This week marks the fourth week since I’ve been pretty much locked up at home, safe and sound. I’m doing well overall, probably losing some weight due to not drinking any beer or hitting any fast food joints. Those seem to go together and always help pack on the pounds. I haven’t really started working…
Category: tips
Firehole Number One. A New Fly for Friday.
We made it to another Friday. Unfortunately this pandemic mess is still here and doesn’t look like it will be going anywhere anytime soon. Bummer because the weather has changed and fly fishing is on my mind. Imagine that. I talked to my Dad this morning to check in and see how he is doing….
Another Day. Another Dumbshit.
Unfortunately that is where we are today. I’m not a real political person – and keep mine to myself, but this guy is plain ridiculous. I won’t even give him the pleasure of seeing his name in print on here. How anyone thinks he’s handling our current situation professionally and with dignity is a moron….
Caddis Pupa
A new pattern I’m working on posted over here. Enjoy! ~Drifter07
Troutrageous! + Tenkara Angler
A quick plug for Michael Agneta’s blogs. If you haven’t checked them out, go do it. Very cool content and newsletter that he provides. I’m partial to the TA logo – as I worked on it for Michael a while ago and I’m very proud of the results. Looks so darn good! Thanks Mike! You…
Day 11 Quarantine Update
Today marks the 11th day of self-isolation for the most part. Other than the horrific news clippings and incompetent POTUS or POS – I’ve tried to keep busy and hope for the best. My food supply should be good for another week or so. I dread knowing I may have to make a grocery run in…
Fly Collection
It turns out some people are showing interest in my collection of flies and how I store those little treasures. I started collecting from others and putting them into little bottles with cork stoppers. I add a small cardstock label with their name and other info. All get stored in a cigar box that sits…
Quarantine Update: Day 10
This morning I was up before my alarm by a half hour. So at 4:30 am instead of trying to fall back to sleep, I put on some coffee, let the dog out into the darkness and started the day. Screw it. I’m gonna make the most of the day. I hit the tying bench…
Angler Spotlight: Oliver Edwards
I’ve been a big fan of Oliver Edwards. I remember stumbling onto one of his YouTube videos a few years ago and was instantly hooked. He had a unique way of demonstrating patterns and techniques – with wit and history sprinkled in. The history part is what I really enjoy. And seeing materials that I’m…
Crazy Coronavirus Catastrophe Causing Chaos
So as we all are aware – we are in the midst of something so horrible right now. A pandemic that is world-wide. A pandemic that is tearing families apart. A pandemic that is killing people. It is like living a movie. And I think it is scary as hell. I’m on day 8 of…
Parasol Nymph
Working on a parasol nymph pattern. Enjoy. ~Drifter07
Mom’s Midge
Yesterday would have been my Mom’s birthday, so I decided to come up with a fly in her memory. I call it Mom’s Midge and it a very simple tie. I used a glass bead on a size #14 scud hook because I think the bend is sexy. Tie in some mallard for a small…
2 Material Challenge
I decided to do a little fly tying challenge by seeing what I could create using only a few items wrapped on a hook. In this case it was mallard/wood duck and thread. And I think it really opened my eyes to the possibilities of what can be done with feathers. It forced me to…
The Founding Flies Project
A while ago I started reading through my copy of how to tie the founding flies. So I’m back at that, and decided to start at the beginning of the book and tie each fly showcased. The goal is tie at least one that looks half decent that I can eventually put in a shadowbox…
Experimenting with Glitter Thread
I picked up some glitter thread at the local Field & Stream store to see how it might work. Turns out, it looks kinda cool and creates some neat bodies. I bought it in their olive color and tied up a few bugs as a test run. The results are below. What do you think?…
Morning Rituals
We all have things we do religiously first thing in the morning. Tops on my list is waking up (to usually two set alarms on my phone) and letting Glacier out. Then coffee is brewed as I get organized for the day. Usually this happens by 7 am. From there I hit the vise to…
Nick’s Fly Shop Now Open
Well, not quite. But I did pick up this sweet watchmaker’s cabinet from my friends over at Salvaged PGH. They recently sourced a bunch of these things and man, are they cool. Each tray has a bunch of little paper boxes that once held watch parts. Perfect place to store fly patterns as you tie…
New Tricks for an Old Dog
I am pretty set in my ways. I like black coffee. I like IC Light beer. Not necessary in that order, but I stick to what I know. As for fly tying, I prefer natural materials most of the time. I like standard hooks. I use a handful of thread colors. I like to keep…
A Heck of a Pattern
I’ve had the pleasure of having Mike Heck guide me and some buddies on central PA waters. I was reading through my copy of his Spring Creek Strategies book and came across one of his patterns – that Drifter Pete McCartney says slays ’em! (He tends to get pumped up.) So I thought I’d give…
LL Bean Spring Fishing Event
Well this year’s session has come and gone – and I’m chalking it up as a success. We had many fly tiers crowded around the tables, feathers flying and knowledge being shared among the group. I think everyone ended up learning new techniques, patterns and tricks. I had the opportunity to show some folks some…
Tying Tip: Thread Control
If you’re like me, your thread and wire spools are a mess. The tag ends are loose and you are too lazy to wrap them tightly, find that little groove in the spool and insert the thread for next time. Maybe not. Well I stumbled upon a site that has one solution to this challenge….
Brushes with Brookies & Beer 