Tying at Coren's Rod and Reel - March 28th

Cory Gale - Art of Spinning, Stacking, Packing and Trimming Deer Hair

Cory Gale is a friend of mine and we have tied flies together for over fifteen years. I remember when he first came into the fly shop where I was working and the Bass Buggers were sitting down to a tying session. He came to watch. I have a rule, it has been a rule for a long time – No Watching!

So he sat and tied. He wasn’t very good but he was earnest. And as he’d say, “I was hooked.” Cory continued to improve and was very interested in deer hair bugs.  Like anyone seeking to improve, he found a teacher and took lessons from the master:  Chris Helms. From his sessions with Chris, Cory continued to improve and his flies, as you can see from the photos, are what we all aspire to, tight, well packed and durable hair bugs. Beautiful can also be applied to them.

Cory has from time to time, given me a fly or two and yes, I have fished them. I know, usually most people decorate their boxes with hair poppers and divers but when they hit the water, they pull out the foam ones . But hair bugs are great in the water, they leave a lot of bubbles, are usually light and cast well and besides, they just look cool. And tying deer hair is a skill set that anyone wanting to tie more than just a woolly bugger or clouser minnow should learn.

And now is your chance. At the end of the month, Saturday, March 28th at 9:00 at Coren’s Rod and Reel, 6001 N Nina Ave, Chicago, IL 60631 · (773) 631-5202, you can take a free deer hair seminar with Cory.

You have to have your own vise and tools and a spool of GSP. There will be some available for purchase but I suggest you get a spool and bring it along. Also if you have deer hair suitable for spinning, bring that as well. While this is a free seminar, I would ask that at the end of it you toss a couple of bucks into the kitty for Cory as he puts a lot of time, effort as well as supplying materials for this seminar.

Chris Helms passed away in November of 2014 but his student, Cory, continues the tradition of tying deer hair bugs. I am certain that Chris would say of Cory, “Well done my student, well done.”

So if you’re interested in spinning, stacking, packing and trimming deer hair to make poppers, sliders, and all kinds of interestingly shaped flies. Then come this Saturday. Space is somewhat limited so you might want to bring a folding chair.

See you there!

Here’s that info one more time:
Location: Coren’s Rod and Reel, 6001 N Nina Ave, Chicago, IL  60631
Time and Date: Saturday, March 28th at 9:00
Phone: (773) 631-5202

Side Projects - 3D Printed Reel

So if you've been following us here at T&T for any length of time, you've surely realized I work for an organization that partners with manufacturing companies and we sell software and hardware that allows them to save time and money developing and producing their products.  These boil down to a CAD (computer aided design) tool named SolidWorks, and 3D printers under the Stratasys brand.  

If you ask my wife, she'd tell you I'm always trying to think of my next "project".  Whether it be another rod to build, blog to start, few dozen flies to tie, I've always got my fingers doing something, and lately it seems the projects are starting to escalate.  Now they're things like a tear drop trailer, truck top tent, starting a production company - not really small projects, and in reality, mostly pipe dreams.  But one that always stays close to the top is designing and printing my own fly reels.  

Seeing so many amazing designs in places like The Classic Fly Rod Forums - Rod and Reel Makers Forum, I wanted to be able to take what I was doing on a daily basis for my job, and roll it in to making my own versions of what I was seeing online.  So I set out to figuring out how to craft my design and started working on learning SolidWorks.  This is where things came to an abrupt halt.  Finding the time to teach yourself a tool that, though easy to use, requires dedication and I just couldn't find the time to break away from my job to attend one of our training classes.  Enter Michael Hackney and the Eclectic Angler.  

Michael Hackney's Click Pawl reel

Michael worked for a year before he perfected a reel that was easy to print, cost effective (read inexpensive to produce), and had a great look to it.  We traded emails back and forth a while back but again, my inability to focus on the task at hand, made this project falter.  With some exposure from the likes of Field and Stream, I realized that Michael had made the files available for download, giving me the perfect starting point.  All the work Michael did perfecting the design and getting the components just right, led to a great little click pawl reel.  

You can learn more about Mike and his reels by visiting the Eclectic Angler.  

My plan is/was to have a couple of different versions and want to include both of the different technologies, from the 3D printing standpoint, that we offer.  So for the first reel, we took the easy route and used Mike's reel design, processed the files for the layer thickness we wanted (.0050"), and laid it out on the print bed.  Total print time would be six hours from start to finish.  This meant we could have cleaned, finished reels, in about eight hours total, including the required post processing.  We used a standard ABS plastic, similar to what's used in most injection molding processes.  

The way the reel is built is call FDM or fused deposition modeling.  To make a good comparison, imagine taking a hot glue gun, and taking weed wacker cord filament, and push it through the tip of the hot glue gun.  The plastic will melt as it's extruded from the tip, and the layers will adhere to each other.  The tip will trace out wherever material needs to be present, leaving a finished part.  (see illustration) Depending on the machine you're using to produce the parts, you can determine how thick each layer is,  yielding faster build times or a part with better resolution or greater accuracy.  

The reel itself is a total of eight pieces, with two pieces making up the spool.  Michael recommended using a small nylon filament extrusion for the clicker mechanism, which we found is definitely the way to go.  That is after we tried about a dozen other options, all failing quickly, I finally caved and ordered the filament from Amazon.  Sometimes I just want to find my own way, but will never hesitate relenting to what's proven.  

I'm working on fine tuning the design for our next version, which will use a different 3D printing technology and likely mix in some actual machined components.  Figuring out a click pawl mechanism and sourcing some components has prolonged the design process a bit.  I'm finding that trying to design something around sourced components can be tougher than expected.  I hope to have some renderings done soon and will post some more updates as the project progresses.  I'm trying to channel a bit of Bogdan with some of the tradition the Hardy's.  With the ability to make quick changes, I'd like to have a few ideas to play with.  

Keep your eyes peeled for updates and if you have any questions, or want to learn, please don't hesitate to comment or send us a note!  


Spring Fishing - Black Earth Angling Co.

As reports roll in for the first few weeks of the Early Season in Wisconsin, it sounds like the warm up has left the banks free of snow and the waters a bit up.  The perfect way to start, what I hope, will shape up to be a great trout fishing season and a great fishing season overall.  

For me, getting back on my feet is becoming more of a reality, as I start to take the twig that's become of my right leg, and get it back in shape.  So as I kick back and enjoy some quality time with the Mrs., I thought I'd share some reports from guys out there and making early season a success.  

Kyle Zempel leads Black Earth Angling Co. and is a not only a great fisherman but also quite the photographer.  I've had the chance to be on the water with him a handful of times and he's knowledgeable and a hell of a fisherman.  He's the only guy I've ever see pull 40+" of trout out of a single run in four casts.  If you're looking for a day out in the Driftless, or a day you'll never forget on the Lower Wisconsin, give him a call.  You won't regret it.  Plus, rumor has it, they may have just picked up a pasture raised Berkshire hog to be incorporated in to shore lunches.  

Until then, I'm counting down the days!

Tying with Austin - DuPage Fly Fishing Co.

With the first weekend of Wisconsin Early Season in the books, if anyone's like me, reflecting on the success of different patterns from the first two days of fishing is consuming a lot of their time.  Mentally working my way through fly changes, nymphs to streamers to dries to midges.  It's all about what was successful to give us a starting point for next weekend.  

Making mental notes helps me set up a plan for future nights of tying and how I want to fill my boxes for the season.  Throughout the winter I'll fill larger Plano boxes with the standards for the Driftless and Midwest, but during the season, typically fresh ties go right in the fly box, or at the least a friend's box.  So once I have a feeling for what was successful, I'll whip up a few dozen of a few different patterns in different sizes and fill any gaps or add new rows to my fly boxes.  

Depending on the night I'm tying, I'll both by myself, or with a buddy or group of buddies.  Getting together to tie and knock back a few adult beverages is a great way to learn new things, meet new people and fully embrace the fly fishing community.  Locally here in the Chicagoland area there's more than a handful of places to meet up and organized groups that meet anywhere from weekly, to monthly or quarterly.  Locations include fly shops, bars, community colleges and anywhere else BYOB works.  

For those just getting in to tying and looking to learn patterns that help make local guides successful, there's tying classes through Coren's, DuPage Fly Fishing, and Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters.  They offer classes throughout the year and feature patterns targeting all different kinds of species and fisheries.  

I recently had the chance to head up to DuPage Fly Fishing and hang out with the guys when Capt Austin Adduci was there doing a tying class for warm water species here in the Midwest.  

If you're looking to join a group or learn more about tying, check out the links below and don't hesitate to drop us an email if you have any questions.  And keep your eyes peeled for an Introduction to Fly Tying class coming up at Coren's this Spring.  

Upcoming DuPage Fly Fishing Tying Events: these are open tying events from 1pm to 4pm with presentations to follow.  These are great times to learn and get to know some outstanding guides.  

  • March 14th - Grab Your Fly Charters Captain, Austin Adduci
  • March 29th - Anglin Outdoors, Guide Jay Anglin
  • Free open tying nights on March 12th and April 9th.  

Upcoming ChiFly Tying Events: too numerous to list!  From upcoming classes to special presentations, give them a look and be sure to swing by!

Also Thursday night Eric keeps Coren's Rod and Reel open a bit late and there's a group that Stuart leads.  It's organized, with an email list that includes the patterns that will be tied.  It's a free group, with some phenomenal tyers, some beginners and some great personalities.  

If you're located in the city, head on over to Chi-Tie and hang out with the boys over at Galway Bay in Chicago.  Stuart and I are hoping to get out to one of their next gatherings.  Stuart and Eric have ventured out there and said it's a great group of guys, low key with the ability to tie whatever you fancy.  They next meet March 9th around 6:30pm.  

Pheasant Hunting - Tower Shoot

My recent hunting trip with a few buddies brought up a conversation between my father and me that's been going on for years.  Ever since we took up shooting, which we did together, bird hunting has been something we've wanted to make a father son adventure.  

We try to spend a lot of time together, whether it be on the golf course, stream side, taking in a Hawks game or doing some shooting.  No matter the season, we'll find reasons to get together.  

With the gun club my father belongs to in full swing, a group of shooters was putting together a tower shoot at a hunt club up in southern Wisconsin.  I knew a few of the guys going and knew it would be a great hunt.  I shot with these guys in league shoots for a number of years, but haven't gotten out more than a handful of times over the last two or three years.  So I was hoping to knock the rust off quick, but was confident we'd have a blast either way.  

Tower shoots are made up of 14 stations, surrounding a tower, in which birds are released in groups.  Some will fly out and give you a target, while others will float down in to the trees.  All the shooters are about thirty five to forty yards away from the tower and are in blinds about six feet tall.  We were recommended to bring a case between the two of us, and told to shoot at anything close.  There was to be a lot of action.  

Compared to the last time I witnessed a pheasant hunt, this was going to be quite a bit different.  We had teams of dogs and guides ready to pick up the birds we knock down and there seemed to be action everywhere.  It was very different than a bird getting spotted and spooked out.  You really had to anticipate how the bird was going to fly and have the patience to wait until the birds come close enough.  Improved modified chokes could only help so much. 

Progressing through the stations, we began to get the hang of it and really started to get the feel for leads and were able to hold back long enough for them to come in to range.  We realized this around stations ten and eleven though, leaving us short on ammo and coming in to the best blinds.  We chuckled as we knew we had knocked down our share of pheasant, but didn't realize how many shells we had gone through.  Maybe we were't such great shots after all!  

As we cracked the tape on another box to split, we filled our pockets and were set for our last station.  With the last few birds released the horn sounded, we emptied our guns and gave each other a high five and a big hug.  We had just shared our first successful hunt.  A father-son bonding moment that I'll never forget.  As we walked back in we replayed the best of our shots, the birds we knocked down and how we needed to look at our calendars and get another hunt on the books.  Cracking the top on a couple of Hamm's we reconnected with the guys and traded stories and pheasant jerky.  As things wrapped up I kicked back and soaked it in.  Times and memories like these are best shared and getting to do so with my best bud is always a blast.  


WI Early Season

It's almost here!  

Two more days and Wisconsin opens it's spring creeks to the fly fisherman from around the Midwest.  Come Saturday March 7th at 5am, Wisconsin starts the clock on Early Season, our first chance to chase those golden brown little devils.  With snow covered banks, and trampled brush, it's a chance to cast freely, bound through knee deep snow drifts and reconnect with nature.  Most importantly it's our chance to get off the couch, get away from the vise and back out on the water.  

Sometimes you've gotta work to find open water, but when you do, more often than not, it'll hold a hungry trout, dumb from the winter cold.  

Before you head out for the weekend, be sure to have your boxes stocked full of flies, lines cleaned and ready and equipment prepared for the cold.  Drop by DuPage Fly or Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters  or visit Eric Heckman of Coren's and grab what you need.  If you're in a pinch, hit up the Driftless Angler up in Viroqua this weekend.  

Best of luck to all who venture out and be sure to dress warm!

 

One on One - Zeb Tonkavich

As I continue connecting with some of the personalities in the fly fishing community that I respect, one of guys I wanted to include was Zeb Tonkavich.  Some of you may know him as the guy behind Snowman Custom Rod Works.  Over the last year or so Zeb and I have been trading messages about rods, talking about different blanks and I've been in awe of his ability fabricating metal, visualizing rod designs and doing some awesome things with glass and graphite.  

As we roll out number three, learn a bit about what's behind some beautiful rods and an extremely talented and knowledgeable builder.  

 

 

Tell me a little bit about yourself. 

My name is Zeb Tonkavich but some still call me by the brand name that may not know me, so some call me “Snowman”. I grew up local to what is my home of area, for convenience I say, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania but in reality I am located about 45mins south of the city from a very small town called Fayette City. I work inside of the city limits and have been at my current job for 12 years now.  
     
I worked in the snowsports industry from the age of 15 till about 6 years ago. I taught skiing, coached race, raced, and was actively pursuing my Dev Team as a certified level 3 ski instructor with PSIA. This is why I elected to use the name Snowman when I started doing all things rod building publicly. I really didn’t think the name would be that well received and would turn people off because it may be a bit cartoonish; but I have been quite wrong, or so I would think.      

 

What do you do for your normal 9-5?

For my not so 9-5 job I work in a flat roll galvanizing mill. I work 12hr days rolling shifts from 5 to 5, my hours range between 36 and 60hr work weeks. That is without meetings and the always fun commute. My official job title is material handler, basically a overhead crane operator and responsible for a laundry list of other tasks. I enjoy the dynamic nature of the environment but the days can be long and exhausting. When my weeks get long that is when I get behind on builds, and fall behind. Proof I am not getting any younger, is the fact I do run out of energy. 

 

How did you get in to fly fishing?

I got into fly fishing on a whim some years back. Andrea was looking to transition from spin fishing to fly fishing. I helped her get her first set up and I was fascinated immediately by all thing fly fishing. That was the beginning of the end. Around about the same time I lost two discs in my neck and had to be fused, that really slowed down the skiing and working in the snowsports industry to the point that I quit. That is when the rod building came into play. Now I am extremely fascinated by high end reels and tuning rod builds.

 

What’s your favorite type of fishing (dry fly, nymph, streamer, worm and bobber)?  Favorite fish to target?

I personally love the diversity of all aspects from the extremely small dries up to the 5’ streamer. I guess it ultimately comes down to what the water and time of year permit as to what I enjoy the most. But, there is something special about watching a dry fly being sipped by a rising trout. I prefer trout because it is easy access for us, specifically brown trout.  We have great water in PA and some great unknown wild trout waters that we keep secret. I will admit that I do need to step up my nymph game this year though. 

 

When did you make your first rod?  Why not go buy one from the local fly shop?

When was my first fly rod made?  Honestly not as long ago as most would believe. I think I built my first rod about 6 years ago. A large book as a thread tensioner, and empty coffee cup as a spool retainer, and my knees was used as my rod bed. I think I practiced wrapping rods for months before I ever wrapped a rod with intent. By that time I had built my first rod wrapper that I used up until about 8 months ago.

Why build my own? I don’t want this to come off as being conceited but we travel for salmon and steelhead in New York and met a lot of builders and became fascinated with rod building. I thought it would be fun to give it a try and thought I could do better. Plus factory rods are just plain and boring. I think a lot of people progress this way - learn to fly fish, learn to tie flies, want more of fly fishing, start casually building rods, want more out of it, assemble a rod building cave, want more, get a wood shop, want a little more, add some metal working equipment, then you look back and wonder how the hell all of this happened. 

 

You’ve got a great understanding of the intricacies of the science behind rod building, where did this knowledge come from?

I was fortunate that the guys who helped me when I was getting started were well educated rod builders and most where bamboo guys. All had a deep level of understanding of “when, where, and why”. So from day one I didn’t really ever do a “kit” build. I read a lot of the in depth bamboo books as well at the same time the Wayne Cattanach and Hoagie Carmichael books. These guys are methodical and get down to the science of the build. I wanted to apply the same thing to my own builds even if it wasn't cane. So you will find plenty of Moleskin notebooks in my shop and pack with all my critical numbers about every build I have done, things like ERN, AA, guide profiles, guide spacing, CPM, coats of finish, reel seat weight, all that fun stuff.

 

How long does a rod take from start to finish?

Typical time at the moment is about 4 to 6 weeks, the only thing that is costing me time at the moment is my travel schedule.

 

With this being done in your free time, how many rods are you doing per year?

Last year I did 48 rods. I have no intention of doing that many rods again this year. If I do that many this year, I did something wrong. 

 

What made you want to start building out all your own reel seat components?

I guess for me it is a control thing. I get the finish just the way I want it, maybe I want           something a touch more industrial, or I cut my cap a little thicker to throw some weight out the back. Also, I can match up my winding check and ferrule rings. Also slide band seats seem to be in short supply these days. However I do still use stuff from Joel Lemke, Chet at Bellinger, and Russ at GoldenWitch.

 

Where do you find inspiration for your work?  What drives your designs?

I have a pretty good idea of how I would like every rod to look before I get started.  First I figure out if it will be dark or light finished guides then I start pulling wood billets I have an idea of where it is going. High contrast or subtle matched build and let it all come together from there. Then sometimes things are changed on the fly to have everything blend together better.  


We’ve talked a bit about your “style”, how would you describe your work?

Style is hard to describe, I think what would sum it up best is modern classic. I like to blend the old with the new especially when it comes to trout weight rods. Occasionally drifting into more classic rods. The best way to say it is there is a reason why the greatest rod builders from the golden age of bamboo’s aesthetics hold up today, simple, timeless, clean, and elegant designs.


When you build a custom rod, does the customer bring the blank to you, or do you source that for them?  If you source, how do you choose the blank for the customer?             

I work off a list of builders and source the blank over 75% of the time. If the customer is providing the blank I ask that they inspect the blank prior to sending it my way. As far as choosing a blank it is a lot of back and forth to find what is going to work best in their environment. Other things will help determine what profile will be selected, but every case is different.


Do you have any recommendations for someone looking to have a rod built? 

Find the right builder for what it is you are after. Do your homework, map out what it is that you are after, set a budget, and have a list of questions worked up. When it comes to high end glass the TFM (The Fiberglass Manifesto) rod loan program is a great way to get hands on with profiles that may be otherwise hard to get a hold of in a lot of regions. 


What are your favorite characteristics in a rod?  Your favorite blank models?

I like a rod that is a work horse not a one trick pony. I enjoy something that I can fish all day in multiple scenarios. That is not to say I don’t love a good specialty rod. I like a composed rod that is nimble and light in hand, but has some down low reserve power for that just in case fish.

I am a fan of the Epics (476, 686, and 990), Ijuin Yomogis, Steffens, Winston B3x, Winston B3 LS, and RB Meiser.

                 

Snowman Custom Rod Works – what inspired the name?

Given my career in the snowsports industry I thought it was kinda fitting.

 

Any big plans for 2015?

I have a couple charity rod builds for a couple great causes, the CFR 480 and the soon to be finished Orvis SFG 764-3. Andrea and I will be hosting a Art & Custom show at Yellow Creek Trout Club on March 21. We will also be over at Schultz Outfitters for Demo days early in June. After that I am not 100% certain what my year holds. I am looking to do some work on some new blanks here soon and see where they fit into my line up.

 

To anyone out there looking to learn a bit more about you or Snowman Custom Rods, where can they go?

The Facebook Page, Instagram, and a website that needs updated badly. Hopefully I can get around to that later this month.