Jaydub

A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by Jaydub:

Spawning Pink

I don't use a lot of floss but here are my suggestions:

1. For a Zebra Midge I just use a thread body.

2. Single strand floss in a bobbin might help.

3. Try wetting the floss before tying.

4. If you have a rotary vise, try using it to wrap the floss. Just hold the end of the floss and turn the vise.

It was a Bead Head Lifter. I was fishing for winter Steelhead and have been successful with it in the type of water I was fishing. No luck that day however.

I have felt four here in western Oregon.

I was laying on the couch when the first one happened. It felt like someone grabbed the back of the couch and was moving it around, but when I looked up nobody was there.

The second one was the biggest. 5.6 I believe. It was known as the Spring Break Quake. It shook the house pretty good and damaged some buildings and bridges.

The next one felt strange. I was at work and everyone went out into the parking lot. It didn't really shake but you could feel the ground moving. It seemed like it would make you sea sick if it lasted very long. It was centered near Olympia WA, a lot farther away than the others.

The last one was the smallest. I woke up when my window rattled. It does that sometimes when a big truck goes by, but there was no sound of a truck. I thought it must have been a gust of wind and went back to sleep. The next day on the news they said there had been a mild quake centered about 15 miles from me at the same time I woke up.

How could olive not be a choice in the poll?

My two favorites are all black and oilve with burnt orange tail and hackle.

If you are not already, tie in the fine end of the slip. The coarse fibers near the quill will split every time.

For small dry flies Wapsi Superfine is hard to beat. It dubs easily and produces smooth bodies without bulk. On the natural side beaver or muskrat with the guard hairs removed work well. For larger drys you might want something that builds a little faster. I use a wide variety of dubbings and yarn for the bigger stuff.

Too light IMHO. I have incidentally hooked Steelhead on a 5 wt. and had no control at all. Like trying to pull a car with a rubber band. You'd have to completely exhaust the fish to land it. Some people fish for Steel with 5 and 6 wts but for me 7 wt is a minimum.

Fantastic book, by the way. I've been familiar with Arlens photographs for some time and they are the best bug pics I've seen. I've only read the first two chapters so far but learned a lot.

I went to college for fly tying. Well not exactly but I did take a fly tying class for credit. Actually I took it twice. The first time it was taught by a physics prof. He was a good self taught tier but as such missed some fairly basic techniques. The second time it was taught by the owner of a local fly shop. He was more of a pro. There were many aha! moments in that second class. Some things I learned there I still use on almost every fly, 30 years later.

I have Kaufmann's new book. If you just want the maximum number of recipes with pictures, it's the one. It includes some of those flies that I've heard about and may be in production but I couldn't find an actual recipe for. No one book has everything though.

"Trout Flies" is very good but not strictly a pattern book. "Fly Pattern Encyclopedia: Federation of Fly Fishers" is a good one. I also like " Patent Patterns" by Jim Schollmeyer. For older stuff there's "Perrault's Standard Dictionary of Fishing Flies" if you can find it.

IMHO

1. weight

2. jigging action on some flies like buggers

2. flash

In that order.

I often use black beads which gives me 1 and 2 without 3.

Jay

joelst,

My first "good" vise was a Price Vise. I still have it but it's pretty much retired.

My primary vise is a Regal. It does everything I need it to do. I have a Peak rotary which I like, but I havent really gotten used to yet.

Jay