Fishing is in—at least in places where the night temperatures are not dropping to -40! Theo Bakelaar sent a great photo of a big rainbow that he took in a large Holland lake. The fish were exhibiting pre-spawn jumping activity, and it took an orange fly with a bead head—check out the fish’s mouth. Those of us in the more frigid parts of the world are awaiting our spring steelhead season—tying orange, pink, scarlet red, chartreuse eggs and other bright imitations for the coming season.

Not only big, but beautiful.

I have friends that help me to search for and find the latest in fly tying and fly fishing. Henry Kanemoto sent me a URL to the Dubspeed. It’s a great tool that I saw at the 2013 EWF in March in Munich. I had forgotten about it (where are those show notes??). It is great tool, especially for those who have not had much experience with dubbing/spinning loops. The Dubspeed is a great tool that will fit any vise.

The Dubspeed will be a great help for those who are not experienced with spinning dubbing, fur, hair, feathers, and other materials.

Just prior to the International Fly Tying Symposium last November (23-24, 2013), Theo Bakelaar had an opportunity to fish with his Tenkara equipment on a private stream in Pennsylvania. The water holds some exceptional fish, and Theo was able to connect with a very fat, 9-pound rainbow, using a beetle imitation fished on his 4-meter (13 feet) Tenkara rod. The line was a couple of feet longer than the rod, and Theo was able to present the fly accurately and obviously effectively. And the fight was on.

With a fixed line length, one must run briskly to follow a running fish, but the very flexible, long rod softens the fish’s head shakes and sudden moves, and after 8 minutes, Theo has his prize on the bank for photos and then back into the water it went. This is the largest trout I have yet heard of being taken on Tenkara.

Casting a Tenkara stick is no different than casting with any fly rod. Theo’s showing them his beetle imitation.

Fish on!. The big bow was a bit uncertain at first, and rolled and struggled against the delicate tension of the long, soft rod.

Time to run. Panic sets in for both fish and angler, forcing Theo to run after the bolting rainbow.

Mmmm, tasty Tenkara rod–especially the fish slime on the handle. Look at the size of that rainbow!

My old friend, Darwin Atkin, died on January 7, 2014, and a young age of 76. Upon graduation from college, he worked for the University of California Riverside as a research associate for the Botany and Plant Sciences Department. Darwin was a life-time member of the Federation of Fly Fishers (FFF), and received both the Buz Buszek Fly Tying Award and the Charlie Brooks Memorial Award from them. The FFF also honored him as the Man of the Year in 1996. In addition, he received the FFF’s highest award, The Order of the Lapis Lazuli in 1998. There were other awards given to him over the years, but I never saw him so happy as when he showed me a photo of his newly build fly tying “shop” out back—he was like a little kid with a new bike, or better yet a pony! His tying skills were always exceptional, and I know that everyone will miss his demonstrations and gentle, warm personality at the FFF conclaves. For more go here.

Darwin Atkin 1937-2014

I first saw this brush-parachute hackle winding style in “Entomologie fur Dliegenfischer” by Walter Reisinger, Ernst Bauerfeind, and Erhard Loidl (2010). It’s a very easily executed tactic, similar to the umbrella hackle technique developed by Tatsuhiro Saido. The brush-parachute technique is useful in many more ways than the umbrella style, however.

T.H.E. Fly (Tilted Hackle Emerger) is a great way to both practice and utilize this hackling tactic.

Step 1. Tie in the tail (a fan tail is used here), dub on the abdomen, and tie in a loop of yarn at the thorax. Keep the loop of a length that is easily lifted with the index finger of the material hand.

Step 2. Tie in a hackle at the thorax. In this case the hackle is one size smaller than would be used for a hackle dry fly–this suggests the shorter wing of the emerging adult.

Step 3. Wind the hackle up the looped post, holding the post tightly upright with your index finger. Wind counterclockwise and use the middle finger and thumb of your material hand to wind the hackle around the back side of the post.

Step 4. Wind the hackle up the post for a distance equal to the length of the thorax. Then, wind it back down, tie it off, clip away the excess, and dub on the thorax.

Step 5.  Stroke the hackle fibers rearward and pull the post tightly over the top of the thorax. Tie off and finish the head. Clip the post to leave a short stub. Cement the stub and head.

    Yesterday, January 9, 2014 was the third and final day of the, fifth annual “Jake Jordan Invitational, Sailfish Fly Challenge.” This year we have five two angler teams, entered in this three day event, which was held here at The Casa Vieja Lodge, in Guatemala on January 7, 8, and 9, 2014.

The five teams in this event raised a total of 149 sailfish and 4 marlin, They got bites from 78 sailfish and 4 marlin, and caught and released 35 sailfish and 2 marlin in this three day event. Remember that all of these fish are caught according to IGFA rules, using 20 pound or lighter class tippet.

By the way the scoring in this tournament is based on 100 points for a sailfish which have the leader wound inside of the rod tip, along with an extra 50 points for removing the fly and hooks without breaking the 20 pound class tippet before releasing the sailfish. Also any marlin caught in this tournament counts for 500 points. During this event, the great anglers and crews here have removed the fly and hooks from 31 of the 35 sailfish caught for a close to 90 percent ratio, an amazing feat.

Sailfish fairly released with the leader in the rod were worth 150 pouts. marlin were worth 500 points.

January 7, 2014 was the first day of the, fifth annual “Jake Jordan Invitational, Sailfish Fly Challenge” fly fishing Tournament. This year we have five two angler teams, entered in this three day event, which is held at The Casa Vieja Lodge, in Guatemala. Fishing for this first day of the tournament was slow for Guatemala standards, it took a while before the boats found the fish. The Sailfish were not real aggressive so our catch ratio was not as good as in previous years. On Day one we raised a total of 71 Sailfish and 3 Striped Marlin. The anglers got bites from 34 Sailfish and 3 Striped Marlin, and the five teams caught and released 12 sailfish and 2 Striped Marlin on this first day. Remember that all of these fish were caught according to IGFA Rules while using 20 pound or lighter class tippet.

A happy team with a sail that put them in the running.

One thing you will most certainly get is jump after jum,p from sails and marlin.

Often the jumps are very close, giving the angler a very good look at what will be happening over the next half hour, 

The yellowfish is a cyprinid, a member of the minnow family (Cyprinidae). It’s feeding activities and selective nature, however, are very similar to trout. In addition it is a spooky fish that is a strong fighter when hooked. These habits make it an excellent fly rod species, and my friends in South Africa pursue it with delight. Recently Jay Smit, designer and builder of the JVise had an opportunity to get out and pursue yellowfish with his friend David Weaver and son-and-law, Andy. And although the weather was a bit nasty, they managed to find a few cooperative fish. Any questions about why they’re called yellowfish?.

Yellowfish can get up to about 20 pounds. This nice fish is a boot on the pale side, more a light yellowish.

Now that’s a yellowish, Jay. Anyone recognize that standard flyfishing weather?

Seele Fly Rods will offer premier quality fly rods handmade in Pennsylvania, USA.

Bellwood, Pennsylvania, USA-December 2, 2013–Mauri Fly Fishing’s Michael Mauri and McFarland Rod Company’s Mike McFarland today announced that they will team up to form a new rod company. Seele Fly Rods (pronounced zay-luh) will be based in Bellwood, Pennsylvania and will feature a complete blank rolling and rod production facility, a factory store, showroom, and an outdoor casting pond. All phases of rod production will be completed in house.

Seele, which is German for “soul,” not only reflects Mauri’s German heritage, but also shows how passionate both he and McFarland are about the rods they design and build.  Seele will offer high-end graphite and fiberglass fly rods, including Spey and switch rods, through a limited number of quality fly tackle dealers worldwide.  All Seele rods will feature hand turned grips (no pre-forms) made of true flor grade cork rings, Snake Brand or Recoil guides, custom designed reel seats made by Joel Lemke, highly figured wood inserts or the company’s signature glass fiber reel seat, and according to Mauri, “the best finish work in the industry.”

Seele will offer fly rods for any fishing situation from tiny Pennsylvania brook trout streams to the Gaula River in Norway to the tarpon flats of the Florida Keys.  The rod line up will include the Tailwind Series priced at $645, the Emerger Series priced at $765, the Zeitlos glass rods priced at $685, and Spey and switch rods priced at $795-$1095.

McFarland, who is internationally known for his fiberglass and soft action trout rods stated, “I’m excited to team up with Mauri. He shares my passion for rod design and will add a lot to the company, especially with the Spey and switch rod designs.”

McFarland and Mauri have been working together for the past 9 months to develop a new composite technology that will be the foundation of the company’s graphite rods. This development, known as TruTech, is reported to significantly increase rod performance and durability. “We are not willing to reveal any details on the process,” says Mauri, “but the results are impressive. This isn’t just marketing hype. It will be a true benefit to fly fishers. For example, these are the first Spey rods I have fished that didn’t develop stress cracks at the ferrules.”

Both Mauri and McFarland are serious fisherman and accomplished tournament casters. Both have won the Hardy Cup casting competition, McFarland in 2012 and Mauri in 2013. McFarland says, “I think that by combining talents, Michael and I will be able to offer something truly unique; fly rods with Seele.”

Quality fly tackle dealers are encouraged to contact the company at info@seeleflyrods.com to discuss dealership opportunities.

Mike (left) and Michael make a great team to design rods and run the company.

A Seele fiberglass rod. These rods have excellent smooth casting action. The reel seat is made from the same S glass as the blank.

This exceptional rod was built by Jason to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of his performance as the Shadow Caster in Robert Redford’s “A River Runs Through It.” But this is way more than just another fly rod put together to celebrate some memorable event in the modern history of fly fishing. This is a fishing rod, and then some. Jason’s philosophy of rod design reflects more than a desire to just build “another fly rod.” It reflects his life philosophy as well.

“Although I am perhaps known as a caster first and foremost, my rod design philosophy is tempered by the entirety of my fly-fishing life, as well as my background in the arts. To me, a fly rod is a companion on a journey comprised of angling moments. Each moment is the culmination of many actions, and I want my fly rod to feel as if it is an extension of those actions, not an anonymous stick wiggling somewhere in the middle of it all. I use my fly rod as a tool, yes, but a tool that I want to talk to me, a tool that I want to expresses me, a tool that I want to have beauty and style within a beautiful art-sport.”

“I don’t mean to anthropomorphize fly rods, but if they don’t make me feel as if they have character and can communicate with me, what’s the point of my bothering with all that is required to make them?”

And when Jason talks about bothering with all that’s required to make them, he is not talking about endless consultations with a professional designer; he is the professional designer. He specifies everything about the rod, from the mandrel taper to the modulus of the graphite cloth used in each section of the rod, to the cut of the pattern, to the color of the rod, its finish, the manufacturer of the guides, their size and placement on the rod, thread wrap color, the details of the custom reel seat, the shape and size of the cork handle, and the rod sock and tube. He even personally writes the special Haiku, rod number, and owner’s name on rod. Every detail has come under his very careful and demanding, hands-on scrutiny.

I am honored to own 01 of 20 in this series. The SC20 is truly a fisherman’s fly rod. It is extremely smooth to cast and exceptionally strong. It is also as thin as a pencil—this is a 5/6-weight we’re talking about, not a 3-weight. I have been accused more than once of pushing the limits and “torture testing” my equipment, but if a 9 foot 5/6-weight, 4 piece graphite rod is meant to be used on bright sunny days for small fish that don’t fight hard, then it’s not for me. So, I told Jason I would “break in” my SC20 on big fish. They test a rod. And that’s what I did. The first fish that I caught was on SC20-01 was a 14 pound 11 ounce female brown trout. This was the fist time I had fished the rod, and I was amazed at its accuracy and buttery feel as it punched out a size 6 Hair Leg Wooly Worm and 3/0 split shot. On the take, the rod pulled the hook home with ease and held the big brown firmly as I wrestled it to hand. Not satisfied with one big fish to initiate the rod to a lifetime of catching big fish, I then took an 11 pound male brown and a 13 pound male coho salmon with the rod. It delivered the same easy casting and powerful handling of the fish. I am absolutely delighted with Jason’s SC20, and I promise to give it a great life of extreme use.

Expect a black-onyx blank, chromed guides and keeper, black-onyx wraps with bright silver accents, a custom-made reverse half-Wells handle, and a laser-engraved nickel-silver reel seat with stabilized burl insert. A matching, laser-engraved and numbered rod tube with cloth sack is also part of the package.

If you’d like to own one of these exceptional, very limited edition rods, contact Jason here.

The SC20 is pencil thin. Jason personalizes the rod with his 5/7/5 Haiku : “Under a big sky/ Shadow cast in a rhythm/ Perfect memories. Certainly that’s the way this rod started for me.

The rod starts with a custom laser emblem on the butt of the reel seat.

The uplocking reel seat has a custom wood insert and jewel-like fittings.

The handle of highest grade cork is built on the rod one ring at time, and handle turned to shape.

The guides are wrapped with black thread tipped with silver. The coating is very precisely applied epoxy.

The running guides are “Snake Brand” snake guides made in the US to highly exacting specifications.

Jason personalizes each rod with the owner’s name and the rod number.

The high quality cloth sock is fitted to the rod and helps keep it dry and cozy.

The rod tube is not just another aluminum tube. Its textured finish makes it easy to grip when removing or inserting the rod.

Jason has paid attention to every detail. Even the cap on the rod tube is laser engraved with the rod’s name and number.

This is the first fish I caught on the SC20. Note how thin the rod looks next to this 14 pound 11 ounce female brown.

Not to let the SC20 rest on its laurels, I took this 11 pound male brown as fish number two.

Fish three on the SC20 was this 13 pound male coho. It took the fly hard and fought with true sincerity. Even so, the SC20 handled it with ease.