Welcome to the Castle Arms "What's New" page. As the proprietor of Castle Arms, I will be using this page to update customers on new arrivals, discontinued products, trade shows we will attend, and more. And don't miss my famous bad jokes. New email address: castlearms@COMCAST.NET
MAILING CHARGE CHANGES
Due to costs of mailing and UPS charges we are going to charge for all orders under $100.
NOW MAIL COST ARE UP. Despite my father telling Me "you might as well be broke as the way you are" I can't afford it at the new rates.
Priority mail will be $5.00-$12.00 . UPS depends on weight/distance. We'll pay for orders over $100..
To be placed on our mailing list send $5.00 ($10.00 foreign) to Box 30070, Springfield, MA 01103
MAY 4, 2008
Marc
Madore loves his wife, fly fishing and teaching young people how to tie fly
and how to fish them. Here's some pics of 12 year old Andy tying his first
fly then landing a salmon on it. We need more people like Marc.
A couple of brown ear pheas.and Elliots came in while we were closed. Birds are getting harder to find the longer the embargo continues.
We are out of the Pryce-Tannant salmon book. Doubt we will ever find anymore new copies. Did find a few copies of Ken Sawada's latest Tube Fly book, autographed. $70.00.
The rod and reel business has been keeping us hopping and Bob Veverka and wife Diane report great fishing for skip jacks, dorado,etc in Carbos with their Heritage rods. The 9wt 9-6 4pc rod has been a big hit down in the islands this spring and looks like early summer will be even better with stripers on the cape and in RI.
You would think with the tough economic times the lodges would be struggling but just the opposite is true . The good lodges have a few openings but not many. Looks like a good year for salmon and the Gaspe lodges we know, Camp Bonaventure and the Salmon Lodge, are almost all full.
Here's a couple of photos just received from Marc Madore up in Blackville on the Miramachi. As usual his wife Line ,known as the "pink hat lady", has started where she left off last year outfishing the men with her 7/8 12-0 Heritage "Windbeater" rod. Take a look at a "real salmon fisherperson and her drag along husband.
(but
he ties great flies)
The Bonaventure has had approval for catch and release for all salmon 63cm and larger for 2008/09.You can still keep a couple grisles for the months of June/July.
Just talked to the "Princess of Pulaski", Malinda, owner of the fly shop in Altmar. "Get your fat behind up here. Water is fine and plenty of fish in the river, but they won't hang around too long with the warm weather" Spring is here! She took the 12'-0" 7/8 out and put a spey line on it and loved it. I like an 8wt forward but as they say in Italian, To eachisowney.
Here in Mass. the warm weather has seen good fishing with even the bass, both small and large mouth, coming to the fly. There is still some snow and ice in northern Maine but from Bangor south there's plenty of water to fish.
The Farmington River in Conn. is full of water and fish. Dave Goulet's shop,Classic Custom Fly, in New Hartford is the place for updates on what they are taking and where.
Rods and reels are moving fast from coast to coast so we are busy and Peter O'Reilly in Ireland reports good fishing and water with weather spring like. They start salmon fishing much earlier than we do and they give us an indication of what's happening with salmon in the UK. Reports from Denmark are awesome. Salmon and sea run Browns in great numbers.
Some of you will remember that about 4 months ago I got 6 cashmir goat skins in and they were gone in 2 days @ $100.00. I took mine and have been using it as a bath mat. It's great on the bare feet. I finally threw it in the washing machine and it came out gleaming and glossy but the bad half (I thought) was that the drier was holding a lot of goat lint. I got it out and noticed that it looked like polar bear. Sat down and whipped out a couple of salmon flies with the goat lint dubbed on for a body. GREAT>now have a project for our August trip..flies with goat hair lint as bodies..going to tie some over my foam bombers..will add some sparkle. Those of you who asked to be put on a waiting list for these skins..may have some later this month.
We have had a good number of "NEW" classic salmon fly tyers call
since the start of the new year. It's a good sign that interest in the
"art of the classic salmon fly" is alive and well. I think we will
see a new cadre of tyers in the coming year..all we need is the material to
tie with. The embargo has a stranglehold on exotic feathers.
We had a call from a fellow we directed to the "Patagonia Fishing Host" lodge raving about everything from the lodge, guides, food and fishing plus a 5 wt. Heritage rod they lent him for 10 days. It's nice to have people call and express their thanks for info we can supply. The Aniak River Lodge, now under 8-10 ft. of snow is almost filled for this year. Call them in case their are cancellations . Awesome rainbow trout fishing in Sept. But dress warmly.
To our friends in Scotland. Ken Abrames, one of our top saltwater fly tyers who developed the "Flatside" fly is heading to Scotland in early May and has offered to speak to any club or gathering who would like an insight into saltwater fishing from an acknowledged expert. Ken's book on the "Flatside" fly and saltwater fishing has been a standard over here for the past 5 years. Ken's a great speaker and really knows his stuff. Email me for contact info.
Take
a look at the sea run brown trout old friend and Heritage Spey rod user Mike
Freeman landed down in Argentina last month. Mike reported over a
dozen fish over 20 lbs landed and raved about his spey rod.
Golden Pheasants crests. Another victim of the embargo. We use to bring these in 200 at a time, sort them and at times steam them. Steaming crests, or any other feather, will allow a tyer to shape the feather, straighten the fibers or clean them. We use a steam machine but you can do it at home by heating up a half filled tea pot and when it steams from the spout, holding the feather with a tool, allowing the steam to saturate the feather. Shape the feather. When steamed lay on a paper towel and pat dry with another paper towel. It may take a couple of steaming to get the feather in the exact condition and shape you are looking for but you can save otherwise lousy looking feathers. Getting GP crests to open up (waterfall) pull them over the edge of a table or other sharp edge.
All of the landlock salmon in Argentina are from an original stocking of fish from Sebago Lake in Maine about 100 years ago.
Bob Veverka is selling off the flies from his 2 books, Saltwater flies and Spey Flies along with some Sid Glasso flies. If interested give him a call up in Vermont.
Who says "NOTHING IS FREE!">Ken Abrames, one of New England's finest saltwater fly tiers and an untapped source of knowledge on saltwater fishing is giving FREE tying lessons every Tuesday evening at the Univ.of Rhode Island's East Farm Campus, Building 75, 2150 Kingston Rd (rte 108) Kingston,RI 02881. For more info contact him at vzepnaif@verizon.net. Ken's "Flatside" flies have been a must in our saltwater for many years. He's in the select group of saltwater tyers such as Jack Gartside, Steve Silverio, Bob Popovics and Lefty Kreh, etc. who tie flies that look good to both people and fish. AND IT'S FREE.
Dr.
Jim Goggans of Colo. e-mailed this pic while we were in Patagonia. Everyone
down there oh'd and ah'd as classic salmon flies are not often seen in that
area and even guests from Spain ,Chicago and Louisville were duly
impressed. Called "Cynthia's fly" named after the woman who
provided the hybrid macaw feathers.
Streamside
lunches came with tablecloth cover tables, wine, and great food. Then a short
siesta before hitting the water. We waded and fished from inflatable boats
so lots of water. It's a tough job but somebody has to do it.
Below are a few pics with more to come later.
. Some of you should remember the photo of Bill Cowin and the 46# Golden Dorado he landed on the 7/8 wt. 12-0 Heritage rod .Well he's heading back to Argentina in January and bought 2 more of these rods to take with him. See,s he misplaced the one he had...and can't find it. Sounds like something I'd do. This is the rod we have been making for over 10 years which all of a sudden has been discovered and called a "switch rod". Ours has been selling for less than $300 at our dealers but the big guys get over $500 but you get the "switch" name..ours has been called a "WINDBEATER" for lo these many years..cause that's what it does. To me a "switch rod" was something you used on horses. Bill just returned from South America and missed getting a world record Golden Dolphin on 12# tippet using the 7/8 12-0 Windbeater rod...missed out because the tippet tested more than the 12# it was marked. EFFTEX in Europe has complained about miss marked tippets/leaders so last year they started testing them and and reporting the results to the public. You'd be surprised at how many of these products are not what they are marked. Maybe we in the USA should do the same thing. Of course many leaders/tippets with USA labels are made overseas where quality control can be hit or miss from one lot to the next.
The KORKERS GUIDE BOOTS with the dial lacing getting raves from the guides in So.Amer. "Most comfortable easiest boots to wear we have ever seen. Should be on everyone's wish list". Panco Panza Alveraz.
If you are thinking about booking a trip to a lodge in Alaska better act fast. The 2 lodges we know and recommend are getting full. Aniak River Lodge where we fished this July has a couple of openings in the first week of July, the week we fished, a couple the 2nd and 3rd week of August, peak of the season and 3 in mid September. To say the fishing is awesome is an under statement. 11 kinds of fish from Dolly Vardens thru salmon and pike. Check their website or call them at 800 747 8403.Owner Sam Sudore goes out of his way to find a spot for you.
The other lodge is EMERALD PINES LODGE DOWN in Homer,AK. You combine saltwater in the bay and freshwater in the rivers. You can catch Halibut on a fly early in the season and then go after them on regular tackle later on. Salmon, trout , sea bass and cod are plentiful and Steve Novakovich and his wife, Roma the owners and operators have the friendliest lodge in the state..also one of the least expensive, about $3500 for 5days and six nights. You might even get some whale watching there.
Our new Heritage Pro Series Reels . 3 sizes:5/7:$125,7/9:$130 & 9/11:$135.00.
They are beautiful all machined 6061 aluminum, great drag and lh/rh easy switch. The price is the frosting on the cake. $125, $130,$135. We tested the prototype last year in Andros on bonefish and cudas and on the Gaspe on Atlantic Salmon with great results. Deep clear anodizing,perfect for salt or fresh water. See your dealer or give us a ring. See our new reel page on the web site when finished..
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