afraid not

Happy to hear you had a good time. Yeah, the water has been too high, turbid, and fast to fish for about 10 days. Still raining and forecast to rain all week. It makes fishing a real challenge sometimes. but there is a huge reward. We live with all these beautiful forests, waterfalls, and a bio-diversity that is unique to the entire world. And, since this area has never been glaciated, flooded, or burned into oblivion, botanists agree that seeds and spores from the Smoky Mountains, Southern Appalachians have re-forested the earth four times over. It is a remarkable place. Too bad all the fish have migrated to Colorado. Glad you enjoyed your visit

Thanks for all the help. I do not have any filters to limit content in any way. But I am sure there is enough information here to resolve the issue. I appreciate it.

Why do some members post photos that are restricted without giving a way to access the image?

If you want to carry two rods while walking, you might want to look into a baseball pack with a bat tube on either side.

What goes around comes around. Just a reminder for you haters.

Very nice flies.

Thanks Noah, I was just going to post the link, but you beat me to it. Anyhow, knowing how much dubbing to use made a world of difference in not only how well my flies would float, but in their appearance also.

I have learned that my early flies sunk because I was using too much dubbing. Watching a Kelly Gallop video, he showed how little dubbing is needed to make a noodle. The dubbing should be really (I mean REALLY) sparse, so if you take a clump of dubbing, and drop it, it should float downward, not drop. I will try to find the video and revisit this thread with a link. Also, synthetic dubbing will absorb much less water than natural furs.

Read it again. If you have the knowledge and do not apply it to real life it is a parlor game. Many people have knowledge they never apply to real life. Partly that is because we teach knowledge in such a fragmented, un-connected, and isolated manner.

Knowledge is nothing more than a parlor game if it is not applied to real life.

I think a lot of the "frivolous" naming of flies has a lot more to do with the size of one's ego rather than a real difference in the fly and its effectiveness.

Vicrider said, "Great discussion about metric versus real American measurements." What in the world are "real American measurements"?

Metrify or petrify. Join the rest of the modern world.

I am sure everyone likes the bobbin holder they have adapted to their work flow. But the fact is, the Nor-Bobbin does what no other bobbin can do. Nothing else on the market performs like the Nor-Bobbin. Like it or not, it is in a class by itself. If you don't like it, or feel it is too expensive, I am sure you can justify your feelings. But, you cannot get any other bobbin that rolls up excess thread automatically, except the Nor-Bobbin. Tension adjustment is easy-peasy with your fingers, or using thread wraps around a leg of the bobbin. The ceramic tube will not cut your thread either.

"Brain surgery ... okay, that one is a little tougher. Can't describe it in one line. " I know what you mean, it took me about three months to get the hang of it.

MW, your work is extremely nice and gives me a whole new appreciation for poppers. Very inspiring but still intimidating. Thanks for posting and sharing all the information about your techniques.

I too have a Fishpond sling pack. (don't know the model, but it has a small flap over the front) That pack is also bereft of any convenient way to hold a net. Though Iike the pack, I have stopped using it for this reason.

Thanks all, I think I will go to the craft store with the 1/2 off Sunday coupon and check out the bead section.

What kind of pliers do you use for de-barbing your hooks? Are the Tiemco specialty pliers the answer? Has anybody tried Rising Bob's de-barb pliers? I currently use a small pair of pliers with a broad (2mm) flat jaw. It works, but I have to crimp the barb four or five times to really flatten it out. Certainly not an earth shattering problem, but I appreciate your suggestions.

I will add that when I tie dry flies I use as much synthetic material as I can. That is because most synthetics will not absorb water, or at least very little, compared to natural fibers. Synthetic materials and Aquel, with a Shimkazie shake (when necessary) is my preferred solution, right now.

One of the real problems I have had after making the Gink described by Ray Bergman, is evaporation. After a few months the paraffin is all gooped in the bottle and the naptha has evaporated. BTW I am using tightly sealed sealed Nalgene bottles to store the Gink. It will also solidify if temperatures get much below 50 degrees.

I really like my two Nor-Vsie bobbins. They are slender and light in hand and the ceramic tube lays the tread exactly where you want it. But, it is the thread tensioner with auto-reverse that makes this bobbin so unique and useful. It is not designed specifically for the Nor-Vise system and can be used with any vise.

Yes, I use Rock Treads. The aluminum discs do not stay shiny, as the rock bites into the aluminum to give traction. It takes about 50 pounds of pressure to get the aluminum to bite. As I said, I have no affiliation so agreeing or "completely disagreeing" is not an issue. They are new, you will hear more about them.

Forget studs. They are only moderately effective, and wear out fast, though Kold Kutter is probably the best of the bunch. Instead, there is a new product called Rock Treads that you should look at. They are aluminum discs that you attack to the soles of your boots. They bite into the rock and give a very positive grip, also easy to walk with. No affiliation just happy customer.

Nice kid you have there! Keep up the good work.