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Written by Paul S.
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Product Review: Tie-Fast Knot Tyer Made By: Sierra Stream & Mountain  I recently attended the Fly Fishing Expo as it made its way to my neck of the woods. One of the exhibitors there was Tie-Fast. Now I've seen this tool for years. I've noticed it from the corner of my eye on shelves and racks in fly fishing shops and larger retailers and always ignored it. I just assumed it was another one of those gadgets that maybe did something cool, but certainly would only take up precious space and ultimately find itself sitting neglected and unused in the back of a drawer (No fly fishing gear will ever makes its way to the trash bin - that would be a sin). I assumed wrong. It was the basket of shiny tools sitting front and center that got me to approach the Tie-Fast booth at the show, otherwise I would have kept on walking. I'm very glad I stopped. This little tool will now sit upfront in my chest pack, never to feel unloved. |
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Read more... [Tie-Fast Knot Tyer]
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Written by Paul S.
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Product Review: The Thingamabobber *UPDATED Made by: WestWater Products  It seems like every time I walk into a shop that sells fly fishing gear, the counter near the register is overflowing with a constantly changing selection of gadgets and knick knacks, each trying to convince me that they are the reinvention of the wheel and that they will make my fly fishing experience oh so much better. It seems very few of these angling baubles last more than a few weeks, much less survive an entire fishing season. Strike indicators in general seem to take up more of this space as industrious fly fisherman try and tweak and improve our glorified bobbers in the pursuit of trout. |
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Read more... [Thingamabobber: UPDATED]
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Written by Paul S.
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 Well, it has been a while since I last added to the blog. For nearly a year fishing has had to take a back seat to everything else going on. Last week was a special reminder of how much I love fly fishing. My Dad and I took a few days to travel to Montana and hit some of their blue ribbon waters. This time of year is spectacular. I understand the crowds can be pretty ugly too, but our guide showed us some beautiful water that didn't have many folks at all. Rick Reed showed us a great time on the Upper Madison and the Yellowstone Rivers.
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Read more... [Me And My Dad Hit Montana]
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Written by Paul S.
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Fly fishing requires more knots than most other forms of fishing where, generally, if you can tie your line to the hook you are golden. In fly fishing, you need to connect your backing to the reel, then you need to connect the fly line to the backing, then the leader to the fly line, then the tippet to the leader, and then you can tie your fly on the end of the tippet. In the instructions for each knot, you will see why each one is vital for a specific purpose. It is important to be able tie all of these knots, however, it is not necessary to memorize all of them. I will explain the hows and whys of each knot and a little practice goes a long way. There are several more knots that you can add to your arsenal, but the ones I have here will do just about everything required for fly fishing. Most of these knots I've learned from a handy tool called The Fisherman's Ultimate Knot Guide by J.E. Sherry. The man who taught me to fly fish insisted I purchase this folding, light weight knot guide and it has been in my vest for years. Get one, you'll thank me later. |
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Read more... [Knots Used in Fly Fishing]
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Written by Paul S.
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 So fly fishing wasn't enough, now you've decided that you are going to tie your own flies too. Maybe you've even picked up some of the basic tools so you could get started. I remember looking at all of the fly tying tools and materials that I had spent my good money on and wondered, "where do I start?"
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Read more... [How To Tie Your First Fly]
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Written by Paul S.
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The Basics  * Fly Rods are quite possibly the most important purchase when you start looking for your own fly fishing gear. If you’ve been in a fly shop or browsed online for fly rods, you know the sheer number of options can be mind numbing. You will have also noticed that the prices for these rods vary from around $50 to over $3,000 for some hand crafted bamboo fly rods.
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Read more... [Fly Rods]
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Written by Paul S.
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 Because of modern day technology, I believe there is very little difference between middle of the road fly reels and top end reels. Fly fishing reels will run you from $15 to $1,000. If you find a reel for under $50 (and a fly rod, for that matter) it will probably catch fish, but generally it will be most effective as a decoration. |
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Read more... [Fly Fishing Reels]
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