A Family Outing With BBQ and Fly Fishing - At My Favourite Tiny Lake

Well enough with old memories now and onto something more rescent. Although a known character in a movie once said: "Memory is what you have instead of a view". And I can assure you that here at this time, freezing cold and without snow, it's hard to find a good view.

Yours truly in action

My wife had gotten hold of the camera and as she likes to look at me in action she took a shot without me knowing about it. This is a little lake that for ages has been known for it's big brown trout.

My doughter and my father rather enjoy reading than fishing.

Yours truly trying his best in front of the shelter

Well as you can see it's a beautiful place just made for family outings.

Finally some trout action. A nice brown trout tired and ready to take.

Since I never carry a net it's the job of the left hand to get the trout up out of the water.

Yours truly without feet but with a trout in his hand. No wonder I could't fish so much this year. Don't think I would trade my feet for that trout. Enough joking. I have a medical condition that makes me live with pain constantly (24/7 all the year). I have to take pain killers every day regularly just to get by. Sometimes it's a little better but other days it's as if the pain killers just don't work. This day and every day with some fly fishing it's a lot better.

The trout and the gear that took him

Since the trout was badly hooked I had to take him. Furthermore I could see that it was a stocked trout and not a natural. The native trout I always put back if they aren't hurt. Even a trout this size gives good sport with this gear. I had my Sage SP 904 AFTM # 4 and a clear intermediate line (Lee Wulff TT Line). Looking to the left of the bood spot you can see the fly. It's not a tiny fly but I'm planning to share some thoughts about it in the future. Since my father has a heart condition we didn't stay long but everyone was pleased and that is what matters. This was in the beginning of May 2011.


Have fun,
M.O.

Yours truly with a magnificent 50 cm (20 inches) brown trout

Yours truly with a magnificent 50 cm (20 inches) brown trout

A few years back a got this magnificent brown on the 15:th of October. It took on a small floating flymph I call "The Possum". I was a little to fast at the first take and ripped the fly out of it's mouth. Typically me. But I didn't prick and spook him so the next time it took I waited for the leader to move until I set the hook. I was using an AFTM #1-2 rod and a thin tippet along with a barbless hook so I had to play him gently. Of course I didn't have any net either so it was rather the fish playing me than the opposite. The trout was strong as a bull and slowly took me on a stroll back and forth with an occasional run in the beginning of the fight. I felt as if I was taking a huge dog for a walk. When it took the fly it was a few degrees over zero but walking right and left with the trout at the end it started freezing. It was like walking on pringles every step sounded like a crunch. As I was wearing regular boots I was freezing and my feet felt numb. But after about 1 hour and 20 minutes I could finally grab him with my left hand and throw him up on the ground. This was to be a delicious dinner for my family. Truly a memorable event ending when it was pitch dark.


"The Possum"
Hook: TMC 103 BL 11-21
Tail: Grizzly Hen Hackle
Body: Dubbed Australian Opossum Black
Hackle: Grizzly Hen Hackle


Have fun tying and fishing tiny flies,
M.O.

The Importance To Have Different Sizes of a Fly Pattern

The picture of the jassids below stresses an important thing I'm firmly convinced is true when it comes to fly fishing (perhaps especially dry fly fishing). It is much more important to have different sizes of a fly pattern than to have a lot of fly patterns in the same size. That's why I always tie my flies in different sizes. Perhaps not like with I've done with The Jassid (that was more like a challenge) but a reasonable variation in the size of your different fly patterns would most likely help you catch more fish. So varying the size of a certain pattern (according to what insects are around and what the trout is feeding on) rather than changing to another fly pattern all the time is the way to go. At least it has worked well for me.

Have fun with your favorite flies,
M.O.

A Collection Of Jassids In Different Sizes

A Collection Of Jassids In Different Sizes

Well, I guess that this picture shows why I chose "The Jassid Man" as my alias. Here are all the sizes of the Jassid that I have tied. From # 16 down to # 32. It was rather difficult to put them into this box just as if they were shy and didn't want to be photographed. It's much easier to deal with them in the Wheatley 1608 (I think it is), you know the one with 32 separate compartments. Much easier to handle them there. Looking at this picture one might suspect that the Jassid is a favourite fly of mine. Thinking that wouldn't be wrong. I must have tied upwards of 200 of them by now and it was probably Vincent Marinaro and his Jassid that made me begin tying and fishing tiny flies. I haven't tried the bigger jassids yet but just like Vince I think they make a good imitation of a beetle. So we'll se this coming summer. 

          The Jassid is also responsible of one of my most memorable fly fishing experiences. I had rigged my 7ft AFTM 1-2 rod with a Lee Wulff TT line # 3 and at the 0.10 mm (7-8X I think) tippet end a jassid. I could see +1 pound trout sipping goodies from the surface as I offered them my jassid. The take was abrupt and almost startled me. The trout jumped 5 times after setting the hook and then dived into the weed. Somehow I managed to get him out of there and I could see that there was no way I could unhook him and let him swim away. The hook was set just in the corner of the mouth and impossible to remove without destroying the fly since the right tools for that was missing. It was just like a picture in Vincent Marinaros book "A Modern DRY-FLY Code" where he shows a fly size # 24 deeply embedded in the corner of a trouts mouth.

Hooks: Partridge Captain Hamilton Featherweight L4A

            Partridge Vince Marinaro Midge Fly Hooks K1A # 20-28

            TMC 103 BL

Hackle: Metz Natural Black (to the whole Vince Marinaro series)

            Whiting Midge and Common Saddle Hackle Black and Grizzly

Wing:   Nails from Natural Jungle Cock

Have fun,

M.O.

The Value of Good Tools

Before going on further in this blog I just want to say a thing or two about the tools used tying tiny flies. In the picture above you can see a small spring scissor. It is one of the tools that really have made it more enjoyable for me tying tiny flies. So having good tools is essential to enjoy fly tying and tying tiny flies in particular. A good pair of scissors is among the most important tools you can have. So my point is that a good pair of scissors may cost a bit but it's worth it since you'll be using it all the time. So don't be cheap with things that are necessary. It will just give you frustration and a hard time bereaving you of the joy of tying nice flies.




This particular tool is available at: http://flytyingboutique.com/ that is run by Phil Holding and I can earnestly recommend this online shop.


Other good online stores in the UK that I can recommend are:

http://www.celticflycraft.co.uk/

http://www.flytek.co.uk/

I have dealt with them several times and it's a pleasure every time.


Have fun,
M.O.

A Modern Version of "The Mink" with a story

A Modern Version of "The Mink" with a story

The Creation of "The Mink"


          It was around 1981 when a friend took me with him to a small creek called Andån which would be The Mallard Creek in english. As I recall he caught a nice brook trout but I didn't get anything. That summer he moved to the south of Sweden for a while and I had the creek for myself experimenting with all sorts of flies. The trout was very willing to rise but it was hard to set the hook. It is a truly nice creek that just makes you ponder over just about everything. But I had to do something so I could not just fool the trout to take the fly but also facilitate the ability to set the hook. OK, a new pattern was on the way. At dusk there were a lot of white moths flying around so I decided to make the wing white. That was a really lucky stroke because I think that the white wing is a main trigger that makes the trout take this fly. The problem with setting the hook was still an issue. So I tied up the hackle which gave the fly a very nice footprint. This was before the era of genetic hackle so the only good option was the most common color at that time; brown (or red game). Since my father was a tailor I had access to wonderful patches of mink since he sometimes shortened expensive fur coats and some pieces were left. Now I'm not talking about scrap pieces of mink but pieces of carefully selected perfect fur for coats. So I made the body of mink fur dubbed on the thread. After a while I started to use a dubbing loop hard spun and tight like a rope. That made the fly almost indestructible. 

          So with a handful of these flies I went alone to Andån. The trout was easily spooked so the best approach (if at all possible) would be to try to reach them from the blind spot behind them. The fly showed off to be a really hit. I caught trout like never before close to my home. I even remember that a trout, in a very nice small pool downstream a bridge, jump a couple of feet up in the air and taking the fly on the way down. I could hardly believe my eyes and sometimes I fished when it was pitch dark and just set the hook when I heard a trout take the fly. That was really a summer to remember. It was a hot and dry summer so it was quite easy to figure out were the trout had their feeding places in the creek. So that was the way "The Mink" was created and it has proven it's catching abilities all over Sweden since then. But that's another story. Soon I will tell the story about the fly on the picture above that has earned it's spot in my "Wheatley Hall of Fame Fly Box".


Have fun tying and fishing tiny flies,
M.O. 

Another "midgetized" version of an old memorable fly

Another "midgetized" version of an old memorable fly


Current dressing:
Hook: TMC 508 # 26
Thread: Uni Trico 17/0
Tail: 2 Black Microfibbets
Body: Natural Mole
Wing: White Tiemco Aero Dry Wing


          The history about this fly (the original) goes back to the beginning of the 80'ties. I had found a great hole in a small stream which the biggest trout around secured as his own. A big birch tree was hanging out over the stream and there was a little eddie just under it. There the trout was just rising very calmly and sipping whatever came floating his way. I had lost him before when he broke loose around a pole sticking up from the bottom. I guess that the fly, "The Mink", has degraded and vanished where it was put by the trout. A day or two later I was decided to give him another try and I knew that I only had one chance to get him since it was a very wary trout. He would just vanish down his hole for the rest of the day if I made a mistake and spooked him. At the same time I knew that I had to hold him high or he would dive around the pole again. At midday I was crawling on my knees to get as close as possible. I made the cast very cautiously and he went for it. When he was hooked I held him as hard as my leader would afford without breaking. I was able to keep him from diving and got him. A beautiful golden brook trout with black and red spots. I'm sure that he was pretty old since the trout grow very slowly in this stream because of the scarcity of food.


Have fun tying and fishing tiny flies,
M.O.

Ed Engle's Fly "The Secret Weapon"

Ed Engle's Fly "The Secret Weapon"

Ed Engle's Fly "The Secret Weapon" Slightly modified


Body: Blue Dun Hareline Super Fine Dry Fly Dubbin
Tail: 2 White Micro Fibbets
Hook: TMC 518 # 28
Wing: White Darlon (Instead of Z-lon as stated in his book)


A fly pattern that's new to me but I think it will do well. Let's see in the summer!


Have fun tying and fishing with tiny flies,
M.O.

The Mole Variant

The Mole Variant

Hook: TMC 518 # 32
Body: Natural Mole
Wing: Tiemco Aero Wing White
Hackle: Whiting Midge Saddle Grizzly
Tail: Blood Red Micro Fibbets
Thread: Uni Trico 17/0


Have fun fishing and tying tiny flies,
M.O.

The Mink (Original)

The Mink (Original)

The Original Tied sometime around 1985 and responsible for a dozen trout approx. and after that stuffed into a jar with hundreds of flies thereby the condition it's in.

Hook: Partridge Captain Hamilton Featherweight # 12
Tail: Brown Hackle
Body: Mink dubbing (using a dubbing loop winding it very hard like a rope and after that wind it in touching turns which gives a very "buggy look")
Wing: White Hackle
Hackle: Brown Hackle Tied up

"The Mole"

"The Mole"

The Midget Variant of an old Favourite:  "The Mink" and as such it had to be     renamed to "The Mole"

Hook: TMC 518 # 32

Tail: Ginger Microfibetts Spread

Body: Natural Mole

Wing: Tiemco Aero Dry Wing White

Hackle: Hoffman Cocks Neck, Three Turns, Trimmed under the fly

Kimball's Emerger Variant

Hook: TMC 518 # 32

Abdomen and Thorax: Natural Mole

Tail: Two strands of Teal

Hackle: Whitings Midge Saddle Grizzly Trimmed

Wing case: Tiemco Aero Wing White, Very Sparse

Have fun tying and fishing tiny flies,

M.O.

The Jassid - The Most Famous of all Tiny Flies

Hook: TMC 518 # 32
Thread: Sheer 14/0 Black (Now I use UNI Trico 17/0 made black with a permanent marker)
Hackle: Whiting Midge Saddle Black
Wing: A Tiny JC Nail


Have fun tying and fishing tiny flies,
M.O.