I’m not sure how many of the younger generations of fly fishers are familiar with the name Hugh Falkus? When I was new in this hobby, Hugh Falkus was a giant. One of Britain’s most well-known, well-respected and revered fly fishers. He was a prolific salmon- and sea trout angler, living almost on the banks of the Cumberland Ask with other hallowed streams within easy reach.
It’s not as serious as it seems, but it was the general thinking behind the first Intruder-flies Ed Ward, Jerry French and Scott Howell tied, sometime in the early 90ies. They discovered that big flies would illicit aggressive strikes – because the “intruded the personal space” of big fish, without spooking them. To begin with they used them for king salmon and then slowly transferred the style of fly to steelhead fishing.
Chartreuse Pillow Talk by Hanna B. Vestergaard
In any type of fly, for any kind of species, during most of the season, you can encounter conditions, where it’s highly advantageous (some essentially necessary) to do whatever you can to avoid snagging on weed. Simply in order to be able to move your fly through the water. There are several ways of negotiating the challenge – and only one to avoid it totally, which is to stay home. But – that’s not why we’re fishing, so let’s take a look at some of the options and their advantages and drawbacks.
It’s hook launch time – again! We’re come close to ending 2020 (I think most of us look forward to that), but we decided to just go ahead and throw a proper New Year’s Bomb(er) to you.
Pink Jig by Håkan Karsnäser on FW554 CZ Mini Jig.
Yes, another hook release – believe it or not. We’ve been busy! This time it’s a new jig-hook. We of course already have a jig hook – the FW 550/551. So what’s the big difference, I hear you ask? Well, that takes about as long time to answer as it does to ask the question. Hook length!
Continue reading “New Release – FW 554/555 CZ Mini Jig Hook”
Yes, we’re not done releasing new hooks this fall, and today we’re releasing a really exciting project.
A part of our very first hook releases was the NS 172 Gammarus, which very quickly became very popular for a variety of reasons – and for a good number of different types of flies. But we also very early on began getting requests for not only bigger versions for various predator flies, but also stronger versions for stronger fish. And of course the inevitable requests for a saltwater version.
Today marks the official release of a brand new series of hooks that we have chosen to call XO. XO has plenty of meanings in today’s world. Our younger readers will relate it to “hugs and kisses” in text messages while our slightly, how should I put it, more seasoned customers might tend to connect it with cognac, where it signifies that a cognac has been aged for at least six years in oak barrels. We – however – use the term differently, as an abbreviation for Cross Over.
You may have spotted these news on Facebook and Instagram already. If not – today is the official release of a new dry fly hook in the FW-series: the 504/505 Short Shank Dry Fly Hook.
Continue reading “Ahrex FW 504/504 Short Shank Dry Fly Hook”
The Butcher, proberbly the best known classic wet fly – tied by Håkan Karsnäser.
When fly tiers and fly fishers think about “mallard wings”, I suppose that most of us have the image of a classic spey fly with its low set roof shaped wing of the beautiful (and impossible) brown- and black speckled feathers from a mallard’s wing.
