The 100% BUG-BOND Egg

The 100% BUG-BOND Egg... that's a mouthful... it's not a pattern of mine - its an enhancement of a pattern that was shown to me by Alan Hill at a show in Dublin when we were both tying there... that egg was a killer for Alan in a series of competitions picking up Grayling. That pattern was then passed to Hywel Morgan who fished it and has subsequently included it in his River Patterns DVD...

Wind the clock back as Hywel's DVD is not long out... I was tying at a show at Glasgow Angling Centre September 2011 and one of the lads from the shop showed me the 100% BUG-BOND Egg but with a translucent yolk sac. As above from October last year... Now that wasn't the end of the story... I was talking to Andy Larkin from British Columbia (a Bug-Bond user) who told me he used hot coloured tungsten beads as the yolk sac...

And that still isn't the end of the story... Barry Ord Clarke has a piece in his blog the feather bender on his version called the Grayling Heroe - Trout Egg.... which follows on from his Sperm Covered Egg Fly of approx 15 years ago made of hot melt glue.

Perhaps I will come clean on eggs-actly how I made my egg fly and provide a step by step...

What I will say is... based on observations and comments from folk who have tried the egg fly using alternative resins... its dead easy with BUG-BOND!

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.