I've been tying up flies on safety pins for the last ten years of so, I always thought I was the only one. Looks like somebody else had the same idea.

I've always particularly like hex nymphs, they look a bit scary.

There is a good article in Hatch Online Magazine

Fishing Tackle Retailer magazine reporting from AnglerSurvey.com, a monthly service of Southwick Associates, which tracks consumer fishing and purchasing activities recently listed market share of fly reel manufactures. The results based on July 2008 data are

Pflueger 39.5%
Cabela's 19.3%
Orvis 15.2%
Redington 7.2%
Shakespeare 4.6%




I was surprised that the Pflueger was that far ahead as well. Although when you think about it, the Medalist 1400 series is like the Buck knife 110 folding hunter. Both have been around forever, shamelessly copied by all sorts of knock off companies, and in alot of cases, represent the image alot of people see when they close their eyes and picture a fly reel.

The vintage pre offshore medalists do have a very large and loyal following. Mostly I suspect, old geezers such as myself.

I wish I had nothing but vintage reels in my 401K instead of all the worthless stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. There is a lesson to be learned, indulge your fishing tackle habit.

Dreading having to put the fly rod away for another season? Get out and try ice fishing. It's an interesting, fun finesse way to fish.

It requires very little investment, and gets you outdoors during those winter days.

The temps are starting to fall and the ponds are starting to ice over. Time to start getting ready to ice fish. I've found a couple of local Michigan companies that put out a very high quality ice fishing jig.



Fish Yum.com












Ficious Jigs












Great quality at a most reasonable price. Give them a try.

Flip Flops make a great source for fly tying foam. They come in alot of colors, and you can usually buy a pair for a buck. One pair of Flip Flops will make hundreds of bugs.

I cut the flip flops into strips using a power scroll saw. You can then cut the strips into appropriate sized chunks. Round off the corners a bit, and attach to a hook. Add a few rubber legs, and you're ready to fish.

Rod Weight Considerations

Start off by understanding that everyone has their own opinion. Here's mine, so you know my bias, I fish 80% trout, 10 % bass, 10% panfish.

Your rod serves several different purposes - casting, manipulating the fly, hooking, and then fighting the fish.

A heavier rod is going to encourage you to cast farther, depending on what you are fishing for, in some situations, that's good, in many/most it's bad. Particularly for stream trout, most of the people I see who aren't catching fish are fishing too far away. It effects the way the fly is fished, see next paragraph.

With perhaps the exception of a bass bug/large fly, most flys are better manipulated with a lighter rod. In most stream trout circumstances, the way you manipulate your fly may be more important than the pattern you choose. I fish the same pattern 85% of the time, early spring thru late fall. It's very impressionistic, and the way it's manipulated is what makes it effective. There are some match the hatch situations, but those tend to be the exception rather than the rule. Heavy rods tend to make subtle manipulations difficult if not impossible, they are effectively too stiff.

Again with the exceptions of large flys, most hook ups are better accomplished with a lighter rod. Again a heavier rod will often jerk the fly out of the fishes mouth. Trout flys don't take much to penetrate the fish.

Again with the exception of LARGE fish, a lighter rod fights the fish just as effectively, sometimes more so, than a heavier rod.

Corkers

Manufactured by Bill McIntyre of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

303 Aerospace Protectant - Best fly line conditioner there is, hands down!

http://www.303products.com/tech/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=428

Less than a dollar's worth of foam ties alot of flies -