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Everything posted by Mark Knapp
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Wait, you don't see any red spots? How many fingers am I holding up?
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Is there value in obtaining your materials from the wild?
Mark Knapp replied to Mark Knapp's topic in The Fly Tying Bench
Wow, lucky you. -
Wow, I've never had that happen. What a mess. I have had bottles of accelerator come apart on several occasions though.
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Is there value in obtaining your materials from the wild?
Mark Knapp replied to Mark Knapp's topic in The Fly Tying Bench
How do the cats feel about raccoon tails in their litter box? Don't the cats get cold in the freezer? -
I heard it somewhere, it's fun to repeat it once in a while.
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It's really easy to find fault in something someone said. It's really easy to see negativity where there isn't any. And it's really easy to escalate negativity even if it's only imagined. Two things that someone smarter than me said. "If you look hard enough to find something, you are going to find it." and "We all have the choice to let something bother us or not" We are all here just talking about feathers, how can any of it be a big deal. I'm talking in general terms here, not pointing any fingers at anybody (who am I?)
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This is a subject that has come up from time to time. Another question that comes up from time to time is "Is it worth it to tie your own flies?" The answer for both of them is, it depends. There are advantages to tying your own flies, and here are just a few of them; You can tie exactly what you want, sometimes you can't find the exact fly you want at the fly shop. You can save money, sometimes. You can put your creativity to work. Match the hatch even if it's not commercially available. You can get a little more enjoyment out of your fly fishing. It's more fun to catch a fish on a fly you tied yourself, especially if it's a pattern you came up with yourself. Most of all, it's enjoyable. There are also some advantages to making/obtaining your own materials as apposed to buying them at the fly shop. Here are a few of them (at the risk of raising the ire of a particular large, hairy fellow we haven't seen in a while.) Many times, it's free Sometimes you can get better material than what is available at the fly shop. Here are just a couple of examples. This is Moose Main that I cut yesterday, It's six inches long. You and I will never see moose main that long in the fly shop. The buddies of the suppliers will get it long before it gets to the shop. The bucktail on the right is one that I processed myself. It's a "Whiter Shade of Pale" than the one on the left. All of the tails I did myself (6 of 20) are brighter than the ones that were commercially processed. You can learn a lot from doing it yourself. When I cut my own deer hides I learned what texture of hair came from each area of the hide and what kind of deer produced the best hair for a particular fly. If you do it yourself, you know what you are getting. When I cut my own hides, I can mark the leather so I know if it was back hair, side hair, butt hair or belly hair. I know if it's a buck or a doe, if it's an early hide or a late one. This can be particularly helpful on flies like Elk Hair Caddis or spinning deer hair. You can't know these things if you buy at the fly shop. If I pay attention, I will be able to tell the difference without marking the backs of each piece as I cut them. You generally have a lot of trading stock to trade with others who have an abundance of other stuff you need. There are disadvantages to gathering your own stuff too. Few of us are going to raise our own chickens to get a special strain of Coq De Leon or Cul De Canard. Now, if you could get them from the same bird, that would be something. It can be messy. Some folks do not like to do it. Sometimes, free is not free. Wives, sometimes will not put up with so much stuff. You need some tools, some time, some space and a little bit of skill. It's not for everyone but, it can be very rewarding. I have the tools, the space and a little bit of skill. I can make the time.
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I got mine too, very nice. Thank you everyone.
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I didn't even know there was a contest. Missed it again.
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Welcome to the dark side Buddy. Looking forward to your video. San Juan worms were a huge hit on my last trip for gills.
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Thanks for the clip Kimo. That's a great fly. I'm gunna do some.
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I didn't think of melting the ends, nice touch.
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Nice looking stuff there.
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OK, maybe I will. It's a fun fly to tie.
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Very nice. Yeah, I'm not sure why he's coming up from the bottom. Seems easier from the top.
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Mike, two demerits for just the front shot.
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That's a cool technique, I'm going to give it a try. Thanks for the tip. Nice looking bugs too.
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Yep, this stuff is the same, and I tie it the same way.
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That's a wormy wrapped around the hook, there's also some lead wire under there to help sink the fly.
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Very cool.
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Thanks buddy. I'm pretty sure they will catch some trout below the spawning beds, and some dollies and salmon too.
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Thanks Pete
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What colors you got, I got Fl. Green, yellow, red, orange, blue, and purple.
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Do mice think bats are angels?