Comments on: Days Before Monofilament

By: dick wildblood

dick wildblood — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 01:24:40 +0000

Hi Dave
I am currently finishing off an e-book on fly fishing, which so far is over 300 pages. I have just come across your website and videos which would really compliment the chapters I have written so far. Would you have any objection if I referenced your site and videos, giving you full credit for the production? I already have a number of sites who have allowed me to reference them in a similar way. Many thanks for your efforts.
Dick Wildblood

By: hertz

hertz — Sun, 04 Sep 2011 20:16:30 +0000

I SAW IN YOU EYES THAT BOY WHO STARTED FISH WITH CAT GUT IN THIS SERIES OF VIDEOS.
CONGRATS YOU INSPIRE ME LIKE I WAS WITH 12 YEARS WHEN I LEARNED TELEGRAPHY.
THANKS VERY MUCH MR DAVIS TO INTRODUCE ME IN THE FLY TYING
I APRECIATE YOUR SIMPATY AND PATIENTE.

By: DaveC

DaveC — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 19:56:17 +0000

Hi Paul
thanks for your comments on my comments about fishing before mono.
These days i have to satisfy myself on reminiscing rather than getting out with the rod…..the wear and tear of time has taken its toll on the joints. I still have regular little smiles at my own expense of when I was about 10 yrs old and putting my catgut cast complete with droppers in the pebbles in the margins of the river Tees to soak and not being able to find it. In the summer holidays I used to get up really early to dash across the fells to the local beck to get a couple of trout and run back in time for my fathers breakfast. These days it is an effort to get out of bed for my own breakfast.
Then there was very little choice of types of ‘ nylon’ available and it took several weeks of pocket money and odd jobs to buy a spool….it was always thick and springy and not easy to knot. It was however a vast improvement on the old catgut. I was lucky in so much that the old guys in the village would take me off occasionally and pass on tips and any reject tackle, sometimes on the bus, sometimes on pushbikes or on a good day by car. There was not the stigma of bait fishing for trout in those days and one quickly learnt how to dig for worms, forage for docken grubs and caddis grubs. If a dead sheep was found on the fells it was a valuable source of maggots for weeks.
Hope my ramblings of an old man have not bored you. Thank you for taking an interest in my site. I hope it has been a help to you. There is not much point in taking a lifetimes experience to the grave when it can be shared.
Happy fishing and flytying.
Dave C.

By: Paul Price

Paul Price — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 20:30:07 +0000

Great write up. Like many others I love the fly fishing scenes in the movie “a river runs through it”. I always wondered how fly fishing “worked” prior to modern lines. I now have a much better understanding. Thanks

Sincerely,
Paul

By: Martin Gallagher

Martin Gallagher — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:39:16 +0000

Greetings from the Ozarks of North, Central, Arkansas USA: I have been following you for many years, and I thank you for your guidance, notably the way you finish your heads with multiple, double, half-hitches, as a half-hitch is a half-hitch is a half-hitch and the old way is faster, and simpler than using the whip-finishing gadgets.

Do you have any advanced lessons, as I have plenty of time as I am over 60, and my feet are giving out from the many years of stomping the floors, as a RN.

You and Davie McPhaill are my favorites.

Best Regards,

The Irish-Cherokee from Arkansas

By: Chris clark

Chris clark — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:44:48 +0000

Hi again dave I’m a new apprentice of yours and I’m in a bit of a ponder could you answer this question , is your double half hitch as strong and reliable as I whip finish as I have got away with your double half hitch but wondering is their any benefits of learning the whip finish thxs chris clark

By: DaveC

DaveC — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 19:15:56 +0000

hi bob
thanks for your e-mail. only got one hand to work with at present. will contact you again when i have got out of this sling.
regards
davec.and team

By: Bob Graham

Bob Graham — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 19:47:47 +0000

I started fishing when I was five years old in 1945 fishing mainly on the Clyde at that time with my father and grandfather. Nylon had just been introduced and I still have a wooden spool of Pearsalls nylon that was made in Germany.

At that time most of the old Clyde style fishers walked around with gut cast in their mouths to keep the gut supple. The casts (leaders) carried from four to six flies tied directly to the gut dropper which they tried to hold outside their mouth.

Quite a few of them could smoke a pipe or cigarette although their mouth was full of gut. The one thing they couldn’t do was to carry on a conversation.

By: Christopher C.

Christopher C. — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 01:44:53 +0000

Dear Mr. Cammiss.
My name is Christopher and I am from the U.S. I would have to say that it was my cousin that actually got me started with flytying and fly fishing. Which, in a strange twist of events, finally led me to your videos and then here to your site.
I am a budding flytyer myself, as are many of the others who have left their comments here. As I have watched most of your videos and found them quite interesting. I have learned many differant ways to apply my materials that never would have crossed my mind. And I just wanted to say thanks. I have learned more from you instructions than I have from anyone elses.
But, Sir, I do have a question. Is there anyway that you could show us some of the patterns that you learned from Mr. Proud, or others from your youth? And maybe show us some of your origional tying tools and materials. I would be ever so thankful, as I am sure most of your other students would be as well.
Thank you for you time and I apologize for babbling for so long..
From the States, Yours Truly:
Christopher.

By: DaveC

DaveC — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 08:51:44 +0000

Hi Mika
Thanks for your comments, much appreciated. Your English is excellent.
It is true what you say about too much of our angling heritage being lost. The modern angling press is full of ‘must haves’ most of which are here today and unobtainable tomorrow. I have not met anyone in ages who even knows what I am talking about when I mention cat gut.The secret is to select what you feel is right for you and persevere with it until you have mastered it. Somewhere in the loft is a split cane rod I used when I was a teenager…..wish I could find it. I am still using some of the tools for flytying that I learnt to tie with over 60 years ago.
Happy Fishing
DaveC. and the Team