Tying in the Pines...the class is sneaking up on us!

It has been about three months since I put anything up on the 'Tying in the Pines' weekend tying workshop that I am co-hosting with Greg Senyo and, since it is only about a month from now, I figured it is about time to get the word back out there as there are a few open spots.

As taken from the original post: This is to be an all-inclusive workshop that gives the participants a broad knowledge base of streamer tying and rigging techniques. We will cover single hook flies and multiple articulated techniques as well as stinger flies...all you need to bring is your vise and tools!

If you have followed this blog then you have seen the sort of quality fish that I prefer to target. There are certainly many variables to my success in stalking, hooking up, and landing what I consider to be apex fish but none is more important than the fly design. I firmly believe that the realism and size afforded by articulated patterns has allowed me to be very successful where I otherwise may have been less so. It is these steamer techniques and patterns we will be tying over the weekend so the participants can take them back to their home waters and push that streamer envelope!

It does not hurt that the class will be held in beautiful northwest Pennsylvania; home to wild brookies; fantastic scenery, and Yueng. Here are a couple shots I took when I was at the cabin in April.



To see a few more shots of the area you can check out the blog posts from either the Steelhead Alley brookie retreat or the Schultz Outfitters brookie retreat.

It is an amazing area and we will have a great time pushing through a bunch of streamer patterns and techniques. If you are interested, or want more details, then drop me a line at 614.638.6727. We can discuss the weekend and hopefully get you signed up to join in on the fun!

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

'Tying in the Pines'...a new streamer class offering

Over the last few months there have been a few shows in Michigan that I tied at. For those shows I had the pleasure of hanging out and talking a little shop with Greg Senyo the evening before the shows as he graciously allowed me to crash at his place. One thing we were kicking around was the idea of an all inclusive streamer tying weekend. I am happy to announce that Greg and I are teaming up to offer 'Tying in the Pines'!

'Tying in the Pines' will be a streamer junkies dream for the six participants that sign up. We will have a bonfire going to welcome them as they show up, on that Friday evening, to the Senyo family cabin outside of Russell Pennsylvania. The tying instruction will start Saturday morning and extend through in to the evening with breaks every few hours so we can kick back and enjoy beautiful northwest Pennsylvania. Saturday will also include a session in which we demonstrate how these flies are to be rigged and correctly cast, then likely end up with another bonfire riverside. Finally we will have a final tying session on Sunday morning and wrap things up by noon.

This is to be an all-inclusive workshop that gives the participants a broad knowledge base of streamer tying and rigging techniques. We will cover single hook flies and multiple articulated techniques as well as stinger flies. Greg and I will be providing two nights lodging, food, beverage and materials...all you need to bring is your vise and tools. The cost for this weekend workshop has been set at $275 and is limited to six participants. If you are intersted in signing up for this event please give me a call at 614.638.6727 and reserve your spot.

-mike schmidt
www.anglerschoiceflies.com

Midwest Fly Fishing Show 2011

Made it back from the 2011 Midwest Fly Fishing Show in decent time yesterday. The show this year was excellent as usual and as busy as I have ever seen it. Saturday was a mad house...the gate was rumored to be over 2300! Patrick Kelly drove up with me this year and we split a booth. For those that don't know Pat he is a shop guy over at Mad River Outfitters and ties big predator flies for his company Apex Fly Co. He does not have a site up just yet but is a primary participant on the blog Fly Fishing for Muskie. If you have not seen his flies then do yourself a favor and check them out...they are the sickest of the sick when it comes to musky gear! Let's just say that the guy has the fish fever as bad as any I have ever seen; you can not help but get excited with him when talking fish and flies.

I personally had a great time at the show as I got to see the whole crew of Michigan guys throughout the weekend. It is always fun to catch up with shops and guides to see how the streamers I sent up have been doing for them over the last year and get things lined up for this year. For this show I borrowed a swim tank, created by Tony DiBenedetto Jr of Tube Fly Tech, to be able to give people a fish eye view of what the articulated streamers do under the water. It was a fantastic tool to show people how the hydrodynamics surrounding a meaty head really make the fly dance. It was also really entertaining to watch people walking down the aisle looking around and just stop dead in their tracks when they saw a pair of five inch articulated flies 'swimming' in the tank; it made starting conversation around the flies very easy.

Production tying at a show is always a challenging proposition as you should be spending most of your time as a tier talking to show attendees and demonstrating techniques that you are working on. I was though able to work in the finishing touches on the Voodoo Squatches that I posted a few days ago as well as tying more for people at the show. Once they saw these in the tank it was hard to keep them on the table. This particular batch will be terrorizing fish out in Connecticut at some point in the near future.

The one thing I was looking for at the show was a good tube fly box...and I found two. I had seen the fantastic boxes from Bob at Great Lakes Spey Shop and was determined to pick them up. They use a super easy pin and magnet system, and there are no weak spots or pieces to break! While over at his table I found two absolutely grade A+ patches of Temple Dog that needed to be bought, so they were and will be gracing flies for me this tying season. I did manage to take some time at the very end of the show yesterday to use that Temple Dog to tie a smelt pattern on a Pro FlyTyer tube.

Now that show season is over for me I can finally get all my gear back in the correct bins and really buckle down to hammer on some flies, and open up some time on the water. Things around the Midwest are starting to really heat up so there are fish that need caught.

Now...time to fill out some brackets!

-mike schmidt
http://www.anglerschoiceflies.com/