In today’s fly tying video I show you how to use the FairFlies.com fly tying brush. This fly brush allows you to tie an intruder like fly about as fast as humanly possible. This is because it just takes 1 wrap of material and you’re done.
Fair Flies is also ethically sourced and a great company to support. Check out the video below to see how easy it is.
If you want to check out more of the brushes head on over to Fairflies.com to see what colors they have to offer.
Take a look below to here more of the Fair Flies story.
Click this link to read about the full story of sustainability with Fair Flies.
Here’s a brief summary – Fair Flies is a registered Benefit corporation. It is the the job of the board to make sure mission comes before financial returns. The mission is to provide livable wages to compromised areas around the world.
Your order of fair flies materials helps move this mission forward and continues to build mentorship in fly tying and the fly fishing industry.
“We are not just another materials supplier or cheap online store. We create opportunities and make space to work with and train exploited and marginalized individuals. We believe that by providing trade instead of aid we make a lasting difference that also gives dignity instead of dependence.”
I wanted to give a big thanks to Jeff for giving me a brush to check out and tie a few with. I’ll be heading over to check out a few more colors now.
If you are interested in the Fly Tying Tips PDF that includes 30 fly tying tips to improve your game click on the button below:
In episode 009 of the Fly Fishing Podcast, I had the pleasure of interviewing Simon Gawesworth who is one of the biggest names in fly fishing today. Simon breaks down spey lines in detail including what’s new this year and what he sees in the future of spey.
He talks about choosing lines for windy conditions, a good sinking line for summer fish, some of the new products in line for RIO including triple-density lines. This one goes quick so click the button below to have a listen.
Click below to listen to the RIO Products Podcast with Simon Gawesworth:
42:55 – The double hook and treble hook for Atlantic salmon fishing and why they are used still to this day
44:25 – A good rule of thumb for two-handed and switch rods – You gain or lose about 10 feet of distance on your spey cast for every one foot of rod length
You can reach Simon at Speyborn.com if you have any additional questions or need a lesson.
It was a lot of fun to hear Simon’s story and history of how he got started at his dad’s fly fishing school. Jim Vincent from RIO heard about Simon and started chatting back in the day. Eventually, Simon moved to SW Washington to be closer to many of the NW steelhead rivers.
We talk spey lines in detail including why this year is going to be huge with the triple-density lines. The East Fork of the Lewis River, the Kalama River, and the Deschutes River are all some of his home waters
We get into the process of how RIO tests their lines to make sure they are ready to go for the new season. This is one of the best parts of being a Brand Manager – trips to the south with the fly fishing staff at RIO Products.
We get into some of the frustrations of fly line manufacturing and how RIO deals with issues in this process. All companies deal with these types of issues so it’s important how you follow up when these things happen.
What Simon loves and dislikes about his job. He’s got a pretty good one but office work is one thing that Simon can do without. Although he knows that it’s necessary and part of the teaching process, one of the things Simon loves and is very good at.
We get into the differences between Atlantic salmon and steelhead fly fishing. Fly size is probably one of the biggest difference where a size 14 is not uncommon for salmon fishing.
Triple density and quadruple density lines are the rage these days because the line casts and swings through the water much better than older lines.
Quote: “If I had to pull out a single Gem from our 2018 products, it would be the triple-density single handed spey line.” -Simon Gawesworth
RIO Products Conclusion with Simon Gawesworth
I wanted to give a huge thank you to Simon for coming on to the show today. As I noted at the start of this episode, Simon basically taught me how to spey cast by the videos he provides including Modern Spey Casting.
Thanks for stopping by to check out the show. Click on the button below if you want the 30 Fly Fishing Tips PDF Quick Guide: https://www.wetflyswing.com/chrome
In episode 008 of the Fly Fishing Show I had the great opportunity to interview Darren MacEachern from Piscatorflies.com where we discussed steelhead and salmon fly tying along with some great fly fishing stories and history of fly tying.
Take a look below for the Show Notes and links to everything we discussed in the interview. You’ve got to hear the Rusty Rat story and poem that goes along with it.
Click below to listen to the Podcast with Darren MacEachern:
Quote: “For Fly Tying, the number 1 thing is repetition.” -Darren MacEachern
If you want to reach Darren head on over to PiscatorFlies.com and say hi. I wanted to thank Darren again for coming on the show and providing the great show.
I put together a short video that shows the new fly fishing “studio”. I am pretty excited that I’m back on my home river for the next period and excited to hopefully connect with some more people in person.
The studio is small what will be a fun place to post some new information over the next year or so.
Click here to watch the short video on my new studio:
What do you think? Is the earth a good backdrop or would something a little different be better?
Leave a comment at the bottom and let me know what you think.
Great Lakes Expert Pete Humphries does an amazing job breaking down the steps to spey casting and provides a bunch of tips. In episode 007 of the Fly Fishing Podcast I had the pleasure of chatting with Pete who covers spey casting, steelhead fly fishing and Great Lakes tributaries.
He covers Great Lakes steelhead fly fishing with a focus on Western Michigan and talks about many of the people who helps him become an expert. If you are new to spey casting or struggling with your cast this is the perfect episode for you.
Click below to listen to the Podcast with Pete Humphries:
I wanted to give a big thanks to Pete for coming on the show, he over delivered on all of the great tips he offered. Do you fish the great lakes or western Michigan? Was this show helpful? Leave a comment below and let me know.
And if you’re interested in the right spey rod for steelhead, Click here to see the Spey Rod that has helped me drastically improve my spey cast and find more steelhead at a super reasonable cost (You also get a free spey line if you pickup the Spey Rod here). By the way, the link above is an affiliate link, which means I earn a commission if you do end up purchasing through that link. It’s at no extra cost to you, and please if you have any questions related to this product, please let me know and I’d be happy to answer them for you.
Steel Flash Flies by Trey Combs: http://www.rainysflies.com/blog-app/steelflash-flies
It sometimes sounds like a good idea to get out in your boat and cover as much water as possible. But Trey Combs noted in a recent interview I did with him that one of his biggest tips is to get to know one steelhead run so well that you can identify each pebble.
So you can identify each boulder and seam.
So, that’s the Steelhead Tip today – Get to know one steelhead run so well that you know exactly where steelhead hold and where each of the little buckets are at all river levels.
This will decrease the wasted time and increase the amount of fish you hook into.
Steel Flash Flies by Trey Combs: http://www.rainysflies.com/blog-app/steelflash-flies
How have you been covering runs? Do you tend to fish one run consistently that you know it so well you can identify each boulder?
Do you know when to fish the inside seam harder?
When to hit the tail-out hard?
And if you’re interested in the right spey rod for steelhead, Click here to see the Spey Rod that has helped me drastically improve my spey cast and find more steelhead at a super reasonable cost (You also get a free spey line if you pickup the Spey Rod here). By the way, the link above is an affiliate link, which means I earn a commission if you do end up purchasing through that link. It’s at no extra cost to you, and please if you have any questions related to this product, please let me know and I’d be happy to answer them for you.
In today’s fly tying video I show you how to tie an elk hair caddis, one of the most classic and most effective dry flies of all time.
I use cream color dubbing but you can use any color that matches the hatch you’ll be fishing. The elk hair floats high and dry and so should you (or whatever that means).
Today I’m continuing the blogging journey to get out the word on the new steelhead fly tying course and doorstep material deliveries.
If you want to see the first post in the series that explains the background, click here. If you want to take a look at what chapter 1 will cover, click here.
Today I’ll cover a little bit on chapter 2 and provide an opportunity for you to show support for the project.
If I get 20 people to opt in and say they would purchase the course I’ll build it. Just click on the button below to let me know you support it:
Thanks for the support!
Module 2: Intruders, Bunny Leeches and Marabou Flies
Video 1: Introduction video covers all of the chapters in Module 2 plus action items
Video 2: Summary of the fly types we will cover (intruders, tube flies, etc)
Video 3: Basic hooks and materials and overview (barbell eyes, shanks, wired, etc)
Video 4: Basic Techniques we will cover in this module
Video 5: How to tie an intruder + Background (with material home deliveries)
Video 6: How to tie a Fish Taco (with material home deliveries)
Video 7: How to tie a Bunny Leech
Video 8: How to tie an Artificial Inteligence
Video 9: How to tie an Egg Sucking Leech
Video 10: Reading material for the course (Jay Nicholas Modern Steelhead Flies)
Video 11: Conclusion video and summary
Action Items listed to be completed before Module 3 begins
That pretty much covers the nuts and bolts of module 2. As you can see we get into a good chunk on winter steelhead flies and flies for colder temperatures and swinging.
Click on the button below if you would buy this course (this is just 1 of 8 modules that will be delivered):
Conclusion
Module 1 covers classic wet flies and covers the history of steelhead flies. Module 2 gets into intruders and all of the great flies we swing and strip down deep.
Module 3 gets right into a big swing with egg patterns and flies we might use more commonly nymphing for steelhead.
Click on the links below to review the past articles in this series of blog posts:
We dive into Blue Water fly fishing and get into the history of steelhead in this amazing show. In this episode 006 of the Fly Fishing Show I had the pleasure of interviewing one of the biggest people in the history of steelhead fly fishing, Trey Combs.
Trey wrote one of the early books on the history of steelhead fishing and flies and has done a lot of other amazing stuff in his fly fishing career that we cover today.
We get into a bunch of big topics including the issues with the Thompson River steelhead decline, talk about his mentors, discuss steelhead fly fishing history, two handed rods plus some of his new fly patterns.
Click below to listen to the Podcast with Trey Combs:
59:03 – The Night Dancer – One of Trey’s favorite flies for summer steelhead.
1:00:00 – Winters Hope Fly Pattern – The silver and purple is best combination for off color water.
1:00:54 – Steel Flash Flies – Trey’s new pattern with red eyes that has high visibility.
1:02:00 – Trey provides a great tip to focus on one run and learn that run very well as opposed to floating many miles and fishing each run just a little.
If you would like to get the Steelhead Tips PDF Quick Guide that lists some of the best tips from my guests click on the button below:
You can reach Trey by email here: trey.combs1897@pt-mail.net or by phone at: 509-369-1025.
I wanted to give a big thanks to Trey for coming on the show today. We covered a lot of great information but have a lot more to get into next time.
Trey gave us something that steelhead fly fishing didn’t have before his work. He put it on the books, literally, and help launch it out for many new passionate fly fishers to come.
And if you’re interested in the right spey rod for steelhead, Click here to see the Echo Spey Rod that has helped me improve my spey cast and find more steelhead at a super reasonable cost. By the way, this link above is an affiliate link, which means I earn a commission if you do end up purchasing through that link. It’s at no extra cost to you, and please if you have any questions related to this product, please let me know and I’d be happy to answer them for you.
There’s so much information out there these days online that it’s easy to get confused so I wanted to bring it back for you and clarify where to start.
Brian Chou said it best in a recent interview I had with him: Pick a rod and line setup and fish it!
He’s basically saying that sure, you need a balanced outfit, but you really need to just get on the water and start casting to ever take that next step.
So, your call to action today if you are new to steelhead fly fishing: Grab a rod (there are plenty full spey setups for under $500) and go swing some flies.
If you don’t have the cash up front find a friend who is a little ahead of you, borrow a rod and get out on the water and start casting.
Take a look at the link below to my interview with Brian Chou who breaks things down.
There are lot’s of choices out there so if you have questions you can always leave a comment below and I’ll follow up with you.
Bottom line, if you are going to get good at spey casting you are going to have to put your time on the water. I just started connecting with Line Speed Jedi who shares his story of how he learned to become proficient at spey casting.
There is some really good information at Tim’s site so please check it out if you have time. Also, Tim said that he would be interested in coming on the Fly Fishing Show so stay tuned for that.
https://linespeedjedi.com/
Conclusion
Don’t get overwhelmed by all of the content online. I know it’s crazy because I have been confused as well. Please subscribe to my Fly Fishing Podcast if you would like to listen to the pros I interview clarify it for you.
And if you’re interested in the right spey rod for steelhead, Click here to see the Echo Spey Rod that has helped me improve my spey cast and find more steelhead at a super reasonable cost. By the way, this link above is an affiliate link, which means I earn a commission if you do end up purchasing through that link. It’s at no extra cost to you, and please if you have any questions related to this product, please let me know and I’d be happy to answer them for you.
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