A short clip about sightfishing for Yellowfish at Sterkfontein dam in South Africa.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Gremlins at work?
OK, not quite the blogging Gremlins, but rather me and my clumsy fingers. I accidentally managed to delete all the people on my blog list yesterday. After slaving away in front of the computer the whole night (15min) I think that I have found all of you and have hopefully got everyone back. If you don't see yourself there on the right please let me know.
Where the Gremlins did strike however is in my Google profile. It seems that when I follow a new Blog or leave a comment I have become an "anonymous" and that lovely picture of me has disappeared into the unknown. I am hoping that this will be resolved soon, though at this stage I don't know how.
Hope to have the regular schedule back soon.
Where the Gremlins did strike however is in my Google profile. It seems that when I follow a new Blog or leave a comment I have become an "anonymous" and that lovely picture of me has disappeared into the unknown. I am hoping that this will be resolved soon, though at this stage I don't know how.
If you see the below person following you then it might be me.
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| Might be an improvement? |
Hope to have the regular schedule back soon.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Snowshoe Caddis
MATERIALS
HOOK: Partridge Klinkhammer
HOT SPOT: Hends Body Quill
BODY: Hends Body Quill
WING: Snowshoe Rabbit Foot
POST: Foam Cylinder
THORAX: Hare's Ear Dubbing
Step 1
Wind the Body Quill around the hook to form your hot spot.
Step 2
Tie down the Body Quill with the second colour of Body Quill that you are going to use for the body of the fly.
Step 3
Form the body of your fly. Make sure you form a nice taper. Attache your thread to the hook eye and tie down the Body Quill. Cut of the excess.
Step 4
Tie in the snowshoe rabbit hair just like you would tie in Elk hair for a Elk hair caddis. Snip of the excess towards the hook eye.
Step 5
Tie in your foam post
Step 6
Spin some dubbing around your thread and form the thorax and legs. Whip finish and trim the foam post.
Fly from below
From the front
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
A ball of fur comes to life...
It was a fairly innocent remark. "Get on the vise and make some...." he said. Well I got on the vice and made one.
Armed with lots of rabbit fur, some deer hair, a book on tying deer hair bugs and the Warm Water Journal open in the background, I told the wife to get out the vacuum cleaner and keep the first aid kit ready.
It did not start of well. The first few clumps of deer hair ended up on the floor and I was getting worried. Once the first clump was successfully tied on however, things started to look a little brighter, and I was starting to spin hair like a pro. (Well, not quite)
Tying on the fins proved to be a challenge, but soon even they were ready to flap in the water just like the real thing. Once all the material was on, my wife started to rev the motor on the vacuum cleaner and I was ready to start trimming my creation so that it actually resembles something else than a ball of fur. Now from previous experiences with deer hair, I know that I tend to trim too much. After the first few times tying Bass bugs, I realized that you should probably keep some of those materials that you have spun onto the hook, well . . . on the hook.
After the first few snips, I also learned another valuable lesson. Switch of the air conditioner that is blowing hurricane strength cold wind on you. Those finely clipped hair does look pretty fluttering in the wind though.
I snipped away carefully and slowly my ball of fur started to resemble something. I also quickly realized that my bug had some super sized fins on it. I am hoping that they will shrink when wet.
At the end it didn't turn out all that bad (that is my opinion and I'm sticking to it). The vacuum cleaner had a serious workout and luckily the first aid kit stayed closed. Those who know me will be aware that my flies always end up with some red "gill marks"when I start playing around with razor blades.
Armed with lots of rabbit fur, some deer hair, a book on tying deer hair bugs and the Warm Water Journal open in the background, I told the wife to get out the vacuum cleaner and keep the first aid kit ready.
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| Come prepared is my motto |
It did not start of well. The first few clumps of deer hair ended up on the floor and I was getting worried. Once the first clump was successfully tied on however, things started to look a little brighter, and I was starting to spin hair like a pro. (Well, not quite)
Tying on the fins proved to be a challenge, but soon even they were ready to flap in the water just like the real thing. Once all the material was on, my wife started to rev the motor on the vacuum cleaner and I was ready to start trimming my creation so that it actually resembles something else than a ball of fur. Now from previous experiences with deer hair, I know that I tend to trim too much. After the first few times tying Bass bugs, I realized that you should probably keep some of those materials that you have spun onto the hook, well . . . on the hook.
After the first few snips, I also learned another valuable lesson. Switch of the air conditioner that is blowing hurricane strength cold wind on you. Those finely clipped hair does look pretty fluttering in the wind though.
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| Quote from wife "Just look at that pretty face" |
At the end it didn't turn out all that bad (that is my opinion and I'm sticking to it). The vacuum cleaner had a serious workout and luckily the first aid kit stayed closed. Those who know me will be aware that my flies always end up with some red "gill marks"when I start playing around with razor blades.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Ed Herbst Hopper
I was browsing through Tom Sutcliffe's site the other day and he has an excellent tutorial on tying the Ed Herbst hopper. This is a great little pattern for any stream and works quite well on still waters as well. My rendition isn't quite a neat as either Ed's or Tom's but they certainly do the trick.
Have a look on Tom's site, The Spirit of Fly Fishing, for the Step by step. While there check out the rest of Tom's site for some other patterns and some stunning photography..
Have a look on Tom's site, The Spirit of Fly Fishing, for the Step by step. While there check out the rest of Tom's site for some other patterns and some stunning photography..
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Klinkhammer and CDC Dry Fly variation
Another little dry fly that I have had some good success with is this Klinkhammer and CDC variation. I normally use it on a long 6x or 7x leader in clear slow flowing pools.
MATERIALS
HOOK: Partride Xtreme Klinkhammer hook or Grip14723BL
BODY: Black Hends Body Quill and DMC 4012 thread twisted together
HACKLE: Black hackle and CDC Fibres
THORAX: Peacock hearl
POST: Fl. Red Antron
Friday, January 14, 2011
Friday Fun
Some random Friday fun.
Ever wondered how you can fly fish for Gators?
1. Look for a rise
2. Tie on a suitable imitation (a pissed mate will do)
3. Check your knots
4. Lay out a perfect cast
5. Don't strike to early.
With some luck your mate will leave a added chum line on the back cast to give you a second go.
This guy is a riot.
Ever wondered how you can fly fish for Gators?
1. Look for a rise
2. Tie on a suitable imitation (a pissed mate will do)
3. Check your knots
4. Lay out a perfect cast
5. Don't strike to early.
With some luck your mate will leave a added chum line on the back cast to give you a second go.
This guy is a riot.
Monday, January 10, 2011
Tim Holschlag Fishing for Smallmouth Bass in South Africa
Tim Holschlag recently visited South Africa to do some Smallmouth Bass fishing. Check out his site to see what he had to say.
Smallmouth Bass Safari - South African Angling Adventure by Tim Holschlag
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| From Smallmouth Fly Angler |
Sunday, January 9, 2011
CDC and Elk hair Caddis
I spend a quick hour this morning tying some CDC and Elk flies to top up my fly box. I discovered on my last outing that I was out of these and seeing that it is one of my favorite dry flies, I needed to make some more. They are quick to tie and only use two materials.
A quick Step by step by the creator, Hans Weilenmann, can be found on Danica.com.
A quick Step by step by the creator, Hans Weilenmann, can be found on Danica.com.
MATERIALS
HOOK: Grip 11011BL
BODY: CDC Feather
WING: Elk or Deer hair
A variation on the theme is this darker version that has some dyed Squirrel tail fibers added to the Elk hair, as well as a Florescent red antron post to spot it better on the water. The squirrel fibers gives it lots of added movement on the water and lately this darker fly has become my go to pattern when looking for something to tie on.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Don't want to leave the house when going fishing?
Do what this guy did. Just remember to watch that back cast.
A Chinese farmer dug a 50ft hole inside his house to go fishing. Li Huiyan, of Chongqing, hired 30 villagers for six months to dig the hole in his kitchen, reports IC Media.
Li Huiyan, of Chongqing, hired 30 villagers for six months to dig the hole in his kitchen.He wanted to reach an underground river which he suspected was full of fish. The river had been over ground but had disappeared 30 years ago when the local authorities bombed part of a mountain to pave a road.
Li explained: “The river used to have so many fish, and by simply putting a net there, hundreds of fish would be caught.”
After digging his pit down to the river, Li installed a fishing net across it and regularly hauls out fish, so far earning his family nearly £2,000. “I sell the fish at a wholesale price of 24 yuan (£2.15p) per kilo, but 36 yuan (£3.20p) per kilo for retail,” he said. Li built ladders from his kitchen to the river 16 metres below, and each day he has to go down to check the harvest.
A Chinese farmer dug a 50ft hole inside his house to go fishing. Li Huiyan, of Chongqing, hired 30 villagers for six months to dig the hole in his kitchen, reports IC Media.
Li Huiyan, of Chongqing, hired 30 villagers for six months to dig the hole in his kitchen.He wanted to reach an underground river which he suspected was full of fish. The river had been over ground but had disappeared 30 years ago when the local authorities bombed part of a mountain to pave a road.
Li explained: “The river used to have so many fish, and by simply putting a net there, hundreds of fish would be caught.”
After digging his pit down to the river, Li installed a fishing net across it and regularly hauls out fish, so far earning his family nearly £2,000. “I sell the fish at a wholesale price of 24 yuan (£2.15p) per kilo, but 36 yuan (£3.20p) per kilo for retail,” he said. Li built ladders from his kitchen to the river 16 metres below, and each day he has to go down to check the harvest.
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
New Sean Mills DVD's
I recently had the opportunity to have a sneak preview at two of Sean Mills' new DVD's. The first one is "Fly Fishing for Bass and Bluegill in South Africa"
This new DVD take a different format that Sean's previous DVD's as this one is in a HTML format and is interactive. It opens in your browser and you browse through it just like you would on a web page.
In the DVD Sean covers all aspects of fishing for Bass and Bluegill in South Africa from when to fish, where to fish, the various techniques used, flies,correct knots to use right through to identifying the different species of bass.
There is a good section on fly tying step by step patterns and some awsome pictures of bass and bluegill.
If ever there was anything that you needed to know about fishing for bass and bluegill in South Africa then you don't need to look any further than this DVD.
Fly Fishing for Bass and Bluegill in South Africa will be available soon through Sean' site SGM PRODUCTIONS, my Bid or Buy shop or Fly shops near you.
The second DVD is "An advanced guide to fly fishing Cape Streams"
This DVD takes the same format as the previous bass and Bluegill DVD, with the added bonus of having some great video clips thrown in.
The section about Trout Food has some awesome macro pictures about all the life stages of the various insects that you will find on the Cape streams and you will even find some underwater video footage of the insects.
Once again Sean covers all aspects of fishing the Cape Streams, from the correct clothing and tackle needed, insects that can be found and imitated right down to the correct knots to use.
The DVD is extremely well laid out. While reading about soft hackle flies for example you can click on a tab that will take you to a movie showing you how to fish them or another on how to tie them.
Sean covers all aspects of Cape stream fishing and teaches you how to fish and tie all the various flies from Nymphs, streamers, dry flies to Soft hackles. In the process you will find out what the real insects look like and how to imitate them. You will find out when the seasons are, how to fish the different water levels during the season, the anatomy of the streams, how to get to the streams and much much more.
As usual Sean's underwater pictures are brilliant and I can recommend this DVD to anyone that wants to learn more about fly fishing the Cape streams whether you are a novice or an expert.
An advanced guide to fly fishing Cape Streams will be available soon through Sean' site SGM PRODUCTIONS, my Bid or Buy shop or Fly shops near you.
In the DVD Sean covers all aspects of fishing for Bass and Bluegill in South Africa from when to fish, where to fish, the various techniques used, flies,correct knots to use right through to identifying the different species of bass.
There is a good section on fly tying step by step patterns and some awsome pictures of bass and bluegill.
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| Screen shot from the DVD |
 | ||||
| Sean has some great underwater shots of bass |
If ever there was anything that you needed to know about fishing for bass and bluegill in South Africa then you don't need to look any further than this DVD.
Fly Fishing for Bass and Bluegill in South Africa will be available soon through Sean' site SGM PRODUCTIONS, my Bid or Buy shop or Fly shops near you.
The second DVD is "An advanced guide to fly fishing Cape Streams"
This DVD takes the same format as the previous bass and Bluegill DVD, with the added bonus of having some great video clips thrown in.
 | |||
| Screen shot from the DVD |
The section about Trout Food has some awesome macro pictures about all the life stages of the various insects that you will find on the Cape streams and you will even find some underwater video footage of the insects.
Once again Sean covers all aspects of fishing the Cape Streams, from the correct clothing and tackle needed, insects that can be found and imitated right down to the correct knots to use.
The DVD is extremely well laid out. While reading about soft hackle flies for example you can click on a tab that will take you to a movie showing you how to fish them or another on how to tie them.
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| Screen shot of the soft hackle page with Video clip button |
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| Learn where and how to fish a run |
As usual Sean's underwater pictures are brilliant and I can recommend this DVD to anyone that wants to learn more about fly fishing the Cape streams whether you are a novice or an expert.
An advanced guide to fly fishing Cape Streams will be available soon through Sean' site SGM PRODUCTIONS, my Bid or Buy shop or Fly shops near you.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Biot Nymph
One of my favorite nymph patterns that I use in the streams that I fish is the Biot nymph. I can whip out one of these in about three minutes and tie them in sizes 14 to 18, but my most productive one has been the size 18 black with a gold tungsten bead.
STEP1: Slide your bead onto the hook and start your thread.
Finished Fly
HOOK: Kamasan B175
BODY: Goose or Turkey biots
TAIL: CDL
THORAX: UV Ice dubbing
BEAD: Tungsten
TYING STEPS
STEP1: Slide your bead onto the hook and start your thread.
STEP 2: Tie in your CDL tail
STEP 3: Tie in your biot with the notch at the end of the biot facing down. Also add a dash of super glue over the tie in area to make the fly more durable.
STEP 4: Wrap the biot forward so that the edges of the biot form a rib. If you had tied in the biot with the notch facing up the body would be smooth.
STEP 5: Spin a thin noodle of UV Ice Dub around your thread.
STEP 6: Form your Thorax and whip finish.
Finished Fly
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy new year
I would like to wish all of you a happy new year and may it be blessed with lots of fishing time, family time and good health. Since our clocks runs a little ahead of most of you that reads this blog from over the seas that separates our various countries, it means our headaches from celebrating the end of 2010 has already kicked in. I woke up this morning to some lovely cool rain so today will be spend lying in and recovering. In fact I am typing this as I lie in bed trying to convince the wife to make some coffee and possibly a greasy bacon and egg breakfast.
I did go out fishing yesterday to celebrate the last fishing day of 2010 and it was a super day on the streams. I don't have the energy to tell you all about it, but below is some pictures. I know that most of you are staring at very cold weather and snow, so please don't send any hate mail.
Also a big thanks to all of you for reading my humble little blog over the last few months and for all the comments that you made. Thanks to all of your own blogs this fishing addict on the southern point of South Africa has been able to fish far flung places with all of you and shared in your excitement of landing the next one. Keep it up.
I did go out fishing yesterday to celebrate the last fishing day of 2010 and it was a super day on the streams. I don't have the energy to tell you all about it, but below is some pictures. I know that most of you are staring at very cold weather and snow, so please don't send any hate mail.
Also a big thanks to all of you for reading my humble little blog over the last few months and for all the comments that you made. Thanks to all of your own blogs this fishing addict on the southern point of South Africa has been able to fish far flung places with all of you and shared in your excitement of landing the next one. Keep it up.
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