N Parish

Just got my flies. What a sweet collection! You guys are awesome. This is not helping my jonesin'... runoff probably won't be done until July this year. Hope you all let me know how the Yellow Jackets hold up. This will be my first year fishing that pattern. Fred, my wife thinks you suck. I think you're awesome. Difference in taste I guess. Dropping it in her lap didn't really help. Thanks for all the inspiration, and Pickin, thanks for running a great swap. Nick

I used to do this also because of the super fine wire I could find. Then I noticed that all my brassies and copper johns got dull really fast. The raw wire that comes out of motors oxidizes quickly, so if you tie a dozen flys to have in stock, you may find that they don't look so hot after a few months, especially if fished. If you tie (and loose) flies a bunch, it probably doesn't matter. I'm sort of anal when it comes to my flies looking nice, they give me more confidence. Now I just suck it up and buy the Ultra Wire. It's coated so the flies stay nice for a long time. Nick

Hey BB, Got my flies yesterday (Thursday). They are AWESOME! Thanks to everyone for making my first swap a really fun one. Looking forward to doing more. Thanks, Nick

Hey everyone, Catalpa_Joe asked me what the legs and antennae are on my Fire Beetle and I thought I'd post here in case anyone else was interested. It's kind of weird. You know those plastic banding straps for packing? They usually have a crosshatch pattern in them? Well, you take one of those (I have black, white, and yellow) and pull strips off of the edge. You can then slide your fingernails down the strand to clean it up or lessen the size. It takes a bit of work and practice, but one strap makes a ton of legs. They hold up really well and curve or crimp nicely. To curve I just pinch between my fingernail and my thumb, and pull (like curling ribbon). To crimp, I just grab hold of all three legs ona side and bend. It also takes Softex well for more realistic legs. Can't wait to see all the flies. Nick

I do feel that tying enhances the tradition of the sport, but not only from the standpoint of sticking with the "right" materials or patterns. I think that the biggest tradtion in tying is innovation. The fathers of fly tying didn't have antron and scud back, they had fur and feathers. They made flies with what they had available, and by tying with tire rubber or whiskers from my cat, I feel like I'm following this tradition. That is what makes tying so attractive to me. Just my thoughts. Nick

Fantastic fly. You tie exactly the kind of flies that I love to fish (and try to tie). The realistic, yet fishable ones are the biggest challenge. Do you finish the raffia wing with anything? I find that raffia gets weird in the water. It sure looks good dry. Where does one find porcupine guard hair? I wish I could find a synthetic that did as good a job as those legs, but alas... Again, great fly. Nick

Hey pickin6ofem, Thanks! I own a sign shop and have been making (experimental) wings with my digital printer and vinyl. I'm looking forward to seeing how they hold up. Hope everyone will tell me if they end up sucking. Nick

Hey pickin6ofem, My flies went out on Tuesday. Forgot to let you know until now. Hope everyone likes them. I had a similar "tying" experience as Pelhament, except that I had to do it twice because I wasn't happy with the glue I used. Hope everyone will let me know how they hold up, I'm still playing with foam laminations. Nick

Hey Pickin', my Yellow Jackets are ready for an address. Thanks! Nick

I'm in too. I'd like to tie a Yellow Jacket if that's ok. I think of it as a terrestrial anyways... Look forward to seeing the goods. Nick

Hey Joe, Really looking forward to seeing your popper. I own a signshop and use HDU all the time. I've long wondered about using it to form popper bodies, but since the bass/panfish action is slower than the trout action, I've not gotten around to it. I use sign shop stuff constantly for flies. My tags on my flies are printed on our Gerber edge. Easier than writing them all! Nick

A bunch of Fire Beetles are migrating East. Left Colorado monday, hope you like them. Thanks! Nick

Hey Breambuster, I finished the tying and am ready for an addy. Flies will ship out Monday, looking forward to seeing everyone elses ties. Thanks! Nick

Thank you very much for the insight on that, I can't wait to try it. I would think that it would be really thick looking along the belly, especially with foam but it looks just right. Nick

Thanks Panfisherteen, Colors sound great. I hope you have as much fun fishing it as I do, I don't even need a fish to strike it to enjoy myself. It's like a puppet show or something, controling a mammal on the water. Let me know how it works for you. I've only tried it on river trout, haven't had a chance to work on the bass with it. Nick

Fantastic! I never thought of using that part of the glove. At first I thought the body was Pre-Wrap. Really super nice fly. Every time I see a pattern with the fibers coming from between body wraps, I am amazed and mystified as to how to do that nicely. Thanks for sharing this with us, I always like to see the fishable realistics. Nick

Nice pattern! I've long experimented with making a cased caddis, with mixed results. Your idea of having the extended case on the short hook is great. Is the case hollow, or is it filled with something? If hollow, what has the durability been like? Again, good tie. Nick

Hi J.Z. I've added a front shot to the pattern and revised the tying instructions for the ears. Let me know if it needs further clarification. Thanks, Nick

Hi Keith, Welcome to the forum. It's nice to see someone else from Montrose here. If you are getting obsessed with tying, this place will only make it worse... Nick

I'm in. I'll tie up some Fire Beetles. Been wanting to do a swap for a long time, this is the first I've caught. Looking forward to seeing all your flies. Thanks! Nick

Hi Ray, I had the same problem. Frustrating huh? For a video to play on an ipod, it needs to be in MPEG-4 format. I use MPEG Streamclip (freeware) to convert files, but I've never ripped one from a DVD. I'd start with the program on your computer that plays DVDs and see if it has a rip function. If not, there's probably a free program that will do it. Hope this puts you on the right path. If you find a good program to do it for cheap, I'd be interested in knowing it. Nick

I just uploaded my first pattern to the database and noted that it credited the pattern to my login, rather than the name that shows in my posts. If that's how it's supposed to be, then I'd like to change my login to match my screen name, but can't find where to do that. Any suggestions? Can admin help me out on this? It seems like everything should credit to the screen name as that is what everyone on the forum would know someone by. Again I'm new at the forum thing, sorry if I'm being dumb. Thanks, Nick

Last year I was looking for an all-synthetic mouse pattern, and after much searching on the internet machine, wound up with this little guy. It's my first addition to the database, so let me know if I did anything weird. Thanks! Nick

A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by saintnicholas: Approxi-Mouse

I find that, like many of you, "buggy", more impressionistic patterns catch many fish. But, as the question asks which do you prefer to fish, my answer is realistic. If we all just wanted to catch a ton of fish, we would run nets through the pools. I love casting a fly that looks very similar to a natural, and floats and acts like one (which is a rare combiniation) and having a fish confidently nail it. I like it when I'm sure that I fooled the fish into thinking my fly was exactly what I tied it to represent. It's an afirmation to a tier. Perhaps I personify a fish a bit much, but I like it when they are thinking "Wow...that mayfly had a hook on it!" with a surprised look on their face. not "I knew I shouldn't have eaten that fuzzy thing" with an embarrased look on their face. But, when I'm not sure exactly what they are eating...out comes the buggy. It's about the how I catch the fish, not how many. That's what makes it valuable to me in the long run.