Recent comments

Submitted by Rachel on

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Love the videos - well written, directed and produced while the videography is top cabin. What really sets them off is 1) the music - always right on for the narration and I like that it is a little off beat and always has a guitar or related instrument. The narrator has that one in a million voice, perfect for the subject and his voice overs are just so appealing . . . 2) The tiers are poetry in motion. Makes we want to just pack up and go hit a small, quiet stream and play tag with the brookies and browns.

All in all, these are some of my favorite videos to watch, bringing me back now and then to a particular one like Lefty's Deceiver - for me it's a WOW!!!

Submitted by Stanley on

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I have done business with Lance and he is a stand up guy. Very nice man and I would be very confident buying from him. Like Darren mentions he is a very skilled fly tyer along with Sam Kenney! I believe anyone that gets our streamers will be very happy with our streamer tributes to Carrie Stevens.

Tim,

As always a fantastic bunch of flies. But I have to say that that little Sierra stream takes home the prize. Man what a nice place that would be to spend an autumn day!

Martin

Submitted by Gerhard on

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poor shaky camerawork; 3/4 of the the vid is in slow motion; at least they managed to catch one fish...

Submitted by Stanley Williams on

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Sorry I didn't make the list this time. I haven't had a good camera to take pictures the way they should be. I am bidding on the hooks. I do have mine on eBay. I have just started up tying in February. I tied for ten years when I were a child. The Outdoor Sportsman Heritage Museum in Rangeley made an offer for me to supply them with Carrie Stevens streamers. So I consider myself an up and comer that is not on the radar. I glue my wings completely, I don't tie my feathers on one at a time like I know so do. Don't get me wrong they look pretty and better looking than mine but, have a step taken out and that may be fine for them but not for me. I am going to get every step down true, no cheating :) although I have learned from some of these guys I have benefited by the books I've bought and read thoroughly. I guess I feel a little left out that's why I responded but that's no ones fault but my own. Have a great day everyone and thanks for the post,

Keep at it Stan. I post these everyone in a while, I'm sure you'll make it on an upcoming one.

Congrats on being able to supply the Museum. I was out to visit it this summer. It's quite the treat for the streamer tyer like ourselves. The tradition is important, and I can't speak for all the other tyers, but like yourself, I too adhere to the tradition of pre-assembling the wings. It's something that I've worked on honing over the past several years with lots of input from other tyers. It's a process and there is always room for improvement and learning what works for you. :)

Submitted by Stanley Williams on

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Yes, I just recently learned my own trick on how to get the. Wings standing at the right angle. Took me a couple months but I am now starting to see how I tie this here, affects this later on tying the streamer. It really is tying in a whole different manor. I can't wait until I get a few thousand under my belt.

Many of the companies offer warranties. So if you get a bad one, ask for a swap.

What is interesting is that some of the tools listed are actually Indian made. Many of these bobbins listed contain components from Chinese or Indian sources , some have Indian feet or frames. In our world economy, items often come many sources. Typically any brass work is usually done in Asia due to issues related to lead and work place health. Most USA, EU and UK manufactures have restrictions working with lead which is contained in brass.

Indian tools tend to have quality all over the place. Well made Indian tools can be quite good. To avoid issue with fraying look for models that have flared or ceramic ends. Those models typically have less issues with fraying. Also Martin is quite right, often the thread can be the reason for fraying.The ends of the tubes are places that usually cut thread. I import Indian tools and have sold hundreds and hundreds of bobbins. They are usually half to a third of the price of domestic bobbins. I have some Indian tools I have used for many years with no issues. Usually the better tools are examined for quality and the bad ones are pulled before the customers see them.

One thing not mentioned is that ceramic tubes can shatter. I have seen several broken ones with ceramic tubes. Tubes with bead ceramic tips can often have issues with beads cracking or breaking. Bob Petti mentions Griffin which is very dependable, well made and easy to use. His basic model is one of the best.

Look at what the tool does and what your expectation is. If you are tying bass or saltwater, or you pull hard, some of the fancy ones aren't the best. Some of the more solid models are the ones with the less expensive price. Feet are my biggest issue. Ball feet makes the bobbin twist and those tend to roll in your hand. I like recessed feet. By far the best model I have ever used is Matarelli. For many years the son ran the company. He stopped making bobbins earlier this spring due to some health issues with his Father. His feet never slipped and the tubes never cut thread because they were polished. A true Matarelli is stamped with his Dad's initials on each side. "FM". Those are gold.

Submitted by petegray on

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Martin... B R I L L I A N T !!! [as usual] What a fine information resource... that being said, I'm a long time automatic bobbin user / addict and have NO regrets... with that in mind, I've got some well exercised Ekich and Norlanded bobbins and there's NO going back for me [although there is quite a curious collection of standard bobbins standing by at the ready, just in case... fat chance!...]
To fully appreciate the opportunity that these auto gems afford, consider the common rotary application of a palmered feather tight in the grips of most any hackle plier... you have wrapped the feather and the plier is now left hanging under the hook shaft just waiting to be lashed in place... the automatic thread retraction factor allow you to zip down around the hanging plier than back up close to get a proper bight on the target then back down and around the plier and so on and so forth until the job is secure... snip the remaining feather and whip finish the thread and Bada Bing Bada Boom, the auto rewind function has shown it's promise and made your tying day... It just gets BETTER and BETTER...!!! and then there's dubbing loops and several other tricks that simply SET YOU FREE... I'm a bit ripe to be this breathless... Forgive me, Pleeeze...

Great article Martin! A very good information of many bobbin holders most of us didn't have or know about. Now we can consider new tools for enjoying even more our tying time.
I use most of the time Umpqua Ergonomic bobbins, a "standard" ceramic bobbin holder with a twist on the handle, a very sturdy and well constructed tool, I have many of those for years working perfectly.
Thanks for sharing this knowledge!
Carlos.

Howard,

I'm certainly glad too! It's been a amazing journey with GFF now approaching the end of its second decade online. The first article (a gallery page) was actually online in the beginning of 1994, so that's already well past the 20 year mark - but the formal celebration of the 20 year anniversary will be sometime early next year I think.

Martin

Submitted by Howard Levett on

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Well I'm glad you started your blog way back then. Let me say I'm glad you started this web site. It's consistently great! Thanks for all you do.

Miro,

Love the Daddy Longlegs. A very good imitation and a fishy looking fly!

Martin

Submitted by James on

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We had a Shelty that looked just like this. He was the perfect dog. I recently got a Brittany to fish with me.

Submitted by Jared Militello on

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Nils,

Just a quick question....on the grey ghost variant in this article, when you put the pro soft disc on reverse on the back of the flexitube are you laying down a small layer of glue to hold it in place.....or what are you doing there??? Because wouldn't the disc just ride up the tube if you didn't...just curious...great flies though.

Submitted by Rick on

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I have tied & used these for the last couple of years. Using a 14-16 hook, but I also make my tail just a little bit longer. Even when I tie a #10, have found that making the tail just a little bit long and putting some flash in it that I have had exceptional luck.

Submitted by tenkara ambassador on

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Don't forget tenkara. Great way to minimize your gear.

Submitted by Bob Blackshaw on

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Happy,
We met on the beaver head, Mt in May 2014 - I was the 54 chevy pickup guy.
Great fishing on that very placid river below the dam.

I enjoyed meeting you and am interested as to the whether you released any video from that day just after opening day. I trust all is going well. As I mentioned to you - you should really work your way up to Calgary to try out the world famous Bow river and other tributaries never mind the High Mountain lake fishing that is exceptional here inWestern Canada.
Bob

Submitted by Christine on

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You could also make your own felt using wool roving, hot water, soap, and elbow grease.

As an aside, what are the downsides of having felt soles for everyday use? Does it wear/tear easily?

Since you got this far …

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