Busy last month.

The same thing happens every year, April month surprises me with it's arrival, and it's time to make this winters bamboo rods ready for the upcoming season. And with three coats of varnish applied, the first rod is ready for the stream. So here are some pictures of the first rod out, a sweet little 7' 4wt based on a Payne 98 taper. I've used cork as the material for reel seat's on several rods and think it works great, cork is light, durable and will, when combined with a butt cap and sliding band, hold any trout reel firmly in place. Wrapping the guides I'm using primrose Gossamer silk, with one turn of Gossamer brown silk for the trim wraps.

Some soft hackle midge patterns.

A friend asked me if I could tie a selection of north country flies for him for the upcoming season, and since that's just another good excuse to tie some spider's...I'm happy to do that. And since midges are the first thing we're probably will see, I selected some patterns that I think will do well when the midges arrive .

The first fly out is one of several 
versions of the Little Black....

Nice "greenish" glow on that magpie rump feather....this is the first time I'm using this feather.

Hook: Partridge L3A # 18

Thread: Gossamer purple silk

Body: Magpie rump feather

Rib: Purple silk

Hackle: Starling neck feather

The next one is the Black Magic, had some really nice evenings last summer with this fly when the trout were steady on midges.

Hook: Partridge L3A # 18
Thread: Gossamer black silk
Body: Black silk
Thorax: Peacock herl
Hackle: Shold probably use black hen feather, I don't have that feather so I'm using starling neck on this one.

                                                                 
                                                                

The third one is Sylvester Nemes
midge pattern.....Syl's Spider.

Hook: Partridge L3A # 18
Thread: Gossamer black silk

Body: Peacock herl

Hackle: Partridge

A new book.

Received my signed copy of Robert L Smith's book "The North Country Fly" a couple of weeks ago, and I must say it's a great book. I am completely surprised by all the information  that's in this new book. I tough that the books I have on North Country Flies were pretty complete. In this book you will find old list's of north country fly patterns from fly fishers living and fishing several hundred years ago in the many different dales of Yorkshire. Really got inspired reading this book and made me even more want to take a trip to the dales of north Yorkshire.         

The Little Black, one of the many patterns you can find in this great book about North Country Flies.                                                                                                                                                                     

Fresh start to the new season

First fish of the new year was a sea run brown, caught on a grizzly soft hackle pattern. The fish was one of those nice fat ones that probably did not bother to swim up in the the river this fall to fool around, much better to be out in the sea were the food is. The other fish I caught looked like it have had some fun in the river this fall, but the silver color was back and the fish was very strong although it was thin after this fall spawning.