After the Braided Butt Damsel post, I got a couple of questions about fishing damselfly adult patterns wet. Using the BB Damsel pattern shown, with a yarn parachute post (versus foam), the fly can be fished “damp” easily (just fish “sans floatante“). If you need to get the fly deeper, or are fishing a pattern [...]

Drawing Flies 52 Deceiver (pike/muskie/baby tarpon colors). Had to join the DF 52 digital revolution in my own way (see Jeff’s soft-hackle for more on his first DF 52 digital foray). Pen-and-ink sketch, scanned, set as paths in Adobe Photoshop, exported to Adobe Illustrator, paths adjusted, printed, partly colored, ate the whole 30 minutes like [...]

One of my favorite ways to illustrate is to rough sketch with an added story line (previous ‘bow and brown (and other brown) already posted). Those of you who own the book, Presentation, have already seen these, but expect a bunch more in the new books series. Below is a color version of the above [...]

If you’re not into fly tying the above title could give you pause, but if you are into the “vice of the vise,” then here’s a post for you. This has already been up over on GB’s blog, but I figure why not post it here, as well? This is from GB’s 1991 book, Designing [...]

Drawing Flies 52 Soft Hackle. Almost salmon-style with those long fibers. Pen with some watercolor added with a detail brush. Couldn’t stay away from the color…. Available for purchase? No, kinda like it for myself. Tech info: 9″ x 12″ Canson tracing paper (I’ve come to really like the gliding smoothness of this razor-thin paper [...]

Al Crise (or “ol’ Al” as he was known to many) has passed. Some FF&W readers may know Al from his casting classes at Federation of Fly Fishers’ meetings and so forth, or from his posts on a number of fly-fishing bulletin boards. Al was tireless in his teaching of fly casting, and had a [...]

For those SoCal FF&W readers who might want to hear me drone on pontificate in a lively and engaging manner, you may wish to attend the March 13-14 Fly Fishing Show in Pasadena. While the final schedule is not yet in place (Update: It’s in place now), it looks like I’ll be doing some talks [...]

Some of you may have noticed the new “Collaboration” header over in the sidebar, and wondered what was going there (indeed one of you wondered enough to e-mail and ask). The collaborations are exactly that, FF&W and a small group of other blogs working together to provide content and so forth. Today is the day [...]

One of my favorite ways to illustrate is to rough sketch with an added story line. One more like this yet to come (previous ‘bow and brown already posted). Those of you who own the book, Presentation, have already seen these, but expect a bunch more in the new books series. Below is a color version [...]

Drawing Flies 52 Hex Dun in the Comparadun/hairwing-style (as in Hexagenia mayfly). Played with the technique that I ended up lucking into last week, and added a bit to the mix (some pen and some more color on the fly itself). Started a little late today (1:37, ended just before 2:00). Not bad; I see some [...]

Using info supplied by the creator of the CCS (Common Cents System), Dr. Bill Hanneman, I built this chart for North Fork Composites (where I have been assisting with some rod-blank development). I figured I’d post this for those FF&W readers who are into the CCS for blank/rod measurement. It’s the full chart of ERN/TP/PR values [...]

So for those on the E-List who got the latest mailing (Jan/Feb 2010), read the section on the Parachute Mend, and then said, “Nice, and thanks for not including a picture!” this post is for you. For those not on the E-List, this post is also for you (I like to be all-inclusive around here). [...]