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Fly Tying

Freddo

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Everything posted by Freddo

  1. Hi - Roland... For a tail, leave the bone in. Put the cut end in your regular table salt for 24 hours. After that, dump the salt and put the cut end of the tail in a new batch of salt. We let that go for six more days. While it may not need that long - no harm done. No smell and you can tie a bunch of streamers. For the skin, my son is the expert (to be). He's done three; here's how: 1. Make sure there is no meat on the skin, if you're careful skinning the beast that should not be a problem. 2. Get a piece of wood large enough to pin the skin down onto. We used push pins to stretch the skin out until it's as tight as needed to keep it flat. 3. Same deal with the salt type as the tail preservation but be sure to cover all "the" of the fleshy side of the skin! Tick, tick, tick...24 hours... 4. Dump salt and scrape skin well to remove old salt. 5. Salt again... Tick, tick, tick...3 days... 6. Dump salt and re-salt once more. Tick, tick, tick...3 days... 7. Scrape skin to remove salt. 8. Unpin and make dubbing. That's next for me, i.e, learning how to make dubbing from the squirrel fur. I think Flytire posted a link here in the forum to an awesome write up about dubbing I bookmarked and I need to see if there's instructions in there. Here's the link: http://thelimpcobra.com/2013/01/08/fly-tying-2/ HTH! Have fun. I'm hoping to get squirrel next weekend but I really need to go "FISHING"!
  2. The Danish oil I use creates depth to the grain and makes the grain "pop". One of my favorite parts of a woodworking project is adding the oil to the piece and watching the wood comes to life! Gloss has it's place here on my drum kit so there's much to be said about gloss finishes. It all comes down to what we "prefer". The bottom line for a project like Byron's here is functionality. The finish in this case won't make or break functionality. If it's something you are going to be looking at quite often, then its appearance matters as much too.
  3. Late spring these three young boys were walking on the road leading to my house. They were looking at a freshly killed squirrel in the middle of the road (I'd seen it on my way to the deli). I was headed home and as the boys watched, I pulled to the side, got out of the vehicle, never said a word, walked over to the poor little road kill, popped it into a bag the deli put my rolls in ("yes" I removed the rolls - ewww), and look up at the boys. I wish I had a picture of the looks on their faces! The oldest, maybe 10 thanked me for some reason. I told them why I was collecting the squirrel and went on my way. This was a first for me so I needed to "Google" what to do to preserve the tail without the stench. Since that day, I became a hunter and my son and I took a few more. Plenty of squirrel tails here. Next time I save the pelt for making dubbing too!
  4. Also Byron, the closer the hole diameter is to the bottle's OD without there being a friction fit will keep the contents put too! I've got a small piece of oak pictured here and the hole for the head cement bottle is just big enough for a loose fit and deep enough that the bottle cannot tip out of the hole. I experimented to get that hole depth just right (that's 1 x thick stock; 3/4" actual). I can shake the tar out of the base keeping it against the desk and nothing in it tips out, not even the hackle pliers/clips. Play around and you'll see. BTW - looking forward to your pix!
  5. "Uncle"!! I'm sitting here tying midges and I realize it's MUCH easier for "me" to tie these little things looking through the magnifying glass of the lamp. I'm tying 16's and can't imagine a session of 20's or smaller without the magnification. Maybe I can try the heavier magnification cheaters. I'll suppose I can bring a few flies into the store and see how the glasses fare at given distance.
  6. I have pure beeswax from a colleague's husband...what say to that? Too sticky?
  7. Hi Byron, If you want to wipe poly on a project it's great stuff cut cut it 50/50 with mineral spirits (if it's oil based only) and use a good lint free cloth. "Thin" coats until your happy. I did an entertainment center this way and it looks nice. Regarding the wood choice, and no digs to mikechell, I like the darker wood because it makes the beautiful Dr. Slick tools pop with contrast and easy to see (all personal preference of course). Walnut is just gorgeous wood. My new shotgun has a walnut stock and forearm; high gloss and took a couple of dings already but just the top coat and that can be repaired one day. But then we "USE" the stuff so these things will happen. My shotgun and your tool caddy are to be used; nothing for a museum - these should be heirlooms!
  8. Ah ha Steve - Thanks for catching me up. I was "thinking" to make picking up stuff easier. If you have extra grippy stuff cut some into a couple of pieces about 6" x 6" ; one for each hand to an aid to getting fly rod sections apart of they're tight. There's a temptation I've had to set a thumb against a line guide for leverage but I thought "no way" and bailed! I've needed them a couple of times on my 9' four piece already and they work great. They live in the back of my SUV! Anyway nice cozy tying station!
  9. Hey Byron! Nice work - well done! That'll be fun for you to have at your tying station for sure - good and functional. Is that mahogany or walnut? Either way it looks sweet? Did you put a finish on it? I like Danish or tung oil (or similar) as it makes the grain pop and easy to reapply when/if necessary. One day I'll get to design and build a station for myself. My shop needs to be liberated first. Enjoy your lathe too.
  10. Awesome Byron - Looking forward to images of your project!
  11. Hi Steve .. I use my magnifying lamp "glass" too at times but always the light. (???) Question: In your setup, why the carpet pad to the right of your tying station. I'm compiling images of stations I like and wondering about the carpet's use. (???) Thanks
  12. I totally agree with this. Especially that FIRST trout. After catching untold numbers of trout during my fishing years on salmon eggs, my first trout caught on a fly I tied, with a fly rod, trumped them all! 'Nuff said!
  13. I too tried as a kid and gave up.Then at 53 started again and made up for lost time. I've always loved fishing and the "dream" of fly fishing became a reality for me this year. "This" forum's people made a major difference in my success (MANY thanks to ALL of you). So bench or field. You can go purchase flies but personally I love the crafting part as much as the fishing so it's win-win. I get so much enjoyment out of each that it inspites me to progress more and more. This will be the first winter I'm on the water with a fly rod and I came here looking for the best winter patterns for trout. Now I need to get to tying! It's ALL good!
  14. Thank you too! Sound like you are on the right track then. Contact me if you have a question... Mostly have fun and there are no mistakes - it's all learnin'!
  15. Sweet video - thanks so much! I bought a Regal vise for myself when I started tying early this year and enjoy it a lot!
  16. Great start there for sure! As a woodworker myself, I'm compiling ideas for a tying station of sorts. I see the one Dave G. likes for big $$$ and don't get why folks charge so much unless they're custom built (that's nuts for that one being over $400 in another thread). Need inspiration? Do an image search in Google for "fly tying station" and buckle up! One thing for sure, without a dedicated tying space here for me, I need to be able to move my station so I'm considering building something I can move easily. I have a small tool caddy I tossed together as my tool collection grew and I like yours. Keep honing your skills with the plywood and get your design sorted out. Then go for the nice lumber and build an heirloom! There's something about the fly tying benches/stations/caddies and "work areas" I like as much as the fly tying itself. For better wood, see if there's a custom cabinet shop in your area. You may be able to get scraps and cutoffs for your projects for cheap (or free too) just by asking. You don't need large pieces for a caddy. I built this jewelry case using almost all free stuff from a friend that hooked me up with some fine wood they were tossing out: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/94815
  17. Here in the forum I asked about the trouble I had casting a big woolly bugger over the summer. It turned out to be the leader was too light for that fly weight. Live and learn - right? I played with a couple cheapo knotless leaders I had and realized I "could" get those buggers where I wanted them with the correct leader. Next I learned that there are tons of charts online with leader recipes and buddy here in the forum (Dave) gave me some tips for brands and away I went. I admit that blood knots are an acquired skill and bought a tool to help me out here at the desk instead of tying them at the water. I enjoy tackle craft so this just adds to the enjoyment of fly fishing as a whole. What's next? Rod building??
  18. Great suggestion and I did this as a beginner last winter. I found that the black computer monitors and the dark wood grain desktop laminate was sucking in all the light and it was very hard to see what I was doing. You need "contrast" between the fly you're working on and the background - period. It makes a major difference in ease of seeing what you're doing. Also make sure you have "plenty" of light at your tying area. Regarding magnification, I tried both ways, with and without the magnifying lamp and each way has its merits. At 54, I do wear low magnification "cheaters" regularly and maybe slightly stronger ones is all I need to avoid having to use the magnifying lamp at times but I won't know until I try them out.
  19. "Welcome" and yes - fish your flies. I've been tying only 5 months and as soon as I was able to cast, I fished and found that the fish here were not too picky. It's so great to have a fish take a fly you've tied. Just get out there with them and you'll see for yourself. The more you tie, the better you get at it. I still battle with crowding the eye and I'm sure I'll get past that but it's all part of learning, Your flies are a great start to a great sport. Go out and enjoy (vise time is fun as well or we wouldn't do it - right). I agree that there's money to be spent, especially when starting out it can add up. I think we all get excited seeing a cool pattern that looks great and we want to try; off to the fly shop to get that material. Some patterns will work everywhere so you may want to try those generic patterns (like the buggers). My first trout on a fly was a pattern shared by DaveG as I started out. What a day that was for me as a newbie catching that fish - a dream realized!! The bottom line is "doing" it, whether tying, fishing, thinking about tying, thinking about fishing, or all of the above. I've been booked up and haven't been in here frequently lately but this forum is SO inspiring and a wealth of knowledge! Just enjoy and get your flies to those fish...
  20. Thanks for the inspiration PJ2! The shops here that advertise in "Mid Atlantic Fly Fishing Guide" get copies to give away for free and I grab one when there are new copies. The publication has a "Fly Fishing Guide Hatch and Pattern Chart" in it and there's a chart for each state the publication serves. The chart lists streams, the insect/fly, sizes, and dates. Quite nice and most likely requires some interpolation as not every body of water is listed. It was great to get me started knowing what's out there near me without becoming an entomologist overnight. The squirrel tail streamer in the image is the first streamer I've ever tied (I tied two that night and gave one to my son). He gets at least one of everything I tie (and actually has more flies than I do at the moment because he received all my "beginner tied flies"; and they've caught gills galore). It was fun to tie a streamer after tying wets and nymphs since I started. So far the only dries I've tied and fished are the elk hair caddis. I was going to log what caught what but realized I'd be at my laptop more than the rivers/lakes. I learned this quick after I was able to cast effectively... "FISH LIKE FLIES"! I would wager that I've caught more fish per outing using a small fly than I ever would in a day using the salmon eggs that were my staple for fishing, I've also found that in a river I've fished for many years using "only" salmon eggs produced more species than I knew were in there...because they like the flies! After my mere third fly fishing trip to my local river (third of my life) I realized I may never go back there with spinning gear again. This is just WAY more fun!
  21. The new home tied leader worked great - I was able to cast this with ease (7.5' 2X)! Sorry for the delay posting. So exciting to tie the flies *and* now the leaders too! This streamer is sort'a kind'a like something I saw in an image and I used what I had here to dress it. The squirrel tail is from a local road kill; poor critter came to good use. A small largemouth enjoyed it and I suppose the big ones would too. Here's an image I shot in the back of the vehicle before the gear came out and headed down to the water:
  22. No VICE Henrick?!? There's a challenge for a newb like myself! Nice work though and thanks all for sharing.
  23. Thanks guys - this is neat stuff! Maybe I'll try using them, there are a lot of them!
  24. Thanks - I may try that. Would I match the "gut" type material (mono, braid, etc.) to the tippet size or at least a size or two larger? Lastly, is the tippet tied to the gut eye the same as I'd tie on a metal hook eye or is there a specific know for that too?
  25. Thanks SilverCreek! Quite interesting too! The hooks I received are all on the small size, nothing in my opinion that would make a salmon fly; I'd think bigger hooks would be used. Well knowing this, I'll have to see about getting gut somewhere maybe or just store them away.
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