Recent comments

Cordell,

The prep

Cordell,

The preparation merely consist of taking of a few barbs--5-10 or so depending on the size of the fly--from one side of the feather, keeping them together as a flat band to form the back of the fly.

Martin

Will someone explain

Will someone explain to me what is meant by a 'prepared turkey feather' from step one? Thank you

nice loop, nice rive

nice loop, nice river - but only death fishes after mai 2010 by today

Funny stuff

Funny stuff,good writing skills,you only forgot 1 thing when I go I take a folding chair & a small rug to put my feet on,if you ever get gravel unknowingly in a boot you'll be miserable all day,tight line.

J-Vise phree style therapy tying...

Nice series of articles

Nice series of articles Martin.
Very instructive and helpful-great pics too.
Cheers.

Dear Kern, pleased t

Dear Kern, pleased to meet you. Writing from Italy. About Kern's Perfect Leo Shrimp...... simply perfect. Do you sell some of these creatures?
Best Regards

Just returned from Punta Allen

Just returned from Punta Allen. The road is still terrible. BUT, the Club Grand Slam, run by Greg Rahe and his terrific gourmet chef wife, Lupita, seems like the place to stay. Much more reasonably priced than the confusingly named Grand Slam Lodge which has just opened in Punta Allen, plus Greg was a guide in Key West, so he knows exactly was the serious fly fisher wants to have in a lodge-- Excellent guides (the 2-guide system in a ponga- very effective and if there are 2 fisherman, both can fish, with the wading opportunities). Fantastic fishing opportunities- one day we cast to a 10# bone, tarpon and snook within a 30-minute stretch. Great wade fishing. Overall excellent!

Are "true to patter

Are "true to pattern" and exact copies (Gray Ghost, Blue Devil) flies available?
Possible tiers ?

Top Gear

As once said in the TV show Top Gear about people harassing them (look it up on YuoTube - xtremely funny/scary) after writing "I'm Gay" and "Nascar sucks" onto their cars driving through the Southern USA : "Those people seems to have a irony deficiency.."
This seems to be the case with some flyfishermen as well ;)

more PHLY WELDING...

Phly Welding... J-Vise w/ Pro-Jaws... Bug-Bond... proper tools set me phree and LIFE IS GOOD!
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/Phracas/IMG_8373.jpg
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/Phracas/IMG_8374.jpg
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/Phracas/IMG_8375.jpg
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/Phracas/IMG_8376.jpg
and...
http://i198.photobucket.com/albums/aa176/Phracas/IMG_0058-1.jpg

This is meant as a joke

Rick,

I wear Simms, Patagonia and other brand name products on occasion and feel no worse for doing so. Of course the big manufacturers generally make some excellent products, and you are definitely not a bad angler just because you wear them. But one of my messages is: wearing the best and owning the best does not make you the best.

Again: this is meant as a joke, and I sincerely hope it's received as such.

Martin

Fabulous fish ! Can

Fabulous fish ! Can we have the tying details for the fly ?

Hey man! this site i

Hey man! this site is amazing. good work and peace for everyone

A bad person?

Does it make a a bad person or a bad fisherman if I do wear the stuff mentioned in the article? I've been doing this fly fishing stuff for 25-30 years. Started out with crap gear. As my salary increased, my gear got better and pricier. You get what you pay for--mostly. Just because one might like the fleece and the name brand gear doesn't, necessarily, make one a snob or elitist. It just makes one discerning. Nothing wrong with that.

What a great classic

What a great classic fly. I have used it in many situations, including as the dry on a dry-dropper rig combined with a damsel. I also have caught pike with it subsuface, the most memorable one being a 31 inch toothy critter from Spinney Mountain Resevoir in Colorado. This fly's remarkable versatility and effectiveness make it a must have.

wonderful place, ple

wonderful place, please do not speak the name of the river, but end up with everything!

Red and white bobber

my son would use a tiny red and white bobber with a hook tucked in close for frogs and bluegills.

there he was 3 years old with a snoopy rod outfishing me, just as he does to this day.

to duplicate the popper/bobber we would drill out flipflops with sharpened brass tubes and impale the foam on a hook. works great.

Good one Martin

Good one Martin, laughed til my sides hurt, I guess I will have to leave my cardboard box full of my fishing stuff at home in April. Wouldn't want to embarrass myself or anyone else in the group.

Excellent workmanship

Excellant workandship. The tiers illustrated should be proud of their of their work. I have been tying flies since 1943. I began when I was 14. the classics have been my favorites, however, when I see some of the new designs, and styles of the tiers, I'm always impressed.

Great article Martin

Great article Martin,

I had a good laugh :) That said, I find it a good idea to have another setup of rod/reel/line available if an accident would happen.

Looking forward to the next chapter and wearing neoprene waders until it gets warmer ;)

This is tongue-in-cheek, OK?

Folks,

Just for the sake of not being judged as a complete dork! This is tongue-in-cheek, OK? And very much so! In reality I'm a no-brand man myself, and actually own very few brand name products, act like an average numbnut when I prepare for fishing and altogether don't adhere to (or endorse) any of the behavior that I mention in the article above--except for a few small tips, which *can* make your fishing life easier.

If that isn't clear from the above, it's only because of my poor writing skills, and it will only get worse when I publish the next chapter...

Martin

Agree With Mike

Agree With Mike,clothes,fahion, & the price of equipment don't make the fly-person,seen a lot of people with the high end gear & not caught or impressed any thing,but cheap gear is'nt good either,the problem with low ball gear is A😄oes'nt last B:does'nt allow the new person to realy find the love of sport C:Puts a lot of the mom & pop fly shops out of buisness,if your going into ths sport go right or go home.

Oldest, tackiest and crappiest gear

Hi Martin,
I have heard stories that there is a tendency amongst some New Zealand locals to fish with less than trendy gear. They take great pride in catching trout with the oldest, tackiest and crappiest gear they can find and do very well too I am told. They focus on the fishing rather than the peripherals like rods, reels and brands. A fly fishing counter culture for the disenchanted. Call it "Punk Fly Fishing" if you will. Now, where are my safety pins?
Regards Jason.

Recent comments

Cordell,

The prep

Will someone explain

nice loop, nice rive

Funny stuff

J-Vise phree style therapy tying...

Nice series of articles

Dear Kern, pleased t

Just returned from Punta Allen

Are "true to patter

Top Gear

more PHLY WELDING...

This is meant as a joke

Fabulous fish ! Can

Hey man! this site i

A bad person?

What a great classic

wonderful place, ple

Red and white bobber

Good one Martin

Excellent workmanship

Great article Martin

This is tongue-in-cheek, OK?

Agree With Mike

Oldest, tackiest and crappiest gear

Since you got this far …

Long story short

Long story longer