Smurfette

blue macaw bubble kebari

I was lucky enough to be gifted a small bag of parrot feathers a while back and I have to say that they are hands down the most beautiful feathers I've worked with.  So vibrant and even the bad/damaged ones make great flies.  The trouble is they are super small and mega delicate, my hands have to be nimble in order to get a good one tied.

Recipe = Blue Macaw Parrot feather, peacock, glass bead, black 6/0

blue macaw bubble kebari

A School of Bluegill Kebari

I tied a few bluegill kebari for the upcoming Tenkara-Midwest fly swap.

skinny tropical kebari

Inspired Tenkara Fly

The Gilmour Kebari

Fly Recipe = orange thread, partridge, rooster neck feather, ice peacock dubbing, pheasant,       6/0 black thread, #10 hook natural bend 3xlong

The Gilmour Kebari

Kebari #34

partridge, peacock, red wire, #12

bead kebari

materials picked by J. Graves

The Driftless Area - Wisconsin

Have a new spot in Wisconsin for Trout.  It's about 4+ hours from Chicago but is amazing.  Little spots to pull off the side of the road to fish and lots of them.  

Jack's first fish is on Tenkara!

I took my oldest son fishing for his first time this week.  Let me back up slightly.  We went to a med-large outdoor store and found his first fishing pole.  Sweet little telescoping rod & reel combo in the theme of STAR WARS.  yes!!  The kit with was $14 also included a backback, sun glasses, tackle box with Stormtrooper cover, practice rubber casting fish.  All in all an ok deal.  He loved he.  We talk about fishing, I show him the pictures on the way out of the store with everyones mega sized fish, come home and even dig for worms in the garden.
Load up the bike with kid-trailer and head to the closest pond.  Get to the pond and by now he has befriended all the worms and even had names for them, so it came as a shock when I took good ol'Barnie and skewered him to a hook.
The set up is a total junker, its no propeal pocket fisherman but it was cheap, star wars, he loved it good enough.  After a stretching the line I get the set up out to the weed line.  We are fishing.
He is set and ready.  I rig up my biking Tenkara rod, a Diawa 33SF and start to cast.  No fish right away and while I am checking on Jack, I notice he is already tangled in the weeds.  So, I hand him the tenkara rod, explain to keep the tip high and go work on his set up.  Not 2 seconds later he is already on a fish!  He is screaming and of course my natural instinct was to grab the rod, so he doesn't break it but I notice that this fish has a little bit more muscle then a bluegill.  We fight the fish together for a short time, get him in and jeepers the boy just caught himself a bass.  First fish ever on a Tenkara rod with a fly I tied. Hash-tag proudpappa.

And as if that wasn't enough he also got a solid sized bluegill and we caught a few more small bass and more bluegills.  During all the excitement I also notice that the Star Wars rod bobber rig was in the same place with no fish on.

Once again TENKARA out fishes standard tackle.  And best of all, done by a 4 year old.

Yellow Headed Kebari

Fly #12  Yellow Headed Kebari

Head: Gold Thread

Hackle: found brown feather

Thorax: peacock

Body: black thread

hook size #10

micro flies

Dropper Flies, Micro Flies call them what you want, all I know is that you need good hands to tie flies this small.
I have always been fascinated by the idea of having a two or three fly rig going.  So between reading a lot about nymphing and an article of indicator kerbari, I have tied a few micro flies.  These are the first three.  No certain patterns, just seeing if I could tie flies this small.  These are size 26. Tiny tiny tiny

Naming Flies

Fox River Killer Kebari

I love tying flies and I don't really have a style or anything.  But what I do have is an issue naming flies.
Some I think simply need to be fished and maybe the name will come from fishing.  This one I am going to name the Fox River Killer Kebari

Tenkara Fly Box

The current look of my Tenkara fly box

Tenkara Parrot Flies

New Tenkara Flies tied with molted Macaw feathers