Fishing sea bass along the west coast of Denmark is becoming increasingly popular. It’s not new – it was in the mid to late 1990s that I first heard of a couple of pioneers targeting this unusual species. They can be found along the entire west coast, but the fishing seems to be best along the northern shores.
Flat wing flies are widely spread and I suspect well known by most fly fishers who fish for almost any predatory fish. Drawing on inspiration from the old long shank traditional streamers, Ken Abrames created a style of fly which is now know as a “flat wing”. The defining element is simply one or more feathers, usually in the tail of the fly, tied so they lie flat and not stand up. Like so many other influential fly tiers, Ken Abrames’ fly was based on keen observation of the bait fish the stripers eat in the North East of the USA.
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.
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.
Continue reading “Instant classics?”
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.
It may seem convenient to buy loose feathers in a bag, instead to buy a whole hide. But if you go through what’s in the bag and sort the feathers, you discover that the percentage of usable feathers is often quite low and not infrequently you end up without the feather you needed. Of course there is a higher price for a whole skin compared to a bag of feathers, but a whole skin has so many benefits that outweigh the investment.
This artickel is written by Håkan Karsnäser.
