jklett

Hi all, I haven't been on the forum for a while and one of the first things I've noticed was that folks are finally starting to suggest (up to)2x the hook gap for standard hackle collars. When did this happen? Everyone used to be very firm with the 1.5 times and would say that 2 times was too long. It's nice to see that people are accepting what was standard in the early days(for good reasons) but I was wondering what brought about the change of opinion?

Hendrickson. Hook: 12-14 Tail: medium dun(I prefer barred medium dun) Body: cream with a very slight pinkish hue(traditionally the urine stained belly fur from a vixen fox) Wings: divided wood duck flank(dyed mallard works but not as good) Hackle: medium dun(I prefer barred medium dun) Not only my favorite dry to tie, this is my favorite hatch to fish. It means that spring is truly here when the Hendricksons are on the water.

You can blend some paints in the epoxy immediately after you mix it. I'm not sure if all paints are compatible though, try what you have and see if it hardens OK before using it on a fly.

Try it. What do you have to lose? If it doesn't work all you've wasted is some time and material.

Pick up Bob Popovics's book "Pop Fleyes". There's a section in it about a lipped fly called a "pop lip" where the lip is made with wool and silicone. It also has instructions on how to fish it. Most of the other flies in the book are also great for freshwater bass and it's more than just a book of patterns, it goes into the process of designing your own flies.

Thanks guys, you've helped fix my problem. I tried holding the back of the hook while spinning and that solved that bending problem, but I was still bending it when I'd start packing. After getting frustrated with my ham-handed tying techniques, I finally decided to change where the vice clamped onto the hook and that's now fixed as well. I was clamping the hooks too far from the shank along the bend and the leverage was too much I guess. That coupled with the fact that I have to learn to be a little gentler with things. The deer is already dead, I don't have to strangle it with the thread. I will try and find the Billy Munn DVD. Thanks again.

There's also pictorial instruction on ASWF.org under "saltwater flies". Just click on David Skok's picture.

Hairstacker, they're Mustad 37187's. I didn't even think about holding the hook. I'm so used to heavier hooks like 3407's that I never needed to. I got the smallest ones they had(10's) thinking that I could use my 5wt instead of the 9wt so I can feel the fight a little more. I also want to tie some bombers and muddlers and I know it's possible to do with light hooks but didn't realize what I was doing wrong. Thanks guys for the tips, I'll try again tomorrow and see how I do and let you know.

I've been spinning deer hair for a while now for saltwater patterns. I recently bought some lighter wire freshwater bass hooks and am having trouble. When I pull the thread to spin and flare, the hook keeps bending. I tried less pressure, but I can't seem to get the hair to flare without using enough pressure to bend the hook. Same with when I pack it for the next bunch. What's the trick to this? I've got to be missing something because like I said before, I have no problems when I use the heavier saltwater hooks. Can anyone give me some ideas on how to solve this bending issue?

Envirotex lite stays flexible(to some degree) and you can really froth it up. Just don't breathe on it or all your bubbles will surface and pop. Maybe spread it on the plastic and then cover it? The only problem is that it takes a long time to cure. It'll firm up overnight, but it doesn't seem to get really hard for a few days. You can get it in hardware stores and craft shops.

I've always used regular 4# mono for tying clousers and have never had a problem with it breaking. Might be worth a try. As an added bonus, it lets the material color show through and turns almost invisible with a light coat of epoxy.

I'm new to the site, but not new to tying(not that it helps). My first fly was a "sorta" picket pin wet when I was about 8 or 9. My uncle gave me a bucktail with all the white gone, a box of hooks, a peacock plume, and a half a brown saddle. He also gave me a cheap vice and a spool of thread along with a picket pin from his wallet and told me "have fun". After figuring out how to get the stuff to stay on the hook, I tied up that whole box of hooks. I gave him a dozen or so and sold the rest at a flea market that my mom had a table at for a penny a peice. I wish I would have kept one of those for myself. They were ugly as sin, and didn't look quite like what he gave me but I was told they caught(I didn't flyfish back then, that started a few years later). Fast forward 25 years and my tying hasn't gotten a whole lot better but I still keep at it. Maybe with the help of this site I can finally start tying stuff that looks somewhat presentable and I won't feel embarrassed when someone asks to see what flies I'm using. Although it is kinda funny hearing "you caught all of them fish on THAT?!?"