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.
It happens that the staff here at Ahrex HQ goes fishing (regularly, in fact), but sometimes further from home than usual. Last fall Morten accepted and invitation from Gary Dubiel and our US representative, Steve Silverio, to join them both on a trip chasing huge redfish on the Neuse River.
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.
The good, old Wooly Bugger has at some point been in most fly boxes around the world. When asked that “which-fly-on-a-deserted-island-would-you-bring?”-question, a Wooly Bugger will probably end up high on the list. I should add, of course, that the deserted island is littered with lakes and streams and surrounded by sea with all sorts of fish. There are probably hundreds of variations being fished and there’s absolutely no doubt that not’s highly effective.
The variety in fly fishing is enormous, and almost all species of fish can be trigged in one way or another with a fly fished on a fly rod. The traditional trout and salmon fishing are familiar to everyone, but out there beneath the surface a lot of other exciting species await – and they also like to take an enticing fly. This week we talked to the English fly tyer and fly fisherman Jamie Sandford about one of his newer favourite fish, the “bonefish of fresh water” – the carp.
Here Jamie himself tells about the exciting fishing for the carp.
We’ve added a few new sizes to our SA 250 Shrimp hooks. The SA 250 maybe be called “Shrimp” and it’s designed specifically for that and it is indeed excellent for tying shrimps, more on that below. t’s one of those hooks that has a name that does imply a very specific usage, but is really more versatile than that.
We’re pleased to, once again, announce the official release of a new hook. We love making hooks, and in particular ones that are made for specific purposes, maybe even a model others would call a niche product. It only makes it better when they are a result of a collaboration with others. In this instance the hook is a result working with Chris Adams (from Australia), who contacted us about a bend back hook for his barramundi fishing.
I don’t think there’s a fly with a scarier name than this. A demon from a big hole – however it looks nothing like a demon, it is only a streamer fly. There’s endless debate on how old a fly has to be, before it can be called a classic. However I’ll classify this as a classic. It was invented in 1965 by Pete Narancich, in Montana and named after the famous Big Hole River.
We have once again received a contribution from Billy Scott, whom we featured on the blog before, where he told a little about his sea trout fishing. We pleased that Billy Scott once again has shared a little info with us.
It’s high summer which isn’t ideal for many of the “traditional” species coveted by fly fishers. Salmon, trout, sea trout, grayling, even pike really don’t like sunny, hot weather. Fishing for perch can be really good – they like it hot and sunny. Another fish that like it hot and sunny – and one’s that’s a summer guest in nordic waters, is mackerel. Mackerel is a popular fish, but it is often hard to reach from the shore. Fishing for them from large jetties is very popular and can be very effective.
Continue reading “Mackerel in the summer”