Trajan Weaver send me an email and noted, There is a scene (the final shot of an older man fishing, tying a fly on the end of his line) in “A River Runs Through It.” Would you show me, step by step, how he was tying on the fly? I would much appreciate it. The […]
Here’s one fine pair of nippers! These are not your momma’s nippers, and they’re not your daddy’s nippers. These are decidedly the Humvee of the nipper world. Abel has always built superb products and these beasts are no exception. There’s heft, there’s superior nipping power, there great looks, there a needle to clean the hook […]
I received this email from Youngki Min: “I bought a rod weighs around 2.9 ounce and it is 9 foot 6 wt rod. Do you think that I need to get reel that balances the rod? People do not agree about this issue. Among reels designed for 6 wt, their physical weights of reels seem vary. Some […]
I think the Blood Knot was so named because most people sweat blood when trying to tie it. Actually this knot isn’t hard to learn, and it’s a great connection between pieces of mono. The Blood Knot is thinner in diameter than a Surgeon’s Knot and hangs up less in weeds. But if there’s more […]
OK, so you really don’t like the regular Clinch and need to tie the Improved Clinch. But before you do, the question is why does there need to be an Improved Clinch? Well (1) for those that insist on pulling the short end of the tippet, the improved Clinch will work. (2) When the wire […]
Sorry I’ve been out of the loop for a few days. I’ve been occupied with any number of items that have drained my time like a mechanic draining old motor oil–in fact, I’ve felt a bit like that old motor oil that’s being drained. But, here’s a knot that is so misused that it gets […]
These are also known as micro-rings because they are indeed micro. They’re called tippet rings because they are attached to the end of the leader body (butt section plus tapered section) as an attachment point for the tippet. OK, how micro is micro? Well, they come in 2 mm and 3 mm sizes (that’s about […]
My great friend, maniac fishing companion, composer, luthier, guitar player, and etc. has been making knives for many years, but has never had the opportunity to delve into it as more than a very part-time hobby. He is now making custom knives in a serious way. When I say serious, I don’t mean that John […]
The Surgeon’s knot is one of the “must know” knots for the fly fisher, It is immensely useful; so useful that it is used on every trip and usually several times a day on every trip. See the page showing the detail for tying the Surgeon’s Knot using the rope kits–which also see.
In several instances at the shows this year, I’ve mentioned the use of rope kits to help learn knots faster and easier. And every time, people have asked me where to get them or how to make them, etc. They’re easy to make, either singly or en masse. I’ve put up a page to show […]