Recent comments

Furling

Joe,

In order for things to furl, they really need to be twisted a lot.

In technique shown, you need some long fibered dubbing and you need to twist it into a dense yarn before it furls. Grab each end of a bit of the dubbing and pull it out to about a couple of centimeters or shy of 1 inch in length.

Twist one end between thumb and index finger while holding it tight in the other end. Counting turns isn't easy, but 10-20 turns is probably a good goal. This should result in an almost smooth, spiraled yarn, that furls willingly around itself when you double it. It's important not to let go of either end at any time during and after the process. It will be locked when you tie it in.

Maybe practice with a little piece of real yarn to master the technique - or simply use yarn and brush it a bit afterwards.

Martin

Furling the dubbing

I cannot spin the dubbing enough to get it to furl on itself. It looks like a loop off the back of the hook. Do you have any tricks or suggestions to spin it more?
Thanks. Really like the look of the Twisto Caddis.....or at least YOUR Twisto Caddis!
Joe

amazing title

do me a favor, keep writing wonderfully!
Jose Elias

Elkhorne Creek

Fished when warm, stinks like heck from sewage. There is trash everywhere. I caught a ten pound teddy bear. Couldn't pay me to go back there.

Incapicity

Martin,
First, thanks for your efforts, secondly, as a sufferer of peripheral neuropathy, I can almost feel the frustrations I imagine are yours, although I only have leg weakness at the moment, with a little problem with fine manipulation starting. As I have, for a time, felt an urge to learn to fly fish, your site has been my bible, so great thanks to you and all contributors. Please accept my thanks and admiration for what you are doing, and when I become frustrated, I can now think of what you are accomplishing, and collect myself and carry on! My fly tying is still at the "bin" stage, but slowly improving, while casting is stuck at a non-haul" level! Thanks again.
Terry

Thank you!

Yesterday I saw the video of the river Mur and what so called "Green Energie" can destroy -by the way not only waterpower stations and dams, but also windenergy... A very great, impressing film and it was fantastic to see and feel the passion of all the taimen-fishermen!! Thank you!!

Cork & Balsa Body Materials

Hi Jerri Bullock: yes, the book goes into great detail regarding how to use cork and balsa. Both cork and balsa are still very much relevant as popper, slider and diver making.

Giant buzzers

Excellent article thanks,I tied up one on B175 size 6 black thread red wire rib orange goose biot cheeks whilst it did look kind of cool! It was ridiculously huge! Surely it can't work?? Fished it yesterday floating line 13ft leader to my utter amazement it took 8 rainbows and I missed a few the takes were savage - thanks another pattern in my arsenal. I came home and tied 14 more giant buzzers

Body materials

Does the book talk about using cork and balsa in popper making? I still use both, although I think that I'm now in the lost art stage, especially in using cork. LOL

Congratulations

Congratulations on the new place - from what little I've seen of the area outside of Copenhagen, it is very beautiful. And, yes, thanks very much for being around to read - you're site has always had a lot of good content. I feel interest in fly fishing in general has been growing here in America, while (perhaps?) declining globally? Which is concerning. At any rate, there are many more sites now than there ever were before, and yet I still coming back to this one...

Sounds good

David,

That sounds like a pretty good improvement of the pattern. I like simple patterns, but your changes will definitely make the fly more mouse-like. I'd love to see a picture.

Martin

Sydney opera mouse

I liked the Sydney opera mouse but it looked like something was missing. I spun three clumps of white deer hair on the hook then trimmed the hair flat on the bottom of the hook,then I tied the foam down at the eye then pulled it over the deer hair and tied the foam down in the back. I tied a narrow piece of leather in the back for a tail. I used 3D craft paint black for eyes,paint brush brissels for whiskers .looks pretty cool can't wait to see how it fishes

link does not work

link does not work

Dad's Fly

Than you for posting this video. Dad would be happy that others are still tying his pattern.
Respectfully,
Wade Blevins

Wet flies

I like a lot of your flies, I'm a sea trout fly Fisher so a size 10,8,6 there great

Looking to cnc my own reel

Wondering if you would send me an E-mail so I could pick your brain about making my own reel. I work at a machine shop and really want to make my first fly real

Christmas Fly

Would love to see a video of this fly being made!!!!

Thanks for sharing my crab

Thanks for sharing my crab fly. I've adjusted it a little since the original, originally this was intended for trigger fish which was why I went for the flyliner which triggers can't crush like standard hooks, but this is a difficult hook to drive home. I now tie them on Gamakatsu teflon coated carp hooks which are still pretty resilient against the trigger's teeth but easier to drive home.

Cheers

Martyn

A simple thank you

Thank you for being around to read. And more fly tying videos, please.

It's been 40+ degrees c for the last three days here in Adelaide, Australia, and continuing.

Congratulations!

Congratulations! A decision growing inside me too. Back to a house, far from Stockholm and all the boring pikes. Back to Öresund?

Cartoon

:) Funny looking flies. I like them. Thanks for sharing. BK

Comment to Marabou Smelt (Dick Stewart) Tied by Da

Very nice Darren, i think this fly would also work very well on the sea trout here in the U.K

Regal Vise...

I bought my Regal Vise back in '89, that was before they put the round decal on top of the vise body. I chose Regal as I needed a solid, strong vise. Previously I used a screw type and a lever type, both wore out the tightening mechanism (I tied a whole lotta flies).
I turned pro in '90 and taught 30 tyers to tie flies (mostly Trout, then Bass flies for a well known outfit in Vermont). I still use the Regal and find the hook hold as good as ever from #22's to #3/0 Blind Eye Spey and Dee hooks. Mine is a clamp model and the only thing I find now is that clamp screw needs tightening on the underside of benchtop now and again.So maybe the Regal bench clamp could be better designed to enable a firmer grip on the bench top.

Badger Creek

Just wanted to comment about Mike's Badger Creek store. I've been tying for years. Went to fly show in Atlanta. My brother went to rest of the show while I hung out at the Badger Creek stall. I was SO impressed with the quality of material. His necks and capes have now supplanted numerous ones that I accumulated over the years. Great to read the story behind such a quality company. Hope to see ya'll again in february