2013 it's almost over!

At three in the afternoon on a cold winter's day stood by a river casting flies... can't think of a better way to burn off the Christmas excess! Potentially the last session of the year and looking forward to 2014...

Merry Christmas everybody!

To all BUG-BOND supporters,followers and friends,

have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

Tight lines for 2014!

BUG-BOND gets the thumbs up from 'General' Lee

Social media and the internet is responsible for folk not getting out and about as much and experiencing the great outdoors... they want a "cuddly" and  "gentle" outdoors... it isn't, fact, it is red in tooth and claw... nature is wild and at times unforgiving. For those of us that do use the great outdoors the internet is a great method of collection and exchange of information... I have a Twitter account and I tweet occasionally! One of my Twitter followers (Lee Blanton) contacted me from the US and sent me some photos of his flies.

Lee is based in Texas and in his repertoire he ties poppers and decorates them using the Copic marker pen/airbrush system and then coats and cures using BUG-BOND. I am intrigued by the Copic system... Lee's local fly shop stocks a lot of WAPSI products and as regular readers will know WAPSI is the North American distributor of BUG-BOND resins in addition to Veniard Ltd who are the Worldwide distributors of the BUG-BOND brand. Inviting Lee onto the team will add another dimension to the team and increase what we do in the US.

So here is a little bit about Lee and some images of his poppers!  

"My name is Lee Blanton; I was born and raised in the South Eastern U.S. I started my fishing on small creeks and streams of north east Alabama, and fishing the Great Smoky Mountains of East Tennessee.

I first picked up a fly rod at age 10, it was a Wright McGill Aristocrat that was my great grandfather’s.  Shortly I was addicted and began tying flies, mainly warm water popping bugs to catch those pesky little sunfish.  Living on a farm we were lucky enough to have a small stream and a creek running through the property. These waters were where I tested my latest fly.   By age 16, I was fairly confident in my tying and starting turning out some trout flies for those small mountain streams in East Tennessee. During my high school years I got involved in water quality assessment, which was not only great for checking water quality but also with aquatic entomology.

My professional tying career started in 2007 in a local shop for some demonstrations and lessons. From there it has evolved into four or five shows a year mainly around my home in Texas (hopefully growing in the near future).  My speciality in tying is warm water flies and poppers, but my true passion is trout, especially those small mountain brook trout of East Tennessee."

Welcome to the team Lee!

Free STUFF from Chris Sandford - the BUG-BOND Glass Bug video!

I was talking to my pal Chris Sandford about shooting a video with the new retro fit BUG-BOND footswitch for our Professional UV light (powered by an AC/DC adapter) and he said... "It's already been done mate!" Chris had already shot the footage as part Episode 3 of his online magazine called STUFF... and STUFF is FREE! Yes, free STUFF from Chris Sandford... as a bit of a seasonal gift to fly tyers the world over he has done a director's cut of the BUG-BOND Glass Bug... store it as a fovourite to your desktop and check his website www.chrissandford.com as there is a load more STUFF there and it's all FREE!

In this great step by step video Chris demonstrates how well the footswitch works... it is a retro fit to the existing Professional UV light, it dispenses with batteries and gives constant levels of UV from the grid! In addition you also learn how to tie the B-B-G-B. It’s the fly that helped the ‘Dream Team’ win the 2013 River Test ‘One Fly’ Competition, so it’s worth having a few in your box....

... and the BUG-BOND product range is a suitable gift idea for the fly-tyer!

Trevor Jones... a Welsh fly tying wizard joins the BUG-BOND team!

 

Photo: Trevor Jones by Barry Ord Clarke

I'm delighted to announce that the much admired and well known Welsh fly tyer Trevor Jones has joined the BUG-BOND Pro-Tying Team. I have met Trevor at the British Fly Fair on a couple of occasions... and we've conversed a fair bit on social media as well. 

Trevor's ability was summed up in a conversation I had with another highly respected fly tyer.. "He's one of the best technical tyers there is to be found!"

It says it all... a great addition to the team!

Here's a piece on Trevor by Trevor...

“My name is Trevor Jones, I live in North Wales, I have been a fly fisherman & fly tyer almost as long as I could walk, I still vividly remember my first fish, Since that first fish, several more have done me the honour of coming to my net and certainly for the last 40+ years they have been taken on flies which I have tied myself.

During my lifetime I have seen many, many things and new innovations in fly tying, but the exciting thing about fly tying is there is still so much to be discovered and learnt.

The great passion in my sporting life is being able to help others discover the joys of fly-tying & fly-fishing, to that end, I have be invited as guest flytyer at many fly fairs throughout Europe, these include; the Swedish, Finnish, Dutch, Irish & British fly fairs, plus many other more local events during the year.

My fly fishing has also been quite diverse, I have represented Wales on three occasions in both European & Commonwealth Championships, Captaining my country on one occasion.

I have for many years, coached and guided many people in the art of fly fishing, but my proudest moments were being ask to coach the South African fly fishing team prior to a commonwealth championships, I was again honoured to be asked to guide for the Australian fly fishing team in 2011.

Not everyone will have the opportunity to guide or coach a national team, It was a great honour, but, the opportunity is open to all, to enjoy the most fulfilling sport on this planet. As you will see from the photos, my fly tying is quite diverse, small spider patterns or Salmon patterns, but above all I tie flies to catch fish, with materials which are readily available to everyone, I see little point in demonstrating a fly knowing people CANNOT get the materials.

Tight lines to all Trevor “

Welcome to the team Trevor!

Holger Lachmann... A feast of BUG-BOND flies!

My long time pal Simon Graham first alerted me to Holger Lachmann. Holger is a talented young fly-tyer that I personally admire for both his great attention to detail and his principles.  Holger and I enjoy good banter across the internet... our sense of humour is very similar and I was delighted to meet Holger in the Netherlands last year at the Dutch Fly Fair (2012).

Holger's attention to detail is not just to the fly he has tied but the materials he uses... only the best is good enough... a tyer without compromise. On that subject Holger has tied with all the current light cured resins and he has decided that the best of the crop is indeed BUG-BOND... He hasn't been pushed or cajoled into using BUG-BOND or into becoming part of the team... it has been very much an embryonic process. There has been an open invite to join the BUG-BOND team for well over a year and I was delighted to get an email from Holger last week saying that he would like to join the team, even though I couldn't provide him with the Bentley GT Continental and Bond girl that he requested. Sorry Holger!

Here is what Holger has to say about himself...

"I was born in 1981 in a little town in Germany called Höxter next to the river Weser.

As long as I could remember fishing was always an important part of my life. My  father was a very successful fisherman and he taught me all the little tricks when I was a little boy. Most important he taught me to respect all the creatures in and around the water and the water itself.

At the age of twelve I bought my first fly rod and I was lost when the first trout took my fly. At the same time I started tying my own flies. Three years later, I was 15 years old, I decided to fish “fly only” for the rest of my life.

I continuously tried to improve my tying skills over the years up until now. My tying range is nearly everything from small nymphs and dry flies for trout and grayling, up to big pike streamer with a length over 20 cm, with a special love of tying patterns for sea trout fishing in the Baltic Sea.

One of my main goals in fly tying is to create flies which not only look nice in the vise but they have to work well in the water and most important the fish must love them.

Being out in the nature casting a fly into some kind of water is just the pure joy for me."

Holger has a blog called The One Fly... which you will find both informative and inspiring!

Feast your eyes on some of the flies here... its the tip of the iceberg.

Holger joins an enviable team of great fly tyers who use BUG-BOND and support the brand... I am grateful for the support and the friendship... 

Welcome to the team Holger!

Christmas is early as BUG-BOND goes into the studio...

The shoot

It has been a good few years since I have shot photos in a studio... very much a previous life. Best thing to do if you fall off a horse is to get back into the saddle!

I do the majority of photos for the adverts and also the layouts myself... This gives me control over creativity. As most of my subjects 'max' out at a few inches in size the 'studio' is tabletop. Imagine my surprise when Phil at Veniard's thrust into my grubby paws two cases and said "are you able to photograph these for us?" Always nice to be asked. A few days after the Tackle & Guns show I received an email asking for the photos by Monday. I love a challenge!

A few phone calls and I had secured a couple of hours at Cetra's studio on the Wirral... great studio and with a warm welcome and a help in set up from Verity and her partner Richard I was shooting!

A proper studio again and with 5 automated flash guns on rigs I was cooking on gas... just me, the lens and the subject... back in the groove!

It was great to be able to pop upstairs and put the SD card into a Mac and check the shots... I was pretty chuffed. The final advert is in Trout & Salmon that will come out with the Christmas gift guide... so you are getting only a taster!

What of the products?

The Pinnacle kit is in a fab cooler sized organiser - loads of space to keep all your kit in (oh and it is fully loaded) you'll tie hundreds of different fly patterns with this kit... NO excuses for an untidy work area with this one! I really love the Paramount2 kit though - the case is a WOW! If you want a kit in a sturdy throw anywhere case then this is it... but open it up and it it throws a curve ball right at you! It has an ingenious two tier caddy that collapses down and fits in the case... add to this the vise and materials... simply magic!

And of course I get to photograph the BUG-BOND footswitch again... The feedback I am getting is fantastic... everyone who tries it loves the convenience and consistent curing and a it also means a Christmas without batteries!

Now if you really, really want to treat the new fly-tyer/love in your life this holiday season the above gives some great ideas!

Personally I'd go with the..... Sorry, I'm not telling... it's a surprise!

Thomas Magnusson joins the BUG-BOND Team

As I have mentioned before I get a great many emails from BUG-BOND customers that include images of flies they have tied and fish they have caught… one such customer is Thomas Magnusson from Sweden… Thomas ties flies to catch fish but also as a method of relaxation… a self-confessed perfectionist.

Having looked through Thomas's portfolio of flies for some time now I am pleased to welcome Thomas to the BUG-BOND Pro-Tying Team… here is what Thomas has to say about himself…  


“My name is Thomas Magnusson, a 44 year old Swedish passionate fly fisher and fly tyer. These have been my major hobbies for the last 30 years. I got into golf for some time, but that sport really didn´t give something that fishing already did. As the years have turned my hair grey, it is the fly tying that gives me relaxation and satisfaction, a lot more hours than I find myself with a rod in my hand anyway. After a long period of Atlantic salmon fishing, I have found myself more and more exploring the kind of fishing that´s not far from home, and not so very crowded. I have the luck to be blessed with nice trout waters a bike ride away, and a wife that is happy to have me home more than a few days a month…

I have also taken up writing again and my first article in about 20 years will be published in Fly & Tie #1 2014. It is a fly tying article with some patterns around the use of moose in fly tying… which features in a lot of trout patterns here in Scandinavia…

I bought by my first bottle of Bug-Bond from Whitewaterflies in New Jersey some years ago; I consider that I have been an ambassador for the product since then. So for me it is about keeping up the job. For me it´s fun to be able to contribute and that puts an extra spark to my own tying... I will shortly have my own blog to share my fly tying with more people”


Welcome Thomas…

BUG-BOND Footswitch goes live at Tackle & Guns trade show

I’m just back from the Tackle & Guns trade show in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire… a great couple of days meeting up with both new and existing retailers of BUG-BOND. For the second year I was on the Veniard stand… the BUG-BOND brand has received tremendous support from Veniard who celebrate 90 years of supplying fly tying materials this year.

Interestingly multi-award winning BUG-BOND came to the market 5 years ago next year as the first tack-free UV resin designed and developed for fly-tying… we will therefore be the only brand of UV cured resin to have a 5 year tack-free track record in the fly tying world… undeniable innovators.

Since launching BUG-BOND I have ensured that the product has stayed at the cutting edge… and I have maintained this by launching the BUG-BOND footswitch which is a retro-fit accessory to the existing single UV-LED Professional light… power is provided from the grid via an AC/DC adapter. It is a first for the fly-tyer!

The footswitch has been used and tested for almost 2 years and I announced its impending release in June this year. It has been used in public by Barry Ord Clarke, Dougie Loughridge  and filmed by Chris Sandford. Two weeks ago its release was formally announced at the Glasgow Angling Centre open weekend. 

I was pleased to be able to demonstrate the BUG-BOND Footswitch as part of Veniard’s 2014 new product range at Tackle & Guns trade show over the last couple of days. The benefit of the footswitch is that it will deliver a consistent level of UV for curing and will be of great benefit to those who tie regularly or those who don’t wish to be troubled with when to change the battery in the light. Convenience and consistency are the key words that have been the centre of the BUG-BOND brand and this follows through into the footswitch.

The response from the trade was brilliant!

It is one thing me showing off BUG-BOND… at shows I take the opportunity to have someone who has never used it to tie a fly and get their response. At this show I persuaded Danielle Hicks from Total Fly Fisher magazine to tie a relatively simple stalking bug… Danielle though working for a fishing title had never tied a fly. Taking time at the end of the show she tied a great fly which she is going to make Steve Cullen the editor of the magazine catch a fish on!

Well done Danielle...

A rookie's view of New Zealand - Wilderness Woman

 

I love getting DVDs across my desk and I find a lot of inspiration through fishing by other people... this DVD is by Swedish businesswoman Sarita Eliasson.

Interestingly I came across Sarita as she stayed in the same hotel as me in Aruba and used the same fishing guide... not at the same time though. We have exchanged comments on social media and I knew she was going to New Zealand and was keen to see the results of her labour.

A couple of weeks ago the DVD arrived... and due to other commitments it took me a couple of days to view the full film.

Hey... this is a well put together and well filmed DVD... plenty of action from the word go and a lot of information. It also showed that conditions are not always easy when you have a fishing vacation! This is the fault of many videos that just show the "goodstuff" not this film... we had warts and all. High rainfall stopping fishing in some key rivers BUT showing the worth of the guide in getting Sarita to the fish on lesser known waters. If you want to indulge yourself in some winter TV fishing... or you are considering a trip to New Zealand then this DVD is a must.

With Christmas coming up this would be a great present for any fly fisher - actually don't wait, buy it for yourself! The DVD can be purchased from Sarita via her website... http://wildernesswoman.shop.textalk.se/ 

Kick back (chill out) and enjoy it - I did! 

About Sarita Eliasson


My name is Sarita Eliasson. I live on the West Coast of Sweden close to the sea with my family.  

I came into contact with (fly) fishing a few years ago. I found a passion in this harmonious way of fishing. It is like meditating in some cases ... In other cases it may be full action.

I have been fishing since childhood but it was more traditional fishing. My everyday fishing is a way to calm down after a tough day at work. I run with my brother and sister a medium-sized service business, which I started almost 25 years ago.

My passion besides fly fishing is photography and filming. These three interests are wonderful to combine. I have always been adventurous person. I have visited many interesting places on earth. I'm not one who just like to go on holiday for the sun, I prefer adventure trips that give adrenaline rushes. But I am no stranger to adventures in the wilderness where you walk for days. Sleeping in tents and eat what nature offers. On these adventures, I always have with me my faithful companion Nicco, an  Australian Shepherd (dog). He enjoys the great outdoors as much as I do.

A year ago I started a film production company, Walkabout Film production. Our first production is available since August 2013. It is the first part in a documentary series called Walkabout.


"The Red Thread" is fly fishing. The fishing will bring me to exciting places in different parts of the world. I will meet interesting people and take part of their passion for nature and wildlife. I will visit various Nature and Conservation projects around the world.
 
The next part of the series is being planned and will begin in spring 2014. It will be called "Walkobut in The Wild West." Montana Trout will be visited by me. Ranch Life will be experienced from the saddle of a Quarter Horse. Together with experienced guides, we will be traveling on horseback, deep into Yellowstone National Park. We hope to capture many fine Trout with fly fishing rod. And through the camera lens to experience the wildlife up close. Grizzly bear, cougar and other exciting species we hope to see during our adventure in the wilderness.
 
On my travels, I try to bring my family. Everything depends on the time of travel and adventure nature. A person who is always part of my crew, my sister Lenita Olsson, who is an amazing photographer.

I consider myself very fortunate that I have the opportunity to experience fantastic adventures with my loved ones.

Sarita

B-B-G-B does it in style with Chris Sandford

Quite a few weeks ago I reported on how the B-B-G-B fly of Chris Sandford had helped him and his team retain the 'River Test One Fly' competition... and latterly I had a day out with Chris on the River Test.

Well Chris has been out again and sent me a great email enclosing a few photos... I'll share just one with you. The fish above is a brown trout of 9lb 12oz and was caught on the B-B-G-B aka the BUG-BOND-Glass-Bug! 

Chris had 3 further fish that day... the smallest being 3.5lbs, then one at 8lb, one at 10lb 2oz but the prettiest by far is the above fish at 9lb 12oz... Interestingly two fish were taken on the B-B-G-B, one on the Ducking Feadly (both of these flies are BUG-BOND derivative flies) and one on the Mighty Eric...

To get the perfect tack-free finish Chris has achieved in his photo you need to ensure that you have fresh batteries or newly charged batteries in your UV light... the photo above shows the correct distance from the subject... remember light travels in straight lines so you need to rotate the fly so you get complete exposure to the UV light this will result in a full cure that is tack-free. You can see Chris tie the B-B-G-B in glorious Technicolour in his latest episode of STUFF his fly tying and fly fishing video magazine... more info can be found on his website www.chrissandford.com

 

Cat fever...

I love getting photos from users of BUG-BOND... Alex Wilkie is one happy chap after his recent trip to the  River Ebro in Spain... using a 9 inch fly tied using Funky products and BUG-BOND on a Mustad 6/0 hook on the end of a 13wt rod, Alex tamed a Wels catfish... Thanks for sharing Alex!