Fly Fishing Knots- The Japanese Figure 8 knot

by Keiichiro Iwai via varivastv
although some might, most won’t understand a single word of today’s knot tutorial but with clear and concise visuals i can’t see that being an issue. heck, it even makes the experience a bit exotic and yet another great example of how our activity is greatly appreciated and taught around the world.

the figure of 8 knot in itself is widely recognised and used as a stopper knot in any rope activity. it doesn’t slip or roll, its the kind of knot you can trust your life with. now, those who study knots know that not all knots are compatible between ropes and fishing monofilaments but this one is.

used as an alternative to the Blood knot, Uni-to-Uni or double/triple Surgeon’s to join two pieces of same or different diameter monofilaments, the 8 has the advantage of being much easier to tie than the Blood or Uni, specially in difficult-to-see situations and doesn’t twist the material itself within the knot as much as the Surgeon’s does (i really don’t like that). the joined pieces are also straighter than the Surgeon’s. (a big no-no imo)

figure 8 knotthe 8 knot is smaller than the others. i’ve found there’s no risks in trimming the tag ends flush. both points help to not collect as much debris that might be on or in the water, something that can be a royal pain at times.

you can tie it as Keiichiro does in the video by giving the formed loop a half twist (at 0:56) or by running the doubled strands around the loop like here-
fig8 1-2-3 knot

whichever way is fine and equally effective, just be sure to have the figure-8 shape before tightening up the knot before seating it.
a helpful tip is to wet the joined strands with saliva prior to forming the knot. this sticks them together and makes the whole process easier.
also, be sure to seat the knot well by pulling on all four strands or it’ll leave un-tightened gaps inside the knot.

revolutionary knot ? most definitely not but one well worth having in your bag of tricks. give it a try. enjoy !

” Winter is nature’s way of saying, ‘Up yours.’ “

～ Robert Byrne

 

'a mid-winter's night dream' ftlow m.fauvet-TLC 2-3-15there’s no connection whatsoever between Byrne’s quote and my moonlit watery gif. none whatsoever.

When asked why she tied flies she replied, “Because they’re pretty”

“In a cottage in northern Scotland, Megan Boyd twirled bits of feather, fur, silver and gold into elaborate fishing flies – at once miniature works of art and absolutely lethal. Wherever men and women cast their lines for the mighty Atlantic salmon, her name is whispered in mythic reverence and stories about her surface and swirl like fairy tales.

With breathtaking cinematography and expressive, hand-painted animation, this film both adheres to and escapes from traditional documentary form, spinning the facts and fictions of one woman’s life into a stunning meditation on solitude, love, and its illusions.”

Kiss the Water, embrace the beauty. this one’s more than special.
reserve yourself an hour and be sure to watch it in full screen HD. enjoy !

Fly Casting- Tailing Loops, those Oh-So Mysterious Creatures !

here’s yet another inspiring casting analysis gem straight from the creative mind of Aitor Coteron.
more than worthy of careful study for fly casters of all levels, i’ll venture to say that this one’s specially important for anyone teaching casting.

tailing-loop-backcast-a-bit-slower-than-real

” for although that dip/rise is somewhat of a “concave path of the rod tip” it has nothing to do with those big bowl shaped tip paths so many drawings depict. For years those bowl shaped explanations were to me as perplexing as the tailing loops themselves: however much I looked whenever I saw a tail in someone’s casting I couldn’t see that big concave path everybody was writing about. Not even on the casting videos available. Reality is much much more subtle, so subtle that seeing with the naked eye the expected anomaly in the tip path -even knowing what to look for- is really hard. Here we have a tailing loop in full glory. It is played at a slower pace than real speed. The tail could be used to illustrate a casting handbook; can you see the “bowled rod tip” anywhere? “

this last point is quite important. most (all as far as i know) video analysis of TLs has been done by casters staging them just as us instructors do when certifying. they’re over-exagerated and very non-realistic interpretations of what’s really going on when its an involuntary fault. or in other words, studying bad examples can only lead to bad conclusions… 
“P.S. The tailing loops shown here are real ones, nothing staged for the camera but involuntarily produced.”

i’ll not add more. click HERE for Aitor’s complete article including different gifs at different speeds and rod tip path overlays. enjoy !

Fly Tying Videos- Tim’s Caddis Larvae

by Tim Flagler at tightlinevideo
man, i really love Tim’s tutorials. everything about them; the well and thoroughly thought out descriptions, high film quality, crisp and clear instructions and overall pleasant learning atmosphere make these videos a real gem and this new one’s one of the best he’s produced.
based on a simple go-to caddis larvae suggestive pattern, we’re also treated to fantastic thread control and split-dubbing techniques well worth paying special attention to.  this video deserves to be bookmarked as a reference and is a super-fine video backup to the very same techniques brought up in Dennis Shaw’s more-than-fantastic A Complete Dubbing Techniques Tutorial. enjoy !

this little image gives a nice, simple and generalised visual reference of the bug’s key elements for the tier to keep in mind when tying these imitations.
hydrphsy
should you want to have a slightly more visible segmentation, don’t hesitate tying a few flies with a darker thread that matches the thorax’s dubbing. the darker thread will show through the abdomen a little when wet.
as always, adapt colours and fly size to match your local bugs. lead or standard wire wrapped around the shank will help the fly get down in faster/deeper waters. if you do add weight, use a little less dubbing to preserve the correct proportions or the finished fly will look like a fast-food junky…