Wow. I don’t know what happened there. I somehow channeled my inner salesman and prophet. So anyway, I was playing around with some ideas last night and hadn’t freestyled in a long time. I probably looked at 20 streamer patterns before I mentally sketched out the parameters of this beast. I will readily admit that I screwed up by not tying the dumbbell eyes in first and would have preferred a deer hair over a manicured synthetic fiber head. Instead, I had to make due with my errors but I think I might be on to something. You can see influences of the the circus peanut, mini dungeon, and wooly bugger if you look hard enough. But don’t look too hard because it’s like looking at the sun either in the way. Is it beautiful or is it so overwhelming that you can’t unsee it even as you try to blink it out for the following seconds. My plan is to throw it in the fly tester and see how it behaves before a final judgment! Results forthcoming to a blog near you.
Friday, January 29, 2021
Working on a New Fly Pattern- The Hunger Strike
Thursday, January 28, 2021
Fly Tester Assembly and Review
Here are some pictures that I took from my first experience with the Fly Tester. I am in the process of editing a YouTube video and figuring out how to incorporate videos into my Etsy store. You can expect to see more about this device in the future but I want to be very clear about something if you are considering buying a Fly Tester. It's a toy...a fun toy, but a toy. I does not perfectly simulated how your fly will behave in current on on a retrieve but it gets you in the ballpark of understanding how it will move in the water. Again, it is a lot of fun and I have definitely changed the opinions of the some of the flies in my streamer box...some for the better and some for will be facing the sharp edge of a razor blade soon.
Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Fly Tying - Kelly Galloup's Mini-Bangtail
Tuesday, January 26, 2021
I am Now Officially on Tik Tok
Monday, January 25, 2021
New Back Window Sticker
On another note, now that you know which truck is mine, please come say hello if you see me on the water. I love meeting folks that follow the blog and I'm always looking to make new friends. Maybe we can even swap stories, spots, and a few flies!
Friday, January 22, 2021
New Foundry Fishing Designs
Wednesday, January 20, 2021
Westover Farms & the Gateway Chapter of Trout Unlimited
What does the term "wild" mean? The definition according to Merriam-Webster is as follows; "Living in a state of nature and not ordinarily tame or domesticated." And while a trout that is raised from and egg in a hatchery and released into a stream or lake is certainly not tame or domesticated, most fly fishers would agree that the fish is not wild. On the opposite end of the spectrum, if an egg is laid by a trout in the same stream and then grows to maturity, then that fish is most definitely wild. So what kind of classification does a fish get if it originates from an egg that was laid in a hatchery but then hatched in a stream? If that sounds far fetched, the you might want to watch the following video and decide for yourself.
This project was made possible by the Gateway Chapter of Trout Unlimited and Westover Farms of Steelville, Missouri. This is a program that is both ambitious and courageous. I am excited to watch how events from this program play out over the next few years. Regardless of what happens, these are good stewards of the outdoors that are attempting to introduce a new fishery on a private stretch of water. This is yet another example of why Missouri has some of the best conservationists and citizens that put their passion for the outdoors into action. We do things, we don't just talk about them. There is a reason we are called the show-me state. We won't just tell you why we appreciate nature, we will readily show you!
Outdoors Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmK0NwFfEuDAn0gS4aq4kFA
Full Article on Project Brown Trout: https://www.gatewaytu.org/
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Artwork I Received for Christmas
I was fortunate to be blessed with a couple of pretty interesting prints as Christmas gifts last holiday season and I am happy to say that they made their ways into my fly tying area yesterday! They are both considered "altered art". In both instances, the original artist created a landscape scene. The second artist then came along and added a different twist to the work by adding their creativity. I wrote a post about this a few weeks ago and featured some information specifically about Arrowhead Vintage and Handmade Goods. You can find that post by clicking here.
Wendy bought me the print below with the walker (AT-AT if you're a Star Wars nerd) and I was extremely excited. I was hoping that I would get this exact print for Christmas and was also featured in the aforementioned post.
Fly Fisherman with a Walker: https://www.arrowheadcanton.com/altered-art/imperial-walker-altered-art-print
Arrowhead Vintage and Handmade Goods Homepage- https://www.arrowheadcanton.com/altered-art
In a strange coincidence, Wendy's brother got me this print. It was from a completely different artist and I had never seen any of these before. There are some pretty amazing items in this store and you might just find something for yourself!
Fishing Stormtroopers: https://www.etsy.com/listing/815884434/star-wars-fishing-art-print