Fishing, Bulgarian Properties,& Reiki Healing Rotating Header Image

fly tying

Semperfli Lever Vise – True Rotary

Jan 5th, 2012
by Andy.
No comments yet
Semperfli Lever Vise - A true Rotary Vice

Semperfli Lever Rotary Vice We wanted a fly vice that was quicker to use at shows and exhibitions and there is no doubt that lever vices are in-vogue and far easier to use. With a simple flick of the lever our hook is in the vice. The Semperfli team worked with their manufacturer to develop this super lever vice with solid metal knobs and a rapid lever to clamp the hooks. As a true rotary the fly tying vise allows us to rotate our flies and work top and bottom as required. hardened stainless steel vice head suitable for large to micro hooks size 24! Vice height extender Gallows C Clamp Heavy Desk Pedestal Material clamp Waste bag with attachment Leatherette storage bag Check the Semperfli Lever Vise here

Semperfli Yorkshire Grub Hooks Released

Dec 27th, 2011
by Andy.
No comments yet
Semperfli Swimming Nymph Hook

Semperfli Swimming Nymph Hooks Released We tie flies using pretty standard nymph hooks, however one look at the real nymphs in action shows that they are highly mobile and their shapes are not always straight like the traditional nymph and grub hooks we use. This is why the Swimming Nymph hooks and the Yorkshire Grub hooks have been developed, to help you imitate nature and some of the real invertebrates that are in our waters. Try these for bloodworm imitations when fishing on the bottom of lakes and reservoirs or for Rhyacophilla when fishing for trout & grayling on wild, natural rivers. For a stunning Rhyacophilla simply use Semperfli Straggle String SF7250FL which is that stunning apple green colour of the Rhyac and hold tight! The Swimming Nymph hook allows you to tie more natural flies with deadly results.

Semperfli Weighted Czech Nymphing Hooks Released

Dec 23rd, 2011
by Andy.
No comments yet
Czech Nymphing Weighted Hooks

Semperfli Weighted Czech Nymph Hooks Released When Czech nymphing quite often a heavily weighted fly is essential to hold bottom and allow the perfect presentation of the full team of czech nymphs. The Semperfli Size 8 weighted Czech Nymph hook is the tool for the job. Pre-weighted at 1.3gm (0.04oz) with a shrimp shaped body this is the perfect lead fly in your czech nymphing team.With its weighted body tying a czech nymph is very simple and you can match a natural shrimp or infected shrimp very easily using Semperfli Straggle String which with its’ uv flecks gives that leg like appearance to make a stunning shrimp imitation. The Weighted Czech Nymph hook allows you to tie more natural flies with deadly results. They come in a pack of 10 hooks per pack check them our here czech nymphing hooks

Sandy Dickson Tying The Foam Arsed Blob or FAB

Dec 18th, 2011
by Andy.
No comments yet

Love them or hate them blobs are an essential piece of the reservoir and lake fly fishermans armoury. This is a simple fly to tie as demonstrated by Sandy Dickson of The Essential Fly. This simple fly is tied using Umpqua U501 Egg Fly Hooks Semperfli Blob Chenille Semperfli Booby eyes Semperfli Nano Silk

Time for Fly Tying!

Oct 10th, 2011
by Ann Kitchener.
No comments yet

According to the newspapers, the UK is about to be hit by Hurricane Katia! Bascially by Monday, we could be facing 70mph winds and 50 ft high waves! So that obviously means fly fishing is off the agenda sadly but remaining ever optimistic its a perfect time to batton down the hatches and get the tying vice out!  Get tying those flies, trying new fly tying materials and design some fab new flies for when the weather is better! Happy tying!

Trout Flies – The Trout Fly Historical Backgrounder

Jun 13th, 2011
by Andy.
No comments yet

What is a Trout Fly? An artificial trout fly or trout lure is a type of fishing lure, usually used in the sport of fly fishing (although flies they may also be used in other forms of angling for example carp anglers use carp flies with standard coarse fishing rods). It can be said artificial trout flies are the bait which fly fishers present to their target species of fish like trout while fly fishing in much the same manner a course fisherman uses maggots or bread (although of course fly fishing is much more of a gentlemanly sport (oops! that has stirred things!). Artificial trout flies are constructed by a technique of fly tying, in which fly tying furs, fly tying feathers, fly tying silks ranging from traditional silks like Pearsalls tying silks to modern virtually unbreakable silks like Semperfli Nano Silk or fly tying thread or any of very many other synthethic fly tying materials or natural fly tying materials are tied onto a hook. Artificial trout flies may be constructed to represent all manner of prey to include aquatic and terrestrial insects, crustaceans, worms, baitfish, vegetation, flesh, spawn, small reptiles, amphibians  etc. Effective artificial trout fly patterns [...]

Cape Grading With Grizzle Necks / Grizzly Necks For Dry Flies

Jun 12th, 2011
by Andy.
No comments yet
Grizzle Grade 1 Neck

So what is the big deal over grizzly necks or grizzle necks for fly tying? Grizzle necks have superb banding makes superb hackles for dry flies. There are Chinese capes and Indian capes HOWEVER these are not generally considered as dry fly hackles in the professional fly tying market. Grizzle capes and grizzle saddles are graded by their ability to tie small dry flies. The greater the number of tiny dry flies a grizzle neck will produce, generally the higher the price. The most desirable characteristics of a grizzle neck include correct colours, soft fine stalk, short barb length for very small dry flies, high barb count and requires fewer turns of the hackle to produce superb dense hackling. Ignoring colour as you can purchase grizzle saddles dyed in many colours, dyed grizzle necks range in colour from pink to olive, yellow to orange. So really the first question to ask is “what flies will I be tying in what quantity and what sizes?”. The production fly tyer will have a different answer to the average home tyer. Typical experience of fly tyers in general is that small dry flies sizes below #20 are very rarely produced in and the [...]

Whiting Necks & Whiting Saddles – Understanding the Colors Of Fly Tying Feathers

Jun 10th, 2011
by Andy.
No comments yet

Fly Tying Whiting Saddle & Whiting Neck Colours When first starting fly tying we often can get confused over the colours, yes black is easy, what is cree, furnace saddle and many of the other colours that are mentioned in many of the fly tying books? Whiting saddles and Whiting necks produced by the Whiting Farms company like Metz produce stunning fly tying capes. The colour chart below should help for those new into fly tying understanding the colours of “chicken feathers!” that we tie flies with. Demand for fly tying capes, fly tying necks and fly tying saddles is at an all time high due to the fashion in 2011 of using feathers in ladies hair! Grizzle saddles and necks are in limited supply. We are lucky to have limited numbers of Furnace Saddles, and Furnace half saddles, Bronze half saddles, Dyed grizzly golden olive saddles and some stunning dyed grizzly necks. However there is no doubt that for fly tyers there are going to be extremely limited supplies of fly tying capes, fly tying necks and fly tying saddles Whiting Farms – Cape, Saddle & Packaged Products – Color Availability Chart skip to… White-Dyed Colors | Grizzly-Dyed Colors [...]

Rotary Fly Tying Vice – Fish Bamboo

May 10th, 2011
by Andy.
No comments yet

Essential Fly – Fish Bamboo Rotary Vice Now Available at Just £119.50 A superb rotary fly tying vice at just £119.50 in leatherette storage bag. There have been improvements made since we first got hold of this vice with metal knobs for tightening this vice has a gallows, height extender C Clamp for desks and pedestal base. We loved this vice once we got hold of it, indeed we now use it at shows in preference to the Marc Petitjean Fly Tying Vice as the heavy pedestal base does not move. As standard the rotary fly tying vice comes with: hardened stainless steel vice head suitable for large to micro hooks size 24! Vice height extender Gallows C Clamp Heavy Desk Pedestal Leatherette storage bag We have used this vice for tying everything from midges to large tube flies.

Enrico Puglisi EP Fibres Alternative Released

Apr 20th, 2011
by Andy.
No comments yet

Predator Fibres – Fly Tying Body & Winging Material Our Alternative To EP Fibres from Enrico Puglisi Having an action between MARABOU and BUCKTAIL our Predator Fibres are an alternative to Enrico Puglisi’s EP Fibres but much more cost effective as you would expect from The Essential Fly. Predator Fibres are available in 16 colours in 18 inch strands they are perfect for imitating large baitfish as well as 1” to 2” baitfish whether tied on hooks or tubes for saltwater or freshwater fishing flies. Another great use of Predator Fibres is as winging material for Temple Dogs or other salmon flies, because it does not absorb water the flies will cast well and give great movement in the water every time. The fibre has a slight ‘kink’ to it allowing you to give the fly some bulk without having to use excess material. THEY DO NOT ABSORB WATER. Use your imagination and there is no limit to the flies you can create with Predator Fibres. Synthetic, translucent long tapered tail fibres – Predator Fibres are equally as delicate as traditional feather fibre but infinitely stronger. Predator Fibres are available at just £3.99 or USD $6.50. Check out the full range [...]

Light Penetration In Water Types For Fishermen for Fly Fishing or Lure Fishing

Mar 30th, 2011
by Andy.
No comments yet

One of the most mis-understood areas in fishing is what happens to light in water. To see a colour we need that colour within the spectrum to be visible on the object we are viewing because we see colour as it is the relection of light on an object. So what is the issue? well different colours disapear at different depths according to the colour of the water and particles suspended in the water. However if we use a green and black coloured lure 5m deep in muddy waters we will see a totally black lure, however if the same lure is used at 5m deep in a green or blue coloured water we will see a green and black lure which is totally different to the same lure in muddy waters. Light Spectrum White light we see from the sun is not white but a series of colours blended together called the visible spectrum, is is part of the overall electromagnetic spectrum. The visible part of the spectrum is shown below is between 400nm and 700nm (nm is a metric unit of length equal to one billionth of a meter). Much of what we see is controlled by the [...]

So Why Is CDC Special For Fly Tying and Fishing Flies

Mar 17th, 2011
by Andy.
No comments yet

So what is the benefit of cdc feathers for the fly fisherman? Why do cdc flies float so well? This short article examines the benefits of cdc feathers.

The Rhyacophila – free swimming larva of a green sedge

Jan 2nd, 2011
by Andy.
No comments yet

The Rhyacophila is the free swimming larva of a green sedge and is best fished close to the riverbed. Large, usually green, and always plump, and they don’t build cases or nets. They roam freely about the fast water and they often drift loose, where they are a good food for trout. Find out more and how to imitate this essential trout & grayling food with a well tied simple fly.

An Introduction to Fly Tying Tools

Dec 22nd, 2010
by Andy.
No comments yet

As with most crafts and hobbies, fly-tying requires its own range of tools. Each tool is designed to make the practitioner’s life and craft a little easier. Some tools are fundamental like a vice and scissors, optional tools like hair stackers or dubbing twisters are useful depending upon the flies being tied. It is not crucial that the fly tyer obtains every tool listed however each has its own benefits making the job of fly tying practical producing neat, well-tied flies.

How Old Is The Art of Fly Tying?

Oct 12th, 2010
by Andy.
No comments yet

Tying designing fishing flies is an ancient art form. Fishing flies have been “tied” with fur, feather plus natural materials to imitate genuine flies or fly tying to create “dressed” fishing flies like traditional dressed salmon flies over the last centuries. Often people credit Isaac Walton and his 1676 edition of The Compleat Angler as the earliest days of fly fishing and fly tying. However primative fly tying in actuality existed as long go as the 3rd Century AD when the writer known as Aelianus detailed fly fishingfor fish with fishing flies. The fly tying was described as “….. they fasten crimson wool around the hook and fix onto the wool two feathers”. In 1496 Dame Juliana Berners wrote the Treatise of Fishing with an Angle what described fly tying utilizing similar fly tying materials to the Macedoneans. Artistic Fly Tying Ultra Realistic Flies Fly Tying is a genuine artform, fly tying occurs in many forms, from delicate fly tying using perhaps just a few cdc feathers and dubbing from carpet scrapings to sophisticated fly tying where the fly tyer creates ultra-realistic flies which are actually too expensive to be fished with! Ultra-realistic fly tying is now so incredibly detailed [...]

← Earlier Posts