willowhead

Tidewaterfly.....you BETTER get to tyin' NOW........trust me, once you retire.......you'll have even less time. :hyst: :help: :dunno: in that order.

Tye every day if at all possible..........last couple/few years i seem to fish less and less (always on the road)...........although this year weren't bad at all.......did quite a bit, and also fished maybe a dozen new rivers for the first time(s), and an incredable lake up in Canada. Yeah, '08 kicked butt. mark.....

p.s., i'd keep tyin' even if they outlawed fishin;...........

Shez, that's Pilgaard, not Pillgard.

It's Super Cool Rocky.....i can dig it Bro. Lovely. i agree with Claudia completely. Take care, mark.....

Btw Rocky, your developing a recognizeable style all of your own now.....that's very good. Keep it up Bro. :thumbsup:

Good deal then........hope you sell as many as you'd like. Good luck, mark.....

It's commin' along pretty good.....startin' to get filled up nicely. Keep up the great work. mark.....

Now that's cute. Have you fished it yet? That gape is pretty well blocked by the egg.....but that might not be a problem.....if it does turn out not to work so well.....just put the egg on top the hook. Good fishing. mark.....

Thankx again for the pics.......very interestng approach you have there. Keep up the great work. mark.....

supafly.....go over to the "other" site http://www.classicflytying.com and go the Streamers&Wets page and look for a post called "a few recent wets" by Mike Schmidt, (Redwings1).........there's a fly there with a Mallard wing..........(one in a set, in the pic).....THAT, is what i'm saying you should parctice. Try learning how to do those type flies.......it will help you with allllll your other tying tremendously. Give it a shot. And good luck. mark.....

Hey Bro, aint no biggie.........just the straight up honest turff. Wiff two ff's. You dig? mark...... p.s. have a good time at the Birthday Party.

Anyone wanna see the pics Alberto posted.........they're at the CFT site on the Lodge page. Go see. mark.....

YOU GOT IT R.W. .....aint nothin' to it. mark.....

Steve, i know Doug from where he works in Montana. i see him a couple times a year whenever i'm in that fly shop..........it's one of the best in Montana. George Anderson's, in Livingston.....right on the Yellowstone. The Yellowstone is my favorite BIG river in Montana.........and Livingston is where it turns east. It runs north out of "The Park" until it hits Livingston where it turns east............LOTS of fish Bro. Cutts, Bows, Browns, Cuttbows, and Whitefish........locate yourself in Livingston and from there, your only a half hour to Bozeman, (the Gallatin, and East Gallatin), to the west.....a half hour to the Shields, to the east and another half hour further to the east to the Boulder.....and allll the famous Spring Creeks are right there.....Nelsons, De Puy's, Armstrongs.....along the road to "The Park, (one hour south).....plus Mill Creek is along that road. And as soon as you get in "The Park" you can go hit the Lamare, Soda Butte and Slew Creek. And there's so much more but the thing is.....Livingston is a GREAT place to get yourself a place for the summer or whatever and just fish your way alllll around it in any direction. Montana is HUGE......and there are so many rivers.........it's STUPID.......but i can't think of a better place to be situated and fish from, than Livingston...........there are others, Dillon.....West Yellowstone.....and i've done 'em all.....but i prefere to stay in Livingston and fish outta there. Plus the Internationl Fly Fishing Museum is there, and real good resturants, a good car-wash, bout 5 top notch fly shops, and good shopping for boots, etc. NO sales tax in Montana......... :yahoo: Ya gotta check it out Bro. Life's to short not to. Do it while your young and while they still haven't totally ruined Montana. I been goin' there every year since 2002, and it's changed a lot just in that time. They over-developing it like mad.........if you snooze, you looze. Go now.....while you can still be, "Haunted by Waters." mark.....

VERY VERY nice tye Jens.........

R.W. Poul Jorgensen used the same feathers you do for his G.P. fly. i like them as well.............

B.B., i used to raise chickens amoung many other birds.....(i had birds for almost 5 years), and some of them were Silver Laced Whyendotts.....that is the bird those feathers come form. There are also Golden Laced Whyendotts which i also had. Instead of White and Black, their feathers are brownish/gold and black. Btw, Henery Hoffman won the Bus Buzeck Award this year at the FFF International Conclave. Or was that last year.............lol. Anyway, he's a recent recipiant. And well deserved imho.

mark.....

TKX. Steve.....yeah, that's me.....my wife Misako took all the pics cept for the one's she's in. See you at the reception on Fri. (we may not get there til bout 8 p.m., set-up at the fairgrounds starts at 5 p.m.), night 6 p.m. at Buddies Pub and Grill in Holt, Michigan or Sat. at the fairgrounds in Mason. Later, mark.....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NW.......and many many more. mark.....

i believe that's accurate Bruce...........never known you to be inaccurate. We get the hooks free from Gamakatsu along with every other hook they make, (depending on what we ask for), in every finish and size they make 'em in.............which is why i am able to share so may with others........and the company likes us to do that. It's good for business. We have the same deal with Daiichi as well. One thing i don't do though.....is go round memorizin' Model numbers. :hyst: Thankx for the help. mark..... Btw, nice Avatar .....hope to see you in May.

Hey Twist.........so, you went the old "Kit" route did ya. i never did that and luckily it turned out ok. there's absolutely nothin' wrong with startin' out that wat because if you don't stick with fly tyin'......you haven't invested a lot, only to give up. i actually started my wife out with a kit. Six months later we gave that vice to a friend who only had one, for his wife to use, cause my wife wanted a better one. And she tyes more now that she ever has. Which is a good thing.

Your fly there looks pretty darn nice. but whatever you do, go to http://www.ronnlucassr.com and take the lessons. If you snooze, you looze. His series is as good as it get for you to follow in these early stages........DO NOT waste the opprotunity to get high QUALITY instruction, FREE!

Take you time with everything.........go as slow as it takes to do your ABSOLUTE BEST! You will NEVER regret, takin' your time.........ask any women, ah hahaaahha ahahah fly tyer. There simply is, no need to rush...........you can only tye so many flies in a lifetime anyway. And you'll NEVER use them all.....so why end up with thousands of crappy flies just layin' around collectin' dust. Less you like feedin' the spiders. Any of this sound like the voice of experience? :hyst: Now don't get me wrong.........every minute you spend at the vise is good.......but it'll be way MO good, IF.....you conciously try to do your ABSOLUTE BEST with every single fly you tye. And to do that, you NEED to "take your time." Don't settle for good enough.......maybe every now and again, your just slappin' somethin' together to get on the water fast as possible.........that's different.......but you should still approach even that as a challange, because you can't take the fish for granted either..........you'll figure this all out for yourself.......sooner or later..........or you'll end up regretting that you didn't............or you'll have already quit by then. Don't let that happen. Best of luck, mark.....

Mike, those are KILLER........AMAZING flies........i know it's a way over-abused word.........but they GOTTA be, DEADLY!!!!!!! Man, they just look LEATHAL!!!!! You REALLY should be demonstrating how to tye those at the shows..........BET, NOBODY else is. You'd be a VERY welcome addition to any show. i had some Waddington shanks once, but i gave them away to a member here.......well, Say Lah Vee..... .......we're gonna be in Michigan next weekend, wish you could be there.......Btw, guess what happened today.......we we're diggin' around in the freezer.....and my wife found a big baggie in the back, down underneath some other "Stuff"..........a complete Natural BLACK hen skin. :yahoo: :hyst: :headbang: :bugeyes: Complete with some Moth crystals in the bag........i can't even remember when i put it in there :dunno: .....Good luck on stream with those great flies, mark.....

SheZ, i rarely worry bout much.........it doesn't pay. Btw, you have all the natural talent it takes to be able to go as far as you want to go as a fly tyer and i suspect anything else you want in life. It just takes work.........but all work and no play......................you know how that one goes. Just enjoy the journey Shez. You've got an exciting future. mark.....

Al, i just read your article (excert from a book?), on the Hatches Magizine page here.........it is so cool. The story you tell of the way you first met Gary LaFontain is terrific. I met him for the first time and subsequent times, at the same place i first met you and Gretchen. The Fly Fishing Show in Somerset, N.J. Btw, Chuck Firimsky got an award at "Conclave" this year in Whitefish.....some type of an award for supportive service. i think that was a good thing.

Maybe the one single thing i remember about Gary, (having only been around him a very few times), was his great sense of humor and generosity. He would tye flies all day long and give every single one of them away. The whole while, keeping everyone in stitches. Many of the stories had to do with his daughter Heather, her boyfriends, or his dog. He gave me a Sparkle Pupa (sans bead), and to this day it is the ONLY fly i ever regreted losing. But i lost it while fishing with it, (on the Beaverkill), so i guess that's ok. Just wanted to thank you for the memories and for all you do for so many, in so many ways. Hope to see you in Loveland, Colorado next summer. Tell Gretchen hi for Misa and i and give her our love. You take care, and tight wraps. mark.....

She's right.........it is Brave..........but i think challenging is a better word..........women always wanna get romantic. :help: :coffee: i can see by the flies that they are not "identical" but they're sure as heck "Close Enough For Jazz" and that's a good thing.........if the shop owner accepts them, and is in your corner and not just his own............you be workin' for the right guy.................if not, you'd be workin' for the wrong guy anyway. They are wonderful flies and will definately catch fish.........any shop owner worth, BLEEP can see that.........Stevie Wonder could see that. Btw, tinsel should never be thought of as something that needs to be "pulled tight".....(when used as ribbing), .....it is something that needs to be "Seated.".....set straight and told to keep good posture. De DIFF! mark.....

Actually SheZ.....to become a master FLT TYER OR ANYTHING ELSE, takes years..........no matter WHO you are, or think you are..............if someone has only been tyin' a short time and they think they're a master........trust me.........."thinking" is the last thing they're doin'. While it's true, that a tyer can master a certain area of fly tyin' in a short time............that alone, does not make him a master fly tyer.

and btw, that hook is a Gamakatsu Salmon hook.....if i haven't already sent you some.....and you'd like a few.....i'll send them...............PM address.

Back: hadn't seen your reply here before i hit send Supafly...........glad you beat me to the punch. NOW remember........it's not the "right and wrong material"........it's the ok/good enough and the WAY MO BETTER! Always think positive and then MO Positive. Nothing's wrong.........there just may be something WAY MO BETTER! Now, that's the last time for that.........RIGHT?

As for your other couple statements..........in the first one........."devote" was the key word...........you figure it out. In the second one...........i noticed three words....."determined".....and "no matter"..........determined no matter..........THAT'S! the right attitude. THAT'S! what will carry you very far over time as a fly tyer and as a person............NEVER give up.............NEVER, NEVER, NEVER EVER! give up. You are the master of your own destiny and you cast your fate to the wind. Be VERY careful travelling. mark .....btw, you don't owe me a thing......i'm just payin' back so many who have taught me........you owe those who will come behind you............

"all good things..............................wait" supa..............."if you snooze.........you looze." ................DE DIFF! ......................now don't be impatiant :hyst:

while you "waitin'" for the BM.......keep messin' with the Mallard flank.......do some wet flies in size 6 and 8.......and if it calls for Wooduck, just use the Mallard....... .....less you got Wooduck..... case in POINT! it really doesn't make a Diff..... ssssshhhhhhh.......fish can't tell :whistle:

ssssshhhhhhh...........again............with any luck, (post office at Christmas time :dunno: ), you'll have your hooks for Christmas............

Supa, you just had a wonderful experience wether you know it or not.................(and trust me, THE Reason "experience teaches".....is....."because there is no substitute". CASE CLOSED!).........by messin' with the Mallard flank "all turkey day long" (more or less ) you should know by now......(and if you don't, take a lesson), that there is no such thing as "the right material for the job" Per Say. Fly tying is NOT about right and wrong ways of doing things or the right or wrong materials for the job..........it's about finding the BEST way to do things and the BEST materials for the job. DE DIFF! If you spend your life falling victum to thinking in the wrong ways and getting involed with a devide and conqueer mentality...........your going to regret it sooner or later...........and it will be reflected in your fly tying.

Now don't get me wrong.........i'm not tryin' to tell you what is the right or wrong way to think.........i'm just throwin' pearls and it's up to you to pick 'em up or not. De Diff..............

Mallard Flank is a GREAT material for winging..................old style wet flies..............and if it can, and has been, used for that for a century at least, it can obviously be used as a winging material on a Spey fly........you just need to practice long and hard enough to "make it work." Also the size of the material, (length of barbs/fibers) just simply limits it's application. Therefore Bronze Mallard is much better and also for the reason NW refered to.....flank is very soft and will not tent.........or stay tented anyway.

Point is: fly tying is an adventure...............a trip to who knows where...................YOU will determin that.........with a little help along the way...........from.... many, many, many sources....................the key, is to "Listen." Keep your ears and eyes peeled.

DE DIFF is about "knowin'" when, to let **** go in one ear and out the other.........................and when, NOT to. Comprende'? mark.....