CoachBob

I don't think you have to say "it looks like crap" but, you know, for a poorly executed fly that might be more helpful than a kindly meant but incorrect "nice looking fly". Face it, folks, there's a lot of "looks like crap" on all areas of this site that we judge subjectively because we don't know the skill set of the tyer. You always need to cut beginners some slack on their view of their own finished product -- but wouldn't it be more helpful to them to say "good attempt" than to say "good fly". Most of my flies are what I call general appearance flies and they are to have the correct proportions but don't attempt to be realistic, because I am not that talented. Besides, a hare's ear nymph looks like your cat hocked it up. But realistic tying seems to strive for perfection and, if you are going to sing Carmen, expect some honesty on the quality of your voice.

Let's assume you are tying on bucktail for a clouser or on a brass tube for a tube fly. It all works the same, except, unless you are going to spin hair around the tube, you will want to do the following on top then turn the tube and do it on the other side. Bucktail is often difficult to even in a hair stacker. Here is another method. Even the tips of the clump you have cut off of the bucktail and hold the tips in your left thumb and forefinger as you run your right thumb and forefinger down the bucktail toward the cut. Ten to fifty percent of the tail will come off in your right fingers because the hair is not uniform length. At this point you can reposition some of the hair so the ends all match up or toss the stuff you pulled out. Remember, a sparcely dressed fly is better than an overdressed fly and beginner tyers have a tendency to put on too much tail. Also remember that by using sparce amounts of tail you can add additional layers of different colored bucktail. Lay the bucktail you have cut and evened out against the hook shaft. This next step is going to work better if you've put a thread base on the shaft. Pinch the bucktail against the shaft and hold it there until you have put several wraps of thread on the tail. Put a couple of snug but not tight wraps at the point along the shaft toward the hook bendwhere you want your thread wraps to end. It may take a few tries for you to find out what "snug" versus "tight " is, but basically snug holds the bucktail down without pinching it. Do not let go of your pinch and do not wrap past this point. Now you can put tight wraps around the bucktail toward the hook eye. The snug wraps will hold the bucktail without flaring it too much and will keep the tight wraps from causing big flares. Now you can let go of your pinch and put an even thread wrap over the bucktail without going past the original snug wraps. What you should end up with is bucktail with just a slight flare all pointing in the general direction of the hook bend. :yahoo: Good Luck.

Some of the solvents are volatilizing. Means the cement is getting air.

I use 3mm and 4mm rattles all the time for several patterns. They are glass so you have to cover them with something in the pattern, but they work well. I usually super glue them to a thread base on the shank.

This may be well known to others, but I just found it. Seems like it has really good videos for beginners. http://learnflytying.co.uk/

I ask frequently for friends and sometimes strangers (when we are on the water together or at a lodge together) to try my patterns. Never had anything other than "sure" -- although it sometimes comes with a surprised look that I'd be giving away flies. In almost every case they gave me an honest opinion -- which has ended a pattern's future more than once. Sounds like you have a horse's posterior for a "friend" and about the only thing you can do, other than kissing him off or sucking it up, is find a pattern that works great and refuse to give him any. Geez, what a schmuck.

Closed cell sheet foam (fun foam) is very forgiving and makes for many fish catching patterns that are quite easy to tie. You can look on the data base here or go to http://www.ultimateflytying.com/ and click on "foam flies" on the far left column

7 February 2009 8:30am - 3:30pm Lafayette, Louisiana. 20 expert fly tyers with demonstrations and hands-on instruction 6 FFF-CCI casting instructors with lessons and contests Kayak exhibits and lessons Instructional programs The best part -- it's all FREE. Come join us. Grace Presbyterian Church 518 Roselawn Blvd. Lafayette, LA

Small bead chain from Hobby Lobby. Comes in black, gold and silver. Ties easily down to a 10 and some hook manufacturer's 12s.

Check this out http://www.midcurrent.com/articles/flies/cowen_jighooks.aspx

I am not a strong swimmer and never go on the water without a PFD -- even when the boat is still and especially not when wading in deep waters or when deep waters are nearby. I use the inflatable models and never even notice they are on. So far I have managed to convince most of the fly fishermen I know to do the same. SOSpenders and Sterns should give me a commission. I spent years in the Coast Guard working on reports of boaters who drowned because they did not wear a PFD. Dragging a canal for bodies is not my favorite pasttime. In almost every instance of a drowning death, there was no PFD and in most instances if someone in the boat had a PFD they survived. The past president of our fly club is a strong swimmer but turned over his canoe and was rendered unconscious with no PFD. Only the CPR efforts of brave strangers saved his life.

Okay, you've really got my interest. Excluding the spawn, what fly do you use for redear? How deep do you usually fish them and how do you managed to get down to them? We have a beautiful lake nearby with redear that no one except locals can catch, and they're not letting out secrets.

What you have to remember is that panfish are not particular about insect species and are not hatch oriented. Redear are primarily snail eaters but unless you are a redear specialists, you are not going to catch many of them under any circumstances. Crappie are primarily fish eaters so something like a small rabbit leach works, but they will also eat an available insect, which brings us to bluegill, who eat any bug that swims. Your best bet is generic flies. Try soft hackles to start -- they are easy and work very well, then look at the Boudreaux pattern on this site, then some march brown style nymphs.

If you want a light weight compact tool caddy, the Renzetti Tool Caddy isn't my favorite but does the job for traveling. Made of dense foam it doesn't weigh much and holds lots of tools. Prices for it are all about the same. Cabelas.com and jannsnetcraft have it for $19. I couldn't find it on the J. Stockard site. I bought knitting luggage from Michaels to carry tying materials like hackles and fur, but my best purchase was a plastic tool chest from Wal-Mart that has a removable shelf in the top that can carry all my tools and a large space underneath to store materials. It's yellow and black and I think it cost under $15 and weighs practically nothing.

Yep, the superior is the one. That bearsden price is darn good, too.

Foam Sources: Michaels - 79-99 cents a sheet for 2mm 99-1.29 a sheet for 3mm Hobby Lobby pretty much the same as Michael's plus 3.99-4.29 for a pack of half sheets in 20 different colors. (Great for a beginner) Wal-Mart 6.99 for a pack of foam sheets or half sheets with glitter on one side Dollar Tree $1 for a 5 pack of 1.5mm sheets

I recently bought a FlyFitters at Old Florida Fly Shop in Boca Raton. This works the best of any I have owned. I haven't seen them anywhere else and the manufacturer's site www.fly-fitters.com says they sell at lots of locations that don't necessarily carry the large boxes. I like this one because the closed cell foam is slit but the slits are tight and the flies stay in the box till you want them. Cost about the same as a bugger barn. Old Florida will ship anywhere (877) 653-3567

Measuring tape holder. My daughter in fashion made a dress from measuring tapes bought at the fabric store. Interesting dress if nothing else. I ended up with 100 perfect plastic boxes about the diameter of a Mardi Gras doubloon. I just cut a circle of closed cell foam for the bottom and voila, everyone is jealous. I personally don't think crappie (white perch, sac-a-lait) are a fly fishing fish -- usually too deep and too close to fly eating cover -- but I caught three nice ones yesterday on a Boudreaux. I'm telling you, it's practically magic.

There is NO UNIFORMITY in hook sizing. Mustad is at least making an effort. The new Mustad signature Single Salmon hook series is designed within the Alfa Code system. This means that the gape opening (distance from the hook point to the shank) on a # 2 Salmon hook from this series will have the same gape as a # 2 R50 wet fly hook, or an O'Shaughnessy S71SS # 2 saltwater hook. The same applies for all larger and smaller sizes in the whole Signature hook series. Mustad swears it is not another system to confuse fly tiers, but THE system, based on the original system of sizing used by Mustad for many, many years, made consistent and simple. Orvis’ web site has an entire table dedicated to explaining the uses for each of the fourteen styles of hooks they sell (look under “fly tying hooks” at orvis.com). Bass Pro Shops (basspro.com) and Cabela’s (cabelas.com) will tell you what each hook is used for when you click on the picture or text on the fly hooks page. If you go to the Global Fly Fisher site (http://www.globalflyfisher.com/streamers/raske/hooks/hooks.htm) you will find a table and detailed explanation of the most used streamer fly hooks, or you can just go to the home page (globalflyfisher.com) and put “hooks” in the search window and you’ll get a list of very instructive articles. I really like the Dai-Riki hooks. I think they are only available at Dan Bailey's or Blue Quill Angler. (Note: not big box stores) http://www.bluequillangler.com/Blue-Quill-...Dai-Riki-20-Off or dan-bailey.com then go to "fly tying" then "dai-riki hooks" Not very expensive and great hook gap and reliable sizing within the brand.

I have three Perrine auto reels from 40-50 years ago that are in perfect condition except for some little glitch that keeps each one from holding the tension in the spring. I'm not sure when I'd use them again, but I hate to have them not working -- even in storage. I've looked everywhere I can think of on the Internet with no luck for repair suggestions and fly repair shops just laugh. Any thoughts?

Here's hints from someone who ties over 1000 closed cell foam flies annually. For lots of good foam fly links go to: http://www.ultimateflytying.com/FoamFlies.htm A reliable easy pattern is the Gartside Gurgler: http://www.jackgartside.com/step_gurgler.htm 10 rules for using closed cell foam (there are others but here's a short list): 1. The best glue is superglue which literally changes the molecular structure of the surface of the closed cell foam and when two pieces are glued together creates a permanent bond. Don't be afraid if you get it on your fingers. It does come off of skin easily. But you can glue foam to your fingers, which is a bit more trouble. 2. Always put a thread base on the hook shank before attaching foam. You can also glue the foam to the thread. This will keep the foam from sliding around the shank -- which can happen with even a completed fly. 3. Look at the underside of your fly. Foam is deceptive because it can look great on the top and crummy on the fish's side. 4. Check the hook gap as you put on the foam. Foam can use up a lot of the gap and suddenly you have a pretty fly that can't hook anything. Using 2x or longer hooks is not a bad idea. 5. Put more foam on the top if the hook than the bottom because the fly will orient to the largest amount of foam and can float sideways or upside down. 6. Foam is cheap. "Looks like crap" won't catch fish. Practice and repeat until you get a good looking fly. 7. Flat wax nylon is the best thread to use because it is durable and won't cut through the foam. Kevlar is the worst for foam cutting. 8. Rubber legs affect the floatation of the fly. Make sure the legs are exactly even on each side or the fly will tilt in the water. Madam "X" style usually is easy and effective. 9. Cut a longer strip of foam for the fly than you think you will need. You can always cut off foam but adding is a pain. (Remember, foam is cheap.) 10. Use contrasting colors when making the fly. Because you can glue foam to foam easily, you should create contrast on the fly (because fish mostly see contrast). PM me if you have specific questions. Bob

When you come down call 'em "Specks" because everyone else will. An effective and VERY easy pattern is a #4 Mustad 34011 with a pair of bead chain silver eyes and 10-12 strands of 3" krystal flash in pearl. Period the end. It looks too simple to be effective, but looks are really deceiving in this instance. The only problem is that every 15 or so casts you will want to check that the krystal flash has not twisted into a single braid. Have fun.

Got to http://flyanglersonline.com/ and click on "Features" Then click on Bob Boese Then read the current article and at the bottom click on "Previous Articles" Several very easy to tie and very effective panfish catching patterns are explained in those articles. You could also look up the Black Boudreaux in this sites pattern database. If that is not the perfect warmwater fly, it's awfully close. It's all about having fun catching fish. Enjoy.

Hobbs Creek Reels -- $40. I own several and the HC1 is a large arbor that weighs practically nothing. The reels are sized for line weight and the HC1 is 3-4. I also own HC2s and 3s for larger lines. I have used them in sub zero temps and on 100 degree days and caught large fish without any problems. No drag issues and the best thing (from my perspective) is that they are quiet. Fly tying tools. There are plenty of good generic tools available for low price that have worked fine for me. You might consider the half hitch tool set for $5 or the waste basket for $15. Rain Jacket. They are currently clearancing a White River Rain Jacket for $18 which doesn't breathe like gortex but has many good features. Some fly fishermen look down on Bass Pro because...well, it's not chic. They probably feel the same about Wal-Mart. I will take saving money and equipment that works as well as expensive chic stuff any day.

Hobby Lobby and Michaels have sheet foam in 2mm. Hobby Lobby has 3mm. Both of these may be too thick to wind on the hook for a stimulator (depending on hook size). Dollar Tree has 6 packs of sheet foam in 1.5mm. Obviously, easier to wind on the shank, but less flotation. I don't have photos because I haven't tied any of these for a while, but with foam wound around the shank you can make Stimulators (Kauffman style or Sofa Pillows), or bodies for any variety of fly where you might otherwise use dubbing or hair. No kidding. I used to tear them up with a foam Adams. HOWEVER, that being said, I really like beetles and segmented foam hoppers for stimulators, particularly if you are fishing near a bank. Depending on the time of year and time of day, you may catch as many fish on the stimulator as on the dropper. Additionally, these work excellently as a strike indicator. The best beetle patterns are generic and do not represent a specific variety. For warm waters it is generally a good idea to start with and black or rust colors in sizes 8-12. For cold water streams (yes, trout eat them) a size 10-16 can be used. Beetles are six legged creatures, but fish probably don't count. Some patterns choose to use only chenille or hackle underbodies with no legs, but legged patterns seem to catch more fish.