jburge

I'm in. Right now, I'm looking at a chironomid suspender, but don't hold me to it just yet :-) John

cencal, Way to set the bar :-) Gorgeous fly. John

Congrats! And keep that fly. It'll have some real special meaning for many years to come.

Really fine set of flies arrived in yesterday's mail. Thanks to all for bluegill inspiration, and thanks breambuster for hosting! John

Kevin, The Turkey Tail Soft Hackles are in the hands of the USPS. I realized I didn't post the pattern. It's one of the flies done by letumgo. Thanks for hosting! John

Do you fish Montana often? Not nearly as often as I'd like. My brother (he has a home in Livingston) and I like to do our "gonzo" tours. We drive to a location, set up our shuttle, fish and drift until dark, find any close place to throw out a sleeping bag, and repeat the process each day for at least a week. I've had the privilege of fishing the Beaverhead, Big Hole, Bitterroot, Ruby, and Yellowstone rivers so far. I'm counting the days until summer.

Ooo, nice fly Bob. I'll take a dozen. Did you rib the body?

Ha! I'd say that's a "dream" local fly. I'm dreaming of summers in Idaho/Montana

Bob, I'm gonna go with a Henry's Fork Caddis... John

Boy, it sure does. Maybe that avatar ought to be a tortoise. I thought about using the post-New-Year's-Eve-stayed-up-too-late excuse, but then realized nobody would believe me.

'Shoes was faster than me I humbly accepted your invite fishingbob and in turn invited Horseshoes. BTW, caddis are my favorite flies. I'm having a tough time deciding on which one to tie John

Glad you liked them Herman. I'm really stoked to know they made it so far. Have fun! John

Wow, what can I say? I guess I'm almost speechless, except to say THANKS to Big J for a fabulous set of flies. You have no idea how much chomping at the bit there will be to get these wet. BFR, thanks so much for hosting such a great swap. To one and all, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Great New Year. Cheers! John

I have more 14's in my box than any other size. John

I'm with all of the above and particularly the, "let someone know." I do a LOT of solo backpacking in remote areas, so the mantra is, "Don't do anything stupid," as well as leave your plan with someone you trust. Then, (as Colin Fletcher would say) make hell and high water sure you stick to the plan. John

Fish catchers for sure. You could have a lot of fun experimenting with thread colors too. Is there much weight to the beads?

Eloquently stated, and so very, very, true! You've truly captured the feeling of the joys in tying, the joys in fishing, and the joys in fellowship. God bless ya! Now get back to tying John

OK, so I'm out of town on Friday, get home late and check Friday's mail on Saturday morning... I'm stoked. Flies from the swap are in the box. Great job by all, and BFT thanks for hosting. As my southern relatives would say, "Happy Holidays, y'all!" John

Wow! Package arrived today, and I didn't expect gift wrapping! Thanks BFR for an AMAZING job. I 'm gonna have a hard time waiting for the 25th to roll around. John

Furled crickets are in the mail winging their way outta here. John

Hmmm... the temptation to bite is hard to avoid, but I'll be a good boy. Congrats on the camera! Can't wait to see some pix. It's been a couple of years since I bought a new one. If it weren't for the new rod and reel, I might be tempted to go look for one. John

Doh! That's what I meant... yeah, uh, that's the ticket. It was the rattler that kept distracting me. LOL

Kept meaning to post, but also kept getting distracted... flies are in the mail. John

Dark Lords are ready. Need an addy... John

Too funny! The way I look at it is my supply of brain cells is finally down to a manageable size