flyfishingdom

Time at the bench is important, but not nearly as important as time in the field in my mind. There are a lot of theories about how important exact imitations are, but I've seen enough one fly competitions to know that what wins is usually a piece of carpet shag tied haphazardly on hook with some bright orange dubbing. I think presentation of the fly is far more important than the fly itself. Learning things like drag free drifts with methodical mending or reach casts for proper line control is far more important than getting the wing case or the thorax juuuuuuust right. I'd rather have a perfect cast and presentation than a perfect fly any day. For me, it is about getting the fly in the face of the fish. Presenting it in a way that even though they have never seen anything like it, it is easy enough for them to take the risk on it. Keep in mind, I have had days where I've been truly humbled and the trout were looking for something specific. I know there are certain shapes and colors that work better at various times. But my thought is... what's the point if you can't present the fly in the right way? Get lots of hours on the streams. Learn where the fish hold and how they like the flies. Then focus on the benchwork.

Some flies are designed to go sideways on the strip. For pike and musky they will see the broadside of the fly as an attack position and t-bone it. I think it is a predatory instinct. I believe chocklett has a pattern called the t-bone that veers.

I've noticed a definite correlation to the barometer and moon phase with how the fish are biting. While some days seem to indicate a strong bite will be at hand, it is never for certain and I stay busy enough that I'm just happy to get out when I have time. Even if I get skunked the old adage rings true... a bad day fishing is better than a good day working! Those are great memories for you and your kiddos! Congrats.

I have a friend who is asking me to tie 6-8 artistic looking flies that are not for fish but just to look pretty inside of a display. What he is looking for is more of a streamer shape or possibly some bigger dry flies. I've never tied this style before and as I do research most of these patterns require very exotic materials that will cost me a fortune. What suggestions do you all have for display flies that would use more "regular" materials? And yes, I understand that "regular" is an arbitrary term... so think of materials that you would find in a typical American fly shop. Thanks all!

Caddis brand waders from Amazon. Some of the cheapest you will find and great quality.

Just got my flies today. Thanks so much everyone! Great looking flies.

Welcome! I'm a MN guy myself from the west metro and enjoy all types of flyfishing in this great state. I do lots of warm water fishing in any number of the 10,000 lakes, but I more frequently take trips to SE MN to the driftless region for the Browns and Rainbows in the numerous spring creeks. Send me a private message any time if you want any details on where I've been and what's been working. Excited to have your diverse experience and fly tying knowledge on the forum!

I've tied into a few 18-20" redhorse suckers in the driftless area here in MN/WI and they are pretty fun. They always hit bead head dead drifted nymphs. They dig hard and deep to put a bend in your rod but aren't exactly acrobatic... They channel their inner "old boot" after the first couple of runs and become more or less dead weight. Despite that, I still consider them a "bonus" fish as I've never targeted them but is always fun to catch them. Bring a towel though, cause those things are slimy and STINK!.

This is from a UTC nerd at intheriffle explaining everything you can imagine about the thread: And here is a comparison video of UTC vs. UNI vs. Veevus. Interesting stuff if you have 10 min to kill

I think I own every color imaginable in UTC 70. haha. I just found that I tie best with UTC early on and haven't really wavered. I find it very easy to manage and can lay very flat when laying a thread body or finishing a head. It's also very strong for it's small diameter. I also own about 8 colors in 140 for doing deer hair and pike flies. Every tier has their own styles and the characteristics of the thread will suit their styles in some way. I'm with the others who say, "thread is cheap". Go and try a bunch of different styles and see what you like best!

I wasn't able to get out last weekend due to weather. Did anyone else try these flies? I'm excited to fish them but it may not be for a couple weeks now...

I just use my camping backpack to go from place to place. It's not ideal, but I can fit a lot crap in there. I typically don't ride more than a 2-3 miles though. I also devised a simple way of hauling my kayak behind my bike by using PVC piping. Just take a T-joint and put your seat post through the long section. Then connect a long PVC pipe in the empty hole and drill through both the joint and pipe. Use a long bolt and nut to secure. Then just drill a hole through the back part of the pipe and run a rope through to connect to your kayak on a cart. You can't go too fast or you will get some sway, but it beats walking...

Oh and to answer your question about the breakage thing, I'm not sure where Yellowstone is coming from. I know two fly shop owners who carry TFO products and they have never heard or experienced the BVK being more fragile than other rods. Mine has been great so far and I've been putting it through the ringer.

I got my flies in today! They all look great in person. Probably one of the best swaps I've been in yet as far as quality goes. I'll hopefully be out for a few hours on Saturday, so if I catch some, I'll post some pics.

oh maybe it is and the lighting was just weird. It looks more black than green to me, but now that I look at it again, I can see the green. Either way, you did a great job with it. No reason to think it is anything less than all the other great flies in this swap!