George F. Grant’s Black & Tan Featherback – classic fly tying tutorial

Learn how to tie one of the most famous of George F. Grant’s Stonefly Nymphs, the Black & Tan Featherback. This is advanced fly tying – and that is why we have invited our friend John Lind Rasmussen to be guest tier. John is a master of classic fly tying and he has many years […]

Flugfiske i Norden George F. Grant

Article in Scandinavian fly fishing magazine Flugfiske i Norden

I wrote an article for the latest issue of Scandinavian fly fishing magazine Flugfiske i Norden. This time about the great late George F. Grant, his love for the Big Hole River and his unique Stonefly Nymphs with the complicated weaved hackles. For that task I needed help, from my friend (and long time Grant […]

Heddon Pal Fly rods

I have been prowling eBay intensively this winter, searching for vintage rods and reels. Primarily USA produced tackle from Shakespeare, Fenwick, Pflueger, Martin and Heddon. Well a month ago a listing caught my eye. Two Heddon Pal Mark IV fiberglass fly rods in one strike. I set the hook, and a week later I reeled […]

Switching vintage fly rods

I’ve got a bunch of old and classic Hardy fly rods in lengths from 9’-10´ to 10´6”. AFTM classes range from 6 to 8. It’s Favourite-, De Luxe- and Sovereign models. Most of these have a full flexing action – and would in my point of view make splendid switch rods. Problem was I couldn’t […]

A dry fly rod and a storm front

I’ve been sneaking around various auction sites for a while now, looking for a nice classic dry fly rod. I especially felt a strong urge to wrap my casting hand around the Portuguese cork handle on a vintage Sage LL (Light Line) rod. But the owners of rods from this early Sage linage, it seems, […]

STH IM-series cassette- classy and versatile reels made in Argentina

The cassette fly reel concept seldom seems to go hand in hand with words like quality workmanship and classic design – but I have found some exceptions. In my little working collection of classic (or at least classy) fly reel I have an IM-2 cassette reel made by STH Reels in Argentina. I bought this […]

Experimenting with Amnesia running line

Today I received a package with Sunset Amnesia running line. I’ve been interested in trying that classic flat monofilament out for years, but never really got around to actually ordering the stuff. Well now it’s here, and I have done some lawn casting with different fly rods and shooting heads. I am freaking excited about […]

Back when Fenwick fly rods were the hottest sticks in town

The fly tackle business is a battlefield where every tackle company (just like the mad lab mouse Brainy) is trying to gain world domination. World domination, I guess, should be gained by making the best products and delivering the best service and customer support. But more and more often I get a feeling that the […]

Falling leaves, cool streams and vintage fly tackle

I have a confession to make. I can look through this year’s new, shiny catalogues from just about any fly tackle manufacturer (most of the catalogues are online nowadays) – and I don’t feel hot under the collar… or anywhere else. The newest, lightest and fastest sticks don’t trigger my GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) anymore. […]

Shoot to kill

Well I finally surrendered. I’ve never been a big fan of the line basket, but lately I found myself getting pissed more often than usual when fishing for sea trout. Wind, loose seaweed, algae and just plain old line tangle seemed to collaborate in an effort to mess up a fair percentage of my casts. […]