tjm

I used low heat to take set out of my Montague. But, there are supposedly some early glues that heat affects. Rule I've read is don't get it too hot to hold with your bare hand. Search the web for "straighten set bamboo fly rod" , you'll find some experts.

Lucky guy Skeet.

Thanks for the response. I asked out curiosity more than need, I'm sure VA will have some kind of replacement when these die, but I doubt that they use top of the line or newest technology either.

@DFoster can you set those just to "fix" certain frequencies? If so how do you which fequencies need "fixing"? My hearing aids are VA supplied Phonak, that seem to only amplify the stuff that I can't hear, like bird calls and soprano voices, or at least amps those up many times more than other stuff. I recall when the audiologist was explaining my hearing loss that there were 3-4 dips in the graph and "normal" hearing in between them. There are a few things they over-amplify though like the turn signal clicker and dishes being hit in restaurants. These were supposed to be tuned to my needs prior to delivery, but when I had a complaint the audiologist did some re-tuning with her desktop and bluetooth. You've gotten my interest because mine are a few years old ,so are likely nearing end of life.

You probably want 50# to make looped butt sections? https://www.cortlandline.com/products/braidedmonoloopingmater They also have a waxed version - https://www.cortlandline.com/products/waxed-braided-mono-shooting-line

try eBay there are a few listed

I don't tie as much as I did long time ago but I've always cut ribbing wire/tinsel with the tying scissors that are constantly in my hand, not with the points but with the thickest part near the hinge. This means a few things, a) I don't have to take the scissors off my fingers, b) I don't have to look for the nippers, c) when done with the nippers I don't have to move every thing on the table to find the scissors again. For hard wire, nothing beats a professional quality set of 4" dykes. If there is any tag left I simply mash it to the hook with thumbnail or back of scissors and go on. (Well I didn't always use the scissors, I started out using ordinary fingernail clippers, but I've used the scissors for decades.) btw, the dykes will trim toenails and cuticles too.

Been living with tinnitus more than 40 years, since late 20s; always crickets, sometimes peeper frogs or cicada and the volume is variable, but never really off; have had multiple frequency hearing loss for decades but only got hearing aids ~5 years ago. I feel sorry for my wife more than myself for it though, I've grown use to saying "sir???" or "hanh?" and she hasn't gotten used to repeating stuff, so she yells. Our children all have learned to enunciate. They have found that I can interpret a whisper better than a shout, that if they speak loudly and rapidly I may not even notice it as it blends with "my noise". With hearing aids stay out of restaurants, or stick the things in a pocket. With radio or TV turn the volume down to the point that words are barely heard, loud volume makes it all worse. Don't try to hear the radio, it should be a buzzy background. When your grandson brings out his thunderously loud guitar, take a walk outside. Tell the people around you that enunciation is ten times better than volume. Stay out of rooms with slick finished walls or glossy paint, they have echo that will set you nerves off. For the wax, turning my ears directly into a hot shower for a couple minutes each keeps most of it washed out, it did take me a while to get used to that but it's much better than the suction cleaning, that pulled hair roots that hurt for months. The good news is tinnitus probably isn't fatal. The bad news is you can't read lips when people are masked. Be cheerful things can always get worse. And not everyone gets to hear crickets in winter. For you folks that make videos- leave the "music" out of them, it is more distracting than strobe lights and explosions.

This is what I did ~'76- This was on eBay recently, you might contact the seller and see if there are more where it came from- https://www.ebay.com/itm/Vise-Pedestal-Base-Adapter-DYI-Fly-Tying-Vise-3-8-Shaft-FV2172-/253599281248?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5338590836&toolid=10044&customid=a97b29e3935a177d311f49a16d561815

Not for me, - one or two pages work others are 404s and the contact is shown to be an insecure connection.

That tubing wasn't very available then, painters tape was. Although I now have many sizes and colors of heat shrink, if i was doing a new set of pliers I'd still use the tape, because I believe it has a softer surface.

About 47? years ago I read or was told to wrap one jaw of my English hackle pliers with 3-4 turns of masking tape to both increase the grab and keep them from cutting, that original painters tape is still on them and they still work, although I have recently started using the test probe clips a lot.

Cats on trotline, and on pole/line/live bait; never a cat on a fly and I fish streams full of them for bass. Have taken bullheads on fly, on purpose and accidentally.

Link works for me, it doesn't open a page though, it is a file down load or can opened with Adobe.

That's only about three hours from me and I've never fished it, made a few trips over there only to find the water way to high. I used to fish the Beaver tailwater of the White regularly and think I'll start going there again in summer.

My guess is black floss body, flat silver tinsel rib, I think Ozark turkey and ginger hackle are good calls. The colors seem lighter or more subdued in the article and might be oranged up by the lighting or processing, perhaps bleached turkey and cream/light ginger hackles, to get it right one would dissect an existing fly or find his notes, you could try contacting the museum or the author of the article.

That was called 'dyed black dry fly hackle" when I bought it ~45 years ago, packaged loose in plastic envelopes. I still have some in one of the storage boxes I think. Had some on the leather too, very small neck, likely from India roosters. What Capt Bob said about the dye and why I never put fingers in mouth when tying as some people have recommended to moisten fingers.

That is made into a garment and sold retail!! TV dollars! The August fur auction in Canada saw Marten at $20 and lower 48 marten as low as $7.50. The only demand for fur right now is for heavy western coyotes at $70 and only cats brought over a hundred and very few of them sold. We still have wild fur in the pipeline from 2018 and the big Canadian fur auction NAFA is bankrupt and owing $millions to trappers that shipped in 2018-19 and some even older. Trappers today are doing it for the exercise.

There are left handed scissors available from surgical suppliers some of which could be used, I like the iris scissor because my first tying scissors were that style. The loops are the least of the problem, the blades must be reversed for the left hander to see where the cut is, when open right hand scissors have the blade on the right up and left hand scissors have the blade on the left up. When we try to use them with the other hand the up blade hides the work so we twist and turn the scissors, our bodies and the work to try seeing what is being done. I typically use either or both hands but two of my children are strictly left handed, it can make a difference. In use the thumb blade goes down and the finger blade goes up. left- right- Look nice, the loops can open? Typically most scissors fit small hands, I'm guessing all the ones shown in the OP have small loops.

Nice trick, thanks for posting it.

Sold reels too, I had a couple that were marked Weber Kalahatch No. 400; actually manufactured by Duncan-Briggs, Providence RI. in the early '50s.

If you are a DYI type or wood worker, some of these homemade boats will fit in the trunk; https://christinedemerchant.com/boat-styles-take-apart.html https://smallboatsmonthly.com/article/nesting-boats/

Back about '80 I got to using a lot of nymphs and all were weighted with wraps of lead from LC trolling line, from a book or magazine article I got the idea of using different weights of the same pattern and marking them by colors of thread used for the head, IIRC, I used tan for unweighted, black for five turns of lead and red for ten turns of lead. I don't think beads were available then, I'd never seen any used at any rate. I kept this up for a couple-three years and then pretty much quit the heavy nymphs, nowadays if they look like nymphs they have five turns, if they have a collar of soft hackle they are unweighted. (I may have quit tying them heavy when Humphreys' book Trout Tactics came out, I recall pictures of a shot rig; but I rarely use nymphs since about '85 when we moved here) I do think that if you tie them in different weights they need some distinguishing mark, else they will get mixed up sooner or later and you won't know if you are fishing near the top or bouncing bottom. Mine did a few times when all were tied with same thread. As far as weighing flies it takes about a dozen to register anything on my cheapy gram scale, then do the math so I don't.

Center feathers of the tail clump have the longest fibers with both sides of the stem producing good fibers, the other feathers will have shorter and softer fibers. My son in law hunts and I get the tails, the four in the center are the only ones I keep.

http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?/topic/85309-how-to-ship-flies/