Fly tying Video: Beetle Bob

Dark clouds and rain make us dream of dry-fly-fishing.  Even though traditional fly-patterns don't work when it's raining, foam-beetles sometime have more success.  Let me explain: When raining, sometimes beetles get flushed from the leafs into the water.  This pattern is one that works for me, but check your local insects for adapted colors and sizes.  The tying usually stays the same.

Enjoy Tying!


Some Fisherman

Times have changed

First I would like to address me to all our readers: from now on we will be publishing in English, since we have several, non-Dutch followers.  Something we can be cheerful about: Our fly-fishing family is expanding across the borders of language.

We also have a new logo:  From now on this is what to look for in our communication:
Never the less it means that some foreign principals are coming our way too.  Sometimes for worse, but also for better.

It is known that Eastern European fisherman have other ideas about Catch an Release.  Sometimes they are seen with barbecues near the water, frying every fish they catch, carp, bream, roach, perch, and so on, although it is forbidden by law in Flanders to consume your fish near the water.

Honestly: I wouldn't even dare to think about consuming.  Since they only came here about 10 to 15 years ago, they are not aware about what kind of pollution hit our waters in the 70's and the 80's.  If you are looking for some lead, cadmium, DDT, PCB and some other very lethal Mendeleev-chart elements,  I would suggest to eat every fish you catch.  Even though the quality of the water is rising (hooray!) it doesn't mean that the soil still isn't infested with this historical pollution.  And knowing that predators are on top of the food-chain, with on the bottom of the pyramid all invertebrates, feeding off the soil... It wouldn't make sense to eat your fish.

But let's not be too negative about these foreign fisherman!

It was an enchanting Monday, sun was shining, water was clear.  While fishing my usual places, another fisherman crossed my path.  Silently he watched me while my line was tangled in some bushes (again!) caused by a much too enthusiastic pull after something hit my nymph.  I asked the man if he came here a lot.  In English he replied he found this piece of water after googling for fly fishing spots in Flanders.   I asked him where he was from.  Romania he replied.  A little scared, because of the rumors I heard about Russian and Polish fisherman, I tried to keep quiet about what and how there was to catch here.  I fished on, and the fisherman moved on.

2 Hours later, I was rigging up my rod after we moved for some K's upstream.  It seemed we had the same idea.  We met again!  Like I wasn't fishing at the moment, and this was already our second encounter, it was appropriate to have a longer chat about fishing.  And as it went on, C&R and the reputation of Eastern Europeans came along the subjects.  But my Romanian friend told me he already was a C&R-believer in Romania.  Not because of polluted fish, but by philosophy.  A deep sigh followed: they are not all the same!  What followed next?  The usual stuff fly-fisherman do: Showing off with pictures on our smartphones of what we captured and exchanging flies and knowledge about fishing-spots and techniques.

So next time you see another fisherman: don't put him in the box you think he should be.  There is a real chance he might learn you some stuff.

By the way: Viorel, many thanks for the foam-beetle-patterns.  They worked perfectly!

Times have thus changed!

Some fisherman!