On this weekend please remember our fallen veterans. Think of the ultimate sacrifice they made & the loss their loved one feel & have felt. Please observe a moment of silence in their honor.

I got to admit that I'm a little old school in my fly tackle most of the time. In fact, I still mostly use knotless, tapered leaders. Honestly, I don't spend a lot of time thinking about my leaders, or at least not as much as I should. Mostly I concern myself with the weight of my leader to match the size of flies I'm using & roughly how long it is - to be sure it's long enough on low, clear water. But I think it would do me good to consider the business end of my line a little more.

One thing I've always thought of messing around with was furled leaders. I have a friend who uses them locally for trout & he swears by them & told me I didn't know what I was missing. He's a good angler & not one to rush out after every new fad that comes along, so I'm certain he's right about this. One of these days........

.......But I'm the kinda guy who would get more satisfaction from making my own (& save a few bucks, too). If you're like me, then more info about these leaders & how to make them is needed. To that end, I found this video that gives a very clear method on how to make your own furled leaders. No fuss or special tools - just a straight ahead easy approach. Now that's what I need!!

Check out the video below to see how it's done. And if you're a convert to furled leaders, contact me & tell me how much better they are than those single strand tapered jobs I've been using for decades.

Below is a short video telling the abbreviated story of the Hardy Brothers company. It's a well made video & it shows both the companies past & the more modern side of it. While this video is a few years old, it is still interesting to watch.

Hardy has fans of their tackle all over the world & why not? They've made some of the finest mass-produced reels ever & some decent rods as well. Take a look both back - & to the present - of this historic company.

​Graduation, retirement, birthdays, anniversaries, or that special Holiday gift - for a truly memorable gift, you can give that special angler in your life the gift of a custom fly rod. Bamboo, fiberglass, or graphite rods - there's a special rod for every angler.

Here's how it works: You & I discuss what grade of rod you'd like to give them & I might have a few simple questions for you to help me figure out what they need in a rod. Then after you've made the down payment, or paid in full, I'll mail you a special certificate that states a custom fly rod has been ordered in your recipient's name for you to give them on the special day. Think of it as a gift certificate for a custom made fly rod.

To make the presentation of the certificate really extra-special, the gift certificate will come rolled up, scroll style, in a hand-stitched leather tube much like a round document or print case. Please add $20 for this special presentation case. While the leather used may vary, here is what it looks like:

​After you've surprised them with the certificate, the lucky angler can contact me & the two of us will work together to design the rod exactly how they want it, with all the personalized customization just for them.

The normal policies apply here, where the second half would be due only after the rod is completed, giving you at least a few more months to pay the rest of the rod price. Naturally, I would mail you hard copy receipts for any payments you made for your records. 

Of course, if you know what they're going to want their fly rod to be, that's fine, too. I'll mail you the special certificate so you can present them with it while they wait for their rod of a lifetime to be made!! A custom fly rod is sure to put a smile on any angler's face!! Please contact me to discuss a special fly rod for a very special angler.

Part of my personal fly fishing strategy is to hit the small streams in the early part of the fishing season. These are not the small mountain streams that flow through the woods at higher elevations - no, these are the smaller streams that flow through the low lands in the valley bottoms through farm pastures & wooded areas.

The reason I like to fish these streams in the first part of the season is simple. They're fed mostly by run-off & ground water, so they heat up much sooner in the year than the medium & larger size freestone streams. It's at this early part of the year when the fishing is best in these smaller streams.

The fishing in these streams can be very difficult. You have very small target areas where the trout will be with many obstacles in the way. Be prepared to get snagged & to loose a few flies in the trees & brush. But the risk is worth the reward: hardy trout who know their environment well & will take you for a ride! They know where the cover is & when you hook up with one, they're sure to try to get your line snagged.

There isn't much room to work on these smaller streams, so every move you make must be well though out ahead of time. You need to plan each & every drift. You need to have a plan of how you'll play the fish, should you hook up with one. Take a few steps & the entire situation changes. These small streams make you think & fish thoughtfully.

Any hatches that occur will most likely be small in numbers & duration, but are sure to bring the fish up to the top. However, hatches aren't the most important thing on these streams. You can pick up fish all day long with just about any reasonable fly so long as you plan out every move you make. After fishing this way all day, you'll be tired both physically & mentally but it's that good kind of tiredness - the type that let's you know you spent a day well in a beautiful place doing what you love!