FlyFishNewEngland.net 7th Annual Fly Swap

FFNE 7th Annual Fly Swap

We are in to our spring fishing season here in New England -- rivers and ponds are freshly stocked, the herring runs are going strong and sea lice laden schoolies are being caught in Rhode Island. And in true fashion of the "occasional blogger", the 7th Annual FlyFishingNewEngland.net fly swap, that happened in January this year, is finally being documented.
It's actually the dead of winter 2020 and one year has passed since the last fly swap. I started to write this post in the spring of 2019 (see lined out intro paragraph above) and am finally finishing just a few weeks before the FFNE 8th Annual Fly Swap.
Better late than never....

6th Annual FlyFishingNewEngland.net Fly Swap

-- 6th Annual FFNE Fly Swap --

It's hard to believe we've been doing this fly swap for 6 years now. I've posted about the 1st, 2nd and 3rd FlyFishingNewEngland.net fly swaps. With a record turnout and the high quality flies submitted, this 6th annual event warranted a post from the "occasional blogger".
This year was the biggest with 15 tiers and 18 total in attendance at our host's (Chris M.) house. We also had friends, wives and significant others join us for the festivities. Several tiers submitted multiple flies (Matt B. submitted 5!) so we had a total of 23 flies for each tier to take home.

3rd Annual FlyFishingNewEngland.net Fly Swap

-- 3rd Annual FFNE Fly Swap --

The tradition continues. After finding Ryan's board three years ago, signing up for the 1st FFNE Fly Swap and meeting a bunch of great local fly anglers, I look forward to this winter event every year.

The highlight of the swap this year came from our host, Matt, who recently has ventured in to the world of tying classic salmon flies. Matt consistently produces killer, big meaty, pike and bass flies, but wanted to explore the deep and beautiful realm of the salmon fly. As one of the most creative tiers I know, Matt knocked out 11 unique patterns for each swap participant and himself based on stories shared on the FlyFishingNewEngland.net board.

Bonefish Dick's Betsy Fly

-- Tying "The Betsy" --

As the snowy New England winter wears on, we find ourselves enjoying some quiet time at the vise to prepare for the warmer months that are fast approaching. As much as I love fly fishing in the winter, the closest tailwater is about an hour and a half away that typically requires 7x tippet and a 32 midge just to fool a 12 inch stocked trout. I'd rather tie flies and wait for ice out and the schoolies to return to the tidal estuaries.

2014 was my best year chasing New England Striped Bass from the shore and it will be hard to only fish the freshwater going forward. My saltwater mentor, Mark, has shown me some great locations, techniques and flies that have led to this success. One fly, the Yellow Betsy, accounts for 1/2 of the stripers I've landed and has become the "go to" fly when nothing else is working.

One of several stripers fooled by the Betsy in 2014

Low Tide in the Salt Marsh

 - Early Season Schoolie Hunt - 

Got out with my striper buddy, Mark, on Saturday looking for the first striped bass "schoolies" of the season. It was a beautiful day exploring some old and new water in Rhode Island. Also met some new fly fishing friends as well.

Water temps were 50 degrees, but the schoolies were not interested. We started at place where I had luck last year with my first striper on the fly and fished the tide change from high to low.

Bacon Wrapped Jalapenos and a Fly Swap

 -- Fly Fish New England Fly Swap -- 

I joined the Fly Fishing New England board a little over a year ago and am really enjoying the great local knowledge and camaraderie. Right after joining, I was able to get into the board's first fly swap and wrote a post about it.

The best part about this fly swap is that it's local and our host, Matt, brews some excellent beer. Last year, in addition to swapping flies, drinking beers and getting to know everyone, I brought some bacon wrapped jalapenos (BWJs). The BWJs were a big hit. Well, as the December winter froze over all the local streams and cabin fever sets in, posts on the board started up about "When is the next fly swap?" When the date got set for 1 February and the theme of fly swap was "your most productive fly", discussions about the BWJs also surfaced. A tradition is born.

Instagram Fly Swap III

- Instagram Fly Swap III -

Finally finding time to put up this post about the 3rd Semi-Annual Instagram Fly Swap hosted again by Morgan Kupfer of Tight Line Tales of a Fly Fisherman. Also check out the 1st and 2nd Instagram Fly Swaps.

The call from Morgan went out on the @tltff Instagram feed back in March this year and flies were mailed to the 10 tiers the first week of May.

The popularity of this swap is way up from the first time. It took about 5 minutes to fill up after Morgan's initial post!

As with the previous two swaps, we had a great, well rounded group of excellent tiers including some celebrities. The theme of the swap was streamers - one salt and one fresh pattern.

For each set of flies below, there is a link to the tier's Instagram profile, pics of the flies and names/recipes if they were provided (for those who didn't send in names/recipes - it's never too late. Comment below and I'll add it to the post).

All the flies are "Bad Ass" and those with no names have that name for now. On to the flies...

New England Fly Swap

-- flyfishingnewengland.net Fly Swap --

There are so many great aspects of the sport of fly fishing. Time on the water and landing fish is what we all strive to achieve, but the time spent preparing, gathering information about your destination, deciding what rod and flies to use, how you want to hunt and present your fly to the fish, all are part of bringing a fish to hand.


Fly tying has become an integral part of my preparation. Learning what works from others is not only an educational process, but a great way to share our experiences with fellow anglers. Fly swaps become the channel to both learning and making new, like-minded, friends from which we share our love of the sport.

Instagram Fly Swap II

- Instagram Fly Swap II -

In mid-August, Morgan Kupfer of Tight Lined Tales of a Fly Fisherman and originator of the first Instagram Fly Swap, put out the call for a second Instagram Fly Swap. Previous and new tiers signed up. Baitfish and carp patterns were picked and the group of 11 tiers got rolling.

Below are the tiers and their patterns for the swap. Like the first swap, I was blown away by the quality and unique patterns that everyone put forward. Great work by all!

I've added recipes/links if available. I also took some creative liberties and made up names for flies that came without names or recipes. 

Instagram Fly Swap -- Part 2A

-- Graphics by @phishtitz --

Here's a follow-up post about the First Instragram Fly Swap. Of the original 9 participants, we have 5 that completed their flies, 1 that dropped out and 3 that plan to finish up in the coming weeks. Instead of waiting, Morgan, our host, distributed the first set of flies. These are shown below with tying instructions here. This will be a long post, so let's get started.

@mkupfer32 Flies

Our swap host, @mkupfer32, of the blog "Tight Lined Tales of a Fly Fisherman tied the MK Caddis Dry (center) & Glass Caddis Pupa (lower left) for trout, and the Bass Gurgler Popper (upper right) & B-Ass Clouser Streamer (upper left) for bass. I believe these are all original creations by Morgan.