My Hopper - Part 1 ( The Foam Body )

To tie 'my hopper' you have to prepare all the needed parts. The barred rubber legs are a great addition to any hopper or cricket pattern. Just put two of them together and make a knot, then cut one of the two pieces near the knot and the leg is ready. For the wing, I used a thicker plastic bag that I coloured with some black and brown waterproof pencils, then I cut it in the shape of of a hopper wing. Optionally you can use some plastic ball eyes or you can make some of a piece of mono filament. But now lets talk about the extended foam body. It is easier to tie it than it looks like. 

Mount a needle in your vice and pierce a 4 mm wide piece of foam like in the image below. 

Start the thread in front of the foam ( about 4-5 wraps ), then wrap twice over the foam like in the picture. Don't use waxed thread, you may get problems pushing the body off the needle.

Take a few wraps again in front of the foam, bend the foam over the needle and start wrapping the thread over the two foam parts ( about 2-3 wraps ), then continue with 4-5 wraps on the needle.

You chose how many and how big the segments of the extended foam body will be.

When you finished the body, whip finish, cut the thread and secure it with some head cement. Don't pull the body off the needle, push it.

Now it's time to put all the parts together and to tie the hopper.

My Hopper

There are so many hopper patterns, some better tied and more successful than others. The used materials are also very varied. I think that foam ( polycelon ) is the best material for tying terrestrials. It has a high buoyancy and it is easy to work with. An extended foam body is looking very natural and it was my choice in this case. The deer hair wing is covered by a thicker plastic wing ( polyethylen ) cut from a plastic bag. It keeps the hair compact and gives it also a natural look. Also a very important element are the rubber legs that let the fly look alive on the water surface. There will be soon a step-by-step tying tutorial on my blog.  Have fun and a good start into this new year. 

Hook:          Gamakatsu Worm 39, size 4
Abdomen:  extended polycelon body
Thorax:       antron  
Head:          polycelon, same color like the abdomen
Legs:          rubber legs  
Wing:          deer hair, crystal flash, plastic wing

Beulah Classic wt7/9' - Part 1

First Beulah rod is almost ready. In the end I decided to use a new reel seat (Alps), new guides and I'm pretty happy with my decision. I used Gudebrod Classic twist thread 001/207 for the guide wrapping. Coating the wrap is the only thing left. There will be more pictures after I'll finish the rod. Till then, I wish you a Happy New Year and all the best! 

Morten Oelands Hawthorn Fly

The Fish & The Fly 3 ( Terrestrials ) is a very inspiring movie. You have a great fly fishing and a fly tying section. One of the presented flies is the Hawthorn Fly. It’s looking good and it’s pretty easy to tie, a deadly pattern. He is using for the throax seal fur. You can use also a mix between seal fur and black cdc or just black cdc. I used in this case Partridge Grey Shadow hooks size 16. 

1.Attach the hook firmly in the vice and run on apply your thread base keeping a free space like in the picture to the ear of the hook.

2.Cut a strip of foam to fit the hook size ( 3 mm/size 14 ) ans secure it like in the picture with a couple of firm turns on the top of the hook shank.

3.Split the tread and make a cdc/ seal fur dubbing brush. Then build the thorax keeping a small space to the eye of the hook for the head of the fly.

4.Cut a 4 mm wide piece of fine plastic bag for the wing and use a needle to bring it through the foam from backward to forward and back. The insertion points of the wings are in the middle third of the foam wide.

5. Bend the foam over the cdc/seal fur thorax and tie it down.

6. Fold the foam back and form a head, than tie it down. Cut the rest of polycelon as short as possible and apply a drop of head cement on the thread. Also trim the tail and the wings of the fly.  

Enjoy and tie some nice flies !

New blanks, new projects...

The Beulah blanks arrived last week. One Guide Series 904-7 (9'/4 sections/7wt) and one Blue Water Series 907/8-4 (9'/4 sections/7-8wt). I'll use the old guides and real seat for the Guide rod. The Blue Water will get a brand new anodized aluminium reel seat and new chrome over stainless steel snake guides. I'll build this last one for bonefish fly fishing and hope to use it during next year. Just need to find some time to visit Karl Bartsch till end of the month to get the missing parts for this two rods and also to finish them till end of the year, at least this is the plan. A high modulus IM8 graphite is used for the construction of this blanks. They are fast, strong and casting will be pure joy.

The old 7wt rod built on a CTS Affinity blank with a broken 3rd section.

At least I was able to take the guides and reel seat from the old rod.

Brand new Beulah toys.

Blackwater Park - Pike on Fly

During a free weekend, without making too many plans, I decided to go out for a few hours to check my backyard for some pike. A few days ago I tied some streamer hoping to catch the first fish with the new  9-weight rod. Two months ago, while fishing in Ireland, the local situation made catching pike with the fly rod impossible so I had to create new opportunities cause only those who go fishing, catch fish.

Temperature fell under 10 degrees Celsius, fog veils had become increasingly more persistent and the leaves turned yellow and red. A cup of hot tea, a cigar, warm clothing and my fly fishing equipment was everything I needed to spend a few unforgettable hours on the Danube banks. I couldn’t choose something better to listen in the car than ‘Opeth - Blackwater Park’ on such an autumn day.

After I reached the parking place on the waterfront, an elderly fisherman who was preparing his gear for some coarse fishing looked at me indignantly with eyes wide open while I was preparing my fly rod. He asked me with some hesitation:

- Do you want to catch trout, here in this area?

The question awakened me from my sweet mental slumber and till to get the cigar out of the mouth to respond, he gave me also an answer.

- I think you have little chance.

Amazed I looked at him, took out of the bag a box with streamer, non smaller than 5 inches and said:

- I would suck to catch in this water a trout that is eating such monsters!…showing on the lures with my finger.

Wonder let him speechless. I cleared that I was going to catch monsters with teeth that are commonly called pikes. Then he ended the dialogue with a contemplative…ohhh…looking at me like to an alien.

Water was cam and clear. Casting the 9-weight rod proved to be not very comfortable but my stripping basket eased the task enormously. After about 20 minutes of fishing, I was thinking about changing the spot while stripping the line at a constant speed without breaking the rhythm when I saw how the line stretched and went sideways. Suddenly I felt movement on the other end. The fish caught was a jack pike but at least the curse was broken.

The following hours were found to be less prolific but the time spent outside brought me inner peace. Just need to learn how to animate bigger pike to attack my lures.

The Funeral

Today it was a sad day in my fly fisherman's life. To make it short, I managed to brake the second time this year my 7 wt rod. But let's start with the beginning. A few months ago, while casting some shooting heads on the loan, I heard a strange sound and the tip segment of my rod broke. After some chitchat with a friend, I decided not to order a new tip segment, just to repair it. The rod was working not as good as a new one but I it was OK. During the summer I used it a few times catching some nice fish.

This morning, after I drunk my coffee I decided to go out for some fly fishing. Even a milky drape of fog was covering the river, the first sun rays made it through till on the water surface. I choose an area of the river that I never fished before. The weather was great but no fish rising. 

Well, after some hours of fishing without any take, while casting some wet flies I heard the same scary sound like a few months ago while casting on the loan and without to look at the rod I knew it was over. This time it was the second segment. It made a good job during the last years. The last fish caught was a roach about a week ago.

The rod was build on a CTS blank but I don't think I'll buy one again. After I went home today, I ordered a new 7 wt blank. This time it will be a Beulah. I'm sad but on the other side I can't wait to build a new rod that will catch at least as many fish I caught with the old one.