Do you own a copy?

I brought my copy sometime around 1999 and read it from cover to cover, which for me took a month, wagging school was a sport for me. My main reason for buying a copy was because my good friends Cam Sigler & his son Cam Sigler Junior each had a page on the fly pattern that they each had developed.
Cam Senior was mentored in his early years as a fly fishermen by the great Joe Brooks. So it’s not a surprise to read that the greatest popping sailfish fly ever was created by Cam Senior and of course our Jelly Bean we use for longtail tuna came from Cam Junior’s candlefish.

These 2 patterns are great examples of what’s in this great book. Every time you read this very sophisticated book you’ll discover little gems of info you missed last time.
Let me share a little gem that I discovered last time I flicked through the pages. You’ve all heard of Dan Blanton and of his famous flies! If not check out his website... Click Here

We’ve all heard of and used his Whistlers, Sar-mul-macs & Punches. You can buy commercially tied versions or tie them yourself. It’s only when you dissect his tying patterns that you start to see the only way to get a true version is to tie one yourself. These patterns are quiet easy to tie but to tie them properly is time consuming and therefore cannot be replicated commercially as proper Blanton Flies would be far to expensive.
Let me try and explain, most flies really lack action and if you can make that fly dance a little more, more fish will eat it. 
While copying the patterns in this book I discovered that Dan Blanton’s Patterns have also addressed this challenge of creating more action in a fly to make it more effective. It’s only when you fish them that you discover why it’s built that way. Dan’s Whistlers for example have a tail of bucktail for buoyancy, (Bucktail is honey combed internally and therefore holds air) and wraps of .035 lead for weight on the nose. The bucktail lifts the tail and aids the weight to make the fly head dip easier and quicker.


Japanese Lure Makers have long known that you can make anything have action just by placing the Buoyancy & weight in different places.
Pretty amazing stuff, but in case you already know this here is one more gem from this great book, that’s it though …..after this you gotta get your own copy……
Did you know there’s a clump of bucktail in between the saddle hackles of his Sar-mul-mac?


Dan doesn’t tell you why it’s there it’s only when you tie it and swim it that the penny drops. Once again he adds spooled lead to the nose and a clump of bucktail to help lift the tail of the fly and aid in the head dip just like in his Whistlers, and here’s the best bit ……on the strip the feathers slim down and on the pause the head dips and the saddle hackles puff out as they are pushed out by the clump of bucktail. It looks absolutely amazing and you just know it’ll get eaten.
This is only 2 of the things I have got out of this book! There’s heaps more informative & interesting stuff but remember the Greats don’t tell you why they just tell you it works and it’s up to us to see for ourselves and learn. Reading this great book is like being tutored by the best fly tiers in the world.
Your library won’t be complete without a copy and we only have 1 left. So be quick.

See you out there!!

Gavin

Recently there have been quite a few articles written in various Fly Fishing magazines about constructing your own simple leaders. One thing that has been missing from every one of them is detailed description of how to tie the different knots that have been suggested to tie these leaders.

Generally, three knots are the most common knots suggested to tie your own leaders. These are the Blood knot, the Double Surgeons knot and the Nail knot. The Nail knot is often overlooked because of the 3 it is the only knot that requires a tool to be tied well consistently. I personally think that once you have mastered the tool this actually becomes a benefit as the knot is much faster to tie and seats correctly, becoming a much safer and stronger connection!

When you compare the 3 finished knots, I feel the nail knot has distinct advantages over the other 2 mentioned. Firstly the end result is much neater and smaller in diameter, allowing the knot to pass freely through your guides. Once the knot has been seated the tags can be trimmed virtually to the knot, leaving no tag end to foul on guides or floating weed and debris. If you do prefer to leave a small tag on your knots, again the Nail knot comes out on top. Unlike the other 2 knots which have tag ends that protrude from the knot in the case of a blood knot in particular at nearly 90 degrees, the Nail knot’s tags lie flush with the main line. Lastly connections between two lines of different breaking strain become more and more difficult to seat properly as the difference in breaking strain increases when using either the blood or the Surgeon’s knot. The Nail knot on the other hand is able to connect two lines of vastly different breaking strains quite easily.

Tying the Nail Knot:

For the sake of demonstration I have used to different coloured braids. This knot can be tied in all sizes of mono and Fluoro-carbon leader material. It is a great knot to increase the life span of knotless tapered leaders, I have witnessed on many occasions perfectly good tapered leaders being discarded because the 3 feet of tippet section had come to an end. Using the Nail knot and a spool of the corresponding breaking strain tippet material a tapered leader can last all season.

1.Take both tag ends of your chosen leader material and pin them between your thumb and forefinger so that the tags are even in length.

2.Hold the nail knot tool in your dominant hand

3.Most nail knot tools have an recess (shown above) or flat bridge where the two pieces of mono are trapped under your thumb.

4.Place the tag end of yellow piece of mono into the groove in tool and then standing line of the pink mono. Trap the both pieces of mono with your thumb. You should now have the tag end of yellow mono and the standing line of the pink mono extending out of the front of the tool.

5.Using your other hand wind the tag end under the main line and around the tool. Do this 3 or 4 times trapping the tag with your dominant hand's forefinger each time you wind to keep tension on the wraps.

6.Once the wraps are completed pass the tag end through the groove of the tool, under the wraps you have just created.

7.Make sure the wraps are snugged up tightly and then pull sharply to transfer the wraps from the tool to the mainline.

8.The wraps should still be lying neatly side by side with no wraps riding over each other.

9.Turn the two line around, trapping the knot you just created in the recess. You should now have the tag end of the pink mono and the standing line of the yellow mono extending out of the front of the tool. Remember to always insert the tag into the groove first, then the standing line.

10.Repeat the same process as before using the pink tag. Make 3 or 4 wraps.

11.Pass the tag under the wraps.

12.Snug up the wraps and then pull sharply to transfer the wraps to the mainline.

13.Make sure the wraps are correctly seated.

14.You will now have to identical knots on your standing lines.

15.Moisten the knots before seating them together.

16.Pull on both standing lines to seat the 2 knots together. Pull on the tags while the standing lines are under tension to make sure the wraps have seated. I have found that you will feel the line slip slightly when it seats fully.

17.Once you are happy that the knots are seated, trim the tags

18.The completed knot. This is a very neat connection that is very strong!

There is nothing quite like having a knot tied in front of you to get all the little intricate details perfected. So if you are keen to learn this great knot pop on down to Tie 'n' Fly Outfitters or your nearest fly shop and ask for a demo.

Keep it bent!

Derek

by Derek Barker

Have you ever been in the middle of a hot bite and had your fly line snapped or a loop torn off?

Did you have the necessary gear to quickly stick on a new loop to save the day?

Is cleaning your fly lines part of your regular maintenance of your fly gear? When we all seem to be so obsessed with just how far we can cast, had you realized just how much a dirty fly line handicaps your casting?

Here is an excellent painting by artist Rod McArter that captures Longtail Tuna in a feeding frenzy on Frog Mouth Pilchard close to shore.

I like it because it’s an exciting representation of what one can only imagine is actually taking place under the water when these predators are on the chew.

If by chance you target Longtails then you’ll surely know about that great feeling when a trophy fish speeds towards your fly.

Rod has been a long time keen fly fishing friend and artist that sells his paintings internationally so when he approached me with his many drawings and concepts about doing a series of authentic paintings designed specifically for sport fishers, I was delighted to give him my assistance and advice.

Rod has put together a limited edition print on canvas of this special painting, entitled “Long Tail Tuna on the Chew”, so if you’re interested in hanging one on your Mother-In-Laws wall, just give us a call or order via the shopping cart.

- Capt Gavin Platz -  

Gavin with the artist, Rod McArter, showing the original oil painting.