How to tie the original Klinkhåmer Special

Here's a nice write up of the history and the way to tie the Klinkhåmer Special as the originator, Hans van Klinken, does.

I've never really fished this fly much since I fish mostly nymphs, but it's always a good idea to have a couple in a fly box.

So, if you're not using the same hook, dubbing or even turning the hook 90 degrees to hackle the parachute hackle, you won't end up with a real Klinkhåmer Special!

If you're a really lazy bum, here's a video of Hans tying his Klinkhåmer Special so you can sit back and watch the whole process. You can't get closer to the original way of tying than this, can you? Well done Hans!

Update Nov 2024:

Recently Hans van Klinken finally finished his book, just on time for the 40th anniversary of the Klinkhamer. His fly seems to have undergone a few iterations along the years as the most recent version doesn't have a dubbed body but is made of quill wraps and a ribbing of silk.

Wingsuit flying

This is the most extreme footage I've ever seen in my life...

Steve Jobs' new super yacht

While the big Apple news today was that Scott Forstall got kicked out at Apple, I went out the office to check out Steve Jobs' super yacht called Venus unveiled at a shipyard in Aalsmeer.

The Dutch shipbuilder Jobs commissioned to build the super yacht happened to be just around the corner where I was working today.

Barely five minutes walk from the office door to the riverside, this 'world news' was barely noticed by the neighborhood.

Kinda weird to see this unusual looking yacht, probably full of the most modern maritime technology, waiting just a few hundred yards from me.



Here's a 360 degree panorama I took of the spot where I was standing with the yacht in sight on the other side of the river:


Update August 7, 2015:
The Venus seems to be doing just fine. Here's a clip with the Venus in the Caribbean.

September days

Fishing mainly with nymphs, I almost forgot how much fun it is to fish with a dry fly on light gear. The first few days were spent casting dry flies all day on a tiny stream in the hills of the upper Austria region in Austria. Austria is such a wonderful country filled with yummy trout streams and rivers.

We were the only fishermen on the entire 10 km of this stream. Under the canopy of trees it felt like being lost in dry fly wonderland. Casting can be awkward at times with hanging branches at just about every corner. The population were predominantly browns and a few rainbows. Unfortunately we haven't seen any graylings. Fish were generally in the 8 to 12 inch size with a nice sized fish every once in a while.

Bring along a short (no longer than 7.5 ft) and light rod and a dozen dry flies and you can have rising action all day long. We fished with a simplified version of the elk hair caddis the whole three days. Easy to tie and floats for ever. Just make sure to get that tight loop under the branches and you'll have tons of fun.

The stream ran low so you have to keep on moving to the next profitable stretch of water, be a pool or a undercut bank with that stretch of depth for hiding. Clear water and low water conditions means spooky fish. Try to walk along the banks rather than in the water when possible.

The temperature was just right (around 24 degrees Celsius) yet the sun stayed behind the clouds. A few rays of sunshine appeared by the end of the third day. Too bad we had to leave for our next chapter of the trip. We'll be back here in a few years and see what spring conditions look like.

Next stop was one of my favorite rivers for the past 15 years. Since the river has 4 sections of each about 5 km long, all with a different character I could easily spend a whole month here. Nymphing is the key to success here and on a good day 40+ fish a day is possible. Just make sure you wade carefully when the water levels are low in the fall. Fish are spooky after seeing fishermen all summer long.

Grayling population has been very low the past 5-7 years here, but it seems the lady of the stream is working on a come back and that's good news. Don't forget to cast under the hanging branches along the flat section. A nice surprise can be your reward. We did have a rainy night the second day so the river turned into a cafe latte the next afternoon. Fortunately the next day the river was a clear as it could be.

This week has been very enjoyable and once again strengthened our near 20 year friendship. Rolf, next time look around and you'll see a familiar scenery! And do get rid of the chest waders on a hot day when water levels are only calf deep...

I did capture some video footages, but not enough of it! I'll see if I can make anything decent out of them.

iPhone 5 launch

Apple's iPhone 5 announcement resulted in pre-orders which topped 2 million within the first 24 hours. Apple's previous record was the release of the iPhone 4S which was pre-ordered 1 million on day one.

The launch of a new product by Apple results in massive demand and people all over the world willing to spend many hours (some even days!) waiting in line. Often this camping in front of the stores is celebrated with each other with drinks, talking and having fun.

Other manufacturers try to emulate the same enthusiasm, but turned out to be a hoax. People stood in line for free concert tickets or free stuff...







And this is how Microsoft does it:

MagFilter adapter ring for common filter sizes

CarrySpeed just released (besides the regular CPL filter) an adapter ring to allow more common filter sizes to be used on current popular compact camera's like the Sony HX-series and Canon S95/100.

The MagFilter System uses a thin, low profile, metal adhesive ring to attach to the front of your compact camera lens. When you're ready to use your filter, the MagFilter attaches through strong magnets built into the MagFilter Adapter Body.

The new adapter ring has a threaded ring on the outside that will fit the more commonly available 52mm, 55mm or 58mm filter sizes.

Go check it out and buy it here.

Sony's new NEX-6

The camera division Sony is working overtime these days and we can't keep up with them!

After the improved NEX-5R as the successor to the NEX-5N, Sony just announced the NEX-6. Basically the NEX-7 with a much more affordable price tag and a few nice new add-ons like wifi. I especially like the much smaller kit lens as well as the built-in OLED viewfinder we saw in the NEX-7. Pretty much a must when shooting in bright sunny conditions.

I still need to figure out all the possibilities of the HX9V, but this NEX-6 sure looks like a great camera to upgrade in the future. It will be available in november. Too bad the camera is made in Thailand rather than Japan like my HX9V...

A whole different dimension, here's a real scary nice video taken on the new Sony full frame A99 DSLR.

Apple's iPhone 5

Just returned from a few days fishing in Austria. Still need to work on the report, pictures and video.

Yesterday Apple (finally) released the iPhone 5! It's not a huge surprise as we saw bits of the new iPhone 5 which leaked out the past several months.

Apple managed to improve almost every part of the phone. Probably the best part of the iPhone is that it's still an iPhone and not a lunch box with bright purple plastic housing.

Check out the Keynote for the full presentation of the iPhone 5. Notice Al Gore sitting in front row.

Sony's new ActionCam

Watch out GoPro, Sony just released the ActionCam and it looks sweet!

This thing comes with a waterproof (up to 60m!) housing as standard, just like the GoPro. Besides the typical wearable accessories the ActionCam has image stabilization, ultra wide angle (170 degree) Carl Zeiss lens and besides 30 fps Full HD 1080p (1920 x 1080) a whopping high speed recoding mode of 120 fps at 720P to boot.

There's even a wifi version (view & control using your smartphone!). The price is very competitive at around $200 for the non-wifi version and around $250 for the wifi version. Available around october 2012.

The Sony Exmor sensor the ActionCam perform better in low light conditions. Nice 'feature' is that this camera uses the same battery as my HX9V digital camera! Other features are interval recording (for timelapse captures), stereo sound recording and 2 MP still shots. Too bad the mono color  LCD screen can't show what your captures look like. Maybe with the wifi-version you can watch it on your smartphone?

This Sony ActionCam isn't as small as the Pivothead, but if the video quality is anywhere near the HX9V I'm sure the larger size and weight will be worth a try. It's cheaper too!

Looks like more camera companies (like JVC's GC-XA1) are trying to give GoPro a run for their money. That's good news indeed!

Polarizer filter

These small compact cameras are small enough to fit in your shirt pocket. You don't need to carry several lenses because it has it all: wide angle and zoom lens. However filters as add-ons are fairly uncommon on compact cameras.

I think one of the most useful add-on is probably a polarizer filter, also called a circular polarizer filter (CPL). A CPL basically corrects washed out colors especially in bright sunny conditions. It also helps cut out the glare of light reflections, especially on smooth surfaces like on windows and water.

I have seen several DIY-style filters to attach a filter on the HX9V. I recently bought a cheap out-of-production Fujifilm compact camera polarizer filter as an add-on for my HX9V. It can't be attached to the camera in any ways, so I'll have to hold it in front of the lens when I want to take a picture or capture a movie. But the improvements of the images are very impressive.

Now there is a new CPL-filter on its way for the Sony HX-series, RX100 and probably more compact cameras with the same lens diameter. It basically attaches to the front metal ring around of the zoom lens using a magnet. Can't wait to get one!




Update 24 Aug 2012:

Due to huge demand the first production run MagFilter CPL (Circular Polarizer) is sold out.

Update 30 Aug 21012:
The MagFilter CPL is available! Go get one here! I ordered it right away. The 42mm version (for the HX-series) is $26.99? The 37mm (Canon S95/100) is $24.99.

More filters are being developed, which 'piggybacks' to each other so you can use several filters at once.

Sony RX100 vs HX9V (video)

The new Sony RX100 is the new flagship of Sony's compact camera series. It's the 'pro' version above the HX-series.

I was a bit pissed that I missed out on this camera, because the RX100 saves pictures in RAW format (HX9V only does Jpeg) as well as having more manual control options. The price is a lot higher than the HX9V, roughly twice the price.

But there are a few aspects that I think could have made the RX100 a real killer compact camera. Foremost the wide angle of 28 mm vs the 24 mm on the HX9V.

As I mentioned earlier my top priority is high quality video capture. Although the RX100 is a much better camera in many ways, the video comparison between the RX100 and HX9V really surprised me. Have a look your self.



Check out this comparison too! You'll be surprised as well.

Now something completely different

Who hasn't played with Lego during his (her) childhood?

Here's a wonderfully animated story of Lego. Really interesting to watch how Lego started in a small town in Denmark.

We're there now

I have been wondering for a while when current technology would deliver a product that would be able to capture true Full HD movies in a first persons view. A lightweight yet powerful video camera that doesn't make you look like a geek 'wearing' a box or a big cigar on your head.

Well, it has arrived in the form shape that answers my question: the Pivothead sunglasses. There are several styles of sunglasses with built in 8 mp camera able to capture full HD 1080p movies in 30 frames per second (fps). In 720p quality it does 60 fps.

The best part is it comes in several styles and one even with interchangeable polarized glasses! The bad part is it has a hefty price tag: $350 (ouch!).

The view captured isn't as wide angle as many other sports videocameras: 75 degrees rather than almost 180 degrees (GoPro). That might result in a too narrow view for some. There is 8Gb of memory on board, which will record about 60 mins of 1080p video. Since there is no screen built-in there is no way to view the captured video or even erase a footage. You'll need to hook up the sunglasses to a computer to manage the captured video or clear up the memory for the next outing.

The quality of the videos I've seen so far made with Pivothead isn't really exceptional. I will be experimenting with my new Sony HX9V for a while, but when the Pivothead gets an improvement over time it's probably worth a look.




Update Jan 2013:
Here's a slightly less expensive, yet nurdy looking, glasses capturing 720p video.

The river Inn's story

Here's a nice TV documentary about the river Inn in the central alps. The river Inn is one of the longest rivers in the central alps.

This documentary shows how the Inn starts its life in the Swiss alps near St. Moritz and follows its long journey through western Austria and Germany to finally join the river Danube (also known as the Donau) at the city of Passau.

I really enjoyed the documentary. The camera work is top notch with very nice aerial views as well as close ups of the habitants in and along the river, including mating graylings (around 13:30) which I've never seen before.

We're also shown that decisions to tame ('canalize') the river isn't sustainable. Nice to see that parts of the river are given room again to let the river decide its way.

The documentary 'Der Inn' is in German so be prepared to pick up your language. Yet if you don't understand German, it's still an enjoyable show. I'm not sure how long the documentary can be viewed on-line, so don't wait too long if you want to watch it.

Update 19 Dec 2016:
The documentary is now viewable on YouTube:

Little tsunami

Due to heavy rainfall we've had the past few days, some parts of Europe are experiencing floods and water drainage problems.

Here's an amazing footage which was shot near a little stream in Switzerland. I doubt there will be any fish left in the stream after the little tsunami?...

SAGE Circa: get a mortgage...

Sage is coming up with a new rod series using their propriety Konnetic Technology, or what ever that may be. Unlike all other Sage models these days, the Circa is supposed to be a rod that mimics the slow rhythm of fiberglass or bamboo fly rods.

The series start with a 2 weight rod up to a 5 weight rod. It's obviously going to be a similar softer actioned series like the legendary LL series from the 1980's & 1990's next to their fast rod series One and TCX.

The price starting at $745 up to $775 is simply mind boggling. They must be demanding this kind of money (for plastic rods I mean) because there are people willing to pay such price tags?... I must say I'm curious. It's always interesting to see what Sage comes up with every now and then.

The rods will be available around end of August or September.

Stanley Bogdan

Here's a nice video on reel maker Stan Bogdan and friendship with fisher(wo)man Kathryn Maroun.

Hmm.. looks familiar

Hmm... This Microsoft Surface looks familiar...

Hot queens day trip

What a wonderful little trip. In a strange way this trip also showed what a weird phenomena our weather is. A week before the trip the area was covered with several inches of snow. A good week later it's scorching hot... In April!

I was hoping for nice warm spring conditions, but the three days felt like mid summer. Friday was my first day on the river and by the end of the day I was baked. To prevent my face from getting burned even further next day I wore a Buff with my face covered under my cap. This is a regular sight at a bonefish destination, but surely not in this part of the world...

The water level was higher than I would have liked to start with, but during the 3 days the level got higher and higher. I was worried that this would effect the fishing in a bad way. You know the type of nightmare: chocolate brown milkshake rushing down... But guess what? The river stayed clear, yay!

By the end of the first day the high temperature did start to effect the fishing. The snow in the mountains started to melt making the water quite murky. This was especially evident on saturday. At around 2 PM I had to stop fishing since I couldn't judge the depth of the water anymore. During that night the water cleared up again. In spite of not really ideal conditions the fishing throughout the 3 days was surprisingly good. 

As mentioned earlier I brought my ultra light gear with me. It sure is fun fishing with such light gear (2 weight). I generally fish nymphs almost exclusively but I was hoping to do some dry fly fishing with my ultra light gear. There was no surface activity so heavily weighted nymphs like bead heads was the ticket here.

Half way through the trip the rising of the water level meant I had to reach for a heavier rod. A 4 weight is still light but I needed some more back bone to handle the fish heading for mid stream where the current is pretty hefty. I used 5x tippet so too much pressure would mean break offs.

Before this trip I ordered a new tripod (I lost my tripod head as I found out during my previous trip) so I could make some nice video footages. My trusty old Creative Vado did a fine job.

The strong current did mean some challenges to make sure the lightweight tripod and Vado didn't get washed away. Another problem I encountered on this trip was due to the high water level on certain stretches of the river I couldn't find a spot to beach a big fish (one nice rainbow was around 18-19 inches) and take a picture. I don't want to put the fish on a dry bank and get the vulnerable outer skin damaged.

All together this trip has been pretty wonderful. The sun, the scenery, the fishing and the food made this trip more than I bargained for.

I really need to get a new camera before my next trip. The iPhone takes great pictures that's for sure but I don't like the idea of using it on the water without some kind of security (there is no way to attach a wrist strap by the way) to prevent me from dropping it in the water.

Update 4 May 2012:

I bought the Sony HX9V. Since it does capture FullHD movies in 50p, this camera does the job for a very nice price now it is succeeded by new models (same sensor) with only minor improvements (16Mp vs 18Mp). I can't wait to see the improved quality this little camera will capture, it is said to be amazing.

Update 7 May 2012:
I found on eBay a wrist strap accessory for the iPhone.

Update Jan 2013:
Here's a wrist strap for both iPhone 4(S) and iPhone 5. The price is an ouch...

Here's a short video I managed to compile from the few footages I shot.

Ps.
30th of April is a Dutch national holiday called Queen's Day.

Going ultralight

When I was wondering what to do this year, I was looking for a different approach. I've fished bamboo only and graphite only. Why not go ultralight for a change?

So my next trip I'll be bringing along my aged (most of them more than 25 years old) but so delightful ultralight rods like the Tippet and Ultrafine.

These rods from Orvis are simply magic. Although full flexing, they are no whimpy rods. They will cast a double bead head nymph rig without any problem. But boy, these rods are a lot fun to fish. It's often mistaken that light rods can't handle big fish. It's pretty amazing how fast one can play a fish ready to be landed.

Looking for a new camera - part II

So I am looking for a new camera. I have been lately focusing on the Sony NEX-5N, then all the sudden I was wondering what's wrong with a compact camera? I mean they are a lot easier to carry around, especially when you're fishing.

The possibilities won't be as extended as a camera with changeable lenses and the smaller lens won't capture low light conditions as well, but hey, there's a lot to like a compact camera. Get one and you're done! No need to get additional lenses.

Well, the compact camera's sure have evolved the past years. In bright conditions they take DSLR quality pictures. Take a look at the Sony HX9V with a 16.2 megapixel(!) with a 24-384 mm (16x) zoom lens.

I was really amazed that these little buggers are now able to capture video in Full 1080p HD in 50fps! The HX9V is now succeeded by the Sony HX10V, HX20V and HX30V with a 18.2 megapixel sensor.

Correction:

I thought (as read in several reviews) that the HX9V is only is able to capture FullHD movies in 50i but this little bugger will capture FullHD in 50p! You will need an extreme fast SD memory card to ensure the 28mb/s data stream will be saved correctly.

Here's an amazing footage of what the HX9V is capable of. It's a point-and-shoot camera for gawds sake! Hmm... now what?




AVCHD is a format for movie video's that's becoming more popular with videocams and digital camera's. AVCHD isn't recognized by Apple's iMovie 9 and older (iMovie 11 does) or Final Cut Pro 7 and older (successor Final Cut X does). But here's a solution to cope with this problem.

Tiemco's J-Stream rods

Tiemco doesn't only make hooks and tying tools, they also make some very nice light rods. Yesterday I took a look at the J-Stream 8.8ft #4. This 4 piece rod has a delightful medium action that cast a very delicate line yet has enough power to deliver the fly at 40 feet.

There are several models from this series, ranging from a 8ft #2 to the 8.8ft #4 I casted yesterday afternoon. I really like the cosmetics of this rod: nice small cigar grip that matches the light weight fishing and finished with a full cork reel seat with ring and cup.

Let's talk about proportions on rods:
Almost all productions rods, especially the more affordable brands, on the market have horrible proportions. Just have a look at their light line weight (#2-4) rods. They all have HUGE grips with HUGE reel seats. The same grip & reel seats they use on their #5-6 rods. It looks like Paris Hilton: a lady with shoe size 10...

Here's a nice video on the J-Stream. It looks like the gentleman in this video is the rod designer responsible for the J-Stream rod series. I really enjoyed the effort how the gentleman tries to catch the tiny trout hiding in the undercut bank.

Tiemco is serious about fly rods as we see they asked the famous rod builder Mario Wojnicki to build a series of fiberglass rods for Tiemco. Wojnicki is a master in fiberglass and bamboo rods. His rods are considered gems in both workmanship and performance.

At almost $1300 a piece the Tiemco-Wojnicki rods are serious money. Glass rods from Wojnicki himself starts around $1000 and might be considered even slightly more 'affordable'!



Here's also a nice video about the Wojnicki rod made for Tiemco: