Ruffells311

A waterproof camera goes a long way! Doesn't have to be more than $100 unless you want one you can mount to stuff easily. http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Bell+and+Howell+-+Splash+WP7+12+Megapixel+Compact+Camera+-+Black/3663507.p?id=1218424564825&skuId=3663507

Looks like a great way to finish flies! Seems like it would cause a lot less thread build up, too. I still haven't understood a whip finishing tool. I learned to do it by hand and it seems so much more simple that way. Still doesn't hurt to put a tiny bit of head finish on it though Thanks for sharing!

I change it up every few flies. I'll actually set on my knees in the floor to be eye level for a fly or two. Then back to my seat, above the fly. Then back to the floor. I find it to be hepful doing it this way, so you don't get stiff.

Fishing for filter feeders?

Also, brands of threads? Preferances or they all the same for the most part? I've pretty much only used Danville's Flatwaxed.

This is good to know encase I ever break a pair! I'm currently in college for an A.A.S. in Electronics Engineering Technology (last semester, then hopfully a good job to pay for electrical engineering school!), and can solder pretty well. Haven't tried silver solder yet, but I don't believe it is that much difference except a higher melting point than your regular 63/37 solder. So far so good! Thanks guys. This is all very great information! I'll be ordering some stuff soon from JS, just can't let the girlfriend know

This may seem like a dumb question, but are these flies fish able? I mean, are they kind of show case or actually streamers? I don't really know anything about trout fishing and those would be trout streamers right? And when people talk about "classic" fly tying, these fall in that area don't they? Great looking flies! Just trying to get educated about them

Another thought on the bobbin thing, too. I haven't been able to work well with smaller threads. I have only been able to do about 140 denier as the smallest. I have tied with 70 denier but I struggle greatly with it. I'd like to be able to cover from 210 to 70 denier with ease. If it is nessacry, two bobbins for larger and smaller sized threads would be fine. I would still like specifics on which ones are your most favorite. With details about te bobbin it's self and why you like it the most. Thanks again, Daniel

Sorry for any typos. This iPhone isn't too easy to type and read on.

As am I am on journey deeper and deeper in to fly fishing and fly tying, I find my self at a point now where I really want to expand my fly tying. Capabailities, quality, and quantity for my fly tying is what I'm focused on (except spending money on hooks, I still haven't brought my self to that. So, I still buy $5-7 100 pack cheap hooks and I do know buying the "right" hooks would increase my hook up ratios and better quality flies, but for now that is quantity over quality ). Anyway, I am looking to buy some tools that would help me with my capabilities of more patterns. When I say tools, I mean any type of glues, bobbins, bobbin threaders, dub spinning tools, dubbing wax, PAINTS, markers, hackle pliers, lighting, magnifiers, mini-vaccum cleaner, blender/grinder for dubbing, storage, and many other tools. So, when I say tools, I mean absolutely anything that helps you tie flies in anyway. What are your must have tools? What are your tools that you find really helpful? What tools do you find to be completely specialty tools? Do you prefer brass over aluminum tools? How do you store your tools? Do you prefer a single brand of tools over another? Why? Do you modify any of your tools? Are there tools you prefer to make yourself? Where do you prefer to buy your tools? One I am really concerned with is bobbins. My bobbin is a cheap off brand one that I have used for two years and it is finally starting to wear out. I would like to know exactly what your favorite bobbin is? Brand, type, and length. Personally I like smaller bobbins because they are easy to work with. I thought of many more questions, but they were lost in the process . Thanks for your help in advance! I really appreciate this site and am honored to get to talk to and see all of the amazing information all of you put on here. Tis a great community, full of great people! Thanks again, Daniel

Great looking pattern!

Didn't scroll through the post to see if this was addressed, but I saw where they said you had to take a bunch of photos to work this and how it must take a long time. Can I guess you just shoot a video of it and pull frames out of that speeding up the process by a lot? Awesome website by the way!

Like said before, depends on how your fishing, what your fishing for, and the wind. I always go with as long of a leader/tippet as I can, and still be able to turn over flies. Which depends largely on the weight of the fly and the wind conditions. I fish warm water, so a tappered leader is not needed (makes it easier to turn smaller flies over though) because most of the time it doesn't matter how the fly lands. Personally, my normal set up is about 7 ft of a cheap line (a large spool of some "moss green" 12# mono from walmart will last nearly forever) then a loop on the end of that, with a 100% flourocarbon 8# tippet on that (varried length) connected via loop to loop. That way I use less of the exspensive flouro when I change tippets from changing so many flies, and the leader/tippet aren't the same color. Them being different colors acts like a camo, so to the fish it doesn't look like just one long thing attached to their food. If they can see the flouro anyway. Its kind of like a tapper to. Fly line to 12# to 8#. Sorry it is in pounds and not the X stuff, but what I buy is suppose to be for conventional tackle. I haven't fly fished for long, but this method works well for my needs.

Got a late start today to fish on a local lake. This lake is extremly remote. To get to it we (my dad and I) had to launch in a creek, dodge plenty of over hanging trees, cross 3 beaver dams, and basicly lay down on our kayaks to limbo under a tree. Next time I'll take pictures of the float in. This place is awesome though. Out in the middle of no where with the only way to get to it is to hike to it, or float via the two inflowing creeks (narrow and mostly shallow creeks at that). Only second time fishing there, but first with the fly rod. The place is like warm water fly fishing heaven though! It is not a deep lake by any means. I would say the average depth is less than 5'. Different kinds of grasses (typical stuff on the bank to deeper aquatic stuff), plenty of lay downs, and over hanging trees. It's also surrounded by big hills and nearly completly inclosed with woods, so there is very little wind most of the time there. Alright enough rambling about my hidden treasure . It is just unusual to find somewhere around here that is basicly unfished, and public. Only 2 hours or less actually spent with a wet fly due to the late start and remoteness of the lake. Tried a few different top waters and streams (bendbacks and clousers), but only one pattern produced fish for me! It is this little simple frog that I tied up, that I am hoping to call my own! When I say my own, I mean more like the clouser and the crazy charlie. Pretty close, but yet different. For the most part it is like a gartside gurgler. But here is my foam frog: The fly is a little dirty from fishing today. It worked wonders on the largemouth and the bream! The little legs move very easily, but yet didn't get ripped off by the little bream hitting it. So, when you move it it looks like it is swimming. Also, with the gartside part, I could make little tiny bloops with it to make it sound like a struggling frog. Or rod tip lowered and long strips to make a pop-r sound like a fish tried to eat it, but missed. I think I did a good job to with the underview to how the whiteness of the belly looks. More white for the belly and less towards the cheast. Some differnt color schemes, sizes, and detailing with paint, and I think we have a winner . Although, I like smaller sizes. EVERYTHING will eat a baby frog. I caught more fish (including bream), but only took pictures of a select few since most were the same size (not small bass, but not large). This was the prize of the day though! I figured her to be around 19" to 20" (the cork on the rod is a little more than 7"). That picture doesn't do her justice though. Her mouth was HUGE! She wasn't fat for her lenght, but she put that 4 wt to the test though. Her blow ups were just awesomely aggressive. She missed the first time, but still came slap out the water. Then, did it again! Sorry for the long post, but as fall approaches, I hope to have many more outtings like today. Tight lines, Daniel

I didn't think about carp. I still haven't personally caught a carp. We got some huge ones around here! But I was planning on panfish mostly. I'm sure any bass would eat it, too, if you tapped him on the nose with it.

Simple. Hopefully rides hook up with the little lead and chain bead eyes I put on it. A little marabou and flash for the tail and lots of tread .1.5". I have bad thread control so I figured I needed to try and get it out of my system.

I think staying low, line placement (not to spook but in their face), and then the movement of your fly (natural drift to fast retrieves) are the most critical things. I would focus less on things like fly selection and so on. Although once the first things are satisfied, then I would try different flies and colors. Also, I always go with the longest leader/tippet as possible. As long as you can turn a fly over, only certain things should cause a shorter leader/tippet (wind, weighted fly, ect..). When I have trouble with hooking/keeping fish hooked, I will bend the point of the hook slightly away from the shank (downwards) then slightly to the left or right to offset it. Only down side is the fly becomes a bit more nonweedless.

That's what I'm hopping for is for it to collapse and flare as it is stripped to look real. I'd also be interested in some pictures of the brush making process if you don't mind! Thanks, Daniel.

Also both of those names show up for the balance thing. But I think I will try the bead thing using a think monofilament and burning the end instead of trying to find a metal object or cutting up hooks.

Also this dosent have a great deal of flash because I attempted to make dubbing with a blend using the marabou and flash.. It didn't work out so well. I believe I'm going to need a coffee bean grinder instead

One I tied up with out the balance thing for a regular jiggy type motion. But what I mean about the strike indicator is that fishing still water and deeper than normal but not on bottom and to fish slow at a set depth, basically like a bobber on regular rod and reel. But in this fashion the fly above would ride at a weird angle. That is where I would like to try that bead thing. Thanks guys I'll work on it and report back with one hopefully lol

I fish warmwater (I hope to make a trip for some rainbows once cooler weather comes) and the fishing can get slow with a high sun. Do you guys think a marabou leech pattern would work well? Are there reasons for using other materials like rabbit fur? Also, I was thinking of using dubbing loops to make a fuller body for the leeches, instead of the just tying the marabou on the top of the hook shank. Another thing is I saw a picture of some leech pattens on jig hooks (turned eye with the eye perpendicular to the hook shank) with a bead extended past the bend for the eye to make the leech ride horizontally under a strike indicator. How would I go about doing something like that? I think that would be killer on some of the slightly deepper bass/bream right now.

Correct. I should have just said DEET.

It is a good healthy lake! No gas motors allowed! Although, there were a couple drunkards down there the other day that ran a bass boat in the lake. Being in a kayak and by myself with no one on the lake but me and the three on the boat with no cellphone service for the most part, I figured it was in my best interest to not say anything.

Thumbs up! I actually found a similar looking pattern in a tree last year. I wish I could find it now but it looked like it could catch some good bass.