Gear: San Juan 2014 - Getting Small

A dozen flies with room for more.

Continuing on our theme focusing on gear for the upcoming FlyfishMagazine trip to the San Juan River in New Mexico, much research is being put into fly selection. Jeff Paisley, our staff tail water specialist, advised small flies, but I didn't realize just how small until I got in touch with Greg Sabin of http://www.sanjuanriverflies.com. His website let me know pretty quickly that my size 18-20 definition of small was a bit on the big size.

Greg put together a personalized assortment of nymphs ranging from size 22-28 coupled with a few traditional local flies. This should give me a leg up as long as I can figure out how to get them tied to the end of my leader (note to self get some magnifying lenses). He shipped them quickly and at a very fair price. Just so we are clear on the sizes, the photo above shows a dozen midges on the face of a dime with room for a few more.

Stay tuned for more gear features, including some innovative strike indicator options we will be testing on the river.

Extra points if you picked up on the vague Steve Martin reference.

 

HAIR-RAISING GRIZZLY SADDLE HACKLE DEBACKLE

So, there's a huge snafu in the fishing industry--it's fishin' vs. fashion.

We all know that fly-tying hackle is beautiful. The problem is, it's apparently too beautiful. So much so that fashionistas in the hair styling industry have taken notice....and taken over! We just got word that Montana Fly Company can't order and receive ANY additional grizzly variant saddle hackle for its fly tyers until 2012! (Good thing they already have enough to fill their current orders for 2011.) We've done our homework and called around to a bunch of fly shops, and it seems coif aficionados all across the country are flocking to fly shops and buying up the nation's supply of that gorgeous saddle hackle to make hair accessories.

Colorful, beautiful hair extensions of a variety of shades are popping up on the trendy heads of women across the country. Woven into human hair, just like other extensions, bright grizzly saddle hackle is the next big thing for beauty buffs, causing a supply shortage for fly shops. So fly tyers, get to your favorite fly shop and stock up before the hair hipsters beat you to it.


You can see plenty of evidence of the hype online--The Feather Emporiums website is just one of many my coworker Sammi found when she Googled this phenomenon. Pretty fancy. The folks at Coloradofisherman.com recently posted a few funny pics of their own rendition of Fashion Feathers on their forum. Fashion Feathers, or “Featherlocks” have taken on a new look in fly shops—they call this the “partridge mullet.”


Honestly, I love the saddle hackle look. A booth at the Snowsports Industries of Americas trade show last month was weaving these in women's hair for free, and I stood in line for a while to get it done. (Then, I got distracted by other shiny objects and wandered off...)

Soooo...ladies, enjoy your locks, but you might want to watch your six. There could be a fisherman poised to tackle for your hackle.

ebay live: 316 Salmon Flies used in book

Up for bid via ebay live are 316 Atlantic salmon flies used in the production of the 1991 book Flies for Atlantic Salmon by Dick Stewart & Farrow Allen.

A stunning display of modern salmon flies by tiers such as Jerry Doak, Jed Waterman, Fran Stewart, Ron Alcott, Bob Ververka, Dave Goulet and many others. All examples are in pristine condition.

Get out your check book. The estimate is $10,000 - $12,000 with a 22.5% buyers premium.

A sign from above!

Sighted at this weekend's tennis tourney.
Apologies for the blurry camera phone photo but you get the idea.

Salt Water Fly Box Filler Deal

So let's say you are planning a salt water fly fishing trip this summer and find yourself running short of time at the tying vise? Don't fret but rather take advantage of one of these deals on Jim Black saltwater flies from Sierra Trading Post.

Jim Blacks Saltwater Minnow Fly Selection - Dream Cast, 4 Dozen 69.95

Jim Blacks Saltwater Striper and Bluefish Fly Selection - Dream Cast, 4 Dozen 79.95

Jim Blacks Ultimate Saltwater Fly Selection - Dream Cast, 5 Dozen 119.95

The UPC Dropper

I don't know why but this really seemed odd to me. During a recent visit to our local Bass Pro, I noticed that some of the bulk flies had little tiny UPC bar codes attached to them by thin strands of monofilament, tied on in dropper fashion. I couldn't help but wonder how much they pay someone to tie each of the tags to the bend of those size 16 and 18 hooks?