Author Archives: KBarton10

The Prodigal Son Returned, Partridge of Redditch

Recent developments in Europe has the Partridge Hook company returning to UK ownership. Purchased by Fishing Matters, manufacturers of the Varivas and Order hooks.

We can only hope for a return to the esoteric greatness of the past, as Partridge was the last of the large Redditch manufacturers, whose stable of wonderfully individual hooks defied the mainstream for many years.

Press release to follow:

Partridge of Redditch, one of the oldest established fish hook brands, has been sold by O. Mustad & Son to UK company Fishing Matters. After negotiations dating back to May this year, Fishing Matters owner Mark Hamnett confirmed to Angling International that he took possession of Partridge this week.

Hamnett established his company in 2005 and counts Varivas and Owner among a prestigious client list.

“We have grown up very quickly,” he said. “The acquisition of Partridge is a significant leap for us and will increase our revenue four-fold.“We are extremely pleased to have one of the leading hook brands in the world under our ownership. It fits extremely well with our portfolio.“This acquisition takes us from importer/distributor to global brand owner and gives us a critical mass with which to develop the company. We will be focusing on hooks for the foreseeable future. We want to develop and consolidate Partridge as a premium brand.”

The sale of Partridge brings to an end 13 years of Mustad ownership. Ole Bjerke was Managing Director of Partridge for ten years in the UK and continued to manage the brand when he relocated to France in 2006. Bjerke, now Vice President, Portfolio Management and Marketing, led the negotiations for Mustad and spoke to Angling International shortly after the deal had been concluded to explain the decision.

“Mustad’s strategy is to focus on its core brands and after much consideration we decided that it would be better for the Partridge brand if it were in someone else’s hands.“We subsequently talked to a number of interested parties and are very happy to have reached agreement with Mark. He has done a very good job with his brands. He is committed, enthusiastic and he delivers. The deal is very positive for Partridge.“

Tags: Varivas, Fishing Matters, Partridge of Redditch, O. Mustad & Sons, Mark Hamnett, Angling International,

Welcome to the Brood Stock

Fishing statistics are so rare I can’t help but pounce on them when offered. Like most pitchmen I’ll spin the numbers to prove something horrific and discard the facts enroute to a shaky conclusion.

This time it’s the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation (RBFF) and the American Sportfishing Association (ASA) who’ve commissioned Southwick Associates to reveal that despite the poor economy, sport fishing license sales are on the rise.

As of September 1, 2009, state fish and wildlife agencies reported a 7.7 percent positive change in the number of licenses sold year-to-date compared to the same months last year (January – July 2009 vs. January – July 2008).
The same states also saw a seven percent increase in the number of licenses sold in July 2009 compared with July 2008.

I’ll take the dim view of the above increase. Two factors come to mind; most of the Atlantic seaboard is now required to buy a license to fish from shore (new this year) – and the rest may be economics, fish are “free food” and other parts of the world have had a similar boost in rookie fishermen.

… and there was more about us fly fishing types. We’re white college graduates older than 45, make $100,000 a year, and male. We fish five times a year less than other types of fishermen – and are obsessed with meeting a female fly fisherperson that doesn’t exist.

There was no information as to whether we’re underwater on our mortgage or the financial health of our imaginary dream date. Per capita there are more fly fishermen in the West (especially the West Coast) – so if you’re looking for love the East Coast is strictly “bro-mance” turf.

Fly fishing statistics

We’re also growing fewer in number. Which could be explained by our discovery that everyone else spends $167 a year in tackle, and we spend ten times that and fish less…

The Good News is there are 146 million kids under the age of 18 playing fly fishing games on Nintendo and Wii. Unfortunately the game is flung aside after four minutes.

Face it, we’re the Brood Stock … and that ain’t saying much.

Tags: Lies, damn lies, and statistics, angling trends, recession based economic pressure, catch and kill, fish as “free” food, Southwick Associates, Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, American Sportfishing Association, brood stock

Where we make like Imelda Marcos and still spend the night on the couch

The telltale squeal of feminine voices has me tightening my grip on Sweetpea’s arm, an attempt to steer her clear of a consumptive orgy while maintaining possession of wallet, credit cards, and our immediate destiny.

We’ve inadvertently stumbled across a sale whose neatly stacked boxes and fearful clerks are about to be trampled in a rush of appreciative females.

Sensing my sudden attempt to steer opposite, and while I’m flirting with an icy stare and a lifetime of penance, someone screams one of the many Fly Fishing Reserved Words …

“… Ooo, they’ve got Stoneflies! …”

Like any dutiful spouse, I reverse course to throw elbows and chop-block the opposition while my “running back” gingerly tiptoes over the corpses and bleeding shoppers in my wake.

The Stonefly shoe

… and yes, I was completely taken in. Nothing whatsoever to do with fishing.

The clerk looks me over with distaste and just before he summons the mall cops, I seize the bit …

“Got any wading boots?”

The sudden silence attests to my genius, I’m no longer the brutish lout that stepped on little kids and Grandma – I’m now a shopping “Alpha Dog” – who fought his way to the front while the pack snarls over my table scraps…

The clerk stammers, “I don’t believe we have any of those …?”

“Oh, okay. Thanks.”

Now it’s Madam’s turn to pull me away from the suddenly appreciative throng. A pear-shaped fellow that can “Sale-fu” as well as the Sisterhood is a hot commodity.

Fly fishing’s reserved words should never be plastered on tawdry products – it’s akin to yelling “fire” in a darkened theater.

Tags: Stonefly shoes, yelling fire in a theater, clingers, epic fail, fly fishing reserved words,

We’ve struggled to explain senses we lack, can motion convey both form and identity?

Science suggests there is more to the lateral line than we’ve suspected and may provide more than mere vibration detection.

An interesting mix of attributes we’ve always thought fish had – and new information that suggests it may detect form and assist in the recognition of prey.

“Thelateral-line system is a unique mechanosensory facility of aquatic animalsthat enables them not only to localize prey, predator, obstacles,and conspecifics, but also to recognize hydrodynamic objects. Here wepresent an explicit model explaining how aquatic animals such asfish can distinguish differently shaped submerged moving objects. “

The authors present evidence in the form of heady mathematics which is completely offputting despite my math background, and my posts are unable to display mathematical symbols – requiring me to interpret the theorem with English…

First, a faithful shape recognition is only possible if the distance, D (is less than but approximately equal to) the submerged moving object’s body length, B; here, B (is approximately) 5 cm. Second, localization of the submerged moving object (SMO) is possible within a distance comparable to the length of the detect-ing lateral-line.

The above suggests that a baitfish could be recognized by a hungry 30” Striped Bass at a distance approximately the same as the Striper’s length. “Recognized” is the the human term describing the new stuff we don’t know and can’t describe. It’s possible that the frantic swimming of the bait may create a disturbance that registers with the predator’s lateral line from a greater distance – but it’s unable to “know” what made the motions.

It would seem that larger fish can detect (identify) motion-based food further away than smaller fish due to the increased length of its lateral line. It may partly explain why smaller fish rush forward to take the fly, they can see/feel it but can’t recognize it as food and need to close with it before identification is complete.

… and as they’ve already spent all those precious calories getting there first – why not give it an exploratory bite …

The real question is whether we’re only matching half the hatch. Silhouette and color are certainly part of the mix, but how much does the violent swimming motion of a dislodged Stonefly alter a fish’s perception of both the natural or its stiff imitation?

When drunk, humans can be coerced into sampling a two dimensional cardboard replica of a hamburger in part because it tastes identical to its three dimensional cousin, yet unimpaired they eat it anyways recognize it as inedible even at distance.

Makes an interesting thought to ponder. We’ve always seen motion of the fly or bait as part of the overall presentation. There’s not a great deal we can do other than pull it towards us fast or slow or add some device like tungsten beads or wiggle legs.

If the fly is presented upstream will the “dead drift” be as effective as the yanked fly as there’s less lateral line to engage – or should we present streamers broadside to the lateral line – giving us an even better chance of detection?

… and while I sort out all this new information should I be carving my caddis nymphs out of Gummy Worms as their gooey freshness resonates at the same pitch as a caseless Hydropsyche in full mating rut?

We allowed bobbers so long as we called them something different – and a Gummy Bear is artificial … Can the fly fishing world survive single, barbless, and sugary?

Tags: Lateral line, fish senses, gummy bear, stonefly, motion sensitive, fly fishing,

How to torture both cloth and your dog, and not wear the result

Having a eye for the next great fly tying material is one thing, ideas being the easiest part of the larger riddle, it’s the destruction and transformation that is the real test of invention.

I’ve discovered the next great dry fly dubbing; filament size smaller than the finest materials currently available, specific gravity less than 1.0 – so it floats naturally, and wants to stick to thread so badly that static from your fingers is nearly enough to wind it tightly around unwaxed thread…

The #16 Light Cahill

I’ve got visions of groupies and dinners at the White House, getting the “hale fellow well met” glad-hand from the current anglers of legend, and never having to pay for drinks again…

… there’s just this teensy little problem I have …

I have to destroy it to make it.

Blenders can’t dent it, acid melts it, and dragging it behind my truck works – but I can’t tie enough to the bumper to create a snowstorm of filaments that I can scoop off the neighbor’s lawn.

I’m doing battle with some Ph.D fabric engineer who saw a great cloth and spent months ensuring it’d never unravel. He didn’t realize some idiot fly tyer would delight in destroying his best work for the sake of dampening it in a trout stream.

The first sign of progress was the judicious use of “Old Tailwagger.” It’s right after blenders in the fly tying book of mass destruction. Blenders excel on yarn, but fabric requires torture to become fibrous, and the Tailwagger is the tool of choice for stressing tightly woven filaments.

The downside being everything four legged is your new best friend. I use a brown paper bag to smuggle it past the family pets – which possess a sixth sense for leashes, brushes, and trips to the refrigerator.

The above picture shows the results of stressing a “panel” of material and rendering it from flat and lifeless – to a veritable sheepdog of fiber.

Note the fiber at the tail, about 1/5 the thickness of a single hackle

As I’m still possessed by the Catskill dry (due to Mike Valla’s book) the above shows a single filament of the dubbing contrasted against the tail fibers of a Light Cahill. The filament size is only about 1/8 of the width of a single hackle barbule.

That’s nearly microscopic.

That translates into a tiny dry fly body – and much less water absorption than normal. Wings and bodies have always proven the nemesis of dry flies as they’re the only materials that don’t assist in flotation. Smaller amounts of dubbing assists both classic dry and their scientific cousins in remaining afloat.

No build up

For the aspiring dry fly fiend this solves one of the more troublesome problems. How to dub a tight thin body that’s neither lumpy nor absorbs extra water. The above magnification shows the complete dubbed Light Cahill, albeit poorly, there’s almost no build up of material when compared to the raw thread area behind the wing.

… and why I spent the better part of this weekend transforming the material into something usable.

Hell, I got a bag full of the Goodie

Now all the fun starts. Dyeing the material into the most common 15-20 colors used for dry flies – additional tinkering with blended colors – and I may attempt to mix it with larger-fibered beaver or muskrat just to gauge the effect.

Microscopic fibers don’t blend well using machinery. Only water shaken vigorously can act as the blending agent. Blender blades and agitators just clump the fiber like cotton candy.

It’ll take some time to pick the colors and render mass quantities of material, but Winter is plenty long and this type of project is just what’s needed when football grows dull.

Those of you who fancy the dry fly might want to drop me a note. I’d be happy to send out some samples when I get a couple nice Olives and a medium Gray, as I’ll be looking for some feedback on both the material and colors. Refining a raw product takes a great deal of tinkering, patience, and time.

Tags: dubbing, classic dry flies, Light Cahill, dry fly dubbing, fly tying materials, fly tying

She got the blind eye and I got the gut

The lads at Fly Talk have dropped the proverbial fashion bombshell. For 2010 the well dressed fashionista will be daubing Starbucks from Jock Scott’s profile – while snarling at their apologetic concierge.

We might consider a counter campaign considering it’s the rare and venerable being desecrated.

“I was wearing Silver Doctors before Silver Doctors were cool” – “She got the flies and I got the hook” or similar whine of protest…

Better dust off that cheesy Christmas wrapping and Royal Coachmen monogrammed kerchiefs you’ve got languishing in a darkened drawer … fly fishing is back, with a scowl.

Then again, you could attempt a spousal conversion – but judging from the terse expression on the model, she appears uncertain whether her fate is catcalls or giggles.

The hair is completely authentic however. Styled by strong winds, rigidity provided by generous application of insect repellant and sunscreen, tamed only by a curly brim applied via cracked gas station mirror.

Tags: salmon fly fashion, Fly Talk, Silver Doctor, Jock Scott, Giles

Nice to know I can buff out my paw prints

It’s one of many shortcomings in my personality, but I cannot help but admire those anglers that eye the conventional, scratch their chin and opt to blaze new trails.

The results aren’t always successful, but the “what if I …” question is what keeps this sport alive and vital.

It starts with the faux Birch bark reel seat and grip, and after another light bulb glows bright, morphs into the real Birch bark veneer handle, which causes some other fellow to add his own wrinkle and the rest of us wind up owning a half dozen once they’re mainstreamed.

The Eclectic Guy - Birch bark veneer grip

(photo by the Eclecticguy.com)

… sure it helps to have a lot of woodworking experience and tools, but imagination is the key ingredient.

I’m not suggesting either party invented anything, merely admiring their willingness to take that monstrous leap into the realm of public opinion.

We’ve done “collaborative” on flies for hundreds of years, it’s fun to see it at work in another angling product.

The “Eclectic Guy” has added the Eclectic Angler website, featuring horse hair fly lines, handmade brass & nickel silver fly reels, and Tenkara flies.

Tags: Birch bark fly rod grip, faux birch bark, rod building, how-to, fly rod

Science proves fishermen aren’t People

Except Fishermen Reading the article is like having your buddy lean over at the conclusion of your Chinese lunch and mention, “add the words ‘in bed’ to your fortune.”

In a set of recent experiments, researchers at the University of Rochester in New York monitored the effects of natural versus artificial environments — and found that nature actually makes us nicer.

Only in this case, add “except fishermen” to every paragraph.

Previous studies have shown the health benefits of nature range from more rapid healing to stress reduction to improved mental performance and vitality

… except fishermen.

We use Nature to inflict a dizzying assortment of twisted ligaments, contusions, bug bites, blisters, wind burns, frozen limbs, peeling extremities, lacerations, imbedded objects, and broken limbs.

… we’ve got suppurating infections, exposure to hazardous chemicals, radioactive waste, and loud music.

If the fly doesn’t land where we want, if the fish doesn’t immediately eat it, if the wind doesn’t stop, if the felt doesn’t grip – it’s elevated blood pressure, and a string of blood curdling epithets.

Five hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic to fish in horizontal sleet or driving rain is not proof of “improved mental performance.”

Now we’ve found nature brings out more social feelings, more value for community and close relationships. People are more caring when they’re around nature

… except fishermen.

We abandon spouse and children, snarl at anyone encroaching on our riffle, hide our fly box from the curious, and lie about success and failure. Our only lasting relationship is with the clerk at the gas station – source of important toiletries, embalmed cuisine, and fuel.

Fisherman ain’t People. No way.

Tags: nature, science, fishermen, damn lies and statistics, fishermen ain’t people, fly fishing humor

FlyAddicts.com launches with a flourish

While the massed regiments of printed media reel about in disarray, the agile “angling Taliban” are up to new, better, bigger, and more…

The checkout counter at Safeway lost three stalwarts in Gourmet, Elegant Bride, and Shotgun Wedding – they’ll no longer glare back at our 12 pack and sack of ice during a pre-dawn departure. Conde Nast has shuttered their doors in recent weeks due to the economics of the dead tree phenom.

On the web, angling offerings are on the upward tick, my blogroll swollen with recent additions, and the debut of yet another online community:

In a nutshell, it’s what you’d get if you crossed an online magazine with a blog network with facebook with craig’s list with ebay with a forum with youtube, etc. Deep breath.

Alex Cerveniak of 40 Rivers to Freedom and the Will Mullis’ Hatches magazine empire have combined to introduce FlyAddicts.com – a nice mix of blogs, articles, forum, and e-zine.

Like you, the bulk of my lunch hour is spent nursing a tasteless sandwich and a warm Coke – keeping abreast of this surge of online content. Often surprised and rarely disappointed – just what’s needed to combat the onset of Winter sloth.

Tags: Alex Cerveniak, 40 Rivers to Freedom, Will Mullis, Hatches Magazine, flyaddicts.com, conde nast shutters Gourmet, online angling community

You can all rest easy because I lack offspring

fisherman_costume Questionable sense of humor, suspect hygiene, butchery of English – all the important traits end with my passing.

Sure, I have regrets. Not being able to slap a “My kid is doing 5 to Life at San Quentin” placard on my bumper is one, but I’ll get over it.

It’s my firm conviction that only a childless human can teach the truly valuable lessons in life, the rest of you are emotionally tied to the little snot, and your judgment is impaired.

… and with less than two weeks before the “Second Greatest Holiday” ever, there’s a lot of parents wrestling with the “too much sugar” lecture … the “how do I repossess all the candy” tearful scene, and how to sneak all the Snicker bars out of that awesome loot – without the kid knowing…

Think costume choice.

“The Little Fisherman” above solves all parenting woes; from the apple-imbedded-razorblade, to the multi-day sugar-induced-tantrum.

Dad will know all the right answers automatically:

“Well, Angel-kins, we have to release the Snickers as the last two blocks were ‘Catch & Release’, and they’re protected. Hand them to me quickly, I’ll put them in the toilet so they can spawn (wink) …”

“No, Sweetums, we don’t keep the stepped-on candy, those are ‘invasive sweets’ that if we bring home will infest Ma’s carpet …”

“I don’t know where the big bag of candy went, Cupcake. Unless you beat it six or seven times with a bat – it must’ve swam off … ”

“No, Precious, the lights are off at Mr. Johnson’s house because he doesn’t fish.”

“You have to potty? Right here on the lawn is fine, you’re a ‘little fisherman’ and like big fishermen, you get to do that anywhere.”

For those parents struggling with older offspring the lessons are just as easy:

“Hey Meathead, the Johnson’s haven’t returned any of the tools they borrowed, how about applying a little “spawning” action on the way by? Take a dozen eggs, and “milt” his Rhododendrons with this 12 pack of Charmin Ultra Soft ..”

“Hey Penitentiary Face, fishing hours are from dusk till someone tells you to put “10 fingers on the fender.” That’s the warden – and if he takes you back to headquarters don’t call me or your mother, just find a seat against a wall…”

It’s tough having all the good ideas, but as most of you are beginners and have sworn off any further attempts (based on your current progeny), I figured you’d welcome assistance.

Tags: Halloween, second greatest holiday, fisherman costume, parental lessons, Snickers, Catch & Release, invasive candy, spawning

Singlebarbed

Fly fishing the Unloved & Unclean