There are a lot of reasons why you might want to have a wet fly version of a particular dry pattern; or you might want to go the other way around: a dry fly version of a wet pattern. One example might be when you want to fish a cripple or dead version of a bug that's hatching. In that case, you'd want a wet fly version of the dry fly you'd fish for that hatch, greasing up the wet so it would float on top......it's easier to execute than to explain, but you get the picture. 

Whatever reason you'd like to tie up a wet or dry version of a fly pattern, it's pretty easy to do at the fly tying vise. It's easier to do with simple patterns, but almost any one can be altered. In fact, this used to be a pretty common practice among fly tiers back in the day - just read a little in Ray Bergman's book Trout, & you'll see what I mean. 

Without going into too much detail - because we don't need to as it's pretty easy - here's a quick method of tying a different version of a fly pattern. In our example here we'll take a wet fly & tie it up as a dry, so we're taking the pattern from wet to dry:

-Hook: use a standard dry fly hook in the proper size (obviously)
-Body: this you keep the same as the wet fly pattern - same materials, proportions, colors, etc. 
-Hackle: use the same color as what the wet fly pattern called for, but but use a dry fly, or rooster, hackle in the proper size, one with good, stiff barbs. 
-Wings: these can be optional as not all dry flies need wings, but most anglers like to have wings on their dries. Often I'll use wings made from divided calf hair, usually in white as it's highly visible. 
-Tails: these, too are optional especially if you leave the wings off, otherwise a stiff clump of feathers in the proper color will work well.  

It goes without saying that if you needed to go from a dry fly pattern to a wet, you'd simply reverse this process. For example, you might use a duck flank feather for the wing, dyed in the proper color. 

I often like to carry a wet version of some dry flies, especially on heavy hatches. My logic is that if there are so many bugs on the water that my fly isn't getting noticed by the trout, maybe a cripple will look like an easier meal to them. I'm not sure how true this actually is, but it's a theory I go by. 

​Switching up fly patterns is quick & easy. Give it a shot to add some versatility to your favorite wet or dry patterns. 

I hope that you all have a safe & happy Memorial Day weekend. Let us not forget what Monday is all about & take a moment to remember all those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service & defense of our nation. 

Wading the water is a fishing skill just like all the other skills in fly fishing - casting, reading the water, etc. Its often overlooked by a lot of anglers. It shouldn't be but it is because we often don't encounter any problems when wading. However, you can easily find yourself in deep water - pun intended - in a very precarious situation while wading if you're more focused on the fishing than your wading (which is usually the case). This can lead to some dangerous situations especially in fast, rough water. We don't want that. 

The video below is, in my opinion, excellent at describing & showing the skills & techniques of safe wading. Tom Rosenbauer does a great job of explaining the various aspects of it & what you should think about when walking through the water. I would encourage every angler to watch it, think about, & review how they wade & how they might be able to wade safer. 

There's just one point I would add to the video: don't wade if you don't have to. I see it from time to time along the stream: an angler is moving through the water to get to a certain casting spot when they should be up on the dry ground of the stream bank. Not only do you run the risk of falling in, but you also take a chance of scarring off any fish you might be after. I've seen instances where one frightened small baitfish put down an entire run of good trout throughout the entire pool just because an angler was wading rather than walking the bank. 

Please, take a moment to watch this video & review your own personal wading skills. I wish you all a safe & happy fishing season!

To each & every one of you who celebrate the Holiday, I wish you all a blessed & happy Easter!!

The other day a friend & I were discussing some of our favorite fly patterns and why we like them. As talks like this will go, the question of what fly would you fish if you could only choose one. We decided to break it down by fly type, rather than just having to choose one fly from all those that exist. I thought I’d share with you my choices, & my reasons for those choices with you here. You might think I’m wrong & if so, I’d love to hear why, so let me know…..

In continuing my series here, I now move onto the streamer flies. Streamers are maybe the most versatile of all fly categories & lot has to do with the water you’re fishing as to just how you use them. Also, size plays a really big part in streamer fishing. I’m going to try to keep all of that in mind here. 

If I could only fish one streamer fly it would be the woolly bugger. More specifically, it would be a black woolly bugger in size #8 or #6.

I’ve written about this fly before & the reasons why I like it so much. First off, there are so many ways to use this fly. It can be stripped diagonally through the current (or in any direction) to imitate a struggling baitfish. It can be dead drifted through a run in just the same way you’d fish a wet fly. You can bounce those buggers off the bottom in the same way you might a nymph; or you can crawl it along a smooth bottom in slow water, much like a crayfish or other hellgrammite. Yup, there’s a lotta ways to use this fly. 

When you’re stripping this fly, depth & speed are the key. You’ve got to experiment a little with it to get the movement right. But when you do, & start to pick up strikes (& hopefully fish), that same fly movement should keep working for a while. 

Why a black woolly bugger you ask & not some other color? This is because black casts a better profile in the water. In our imaginary scenario here where I can only choose one fly, I'd always pick a darker colored one. Even when the water is high & muddy with poor visibility, a black fly will be noticed more by the fish.

Side note: an old timey piece of fishing wisdom does say that when the water is tea colored, to use a yellow fly of some kind when nothing else is working. I’ll leave it up to you to decide just how true & reliable this very old piece of advice is.

Ultimately, I’d pick this fly because the black woolly bugger works on all fish, in all kinds of water, everywhere. 

Honorable mention: The Muddler Minnow. This is my go-to fly for night fishing, if I don't know of any hatch that’s occurring. It makes a lot of sound under water - that big, cone shaped deer hair head really cuts through & moves the water, grabbing the attention of all the big fish in the area. It’s also great in the daylight for schooling fish like crappie. It’s also good for bass or any other fish that eats smaller fish

​If you could only fish one streamer fly, which one would you choose - & why? 

The other day a friend shared this video with me of the TV show "The New Fly Fisher" when they made an episode on the Clarion River & in the Cook Forest area of western PA. It was really neat to see the waters in my own back yard on TV. 

Just a couple of points that I think make this video really good:
1.) when fishing streamers, always vary your retrieve until you figure out the speed, etc that will get the fish to take your fly. 
2.) the strip set - the best way to set the hook when fishing streamers, especially in high or faster water. 

It was also nice to see a fishing show where the host actually gets his butt kicked by the trout. This is truer than you want to think, particularly on some days, as I know myself all too well. 

Check out this video & the beautiful area of my part of the world. There's some gorgeous shots of the area in this one!

​If I could only fish one dry fly it would be the standard, traditional Adams pattern tied in the Catskills style - you know the one. If I’m fishing any small to larger size stream I’d choose it in a #14 hook. That size should do the trick because if the natural bugs on that water are smaller, maybe my #14 will stand out & look like a nice supply of tasty calories to the fish. On the other hand, if the bugs are larger, maybe I can add some action to the fly on the water (a little movement of the fly at just the right time) to make it look alive & draw some fish eyes to it?

​The main reason I’d choose the adams is because it’s one of those flies that can be suggestive of a lot of different aquatic insects. While today we (or at least I do) tend to think of the adams as a general mayfly imitator, I think it may have been invented to imitate a particular caddis (someone let me know if I’m wrong about that). My point is that the adams can look like a lot of different bugs to the fish. Another reason I’d go with an adams - in the Catskills style, as there are many different versions of it now - is because of how high it sits on the water. It can give a really good profile of a mayfly shape to the fish. However, if there happens to be a really good caddis hatch while I was on the water I could cut, or clip, the bottom of the hackles so that the fly would set flatter & lower on the water’s surface. Ever need an elk hair caddis type of dry fly but are without one? Just clip the hackles of a traditional adams so it floats like a caddis. 

Lastly, I’d choose the adams pattern because it is attractive to many kinds of fish. Trout, bass, panfish - if it swims it’ll probably go for a well presented adams. These are the main reasons why, if I could only have one dry fly pattern in my box, it would be the traditional adams pattern. What dry fly pattern would you choose?

We've all seen them - & maybe you even have a few - fancy flies displayed in a frame hanging on the wall. That frame is called a 'shadow box', which is just anther name for a box or case where small objects are displayed. 

If you've ever thought about displaying some special flies of your own or ones you own, you can make your own shadow box to display them in. It's actually pretty easy to do. 

Check out the videos below to see how it's done. You can get creative & take it as in-depth & as far as you want, & the video here gives you some good ideas. 

This is something I really want to do someday when I get the chance. If you're like me you've got some flies sitting around that are just too special to fish with - flies that you have special memories from, or those that were tied by someone special who is no longer with us. Perhaps you want to tie up some flies & present them to someone as a special gift? I think that's a great idea, too. Maybe you just want to decorate the place where you tie your flies? Knowing how to make your own shadow box allows you to display - & get creative with how you display - those special flies. 

​Once again we come to the time of year for my annual "State of The Rod Shop Address", where I reflect back onto the year that was & look ahead to the coming year with you. Mixed in throughout the text of this address you'll find photos of some of the rods & accessories I was honored to make this past year. 

​It was a very productive & busy year for sure. The current conditions in the world have many folks getting back into - or trying out - activities that involve the outdoors, & fly fishing is no exception. There seems to be more anglers now than in the recent past & many of those folks need equipment & the services of folks like me. For this I am very grateful & honored to have the chance to help more anglers enjoy the sport of fly fishing in any way that I can. While 2020 was a very busy year for me, I must say that '21 was probably the busiest the rod shop has ever been. That's great, but it the past year came with it's own unique challenges, too.......

​I don't think I need to describe to anybody the problems in the supply chain these days. I'm sure we've all been affected by it some way. Normally what I do is typically not involved in most market issues that you might see on the news, so when the supply chain began to break down I gave it little thought. But then the inevitable happened & I was met with the same problems everybody else was facing. 

Simple items & supplies that I never thought much about before - but are necessary to make custom fly rods - were not available to me. It feels like I spent half of my time last year looking for alternative raw materials & supplies. Even when I could order certain things there were long delays in them actually getting to me. 

For example, I use a particular type of varnish on my bamboo rods. Sure, the varnish has changed some over the years because of changing environmental regulations, but I never thought there would be an issue in actually getting it. Even the 'backup' varnishes that I know will work were unavailable to me for a period of time. 

​Those of you who ordered a fiberglass or graphite fly rod from me were also aware of the delay in getting those rod blanks to my door. Demand for fly rods in the market exceeded supply & so many rods (& blanks) were on backorder for several months from many manufacturers like Winston, Thomas & Thomas, Sage, & many others. 

Even getting certain types of leather proved to be difficult at times. It's very difficult to plan out a custom leather accessory you're making for someone when you can't find certain specific leathers! 

​
The worst of it all was a delay in getting an order of bamboo. I can't blame this on the supplier - he was facing unforeseen challenges as well. Some of this delay was caused by my naiveite. At the time I thought about placing my bamboo order I hadn't really considered the supply chain issues yet, so I ordered it at my regular schedule. I had also been scheduling rods to be made as if this were a normal year. When the bamboo was delayed in getting to me, this put me way behind on many rods. I've since received my bamboo, but the damage to my work schedule has been done. 

​I have always prided myself on delivering custom fly rods on time to my clients. This has been something I've worked extremely hard at in the 17+ years I've been doing this. When I couldn't get started on any rods - & more rod orders continued to come in - I became extremely frustrated. I felt (& still do to some extent) that I was letting some folks down by not getting their rod going when I said I would. What could I do? The only thing I could, which was to let those who's rods are being delayed know. Every one of those folks have been understanding & very kind, for which I am extremely grateful - more than I can say.  I want to say here, as I have privately to you all, thank you so much for your patience & understanding. It means so much to me. 

For those of you who have recent rod orders or are considering ordering a rod soon, please know that I'm working long hours, seven days a week, to get caught up on my schedule. I want to get the wait time for a custom rod back down to where it used to be & I won't stop until I do. 

​Even with all that's been going on I have some cool ideas & plans in store for next year. First off, I'll be introducing a new & improved leather leader wallet. This new wallet will be a big difference from my current one, with some really cool features which I think you're all going to like. I can't wait to get it going & show it to you all. 

I also have plans - at some point in the year - to start introducing some new items & merchandise. Some of these items will be simple but very useful for the angler to have on hand. Other items won't be tackle related, but rather a new twist on some older ideas. I'll keep it vague for now as there's still a ton of details to be ironed out. Be on the lookout this year for some really new items from me. 

​With that said, obviously my main priority next year is to get caught up on the work schedule for the shop & to get those rods & custom accessories on order delivered as soon as I can. Still, I must always remind myself not to get into too big of hurry so my work doesn't suffer in quality. I read a quote recently that I want to keep at the front of my mind as I try to get caught up: 
"Quality work takes time. This is the way it has always been. But we can manage our time more effectively by focusing on the things that matter and moving faster through the things that don’t. Simple as that."

"And you run, and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again"     -Pink Floyd

​To that end, I've been thinking a lot about how I spend & schedule my time. In the last year I've taken a grand total of six days off - & yes, I'm including the weekends here - seven days a week for most of the year. Some of those days have been long, going 18 hours or more. Please know that I am NOT complaining. I absolutely love what I do. However, with a work schedule like that it's hard to get any time in for fishing. I've only been fishing for a handful of days in the last two seasons. This is why I'll be working on how I manage my time. Mostly I need to do a better job of planning out my work ahead of time. Hopefully, if the supply chain can get settled again, it'll be easier for me to do this. Please don't be surprised or disappointed if you see where I'm gone for a few days here & there next year to go fishing. As long as I'm making good progress on my work, I plan to take some time to wet a line again. 

​In many ways, I live a dream life. I get to do what I love to do everyday. There's nothing I'd rather do than make the rods & accessories you folks want & I get to do this each day. The only reason I can do this is because of you. From the bottom of my heart I thank you all for this. 

I got to meet a lot of very cool people this past year & I got to make a lot of very nice rods & accessories, too. How much more could I ask for? Even more important this year - with all of its challenges - I was reminded of how kind you folks are. Your patience, understanding, & especially your friendship have really been a blessing. I want you to know how much I appreciate this. 

I'm filled with anticipation to get started on the New Year! I have a lot to get done & I'm chomping at the bit to get at it. I'm also looking forward to the new folks I'll get to meet, as well as the rods & accessories I'll get to work on, too! Next year has the potential to be a great one & I'm really excited to spend it working with all of you! I wish you all a happy, healthy, & prosperous New Year!

As is my tradition here, I want to share with you my favorite Christmas song - & my favorite version of it. I think this tune sums up the reason for the day perfectly!