Nicely done article, Bob. Yes, with maturity comes wisdom, as well as unsteady wading. No need to push it anymore. Let the flies do their work and hang on. No extra glitze, just natural goodness with a lot of soul.... that's soft hackles. Cheers!
Rory,
Luckily it's so much more fun to write and publish real articles, so that's what I'll keep doing.
Martin
Rory,
It's a good example of the fact that everything can become dubbing. When I comb out fur, trim fluff off feathers or cut bits of yarn or floss off repeatedly, I usually keep the scraps, which more than once have made and addition - or even the foundation - for some great dubbing.
It gives some excellent material to experiment with, and if it works, you can always cut more on purpose and mix a new batch.
And stuff like polar bear is precious and every bit needs to be saved and used!
Martin
The short underfur found on Polar bear hides is a great substitute for seal dubbing. Most of this fur gets combed-out when using Polar bear hair for wings on salmon and steelhead flies. Use empty 35mm film canisters or small zip-loc bags to keep different colours of underfur ready for use. It makes great, stiff under-collars on Intruder style flies when twisted up into wire-core dubbing brushes.
Cheers!
Yes, real books do have a certain charm one cannot get through the Internet route. Opening an actual book, like opening a fly box leads to soul fulfilling discovery. The sight and fragrance of each stirs the senses.... especially the flies which have that fishy lived-in ambiance. Cheers!
Thank you, Mr. Petit. I have several books by John Sewey, and they are all wonderful to browse and, above all, inspiring for successful fly tying. For several of the hairwing patterns Sewey suggests, I add a heron feather hackle to the fly head to give them a bit more movement. Also, tied on size 6 and 8 hooks, some of these flies are also very good for Atlantic salmon in shallow water.
I agree with you, Martin. Unfortunately, I'll never have the chance to meet him… I carefully preserve some magazines, a signed copy of Flytyer's Masterclass, and some fly-tying products under his name, sold by Partridge few years ago.
Serge,
Oliver did inspire a lot of people - you obviously ... and me too. I met him several times, and always learned a lot from him, and like you I swallowed his videos (VHS and DVD's) and stil love his book Flytyers Masterclass.
A true fly tying legend.
Martin
I was the only one in my small village who tied flies, so it was with the step-by-step tying instructions he published in an English magazine and later, thanks to VHS videos, that I learned many techniques for tying trout flies. A master for me.
Serge,
My skills aren't that exceptional ... I'm basically a messy person, and sometimes struggle to find stuff that I used just minutes ago. That's why it's really nice to have a room for the purpose. I can mess around, and then just close the door. The room is mine, and I'm basically the only one using it.
And the reel display is still there behind the vise. I added a couple of pictures showing it better. I'm actually looking for one more, but can't find anything identical or similar - even though this one has a sticker with a brand name and a number. But one day I might find something that can hold the rest of my reels.
Martin
You have a multi-purpose room. Three actually: work, GFF, and studio. I don't know how you manage your space, and especially how you find things in it, but I envy your organizational skills. I took advantage of the renovations I'm doing on my century-old house—I know, nothing like the old European houses, which are much older, but for a wooden house, 100 years is old—anyway, I took the opportunity to create a dedicated fly-tying area. To keep it tidy, I take out the materials I need for each day's fly as I go. I admit I find it difficult to get the materials out, tie 5 to 10 flies, and then put everything away before getting out what I need for the next fly. But, in my case, it's the best way I've found to keep « ma tête hors de l’eau », means to survive. The materials are sorted by category into boxes which are placed in a piece of furniture that I made.
I can't see that beautiful display case where you keep your favorite reels. It must be somewhere that showcases these lovely objects! ;-)
I bought my Giraffe lamp and magnifier in 1992. Earlier this year the mounting stud for the lamp's flex arm went wonky and wobbly. I emailed Moffatt, received a phone call and spoke with one of their support staff and they mailed me free of charge the two parts I needed to for my lamp.
Giraffe lamps, as they were once known, can now be found at https://moffattproducts.com/flex-mounted-lamps/.
I know well the impact on the production of adrenaline in my body when I catch an Atlantic salmon or an Arctic char. But I understand, from reading your text Martin, that there is another level that relegates to the background, fatigue, the need to take a break, or even the inability to make one more cast. I did not have the « chance» to experience that. To quote my girlfriend, “As any good Gemini, you are unable to focus Serge” lol. She knows what you're talking about, she was a high-level athlete here in Canada
I have an older version of the Olympus TG-7 and it's been an excellent camera for many years. It takes a beating and I don't have to worry about it. The lens for such a small camera is very good, hence no need for the large number of pixels. I'll take lens quality over pixel count every time. Loads of pixels cannot overcome a crappy lens.
I was thinking about getting a newer model but my current model is still going strong with replacement batteries.
DrL
Lol! Martin, I love fly fishing and fly tying books, in fact I love books in general. In my little village, reading, tying flies , fishing and making maple syrup are all you can do…and that’s making me happy. You can’t even spend money. 😂
Serge
Serge,
I hope you don't end up bankrupt with all the books I get you to buy!
No, seriously, you will like this one. It has a great approach to the subject, and features some really great (or at rather: efficient) looking flies.
Martin
Martin, the way you describe this book has forced me to spend another penny lol. I can't wait to receive it, to leaf through it, to read it. Thank you for introducing your reader to it.
Paulus,
The picture is from the island Als in southern Jutland.
Martin
Well Martin,as a frequent reader for years i really like the site.
I am fishing for about 20 years now in Funen,twice a year and i for sure have used some ideas and flies to use in Funen,with succes.
So i look forward to read more.
Photo looks like the beach Gabet/Dalby,but i could be wrong
In the wonderful world of threads and hooks, experimentation remains the best way to determine what suits a tyer depending on what kind of flies he makes and what he wants from this fly.
Because, in addition to the difficulties in finding your way around, some manufacturers have difficulties with their own standard. Thus, my spools of UTC 70 D thread do not all have the same resistance.
Another example, a fly for an exhibition will be mounted with a small flat thread for aesthetics while in reality this fly in the fishing version will be mounted with a thread more resistant to the teeth of the fish.
Finally, some threads resist time, exposure to the sun, or even humidity better than others and this also has an impact on the quality of your flies.
This huge table is helpful from where experimentation begin.
Serge,
Yes, Gordon's books are really worth reading. Glad you like it.
Martin
Hello Martin, I just finished my first reading of Feather Mechanic II. I had given myself the mandate to read it from cover to cover before diving deep into the chapters that interest me the most. For my part, I love books that tell, that talk, that make you discover, that question. This book is really good at this level. When you read chapters like Jay Lee's, you get to know the fisherman, the passionate, the curious… and how he ties a fly. It's one of the good books I've read.
Serge,
With 30 years of piled up articles, it's no wonder that you haven't discovered everything!
I sometimes get surprised over a piece that I completely forgot about, so it's not surprising that you as a reader experience the same thing.
There is after all a sea of 2,599 articles to drown in.
Martin
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