Brilliant !!!!!!!!! I've always wondered why more people don't use squid patterns for Pacific salmon in the salt. I've had good luck with squid patterns on Silvers off the Homer Spit in Alaska but seem to be in a minority of one when it comes to squid in Alaska.
once again the phlymaster crafts another phishcatcher!!!
the phortyinchers don't stand a chance.....,Great job, Sir Penquin.
Da Rooster!
That is a very interesting ANT. I think they will do nicely in my lake box... :D
PT/TB
Glen,
It's not that complicated. The setup shown in the picture is just an example of how to use three lamps. One can do it, two is a bit better. These days you can use normal lamps with normal bulbs because the digital camera can compensate for the warm light.
The most important part of lighting is getting soft light! Put some cloth, thin paper, translucent plastic or glass felt (like used for wallpaper) between your light source and your fly. Careful with the heat if you use halogen lamps! You can also use a large lamp with a big reflector or one of these office lamps that use a tube rather than a bulb. By getting a large and soft light source, you get even and nice light on your flies with no harsh shadows.
Regarding camera, all you need is to make sure that the macro function is good. I recently bought a Canon Ixus 95 (Also known as Canon PowerShot SD1200) for my mother, and that is an excellent, inexpensive camera, which does macro nicely. My guess is that you should be able to find this particular model at USD 150.- or less.
The background is cardboard, which I buy at places such as Michael's Craft. They have a ton of colors and it's less than a dollar per sheet. I simply hang it using a couple of clothespins or tape or I lean up against a box placed on the table behind my fly. At an adequate distance it will render nice and out of focus. You can experiment with that.
Don't make this rocket science! Get a camera and start shooting.
Martin
I am an old guy trying to understand this all. This picture is what I thought would be the best set up, I want to take pictures of my own flies and have it in my computer. I do not understand the back ground thing though and would like to know how to get it, plus just a camera, good price, to take the picture. Do you have to have all those lamps that provide light. What bulbs are in those lamps or lamp that works best? Basically just a good picture is all I need so exactly what camera is avialable today, that would work. Now realize you are talking to a guy in Veterans Home, Brain damage, I need alot of details because of this and I would appreciate it alot, its one of my dreams to be able to do this and eventually sell flys. Thanks, appreciate this site, still don't quite get it all though.
Glen
Big Horns fisherman
old Riverrunner
Greetings Martin, What can I say after such a comprehensive reply!? There are equipment collectors - and obviously - there are eqipment destroyers!
Interesting that none of the dry and wait tehniques have ever worked for me - fresh or salt water. I don't have the camea corpses to display as the insurance company claimed them - probably as proof of the claim. Loved the link to your site - have bookmarked it for future visits!
-very nice box very, nice arrangment it looks like a pattern we use in montana only chenille instead of krystal dub and it works all year long even under the ice.But i might have to try it this way
Wolfie,
Oh I have drowned cameras! My list is almost as long as yours (4 PowerShots), and I even documented it and wrote a bit about it:
Three down and one to go. The front one works, the rest are all dead or semi dead:
This one is definitely under! Notice the shrimp!
Post mortem reconstruction...
And more here: How to drown a Canon PowerShot
And speaking of shutter buttons... that reminds me of my old Minolta 7000i film camera, which had this shutter issue... due to contact with salt water it was fairly unwilling to expose pictures (not great for a camera) and for a long time I had to pouch my lips around the shutter and blow moist breath into the button mechanics to get it to come alive and be able to fire.
I routinely did that for a year or so until a friend lent me some contact cleaner on a spray can, which cleaned out the oxidization that must have formed on the contact. It worked like a clockwork since then - and still does.
So it does cost to bring cameras near the water. But on the other hand it also gives you hundreds of great pictures.
Martin
Thanks Pete, for sharing, also from Italy.
A sense of irony is, in my opinion, guarantee of freedom... and, to my eyes, some of your 'freestyle' tying are full of sense of irony!
Laura
Great article - totally agree that fishing without a camera is almost as bad as not taking a rod along! Howeve my experience with cameras exposed to water is about the complete opposite of yours! In four years I have killed outright 5 Canon powershots: A75, A400, A410, A420,G10 and an Olympus E-1 DSLR, and had rain cause problems with my E-300 shutter button.
I now have a Pentax K-7 with a 18-55 WR lens (water-resistant version) and it has survived 6 trips out wading in saltwater getting splashed by waves and smeared with fish slime. And it is smaller and cheaper than any Nikon,Canon or even Olympus DSLRs for the same sealed construction of body and lens. But my ultimate fishing camera would be like a Panasonic GF-1 with sealed body and lens for compact size and high image quality.
I hpoe this little aside helps someone. In New Zealand it is illegal to carry two rods. I therefore have guided and balanced a 5 wgt TCR for spinning and have a reel seat for the Stella 1000, I use with it, in the correct position above the fly reel seat. It is simpler and legal to carry two reels. At the risk of appearing a heretic on this board I far prefer to spin and the fly reel remains unused for long periods. The tube flys I use most often have no opinion or preference as to which system places them in the water, nor do the fish I catch and return.
bwlodge-folks,
While we appreciate hearing news from Ireland and seeing pictures of nice fish from beautiful streams, we are not really fond of undisguised advertising on our discussion board.
I did a quick search for the contents of the posts above and found word-for-word identical postings in several other fishing forums.
You are more than welcome to post stories and pictures from your rivers and lodge here, but please write them for this board and its users and don't simply paste stories which are cross-posted to dozens of other sites too - including your own.
I will consider such postings as pure spam and delete them in the future as they seem to serve no other purpose than to attract visitors and potential customers to your web site and lodge.
We appreciate almost any participation in our forums, but not simple commercial marketing.
Martin
anyone know of the originator of the deerfield or westfield streamer? i have an original of each and would like to know more about them. they were originally purchased from a shop on the westfield - in westfield ma in the 50's....
In my opinion and from my experience fishing snakeheads back in Malaysia, Tube Flies should survive the ferocious teeth of the Giant Snakehead better than the normal flies. On one of the fishing trip I lost(damage due to the sharp teeth of the Giant Snakehead a.k.a. Toman, as it is called in Malaysia) dozens of flies.
Martin,
We can definitely agree on Reersø. I have spend many many hours there. Always a pleasure.
I saw the "Bend Rod" article when posted and was very inspired. I'm used to the standard "put-the-fish-down-and-take-a-picture" but want to go further than that. Some times this just does not give the fish nor the picture the credit it should have! And why not if it is possible? Running around with the camera in the bag is just not optimal, when you bring it with the intention to use it. It seems I need to do 2 things:
1: Bring the camera:
Good Idea to tuck it in the waders. Normally I have had it in the standard bag from the kit, but I can see a point in just letting it hang inside almost ready for action.
2: Let the rod bend:
The more easy part ;-). Already have an appointment at the south point this Easter with a silver bullet I was kind enough to release "long distance" this fall.
I will let you know, when the 2 things occur at the same time ;-)
Anders,
The D200 IS sealed, and as I said: I would not treat any camera as I treat my D200! But in general I think most cameras can take more than we think or fear.
Too bad about the fish and good to hear that things are starting to happen out there! Reersoe is one of my personal favorite spots to fish (for the non-Danes: it's a nice peninsula in Denmark known for good coastal fishing).
Tuck your D60 inside you waders. That will require a full dive from you before it gets wet, and such dives are rare after all.
That will enable you to do some POV-shots like the ones shown in this article or the picture below.
Notice the drops on my 900 dollar fisheye lens!
It happens... but it's just water.
I wiped it off after my fishing (which was very good that day), and it's still as good as new.
Martin
Martin,
Thanks for the thorough answer! I did not know whether it was because the D200 was specially sealed - I don't wanna see my D60 die on me like a some phones do after a little swim. But as you describe, maybe I should give more credit to the designers and use it as it is intended too.
Tired of the feeling when getting home and looking through the pictures not finding a single one on the water describing the atmosphere of that day. Two trouts at Reersø this thursday and no pictures..
I'll think I will start on the plastic-bag-trick and maybe go the full monthy - naked camera - later.
By the way: Nice layout on the pictures in the article!
Third Springer is caught on the Blackwater Lodge beats
The third springer of the season was taken on Sunday, March 14 by Larry Sheridan (Dungarvan) who gillies for the Lodge.
He released the fish which weighed about 12lb & was taken on black Flying C at the top of the Island Stream on Kents.
It didn't have sea-lice but very fresh. He saw a couple more springers there as well.
Unfortunately no picture as he doesn't carry a camera with him.
The river is now at summer level - 0.36m on the Ballyduff gauge. Perfect fly order.
Lots of kelts being caught on flies as small as size 8.
For the latest info: Fishing report page [url]http://www.ireland-salmon-fishing.net/FishingReport/fishingreport.htm[/…]
[b:137ab0550b][u:137ab0550b]The Second Springer is Caught on the Blackwater Lodge beats[/u:137ab0550b][/b:137ab0550b]
[img:137ab0550b]http://www.ireland-salmon-fishing.net/Galleries/2010/gallery2010/march1…]
Bass fishing guide Michael McCormack from Wexford with the second fish of the season from the Lodge beats. It was sea-liced & weighed in at 10.2lb.
It was taken on Silver Bullet on the Green Bank on Upper Kilmurry.
Michael saw 3 or 4 more fresh fish as well during the day.
He was the only rod out on the river today - one springer for one rod day cain't be bad!
For the latest info: Fishing report page [url]http://www.ireland-salmon-fishing.net/FishingReport/fishingreport.htm[/…]
Fisherman,
You can fish from a boat as long as you have the state license for saltwater fishing, which is very inexpensive.
You can launch the boat from many beaches where you can get close enough to the water. You can also use boat ramps in harbors, but you will probably have to pay a small fee for that.
You can see more about the license rules here:
http://www.fisketegn.dk/?language=en
Martin
David,
Very nice looking fly!
The key to get a fly to ride hook point up is not always weight, but rather a "sail" or "rudder", which points up. The wing on a Crazy Charlie or Gotcha it a good example.
This will act as a guide to the fly as it sinks, much like the tail on a kite in the wind. So making sure your flies aren't flat, but has most of its extensions - like the crab claws and legs - pointing upwards, might do the trick.
Martin
… I have a small favor to ask.
Support the Global FlyFisher through several different channels, including PayPal.
The Global FlyFisher has been online since the mid-90's and has been free to access for everybody since day one – and will stay free for as long as I run it.
But that doesn't mean that it's free to run.
It costs money to drive a large site like this.
See more details about what you can do to help in this blog post.
