Danish Fly Festival in Kolding, Danmark

by

Being in Danmark lately, i used the opportunity to visit the Danish Fly Festival in Kolding.
A really familiar gathering with an exhibition hall, a casting hall and an outdoor casting area.

Inside the building there were also several rooms for flytiers and instruction  courses.

I took a few photos to give you an impression. Click on the images to resize.
Typical Fly Festival Booth
Fly festival booth with fly rods and fly fishing reels.
Traditional Salmon and Sea Trout flies
Traditional tied salmon flies from Tommy Kjærgaard – great -.
Traditional Salmon and Sea Trout flies
Traditional flies closeup – look at the colors –
fishes, squids and crab flies
Saltwater flies – Fishes, squids and crab flies tied by Peter Joest

Just like nature
Realistic, nature identical nymphs. I didn’t get the name of the tier, maybe someone can help out here?
But i bet they are tied with the help of the HJP Nymph Tool ;-).

Finding the right amount of backing for your fly reel

by

Determinig the amount of backing for an unfamiliar reel is always a problem.
You must have enough reserve when you catch a big one, but must not overfill the spool to avoid balling you line.

The best way for finding out how much backing fits to your reel i know of is the following:

  • stick your fly-line to the spool of the fly reel with tape.
    when it is a WF (weight forward) line, make sure you tape the shooting head (the end with the larger diameter).
  • wind it on the reel.
  • when finished tie your backing to the fly line and reel as much backing to your spool till you think the capacity is ok.
  • cut the backing with a scissor or knive
  • after that strip the whole off the reel.
  • tie the cut end of the backing to the reel with an appropriate knot.
  • reel the line back in and you will have the proper amount of fly line and backing on your fly reel.

How much must one spend to get a quality saltwater fly fishing reel?

by

If you need a resonably priced fly fishing reel for chasing Tarpon, Snook, and Bonefish, you should concentrate on a few manufacturers and brands.

Have a look at our saltwater fly fishing reels auctions page for a first overview.

Always remember that you get what you pay for, just don`t go wild untill you know it`s the reel that you want to buy.
You also can go and visit a couple of fishing shops and see which reel feels good in your hands because not all of them will feel the same.
Okuma makes some decent reels for saltwater fishing as well.
I would get an 9wt or a 10wt for the beginning.
I would not try to target tarpon with anything less than a 10wt rod and reel with a good line and lots of backing.
Based on your budget you can get a decent reel for 9 wt or 10wt from 100.00$ upwards.