dryfly - Ahrex Hooks

Daddy Long Legs

“Wake me up when September ends” is a song by Green Day, but if you happen to sleep through September, you’re missing out. Septembervej is a great month for a lot of reasons. But one of them is the Daddy Long Legs. They are busy right now, because it’s getting late for them to mate and lay their eggs. Much like mayflies, they don’t live for long after they emerge from the pupa, although a mayfly would think they live forever. Some mayflies live for just hours, Daddy Long Legs for up to two weeks.

Burned Wings

It’s the middle of August and some of us (myself at least) are looking forward to cooler weather and autumn fishing. Autumn is by far my favourite time of year and has plenty to offer in terms of fishing. One thing that some tend to overlook is the fact that hatches of both may flies and caddis can pick up a little and offer some surface action. At this exact time, I’d concentrate my effort in the evenings and early night. Just as sea trout, big browns like big flies fished just under the surface (just letting you know).

Midges

Late summer, early autumn and proximity to water leaves one certainty in life. Midges! Som love them (very few), some hate them (most) and some endure them (fly fishers). As fly fishers we must love them. Yes, sometimes there are so many that it’s impossible to do anything. You can go prepared – bug stopper clothing, repellant, mosquito net over the head and that helps. But dole always find their way in anyway. Especially the “knot” that most Scandinavians know. The smallest creature on the planet that can drive a seasoned anglers to insanity!

Stoneflies

Photo: Matt Guymon / Freestone River Photography.

By far the first insects to appear on the scene when spring arrives are the stoneflies. They start moving even before all the snow and ice is gone. Ice fishing anglers can sometimes be visited by small stonefly nymphs, which crawl out of the holes in the ice they are fishing in. Especially if they are fishing near an outlet of a lake or near a flowing water. Because flowing water is the home of stoneflies, they are adapted to living in and near running water.

The Stimulator

The Stimulator is a very well known fly pattern, especially in North America – and certainly in Montana, where I think it’s impossible to find a fly shop that doesn’t have it in the trays. It might even be hard to a fly box without a Stimulator in it. It’s a very versatile fly and of course not only effective in the US, but on trout everywhere.

JUST ONE MORE SNACK

The question is not how to fish, but why you do it. The author and his fishing buddies do it out of necessity. It’s more important than life and death to them to escape the human world, step in to water and wave a stick. Left on the shore is their misery and worries. Standing in the water they find freedom, healing and occasionally a fish.

Battles are lost and won with tongue in cheek and always celebrated with mountains of cake and an endless stream of fresh espresso coffee. To the band of brothers it’s more important who you fish with than how big the fish is; except for the ones lost.

You may not learn a lot about catching more and bigger fish, but reading these stories is like holding a mirror up in front of yourself getting a little wiser. The small why is a big one.

This artickel is written by Danish photojournalist Søren Skarby

A love/hate relationship

I suppose there are many of those – I think all fly fishers have them, in one way or another. One of mine is definitely midges, mosquitoes, knot in Swedish – whatever you call them. Some of them are really small, bite and will at one point get under your clothing. And when they’re out, they’re usually out in bi-zillions. There are others that don’t bite, but they cal still be a nuisance when they hatch, because they always do so in great numbers. They do however also produce some really interesting, good and not least challenging fishing. Trout like feeding on them. One can wonder since they’re so small, but the numbers make them a good meal for a trout. Trout also know (well, trout don’t know anything, but you know what I mean) that especially as emergers they are an easy meal.

Seasons

In a fly fisher’s year there are always seasonal highlights that usually occur either when fishing for a particular species open, when seasons turn and not least when certain hatches occur. Some hatches are more important than others and they are of course not the same all over. Streams and still waters have different hatches that happen on different times. Most of them of course begin when spring begins to heat up the water.

FW 527 – Big Gap Dry

Today is the official release of our latest hook, FW 527 Big Gap Dry. You’re probably used to it by now, early autumn is time for new hooks in our lineup, just as the rest of the industry and trade traditionally present their new products. And we’ve got more than one coming, so keep your eyes peeled, if you’re curious.

The Ultimate Generalist?

When fishing new destinations and waters, are you the type to spend the winter researching hatches, relevant to the time of your visit? I am. In general, I am fairly meticulous in preparing for a trip, especially if involves travel and the following expenses. I can stand being somewhere and missing opportunities because I didn’t prepare.