Silverfish

Hello Bruce, The first time I saw the jointed hair frog done was several years ago by an extremely talented tyer named Fabrizio Gajardoni, who was also featured (along with his remarkable patterns) in Paul Shmookler's Art Of Angling Journal. His website, which features more of his excellent work is www.gajaflies.it, and it is certainly worth a look. Regards, Silverfish

Hello Harrisnmo, The Icelandic pony is indeed a miniature horse by NA standards. It has, through natural selection in a rather severe enviornment, arrived at it's dimutive size. The unique quality of the tail hairs is that they are thicker than standard horse tail, and so have the ability to work well with the reverse-tie technique, and can be used with bucktail very effectively to create a color-blended large bait. Currently, I am acquiring all the remainder that Phil Castleman has, however I have found several potential sources from the Holland tyers at the show. Glenn & Francine, at Down-n-Trout are very familiar with the material, and several years ago had purchased some. While the initial batch was good quality, they told me that the following shipment was poor, and so they discontinued ordering. I will certainly let you know if I am successful in finding a reliable source. I will also be tying at the Dutch Fly Fair in May 6-7 of 2006, and hope to meet several of the fellows who currently supply the European Pike tyers with some of their beautiful Nordic firs. Best Regards, Steve Silverio [email protected]