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Good way to break in that new spinner, nice patterns Dave.

Yea...they were probably Texting and didn't notice it. Happens all the time these days.

Soft stainless steel wire on small spools. Three sizes , .003", .006" and .009 UNI Products from Amazon

Pro tying guys.

Nice work, is that imitating a Menhaden? It sure looks like it could.

Thanks for the info on the spinner.How long is the tray that the material goes on?

Been wanting a dubbing brush spinner, any suggestions on what to get?

Capt have you ever used Mustad's Duratin finish that is meant for saltwater (340SS-DT and 3407-DT)? A more frugal, stronger and sharper alternative to Stainless.

I borax all my furs and feathers. Put plywood on top with weight for two days to flatten. Then remove plywood and continue drying process, about two weeks does it. Just knock off borax when done and pour borax back into box for future use. Last thing to do is take skin outside and wacky it against the house foundation to get rid of most of the fine borax powder. The beauty of borax is the remaining borax reside helps deter bugs. Bagging your finished skins in zip lock bags further protects them from bugs. Some BT drying Finished products

Nice work Yeti and eide!

Great looking crabs I have never tied these, what do you catch with them?Nice shape on the baitfish.

Kirk do you sand the rear of the foam to get the taper?

Kirk do you sand the foam to get the rear taper? http://onthevise.com/forums/members/kirk-dietrich-albums-flies-picture1707-d30-2061-2.jpg

Johnny it's hardly a story without the picture. So I dug thru my memorabilia, and found the Dalberg Diver Dave Whitlock tied.

Just tied some mylar bodies for thunder creek chub spinners. Material: 4# test mono I bought at wally world on tippet sized spools. (nice thing about mono is that it is clear and strong) crazy glue (The one in an orange bottle with a brush and guy with a helmet) #10 streamer hook 1. Put down a base layer of mono, touching turns. 2. Slide mylar on and do one wrap over butt end and secure with crazy glue. 3. Whip finish with neat tight wraps and again secure with crazy glue. 4. Repeat step 3 for other end

No problem, you caused me to think out side the box which is a good thing. I have been wanting to get a good process to dye natural fiber black. After some research I read that ladies hair dye in black works better than any of the fly dyes available. I just purchased some dye and will be trying/posting results soon.

Nice flies Mike..... what size hooks ? Nice flies Mike, and Retro.

Nice stacking Johnny. When you began to tie these how many flies did you tie before you were happy with your work? In 1985 or 86 I watched Dave Whitlock tie a sculpin and a Whit's hair bug at the Worcester Centrum Fishing Show during a snow storm where the power went out. Since lighting was disrupted he just kept tying under emergency power. I was hooked then and there. I got a Jimmy Nix VHS and watched it a dozen times. I did a pretty good hair bug back then and I was attending United Fly Tyers monthly meetings and observed some of the best all around tyers do their thing. I was mostly a trout fly tyer. In the early 90s I got into saltwater striped bass fishing. I had pretty good success with large, not so dense (you want them to have neutral buoyancy) deer hair striper flies. The late Bill Catherwood lived in my neighborhood. Bill was a pro tyer and known for his series of Deer Hair Giant Killers which were featured in Outdoor Life, October 1981. Naturally, I spent some time talking to Bill. He was a fascinating guy that raised his own birds. I doubt I tied with deer hair for a dozen years and then the Chris Helm mouse caught my eye just a few years ago. I tied some of those and then got his video and some of the prime hair he sold and started tying them more correctly. He also gave me one of his mice. The thing with the mice is that people that know nothing about fishing or fly tying want one. I've donated a couple dozen of those to auction fundraisers and given away another dozen. I then got the Cohen video and lately the M.George video which is great. Cohen is basically a phenom. I have the out of print "Art of Angler's Journal" from 2005 that featured deer hair. There are and were several phenoms around. Ken Swhwam, who drowned while fishing at night was incredible as is Fabrizio Gajardoni, another artist. These guys are innovators. There is some real talent on this forum. If I start targeting LMB then I may begin fishing these and building a couple boxes of them. This isn't what you asked. The short answer is - I was tying fishable flies after a half dozen or so but I still have quite a bit to learn and a ways to go. The internet really helps the learning curve. sorry about the rambling Good to hear your history on stacking. I watched Dave tie a Dalberg Diver at our TU Banquet in the mid 80's and never did tie one. I even won the auction for that fly and still have it in not fished condition. Guess is's about time I tied one. I have tied rat faced mcdougals, muddlers and zoo cougars but never stacked colors. Your work is awesome and inspiring.

Nice stacking Johnny. When you began to tie these how many flies did you tie before you were happy with your work?

Mike I tested the dye on a small sample of deer tail hair and horse mane. The dye went on easy with complete coverage. I let it dry for 5 hours. Then I used paper towels to wipe off excess. It came off like shoe polish paste. The more I rubbed the more it came off. I was able to rub off almost all the dye except for a faint amount. It was pretty clear the dye did not soak into the fibers, but merely was lying on top. Sad to say this will not work for dying hair. If used for this purpose it will get on everything it touches. The thing that is puzzling is as you said...if you get it on your hands it is hard to get off.

Nice work FFL especially the detail on the scales.

Recent Zoo Cougar from the vise

Earlier this year I dried 1-1/2 deer hides. Once dry I rescraped any fat I Could see. Then rubbed some borax on the greasy areas and let set for a few days to remove any grease residue. Once I was happy I used a very sharp pair of scissors that I recently bought to cut up the hide. I have done this to a variety of fur and feathered skins with good reaults. Just store in zip lock bags, then in plastic tubs and you should be good to go.

Nice work Betty, did you reverse the last tie in?

Thanks Mike, I will test on a small amount of BT & post the results.