Last week Squimpish Flies announced their line up for 2024. I was lucky enough and grateful to be chosen as part of their team. I really like David and Stephanie. I really like their vibe. And I really like their materials. I had great success this year with flies that I tied with their synthetics.
While I am no expert fly tyer but I do tie flies, a lot of them, and through lots of practice I've even been able to tie them consistently enough where they look good enough in the water to get eaten. I tie them big and small. The beauty, I find, with the synthetics, like I found years ago with SF Blends, is that they are a little more forgiving then naturals, and can be trimmed as needed, which gives the tyer a little bit of leeway. Bucktail, for me, isn't as easy to work with, although when you get them right they can be a deadly offering. Many of the flies I have tied with Squimpish also have a portion of them tied with either hackles, ostrich, or bucktail.
As part of the team I am able to link readers here to their website, as seen in that right column, a 15% discount off your order when you click and use promo code AVERAGE. This winter I am looking forward to continuing to grow as a fly tyer and will be tying larger patterns to mimic the bigger baitfish that the striped bass feed on where I fish. Shad, in several varieties, herring, and there's several of those also, as well as the old favorite menhaden, which we have seen from 2 inches through 12 inches at all times of the year.
And as you know I've been tying on a Peak vice the last six months. I prefer to fish away from the crowds and, in a similar fashion, wanted to switch over from Regal to Peak because I think they offer newcomers several great entry-into-the-hobby options. But whatever you are tying on and whatever materials are your go-to as long as they serve you well, and occasionally help you catch fish, then that is great and what it's all about. Don't be intimated by the fantastic talent we have in the sport these days, you're doing just fine.