The Barb, The Pliers, The Same Old Question

This post is about two things related to fly tying and fly fishing: the barb and the pliers needed to remove a hook from a fish. It usually should be an easy deal right? You barbed all the hooks as you tied the flies or you barbed the flies as you stuck them into your fly boxes. Right?

My waders hanging between uses. The telltale sign of hardware store pliers sticking out of my chest pocket.

Admission: Note to self to correct! I have at some point fallen into a habit of not barbing my hooks at the vise. I have become neglectful re this simple task. I rationalize that I will ‘simply’ de-barb the hook out on the water..no muss, no fuss. I suppose that is alright, but I have taken to using old, needle nose pliers. The groves extend up to the very tip and getting the barb between the grooves and flattening the barb has not been effective. How do I know this?

 When I hook a fish, the hook, which should, if de-barbed, easily back out of the fish doesn’t. It stays stuck because of the slightest elevated barb my pliers failed to flatten. I also notice this on the off chance the hook catches fabric. Again, the hook should back out through the fabric without snagging. Hmm? it seems to snag. So, I ask ‘the same old question’ Why don’t you barb the hooks at the vise where the process is easiest? Well, I kind of ask it like that…it is more like a sigh, an utterance and some thought of me at the table blowing off the process and pay for it now.

Beautiful Fly…but, there sets the barb.

So, two, no three obvious solutions: (1) barb them all at the table (2) buy barbless hooks (3) buy better pliers.

I cannot, personally, justify the $125.-175. spendy/trendy pliers suitable for freshwater/saltwater applications you see in shops. I imagine I would if I dealt with heavy wire, heavy mono etc. I know there are less expensive needle nose pliers out there so I will find them, if for nothing else removing the occasional fly that is inhaled deeply by the fish charging up from the rear.

So, the best solution for me, if I am adhering to Catch and Release, is to buy barbless hooks or de-barb all the hooks in advance and then proceed to tie….really no big deal. I just need to break the lazy habit I adopted.  

A Euro style Barbless Hook…Barbless hooks have been available for sometime. I never bought them preferring to barb my own. We see where that went……

Another side note here…a practical on the water issue: if you are teaching someone else and providing them the flies, a problem arises when they hook a fish on a fly you did not earlier barb and did not barb on the water. You assume they know to do that. They don’t. They might not be fully outfitted. Now if they get that fish in, they will most probably stress the fish repeatedly attempting to remove the barbed hook. If they hook themselves the hook will not back out nice and easy. If you are teaching someone make sure they have the tools and that their flies are barbless.

Marjin Fratnik’s “F” Fly Revisited

I have highlighted Marjin Fratnik’s F fly series before. I think it is a perfect beginner’s fly pattern that has many variations in color, size and applications (caddis, mayfly, chironomid, stonefly). My only personal caveat is regarding cutting the ends of any feather. I would rather spend the time to stack/sort the feathers so they are uniform in length rather than trim them….just my personal choice. None the less, it is a simple tie and the CDC is magical. I am linking to the always helpful FlyForumUk for the step by step (SBS) visual tutorial on tying the F Fly.

Fratnik’s F Fly at The Essential Fly

 

Fly Tying Materials: Penny Sorts My Capes

In the mornings, when the birds first start their chirping, Penny the Cat can be found sitting in a window listening, making this little chortling/chirping sound of her own. Her head turns and cants in all directions as she watches the temptations flitting about outside. Because she is a house cat her instincts are perhaps a bit rusty. Remember it was almost a year ago (early June) when Penny the Cat was rescued from atop a tree in my back yard. But, perhaps her instincts aren’t that rusty.

As I came through the door last night, I was met by a feathery sight. Penny ran to me and circled around my legs, rubbing up against my shins as cats do. She walked over amidst the disaster and rolled about in apparent cat bliss.

I really can’t blame anyone but me. This is about the fourth time this has happened. I have gone form capes in gallon freezer bags atop my fly tying station, to inside boxes to under a heavy object. Penny the Cat was successful at extricating two large bags of six capes and assorted loose feathers and spreading her attack not just in the living room, but into the family room and upstairs. I suspect that Harley the Maltipoo had a hand in this two, while Emma the Lab probably snored through it all. 

Fly Tying: Gary Borger’s Simple Wet

Fly tying, for the beginner, for all of us, can become ever more complicated in search of the perfect morsel. This pattern by Gary Borger is quite simple and I bet productive. It is open to color/size variations. A nice pattern to tie and fish for the beginner…for anyone actually.

Wet Fly~Emerger Pattern by Gary Borger

Fly Tying: Lightning Bug Nymph

I posted this little gem awhile ago: The Lightning Bug. Not sure of the origin, but my son has tied it now and then and it is a nice producer in lakes, and probably streams as well. The flashy abdomen, wingcase and any flash off the bead head would be attractors in the right lighting conditions. 

Fly Tying: Stillborn Midge Pattern

Came across this pattern by Scott Stisser, that represents a stillborn midge. With a variety of colors it could be an excellent spinner pattern for the mayfly. The foam wingcase and CDC wings would float the pattern nicely and the abdomen and shuck tail would bob in or just beneath the surface film. The link provides the step by step tying stages. 

The Stillborn Midge pattern by Scott Stisser. Here, the foam wingcase is about to be pulled over the wings/thorax area.

Tim Rolston’s Essential Fly Tying Techniques Now Downloadable!

Dear Gary GREAT EXCITEMENT HERE AT THE MOMENT. “ESSENTIAL FLY TYING TECHNIQUES eBOOK” is now available as a downloadable electronic format copy to anyone with an internet connection. Fly tying book for ipad,Kindle etc NOW AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD ON LINE You will have to forgive me if this is the second newsletter you have received in short order, and for any obvious excitement that may perhaps transfer to the writing, but I am excited and I suppose that there is no point in hiding that. You will no doubt we aware that I have been working hard at this electronic media stuff with electronic books available from Smashwords: The first one “100 Fly Fishing Tips Tricks and Techniques” has been receiving great feedback from as far afield as Scandinavia. I was very pleased with that and it was part of an on-going process of experimentation and learning in how this stuff all works. You need to remember that I never had a single computer lesson in my life. Some of this comes with a steep and frequently frustrating learning curve. More recently I was able to convert my previously published hard cover book “Learn to Fly-cast in a weekend” into a fully downloadable eBook and hopefully make that available to a far larger audience. It is difficult to get things noticed when you are sitting at the bottom of the African continent and finding publishers and distributors is a problem which is the main reason for going the electronic route. Although of course it also means that you the end user pay a lot less and that you can put these books on your Ipad or Kindle if you wish. However now I think that I have achieved the greatest success to date “Essential Fly Tying Skills” a book of critical fly tying information, full fly patterns and essential techniques supported by text, graphics and video has now been converted to a downloadable format. To achieve this, the videos have had to be provided as links instead of embedded in the book but other than that it is the same as the original CD based copy. What that means is that now this book is also available to a world-wide audience. Plus you can read it on a Kindle, an iPad, a PC, Sony reader or pretty much any other electronic reading device that you may wish to mention.  It offers the reader greater flexibility and opens up a far wider market, you can even “gift” a copy to someone so long as you have their email address. Send eBooks as a gift: As a new innovation from Smashwords you can now “Gift” a copy of a book to anyone around the world via email. Just follow the same links and look for the “Gift” option on the upper right-hand side of the page. Not only do these books offer instant download but at a far lower price than traditional printed copy. Of course it would be unfair to just tell you about something that I would like you to consider purchasing no matter how excited I may be so here is some free stuff for you as well. FREE Video links: Superglue Splice Goose Biot Spun Dun Cheater Soft Hackle Tying the marabou Muddler Minnow  a You Tube Video clip , one of the patterns featured in EFTT FREE E BOOKS: You can get yourself copies of Build your own fly fishing lanyard  a fact sheet on building a most useful addition to your kit. Who Packed your parachute. A short eBook on a new way of tying parachute flies. At NO COST. Plus: “An AFTMA fairy tale” The latest amusing and hopefully thought provoking post on THE FISHING GENE blog..   What people have had to say about Essential Fly Tying Techniques: Flyfishing Magazine South Africa: “WOW…Essential Fly Tying Techniques, was an absolute revelation…this platform is absolutely perfect for learning to tie flies. …anyone who has been deterred from trying their hand at tying flies because it seems too complicated should buy this ebook and start a whole new chapter in the fly fishing lives. Tom Sutcliffe: The Spirit of Fly Fishing Website: http://www.tomsutcliffe.co.za “This has to be the best way to learn to tie flies..engaging, ingenious and comprehensive..Embracing the three pillars of drawing, text and video..surely the first publication of its kind in the world.” SwittersB & Flyfishing Blog: swittersbwordpress.com “I was struck by the comprehensiveness, quality and forethought…Very enjoyable and impressive” Trout Fisherman Magazine UK: “Hits perfectly the sweet spot between brevity and comprehensiveness…allows cross reference between written word, detailed colour diagrams and video Other eBooks from this author available for instant download onto any electronic reader: Click on the image to download a copy of send one to a friend as a present. Finally: Well done to Western Province who walked away with the gold medal in the recent SA Fly Fishing Championships, held in Natal. Brilliant work guys.
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Fly Tying: Bakslengen’s

Visit the Bakslengen site for some very crisp, beautiful tying efforts.

I like this Damsel dry pattern with the braid tail and split braid wing. Simple and inviting....gluuump! Damsel Pattern

Fly Tying & Combo Thread: Segmented Bodies

This product has been out for a year or so, but I hadn’t seen it until I came upon a video demonstrating The Soft Hackle Midge Emerger by Craig Mathews at Blue Ribbon Flies. I have been using the tying thread for the body lately and then ribbing with a single strand of contrasting tying thread or fine wire. This Combo Thread, if offered in enough variety might be perfect. I am not sure, by the look of the spools, if a normal bobbin can be used? Appears to only come in 6/0? Worth a look see at Blue Ribbon Flies. Also, for the beginning tier…look at how Mathews ties in and wraps the feather. In the process of thread torque around the hook, the feather fans out nicely, as if wrapped in the conventional manner.

Fly Tying & Fishing Your “Hmmm’s?”

Fly Tying, for me, often results in dozens of finished flies that just don’t quite come together as planned. Experiments (most often) off the beaten tying patterns path or just distractions and lack of focus have resulted in flies that maybe get tucked into a fly box (if lucky) or into a lumping of such uninspiring patterns into a sandwich bag, lidded box or such, and forgotten.

Maybe some of those Hmmm’s (you look at them in the vise or fly box and say a quizzical or exasperated ‘Hmmm?’) deserve an experiment on the water? Such is the below pictured pattern. A little ‘emerger’ pattern that is a sloppy tie, but isn’t it worth a try? Frankly, if no one ever saw what we tied or we didn’t take pictures and display them for scrutiny, who would know their visual worth beyond you and the fish?

I have plenty more where this came from!