Happy herring

We like our herring here 😀
Just add onions...

Thread: Danville Flat wax nylon color gray
Wing: strands of white, light grey, dark gray synthetic fibers
Head: white and dark gray deer hair
Hook: Ahrex Light Stinger size #2

Tip: try to keep a smooth transition from head to wing

Santa is early this year!

Deer hair mouse

After a long period away from my vise (vice?) I tied a deer hair mouse for someone special.
It's always great fun tying with deer hair.

I'm using Danville Flat Wax nylon here.
Danville Flymaster Plus is another thread I have been
using for many years for tying deer hair flies.

A couple of different coloured deer hair stacked for some nice effects

The body is ready to be shaped with razor blade and scissors

Body is shaped and the ears are tied in.
Now spin the head and add whiskers (moose body) between the first
and second bunch of hair

Using two pieces of paper to separate the whiskers preventing
these from trimmed while shaping the head

What a mess!...

The coloured stacks on the back

Another rodent is ready to conquer the world! 😃

Whiting dry fly hackle lines

Tom Whiting explains what the three dry fly hackle lines* from Whiting Farms are and how they historically derived from the original sources.

* Whiting (red label), Hebert Miner (green label) and High & Dry (light blue label)

Surprise from Japan

A friend of mine in Japan sent me three TMC bobbin holders in three different sizes! 😲

Thank you Tsutomu!

Almost tying season

My two paintings of my Humpy, one by Gavin Erwin (SA) and the other by Ryan Keene (USA).
Guess it's almost tying season?...

Q&A with Chris Barclay

Okay I've come up with an idea to interview some of the memorable people I've met in fly fishing, both online as well as offline. Rather than a true interview I decided to keep it simple by asking a few Q&A's.

---

Our first guest is Chris Barclay. I've got several rods from Chris and I'm afraid my collection will keep growing as long as Chris keeps designing & building amazing rods.

1) Q: To how many countries have you shipped your rods to? What's the most unexpected destination?

"Looking at a world map the best I can tell is 33 countries. Most unexpected? I'd say Russia or Indonesia."

2) Q: Do you have a rod builder you look up to, get inspiration from his work?

"Yes I have several rod builders I gain inspiration from. Modern: Kazutomo Ijuin is top of the list for being a stylistic and taper inspiration as well as being a good friend. I'm also inspired by Paul Young's ideas."

3) Q: You've built rods from graphite, fiberglass and bamboo blanks. Are you going into bamboo making in the future?

"At this point I have no plans to start making bamboo rods. I have made a few bamboo rods in the past but do not have the tooling available to me anymore. I love the handwork, care and thoughtfulness that goes into it but honestly prefer fishing fiberglass to any other material. One reason is the practicality of time. I'd rather go fishing than build a rod. And I feel it would be difficult for me, in this stage of the game, to change gears and make a living building bamboo rods. Maybe when/if I 'retire' 😃."

4) Q: In rod building a lot of the marketing has to do with the rod builder's style. What do you consider your style and how difficult was it to develop your style?

"When I started building rods, my biggest inspiration was the original Orvis Superfine graphite and bamboo rods. Most of the blanks wrapped with medium brown Gudebrod size A nylon thread. They had a simple cork and dual ring reel seat. Simple elegance and classic beauty. Many of the bamboo rods I was inspired by were very similar especially the ones built by Paul Young in the 1950's.

Since then, I have wanted the styling of the build to not overbear the casting and fishing characteristics of the rod itself. I do appreciate beauty and artistry that go into more complicated rods and love how other builders do a lot of aesthetic flourishes (and often refer clients to other builders if they would like that style) but I find that I prefer to use the blank itself as the center of beauty.

I have moved from mainly doing cork reel seats to using specific species of wood. I still make cork seats on request but prefer the durability of wood. Most of the time I use camphor wood. I love the look of it when finished as it's unique and usually subtle. But I also love the smell when turning it, and when removing it from the tube to fish. It reminds me of my grandmother and mother who are primarily responsible for teaching me how to fish - the frequent use of camphor oil based Mentholatum and it's smell reminds me of them. I can't think of a better way to honor them than thinking of them whenever I fish and build rods.

Wood is also beautiful and can hold meaning for me as well as my clients. For instance, this past year I found some wood in my stash from when I lived in Nacogdoches, TX. In 1995 I was working an odd job helping to renovate an old bowling alley and was able to take home a few slabs of hard maple that were no longer needed. I ended up building a rod for a good friend who was actually born in Nacogdoches and his parents enjoyed going to the bowling before and after he was born. I used a beautiful piece of that birdseye bowling alley maple as the centerpiece of his rod.

Another attribute of my fly rods is that I prefer to make them with clear guide wraps and dark guides for contrast. I like to use accent wraps like amber, olive green, red or brown at the ferrules most of the time tying in the colors of the wood seat or the colors of the intended quarry, tiptop and grip. I also like to do a small trim wrap at the 10" and 12" points with my signature and rod info in between those. I like the contrasting accent wraps at the ferrules to help them stand out when taking apart and assembling the rod.

So, I prefer to build in a classic and understated style with a few personal touches, most of the time they are subtle and nearly always practical."

5) Q: What kind of fishing or destination are in your top three bucket list?

"As far as places to fish, top of my list is Japan to fish for Yamame, Iwana, and Amago. I have several friends there and would love to with with them for those fish.

Then there's Golden Trout in their native range in California.
It's hard for me to think of a third specifically, but I'd love to fish Europe small streams for native trout there. I'd also like to fish for all the known cutthroat species in and around the Rockies here in the US."

6) Q: One development I have seen the past years is the acceptance and even popularity of the ventilated grips. Why is this? And do you see any new grip types or shapes coming into the game?

"That's a tough one. I've seen the popularity/acceptance of ventilated grips with the increased popularity of parabolic tapers I guess. I think it is possibly because of people using rods with them and discovering the advantages a vented grip gives - better sense of timing primarily.

I honestly have no clue if there is anything new coming up. It seems like most 'new' things are basically repeats of things that were done in the past."

7) Q: Do you see new developments in fiberglass that will rock the world (within the fiberglass world that is) in the future?

"I don't know of anything specifically but I do believe the fiberglass materials we use will continue to improve and also be more available to the rod making world."

Thank you Chris!


Update 28 Sep 2019:
A short addition to the answer from question number 6.
Chris once explained the difference between a progressive and parabolic action:

"The way I begin to explain the primary difference between a para rod and a progressive rod is where the blank wants to bend initially.

A para rod begins to bend above the grip and then move out toward the tip. The weight of the blank itself helps to transfer the power and the more muscle the caster puts into the rod the harder it is to cast. This makes it a more intuitive and artistic rod to cast with a generally shorter stroke. 

People refer to the 'hinge' effect in a para rod. That's when too much power is applied and the blank gives up. Progressive rods give up too, especially when the tip is overpowered and collapses. 

Now for the important part... Do they FISH? Both paras and progressive rods fish. There are well done designs of each flavor. And people will disagree and try to argue that one is better than the other. They will fish dries, wets, big bushy flies, tiny flies, cast in wind and calm, distance and short range. You can adjust your casting stroke, line, leader, power application, etc. and do the exact same thing with each flavor of rod."

A progressive rod begins to bend at the tip and then works its way down toward the butt section. Increasing in power until the power is exhausted (you can push it until it can't take it any more)."

Here's a an elaborate history of the parabolic action by the Australian bamboo maker Nick Taransky. The flex diagram is very helpful.

Update 10 Oct 2019:
Here's a look at Chris' day at the office.

My other Q&A's:
1) Q&A with Chris Barclay
2) Q&A with George Minculete

3) Q&A with Edoardo Scapin

4) Q&A with Hoagy Carmichael

5) Q&A with Jorge Trucco

6) Q&A with Per Brandin

7) Q&A with Jack Dennis

8) Q&A with Charles Jardine

9) Q&A with Christopher Rownes

10) Q&A with Leon Hanson

11) Q&A with Joe Messinger Jr.

12) Q&A with Mike Valla

13) Q&A with Larry Kenney

Catskill Homage by Edoardo Scapin

Edoardo Scapin is an Italian bamboo maker, although building bamboo rods for more than 25 years, I discovered only a few years ago. It was his classy video that caught my eyes. Unlike many European bamboo makers, Scapin's rods have a vey nice balance of the looks of classic American rods and more contemporary European details.

Recently Edoardo generously offered to send me one of his demo rods for a review. The rod he sent was his Catskill Homage, an 8ft #3 rod in two pieces. While most of the rods he makes are for 4 to 6 weight lines, this light and long rod caught my attention. Rather than using classic tapers by famous rod makers of the past Edoardo designed all of his models and tapers himself. Designing long and light rods require dedication and lots of R&D. Scapin describes this rod as "... my tribute to Catskill Ideal rod for ultra-light fishing. It’s dedicated to advanced casters who want to fish trouts and graylings with a very sophisticated rod".

The first thing I noticed is the straw color and especially the dramatic swell just above the grip, similar to the individualist series by Thomas & Thomas. The wraps on the rod are translucent giving the rod an elegant and clean appearance. The varnish applied has a very glass-like look. As some might know by now, I am very picky about grips. This rod comes with a 5.5 inch cigar type grip, a length that matches the size of the rod very nicely. The reel seat has a very nice burled olive wood and a very 'statuesque' bright cap and ring made by Scapin himself.

On my scale the solid built rod weighs 4.1 oz, slightly heavier than the similar hollow built rod by Cris Carpenter I've tried in the past. The rod has a positive progressive action that's on the fast side of medium-fast. The dramatic swell certainly adds to the power in the butt section (a 'swelled butt' stops the bending of the rod past the swell allowing the action to be 'beefed up'). Scapin says about this rod's taper: "The rod has a fine tip, but I like to have a little firmly but section with good reserve of Power. I don't like too parabolic action".

I tried several lines on the rod. Rated as a 3 weight rod, with several 3 weight lines (Sage Quiet Taper II DT3, Orvis Hydros WF3 and 406 DT3) due to the strong action I felt the rod casts best after about 25 feet. I would use this rod if I need to fish at longer distances with long leaders and small flies (nymph or dry fly), especially in the 30 - 50 ft range.

After changing to 4 weight line (Orvis Hydros WF4 and a Sage Performace Taper II WF4) the rod really came alive, now also at short casting distances (15-20 ft). I even tried a 5 weight line (Hook & Hackle WF5) and thanks to the strong butt section the rod handled it without a problem. Swapping back and forth I liked the rod best with a 4 weight line as I could feel the rod load and unload more pronouncedly.

The swelled butt is clearly visible

After casting several times this rod puts a smile on my face. The slightly heavy mass of the solid build construction doesn't really interfere with the smooth medium-fast action. In my opinion the Catskill Homage would be an excellent spring creek rod with dry flies like on the Armstrong spring creek or the slow moving low land streams like the Konge Å in Denmark. For easy traveling a three piece version of the Catskill Homage would be wonderful.

A final note about the taper: my preference would be a slightly softer butt section and maybe a slightly shorter length (7.9 ft vs 8 ft) as this will soften the whole rod's action a bit too.

Thank you Edoardo for your generosity and friendship! Hope to visit you one day and cast more rods from your hands.


Update 21 Sep 2019:
Here's a nice interview with Edoardo. The influence of the famous American bamboo makers of the past is very evident.

Update 10 Oct 2019:
Here's Edoardo talking about his passion.

Graphite quad rod

I noticed news about this company called Tate making a graphite rod in a rectangular form almost a year ago but haven't seen any news since.

This company say they got their inspiration from Bill Edwards, the originator of the quad construction bamboo fly rods from the 1930's.

Not sure if the company is still up & running?...













Update Nov 9, 2019:
Shane Gray of Graywolf rods said he worked for Tate shortly in 2018 and built rods. The rods he built sure look amazing!

School time memory lane

I heard this symphony when I was at primary school 40 years ago during music class. I never got to remember what this symphony was called, except it was a Mozart. The violins never left my memory. Until today I heard it only once briefly in all those years. Today I found out what this symphony is called: Divertimento for string K136.

Now I need a 40 year old rod?... 😂

7 knots

Spanish Pyrenees

Just back from a short trip to the Spanish Pyrenees with my friend Nico of Yamame Fly Rods.
Amazing scenery, very tasty food, great friendship and beautiful streams.
However even early July seems to be too hot (30 - 35 C /  90 - 95 F) for good fishing as the streams warmed up too much.
We'll be back another time when it's a bit cooler.

Mario Wojnicki

The past 20 years or so reading, casting and discussing about bamboo fly rods I have become a fan of Mario Wojnicki. Mario makes bamboo as well as fiberglass fly rods and he is by many considered, together with Per Brandin, as the most highly regarded rod maker.

Mario started with restoring bamboo rods in his San Fransisco tackle shop during the late 1980's. Early 1990 he started making his own bamboo and fiberglass fly rods where he shared a workshop space together with Per Brandin. Mario's collaboration with Scott in the early 1990's resulted in a range of highly sought after bamboo rods under the Scott brand. Ever since this successful collaboration with a bamboo maker Scott has continued working together with other bamboo rod makers selling bamboo rods under the Scott label.

After living and working in California for several decades, a few years ago Mario moved to France. This made calling Mario a lot easier. We have had several interesting discussions on the phone. I hope to travel to France in the future and meet Mario one day soon.

Wojnicki rods have a very distinctive look that I like very much. The most recognisable part is his signature grip commonly called the 'peckerhead grip' together with the wooden reel seat with reel rings and a small extension butt. His signature cigar grip is a thing of beauty too. Other details that Wojnicki rods stand out are the medium to dark flaming, glass-like varnish and the clean (almost minimalistic) finish. His bamboo rods are built in the traditional hex (six strips) as well as penta (five strips) configuration. The so called 'semi-parabolic' action that Mario designs for both his fiberglass and bamboo rods are highly regarded by many. Not surprisingly Mario quickly gained a very loyal following especially in Japan but certainly also in the USA and continue to do so.

Trying out different high quality fiberglass and bamboo rods is not an easy task out here in Europe. There aren't many people in my proximity owning a collection of high quality rods. The past couple of years I had the honour rods sent in for me to try from amazing rod builders like Cris Carpenter, Bjarne Fries and Chris Barclay. The opportunity to try out several rods from Mario Wojnicki rods is certainly one of the highlights.

Mario sent me two rods to review. The first rod is a five piece 7.5ft 3 weight fiberglass rod. Being a five piece rod, makes it a great rod for packing and hiking to high Alpine streams and lakes. The rod has the famous peckerhead grip (still wrapped in paper). The finish is exquisite as to be expected from Mario.

Although the rod is rated as a 3 weight, it felt a bit light to me with a 3 weight line (Sage Quiet Taper II DT3). The rod came alive after about 25-30 ft of line. I swapped the reel with a 4 weight line and the rod loaded significantly easier on shorter distances. With the 4 weight line I could cast nice tight loops and the rod surprised me with some serious back bone able to cast 60 ft without problems.

The second rod is a bamboo 8ft three piece for a 5 weight. The bamboo rod (his personal rod) Mario sent me is his 245 GF model (GF stands for 'glass ferrule'). This hex rod has a lighter straw coloured finish rather than the more typical dark chocolate brown flamed finish that's common to Mario's bamboo rods. The grip also has the peckerhead grip finished with the typical wooden spacer, two reel rings and a mini fighting butt. This rod also has Mario's proprietary glass ferrules.

This rod is quite unique as it has two different mid sections and three different tips that are interchangeable allowing the rod to have different personalities. Fine tip and mid section for fine tippets and small flies or a stronger and faster action for bigger flies, longer range and windy conditions.

This bamboo rod is like having several different rods in one. The different mid and tip sections took some time to figure out which configuration I liked best. My initial preference was the faster mid section giving the rod a more progressive action. The three tips are rated from 'soft' to 'strong'. If I had to pick one out, it would be the lightest (with the ‘L’ code on the numbering) tip. With this tip I could cast (Orvis Hydros WF5) short lines (like 10-15 ft of line) just off the tip up to 60+ feet using the power of the stronger mid and butt section. The ability to change the rod's character is certainly a unique asset of this rod.

I would like to conclude my impression of the rod with the glass ferrules on this bamboo rod. The ease of putting the sections together and the seemingly continuation of the action is impressive. If I would order a new bamboo rod from Mario it would be with glass ferrules.

Thank you Mario for your generosity and friendship!

Review: Barclay's Jackpot

Along the years Chris Barclay has become a good friend because of our love for fiberglass rods. Besides owning several of his rods we also like to discuss about little details on rod building (grips are my favourite!), type of action and fishing with very light fiberglass rods.

Recently Chris sent me one of his heavier line weight rod from his Synthesis rod series he calls the 'Jackpot' for me to review. On his website he says what he had in mind when he designed this rod :
"A 7’7” 7wt 3 piece rod I call the Jackpot. A bass rod I designed to pull big fish out of heavy cover. Suitable for fishing mangroves, salt ready"

At 7.7ft length the rod is quite a bit shorter than most heavier line weight rods resulting in a very light rod. When casting it exerts very low swing weight compared to 9 ft rods. I don't have a 7 weight line on hand so I tried the rod using a 6 weight and 8 weight line. Fiberglass rods generally have a wide 'line weight range' and when casting both lines the rod felt very natural like it was made for it. Obviously with the 6 weight line the rod felt a bit faster than with the 8 weight line. It's remarkable how delicate the rod delivers the line when slowing down the casting stroke.

This rod has some serious, yet smooth, power without feeling stiff. I wanted to see how it would handle a wind resistant fly so I tied on a 3 inch deer hair fur strip muddler on the 8 weight line. In spite of the shorter length of the rod I had no problem keeping the line high when false casting by generating ample line speed. With just a few back casts the rod delivers 80+ feet with ease. The rod still had reserve left but that's not what this rod is meant for. As Chris describes it's for casting under branches for a big bad large mouth bass or a snook in the mangroves. Being so light yet powerful I bet it's a ton of fun. I don't see such a trip in the foreseeable future for me yet but I know which rod I'll be bringing along.

The slightly sanded blank has this classic amber color and butt-over-tip style ferrules. The rod can be custom ordered with any type of grip shape (even with an Eva grip!), reel seat and configuration of guide wrap color or type of guides. The rod comes with an aluminum tube with a nice brass cap. All the blanks of the Synthesis rod series are designed by Chris and made by Mike McFarland.

Thanks Chris for the opportunity to try this rod.

Here's a video on tying an easy leader for fishing deer hair bugs:

Marvellous Tuscany

Tuscany is a popular destination for its marvellous architecture, art, historic cities and glowing hills. We spent a week in Lucca. On family vacations I usually don’t bring my fishing gear but this vacation I was allowed. For this trip the rod of choice was the 70p, the fiberglass rod Chris Barclay built for me recently. The rod being ultra portable came in handy when flying with minimal fishing gear.

Before the trip I got in touch with the Italian bamboo maker Moreno Borriero and we agreed on a morning fishing together. It seems the area has had a lot of rain the previous months. The raining stopped about a week before we arrived allowing the amount of water getting back to fishable conditions. Earlier in the week we had a drink together and Moreno advised me to fish later in the week. Unfortunately Moreno had a fishing trip planned to England. However his friend Tiziano was happy to help.

Weather was gorgeous, scenery amazing, wild browns and stream that mesmerises. Due to the heat, we fished until around 1 PM. By the way, the algae on the rocks are damn slippery! I brought my rubber soled wading boots with studs and it barely held the grip. Felt soles are so much better gripping. I'll bring those next time.

We enjoyed our stay in Tuscany a lot. We'll be back soon.

A short clip shot by Tiziano on the Lima:




Drone footage I shot of the amazing medieval 'devil's bridge' called the Ponte della Maddalena near the town of Bagni di Lucca: