Flymen Blog
Sight fishing for bonefish, permit, or redfish is one of my favorite things in life.
It combines many of the visual pleasures of fly fishing with some of the toughest technical challenges, creating a scenario in which so much needs to come together perfectly to be successful.
Travelling to a beautiful tropical location and searching for an almost invisible, elusive quarry among endless sand flats, palm trees, mangroves and crystal clear water is incredibly relaxing.
Then add the heightened sense of anticipation, the sudden jolt and adrenaline rush as you first sight the fish – heart pounding, panic setting in, and of course the pressure! Pressure from your guide, your buddy, and yourself to put together the perfect cast at the perfect time to deliver your fly to the perfect spot in the hope (or prayer) that you'll be rewarded.
So much fun!
The idea for the Fish-Skull® Shrimp & Cray Tail™ first came to me during one of these trips to the Bahamas in late 2014. Out on a flats boat in the middle of nowhere, but somewhere between my fourth bonefish and third Kalik of the day, the idea formed to create an alternative to the established fly tying method of using bead chain eyes or small dumbbells to weight shrimp or small crayfish patterns. Continue reading
Forget the Squirmy. Forget the egg flies. The Mop Fly is the most sinful fly of all time.
You’ve seen them – you’ve seen the chenille fingers coming off an array of products these days, from dust mops to car washing aids to teddy bears to throw pillows. You can clip these off their backing and have a killer fly if you lash those fingers to a hook.
When I graduated college in May of 2015 and shared with my peers that I was going to be working for a non-profit conservation organization to work with college fly fishing clubs nationwide, I got a variety of responses ranging from, “Whoa, that's sick,” to, “What are you doing with your life?”
Many of my peers in college viewed fly fishing as an old guy sport, with their closest mental image being Brad Pitt “shadow casting” on the banks of the Bitterroot in A River Runs Through It.
Little did they know, fly fishing is actually a growing sport in the millennial generation.
Many of us who tie flies and have children would love to see them take up the hobby.
If you aren’t a parent, maybe you have some young relatives or know some local youngsters who have shown an interest in fly tying.
Time spent tying with kids can be fun, productive, and higher quality than most people think.
Before you go down that road, here are a handful of things to keep in mind.
From a single hook to a triple-articulated beast...
Loads of movement, loads of kick – Kris Keller's 3 Pack Shaker is one killer streamer pattern.