Recent comments

Pretty confident

Darrel,

All the threads that have actual measures in millimetres have been measured by me. That gives me a pretty good confidence in the results, but of course with all the factors mentioned in this section regarding measuring the thickness of tying thread. It can - rightfully - be debated if these measures are the actual diameters of the threads, but the fact is that they are what I found using a consistent method and measuring all threads in several places - and from several spools if possible.

The whole point of this table and the article is to point out that almost any label on any thread has no direct connection with the actual thickness of the threads. Deniers, aughts and other designations simply don't compare to the physical thickness - oftentimes not even within the same brand. So it was no surprise to me finding two UTC threads, one "heavier" than the other, and the heavier one measuring as thinner than the light one.

Martin

UTC Ultra Thread 210 & 280 Denier

How confident are you with the diameters listed for the UTC 210 and 280 denier threads? By definition, the 280 is a "heavier" thread but the diameter is listed at 0.069 while the diameter of the 210 is larger at 0.081. That seems odd because they are both made with the same nylon construction.

Fly tying

Great article. Just started tying wet flies, after reading George Barron’s book. This article has added another dimension to my tying. Thanks

Thanks!

Hi - I fly fish for westslope cutthroat in the east kootenays; and these Betters' patterns are some of my go-tos. I've long wanted a copy of his out-of-print book on his patterns. Perhaps Stackpole or some other outdoors oriented publisher would do a run?? Thanks for the post.

So true

Raske,

So true... amazing how we can provide free content and spend hours, days, weeks and years of work on it, and still there will be someone bitching in the most unappreciative way.
I mostly just brush the critics off - unless they are constructive - but sometimes I feel the need to reply.

Martin

Thank You

Well done brother Martin...some people are never satisfied...perhaps they're looking for a subscription refund? Oh wait...GFF is free isn't it?

Trout fishing in Turkey

Hi Feridun, I don't know if you check this site anymore of if you are still around. I am coming to Turkey in one week to try to find some good fly fishing. There is not much information on the internet, so your post above is the only piece of hope I have. I'm from a small mountain town in the west of the US called Sun Valley, and I love fly fishing. Please let me know if you can help. My email is bowenwilliams2012@gmail.com. Thank you!

Gratis!!!

@Martin & Allan
An excellent article! ... as a whole. The pictures contribute very well to the atmosphere (I felt the taste of the sea water in my mouth and the smell of the freshly applied headcement), and the elegance of these presented flies, just embellish the overall impression. From my point of view, it is the best article written by you guys. Thank you !!! ... you made my eyes happy and you made my soul as a fly fisherman to sing and dance.

Wrong name

This is Wasp Spider, not Tiger Spider (Scytodes globula)

I admit that fly fishing is

I admit that fly fishing is an extremely interesting and addictive hobby and the passion of those who practice it shows us the wide range of people's creativity. But what is the essence of this occupation that fascinates all practitioners is to trick a fish into grabbing an artificial creation, in many cases a creation of their own hands. It is a long process that begins in front of the vise and ends with the catching of an artificial fly by a fish. The road to the tackes is and must remain the ultimate pleasure.

That I can explain and understand many of people's obsessive fixations, which can sometimes lead to bigotry, does not exclude the fact that fanatics generally lack balance in their personal lives. But in many cases, it is a fanaticism disguised by the interest for economic gain and then the "passion" is the subject of a well-argued exposure in the public space. A marketing (which we already know very well how much truth it contains) to attract attention and capture the interest of those who have the opportunity to finance a fad. Now that it's a Swiss watch that costs as much as a house for ordinary people, a special car brand, an exclusive wine bottle, a smart phone dressed in svarowschi crystals or diamonds, a yacht ... or a trophy fish , it doesn't really matter.

Dear confreres, keep fly fishing simple, enjoy the road to the tackings and the creation process. Not to mention that just being on the edge of a gin clear river in the middle of a wonderful nature is a blessing. As in many other human activities, size does not matter. A trophy fish is in many cases a matter of personal interpretation. For me, for example, it can be a 0.500g chub in a 3m wide stream, which I fallow for hours, sometimes days, so that in the end I manage to trick him into taking the fly presented with a # 1 -2 fly fishing rod, or a 1-2kg sea trout parked in a Scandinavian pool, almost impossible to approach with a fishing rod. The more complicated the situation, the greater the desire to overcome all obstacles. Greetings to all of you. Pierre

There is a word ...

Martin,
I truely admire your patience - what an answer! In german there is a word for such people - I'm afraid it's "Klugscheisser" (may he look for translation&meaning himself) Keep on rolling with your superb work! All the best, aª

You are so right

Eiður,

You are so right! My bad. I put the wrong label on the fly. I fished the Snælda many times and should know the difference.
Thanks.

Martin

This isn't "Red Snælda".

This isn't "Red Snælda". This is the Red Frances

Wire Rib

I tie my buggers very similar to this but prefer to add a wire rib. The wire is tied in just before the chenille is tied in. Then after Palmering the hackle back, use the wire to tie down the hackle and then continue spiral wrapping it all the way up to the bead. This method thus makes it unnecessary to wrap the thread back over the chenille prior to wrapping the hackle. Also, the wire is a little more robust at holding down the hackle versus having exposed thread wraps doing it.

Tinsel

The holographic tinsel looks more like opalescent tinsel to me. Is it Flashabou, perhaps?

shooting heads?

You can easily make any line into a shooting head. Simply cut your line 30' back from the tip and needle-knot 20# mono running line/backing to the 30' head. The chief drawback will be the inability to mend line in a cast more than 30' long.

You are probably right

Johan,

I didn't write the article, so I'm not quite sure when I say this: but you are probably right.

The "60% rule" is most likely more a rule-of-thumb to use if you want to have a starting point for a leader. As you have seen, many of the leaders in the system uses quite different formulas and principles, and most of them are based on real life fishing, and many hours of testing and adjusting.

Regarding Ritz' book, it's an older title, and it comes from a time where mono lines were different from what they are now, which may be the reason for these general rules. My experience is that most of the leaders in LeaderCalc will work as they are designed and shown, even though most will not follow Ritz' principles - not even those bearing his name. I have of course only tried a fraction of them, but they all come from reliable sources and have been used for many years by many anglers.

Martin

A Fly Fisher's Life by Charles Ritz. Relevant butt dimentions?

60% of the line diameter it writes. Is this really relevant?

My flyline tips vary from SH #5 0,75mm to DH #12 1,3mm.
60% of 1,3mm is 0,78mm. But 0,55mm is the butt diameter of all LCalc formuals I found for DH. The 75% butt diameter mentioned makes this even more peculiar.
I read that material stiffness is to take in to consideration. And maybe flyline and leader materials changed over time?

The numbers make better sense in smaller flyline diameters. But still many formulas span across 4-5 AFTM classes. Showing little connection to this "60% rule".

I looked up this book on the Internet. It looks very interesting. I better read it. Maybe this is considered a "fly fishermans bible"? But I can not see that the 60% connection to butt diameters applies. And therefore; is this really relevant to us?

Maybe there is something I don't fully understand? I'd love to get my grips arund this matter, simply because I tie leaders.

Hi!

Hi!

Just simply use working gloves made of fabric and with a good palm grip layer... I always have one pair in the boot of the car and/or the fishing bag. It always work and you will never damage the rod.

Cheers,

Raphael

Martin's Respones to my questions

Martin thank you very much for the very fast response. I look forward to tying my own leaders and appreciate all the work that has been done to help us neophytes enter a new area of our very rewarding sport / pastime.

Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Walter

Download vs. online

Walter,

I see that you might be referring to the spreadsheet for download, while I'm referring to the online system. In the spreadsheet nothing is editable. this is a very old system, which is not maintained anymore. Use the updated online system in stead. It's much more up to date: https://globalflyfisher.com/leadercalc

Martin

Yes and no

Walter,

You can't edit the formulas (recipes) themselves. They aren't printed on the label, so that wouldn't make much sense anyway.

All the other things that go on the label are editable. They are shown in a form before you go the the "clean" labels to print them, and are divided in two sections: Leader info and Your info.
The First one is pre-filled from the leader you have chosen, but all fields can be changed as you please. The second section is empty, and there for you to fill with your personal details.
So you can essentially edit everything that goes on the label.

If you have special leader formulas that you use and that work well, you can share them by sending them to me. I can then add them to the long list of existing formulas. It won't make a huge difference for label printing, but will give you and others access to see variations of these formulas in the system.

Martin

editing a leader formula then printing a label? is that possible

I would like to edit some of the leader recipes to suit me and then print a label with the edits. Can I do that with this program?

SUP paddle standing in the canoe

Hi there - I loved the article on fly fishing from a solo canoe and plan to hit the water as soon as my canoe comes in. Has anyone tried using a SUP paddle to adjust your position on the water while standing?