neoFLYte

To me part of fly tieing is dyeing products> I've used cool aid crystals to onion skins and beets and goldenrod and on and on> let us know what color you want and will be glad to help!!

 

Blessings,

Jeremy

Very cool! Rock on!

I bought a Rite bobbin today and I do not like it. I tied a couple dozen flies with it and it feels odd in my hand to say the least. I thought I would ask if anyone had any advice before I give up on it. Do I need to hold it different or something? I am going to keep tying with it for a day or two to see if it gets any better but I am less than impressed.

I've had it for about 3 months and I'm not crazy about it. I use it sometimes - usually when it happens to be already threaded with the thread color I feel like using. A more traditional bobbin I picked up lately that I really like is the Umpqua Ergonomic Bobbin. I don't remember exactly where I got it, but you can find them online.

I have not tried using true epoxy yet, but it's on my list of methods to learn. First, the following is not necessarily a glowing recommendation - just an option. One alternative to epoxy that you might consider is Tuffleye products (http://www.wetahook.net/). I will say that Tuffleye seems to be better suited to one-at-a-time fly applications. I haven't gone nuts with the stuff or exposed the treated flies to toothy fish, so I can't speak to the durability of it. It's possible, though, to tie some nice looking flies with it and have them pretty much ready to throw in 10 minutes or so. One thing I don't like about it is that the newly-cured Tuffleye product is that it has a greasy feel to it. The "grease" can be removed with alcohol, but that's a step I could do without.

Take Care!

neoFLYte

Austin TX

Go for it! I have access to a (live) llama. I can't wait until the weather gets warmer so I can shear that sucker and see what can be done with her hair.

Take Care!

neoFLYte

Austin TX

It could be because of your thread twist. Periodically, spin your bobbin counter-clock wise to reverse this effect. If that doesn't work, I'd say it's defenitly your pressure. Any good fly tier gets to know his/her thread after repeated use!

Interesting point. I don't use Danville very often because I think it flattens too easily and I have to spin it to keep it from fraying. I have come to prefer UNI thread, even though it breaks on me from time to time. Maybe it breaks because I let it become too tightly spun. Thanks for the insight!

Lookin' good! Better than the first *several* flies I attempted. I'll bet you can throw that sucker at anything that would hit a wooly bugger and if they're biting, they'll eat it up!

Take Care!

neoFLYte

Austin TX

Well guys/ lads I just purchased myself a new vise today. I purchased myself a Griffin Mongoose.

 

Now before any of you say "I thought you were going to get an HMH", I tried 5 vises while I was in Winnipeg. I tried The Mongoose, HMH Spartan, the Barracuda, Regal Medallion, and the Peak Vise.

The vise I liked least was the Dyna-King, there was some about I didn't like, then the peak vise, Regal, HMH and finally the Mongoose.

 

I loved the rotary feature on the Griffin, as well the grip it had on the vise. I don't know what you guys were talking about no space. I found lots of space, or enough for my needs. The accessories and price were just an extra.

 

Chris AKA Wells

Good for you! I have a non-rotary Montana Pro that I actually prefer to my rotary Peak. I like the Griffin's jaws (access to the hook) and grip *way* better. I've been thinking about springing for a Montana Mongoose for a replacement rotary vise.

Not to suggest that fly tiers have no sense of humor, but...

This morning I was reading/surfing through my new favorite book, "The Fly Tier's Benchside Reference" by Ted Leeson and JimSchollmeyer. I ran across a section titled "Flame-Shaped Bodies". The quote that struck me is "The pitfall here is obvious. A little too much enthusiasm [when flame shaping] will transform the fly into a deer-hair Hindenburg." I can just see myself doing just that. LOL!

Does anyone have funny "Adventures in Fly Tying" stories to tell?

Well I was tying a few woolybuggers up, cause lets face it. There simple and they work!

But I really hate tying them and I don't know why?

I prefer to tie an intricate nymph or dry fly then a woolybugger.

 

Which got me thinking if any one else has a fly out there they don't like to tie. Or may be there is a fly that you just love tie and never get tired of tying it?

Or am I the only one that has a fly that seems to be a Nemesis?

So far I've never *had* to tie any particular fly often enough to get sick of it. I fish when I can and I tie when I can. So far, I haven't found a pattern that that works without fail. I tend to surf fly pattern sites until I find a pattern I think is interesting or challenging. As a rule, I'll try to tie pretty much the exact pattern at least once. Sometimes the fly will stay a "work in progress" for days. After I get the knack of using whatever material(s) or technique(s) the pattern requires, I might tie a few true-to-recipe specimens to improve my technique, then tie a few variations. After that, it's on to the next challenge/debacle. :-)

I just picked up my first vise, a Griffin Odyssey Spider. I've tied maybe a dozen flies tonight on it, clousers and woolly buggers. Super nice vise for the money!

My first vise was a Griffin Montana Pro. Later, I got a Peak Rotary with all of the optional brass stuff they have. The Peak looks cool, but I still use the Griffin 95% of the time. I think the Griffin holds hooks way better with a lot less fiddling.

Take Care!

neoFLYte

Austin, TX

I have some images already on the computer of some of my flies. I can post some quickly before taking off again for the day.

 

Wow. Those are some nice small flies!

Take care!

neoFlyte

Austin, TX

Thanks guys. I may clip off the damaged and see if it casts differently, it's only a few inches. I'm going to try the Armor All too. Once again thanks.

Lots of times you can find taper specifications online for specific brands and varieties of fly lines. I haven't seen a taper yet that didn't have at least several inches of "level tip" (terminal thickness). See, for instance, http://www.cortlandline.com/products/default.asp?id=94

Take Care!

neoFLYte

Austin, TX

My favorite fly is a bunny leech pattern. I tye one that is simply a narrow strip of black rabbit fur (1/8" wide) that is tyed in as a tail and then wound up the hook shank and tyed off (see photo below). I have had great luck with this fly on other species as well.

 

Fly fishing for catfish. Interesting idea! I'll have to give it a shot! Do you weight the heck outta that leech to get it on the bottom?

I think the concept here is quite good, and one could benefit greatly from following a video (check YouTube, but there are LOTS of other sites that provide fly-tying videos) for each of the flies mentioned in this thread. Perhaps a suggestion for the next installation of this series... the Matuka wing.

I like J Stockard also. I buy about 95% of my stuff from them. I'm not a huge shopper, but I haven't seen any really big price differences between Storkard and some of the other "usual suspects". For me, J Stockard has been exactly what I expect. Prompt delivery, good customer service, and pretty good sales from time to time.

this is my first post so bear with me. ive never tyed before but have a real itch to start. ive looked around and ive seen alot of stuff just not shure where to start. ........i will say i really dont want to start with something ok (i.e. vise) id rather spend alittle more on something good dosnt have to be the best but higher than the middle IF NEED BE. ive looked at kits and wondered if they are any good? so im hoping for some real help from you guys and a point int he right direction.

thanks

scott

As stated earlier, Dr. Slick makes some good tools. One tip about scissors. Don't use your delicate scissors to cut "gnarly" materials. Get a pair of relatively cheap general purpose scissors to cut wire, big wads of hair, etc. Use the "jaws" (as opposed to the tip) of any of your scissors as often as possible so that when you need the tip to make that critical snip, it'll do the job.

This part is more of an opinion. Consider getting a bobbin with a solid ceramic tube. Some bobbins have ceramic inserts at the ends. I find that threading the bobbins with inserts is a little more of a hassle, even when using a bobbin-threading tool. I use those little plastic dental floss threading thingies as threading tools.

As a point of reference, I tie "warmwater" flies, so most of my flies are neither terribly delicate nor the works of art you've seen. For thread, I started using Danville "Flat Waxed Nylon". I later switched to 6/0 UNI-thread. The Danville thread is great when you need "flattened" thread (as the name suggests). For my purposes, the need for flattened thread while tying is minimal so the UNI works better for me.

BUT... as alluded to earlier, there are as many "best" products as there are fly tiers.

Have fun!

Neoflyte

Austin TX

Most likely, as you tie bigger flies and smaller flies, you're not going to be happy with one vise. I suggest finding a vise you like for your bigger (or smaller) flies, then finding a different vise, or different jaws for the vise you have, for the other flies you tie.

I agree with Fred H. Just tie the dang things and enjoy it!

I don't know about poppers in particular, but you might take a look at the Tuffleye product.

Great thread! I'm an ex-camera (35mm manual everything) junkie, and wondered if some of those gorgeous fly pics could be done without a second mortgage worth of high-end digital equipment. Thank you home-made rig posters for showing your setups!

Cheers,

neoFLYte

Austin TX

I started tying at the same time I started fly fishing, about a year ago. I am a galaxy away from being able to tie presentation flies, but my catch rate with self-tied flies is *much* higher than it ever was when I was using spinning/bait-casting gear.

Cheers!

NeoFLYte

Austin, TX

Marvin Nolte discussed this difficult question in his column "Last Wraps" in the Summer 2000 issue of Fly Tyer.

I just thought it would be interesting to see which we love the most. Thanks for your input.

 

 

Mike

Getting away from it all - fishing - is the object if *my* game.

I have a Peak pedestal vise. I have never had a problem with the pedestal slipping or wobbling when tying, however size 6 hooks are the bigggest I've tied. I frequently switch out the Peak vise with a Griffin Montana vise, since they have the same size shaft. So far, I have not had the desire to take my fly-tying on the road. Lugging the Peak pedestal would not be much fun.

Cheers,

neoFLYte

Austin TX

I bought a couple of packages of those dumbbell-looking metal eyes and a pack of 3D Eyes a few days ago. The 3D Eyes were a pain to remove from the card they came on and a bigger pain to get stuck onto the metal dumbbells. I went to the trusty toolbox and found a piece of scrap heat-shrink tubing that just fit over the "cornea" of the 3D eyes. Press down, give a little twist, and the eye will stay lightly adhered to the heat-shrink. You can put those eyeballs just where you need them with minimal hassle. If you want to use some Zap-a-Gap gel on the dumbbells for some extra stick, you can get a smaller piece of tubing to fit inside the outer tubing to push the eyeball onto the Zap-a-Gap. I got the heat shrink in an assortment pack from Radio Shack.

Cheers!

neoFLYte

Austin TX

Those are some nice fish! I think bluegill are the best-eatin' fish ever. They are my primary target when I fish. Do you scale them or fillet them? When I was a kid, we used to scale them and fry 'em up. We learned to deal with the bones. Mmmmm! Good memories.