Sunday Cinema - Chasing Hatches

It's no secret that I was more than impressed with RA Beattie's last DVD release, Nervous Water. His next film, Off the Grid, is in the works and this clip is a cool peek into the project.

chasing hatches from RA Beattie on Vimeo.

Check out RA's freshened up Beattie Outdoor Productions website for more video clips and information.

T.F.M. Spotting - Of Murse and Moobs

Longtime T.F.M. reader Tim Connelly sent along a photograph of him repping his T.F.M. t-shirt while doing some test casting on the new McFarland Rod Company build. His story cracks me up.

"I was out testing the 8'6" eight weight Scott blank that Mike built for me. I was trying a friend's Rio Striped Bass line with a 350 grain shooting head. It's a little too much for the rod, at least with me at the helm, but this poor little fella grabbed the fly."

"My wife thought I should send you the picture because I'm using the "murse" I bought from you. She says it goes well with my "moobs". If you put on a couple of pounds over the holidays they just get mean. Why do we marry them? Oh, yeah. Now I remember."

Wives...they can be so cruel sometimes. HA...

(This is the fourth submission for February in the T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest.)

F3T Coming to Charleston!

In case my "Dirty South" peeps didn't know, the Fly Fishing Film Fest is dropping into Charleston, South Carolina on March 4th at the Terrace Theater on James Island. Doors open at 6:30 and the show starts at 7:00.

I bought my ticket today while watching the clock tick tock closer to five o'clock. I am already looking forward to the show.

During a conversation with Mad Mike from the Charleston Angler, he mentioned that this would be one of the few shows where "Carolina Reds" would be shown. The film looks pretty tight for being done on a dirt bag budget chasing reds in and around Charleston. I look forward to seeing more.


If you see me at the Charleston F3T show, hit me up since I should be carrying a stack of T.F.M. decals and a limited number of Jnr Buffs for the Fishy Kids in the audience.

T.F.M. Spotting - Christian in the Studio

Christian Hörgren sent along a photo of him donning his T.F.M. skully cap while in a Stockholm studio recording a new album with Sofia Talvik.

I'm hoping that he can make it stateside so that we can link up and touch a few fins some place.

"Besides my day job, I play cello with Swedish singer/songwriter Sofia Talvik. Over the last three years we’ve toured the United States and Canada several times. Two years ago we played on Lollapalooza in Chicago. In March the band is touring again with a start in Hawaii, then playing the west coast down from Seattle to Los Angeles, and ending up with a few gigs in Texas."

"Every time we stop on tour I head for the local dealer of rods and reels, chatting about the local fly fishing conditions, and buying a t-shirt. My plan is to bring a 5-piece rod this time and try to catch some brookies. At the moment we are recording Sofia’s fourth album in a studio in Stockholm. It's the first time I've recorded dressed up in T.F.M. merch, but probably not the last..."

Check out Sofia Talvik's website for some exposure to her excellent music. You'll also see Christian wearing his T.F.M. skully cap on her website too!

Froggers!

A small parcel was stuffed in the mailbox this evening and inside was a small STP Frog Cutter from River Road Creations along with a mess of Frog Foam.

I am ready to tie me up some "froggers" now!

The Voelker Camp in Winter

One of the neatest things about writing The Fiberglass Manifesto has been the people that I have met in the process. Last week I received an email from Adam Tsaloff who mentioned that he enjoyed reading T.F.M., the exposure to several rod builders, and also explained that he was the oldest grandson of Michigan Supreme Court Judge and Writer John Voelker, pen name Robert Traver.

During our email exchange Adam talked about "The Camp" on Frenchman's Pond and he passed along a few photographs that his Uncle Woody had taken early this winter after everything that been buttoned up. Adam wrote of a few memories about spending time with his grandfather that I am honored to share.

“The camp lays still during the winter months, visited by an occasional rabbit hunter or a band of revelers on cross country skies or snow shoes. My Grandfather would ski into camp with friends and put a fire in the Franklin Stove to chase the winter chill out of the cabin. They would mix a few Old Fashioned or drink mulled wine out of their wine skins and pop popcorn over the fire."

"I went along on a few of those outings as a kid, and usually wound up skiing around outside while the laughter echoed out of the cabin. I would busy myself by looking at the pond and surrounding woods. Even in the dead of winter the pond would never freeze completely over. Open spots would reveal where a spring bubbled up from below. I would mark those spots in my mind and revisit them on the hot days of late summer. There I would throw hopper patterns with my 8’glass Fenwick six weight that my Grandfather bought me at the local sporting goods store. On occasion, I would be rewarded for my craftiness and provoke a swirl from a large Brookie that had claimed the spot to fin in the cool water.”

I've long enjoyed the writing of John Voelker and these photographs were certainly an insight into his most sacred haunt at a time of the year that most of us have never before seen.

T.F.M. Spotting - Castingoutloud.com

Robert McFarlane of www.castingoutloud.com sent along a snap shot representing his new T.F.M. t-shirt and explained his background with fiberglass fly rods. This is the third submission for the month of February in the T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest.

Good read and I like his ethos "NO EXCUSES, GO FISHING".

"My experience with Fiberglass started with a hand-me-down Shakespeare with a Pflueger Medalist reel that I used for Atlantic Salmon fishing on the East Coast. At the time Boron was just coming on the market with rods by Fenwick and others."


"I left New Brunswick and my fly gear behind in 1988 and did not return to the sport until 1999, almost 12 years later. When I did return the rods where almost all graphite and focus was on faster is better. I was never able to feel the comfort I had with my old glass rod until a return trip to New Brunswick in 2001 when I saw my old Shakespeare nailed to the guides shack on the Miramachi River. “That is it!” I thought that is the feel I am missing in my casting. When I returned to Toronto I got on the ebay and searched out old fiberglass rods. I found a Lamiglas blank with all the components for a build and won it for $85 USD from the seller. I never got to the project so I handed it over to a local builder and had it finished for $100 CAD. I ended up with a sweet little rod that looks and feels like a poor mans cane. It is a true joy to cast and catch fish with."

Check out Robert's blog, forum, and more at www.castingoutloud.com.

Got Heads!

Well...the test casting of the demo Scott Fly Rods Fiberhammer is about to get started.

It's time to load up a big vintage J.W. Young reel from the collection since three heads and a running line arrived from Airflo. I hope this will give me a good idea of the capabilities of this fiberglass switch rod.

I've got two Scandi heads in 300 grains and 390 grains and also a Skagit head in 420 grains so the bases should be pretty well covered.

Over the next couple of weeks you'll see me on the river, the yard, and any where else I can make a "D" loop.

Dave's Funky Foam Frogs!

Dave Zielinski is a blogger, wooden drift boat builder, artist, fly tier, and all around fly fishing junkie.

Recently Dave sent along a few frogs that he had tied using a foam cutter from River Road Creations. He even sent along a couple pink ones for my daughter which she got really excited about.

This morning I ordered up my own foam STP Frog cutter and a few sheets of Frog Foam too. Time to start thinking about spring.

Thanks for the flies Dave. I can't wait to give them a whirl once it warms up.

Check out Dave's blog, The Happy Trout Chronicles.

Soft Hackle Fly Swap

I spent part of yesterday at the vise completing eighteen soft hackles for a fly swap on the Fiberglass Flyrodders board which was organized by Corey Layton, aka corlay.

It was really enjoyable way to kill a couple hours and a reminder that soft hackles are some of my favorite flies to tie

RECIPE:
Hook - Size 14 Tiemco 206BL
Thread - Uni 8/0 Black
Body - Olive Midge Size Vinyl Rib
Thorax - Natural Brown Hare's Ear
Hackle - Partidge

This was the first time I've used the Tiemco 206BL hooks and I am very impressed. Sharp points and wide gap is a match for soft hackles flies.

I started using vinyl rib for the bodies of my soft hackles since I like the look and they are much more durable than floss bodies.

With two flies from ten different tiers I should be receiving back a neat set of soft hackles to use this spring.

Sunday Cinema - Fly Art Studio Goes HD!

08:00Neal Osborn of Fly Art Studio recently stepped up his tying game with the release of his first series of HD videos highlighting the Enrico Puglisi Baitfish pattern and it's variations.

Hand model he might not be...but he certainly did an excellent job with these tutorials.

Visit Fly Art Studio for videos, tutorials, slideshows, and his iPhoneography is worth a look as well.

T.F.M./W.J. Contest Winner Speaks!

T.F.M. and William Joseph recently joined up to offer a series of gear giveaways on the T.F.M. facebook site throughout 2010.

Our first "Old School" contest winner was Steve Englund who recently wrote a post for his blog, Headed Out, on receiving the William Joseph package in the mail containing a chest pack and backpack from the Old School line.

Congrats Steve! Now lets see you get those "Old School" packs dirty on a few trips to the river.

An Eye for Detail

Tom Anderson, a.k.a. "Duff", on the Fiberglass Flyrodders forum has a stunning collection of glass rods and fly reels. As I am always looking for original content for T.F.M. I have asked if he'd provide a post from time to time highlighting parts of his collection. This first post has me checking the Yen to U.S. Dollar conversion and planning an order for one of these reels.

I recently ordered a bi-metal Kineya 301B reel directly from the factory in Japan. I was surprised that Masatoshi Okui, the owner of Kineya, e-mailed me the very next morning saying that he would be pleased to make the reel for me but since he was busy doing a few angling shows, he would not be able to complete the reel until early in the next month.

It wasn't long until I received an e-mail saying that the reel was finished and would soon be shipped. That was quickly followed by another very apologetic message from Masatoshi saying that he had found a slight imperfection by the check and was going to make another reel for me. I must admit that I was floored by Masatoshi's personal attention to detail. His understandable pride in the supreme quality of his products is quite evident. The entire experience was extraordinary and I wound up feeling that I had not only gained a wonderful new reel, but also a new friend. Believe it or not, the new reel was completed and shipped in two days, taking only five days door to door by Global Express Mail.

I have to say that it was a true pleasure dealing with Kineya Tackle and everything about my reel, down to the suede leather pouch and hand annotated box label, exudes class. As a side note, the 301B seems the perfect compliment to my Mario Wojnicki 237P4 fiberglass rod, in fact they seem to have been made for each other.

To inquire or place an order with Kineya Tackle their email address is mystique@kineyatackle.com.

Vintage Find - Heddon Pal #8383

Last week I was trading text messages with a friend in Seattle when he mentioned that he had become a "Phillipson Snob". I tossed a text back that he should send me his brown glass Heddon Pal #8383 which I have been wanting for quite some time. A couple text messages to firm up a price and a money order was quickly dropped in the mail.

The Heddon Pal #8383 arrived yesterday and I couldn't be more impressed with the look, feel, and condition of this fly rod.

There are few things as beautiful in the fiberglass realm as brown weave glass and the Heddon Pal script inked across the blank. The double loop guides are a nice touch as well.

The card board rod tube, Heddon decals, and rubber cap are in great condition for being decades old.


The blank says it's a 7 1/2 foot five weight but those that have cast this rod like it better with a six weight which makes sense to me. Either way it's going to get fished!

T.F.M. Goes Fishadelic!

I've been following Brian Wise's blog, Fly Fishing the Ozarks, with his "Fishadelic Foto Friday" posts for some time. Last week I noticed that he took submissions to be given the "fishadelic treatment" and wondered what he'd do to the T.F.M. trout head.

A couple emails back and forth and he sent back this trippy LSD laced photo along.

Thanks Brian...keep bending our minds with your mad Photoshoping techniques.

Subscribe to the Fly Fishing the Ozarks blog to keep up with the F.F.F. posts and the other information that Brian drops in there as well.

T.F.M. Spotting - roughfisher's Tying Desk

Winter has set in on the tundra of Minnesota and with it Jean-Paul Lipton, a.k.a. "The roughfisher", has been hard at work at his fly tying table, which he recently "upgraded" with a T.F.M. decal. The flies that come off his vise make fish eat.

The roughfisher, along with his "Brown Water Brethren" are changing the thought process of what fish are worthy of chasing with a fly.

Check out his website, www.roughfisher.com, to to check out the blog, flies, store, photos, and all things brown water.

Hardy Glass, Small Flies, and Big Trout

I finally found a day to sneak away to North Carolina to go fly fishing with a couple of friends. Winter fishing on the Davidson River is something that I really enjoy. Tiny flies and the prospect of big fish make the three hour there and back worth it.

I spent the better part of the day fishing the Hardy "Glass Test" four weight with a newly acquired Hardy Featherweight reel. In my mind this Hardy fly rod didn't look right until there was a Hardy reel hanging off of it too.

As typical when fishing the Davidson River it was all about midges, a bit of weight, and picking apart likely spots in the river.

This brown trout took a size 22 brown WD-40 fished deep and he made my day.

There are few things as stunning as a large brown trout with golden flanks splattered with black ink spots.

For all my Hardy peeps out there. The "Glass Test" can get it done.

After years of not worrying about lunch or even carrying water with me on trips it's been great making a point to enjoy a well thought out lunch. Warm soup and a sandwich were welcome after hours of standing in the cold.

This was the first trip with my Goertzen Adventure Equipment Fly Fishing Lanyard and I am really impressed. These lanyards have several genius features and are very comfortable to wear all day. The Recycled Waders Messenger Creel has moved to the front of the gear bag carry options since I am able to carry fly and camera gear with room to spare.

About the time the sun was starting it's way behind the mountains we were packed and heading home. An enjoyable day away and so nice to touch the first trout of the new year. More trips to follow!

T.F.M. Spotting - BG's Moose

Recently Bryan Gregson sent along an interesting photograph that Nick Granato had taken of him that I figured had a story behind it.

So not only is this the second T.F.M. Spotting Photo Contest submission for February but the "The Story of the Moose" is told as well. Enjoy...

Each year in early august the “Annual Yuhina Adventure” starts. My friends and I show Mark around the western waters, with the occasional double dip. On this particular day we headed to what we call “Football Creek". It’s one of the few that streams we re-visit. The fish are healthy, the scenery is precious, and the water is off the beaten path.

The hike to the stream is only three or four miles. The trail winds down a small narrow canyon which leads to a small tributary. From here the trails follows the tiny creek to a miniature gorge where the two tributaries join. The trail climbs up and out of the gorge to an open grass field for a mile or so, turns left and heads to the huge rock structures that form the entrance to “Football Creek”. It’s an amazing sight to see.

On the hiking through the grassy field by chance I looked down and spotted a moose. It was standing on the shade side of trail and less than five feet away from me. He was on all fours and staring in my direction. I knelt down and picked him up. I quickly examined him for only a moment before I put him in my pack and ran down the trail to catch up with the group.

When we finally reached the starting point of our fishing adventure, I pulled the moose out from my pack and methodically inspected him. At first glance you can quickly tell this moose isn't just any old moose, his durable plastic coating is well seasoned. The sun has lightened the tops of his synthetic brown colored fur to a light brown with almond blond highlights. In my eyes, he's a trophy's trophy.

From that day we have been traveling together…every trip I go on, the moose goes on too. We’ve been traveling together for a few years now, sharing our experiences, and searching for the next adventure. Although he doesn’t say anything about our trips, I know he is having a great time.

His favorite trips are ones that his friend, the head of Shreck's girlfriend, attends. She lives on a drift boat year round, and they get along great. The two usually hang out on the front of the boat, catch some rays and feel the wind blowing over their artificial hair.

So…. there it is….the story behind the moose.

Portand F3T Report

T.F.M. reporter Rich Schaaff sent an email yesterday talking about how great the Fly Fishing Film Tour stop in Portland was. I thought the T.F.M. readership would enjoy his report.

If you're into fly fishing there wasn't a better bang for your buck in town then spending a few hours at the Fly Fishing Film Tour in Portland Friday night. The crowd was fired up and ready for some entertainment. The F3T Boys delivered the perfect presentation.

The Bagdad Theater is a small old theater in southeast Portland which was just the right size venue to run into old friends, meet new ones, and have a couple of micro-brews while planning a someday fishing trip together. Thad Robison and Marc Crapo served as the perfect hosts and they are as genuine as you can find. These two guys love watching the crowd have a good time.

After an hour of sitting on the edge of your seat watching footage of ridiculously beautiful steelhead ripping line out of frozen reels in the dead of a Midwest winter then the Metalhead crew took us to B.C. and beyond. Next they warmed us up for a ride out to fish salt as they sight fished for giant snook that just exploded out from under the protected mangroves of the Florida Everglades. It was an an evening of a plethora of piscatorial pursuits.

Many thanks should go out to all the film-makers, sponsors and volunteers that help keep this tour alive and well. What better way to spend a winters night but in the company of fly fisherman, cold beer, and endless hook-ups on film.

Sunday Cinema - "Currents of Belize"

Lisa Jones from Costa Del Mar sunglasses sent me an email this week with a link to "Currents of Belize" which is a film that was made to highlight the changing face of tourism and fishing in Belize.

Currents of Belize from McJ Digital on Vimeo.

It is well worth a watch and I especially enjoyed it as South Carolina is thawing out from six inches of snow this weekend.

I think we are all thinking about warmer climes, eh?

Long Term Review - Conduit Gear Bag

This week a large box of Fishy Kid gear prizes arrived from William Joseph along with a second box containing a MAG Conduit Gear Bag. The next day Paul Swint of William Joseph sent an email that he had sent it along to see what I thought about it knowing what a bag fiend I am.

I spent the evening checking out the features of the Conduit Gear Bag one by one. The ZIP-NO technology is innovative and functions flawlessly. For thirty minutes, while snapping photographs of the Conduit, I kept testing out the magnetic closures of the various pockets and lid. No doubt the Conduit is full of features and I am looking forward to a long term review of this bag since I can see various uses for it from securing gear for trout trips, packing a days worth of essentials for the kayak, and keeping fly reels and other items organized while at the house.

Last night Finn decided to put the Conduit through a series of "stress tests" and was inside and outside of the pack pulling on the pocket doors, standing up inside the bag, and drooling all over it.

"Ummmm...how did my wooden fishy rattle end up in here?"

Somebody is excited about the W.J. Conduit Gear Bag!

The Conduit Gear Bag certainly got Finn's seal of approval along with my own.

Look for more reviews in the coming months. Check out the entire MAG line up at your local William Joseph dealer.

The Holga Master Delivers!

Well the week of great mail days continued with a large yellow envelope arriving from Brian Schiele, aka "The Holga Master", yesterday.

These prints were a trade for some T.F.M. swag and I now realize that I ended up with the upper hand in this deal. These prints are each very impressive.

Part of what makes these prints so special is that Brian decided to get back into the darkroom after a sixteen year break and developed these himself.

These are two of my most favorite "Holga Master" prints. There is just a wonderful feel to each of them.

At least two of these will be off to the frame shop soon. I can't wait to get them on a wall in our house.

Check out Brian Schiele's website to see his growing portfolio of work and more information on shooting with Holga cameras.

The "HAMMER" Arrives

Last night I heard the rumble of a delivery truck in the driveway and found a slender brown box from Scott Fly Rods at the doorstep. I opened it to find a demo/loaner 10'6" seven weight Fiberhammer switch rod inside.

This rod is fiberglass through and through and even during a living room wiggle could feel a full flex bend all the way into the cork.

Now I've got three weeks to figure this stick out. The recent Deneki Outdoors review might be a good place to start as far as what lines to try.

More photos and full review coming.

LOOP ARMY DISCOUNT

I just sat down to the computer to find an email from Idaho Joe with the LOOP "February Deals" Discount List attached.

If you saw the last list then you're familiar with the slashed prices on a wide array of LOOP rods and reels. The new list includes the rest of the Opti reel line up and a few other rods and reels as well.

If you'd like to check out the LOOP Discount List then please send an email to heddonpal@fiberglassflyrodders.org and I'll forward it along to you.

If you decide that you would like to place an order, ring up the boys at Castaway Fly Fishing Shop, and tell them that "Kojack" sent you.

T.F.M. T-Shirt Order

With the last T.F.M. t-shirt order still arriving to the masses I have gotten quite a few requests to start another order. My plan is to do these orders quarterly to give everyone a chance to purchase a T.F.M. t-shirt if they wish.

The 2010 T.F.M. t-shirts are dark brown in color and offered in both short sleeve and long sleeve. These shirts can be ordered in sizes Small to 3XL. I can order black t-shirts in 4XL and 5XL in both short and long sleeve as well.


The T.F.M. t-shirts feature the stellar artwork of Seth Morrision.

The prices for the T.F.M. t-shirts are $20 for short sleeve shirts and $24 for long sleeve shirts.

Shipping for one shirt will be $4 and I will offer FREE SHIPPING to those that order two or more T.F.M. t-shirts if they are shipped within the United States.

I will gladly calculate shipping to areas outside of the United States and work with you on getting a T.F.M. t-shirt shipped to your country.


T.F.M. has the whole family covered with short sleeve women styled t-shirts in sizes XS to 3XL in dark brown for $20 each. Children sized short sleeve t-shirts in bright pink or blue are offered in youth sizes XS to XL for $15 each.

I will be taking orders until March 15th, 2010 and should have the T.F.M. t-shirts in the mail by the first week of April.

To place an order or if you have any questions please send me an email at heddonpal@fiberglassflyrodders.org.

Portand Fly Fishing Film Tour

T.F.M. Reporter and East Fork Fly photog Rich Schaaff will be at the Portland, Oregon Fly Fishing Film Tour on Friday, February 12th at the McMenamins Bagdad Theater.

The doors open at 6:30 and the show starts at 7:00.

Rich will have a short stack of T.F.M. decals and cards so hit him up for one. He'll be the one in a brown T.F.M. t-shirt with a pint in each hand.

T.F.M. Spotting - Al's Baby Tarpon

The "Malaysia Boys" can't stop won't stop and the first submission for the T.F.M. SPOTTING Photo Contest in February is a photograph of Al Pocono repping this T.F.M. t-shirt and catching baby tarpon.


Al wrote..."I was fishing north of Malaysia. I don't do much saltwater fishing, but when my company sent me there for work purpose, I asked my friend to bring me to do some estuary fishing looking for baby tarpon and ladyfish. I brought my Orvis Fullflex and Marryat CMR56 reel. We were having some fun with baby tarpon using brown damsel nymph and roach pattern."

Send your T.F.M. SPOTTING Photo Contest submission to heddonpal@fiberglassflyrodders.org.

The Richardson Chest Fly Box

Admittedly I am a pushover for all the different methods in carrying fly gear to the water. I've got vests, backpacks, bags, and lumbar packs that all seems to get used at least a couple of times during the course of the fishing year but what I don't have is a Richardson Chest Fly Box.

Recently two members on the Fiberglass Flyrodders forum, Fred Paddock and Tom Anderson, happened across slightly used Richardson Chest Fly Boxes and snapped them up. I asked each of them to send along a few photographs since I wanted to see the ins and outs of the chest fly box system.

After looking over these photos and then checking out the Richardson Chest Fly Box website I am really surprised how "new school" these seemingly "old school" at first glance boxes are.

The options start with several types of foam inserts, tippet dispensers and tool storage, and end with a long list of other modifications that can be made to personalize the chest fly box to your liking.

Admittedly a fully decked out chest box can get a little pricey but it can also be something that you can add to over the years as well.

Check out the Richardson Chest Fly Box website for more information.