Recent comments

Newborn Ver.2014.

Newborn Ver.2014.

Imitation of small fish hatched from egg, tail forward.
My idea for this fly is from 2012, but now, I show its new version.

All the best.
Miro

Always exciting to c

Always exciting to come upon a new (to me) technique that makes my tying easier/more streamlined.
This one is fabulously smooth and simple. Why didn't I think of it years ago?? Thx ever so, Hans.

Jim,

I have no id

Jim,

I have no idea whether a salmon turns its eyes down as a reaction to light. I have never heard about that before and never seen it happen, but you might be right.
Regarding the life or death of the fish that Nils is holding, I'm almost 100% sure they are all alive and were returned to live on. Nils is an avid C&R fisherman, and even though he does keep a bright fish to eat now and then, basically all his salmon are released again.

Martin

I believe all of the

I believe all of the salmon photographed are dead. A live salmon's eyes will be down turned in response to unaccustomed light. Am I right?

Great article, Marti

Great article, Martin. And yes, float tubes are lot of fun everywhere. Good fishing! Juan

Colin,

Colin,

That reversed fly looks really crazy - but in a good way. I'll bet you it can catch fish. I also have the outside-the-box book and have been planning on a review for a while. Perhaps I'll dig a little deeper into it during Christmas and get it done.

Martin

I need a pattern for

I need a pattern for a John Deere which is popular at Bennett Spring, Missouri. The fly is tied on a jig hook with a green head and yellow eyes but I don't know the colors of the body and tail. Surely appreciate any assistance.

Martin, this is the

Martin, this is the way how ALL hatchery fish should look like, but I personally never caught one of those pig look-alike escapers. Nice article.

Rgds,
Ole

I love the tips

I love the tips. I also use many of the tips mentioned here such as the gerber food containers, the magnetic square on the base of my vise. A few more that I would like to share are:
1. Dryer sheets (such as bounce only cheap ones) work really well when tying with hair or if the environment is extremely dry as it is here in Northern California.
2. The drying wheel is critical. My father made one for my step Mom and one for me using a BBQ rotisserie motor. It works so incredibly well and the motors were actually scavenged from BBQs that had been thrown away.
3. Wine Corks... These little buggers are such a useful item. I use them to put flies on as they dry, I use them to protect my bodkin tip (and myself) and for dozens of other things. I also cut the corks in half and clue them to a picture frame so I have a way to display some of my flies. It actually looks very classy.
4. Hemostats, like a doctor uses, are very useful tools. I use them as tools to hold things, I use them for that extra flash that I only used part of. etc..
5. Tic Tac boxes work really well to house beads, cone heads and any other small parts. I have found some plastic bins at the dollar store that will hold the tic tac boxes so they too are organized.
I could go on and on as I love tying flies but I also love the challenge of seeing what is out there that can be used or reused that was never intended for fly tiers. I also agree that a fly tier never throws anything away. LOL I look forward to additional tips, tricks and quirks from anyone who is willing to share. :) Happy Tying to all!

Comment to #162 - Barnes Special

Great Job and Nicely Done. Thank You. C.Lowell Barnes was a Maine Guide from Long Beach East Sebago Maine. However, it was his son who was the Dr. Dr. Lowell E. Barnes of Hiram Maine. He was my best friend, He was my Dad. Grampa Cecil first tide this fly in the mid '30s to be used trolling Sebago in a canoe with a bamboo fly rod for monster salmon.

Comment to #162 - Barnes Special

Hi Buddy> Great to have you drop by and check out the fly. Thank you for the correction on the information, I'll note this in the write-up. Many thanks!

Stillwaters and rivers

Tony, this fly is equally at home in stillwaters and rivers. The profile, shape and size can be so many insects, that fish very seldom swims past it, without taking a nibble

Nothing like todays stuff

timo,

yeah the original muddler is nothing like todays stuff...people have adapted them for themselves and different applications that the original was intended for. the muddler was at first tied to sink as fast as possible and imitate a wide body sculpin. the original's wide sparse collar and heavy hooks represents this fish well.

florian...yes many of those very long shanked hooks were for trolling or just hanging off the end of a canoe when anchored...these flies are just examples of how some of the original flies were tied mainly to imitate smelt.

David,

These are

David,

These are generic no-name tubes, but look like copies of Loop Bottle Tubes, which seem to be discontinued.
But originals and copies can still be found online a few places. Korsholm has some short ones in their webshop and Fisknu.dk seems to have them in 16mm (in Danish).

Hope this helps.

Martin

Can you suggest wher

Can you suggest where to get these tubes? I was in Denmark this summer but Korsholm in Skjern did not have any 16mm. Thanks

Primarily for stillwater?

It seems to me this fly would be primarily for stillwater or do you find it equally at home on rivers?

excellent article

excellent article

Greg,

Take a wild

Greg,

Take a wild guess....
Futurefly, Futurefly and Futurefly.

Martin

what is the vise use

what is the vise used in the video EM Burning, & what is the needle ? Sources to purchase-please. Great videos! Thank you.

I fish my local cree

I fish my local creeks and streams with a conventional fly rod outfit but often use a spin outfit on lakes. I've tried clear plastic bubbles and they work fine but the best float I've used is the Crystal Cast float. I rig it with a 4 to 5 foot leader and usually a Black Wooly Bugger or Wooly Worm. Very slow stop-start retrieve. Last Friday I went fishing at a local small lake and caught and released around twenty stocked rainbow trout in a couple of hours. I can cast this rig all day but get a little weary casting a fly rod for the same amount of time. Maybe I'm getting old?
Cheers,
Steve.

Wow..! this is the best

Wow..! this is the best simple schrimpfly i have seen in years..easy to tie and looks good, i have already added a dusin to my flybox.beside fishing, hunting is also my sport so the feathers come in plenty.
thanks for sharing.
tight lines and best regards.
michael.

Sure you can

Jack,

Sure you can use this for a size 10 hook, and the silicone is available in hardware stores and builder's markets and is usually used for sealing in kitchens and bathrooms.

Martin

On a Size 10?

Can you use this technique on a Size 10. And what is the typical store to buy GE Silicone? Thank-you it is a very informative video.

CATE'S TURKEY! Yike

CATE'S TURKEY! Yikes! I LOVED that fly on Davis Lake in Oregon, where it got invented. SO good, SO sparse. A good mayfly nymph, yes, also a good general small nymph for everything else. I loved it for a midge nymph.
Now I live in NZ where it is not known. I haven't used it here. Now why is that??? I'm going to dig them right out and start using them here!!