Icelandic Sheep Dubbing Product Testing (Part One)

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I'm currently a product tester for Tie the Fly.  The man behind the site is considering carrying a new type of dubbing, and put out the call for tyers interested in using some samples to tie up some flies.  Just a few days after getting in touch, I received a small package with nine tiny baggies of dub inside. As luck would have it, I didn't get to sit down and really work with it for a few days, but when I finally did, I made a commitment to rigorous and scientific research, and tried to tie a few of several different flies, representing all major categories. When I opened the dub and handled...

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New Glass

Over the weekend, I jumped on a good price for a new (to me) lens online.  I'm now the proud owner of a AF Micro Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 D! While I've still got a lot to learn about it, I couldn't wait to share a few shots with my readers here.  So without further ado, here's the goods: ...

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What I've Been Up To

It's been a while since my last post, and while things are still busy, I want to fill in all my readers as to where I've been lately. Fly Tying I've only been doing a little bit of tying lately, mostly fishing on the reserves I tied up over the winter.  I'm tying a few patterns now as a product tester for Tie the Fly, and once I've finished them and fished them, I'll post a full report here, identical to the information I'll be sending back to Tie the Fly. The product I'm testing isn't some new brand of knockoff hook or gimmicky tool (or those hideous pre-made bodies), but rather a less common type of dubbing: Icelandic Sheep.  I'm...

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6 Key Features of a Small Stream Dry Fly

Fishing small streams for wild trout presents a different set of challenges than most typical fly fishing: the casts are short and the drifts are shorter, the conditions are crowded, stealth becomes a huge factor, and often a decent cast will involve throwing line across three or four separate stream features and currents, to deliver a fly within a few inches of a rock, under branches hanging just a foot or two over the water. This type of fishing places many additional demands on an angler, but also affords him the opportunity to meet those challenges by giving him freedom in other areas.  Fly selection shows this better than many other...

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