Read the letter in Scandinavian (This time Danish)
Fishmadman Newsletter
Early spring of 2021
Hello, fellow angler and welcome to yet another letter from us at Fishmadman – We hope that we can make your day a bit more interesting by talking fish & flies and showing you a few things that might make you look back on your days at the river this summer and hopefully plan for the fly fishing season up ahead.
This time in the newsletter
- Special riffling hitch flies by Lee Wulff
- Natural black squirrel tails
- New flies for 2021
- Redesigning a pattern – get a new fly
- The knot from the last newsletter
- An early and unorthodox salmon dry fly
- Arizona Diamond Dub
Jesper Fohrmann
Fly Designer
Lee Wulff´s Hitch Specials
Throughout his life as an outdoor writer and salmon angler, Lee Wulff served as a promoter for the riffling hitch technique that he initially had seen in action on the Portland Creek River in Newfoundland back in the 1940s.
This box-set of 4 single hook flies that we bought off eBay is a true example of Lee´s ingenuity and keen interest in the riffling hitch technique.
This box-set was initially one of two available sets of experimental hitch flies that Lee Wulff would have designed with a moulded body of nylon – a type of body-design he also incorporated in his famed Surface Stonefly patterns.
This box-set was initially one of two available sets of experimental hitch flies that Lee Wulff would have designed with a moulded body of nylon – a type of body-design he also incorporated in his famed Surface Stonefly patterns.
If you should know about the production period or other details regarding these special riffling hitch flies we would be thankful to hear about it – You can write us through this link Lee Wulff´s Hitch Specials .
Go to our history page on the riffling hitch technique
Natural black squirrel tails from Russia
Natural black squirrel hair has that super alluring effect on trout and salmon and 1000´s of salmon fly patterns is based on the properties of squirrel hair – Not all squirrel tails are alike and some squirrel hair will work best if used on small flies and other hairs work better on bigger flies – if you are curious to learn more about squirrel hair in fly tying – take a look at our page on the subject squirrel tails.
Natural black squirrel from Russia or Eurasian red squirrel as they formally is known as (Scientific Name: Sciurus vulgaris) are a squirrel species widespread across the vast forest land of Russia where some squirrels are caught in traps and their pelt is used for various garments. We were lucky to buy a small selection of tails and are happy to share them with those of you who appreciate this truly awesome fly tying material. This squirrel species comes in various shades of brown and black.
We will be listing the tails in shades of black and brown as long as stock lasts.
Prize is 5.95 $
Some new flies for 2021
Fly tying is our profession on Fishmadman and it is our flies and their ability to catch fish that makes it all worth your while – Based on our experience with the see-through tubing/shimmering body material (read about this in a previous newsletter) we have chosen to make some of our patterns better by implementing our new style of fly tying.
We will better some of the popular surface flies we sell through our shop and also add a few new ones for season 2021 – When they are ready for fishing we will send you more information.
A new riffling hitch pattern for 2021 will be this tiny Pearl Hitchman that we found absolutely fantastic during summer days in 2020 – Fly seen with a Partridge Salmon Stinger # 16
All our Collie Dog and Sunray Shadow tube flies will be fitted with 3-D eyes and a holographic silver body. Fly seen with a Partridge Patriot Stinger Barbless Hook #6
Another Hitchman pattern this one with golden holographic body and hair from black squirrel – will complete the Hitchman series. Fly seen with a Owner Chinu # 4
A tiny Haugur pattern with silver iridescent foil to the sides also proved to be a great player last summer. Fly seen with a Owner Chinu # 4
Redesigning a pattern - get new flies from us
Some of the Hitchman flies we made during season 2020 did not stand up to the though life at the end of the leader and as a result, the shimmering strands of foil lost their grip on the tubing. We can only regret this and as a consequence, we redesigned the body material and the process of attaching these thin strands of shimmering material to the tubing…We think we have come out on top and would like to exchange any dysfunctional Hitchman flies you might have encountered during the last season – Just give us a note in your next order and we will live up to our no-nonsense policy of fly quality – and send you new once instead… NB the new Hitchman flies will not be available in the store until late spring 2021
The knot from the last newsletter - The Turl Knot
In our last newsletter, we showed you our favoured steering knot for up-turned salmon hooks and also asked you for a name and information about the knot in question and we would like to send out a 👍 to those who wrote us – to tell us that we were showing how to tie a Turl knot.
Thank you goes out to: David Ellis, Serge Léveillé, Mark and Brian Moran.
Serge also sends us a link to a video showing an interesting variant of the Turl Knot known in the Gaspesia part of Québec as Gaspesian knot or Twist knot.
Special thank you to you guys for participating and helping us get the facts straight.
See a Youtube video on the The Gaspé Twist
An early and quite unorthodox salmon dry fly
Here is one very unorthodox looking salmon dry fly from British Allcock (this one dating back to 1938) named The Allcock’s aquatic spider.
Special thanks for getting details on this fly goes out to Finish fly fishing historian and author: Mr Pertti Kanerva. Pertti told us that the Allcock’s Aquatic spider was available in Finnish fly fishing shops from the 1920s. It was sold in three sizes: 5, 10 and 12 – original the fly came in a tin-box, later in a plastic-box. Allcock ceased to sell the fly in the early 1970s.
Read more about the Allcock Aquatic Spider here
Arizona Diamond Dub
It takes an equal amount of – Master fly tier and a top fly angler to become a propper dubbing wizard and John Rohmer from Arizona have those abilities.
We know an actual dubbing wizard!
For some years we have been using and selling Johns formidable seal fur substitute called: Simi Seal Dubbing – a dubbing that fast has become the favourite dubbing material to many Scandinavian anglers.
Now we have the pleasure of presenting another of Johns wizard-mixtures: Arizona Diamond Dub – A very bright organic dubbing with fine threads of sparkling material (Quite difficult to show correctly in a photo) – We have used the material during season 2019 – 20 and found it to be excellent for trout, arctic char and Atlantic salmon.
Arizona Diamond dubbing also lured some of the pacific salmon that occasionally run our rivers here in Scandinavia …like this critter in the last image (:
We have chosen 18 catchy colures from Johns series of Arizona Diamond Dub – We will be doing a newsletter discount during spring 2021 where you get a free pack of dubbing every time you purchase 3 packs.
Per Fischer who spend lots of time fishing for sea-run brown trout or sea trout as we also call them have long used the Arizona Diamond dub in his sea trout patterns. Here the Olive Copper dubbing used in some great shrimp flies
Thank you from us
Thank you for supporting our highly specialized fly shop – We hope that our flies will bring fish to your leader and a smile on your lips in 2021… I think we all could need that (:
Remember to bring your kids and grandkids fishing it is only by sharing the dreamy and glorious moments at the river and ponds that new generations of people would want to conserve the fragile world of the salmon and trout that run our waters.
Yours Per & Jesper