Flyfishing, flytying and hooks
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flyhooks.org – 300+ new hooks

This autumn I have spent a lot of time getting up to speed on the new hooks that people from all over the world have sent me: 300+ new hooks for http://flyhooks.org/ have been measured, photographed and added to the different hooks that I have registered so far. A big thank you to all those that have contributed to the collection that now counts 682 hook sizes with images (accross 280 different hooks).

Highlights are: Knapek, Dohiku & Claw (almost) complete sets of all hooks and sizes, a large batch of classic streamers, many new Mustad  hooks and some very special dryfly hooks that I’ll get back to in later blogposts.

Even before I was done with this large batch of new hooks I got some new from France that I haven’t seen before and a couple of TMC and Mustad that will be added once I add some more functionality to the site: I’ll improve the search and layout of the site, maybe add a comment section and look at integrating it better with flytyer.org

This project would not have been where it is today without your help, so if you have a hook or two to spare, contact me through the contact form, and I’ll get back to you with address and information about the process.

Childers

Ever since I started tying flies I have been fascinated with the classic salmon patterns: Silver Grey, Green Highlander, Jock Scott and all the other patterns that are a part of the history. If I go back to some notes I did 3 years ago I started to plan a fully dressed Jock Scott, I got some of the material, but quickly realised that it was a undertaking that I needed to postpone until I got better (and I’m glad I did…). I have done some classic patterns for fishing over the last couple of years, but wanted to master that before I moved on to the classics tied as they are supposed to be done.

This autumn I have done more and more classics for fishing, started to tie in hand and slowly getting better at setting the wing and mastering the different parts of the classic patterns. The last year I have also got to know some very skilled people that have shown me tips and tricks on what to do, what good material really feels like and pushed me in a direction where I have become confident in tying a decent classic for fishing.

This weekend I sat down with a good friend and we spent some long hours tying up a Childers together. This was done on a #6/0 + hook with the best material I have tied with so far. The process was long and I got a lot of input and insight into the different parts of constructing a classic: the tag, where I got to use my silk gloves for the first time, setting a tail properly, dubbing a good body, setting a wing (where I did mess up and got some very good help), the sides & chatterer, the (for me) dreaded horns that I never set properly before and the brushing up and finishing of the fly to make it presentable.

I learn every day doing this, but this weekend was extraordinary in terms of what this is all about for me: take the time to do things properly, unwind and relax (ok: there was a couple of  times there when it was “slightly” stressful…), talk about the how and why, and in the end be happy with what was created but with a insight into what can be done better next time.

Changing from dryfly.me to flyfisher.org

3 1/2 years ago I started dryfly.me to log my process of the of getting into flytying: I got a macro lens and jumped into exploring mostly dryfly patterns – this is where the dryfly.me domain came from. Over these years I have started up flytyer.org, flyhooks.org, flyrods.org and coffeeandflyfishing.com, I have focused more on salmon flies (both new and classics), seatrout and nymphs in addition to the dryfly.

The domain was good, but I purchased the domain flyfisher.org earlier this year and I feel that it is better suited towards the content that will be posted here and in addition serve as the hub for the different sites related to flytying and flyfishing that I run.

All the old links to dryfly.me will still work, and you will be redirected to flyfisher.org, so no need to worry about loosing links to content if you have saved that earlier.