I feel like I’m all thumbs when I make parachute-style flies. That’s because I usually don’t lose many dries, and so, I often don’t make them. I find that going very slowly helps. I also rotate the fly in the vise. For example, before I lash the hackle onto the post, I flip the fly
Category: Fulling Mill
At the Bench: a CDC Sulphur Emerger
With Sulphurs hatching, I decided to tie up a new fly. I started with the Klinkhammer-style hook in size 20. I really like how the shape of the hook makes the fly look like a sitting duck to fish. Half of the fly is sub-surface, suggesting a bug struggling to emerge from its shuck. A
At the Bench: CDC Midge Emergers
For fun, I again am making some small CDC midge emergers. If you fish tailwaters, midges are ubiquitous. I’ve seen clouds of them hatching in the mornings at the Farmington, and a midge pupa is an extremely effective dropper fly for nymphing there. Midge larvae and pupae are in the drift all day. At times,
At the Bench: Soft Hackles, Streamers and Stoneflies
For a friend, a veteran, who cannot wade anymore. Bottom left: Biot-Backed Stone via @tactical_flyfisher #flytying #flyfishing #orvis #barbless A post shared by BlogFlyFishMA (@blogflyfishma) on Dec 30, 2016 at 5:05am PST While at Tall Timber two years ago, I struck up a conversation with a kind and elderly fly fisherman. We would talk periodically