Hatchet Jack

It's amazing the amount of effort not needed to click on a link with the lightest of index finger pressure. And sometimes one finds a jewel of a site like yours Shane, well done!

I have also been working on musky and musky flies. I have found a bit of success this November... must have made 20,000 casts.... lol Lots of great flies here people! Happy tying over the winter. Shane KILLER muskie flies there Shane!

Furry Foam & mayfly wing burners.

You know, that reminds me of the chap that wanted to turn his canoe into an ultralight airplane too. (seems there were these fur-bearing trout, way up in his nearby mountain lakes?) Honestly, you might be better off keeping the 8' Eagle Claw for its original purpose, save some $$$, buy a genuine switch rod blank and go from there. Sure, you can cast the Eagle Claw as a switch rod, but you could also pound nails with a frozen mudhen.

A $1 for scale, along with some fresh 'Red Meat' flies too. More of a muskie-sized fly, but I shan't sniff a gift fish (LMB).

A new experiment for me, am calling it "The Big Tasty". Found some silicone sheeting and cut out a curly tail. Tried it out yesterday, looks delicious.

BEAUTIFUL.

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I go for something that looks buggy and natural, with shades & color that generates a bit of contrast. In the end, 'tis in the eye of the beholder tyer.

Brilliant. I like too how you use a fine wire brush to unmarry the turkey feather barbules.

https://youtu.be/i7bJOA7uvIQ can't load the video but check out the belly ache minnow pattern.

First attempt at a Hollow Tie Bucktail Minnow. This is one of those patterns that are deceivingly simple/hard. To be continued this winter!

I use Frog's Fanny for the final drying of the CDC fly but first I do this & it works very well: https://thelimpcobra.com/2014/04/11/drying-off-flies-with-a-rubber-band/

Yes! Rio's OutBoundShort works a hoot on my switch rod. Even with dead cats & wet socks. That's what happens. A roll cast to get some line out, then the backcast to shoot line backwards, then forwards for the shoot, and she's out of the gate, gone. Depending on the size of fly, it might take a cycle or two to get it all done. Thanks gents for expanding on the definition of overhead casting, all makes sense now.

Well yes, in a manner of speaking. The 'work' is divided in two plus the biggest gain IMHO is from the switch rod length's (~11' versus the typical 9'). I find it's not much effort at all to cast out a medium sized fly about 60-80', compared to DH-ing all day long. Things to ponder: Wind & using a trailing rope (life-line) Water temps Keeping your kit on the paddleboard Not sure what part of the country you're in, but sustained winds and cold water don't seem conducive to paddleboard use throughout a fishing season.

Been there, done that, bought the tee-shairt. Dumped half a bottle once onto my lap, doing a rod repair. Half a can of acetone and a roll of paper toweling later, I managed to get free of my pants. Your brush idea sure seems the way to go.

We shall wait with bait on our breath(s) ☺ * * a slaughtered version of 'to wait with baited breath...'

Very nice efficient SBS, thanks Adam! That said, could you possibly post up a photo of that fly going through the water? I'm jonesing to see what it looks like wet and how much it 'compresses' when so.

Of the various baskets I've tried, this one comes the closest to actually working: http://www.flyfishbasket.com/print.htm I made a thick foam insert which is velcroed into the basket's bottom, and through this are plastic 'fingers' which poke up & separate the line coils. Because the basket can hang lower (and to the side if desired) than most, it lets one have a more natural stripping hand movement which is far more comfortable.

LOL! It's how new knots are discovered. If someone ever invents a 100% tangle-free fly line, they'll be richer than Croesus. No seriously, when it all starts to cascade into a snarling furball from Hell I get it all untangled, then sit down for a few minutes and take a break. Otherwise, one ends up wiping their arse with a hoop and it gets worse & worse on the next casts.

I have the Magic Tool Regular & Magnum, and the Magic Tool Stacker. Very well made, very expensive. The table clips work but in some ways, a block of foam with slit & a credit card works better for folding some feathers. The venerable bulldog clip works too, but one cannot see the material through the jaws and the jaws don't hold material as well as the Magic Tool clips. I choked on the Tool Stacker cost but am glad I got it, as it's pretty handy. All in all, if you've the money, go for it.

I've always wondered just what is meant by "overhead casting". Seems to me, all fly casting is overhead, so what is the difference here? (I do it with my switch rods, and whatever I'm doing, it seems to do the job as on a good day, the fly is going out 70 - 85 feet.) Maybe some of the experts here could elucidate?

'Tis mere small potaotes compared to those $25 - $30 two-by-fours one can purchase at the sporting goods store (muskie).

LOL! I like the your write-up, especially the Ninja Dance part. What's a hoot too is to hear a Clouser go zizzling past your ear, oh about half an inch out.

If you find you are "crowding the head", start your first thread wraps rearward, one hook eye space back from hook eye. Tell yourself you cannot wrap there until you're ready to lash down the hackle and form thread wraps for the head. That helped me initially, long ago. And yes, that wee bit of bare hackle stem is the ticket, eh?