Category Archives: Product Review

I figured it was time to write about the hooks I use in the bulk of my fly tying, Partridge of Redditch.

I get asked a lot about my hook choice, especially at fly fishing shows. Here is my usual answer. For streamers, I want a hook that is strong, has a wide hook gap, and is sharp. Guess what, Partridge of Redditch has hooks with all of those qualities.

The three primary styles I use for streamers are the Attitude Streamer, Universal Predator, and Universal Predator X.

ACS – Attitude Streamer

The Attitude Streamer is a strong hook that has a great hook gap, is sharp and comes in just the right sizes. I use this hook in various sizes for the majority of my smallmouth and largemouth flies. This is an awesome bass hook and I absolutely think this is the best hook out there for these two species.

Universal Predator – CS86

The Universal Predator is what I use on trout style streamers. It is a light wire hook that is very strong. I’ve heard some other tiers say they wouldn’t use the Universal Predator for bass because it is a lighter, thinner hook. I can see where they are coming from because you could easily just use a Universal Predator X instead. But what makes me disagree with that statement is that I have used Universal Predators while fishing for bass and they worked great! Just this spring I caught a largemouth that was easily over 6 pounds and the fly I was using was my Bearded Wonder which is tied with two 1/0 Universal Predators. I had no problem horsing that baby in. The hooks held strongly and I still have that same fly in my fly box to use for another day. So don’t knock it until you try it.

Besides the light strength of the Universal Predator, it also has a long shank with the best hook gap in the business in my opinion. It’s such a beautifully designed hook, if I was to marry a hook, this would be the one!

Not only do I use the Universal Predator on trout streamers, I also use it on all of my poppers. The light wire and the strength and length makes for a terrific popper hook. For example, the Zudbubblers I tie are tied on a 2/0 Universal Predator and have worked perfectly for both smallmouth and largemouth bass.

Universal Predator X – cs86x

Ok, so say you love the style of the Universal Predator but you don’t need it to have the thinner wire. Well, that’s where the Universal Predator X comes in! It has the exact same, beautiful design, but is made with heavier gage wire. It can be used on a multitude of species and would be an excellent hook for pike or muskie. Basically a strong hook that can be used for catching big bad fish.

Dry Fly Supreme – L5A

The other hooks in the Partridge family that I use frequently are their dry fly hooks. The standard dry fly hook from Partridge is the Dry Fly Supreme. It’s the right size and sharp. I haven’t had any problems with hook-ups using this hook. I use it on all of the dries I tie except when the pattern calls for a longer shank hook. Then I use the Nymph Long H1A. Even though this hook is named as a nymph hook, it uses the same wire as the Dry Fly Supreme, it’s just longer. So it works great as a long dry fly hook.

Nymph Long – H1A

I hope this gives you a little insight into Partridge of Redditch hooks. I can only report on what styles I have fished and tied with most often, so that’s what I’ve tried to summarize here. I would highly recommend hooks made by Partridge of Redditch. Now quit sitting there staring at the computer screen, go get some!

-Paul J. Beel

In this video, Kelly explains the various types of glue he uses when tying and the differences between them.

Enlightenment for the Travelling Tier.

Good lighting is vital for fly tying. Lamps balanced to daylight colour temperatures have been around for some years, They make the best, most comfortable, lights to tie under, reduced eye strain and true colour perception (if that is possible) are the main advantages. For about the last 8 years I have been using an Daylight as my light source for tying. I can say that it has been the best light I have used, and I had many different ones over the years.

As a bench light it has been perfect, lots of light and not in my way, what more can you ask? Well there is more, I don’t only tie at home. The light does fold up quite neatly, which is good if space and weight are not an issue. Also the lamp is mains power only, again no problem at home, a different story on the road.

Last month the bulb in my lamp gave up the ghost. This is only to be expected, and as this is the second new bulb in 8 years I’ve no complaints about the longevity of them. Replacements, though, are a little difficult to track down, and at 1/3rd the cost of the original lamp, quite expensive. I am also concerned that in the future these older bulbs may become unavailable.

With all this in mind I thought it a good idea to find a lamp I can use as a back up at home and for tying when away from home. What I wanted was something easy to carry, with a choice of power sources. Today my new Daylight Foldi LED Lamp arrived. Excellent service as I only ordered it the previous morning.

Being an LED lamp it gets around the blown bulb problem. It is also much more compact than my other light. Surprisingly it is also brighter than my desk light. For power it uses 3 AA size batteries, which, they claim, last 8 hours; a good tying session by anyone’s measure. I’m sure there will be some fade off towards the end of this period. In addition to the batteries it comes with a USB power cord. There is also a mains adapter available as an optional extra. Those three options give me the ability to use it just about anywhere. With a folded size of 23.3cm X 7.5cm X 3.3cm and weighing in at just 1 lb it will travel very easily. The light comes with a draw chord sock to store and transport it in.

The light operates with a courtesy light switch, a bit like your refrigerator door. When the light is opened it comes on, to turn it off just push the head down. The folding foot can be left down when the head is pushed down so you can turn the light off when taking a break during your tying session.

A friend pointed out that the light is not very high, However as the adjustable head will go above the horizontal almost to the vertical it is possible to raise the head without the LEDs being in your eye line, meaning you can move the light well away from your vice.

One great use I put both my lights to is the simplest form of light box I have ever seen. Simply tape the ends of a piece of paper or card together into a large tube, and slide it over the head of the light. Pop your flies inside the tube for photographing. I’ve been using this method for a couple of years with my bench light. However you must, for safety’s sake, remember to turn it off, as the lamp gets hot. My new LED lamp doesn’t get hot. It may get more use as a light box next to my bench than anything else.

My new light came from craftlamps.co.uk Cost £39.99 post free and was delivered within 24 hours of ordering it. Exceptional service as, living in the Highlands of Scotland, delivery can take a day or three longer than usual. Craft Lamps also have the optional mains adapter, £19:99. If you are looking for a new tying lamp, especially one you can use when travelling, I can not recommend this one highly enough.

The lamp in its carrying case.

Folded up, compact enough to take anywhere.

Simply unfold for lots of light.

Daylight balanced to reduce eye strain.

30 LEDs for plenty of light.

3 batteries for 8 hours of light.

The USB cable. Power it from your laptop.

Using a paper tube as a light box with the lamp.

The “light box” working well.

I’ve been using Loon Outdoors UV Clear Fly Finish for several months now and feel it is time I can write my thoughts about the product. UV Clear Fly Finish comes in two flavors, thin and thick, and there are uses for both.

UV Clear Fly Finish is a UV cured glue. This means you can apply it, and it will not solidify until you cure it with a UV light or place it in direct sunlight. Loon has the product available in a UV Tying Kit that includes, the Thin, Thick, and UV Power Light, or you can buy each one separately.

As you can see below by this deceiver style fly I tied, you can build nice clear heads with this stuff.  I used the Thick to begin forming the shape and cured it in stages, applying the Fly Finish over itself after curing each stage. On the final coat, I used Thin to help with tackiness.  In my experience with any of the UV resins, the thicker you apply it, the more time it takes to cure it. I’ve been using Loon’s UV Power Light and it does a good job, but I feel these types of lights could be stronger. The UV Power Light is much better than the light I was using before. Basically, the stronger the light, the quicker and better experience you will have with curing any UV resin on the market.

One of the first questions everyone asks is about the tackiness of the glue after curing. Using the Thin, is the best way to achieve less tack. It is difficult to avoid tackiness if you only use the Thick. But, again in my experience, this is true with other resins as well. I have been able to achieve a tack free touch with the Thin. Always make sure your light has strong batteries. So with thicker heads, like the one on my deceiver, I always apply a final coat of Thin as I mentioned before.

I haven’t noticed any yellowing or fading of the product after the fly has sat for an extended period or fished.

I’ve recently tried UV Clear Fly Finish on my knots in my leaders to help secure them. I just checked and the resin is still covering the knots and is hardened well. I just had that same leader in the water yesterday. Loon produces a product for this purpose called UV Knot Sense, but the Fly Finish seems to have the same effect. It may be the same formula, but I don’t know that to be a fact.

Finally, I feel Loon Outdoors UV Clear Fly Finish is a good UV resin. I think it does a great job of doing what it’s advertised to do. Loon always strides to manufacture products that are non-toxic to help preserve our environment which always makes me feel good. I do think we could benefit by having much stronger UV lights in this area. Maybe that will be the next step. However, I’m confident in using Loon Outdoors UV Clear Fly Finish for my UV resin fly tying purposes.

To learn more and view other Loon Outdoors products, visit their website.

Bill Merg, a German born and educated Manufacturing Engineer and master fly tyer conceived the Rite Bobbin in 1965. After spending several years perfecting the design, Bill with his wife Eva, began Merco Products in Sunnyvale, California in 1993.
Lyle Graff, a retired airline pilot, first met Bill Merg when he had an issue with one of his bobbins. In 2006 the Mergs retired, selling and assisting Lyle, the new owner of Merco Products. They have not altered the original concept created by Mr. Merg.

If you are a fly tyer, it doesn’t take long to notice Rite Bobbins. You might see the one arm design or the four leaf gold dial in other tyer’s hands or hanging from their vise. When people ask for a bobbin recommendation, a Rite is commonly suggested.

The main advantage Rite has over other bobbins is the adjustable tension that allows thread control. This is a spring drag system controlled by a dial on one side of the thread spool.

http://www.ritebobbin.com

All Rite Bobbins are manufactured in the United States. Merco manufactures five models including Standard, Shorty, MAG, Cermag and Half Hitch MAG. The Standard and the Shorty are identical except the Shorty is well…shorter. The Shorty is made for smaller flies and smaller hands, but you may even want to use one if you happen to like shorter bobbins. Both are ceramic bobbins created with the strongest ceramic available. Rite uses zirconia to make their ceramic tubes for their bobbins. I’m sure you have heard of zirconia, it’s what they make fake diamonds from. The type you would rather buy for that special someone, because it’s much cheaper, but the ladies would despise you for it! Anyway, it happens to be the material that makes ceramic extremely strong. You can use wire bobbin threaders in these particular ceramic tubes without worry.

The Cermag has a longer reach with an extended ceramic insert. It has a high pressure click drag system and heavy duty thread tension. If you’re looking for a ceramic bobbin to spin deer hair for example, this one is recommended.

If you need a stronger bobbin, you can go with the next model, which is the MAG Bobbin. Originally designed for saltwater fly tying, the tube is made of stainless steel. The thread tube is also larger in diameter and is a good choice to use with yarn.

Besides the four basic models, Rite has added their latest creation. I have fallen in love with this bobbin. It’s the Half Hitch MAG Bobbin. This essentially is the MAG Bobbin with a couple of other features that puts the icing on the cake. It has the strong stainless steel tube like the MAG, but the barrel is tapered to allow thread to slide off the barrel to help you tie half hitch and whip finish knots. After the legendary Joe Humphries visited Lyle and showed him the technique of using the barrel of a bobbin to tie these two knots, the design of the tapered barrel came to life. In the following video, Lyle demonstrates this technique.

Another feature of the Half Hitch MAG are the colored o-rings. These rubber rings act as a thread keeper when the bobbin is not in use. They act as a functional grip for the tyer as well. I have used both of these features myself. One other thing about the o-rings are the colors. If you have multiple bobbins you can use the colors to easily tell them apart.

I have used the Half Hitch MAG and the Standard and really like both models. I like them so much that I will not be going back to using my other bobbins. As I already stated, the Half Hitch MAG is definitely my favorite. The other thing I like about Rite Bobbins is the diameter of the barrel. I can usually thread the bobbin without using a threader. You can place the thread enough inside the barrel to suck it up through to thread the bobbin. This works especially well with the stainless steel tube. I didn’t think the tension control would be a big advantage, but I enjoy using it and found that it’s a huge advantage since I don’t have to worry about how tight a two-armed bobbin holds onto the thread spool.

The only downside to Rite Bobbins I found was the cost. The price is higher than other bobbins, but after using them for myself, I believe they are well worth the extra price. They provide added features and Merco guarantees them for life. Here’s what owner Lyle Graff says about the pricing of his bobbins.

“The bobbin is the fly tyer’s most important tool and in hand far more than any other tool.  That is where a great tool will become a pure joy and pay for itself many times. Our goal is that they become heirlooms for the tyer’s grandchildren, cheap at $22.00-$32.00 bucks.”

To follow-up my review, I think you will find this video from Tightline Productions helpful. By viewing it, you can get a better view of some of the items I was explaining. I hope you enjoyed the review and thank you for reading FrankenFly!