Irish saltwater fly solutions

All flies are hand tied and designed in Ireland – available on request.

Crossover bass – seatrout flies VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

A bendy summer ahead ?

Some reflections -

‘I really enjoyed that email on your presentation Jim, and I'm glad you gave "our" Jean a look in as well. I had a great chat also with Will and Brian, they are genuine guys and I'd say great company to be with when fishing. Your stall was by far the most enjoyable. Keep the flag flying Jimbo’

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‘Thanks Jim. I suspect I'm going to find that presentation very helpful this year - particularly for my confidence and the way I fish’

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Brian,

It was a real pleasure to meet you together with my old friend Jim Hendrick at Sunday’s exhibition.

I’m just touching base with you to confirm my orders (when you have chance) for the flies we discussed.

Included were:

· The ‘dead drift’ sea trout flies that I intend to use for shallow water bonefish

· The ‘eel flies that I intend to use for pike (and cuda!)

· The dead bait ‘flutter flies’ (I don’t know what to call them – for pike)

· The bonnet poppers for pike

It was great to meet you and it will be great (I know already) using your flies.

I look forward to hearing from you!

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‘I think you are too hard on yourself  Jim, the seminar was great. Fair play to kicking those lads out at the start, they were wrecking our heads. I took a lot out of what you said, I particularly like the “Fish like its your last time”. That’s really how we approach Kerry. We get there twice a year And we look forward to it so much we don’t waste any time.

Also the number of times I have said “Ok concentrate, there are fish out there and Expect to catch one” – I wont say I always do but it definitely works. I try to imagine that on every cast the lure could be smashed. Then there is that psych moment. You could be fishing for 30 mins, in a daze, not really concentrating, then for some reason you switch on like something is about to happen.

Coincidence or not I don’t know, probably more like what you say, you concentrate on the lure and your surroundings and usually things happen quickly after.

But tnks again Jim, always a pleasure’

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‘Jim I took six of those nine things home with me – I needed to know where I was going with my fishing thanks for helping on Saturday’

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‘I would never have thought of NOT fishing Jim – I like the Zen approach –  a bit like ‘The art of war’

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‘Still putting bass fishing to the front Jim, it was reflected by the numbers willing to listen to you speak - its great to see a saltwater species being promoted properly, by the way when is the book coming out and when are doing your sportfishing weekend?’

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Nine steps to better bass fishing from Hooked 2013

If you open the presentation above by pressing Open in a new window button (bottom right) and then start the slide show then more detail is available.

I know the full extent of what I had to say wont come across but basically we are going through a tough period of bass fishing here in the south east. When its tough like this and oftentimes when its ‘normal’ there are some things that will always come to the fore in relation to your success – these are some of those things that I’ve experienced. From the bullshit influence of bass tackle hype and portrayal of unrealistic expectations to being in tune with the weather - they all impact on us and ultimately on our fishing in some way.

In this time of uncertainty it is my belief we need to be conservationists rather than competitors.

Thanks for stopping by at the weekend - Jim

From Spring minnows to Autumn giants

To see some of the exciting range of bass flies that I have available, from early season mini flatwings to giant autumn/winter hollow fleyes then why not pay a visit to my stand at www.hooked.ie this weekend. All flies are hand tied in Ireland by Brian Healey.

Easy to cast, durable, and ‘fishy’, bass and seatrout like them too.

If your considering a venture into Saltwater fly then you’ll find a range of ECHO saltwater rods on the stand to suit all interested anglers. A small range of accessories for the Irish saltwater fisher, leaders, lines, line trays, reels, will also be on display.

A show special is available – When purchasing an outfit at the show (rod reel line) a complimentary five hour workshop Intro to Saltwater Fly Fishing is available for this weekend only!

Also on my stand will be a collection of Lucky Craft, SMITH, and Illex hard and soft lures suitable for both bass and seatrout fishing – tried and tested favourites of mine!

Of course workshops and guiding will also be available in both disciplines of Fly or Lure.

I’ll be at my stand on both days Saturday and Sunday and if you have any questions or want a quick chat regarding your bass fishing then I will be more than happy to try and help

Jim Hendrick

Collaboration

I don’t think I’ll ever be a successful fly tier, in fact I’ll probably never be a fly tier of any merit at all! I simply don’t have the skill to repeat the exactitude and visionary materials management required.

That doesn’t mean I cant dream of what a fly might or can do if it possessed certain qualities of shape and size and movement and colour and position…this is what I think about a lot of the time

A fly of a certain type in a certain place at the right time can surely help matters. Planning to be in the right place at the right is part of the essential skill of bass fishing.

But sometimes things just tend to graduate towards each other with no planning, no reason and sometimes the accidental, the mysterious reasons for that meeting are beyond explanation, the results however can be enormously positive. A mystery.

Brian Healey and I fenced around each other for a year or two, neither of us quite sure what the other had found. Circling and chatting and playing cards close to our chests! And then slowly and over time it has formed into an easy, strong and understanding collaboration.

Brian Healey builds me flies like no one else – the flies are simply what and how I would imagine and want them to be – they are locked onto my instinct for bass fishing, or then again maybe Brian Healey is, maybe its all just part of the mystery.

And the extension of that of course is the confidence I have when my customers or I are fishing them. Who cares where that confidence extends from, that debate rages all over the tackle industry, I know I’m happy and feel good. Its great to work together. To have the time and patience and rewards of working and doing and trying and failing and trying again.

If you are looking for something a little bit special, unique, of extraordinary quality, then why not pay us a visit at www.hooked.ie where we will present a range of quality Irish made saltwater flies for both bass and seatrout fishing in the sea.

Jim and Brian

Chasing silver returns ?

Nothing is any good unless you work for it, and if the work is hard enough, you don’t have to possess the trophy to own it.

Robert Ruark – big game hunter, writer

www.chasingsilver.org