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Brilliant!

14 of a pattern, one size? Not sure I know what your hoping to get?

This might help. https://mailchi.mp/94f403e1d454/3-more-rotary-fly-tying-videos-2438765

FliesbyNight - not problem. That's a good tip. In almost all of the videos I've made I use my scissors as a calipers/dividers. For dries after setting the tail I'll open my scissors like dividers and hold them open with the points matching the length of the shank. Then while holding them firmly so they don't slip I'll check the length of the tail I just set and then reset the tail if it isn't the right length. Same for wings and such. (I tie with my scissors in my hand so nothing to pick up or set down) I use the dividers with a setting screw for getting equal sized wing slips off a duck quill when winging wets and dries. Great tool.

Capt Bob - I wish I had read your post 30-years ago. Great tip.

Mine too. Good looking fly.

It look like your eyes are not back as far as Bob Clouser suggests. He puts the eyes at the 1/3 point so the fly has less of a jigging action and more of what he describes as a "fluttering" action when it sinks rather than a jigging action. As for shorting the taper on the head - good goal. However, that will leave an obvious gap between the end of the wraps and the eyes but that's not a bad thing. Clouser filled the gap with Epoxy for saltwater fishing to keep the teeth from tearing up the fly. For fresh water I just leave the gap on mine. I couldn't tell if you're using bead-chain for eyes but when I tie small flies and I don't want them to SPLASH when they hit the water I use small bead-chain that I get from a Hardware store. If you're not worried about splash the small weighted eyes are fine. Hope that helps some. Here's a picture from Bob Clouser's book "Clouser's Flies" I hope you'll be able to read it. Edited to add that the hair wraps binding down the hair behind the eyes bind the hair all the way to the hook point.

You'll have no problems with the aluminum parts of the Saltwater Traveler. Before retiring and closing my fly shop I was a Renzetti Heritage Dealer. I own and tie on a variety of Renzetti Vises my oldest being a Presentation 3000 that I bought back in the late 80's. My second oldest is a regular series Traveler (with the aluminum parts) which I actually did use as a travel vise and it has been on a lot of trips - many of them to saltwater destinations. (bought in pre-Saltwater Traveler days) Both of these vises with a wipe of a cloth and a bit of buffing look darn near new. They'd look new if I hadn't managed to drip colored head-cement and scratched them up some. I wouldn't worry a bit about durability. When customers faced with a similar decision would ask my advise on which one I'd say both will hold your hook without slipping. One is handsome, even pretty and a pleasure to look at. The other has a functional, utility look. Given that it's a question of do you want to spend an extra hundred dollars for a work of art instead of a utility tool. For me the answer would be I'll spend the extra hundred for the pleasure of looking at my vise some 40+ years later and thinking - man that's still one good looking vise and a pleasure to tie on.

I'd go with your guess on each. Mystery fur remains a mystery 🙂 That "Deer Mask" is money for Compara-duns - snout and around the eyes.

Grouse (Partridge if you're from Maine), hen backs, Ring Neck Pheasant skins (male and female) are all good sources that won't set you back a lot of money. Don't forget to look on the wings of any of those birds - the feathers may look too small but you only want one or two wraps out of the feather.

Polypropylene not Polyester is not only water resistant it has a positive buoyancy. Check out Fly-Rite Company. 48-colors I used to use the 48-color packet for most of my dries. However, I've found most any dubbing will float if you treat it with Gink - even wool.

Shoebop, that picture looks like Snowshoe Hare to me. But in answer to your question here's a quote from Fran Betters book FLY FISHING - FLY TYING and PATTERN GUIDE. "When I developed the pattern, it was with the use of the snowshoe rabbit's pad but I'm sure that any rabbit's foot would do as well, whether it be a cottontail or even one of the many domestic brands." END QUOTE But my personal experience tells me Snowshoe Hare works better than any other rabbit's foot I've tried. One material Fran Betters suggested as a substitute is Woodchuck. Again I quote. "The golden underfur from the woodchuck is also ideal to use as a substitute; first clip off guard hairs so hair is even underneath. Use a small bunch of this golden tan hair in same manner as rabbit's pad hair. If you desire to make a dark usual pattern use the base fur next to the woodchuck's body. This fur is dark chocolate brown and when this is used to make the tail and wing of the Usual, mix the blond and chocolate brown fur together to form dubbing. Makes a very productive caddis imitation and most unusual Usual." END QUOTE

1hook there are a couple of things you can try. 1) When you tie the Spade hackle tailing material onto the hook make an extra wrap or two of tying thread - under the tail material instead of over it. Pull the wraps in tight under the tailing material and that will cause the 1/2 dozen or so fibers to splay out into a fan shape. You can even run you thumbnail up under the tail fiber and push against the fibers to splay them more. The spread fibers will support the hook better than a single clump of fibers. 2) Make your tails longer than normal. Most dry fly guides call for a tail length equal to the hook shank. Make your tails longer, say, one and one-half the shank length. If you're going to cheat anywhere to get a better floating fly there is no place better to cheat than at the tail of the fly. Remember the guides are just that - guides. There are drawbacks to over-hackling or making wings too long but little to no drawback to a longer tail. What little drawback there might be is easily offset by the increased buoyancy you gain.

SpokaneDude, A #1 skin should have a feather range down to size 20. There should be a number of 16 and 18 – quite a few more than the 20's which always seem scarce to me. It should arrive clean and the skin shouldn't be so dry it cracks when you bend it. The size of the birds should be good and the bird fully developed. Color contrast for the light and dark barring on the feathers should be distinct. And finally, there should be fair amount of the mottled brown barred feather on the shoulder of the wing and lower back. If you aren't satisfied with the skin I'd quickly call or email to start the return process. Don't delay. Oh, one other thing to remember is that we have grown used to farm and pen raised bird skins. Most partridge skins are bagged during hunting season. You have to really search for a truly "pretty and fluffy" partridge skin.

Robo7, Sorry I wasn't very clear. When I said 8X smelt patterns I meant 8X long imitations of the baitfish called smelt - as in Gray Ghost or Blue Smelt streamer patterns. I tie both of those and use both for Landlocked Salmon which is a fairly hard fighting fish. The long shank hasn't been an issue.