roycestearns

Had a Regal, had a renzetti, had a no name, started with a model A, and now I have a norvise and wouldn't use any other vise. It's a different paradigm and you need to get used to the bobbin, but once you've gotten through the learning curve it won't be easy to give up. You can do anything that you can on any other rotary vise, plus it spins giving you the ability to do things that no other vise does. I don't know of any other vise, that if you call the phone number, the designer, engineer, chief mechanic, and all around great guy picks up the phone. When I first saw Norm at the shows back in the early 90's I thought he was the "ginsu knife" guy of vises, it just looked to smooth and slick to be real. From personal experience, you can tie everything from a 24 to a 9/0 on the vise.

When I heard that this book was coming out I put an order in. Not expecting it until July, I was pleasantly surprised to find it on the door step today. Gary's books and tying were very inspiring for me in the 90's, I still miss the stories (As Al writes some even partially true) and excellent wit and humor. I haven't made it halfway through the book, but it's very Gary like with the personal antidotes around each pattern. Al and Gretchen, Paul and Char ... an excellent job I'm looking forward to the remainder. Maybe I can tote it along to Montana and have you sign it. Thanks for the excellent tribute to GL. :headbang: :headbang:

I love the IC in the cheek, that's a really a beautiful feather, and the tinsel doesn't bother me. I agree with the body taper and I would have liked a throat with a bit more yellow feather. I love the profile :headbang: :headbang:

Dave, as they say in american baseball, it's a grand slam :headbang: :headbang: I compared it to the last two versions. I think this body is cleaner, and I believe it's the vertical teal that really makes this stand out, it just really sets the rest of the beautiful wing off. really nice. :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

JESSS beautiful, I really like the flow and shape. :headbang: :headbang:

EOM - one small step for salmon flies and one giant leap for Rocky! Nice work. :headbang: :headbang: :headbang:

Nicely tied T&L a great looking fly. :headbang: :headbang:

Is that P. Cotinga on the sides .... it's a gorgeous knock out. :headbang: :headbang:

Very cooooool. Love that tail. :headbang: :headbang: what size is the hook? John has it on his site in Tony Smith's section and gives a bit of description about the Tourocou: The recipe as found on page 197 of The Salmon Fly by Kelson: Tag---Silver twist and yellow silk. Tail---Tourocou, strands of Summer Duck and powdered blue Macaw. Butt---Black herl. Body---Silver tinsel (oval, fine) with four turns of violet seal's fur at throat. Ribs---Gold tinsel (oval). Hackle---A silver coch-a-bonddu from butt. Throat---A hen Pheasant dyed yellow. Wings---Two Jungle (back to back), Widgeon, Swan dyed yellow, Golden Pheasant tail Tourocou, grey Mallard and a topping. For those of you who have no idea what Tourocou is. This is the only pattern in fly tying literature (according to Paul Schmookler in Rare and Unusual Fly Tying Materials; A Natural History, Vol. 1 Birds) to call for this feather. The violet, blue and green feathers come from the wing coverts and secondaries of the Knysna Touraco found in Southeastern South Africa. I found out the hard way that the violet color will leach out of the feathers if you soak them. I'm told local tribesmen used the feathers as a dye source. I would simply use crimson or violet goose as a substitute.

It's the holy jock. Very fascinating.

Very cool stuff... :headbang: :headbang: What's your guess on the size of the nicholsons? Maybe on the new classic site we can a forum dedicated to the vintage stuff?

Todd, save yourself the trouble of storing and looking after that cape, I'll send you an address for a great storage location (my tying desk) :hyst: Don't hide it away, enjoy it, tye with it. :headbang: :headbang:

Aaron ... what are these from?? VERY Cool, thanks for posting them. :headbang: :headbang: Carne's going to be hating on the first one in the group ... look at that hook, its an A&H!

Rusty ??? I think not, I think you have to much tying time on your hands :hyst: Really a great tie. :headbang: :headbang:

Jamie, Spectacular tye and I love the concept that PJ had. It would be an interesting pattern to test. This might be one of my favorite streamers ... I had to go look it up in FF and I found the Jennings Iris series, those are spectacular. :headbang: :headbang: :headbang: