Saturday is always a wild and crazy day at the shows, as people pack the isles and fill the seminar rooms. I did a casting class in the morning, followed by a casting demonstration, a nymphing program, and a fly tying session. I tied a series of Down and Dirty leeches and Down and Dirty Minnows, great fun. During the busy day I saw my long-time friends Wayne and Donna Luellen. We’ve spent time together at a variety of shows over the years and travelled to Norway to speak, demonstrate, and teach fly fishing and fly tying. Wayne is a superb tyer whose imitations are works of art. Great to see you two again!

Wayne and Donna--yes, she fishes, too.

There’s always the author’s booth at the shows, too. It gives me and other authors a specific place and time where and when we can sign books and answer questions that fly fishers may have. AK Best and I headed the call of the camera–hey, Ed, Ed Engle, they want to take our picture.

Ak Best, GB, and Ed Engle. hangin' out at the Author's Booth.

Ed was busy talking to an interested fly fisher when we took the first photo, so we got another.

Ah, there you are, Ed.

And of course, the Fly Fishing Show wouldn’t be the Show it is without my old pal, Chuck Furimsky. We’ve known each other for many years, and I’ve watched his shows grow from their nascent start at Seven Springs in Pennsylvania to a set of nationally acclaimed events.

Chuck Furimsky (left) chatting with an attendee at the Pleasanton Show.

But, the Shows just wouldn’t be the Shows without Chuck’s wife, Janet. She not only helps keep Chuck organized, but uses her extensive skills in just about every aspect of the day-to-day operations of the Show.

Janet, working tirelessly at keeping the front desk organized and running smoothly.

The Fly Fishing Show in Pleasanton, CA, started with a bang, the bang as the gate was thrown open and the crowd tore through. Within a few minutes the aisles were filled with people busily talking and looking into every booth.

The crowd was into the show in a heartbeat

One of the booths that drew much attention was just inside the front door. And no wonder. It was filled with beautifully mounted fish—until one looked just a bit closer and realized that there were the wonderfully crafted leather fish by my friend Lance Marshall Boen. You’ve never seen anything exactly like this. He does a wide variety of natural leather sculptures as well as those colored to match the naturals. Look carefully and note the relief impressions on the bodies of some of the sculptures.

Lance (on the left) showing his leather fish to a potential client.

Fish on fish, some leather trout.

Of course one of the reasons that I so enjoy coming to the shows is the chance to meet some old friends. “Stew” Stewart is a fly tying buddy of many years, and it’s always fun to watch him, and the other tyers, as they ply their craft. I always pick up a hint here, a tip there, perhaps a new use of an old material or the use of a new material in an exciting news design.

Stew Stewert tying one of his highly effective imitations.

And then, there’s always the chance to talk with other fly fishers and fly casters from different parts of the nation and around the world. This is my friend, Michael Mauri, from Germany, doing a casting demonstration with both single-handed rod and a Spey rods. Michael is a superb caster and highly effective teacher who enjoys what he does nearly as much as does the crowd. Plenty of laughs, and at the same time a plethora of great casting instruction. We not only share a love of fly casting and fly fishing, but a love of fall-off-the-bone, barbeque ribs.

My friend Michael Mauri from Germany is not only a superb caster but a great teacher that really has fun with the crowd. Like that snappy chartreuse rod? It's all the rage in Europe (only kidding).

I will be traveling to Pleasanton, CA, tomorrow (2/25/10) to speak at the Fly Fishing Show. I will demonstrate some of the Down and Dirty Leech design concepts, do some fly casting demos and give some slide presentations. I will be available to sign books, answer questions, and just BS if you’d like. The show is held at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. Click on the Fly Fishing Show link to the right and go to the Pleasanton page to get directions and show details.

The Down and Dirty Leech design, which can also be modified into minnows, sculpins, steelhead and salmon designs, tarpon flies, bass lures, and so on, has many variations in the way in which materials can be applied to the hook. One way is a layering technique that divides the fly into distinct layers of color, one immediately following the other. Another technique blends the colors so that they are fully mixed on the hook. Both of these are extremely useful in designing the appropriate imitations for the needs at hand. I’ve posted two new pages, the “Down and Dirty Leech—Layered,” and the “Down and Dirty Leech—Blended.” Have a look.

Very often in my designs I use a loop of thread to spin custom chenilles of deer hair, dubbing, furs, soft hair, and other materials. It is critical that a loop be formed that is closed tightly at the top. This is an easy maneuver once you see it done. I’ve added a page to show how to build the loop because I plan to add more pages showing flies designed with the spinning loop. The first of these is the Down and Dirty Leech–have a look.

Flies that work are good flies regardless of their complexity. In fact, my goal in fly designing has been to reduce flies to the absolute minimum essential features in order to determine those features that trigger the fish’s feeding response. In the process I have developed a series of Down and Dirty flies that are ultra minimalistic and still highly effective. One that I use all the time is the Down and Dirty Leech which can also be the Down and Dirty Minnow, Down and Dirty Popsicle, and several other permutations. I have put up a page showing the Down and Dirty Leech (because it’s tied in black). There are some notes on making into a minnow. In the future, I will add more pages on variations that are fast and easy to make. Watch for them.

This came in today’s email, and I wanted everyone to see these great photos.

Mr. Borger,

I met you at the fly show in Somerset a few years ago and enjoyed your seminars greatly. You talked with my husband Shawn and I, and I expressed my love for naturals as well. I just wanted to share with you where that passion has led us. Please take a moment if you would like and look at the aquatic insect fly fishing website we created: brookebrownstudios.com

If you know of anyone else who would enjoy this feel free to pass on the link.

Thanks for your time,

Brooke Brown

Here’s a sample of Brooke’s great copyrighted work.

The Hendrickson mayfly--photo by Brooke Brown.

The shoulder is the fulcrum of the cast, not the elbow and not the wrist, although they are involved. That is to say that the arm swings at the shoulder during the casting stroke. And that is precisely what it does. The casting stroke is exactly like a simple arm swinging motion. In fact, if one merely bends the arm at the elbow until the forearm is parallel to the ground and then swings the arm at the shoulder (as one might when running), it’s the perfect casting movement. Look at the two drawings below by Jason Borger and note the arm positions–especially note the elbow positions– during the casting stroke.

Jason and I produced a DVD for the Federation of Fly Fishers showing the 15 Most Common Casting Errors. To purchase a copy from the FFF, go to 15 MCCE.

The Back Cast. Note the starting position of the forearm parallel to the ground. The arm is lifted back and up until the hand is a high as the side of the head. The forearm now points straight up.

The Forward Cast. On the forward stroke, the arm moves back down and forward as the elbow swings back. Note the position of the upper arm, elbow, and forearm, here shown at the end of the stroke.

The weekend of February 26-28 I will be a the Fly Fishing Show in Pleasanton, CA. To check out the demos, presentations, and classes that I and others will offer at the Show go to the Fly Fishing Show Pleasanton CA.

Underwater Oz, my friend Ozzie Ozefovich, has released his new DVD on the Trout’s Window, and it’s  a “must see” for every fly fisher because it clearly details the physical aspects of the trout’s window and the peception of thee angler by the trout. “Trout Vision and Refraction” is now available on his website www.underwateroz.com for $24.95 plus shipping.