Al Beatty

Hi group, We've posted in years past that the very old Nikon 995 is the best macro camera made if all you plan to do is post pictures on the Internet. Unfortunately, it is only a 3.2 mp camera. It can be had of eBay (used) for around $25 to $30. A smart-phone camera is also good for posting pictures on the Internet. Use you finger to zoom in on the fly then hold your finger on the fly to make the auto aspect of the unit lock focus on the fly. Last, a DSLR with a macro lens is great and you can zoom in on the subject to manually focus on individual fibers if needed. After that, use lots of light. Take care & ...

Hi group, A tip we've found when using closed cell foam for the hump: As outlined in the step-by-step(s), we cut a strip of 2-mm foam equal in width to the gape of a hook one size smaller than fly size we are tying. When that size gets to be size #18 and smaller we turn the foam on its side and cut the 2-mm strip really narrow. What we would really have loved to find is a source for 1-mm closed cell foam in colors similar to those available at Walmart. Do any of you have such a source? We'd appreciate that information if that product is available.Thanks in advance for any ideas. Take care & ...

Hi Group, For the last few months, Gretchen & I have been glued to our computer's keyboard writing a book on the dozen ways to tie a Humpy. Actually there are 15 ways listed in the book but we wanted "dozen" on the book's cover so we quit counting at 12. Anyway, the book is on our website at www.btsflyfishing.com at the top right-hand side of the home page. Just click on the book's cover or the provided link to download a PDF copy. We hope you find some of the information within its pages helpful. Take care & ... Tight Lines - (Gretchen &) Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi tomcraw, I'll offer two options. Other members have talked about the hook/latch tool so I'll not repeat that information. We have a YouTube video on the Knotted Hopper Leg at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JGNkrCqyf0. It will give instructions on tying a knot in pheasant tail fibers. Your other option is rubber legs and you've already gotten information on the knotted version of that but I'll offer another method. Tie the rubber legs on the fly without a knot in the leg then "bend" the leg after it's installed on the fly using the "crazy glue method" (we learned about it from Roy Powell). To bend a rubber leg, place a small "dot" of crazy glue on the rubber leg on the OPPOSITE side of the leg that you want to bend DOWN. Let the glue set for 3 or 4 seconds then slowly stretch the leg out a short distance then let the rubber leg material "snap" back to its original position. The leg will now angle down. The trick to this method is a consistent stretch of the rubber leg material before allowing it to snap back in position. We'll do a YouTube video on this method in the next few days and post information on the site when it's done. Take care & ...

Hi yooperflyfisher, Gretchen and I have been involved in the "print media industry" for about 30 years in one form or another (articles, books, self-published books, etc). The industry has gone through some major changes in the last few year. As a result we turned to self-publishing three years ago. In that world, you have four options with three of them a very good option for a fly-tying book. Those are eBooks (Kindle-Amazon or ???), downloadable PDF(free, for a fee, eBay, etc.), and POD (print-on-demand, Kindle-Amazon). The one option that we could not figure out how to make work for a fly-tying was audiobooks (never could figure out how to "read" a picture to a listener). Instructions are available for the three mentioned above on YouTube, Amazon, etc. Very few give you the straight "information" on photography in relation to the medium selected (electronic, PDF, POD). We've done all three and found them all great ways to get your message out. Of the three, we use eBooks and POD on a regular basis and have found all of them more profitable (for the author) than working with a brick-and-mortar publisher. Regarding the book page you posted: It looks really good but would have to be reformatted for eBook or POD. For example: An eBook MS Word Template page size is set at 5" x 8" so the Kindle publishing program can convert the file to an adjustable page that can easily be viewed on a computer screen, Kindle device, or Smartphone. For POD, your pages margins are too close to the edge to allow for printing, binding, and trimming the book. If you are interested we have a couple of free downloadable templates on our website (www.btsflyfishing.com, bottom of home page) for eBooks and POD books. Also, we've written two books on self-publishing. They are WRITE (publishing eBooks only) OR The Self-Publishing Encyclopedia (publishing eBooks, PDF, POD, audiobooks, home printing, and combinations of those mentioned. The books are available through our website or at Amazon.com (put Gretchen Al Beatty books in the search engine). An important feature you find in our book(s) is how to deal with the photography which is very specific for each of the different mediums. Good luck with your venture into self-publishing. We have certainly enjoyed our journey and hope you will as well. Take care & ...

Hi FishnPhil, We have a YouTube video that might help. I think the answer will be at minute 2:13 if I understand the problem. Here is the link if you are interested - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYhbh40I4nY. Take care & ...

In past years, we've gotten a number of our hide from Moscow Hide & Fur in Moscow, Idaho. Here is their website: https://www.hideandfur.com/inventory/Dressed.html. Note: The best hair for wings & tail on Compara Duns, Wulffs, Humpies, etc is locate on the hide along the backbone, the rump, and shoulder areas. Rib and belly hair is better of spinning or flaring. If you are not into buying a complete hide, you could check with a local taxidermist. Our book How to Tie!! Hair Wing Flies has a section in Chapter 2 on selecting hair in a fly shop based on fiber light to dark color ratio. Often your best option is to visit a taxidermist as they often have scraps that might fill-the-bill for you. Take care & ...

Gretchen and I still tie and fish Pott's patterns. The are especially effective presented on the swing on some of our western rivers like the Madison, Yellowstone, and other broken water streams. The original was tied out of long badger hair but in the absence of said hair we used elk mane or horse hair (mane or tail). Take care & ...

One of our go-to patterns for our western spring creeks or smooth flowing rivers like Henry's Fork of the Snake or the Missouri River is a #18 - #22 Royal Wulff. We'ere not sure why that fly works so well for us but it seems to be particularly effective when multiple hatches are happening which is a common occurrence on those waters. Take care & ...

Hi group, I'm kind of partial to elk, moose, and deer hair along with Whiting saddle hackle (Humpies, Wulffs, EHC, etc.). Take care & ...

I don't know if what I'm sharing is correct but when I first saw the Larva and Liqui Lace products a doctor friend looked at it and thought it was an item from the medical industry. No matter where it comes from it's a really cool product to tie with. Take care & ...

Wow, Mark! That new bench is really nice but I like the triangle shaped tool holder as well. It's too bad you can't refinish it then set it on the top left of the bench at the corner of the room. Just a thought. Take care & ...

Hi guys, I love the look of the Zee Wulffs. Question: How do you apply the Zelon hackle? Spin it around the hook? Use a dubbing loop? Or???? I look forward to your comments. Take care & ...

Hi group, This has little to do with the question but I had the distinct pleasure of demo tying next to Bing at his last public appearance at a fly fishing show. He was a special friend. His name in the subject line prompted me to comment. Sorry for being off topic. Take care & ...

Yes, we do. We use horse hair as a substitute for badger when tying Potts' flies. The fly was very popular in the 60s and 70s but has fallen out of favor in more recent years but that doesn't mean they won't catch fish because they do. They were developed by Franz Potts in the 50s (I think) from Missoula, Montana.Take care & ...

Hi robow7, The hooks are 90-degree hooks. Take care & ...

Hi robow7, We happen to get a good deal on bare (no added weight) jig hooks a few years ago and bought several thousand of them. Since then we've tied a bunch of heavily weighted flies (mostly nymphs) by putting a bead on a section of mono with a melted ball on one end (to keep the bead from falling off) and tying the bead/mono combination as an extension on the front of the hook. The resulting flies are snag resistant and are easy to fish deep. Take care & ...

Hi Ron, Given that your goal is online posting the best older macro camera is a Nikon Coolpix 995. We've used that camera to shoot several books and magazine articles and still use it from time to time for online pictures. It sells on eBay for much less than $100.00. Here is just one example: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-Coolpix-995-3-3p-Digital-Camera-INCLUDES-2-BATTERIES-/332387186551?hash=item4d63d1f777:g:NUUAAOSwzilZxApr Good luck. Take care & ...

Besides the flies already mentioned they look really good as Muddler wings or tails. Take care & ....

If you have a Chickabou pelt (chicken marabou) it makes a good sub for CDC if you TREAT it with a silicone spray like Scotch Guard or Kiwi Kamp Dry Just "hose down" the pelt with spray and hang it up to dry for a day or two. Fluff the dry pelt up before using it. Take care & ...

Hi Mike West, I was cleaning out one of the drawers in our tying room and was planning to throw away a BUNCH of similar stick on eyes. They are yours if you want them just e-mail your address to [email protected] and I'll send them. Be sure to put "Stick on Eyes" in the subject line so my spam filter doesn't remove your e-mail. Take care & ...

Hi Bob, You might try a wax toilet bowl ring available at Lowe's or Home Depot. Take care & ...

Hi MikeQ716, Starting with your pictures from the left: 1. trim from a Whiting brown furnace "laced hen cape," 2. barred ginger saddle with most of the better feathers removed (also purple cape, yellow, brown Whiting furnace hen feather, trim feathers patches), 3. repeat of 1, 4. natural dun trim pieces from the sides of capes, 5. yellow cape trims, 5. brown Whiting furnace from a "laced hen cape," 6. table full of Whiting trim patches as already identified from one of their bulk bags. Take care & ...

An Employer's Identification Number should get to wholesale pricing. You can apply here https://www.govdocfiling.com/tax-id-application?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=adgroupfour&utm_content=easytitle&gclid=CNyijbaR99MCFUJrfgodsDIGrw Take care & ...