Nor-vise will be in the news again within the next couple of weeks. Until a few days ago I didn't know such a thing even existed, but it seems our friend Jon Strand From Norway has just set a Guinness Book of World Records for fly tying. Now, I have spent many an hour in front of my Norvise, but 24 hours straight...I don't know if I could do that. With help from Bill Keough of Keough Hackle Farm and Norm Norlander of Norvise Jon was on his way. 

This is the Email I received from Norm on Tuesday; 

​I received a phone call Saturday from Jon Strand, the Airline Pilot from Norway after he just completed his shot at a 24 hr "Guinness World Record" for fly tying.  It was all done proper, video records, live observers, documentation etc. He ended up with 1036 Griffiths Gnats.  I hope in the next few days to put together some photos with him tying on the Norvise, logos on his shirt etc.

I thought that was pretty cool. As mentioned I have never heard of a fly tying World Record and was anxious to hear more. Also, knowing I had a part in the manufacture of the vise (I am a Machinist by trade and my company makes many of the parts that go into the make up of th Norvise) Gave me a sense of pride. I think after reading Jon's re-cap of the event will give a better appreciation of the "tie better flies faster" mantra that Norvise has built itself on. 

Here is the summary of the event in Jon's words. 

It started 2 yrs ago, when out of the blue I started wondering if there was anything about fly tying in Guinness Book Of World Records.
I was not able to find anything.
So I applied May 02 2015
It was a yes.
After some planning I gathered a team of 3, Sandra Tjørn- document wizard, Håvard Eide - IT/video wizard and myself.
Without these to friends, I would not have been able to pull it off.

After trying to find out how to achieve the absolute best result, I thought: what is the optimal vise and tools for the job.
After a brief search on the net, I was left with the choice of NORVISE.

I contacted Norm Norlander, presented my project and asked him if he was interested?

His responds was priceless:
What's your mailing address Jon?

After 3 weeks a full set-up arrived with an additional jaw, lamp, extra bobbins and spools.

Now I needed to start practicing to learn a whole new technique, the vise is of a different design and principles.
After just one evening that was covered.
Now I needed to find the time and location for the event.
The best choice was the Nordic Fly Fair 2017, The National Forestry Museum, Elverum, Norway.
They've been exceptionally helpful by getting things in place.
The record attempt itself started Friday may 5th at noon, and lasted for 24hrs.

SUMMARY:
Total amount of flies completed: 1036
The most flies tied in 1 hr: 50
(In both the 1st and the 23rd hour)
The least flies tied in 1 hr: 36
The quickest tied fly: 37 sec
Average of 43 flies per hour

3 witnesses present at all times, 1 specialist and 2 independent 
All flies counted 3 times
The whole 24hr event video recorded

The experience:
After 3 hours of tying, I had made about 130-140 flies, I looked down in the hook-cup and saw NO CHANGE!
Then I struggled with my motivation knowing there was 21 hours more to go.
After passing 12hrs and half way, it felt like on a bicycle when you pass over a hill and start rolling downhill again, a relieve!
After 13-14hrs it was like flat terrain ahead, just pure hard work.
After 15 hrs a really good period, easy going and good looking flies. 
After 18-19 hrs a brutal STOP
For a couple of seconds I just sat there, exhausted, wondering why I was there and what I was doing.
Picked myself back up after a bowl of soup, a banana, some sparkle water and fresh air
In the 23rd hour I had full speed again.
50 flies in an hour, better looking than in the first hour
Then I had to concentrate and make sure I passed the magic line of 1000!

The rest is history :-)

Can you imagine tying for 24 hours straight! I cant, and that just goes to show how serious Jon was about this endeavor! I think the one "stat" that impresses me the most is the average of 43 flies per hour. over a 24 hour time period...that is unbelievable!  

Here are some pictures from the event. 

What a cool event and what an accomplishment for Jon. I don't think it is just a coincidence Jon chose the quality of a Norvise for his attempt at a World Record. "Tie Better Flies Faster" has a whole new meaning today. Congratulations Jon, you deserve the title! 
If you are intrigued by the Norvise please go to www.norvise.com and check out one of the many great videos posted on the site. If you are local please feel free to contact me if you would like a personal demo of the vise. I will be happy to show all this great product has to offer. Till next time...

                                                                                                                      Tight Lines

It has been quite a while since I have written a Blog post for the site. Things with O'Neill's Fly Fishing have been extremely busy over the past few months. We have partnered with Nor-vise to do several east cost shows. To see a video shot about us and the Nor-vise at the Lancaster show click here. I have done several presentations for local and not so local clubs, private tying lessons, on the water workshops etc. Yes, things for the business have been going great. Personally, not so much. 

Many of you may know on February 25th my father passed away. Unfortunately he suffered a massive stroke on the 24th. By the time my family received the results of the third CT scan we were forced to make the decision to cease further medical attention and make him comfortable. 23 hours later I watched my father take his last breath while lying in the hospital bed hooked up to a Morphine drip. My dad was a larger than life, drink like a fish, cuss like a sailor Irishman, and to see what this event reduced him to in a relatively short period of time was humbling. As you can imagine there was a huge outpouring of support from friends and family. We had visitors at my mom's house some nights till 2:00 am. We certainly didn't go hungry as some spetacular food was delivered to the house. The viewing, funeral and reception were beautiful (as beautiful as these things can be). I truly believe my dad would have been proud. 

I don't think you can ever really prepare for something like this. It is a strange feeling the days after something like this. There is so much to do, plans to be made and things to attend to you really don't have time to process really what happened, but you get through it because that is what you are supposed to do. What you never hear about is what happens after the smoke clears, things calm down and you are supposed to return to a "normal"  life. All of a sudden there are no visitors, no plans to be made, no food to eat and really nothing to do, yet you are left with this huge hole in your life. I am not ashamed to say I had no idea how to deal with this, 

I heard a good friend of mine say that phrase a few years ago while he was going through a similar situation. He loaded up the truck and headed to the mountains to do a little wild Brook Trout fishing. Kind of a hard reset for your body. Here it is almost April of 2017 and I had not been on a Trout river yet this year. This from a guy that usually fishes through the winter months religiously. I decided I was going to pick myself up, get outside and do something I love to do and hopefully in the process give myself a hard reset.

I headed out to my favorite river mid morning on Sunday. I put on some of my dad's favorite Bluegrass music on my phone, Turned the volume up to 25 and started the hour long drive to the river.  

The ride out was cathartic. It is funny how an extended amount of windshield time tends to get your head straight. With each new song tons and tons of memories came to me. Some of these songs I haven't heard for over 20 years, but that didn't stop me from singing them (well the parts I could remember anyway). I was totally that crazy dude you see at a red light just wailing away without a care in the world. Buy the time I got to the river I feat like a million pounds had been lifted off of me.

My dad was not really a Trout fisherman, he really was not a fresh water fisherman. I know he never really "got" Fly fishing. "Why in the hell would spend all that money and put in all that time to catch a fish just to put the damn thing back in the water"?  I would say "Fly fisherman practice catch and release ', he would say "yeah, well I practice catch and pan fry"! yup, that was the ole' man!

I spent eight cold and wet hours on the water on Sunday. I did manage some fish, but it was not about the fish this day... Am I done being sad, probably not, am I done mourning my father, definitely not. I will say I feel much better after fishing than I did before, hence the title "Chicken soup for the soul" It is funny how fly fishing has that effect on the people that partake in the sport.  ​

From all of this I have learned a few things, and I am going to make a conscious effort to live my life a little differently moving forward. Be a good person, don't sweat the small stuff and above all have fun. It may be cliche, but life really is too short. 

                                                                                                                Tight lines...

This is a video that was shot at the Lancaster Fly Fishing Show in March 2017. The Chesapeake Council of the IFFF was gracious enough to shoot, produce and post this great, 3 minute clip. In the video we discuss some of the features of the Nor-vise, one of the most innovative fly tying tools on the market. O'Neill's Fly fishing is the only sales rep on the East Cost for this great product. After watching the video if you have any further questions please feel free to contact me at [email protected]. Thank you. 

If you are interested in fishing the Brandywine River stop out to the White Clay Fly Fishers monthly meeting Next Tuesday evening July 19th. This promises to be a fun and information packed evening. I hope to see you there. Remember, the WCFF meet right in Landenberg at the London Tract Baptist Meeting House at the junction of South Bank, Sharpless and London Tract Roads, Landenberg, PA. (Off Route 896), GPS coordinates: N39°44.774’ – W75°46.493’. I hope to see you there.

Well, It is that time of year again. The temps are rising, the Dogwoods are in bloom and Tax day is right around the corner. All of this can mean only one thing...the Shad run is near!
​ 
If you have never fished the Shad Run. 
The Spring Shad run can be one of the most prolific fisheries of the year. It can also be one of the most overlooked. "Shad Fishing 101" will cover all aspects of Shad fishing including; species, gear, rigging, flies, and locations. If you have ever wondered about this great fishery, you won't want to miss this class. 

This class was a huge success last year, check out my blog post from last April HERE. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. I look forward to seeing you in class. Till next time...

                                                                                                                                    Tight lines. 

No, no we don't really have Tarpon in Pennsylvania, but this presentation will make you think we do! Delco-Manning Trout Unlimited sponsors an evening focused on Tarpon fishing. My buddy, John McMinn,  will give a presentation on fly fishing for Tarpon which covers finding, stalking and subduing the Silver King in backcountry waters.​ Tarpon are widely regarded as one of flyfishing's most exciting and rewarding targets.  They can be tough to hook, requiring a good presentation of specialized flies. Once hooked Tarpon can also be a challenge to land - fighting hard, and jumping to throw the hook.  Nicknamed the Silver King, Tarpon have bright, chrome sides darker backs that range from black to green.  They grow to immense size, but unlike some  salt water game fish, even the biggest tarpon eat flies well and are realistic targets for fly fishermen.

​Most of the literature and media coverage of tarpon shows fishing in the clear, open water of the ocean.  Instead of that, this presentation focuses on fly fishing for tarpon in the backcountry.  These areas are more protected estuaries or tributaries which often flow with dark, tannic water.  Tarpon behavior is different in dark water and requires different tactics than ocean-side fish.  I will discuss aspects of backcountry tarpon behavior and highlight tactics that will improve your odds in this summit experience of fly fishing.

​John McMinn is a lifelong fly fisherman who enjoys the challenge of tough fish, the exhilaration of adventure travel and the company of good friends.  His first fish on fly was an 11" brown trout from Ridley Creek in 1969.  Since then he has visited a variety of fresh and saltwater destinations favoring opportunities to sight fish.  John is also committed to conservation and education serving as President of the Delaware Chapter of Trout Unlimited for 11 years and a boy scout leader in several capacities for 15 years. 

As many of you already know my wife, Michelle has been stricken with Multiple Sclerosis. We have been living with MS for over 8 years now. This disease can be devastating to a persons ability to preform simple, everyday activities such as tie your shoes or walk a flight of stairs. In a effort to combat this terrible disease my wife is looking for sponsors for a walk to benefit MS research and hopefully find a cure. If you are inclined please use the link below to make a pledge to support Michelle's team. Click the link to the Walk for MS home page, click "Donate" and type in Michelle Oneill (spelled just like that no apostrophe or capital "N")  where it says "Name". Your generosity is much appreciated.  For any donation of $50.00 or more "Irish Flies" will give that person one free, in home, private fly tying lesson. Please help us try to find a cure. Thank you. 

To donate to Michelle's team click HERE  ​

This year the walk is on May 1st. Starting at Paper Mill Park (the corner of Paper Mill rd and Corner Ketch Rd). The walk will start at 10:00 am. This walk is about 2.5 miles in length. You are free to come out and walk if you are so inclined. We hope to see you there. Thank you for your generosity.


                                                                                                                        Michelle & Tim 

As I sit here typing this I have just finished one of those marathon weekends of fun. Why is it as hard as we try when planing things everything seems to end up crammed into a span of 3 or 4 days? Well, that is what happened to me this past weekend. On Thursday I was at the South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers monthly meeting. I was there to give my presentation "Shad Fishing 101". As soon as I got there I got an appreciation for what a cool town Ocean City NJ is. Driving around this quaint little town for a  minute you would never know that Atlantic City is just minutes up the road. From the clubhouse to the members of the SJCFA this club is top notch and Joe does a fantastic job keeping everything running smoothly. Of all of the clubs and all of the presentations I have given, this is only the second club that did the "Pledge of Allegiance" before the meeting. I gotta say...that is pretty damn cool! 

The meeting was well attended with about 40 people there. Based on the conversations and the emails after the meeting, I think the members enjoyed it. 

I would like to thank Joe and all of the members of the South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers for having me out last Thursday, I hope you enjoyed the evening as much as I did. I hope we can do it again real soon. 

I heard a smart man say not too long ago "why do you want to go to Montana to Trout fish?" "We have some fine fishing right in our back yard." The person who said that was Eric Stroup and the back yard he was speaking of is one of the premier limestone rivers in central Pennsylvania, the Little Juniata. The Little "J" as known by the locals is a beautiful river full, and I mean full, of Wild Brown Trout. I didn't get home, Thursday night from the presentation, until almost midnight. I was glad when Eric said there was really no need to be there first thing in the morning. The time change had the fish active later in the day. This allowed me to get at least a few hours of sleep. I met up with my buddy "One Boot" Ed at 7:00 and we began the 3 hour drive North West to Eric's lodge.  

We didn't waste much time and before long we were on the river looking for Trout. It wasn't 10 minutes into the first run and Ed knocked the skunk out of the boat with a solid fish! 

We continued having steady action throughout the first day. I don't know how many fish we landed, nor do I care. It was a great day on the water with great friends, to me that is what fly fishing is all about! 

I didn't know Ed had taken this picture. It is kinda funny he would click the shudder at this moment. This was a fairly serious discussion about the industry and some heartfelt suggestions from Eric to me about the direction of Irish Flies. This one is going in a frame! 

​After a good night sleep and a trip to the local diner for breakfast (if you go to Diner 22 I would recommend the Diner 22 mess, a cool Breakfast meal with a little bit of everything) we were back at the lodge pondering the plan for the day. I will tell you this...it wan MUCH colder the second day! I actually changed clothes twice before we left. A full set of long johns, and a set of fleece over top of that. Trust me, I was glad I had it! 

It didn't take long for the action to start on the second day as I think on the third drift I was tight to a feisty little Brown. We fished our way through three runs netting about a dozen fish. The highlight of the morning was the hooking of a solid 20" fish. Ed stuck the brute on the dropper and before he even had time to react the big ole boy had snapped him off. It was literally less than a second! The only way we know what he was is he came out of the water as he was leaving almost as if to say "I win this one." What size tippet you ask...4X. It was a great morning, better than I thought it would be with 40 degree air and water temps. 

After lunch we went to a spot that Eric said we are gonna do a little "Donkey Huntin" We parked in the lot and walked about a half hour up to the spot. Apparently people don't fish this spot often because of the walk. "It is funny, people will drive three hours to get here, but they wont walk 10 minutes." A very true statement. We set up in the same run, me at the top and Ed at the bottom. Ed's rod was as hot as the hinges of hell... I don't know how many fish he landed, well over a dozen. I do know every time I looked down his rod was doubled over. It was pretty cool to see my buddy having a banner day.   

Well, there you have it, a 3 day marathon of fly fishing. If you are in the Ocean City NJ area and think you might want to chase some salt water fish with fly gear check out the SJCFA HERE. If you would like to check out some of the best fishing central PA has to offer check out my buddy Eric Stroup HERE, or contact me to book a trip. Both of these organizations are first class. Check em out, you will be glad you did! Till next time...

                                                                                                                       Tight Lines

If you have never fished the Shad Run. 
The Spring Shad run can be one of the most prolific fisheries of the year. It can also be one of the most overlooked. Stop out this Thursday night march 17th and check out this informative and fun presentation. "Shad Fishing 101" will cover all aspects of Shad fishing including; species, gear, rigging, flies, and locations. If you have ever wondered about this great fishery, you won't want to miss Thursday night. 

Details, details, details
This presentation is composed of over 100, quality photographs arranged in such a way you will think you are actually on the river. I have been fishing this run for over 15 years and my addiction to this fishery has taken me to countless rivers across half a dozen states. After attending this presentation you will have the knowledge you need to become a Shad junkie like me! I will also have tons of Shad flies for sale at this show. 

​Dates, Times and Directions. 
This event will take place Thursday evening, March 17th starting at 7:00. The South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers meet at the Bayside Center, 520 Bay Avenue Ocean City New Jersey 08226. For directions click HERE. For more info on the SJCFA visit their website by clicking HERE. This promises to be a great evening, I hope to see you there. 

Till next time...
​                                                                                                                                  Tight Lines