Recent comments

Submitted by Rod Hart on

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Martin,
Rods and Reels are expensive for one reason only, once upon a time when only extremely rich people fly fished on waters stolen from the common man they alone kept the price high to keep the peasants away. With the advent of lotteries and big wins, peasants grouping together and buying out the rich man things started to change and small firms started to produce rich mans toys at common mans prices. Three or Four firms who produced rods and reels like Sage and Hardy knew that mankind in general are vain mainly, the rich and idle and a few commoners so they kept their prices high to achieve a select clientell who would carry the word about these firms and their excellent rods and reels hoping to get into the back door of the common mans clubs and win over the common man to seeing things their way, thereby keeping the costs of fly fishing high and inflated.
My collection of seven rods consists of Reddinton RS3, Greys, Sharpes of Aberdeen, La Cie, Vision and Abu, Reels are mainly Greys and Vision Koma's these do me nicely and I can cast just as far with a £245:00 rod and a £65:00 reel as most people I know who use Sage and Hardy Rods and Reels. Fish caught Trout only, I do as well as the best and a lot better than the average. Salmon I do not touch the reason for this is simple for each rod caught salmon taken last season were it was allowed, cost the average fool £3900:00 per fish here in the UK, the vain are paying more and more and the rich are still robbing them. Please keep these little things going Martin, they help me to raise a laugh and a chukle, making fly fishing that much more enjoyable. Re the max power remark on comparison of a cheap chinese made bicycle hub and a machined fly reel, investigate chap it is amazing where some of the expensive rod blanks and reels are manufactered. Before being polished and engraved and tarted up and appearing on tackle shop shelves to be snapped up by vain people who put their trust in a name and not their ability. Martin, Thank You again this site never ceases to amaze me.

Submitted by charles weiss on

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Wow! This is an a wonderful piece of art. The BULL TROUT is another super looking artwork!

Submitted by charle weiss on

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This is another amazing piece of artwork. The Lake Trout is great looking sportfish!

Alexander,

The zonker strips I used were very common rabbit zonker strips. I bought them precut (I usually cut my own) and the width and hair lengths was perfect for this purpose. I even have the empty package in front of me as I write this, and even though it has no brand name, It comes from Danish The Fly Company where it's listed as catalog number "0049-03 - 3mm S-cut Black Rabbit".

But it's nothing special and very much like any rabbit zonker strips you'd be able to find in almost any flyshop.

Martin

Submitted by 1737246333 on

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Hello Martin,
I have a problem with the fur that is needed for the Zonker. I have Racoon and Foxtails. The hair is as long as my small fingers. Such Zonkers made wet, look like a Banana and not as thin as the Zonkers of your ZonkerWorm. Did you cut the hair short? Or what is the secret of its thinness?
Thanks for a good idea
Alexander
Freiberg

hi to all simple and easy tiers.
I made my first dry and wet flies with nothing but a hook a thread and a feather( 1980). so called bottle brush flies Dry flies I optimized with a cigarette letting the feather be twisted a bit. This increase the contact on the water. Then I saw an article in a fishing paper. For flies only a hook was needed and some monafilement. Nothing else. The fishing line was used to build up the body, the legs and the wings. The knods were used and integrated to shape the fly. All I remember is that such flies were made and used long ago in Spain. Does anyone of you knows anything of such flies?
Alexander
Freiberg

Submitted by robert w jordan on

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Bob ,, Bob Jordan i have been trying to contact you for a bit now and have been unable too do so ,,also have been trying to order from your site no go ,i do use paypal,I do hope your ok ,,so Bob please let me know if i can order some router bits from you please Bob Jordan ,,

I fish this pattern for cod, and do so regularly from a belly boat on a sinking line.
Cod are not picky when it comes to flies, and this pattern is easy to tie and easy to cast.

Martin

Submitted by Juan J. Serra … on

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Great imitations Martin! I am tying some shrimps for the caribbean waters and this article is perfect.

Submitted by charles weiss on

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This is the brightest and most colourful fish art I've ever seen!

Submitted by Chris Martin on

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Nice write-up Martin. I've been using a very similar foam pattern on the coasts of Amager (Copenhagen) with amazing effectiveness! The surface takes with this pattern tend to be quite subtle, but the sub-surface takes are often quite ferocious indeed! Not a fly to show-off but definitely one to have in your evening box.

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