As tradition here goes, below I share with you my favorite recording of one of my favorite Christmas tunes. It reminds us of the reason for the day.
May you all have a very merry Christmas!!
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To those who celebrate the Holiday, I want to wish each & every one of you a blessed & merry Christmas! As tradition here goes, below I share with you my favorite recording of one of my favorite Christmas tunes. It reminds us of the reason for the day. May you all have a very merry Christmas!! Even though I think I've shared this video in years past, 'tis the season for all thing yuletide. For those of you looking to spend some Holiday fun at the tying vise - & maybe wanting to add a few special ornaments to your tree this year - here is a fun video showing the steps to making the Christmas Tree Fly. I hope you're all having a wonderful Holiday season! Now that the Holiday shopping season is in full swing, I just wanted to take a moment to let you folks know that I'm here to help you in all your fly fishing related gift giving. I know how difficult it can be to pick out the right gift for a special angler (especially if you don't fish yourself). To that end, please know that I'm here & willing to answer any questions you might have - even if it's about something I don't offer. Naturally, I do want you to know that I have some offerings I think any fly angler would love to have. You might want to check out the Available Accessories page to see what unique items I have there. There's some one-of-a-kind accessories listed that can make for a really nice gift. You might also want to look over the Leather Accessories page to see what all I make in my shop. The leather fly wallets & leader wallets are especially popular with fly anglers & they make really nice gifts at an affordable price. If you really want to go big, you might consider getting your special fly angler a gift certificate for a custom fly rod. It comes printed on heavy photo paper & (for an additional charge) can be given in a hand-stitched leather document case for a really special presentation. That will make for a truly memorable gift, indeed! And don't worry if you don't know what fly rod to get them - we can work all those details out, or I can communicate directly with your special angler after you've given them the certificate. It's an experience catered to meet your needs. PLEASE NOTE: The last day for me to ship anything to the lower 48 states in time for Christmas is December 19th. After that, higher express shipping charges will apply if you need your items in time for the Holiday. Please allow me 1 to 2 weeks for custom accessories to be made so I can get it to you in time. I hope that you all have a wonderful Holiday season! No matter how you celebrate, I hope that yours is fantastic. Please know that I'm here to help you out in anyway that I can so feel free to contact me anytime. Merry Christmas!!
Alfred W Miller, better known by his pen name "Sparse Grey Hackle" (a name he chose because it described his hair), was a well known twentieth century fly fishing author & reporter. He wrote many articles for magazines & newspapers across his long career. What he is best known for these days is his book "Fishless Days, Angling Nights", which I would highly recommend to any fly angler looking for an intelligent, funny book of fishing stories. His writing was very well polished, unique, & witty. Take, for example, this bit from an article he wrote about canoeing from a 1957 Sports Illustrated article: "Canoeists are different from ordinary people. In some cases the difference probably is a matter of courage, resolution, endurance or fortitude, but in my case it was what my old top sergeant said about a rookie who tackled all the dangerous horses. "He ain't brave," snorted the hard-boiled top. "He just don't know no better." The fact that every time a canoeist embarks he runs a measurable risk of drowning or coronary thrombosis and a greater one of hernia or heat prostration indicates that there are things basically wrong with canoeing; it is, in fact, the most inadvisable means ever conceived for the transportation of man by his own efforts." Miller's writing, while focused on the Northeast - especially around the Catskills - was universal in character & so applies to anglers everywhere. His wit, charm, & unique observations about fly fishing are always a joy to read. If you've not picked up his book. I highly recommend you do. If you do, you'll know why he was called the "Dean of American Fly Fishermen". He always considered himself a reporter & not a writer - which was his way of saying he was just trying to show us how funny, fun, & sometime ridiculous fly fishing can be. In the half-hour videos below, we see Sparse just before he passed away at age 91. Hoagy Carmichael was wise to film & interview him in those days, to capture his character on film. Sparse was a bridge from the anglers of the old days to anglers of today & as such he has a lot of interesting stories to tell. Thanks to Hoagy for having the foresight to do this & then sharing it with all of us. (This article is for not only you anglers who have come to fly fishing after the internet was a part of daily life, but also for those of you who were at it before the digital world existed. It's my hope that both of you might find it interesting). "....'cause the good ole days weren't always good, and tomorrow ain't as bad as it seems." -Billy Joel Recently, for some strange reason, I've had the opportunity to help more than one young person who was interested in learning more about fly fishing become more familiar with the sport. As we were discussing the various aspects of fly fishing, we kept referencing different websites & internet videos. As I was considering how to convey what knowledge I might have of the sport to these folks, it made me think of how I learned to fly fish & where my information came from. Boy, was that a head-trip! I like to read old fly fishing books to see what's changed, & what hasn't, in the sport through the years. I also enjoy current fly fishing books & videos that I find of value. Comparing the two is an interesting mental exercise. Talking with the younger anglers-to-be really made me think - for probably the first time, if I'm being honest - that there are many folks who have come to fly fishing since the proliferation of the internet. In fact, I reasoned, there are many who's main source of angling info has only come from the web. Just like everything else in life, it's pretty obvious that fly fishing is effected by the internet (but not so much the fish - & there's something wise about that thought, I think). Got a question? Answers are just a tap, or click, away. Free-to-view videos & articles are all there for the taking. Experts are just an email away. Hatch charts, stream maps, flow tables, etc are all now available at out fingertips. But it wasn't always this way........... Before the information super highway came into our daily lives there were three main sources of fly fishing info for anglers to learn from, that I can think of. The first of these that comes to mind were magazines. Here I'm talking about the physical-page, printed magazines that you bought at a news stand or subscribed to & came in the mail. Like everything else, these had good points & bad. You were mostly limited to your choice in these, as fly fishing in general didn't have enough financial draw for publishers to produce numerous magazines focusing solely on the sport. Mostly there were two, maybe three fly fishing magazines for you to choose from. These magazines produced new issues about every two months, which meant you had to wait on them to read the next issue. Usually the articles did go into more detail then a typical web-based article these days, so there was more material covered. Of course, you were limited to the topics covered in each issue. For the time though, it was nice to have new, detailed info coming to your mailbox every other month or so. The other main source of information for fly anglers before the internet were books. There were quite a few of these, even back then. I believe I read somewhere that there have been more books about fly fishing written than on any other sport through the ages. If that's true it makes sense to me, as fly fishers have always been more of a literary group as a whole when compared to other outdoor activities. Books back then were readily available for the time. Remember, there were no online search engines then, so you had to physically search many of these books out & find them at either your local fly shop, from catalogs, borrow them from a friend, or order them from a general book store. Plus, there was always the local public library. The library was a wonderful source of good fly fishing books back in the day. Books, in my opinion, were a fantastic way to study the various aspects of the sport - & still are. Many fly fishing books had an entertainment value to them which was a nice way to help you make it through a long, cold winter between fishing seasons. It still is. The third source of info before the web existed - & by far the best - was other anglers. Unless I'm recalling it wrong, this is how most of us started & learned the basics. There's nothing like having a more experienced angler show you the ropes. I include local fly shops into this category as well. They were, & continue to be, one of the best resources of local fly fishing info an angler can have. Again, maybe I'm remembering it wrong, but it seems to me that in & around trout country there were a lot more local clubs, groups, & organizations focused around fly fishing then, too. These were great places to learn the sport. Learning from another individual, rather than from the printed word (or videos, podcasts, etc) is not only easier, it can be the source of many good memories later on down the road of life. I don't have any hard numbers on this, but I'm pretty sure there were fewer fly anglers in general before the internet as well. It seems there were more anglers overall, but fly fishing was (for a time) almost on the fringe of the fishing world (in some places more than others). Then all that changed when, in the early 1990's, a popular movie called "A River Runs Through It" (based on the book of the same title) came out. Most fly fishers of the day simply called it "The Movie" & saw a major jump in the number of folks carrying fly rods along the streams. In addition to the new anglers, out came a lot more books & few more magazines. Overall a lot more options in tackle & gear became available, too & many technical advancements in each. Suddenly fly fishing was a lot more accessible & in a lot more places than before. Some old school fly fishers groaned about this (& there were some growing pains for the sport), but overall it was a good thing for fly fishing - at least in my opinion. In conclusion I'm not going to wax nostalgic & I'm not going to say that the state of fly fishing was better before the internet came along, because it wasn't. We now have more of everything (tackle, gear, info) - good & bad. I will say that while before you could always go to a few trusted sources to learn something, now I would suggest that you always check your references, at least. There is an abundance of good info out there on the internet, but also a lot of bad advice as well.
No matter what era of fly fishing you learned the sport in we must always remember that (for the most part) the fish, the rivers, streams, & lakes are the same in principal as they've always been - they act the same. It has always been this way & I certainly hope it will always be. In that regard fly fishing is a timeless endeavor. When you pick up a fly rod & cast your line to the water with the hopes of fooling a fish, you are connected to both the past & the future: the past because you're participating in & keeping a tradition alive, & the future because you're hopefully being a good steward of the sport for future generations to enjoy it as you have. The thrill you feel of landing a gorgeous fish on the fly was the same for your great-grandfather & will (I pray) be the same for your great grandchild someday - no matter where, when, or how they learn the sport. Just in time for your fall season fly fishing, I've massively reduced the price on all of the available accessories listed. Here's a great chance for you to pick up a great, handmade at a huge savings. I need to make room in the shop, so these have got to go. Among the available items on sale are these hand stitched clamshell reel cases, made from special English Bridle leather: Also listed there is a special edition, one-of-a-kind leather fly book made from 100% natural sheepskin & English Bridle leather: These items & more are all available at a reduced price. To see all of the items, including more detailed photos & descriptions, please visit the Available Accessories page of this site.
I hope you all are having a great start to your fall season! The other day I was perusing through some online fly fishing videos, looking for some decent info to pass along to a friend of mine who's just getting started in the sport, when I came across the Orvis series of guide videos. I gotta say, I was pretty impressed. Hosted by Tom Rosenbauer, these are well made, well written how-to videos that give very decent overviews of their various topics. I've always admired Tom's abilities to teach fly fishing ever since I picked up his book "Prospecting For Trout" when it came out back in the '90's. I thought I'd share this one with you here, all about fly fishing with wets & nymphs. Yes, he covers the basics (& he's a little light on the wet flies, but I'm biased towards them as their my specialty), but there's plenty of info for advanced anglers to review, too. It never hurts to go back & think about the basics no matter how long you've been at it. What I truly love about nymph fishing is both the fact that you can do it all year long, in every season & catch trout; plus there's always been a mystery to it that baffles the uninitiated. There's just something about not being able to see the fly that makes me connect closer to it, to pay more attention to my line, & to focus my mind on the fishing. Sit back & enjoy this really well made videos about wets & nymphs. I recently added some special accessories over on the Available Accessories page of this website. These are one-off items, made in my shop for various reasons, that I decided to make available to you. Here is just a brief description of them: reel cases:These are a couple of really fine versions of my typical clamshell style leather fly reel cases. What makes these cases so exceptional are the materials they're made from. First off, the leather used is a very rich English Bridle leather. If you're not familiar with English Bridle leather, it's the finest leather you can use to make cases & other items that will see heavy use outdoors. It's tanned with special waxes & tallows that give it strength & a beautiful look & smooth, waxy feel. Taking it a step further, the inside lining of these cases is made from 100% natural sheepskin. This sheepskin will provide both padding for your reel & help to wick away moisture. I have two sizes available: one for a 'normal' sized fly reel, & one that will house a wide-spool reel. Both would make a great home for your special fly reels. leather fly book:Here is a unique item that would be a great way to carry your flies. Made from strong, thick, English Bridle leather in a rich chestnut color, this fly book will protect your flies extremely well & hold up to a lifetime of heavy use. The fly patches inside that hold the flies is made of 100% natural sheepskin. They will protect your flies, keep them secure, & help to wick away moisture. The book uses a simple antiqued-brass stud closure. In addition, two leather side panels protect the book's contents & keep any loose flies from falling out. These are the finest materials available. fishing bag:This fishing bag is made in the same exact style & construction as my standard canvas bags, except it's made from a special heavy washed navy denim. This is extremely durable material that will hold up to a ton of rough use, but has the added feature of having a vintage, distressed, look to it. This bag is also fully lined inside to make cleaning easier - just like my standard fishing bags - in a matching blue color (a nice, subtle touch, I think). It has all the same pockets in the same sizes as my other bags, this one being the same as my large sized fishing bags. It also features two sheepskin fly drying patches, brass D-rings, & an adjustable shoulder strap made of the same material as the bag's body. This is a great opportunity to pick up one of my fishing bags, but with a really nice distressed, vintage appearance for a lifetime of service along the water. As I mentioned at the top, all of these items are listed in more detail & with more photos of each over on the Available Accessories page. There's only one available of each & who knows when - or if - any others will ever be made. If you see some of these items that you're interested in, please feel free to contact me & I'll be happy to answer all your questions & help you out in any way that I can.
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.
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The Pliant RodNews 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. Celebrating two decades of making custom fly rods!!
leather accessoriesCases, bags, wallets, & other fine leather angling accessories.
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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.
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