Hello everyone! I wanted to post a quick update for the upcoming book "Fly Lines - how to make them" by John Betts and Michael Hacnkney.
The response to this book has been overwhelming! I have received more inquires and I get emails asking about it every week. John started this work 20 years ago and finished the book last year. I've been using early drafts of it to make lines for the last 3 years. In that time, a number of things have happened.
First, Cortland stopped producing some of the materials needed to make several of the line weights. I spent over a year calling and evaluating alternatives. The good news is, I have found an off-the shelf option and I have been able to procure unsold stock of the original materials from Cortland in bulk form.
Second, as I made lines I explored a number of new directions including dying the lines, alternative formulas, especially for light weight lines, and a few tweaks on the fabrication method itself. John asked me to include this information and co-author the book with him, an invitation I could not refuse!
So, in November, I started adding the new information. This has delayed release by a few months but I'm happy to report that the work is almost complete and ready to go to proof. The updated release plan is end of March but I'll have a more accurate date when I take the book to the printer for proofing.
The current plan is to offer the book as a softcover only since it is a "working book" (although in John's inimitable style!). I'd appreciate any feedback from you if you would be interested in a limited edition hardcover, just comment to this blog post with any feedback.
Finally, to make it easy to get everything you need from a single location to save shipping charges, I'll be carrying materials and supplies for line making using John's technique on my Eclectic Angler site when the book is released.
Best regards,
Michael
The response to this book has been overwhelming! I have received more inquires and I get emails asking about it every week. John started this work 20 years ago and finished the book last year. I've been using early drafts of it to make lines for the last 3 years. In that time, a number of things have happened.
First, Cortland stopped producing some of the materials needed to make several of the line weights. I spent over a year calling and evaluating alternatives. The good news is, I have found an off-the shelf option and I have been able to procure unsold stock of the original materials from Cortland in bulk form.
Second, as I made lines I explored a number of new directions including dying the lines, alternative formulas, especially for light weight lines, and a few tweaks on the fabrication method itself. John asked me to include this information and co-author the book with him, an invitation I could not refuse!
So, in November, I started adding the new information. This has delayed release by a few months but I'm happy to report that the work is almost complete and ready to go to proof. The updated release plan is end of March but I'll have a more accurate date when I take the book to the printer for proofing.
The current plan is to offer the book as a softcover only since it is a "working book" (although in John's inimitable style!). I'd appreciate any feedback from you if you would be interested in a limited edition hardcover, just comment to this blog post with any feedback.
Finally, to make it easy to get everything you need from a single location to save shipping charges, I'll be carrying materials and supplies for line making using John's technique on my Eclectic Angler site when the book is released.
Best regards,
Michael
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