Honeymoon on the Zambezi

I received photos recently from Jo Stephenson (one of the BUG-BOND Pro-Tying Team). She recently visited Africa whilst on honeymoon with her husband Jonny (armed with BUG-BOND flies and fishing gear). Jo has allowed me to reproduce her photos here and she's provided a short commentary. Thanks Jo...

"We were staying in a beautiful lodge, called Waterberry Lodge which is owned by a lady we know, its on the Upper Zambezi , located about 30 - 40min drive outside of Livingstone. We fished for Nembwe and Tiger, these are the two main species that could be fly fished for, but we only managed to catch Tiger on the fly. They both also go well for spinners, and the locals use a lot of bait for both species. We found that early morning and evening were the best times for catching although it is possible to catch in deeper water in the middle of the day. On the fly, the tiger seemed interested in flies coloured white, white & blue, black, orange & black, black & red but black being the most 'hit' colour."

Jonny looks a happy chap, whilst the tiger looks a little peeved!

BASStastic day with Mike Ladle

Hot on the heels of the post about the reverse smelt... we have a reverse smelt capture pictured for those who want to see the "proof of the pudding". Here we have a Dorset bass capture by my fishing e-mentor Dr Mike Ladle... yes, the very same as the one who wrote Hooked on Bass, Operation  Sea Angler and many more titles. Mike has kindly allowed me to reproduce the photo for you.

So it works and the fly-tyer Alan Bulmer in New Zealand confirms that it rides hook up!

The hook is a Mustad 34007NPSS 1/0 as an addendum to the original post... the Bug-Bond finish remains the same.

NB. Mike Ladle is due to have another book published in June 2013... I'll be sure to be reviewing it when it hits the book shops. Watch this space!

BUG-BOND fly testing...

Back in 2009 when I did all the product development for BUG-BOND it was easy to get away to fish as it was "Product Development" as the business has grown so it has become more difficult to get out fishing... I'm not complaining and a big thank you to all supporters and followers of BUG-BOND for making it what it is today. Since Veniard has taken over distribution it has allowed me time to focus on "Where to next?" and "What next?". Meeting folk at shows, whether they are in the trade or members of the wider fishing community (ordinary fisher folk and fly tyers) is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the job... fishing and fly tying vicariously is part of the joy... you sharing your achievements with me... its fantastic!

However, I do enjoy sitting down at my tying desk and tying a fly and then going out and fishing it almost immediately... Yesterday was one of those occasions. I have been playing with synthetics a lot lately and having enjoyed a couple of pike on an old warrior of a fly that was a mix of rabbit and fox I decided that Rabbit, Raccoon and Icelandic sheep would feature, tipped off with a set of Ultra eyes and you guessed it BUG-BOND. This is a fly tied on a 3/0 Sakuma hook after the style of Riny Sluiter. 

A cheeky couple of hours at the end of the day with a fly that takes less than 5 minutes to tie and here are the results... enjoy... I did!

BUG-BOND in New Zealand

Two posts in one day... believe me I have a lot of catching up to do!

The next couple of photos are from another early user of BUG-BOND, Alan Bulmer who lives in New Zealand. Alan has kindly allowed me to share his photos and part of his email with you... enough from me. Enjoy, I think they are terrific! Thanks for sharing Alan...

"The reverse smelt is my twist on an iconic pattern used for trout in the central North Island of New Zealand. Designed for salt water, rather than fresh, it has already assumed “go to” pattern status. Instead of using mylar tinsel body with a silver wire rib, I substituted a strip cut from a holographic nylon mesh basket ribbon, ribbed this with silver wire and coated with UV Bug-Bond. The effect is visually stunning. The holographic iridescent purple sheen shows through the resin and the fly almost seems to wriggle to life once it enters the water. It is a pattern that kahawai find irresistible, especially when smelt are running.

I’ve also created a “kissing cousin” to the reverse smelt, namely the holographic Clouser. Once again the holographic basket ribbon body is the key visual attractant but the bead chain eyes seem to stare out from the fly as if it is watching your every move. Another pattern that rarely fails to disappoint. Simple but very effective. The Bug-Bond is key to getting the internal reflection that makes the fly look real and adds an unmatched robustness to the pattern." Alan Bulmer 2012

Tackle & Guns Show Update

This time last week I was recovering from 2 days at Tackle & Guns trade show... I was demonstrating BUG-BOND along with new Veniard materials for the full 2 days, hardly coming up for air. Some said the show wasn't busy, however, I didn't get a chance to go and look at many other stands.

                       

So what's new then... well, Polish Quills are having their stripped quills distributed by Veniard and I was able to have an advance place with this superb product. I had taken my iPad along with this image showing what they look like tied on... I think you'll agree the quality of the quill is superb. The quill has been coated in BUG-BOND... an initial thin layer of BUG-BOND Lite and then a coating of BUG-BOND Original. The coating of Lite seals any gaps and ensures that there aren't any air pockets between the wraps. There are other new materials but I don't know whether I can tell just yet!

I was pleased to meet many friends at the show... which ends up like a fishing "Who's Who", however, I was particularly pleased to meet Henry Gilbey (who I have to confess is a bit of a TV angling hero of mine). Henry was on the Topwater Lures stand down the aisle from me and he took the time to come and see me. As my US friends say - Awesome! Pony tail has gone but still in shorts this enthusiastic photographer/angler can never fail to inspire anglers to go and catch fish... whether its via his images or his personality.

Now, Henry has a new book out... its under the Ultimate guides range and its got a 100 destinations, great photos and great info make this a superb book for thumbing through on a cold dark night in the UK and thinking - Where next? Amazon have a great deal on this book at the moment. Oh and I did get my book signed!

Tackle & Guns Trade Show - October 14 & 15

Since officially launching award winning BUG-BOND in January 2010 I've done a great number of shows... both in the UK and overseas. This Sunday and Monday I'll be at the Tackle & Guns Show at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire... I'll be at the show tying flies both days and demonstrating BUG-BOND on the Veniard stand (B48m). It will be good to catch up and meet customers old and new.

For those who might have missed it BUG-BOND was the first Tack-Free light cured acrylic produced for the fly-tyer. This much talked about material cures from 3.5 seconds when exposed to a low powered UV light and has benefits over traditional products like two part epoxy, cyanoacrylates and varnishes. Single part, low or no waste, solvent free, fast curing, resistant to cracking and shattering, optically perfect and doesn't yellow! In addition to fly-tying fishing rods have been built, breathable waders fixed and fly line connections made all with BUG-BOND... this is why it is the most versatile and most talked about material in fly-fishing.

See you at the show... tight lines!

BUG-BOND and Chris Sandford's Chalkstream Flies from BUG-BOND on Vimeo.

BUG-BOND & Fleye Foils

Earlier this year I blogged that I'd been involved with Bob Popovics and his Fleye Foils... so how do they work... do they work and if they do where can you get them?

First off if you think the Surf Candy is just for the saltwater flyfisherman then think again! NOT SO! Read on...

Lutz Schepers of www.theflypeople.com contacted me recently to confirm that of the UV cure resins he'd tried the best was BUG-BOND... he now stocks BUG-BOND alongside Fleye Foils. Lutz is currently the man in Europe who sells both retail and wholesale Bob Popovic's Fleye Foils. But do they work?

As I always say the proof of the pudding is in the eating... photos and video of the use of Fleye Foils when trout fishing with Lutz are the proof. There are many great contemporary tyers that are turning their attention to the foils... are they a gimmic... no, they aren't, they are an addition to the fisherman's armoury AND they catch fish!

I'm pleased that Lutz has put his faith not only in Fleye Foils but also BUG-BOND the award winning tack-free UV Cure Resin.

Contact Lutz at www.theflypeople.com

BUG-BOND hits the "Sails" in Malaysia

Last week I had an email from long time Bug-Bond user and friend, Tom Gorman... Tom was THE first overseas customer (out of my then circle of friends) of BUG-BOND.  I remember getting an email in January 2010 from Tom just days after I opened the doors for business. Tom was going to Costa Rica and needed to get flies tied pronto... we messaged each other and I was soon sending product to an American living and working in Hong-Kong. Over the ensuing years we have kept in touch and I have followed Tom's fishing for Sailfish... Tom has kindly allowed me to share his email and photos.

"Hi David

Just back from Rompin, Malaysia, where Bug-Bond had a hand in some excellent fly fishing for sailfish . Attaching two pics, one "before" showing a ten-inch sailfish popper I tied, with the fly head finished with Bug-Bond. It's tied tube-style with a Rainy's popper head slipped on the front of the tube. Despite the raspy bill, Bug-Bond held up beautifully.

The other pic, "after", shows the same fly as we brought one sail to the boat for release. The reel is an Abel Super 12, and I fished a Rio Outbound 12 wt WF F/I line which makes a fairly easy job of casting such a big fly for this kind of fly fishing.

Sails averaged around 30 kg. Fishing was slower than usual for this time of year but I managed to bring 4 to the boat in 3 days. Great fun. Guide was Dominic Pereira of Fishzone Sportfishing out of Singapore who's a crack guide and great fellow to fish with. He and his partner Ian Pinto are the go-to fly fishing guides in Rompin and have been for years .

Hope you can get there one of these days . Thanks for the 'bond'(Bug-Bond).

Thanks and best

Tom"

It should be noted that Tom switched to BUG-BOND for all his fly line connections... the first to put his trust in BUG-BOND in that way on such a big trip back in 2010... Tom, thanks for your support. 

New fly and a red letter day!

Its been a busy 12 months or so and fishing sadly hasn't featured massively... sadly. Funny from a guy who has a fishing related business as well!

I'm also in the midst of a hectic few weeks of shows and I also need to sit down and tie patterns outside the show environment and allow my creative mind run wild (that's a laugh) and then go out and fish. Product testing always goes on...

Last night I tied a fly... using the reverse tying method. 4x cock saddle hackles, white bucktail and some new material and finished off with BUG-BOND and eyes. This morning 6am the alarm goes... dark outside and windy... stuff it, put the alarm on 30 minutes. I'm at the water's edge by 0730 and pike number one is in the bag at 0758 and less than an hour later fish number two is out of the water!

Fish two is a clonker a specimen Perch, a stripey... the UK record is 6lbs 4oz and this is weighing in at 3lbs 8oz. Nothing magical about that with the exception that just over ten years ago a virus wiped out the perch in this lake and over the past five years nothing really over a 1lb has come out... rumours of 2lb perch but nothing concrete. Until now!

A Personal Best and on my own fly... I have my Mojo back!

BUG-BOND in Glasgow

Cheryl curing BUG-BOND on the head of her first fly!

The Glasgow Angling Centre Open Weekends are hugely successful and I wouldn't be suprised if they weren't the largest free fishing shows in the UK. Run in March and September they are dates for the diary and not to be missed.

I love the warm welcome from customers and staff alike... all are enthusiastic and its a treat to be there.

I was demonstrating BUG-BOND alongside fellow fly tyers Dougie Loughridge, Paul Procter, Allan Liddle and one of my personal favourites, the quiet man... Paul Little who has a talent beyond the reach of most mortals... his flies are faultless.

The beauty of an event like this is that I meet folk who were early adopters of  BUG-BOND and who come to have a natter to those who are just setting out on the journey of fly fishing & fly tying... there are the young and not so young who are all taken by new flash materials and enjoy watching for the first time the fast curing of BUG-BOND... some whispering to friends refer to it as "drying"... call it what they will I don't mind.

It gives me a complete buzz getting a person to tie a fly for the first time and watch them as they create their first fly. One such person was Cheryl McCrory, she'd come to the show with her boyfriend Gary McLellan (a BUG-BOND user). Cheryl is a dental nurse and is used to curing dental composites but she's never tied a fly. I think you'll agree that as a first fly she did a good job. Well done Cheryl!

Thank you Glasgow... see you all in March!