Salmon fly - Ahrex Hooks

From Vise to Water

– Why Ahrex is now creating fly fishing journeys

Gaula, Norway — Where Our Passion Meets the River

At Ahrex Hooks, fly fishing has always been about more than products. It’s the time spent by the water, the quiet moments before a take, the creativity at the vise, and the simple joy of fishing a fly you tied yourself.

That passion is the foundation of our new concept: From Vise to Water.

It’s our way of taking the craft from the tying desk all the way to the rivers that inspires what we do — turning ideas into experiences, and patterns into memories.

Silver Grey Tube Variant

Among the most classic salmon flies and patterns that most fly fishers recognize, even if they don’t fish for salmon, are Jock Scott and Green Highlander. However, many are also familiar with names like Black Doctor, Silver Doctor, Blue Doctor, Durham Ranger, and Thunder & Lightning. What many don’t know is that all these latter patterns were created by the same person.

Squirrel

Most of us probably have too many fly tying materials. Do we really need it all? Certainly not, not least because some materials are good for many different flies if you are a little creative. Finding substitutes for original materials became necessary already around the turn of the century, because many materials became hard to get.

Instant classics?

Some flies just become instant classics. Usually of course because they catch a lot of fish. Often also because they are marketed or promoted by some one well known – who catches well on them. In turn they catch even more fish, because lots of fly fishermen begin using them. It happens that it spirals completely out of control to a degree where certain, essentials materials become hard to get.

Season is over

For most in the Northern Hemisphere winter is either here or fast approaching. This doesn’t mean that fishing is over, but I believe that most of us fish a little less and some not at all, perhaps depending on how diverse you are in your fishing. Here in Scandinavia, lots of fly fishers fish for several different species. In the salt, early winter is actually a very good time to chase for one of the elusive, chrome sea trout that skip the spawning run. Pike are also in season and are hungry, busy feeding and getting ready for the slow winter months and cold water.

Stinger

Not the missile – at all, but a hook. A stinger hook is defined by it’s shape (as most hooks), it’s placement in the fly and the way it’s attached to the hook. Stinger hooks are short, have a fairly deep bend and are up-eyed. The up-eye is important and I’ll get back to that. Stinger hooks can be used a different ways. They can be the one hook and a fly or they can be used as a two-hook-setup, most commonly on long flies.

Thunder and Lightning

Perhaps the most famous of the classic salmon flies? Perhaps the one with the most variants and modern interpretations? If one ever were to answer that one question that no fly fisher ever wants to answer, the answer could be Thunder and Lightning. Let’s take a closer look at this beautiful combination of black, orange, blue and dark brown, colours.

Tubeflies – big and small

A century ago it wasn’t uncommon, in fact it was the norm, to fish for salmon with huge hooks. Size 2/0 was a small one and when hauling from boats, size 6/0 up to 8/0 were used. Although the rods were long and made of green heart and the lines heavy, I doubt they could cast an 8/0 salmon iron from the bank. On the other hand, a certain Alexander Grant made a witnessed 65 yard spey cast with a double handed green heart rod. So who knows?

Two books

Today we would like to present you with two books, both very recent releases. We all like fish and one is on fish and fish alone and is a quite spectacular project. The other is about flies and we all like flies.

Our salmon hooks

When we started Ahrex we were of course painfully aware of the hooks that needed to be in our program. Salmon hooks were of course among them and since the beginning in 2016, we’ve been expanding the range and we’re not done yet. I’ll present a new hook at the end of this blog, so please read along.