At regular intervals I receive requests from collectors for my flies. I am happy to provide these, The cost per fly is $15.00 to $30.00, postage paid in the US, depending upon the complexity of the imitation. International postage is an additional $5.00 per fly. Cost for large international orders will be quoted separately. See […]
Sunday, Day 3, at the Somerset Show started at 8 am when I held a Bible Study for a group of a little over 20 people. It was a great time for everyone. At 10 am I gave a demonstration on tying with a spinning loop. We looked at a Down and Dirty Minnow, a […]
Today opened with a bang. Saturday is always a busy day at Somerset, and today was not different. I didn’t have any programs until after lunch, so I spent the morning talking with old friends and looking at all the gear, tying materials, and fishing venues. Sorta gets one’s blood circulating fast. After lunch I […]
Today, Friday the 27, was opening day for the Somerset Fly Fishing Show. I presented a fly casting class this morning for 8 students. All of us had a great time. My long, and I do mean long, time friend, Ray Oswald, attended the class. Ray and I went to Penn State together, 1962-1966, and […]
Select a hackle of appropriate size for the hook being used, prepare it, and tie it in at the base of the wing. I tie in both in the front and in back of the wing post. Be certain to leave plenty of bare shaft at the base of the hackle feather so that it […]
My friend, Theo Bakelaar, from Holland is the one who introduced gold beads into the U.S. fly tying community. To attract attention to the idea of gold beads on the heads of nymphs and other sunken imitations, he got the idea to paint his his own head with gold. Trouble was, he used spray paint […]
After the thread has been wrapped forward to secure the tail, stop and add the body dubbing to the thread. Leave about an inch of bare thread between the hook shank and the top of the dubbing. It’s much easier to apply the dubbing very tightly when twisting it on an inch or so down […]
Tenkara fishing is finding a good following among U.S. anglers. Certainly it is fun and different. More important, it teaches one some very needed skills about using the rod in fighting and landing fish. Tenkara has a good presence at the Fly Fishing Show. A Tenkara group was not only present in Denver, but they […]
The Parachute Adams is one of the best all-around emerger imitations out there. There are production tactics that make it fast and easy tie. First is the fan tail. This tail not only helps the fly position itself in the film, but also suggest a partially cast nymphal or pupal skin. Start the thread around […]
A major part of every fly fishing show is the casting demonstrations by a variety of well-known angling instructors. There are opportunities to learn a new wrinkle in a rod grip, a particular casting tactic, a different way to mend line, and much, much more. Take time at the shows to watch the casting demonstrations, […]