Dumb Helpful Tips For Tying

There are those out in fly tying land that suggest taking a smallish glass jar, container or film canister (which, by the way, are going extinct), filling it with steel wool and keeping it on the tying desk to "clean" your bodkin. Call me crazy, but I observe that the end result of that extra maneuver is a gnarly wad of head cement pushed up the needle that then must be picked off. Is it really so hard to wipe cement off a needle using a small shop towel?

Another Holiday Greeting

Pat & Carol Oglesby of Colorado sent out this nice card. I wish I was out floating the Gunnison right now, instead of in this snow storm.

And Best Fishes

Merry Fishmas

Feliz Navidad From Cholo

Hola, Felices Fiestas Navideñas.
Mira nuestro villancico en youtube.
Es nuestro deseo que te guste; también está dedicado a ti:
http://www.youtube.com/user/moscasorbigo

FELIZ NAVIDAD
Cholo
www.moscasorbigo.com

Stripers Forever

This is a good group of people supporting a good group of fish.

 Go to www.stripersforever.org for more information on their mission.

Taranarsus Terror

I have been very much into stoneflies lately. Bringing back this pattern I tyed a lot of several years ago. Also been working up some stoneflies using woven body techniques. Stay tuned for updates on that.

Vintage Ityeflies

A fly from years past. It's the Crescent Moon.

More On Smoking & Fishing

Ah, the good life. Smoke on the river. Take out your tying kit. Tye a fly with the butt. Priceless.

Fly Tying

Sure, I like to smoke while tying. If only I had three hands. If only I could inhale my lips while tying. You are way too manly cool, Mr. Vantage Guy.

Salmon River, NY

A friend just sent me these pictures, obviously to make me jealous. Thanks Jim.

Big Hair Day

Idle Musings

Pebble Mine Screws The Environment

Federation of Fly Fishers Conclave 2011

It was just announced that the FFF Conclave will be held in West Yellowstone, Montana, August 29 - September 3. Be there or be square. Good time to go with no crowds and plenty of good fishing.

Jack Gartside

It saddens me to think that it has been 1 year since Jack died.

Penguins & Fly Tying

I wonder if any fly recipes call for penguin plumage.

Cool Christmas Cards

James Roszel at http://www.fishingartworks.com/ has some very wonderful artwork. Check out his stuff for holiday gift-giving or find a little something for yourself. Howdy Jim.

United Fly Tyers, Inc.

The next United Fly Tyers meeting will be Thursday, December 2, 2010 at 6:30 pm at Middlesex Community College in Bedford, MA. Dave Brandt, president of the Catskill Fly Tyers Guild, will be our special guest speaker. Dave will present methods for tying Catskill-style dry flies and will regale us with "Twenty Years of Fly Fishing with the Wulffs."

At The Vise

Back into the heavy fly tying season. Just listening to tunes and wrapping my thread.

More On Edwin Rist's Legal Problems

Rare Feather Theft Was "James Bond Fantasy"
By Marshall Cutchin on November 27, 2010 7:03 AM  (found on http://www.midcurrent.com/)

Twenty-two-year-old Edwin Rist pleaded guilty before a British magistrate this week and will be sentenced next year for stealing 299 rare bird pelts from the Tring museum last June 23rd. The court believes he may have made up to $30,000 selling feathers from the stolen pelts in the U.S. Rist's defense lawyer painted the young Rist as a clumsy burgler who only wanted to make money to buy a new flute.

"'When he first attended the museum he was moved by an obsession with fly-tying. He had this fantastic notion that he would write a book about fly-tying. He is a collector of these feathers. They are not just for dangling in the water, this elevated to an art in itself.'" From the UK Daily Mail.

Secret Flies of the Czech & Slovak Fly-Tyers

Tajne Musky's 2009 book Secret Flies of the Czech and Slovak Fly-Tyers is a must have for any fly tyer worth their salt. The book is chocked full of photos and recipes for a vast array of flies. Contributors  are many, including Martin Droz, Milan Junis, Jiri Klima, Vladimir Sedivy and loads of others. The book is a great companion to Karel Krivanec's book Czech Nymph and Other Related Fly Fishing Methods. Musky's book also stirs the imagination to come up with new and daring fly patterns.

Return Of Batten Kill Trout

The plans to restore populations of Batten Kill trout, in the famous Vermont river of the same name, is working. Over the last 4 years conservation officials have been creating artificial refuges for the trout. By adding logs and carefully-placed blow-downs in the stream the trout population has grown five fold since 2005. Over the past decade the decline in the trout population has been attributed to destruction of their natural habitat.

Savage Seducer

A great Dick Talleur fly.

Fly Tying Contest: Chattahoochee/Nantahala Trout Unlimited

Chattahoochee-Nantahala Trout Unlimited Chapter 692 announces the Third Annual Southern Appalachian Fly Tying Championship. The contest is a fund raising effort to support the activities of this TU Chapter.


For details follow the link:  Chattahoochee/Nantahala Trout Unlimited Chpt 692

Mountain Snow

Russ Forney reports snow at higher elevations in the Big Horn Mountains.

The Little Troutlet

This massive rod bender has emerged from the archives of David Nelson, proud angler and ever-faithful FFF member. Fish on!

Edwin Rist, Thief?

British Say Rare-Feather Thief Is Acclaimed Young Fly Tier

By 

Marshall Cutchin

 on November 17, 2010 7:56 AM | Permalink

We first reported the theft of a large number of rare tropical bird specimens from a British museum last August on MidCurrent. Since then, no suspects had been named. Now Msnbc.com reports that the man accused of stealing almost 300 rare bird skins from Natural History Museum in Tring, England is Edwin Rist, a 22-year-old U.S. fly tier who is considered one of the best dressed salmon fly tiers in the world. British police say Rist broke into the museum last year and took the skins -- most of which they think have now been recovered -- from a collections area. He is charged with burglary and money laundering and will appear in Hemel Hempstead Magistrates' Court on November 26.

Edwin Rist and his brother Aaron won numerous international tying competitions and were profiled in a 2006 college news story that quoted master tier Edward Muzzeroll: "'Their ambition and the caliber of the work they do is astounding....'The fact that they're so young makes their accomplishments that much more remarkable. They tie better than most adults I know could ever dream.'"

Fuzzy Wuzzy

A fine fly for land-locked salmon.

Build A Better Nymph

The more I look at some fly patterns, I question the choice of hook. Wouldn't this be better on a gently turning 2-XL curved hook? How about a curved caddis hook? These changes offer a more natural looking bug.

The BTF

Shouting out to Mary in CT. Still not finding the BTF, but here is a picture to bring back happy memories of the monster.

Fish On The Fly

Fish Food

International Fly Tying Symposium

Mill River Fly Rods

www.MillRiverFlyRods.net

A big shout out to Bill and Lynn Lanzoni of Mill River Fly Rods. Great people and great stuff.

Fly Fishing People: Arno Laubscher, South Africa

Arno Laubscher guides for various species in South Africa, Mozambique, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Seychelles and Namibia. He has fished through out the world. He recently tyed at the Federation of Fly Fishers Conclave.

Aside from being the purveyor of Grip hooks, Arno started ScientificFly and has been involved in the fly fishing industry development since 1994. During these years he has been involved in the development of many fly patterns for the South African, Australian and USA markets and travelled to trade shows in the USA and Australia where he worked closely with the local fly fishers to ensure a good quality product that will satisfy their needs. He started ScientificFly due to his love for product development and helping others to enjoy the sport as much as he does.

Watched Oprah Fly Fish, Boo Hiss

OK, so I watched the Oprah Winfrey Show and saw the little section in which Oprah and Gayle King went fly fishing. I should put fly fishing in quotation marks or "air quotes" for the bone-headed, air-shot way the whole debacle was presented. Was that some sort of joke? What they were doing had nothing to do with actual fly fishing or learning to fly fish. Many women in fly fishing have spent countless hours and extended great dedication in opening up angling to women. Thanks, Oprah and Gayle, for setting women in fly fishing back 50 years.

Vintage Look Into A Bygone Era

Wow, nice hat.

Arts Of The Angler

Don't forget to catch Catskill Fly Fishing Center & Museum's Arts of the Angler show November 6 and 7, 2010 at the Ethan Allen Inn in Danbury, CT. It's at Exit 4 at I84.

Me And My Rooster

Life On The Edge (Weave)

Great Fall Fishing

Fishing for warm water species has not slowed down yet. While on the trout side, with colder weather, the action is on the surface more. Lot 'o production with emergers. It's still too early to end your fishing season.

Trout On The Worm

This is one well-spotted trout.

Fish Lunch Box

Catskill Fly Tyers Guild

The Catskill Fly Tyers Guild has a new web page. Check it out at http://www.catskillflytyersguild.org/.

Fly Trees

The story of my life. In my next life I'll come back as a fly fishing squirrel.

A New Version Of Hide Drift Boat

This is my version of a Hyde (hide) Drift Boat. Made of 100% pure bear.

Fly Tying People: Lawrence Finney, Northern Ireland

Olive Dabbler

Another fine tyer from Northern Ireland. He was at Conclave with Gerry Teggart. Check out Finney's Flies at http://www.finneysflies.com/.

Fly Tying People: Gerry Teggart, Northern Ireland

Jerry Teggart, a fine tying, looks happy to be at the vice demonstrating at the FFF Conclave last summer. Here he is tying Irish dabblers. Gerry, who is from Belfast, is well-known around Ireland and in the North as an accomplished boatman on the Irish Loughs. He is currently working on his fly tying skills and is hoping to sit his fly dressing exams later this year for A.P G.A.I. (Ireland). I wonder what Henry Hoffman is tying in the background...

UV Chewee Skin

I am always one to share info on products that I like. Well, I like UV Chewee Skin. It is a thin, easy to work with, highly elastic material with UV properties that make it highly reflective and visible. Wind it on an under- body for very cool nymphs, larvae or worms. It comes in an amazing 19 colors. One drawback is the price $4.95 a wack. Available at http://www.feather-craft.com/.

Siman Turbo Spinning Block

I am all about making nice-looking flies with less effort and complication. To do this, one technique is to use the dubbing loop. I have been a fan of dubbing loops since I was first introduced to the method several years ago. It is a clever and durable way to dub a fly. It is nice to be able to make my own mixtures of colors and materials. I use a traditional twister with the tying thread right on the fly.

How about dubbing brushes? You see them pre-made and packaged in fly shops, but the price is too high.
Jan Siman from the Czech Republic offers a tool that is a wooden block with a spinning wheel so you can make your own brushes. You can make brushes with almost any dubbing material you might choose like fur, hair, marabou and CDC. Mix colors or textures to create your own blends. Add deer hair clippings, cut up rubber legs, flash, tinsel or whatever you want. Choose wire for the core of stiff brushes and tying thread for the soft ones. So easy a cave dweller can do it.