FrequentTyer

Oh yes. Just a bit more there than a hook, and they work so well!

I go into a bit of the history and theory behind this very simple fly. I'm still working out the lighting and audio, but hope you enjoy regardless.

Thanks guys for the warm welcome back! I recognize a few names and hope I get to know you all soon. Best, Mike.

Hello all, It has been a while, but I was fairly active on this form about 6 years ago. Cancer took me out of the game for a while, but I beat it and I am finally able to spend some time at the vise again. Just a quick PSA (and I don't want to dwell on it, but I feel obliged to say this) men get breast cancer, it's not fun, learn to check yourself as it might save your life. So since most of you will not remember me, my name is Mike, I have been tying since the early 90s and my favorite flies to tie are classic pattern Catskill drys. But I also do some warm water fishing when the trout are not cooperating and tie quite a few flies for bluegill. I'm sorry to see that the old pattern database seems to have disappeared , but I was able to find a picture of one of my bluegill inventions from the old days, the Woven Bluegill Spider, and I'll add in a picture from my latest efforts to re-master the Troth elk hair caddis in size 20, a great fly for PA trout, but challenging in terms of proportions. I have started a YouTube channel. I do a fair amount of video work for some other hobbies and thought it might be fun to try my hand at fly tying videos. I don't know if we are allowed to post links here, so I'll just say that you can look me up as FrequentTyer on YouTube. Not much there yet, but I'll probably be adding a few videos each month. Thanks for reading, and if by chance you remember me please take a minute to say hello. My memory is a bit foggy, so I might not recognize you otherwise 😉

Dubbing is not that expensive...

Thanks all for the helpful suggestions! Mike.

Greed? Try basic economics. Why would anyone undervalue their work? We pay more for branding and for quality all of the time. Considering the current supply of new Laws (very few) and price of the market is willing to pay for used Laws, this would seem to be a fair price. While there are plenty that can't afford or dont want the vise, the few that can and do make up for that, and everyone can happily tie flies. No need for judgment.

I'm going to be teaching common knots for flyfishing to small groups of people at an upcoming event. I've done this in the the past but have not come up with a material to use for demonstration that is easy to see and to manipulate. Ideally I would like to be able to give some to 3 or 4 people and have them tie along. Have any of you come up with a solution or have suggestions? Thanks, Mike.

Nicely done!

Thanks! Looks like a fun read. Mike.

This is the best video I know of on tying Wulff style wings. The combing tip works really well. http://on.aol.com/video/the-basics-of-fly-tying---wolf-winging-259887187

I leave most of mine in trees:-)

I really loved this film. It is not really about fly tying, but certainly contains plenty of tying. Beautifully filmed and well worth $10. Mike.

Nature has already done the study for us. The vast majority of mayfly duns consumed by trout since the species first learned to swim have had wings. Of course its not a controlled study, so we should all feel completely comfortable ignoring millennia of evolution and catch the stupid beasts with whatever strikes our fancy:-) The biggest mistake people make in this hobby is to fall for the tying for fish/fisherman dichotomy. Tie flies for yourself. If you are happy, then your flies are perfect.

That's what I do too. I use baseball card sheets that I think hold 9 packs each. It also works great for hooks in plastic bags. Mike.

This is a tricky issue and sort of like arguing religion. If your catching fish, your tying them right! One surprising point alluded to above. The images that Silver Creek posted are what the fly looks like after it enters the trout's "window." The diameter of the window depends on the depth of the fish, so as it rises the window shrinks. The first thing the fish sees is the light pattern made by the indentations in the film from the flys legs and tail, followed by the tips of the wings. By the time it is possible for the fish to see the body it has, in most cases, already refused the fly. I highly recommended reading Vince Marinaro's "In the Ring of the Rise" and "A Modern Dry Fly Code" for a full exposition on the importance of wings. And before anyone yells at me ;-) parachute posts, undivided wings, comparadun wings, and even hackle alone may serve a similar purpose. But winged dry flies just look better. Mike.

Great tip! That really helps lock the material in place.

You will find plenty of information here:https://www.detteflies.com Helpful and very knowledgeable with a great history. Mike.

Thinned Ace hardware spar varnish is what I mostly use. I think I paid $7 for a lifetime supply. I like it because it penetrates deep into the wraps. For shiny heads on a fly like a Micky Finn I'll use some old thick Sally Hansen, or more recently a product called Hard as Hull.

I use 8/0 for just about everything. I tried some 14/0 for a while but felt it made me more careless. I only want to use as much thread as necessary, and 8/0 keeps me honest. Mike.

Well said! In my opinion that is the best description of a good tool.

That is funny. Jay was actually sharing a table with Faruk and my first impression was No Thanks. That faux Damascus etching is just embarrassing. I could live with the brass and polished corian (or whatever the hub is made of) on the Jvise, but the damaseal jaws are just tarting things up for no purpose. But to go back to the OPs question, everyone is describing their own experience. You have to live with the vise you choose, so find a way to try before you buy.

I wouldn't say it is over engineered. That's the sort of thing I would like. To me it is well engineered (like all the other quality vises) and dressed up to look nice. If looks are important to you, then you can easily justify the cost and long distance service, and that is great. The reason I was even considering buying a Jvise was for travel. Tying at shows, it would be a nice piece of flash to draw in customers. If looks don't matter so much, other options that are just as functional will make you just as happy.

I had the chance to tie on it at the Somerset show in November and Jay was nice enough to talk me through all the features and let me put it through its paces. My opinion is that it is a very nice vise, but no better than many other very nice vises, some of which are mentioned above. It has a very cult-like following, which is fine for the folks that love it. That also means that you need to weigh advice carefully. It's beautiful, but I'm more interested in function and the Jvice didn't function any better than less expensive options with local distributors. He did sell me a very nice if not over-engineered hackle plier that grabs like no other pair I have tried. I like those pliers! Mike.

The vise you like is the best vise for you. But I don't get this comment. I tied for about 12 years on various vises before buying a Norvise about 5 years ago, and I constantly am switching between the Nor and other rotary and non-rotary vises (I have a vise collecting vice). The only "basic process" that is different is a slight change in the angle of my material hand. Everything else is the same. Sure you can do all that fancy spinning stuff, but its not required to use the vise. I have both the inline and midge jaws, but I haven't used the midge jaws. Bottom line though is, as the OP says, he doesn't love it. It's a very personal decisions. If you don't love it after a few tying sessions take it back.