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Showing posts from 2015

Permit tips

Reading up and getting ready to fly to Cancun in two weeks. I came across this article in Hatch Mag Thoroughly good reading. http://www.hatchmag.com/articles/3-tips-presenting-flies-permit/7711205

Getting closer

My first trip to Mexico is  coming soon, almost ready on the gear front, just need to pick up some new leader material and make sure my shots are up to date.  The fly tying is almost done too, still a few more crabs and stuff to tie for the permit, but bones and tarpon are taken care of.  Might stick a few sundries in for jacks and cudas . Getting excited.  

New Relationship

I recently joined the pro-staff of Sybai materials  . As I just took delivery of my first batch of materials, you'll be able to see some of the flies I tie with their stuff on the Sybai YouTube page soon. Looking forward to featuring a range of carp, saltwater and trout flies on here soon.

Fly Tying for beginners

If you've been reading this blog, you'll probably know about my YouTube channel, that might even be how you got here.  Well It's growing nicely and For the most part the feedback is good, and I am getting better at the filming and editing.  One thing I have been getting asked about though is beginner's stuff.  So I decided I'd do a beginner series of simple flies that catch fish and help beginners become more adept in their tying skills.  I'm starting with some still water trout videos and I'll move on to river bugs, dries and eventually salt water covering a range of basic and slightly more advanced  skills as I go. with the flies within each section becomming slighlty less easy as they go along. Here's the first video

Busy Summer

Busy Summer Well I've had a super busy summer so not much time to write on here, especially when instagram and twitter are so quick.  Poor substitute I know, but there's been a lot going on.  First thing is  I got an article published in the North Forty E-magazine which you can read here HERE  it's an introduction to Fly fishing for carp  with a Japanese twist. Really happy with it and hoping to have some more articles in other publications soon I've also just made Flicking feathers into an actual business, doing fly tying demos, teaching and selling custom flies which is going pretty well, but it's keeping me busy all the time.. keep your eyes peeled for a webshop coming soon-hoping to have some logo printed technical shirts and the like as well as fly tying stuff. Fishing Not been out as much as I'd like, but then I never do fish as much as I'd like.  Between work, Youtube and tying I've only managed about 1 trip a week, mostly for river

Stu's Fly Shop!

This is something that's been doing the rounds recently and is quite a worry. I'd encourage you all to get behind Stu's Fly Shop and support in anyway you can.  This could happen to your local fly shop too. Follow the link to find out more. http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Stu-s-Fly-Shop-NZ---Fly-Shop-ATTACKED.html?soid=1105909532335&aid=o2wKM3Tgpp8

Sharks

Sharks on Fly has been something I've been thinking a lot about over the last year or so.  Definitely something I am keen to try.  Here's a cool video I found on you tube going over some of the basics.

The research continues

Still tying for mexico, and filming the patterns as I go, but also reading like crazy about permit. Here's one of my favourites so far. http://midcurrent.com/techniques/hunting-permit/ And here are some of the most recent flies I've been tying KUNG FU CRAB Tarpon Bug

Going to the Yucatan

Heading off to Mexico this coming winter, so I've been hitting the vice. First on the list is the McCrab deer hair crab McCrab

More bonefishy goodness

Continuing with my fly tying videos recently, I've been doing a bunch of bonefish flies to build my  YouTube Channel (click here to sub)    so I thought I'd add them here  in one go than add separate posts as I go along later. Martyn's mantis                                            Borski craft fur worm The slamaroo

The Fat Boy Tuna fly

Here's how I tie this killer pattern for fish eating species..Tuna and dollies love em..see!

Another bonefish fly

I've been quite busy at the vice recently, doing flies for myself and a couple of small custom orders.  While I've been tying I've been filming too Today I did 3 videos and here's the first, the classic bonefish fly; the bonefish bitters.  Enjoy

The Other, Bonefish Fly

Being off work for a few days I've been able to get on with some more tying videos.  Here's one of a bonefish fly I designed for skinny water finicky fish.  Like this one. You can see the fly hanging from its jaw. Here's the video, enjoy.  I hope it catches you  a few fish.

Getting a newbie started

A new Junkie... Last week I took out David, an experienced angler, but a new comer to the sport of fly fishing.  Since coming to Japan he's been struggling to catch fish of any kind, so found us through the  TFFC  Facebook page  and decided to buy am 8 weight set up to get started. After having a chat about flies and gear etc. we arranged a Monday on a target rich little river near me.  However, these targets are carp, but given the choice of fishery and the time constraints it seemed like the best option. At the start of march it's still a bit chilly in the morning, so no need for early rises, we met at the station around 9.30 and made our way up to the river.  David was amazed at the number of fish we were seeing and it was pretty hard to convince him to wait till we got to the top so we could work our way back down stream. By the time we got to the weir that marks the top of the stretch, David was champing at the bit to get started.  Having watched a few of my

Slow start to 2015.

After the disasterous trip to Okinawa, it took me a while to work up the motivation to get out again.  Actually it was about 5 weeks, I had been using the weather as an excuse, but really my head just wasn't there.. I firmly believe that fishing is at least 90% mental and if you can't get motivated, you're not going to perform.  Around the third weekend in January I convinced myself I'd have a good day if I went out to the river.  The Monday was the third successively warmer day in a row with non of the nights falling below freezing, if you can get this kind of pattern falling on your winter day off, it's usually a sign you'll have a good day. So I set of for the river around 9.30 after giving the sun a chance to get up.. What I found when I arrived at the river ten minutes later was not a pretty sight.. the river bank had been totally shorn of all the trees and under growth for a good mile of the best stretch.. This used to be covered in 4ft high grass, m

The failed GT quest of 2014

Last year I made several plans to go and fish an island in southern Japan, with the hope of getting my first Giant Trevally on the fly as well as ticking a few other species off the list.   It started when I was looking around on Google earth at some holiday destinations and spotted Kuroshima island  at the extreme Southern end of the Okinawan archipelago. Kuroshima Island It looked great and had good reports of quality GTs, bluefin trevally and both titan and yellow margin triggerfish.  I had to go, the first plan was for August, but that had to be put off because all 14 rooms on the island were fully booked by SCUBA divers.  No problem, I thought and took some leave at the end of September, being only a 4 hour flight from Tokyo makes it possible to go for a long weekend. So I got a box of GT flies and a collection of flats flies tied up and got ready to go. GT brush flies NYAPs and poppers GT profile fly And some triggerfish crabs and