BUG-BOND & Chalkstream Flies

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

As a follow up to the last blog post... Chris Sandford very kindly put together this short film about the flies he constructs with Bug-Bond... I am eternally grateful to Chris for his continued support... and also to Fabrizio Gajardoni and Theo Bakelaar whose flies sit alongside mine in the saltwater fly shot...

This is what Medlar Press say about Chris... (Go and buy his book Mayflies and More!)

An actor by profession, Chris is best remembered for his numerous TV and film roles in the Sixties and Seventies, especially Coronation Street’s singing window cleaner Walter Potts, and Sid, one of Tommy Steele’s mates in Half a Sixpence. His international angling TV series, Just Fishin’ . . . with Chris Sandford can be seen on the Discovery Channel. Chris also ran a commercial radio production company and is one of Britain’s best known voiceover artists, selling us everything from bathroom cleaners to chewing gum!

Chris Sandford’s name has also become synonymous with the world of fishing and his collection of vintage tackle ranks amongst the finest in the UK. His ‘Vintage Fishing Tackle Roadshow’ is seen regularly at angling shows across the country, raising money for SPARKS (Sport Aiding Medical Research for Kids). His knowledge of the subject is reflected in his regular articles in The Angling Times and Fly Fishing & Fly Tying.

His first book, The Best of British Baits, traced the history of artificial lures from Izaac Walton’s silk minnow through to the 1930s. Medlar has since published a light collection of biographical stories, A Wellie Full of Water, a fly tying book, Flytyers' Flies - The Flies that Catch Fish and a DVD and booklet - Mayflies and More - that explain and demonstrate the tying of his ten favourite flies.

Mayflies & More... with a dash of Bug-Bond!

Chris Sandford has a new book with DVD coming out in May and it is published by Medlar Press. "Mayflies & More" is a collection of 10 flies tied by Chris in a delightfully easy manner with a good helping of humour...  I have had the privilege of seeing 2 of the fly tying sequences and oh boy are you in for a treat! Bug-Bond does feature and I'm chuffed to bits that someone of Chris's standing in the angling community is happy to recommend my product to his readers. 


I wish Chris well with the book, I'm sure it will be a great success! If you do click the photo you'll be taken to the Medlar Press page which has a lovely teaser video... oh and there is a link on that page so that you can make the purchase and get it as soon as it is published.


Enjoy! 


(You'll be disappointed if you don't buy it)

Letter from America - the proof of the pudding etc...

Prior to going to Somerset NJ in January for the Fly Fishing Show I had an email from Captain Mark Dysinger who runs a blog called www.flyosophy.com with his good friend Sean Murphy.

So who are these guys?

“Captain Mark Dysinger specializes in flyfishing for northern pike and smallmouth bass in freshwater, and the northeast slam of striped bass, bluefish, and false albacore in salt water. His enthusiasm and attention to detail make him a popular instructor, and his topical presentations are both informative and entertaining.

Captain Mark has fished extensively across North America, and his works have appeared in numerous print and online publications. He resides on the Connecticut coast with his wife Anne and daughter Lucy.”

“Sean Murphy is a resident of Cape Cod and fishes its coastal waters frequently. He has fished from a very young age and has extensive experience in many New England waters. A contributor to several online flyfishing forums, Sean is also the former editor of Hatches magazine.”

Mark wrote to me about BUG-BOND and wanted to share his experiences both at the vise and on the water… I am grateful to him for allowing me to share his comments and photographs with you…

Captain Mark Dysinger says:

“I must say that your product is by far the best fly tying resin available. I sing its praises to students of my many fly tying classes (I do many classes, both through North Cove Outfitters here in Connecticut and a few clubs) and while tying at fly shows. I stress how it lessens the learning curve in using resins compared to epoxies and even a couple of other light cured resins, which both leave a tacky finish. I also provide the details of my guide flies to clients on the water who would like to replicate them with their own tying....they are quite impressed with the clean finish, and also the translucence which can be so important in imitating marine baitfish. Some anglers can be pretty set in their ways in terms of tying materials, but results seem to get their attention.”

Here are Captain Mark’s comments that go with the photos:

“False Albacore:

False albacore can become extremely selective, particularly when the bait clouds that they feed upon are not very thick. They typically attack from below, and fly sihouette is very important. Another important factor is translucency in a baitfish pattern so that ambient light can pass through, just as it does with real baitfish. Bug Bond cures clear at the head of a fly and enables the tyer to make nearly perfect bay anchovy imitations.

Striped Bass:
                         


When striped bass feed on flats, they provide opportunities for sight fishing. Patterns typically imitate sand eels, shrimp, or crabs, and natural colors without much flash usually perform best. Because Bug-Bond can be applied as thinly or thickly as the tyer desires, it lets one create a durable finish that can be subtle or very glossy.

Pike:

My biggest concern with pike flies is durability. I want patterns that not only catch fish, but will catch many fish before potentially being torn to shreds. Bug-Bond offers this durability in one quick and easy step, without the need to treat any tacky finish after application and drying.”


Captain Mark runs a guide service in north east USA in Long Island Sound his information can accessed from his blog... I am grateful for his feedback and generously allowing me to put his email into print... thanks Mark.

Jono Shales joins BUG-BOND™ Pro-Tying team

Jono Shales and a Bug-Bond Surf Candy

There has been a lot going on in the BUG-BOND™ camp and it continues to do so as well... However, I've been itching to write this piece for almost two months now and photos that appeared in my Inbox from Western Australia this week have me positively salivating! So here it is...

I was introduced to Jono Shales by my good friend Pete Gray in the US… both Pete and Jono have shared conversations across the ether and both share a common theme in being on the Mako Reels Pro-Team.

Pete said that I should hook up with Jono, as in his opinion Jono is one of THE guys in saltwater fly fishing.

I corresponded with Jono prior to his journey across Australia when he brought his new boat home to start his new guiding venture Exmouth Fly Fishing… at 40°C most of the time and with unforgiving fish – this is the place to test BUG-BOND™ to destruction!

Following his return to Exmouth with the boat Jono started to play with Bug-Bond and immediately saw the benefits… the flies were the same patterns but they weren’t yellowing in the hot bright sun of Western Australia as epoxy would have done and more importantly the flies were lasting more than one or two fish… he recently described Bug-Bond in conversation as “bullet proof sh*t” and that roughly translates as “a good product”. We aren’t talking small fry either… these are trophy fish!

I’m really pleased that Jono has become a member of the Bug-Bond Pro-Tying Team… and he’s not only tying great flies BUT testing them to their limits. Amongst Jono’s most memorable captures to date were two juvenile black marlins caught “back to back”; free swimming on the flats of Fraser Island in Queensland back in 2006. Since then Jono has ticked many species off the piscatorial bucket list, recently cracking parts of the code for targeting milkfish in Exmouth. This has opened up an entirely new fishery and target species that was thought to be impossible to catch. Until now!

From our internet chats we both seem to share the same values and work ethics and Jono is reaping the rewards of his hard work and the results for clients are there for all to see.

Click the link for Jono’s guiding service in Exmouth WA… I’m working on how I get there for the end of the year… got to test the gear in person!

Top photo is a screenshot of Jono from his promo video and the four remaining photos are of Jono’s client Don… four fish and one fly, congratulations Don… some going and welcome to the team Jono!

All images courtesy and copyright Jono Shales 2012

VENIARD TIES IN BUG-BOND™

VENIARD TIES IN BUG BOND

Veniard Limited, one of the oldest fly tying materials firms around has tied up a deal with BUG-BOND™, the award winning, innovative and cutting edge resin finish for fly tyers. In January 2010, after extensive field-testing, the first Tack-Free light cured resin for fly tying was launched.  These resins offer significant advantages over other adhesives and varnishes, and these advantages have placed BUG-BOND™ ahead of the competition. Since then, the two differing formulae, ‘Original’ and ‘Lite’  have  enjoyed unprecedented success making it the most talked about new material in fly tying.

David Edwards, designer and owner of BUG-BOND™ comments:  “In September 2010 the BUG-BOND™ Pro-Tying Team was formed. We wanted to ensure that the team members covered the full spectrum of fly tying from small trout flies, realistic tying to large predator and saltwater flies. It is a truly global team who not only provide us with great feedback and product development ideas, they are also  keen to demonstrate BUG-BOND™ at events, shows and in the press. With TV performances, inclusion in DVDs and books during 2012, the amazing growth means it’s a necessity on the fly-tyer’s bench.”

With the continuing growth of sales, Bug Bond has announced that it is teaming up with one of the most established and well respected names in fly-tying: Veniard Ltd.

 Peter Veniard explains the tie up: “ Veniard Ltd will now act as the main distributor for the product range. This gives the Bug Bond team the opportunity to develop the product and its applications further, building on its current position in the market. Our expertise and experience in the distribution of fly tying materials, both traditional and cutting edge, will ensure that Bug Bond is more widely available to tyers world wide. Of course, we will continue to service the established accounts and obviously extend the number of outlets considerably. This is an exciting time for both of us and we see this as the start of a long and lasting distribution agreement.”

Ends

Contact:

Peter Veniard

Mavungana - South Africa stocks BUG-BOND

I'm pleased to announce that Mavungana owned by Jonathan Boulton and his wife Sarah now stock Bug-Bond at their two branches in Dullstroom and Johannesburg (South Africa). This will give Bug-Bond users in South Africa direct access to the award winning material.

But the benefits aren't just one way... Jonathan offers spectacular guiding for Tigerfish on the Zambezi River during June and July. As you can see from the photo of Jonathan & Sarah these are specimen fish!

Visit the Mavungana website for information relating to the services they offer... oh and do mention BUG-BOND when you speak to Jonathan!

That's another destination on my "Must fish before,,,"

Preparing for the USA

I guess my love affair with the USA started when I was 8 years old... Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon and he planted the Stars and Stripes... we were space age kids. Roll on a couple of years and my school friends all liked the new range of Japanese motorcycles coming into Britain... but I'd seen Evel Knievel on a V twin doing his daredevil riding... this was magic. I wrote to Harley Davidson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the hopes of touching something Harley... the dream was realised for the 11 year old David when a package came through the post one morning with stamps from a far away country I opened the A4 sized envelope and there was a softbound book... The History of Harley Davidson and I still have the book! BUT the icing on the cake was the wad of motorcycle sales brochures from the Sportster to the Electra-Glide, they were all there... and each year until I was 18 they kept sending the brochures... I never did buy a Harley but my heart races when I hear that evocative engine note. Maybe maybe there is time!

So what has this got to do with fly tying? Almost nothing BUT I'm reminded of past events of this land of opportunity as I prepare for my trip to The Fly Tying Show in Somerset, New Jersey next week.

I'll leave you with a clutch of flies tied by my pal Pete Gray who lives on the Pharside of the Canal... look forward to seeing you guys next week!