Sandan

As long as the water isn't hard and the temps won't have my guides freezing up every other cast, I'll go

45 minutes ago, cphubert said:

Trolling tube

Quabbin Smelt, my variant of Tom Fawcett's pattern.

pink tube, white thread, body- silver mylar piping under opal mylar piping with red hot spot and opal piping left long and frayed for tail, throat- white bucktail, wing- sparse lavender bucktail,  peacock herl under feather wing (hot pink center with gray outer) silver pheasant cheeks with uv secured 3d eyes. I like a double hook and junction tube to keel the fly.

Beauty

9 hours ago, LisaLou said:

Overhand knot woven fly

hook

Body: silicone leg material, two constrasting colors, black and orange

black thread

Did you finally go to the dark side and use a vise for that one😉? Nice tie BTW.

5 hours ago, RickZieger said:

I will toss in Son Toa as a great tyer.

Son Tao rocks the vise for sure

5 hours ago, flytire said:

challenge list updated

Challenge Thread Fly Pattern List - The Fly Tying Bench - Fly Tying (flytyingforum.com)

👍

Tough question for sure, best vs. favorite.  Best, I don't know, maybe Theodore Gordon or perhaps Reuben Cross. Maybe Roy Steenrod.  Favorite, Charlie Craven.

I look, a lot, but don't buy. My three local shops have everything, and more, than I need/want

Twisted sister midge:

Hook: Size 22 straight eye

Thread: 16/0 black veevus

Abdomen: Coats and Clark's brown something or other

Wing: glamour madeira.

Paramidge:

Hook:Size 24, tiemco 2487

Thread: 8/0 tan uni

Post: orange McFlylon

Hackle: whiting bronze grizzly varient

Abdomen/thorax: tan superfine

@LisaLou, rocking tie

Looks good Norm.

On 12/9/2023 at 10:20 AM, mtnbikeracer76 said:

What brand: St. Croix Rio Santo
Rod length: 9 foot
The weight of the fly rod: 4wt
Action: Medium-fast
Is it a Fly Rod Combo? No
What do you fish with it? Trout, smallmouth, panfish
What did it cost you? $120 for the rod, $50 for the reel (Picisfun Sword), $60 for the line (Rio Gold) 

 

Currently, it's my only rod. Looking to add a nice 6wt to the quiver

You must really like that rod

Thank you gentlemen. It's a tricky one for sure.  

Last day of the month. A midge larva I've been working on. I think, hope, it'll catch fish. 

Hook: U203 size 24

Thread: black veevus 16/0

Abdomen: med ice blue tinsel

Rib: x small black wire

Thorax: red laser dub

Wingcase: lt. dun Medallion sheeting

Ok after a few tries here's a paradrake. Still needs work. Size 12. As long as we had a Charlie Craven tutorial, I'll pick a Charlie Craven pattern. Next up Charlie Craven's soft hackle emerger. 

I'll take the Paradrake. It looks way interesting. BTW, Norm, September just past my son and I fished PMDs till noon then green drakes all afternoon on the Frying Pan. Amazing day we had on "The Flats" section. 

RIP Denver. Glad you're in a better place my friend. Seems like you haven't lost a step at the vise.

10 hours ago, Moshup said:

Nice Johnny Q !

Welcome back. It's been too long

I'm cracking up from the first post til mine

Beauty Jaydub, you beat me to it by about half an hour

BWO emerger,  Timmy.

Hook: U202 size 20

Thread: 18/0 brown nano silk GSP

Tail/shuck: moose body

Thorax/abdomen: extremely fine gray dun

Wings: Dun McFlylon

I've got a 1 of 1000 12ga. Ducks Unlimited 50th anniversary red label. She's a sure beauty. I'd pick up a SxS 20 if a I saw one. 

I think 6 days shows tremendous resolve and patience

Excellent work shown!  Happy Thanksgiving all

14 hours ago, Gene L said:

Thanks, folks.  What do you use for the post on size 18s?  I use Para post on larger flies, I suppose a thin yarn for smaller flies.

I'm kinda partial to McFlylon. I split the strand (as Norm mentioned) with my bodkin. For 18/20s usually split it into 3rds. Smaller 22's, 4ths. Smaller than that I'll remove individual strands from the split out section.

What I do is this: I cut my post material to about 3 inches long. Then tie in the post. I wrap about two/three turns of thread at the center of the hank of post material I'm using, then a couple in back and a couple in front to lock it in. The 3" is long enough for me to hold with my material hand while I wrap up and down the post with my thread hand. I use either my middle or ring finger on the material hand to shuttle the bobbin from my thread hand around the post in construction. Depending on the size of the fly 8-9 wraps up and then down is enough.  Wrap in front and wrap in back of the post for a true lock.  DO NOT CUT THE POST material cause you need to hackle it. Tie in the tails, tie in the body. Now tie in the hackle with it perpendicular to the hook shank using one wrap.  Adjust the hackle stem so you get a bit of bare stem above the post wraps. Holding the hackle and the post tie it in. Same amount of wraps as you used for the post. If the hackle "cups" the post the barbs will face up and vice versa.  Now dub your thorax. leave the thread hanging off the back (far side of you)of the shank. wrap your hackle down the post and hold the excess down off the back side of the shank, next to your thread. Still holding the hackle down take 3 wraps around the base of the post and the hackle. lift the excess hackle and take one more thread wrap. Thread is now back to the back of the hook shank. Cut the excess hackle, trim the post. Take a 3 or four turn whip finish as the bas of the post. Done. If the fly is really small 22 or 24 or smaller I'll either take fewer wraps at the base of the post or half hitch the thread behind the eye. Some folks will rotate the vise so the post is perpendicular to the floor rather than vertical for the whip around the post.  If you google tying a Klinkhammer some of those videos will show how you whip finish around the post.  Personally I think it's cleaner that way than the half hitch at behind the eye. That stand of thread cutting through the thorax really annoys me.   Of course, you can use a gallows tool to hold the post material, but what's the fun in that?