Recent comments

IKEA Fly Tying Board

Brilliant! I love it!

I've been working on a flat top table and constantly have beads and "stuff" roll or slip off the edge (I tend to be messy). Your board with wells to keep hooks, beads or whatever contained is the perfect solution. I like the minimalist approach... readily available, inexpensive, simple, effective. Very nice!

I will go shopping for a cutting board and "steal" your idea. Thank you for sharing.

Kent Smith

Fly patterns

Do you have the recipe for those braided rubber flies? What materials are the made of? Thanks!

March brown Czec nymph style.

Many years ago Jiri Klima (the river god) invited me to fish with him in the Czech Republic and he showed me March browns with brass beads and how they fish it down stream in a combination of wet fly and Czech nymph style.

The African Fly Connection

I choose to comment on this post to at least guide the readers here considering that I am from the region and the industry under scrutiny. Fishing flies are produced in Kenya and exported to the west but not without its challenges posed by both buyers and sellers. They include quality issues, duration of delivery as well as payment issues. Before buying large quantities, first request a sample of an assortment of flies for quality assessment, duration of delivery will in most cases be affected by the availability of the materials locally as well as the complexity or simplicity of the patterns requested. Payment issues also arise as buyers sometimes remit payment to just tiers who have no registered company, no website and no production capacity. In such a case money is lost. Some buyers don't pay for delivered orders and again money is lost.

Tying Stations

While this comment is for the more seasoned tiers, a good tying area is very helpful. Once you find yourself immersed in the art, you will be up to your ears in material. Having a place to store your material close at hand with a good surface is priceless. I've seen a lot of good options but personally, I love my TieCraft Desk. Integrated bobbin storage, built in waste baskets and storage close by is great. Plus, my wife isn't yelling at me about my messy desk :D

Yes

Brady,

That's absolutely right, and it also says in the article in one of the captions: "A finished Trailing Shuck Comparadun or commonly called a Sparkle Dun.", so you are quite right.

Martin

Comparadun or Sparkle Dun

Wouldn't this variation using the Antron tail be a Sparkle Dun rather than a Comparadun?

Watercolors

Mr. Bob Witzel's paintings are very beautiful, he is seen to be a great fisherman and a good fan of watercolors. This is also something that happens to me, fishing and drawing ... thanks for sharing a hug to everyone.

Proof reading

Thanks Martin for the calm, reasoned reply to this complaint. I just want to enjoy the wide array of content on GFF with my morning coffee, not put up with CRAP complaints. There is frost on the pumpkin here in Ontario, Canada this morning so my thoughts are turning to Steelhead fishing and tying flies. Keep up the good work for your truly Global audience.

Does anyone proofread this crap?

Does anyone proofread this crap? After reading the first 2 sentences, I could not stand to read anymore of this garbage. Shame on the author and shame on Global Fly Fisher for posting this crap.

thanks!

what a fantastic resource for novice (and experienced) fly tyers, thanks a lot for all the effort you've clearly invested in planning, shooting, editing and publishing these videos. kind regards from the Netherlands, Onno

Video

I just wanted to say thanks for sharing one of my videos.
I am very glad you liked it (cdc and partridge caddis, by oholis flies).
Best regards

Vladimir

Nikon D300s

Richard,

These were shot with a DSLR, my Nikon D300s mounted with an old 55mm macro. I have experimented with both my phone, a compact camera and my SLR's, but since I want the best possible image quality, the SLR's are my favorites to used with the gadget. But as you can see in the review of the previous version, even phone pictures can come out nice.

Martin

What camera

Thank you for the review. What camera / phone did you use for the two flies shown above?

N.Y. Salmon River

There is a huge hole in the ground behind the Salmon River Fish Hatchery in Altmar. After salmon are stripped of spawn and dispatched they are thrown in the hole and buried. The salmon carcasses cannot be transported because they are classified as toxic waste. Have fun, but don't take them home to eat.

fast sink

Beach casters use a small cloth bag with a draw string as a weight. Fill it with sand. Use 2 to 6 lb test tippet to attach it to leader. When it reaches depth, a sharp strip can break it off. This is not cast, just feed it over off the boat. I use a coated lead core 30 ft head, heavy flies, and a non-stretch running line. The bags are cheap,sand is free, and it is non-polluting.

Hot spot interest

Hi,
Could you give me the reason for using hot spots and if using holographic, for example mylar tinsel on fly model on the back of the body, or other flash materials. Does increase the number of strikes? On the other hand, does this work on all species of trout or is it only suitable for rainbow trout? Could you provide me some published article about this subject?
Thank you.

GeWE Wet Flies

I have and love this little book by my friend Geert. He is a special person and his flies show that on all levels. Great stuff and his work inspires one to remember tying is supposed to be fun!!

I have tried

Sal,

I have tried to get a hold of one myself, but failed. It's made by US tyer Joe Libeu, but I haven't had success in ordering one. I will follow up on it.

Martin

where to buy

Can you tell me where I might purchase one of these?

Realistic Legs for Terrestrials

Japanese Nymph Legs is a product very similar to the synthetic bristles from a broom that the Author uses. They are very similiar in size but are made of a slightly different material that makes shaping them a bit easier. I use an adjustable heat soldering tool and have through trial and error figured out the best temperature for melting the bends in the legs without melting through the material. The JNLs are available at retail from a few shops, mostly those that have a section for realistic fly tying.

porpoise protection

Porpoises are impossible to avoid, and released sea trout released in their presence suffer a 100% mortality rate. I have quite a few old, rusty fly hooks [NOT stainless steel]. in size 12 or smaller. Before I release a trout I pin one of these small, rusty hooks (no line attached) lightly in the corner of the trout's mouth. Porpoises have a very sensitive sonar system. I have watched them veer away from sea trout with a hook in its mouth.

Small mouth flies

Enjoyed reading your article on Susquehanna small mouth flies, I lived in Pa. most of my life and small mouths were my favoite spiecies to fish for , first with spinning gear and then with the fly rod , I would visit clousers fly shop in the winter to get next seasons fishing license, and just talk with Bob and his wife Joan, and sometims Bobby jr. if he was there , floated the Susquehanna with my buddy at the Fabridam in Sunbury Pa. the PP+L dam just outside of Sunbury, catching smallies all summer and an occasional Walleye and in October the Walleyes would turn on , also a gem of mine Mahantango creek on Northumberland side near its confluence with the Susquehanna , and my go to fly was a bass Clouser minnow, in size 4 , lost and landed many a nice smallmouth with my personal best being 18 1/2", I ve since move to North Carolina and ive put the rod up for now, closest bass water for smallies is 2 hr drive one way now , good luck with future articles ,great job

River Snook Fishing in Southwest Florida

As always, check with a reliable source about local conditions before you finalize your plans and pay your money. Freshwater lakes, rivers, and lagoons in Florida have been increasingly plagued by toxic algae blooms and widespread fish kills. Southwest Florida has not escaped the pollution expanding through Florida waters.