Hand Tied Fly Fishing Flies

Naka8Pack Naka5caddisDan has been busy working away at tying different types of fly fishing flies for the last few months. He’s a seasoned angler who grew up fishing the rivers of Northern California and he’s been hand tying his own flies for years. But this year, he’s been tying different types of flies almost every week. He is in the process of building a few more gift packages, but for now (just in time for the holidays) we have an ASSORTED GIFT PACK (8 flies in a pack) and a CADDIS GIFT PACK (5 Caddis flies in a pack). It’s the perfect handmade gift for the outdoor adventurer in your life! Buy a holiday gift pack here

ABOUT THE HAND TIED FLY FISHING GIFT PACKS:

THE TROUT GIFT PACK INCLUDES 8 must-have, handmade flies in a small, reusable container. This is a great selection for anyone starting out or a perfect re-stock of the essentials for a seasoned angler.

2 Elk Hair Caddis, Ginger — sizes 16 and 14
The caddis fly is pretty much on the menu for any trout anywhere. If trout were humans the caddis fly would be like a slice of pizza floating in front of you. You could not resist. I use premium Whiting hackle held in place with thin wire for durability, to catch the light, and hints at the insect body segmentation.

1 Dan’s Hot Pops Caddis, Ginger/Flame — size 16
I use bright thread and bleached elk hair on my my Hot Pops Caddis to give it some stimulator flash on the head and tail. Use these when the sun is high and the trout need extra motivation to move into the feeding current.
(as far as I know, this is my own variant/pattern. Not that it’s some major invention, but just, you know.)

2 Parachute Adams, Gray — sizes 16, 14
This is a great, flush-floating, high-visibility, all-around mayfly pattern. I tend to use these on textured water when it’s getting a little dark, but I want to stay out a little longer. These flies sit perfectly on the water and tend to make up for sloppy casts. Not that any of us cast sloppily.

1 Madame X, Light Orange/Gold – size 10
This is a classic fly pattern I’ve tied in orange and orange/gold as an attractor for stone flies and grasshoppers and other big game food. I use use darker “Perfect Rubber” legs that are speckled with light catching sparkles and look super buggy. Try bouncing one of these off a bank and giving it a little action.

2 Bead Head Prince Nymph — size 14
Tried and true, the Prince Nymph is the fly you pull out when there’s no surface action, but you know they are down there. It’s a general attractor pattern that may cover a few different bugs, but nobody seems to have a definitive answer to that. I tie it heavy with tungsten beads and lead-free wire, so it sinks fast and you won’t need to add a split shot which might get you snagged up.

Trout flies made by hand in the USA and built to last. We only use the best materials:

-Tiemco and Daiichi Hooks — barbless

-Whiting Farms Pro Grade Hackle

-Lead-free wire

-Tungsten Beads (nymphs)

-Hareline Dubbing & Hair

Why tungsten beads?
Yes, they are expensive. BUT they sink 3x as fast as a normal bead because tungsten is super heavy. This means you don’t need to use an added split shot weight which can spook a fish and get snagged up. Not requiring a split shot also makes this a great nymph for a dropper rig. Plus the tungsten is non-toxic and won’t harm the environment.

Why lead-free wire?
I use this to weight the bodies of the nymphs. It’s not as heavy as lead, but luckily that doesn’t matter because of the tungsten bead. Another great reason is that lead is prohibited in some fisheries. But the best reason is because it’s the right thing to do. We want to leave our streams in good shape and do the least amount of damage as possible. Using lead-free wire is the least we can do.

Switched our store from Shopify to Etsy

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Switching our e-commerce store was way more work than we thought it would be 🙂 …But we did it for the right reasons and we’re very happy to join the Etsy community! Now that we’re settled in with our new storefront, we can start brainstorming on new ideas and create more wonderful products and designs! Follow the link in the upper navigation or simply click here.

Take a Stand! (leaving these here indefinitely).

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Resist

Please feel free to download this 11×17 poster and print for your own personal use.

CLICK EACH IMAGE TO DOWNLOAD THE POSTERS.

How to download: click on each poster, the image will open in its own window (you might need to click again to make it full size). After that, drag the image to your desktop.

Important to note: these posters are for personal use only and are not available for any commercial purposes including any promotional use unless approved by me (Natalie) 🙂   

We’ve been working with wood lately – and it has been awesome!

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We made a very limited amount of these lovely terrariums.  Luckily, no one lost any fingers in the process – but we did learn a lot about drilling, sanding, and adhesive methods when it comes to woodworking. Personally, we love this original design because it conveys a mid-century look and feel. Side note – our living room is slowly turning into a modern version of a “Mad Men” set design.

We hope you like these mini globe terrariums as much as we enjoyed making them.

Visit our store here

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Summer Lovin’

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We’re taking a well-deserved Summer-brainstorming-break.

The store will be closed until Aug 15.

We will re-open and re-stock our products – we can’t wait to share our new ideas with you!

See you in a couple of weeks.

xox
Team Nakashento

Thursday Inspiration – Toshiko Takaezu

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“In my life I see no difference between making pots, cooking and growing vegetables. They are all so related. However, there is a need for me to work in clay. It is so gratifying and I get so much joy from it, and it gives me many answers in my life.”

Toshiko Takaezu (June 17, 1922 – March 9, 2011)

Toshiko Takaezu was Born in 1922 in Pepeekeo, Hawaii. Her closed vessels and asymmetrical forms blend Eastern and Western traditions, recalling the landscape of her native Hawaii; the scale and drama of her pots demand an intimate participation from the viewer. -American Craft Council

images: tumblr & American Craft Council

It’s Spring!

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nakaFLOWER3nakaFLOWERWe’re working on several new prints in the studio these days. This orange Chrysanthemum print is one of our latest creations! We’ve also added a new lovely Nakashento signature to our tea towels.We hope you enjoy this new print as much as we do.

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