Mike1958

Since it's 90% thread, soak it in trout attractant when the fishing is slow.

Sizes 12 to 16 are the commonest sizes, but it really depends on the local environment to best match the hatch... just after ice out. Credit for the images goes to flyguys.

Sent PM. Thank you!

Rather than tying in two eyes at a time, I find it easier to tie in a small section of chain and then snipping it down to two eyes; on small hooks this allows you to place and hold the eyes on the hook more easily.... also, I always tie the eyes under the hook.

Here's a really cool vid I found on Youtube. Credit for this clip belongs to David Strawhorn.

Food Savers Seal-A-Meal bags. Since they are made for storing food in the freezer, icy fishing conditions will not crack or stress the material like it would some of the other suggestions. It is almost indestructible, has a plain side, which is great for scuds, while the other side has a dimpled surface, which looks great on stone flies. Permanent markers work great on either surface. You can get an unlimited supply for free from anyone who uses a Seal-A-Meal. I think it's better than thin skin.

Nice vid... thanks!

My girlfriend works as a dye specialist in a hair salon. Whenever a customer requires an unusual color, she dyes a small patch of deer hair, rabbit skin and feathers for me. Yes, she keeps the materials in her locker . The best colors so far have come from dye left over from punk Mohawks; orange-and-red sunburst being my all-time favorite.

Nice tutorial link. Thanks

I'll be happy to send you my address if you have too many tail feathers

Betcha a Pike would hit it

... a spider... on purpose. Tossed a size 22 Griffith's Gnat on his web and he came charging out like a lion.

I came across artificial sinews made here in the good ol' US of A and priced pretty reasonably on eBay. I was wondering if any of you have used this material to tie with and what the results were along with your thoughts. I think it looks promising and gather that it is 1/8" in width, which can be further split into 5 strands. It comes waxed or plain, available in many colors and is pretty much indestructible. I was thinking of using it along the lines of swiss straw for stone fly shell casing, for wings, legs, segmenting, ribbing, reinforcing, biots etc. Might work well in place of pheasant tail fibers in nymph bodies too here's a link: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_nkw=artificial+sinew&_sop=15

For more control and to prevent it flying around, wet the marabou by licking your fingers or using water in a small fine-mist spray bottle.

Try the trophy trout section on the Youghiogenny River a mile below the dam. Ask for directions to where Ramcat Run enters the river. Check size and creel limits. If I recall correctly it's 2 fish over 17". Big, fast, deep water with big trout. Be careful! Also, from the Outflow at the dam itself downstream to the first bridge is anything goes, from there to the confluence with the Casselman is fly only. Mixed fishing between Ramcat and Ohiopyle and then you start getting into some nice Smallmouth bass! In the spring, make sure you target the confluence where Meadow Run meets the Yock... a 9 lb. brown was taken there! Good luck!

Bucktails. Black Ghost, Mickey Finn, Blacknosed Dace. Size 2 tied with size 4 tandem hooks.

I salute your parenting skills. And yes, Joe Public is a pig!

Google Skagit Anglers... they have an eBay shop too and are very helpful with advice. I think their username is Hardydeluxe...

Instead of a fly, if you want to lessen the odds of ending up at the emergency room, use a small piece of ladies pantyhose (ASK before cutting them up!!) Bluegills will hit anything and it's a fun, visual, almost-the-real-thing experience for the kids when the bluegill's teeth get stuck in the nylon. You can experiment with different colors too to demonstrate how 'matching the hatch' is an important aspect of fly fishing. P.S Chicken livers wrapped in a strip of pantyhose often translates into a bunch of eels for supper... their teeth are very fine and get stuck in the material and all you do is pull 'em out when it's time to go home

If you're fishing a small creek or river, it doesn't really matter, because rarely will you find yourself into your backing even with the largest fish on the other end of your rig. Bigger water and salt water situations are a different ballgame; I wouldn't risk losing a finger on super lines!

Bucktails... Mickey Finns and Black-nosed Dace in sizes 2 and 4, either single or in tandem with a stinger hook. Sculpin heads on an articulated shank, small, medium or large depending, bunny strip body with sparse flash on both sides, and a siwash hook. For the bucktails, the key seems to be "less is more" as far as the amount of hair used. I had precisely 9 hairs on one fly and it was hit more than any other fly in the same pattern. And always paint on eyes before coating the head with whatever you use. Last but not least, Rule Number 1 for big browns... ... wait until dark!

Bull trout or togue.

Dry shampoo... lots of it... and hang 'em out for a few days in the shade. Start wearing thick socks that wick away moisture, else a big ol' catfish might take your foot off thinking it's stankbait:)

Nice fish!

Awesome pic of you helping you son! Encourage him to love and respect the outdoors