Hey! Want a really great T like the one I’m wearing? Well, get on over to Fish, Flies & Water (Jason’ Blog) and order one today. This cotton poly blend feels like silk. I know fish will like me bettter now that I’m wearing this–I’m not promising that you’ll catch more fish, but you certainly […]
Sounds a bit like an oxymoron, but it’s so easy and so fast to tie, that even oxen can do it. The nail knot has been around for a long, long time, and it’s a really great way to attach the leader to the fly line. I actually attach a 12—15 inch piece of leader […]
The construction of fly lines took a huge leap forward when shortly after the second world war, manufacturers began to build lines with a level braided nylon core coated with plastic. The taper in the line is built into the coating, not into the core. With this technique, lines could be made that floated better […]
When I started fly fishing in 1955, fly lines were designated with a lettering system, beginning at A and running through I. The letter designation specified a diameter, with “A” being the largest diameter and “I” the smallest. This brought line designations up to par with leader “X” designations, each “X” representing a diameter (for […]
I occasionally get questions on old line designations, so in this post I want to discuss the old, old system of line sizing. Originally, silk lines were not designed by the weight standards that are in play today. Rather they were designated by a simple numbering system, 1, 2, 3, etc. Later the numbering system […]
Extending the edges of the fish’s binocular zone rearward defines the limits of its field of vision, or so theory says. The theory, furthermore, promotes the idea that the limits of the fish’s peripheral vision clearly establishes a 30 degree blind spot to the fish’s rear. Therefore, the theory continues, one can sneak up on […]
Cal Gates started Gates Au Sable Lodge east of Graying at Stephan Bridge in 1970. Only three years later we held our first Fenwick Fly Fishing School there. Cal became a great friend over the years and when he died, Rusty and his wife Julie bought the Lodge from his mother, Mary. Rusty was still […]
A standard drawing of a fish clearly indicates that there’s a blind spot just in front of the fish’s head because the fish’s snout is in the way. However, there are three other factors that must be considered. First, the fish’s eyes bulge out from its head a bit, and that makes the blind spot […]
The reason for placement of the eyes at the sides of the head in fish is to increase the animal’s peripheral vision—that area seen only by one eye. The fish’s peripheral vision field is 330 degrees; ours is 179 degrees. This means that fish see objects behind them, which is very good for a prey […]
Like hot race cars, fish sport a pin strip down the length of their bodies. It’s the lateral line–lateral meaning “side.” It may be distinctly darker than the side of the fish or it may only be seen as a raised area along the side. The lateral line consists of a series of interconnected “U” […]