The Klinkhåmer Special is probably the most popular fishing fly in the world today. It floats on the end of fly lines on salmon, trout or grayling rivers, from Britain to USA, and Scandinavia to Mongolia. This year marks the fly's 40th anniversary and to celebrate the occasion, its creator Hans van Klinken has at last written his long-awaited first book.
Flyfishers for salmon, trout, grayling and coarse species will for the first time learn from Hans himself the secrets behind his miracle Klinkhåmer Special which has caught its fans hundreds and hundreds of fish: the thinking behind the design, the testing, the variations, the reasons for its remarkable success.
Full instructions for tying Hans' most important flies are included in his engaging and revealing account of his life in flytying and fishing.
SELLING POINTS: .
Only book ever written by this guru of flytying
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Massive worldwide publicity lined up in newsprint and magazines to mark the 40th anniversary of the Klinkhåmer Special in June 2024
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International tying demonstrations by Hans in 2024
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Elegant jacketed hardback with ribbon bookmark and over 675 colour images
By:
Hans van Klinken
Imprint: Merlin Unwin Books
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 276mm,
Width: 216mm,
Spine: 30mm
Weight: 1.690kg
ISBN: 9781913159757
ISBN 10: 1913159752
Pages: 352
Publication Date: 02 May 2024
Audience:
General/trade
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ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active
Foreword John Roberts 10 Introduction Hans van Klinken 12 Chapter 1 Dutch Panama: The Forgotten Fly 17 Start of flytying 21 Scandinavian influence 24 Dutch Panama (version 1) 26 Dutch Panama (version 2) 30 Chapter 2 Rackelhanen 35 Rackelhanen background 38 Rackelhanen fishing techniques 39 Tying the Rackelhanen 44 Chapter 3 The Way with a Parachute 51 My first parachute flies 57 A little history of parachute flies 59 The real power of the parachute fly 73 Trends that have evolved in the last few decades 75 Chapter 4 Scandinavian Parachute Flies 89 Tying a parachute on a Swedish dry fly hook 90 Tomas Olsson 96 Tying a classic Tomas Olsson emerger using his original drawings 99 Hare’s Ear Parachute Emerger 99 How to burn a synthetic wing using the famous Olsson technique 100 Chapter 5 Universal Baetis 105 Lessons learned through addiction 106 The rise of the Universal Baetis 108 Tying our Universal Baetis (as we designed it in Denmark) 114 Chapter 6 Klinkhåmer Special: Forty years of dry fly success 119 Setting the record straight 119 Sharing the credit 120 Naming of the Klinkhåmer Special 123 Real thoughts behind the Klinkhåmer Special 123 The original materials 127 The truth about hooks 146 Tying the original Klinkhåmer Special 158 Klinkhåmer version 2.0 164 Tying the Klinkhåmer Special version 2.0 165 Repairing damaged Parachute flies 172 Making Klinkhåmers with extra slim bodies 174 What does the Klinkhåmer imitate? 176 Fishing the Klinkhåmer Special 177 My leaders and tippets are different from most systems 179 Klinkhåmer catches so far 180 Chapter 7 Para Poly Sedge 183 New Sedge pattern 183 How to fish the PPS 185 Tying the PPS 186 Chapter 8 Culard and Once and Away 191 My way with CDC 191 Floatability 192 Mobility 193 CDC against all the rules 195 Tying the Culard 196 The rise of the Once and Away 200 Tying the Once and Away 204 Chapter 9 The Power of Ants 209 Investigations and observations 210 Shape or silhouette 213 Floating ants 217 Tying the one minute Parachute Ant (no 1) 220 Tying the Parachute Ant (no 2, river version) 224 Adding an extra sight indicator 226 The Ugly Bug – my version of the Chernobyl Ant 228 Tying the Ugly Bug (the best of the best) 229 Chapter 10 Green Glomma Duns 235 My ‘Shining River’ (The Glomma River) 242 Entomology (keep it simple) 245 New way of thinking 252 Forking the tails 257 Tying the Green Glomma Dun 260 Chapter 11 Nalle Puh 267 The national fishing fly of Finland 272 The Nalle Puh and some crucial background information 283 The natural insects described by Aki Rinne 284 The final Nalle Puh 287 My first Nalle Puhs 289 Tying the original Nalle Puh 305 Dark Puh (original version by Simo) 308 CDC Puh (original version by Juha Pusa) 308 Honey Puh (original version by Simo) 308 Snösko (Snowshoe) Puh (originator: Juha Pusa) 308 My own classic version of the Nalle Puh, Honey Puh and Dark Puh 309 Tying my version of the Nalle Puh with synthetic wings 310 Chapter 12 Perfect Poly Bugs for Atlantic salmon 315 My way with Atlantic salmon 318 Rising fish 328 Tying my first dry flies for Atlantic salmon 332 Deer hair versus poly yarn 337 More time spent to perfect my Poly Bug 338 A few important notes about the materials in the dressing 344 Tying the Green Poly Bug 346 A few last words 352
Hans van Klinken started flyfishing at the age of 15 in Norway. He immediately fell in love with the unbridled beauty of the Arctic regions. Hans’ greatest outdoor experience was in 1975 when he spent almost four months in the wilderness of Lapland, where he learned how to survive in the forest and on the tundra. Hans began flytying in 1976. By the early 1980s, he was creating his own designs, mostly parachutes. This eventually led to his development of several unusual patterns and tying techniques. His international fame increased as he continued his meticulous development of his flies, giving demonstrations, workshops and classes around the world. Armed with his backpack, rod and flytying material, he and his future wife Ina travelled round Scandinavia as far north as Svalbard and later Europe and North America, fishing their way around. It was in the large variety of the river systems and lakes of Scandinavia and Finland that he honed his flyfishing skills. Hans’ retirement now makes it possible to commit fully to the world of flyfishing and related environmental issues. He has finally found the time to write his long-awaited first book which sheds light on his ground-breaking thinking behind the world famous Klinkhåmer fly and variations. Throughout his life he has held free-of-charge educational programmes and flytying lessons for youngsters, something he sees as his way of giving back to society.
Reviews for The Klink (book): The Extraordinary Flytying Genius of Hans van Klinken
'Enjoyable, rich in information and inspiration. Nearest thing to a 'must have' book I think I've opened in a long time.' Magnus Angus, Flyfishing & Flytying 'Hans van Klinken needs no introduction to experienced flyfishers, but while he's been hugely influential, he's never written a book - until now! [The Klinkhamer] has crossed continents and oceans to the extent that there can hardly be a game river or stream that has not at some time seen a Klinkhamer floating through its riffles and glides. I doubt whether there is an experienced British or European flyfisher who has not used one. From Alaska to Zimbabwe, anglers eulogise about its effectiveness.' John Roberts, Trout & Salmon 'If I had to restrict myself to using just one fly for trout and grayling for the rest of my fly-fishing career, that fly would be the Klinkhåmer Special. I suspect that many others would make the same choice. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the birth of this superlative fly on the Glomma river in Norway. Since then, it has accounted for many thousands of fish: not just trout and grayling but over 40 species worldwide. This is a very impressive book and one long-awaited by fly-dressers and anglers. It is clearly written and lavishly illustrated with colour photographs. Merlin Unwin Books is to be congratulated for producing a work that will take pride of place on many thousands of bookshelves.' Keith Harwood, Classic Angler 'The Klink is a most impressive book. Only last year, the Klinkhamer Special was chosen as the most popular artificial fly by fly fishers around the glove. It is a super fly for large grayling, but trout, Atlantic salmon and numerous other species will rise to it as well. His book The Klink took a great many years to complete, but it was well worth the wait. You would be wise to get your hands on a copy of the book, it will serve you in more ways than one.' Rudy van Duijnhoven, The Flyfishing Blog 'The Klinkamer Special is probably the most popular fishing fly in the world today. Its creator Hans van Klinken has at last written his long-awaited first book. Full instructions for tying Hans' most important flies are included in his engaging and revealing account of his life in flytying and fishing. I found this book to be a highly interesting and beautiful read. All of the fly patterns covered are done in clear and easy to follow steps. The photos depicted in the book are outstanding! I can't wait to dive in and tie a few for myself. I would highly recommend this book as an addition to your flytying library.' Bob O'Donnell, Trout Unlimited Contributors voted the Klinkhamer Special the Greatest Fly of All Time. Even if you are not a regular Klinkhamer fisher, this is s a fascinating insight into the evolution of a game changing fly and the intense thinking of someone who sees a fly in relation to fish and fishing in a manner quite unlike us mere mortals.' Simon Cooper, Fishing Break Newsletter