Vitreous enamel

This is a commonly used, yet fanciful term, implying that an ordinary latex or oil-based paint has the same properties as true, fired enamel. Some makers are currently experimenting with new technologies and high-performance materials such as boron, but graphite rods still cover the broadest range of fly rods for all purposes, from 'ultralight' to two-handed spey rods to serious saltwater rods built to cast exceptionally long distances and deal with strong winds. Some paints are called "enamel paints". Fiberglass rods became popular in the years following WWII, but by the late 1980s, graphite rods had emerged as the material of choice for that mass market. This produces tiny specks of both colours; although the eye can be tricked by grinding colors together to an extremely fine, flour-like, powder. On the other hand, fly rods made from man-made materials generally offer greater versatility, durability and performance than bamboo, and they require less maintenance. Different enamel colours cannot be mixed to make a new colour, in the manner of paint. In competent hands, they provide more than adequate performance in most freshwater trout fishing situations.

Enamel can be either transparent, opaque or opalescent (translucent), which is a variety that gains a milky opacity the longer it is fired. These rods offer grace and form, and they demand a 'slow' or 'soft' casting style that's beautifully suited to refined, leisurely fishing. The last creates delicate shades ranging from pure violet through wine-red and warm gray. Quality rods made by the famous masters (Leonard, Dickerson and Winston to name but three) in good condition may fetch prices well over US$2,000, and new rods from competent contemporary builders may bring nearly that much. Color in enamel is obtained by the addition of various minerals, often metal oxides cobalt, praseodymium, iron, or neodymium. It may take well over 100 hours of labor to select and split the raw cane, then cure, flame, plane, file, taper, glue, wrap and finish each rod. Some techniques of enameling:. Split-cane bamboo fly rods combine sport, history and art.

According to some sources, the word enamel comes from the High German word smelzan (to smelt) via the Old French esmail. The mystical appeal of handmade split-cane rods has endured despite the emergence over the last 50 years of rod-making materials that offer more durability and performance: fiberglass and graphite. Enameling was a favorite technique of the Art Nouveau jewellers. The earliest fly rods were made from greenheart, a tropical wood, and later bamboo originating in the Tonkin area of Guangdong Province in China. The bright, jewel-like colors have also made enamel a favored choice for designers of jewelry and bibelots, such as ancient beads, the fantastic eggs of Peter Carl Fabergé, enameled copper boxes of Battersea enamellers, and artists such as George Stubbs and other painters of portrait miniatures. As stated, most fly fishing rods vary between 2m (6 feet) and 4m (14 feet) in length. Other practitioners include the ancient Greeks, Celts, Russians, and the Chinese. World destinations include parts of South America on the Amazon as well as the Patagonia region.

The ancient Egyptians applied enamels to pottery and stone objects. The UK, the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Tasmania, Patagonia and parts of Europe are probably the most common destinations for freshwater trout fishing. Enamelling is an old and widely-adopted technology. Methods and flies also vary substantially across regions and countries. The durability of enamel has given it many functional applications, including: early 20th century advertising signs, interior walls of ovens, speckleware cooking pots, exterior walls of high quality kitchen appliances, cast iron bathtubs, storage silos on farms and process equipment such as chemical reactors and tanks for the chemical and pharmaceutical process industries. Fly fishing for trout usually takes place in small streams and ponds, as well as rivers or lakes; although the basics are the same, methods and flies vary. Disadvantages are its tendency to crack or shatter when the substrate is stressed or bent. Other types of flies are simply 'stimulators' which are used to anger or trigger a natural aggressive response from species such as spawning salmon.

Vitreous enamel has many excellent properties: it is smooth, hard, chemically resistant, durable, can take on long-lasting, brilliant colors, and cannot burn. These can be: aquatic larva and pupae, fish, eggs, worms, grasshoppers, mice, frogs, leeches, etc. Also, an "enamel" is a decorative object, usually very small, having an enamel coating, such as a piece of champlevé or cloisonné. While flies originally were made to imitate flying insects, they have evolved to match the diets and stimulants of the targeted species. Vitreous enamel can be applied to most metals. Another aspect of fly fishing is choosing the appropriate 'fly'. It is often applied in a paste form and may be transparent or opaque when fired. The fish is then 'played' either by hand, where the angler continues to hold the fly line in his hand to control the tension applied to the fish, or he eliminates the slack in the line to get the fish 'on the reel' in order to use the reel's mechanism ('drag') to slow the fish's runs.

The powder melts and flows to harden as a smooth, durable vitreous coating on metal, glass or ceramic. This sets the hook in the fish's mouth. In a discussion of art technology, enamel (or vitreous enamel, or porcelain enamel in American English) is the colorful result of fusion of powdered glass to a substrate through the process of firing, usually between 750 and 850 degrees Celsius. If a fish strikes, the angler pulls in line while raising the rod tip. Counter enameling, not strictly a technique, but a necessary step in many techniques, is to apply enamel to the back of a piece as well - sandwiching the metal - to create less tension on the glass so it does not crack. The angler then makes another presentation, perhaps after a few false casts. Sgrafitto, where an unfired layer of enamel is applied over a previously fired layer of enamel of a contrasting color, and then partly removed with a tool to create the design. After several moments the angler withdraws the fly by pulling in a small portion of line by hand (this is called 'tending' the line), then lifting the tip of the rod.

The stencil is removed before firing, the enamel staying in a pattern, slightly raised. This presentation of the fly onto the water is one of fly-fishing's most difficult aspects, because the angler is attempting to cast in such a way that the line lands smoothly on the water's surface and the fly appears as natural as possible. Stenciling, where a stencil is placed over the work and the powdered enamel is sifted over the top. Once on the water, the fly may either float or sink, depending on the type of fly and the style of fishing. A 3D type of enameling where a sculptural form is completely or partly enameled. Casts are made to spots where fish are likely to hold, such as pools and pockets in streams. Ronde bosse, French for "round bump". When a 'false cast' is 'released' the line floats gently down to the water.

It has a stained-glass like appearance. Anything over 18m (60 feet) in freshwater is likely to impress fellow anglers more than the fish, but many saltwater situations call for casts well beyond 25m (82 feet). Plique-à-jour, French for "braid letting in daylight" where the enamel is applied in cells, similar to champlevé, but with no backing, so light can shine through the transparent or translucent enamel. False casting continues until the desired amount of fly line is airborne: perhaps as little as 3m (roughly 10 feet) for small streams, but averaging around 10m (30 feet) in most freshwater conditions. It is a form of Grisaille. This motion, known as 'false casting', can be used to pay out line, dry a soaked fly, reposition a cast, or show off one's casting abilities. Limoges, named after the town in France where it was invented, is the technique of "painting" with an especial enamel called "blanc de limoges" over a dark enamelled surface to form a detailed picture, often human figure. The objective of this motion is to "load" the rod tip with energy and allow the energy to travel the length of the fly line creating distance and control.

Grisaille, French term meaning "greying", where dark, often blue or black background is applied, then limoges or opalescent (translucent) enamel is applied on top, building up designs in a monochrome gradient, paler as the thickness of the layer of light color increases. Generally, the rod is moved from the 10 o'clock position to the 2 o'clock position without letting the line touch the water or ground. Cloisonné, French for "cell", where thin copper, silver or gold wires form walls which separate different areas. The most common cast is when the angler whisks the fly rod forward and back using primarily the forearm and upper arm, using the wrist to soften the motion. Champlevé, French for "raised field", where enamel is fired around raised fields of metal, leaving the metal exposed. There are several types of casts in fly fishing that are used in a variety of situations. The surface of the metal is decorated with a low relief design which can be seen through translucent and transparent enamels. The average freshwater rod is around 8 to 9 feet in length and weighs between 2 and 5 ounces, though a recent trend has popularized lighter, shorter rods.

Basse-taille, from the French word meaning "low-cut". Fly fishing rods can be as short as 2m (6 ft) long in freshwater fishing and up to 4 m (14 ft) long for saltwater or spey rod fishing. The fly angler uses a rod longer and lighter than those used for cast and spin fishing. In recent years, more exotic locations for reaching native populations of species have become popularized such as Mongolia ( for the largest Salmonid species in the world, the taimen ), and the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, where many believe holds the largest runs of salmon species in the world. Christmas Island in the Pacific is famous for bonefish, and various parts of coastal Australia offer a wide variety of saltwater sport fish.

The Bahamas and Belize also provide outstanding opportunities for salt-water fly angling. Salt-water fly fishing has rapidly expanded in popularity, especially along the Gulf Coast and the Florida Keys for such species as bonefish, tarpon, redfish, and permit, and along the mid-Atlantic and Northeast coasts for bluefish and striped bass. On the other side of the globe, the active geothermal area around Lake Taupo on the North Island of New Zealand is another world-famous trout destination, particularly the Tongariro River near Turangi. Along with the River Don and the River Dee, Scotland boasts the River Spey after which an entire genre of two-handed fly rods and casting techniques is named.

In addition to River Test, River Itchen, the Kennet, the Lambourn, and the Avon in the same area of southern England may also be considered legendary. There are also tens of thousands of miles lesser known but very worthwhile streams. Many of the traditional “Holy Waters” of North American fly fishing can be found in these areas: New York’s Beaverkill, Michigan’s AuSable and Two Hearted (the latter made famous by Hemingway’s “Big Two-Hearted River” although there is widespread agreement that internal evidence in the story suggests he was actually describing the nearby Fox river), Wisconsin’s Bois Brule, Pennsylvania’s Letort, and numerous others. and Canada), New England and most of the Appalachian corridor also offer abundant opportunities for fly fishing for trout.

Although not as widely popular among fly fishers as the west, other regions including the Canadian Maritime provinces and Newfoundland and Labrador, the upper Great Lakes region (in both the U.S. Famous North American waters include the Henrys Fork (home to Mike Lawson) and Silver Creek (Ernest Hemingway's favorite haunt) in Idaho, the Yellowstone and the Madison in Montana, the Deschutes, the North Umpqua and the Rogue rivers in Oregon, the Pitt, Hat Creek, the Owens and the East Walker in California, Lee's Ferry on the Colorado River in Arizona, the San Juan in New Mexico, the Upper Delaware and the Green River in Utah, and the Arkansas, the Frying Pan, the South Platte and the Blue River in Colorado, and the White River in Arkansas. The city of Calgary, Alberta holds the distinction of having one of the world's best trout rivers (thanks to nutrient rich runoff from the city's waste water sewage) run through the centre of the city, although West Yellowstone is arguably the epicenter for Western Fly Fishing in North America. North American fly fishing for trout is now generally centred in the western states and provinces with Utah, Idaho, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, British Columbia and Alberta, and California holding the most interest.

. Movies such as A River Runs Through It starring Brad Pitt, cable fishing shows, and the emergence of a competitive fly casting circuit have also added to the sport's recent resurgence. In recent years, interest in flyfishing has surged as baby boomers discover the tranquil nature of the sport. Ernest Hemingway helped to popularize fly fishing, along with deep-sea fishing, through his works of fiction, including The Sun Also Rises.

Participation in flyfishing peaked in the early 1920's in the eastern states of Maine and Vermont and in the midwest in the spring creeks of Wisconsin. The Junction Pool in Roscoe, where the Willowemoc flows into the Beaver Kill, is the center of an almost ritual pilgrimage every April 1, when the season begins. Many of them also wrote about the practice and invented new flies, drawing yet more anglers to the region, which is still considered the birthplace of American dry-fly fishing. In the late 19th century, anglers, such as Ray Bergman, in the Catskill Mountains of New York began using the fly to fish the region’s many trout-rich streams such as the Beaverkill and Willowemoc Creek.

American rod builders such as Hiram Leonard, developed superior techniques for making bamboo rods: thin strips were cut from the cane, planed into shape, and then glued together to form light, strong, hexagonal rods with a hollow core that were superior to anything developed before. But the use of new woods in fly rods, first Greenheart, then bamboo, made it possible to cast flies into the wind on silk lines. Cotton and his predecessors fished their flies with long rods, and light lines allowing the wind to do most of the work of getting the fly out to the fish. Lines made of silk, instead of horse-hair, were heavy enough to be cast in the modern style.

These became the foundation of all later developments. So it was necessary to develop new techniques that would keep the fly and the line floating on the surface. The weed in these rich rivers tends to grow very close to the surface, so that traditional wet fly fishing is impossible: the fly would snag in weed long before it reached a trout. British fly-fishing was further developed in the 19th Century, with the development of dry-fly techniques for use on the slower, clearer rivers of the south such as the River Test and the other 'chalk streams' concentrated in Hampshire, Surrey, Dorset and Berkshire (see Southern England Chalk Formation for the geological specifics).

The first detailed writing about the sport comes in two chapters of Izaak Walton's Compleat Angler which were actually written by his friend Charles Cotton and described the fishing in the Derbyshire Wye. Modern fly fishing originated on the fast, rocky rivers of Scotland and Northern England. Records of fishing with a fly go back to Ancient Greece when it was common to catch fish on a hook dressed with red yarn. Wet flies are divided into other types such as nymphs, lures and true wet flies and they are all fished beneath the surface of the water.

They are mostly cast upstream in moving water when fishing for trout. Dry flies are coated with a floatant and sit on the surface of the water. There are two basic forms of fly fishing, dry or wet. Stealth is often critical in fly fishing.

The point is that a fly can be presented gently and under the control of the angler instead of plopping down with a big splash. In fact, a fly line can be "cast" without any fly or lure on it at all, a feat impossible with a typical casting rod and reel. In fly fishing, the "fly" is virtually weightless and you are using the weight of the line to place the fly where you want it to be. In fact, the main practical difference between fly fishing and casting is that in casting, you are using the weight of the lure to "throw" it out (much like throwing a baseball).

The fly itself can weigh very little and is normally attached to the line by a 2-3 meter leader which may taper to a very fine line at the tip end, also called the tippet. Lines may be tapered and of differing densities to float or sink and are matched to the rod according to weight. Fly rods are relatively light and long while the lines are relatively heavy, providing the casting weight. Artificial flies are constructed — "tied" onto a hook with thread, fur, feathers and other materials — in sizes and colours to match naturally occurring food or simply to excite a fish.

Fly fishing is a distinct and ancient angling method, developed primarily for salmonids (trout and salmon, mostly) and now extended to other species such as pike, bass, and carp, as well as a wide range of marine species. Amadou. Fly lure.