ashbourn

One can never go wrong with hackle. Amazon is great just because almost anything can be had. Joe

You could always see if your local fly shop will order a bulk bag for you. Joe Fox

Fish Head is a great app. At your finger tips you have 1000's of river gauges with the weather forecast and a lot more useful info. It was not the cheapest app, but well worth it. Joe Fox

I would go with Hareline. The last 100 tails we received were all very nice. Joe

I use spur varnish that is fairly thing. It take a long time to dry, but it soaks in to the core of the head binding all the fibers. After that I use black lacquer. Very few problems and it is how it has been done for over 100 years for a reason. Joe

High grade capes or saddles will tie more flies then the lower grade. A higher grade cape is a better value, cost per fly, compared to a lower grade. That being said, it all depends on how much of a single color you use. If you use a lot of a single color, get that color in higher grades. If you just are trying a color or rarely use it go with a lower grade. Joe Fox

If you making this a business then open a pre-pay account with one of the big suppliers, Hareline, Rumpf, etc. If not find a shop that will order you 1000 packs. I get them for my tiers and it cuts their hook cost in half! It may seem like a lot, but when the cost can drop from 20 cents per hook to 9 cents, it is worth it in the long run. Working with your local fly shop, or one you like, can have a lot of benefits down too, if they will work with you and you with them. Joe

There are two basic ways to make a tapered body. 1) Use the wing material butts to make a under-body. 2) Use dubbing to taper the body by adding more and more as you go along. Most people use a combination of the two. Does that clear anything up? Joe

You can get mini marabou, from a chicken or turkey, that are treated with Water Shed and work well, but not quite as good as CDC. Joe

Grizzly Hen is not much like Partridge. Mottled Brown Hen Saddles, Whiting Brahma Hen Saddles and some Quail are all good subs. Joe

Even without the copyright symbol, your work is still protected. It is like a posted sign, without the posted sign it is still private property, the posted sign is just the first warning telling someone to leave. Copyright symbol works the same way, it is a clear warning not to use the content. Your work is your work but it can be used for non-money making uses, but the credit can't be given to someone else in those cases. Copyright law is a little confusing, but here is a great FAQ on the topic http://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-general.html#what Joe

We use spar varnish, have been for ever. It will add some shine to the quills. We reinforce the quill with white thread that turns clear with the varnish. If you do not want to go the varnish route try to find a thread that is a close color, or take a marker to white and use that to counter wrap the quill. It is a small thing but can added quite a bit of life to a body. Joe Fox

I love them. They float very high are light weight and aerodynamic so have alot less effect then say a bulky piece of foam or a fluffy yarn indicator. They are make a small size smaller then a dime that is just wonderful for small flies or slow water. Joe

For the most part a higher grade cape will have more usable feathers and longer feathers thus a higher grade cape will produce more flies then a lower. They also tend to be able to have a greater range is sizes (mostly smaller) and have little or no feather damage. There is no grading standard and each brand follows their own standards. I use A LOT of hackle in a year. Grade is not part of my selection process. Just because it is a high grade does not mean it will do what you need it to do. If it is the right color, stiffness, size ranges for what I am looking to use it for, etc, etc then I buy it. If it happen to be a higher grade cape all the better since I will get more out of it and take less time trying to find a replacement. Joe Fox

For most of my warmwater fishing Purple is my go to color. Every now and then I use orange, yellow or black if purple does not get a strike. I also use buggers more then anything else, very easy to tie and very effective. Joe Fox

e-mail Jim [email protected] I know he is revamping his site as we speak. He has a lot of knowledge on the top and always like to talk about it. Joe Fox

You tie a Triple Threat Caddis almost as nice as its creator Jim Slattery, very nice tie. This has become on of our top caddis patterns in the shop. We find a lot of people have trouble tying it that well. Joe Fox

The Skaters are just hackle. Some of the Spiders had tails or very small bodies but Hewitt describes liking them with just hackle. They are a real pain to cast! The large ones need 3x on a short leader and even then they are a chore. They are not dead drifted but skater around on the surface. The fly is in a constant state of movement and once it starts to sink you switch to another. If I do dress them with floatant I pre-treat the and I do not use things like Gink because it is so easy to mat down the hackle and if that happens they are almost useless. Joe Fox

A Neversink Skater should be 2" across, a smaller verison a little bigger then a quarter Hewitt called a Spider. Here is a picture the hackle on th Skater is a little sorter then I would like but it is the longest I could find at the time. The second fly is a Spider tied to the length Hewitt described. This season I have had a lot of orders for these flies, way too many dozen. The hackle for the Skaters is very hard to find and when it is found take a lot of time to sort out sizes, etc. I have not seen the article yet, what issue was it in? Joe Fox

When I have someone in a tying lesson who has never tied I start with Usual, BWO (Flick), and Poly Spinner. This gives them a good start at techniques and materials. Joe Fox

Mark, Out right now but more on their way! If you want to get on the waiting list drop me an e-mail. This is such a hard item to get for some odd reason. Joe

2.5 Artery Clamp I use this for everything, from starling to rooster, midge to bugger. I would be lost without it. I have tried so many others and none have come close and everyone I turned on to this has not turn back. Joe Fox

It is rare I fish unweighted but the amout of weight does matter. On Rivers Heavy if I am cast short distances and need to get down deep into pools with a floating line. Light if I am making long casts with a sinking line were the river depth has more of gradual change. On Stillwater I like a lightly weight fly just because I want it to quickly break the surface, not so heavy that sinks much faster then the fly line. But, a heavy fly is great for drop into structure or sudden drop offs. A heavy fly can also work very will with a very quick retrive with the fly almost moving straight up. In short, make sure you have a mix of both. I would have more light then heavy maybe a 4 to 1 ratio. Joe Fox

Moth crystals are the most effective way to deal with bugs and their eggs. We handle alot of material and have yet to find anything as effective. Joe Fox

So you want no speed limits, no traffic lights, polygamy, chemicals in childrens toys, no fishing regulations, the freedom to kill, legilized cocaine and heroin, freedom to rape, etc, etc One of the major roles of goverment is to mandate. Just look at the United States Bill of Rights. The freedom of speech, freedom of press, right to bear arms, due process, and all those other "rights" are nothing more then goverment mndates. We are lucky to have a goverment created by the people, for the people and can be changed by the people. Socialism applies more to economic theories then goverment structure, laws and regulations. Totalitarianism, Authoritarianism, and Dictatorships suck. Joe