Custom Fly Fishing Rods by Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker
  • Home
  • Split-Bamboo Fly Rods
    • Prudential Series
    • Classical Series
    • Custom Series
    • Mortised Fly Rods
    • Rod Tapers
  • Graphite & Fiberglass Fly Rods
    • Fiberglass Fly Rods
    • Classical & Custom Series Graphite
  • Available Rods
    • Available Reels, Accessories, etc.
  • Leather Accessories
  • Designing Your Custom Fly Rod
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Overveiw of Making A Split-Bamboo Rod
    • Tackle Tips
  • About
    • Rod Making Philosophy
  • Links
  • Contact
  • The Pliant Rod (Blog & News)
    • Beyond The Rod Shop
  • Home
  • Split-Bamboo Fly Rods
    • Prudential Series
    • Classical Series
    • Custom Series
    • Mortised Fly Rods
    • Rod Tapers
  • Graphite & Fiberglass Fly Rods
    • Fiberglass Fly Rods
    • Classical & Custom Series Graphite
  • Available Rods
    • Available Reels, Accessories, etc.
  • Leather Accessories
  • Designing Your Custom Fly Rod
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Overveiw of Making A Split-Bamboo Rod
    • Tackle Tips
  • About
    • Rod Making Philosophy
  • Links
  • Contact
  • The Pliant Rod (Blog & News)
    • Beyond The Rod Shop
Custom Fly Fishing Rods by Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker

the pliant rod:

blog & news

megan boyd, fly tier

12/1/2020

 
Megan Boyd was a famous Scottish tier of Atlantic Salmon flies. She lived a simple life out in the countryside, about 3 miles from the nearest small village. That didn't stop folks from all over the world coming to her cottage to ask her to tie flies for them - including Prince Charles, himself. 

She was the inventor of many patterns & became world renown for her abilities in fly tying. In her career she took on a few pupils to teach them the art & it is very interesting to hear what they have to say about her. She was even recognized & awarded by the Royal family of the UK in her lifetime. 

This video below is a beautifully made documentary of her life & work. In it we get to know her better as to who she was & how she made those gorgeous flies that anglers sought from her. It is a fascinating & well told story where we get a look at some of the gorgeous landscapes & rivers of Scotland.   

Just before Thanksgiving, a good friend shared this video with me. I, in turn, shared it with a few other friends & now I'd like to share it with you all here. If you have about an hour of time to spare, I think you're going to enjoy this film.

tying & fishing the professor wet fly

5/1/2020

 
The Professor is a traditional wet fly that you're probably not going to read about on all the latest fly fishing news sources. It's been around for a very long time. That doesn't mean that it still doesn't catch trout. It does. It's one of those classic wet fly patterns we should all have with us along the stream. 

The short video below is very good in my opinion. I really like it for a number of reasons. First, the skill of the tier is excellent & he does a good job of showing you how this fly comes together. Second, he's using the old style silk (or you could use gut) leader. This is old-school, folks, before hooks had eyes. It is exactly how this fly would have been tied back in the day when it was a new design. Third, in addition to giving you some tips on how to fish classic wet flies, he shows you what this fly looks like underwater, in the drift. That kind of information is invaluable. I don't think we, as fly anglers, do this enough - really looking at our flies in the drift. Knowing that can make a world of difference. 

Happy St. patrick's day & the green weenie, too (re-post)

3/17/2020

 
Happy St. Patrick's Day, Everyone!!!
Picture
I thought I'd take a moment to discuss, on this St. Patty's Day, the fly called the green weenie. It is a simple pattern that has magical powers to catch fish. Yup, that's right, it's a magical fly. Why? Because it seems to catch fish on days when nothing else will. It works in all seasons, too.

Seriously though, the green weenie is a fly that seems to attract trout both because of it's shape & color - bright chartreuse green. It can imitate some green caddis flies & also green inch worms, too. It's effective as both a wet / nymph fly & also great when fished as a streamer.
 ​
Picture
​I've heard many different versions of the history of this fly. Mostly though, it's considered to have originated in Western PA. It supposedly gets it's name from the green weenies used at Pittsburgh Pirates games through the years. Those green weenies would hex the opposing baseball team while giving good luck to the Pirate players when the weenie was pointed at them. Read more about the green weenie of the Pirates, HERE.

No matter where it came from, or how it got it's name, the green weenie remains an effective fly for trout as well as steelhead in many places outside of Western PA. It is a great fly to start someone out with in fly tying, too, because of how simple it is. The legendary PA outdoor sports writer Charlie Meck called this one of his "one minute flies" because that's about how long it takes to tie one. 

Here's a short video showing how to tie this pattern:

(one note: this is a slight variation of the green weenie in this video. It's traditionally made with medium, or even micro, chenille - not the fuzzy stuff shown here. It's also usually bright or fluorescent green. I'm showing you this video because the tying is spot on, the colors are close, & it's the best video I could find to show how to tie it.)
​If you happen to be looking for trout rather than a pot of gold, the green weenie is an excellent pattern to try. You'll have a lot of luck when you try this magical fly!!
Picture

one of my favorite flies

1/14/2020

 
I always love it when folks send me photos of a rod I've made in action. It makes me smile! The other day was no exception, when I received this photo from Chris:
Picture
photo courtesy of Chris Miller
That's an awesome photo!!

If you look closely, you'll see a black bead head woolly bugger in the mouth of the fish. Let me tell you that is one of my favorite flies. Let me explain.....

If you told me that I could only ever use one fly again, I'd pick - without hesitation - a black woolly bugger. Pound for pound it's one of the most consistently effective fly patterns ever created. There are many reasons for this. First, the woolly bugger is one of those flies that look like it could be something, & it looks like nothing specific all at the same time. It could be a crayfish if you creep it along the bottom. It could be a bait fish if you strip it & give it motion. It could be a hellgrammite or some other large form of nymph or larva. Sometimes you can never be sure what the fish took it for, but take it they do. 

The palmered soft hackle & the marabou tail of this fly give it motion & life in the water. The slightest movement will make the feathers undulate in a very good way. It looks very much alive to the fish. Because of this, it's effective even when you drift this fly in a drag free drift down stream. You can also fish it sideways to the current, or even against it in some cases & this fly will produce. 

Okay, so why black? Well, because the black color gives a more definite silhouette in all kinds of water. It will show up in murky water, or when the sun is high & bright. It can easily be seen by the fish when the light is low & conditions are darker. If you could only pick one fly for fishing below the surface, choose a black one. 

The black woolly bugger has saved me from getting skunked more times than I can count through the years. It's the fly I fish when I don't know what to try, when I'm exploring new water, or on those days when nothing seems to work. Get a day along the stream where the flies that should be getting you fish aren't for some reason unknown to you? Tie on a black woolly bugger in an appropriate size for the water you're fishing. 

This was the first fly I ever learned to tie many years ago. It was my fist tie because it's so simple & basic. It's a great pattern to introduce someone to fly tying with. But it's one of those patterns you'll fish all your life because it just catches fish!!     
Special thanks to Chris Miller for sharing the photo with me & reminding me why I love the black woolly bugger so much!

a brief history of the adams dry fly

11/1/2019

 
If I were forced to fish with only one dry fly, I would choose the Adams. It looks like nothing in particular & kinda like everything all at the same time. There are times when you just can't be sure what the fish took it for - but that's what makes it so great, because it just works.

This pattern has been around for a long time. The video below does a very good job of explaining how this fly pattern came to be, what the original version probably looked like, & briefly discusses the many variations of the Adams that have appeared through the years. If you're into history, dry flies, &/or fly tying I think you'll enjoy this short, but informative video below.  

Tying With partridge feathers

8/28/2019

 
I fish a soft hackle wet fly a lot. It's my favorite style of pattern for many reasons. They're also pretty simple to tie, no matter what the specific pattern. Hungarian partridge feathers are a typical hackle feather used on these flies. These feathers can be a little tricky to work with &/or to get the results you want tying with them. There are a few tricks you can use & the video below shows a pretty clear, straight forward way to handle them. 

Partridge & orange, partridge & green, partridge & yellow, etc, etc these three patterns can cover most of your year along the trout stream. Take just a few minuets to learn these quick tips on tying with partridge.  
​(I'm not affiliated in any way with the dealer who made this video. I show this only for the advice this video demonstrates).

light cahill wet fly

5/29/2019

 
Picture
A stretch of great Light Cahill water!
Just the other evening, before the deluge of rain filled my local streams to conditions impossible to fish, I was having a ball fishing a hatch of light cahills. I love this hatch because its easy to see, predictable, & locally are in great abundance. The run that I was fishing called for a wet fly, at least for me as my skills with a dry fly in faster water are lacking. 

Below is a great video showing how to tie up a version of a Light Cahill wet fly. You can apply this same style to any bug on the water, mayfly or caddis, just by changing the color of materials used. It's a great pattern that will fool trout.

quick trivia: palmer fly

1/21/2019

 
Here's a bit of trivia for you, about flies with hackle running all the way up the length of the body, like woolly buggers & others, which we call under the general term of palmer flies:
Picture
The palmer fly derives its name from the caterpillar. The caterpillar, in turn, gets its name from the term that used to be used for a pilgrim who had traveled to the Holy Land (think Chaucer's Canterbury Tales). Those pilgrims would then walk about, spreading their message while carrying a palm leaf, to show that they had been to their Holy Land. So a "palmer" was sort of a roaming preacher carrying a palm leaf. The caterpillar got its name because of how it moves about & never stays in one place. The category of fly derives the name because hackle tied in that style resembles a caterpillar.

​Did you follow all that? Good. 

Incidentally, I stumbled onto this information while reading "The Complete Fly Tier" by Rube Cross, an absolutely excellent older book which I'll share with you in a future article.  

There you go. Now you can dazzle all your friends at your next fly tying gathering or whenever you bump into other fly anglers. Folks will be amazed at your vast knowledge & you're sure to be the life of the party!
Picture

coq de leon feathers

9/12/2018

 
Coq De Leon feathers are taken from a specific line of chickens that originated in the village of Leon in northern Spain. For those of you not familiar, these birds grow some very special feathers. Hackles made on them are the cleanest, neatest hackles you will ever use. Each barb of each feather is perfect & so very fine - like gossamer silk. This makes for a superior hackle on wet flies, streamers, & nymphs, as the feather moves so well in the water. No feather looks as life-like in the water as the Coq De Leon.

Spain has a very rich history of fly fishing - especially in the northern mountain region. Anglers from all over the world have coveted these feathers for generations because they're the best you can get. Some believe that it has something to do with the soil & environment in Leon that made these chickens grow special feathers. At any rate, these extremely desirable feathers were rarely available to fly tiers on the market until Whiting Farms in Colorado got involved in breeding these birds.

Below is a video taken on Whiting Farms explaining all about how they got into raising these birds & all about their special feathers. To anyone who ties their own flies, this is very interesting. 

mixing dubbing colors

9/5/2018

 
Picture
There are times & places you'll want to get the color of a fly exactly the same as the natural bug. These are times when any old brown, olive, or cream color just won't do.

To get dubbing in a color you can't buy you're going to have make it yourself, which will require some research. If you're lucky you can find a recipe for the proper color mix in a reference book (Hatches II, et al). Lacking that you'll need a photo of the bug you're trying to copy - or even a real life sample. Some experimentation will have to happen before you get the color just right.

Fortunately, mixing dubbing is easy to do. Start with the colors of dubbing you'll be mixing together, in the correct proportions. Here, I'm mixing up some dubbing to get the color of the Whitefly (Ephoron leukon) nymph which calls for 1 part cream; 1 part yellow; 2 parts brown.
Picture
Put the pieces of dubbing you want to mix together in a jar with a good, tight fitting lid. Pour in some hot water (not boiling) until the jar is about two-thirds full. Let this sit for a few minutes to allow the dubbing to soften in the warm water.

​Now shake the jar vigorously for at least a minute or two. You'll see the colors of the dubbing begin to mix together.
Picture
Drain the water out of the jar & pat dry the dubbing mix on an absorbent towel. Examine your results.
Picture
Chances are you'll need to do this at least one more time to get the colors mixed through. Each time you do this you can see the dubbing softening in the water & mixing together more & more. Compare this photo below of the dubbing in the water to the one above. You can see the colors mixing even more on my second time through.
Picture
You can see just how much more the colors are mixed through after a second time in the jar:
Picture
I'm pretty happy with this color, so I'll stop here. It's pretty close to the color of the natural Whitefly nymph, which is a burrowing nymph & lives in areas of the stream that have a sandy bottom. This should work.

Remember, nature is rarely perfect so a few mild streaks of color in your mix is fine. Also note that you should let the dubbing air dry for a while. Some mixes will change color a bit after the dubbing is completely dry. Certainly make sure it's totally dry before you store it away in an air tight container or bag!

Mixing dubbing to a custom color (once you have the proper recipe) is quite easy. You'll be able to tie flies that match the color of the natural bug more closely than anything you could buy in a store or from a catalog. Happy mixing!!
<<Previous

    The Pliant Rod

    News from the shop of Chris Lantzy, Custom Rod Maker along with industry news, profiles of interesting characters, reviews, history, & whatever else strikes our fancy. Your comments & feedback are welcome. Please email me your thoughts.


     leather accessories

    Cases, bags, wallets, & other fine leather angling accessories.
    Picture

    instagram

    See more photos from the rod shop & stream sides!
    Picture

    SEE MORE ROD PHOTOS!!!

    Please visit my Flickr pages to see even more rod photos including those available for sale, different rod features, & more. I'll be continuing to add photos there, so check it often. 

    Watch Some Videos!!

    Take a look into the rod shop & see some rods in living color motion pictures!! Check out my youtube videos. 
    Picture

    Categories

    All
    Angling Art
    Angling Art
    Angling Profiles
    Books & Videos Etc
    Books & Videos Etc
    Books & Videos Etc
    Books & Videos Etc
    Favorite Flies
    Fly Fishing
    Fly Fishing
    General Angling News
    General Angling News
    Industry News
    Industry News
    Shop News
    Shop News
    Tackle Tips
    Tackle Tips
    Vintage Tackle
    Vintage Tackle

    Archives

    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.