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Sniperfreak, I do hope you take this as the joke it is ment as, How's that OCD working for you these days? Good enough? These look great. I know where there are some smallies that will try to rip these apart. You have set the bar high. I need to get to work. Michael

I too have received mine. These are going to be used this year. All I need now is open water and some weather above 3 degrees. I also had a note on the package for 25 cents due. Was that from you Kevin or was that from the post office? Michael

Absolutely count me in! Michael

Tidewaterfly, you are the perfect person for this question. I am curious though, what hook have you graduated to? Other than sharpening the 3366, did you have any other issues? Michael

PWB, This is wicked cool! Sorry for the native Maine speak. I have been looking for something that would imitate the jitter bug. I suspect this is very close. Any chance you would be willing to give up a materials list? Possibly a photo essay of tying instructions? Michael

I'm not sure if this helps at all and I know you are looking at a different vise. However This is an incredable deal. Dyna king ultimate indexer fly tying vise - $275 (Bangor maine) © craigslist - Map data © OpenStreetMap 2013 dyna king ultimate indexer vise for 275.00. Used very little. Brand new it goes for 499.00 comes with the box and warranty card... No trades and price is firm also have a lot fly tying materials as well. I'll send more pic if needed. Text me is the best way to get me 207-97four-886four Michael

when Mustad introduced the "Signature" line of fly hooks, they discontinued several of their "classic" fly hooks, and there were rumors that the 3366 was going away. It has been several years now and I have not seen or heard anything more about it. They always seem to be available, so I am not believing they are discontinued. I also hope it is not true, because I use a lot of them as well. Up until just recently Jann's Netcraft had them for less than $4 per 100, but as with everything else, they are increasing. Hopefully the rumors don't catch fire, then we'll be seeing another round of imbecility like the hackle craze, and what is going on now with .22 ammo. This may be my bad. I too was told that Mustad was going to discontinue the 3366. This came from my local fly shop. You are also correct that they are still available in many sizes from many dealers. And you could have ended your statement with "What happened to all ammo?!" Michael

Good morning Fishypieter, I hope the weather finds you warm and comfortable. I have found these hooks on Amazon before. You might want to chesck them out. They ran $35 - $40 a 100 count. I have also found a "Saber 7060" on www.flyshack.com. They come in at $6.99 a 100 count. The reviews on this sight seem to be possitive. Not sure what you are tying or what size, however I have been tying on Mustad 3366 for most of my deer hair and bass flies. They are discontinued but there are many companies that still have a good stock available. I just ordered some from www.jsflyfishing.com for 5.00 a 100 count. Hope this helps. Michael

Ok my mouth is watering with that one. I'll join. Deep Dish Duck Pizza: 1 duck beast. (mallard size both halfs) 12 fresh portabella button mushrooms 1/4 large sweet onion 4 cloves garlic crushed black pepper Alfredo sauce use the tablespoon from the utensil draw not a measuring tablespoon good pinch of crushed basil pizza cheese swiss cheese 1 lb fresh pizza dough In fry pan, Use a bit of butter or bacon drippings in bottom of pan, medium heat the crushed garlic and pepper, add mushrooms and cook until soft, then set aside. Same pan cook onions until soft, then set aside. Preheat oven to 400 Cut duck beast into 3/4"cubes Same pan sear duck pieces so they are just browned on two or three sides. Do not cook the duck more than this, because it will over cook in the pizza and become dry and tough. You want to just brown it with a raw center. Using a 9" round 3" deep cake pan. grease pan with butter, flatten dough into pan and up over sides. I like a thin crust so I cut the dough in half and make two. Add half of all the cooked ingredients on the bottom of the dough, drizzle 4 tablespoons of alfredo sauce over the ingredients, cover with a thin layer of cheese sprinkle a good pinch of crushed basil. Stack the second layer of cooked ingredients, drizzle 4 tablespoons of alfredo sauce and top with a good layer of cheeses, sprinkle with a good pinch of crushed basil. Cook until bottom of dough is golden brown, usually 20 to 25 minutes. Let sit to cool a bit. Cut and dig in. Michael

Glad to here from you.

Price - well the Renzetti Traveler is $164.95 (list) and the Peak is $149.99. The price so close it's a hard call. The Renzetti Traveler has a cam action jaw and the Peak a collet style jaw. The Renzetti cam rides on ball-bearings and the Peak collet is a hard surface to hard surface compression. The Renzetti Traveler holds hooks up to size 4/0 the Peak up to 2/0 (per spec page for each company) and both will go down to really small hook sizes (Renzetti list the small end as size 28, Peak says the jaws close completely so they can hold even the smallest wire - Renzetti jaws close completely) Stability - get a C-clamp if you want stability. To get real stability with a pedestal you need one so heavy you wouldn't want to move it. However, with that said there are a lot of advantages to a pedestal base. I've found it isn't the weight of the base that makes a pedestal vise seem stable - it's learning to work with the pedestal base that makes it seem stable. The biggest thing is to always rotate the jaws so that you are always pulling down with you apply thread tension. If you need to pull tightly when mounting something on the size of the hook - use your rotary feature - rotate the side to the top and pull down. Accessories - If you decide to do Tube Flies the HMH rig will work with either vise. Both have Tube Fly heads, midge jaws or saltwater jaws available. The Renzetti has an optional head designed while working with Bob Clouser specifically for tying that fly. Take a look at Renzetti's YouTube page. They have a number of Traveler Videos up there showing adjustments and conversions. The link is http://www.youtube.com/user/renzettiinc I didn't see a Peak Channel on YouTube but there are Peak videos up there. On their site Peak has links to people tying with their vise. Their page with the videos is at http://peakfishing.com/On-LineVideos.html Both will hold a hook well without slipping (I've tied on both and can say that firsthand) and give you years of service. I've been a Renzetti fan since I bought my first Renzetti vise around 1980 (still using it) and haven't found any reason to change. If it were my money I'd pay the extra $15.00 and buy the Renzetti Traveler for the extra hook range and the ball-bearing riding cam action jaw. Mike, Is this you?

I am going to agree with the above comments. I too was in the market 5 years ago and ended up purchasing a Peak. To me, it felt stronger and it felt as though it would hold a hook better ( I know others will tell me they have no problem with hook slippage on their Renzetti. It is what I felt at the time). Although these are not a necessity, I ended up purchasing all three jaws. I find it easier to tie 18's and smaller on the midge jaws. However, it is much better to tie 1's and larger on the saltwater jaws. Especially on stainless hooks. The only two accessory I would recommend, first would be the brass screw kit because it holds the head in place better than the derlyn screw and the fact that it looks a hole lot better. Second would be the C-clamp base. If you are tying big flies, especially when spinning deer hair, this is an incredibly strong base. It will not allow the vise to go anywhere. One thing I found interesting about the C-clamp base was how much variance in thickness of a table it will fit. I have used it on picnic tables while camping and I have used it on my desk at work. My desk at work has a 5/8" top. Good luck in you decision process. Michael p.s. I had an issue with the brass riser not fitting correctly. I called Peak and they told me to send it back and they would take care of it. I was completely, unequivocally hassle free. They were great.

Sniper, There is a gentalman by the name of Gayland Hachey in Veazie Maine. He has a small shop and this is what he specializes in. He loves to chase Atlantic Salmon. If he doesn't have what you need, I'm sure he would tell you where it is. Michael

The clearest epoxy I have found, but I am not always able to find it, is brand name "Devcon". I have used the 30 minute epoxy and the 5 minute epoxy and they both are clear. As for the "Sally's", I agree that it is a great finisher. Michael

Snow storms are one thing I really don't miss, I've been living in the south now for 25 years and don't regret a minute of it(well maybe). The summers may be a bit brutal at times, but I really hate the cold, I think my blood thinned quite a bit from living in Las Vegas for 14 years. I don't know how I survived those Nebraska winters with -30 wind chills, if it gets below 32 I get to move my appointments back until it get warmer, hands, water and wind don't work well for me. I don't know how you guys deal with that kind of cold and enjoy it. My flies will be in the mail on Monday. Blane Man Michael, where you from? I know there is a lot of weather hitting the east right now and this has sure been a nasty winter around the country, even around the world for that matter. The earth spins on and we just have to do our best to cope what she throws at us. I do know after watching a lot of the snow and ice and crashed cars on the News and the Weather Channel I have no complaints about my choice to move to west central OK after retiring a couple of years ago. A lot of things I miss but winter storms aren't one of them. When unseasonably cold here is 20 degrees I can handle that. Hi guys, I live in the middle of Maine where the men are men, the women are men and the sheep are just paranoid. Just joking. I mean disrespect toward sheep. This year, as with a lot of the nation, has been colder than normal. We have broken 3 record lows since the beginning of December. Someone said to me, "there goes the theory of global warming!" Looking forward to April... I mean May, because that is usually can get to open water. Michael

Nate!!! You OK up there? I know it's been a bit cold and snowy on your end, so I thought I'd check in to make sure you are there. We lost power on 12-23 around noon. Tuesday morning I drained the water from the house, packed the family and headed 4 hours south to be with family for the holidays. I was told we didn't get it back untill Sat the 28th. When my alarm went off this morn., the announcer said it was -15 without windchill. Felt good to step out and not be able to breath for a couple of minutes. Reminds you that your alive. Michael

There's a fly in the vid? Where?

There are four I use consistently. Grizzly, Coachman Bown, Cream, and Dun. Michael

I am an avid duck hunter that have had squids before. I do not believe that I have had one from moisture and that includes days of heavy rain, snow, and gun being mistakenly put underwater (three times so far). All of the squibs I have had have come from older shells and one year I thought it would be a good idea to put WD40 on the brass to prevent rusting. That, I have learned, is a really bad idea. There is nothing more frustrating than having 25 geese 20 yards in front of you and having a squid. All of that being said I too agree with all the answers above. You probably received a bad shell. Clean the gun, inspect it, go hunting again... repeat! Michael

Thanks for the idea. I'm going to look for some and try it. I can't imagine 2014 without buying something that I don't need for tying flies. Michael

True story, My family and I coming home from Christmas in another snow storm. Everything is in the back of my open pickup. We are in a pub/restaurant having dinner and my wife asks "do we need to check your bag to make sure it is watertight?" My natural response was "I don't think that is something we should be discussing in front of the Girls." Our two daughters, 15 & 18, almost spit out their food from laughter. It took a good 15 minutes to regain their composure. Even the waitress came over to make sure everything was OK. My wife didn't think it was as funny. Got to love the funny parts of the Holidays! Michael

denduke, Great find on the hair. Is this the same hair you used in the above flies? How does it react in water? Michael

I was in LL Bean this week. They have the HMH Solstice vice on sale for $39.99. This vise was made for LL Bean as an entry level vise. I was shocked at the quality for an entry level vise. All the quality of any HMH vise at a great deal. I don't see it on their web site so you may have to order through the store. Michael

Evening Kevin, Glad they made it. I'm not sure if there is anyone else from Eddington Maine, however, if there is I'd love to meet them and do some tying and fishing. They should be toe tagged "cockroach". Half are stainless hooks and half are freshwater hooks. Michael

Having a great time with extended family, on both sides. We left yesterday afternoon. We had been out of power for a day and a half. Got to the inlaws and took a hot shower. That was one of the best gifts I could have ever asked for. Michael