T.F.M. Spotting - Shaffer's Apple Picking

Mark Shaffer, of The Steelhead Shop, recently sent along a photo of he and his son picking apples this past fall. Great to see T.F.M. represented on the family outings as well!

Mark runs a fly shop out of his home in Ohio and has been very generous with giving up some excellent gear for the Fishy Kid website.

If you live in the Toledo area and need some fly gear give Mark a shout at steelheadshop@aol.com

T.F.M. Christmas Gift List

With Christmas just days away I figured it would be a good time to pass along a quick run down of companies and gear that I like for the Gift List to yourself or your fishing family and friends.


STOCKING STUFFERS AND MEDIA
The Alaska Chronicles - Departure Publishing's first printed baby and great from page one to the end. Miles Nolte tells his story from a season in the Alaska backcountry that is humorous and insightful.

Buffwear - Simply put, a lot of us don't sun tan and wearing a Buff whenever you're out in the sun for prolonged fishing sessions is a good idea. Comfortable to wear and a smart move for those of us "Pale Faces".

DVD's - From the adventure that Hustle & Fun is to an in depth study in casting techniques of Skagit Master, there are a lot of great DVD's to chose from this year.

The Flyfish Journal - The premier issue of this magazine arrived in mailboxes with a lot of hype to which I'll say that it is completely justified. A great read front to back and the photography is top notch as well. I can't wait for Issue #2.

Furled Leaders - I am a big fan of furled leaders and DF Furled Leaders and Fly Goddess tie some of the best I've ever seen and fished.

Modern Midges - This recently released book is a tome for midge fisherman and fly tiers. This book contains literally thousands of midge pattern recipes, photos, and essays on fishing flies almost to small to see.

Monomaster - This device is great to hang off the vest, pack, or lanyard and stores your tippet and leader clippings so they don't end up in the drink or on the ground. When you realize that most all of the monofiloment ever produced is still around and will likely be so for the next 600 years it makes sense to dispose of it properly.

Sixth Finger Scissors - Keith Barton at Singlebarbed.com has been selling these for a few months now and they are a sharp and functional pair of scissors needed at the vise.

GEAR AND APPAREL
Bug Slinger - Rob McAbee's designs really connect with me and it doesn't hurt that I caught a big Hex eating brown while wearing my Cross Sticks long sleeve shirt this past summer in Michigan. I've got to believe that there is some BIG FISH MOJO in his wares.

Cliff Outdoors - With a host of fly boxes and other innovative gear I am always impressed with the offerings coming out of Cliff's shop. It is also very cool that all their gear is MADE IN WYOMING.

ECHO Micro Practice Rod - True be told we all could use a little work with our casting stroke and the Micro Practice Rod is perfect for the home or office to work on those tailing loops.

The Fiberglass Manifesto T-Shirts - With a new design for 2010 and a T.F.M. SPOTTING Photo Contest sponsored by Hardy Greys this is a must have! (Shameless self promotion, eh? HA...)

Fly Wallets - Marc Crapo is again offering 40% OFF fly wallet orders placed this month which is a great time to take advantage and have "Rowdy" art up some leather for you and your meat fly collection.

LOOP Gear - Joe Roope of Castaway Fly Fishing Shop recently took over distribution of LOOP gear in North America and along with that adopted a warehouse full of stock that he needs to move before the 2010 gear arrives. Send me an email at heddonpal@fiberglassflyrodders.org to get a copy of the deeply discounted LOOP deals that are not listed on the website. The prices are unreal and worth a look.

Reel Pure - Besides dropping knowledge on us daily on the Moldy Chum blog, Eric at Reel Pure keeps us looking fresh with cool caps and t-shirts. Take advantage of the 20% OFF discount between now and Christmas.

Recycled Waders - In a day and time where everyone is going "green" it's neat to see a company gather up everyone's dirty and worn out waders and re-purpose them into stellar pieces of gear.

William Joseph - It's always neat to see a company go with a vintage design look in a gear line and the Old School series is a neat mash up of classic looks with modern convenience.

BIG TICKET ITEMS
Tenkara - The no reel rod revolution started this past year and I got wrapped up in it as well. The AYU model is a great choice for general fly fishing purposes and you'll be surprised how functional it really is.

The Spey Company - We've all been waiting for quite awhile for the Single Spey Trout Reel pieces to arrive at Tim's shop for assembly but it never hurts to reserve a spot on the list for a trout or spey reel.

Custom Fiberglass Fly Rod - This may be the ultimate present on the list but if someone you know has been super good this past year then setting him or her up with one of the "T.F.M. Approved" custom fiberglass fly rod builders would sure to bring a smile to their face on Christmas morning.

VOTE NOW! Fishy Kid Contest Finalists

We had over forty submissions for the recent Fishy Kid adult coloring contest which we narrowed down to twelve finalists which have been been listed together in a poll to determine the winners!

To place your vote click HERE!

Each person gets one vote which makes for a tough choice since there are such great looking pages posted to chose from.

Spread the word and tell your friends. You do not have to be registered Fishy Kid members to vote. There are some seriously nice pieces of gear and DVD’s for the winners!

Voting ends on January 15th, 2010.

Email us at gofish@fishykid.org if you have any questions.

T.F.M. Spotting - Skully Cap and Fly

T.F.M. Reporter Rich Schaff received his skully cap in the mail last week and promptly snapped a photo of it along with a stellar salmon fly tied by Rocky Maley.


Look for an upcoming T.F.M. post with a step by step tutorial of Rocky Maley tying a T.F.M. inspired salmon fly called "As Smooth As Glass".

Rocky Maley has some serious talent at the vise and can be reached at maleyqh@ortelco.net if you are interested in purchasing one of his presentation grade flies.

2010 T.F.M. SPOTTING PHOTO CONTEST

T.F.M. Photogs, I am excited to announce a photo contest for 2010 to show off your T.F.M. SPOTTING skills!

This year long contest will be sponsored by HARDY GREYS with prizes for the first, second, and third place winners.


Several months ago I was able to link up with a couple of the reps for Hardy Greys who in turn connected me with Jim Murphy, President of Hardy Greys North America. He has been very gracious and offered up three pieces of gear from the Hardy Greys catalog to be used for this year long contest.

THE PRIZES:
1st Prize - Hardy "The Test" Four Weight Fiberglass Fly Rod
2nd Prize - Hardy Lightweight Fly Reel
3rd Prize - Greys G Tec Fly Reel

THE RULES:
1. To participate you must submit a photo wearing your T.F.M. t-shirt. These photos can be fishing or lifestyle photos. Let's get creative!

2. To order your T.F.M. t-shirt check out this post.

3. To submit your T.F.M. SPOTTING photo please send an email to: heddonpal@fiberglassflyrodders.org.

4. There will be a monthly poll for the T.F.M. readership to determine the winner who will then go on to the finalist round. There will be twelve finalists which will be voted on in the end to determine the three winners.

With a several hundred T.F.M. out to the masses worldwide already and another hundred of the new T.F.M. t-shirts on order there are sure to be some stellar photos submitted next year.

T.F.M. Spotting - Drawing Flies 365

T.F.M. friend and Fishy Kid artist and sponsor, Jeff Kennedy, had an idea in 2008 to draw, paint, or otherwise create a piece of fly art each day for 365 days straight. His work was shown on his website www.drawingflies365.com and his almost daily posts were downright inspiring.

(Jeff Kennedy in the studio representing T.F.M.)

This past week Jeff released his book, Drawing Flies 365, on the book publishing website Blurb which says this about his book...

"Join Jeff on his visual journey as he draws a fishing fly a day for 365 days. This book chronicles an artists journey as he challenges his creativity on a daily basis. The book contains all of the full color images of every fly from the project. You will also venture into Jeff's head as he describes what was on his mind as he created some of his paintings."

Now through December 31 when you use the code GREATGIFT you'll receive $10 OFF the purchase of either the soft or hard cover edition of the Drawing Flies 365 book.

I ordered mine last week and can't wait for it to arrive.

Meeting the Master - F.D. Lyons

T.F.M. friend Rich Schaaff of East Fork Fly Photography recently spent the day with rod builder Dwight Lyons and sent along this excellent dispatch...

"FLY RODS ARE LIKE CORNISH PASTIES-BOTH ARE BEST MADE FOR LOVE RATHER THAN FOR MONEY"

Quote from the 1974 classic TROUT MAGIC by Upper Peninsula of Michigan author John Voelker (aka Robert Traver)

A few weeks ago I received an email from Cameron Mortenson suggesting that I take a ride down and pay a visit to a rod builder by the name of Dwight Lyons, or better known for his accomplishments as F.D. Lyons. Dwight Lyons is a well known rod builder and masterful bamboo restorer who lives nearby in Portland, Oregon. Cameron had noticed that F.D. Lyons had posted one of his builds for sale and in good faith thought I might be interested. So I figured what better way to educate myself on fiberglass rods than to pay him a visit and see what the buzz was all about. I contacted Mr. Lyons and set up a date to take a gander at his wares.

Thursday was the day we set. I hopped into my truck and drove down to his home and workshop. When Dwight answered the door bell I instantly sensed that he was a man that was assured and comfortable within himself. He escorted me down the stairs into his workshop. It was not by any means a large production facility like one might expect from a man that has been building and refinishing rods for thirty-five plus years. Instead it was a rather small space filled with character from the old nine piece Leonard bamboo rod sitting protected in a glass case to the volumes of classic books such as TROUT by Ernest Schweibert. There was also an array of beautiful bamboo rods hanging from his drying rack on the wall. His workshop walls were adorned with fly plates of salmon and steelhead patterns tied by personal friends and acquaintances. This was the real deal and I felt fortunate to be standing where a true craftsman performs his magic.

Dwight apologized for his messy desk, but all I saw was the desk of a man who loves what he has chosen for his life's work. I instantly took a liking towards him. He was down to earth and humble. We sat in his office and shared mutual stories of common rivers we have both fished. He showed me some photographs of one of his fishing trips on the Methow river in Washington with him standing in a river with his beloved bamboo rod in tow. Time flies when two fisherman get together and start recollecting and I could have easily overstayed my welcome. It would have been easy to have sat there all day with Dwight. He is a man with a rich history of fly fishing the rivers here in the northwest.

Next we headed outside and he handed me one of his seven foot four weight gems. The blank was a site to behold as it had a gorgeous caramel colored blank with it's dark burgundy nylon wraps, red agatine stripper guide, and nickel finish frame. Already I knew this was a blank that would be all too sweet with my recently acquired vintage CFO reel. Not only was it beautiful but it cast like a dream and I could have been easily swept off my feet with the action and allure alone, but I felt I needed a little longer rod and perhaps a jump up in line weight. It was when he handed me one of his favorite rods, an eight foot five weight, that I almost lost it. When I loaded it up I could swear a bolt of lightning came down and struck my hand and melted it to the cork. It was simply one of the sweetest rods I have ever cast. I vaguely remember asking him, maybe pleading with him, to please build one for me. He looked at me and must have sensed the panic in my eyes. He agreed but told me patience must be exercised. Dwight Lyons first love will always be bamboo, but he still has a soft spot in his heart for fiberglass. I was happy he did.

Nowadays Dwight wants to focus his rod building on fine cane. He knows what goes into an exquisite rod and I feel fortunate to soon be a recipient of a glass rod with the name "Dwight Lyons" written across the blank. The whole experience of spending that day with such a gentleman and true master of the art of rod building has spoiled me forever.

Cameron had asked me to give him a call after I left Lyons place just to fill him in on how things went. I dialed his number and when he picked up the phone I gleefully told him I just ordered a custom build from Dwight. I almost sensed that Cameron had a devilish smirk of satisfaction on the other end of the line as if to imply "Welcome to my kingdom, I finally got ya".

F.D. Lyons has a limited number of glass blanks left and after the are all gone so will a bit of fiberglass history since he will then be strictly concentrating on his love of cane. Guess I will have perhaps in time spend another afternoon with Dwight down the road, but for now I know its going to be a long winter waiting so I must exercise my patience as requested by the master.

As John Voleker once wrote those wise words about finding the rod made from love, well I found it, but does anybody know where I can find a good pastie around this neck of the woods? Oh, I almost forgot, Cameron is from Michigan originally and he probably knows where to find one, just like he knew where I would find that special glass rod. Cam, thanks for steering me into your glassy kingdom

Dwight Lyons can be reached through his website at www.fdlyons.com.