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Hi All.
Nice site you have here, Interesting articles. Nice one.

Welcome aboard, Paul. You are from England on the River Tyne, right?

Yes, Thats right, I live on the North Side of the tyne. Yo know it??

No, Paul, I don't. I Googled your location in an attempt to learn where you were from, and then sought confirmation. Do you fish?

Welcome!

Yes I fish, mostly for trout in resevoirs, stillwater fisheries, lakes.
The river Tyne is considered to be one of the best salmon rivers in england, but too expensive. I make priests as a hobby, and sold some to a guy in Anchorage. Ive subsequently been invited over in 2009,to fish the salmon runs,Im flying out with two mates, really looking forward to it.
My personal best is a rainbow, a little under 9 lb.
Hope to better it this season. heres my web album.
http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/gg55/thepriestmaker/

"scratches head" make preists? like the holy kind?

smallstream, a "priest" is also a fishing accessory, but in this age of CPR fishing, not very many people use them. salmon fishers in Alaska bring the fish home, you see, so they need one.

Thats right Casey, in England too a lot of fish are taken for the table.. I was rather surprised to learn from another site, that in most of the US all fish are returned.
Smallstream, Its called a priest, as its used to administer"The last rites" to a fish, rather than leave them to slowly die.

haha oh I see, like a club or something

Welcome, I always find it a real pleasure conversing with fishermen from England.

Mark

when i visited England last year, my hosts were mystified why i didn't bring home some fish for the table. my treat at the fish'n'chips shop fixed that!

Smallstream, If youcopy and post the link in my earlier post (photobucket)into your browser, youll see the prists.
Heres a link to a site you might find interesting.

http://www.flyforums.co.uk/index.php
Paul

those look very nice, likes works of art. I bet it feels a little less barbaric to the person than slamming the fish's head against a rock.

thanks for the UK link.

gonna join later.

Len

and classier than smacking it upside the head with a pair of rusty pliers that live in the bilge. (one of those moments i wish i'd not seen because it was so unexpected...) are they horn or wood? and how are they made heavy?

Casey, thay are Made from Stag Antler. I drill out one end, a half inch bore, around one and a half inches deep. Fill with lead. then take a brass wire brush on a drill, and clean off the crap, mud etc.
Cap the ends with slices of buffalo horn, then scrub the whole lot with bleach, and wash, then dry. then the priest is is sanded down using a belt sander, then finer grades of abrasive paper. Then finally polished with metal polish. I usually add a brass centre to one end.
Then a waxed leather thong and toggle.
copy this into your browser.
youll see them.
http://s245.photobucket.com/albums/gg55/thepriestmaker/

paul

gorgeous! your pictures of the process are neat, too.
why are good hand-made tools so much more fun to use? got a bodkin made from a piece of Yellowstone River driftwood that, no offense to Dr. Slick, makes my standard store-bought one seem crude and overdone.