Recent comments

foam poppers

The Burning Man looks a little like Jack Plott's Hula Popper as shown on this site.

I use these by the dozens on

I use these by the dozens on selective trout on the Missouri on 6-7x tippets, so I lose a lot of them. But this is an easy, quick, and effective way to tie the comparadun.

I've seen this way on YouTube

I have seen this way and it looks easy enough but I am sure you have to practice a few times. I prefer to tie the feather on the hook then fold the hackle while wrapping. It seems to me to take less time. I suppose if you knew how many flies you would be tying it could all be done at once and thereby increasing number of flies tied. Thanks for being on facebook because it is easier for some of us to use to find articles. All the best to you and yours. Sean

triple haul

Great pointer! I've got the double haul covered with my #8 9ft and #4 6ft, but after reading this article I'm going for a #6 9 ft this season and will search for that WTF tapered line & a friend to accompany me :-)

Ted,

Ted,

Thanks for your suggestion!

The donation button has been on my mind and I have even set it up on PayPal, but never got around to implement it. I have different ideas on how to activate the site and its users, and the option to donate might be one of the thing that will appear.

Martin

Machining students would like to try as a student project

Tom:

Thanks for sharing your work. It's amazing.

I am an administrator at a community/technical college that has both machining and woodworking programs. My students would like to try and reproduce your vice as a class project. Is there anyway that we could discuss?

Doug Long

Antenna's

The cdc antennas are tot stiff, its better that it is softer, otherwise the fish spit it out. But overall its a nice shrimp imitation.

Since you're so busy with the

Since you're so busy with the 'new' GF why not make a donation button? I for example donate $5 each year to Wikipedia, not much but it helps them going.

Eel-like creature

As far as I can see, this is a hair worm with Latin name being Gordius aquaticus(cf), living parasiticaly in insects. I don´t know an English name.
Regards
Siegfried

Straw Shrimp SF

Excellent video!

Hi Martin, think you are

Hi Martin, think you are right that it will be quite difficult to get money for ppv tying videos. In this line I just checked two of your listed videos and have to say they are quality wise quite nice.

Rgds,
Ole

Irony?

Dear Mr. Thanks,

Is that ironic? Do you seriously mean that a fishing video must contain fish? If you think a good fishing trips has to mean catching fish, then you're in the wrong sport my friend!

This isn't porn. There's no guaranteed money shot!

I think this video brilliantly catches the ambiance of winter fishing on an average, crowded stream in the US. If that doesn't suit you, be happy it's free, and move on to the gazillion other videos at hand. Many of them contain fish caught.

Martin

High Church

Another fishing video with no fish.

The hunting/killing instinct

It is futile arguing with the insane people who propagate hate as regards their venomous tirade on
people who have the hunting/killer instinct. These individuals have totally lost the hunter gatherer
instinct and cannot possible understand and evaluate those who do have the killer instinct. Those who
have lost the instinct compared to those who do still have that killer instinct who not survive long
I wager if they were put in a situation of keeping themselves alive in the wild where there are no corner shops or supermarkets etc. but they would be the first to cadge food from those who would be able to get the meat.
The other strong instinct the hunters have is a feeling of self preservation which seems to be very much lacking in the anti brigade. Although the antis don't realize it,it could be said that it may be quite dangerous for that anti group to continuously insult the hunters and try vociferously to rubbish them by persuading them to take up knitting or the like.

New Member

Just located your site and joined. Got interested when I was searching for different patterns. Have become very interested in foam base flies having had success with a number which I have tied. Trying to develop a streamer pattern for trout here in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado. I'm sure many exist but always like to come up with one I created. Great site - look forward to participating and contributing in the future.
Mike S.

Legit or not?

Pat,

I have no idea whether your connection is legit. I have never done any business with African tyers (or other tyers for that matter) and judging whether the connection works or not is fully up to you. But having samples at least indicates that someone ties flies and that flies exist, and I do know lots of shops and distributors that do buy from Africa, so of course it's possible that everything is OK.

Martin

african flys

im about to do a deal. i got my samples. there badass. but what about the legitamacy of this. is this for real? this article has me in the air. the flys are legit though

Muddler Magic dead?

Carlos,

Looking through my mail, I found this mail from Gary, which I had totally forgotten:

"Muddler Magic is (a) still in the works, (b) on hold, (c) on life support, (d) all of the above, (e) none of the above?

I wrote it, like Woolly Wisdom, in bits and pieces. And when I assembled them, I disovered the book was three times too long. That put me into a year-long funk. Unable to cut it down to size, I was sort of teetering on deciding to slash deeply and put the cuts on a web site that would be many times referenced in the book. Finally, Frank Amato said to send him the raw manuscript for a look-see. He and his editor both liked what they saw and he said they wanted to try to publish it pretty much in its entirety. Then the economy collapsed, and it hit book publishers--and particularly small fish like Amato--very hard. So Frank wants to revise the contract. Now were stuck over money. It's a pathetic two grand, and that shows you how strapped both of us are that so little matters."

The mail is from 2011, so unless they are still negotiating, the book is dead. I will contact him anyway to hear what the destiny of the manuscript might be. Maybe entice him to consider electronic publishing or self publishing...

Martin

I have no idea what happened

Carlos,

I have no idea what happened. I was supposed to have flies in that book and was looking forward to it - muddlers being one of my all time favorite flies. But it might have died somewhere underway. I'll try to get a hold of Gary and inquire.

Martin

stone clinger nymph

Davie does this nymph swim point up or down. I would with the extra lead on the top of the hook the point up, if so the top of the nymph (head) would then then be on the bottom. I enjoy your videos and try to tie many of the flies you tie. john

how does this nymph swim

Davie, have just watched the clip on tying the Organza stone clinger. is it meant to swim point up or down?. with the extra lead on the top of the hook, I would suggest point up, but if so the back of the nymph would be on the bottom. I enjoy your tying clips and copy as may as my limited tying skills allow, and also what I believe would work here in aust.

Muddler Magic

Hello Martin,
I have a weird question out of left field....Do you know what ever happened to Muddler Magic, the book that was being written by Gary Soucie? I really enjoyed his Wooly Wisdom and I contributed a few patterns for the muddler book...and that was the last I ever heard of it. That was...wow....a decade (!?) or so ago, I guess. Any info you may have would be appreciated. Thanks.
Carlos

Instantaneous

Dear Wiggy & all who just don't know....... A Welsh pal of mine who I miss very much as he passed away 9 years ago now had a natter with me after the first days fishing of a week in Scotland on the river Aven (A'n) tributary of the Spey. I asked him in a puzzled way & conveyed to him that I felt tweeks & little pulls that definately were fish but they had let go of the little worm that was on a size 8 hook. He said oh yes I know what your experiencing & I'll tell you one word but you'd better remember it because he usually will not come back again!
That word was 'instantaneous'. That was 44 years ago and through experimentation I found it not only applies to the bait but also to the Fly and very much so. My friend was no slouch when it came to sea trout but also salmon. In the Trout and Salmon in the seventies he was stated catching 13 sea trout on the Glasllyn when not another fisher caught anything.It was stated as a notable catch by the bailiff Edgar Owen. We often watched fly fishers on the Aven on the opposite bank missing fish by not being aware that an instant strike was necessary to catch these playful type of fish.......
I believe Hugh Falcus was aware of this anomaly but he thought this mainly applied to running fish that would come short as he said. I have also learnt that a fish that tweeks can be caught if not pricked on the fist tweek but the fisher must be of lightening fast reaction variety otherwise nil.
Once a fly fisher knows of this essential knowledge as stated above he may attract adverse criticism from those fishers who do not know and I find there are many such anglers who will always fish with one hand on the hip which I think rightly or wrongly is a terrible laid back way to fish & I hatwe to see that style of fly fishing. OK the fisher is enjoying his or herself but I think personally it is a very incorrect way to fish and that angler who persistently fishes that way will never be as successful in terms of fish caught as I or my friend who I spoke about.I feel that statement is pompous but I mean that in the nicest possible way so that those who fish do so with a purpose. There have been many an eminent angler who fish that way but I do not like to see it & I liken it to the chuck it and chance it brigade who are the first ones to moan if they see the successful angler catch a fish when they don't. Shame on them for not keeping an absolutely open mind which is essential for optimum success in fly fishing and experimentation............. I was once approached by an ignorant angler on the Nith who asked me - are you trying to foul hook them ? I replied definately not I make my fly behave as a shrimp does, don't you know about that technique. He cleared off in a huff but I did not get a pull that day but on the last day using the same technique I landed a 13lb salmon right in front of the bailiffs nose & I could not for the life of me help saying to him, well what do you think of that Mr Bailiff !
So do not forget the word instantaneous when fishing for Sea Trout /Grilse and even some salmon and keep well in touch with that fly on the end of your line and know full well at all times what it is doing..

Great and realistic shrimp,

Great and realistic shrimp, but it can be tied faster...