Spent most of Friday at North Fork Composites doing CCS and flex-board testing of rod blanks, while paging through patterns and doing some mix-and-match. The goal was to get three specific sets of blanks: 905-4, 906-4 and 864-4 for one of North Fork’s European clients. Got quite close on 5 of the 6 total blanks, [...]

This is just a quick re-play of a previous post-turned-page. I occasionally re-post older posts and/or pages since that info sometimes falls by the wayside (at least if my Google Analytics are any indication). In addition, with the recent hopper-based link from FlyTalk, I figure a little post on easy droppers is a good idea. [...]

My favorite pieces of fly-fishing gear are reels. Just something about a beautifully made fly reel that holds my eye. Of the reels in my personal gear bag, there are some that stand out as continual favorites. One of those is my Ari ‘t Hart “Ari 1″ from the 1990s era of Ari’s design work [...]

A bit of writing from about 10 years ago in which I actually use the term “most-subtle” with a straight face. Hope you find it useful (even if the wording gets a bit fluffy in spots). – – – – – – – – – Fly fishing for trout can be a most-subtle affair. The [...]

[ Javascript required to view QuickTime movie, please turn it on and refresh this page ] Nail knots can be a pain to tie—especially when you really need one and there is nary a tool in sight (or you don’t know how to use said tool). Well, a “Nail-less” Nail Knot is a slick and [...]

While there is still plenty of fishing to be had for some of the FF&W readership, others may be finding themselves staring at hard water and closed seasons. Well, it may not be fishing season for all of you, but it’s definitely MPR season! As many FF&W readers know, I am a fan of Echo’s [...]

Thanks to the FF&W readership, I’ve sold through my original run of FF&W tees. I’ve had more made, but have expanded the selection with more sizes, colors, fabrics and fits. I have the Men’s/Unisex 50/50 shirts in the “Shadow Gray” color (up to 2XL), a new Men’s/Unisex 100-cotton shirt in a ”Coastal Green” color (up to [...]

Loop-to-loop junctures allow for a rapid change-out of a leader. If you pre-tie your own leaders or buy your leaders pre-made, you can go from slinging muddlers to dead-drifting mayflies in about two minutes—including the fly change. You can also refresh a worn leader system in a hurry. I have had days when my terminal [...]

GB has a good post up about the 5/7 Blood Knot, a variation that I grew up tying (the “School of GB” was a great, if sometimes demanding, one). Personally, I use this knot for leader butt/taper interconnections, then move to a three-turn Surgeon’s (or Water) knot for tippet section(s) (talking trout/salmon, etc. here, but [...]

(UPDATE: December 7, 2009) These are now in my hands: Introductory price (through Dec 31, 2009) is $20 for the shirt, plus shipping (and tax in the state of Washington). Shipping costs are only a few bucks in the U.S., and a few more bucks outside the U.S. (tees ship via First Class Mail/Airmail). Sizes: [...]

Okay, I finally got my act together on these things, and am going to plunk down my cash this week for an order. After taking a poll on what people like, I ended up with a near 50/50 split between 50/50 cotton/poly and 100-percent cotton material. Back to square one… Actually, no. The poll really [...]

Spent an hour today casting and assessing three prototype finished rods and build kits. Need to tweak the last few inches of the tips (a little soft, I think), as well as the power low down in the butt sections (they’re strong, but they also cast an SA ED Sharkskin like a shot). Also need [...]