DarrellP

17 hours ago, TSMcDougald said:

Already posted pictures of my chistmas present in another thread. I did get another thing that I consider a christmas present. Our Golden Retriever managed to swallow four of the granddaughters pacifiers (we have no idea how he got them) and had emergency surgery on the 23rd to have them removed - three were in his stomach and one had made it to his small intestine. The christmas present part was we managed to come up with the money for the surgery on such short notice. He has been drugged up on pain meds since and as result is a lot less hyper.

As an ER vet for the last 10 years, you have no idea how common that is.  Especially in retrievers.  I am convinced that a dog will eat anything.  Underwear, socks, candles, money, jewelry, corn cobs, etc.  A couple of weeks ago I had to remove a foot long fondue fork.  How he swallowed that I don't know, but it was stretched from the cranial (front) end of his chest to his stomach.  Dog did fine.  Hope your Golden does well.  They are great family pets.

If you want to tie Saltwater patterns, by all means do so.  In my opinion, they are easier to get started with, simply because of their size.  The materials list is different and the volume of materials required to tie Salt patterns is much greater.  I recommend that you buy the book "Essential Saltwater Flies" by Ed Jaworoski.  Lefty Kreh said, "if it ain't Chartreuse, it ain't no use."!  You will likely want to learn to tie a Clouser Minnow, which is fairly simple but has some subtleties. Bunny flies are fairly straight forward, as are poppers.  A Bob's Banger is a simple but effective popper.  The Lefty's Deceiver is simple to tie, but getting the proportions right has always been challenging to me.  The great thing about saltwater patterns is that they are larger and easier to see and hold.   The bad thing is that you will burn through a lot of materials and require non-corroding hooks.  Stainless steel is generally used along with Duratin, as far as hooks go.  They are generally a little bit more expensive than freshwater hooks.  Saltwaterflies.com has a lot of Saltwater specific items.  Also, check out Fly Tier's Dungeon (FTD) for cheap but effective synthetic materials.  Losing or throwing away a fly with FTD materials will not cause the same amount of despair as losing one tied with EP fibers.

For saltwater patterns I usually tie with Uni-thread in a size 6/0.  Generally color to match the materials, such as Chartreuse, pink or whatever.   Some people tie with white and then color the thread just before tying off the head. You will probably also want some Monofilament clear thread.  Some Saltwater tiers use only monofilament thread. Danville makes a good one, I believe.  Sally Hansen's fingernail polish is often used as head cement on Saltwater flies.  Don't be afraid to use super glue.in your tying.  Lock tite is a good over the counter brand.  Epoxy vs UV resin is a controversial subject that I will not go into.  Just read through the posts concerning this.  Liquid fusion also has its place.

Check out Captain Bob LeMay's posts on this site.  His flies are what any Saltwater tier should aspire to.  

Congratulations on your Regal vice.  I have had a Regal for years and have no regrets.  

I am glad that you have joined a class.  That will flatten your learning curve and will help keep you from picking up bad habits.  Remember, it is all about durability, proportion and finish.  Neat heads are the sign of a good tier.   Neat, well proportioned heads have always been difficult for me.

As Flytier said, buy good materials.  You cannot tie a good fly from substandard materials.  Maybe some can, but I cannot.  If you post your flies and ask for feedback, you will get honest feedback on this forum.  

The materials list for Saltwater tying usually includes

Strung rooster hackle in various colors to suit.  You will likely use a lot of white

Bucktail in various colors. ( White, Chartreuese, Pink, Brown, Gray and on and on)

Popper heads, foam cylinders, etc.

Eyes--various types, but reflective eyes are used a lot.

beadchain  and/or dumbell eyes.

Reflective tape

Flashabou and Krystal flash.  Pearl color is the most commonly used.

Good luck.

take a class.  it will save you a lot of time.  However, focus on the pinch wrap, even spacing, with wraps of feathers or wire. the finish knot or whip finish.  Learn to use the hook as a ruler for proportions.  Hang in there.  It is a lot of fun.

You tube is great, most of the time.  Look at thr limp cobra website, too, as well as Flytier's site.

Wooly worm, Stillwater nymph, Clouser minnow, bucktail streamers.

I think a light on each side of the fly is well worth it.

Hey Mike.  You don't do Christmas because Santa has barred you from the 'nice' list for life.

Get "Fusion fly Tying"  by  Greg Senyoif you don't already have it.  The author is from up in our neck of the woods.  

Man, I hope you feel better. 

It could be from FTD.  They make some stuff that looks like that and I have used it on Intruders.  I took it off of a wire dubbing brush and shortened it.  Hope that helps.

I thought it would be fun to list any fly tying Christmas gifts you received.

I received a new float tube and accessories from my wonderful wife.  I have heard a rumor that my kids went together on a Wheatley fly box with clips for my Steelhead/Salmon flies. 

Half of our presents are still on an Amazon or UPS truck, since we followed the advice not to travel or get together, this year.  The only kid we celebrated with is one who we are pretty much together with all of the time.

Alpaca, now that is new  I wonder if there has been a mammal or bird that has not been included in a fly?  Maybe a Buzzard? I guess Elephants, Hippos, and Rhino's don't have enough hair.

and a Happy and Better New Year!

I received my flies last night.  Great job everyone!  I appreciate the little extra you included, Bob.  My daughter is a food writer and she will help me put it to good use.  Thanks again for hosting.

Merry Christmas Bob and happy new years!

I received my package yesterday evening in the mail.  Thanks to those who participated, and thanks to Nick Szabo for hosting this wonderful event.  It is a highlight of my Christmas season. I don't have to remind anyone of how weird this season has been.  Especially for those of us in the PNW.  Riots, Fires, Pandemics, Bizarre Politics and for me, moving into a house with lots of surprises.  So thanks again for adding some normalcy to my holiday season. 

I fish a lot of hopper dropper combos.   Just asking.  I like your whip finish trick.

Question:  why use a nymph hook?  Is it not heavier than a dry fly hook?  I would have thought a light wire hook would float better.  Maybe I am splitting hairs, pardon the pun.

Your videos are always very well done and professional.  I will add some of these to my box.

On 12/3/2020 at 3:42 PM, mikechell said:

What is this "winter" you speak of? 

We get a couple of cold snaps (frost on the windshield) through the short days ... but, fortunately, no real winter.

Kiss my ...

Thanks for bringing these!  This fly has all of the right stuff.

Yes, I certainly appreciate all your hard work.

That sucks.  2020 has been tough.

Interesting technique 

I saw Gunner's video, too.  Have only used it to glue Rabbit.  

It will get there on Monday.

20 hours ago, fishingbobnelson said:

My 75 year old brain had a fart, and I thought the 28th was next week.  Any way gift is on it's way, PO says Monday or Tuesday.  Sorry, Sorry, Sorry! 😴😩

Nice looking flies!

I went to a postal Annex type of place and had them mail my flies.  They came back to me last night for insufficient postage.  I am very frustrated.  Will mail them overnight from the post office tomorrow. 

Rocco summed it up well.