joelst

Well Guys, thanks for the advice. I am going to build one and try it out; but I have already asked my wife and daughters to get me the Light Tent for Xmas. Hopefully they will make my flies look better .

So many fun things to do, and so little time. Hurry up retirement so I can get more done. You are right John, you can go broke on this photography thing.

Joel

:baby: 1 large saphire blue. anything to support this "wild & crazy bunch of guys".

joelst

Have any of you used a light tent before? I am looking at an EZ-Cube light tent to use for photographing my flies. Any advice?

thanks, joelst :dunno:

I use a Canon mp600 and Microsoft Picture It Premium 10 on canon paper. I have tried other software and nothing seems to print as good as Picture It. Of course the printer and paper do make a difference, but they come out better than walmart, etc.

joelst

:dunno: I was reading the post on treating feathers by subspecie and I remembnered that my brother in law gave me a couple of pheasants he shot last fall. They are in plastic bags in my deep freeze in the garage. I went and pulled them out. They are like rocks and there's some frozen moisture/water on some parts of the bodies. What is the best way to thaw them out so i can pluck some good feathers? hopefully I haven't ruined them by leaving them in there so long. Any advice will be greatly appreciated.

joelst

 

:headbang: Excellent job! love the pb. joel

Philip, the pattern for the foxfire is listed on page 201 of Joe Bates book "The Art of the Atlantic Salmon Fly".The black bear with a red butt is varied by a red-over black-hair tail, a black bear hair wing over a bit of red hair topped with a few peacock sword fibers, and a bright-red fairly long hackle collar. This pattern is called Foxfire.

I am still working on the other one.

joelst

:baby: :baby:That is an old one! Beautiful job on the wing!low & wicked, the way John likes them. Love the little bit of recurve! This has inspired me to tie some dee & spey flies this weekend.Haven't done that in some time.

Joelst

:headbang: nice job! very nice job!looks professional to me.

joelst

Steelie is right. What I usually do is:

1. soak in a mixture of Woolite or Delicare(kroger's) and add a little bit of hydrogen peroxide to it. let soak nat least 2 hours. stir occasionnally. the feathers should be clean of any bugs, and/or blood, and the fibers will be more manageable when you use the feathers.

joelst

:headbang: :headbang: Now those are what I call serious MEAT flies! Just make sure you have a very strong tippet and good knots, cause when a big brown hits one of those, it will probably jerk the rod right out of your hands.Trust me, I have had it happen. Sweet dreams!

joelst

Beautiful fly!! I love the subtle color changes. Wing looks fine to me. Much too nice to fish. would i be asking too much to have you list the dressing? i have a real soft spot in my heart for spey flies.this one makes me want to start tying them again. haven't for about a year. been tying trout and bass and bluegill flies for this summer.

:baby: madison river, last month. cabin fever anybody?

:baby: I never half hitch! don't trust it as a knot. I even whip finish at various stages of my fly to make sure it doesn't come apart in a fishes teeth. I have had many flies come partially apart, but they are still fishable, mostly I feel due to the numerous whip finish knots.Course I'm an old Fogey who is set in his ways. Oh yes, none bettr than Materelli. Original and still the best.

:headbang:

joelst

:dunno: I hate to disagree with you guys, but European Jay and/or Asian Jay is legal to use for Hackle. I am assuming that when you say hackle, you mean as a throat or body hackle. The wing feathers are split and used as hackle on salmon flies. The American Blue Jay is NOT legal. you can get the other jays from any salmon material dealer.

Sorry guys, I guess I am agreeing with you.

joelst :crying:

:hyst: :hyst: Ipod? don't own one.My computer is next to my fly tying desk. When I want to listen to music I paly it from the computer.Have about 1400 songs on hard drive. Used to be a napster freak way back when. 3 dog night, CCR, Bob Seger. When I've been sniffing too much head cement, I usually play "One toke over the line, sweet Jesus, one toke over the line".Doesn't get any better!!

:headbang:

:yahoo: Griff, I wish more men were like you and spent time with their children, especially Daughters! They are very special and need a good male role model for when they pick their husbands. I have three daughters and they came before my career. First my wife, then my daughters, then my job. It paid off! they have picked outstanding young men, and are wonderful ladies that I am really proud of. I remember when they turned 16 and discovered boys. That was the end of their fishing for a while.;but when they reached their twenties it changed back. You will always cherish these moments and those pictures.Being a good DAD is what it's all about. Take care and be sure to share more pictures with us every once in a while.

Joel

Toluene, I believe.

anyone know where i can get a database program for my fly patterns? preferably free!

joelst

i found some old streamer necks that i had stashed away in the basement this weekend. they are kind of twisted and out of shape. will steaming straighten them out? or do i have to wash and then dry them between some newspapers? will either of these methods work/ maybe somebody knows a better method. thanks ina dvance for any help you can give. they are at least 15-20 years old, but outside of the shape, are still o.k.

joelst

i live in Lexington and have never heard of it. The cumberland river is good for trout. The elkhorn near frankfort is good for small mouth. lots of good smallmouth streams in Ky. list of them on the state web page.

lots of luck, if i can help otherwise, jes holler as they say in these thar hills!!!

Al, this sounds great!! i too, have arthritis in my hands(63 yr old hands next week)what kind of operation is it? i ahve trouble tying anything smaller than a size 16. sometimes i can't straighten my fingers out. appreciate you letting me know what they call the surgery. maybe there's hope for me. best of luck, and a few prayers too.

joelst

:crutch: Steelie, i ahve been recovering from gall bladder surgery and heart attack for the past few weeks, so i can sympathize. as soon as i was able to sit at my fly tying desk i was tying away! great therapy! ! Think positive, and pray!!! it does work! i will send you a few flies, which kind do you prefer, horse flies or house flies?? squashed or smashed?? got lots of them here in Ky. taste best when they are sauteed in a little bourbon!! :hyst: :hyst: :hyst: seriously, i hope all goes well with the pt. anything i can realistically do to cheer you up besides flies, jes holler!!!

joelst

has anyone tried the new Whiting Spey Hackle capes? how long are the fibers? how do they compare to Blue Eared Pheasant for spey flies?

thought i would ask before shelling out $30 to $20 for one.

thanks, joelst

Hi everyone,

i am sitting here reading everything on this forum that i have missed in the last 6 mths. i am recuperating from a heart attack and gall bladder operation combined. on jan.9th, on my way to work i started having chest pains, couldn't breathe, and felt like i had a 100 lb salmon sitting on my chest. turned around and drove to my doctor's office, she took one look and had her nurse drive me to the hospital. nitro tabs are wonderful. they really work! found out i had 70% blockage, but they couldn't do an angioplasty because i also had a bad gall bladder with big stones and some polyps. took my gall bladder out last week. am able to sit at computer and my tying bench. go back to heart doc next week and then he can work on my ticker. in meantime am tying an hour at a time. hurts to sit there very long. good thing is my blood pressure is doing fine. doc said it's the fly tying. really relaxs me. moral of the story, tie more and avoid heart problems! keep reading about this rhea hackle stuff. trying to track some down.

i started tying in 1967 and learned to tie salmon flies by reading old books and corresponding with various tyers. need to get better so i can go out to Montana and see my youngest daughter graduate from law school May 20th. i have two other daugters, but this one is a little extra special! she spent more than half her life going to Schriner's childrens hospital here in Lex., ky. and wearing a special back brace from her butt to her neck 23 hrs a day for 10 yrs. only take it off to take a shower. sometimes at night would wake up to hear her crying because of the pain.life is a Bi _ _ _! She still has problems but has learned to make the most out of life while she can and to be thankful for what she does have.

Anyway, sorry for the sob story, but now she will have a Masters in Environmental Studies and an Environmental Law degree! The University ahs recommended her to be a Legal Assistant to the Congressman from that area(don't even know his name). I don't think i want her living in D.C. Now she wants to learn to fly fish!So!!! when I am out there in May, i am going to take her on Rock Creek.

anybody know any other small streams that would be safe for her to wade? any help will be greatly appreciated.

sorry to run on like this, but have been doing a lot of thinking and evaluating my life lately, and realize i havebeen very blessed with my wife and my girls, and i need to thank God for what i do have and have had.

fly tying and fly fishing have been a big part of my life and i have great memories of fishing with my other daughters. just want one more fishing memory in May!!

Enjopy life while you can and make the most of it, especially fly tying and fishing.!!!!!

joel stansbury