Tying the "Original" Pheasant Tail

This is pretty cool.  Frank Sawyer, the English gentleman who was the originator of the famous Pheasant Tail Nymph is shown tying one in this old "film".  You can make up your own voice over and appropriate accompanying music if you need it.  Enjoy!

Blue Ridge Tying Night!

Hey Guys and Gals the Unicoi Outfitters Fly Shop in Blue Ridge is having its monthly fly tying night this Thursday Nov. 17th at 6:30pm til 8:30pm. So far they've been well attended and lots of fun. So bring your tying stuff or they'll be free equipment and materials to use if you don't have something. Art and Larry will be heading up the meeting so they'll be plenty of shooting the bull time and fishing stories told. And Best of all it's free!

Tying for DH with Steve Hudson

This past weekend, we had Steve Hudson at the shop tying various fly patterns he created specifically for fishing the Delayed Harvest regulated streams in Georgia. Steve also did a "DH Fly Tying" clinic at the NGTO fall fling on Saturday. His patterns can be found in his book "Tying Flies for Stocked Trout" which is available for purchase at Unicoi Outfitters, online at geargiafishingbooks.com, or through Steve himself.

- Trent Sizemore

www.sizemoreoutdoors.com

Can We Afford to Tie Our Own Flies?

Yesterday we shipped a package of Whiting 1/4 Saddles to a lady in Oregon to be used as hair extensions. It's the latest thing since that guy on American Idol started wearing them.  Rumor is that the hairdressing industry is buying up all the hackle they can get their hands on, which, of course, is causing the value of these prized feathers to skyrocket.  The wholesale price of some hackles is now at the level we sell them retail.  I didn't realize the extent of this fad until today.  A little surfing the net found this ad (and these are "wholesale" prices):  "Featherheads"

On the bright side, if you are the owner of some fine hackle, you may be wealthy beyond your imagination right now.  I wonder how many of these folks realize the feathers weren't just borrowed from the rooster.  To tie or to cash in; it's a moral decision only you can make for yourself.

Steve Hudson, Atlanta Fly Fishing Examiner

Steve Hudson is writing a fly fishing column for examiner.com.  Steve has enjoyed fly fishing for many years, making his first casts at the age of eight in the family pond. He has fished from Florida to Alaska, but he will quickly tell you that his favorite waters are those right here in northern Georgia. A professional journalist for more than 30 years, Steve enjoys writing about fly fishing almost as much as being on the water. He's passionate about sharing the sport, too, and he's frequently invited to lead workshops on fly fishing, fly tying, and other aspects of the sport. He lives in Alpharetta with his wife Ann and Chester the Sheepdog. 


Steve's column is full of great, locally useful articles, such as "Go deep for big trout -- learn how at North Georgia Trout Online's Fall Fling".


Steve will also be holding a great Delayed Harvest Fly Tying Seminar at our Helen Shop on Saturday October 30 from 9am to 2:30 pm.  We'll post a schedule next week, or check your Liars Club Newsletter for details.

Fly Tying Videos

Buddy Price is doing some neat video production work - he's building a website that will feature fly fishing and tying videos that should mature into an excellent resource.  He's started out with some tying videos that he's got up on his website, and his channel at YouTube.  We saw him at the recent FFF SE conclave at Unicoi State Park filming a number of the tiers demonstrating there, including our friend Beth Tuttle, featured here:

Tie 1 On

Hey Everybody...

Just a quick note to let you know that Ron Thomas will be holding a "Tie 1 On" fly-tying session this Tuesday, August 4th at 6:30pm at our Helen shop. As always, everyone is welcome to attend this free event. Ron will have material and tools available, or bring your own.

Tie 1 On

Can it get too hot to "tie 1 on"? I guess it can. After talking to a couple of fly tyers that normally attend our monthly fly tying session, who told me they wouldn't be able to attend this month, we decided to schedule the next session in August. What about Tuesday Aug 4 at 6:30 pm? Hopefully we can get this thing cranked back up then. Remember that its open to everyone, its free, and its a great way to share your interest and learn. See you at Unicoi Outfitters in Helen in August.

TIE 1 ON

"Tie Flies When You're Having Fun"

We hope that's what will happen Tuesday, June 2 at 6:30 PM at Unicoi Outfitters. We will meet on this date for our monthly fly tying session-I hope this date will be OK for everyone. I was out of town for our May fly tying session and from what I hear about the attendance, I guess most everyone else was too. I hope any one that is interested (beginner or pro) will show up. Tying with others is a great way to learn and to teach-to help those that are just starting. Again, we will be tying a woolly bugger and an elk hair caddis-so bring materials for these if you have them-if not, that's OK. Refer to our last Tie 1 On post for recipes and instructions.

If the above date is not good for you, let me know at rbtgofish@yahoo.com.

Tie 1 On

We had a good turn out for our April fly tying session at Unicoi Outfitters in Helen and I think everyone enjoyed taking part. Thanks again to all the folks who were involved and to everyone who showed up. May's session will be Thursday May 7 at 6:30 PM and will last approximately 2 hours. (Note this is a date change from the date listed in the Liars Club newsletter) Again, this is an open invitation to anyone who has an interest in tying flies or wants to learn how to tie flies. I promise it will add more to your fly fishing enjoyment and I believe it will make you a better fisherman.

We will be tying the infamous Wooly Bugger and the unsinkable Elk Hair Caddis during this session. If you need the recipe for material and instructions you can find those at www.charliesflyboxinc.com. Some of the tyers will be tying 1 on somewhere else this week (out of town) so bring a friend with you Thursday night.

TIE 1 ON

That's what we'll be doing on Thursday April 9 at 6:30 pm at the Unicoi shop in Helen. Thanks to Jimmy, David, and John for the use of the building and supplies for our first fly tying meeting.

There is no charge here so this is a great opportunity to learn and also teach and have some fun.

This is for beginners, pros, and tyers like me that just want to learn more about tying. The session is open to TU members and any one else who has an interest in fly tying and fly fishing.

They are already doing this at the Blue Ridge shop and they tell me it is going well. We hope for this to be a regular monthly meeting and we can select the day and time best for everyone at the first meeting. Bring your vise and other supplies if you have them--if not, that's OK.

We'll be serving pheasant tail under vise--from rare to well done--hope to see you there.

Ron Thomas

St. Croix, Lamson & Scientific Anglers Day @ Blue Ridge

At Unicoi Outfitters in Blue Ridge on Saturday, April 4th:

Come cast a St. Croix rod and receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win an St. Croix Imperial Fly Rod, Lamson Guru reel, or a Scientific Anglers fly line. We will be giving out hats too.

Unicoi Fly Tying Instructor/Guide Chad Peters will be demonstrating tying flies on a Norvise during the day.

Unicoi Guide John Mauldin will be available to talk with folks interested in fishing in Last Chance Idaho on the Henry's Fork, Madison and South Fork.

FFF Master Casting Instructor Eric Cook will be available for fly casting instruction.

Becky and I will be answering questions about the new products in the shop such as the Simms Vibram Boots, Native Watercraft, and St. Croix Imperial Fly Rods. As always, we will be glad to give you any advice you might need fishing the local streams.

Free food and drinks from 11am to 1pm.

We hope to see you. Please call us at 706-632-1880 for questions.

The Hooch is Still Cold

Last Thursday I invited my church fly tying class for a day on the water for casting and fishing instruction and for searching for bugs in the water. This seemed like a great idea because it was a beautiful day and we're tying the flies so we can catch fish with them--right? The folks in the class were looking forward to this and so was I. The casting instruction went well--so we headed down to the river to try a little "hands on fishing". I talked about wading safety, but I didn't really listen to what I was saying. While positioning the fishermen, I tripped and fell over a big rock and made a perfect dive to the bottom. Before I knew it, I was in the water struggling to get out. Simms waders are great, but not when you let water go over the top--they were filled and I was cold. Embarrassing--not really--funny--to them--really. Leave it up to your guide--but I did keep fishing with them. One of the students did hook a big trout that broke him off.

Things didn't go exactly as planned, but it beats sorting mail any day--I'm a blessed person. I'm really looking forward to the fly tying class on Feb 21. It's all going to be about the basics-because that's what fly tying is about. We'll tie some flies that will really catch fish. The pheasant tail, featured in an earlier post, will be one of them--we'll tie it in several different patterns. We're going to have some fun--if you are interested contact Unicoi Outfitters so they can sign you up.

Thanks and Watch Your Step!

Ron