August 2006 Bulletin - Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club

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Tom at the lathe
Tom at rod production rack
Art Dollosso Art Dollosso
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Amazingly, with a lot of your time, and your interest, these
two will voluntarily share their rod building knowledge with
you. It’s a club rite.
Whether you build one with them, as several members
have, or perhaps buy one, or simply cast one of these
wonderstruck little rods, you become part of the angling
fraternity that faithfully cherishes a Mother Nature made
material that has been fashioned into workable piece of art
the old way, by hand.
HOW TO MAKE A “SYLK” LINE
I do not really like any of the “moderne” fl y line: they are
too bulky, too stiff or too supple. On top of all of that, their
colors are everything but “discrete”.
Long time ago I purchased a silk fl y line for my 5 weight
and I REALLY love that line so I decided to have one for
my 3 weight rod......Mission impossible! So I decided to
make my own silk,..... or rather, Sylk line. After 8 months
of experiments this is the result, and if you, like me, like to
make things out of nothing, this is a project tailor-made
for you.
RECIPE FOR A “SYLK LINE” (level profi le)
Ingredients:
60’ Dacron backing line
1 bottle boiled linseed oil ( art-supply store)
1 bottle copal picture varnish (art-supply store)
In a glass jar mix the linseed oil with the copal (2%). Add the
Dacron line to the mixture and let it soak in it overnight.
Th e next day place the line in loose loops on a thick bed
of newspapers. Let it rest for a few hours. Past that time,
gently wipe the line with a soft cloth and hang to dry (drying
time varies). When dry, apply by gently rubbing with a soft
cloth another coat of linseed oil + copal. Let it dry. Repeat
operation for three or four times. When the last coat is dry,
polish the line with pumice powder or talcum. Grease with
Mucilin. Now is ready to use.
Th e fi rst time I tried this out I was happily surprised to
see how easy is to cast and how tight the loops are.....and
the presentation....so sweet! I use that line especially on
diffi cult fi sh, with silk furled leader, and casts not longer
than 30 feet.
For more questions on “How To...” feel free to send me an
e-mail to Flykenstein@sbcglobal.net
Dr. Flykenstein
By Dr. Flykenstein