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Special salmon flies
for Newfoundland
& Labrador
by Hans van
Klinken |
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When
I looked back in my diaries, I read that the first
flies in my large Bondal series had already been
developed more then twenty years ago. Today, the
complete series of the Bondals contain 15 individual
patterns. The dressings didn't change much over the
years, but the patterns themselves went through a
major modification about three years ago when I
re-developed them on tubes instead of using normal
salmon hooks. My close contact with friends like
Jurij Shumakov and Bob Kenley surely had a big
influence on that decision. Bob had sent me a few
Blair mice, developed by his friend William Blair,
to try in the Yukon in 2003. The results were
amazing, because with them, I caught my biggest pike
and lake trout ever. After I helped Jurij with a
whole range of articles for some of his editorial
works, he sent me some of his patterns in return for
some further editorial work of mine. I got hooked on
his wonderful tube flies immediately, and the way
Jurij had tied his new generation of tube flies
stimulated me enormously to experiment with tube
flies again. The last time I had fished with tubes
was in the ninteen eighties in the Norwegian rivers
Orkla and Gaula, when tubes and Waddington's went
through a little reintroduction process as well.
Let's look
at some history on my Bondal series. The first
prototype arose in 1988 at the River Bondal in
Norway. I designed the pattern in a cabin close to
the banks of the river during one of those days when
you were better off staying inside due to the
unbelievably bad weather conditions. Until than, I
had fished the Bondal River along with a good friend
for several years in a row, but sadly without any
success at all. In that time we usually just fished
the Bondal for one or two days only. Day tickets
were hard to obtain, especially for the stretches
which we were so eager to fish.. In this particular
year I was very lucky because I was able to get a
licence as soon as the heavy rain finally stopped. I
was really happy because the ticket was for the sea
pool, the only "fly only" stretch, and best pool of
the entire river. I had been hoping for that chance
for so long, and the reward was enormous. I hooked
and landed four fish that day. I named the fly after
the river and the silver body colour of the fish,
and that is how the Bondal Silver came to life.
The Bondal Silver was
the first pattern on which I caught a salmon below
the surface. Until then, I only had succeed with
dries in north and central Scandinavia. After my
success with the Bondal Silver, I got more
interested in hairwings, and my confidence started
to build. Between 1989 and 1991, I did some
extensive experiments with the same patterns in
central Norway, basing these tests particularly on
the length of the wing. My conclusions were
striking. In the same period, I also started some
other experiments with different beard or throat
hackle material. I got the "magic touch" while I was
after salmon in the estuaries of the Fosen Peninsula
at Norway's west-coast.
When I had sent a few of my latest patterns to the
USA, I started to concentrate even more on hairwings.
The greatest motivation for this was the conclusion
my American friend Dick Lemmerman was coming to. He
was really crazy about one particular pattern of my
Bondal series. The Bondal Black was his absolute
favourite for the Margaree River in Nova Scotia.
Dick renamed the fly "The Dutchman's Balls". I have
no idea why, but the name had already become so
popular that I have to use it myself to prevent
confusion. With the advent of the Bondal Black, even
more hairwings evolved and the series got larger and
larger, and became the inspiration for my Pulsar
series as well. Today, the Bondal series includes
about 15 difference patterns, which are worthwhile
to try for Atlantic Salmon in Europe, Russia and
eastern North-America.
The
dressings and more backgrounds
Hairwings are an easy tie, but I
insist on some differences based on my personal
preferences and experience. First for me, the hook
must be down eyed, because I fish my flies with a
lot of action and just below the surface. I firmly
recommended the CS42, or "Bomber" hook from
Partridge. The shape is beautiful. I believe that a
down-eye hook with a special kind of turtle knot
produces a more natural drift during fishing, and a
superior-hooking angle. The hook has a fine wire, is
very sharp and extremely durable, and the barb is
small and easy to remove. Over the years, I have
fished many waters in which barbed hooks were not
allowed, and I didn't find any differences whether
using a barb or not. The greatest difference with my
new generation of hairwings has to do with the beard
(or throat) of the fly. Nowadays, I use dyed rabbit
fur exclusively for all the beards on my Bondals and
Pulsars. I prefer to use the soft and long hairs of
a zonkerstrip, and use a considerable bunch of it at
that, with very long fibres, sometimes almost
reaching the hook point. I tie it in long and for a
very good reason. A long beard you can easily make
shorter just by pulling off some fibres between the
thumb and forefinger. The fly has an unbelievable
action, and definitely has a superior attraction for
fish. Although many people say that traditional
jungle cock eyes sometimes can be deadly, I removed
them from all my fishing flies. I find no evidence
that they do any good whatsoever. In order to give
my flies a personal touch, I tied in a tail of teal
fibres and add a few longer fibres of teal as a
sheath over the wing as a kind of topping. Finally I
use a more powerful technique to secure the wing
because I prefer durability above appearance. This
technique you will find in the tying instructions. A
beautiful small head of the fly surely looks great,
but do you think the fish would mind?
The old Bondal series are still
perfect hairwings for Newfoundland and Labrador
Developed between 1988-1995
no
1: Bondal Silver
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine silver wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Blue fluorescent nylon wool or
substitutes
Rib: Oval silver tinsel medium size
Body: Flat silver tinsel. Worthwhile to try
is holographic mylar tinsel.
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur, dyed
kingfisher blue
Wing: Dyed blue squirrel tail (bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Black
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Superb fly for estuaries,
sea pools and fresh running fish. Works well
in bright sunny weather conditions as well. |
no 2:
Bondal Black
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Hook:
Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine silver wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Blue fluorescent nylon wool tied much
longer than normal (substitutes for all
patterns: floss, Uni nylon stretch or
Wapsi's super bright dubbing)
Rib: Oval silver tinsel medium size
Body: Peacock herl or as substitute Wapsi's
Super Bright peacock dubbing
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur, dyed
kingfisher blue
Wing: Dyed blue squirrel tail (bottom)
tch tail (middle) substitutes:
black bear or natural black squirrel
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Black
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Excellent fly for dark
rainy days. Killer on the Margaree River in
Nova Scotia Great fly for the Norwegian
west coast and great Northern peninsula of
Newfoundland. |
no 3:
Tony's First Choice
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine silver wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Yellow fluorescent dept ray nylon
wool, tied much longer than normal
Rib: Oval silver tinsel medium size
Body: Peacock herl
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur, dyed hot
orange
Wing: Dyed blue squirrel tail (bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Black
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My best all-round Atlantic Salmon fly for
Scandinavia and Atlantic Canada. A real
killer in the Grey River and many other
rivers in Newfoundland.
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no 4:
Clearwater Special
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine silver wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Yellow fluorescent dept ray nylon
wool, tied much longer than normal
Rib: Oval silver tinsel medium size
Body: Peacock herl
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur, dyed
fluorescent green
Wing: Dyed green squirrel tail (bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Black
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Superb fly to use in most of the
Newfoundland river systems. Also excellent
for the Miriamichi and tributaries. Most
useful and effective after rain have
colored the water
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no 5: Bondal 1997
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine gold wire
Tail: A few fibres of teal dyed yellow
Butt: Yellow fluorescent stretch nylon tied
much longer than normal
Rib: Oval gold tinsel medium size
Body: Golden holographic mylar tinsel
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur, dyed
fluorescent yellow
Wing: Dyed yellow squirrel tail (bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Teal fibres dyed yellow (top)
Head: Black
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Most successful salmon
fly during the 1997 season in Newfoundland
and Labrador. |
no
6: Where-ya-Wannebee Special
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine gold wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Yellow fluorescent stretch nylon tied
much longer than normal
Rib: Oval gold tinsel medium size
Body: Peacock herl
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur, dyed
fluorescent yellow
Wing: Dyed yellow squirrel tail (bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Black
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Killer in most rivers of
western Newfoundland. Named after the lodge
from where we organized our fishing trips.
Superb fly for waters with a high
concentration of tannic acid. |
no 7:
Orange Bondal
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine gold wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Orange fluorescent nylon wool tied
much longer than normal
Rib: Oval gold tinsel medium size
Body: Peacock herl
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur, dyed
fluorescent orange
Wing: Dyed orange squirrel tail (bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Black
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Very good fly for waters
with a high concentration of tannic acid.
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no 8: Golden Orange Bondal
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine gold wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Orange fluorescent nylon wool tied
much longer than normal
Rib: Oval gold tinsel medium size
Body: Golden holographic mylar tinsel
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur, dyed
fluorescent orange
Wing: Dyed orange squirrel tail (bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Black
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Very good fly for waters with a high
concentration of tannic acid.
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no 9:
Stordals Killer
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine silver wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Red fluorescent wool tied much longer
than normal
Rib: Oval silver tinsel medium size
Body: Peacock herl
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur, dyed
fluorescent blue
Wing: Dyed blue squirrel tail (bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Black
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Good fly for dark days,
high water and late evening. Named after the
Stordals River in Norway where this pattern
tempts most fish during a certain day in the
1989 season. First successl in Atlantic
Canada in 1999. |
no 10:
Green Bondal
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 yellow
Tag: Fine silver wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Green fluorescent stretch nylon tied
longer than usual
Rib: Oval silver tinsel medium size
Body: Flat silver tinsel
Beard: A nice bunch of dyed fluorescent
green rabbit (same colour as tag)
Wing: Dyed yellow squirrel tail (bottom)
Dyed green squirrel tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Yellow
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Works well during rain
showers |
no 11:
Yellow Green Bondal
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 yellow
Tag: Fine silver wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Yellow fluorescent stretch nylon tied
much longer than normal
Rib: Oval silver tinsel medium size
Body: Flat silver tinsel
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur mixed from
dyed fluorescent yellow and green
Wing: Dyed yellow squirrel tail (bottom)
Dyed green squirrel tail
(middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Yellow
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Another slightly
different version that works well during
rain showers |
no
12: Bondal’s Second Change
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine gold wire
Tail: A few fibres of teal
Butt: Yellow fluorescent stretch nylon tied
much longer than normal
Rib: Oval gold tinsel medium size
Body: Peacock herl
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur natural
black colour
Wing : Crystal flash or Angel hair mixed
colours (bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Black
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Excellent fly to offer
you a Second chance after you rolled a
fish. |
no 13:
Bondal’s Last Chance
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine gold wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal dyed
yellow
Butt: Yellow fluorescent stretch nylon tied
much longer than normal
Rib: Oval gold tinsel medium size
Body: Golden holographic mylar tinsel
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur natural
black colour
Wing: Crystal flash or Angel hair mixed
(bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres dyed
yellow(top)
Head: Black
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Excellent fly to offer
you a Last chance after you rolled a fish. |
no 14:
Bondal Fuschia
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine silver wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Red fluorescent stretch fuschia tied
much longer than normal
Rib: Oval silver tinsel medium size
Body: Peacock herl
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur, dyed
fluorescent fuschia
Wing: Dyed fuschia arctic fox(bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Black
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no
15: Bondal purple
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Hook: Partridge CS 42 size 8-4
Thread: Uni-thread 8/0 black
Tag: Fine silver wire
Tail: A few fibres of mallard or teal
Butt: Purple fluorescent nylon stretch tied
much longer than normal
Rib: Oval silver tinsel medium size
Body: Peacock herl
Beard: A nice bunch of rabbit fur, dyed
purple
Wing: Dyed purple squirrel tail (bottom)
Fitch tail (middle)
Mallard or teal fibres (top)
Head: Black
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TYING
TECHNIQUE FOR THE BONDAL SERIES on CS42 hooks (see
drawings)
Step 1
Put on
tying thread and tie in a piece of round tinsel or
wire.
Step 2
The way I
prefer is to secure the wire on the hook shank and
wrap a few windings towards the bend. Then I wrap it
back so that there is a double layer. Tie in the
tail of teal fibres in front of the tag. Take a
piece of fluorescent nylon or floss and secure it on
the hook shank.
Step 3
Make a nice long butt. Using up to 5 windings is no
problem. Tie in the tinsel for the rib and 3 or 4
long peacock herls for body.
Step 4
Make a nice
body from peacock and secure the ribbing with
opposite windings. Tie in a long bunch of soft
rabbit fur as beard or throat. The traditional way
to make the wing is to build it up. The squirrel
tail fibres are added first, than the fitch tail and
finely the mallard fibres over all.
For my
fishing flies, I use a different technique to secure
the wing. The reason for this is very simple. Just
take some hairwings from somebody's fly box and give
a strong pull at the wing. In many cases you will
separate the wing from the fly. The other reason is
that over time the lacquer dries out and loosens the
holding. To make the wing more durable I use
following technique: I tie in the wing at the bottom
of the fibres on the thickest part. The top of the
wing must be pointed in the opposite direction of
the hook eye. I tie it in very strongly, and than
pull the wing backwards. Finally I tie off the wing
as strongly as possible. The head will be a little
bigger, but you will never lose the wing anymore.
Secure well and tie off.
Step 5
The
completed fly |
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