Viking Lars - Saturday, September 30, 2017
Summer is officially (almost) over and we're into autumn. The rivers are full of summer's weedgrowth, and with autumn comes often rain, and with rain comes a rising (and falling) river. While that generally is quite good for the fishing, it also created one major problem: Drifting weed (and stationary weed) that gets pulled loose with the rising water and constant snags on your hooks.
t.z. - Friday, September 29, 2017
MIKE TOWNEND – SALMON FLIES Here´s the first in the series - the Lady Caroline Spey
Tracy&James - Thursday, September 28, 2017
Tracy and I have not long arrived back from our trip to Jersey where we were shore fishing and helping to run a casting competition on behalf of the BFCC in conjunction with the Jersey Fly Fishers (JFF). We’d both like to thank Ross, Bob and Kevin for taking the time to guide us around their favourite fishing spots and to the rest of the JFF for their generous hospitality. Coastal fly fishing around the UK is always going to be a tough proposition and catching any fish should be seen as a bonus rather than an expectation. As it turned out we all managed to catch fish over the course of the weekend with bass, wrasse and gobies landed whilst fly-fishing (plus some additional wrasse with addition of some limpets). Catching over-sized gobies from rock pools became something of a new niche sport for the BFCC members – with Zhongxiang and Tracy both tempting them after I got the ball rolling with one from a pool so small that I had to use just the top two sections of my rod to fish my Clouser pattern. I think these gobies get to the size they do by eating all the other gobies in their particular pool as the one I caught had the tail of a smaller fish protruding from its mouth when I landed it.
Bernd Ziesche - Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Sight fishing needs CLEAR water, right? In my experience it doesn't. But sight fishing in muddy water needs TIME and PATIENCE though!
Gary Meyer - Tuesday, September 26, 2017
Labor Day, a Federal holiday, was on a Monday this year, and it so happened that I had the following Friday off from work. It only made sense to take the three days in between as vacation days. That way I had 9 days off from work with only the cost of three vacation days worth of hours. It is not that I had big plans. I figured I would go fishing once or twice, but other than that there was no major reason other than a break. The fact that I did not have elaborate plans actually was part of the attraction: I just wanted to relax. It has been an uncomfortable summer and one that allowed for little recreational enjoyment. I didn’t expect the fishing conditions to be any more attractive and the unscheduled time left opportunity for something unexpected… unfortunately I was right about that part.
Paul Arden - Monday, September 25, 2017
For the next and final set of entries in this very exciting competition (see rule change below) EVERY entrant will receive a special edition Sexyloops Trout Stealth Master Shirt, with his or her name on it! This limited edition shirt will only be available to competition entrants. Conditions apply (see below!).
Matt Klara - Sunday, September 24, 2017
I could barely sleep the night before I flew up to BC. Dealing with so much excitement and anxiety all wrapped into one can do that to a person. Of course, the way I typically deal with pre-fishing trip anxiety is to tie MORE FLIES.
Viking Lars - Saturday, September 23, 2017
There are basically two choices - monofilament and coated (like a normal fly line). I like and use both in different situations, where they each have their advantages.
t.z. - Friday, September 22, 2017
MIKE TOWNEND – SALMON FLIES Mike Townend, the man – the legend. I worked with Mike on series of salmon fly instructions. ... enjoy
Tracy&James - Thursday, September 21, 2017
Whilst you’re reading this, Tracy and I should be on our way to Jersey for a few days of coastal saltwater fishing and the first international (well sort of) BFCC casting competition. Being as we need to take our fishing gear (waders etc.), our casting outfits and the club equipment we’ve decided to load the car and take the ferry across, but neither of us is particularly looking forward to this part of the journey.
Bernd Ziesche - Wednesday, September 20, 2017
Just back from our fly fishing trip to Denmark (Viking-land) I am into fly fishing for asp again. And then I need to plan the next fly fishing trips in detail.
Paul Arden - Monday, September 18, 2017
It was my first visit to China and it certainly won't be my last! When I applied for my VISA I was given a 2yr multiple entry business pass and so I will most certainly be visiting a few times in the next couple of years. The fly show was organised by Wang Yong who is China's first FFI Casting Instructor, and was well attended by instructors and fly tyers from Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan. Apparently there are some 5000 fly anglers now in China, which for such a large population is a relatively small number, but it is quickly growing and I hope that many of them will find the time to fish with me in Malaysia once Ashly and I have set up our fly fishing guiding business over there.
Daniela Misteli - Sunday, September 17, 2017
Yeah, just got a new delivery of a friend who lives in the upper part of Switzerland - there where the big mountains and the rabbits are. Because we have in a few parts of our country still a big population of them they it's allowed to hunt for them. I'm lucky that my friend gave me the show-shoes - in top quality.
Viking Lars - Saturday, September 16, 2017
That is often the question, at least if you, as I, often fish from float tube, pontoon boat or kayak. If the water's a little murky it goes without saying that gauging depth is impossible (unless you use a rod or another deivce). But even in gin clear water, I find it's hard to tell if the water's 3 or 6 meters deep below me.
t.z. - Friday, September 15, 2017
And again - the simplicity "thing". Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Leonardo da Vinci It is. No kidding. But it takes rather much to find that or these few elements which do the job. The quote implies that the chosen simple solution is more than just an activity, it has to solve a problem. "Do the job", if you so will and prefer a simpler, more direct language. Sorry for the repetition - I thought it was the easiest way of getting my point across, even though I repeat myself. But though - who doesn't? So let´s talk a litt about the fly I would like to fish more. Like??? -- say what? Can´t you just do what you want? - well, I often "preach" the simplicity concept but when by the water I become nervous. What if that thing is actually too simple? Honesty, it feels odd to use a fly which just took 5 minutes max to make. Anyway ... here is what happened ....
Bernd Ziesche - Wednesday, September 13, 2017
Fly Fishing is among those sports we can perform all live long. In my point of view this is one of THE highlights fly fishing brings to our lives.
_(custom).jpg "West Yellowstone Spey Days")
Matt Klara - Sunday, September 10, 2017
A while back I wrote a FP about Spey fishing and casting for trout (see link at the end of this FP). Well, since then the momentum of Trout Spey has continued to grow in the US, and especially here in Montana, where our larger rivers are a great place to swing a 2-handed rod. To keep with the times, and create a situation where people can start learning more about this fun way to trout fish, Big Sky Anglers, the flyshop that I help out at down in West Yellowstone, along with the folks at Sage, Rio, and Redington, are hosting an event on September 29 and 30, 2017 - the first inaugural West Yellowstone Trout Spey Days!
Viking Lars - Saturday, September 9, 2017
I'm not sure if this term was coined by Sir David Brailsford, who runs the Sky pro cycling team, but it's in that context I first heard it. On Team Sky, they work with every single little detail that might give a rider an advantage - even if only fractions of a second. If there are enough details, it might add up to 2 seconds advantage on for instance a long time trial. A seconds is actually enough to win a Grand Tour (8 seconds separated Greg LeMond and Laurent Fignon in 1989 - LeMond won and rode the final time trial with a triathlete handlebar as the first in the TdF).
t.z. - Friday, September 8, 2017
I´d like to woffle a bit about vices. The question which vice one needs comes up almost as much as which rod one should use. The right one for the job is the answer. The job is to hold a hook. Period, not more not less. Some say it also needs to rotate the hook. Fair enough - should you be tying the type of flies which benefit from that specific technique. The problem with holding hook is that these bent needles (that is a hook) are slippery. Reason is the hardened metal and the finish of the hooks. We want strong, sharp hooks which do not open or break. So the bent needle is "forged" at the bend to add strength, otherwise it would straighten too easy. However, if the forging process goes wrong - meaning pressing the bend too hard, the metal becomes brittle and breaks too easy. Vices hold the pieces we work on by clamping them. That is the case in the majority of the scenarios. So if that vice is clamping too hard at the forged part, the hook can become brittle and lose it´s strength. That is at least possible. However, many vices do not hold the hooks good enough in my experience. Admittedly my requirements are extreme since I use Dyneema thread and animal hair which I tie in real hard.
Tracy&James - Thursday, September 7, 2017
There is an interesting thread running on the board at the moment regarding the ‘lifting power’ of fly rods. This is a subject that I’ve had many conversations on over the last few years, both on internet forums and in person. These conversations usually start as follows: “Nice carp, must be nearly 20lb, what outfit do you use for them?” “My normal #5 weight that I use for reservoir trout fishing” “You what, that’s crazy, you must play the fish for hours. I’m going to report you to the fishing police and mock you mercilessly on this forum for ever”. Or something along those lines…
Bernd Ziesche - Wednesday, September 6, 2017
At the moment we are facing the Danish coast line in search of sea running Brown trout (Sea trout). We are having a great time with a fantastic group of fine people all sharing our enthusiasmn for fly fishing.
Gary Meyer - Tuesday, September 5, 2017
The enjoyment for “cracking the code”, solving a puzzle, and deliberately seeking a challenge are inherent character traits of almost all of the fly anglers I personally know, and apparently, a lot of others that I have “met” only through electronic communications. There are obviously a lot of easier ways to catch a fish! Why, even the act of casting a fly rod is a continual challenge - one that in all probability will confound me for the rest of my days. Considering the list of the associated challenges, like accumulating the necessary gear, tying flies, mastering esoteric knots, and fighting fish on deliberately manual tackle, the game of tricking a fish into eating a synthetic substitute may actually be one of the easier tasks. One must simply understand their habits and preferences then recognize and mimic their prey, but of course that is much easier said than done. Before getting one to eat though, the angler must first find the fish. Personally, I think the latter might be getting tougher. Which is troubling considering all the advancements to modern electronic equipment, the systematic scientific study of the species, and the easily available shared information, it would seem that finding them should be easier now than ever. That of course presumes the populations are somewhat stable.
Paul Arden - Monday, September 4, 2017
If you were to have just one fly casting book in your library then this should be it.
Daniela Misteli - Sunday, September 3, 2017
Sorry I'm late, it has just started that in the morning it's cold again and everything is covered with fog - my favorite time of the year is here: the autumn! And now the mushrooms just started to grow, now it's hard to find my way into waders. I really like to "hunt" for this delicious meal out in the forest :) See you soon back at the water or the vise
Viking Lars - Saturday, September 2, 2017
There are many reasons for flylines lasting a long time, or having a short life. Most of the lines I have that have lasted a very long time don't see much use - so that's one way of making them last: Stay at home, don't go fishing :-). But there are of course many other reasons as well. Quality being one of them - low quality lines just don't have as many fishing hours in them as good ones do.
t.z. - Friday, September 1, 2017
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. Leonardo da Vinci It is. No kidding. But it takes rather much to find that or these few elements which do the job. The quote implies that the chosen simple solution is more than just an activity, it has to solve a problem. "Do the job", if you so will and prefer a simpler nomenclature. So what does the job? Finding out about that is a pretty nerdy task. One has to avoid too much emotion and be most reasonable. Add a fish into the equation and you are in for a life long search for this simplicity described above. Even if you do not buy into this concept of searching the "one and only" and prefer a rather polygamous approach to the flies you're offering to lure the fish - there is a limit to how many flies you can throw at him at a time. Meaning you're still into this whole "throwing at him" concept. There´s other approaches with longlines and and a floater. But we will not go there? Why not? ... asks the hungry. Why can´t we just catch as many fish at once at the easiest and most efficient manner? We don´t. We're looking for satisfaction. The biggest satisfaction comes from having mastered something. As more complicated the task - as higher the satisfaction when the fish is "in the boat". A while ago I had a longer talk with the fabulous Håvard Stubø (Jazz & Flyfishing) and he talked about friction. Playing Jazz and FlyFishing is interesting to him as it offers friction. The friction we humans encounter is a funny one. More than often we generate it. Our own perception is the hindrance we want to come over. We make it difficult for ourselves. Which is cool ... There is not much point in playing the same note over and over again. So stay with me now. It becomes a twisted thought.