Recent comments

Dave,

I'm glad yo

Dave,

I'm glad you like the podcasts. They are fun doing and give quite a lot of feedback. I have acquired a couple of small microphones from Giant Squid (sic!), which were reasonably priced and looked great. The sound is fine even though I'm still struggling with the wind noise - but it's better. I recorded a new episode this weekend, and as soon as I'm done mixing it, you can hear a sample of the quality.

I'm not quite done experimenting yet, but I'm getting there...

Martin

Another great podcas

Another great podcast, Martin. I so much appreciate receiving and listening to them. The last one with you recording in bed was a special touch. :-) Though I've never fished for Sea Trout - or in the ocean for that matter - I look forward to each podcast and listen as soon as I have opportunity.

I've been following your new recorder with interest. Have you decided on an external mic for it yet? I bought an external mono mic for my Edirol but it doesn't sound nearly as good as the built in dual stereo speakers. I'd like to get one that I can use on the outside of my clothing with the recorder inside out of the rain.

Dave
Sweet Home, Oregon, USA

Two of the best

Bob-
You've already heard from two of the best - so I'll just add that I've seen enough of your streamers over the years to tell you that you're more than well equipped to tie salmon flies. Your Black Doctor is proof of that. Certainly don't beat yourself up about the roof - that's not an easy maneuver to pull off.

Come on Bob

Come on Bob, Yer being hard on yourself. Even Martinez had a beginning. I have told folks time n again that when you have a thousand of these done you have completed an exercise.Yours is very good.
I think your fly has character and that is a thing that many do not even see. Yes you can learn more as you go but the basics I see in your fly are what someone from Hardy or someone looking to have a featherwing ready to drag across a pool would look for. I find it interesting that many people can tie almost any sort of fly from streamers to # 20 trout patterns and still cannot obtain what you have accomplished here.

Remember what Paul J. Titled his book with. "Atlantic Salmon Flies Their Character Style and Dressing" I think I have that correct. So, If one follows what was trying to be implied,it would follow that one would begin to see that the Salmon Fly from its roots in the UK to coming across the pond to our side would imply that the fly should have a certain character that could induce a salmon to take. Few have taken the time to understand this and are caught up in the revolution of tying and undertake to dress flies for the sole purpose of an accomplishment. Yup, its fun to look at a beautiful fly ready for a frame n Lord know how many are are trying to do this, tho I think its wonderful they have found something that perks the interest in this realm, I think that the masters have set the tone that is known to those that have been on a river with a featherwing and have had the tug on the line and held a beautiful chorme salmon in their hands can know that the experience cannot be repeated but can be had again. The true masters are some of those you have mentioned, and they are Freeman, Jorgenson, Hunter, Blades, Bergman...

They are many that cut their teeth and spent many hours, days, weeks, months and years beginning to understand salmon fishing. Stay on those size 2-4-6-8-10 and get away as fast as you can from the 6/0 thing n then your on your way. There never was a 6/0 Blue Charm fished anywhere. Sure there are times that I fish or tie some biggie featherwing patterns but those are reserved for for early season fishing as in Russia, the Gaspe and New Brunswick but by n large a size 4 is still n remains the most useful salmon fly that can be fished.

I Remain

Jerome Francis Molloy

Now there is a Fishabale Black Doctor

Now there is a Fishable Black Doctor, also one which will lay well in the water when it is wet, not over dressed, and not sparse like the wall hangers we see today. I am particularly fond of flies which I see tied on an iron which one can throw with a fly rod. Goose shoulders as winging material, which will swim. Bob is a little hard on himself when giving critique to his fly, the fly is great, he mentioned the hackle (Body Hackle) was a little long, but today it is difficult to find those tapered feathers in our genetics, gone are the days of the old Chinese Necks. The head is a little long, but this can be overcome by stopping back and even letting a little of the steel of the shank showing.
Fishing with traditional flies is in my blood, my first Atlantic Salmon was caught on a Silver Grey # 4 made by Hardy Brothers in England, in 1951 at the age of 10 years. This fly resembles the style and fishablility of that fly. Keep up the good work Bob!!

looks like my uncle.

looks like my uncle.

Thanks Kasper,

Th

Thanks Kasper,

That is a shame, but eye-catching they certainly are.

Regards,
Les

I have won the battle

I have won the battle with Yellows in Sterkfontein Dam, but the yellows in the Vaal River are still eluding me. I have tried all these flies mentioned, but no luck in the Vaal!!!!

Helge and Les,

th

Helge and Les,

the rubber sand eels are not difficult to tie, but pretty useless as the silicone starts to curl and the fly to spin. More an eye catcher than a practical fly.

Kasper Mühlbach

I checked out all of

I checked out all of Steve's tube flies..........they are really something. He's a VERY good tyer and a VERY nice man.

Bob wow what a nice

Bob wow what a nice sand eels, could you send me some they look so realistic and I am hungry.
Tying instruction would be great

Anonymous,

Yes, t

Anonymous,

Yes, this is a fishing picture! Have you never taken a bit of time to look at bugs, flowers or birds when fishing? Well, you should! It's part of fishing. Like this picture...

Martin

fishing picture?

fishing picture?

Most interesting article

Hello Geir,
Thanks for your most interesting article ! I fully share your feelings about Czech nymphing. I fished the river Vltava (Moldau) many years ago and came to the conclusion ... definitely not my cuppa tea !
Med vennlig Hilsen.
Bas

Nice work!
Those sa

Nice work!
Those sand-eels are amazing. Any chance of an article on how to tie them?

Nice photo reportage

Nice photo reportage Bob!
Add more photos if possible ;)

are those staples fo

are those staples for the legs?

Stefan,

Stefan,

Thanks for that, and I agree with you.

I am very happy with the 3piece CTC I have been given in return for my #5 weight 6piece 3Zone. My intention with the 6 piece was that I could carry it in my rucsac, keep it close in the aircraft in case they lost my baggage containing other rods, etc. I had no problem with the action of the rod as a fishing tool, but it was just too sloppy for use with a #5 weight shooting head in the Danish salt.

I could have found plenty of other uses for the rod, but that was the use I wanted, so I now don't have the multi-piece option open to me, and a 3 piece it is. I agree with you that the 4 piece compromise is probably the best compromise when transport, convenience, and use are all considered.

Regards and tight lines to all.

Les

Have you get pikes w

Have you get pikes with that?

Les,

Les,
sure you have 4 more or less stiffer spots on a 6pc compared to a 2pc (I think 1pc is theory) and that will affect blank action ... at least in theory. But what I wanted to say is that I'm not sure if the rod with less pieces must always be the better one.
Regarding weight: A 6pc Five Rivers FTL blanks, 9', 6 wt, weighs only 45 gramms (a least on my letter scale). Compared to e.g. Sage blanks (that are blanks where I find blank weights on their website) that's a lot lighter than many 4pc blanks.
Maybe another draw back of multi piece blanks can be that the risk of loosen blank parts while fishing of 6pc at least in theory is 3 times greater than with a 2pc. But I think modern manufacturing techniques has minimized that risk in the last years.
In my eyes a 4pc rod is a good compromise.
Stefan

The best way

the best way is to sever the spinal column either by holding the shanks and placing thumb and forefinger around the neck and pulling or placing the birds neck on the ground and using a broom handle lay it on the neck and put one foot on either side of the bird and pull up quick,painless and then just slit throat and they bleed out good too

It hooks steelhead a

It hooks steelhead aswell, caught a 6lber last weekend

It hooks steelhead a

It hooks steelhead aswell! caught a 6lber on it last weekend

Tom and others,

I

Tom and others,

I'm sure these flies could catch fish. I have seen fish caught on the strangest contraptions... even made a couple myself. One of my favorites is from the spinning world where an angler pulled his line through a carrot and tied a hook to it. He caught trout on that!

But these flies are so poorly made that I'm almost sure they would fall (more) apart within a few casts. Plus they're not nice to look at. The fish may not care, but I do.

Martin