You too can enjoy the official vineyard of the Federation of Fly Fishermen.

Program Objectives
The purpose of the StoneFly Vineyards customer and partner loyalty program is to help our fellow members of the angling and fly fishing trade boost their businesses by increasing customer loyalty and strengthening relationships with valued partners. At StoneFly we also appreciate the opportunity to get the word out about our winery and fine wine products.

How it works:

Your spouse or gal friend finds out you can score really fine wines from Napa Valley at a 33% discount, and you’re rendered insolvent by her sudden demand for aged grape juice.

… at least that’s how it would work at my house.

My mistake was moving my lips while I read the advert, her radar is so finely attuned that before I could voice the thought – I saw the “arms folded on chest – stony stare” posture and quickly crumpled the application.

“YouAintSendingNothing2NobodyUntilYouTakeMeThereFirst.”

At least I got her interested in fly fishing …

While the rest of you debate whether it adheres to the spirit of things I’ll be quietly mixing it into my head cement.  I’m preprogrammed to break ranks with the crowd at the first opportunity, exploit fish horribly, then asks forgiveness in a cataclysm of guilt.

My theory is fly fishermen are the last rung on the outdoorsman ladder, if you’ve tried everything else and failed – ours is a sport that celebrates its lack of scent, there’s no stigma if you don’t wash your hands.

Real outdoor types pull guts out of deer, blow daylight through a duck’s arse, or add cherry-flavored salmon eggs to a hook – and resume eating their sandwich. They regard our mincing gait and “ew-ew-ew” sounds with mild scorn – and we fancy them boorish cavemen without the good sense to bring either silverware or napkins.

We’ve always recoiled in disgust at chemical use; we curl lip at a fly tinted with magic marker, get enraged at spritzing our flies with anything other than floatant, and backpedal at the sight of things that sink or scent our flies.

I don’t, as I’m a reformed killer. I lack all those social graces and spurn proper behavior; I dipped my anchovies in dish detergent when trolling for salmon, spritzed whatever was necessary to kill more than the other fellow, and was amused by Pautzke’s fingerprints on my Velveeta sandwich, then wolfed it quickly so I wouldn’t be forced to share.

When I see something that violates all them lofty principles, it’s twice as compelling.

Vision Baits has introduced a substance called “Ecto-Plasm” – a brownish gel when wiped on lures flies gives them the same eerie green gelatinous color we’ve admired in all the horror movies.

… once it is in the water it gives off a luminescent green glow that lasts up to eight hours.

I keep thinking of the Stripers we chased from the breakwaters of the Marina at night, and how nine inches of conehead equipped bucktail, would be vastly improved with a generous dollop of the above.

Saltwater flies have similar issues with visibility as brownlining, it’s a lot of water to cover – plenty of seaweed to obscure movement, and a short lived tide controlling your destiny, why wouldn’t vision enhancement be anything other than a boon?

The gel is activated by contact with water, so you’ll need to be cognizant of the dog walkers and joggers – if they’re pointing and laughing – you may want to wipe your nose.

Not to be outdone by the Retro Movement, the venerable Hardy and Grey’s dips its toe in the fiberglass market along with Sage.

Four rod models are available; Aln, 5′ for #2, Brook, 6′ for #3, Stream, 7′ for #3, Test, 7’6″ for #4, and Trout Fisher, 8′ for #5, retailing for $300 to $400 each.

These are composite rods using a mixture of 90% glass and 10% carbon fiber, akin to the many hybrids of the 1980’s, when carbon was first introduced.

The companies website and it’s international sites are down for renovation so very little technical detail is available.

I smell a push into American markets, solidified by their opening of a 14,000 foot distribution center and retail outlet in Lancaster, PA., last month, and creation of the wholly owned subsidiary, Hardy North America – suggests a larger strategy to come.

If they can weather the economics, they’ve certainly got the brand.

The “system” word always scares hell out of me. I’ve always assumed it’s the rugged individualist that gets squeamish at the thought of tailoring his fishing to someone else’s system; it doesn’t mean it’s bad – we just know our opportunity for freestyle points evaporates.

Circle hooks have really made an impact in saltwater – and most of the big game market has converted to their use. Moffitt Angling has adapted Circle hooks to their hookless fly fishing system.

My reaction is like everyone else, “Huh? Eww…” But that’s based on years of conventional fly fishing – and like they say, only a baby likes change…

Hookless soft cored flies attached to a leader via looped connection, with the leader tipped with a Circle hook. Fish eats fly, angler sets hook, and hook makes contact with outer jaw only.

The theory is sound.

The hideous flaw is angler ego, now that bug and hook are separate they can be differing sizes, and ego will dictate the #24 Trico will be used in the retelling , even though the Circle hook was a #14.

Despite the ease of release and the claim that fish no longer need to handled – they’ve forgotten the need to immortalize the event, so the fish is yanked out of the water and manhandled for the lens…

The Science appears sound, it’s us that may need changing.

It’s always interesting to see something that doesn’t fit the traditional mold, you may want to visit and watch their video on how it all works.