We are offering a special Beginner Bar Flies Class on October 27, 2024 at North Country Hard Cider in Dover, NH from 12:30-3PM.  This is designed to be a way to kick off the fly tying season for new and or beginner tyers.  These are very popular because it's designed for new tyers so you register and just show up.  All the equipment and materials are provided by HMH Vises.  We teach all new flies in these classes so you can build on your techniques.  Use this link to register tyingvise.com/product/north-country-hard-cider-dover-nh-sunday-october-27-1230-pm-300pm/

The Marlborough Fly Fishing Show is right around the corner.  It's a bit earlier this year than in the past.  I've heard a few folks grumbling but honestly it's a great opportunity to see some of the new equipment out this year.  Watch some casting demos or take a class.  
I will be leading off the weekend with a Featured Fly Tyer Presentation on Friday 11:30 am. Top Trolling Patterns for Spring.  I will offer up a few great patterns.  These sessions are really great because you can see everything very well and ask questions.  
The rest of the weekend I'll be on Tyers Row with Bob Meade, we have a lot of fun at our table.  Bob is a unique fly tyer come by and see some of his realistic flies.  All the tyers have great things to share and just watching them tie will up your skill level.
Clear your schedule for January 5-7, 2024 and come by its really worth the trip.
Don't forget to ask me about the fly I tied for the King of England.
​flyfishingshow.com/marlborough-ma/ 

We had a great time at the American Museum of Fly Fishing talking about fly tying vises. Curator Jim Schottenham, HMH Vise owner Jon Larrabee and myself.  Lots of history and we barely scratched the surface.  I got to tie on one of the oldest vises around. 

Two of the many events I have on my spring 23 schedule.  Sip it and Tippet at the Ledge Brewing Company on May 13th and White Nose Pete Fly Fishing Festival on June 12th.  Both events are well worth attending there will be numerous tyers, vendors along with people interested in fly tying and fishing.  More information on the LB event www.ledgebrewing.com
More information on WNP www.rangeleymaine.com/calendar/event/11514
I will have the full line of HMH Vises on display and will be tying on Partridge and Sprite Hooks.  There will be fly shops at these events that carry those vises and hooks as well as the Scott Biron Signature Series Ewing Saddles so swing by and visit these great events.

HMH Vise www.tyingvise.com 
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My vise is an HMH TRV its an excellent all round precision tying vise.  I often get asked about this vise and why I use it.  My answer is simple "Performance is Reality"  To be more detailed I tie a lot of long hook and tandem streamer flies.  Having the hooks secure in the vise is of upmost importance to me.  The TRV has several grooves in their jaws that aid in stabilizing these longer hooks.  If I have a 10x long hook in my vise it gets held securely so I can tie with no sliping of the hook in the jaws.  As strong as these jaws are with larger hooks they perform equally as well with smaller hooks where you do not need to use the grooves to hold the hook.  When I'm tying nymph or caddis dry flies the hooks are held with no issue.  Recently I tied some Wulff patterns on historic Partridge Salmon hooks and scratching the hook finish is always a worry.  That was not the issue with the TRV the hooks looked new after the flies were tied.  

The TRV stands for true rotary vise.  The TRV is the first vise HMH has made with a True inline Rotary action.  This means the hook shank can be aligned with the axis of rotation of the vise, allowing materials to be held while the hook is rotated.  I'm guilty of not using the rotary function on my TRV to its full capability.  Mostly because I'm old fashion and feel I can wrap materials by hand faster.  Everyone developes a comfort zone and there are no right or wrong ways to do most things in fly tying.

I have two TRV's one is a C-Clamp the other is the pedestal and I tie on the C-Clamp the most but need the pedestal to use at show where the table does not work with th C-clamp.  Again it's just being old fashion and starting off with a C-Clamp then not moving away from one.  If you look at the photo with this blog the hook used on the fly is a Partridge CS-9x and it's mounted in the second groove of the vise jaws.  If I tie on a 7x hook I use the first groove. 

On a personal note I'm willing to bet I've heard from dozens of people who asked me about TRVs they were considering purchasing.  Every one has taken the time to reach out after they purchased one to thank me and to say it was the best purchase they have made for fly tying.  Some of my friends who like me tied for over 50 years on other vises have tried my HMH and switched.  ​There's a vise for every tyer out there and the HMH TRV works to fit 100% of my tying needs.  It is not a beginner vise, it is a vise that will last you a lifetime.  HMH has a vise for every level tyer.  I teach all of my beginner fly tying classes on the HMH Spartan which is equally a great vise and often is the vise I find students enjoying as their first vise.  Reach out to me if you have questions on any of the HMH line as I'm more than happy to answer them.

Today was my second double check of the Colby Sawyer College classroom where I will be offering the class.  I use Apple Keynote and making sure the cables all work to project the presentation on the 3 screens got its test.  Everything checked out perfectly.  Part of each class is a live streamer tying demonstration so ensuring everyone can see the fly from their seats is important.  The room set up is incredible and all of the equipment is new and state of the art.  I can stream the fly tying from my iPhone to my MacBook Pro and then to the screens in the room with great clarity.  The video gives a good look at the room and what the fly looks like on the screen.  Registration is open for the class ​www.ailcsc.com/register 

We had a great class yesterday at Eldredge Brothers Fly Shop in Maine.  Tied up some great streamers and shared a lot of tips on how to tie these flies.  Just in time for the season to open in a few weeks.  The class jumped on most of the Ewing Scott Biron Signature Streamer capes........good news more are do into the shop this week!  

Number 2 question is on hooks and the long shank Partridge Heritage Streamer models.  Partridge has a new distributor here on the East Coast and the hooks are due to them very soon.  Expect to see them in shops soon.  I'll update you with more information as these become available.

On July 8th I will be at the Sunapee Historical Society's Flanders-Osborne Museum on 74 Main Street in Sunapee Harbor.  Throughout the morning I will be tying some Lake Sunapee streamer fly patterns and duscussing about they fly tyers that developed these patterns.  I'm scheduled to be at the museum from 9:30-noon.  The event is sponsored by the Sunapee Historical Society.