Posts tagged: Saltwater Flies

Joe Webster Wins Big at AFFTA Awards!

Joe Webster Wins Big at AFFTA Awards!

The 2023 AFFTA Awards recently wrapped up from Salt Lake City, Utah. It seemed to be a successful event from participation to new product showcasing. The biggest news coming out of the event however was the BIG WIN for All Points' very own Joe Webster! Joe has recently been picked up by RIO as their newest signature tyer. Further, the Crouser took home THE BEST NEW SALTWATER PATTERN at this years AFFTA awards. We could not by more psyched! 

Check out a list of the other new product winners below...

 New Product Showcase Winners

  • Men’s Wader: Patagonia – River Steward Wader
  • Women’s Wader: Patagonia – Women’s Swiftcurrent Expedition Zip-Front Waders
  • Men’s Wading Boot: Patagonia – Forra Wading Boots
  • Women’s Wading Boot: Patagonia – Forra Wading Boots
  • Men’s Outerwear: Orvis – Men’s PRO Fishing Jacket
  • Women’s Outerwear: Orvis – Women’s PRO Fishing Jacket
  • Men’s Apparel: Patagonia – Men’s Tropic Comfort Natural UPF Hoody
  • Women’s Apparel: Patagonia – Women’s Tropic Comfort Natural UPF Shirt
  • Fly Rod – Freshwater: Redington – Wrangler Rod Family
  • Fly Rod – Saltwater: Sage – Salt R8
  • Fly Rod – Two Hand/Spey: Scott – Swing
  • Fly Reel – Freshwater: Sage – Arbr XL Tempest Blue
  • Fly Reel – Saltwater: Sage – Enforcer
  • Fly Line – Freshwater: Scientific Angler – Amplitude Smooth Infinity Plus
  • Fly Line – Saltwater: Scientific Angler – Amplitude Smooth Bonefish Plus
  • Leader/Tippet: Airflo USA – Airflo Standard Fluorocarbon 50m
  • Hooks: Daiichi (Ranger Outdoors) – 1719-10- Matte Black Barbless
  • Chest Pack/Vest: Simms Fishing Products – Flyweight Vest Pack
  • Boxes/Storage System: C&F Design NA (Ranger Outdoors) – 16 – Grand Slam Guide Boat Box
  • Fly Pattern – Freshwater: RIO Products – RIO’s Morrish Level Headed Damsel
  • Fly Pattern – Saltwater: RIO Products – RIO’s Webster Crouser
  • Fly Tying Vices & Tools: Dyna King – Barracuda Deluxe
  • Fly Tying Materials: Semperfli – EggStatic Egg Fly Tying Collections
  • Eco-Friendly Gear: Rio Products – RIO Compostable Spool
  • Bags and Packs: Grundens Wayward Roll Top Backpack 38L
  • Youth Product: Simms Fishing Products – Kid’s Tributary Wader
  • Accessory: Dr. Slick Company – Cyclone Nipper
  • Gift Items: RepYourWater – Rainbow Snacks Lowball Glass

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Fly Focus Friday: Half & Half

Fly Focus Friday: Half & Half

A simple combination of a clouser and a Lefty's Deceiver, the Half & Half has become one of the most popular saltwater patterns. It has successfully targeted many species from striped bass to tarpon. The hackle gives this fly pattern a longer and larger profile than a traditional clouser normally would. Plus, with the addition of the dumbbell eyes you get the alluring jigging movement of a clouser fly. 

We tie the Half & Half in a similar way that we do our clousers. There is no material that is tied along the underside of the hook/shank and rather it's covered with Veevus Mini Flat Braid and Solarez UV resin. 

Half and Half Fly Fishing Pattern

Material List: (click on any item for product details)

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Fly Focus Friday: Flat Wing Deceiver

Fly Focus Friday: Flat Wing Deceiver

Flat wing style flies have long been a fan favorite of striped bass fly anglers along the east coast. Renowned for their movement and castability flatwing flies are tied in many different styles and sizes. These flatwings are a more modern take on the concept featuring a built UV resin head with holographic eyes, and a keel weight to ensure that the fly will ride correctly even under heavy current. This pattern is about 7" long and can make a great small mackerel, or large sand eel pattern. In general this pattern is a great imitation for any long slim profiled baitfish. 

Flat Wing Deceiver Striped Bass Fly

Materials (Click link for pages):

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EP vs. Steve Farrar vs. Squimpish Fibers

EP vs. Steve Farrar vs. Squimpish Fibers

Historically, fly tying materials consisted mostly of natural materials sourced from animals. With those resources dwindling and becoming harder to come by, a wider range of great options, and paired with the demand for fly tying materials seemingly increasing, synthetic fibers and other man made materials have become an integral part of the fly tying industry. In this article we will be talking about three of our favorite brands to compare and contrast the properties of the materials and when you might want to buy one over the other.

Our three most popular brands for synthetic fibers are undoubtedly EP, Squimpish, and Steve Farrar SF Blend fibers. Each brand offers an array of different products to be utilized in countless situations on the vice. We use each brand of materials in our shop flies, and through tying experiences and field testing, we believe these are products that must be in your stash of materials to work with. For the sake of this article we will be focusing primarily on saltwater and big game tying applications as that is where we personally use synthetic materials for the most.

EP Gamechange Fibers Blend Baitfish Olive

EP fibers are a staple of saltwater fly tying and have an enormous reputation in the industry. Unlike Squimpish and Steve Farrar Fibers, EP also offers a large array of materials other than hair/fibers such as rubber legs, crab claws and eyes and bodies. When talking about the fibers EP offers, the three products you will hear about the most will be the original EP Fibers, 3-D Fibers, and the Gamechange Fibers Blend. The original fibers are matte with no flash and a crinkled texture with a single tone of color. The 3-D blends are very similar to the original except have multiple color tones. The game changer blends come with similar fibers, but with flash mixed in and I think a slightly more rigid feel than the original or 3-D. All of these products have their time and place. One of the most popular applications for the Original fibers and 3-D blends is to build bodies for crab flies. Both of these products are perfect options for this application. The gamechanger blends we feel are more for baitfish patterns. All 3 of the products we mentioned above come in uniformly pre cut packs of 9” long fibers.

Squimpish Fibers Hair Mulberry

In contrast, Squimpish fibers are a relatively small family owned company that almost exclusively make fibers for wings, DIY brushes, and hollow techniques. Squimpish offers synthetic hair, boutique (flashy) blends, and their own version of craft fur. They also regularly release new products and color options that keep things exciting. The two products we will be focusing on for the sake of this article is the Squimpish “Hair” and the Squimpish “Boutique Blends." The Squimpish “Hair” is a product that comes on a patch similar to craft fur, with fibers that range from 7”-10” long. The hair also comes with an under fur that is fantastic for bulkier hollow ties and creates more water displacement, as well as provides as a foundation to prevent the material from fouling. The hair is usually a blend of a couple different color tones but does not have flash incorporated. The “boutique blends” are a little shorter, coming in around 5”-8” long, but have angel hair flash accents blended into the fibers. These blends come in a bundle rather than a patch like the hair does. The “Boutique Blends” are what our All Points Squimpish Fiber hollow fly is tied with. Squimpish fibers take exceptionally well to hollow tie techniques as well as have some of the best movement from any fiber on the market, synthetic or natural.

Steve Farrar SF Blend Bleeding Purple

Steve Farrar SF Blends have a strong reputation in the saltwater fly tying world. These fibers come in packs that are 10" long with flash blended into the fibers. The fibers are slightly rigid and have a crinkled texture which makes them the ideal fiber for building bulk on flies and preventing the fouling of other materials. SF blends are a great material choice to build a strong structure of a fly with. This material is extremely castable and does not absorb water whatsoever. These fibers are also available as brushes as well. 

EP Fibers Steve Farrar SF Fibers Squimpish Hair

In conclusion all three brands make fantastic products that can be utilized in many different ways. For crab bodies, EP takes the cake. Though both EP, Squimpish and SF Blend fibers can be utilized for baitfish patterns, our opinion is that it is hard to beat Squimpish for hollow tie techniques and acheiving great movement. If trying to gain bulk on your fly, especially when tying large patterns without articulated shanks or extensions, Steve Farrar SF Blends are probably your best bet. All of the products mentioned are easy to work with, are extremely durable, and are blend-able, trimmable, and versatile. We offer several different products from each brand. Check out our newly updated online store and try them out for yourself!

Written By: Joe Webster

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