#26 Paradun

I tend to use stripped peacock quill or goose biot for strong segmentation on small paraduns. For added floatation, ease of tapering and a quicker tie, Fly-rite poly dubbing is a very good substitute.

Hook: TMC 100BL #26
Thread: Gudebrod 10/0 tan
Tails: Whisper Tails light dun
Body: Fly-rite #41 pale olive
Post: Niche siliconised polypropylene yarn, grey
Hackle: Whiting midge saddle, medium dun

Just picked up spools of 9X and 10X Varivas Midge tippet from Phil at Spidersplus, rated 1.66lb and 1.37lb respectively. The 10X is ideal for the mono loop on Roy Christie's RPE in #28 - #32, ribs perfectly and pretty much disappears without bulk when hackling the fly.

The 2010 season is now just days away...

Tooled-up

For the last two season's I've tied small on a custom midge jaw, generously loaned by Roy Christie. The vise is a Thompson Model A, the midge jaw was turned by Roy's brother specifically for tying down to #32. This set-up has served me very well whilst I have saved for a new vise.

There's a lot of choice out there but few vises offer the robust, simplicity I was looking for within a limited budget. The combination of HMH Spartan and micro jaw is perfect for tying sub #20 and after a long wait, I'm at last tooled-up.


I was guided to this conclusion after a lot of research and conversation with small fly tiers. A particularly useful review of contenders was put together a couple of years ago by Hans Weilenmann. It's early days but this vise is a joy to tie with - first out of the jaw was a '#32 Roy Christie RPE. The micro jaw offers fantastic clearance at this scale, and the rotary action makes it simple to check your work from all perspectives - I really value this function, the Thompson Model A is a fixed design. With a lifetime guarantee (including jaws) I'm hopeful this is the only vice I'll ever need.

To partner the new vise I have a new pair of scissors. Nick Wright at Deer Creek is offering a range of Supa Sharp scissors, and the micro point version are ideal for tight work on small flies, although not exclusively. These are the first serrated blade scissors I've used and they cut clean and very close thanks to the fine blades. Large finger holes make them easy to keep in hand whilst you tie. These are excellent scissors, albeit I was initially a little suspicious of the low price - all scissors in the range are between £6.99 and £8.99... highly recommended.

Small fly resources

I'm working away from home 3-4 days a week, a trend that's likely to continue for most of this year. So time is a little compressed... I haven't tied a fly for nearly two weeks and so I'm getting kind of twitchy, not least as the 2010 season is very close to opening and I've a new midge jaw waiting for me at the smallflyfunk lab.

So in the absence of any new stuff from me I thought I'd at least point you in the direction of some cool small fly tying to check out.

I've been a big fan of The Weekly Fly site for the last year, it's what you'd expect from the title... a new fly pattern video per week. The content is broad and there's some cool midges by Rick Wollum, whose Wollum Worm and this weeks Krystalflash Chironomid are favourites. All videos are available to download in HD with an account. It's worth bookmarking and checking each week.

I'm finding more and more smallflyfunk across the net as I search for sub #20 fanatics. Some content features on blogs and forums, but there's also some dedicated small fly action out there. Proven Patterns is the latest find, and worth a long, hard look. There's some really insightful content and excellent small fly tying by Lucas Carroll. And the Going Tiny fly swap on the N. American Fly Fishing forum features some nice flies including a neat #32.

One last site to visit... and this is for the hardcore small fly freaks. I first came across this site a couple of years ago and lost the link. This is NOT an easy site to find without a deep Google search, but the flavour is home-made #42 hooks and some of the finest #32's I've seen.
Takeshi Saitoh's tying and creative spirit is breathtaking and there is a wonderful range of content to explore. Here's a taste of what Takeshi creates:





Thanks for following, I'll work hard to get keep the small fly content fresh and innovative throughout the 2010 season.

Andy

14-02-2010

This Valentine's Day, only go fishing if this is something you can enjoy with the love of your life. For just one day, stay home, cook some good food and spend quality time with this season's real trophy. If the greatest love of your life is piscatorial... then hit the water hard and catch some February action.

As I'll be away with Nic and the kids to get some sun for a couple of weeks, let me be the first to wish you all a happy Valentine's Day... whoever you get to spend the 14th with.


Thanks to Nik Wright of Deer Creek for the complimentary pack of TMC 518 #32's.... man, I love this hook...


There's more to life than fishing you know.... but not much more X