Kirk Dietrich

Tide, Just been lurking, still busy with that book I started two years ago this month. Finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel but still a lot of odds and ends to tie up. It's hell having a full time job and family that demands your attention... Oh, as far as keeping PJ straight...strapping him to a table in a straight jacket wouldn't keep PJ straight. Kirk

PJ, what is courtesy? I should know that, I was nominated Most Courteous in 8th grade but declined as no one else was nominated and I thought that was way to nerdy to be the most courteous in the year book...

Redfish are very opportunistic, as long as it looks good to eat, they usually eat it, generally speaking. In high pressured waters they can be more selective but that has a lot to do with careful presentation. So, you need to have a variety of fishy flies for different situations, water depth and type grass if any you will be fishing. When I fish duck ponds here, the bottom is often covered with a foot or more of soft grass any kind of heavy lead eyes on a fly will sink it in the grass out of sight. However, when fishing other areas up to three feet deep with no grass, you need heavy weighted flies to get down quick. Don't forget poppers and/or sliders for when they are looking up. Kirk

Ditz, I tried messaging you but a message came up reading you can't accept any new messages. Anyhow. If you want to change the retrieve, let me know, I can walk you through it.

Dave, that was a mystery to me too. I got the camo one for my 3wt and it was 23 and it is aluminum so I don't know why the unfinished aluminum one is 99. I used PayPal but by the number of sales and high ratings the seller has, I would think it is about as safe as any other outlet store to use credit card. It did take a couple weeks to come in but that is normal when getting stuff from way over there. Kirk

ditz, it came right hand retrieve and I like left hand retrieve. I removed a piece and flipped the set of bearings inside the arbor cylinder and it works left handed. I'd have to look at it to give specifics, wasn't as simple as some reels where you flip a wire spring or clip but it was easy enough. Kirk

Sounds fantastic!

That is a beautiful river! Nice photo too. My luck, I would go there after the season and trout would be rising everywhere! Do you fish that from a boat or walk/wade in? Kirk

Gotcha FlaFly. Kirk

FlaFly, don't know if you know or know of Ben Treppa here on the board but he is an avid fly fisherman for many species and when I told him I was looking for a reel, he recommended the one I gave a link to above. I trust his advice and wasn't sorry and will be ordering a couple more. Whether I know what I'm talking about or not when it comes to tackle can certainly be questioned as I'm not a tackle buff but to be honest, unless you're fishing for fish larger than 30lbs or are pelagic or using ultra light tippet, you can use a tunafish can to hold your line. These are smooth reels and seem to have a pretty decent drag on them. Kirk

Oops, this one didn't go the first time, so I re-posted...no sense in having to, don't know how to delete. Kirk

I picked up the 3/4 wt reel in camo and it is really nice. Getting ready to order a 7/8 for $24 and free shipping. It comes from China but I'm sure they make for some of the store brands you buy over here for four times the money. Ben Treppa turned me on to these. http://www.ebay.com/itm/370734730817?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&var=640057502355&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

Nice shots, even lighting for sure.

CA "superglues" were originally designed from what I understand for use in eye surgery where it would hold things quickly but later dissolve from the eye's moisture. Zap-a-gap was later designed for the model industry best I know and Lefty Kreh did some extensive testing in the early days and found Zap to be the only water proof CA at that time. Fast forward to today and I think Loc-tite is likely waterproof to hold screws/bolts in the elements. I use BSI and as far as I know, it is waterproof. As for storage, I use CA a lot and while I used to refrigerate, I don't any longer. A one ounce opened bottle lasts months in my shed/workshop where the temps get over 100. Although a few times in that time, I have to clear the tip. Occassionally, I'll unscrew the top and pull the dried CA from out of the inside of the nozzle with a foreceps. Kirk

Well, jury is still out for me. I'll test and see how flexible. One of the flexible CA's is black. Could be interesting, I think they only came out in the last year or so.

PJ, I ordered some CA Flex formulas from BSI through a local hobby shop. Check out Bob Smith Industries website and look for the CA glues he puts out. Kirk

Don't overlook black as shown in FLaFly pics.

Yep, Henry is a straight shooter, dealing in facts with no marketing B.S. to con you with. I'm on my second or third bottle, I get it from a guy that gets it from Henry and relabels it, although my first bottle and light came directly from Henry. Now, I just wish Henry had a need in his personal tying for a flexible UV Resin so he could set about finding one of those types that actually cures correctly unlike the flex formulas sold by other companies that cure tacky. Kirk

Yeah PJ, Bill Shank did a pretty good job on that one. I especially like the way he used the silicone skirt material by just gluing it on the back; not sure how good that will hold but I'm sure it looks good in the water. I asked him about the little barrel swivel in between and he said it works better in allowing the tail to wobble compared to using just a split ring to connect the two hooks...

Andrew, that looks great. I think AGN is right, the top/front needs a slice taken off to help it dive. Check out this jointed wiggle minnow a friend of mine posted a picture of recently. Kirk

Mike, you make the man-crowd proud!

Articulating a wiggle bug pattern would be good and a little tail should be fine. I made this post a while ago and made these for a few years but they are a lot of work and I've been doing other stuff. I wound up making some other baitfish shapes that worked better than this one, the little video doesn't really do it justice. http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=54302&hl=%2Bfranken+%2Bfish I haven't done any articulated stuff lately, I'll have to dig around and see if I have any thing hanging around that I can photograph at home. Actually, I haven't done any articulated "poppers" and none with the hook in the back section. But I'll see what I can find other than the Franken Fish. I did see on Pat Cohen's Face Book page a few days ago, he had an articulated foam diver looked like for Pike as it had quite a few sections. He had the sloped face kind of like a wiggle bug with a hook in the head and three or four pieces of foam attached with articulated shanks with I believe a hook in the last section. Kirk

Andrew, after having made floating bugs that wobble and dart and articulated floating bugs for years now, I have found that the less dressing material you have on the better the "action" will be. Especially hindering to the action is a skirt, even something as sparse as cactus chenille will inhibit the action. If you like it the way it is that is fine, but I'd try a version without the palmered skirt. I have found that some tinsel or shiny braid material to cover the tail thread wraps looks nice and allows the bug to really lively-up. Kirk

Add147, I'd surely do that but they are just on loan for me to photograph for possible inclusion in my Bug Making Manual I'm working on. I have to return them to my friend Ted Cabali.

I think aluminum oxidizes, which I believe is aluminum speak for corrode. Aluminum reacts by pitting, over time, when exposed to Saltwater and acidic liquids like tomato sauce. Kirk