SuperiorFlies

Clear Creek Caddis Larvae and some bloodworms from a few nights ago.

Three of a kind.

Cheers to 2018!

Evolution X-Legs; Brown, Size 8 & Black, Size 12

Shiver Minnows on order tonight!

I'm constantly digging small hooks out of the bottom of my feet and toes... Sometimes that's the only way to find them after they have been dropped!

If you have the extra time (20 seconds?) to tie them in, it can't hurt. As deaddrifter stated, they look cool. I tie them on my flies because, from a business standpoint, it's just as important for my flies to catch the angler as it is for my flies to catch fish.

Triple Sec in the Salmon Candy variation.

I usually use two 3-5 turn whip finishes and coat with head cement or UV resin. For smaller patterns where using head cement is more of pain than it is practical I like to use a similar method to one that I learned from Dave Whitlock at a fly fishing expo. He doesn't actually use any knot at all for a lot of his flies. Instead, before he makes his final wraps to finish off the head, he coats the thread with Zap-A-Gap and then proceeds to wrap the coated portion of thread around the hook. He just lets it dry quick and then snips the thread off close. I use this technique on some smaller soft hackles, but I like to add a half hitch or two in at the end before I snip off the thread.

I'm very satisfied with the Loon Thin that I use as well as their other products (head cements, hard head, etc.). I will probably slowly transition (as my other resins are used up) to using Loon products almost exclusively. One thing that I really like about them is the lack of odor compared to other brands. The Deer Creek Flex has a terribly strong odor that, if it was not for the flexibility, would push me to stop using it.

I have personally dried a few pheasant skins using Borax and have had no issues with them whatsoever. I don't mind that the skins are stiff. Some feathers are harder to pluck than others, but having them all attached to the skin as opposed to loosely packaged in bags provides a less messy way to store and use them. Also, as tjm stated, having insect repelling characteristics makes this method much more appealing.

You hit that nail on the head! High temp of 37 degrees today and we are under a winter storm advisory for tonight... Tying season has begun!

No worries there! Thanks! Brick and mortar may be a possibility in the future, but for now I'm focusing on online sales. The problem with having a physical storefront where I live is that the demand for a fly shop is extremely low and that it would probably end up costing me more than I would make. However, I do plan on continuing to expand my online and many of my flies are available in local sporting goods stores.

It sure is a spectacular place to live!

Haha, you were close!

Clear Creek Caddis Pupa in Caddis Green for tonight!

Hello everyone, I just wanted to "formally" introduce myself here. My name is Brandon and I am the owner of Superior Flies, LLC. I am from a small town in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan! I have been following this forum for several years, but just recently created an account so I could become more involved. I look forward to sharing my fly tying and fishing experiences with you all and learning about yours as well!

I use a mix of both. Beadheads for deeper/faster water or when I want a pattern with a little more attraction and unweighted for shallow riffles and smaller water.

First ... no apologies necessary. My post was to get you "more involved" than just a query. Many times, a first post generates answers, and then we never hear back from the OP. Second ... thank you for the intro. I think we have a couple of "Yuppers" (sp?) on here ... and definitely some other Michiganites. We also have a few other fly tying/fishing business owner/operators. So ... Third ... Welcome to the active side of the site. Hope to see a lot more posts from you. Now that we know you're "genuine" ... please feel free to query as much as you like! After 40 post, you can advertise/sell in "The Trading Post" forum, near the bottom of the home page. Thank you for the warm welcome! I was hoping to see a few other "Yoopers" on here.. I look forward to participating in this forum and the opportunities it affords.

My apologies for jumping right into discussion. This was just something that was on my mind and I was curious about what other tiers preferred to use. I'll admit that I should have done a little more research before starting a new thread on a subject that has apparently been covered extensively in other threads. As for introductions, my name is Brandon and I own a fly tying business (Superior Flies) in Michigan's Upper Peninsula! I am also a third-year Biological Sciences major at Michigan Technological University. I have been following posts on this site for several years, but just recently decided to create an account to become more involved in the forum. Again, I apologize for starting a new thread on this topic and will refrain from doing similar in the future.

Just curious, what is everyone's favorite UV Resin for fly tying? Tell us what you use, how you use it and why you like it! I use Loon Outdoors UV Clear Fly Finish for wing cases on nymphs. It seems to be pretty durable and I really like the applicator bottles that the Loon products come with. For body coatings on semi-realistic patterns, I just started using Deer Creek Fine Flex resin, but I haven't used it long enough to give it a proper review. It seems to be a great product and I like that the added flexibility makes it a little more resistant to cracking. For other applications - heads on trolling flies and streamers - I have been using Misfit UV Bond that I picked up from Lund's Fly Shop a while back and it seems to hold up pretty well against aggressive fish. Please share your thoughts about your own experience!