all a little different from the next and mainly in the form of what features they each have. These are the must-have features you need your setup to have.
- Tippets holder
- 4 attachment points
- Foam fly patches
- Adjustable cord length
- Neck padding
With these things, you will be able to go fishing with everything you need.
Winding Up
Thank you very much for reading my article. I hope you enjoyed it and have found the right lanyard to take fly fishing with you.
They truly do make life on the water a lot easier and simpler so you can spend more time catching instead of on the search for the right gear in the wrong pockets.
Please share the article with your fishing buddies and why not take a look at some of our other articles? We cover everything from how to catch euro nymphing to how to catch species like triggerfish.
