Fly Fisherman's Café

You never know...

2012-01-30T19:25:00.002-05:00

You never now where one of the rods you built in the past can end up. I was delighted to see Randy's post (aka clarkman23 on Fiberglass Flyrodders board) featuring this Lamiglas rod in action on the coast of Oregon.

Single Foot Guide Height Comparison

2012-01-28T15:54:00.000-05:00

Left to right: AmTack size 5, Pac Bay Minima size 8, H&H Seymo size 5

Thank You, Bernard

2012-01-23T21:58:00.000-05:00

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present. In this limitless nation, this nation of wind, light, and peace, there is no other ruler besides the sea." Bernard Moitessier

Spawning Nereis

2012-01-07T13:05:00.000-05:00

Spawning sandworm imitation with emu feather tied flatwing style and foam slider head. Palmered emu hackle is clipped under the hook shank to create flattened appearance. Nereis virens photo (bottom) courtesy of Wikipedia Commons.

Clipped Emu Para-Caddis

2012-01-05T15:08:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T09:37:00.000-05:00

A few ties for the Happy New Year: Seafoam Softhackle Flatwing and a selection of Mochi Baitfish... Wishing you all the best!

Completed Handles

2011-12-16T14:26:00.000-05:00

Fusion

2011-12-05T15:56:00.001-05:00

Two types of "Fusion" in the works... Two baitfish imitations brush-sculpted with Liquid Fusion, and two reel seats spray-painted with Krylon Fusion. The seats will get a clear coat next week.

"Make it a Game Fish!"

2011-12-01T08:25:00.001-05:00

Striped Bass Gamefish from Taylor Vavra on Vimeo.

Stick Bait Fly

2011-11-18T14:28:00.001-05:00

Floating minnow imitation.

Late Season Wanderings

2011-11-14T15:25:00.001-05:00

The season is over... It is hard to give up, since it's been less than two months since I moved back here.

With unseasonably warm weather, I've been exploring docks and jetties, sometimes with light rods, searching for the late migrants-usually small fish. There is still plenty of bait around, so small, laterally compressed imitations were a good match for juvenile bunker. Here is a picture of B&B (Bunker and Butterfish) Clouser-a simple fly I've been using with light rods.

Chariot of Fire

2011-10-30T14:59:00.000-04:00

Halloween inspired, late autumn, low light fly...

Good Karma

2011-10-24T23:10:00.000-04:00

Local Favorites

2011-10-16T17:13:00.000-04:00

October Full Moon

2011-10-11T08:45:00.001-04:00

Chartreuse Variations

2011-10-07T10:48:00.001-04:00

Flatwing variations.

Salty Rods and Reels

2011-10-06T10:56:00.000-04:00

Salty rods and reels, from 4wt to 12/13wt. Different looks, different personalities... Some are old and proven in battle, some new, but all of them are ready for action.

Turkish Coffee

2011-10-02T13:57:00.000-04:00

Negative Low and the Full Circle

2011-09-28T19:26:00.000-04:00

I am back in Boston, after eight years of living in the Midwest. I completed the full circle, since exactly twenty years ago to this month I arrived from Europe to Boston!

This is a week of negative low tides, following the September new moon in Boston Harbor. The x-ray view of each depression and structure provides important clues to a shorebound fisherman. With plenty of baitfish around and relative scarcity of stripers, each outing becomes a new challenge. Tide after tide, you become the one with the austere nature of surf swept shorelines, hoping that the big one will surprise you with a gift.

Goodbye Trout

2011-09-05T16:34:00.004-04:00

I already smell the salt in the air!

Last Two Minnesota Builds

2011-08-29T16:44:00.005-04:00

I have just completed these two rods-both are built on white Kabuto fiberglass blanks.

The Pink Panther

2011-08-11T11:43:00.006-04:00

Drunk Trumpeter Baitfish

2011-07-22T15:36:00.006-04:00

The latest reincarnation of my floating baitfish concept, influenced by the shape of ima lures.

Wild Balkans

2011-07-17T23:55:00.001-04:00

Watch the full episode. See more Nature.

Watch the full episode...

Goodbye Driftless

2011-07-17T19:00:00.005-04:00

Gurglers in the Rain

2011-07-12T18:03:00.003-04:00

White Bass Madness

2011-07-06T18:33:00.002-04:00

I've just had an incredible day of fishing: approximately 30 white bass landed, a few smallies and a crappie. Receding water levels, stable weather window and plentiful baitfish turned the gamefish on!

Pocketrod

2011-07-04T11:46:00.006-04:00

A quick and easy build: pack rod!

Homemade Micarta Reel Seat

2011-06-30T19:15:00.004-04:00

I have just finished this uplocking reel seat and turned the grip for the new 7pc pack rod. The completed rod pics will be coming soon...

Today's Mini Slam

2011-06-28T17:51:00.020-04:00

The closest thing to SWFF in the Upper Midwest would be lake fishing for warmwater predators. While packing for a morning of fishing, I took a photo of this little swift resting on the tree near my place.

I was on the lake jetty at 9AM today, throwing 185 grain med-sink head/Slickshooter combo with my Ultralight SW 4wt... This combo makes effortless casts even in gentle to moderate breeze.

This has been a strange year, with lots of rain. The jetty was covered with 2-3ft of water, and I had to wade out there to reach the end. I had slight hopes for white bass, but didn't find any. Instead, I landed a crappie and a nice sized sauger, even though it shook the DNA Clouser while I was fumbling with the camera in a thigh-high water. The fishing was slow!

Little later, I stopped by the nearby trout stream, to add a trout to the list of species. The water was high and murky, but I was able to land a little tiger trout on the swung leech. Ultralight SW proved to be a fun rod on a trout stream with WF4F line-a true dual purpose stick.

Softicity

2011-06-23T18:10:00.002-04:00

Thread: pale olive; Body: palmered ginger CDC ; Wing: pale dun CDC; Soft hackle: snipe

Striper, Spigola, Suzuki

2011-06-23T15:29:00.003-04:00

Black & Blue

2011-06-16T11:39:00.003-04:00

Two Hours of Fun

2011-06-11T22:09:00.002-04:00

Bluewater Glass/Graphite 8'6" 12wt

2011-06-09T11:19:00.009-04:00

Bluewater/offshore fly rod, built on Lamiglas composite 12wt blank, featuring EVA grip, and EVA/Syncork fighting butt. I used Fuji K's for strippers and Minima 4's for the running guides.

Another Norie Early Spring

2011-05-27T18:14:00.007-04:00

I have just completed another Norie Early Spring 7' 2/3wt fiberglass fly rod...

Clockwork Orange 7' #2/3

2011-04-12T09:57:00.014-04:00

An ultralight fiberglass 7' 2/3wt fly rod, built on Norie "Early Spring" taper blank.

Pompadour Hendrickson Emerger

2011-03-27T14:23:00.003-04:00

Hook: curved, size 16

Thread: light olive

Shuck: golden-brown ice dub

Body: pink DNA Frosty Fiber

Thorax and legs: Simi-Seal "bloody leech" dub, picked

Wing: dun rabbit foot

Mochi

2011-03-25T16:47:00.003-04:00

Mochi Baitfish, tied on 30 degree jig hook, lightly weighted. Materials used: pearl emulator flash, bucktail (body), slinky blend (topping/back).

Ultralight Saltwater 4wt

2011-03-15T20:18:00.005-04:00

An ultralight saltwater 9' 4wt fly rod...for bream, mullet, mackerel, surf perch, and many other small saltwater gamefish. Trout and panfish apply, too.

Cameron's Rod

2011-03-07T12:06:00.008-05:00

I have just completed a rod for a friend of mine, Cameron Mortenson of The Fiberglass Manifesto. Cameron picked a very high quality S-glass blank from Mark Steffen, an 8 foot 8/9wt in a 3 piece configuration. We decided on a reddish color scheme and a combination of contemporary and retro aesthetics.

GliderSlider

2011-02-17T14:18:00.005-05:00

Glue a short foam cylinder on the 2/0 SS popper hook, and leave some space between the foam and the hook eye. Palmer pearl Mega Baitfish Emulator Flash first, and add some Hula Wrap turns in contrasting color. Brush some Liquid Fusion over fibers and foam, while pulling the fibers back. Let dry! Add eyes along with the second coat. Taper the tail at the end and draw some markings with the felt tip pen. GliderSlider is ready to roll!

Miss Piggy

2011-02-13T17:14:00.008-05:00

Flatwing Piggy

2011-02-11T09:19:00.002-05:00

A hybrid between Flatwing and Bush Pig, this is a big fish fly with sinuous action and water-pushing 3D profile.

More Clousers...

2011-02-09T16:34:00.003-05:00

... featuring 30 degree jig hook, pearl Mega Baitfish Emulator flash and fishair. You can use the taperizer scissors to adjust the length on the water to match the local baitfish.

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T18:58:00.002-05:00

Out of the Cellar

2010-12-03T16:40:00.005-05:00

Just got a bottle of this year's Vintage Ale by Trader Joe's. Even though guys at Unibroue do a splendid job every year with this brew, I am little disappointed with this year's vintage. Too much spice and not enough beer taste, I must say...

On the bright note, this beer ages really well, and we just finished the last bottle of 2007 a month ago. The current favorite is 2008. The 2009 was unusually spicy, but definitely not as much as the 2010. We'll see if little aging will improve the taste of this year's vintage.

Full Dress Clousers (30 Degree Jig Hook)

2010-11-18T17:10:00.003-05:00

Hula wrap and 30 degree jig hooks for extra pizzazz!

Blue & Green

2010-10-30T20:00:00.004-04:00

Peppers & Soft Hackle Flatwing

2010-10-28T18:01:00.001-04:00

Fall Triptych

2010-10-20T12:10:00.002-04:00

L/R: Window View, Wild Brown from Iowa, Last Week's Working Flies

Gizzard Shad

2010-10-13T10:09:00.003-04:00

Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepidianum) is a common forage fish. I captured this specimen in Lake Pepin while fishing for white bass. The first photo shows the natural and the Clouser Minnow, which works well enough, but doesn't imitate the silvery, compressed body quite well. Below is the picture of the anatomically correct floating gizzard shad imitation.

Fall

2010-10-10T21:40:00.005-04:00

T-shirt Design

2010-10-04T17:09:00.006-04:00

A couple of T-shirt ideas...

Striperfest 2010 Flies

2010-09-27T16:28:00.004-04:00

Just sent a bunch of flies to the Striperfest 2010 Raffle, hosted by Dan Blanton. Please check out Dan Blanton's website for more information on the event.

Iowa Wild Browns and Steam Engines

2010-09-13T14:22:00.020-04:00

I spent the past three days in NE Iowa, fishing some of my favorite locations with Vladimir Vujic, a friend from Chicago. We found plenty of willing fish, and water conditions varied from fairly murky to crystal clear, depending on the stream. Vladimir and myself took trout on small streamers, nymphs and dries, and witnessed several sporadic BWO and midge hatches, caddis and terrestrial activity.

On the second day, while fishing an open pasture section, I was lucky to hook a nice male brown on a size 12 Klink, in riffles under the bridge. Vladimir had his camera ready, and was able to document the fight.

During the last day, the fishing was slower due to the bright skies, but we managed to hook and land some pretty wild fish.

On our way back, we stopped and met Amy's Dad at the steam engine show, which featured steam engines, cars and tractors from a bygone era!

Nervous Water

2010-09-08T09:06:00.003-04:00

Nervous Water from Vladan Milenkovic on Vimeo.

Amy took this short video clip while I was fishing in Winthrop in the dusk... The quality is not that great, but you can see the baitfish and striper activity.

Great Expectations

2010-09-04T16:19:00.011-04:00

I found my old haunts around Boston Harbor and further north just as enchanting as ever. The distance can sometimes do things like that to a fisherman. You anticipate every moment of the trip, reliving old memories about early Fall blitzes, spraying bait and brave pulls of a big striper. Old memories die hard!

My expectations turned into something else, perhaps more profound and somewhat disturbing. As expected, I did fish some fine looking water. I spent wonderful moments on and off the water with both old and new friends. However, stripers were not around, ready to play... at least not in any sizable numbers. I fished hard for three days, from Plum Island down to the Harbor, hitting many well known shore locations. The result was a single hookup. While fishing together, my old friend Eric Evans and Boston Harbor guide Dave Skok confirmed something I was reading about-that striper stocks are down. If something doesn't change, this great American gamefish might disappear again...

It is hard to predict the future and we don't know what it will bring. Even though I don't know what the solution is, I certainly hope for the brightest outcome!

Photo credits, top to bottom/left to right: Twilight in Boston Harbor (Vlad), Casting (Dave Skok), Sandy Point surf (Amy), Silversides in the Anisquam (Vlad), Estuary glow (Amy), Ron DiRito and his ceviche (Amy)

Packing for the Long Weekend

2010-08-24T17:48:00.008-04:00

The Best Solution

2010-08-17T16:41:00.005-04:00

...for measuring shooting heads and custom tips, readily available on Ebay. This particular model measures down to 0.01 gram or 0.15 grains. That's more precision than you'll ever need for flyfishing!

The Lost World of Mr Hardy

2010-08-17T09:30:00.004-04:00

Evening on the Estuary - The Lost World of Mr Hardy extra from Trufflepig Films on Vimeo.

Extra footage from a great movie... http://www.thelostworldofmrhardy.com/

Another 5wt...

2010-08-03T12:45:00.008-04:00

Built for a friend in Montenegro...

Saltwater 7wt

2010-07-22T10:09:00.005-04:00

Stream in the Valley

2010-07-18T08:17:00.014-04:00

The valley is silent in the summer heat-only birds, water and fish.

The stream is slightly high and discolored after the summer rains.

It never disappoints-fish are ready to play even in the mid July noon!

Recent bank stabilization...this spot needed it.

Wild browns are the prize for the patient fisher.

On the Water (Part III)

2010-07-09T17:43:00.011-04:00

Today was mostly sight nymphing... small PTs and Kite's bare hook nymphs. Challenging fishing in the summer heat!

"Enzo" 9' 5wt Fly Rod

2010-07-04T18:06:00.005-04:00

Another casting machine, built for Kevin Stull on CTS Affinity X blank.

On the Water (Part II)

2010-07-02T20:36:00.004-04:00

Another beautiful day on the stream... Today was windy, but trout didn't want beatles all the time. Most of the action was happening under the surface with nymphs and woolies, with just enough lazy sippers providing excitement on the top.

On the Water

2010-06-25T09:31:00.008-04:00

This must be the rainiest June I can remember... Finally went to test the new rod on some spring creek browns, and enjoyed the nice, sunny weather. The water was slightly murky from the rain, and there was no hatch until the brief BWO appearance in the early afternoon. I was having fun with beatles and crickets, and finished the day soft-hackling downstream until I reached my car by the bridge.

Pictures from Afar...

2010-06-06T18:02:00.006-04:00

Received by email this morning... The baptism of a new rod, in eastern Serbia.

Built for Speed-"Testarossa" 8' 3/4wt Fly Rod

2010-06-03T17:18:00.005-04:00

Tip action, lightweight casting machine...

"Mlava" 7'6" 5wt Fly Rod

2010-05-27T16:55:00.006-04:00

Fly rod "Mlava", built for an aquaintance in Serbia. It was named after the famous spring-creek in eastern Serbia, known for large, wild brown trout. The picture of the river is not very recent, since I haven't visited it for the past ten years... It shows the fairly open spring section. Further down the valley, the river becomes overgrown with trees, and its deep, emerald pools used to hold trophy browns, years ago...

Translated to English, the name Mlava would mean the Crushing River-due to the fact that after the snowmelt, it often becomes quite temperamental. It is a magical place, which holds many happy memories from my youth!

Casts and Boils

2010-05-21T00:56:00.005-04:00

More jetty madness and more fish activity! Fish boiling, bait spraying, sometimes a vicious strike on each cast...and suddenly, everything would be quiet again. Most white bass caught were between sizes of the fish pictured. A couple of saugers were a nice bonus...

Lake Pepin Jetty

2010-05-18T19:54:00.015-04:00

We visited a nice jetty on Lake Pepin today, and fished from it for a few hours. I was hoping to run into some white bass action, and even though I found some fish, the fishing was slow... I rigged my bass rod with slow sinking "hover" head and fished with small shad imitations-jig hook clousers, and craft fur minnows.

While I was fishing, Amy took a bike ride around the park. These cool looking blue bikes are available for everyone to use for free!

I saw several boils-whites were chasing baitfish, but very sporadically. This little guy came to my fly about 30 minutes upon my arrival. It was the only white bass for the day...

These guys were more common, bumping my fly often.

Just when I was getting ready to leave, this sauger attacked the fly in the rocky shallows... a pretty little fish!

On our way back, we watched a pair of cranes in the valley. We have been observing them already earlier this spring. They have been nesting in the valley for the past six seasons. Amazing birds, indeed! I took several pictures from the car, and even though not great (they were pretty far from the road), this one turned out the best. We'll be back on the lake soon!

Retrograph Rod: Graphite Hunter, Glass Heart

2010-04-29T09:50:00.006-04:00

My latests build...a longer, light-line graphite rod with fiberglass soul :-)

Last Week's Fly

2010-04-25T15:20:00.005-04:00

Caribou & Elk Caddis

Body: Caribou hair (with under-fur)
Wing: Elk
Egg sack/hot butt: Green dubbing (optional)

As an afterthough, here 's another one, tied with caribou ...

Woodcock & Caribou Soft Hackle

Tail: Wood duck
Body: Caribou hair with under-fur
Hackle: Woodcock

Scenes from the Caddis Blanket Hatch

2010-04-21T15:23:00.011-04:00

Fishy Kid Writing Contest

2010-04-21T10:01:00.003-04:00

Check out the Fishy Kid Writing Contest, with some great prizes for finalists! Grand Prize for the contest is a 10' or 12' NuCanoe worth over $900.

The River's Call

2010-04-13T20:59:00.024-04:00

Windy, rainy, with thunderstorms-that's was today's forecast. We were ready for the river's call and by noon, the fishing gods were smiling. The rain stopped and the caddis hatch was on. Fish were lined up along the rocky bank.

The wind was blowing in strong gusts, and the greatest challenge was to get a perfect drift...

Little browns and one lonely brookie fell for caddis dries. We enjoyed our tea on the bridge after the fishing, while watching sporadic risers. The spring is finally here!

Orange-nose Minnow

2010-04-11T18:14:00.002-04:00

A modern classic... Sculpted slinky fiber/flash blend, jig hook.

Easy Day Fly

2010-04-10T19:34:00.004-04:00

I stumbled upon some of new Owner Wacky hooks in stealthy camo-green finish, and thought they would be perfect for slim sand eel imitations. I tied a few today, utilizing Liquid Fusion glue as a coating over the e-z body tubing... Nice and easy flies for Saturday afternoon!

This Morning...

2010-04-05T18:29:00.003-04:00

I was getting ready...

To feed some hungry mouths! I found a typical spring scenario on the nearby spring creek: a smorgasboard of Early Stoneflies, BWO's, and some midges. Most fish took nymphs, but I had a couple of dry-fly takes. The weather turned blustery within a short time, but that is Wisconsin in the early spring!

Casting Fun

2010-04-04T16:03:00.012-04:00

Lake water was still too cold and high, but I had alot of fun casting the bass rod from the wooden dock. Waves and wind made my casting platform oscillate and shake wildly! I was throwing Crystal Schminnows and small Jig-hook Clousers, without much happening. With nice temperatures we've been having, it shouldn't take much longer... On a side note, trout fishing has been good-I had some nice action on both dries and nymphs a couple of days ago on a local spring creek.

Sanibel: Birding and Flyfishing

2010-03-19T17:52:00.005-04:00

Sanibel: Birding and Flyfishing from Vladan Milenkovic on Vimeo.

We spent a couple of days birding and fishing around Sanibel Island, FL. While the weather and water temperatures were much cooler than usual, we had a great time. The fishing was slow, but we were able to catch some fish and take many bird photos in Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge.

I fished the Refuge a bit, trying to cover most accessible spots, timing my back casts between groups of bird watchers. The spring snook season is closed this year, due to the fish kills caused by the cold weather. While I had not much luck in the back country, it was a lot of fun throwing the fly around overhanging mangroves, and letting it drift through the deep holes in the channels.

Sanibel Causeway proved to be the best bet, since the surf was up, the wind was howling, and our second morning was drenched in rain. I had to scout the best casting spots, while avoiding the sheepshead fishing crowd around bridge pilings. In the afternoon, I concentrated my efforts under the Causeway, throwing long casts around schools of bait, which were swept with the outgoing tide. Amy was patiently reading her novel, and snapping pictures. After a missed strike from a Spanish mackerel, I switched to a wire leader. Spanish mackerel are fast swimmers, and often strike your fly while running towards you… Several casts later, I had a solid hookup, and landed a nice mack. I continued fishing, but with the ebbing tide, the show was pretty much over.

The variety of water around Sanibel is mind boggling, and I can only imagine how incredible the fishing can be later in the season. I am already planning a trip for beach snook next year!

Saltwater Rods

2010-03-09T15:15:00.011-05:00

My latest builds: Pac Bay Rainforest 8wt and Graphite USA 11wt.

Long Fly

2010-03-09T10:55:00.001-05:00

A non-floating variation on the theme, with long , flowing hackles...

Weekend

2010-03-06T13:40:00.008-05:00

I've been finishing up my two new saltwater builds this weekend. While I was waiting for the finish to cure, the mailman delivered a package from Japan. Hitoshi Takemura sent me some wonderful teas from his homeland. I am already brewing some as I am writing this blog entry and getting ready to apply another coat of finish... Thank you Hitoshi!!

If you like fiberglass fly rods and vintage flyfishing gear, check out Hitoshi's blog.

Red Foam Gills

2010-03-02T12:52:00.003-05:00

More floating baitfish... These have floating foam pads made of red foam-they represent gills perfectly!

More Floating Flies: Firetiger

2010-03-01T13:22:00.010-05:00

Floating Pinfish and Bunker

2010-02-28T13:03:00.006-05:00

Floating baby bunker (top) and a floating pinfish imitation, with a piece of foam concealed in the head. Vary the size of foam for different effects (floating vs. suspended fly.)

Mustad vs. TFS Jig Hook Comparison and Bill's Foamberg

2010-02-26T09:03:00.021-05:00

Yesterday I got a nice surprise in the mail... I received a beautifully tied foam diver and some samples of Mustad 32786BLN jig hooks from Bill Ninke (aka wildwilly on Stripers Online forum.) Foamberg, as the fly is called, is a foam version of the classic Dahlberg Diver, and it looks like a perfect fly for many predatory fish species.

I took some pictures of various hooks. All of my jig-hook flies are tied on either The Fly Shop TFS 5444 hooks or Gamakatsu 60 degree models. I have never tried Mustads, though. As you can see from the photo above, Mustad 32786BLN hooks are shorter in length and have wider gap than comparably sized TFS 5444 hooks. The finish, sharpness and consistency between TFS and Mustad hooks are very similar.

On the bottom photo you can see how TFS hooks compare size-wise to the more popular saltwater fly hooks.

Soft Hackle Dries, Emu & Pheasant, Fly Sketching

2010-02-23T16:08:00.008-05:00

Pollock, Night Floating Fly, Tutti Frutti

2010-02-21T15:06:00.006-05:00

Three new flies with common characteristics: reverse tied polafibre, "painted" with angel hair and Hard as Hull cement. The pollock/coalfish imitation is weighted for fishing around structure, and features flashy kinky fibre/fishair mix along with emu feathers. Floating Night Fly has a triangular piece of foam (a hidden crease fly concept) in the head, and floats perfectly. The Tutti Frutti colored fly is a four feather flatwing, with some polafibre and firefly flash mixed between feathers.

From Fly Archives

2010-02-18T12:32:00.005-05:00

Nothing really new in this post, only photos and old scans of flies tied in the early 2000s. Top to bottom: KT Squids, Kinky Minnow, Gurgler & Bass, Circle Hook FPF & Surf Candy, ALF.

Classic

2010-02-14T16:14:00.004-05:00

Wet Daddy's

2010-02-09T20:25:00.001-05:00

Just Worms

2010-02-07T00:02:00.003-05:00

Baitfish/Crayfish

2010-02-05T13:20:00.002-05:00

A combination of styles...baitfish shape, prawn or crayfish colors.

Big Baitfish

2010-02-01T14:59:00.012-05:00

These large baitfish imitations are tied using the big fly fiber for the tail, craft fur/polarfibre for the head, and shredded mylar (such as angel hair, wings 'n' flash, etc.) for the veiling. I used Hard as Hull head cement to bond the flash material to the polarfibre, which gave the fly its final shape.

Tying sequence (given for the middle fly, since that one has a magnum bass rattle inside, which adds extra step):

-tie the heavy duty rattle on the bottom of the shank , so the hook rides correctly;

-tie the big fly fiber over and around the rattle, along with some polarflash for the flashtail. Fold the material over so it doesn't pull. If you don't want the rattle, add the twiston strip to keel the hook before tying. Omit this if you are using regular hook;

-reverse tie (hollow style) four clumps of polarfibre for the head: three white for belly/sides and one for the back in contrasting color. You can also use craft fur, or both. Polarfibre will give you smoother texture of the finished fly, though. For bunker fly (top), add another bunch od polarfibre to create wider profile. Comb the fur before folding;

-add a bunch of shredded mylar to veil the fly, fold and tied down. You can vary the colors, or add red under to simulate the bleeding gills. Comb the mylar to create a shroud around the fly;

-coat the fly liberaly with acrylic cement (I used Hard as Hull.) It dries quickly and it is easy to shape the fly to give it more round or oval cross profile. The cement will bond mylar fibers to the fur. Adjust the shape (leave it round or squeeze for flatter profile). Goop the eyes and you are done!

Oliver Kite

2010-01-30T10:09:00.007-05:00

A rare footage of Oliver Kite from his TV series Kite's Country is available on Youtube... It is fascinating to watch this legendary master fisherman and naturalist uncover the hidden world of chalkstreams through beautiful narratives, while taking trout on Mibro glass rod with his Bare Hook nymphs (and refusing to wear the polarizer glasses, considering them an unfair advantage!) Kite was a true gentleman and a true pioneer!

Sneak Peek

2010-01-28T17:40:00.005-05:00

I am wrapping up two new saltwater builds... Here's the picture of reel seats. More photos to follow next week, once they are done!