via Jeroen Schoondergang
” forget the Egyptians and Macedonians with their feathered hooks. The oldest record of fly fishing dates 40 million years back. As you can see the fly is tied on a barbless circle hook and is a pretty realistic tie. Bummer that the owner dropped his fly in running amber… “
a pretty good example that things aren’t always what they seem and that we mostly see what we want to see.
good one Jeroen ! 
image: George Poiner
source: Astrobiology Magazine
Thomas‘ new friend, Mr Mayfly
lunchtime bee
and the caddis that got away…
despite the great number of bugs under, on and around the surface, the hot air and water temperature combined with low water conditions put the fish to sleep and very few where interested in playing.
it was still a beautiful day.
and it isn’t. whatever the outcome it’s all just normal.
whooping, high-fiving, post production loud music and feet stomping from lost takes only take away from the experience.
better to listen to the water’s song and let the inner glow shine through to the outside.
“Wind occurs on a range of scales, from thunderstorm flows lasting tens of minutes, to local breezes generated by heating of land surfaces and lasting a few hours, to global winds resulting from the difference in absorption of solar energy between the climate zones on Earth. The two main causes of large-scale atmospheric circulation are the differential heating between the equator and the poles, and the rotation of the planet (Coriolis effect). Within the tropics, thermal low circulations over terrain and high plateaus can drive monsoon circulations. In coastal areas the sea breeze/land breeze cycle can define local winds; in areas that have variable terrain, mountain and valley breezes can dominate local winds.
In human civilization, wind has inspired mythology, influenced the events of history, expanded the range of transport and warfare, and provided a power source for mechanical work, electricity and recreation.”
what they forgot to mention is that once put in the right hands, wind can also create art.
wind quote: Wikipedia
image: author unknown
might be just the ticket for a stormy day like today…
made with-
love
hook- Maruto C47 BL # 14
thread- Veevus 14/0 brown
abdomen & head- Mad Rabbit dubbing natural
thorax- wound cdc natural
wing- varnished and cut to shape duck feather
sometimes an object’s most interesting aspect is simply that it exists.
i originally learned this technique of hackling flies from several Oliver Edwards fly tying video where he uses it mostly for North Country Spiders but Han’s brilliant demonstration here shows us the finer points to consider when doing this, whether it be for dries or hackled wets. there are several aspects that make this a very good, if not better method than the usual ‘back-to-front, the more important in my eye being simply that it’s easier to get a great result without any chance of bulking up the fly specially behind the hook eye, something we all can have difficulties with.
the bulk is further reduced because the hackle stem only goes in one direction instead of the usual doubled-over. on dry flies this means less place for water to get in and bog the whole fly down and on wet flies, less place for air to keep it from going under.
i’ve put up several of Hans’ videos recently and apart from the fantastic flies produced, what really stands out is his technique, most notably the all-important thread control and even what i like to call ‘thread confidence’.
his minimal use of thread wraps amply demonstrates this confidence and is an important part of any fly tier’s development, something we should all strive for.
this is one of the best technique tutorials i’ve seen. i hope you’ll enjoy and benefit from it.
made with-
love
hook- Maruto D04 BL #16
thread- Veevus 14/0 brown
tail- Pardo fibers
abdomen- Polish Quills (peacock) brown
thorax rear- Mad Rabbit (hare) dubbing natural
thorax front- Hends Spectra dubbing
hackle- partridge
btw, the ‘M of the title isn’t Marc as someone elsewhere suggested but simply: Mayfly
hmm, it seems like the prankster’s been pranked !
our mystery man’s magical blessing endowments have turned out to be nothing more than a plastic bottle… but at least we can feel a little better for our slimy fishy friends !
like they say, it’s best served cold but this one’s gonna happen in the heat of summer… 
well, ok. but it did make me think of fishing and fly tying…
by Tim Rajeff
Tim’s a funny guy with lots of charisma and enthusiasm but he’s not all about goofing off and breaking brand new rods either.
here we get a little reminder of how important it is to adapt our casts when dealing with the wind.
contrary to what a lot of anglers might think, there’s a fine limit to how much we can just force the cast in the attempt to not have to change their usual casting style.
if they don’t deeply imbed a hook into something or someone it’s just luck and a matter of time before it happens.
without being overly detailed, this ‘casting around the wind’ demonstration shows the basics to deal with these situations safely and efficiently.
all it takes is first, to learn to always be aware of the wind, where it’s moving from and to, how it’s changing, how it limits us and how we can use it, because let’s face it: it’s there so let’s use it to our advantage and turn it into a friend.
no matter what type of fishing you do, take the time to practice these casts until they’re very familiar and even second nature. it’s well worth it.
