ron P.

. Hi, Philly -- I bet if you wrapped some lead on those hooks first you would have yourself a killer shad fly, too. -- ron P. .

A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by ron P.: Green Guarantee

. Hi. I use wool for nymph and wet fly bodies; the material looks buggy as heck and sinks like a charm, which is what you want a fly to look like and do most of the time! .

. Nice and diverse; the Fish-Catcher assortment (if you were to market in one of the catalogs) . . . .

. Hi, fly folks. I just updated my website and one of the new bits is a little rumination on the fly-tying greats of yore. Take a coffee break from the vise and visit: http://www.ronpswegman.com/ebisu.html Yeah, it's a bit arty, but that's the nature of the sport (and ART) of fly-fishing! .

. Sylvester Nemes The Soft-Hackled Fly compelled me to finish my own little fishing book, Philadelphia on the Fly, and his story and direction reintroduced me to the art of fly tying that I had not dabbled with since my high school years; I would say that today most if not all of my fly tying falls under the soft-hackled and classic wet fly category. Thank you, Mr. Nemes! p.s. I must also give public praise to the late, great Al Campbell; his columns at FlyAnglers OnLine have continued to be a great help to me . . . Fly pattern illustrations for your viewing pleasure at: http://www.ronpswegman.com/sketches.html

. The Adams, Deer Hair Caddis, and soft-hackled flies are sure bets for the little stream bugs. Muddler Minnows fished with a bit of floatant can imitate late season hoppers. Smaller Woolly Buggers worked against the current will approximate hapless small fry. Give these a try. fly pattern sketches for your viewing pleasure at: http://www.ronpswegman.com/sketches.html .

Hi there. Here's the link to a recent piece of mine that describes patterns and strategies for a great Western PA stream: http://www.paoutdoornews.com/articles/2007...es/hunting1.txt Feel free to PM me for more! fly pattern artwork for your viewing pleasure at: http://www.ronpswegman.com/sketches.html

The Adams, Partridge & Orange, Muddler Minnow, and American Pheasant Tail were my go-to dry, wet, streamer, and nymph patterns before I began to tie. Now I use only my own variations on these classic dries, wets, streamers, and nymphs.

I know I could dive in very, very deeply (and into debt!) if I just let my passion go. Since I write and illustrate, too, I have been able to keep my interest at the vice in balance, from becoming obsession. I tie only a half dozen patterns or so -- a few nypmhs, a few wets, one or two of the simplest dries, and that's it, so far. The best way to keep solvent and yet still tie is to limit the range of materials with which you work. I use only pheasant tail, Hungarian partridge, deer hair, wool yarn, floss, and thread, so far. fine art fly pattern illustrations for your viewing pleasure at: http://www.ronpswegman.com

The original Adams is listed as a wet fly in several volumes also. I tie a variation I call the Wet Wool Adams, and this pattern in size 12 lured a brown trout to my net just this past Sunday!

Nice to see another fly fishing artist at work . . . and getting commissions! The row of patterns at the base of the print is nicely done; there is a timeless, antique quality to the colors and composition that looks quite nice.

The body and tail of this pattern look excellent; my only suggestion would be to tie up a few with a thicker, yet finer, wing, one that will work within the microcurrents of the river or stream. Test both, and whichever one works best will be the one to add to your permanent collection of core patterns. htpp://www.ronpswegman.com

I always have a little dispenser of floatant in my vest for those wall of rain days in early spring and late autumn; I rarely use it even then, though, mainly because I am a soft-hackled WET fly guy for the most part! http://www.ronpswegman.com

Thanks for this post. The Delaware River is the gem of the mid-Atlantic states, yet the corporate puppet windbags holding elected office along its banks do all they can to exploit and sour this waterway with their feel-good "lotsa jobs" rhetoric and schemes, despite the river's critically important role both in American history and as a fishery.

Dave -- Thank you for the full tour; I appreciate the generosity inherent in a close look around an artist's studio. Your organization of tools, materials, and especially the rod collection has inspired me. Rod & Reeling Regards . . . -- ron P.

Hi. Try these: Simple Sedge -- a half dozen pheasant tail fibers wrapped forward and around a wet fly hook, sizes 10 through 14, folded back at the eye, and tied off. Wet Wool -- two stubby pheasant tail fibers tied in for a standard nymph tail, followed by two ply gray yarn wrapped forward and around a wet fly hook, sizes 10 through 14, folded back at the eye and tied off, leaving a bit of wispy wool hackle. Fish weighted or unweighted given the stream conditions. Both patterns work well when trying to lure shiners, chubs, and fallfish (as well as smallmouth bass, sunfish, and trout!). -- ron P. http://www.ronpswegman.com

I tie my own leaders simply because it takes me less time to nail knot up three descending 6X , 4X , 2X sections than it is to contrive a loop to loop connection to my flyline!

COOL name . . . and since the cormorant is so adept at outfishing the nearby human thrashing the water with a stick, I'd say that one will be a fish catcher of a bass master!

Redbreast Sunfish #1 Rock Bass #1.01 Smallmouth Bass #2 "Heaven" -- at least on Earth -- is for me a shady, freestone, coolwater creek swimming with the three fishes listed above . . . A Wet Wading & Wet Fly Nirvana!

I tie on the fly . . . literally! . . . and I find yarn to be a perfect tying material; so much easier to use and control than traditional dubbing (especially along a windy stream!). I use it for wet versions of the Adams, as well as nymph patterns, soft-hackled varients, and a deer hair caddis that really floats!

Hi. Here's my own approach to this important ?: I think over the fly pattern or patterns that work for me and the streams I fish. I then compare the recipes of these patterns and choose those that share two or more materials. At this writing I tie using only thread, floss, deer hair, wool yarn, and pheasant tail feathers. I have developed a half dozen basic nymph, wet, soft-hackled, and streamer patterns that so far fish so good I'm not itching to expand my pattern range. Hope this helps!

Hi. Here's a newspaper article and interview with David Klausmeyer, editor of Fly Tyer: http://bangordailynews.com/news/t/sports.a...3&zoneid=23 Enjoy . . .

Mokai -- Kiree desu ne! The contrast between the almost rust-colored hackle and the speckled partridge feather is very nice. This one could imitate a flying ant (many which have rusty or ruddy bodies) as well as standard stream insects. Five *****

. Great choice, Mark! The late, great Al Campbell was my "virtual" mentor as well . . . .