rstout

Those are beautiful. I love high alpine lakes. We hiked into a lake on the 4th that the ice had just come off and caught cutthroat trout in the spawning colors. I forgot to take my camera and remembered after the 32 mile 4 wheeler ride and the 4 mile hike through 20 foot snow drifts. :wallbash: Note to self: Always take a camera. What type of reel is in the picture with the fish?

Oh Yeah! :headbang: I tied up six of each color and each size so I have (had) 96 of them. Friends like them so I have about half that number left and I owe smalltownfisherman's swap 12 but I am going to see if they work as soon as hopper season hits. Rob

Yes, they are. I broke down and bought all 4 sets because I couldn't decide which size would work best. They do a great job. The hoppers are time consuming though. Here is the link to Tony's website. http://www.riverroadcreations.com/index.htm Rob

Not really tying. Mostly crafting! I have yet to try one. I have tied them in tan, yellow, olive and chartreuse. My friends all stand around with their hands out so they at least catch fisherman. :hyst: Thanks Rob

A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by rstout: Supreme Hopper

There is a Peak vise on the trading forum that is for sale with all 3 jaws, midge, regular and saltwater for a reasonble price. Check it out if you have time. Rob

I'm in with a foam hopper. :headbang: Rob

You should fish YNP in the fall. It is spectacular! :headbang:

I have tried both and now only using Whiting. Color, size, length, etc... You just can't beat them.

I just received my 2 copies last night and am really impressed. These are by far the nicest fly tying magazines I have read. No political "junk" in them, just fly tying so far and I like that. Fly fishing and fly tying magazines are getting more and more political. If I want to read or hear about junk like that I will watch one of the news channels. Hats off to all involved in the production of this fine magazine. just my 2 cents. Rob

Very nice. Floats well, I assume? Color possiblities are endless.

Lord help me if I could only use one pattern. :crying: A size 14 olive BH Hare's Ear.

Hot Pink would probably work on Salmon also.

I learned to tie flies from Jack Dennis's "Western Trout Fly Tying Manual 1". I borrowed it when I was 14 years old in 1980 (dates me a little) from a professional tyer who lived in town. I went away for the summer and the book was ruined by a spilled bottle of soda. I dreaded coming home because I would have to tell the owner of the book that it was ruined. When I got home, I found out the man I borrowed the book from had moved away. I was extremely relieved as a 14 year old. Irresponsible but relieved. Sometime around 2001, I stopped by a fly shop in a nearby town and who do you suppose owned it? Yep, the man who loaned me the book. He didn't recognize me but I recognized him. Needless to say, the guilt was awful. I love books and felt that I must make this right. Being older and wiser, I got online and found Jack Dennis's web site. I sent him an email and then called him and told him the whole sad story. Jack was gracious enough to offer to sign an original print of the book and mail it to me. What I did not expect was a full written page addressed to the original owner of the book by Jack. The afternoon I received the book, I drove 100 miles to apologize and let the gentleman know that it was I that ruined his original book and that I had it for over 20 years. I apologized profusely and to make up for it, I handed him the signed copy. He was extremely pleased. He said he had always wondered what happened to the book. We are friends to this day. I still have the original ruined book with soda stains, I was given an older original copy when a friend passed away, and I received a new copy from a friend as a gift. I still read the intros and look through it looking for inspiration.

They are in the mail. :yahoo: Rob

I tie to enhance my fly fishing experience. Nothing as exciting as hooking up on a new pattern that I have tied myself. Don't get me wrong, I spend a lot of hours every week tying and I am not sure what I would do if I couldn't tie. I would probably save a lot of money but I would be pretty miserable. I have to fish.

The possibilities sound endless. I have to check one out. Thanks Rob

Smalltown, Any idea of what type of swap you are going to host or did I miss it in the string? Rob

wickedcarpenter, Do you need another swapper? If yes, I'm in with my first swap. A Red Abbey. Rob

Benny, Very nice. In focus, interesting, and bracketted well. Rob

Nice! Rob

I feel I am a really good tyer but I hate spinning deer hair so I don't do it very often. Maybe I should just suck it up and tie a couple hundred bloody muddlers and move on.

Troll Man, weren't the quill wings just a real pain trying to get the barbs to stay together. It is a beautiful fly though.

My first patterns were size 12 mosquitoes, royal coachmans and renegades for my grandfather. That was all he would use. They were horrible but he seemed to like them. I guess he was humoring me.