Fly Blog

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Inc. Custom Fly Rods – Continuing in my series on collecting user comments on various fly rods.  Today I am covering the St Croix Avid Fly Rod.   This is the SCIII rod blank from St Croix and is a medium fast taper.  In my opinion this is a great rod, at a great price especially for smaller streams and rivers.  But what do I know?  See what other people have said about these rods…

I had a Avid but it is definitely too slow, I went up to a legend ultra and its a better rod. The Avid series is St. Croix’s entery level rod and its performance will be less than a Ultra or any other fast action rod out there. If you want a good fast rod but not a huge price tag look at a G loomis GL3.  –posted on www.StriperSurf.com

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher.com Custom Fly Rods - In my last blog How to choose a fly rod model and manufacturer, I mentioned that I wanted to roll up comments on fly rod models and manufacturers from around the web. You can see my entire collection at Flycatcher Fly Wiki.  My first look is at a great rod manufacturer, Thomas and Thomas. This is a look at their Helix moderately fast action rod that uses their BAFT graphite design. Hear what people around the web are saying about this awesome rod/rod blank. The following are excerpts from commentary on various web forums around the web (attribution is given at the end of each quote):

After visiting their shop and testing them out, I recently became an avid follower and owner of several Thomas & Thomas Helix rods. They have excellent balance and cast very smoothly. Alot of power for the varying wind conditions. The Helix has very adequate backbone, but they do not give you the sensation of being a “stiff” rod. –posted on ReelTime [www.ReelTime.com]

One of the other guys on the trip used this rod for quite a bit and he liked it a ton. He too thought it added a great deal of distance to his cast and thought it was extremely easy to lay out straight line. Overall, I’d say this rod is very smooth and very powerful. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.seattleflyfishing.com]

I tried out the T&T (Helix) 4 wt for a weekend trip to RFC & the Yakima. I loved it. I used it primarily for dry flies, but also with fairly cumbersome nymphing rigs, and as it does the wind blew. This rod handled it all beautifully and with delicate casts, even at distance. I took along my 5 wt and 6 wt rods because I thought I’d need them in the wind, but never took that T&T out of my hands. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.seattleflyfishing.com]

I used the T&T 6 wt on a float trip on the Lower Salmon River, mostly fishing weighted streamers for smallies. I was not as impressed with the rod as I expected to be after reading other reviews. I mean it is a fine rod and I was able to cast these flies a long way, but I found it did not load very well for short casts, and my timing had to be quite good to make a successful long cast. Maybe this just means I am not a good enough caster to appreciate this rod, but I prefer my Sages, I get a better feel for what is going on with my cast. Just one opinion. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.seattleflyfishing.com]
Borrowed the Helix 6wt back in April and wasn’t very impressed. It had pretty nice hardware and it was fairly well put together (except for the abuse someone had put on it), but it lacked something. Maybe it was just an overall slower rod, but it lacked the backbone I was hoping for. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.seattleflyfishing.com]

I picked up the Thomas & Thomas 6 wt for a trip to the Yakima. Over the day, I threw this, the 6wt Sage Fli, and the 6wt TFO TiCR. I probably used the Thomas and Thomas (Helix) the least of the three, but in using it it seemed that I could easily get the longest distance with it. I found myself easily shooting another 10 feet with this rod compared to the others. However, with that distance came a loss of some accuracy. I think that if I fished with it for a while more I could correct that…

When I went to T&T I absolutely loved the Helix. I cast a number of them in different weights and lengths and they were the most versatile rods I have found. They cast very well, very smooth, very comfortable. Very powerful – they had plenty of backbone but not too much. The #7-10 rods in 9′6″ are perfectly designed for steelhead and salmon yet are very well suited for Stripers or bonefish (or anything else) in respective weights. (I personally cast that length better than I did the 10 footers so I decided the rod control was worth more than the extra 6 inches).

I also tried a #5 Helix that they put a Saltwater reel seat on that had perfect balance and I liked it better than the freshatwer reel seat model they also make. I threw the line off that rod like there was no tomorrow. It is a real rocket – that #5 was possibly the nicest rod I have ever cast. My #5 XP is going in the closet for awhile. I have just ordered the #5 through the #10 weight rods in the Helix, with the #5 & 6 being 9-foot length and the #7 thru #10 all in 9′6″. All were ordered with the saltwater reel seat.

If I had to choose between my Crosscurrents and these or if I had to recommend one rod series to someone, I would have to say the T&T Helix is the best all-around rod. The GLX CC may have the slight edge in the Salt with its slightly greater power to fight large fish, but T&T is more versatile and it is smoother and a bit less stiff.

With the Helix, I can now go to New Zealand with only the #5 in 9′ and the #7 in 9′6″, because the 5 is enough of a light rod but also has the backbone to handle the 6 pound fish we commonly find in the backwoods while. The 7 weight has all the muscle needed for the 10-12 pound (or larger) fish we find in the Tongariro or similar rivers. I won’t need an 8 weight any longer down there if I don’t want to take it. As far as the #7 thru #10 being used in BC, all I can say is I can’t wait. With the #9 and #10, you feel as if you are casting a #8, they are light and well designed. — posted on Reel Time [www.reel-time.com]

I just bought a 4wt Helix, and I must say that it is the most badass 4wt rod I have casted. I tried Sage (XP, SLT), Winston (WT, LT BIIX), St. Croix and Scott rods, but the Helix kicked their ass…. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.seattleflyfishing.com]

I sold my 7wt XP after buying a 7wt Helix because the XP was sitting in the corner collecting dust. The Helix isn’t night and day different than the XP, but enough to make me a convert. My 8wt Horizon is my favorite T&T stick though. The Horizon will cast circles around an XP. I haven’t tried the new Horizon II’s yet, but I have a couple on order right now. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.washingtonflyfishing.com]

The Helix is a super-sweet stick. It casts really smooth, and handles great. It’s not as fast as a Horizon II, but I don’t need a cannon for a 4wt. I can still roll cast a double nymph/strike indicator combo with the Helix just fine. That is actually what sold me on it. Alpine is right, there isn’t a night and day difference, but there are subtle differences that put the T&Ts above an XP in my book. The Horizon II is somewhere between an XP and a TCR. It is super-fast, but at the same time, somewhat forgiving. When you mess up your casting stroke with a TCR, its sometimes nearly impossible to recover, but the HII is much easier to recover a bad cast or adjust a poor cast in mid-stroke. Don’t get me wrong, I love my XP, but the Helix is my rod of choice. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.washingtonflyfishing.com]

the T&T’s HANDS DOWN. superior not only in regards to casting, but FISHING. go cast one youll see what i mean. especially the helix- the sweetspot on that rod is 9 feet long. absoluuuuut BUTTAH –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.washingtonflyfishing.com]

I’ll just say that I am a former owner of 3 XP’s but have sold them all in favor of 3 Helixes (5, 6, 9 wts). There’s nothing wrong with the XP’s. I just like the Helixes for their versatility.

As mentioned by others, the Helix is still stiff and light, but the taper is not as severe — it’s not as tippy as the XP. For me, this results in a more versatile rod. It’s sort of a “Joe Lunchpail” rod in terms of getting the job done long, short, roll, wind, side-arm, and other creative maneuvers. It seriously roll casts maybe 25% farther than an XP. –posted Washington Fly Fishing [www.washingtonflyfishing.com]

Helixes I own easily handle long mid-distance (50-70′) casts, make little fish feel like big fish, but handle big fish w/ no problem. –posted Intermedia Outdoors Forum [www.outdoorsbest.zeroforum.com]

I recently became an avid follower and owner of several Thomas & Thomas Helix rods. They have excellent balance and cast very smoothly. Alot of power for the varying wind conditions in the Matagorda region. The Helix has very adequate backbone for that area and those fish, but they do not give you the sensation of being a “stiff” rod. –posted www.reel-time.com

Overall, the Helix performed exceptionally well. It has an extremely smooth, forgiving action yet is still a powerful rod. Compared to the Horizon, the Helix definitely had a more sensitive feel, but still delivered the power necessary to punch Chernobyl Ants and conehead streamers through the wind. My only complaint with the Helix was that I felt the stripping guide could have been slightly larger. When viewed side-by-side, you could see the size of the guide on the 8 weight Horizon was significantly larger. I found that in many situations, the smaller stripping guide on the Helix seemed to be a bottleneck when shooting line. Other than that, I give this rod top marks in all other categories. It was a pleasure to fish and I have the feeling my other 7 weights are going to be collecting dust in the corner from now on. –posted www.riverandreef.com

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods – I often get phone calls from fly rod prospects wanting to know what fly rod they should buy and which one is better than another.  What I can tell you is that with fly rods you get what you pay for.  The more you spend the better the rod.  The second thing I can say is to be careful of the pundits that claim going down to the fly shop and trying the rods will tell you which one to get.  That quite frankly is like having a person who hasn’t had experience with wines telling you which bottles are good.  They will pick out a nice bottle of sweet wine and be happy.  That works with wine because next week they can stretch to try maybe a bit better wine.  Problem with a fly rod is that you will probably keep it for years and you will not grow in your selection of rods and ability to cast them!  I think I have never heard worse advice.

If that is bad advice, then what do I propose?  My guidance would be to get the best rod you can afford.  Set your budget and then work within it.  Stretch yourself a least one step on rod action from what you are used to.  You may have to practice and experience it to get good at it but at least you’ll have the chance to grow in to it!  Deviate from this where you have some specific fishing objectives that drive a softer rod, where faster action really doesn’t provide advantages or may provide disadvantages.

Be careful of listening to pundits of particular rods.  Remember that all national brands have pundits and if you look hard enough you are going to find someone to tell you that the such and such a rod is the best.  Just listening to one individual is not necessarily the way to go.  Again, you get what you pay first of all, but I would add to that you should look at which way the overall opinion is leading.  To do that you need to look at forums (especially forums rather than reviews) and see what a group of people are saying about a rod you may be interested in.  By doing this you will move your thought process toward or away from the rod, and most importantly you’ll feel good about the decision you made!

Now that I’ve said that I have to add that finding commentary on forums is a tedious task and a lot of work.  So, my goal is to do it for you.  In my next blog I am going to pick a rod model and give you a compendium of commentary on it from the various forums.  Then I’ll periodically add more rod models.

All these commentaries will also be added to my fly fishing wiki – Fly Wiki - at www.flycatcherinc.com/flywiki

by Mark Waldin Custom Fly Rods – You probably agonized over what fly rod to buy and how much to spend for a product that will probably last you 10 years or more.  But how much time did you spend worrying about that $50 fly line you put on it?  And how time do you worry about taking care of it after you buy it?  A fly line taken care of can service most fly fishermen for three or four seasons before it needs to be replaced.    If you don’t take care of it, it probably isn’t going to last you but one season.  I speak from experience.

Here is how to do it.

1. Be careful what gets on your fly line

Suntan lotion, mosquito repellent, gasoline, oil and other petroleum products can ruin the floating properties of a fly line quicker than you can say early morning dun.  Keep these products away from your fly line.

2. Don’t use your best fly line to practice casting on grass

Dirt, grit and sand will damage a fly line.  While grass is better than the beach, you will be better served to use an old fly line to practice your casting on grass.  If you can practice your casting on water, do it there.  If you don’t have an old fly line to practice with, don’t worry.  The one you are using will be old soon enough!

3.  Clean your fly line after a day’s fly fishing

It is inevitable that your line is going to pick up sand and grit as you fish.  If you are fishing saltwater it is going to pick up salt.  In either case, unspool your line and rinse it off with a hose.  Wipe it down with a soft cloth afterward and let it dry in a loose coil.

4. Dress your fly line periodically

Get some fly line dressing from the manufacturer and occasionally wipe down the line.  This will help you get the longest life out of the line.

5. Beware the car door

Keep your line on the reel when not in use.  Any kinks or pinches in the line are going to damage it.  Car doors and such will do your fly line no good.  And be careful of pinching your line between the reel and reel frame.

6. Avoid tempeature extremes

Don’t leave your fly line in the sun, in the car on a hot summer day with the windows rolled up.   Extreme heat can damage a fly line.

by Mark Waldin Custom Fly Rods In my last blog I spoke of the reasons why you might want to consider tying your own leaders. Today I am going to talk about how to tie your own leaders. It’s pretty simple really and it can be relaxing as well.

A leader starts out with a butt section made of one or two sections of heavy gauge monofilament. Next comes a taper section that reduces the diameter of the line down to within a size or two of the tippet diameter. By making the tippet connection a loop to loop connection you don’t have to worry so much about the ending diameter.

The monofilament you use can be soft to moderately stiff depending on the action you are looking for. Start with .021″ mono for 7wt or lighter rigs. Start with .023″ for 8wt and higher rigs. Form a loop in the mono so you can make a loop to loop connection to the fly line. Each succeeding section of line will be .002″ more narrow than the preceding section.

The butt section is the longest section and will depend on the length of leader you are creating. In general, the taper section is going to be made of sections that are 6 to 8 inches long and get you to a final diameter you are looking for. As long as you are using a loop to loop tippet connection you can get away with a final diameter that is within .008″ of the tippet diameter. Knot the individual sections of mono with nail knots.

So let’s look at a couple example leader designs:

7 1/2 ft leader for 4 to 7 wt rods

• 36 inches .021″
• 18 inches .019″
• 6 inches .017″
• 6 inches .015″
• 6 inches .013″
• 6 inches .011″

This leader is 6 1/2 ft long and ends in a .011″ tippet connection. Adding a tippet of 1 ft will give you a 7 1/2 ft leader. The rig will support tippets down to .003″ or 8X.

The nice thing about this rig is that it can easily be made into an 8 or 9 ft rig by using a loop to loop connection. To do this, make a small loop in the final section of main leader using double nail knots. Tie a bimini twist loop in the tippet. This will give you an initial section of double line followed by single strand tippet.

For the 7 1/2 ft rig above you would want to make the bimini loop small so that almost all of the tippet section is single strand. If you lengthen this rig to 9 ft with 6X tippet you are going to want to lengthen the double line section to say 12″ with 18″ inches of single strand.

The combinations are of course endless. The goal is to get the fly to turn over properly. The great thing is that you can experiment and settle in on what works best for you without being constrained with expensive preformed leaders.

by Mark Waldin Flycather Custom Fly Rods – Making your own fly fishing leaders is not only one more piece of the fly fishing experience, it can save you money AND get you a more user friendly leader.

Let’s talk $$ first. An Umpqua 7.5′ trout leader goes for about $3.50 at Cabela’s (large U.S. discount retailer). Thirty yards of Umpqua tippet goes for $3.99 Although you will use different tippet diameters to make up your leader, the cost for a handmade 7.5′ leader would be $3.99/(90ft)*7.5ft or about $.33 Better yet, Umpqua make a leader tying kit that will save you even more money!

But the cost difference alone is not the whole story and for many fishermen wouldn’t be worth the extra effort. So let’s look at the other reasons.

With a knotted leader you can vary the length of the butt, mid, and end sections to get the kind of turnover you are looking for so that you both match your skill and technique. You are not constrained by the manufacturer’s decisions and you don’t have to pay through the nose to test a dozen brands and types of leaders to find the one you like.

Because you are building your own leader, you can terminate the leader in a slightly thicker filament before the final tippet length. Using a bimini twist for the tippet section you can create a loop to loop connection that will turn over very well indeed. With a loop to loop connection you can easily change out tippet sizes in the field quickly. No more wasted time with nail knots and shrinking leader material.

The bimini twist lets you alter the length of the double twist section allowing you to created tippets of varying length. With such a rig you need only change out the tippet section to switch from a 7ft to a 9ft leader etc.

Finally, it is just plain easier to see when you have used up the tippet portion of your leader allowing you to replace it easily and confidently, without worrying about having a compromised leader section.

In my next blog I’ll talk about how to build a knotted leader.

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods Hooks from quality manufacturers are sharp as a razor. Hooks are generally drawn and cut, ground to the proper shape and then chemically etched to increase sharpness. Make sure when you spend $2 on that fly that you are buying a quality hook! Some great hook manufacturers include Mustad, TMC, Eagle Claw and Daiichi.

Getting a sharp fly hook is easy. Keeping it sharp is another matter. Every time you drop a backcast onto a gravel bar, snag at root or rock, or catch a fish your hook is subject to damager. Check your hook frequently for sharpness.

The standard for testing hook sharpness is to drag it across your fingernail at a 45 degree angle with barely any pressure at all. The hook should immediately dig into your nail. If it doesn’t then it is dull and you need to fix it or replace it.

To sharpen a hook out on the water you can get a hone at almost any fly shop. You’ll want a ceramic or diamond coated hone. Sharpen into the point, not away from it. Sharp the left, right and outside sides of the hook. Make sure you pass the thumbnail test before putting the fly back into action.

Sharpening small hooks can be difficult on the water. For smaller hooks, try holding them in your hemostats. If your hook is too small to get a good honing, then swap the fly out for a new one and file it at home. If you carry a lot of flies, you may want to replace the flies in the field and wait until you are in the comfort of your home to file them.

Filing hooks at home is the same as in the field. The difference is that you can have good lighting, a place to sit and a clamp to hold the hook. A fly tying vice makes a great clamp for filing hooks (and if you tie flies or learn to it performs double duty). Most fly hooks are conical in shape but no matter what the shape it is good to maintain it when you file it. It is also good to try to maintain the existing taper. A hook that tapers to quickly will not be as sharp and one that tapers too slowly will bend and get damaged more easily.

by Mark Waldin Flycatcher Custom Fly Rods – Last article I talked about how to play a fish, So now you have a fish on your fly line. This time I thought I’d talk about how to get the fish on to the hookHere is how my friends at eHow instruct a fly fisherman to set the hook:

Step One

Be careful not to set the hook too quickly or too slowly, both of which could cause you to lose the fish. This is one of the hardest tasks in fly-fishing; do it in a moderate and steady fashion.

Step Two

Remember that the hooks in fly-fishing are small and sharp, so it doesn’t take a lot of force to hook the fish. The fish may actually end up hooking itself when it takes the fly.

Step Three

Be aware that you can’t set the hook with slack in the line. Keep tension on the line as you fish or you’ll give the fish time to release the fly and get away.

Step Four

Use your free hand to strip, or pull in, line as it becomes slack in the current. You want the minimum line out.

Step Five

Lift the rod from 9 o’clock to 12 o’clock once you get a bite. At the same time, pinch the line with the trigger finger on the rod. You will need this action to apply the force necessary to set the hook.

I would add the following:

Keep your hooks sharp or if you don’t want to sharpen your hooks then don’t keep your flies too long. There is no excuse for a dull hook when fishing.

For most fishing I would say you are not likely to have your rod at 9 O’clock and you are more likely to have your rod pointing at the fly. Pull back on the rod tip in a smooth deliberate stroke but do it to the downstream side level to the water, and not up. You are more likely to hook the fish in the side of its mouth and not lose the strike.

Finally, learn how your variety of fish is likely to strike and act accordingly. Trout will work well as instructed above. Atlantic salmon are slow and deliberate so your strike should be slightly delayed.