Making Fish Hooks: Old & Older

I don’t really know how fish hooks are made beyond some concoction of steel and carbon and creating a wire that is pulled through some confined hole etc. etc. I do know some individual hooks are more pleasing to the eye than others. 

This heavy wire nymph, pupa, scud, egg style hook has become quite popular in the past ten years or so. There are different variations that open up the gape, or have a lighter wire for emergers.

But, hooks have been around a very long time and history shows people survived off the fish meat while traversing land masses and the oceans.

The Making of Fish Hooks, 1870 in Victorian Passage

“Readers of the foregoing description can hardly fail to notice the extreme simplicity of most or all of the processes; and it seems strange that in such an age as ours there should be little improvement in the mode of production, as compared with the fireside practice of amateurs two hundred years ago.”  1870 more 

I could tie on this hook all day. Don't know why, I certainly have a few other favorites, but this one in aesthetically more pleasing to me.

There was a time when the Mustad 3906B was the perfect go to nymph hook. It still is a stout, perfectly shaped hook.

Outdoors Skills: Fire Starting (Cell Phone Battery)

Cell Phone Battery-Brillo Pad Fire Starter Technique

Fly Fishing: Streamer Presentations

Streamer Presentation Techniques

The reality on many streams and lakes is that ‘baitfish’ imitations account for many large fish. Probably, in many instances, streamers account for more trophy fish than the traditional fly  patterns. That said, many anglers don’t have a streamer pattern in their boxes or forget where they are. So, a good over view of how to fish a streamer, particularly on a river is in order. There is more to it than the wet fly swing/strip it back presentation. I have an assortment of Muddler’s, Spruce Flies and, of course, Woolly Buggers in my streamer box. Do I fish them enough…nope.

Fly Fishing: Wicked Knots & Leaders

”Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive”

Fly Line-Butt Section Connection (Kind of....)

When you buy a fly line and have it put on the reel, at the shop, insist on the shop employee attaching a butt section of 18″ not 6″.  Not with a loop, without! Learn the Surgeon’s Knot or Blood Knot and attach your nice, new tapered leader to the butt section via one of those two knots. From there repair your own leader by replacing lost sections with sections of progressively smaller mono. Carry these small spools of mono, in various sizes to repair the last half of your leader (depending upon the type of fish you are chasing) I usually have larger diameter spools of mono back at the rig should disaster strike and I have to rebuild the leader from scratch. Do not keep buying new leaders every time you break off 3′ of tippet/leader. This is your choice, your money, but over the long haul you save some money and develop the knot tying skills to avoid the disaster above.

There are previous posts here on SwittersB re leader construction and formulas. The ‘net has lots of information re formulas of so much (a % usually) of this X and then that amount of a different, smaller X. Study up on leader construction. May I admit to never having adopted the X concept? I have a basic memorization of X = # line size. I was a gear guy as well as a fly fisher for years. Leaders were built with so many inches of 10#, 8#, 6#, 4# mono. The fly fishing industry feels compelled to continue with the X diameter system and for you to memorize certain X diameters are equal to certain fly sizes etc. Whatever. If you chase trout, or whatever you pursue, have a good idea of the approximate pound strength of your mono related to the X factor. From there your finger tips will sense the approximate thickness (X or #) you have broken off at, on the leader, (my fingers feel the line is about 6# or 4X) and I am going to rebuild the leader/tippet with a section of 4# or 5X to maintain a taper and proper turnover. If my fly is of the miniscule variety then I will factor in a section of 6X as well, and so on. You should have the 3-4 spools you need with you on the water. If you travel ultra light, you may only carry a couple of spools.

Everything About Leaders at GFF…Excellent Resource

Nail Knot, Nipper, Hook Eye Poker

The above knot does not lend itself to proper, quiet presentations. It gets hung up on the guides as you pull your line through to string the rod. Hell, it looks terrible! I infrequently tie this knot myself, so I am by no means as adept as the kids that spool an re-spool lines all day and tie on new butt sections in a shop. There is a handy tool, I have had for years, and use four or so times a year (usually for some one else’s mess) is the ‘nail knot’ tyer device. Sometimes this comes with a nipper and a stylus to poke through hook eyes that have been glued shut. A handy little gizmo, it is well worth the initial expense. Of course, if you want to use a nail/needle then have at it. ‘Tie Fast Nail Knot’ is an excellent little tool as well and used by shops all the time.      Tie Fast Knot Tyer by DPruitt

'Tie Fast' gizmo

It you are going to deceive the fish, then no tangled webs…learn your knots and use them! These gizmo’s will help….if you practice.

Fly Tying & Fishing: Hello Butterfingers!

With the finger dexterity of a guy that has had his fingers broken by debt collecting mobsters, I stood mid stream last week pulling out one of my fly boxes. Where were those wets I had tied. I selected a fly and then like a lightening bolt the most elementary, most obvious thought popped into my brain….’what if you, right now, dropped that open fly box into the water’  Eek! I thought. Not just at the loss but at how careless I had been. Hundreds of flies, untold hours of tying last Winter. In loose compartments. What the hell did I have all that work in one spot; such enormous redundancy too. Like how many green Caddis pupa’s do I need to have with me? 20? Really? For a few hours fishing. So obviously careless.

As a beginner, or someone that should know better, size up what you are going to need for an outting, an afternoon/evening of fishing let’s say. This does require the effort of studying up. Or going over prepared. But, even then. NEVER take all your flies out onto the water. Take an assortment, a selection of most probables with a few long shot patterns. One box of a few nymphs, emergers, duns, streamers etc. Replenish the box or two boxes prior to each outing and reduce the chances of a catastrophic loss should you dump the open box into the drink. Lordy me!

Also, pick fly boxes with this in mind: opening them while in the water; rod under arm; wind and rain; fingers frozen; mosquito drilling away…so that you can replace a fly you just removed from your tippet and select a new one. How hard is it to open/close (the ones above are not the easiest to open/close. Do the flies fit loosely in a small compartment like above? This is a problem because the fly you select is often attracted to 3 others in the little cube hence extra manipulations over the water. You get the point. Take a good selection of flies with you but not the whole frigging enchilada!

       

Fly Fishing: Instincts, Time on the Water

As a beginning fly fisher, you will spend a majority of your time reading all manner of material to learn how to fish. There will be many levels of sophistication to this and you will soon learn that the sport is broken down into enormous levels of detail that can seem overwhelming as you look for clarity, certainty, simplicity.

The proper gear set up, the cast, the presentation and fly pattern selection will occupy your time for years to come. Beyond that, entomology, gear hoarding, habitat, where to fish, the fly fish culture or fly tying may enhance or burden your ability to stay focused on the basics of how to read water, present the selected fly in a likely spot that would hold a fish. 

As time progresses, you will develop certain instincts based upon your studies and success/failures on the water. The accumulation of input, while fishing, is the most beneficial. The process of fishing will become more fluid as your intuition or gut instincts steer you toward successful outcomes. This is the most enjoyable aspect of fishing….intuitively stalking and connecting with ‘the moment’. 

The reality is, the more you fish, the better you will perfect not just your motor skills, but also your instincts. Presentation….presentation….presentation (casting, location, presenting the pattern to look real).

Manly Trivia & Minutiae…Worth a Look

The Art of Manliness~Interesting Boyhood Minutiae of Old & Now

Wines: Serving Temps…No, Not Warm Room Temps

WINE SERVING TEMPERATURES…ENJOY

Fly Fishing: Fish Cone of View (Presentation Awareness)

FLY FISHING DEVON: HOW DO TROUT SEE TO EAT SURFACE FLIES 

This is one of the more intriguing parts of dry fly fishing and how to approach rising fish. The cone of view is not just relevant to how the fish sees the fly/insect, but also how that fish can see you, your rod and zipping line at times.  The deeper the fish is the bigger the cone of view to the surface and to the sides (consider your rod tip and upper body as potentially visible). This is why you will see fly fishers often depicted as crouching stream/lake side to avoid detection via their movements.  Truly, the beginner will learn over time as fish are spooked. Eventually, a holding/cruising fish will challenge you to slow down, reconsider your presentation and hold your breath.

Cone of View/Window @ TalkFlyFishing

Fly Tying: Stonefly (Time To Tie Stone’s)

There are the simpler Stonefly patterns: Bitch Creek, Montana Stone, Brooks’ Stone (look up on Google Images). Some 20+ years ago the Kaufmann Bro’s of Tigard, Oregon presented the Kaufmann Stonefly. It is still here, and more often than not, it now has rubber legs. The original blended dark dubs can be substituted with tans and golds for Golden Stones, Brown Stones (large and small). Always heavily weighted to dredge the depths (remember most Stoneflies crawl toward shore to emerge onto land at the pre-emerge phase at some point). Research the time of Spring-Summer for various Stonefly emergences.   

EARLY BLACK STONE (HIP WADER)                       KAUFMANN STONE’S