SpokaneDude

tjm: thank you, thank you for your time,... now I can tie it... :-} SD

Hi all... I'm gonna attempt to tie an Olive Peeking Caddis fly, which is calling for Brown Partridge Fibers, Beard Style for the legs. In my two years of fly tying, I have never heard of Beard Style... I have a full body English Partridge which I got from Chookshill Fly Tying, so I think I have the needed materials, just don't know what to pick off of it. Would appreciate any help on decoding this.. :-} SD

Tom Cummings: so do you take the downsized hook, insert the sharp on one side of a barb, then push it through the hook, turn it 90 degrees and pull up so as to split the wing segment? (that's the only way I can figure out how to make it work) Hope that makes sense... SD

Gene L: I found that I don't really have the money for the Thompson tool at this time, even tho' I would love to have one... but I did go out into my shop this morning (34 degrees) and lo and behold I found an old pair of machinist's dividers I had purchased many years ago... and yes, they work just fine separating the barbs into "wings"... the only thing missing is the ability to crimp the base so the "wing" has a definitive separation at the base! Interesting conversations... thanks everybody for participating... :-} SD

Joe: that's it! (especially the 2nd one, with the plates); however, it's too much money right now, and I think the draftsman dividers will do the same thing for less money... Thank you both, I appreciate your time... SD

Anyone know where I can find this tool (or any tool) that splits duck quill barbs into even parts? This came from Tim Cammasa's video on Tying a Quill Wing Dry Fly...

I just ordered some Danville spooled Antron and some Danville Flymaster thread, specifying "olive" for both; I received the "olive" Antron, but "brown" thread. So I looked at all of my existing Danville thread spools, and NONE of them have the color marked on the spool either! Is this normal for Danville products, or do I have an anomaly? And if it is normal, how does one keep track of the colors, other than marking the spools somehow? SD

Thanks all... mvendon: that works like a charm... I just need more practice! :-} SD

So I tied my 5th LaFontaine's Sparkle Deep Sparkle Pupa, and I have just one problem: what is the secret to tying the Sparkle Emerger Yarn (or any frayed material) on the underside curve of the hook? I have a HMH Standard vise (completely rotary), but can't seem to tie inside the curve of the hook... I've tried "pinching" the yarn, but just can't seem to get the tying thread to grab it properly, if at all. How do you tiers do it? SD

afishinado: I agree with you 100%... I just got his Caddisflies book about 2 months ago; since then, I have been trying (with success) to find out all I could about his methods for fishing and tying... I didn't know about touch dubbing, and now, in my opinion it is the ONLY way to dub (for his patterns, anyway)... I have multiple colors of Antron sparkle yarn and have successfully tied the diving caddis... going to move on to the Deep Sparkle Pupa starting today. Thank you for your comments; glad to know I'm on the right track. SD

PlanetTrout: WOW! Thank you so much for the time and effort... gives me something to look forward to this spring! SD

SilverCreek: understood, perhaps not obvious, tho' Thanks again for your time explaining this to me and future readers. SD

SilverCreek... well said! I have a copy of Caddisflies and Trout Flies, Proven Patterns which opened my eyes not only to fly fishing and tying techniques, but the reasons trout bite the fly... that was my reasoning behind trying to match Gary's stated colors... Thank you so much for taking the time to enlighten me... seriously, I really appreciate it! SpokaneDude (still a novice at fly tying)

Thanks Bugsy and mikechell.. I have fat fingers, so it should go twice as fast! :-} I'll give it a whirl and see what I come up with... SD

I think that is why I need to cut them into short lengths (I read that somewhere on the web, but can't find it now)...going to give it a try both ways and see... will post results... SD ** UPDATE ** Well, the air method doesn't work with synthetic (Antron) material; I first left it the original length, and when I blew air into the plastic bag, it just made one large ball, with nothing blended. So, I then cut the two colors of Antron into 1/4" pieces, stretched them out, and tried it again... nothing was blended, just smaller balls of dubbing. So now, I'm going to try wool cards, which should work. Will post the results in a few days after I order and recieve the wool cards.

When using the compressed air method, should the Antron be cut into short (1/2") lengths? or left as is? I guess I could try both... SD

Try putting in a jar of water with a cup or two and shake that like crazy for a minute.... Then strain fibers through paper towels and dry thoroughly in sun, if available.... Or buy - Amber Sparkle Yarn.... Thanks for the response; I'm trying to blend Antron... tried the water bit (after using the blender), and didn't work for me... air is next...

Thanks Joe... will give it a try... SD

Well, I took a bit of yellow Antron and a bit of rust Antron, cut them into 1/4" pieces and dropped them into a Mr. Coffee grinder; this is the result! Little tiny balls of Antron and not really blended... so how do I fix this, if at all? I looked at dubbing cards, but $99 is way out of my budget; anyone know of any do-it-yourself plans to make a set? (I have a woodshop, the only thing I need is where to find the card "brush" materials.

Thanks everybody; exactly what I was looking for... I'll post a picture when I have a good-looking fly to show... :-} SD

Hello all... I am tying Greg LaFontaine's Deep Sparkle Pupa which calls for "rusty yellow" body dubbing; I have looked everywhere for that particular blend, and finally gave up looking. I bought some Antron Sparkle Dubbing in rust and yellow and am going to blend it myself. Problem is: I can't find any examples of the color, so the Q is: what color is "rusty yellow"? Mostly yellow, or mostly rust? Half and half or some other proportion? Any help locating examples or opinions would be greatly appreciated. SD

I found a place online to buy some, but not sure that the color is correct... I will post an image of the completed work, hopefully close to the pattern I am following... (takes me several tries to get it right, but I guess that's normal). Thanks for responding, flytire, I appreciate it.

I'm trying to gather materials to tie the above fly (image attached)... any ideas on a substitute for Gold Organza? In the image it's used for the gills... I have tried to find it in fabric stores, but although it's relatively inexpensive, can't seem to match it, so I'm looking for a good substitute. The fly tying video is located here.

For those who are interested... I found out how to make them in Shane's book "Mayflies, Top to Bottom" in the chapter Tying Extended Bodies... exactly what I was looking for... Thanks again everybody...

flytire: thank you for the eBay links... I think they are as close as I'm gonna get... might try the "jelly cord", since it's relatively inexpensive.. Thanks again... SD :-}