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Here is my process for making agate stripping guides.  Click Play Below. Date: 05/09/23 Time: 10:30am-3:00pm Weather: sunny Air: 54° Water: 63° Water pH: 7.69 One of the most rewarding aspects of small stream angling is finding surprises in unlikely places. After about an hour drive to some new water, I shifted gears after finding a small, unnamed tributary running parallel to my targeted stream. Although a beautiful small stream with char jewels, the water was a bit warm for this time of year, and I fear those temps may become dangerously high in the summer. Click Play Below. Before and After – Machined and fabricated butt caps made from nickel silver stock. My cork grips are made from fine flor cork rings imported from Portugal. Grips are very personal, and like most things, it comes down to taste. I’m a fan of the traditional cigar grip, but with a taper, where it tapers to an apex 3/4 from the top of the grip and then tapers back down on the bottom 1/4. It feels more comfortable in hand. I know some suffering arthritis prefer either full-wells or half-wells. There truly is no right or wrong grip, but rather the feel of the grip should be the guiding criterion. Choosing a comfortable grip will reduce hand muscle fatigue on long days. I find that in my small stream fishing, I often “choke up” on the grip in tight quarters or when intensely following a drifting fly, thereby extending my index finger onto the cane blank itself. Having a portion of my hand on both the grip and the blank at the same time increases the sensitivity, or so I tell myself. A cigar grip is ideal for this. Here is my general process for making cork grips. Click Play Below.  Date: 05/02/23 Time: 11:15am–2:30pm Weather: moderate rain, overcast; some sun Air: 48° Windchill: 45° Water: 53° Water pH: 7.66 Some days I like to fish familiar water, and other days I’m up for a challenge, an adventure. Yesterday was an adventure sort of day. I was concerned about the significant amount of recent rain and had no way of knowing the condition of the stream. Upon arrival, I was met with a stream that appeared literally unfishable.  Taking time to observe a given stream and to hypothesize on trout holding patterns based on current conditions is often paid off in spades. This was no exception. Although I observed some hatches of midges and stone flies, they were not abundant. And with such high, fast water, I opted to fish an attractor type fly sub-surface. One benefit of high, fast water is that trout lies are limited. Trout cannot survive in the fastest water, as they would expend far more calories than they would be able to consume. Also, such water allows an angler to approach trout closer without being detected. Fast water is often loud, thereby drowning out noise made by the angler. And, often fast water creates surface disturbance, thereby impeding a trout’s ability to see the angler. Therefore, taking time to understand a stream’s conditions will significantly improve one’s success. I fished the slow glass-like patches of water. I also fished the seams and transitional zones - the lines in between the fast and slow water and the lines where the stream bed drops. Focus was given on getting my fly down in lower water columns where the water moves slowest, which is a place trout are most likely to rest in such turbulent conditions. And I was rewarded. Click Play Below. My process for cutting ferrule tabs. A spin index is secured in my mini-mill vice and is used to achieve uniform cuts every 60°, for a hex rod. After this initial cut, tabs are thinned and tapered. An R8 collet holds the cutting tool, and a 5C collet holds the male and female ferrules to be cut. Painter's tape is used to protect the machined male slides and the machined female exterior ferrule. Click Play Below. |
