; March 2013 | ex-ex angler

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Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Beginning Fly Tying for Saltwater

i wish someone had written this post before i started fly tying.  it would have saved me a ton of time and money.  i stumbled upon a post at Flytying New and Old that outlined the materials needed for a beginner to start tying flies.  i think this is an excellent, and much needed, post.  however, i do think it was focused more on freshwater/stillwater flies than saltwater.  here is my own list of what a beginner would need for saltwater fly tying...particularly inshore flies for the NE.

one general thought about color choice.  as Lefty Kreh says, "If it ain't chartreuse it ain't no use."  you also might hear the saying, "it can be any color as long as it is chartreuse."  that being said, the main colors used other than chartreuse are: white, olive, gray, tan, pink, black, red, and light blue.  but as a beginner, and if you are trying to save money, just buy chartreuse and white.

disclaimer:  by no means is this list comprehensive.  i've placed an * next to the items that i believe are necessary.  if you have any questions, or if you want some tying help, or even want to know some tricks to save money, feel free to email me.  good luck and stay salty!

Tying Tools:


Tying Materials:
  • bucktail* (chartreuse, white, olive)  -  used in common flies such as clousers and deceivers
  • pearl krystal flash*
  • pearl flashabou*
  • saddle hackle* (white)
  • marabou (white, chartreuse, olive)
  • synthetics*  -  super hair, ultra hair, EP fiber, etc...although congo hair is cheap, relatively
  • polar fiber (white, olive, tan)
  • bunny strips (white, chartreuse, olive)
  • peacock herl*
  • polyester rug yarn (beige/tan, olive, brown)  -  for crab flies
  • dumbbell eyes* - brass in different sizes (black, nickel)
  • beadchain - (black, silver)
  • braid* (pearl)
  • estaz (pearl, chartreuse)
  • deer belly hair (white, chartreuse, olive)
  • craft foam  -  for tying poppers and crease flies
if i've forgotten anything on this list, let me know.

XXA

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Man Love

if there was anyone in the entire fishing world (fresh/salt or conventional/fly) that i would have a man love for, it would be John Skinner.  sure, i could have man crushes on guys like Jose Wejebe (RIP), Lefty Kreh, Bill Dance, and all the guys at Skinny Water Culture, but not man love.

John is the author of "Fishing the Bucktail, Mastering Bucktails from Surf and Boat", creator of FishersLog, and is a blitz of information.  (you gotta love a guy who creates software to analyze his fishing).  i had seen many references to John at Surfcaster's Journal, and i think even Zeno has a man crush on him.  i've never met John, but i would love to fish with him.  i'm sure my angling skills would quadruple in a matter of hours.



as some of you might remember (highly unlikely), that one of my 2013 goals is to catch my first fluke this year.  i'm all for catching stripers, blues, and albies, on the fly, but when my wifey says to bring home dinner...

i was doing countless hours of researching on the internet, and couldn't find what i was looking for.  and then...i stumbled on John Skinner's YouTube channel.    GOOOOOAAAALL!!!!

not only did he present the information that i was looking for, he freakin' just caught fish after fish.  and to top it off, he uploaded an underwater video showing the technique and the effectiveness.  what the whhaaaa???

all that being said, the reason why he is at the top of my list is because he seems like such the "salt of the earth" type of guy.  totally genuine, and just loves fishing.  nothing more.    check out his book, YouTube channel, etc....you won't regret it.