jburge

Addy sent... John

What's the word? Any updates? Thanks! John

yetavon's (Darrin's) flies arrived safe and sound. These are fish-catchers for sure! Really nice job and love the choice of hackle too. Thanks! John

I just finished re-reading his Soft Hackled Fly for the second time this week, and then saw the news that he passed away on Feb 3. He will be missed. His enthusiasm for the soft hackle and his descriptions of their simple beauty were fabulous.

Rich, I'll swap you the CDC Olive Caddis if you want a little quicker tie (if it's alright with Horseshoes ) John

I'm in with the CDC Caddis... John

Looking forward to seeing them and adding them to this fine group... John

SullyTM's flies have arrived! You guys are gonna love these Gorgeous renditions of the Ishigaki Kebari. John

Ha, ha! Thanks, Carl! As always, superb work. I can't wait to see what's coming. And too bad for the rest of you... you're just gonna have to wait. John

Nice, Bob! I'll take a dozen John

kbranch, I wouldn't change a thing. Nice touch on the ribbing too. Smooth, clean, that's what it's all about. Can't wait to go fishing! John

yetavon, Now I see the "and more." Nice job! Proportions look really good, the reverse hackle is sweet, and fish-killing colors too. The wings are a nice touch. Just me, I'd go a little shorter, but I love the idea. Reminds me of the style of fly Davie McPhail ties up: http://www.youtube.com/user/DavieMcPhail#p/u/44/L-oWwsEs_0Q Man, I can tell already we're going to have a great set of flies. Thanks! John

yetavon, Did you add more pix? All I saw was the #10 dry. John

yetavon, I'm not going to claim to be an expert so others can jump in here too, but I'm glad to share some pointers. First of all, you got a fish-catcher there, no doubt! The overall body length looks good, and the colors are great too. I'm certain you'll be landing fish with that fly. I'd only change a couple of things. I'd make the red head a little shorter in length and move the hackle position more forward. And remember, that's just me. If you like the proportions, go for it. Because we have some pretty rough waters in our freestone streams, I would put one or two more turns of the hackle on, just to keep the fly floating in turbulent water. And just as a technique thing, if you want a smoother body, you can try a couple of things: 1) Smaller diameter thread. (In the attached picture, I used some 8/0 Uni to create a thread body.) It'll take more wraps but help with developing a nice taper, and 2) Try flattening your thread before you whip finish. If you're a right-handed tier, you can give your bobbin a counter-clockwise spin. That'll spread the fibers out a bit and make for a smoother overall finish. Just my .02. That said, nice work! I have no problem taking one of those out this spring and catching fish John

NineZeroSeven, Way to go. I think you'll really enjoy the simplicity of it all. John

Mike! Glad to see and hear from you! I haven't been been able to do much of anything online for a number of months--life, kids, job changes, finding out I'm a grandpa... Since there really does seem to be an interest, I think I'll post some pix of the flies as they come in, just for all to see. Definitely worth the learning experience. Hope all's well! John

You betcha! We'll connect and maybe even make it more than a day John

'boy, Lots of good questions that might demand an entirely different forum :-) LOL First of all, I'd say remember it really is fly-fishing. It's not dapping as some might think. You really are casting a long line, unfolding a leader, and making a delicate presentation. It doesn't get much better. I discovered it primarily as a backpacking alternative. I'm constantly looking for new ways to simplify and lighten my backcountry experiences. When I saw this, I thought it at least deserved a look-see. I now relish the opportunities to visit high country (Sierra mountains) streams with nothing more than a rod, a line, and a handful of flies. Understand though, there are limitations--it just depends on what you want to accomplish. For example, if I were to head up to the Yuba River or Lower Sacramento River here in NorCal, there's no way I'd use Tenkara. Those football sized rainbow pigs would destroy the delicate tips of my Tenkara rods. They'll put a serious hurt on a 6wt! However, to sneak up on a California Golden, or brookie, or find an elusive Goose Lakes Redband trout, it's the perfect choice :-) Matter of fact, this last year I went after the California Heritage Trout Challenge -- catching and releasing six of California's native trout in their heritage waters -- and I did it (my second time), all Tenkara. FWIW, I own two Tenkara rods -- the 12ft 6:4 Iwana and the 12ft 5:5 Ebisu. I love the lightness and backbone of the Iwana. I love the delicate "slowness" of the Ebisu. Fishing for little 6-inch redbands calls for the Ebisu. Fishing for some wild Kern River rainbows takes all of the Iwana. You'll just have to figure out where you're going to be fishing and what the fish are like to determine the rod. That said, I'm a total convert when it comes to furled leaders. I use 'em on everything. I started furling my own using a pattern developed by Kathy Scott. And this is yet another forum :-) Ha! I've made 'em out of mono, fluoro, and Danville flymaster thread. My favorite so far are the fluoro. Although, I just picked up a bunch of new Danville thread to try some new formulas. Drop me a PM and we can discuss the finer points of furled leaders for Tenkara. I'm just glad there's an interest, that people have open minds, and that we continue to learn that fly-fishing (regardless of "style") is an amazing and certainly, most enjoyable, pursuit. John Whoa, did I go way overboard...

Kevin, Congrats! You're the last one in, the swap is full! Glad to have you with us. I think this is going to be a great set of flies. John

truckdriver, Way to jump in with your first post And yep, you're in. If you want one of your own flies back, tie up 12. If you don't, then all you need to tie is 11. Welcome! John

Yeah, it's pretty amazing, huh? When you think they've been around for hundreds of years and are still effective! John

Darrin, you betcha. You can keep 'em simple and have some fun. Happy you're in. John

Redneck, nice choice and welcome. Happy to have you join in. John

Old Hat, delighted to have you join us! Can't wait to see what you have in store John

Houndog, welcome! Glad you're in with a great choice. John