"If we are going to get strategic, we may as well get professional."

Apparently that is my one-liner of the week. The problem with Steve is that he actually reads what I write. Anyway, obviously inspired by Jim's plan of attack while indexing the sexyloops movies, he wants me to come up with a "strategy" (as if we didn't already have one).

Strategy

By way of an example of what constitutes a strategy, this is one of Steve's…

• Spoof movie posters based on each category
• 1 goes in every pod for the week
• Each 'poster' has a mini version which becomes a sidebar element/image and each poster eventually has a flash anim where each bit of the poster is a url.
• The tackle shop starts selling popcorn
• You go to Hollywood to do "A river runs through it" properly and I get to shag Michelle Pfeiffer (age 30)
• Simple
• Effective
• Piece of Piss

Here is one of mine…

Let's just let it happen :-)

I've also just come up with another: to stop seeking perfection. I seem to have been driven by ridiculous thoughts of perfection for most of my life (and certainly all the bits I can remember). Well, bugger that, it's a nice, exciting, interesting, beautiful world; it's not perfect. I've been trying to work the whole world out in terms of perfection… why? I don't know. Sometimes things just suck. And that's pretty cool actually; sort of takes the pressure off, if you know what I mean.

Loch Tay

This is especially true when you are practicing your Get out of Jail casts ("Ah, here it comes"). Whether one should seek perfection in the quest for enlightenment is another matter. Perfection obviously exists; we know this to be true since imperfection exists, and you can't have one without the other (actually that might be bollocks).

Anyway, the thing is, when your fly is half way up a tree and the editor of Fly Fishing and Fly Tying is standing not 10 yards to your right and the Manager of Kate Flemings not 10 yards to the left, then the best strategy is to stop searching for the perfect cast and just get on with trying to make a decent one.

BTW if you ever visit Editor Mark B and he decides to take you on The Loch Tay Expedition make sure that you pack your waders and possibly a chainsaw. Alternatively insist that you go float tubing (still take your waders).

It's not flyfishing as we know it and the circumstances involved reminded me of Moke Lake in NZ; the primary skill being tree climbing. It's rough, tough, exciting, dangerous flyfishing and brings a whole new meaning to fishing the dangle. We didn't do that however; we pretended that flycasting was possible and made up some new casts of our own.

It's like that when you are a professional. You get to bullshit a lot.

And of course with all that raw talent we caught fish. Big Paul has two small browns (catching one of Mark's) and I had one of my own. It was a pretty fish; I thanked it, welcomed him into my world and popped him back into his own. BTW he took one of Carl's Kotchka flies ("Long live the Kotchka")

Defining Sexyloops

You may be aware, in fact you may even be a part of, the largest undertaking of it's kind in the world, yes I'm talking about the Sexyloops Glossary. It started life as a small nymph of an idea, and rapidly it has become a rather large and exciting beast.

For one thing there are definitions; but that's not the point. If we were simply defining stuff we wouldn't bother. Nope this is Sexyloops; we think differently, well I do and I know Steve does, in fact no-one thinks more differently that Steve.

We think that what is appearing in these pages is not simply the definition of words, but the definition of flyfishing. And with that sweeping statement I shall take the stand. There is some really tremendous content appearing, from in-depth knowledge to well, the other stuff.

Very many thanks to Ben, Carl, saltRon, Ken, Madbrad and NZ Mark. These guys deserve (and get!) my deepest thanks. The glossary is on a roll and everyone is working hard on this. Next week we expect more of the same and I'll go through and clean up some of the (a) broken links that have appeared and (b) expand upon some of the “dubious” definitions.

Sean and Vegard (who has just returned from South Africa in order that he can get stuck in to the Glossary) will also be joining the mad and frantic frenzy of activity that is Sexyloops.

Sexyloops Movies

This weekend (when he wasn't sorting out the sitemap and cleaning the stables) Steve was indexing the Sexyloops Movies. This page is brilliant and reveals the true nature of flyfishing. Within these short clips you will understand important flyfishing details such as the significance of entomology, how to cope with awkward instructors, how to brew up in the bush, and of course proper flycasting technique.

Flycasting is a very serious business, as is flyfishing, and you wont catch us having a good time on this site. No we intend to take flyfishing very seriously, like life, so look out. I repeat: it's not about having fun and being happy; it's about working hard and being serious. Yes indeed, here at sexyloops you wont find more conservative people. Steve for example, is always saying how he wants a "strategy" and you can't get any more conservative than that.

How things work

Talking of working hard (like yeah, I'm the expert on the subject) I still meet people who ask me how I make money ("don't ask me"). This site is a tackleshop, albeit a low key one. We don't give the hard sale approach but we are a mail order company (did that surprise you?).

About one year ago we shifted the way we worked the business. Up until that point I was holding a minimum amount of stock and shipping direct from wholesalers. This was working well, but meant that I had to stay in the country since I wasn't large enough then to employ anyone, and I didn't want to do this. So we changed the operation, and this is how it works:

Sexyloops takes the order. We send the order to Big Paul at Kate Flemings, who efficiently sends it out and we get paid. Thank you very much :-)

It works well. Why? Because we give everything we know away for free. No one else does this. I can't think of one other mail order company who even attempts to do what we do. Can you?

BTW there still are a few UK regulars who visit this site and then buy somewhere else. To be perfectly honest I think that is very rude. Is it ok to be perfectly honest? :-)

Get out of Jail

Talking of how things are put together, I write a column for Fly Fishing and Fly Tying mag together with Charles Jardine AAPGAI and I am often asked how this works. This is usually straightforward; I write the copy and email it off to Mark B, who then gets Charles to illustrate the piece. Charles sometimes drops in a paragraph at the end.

That's how it usually works; it didn't work out this time! This time there was a disagreement on the mechanics, so I had to write something upon which we could both agree (it's been a long weekend!)

The Mechanics of Flycasting

I'm heading off to Berlin again on Tuesday; I have to hook the Dudley Moore War Memorial, catch an Asp, go drinking with Carl and take some high quality video footage that reveals the precise mechanics and timing involved in the flycast. Believe it or not there is a fair bit that we don't know (exciting isn't it?).

It looks like I may be about to get the rod sponsorship I've been holding out for, hopefully the rods arrive on time otherwise I shall have to borrow one when I hit Germany.

Incidentally they are very innovative over there. I had all but given up my multi-sport activities, but inspired by Peer on a recent trip to Berlin, I am now on a tough daily schedule… it may even be a strategy (Steve). The plan is to get back into triathlon… asides from everything else, it's a great way to fish spot.

And finally, very well done Nick Hart for passing your Advanced Professional Game Angling Instructors examination :-) :-) :-)

Cheers,
Paul