Steve P

Ok I've been sitting here at the vice for about an hour exactly now and I just can't get out of my head what I am going to tie... thinking about a bass worm w/ a foam tail, which is how I normally tie them. I just can't decide what to tie and it is about to make me nuts. Ok bass worm with a foam tail it is tentatively, if there are no objections I think I will stick to that. Steve

I have four people coming (the Sunday following Thanksgiving) that want to start fly tying but would like to see what it is all about before the go out and drop the cash on a vise and materials, so I told them I would see what i could do about getting them a couple extra vises to use, so far I am only one vise short but I have left messages with about 5 other folks that will be atending surely I'm not the only one that never throws anything away. Day5 I'll just stick with a new set i just don't have the time to mess with anythiong else right now but thanks for the idea. Steve

Cool stuff Jay I like your setup, nicely done. Steve

I'm in I don't know what with yet but I'll figure out something here shortly. Steve

Looks great but until those gills get that tail eaten down to about 2/3 it current length your going to be missing several strikes. Don't let that get you down though it looks really good and ven iif you just go ahead and take it to the ponds and cut those feathers back about half way you'll still catch a ton of fish and miss man less strikes. I have gotten to where the only tail I tie on a popper is a very short tail of maribou and only go just past the bend of the hook by about the length of the hook gap. Steve

Thanks Al, e-mail on the way. I love that stupid vise and really would like t ohave it in fully operational condition for the wife and for my flies and pies group that is going to start meeting here in a couple weeks. Steve

I think we are missing the key word here which seems to be FREE and no free stuff for flytying should ever be turned down. Steve

I am in need a of a set of jaws for a Danvise. The one I have I have used for the last 5 years or so is getting pretty torn up on the tip and I just can't get a hook smaller than a #8 in it. The wife bought me a Reanzetti Presentation 2000 for fathers day last year and now she is getting into tying but has been using the Danvise she is really having a good time with it and wants to tie more but due to the limitations with the gnarled and torn up jaws it becomes difficult at times. My only real problem is that I can't sweem to fnd them anywhere, and know one carries them so I don't know what to do. Just needing some :help: here let me know if you can find them or know where they can be had easily. Steve

AMEN to that one. Steve

I think I could go NUTS with that whole bird. :bugeyes: :bugeyes: Steve

Hey luvin', it's too bad you weren't in the panfish swap cause I have a killer pattern that Iam sending for that and it is a soft hackle, great pattern I tie about #10 or 12 (more often 12) tied just like a PTN but don't make a wing case and just in front of the peacock tie in your soft hackle and finish... I'll post the pattern in the warm water forum here before too long just keep lookin' for it. Steve

I used to drive an hour and a half to a Dick's spoting goods store the first and third thursday of every month to a thing just like what your doing and loved it but with gas prices, and 2 kids, and a house I just can't do it any more so I thought after your first post. "Hey why can't I do that??" My problem has been finding the guys that tie in my area, I know they're here but just have trouble finding them since the closest trout stream is 4 hours away. So when I get off of work a 0700 I just run to the lakes close by and try and catch a couple of them hitting the bluegill and crappie or just befor I come to work I do the same thing. I've been really surprised at some of the responses I have gotten, I can just see the twinkle in their eyes when I tell them I want to get a tying club together. I tend to get some really interesting responses when I even bump into people while I fly fish, they can't believe that a 25yr. old "kid" with tatoos all down his left arm and a scruffy looking beard is a fly fisherman, and has been doing it for over 15yrs. some people don't take me seriously and some are just happy to see they are not the only crazy one!!! Again thanks and look out now there is a charter club from the original. Steve

Makes me want to go fishng THERE!!! Beautiful pic Mokai. Steve

My mom just gave me an Ott Light that she was not using and I LOVE that thing, I have been tying #20 soft hackles and after about 10 I will stop and tie a couple streamers so my eyes can relax, now with the Ott Light i tied 25 #20 hares ear soft hackles in about an hou and could have done more if I had some more quail... need season to open I'm getting low in feathers!!! Steve

Oatka, after reading some of your previous posts I had decided to try and get a group together in my area but was having some trouble finding other tiers so I have been hitting the lakes just after sunrise and just before sunset and have now gathered about 15 names and phone numbers to try and get a group together (plus myself and a few really close friends). A local tackle shop that I do alot of rod repair work and business through has most generously offered us some space to put up a couple tables and just have a good time. With only one minor change to the name there are now 2 flies and pies tying groups, I had to drop the "guys" from the name so that we can be more "PC" since we do have several women tiers that may be attending. Our first meeting will be the weekend after Thanksgiving. Thanks for the idea and insperation to get something together and meet some new folks. Steve

I was bit bad by the Soft Hackle bug at the begining of the summer and this has been my number one producer I have tried it in many different colors but by far the best producing color has been the redish brown fuzz fron the hares mask that I have ( and it's nearly bald!). I have fish this fly more ways than I care to count or describe but the only way I can tell you I have NOT fished it is under and indicator or with any weight. I have greased the leader to hold it just under the meniscus (sp?) as an emerger, I have rubbed a fresh fly with floatnt as a dry, I have dead drifted, I have held the line on a swing and allowed it to rise... again like an emerger, I have even slowly stripped it through moving water (across and back up stream) like a swimming... uhhhhh... something. But reguardless of all that I have caught a ton of fish and some really nice ones at that. My wife just last week was fishing one in a size 20 with a really bright sun high over head and caught a 19" 4lb bow I followed her lead with an 18" brown just after we released her fish and then a 16" bow caught by me, and on three different methods of fishing the same fly!!! I love these flies and have now started to tie them in every color and size and... well you get the idea. Oh yeah I hope you like it Steve

A new addition to the fly pattern database has been submitted by spflugradt: Hares Ear Soft Hackle

Addy please... man I really can't wait for this one!!! Steve

Here are those spider shots I promised... Now I only post these with a warnign they may be a bit offensive to those that have a fear of spiders as they were shot in Macro mode and it make him look much bigger than he really is the second pick is a #20 PTN next to him to give you an idea of his actual size. Just the spider crawling around after "dropping in" on me. Like I said he is actaully pretty small next to a size 20 fly. Hope you like them and can sleep tonight!!! Steve

Addy please... all ready to go and in the box!!! Oh yeah guys i hope it is ok that i changed my pattern to a pheasant tail soft hackle, I have really gotten onto this soft hackle thing and just can't stop but I did put 15 crappie in the cooler the other day with one fly... YES I said ONE count it ONE fly, man I love soft hackles!!! Steve

I need an addy please, and I oops and changed my pattern to a hares ear soft hackle size 18 hope that is ok??? I can actually tie them in about 60 seconds a piece now that I tied all of them for the swap!!! Even had the wife time me the other night when I was tying them up

Chrisfish that's just 7x not that small I actaully switched to 8x just after that pic, the sun was really high and bright as all get out and the fish were so spookey that anythin less than a 40ft. cast and a perfect presentation would not cut it. Mokai, I know what your saying I find myself walking through the yard looking at almost anything to try and take some macro pics of. I did get a few really cool pics of a spider that came to visit me Sunday night while I was eating a sandwich and I'll get one of those up for you here in a bit. Steve

Yeah I wwent totally gonzo with in the butterfly palace there were butterflies everywhere I even tried to get some in flight but those didn't turn out so well. They said it was a 1500 sq. foot room but it seemed much smaller than that to me. I think I took almost 150 pictures in there and only one or two had myself or my wife in them!!! Oh I almost forgot they had Button Quail from China in there and I was soooooooo temped those feathers look like they would make some of the best teeny tiny little soft hackles ever!!!! What's a guy to do???? Steve

Just a few shots for your viewing pleasure that I have taken over the last week or so. Went to Branson with the wife to do some fishing and while we were there she wanted to go to the butterfly palace so I snapped a TON of pictures there... here are a couple While we fished mostly at night looking to hit on some really big browns that had come up to spawn we did fish inthe mornings and afternoons so we could do some scouting and find those fish. Here is a nice bow that liked the look of my softhackle hares ear. And of course one of the perks of fishing at night is your out before the sun has a chance to burn off all that beautiful dew from the flowers. The first it was still dark as the dickens but I loved the pic so I took it any way the second was just as the sun was rising and I think it is one of the most beautiful pics I have ever taken. Thanks for lookin' and hope you enjoyed them. Coments and critiques are always welcome. Steve

I tied my first soft hackles last week in 18 (a haresear soft hackle with bobwhite quail for the softhackle ribbed with silver wire) and fished them this last weekend and love them I have been watching the bird feader for some starling (I already have bout 15 sparrows) man these things worked like a charm i fished them a hundred different way just dead drifting them through the shallows. slowly letting them drop down stream of me and they would rise like an emerger, under a gresed leader and like an emerging midge they even sucked them right off the surface like a dry. this is now my go to fly!!! Steve