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Jonny

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About Jonny

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    Beginner

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  • Favorite Species
    trout and stripers
  1. Hello Gents -- I just came across this thread and, as the author of the article in question, wanted to respond to all the bald highjackers out there. I actually have been a member of this site for a while, but have mostly posted trout flies in the past and hadn't really checked out the saltwater section. Anyway... Kinky Fiber, Slinky Fiber, Wig Hair, Synthetic Yak Hair, Syn-Yak, Kanekalon, etc. are all very similar materials and all work really well for this pattern. They are thin enough to tie a nice compact head, but have enough body to create the right texture and keep their shape when a rooster or striper munches on them. I don't like EP and similar materials for this particular pattern, because they are too fine and trap too much air for the way the fly is tied, at least for my tastes, although you can regulate the level of trapped air by how densely you pack the collars. By the same token, Ultra Hair and Supreme Hair are too thich for the proper texture, so I really do like the above. SF Flash Blend is the same stuff blended with Angel Hair, and looks cool and works great. As far as dubbing brushes, they don't work too well for this pattern -- I've tried! The whole point of the technique is to have the fibers laying back at a 45 degree or even sharper angle, so you get a good transition from head to tail, with no interruption or "valley" between the two, whereas the dubbing brushes tend to stick up at right angles too much. Brad Buzzi, a great SW tyer, makes some brushes this way, but the heads come out way rougher for my tastes. The EP brushes can be swept back some, but again, the material isn't optimal. By the way, EP Trigger Point is AWESOME for spinner wings. As far as Kirk's comment on the reference to BobPop, sorry if my point was misunderstood in the article. Bob's one of my closest friends, and was a big supporter even of that particular article. What I meant to say was that I'd screwed up on trimming a pattern, it reminded me of something I'd seen in Bob's book, and then I realized that trimming down that way gave me some possibilities for a sythetic muddler type head. It was just a simple adaptation of something I'd seen, no more or less. After continuing to play with the pattern, and tying a zillion flies at various winter shows, I tried to refine the steps to make it easier to get the wide profile quickly, with the V-ties. Of course there's nothing very original about it -- just an adaptation and I wouldn't claim there is. It's just a nice little fly pattern that's worked for me. Bob, in fact, likes it too. And, by the way, Bob is one of the few people I know who has truly created a bunch of flies that are truly, 100% original. But he's a rarity. I've got a nice upside down, weighted sculpin variation, articulated too, that I can post. Anyway, hope that clear things up, and I did get a chuckle out of the all the wig talk. Glad to know there are so many fellow dorks out there... Jonny
  2. I am a proud LAW owner (Hans helped me get one about 7 years ago), and they are great. The Ekich vise is an incredibly beautiful item too, but even though it has some similarities to the LAW, I think it operates in one very different way. As I recall from tying at the shows and checking out Mr. Ekich's booth, it's designed to hold the hook point within the vise jaws, so that both bend and point are not exposed, whereas the LAW holds hooks by the bend, conventional style. In the LAW, little hooks (12 and under) are easily held in the jaw tips, and larger hooks, from 10 on up to about 7/0, are held in one of two pockets grooved into the jaws. For myself, I cannot tie with the hook point buried in the jaws, and want as much of the hook exposed as possible, whether on a midge or a giant striper fly, but I know others, including Mr. Ekich himself, prefer it the other way. Just something to consider for those considering vises in the stratosphere. There seem to be an increasing number of really great vises out there these days. Used to be Renzetti and LAW, and now you've got the J Vise, C&F Reference (also outstanding and one I use) and a few others. Good luck!
  3. Hi all -- Here are a couple of caddis emergers. CDC humpback, over a dubbed/segmented body, legs of grouse or partridge, and a thorax with a Hackle Stacker (a la Bob Quigley) pulled over the top. The butts of the CDC tied down under the thorax dubbing and left to peek over the hook eye. Spring's coming.... Jonny King
  4. Flyslinger -- you're right that the flies are actually quite different. I hadn't realized yours was made with a foam body, and I now notice the little red band too. The only reason I posted my fly is that you said you'd seen something similar elsewhere, and I thought maybe you were referring to the pattern I'd posted, but I was obviously wrong. Sorry for any misunderstanding. As I said, you're fly looks just great, and I'll have to try foam for the body too. Did you tie the wings in before or after you created the paraloop/hackle stacker loop? I tie my wings in after I creat the loop, and then pull it between and through the wings. Looks like you may have tied yours before you created the hackle loop, but I'm curious. Thanks again. Jonny
  5. Terje -- Great pattern. Your posts are always so full of ideas! I clicked on the link at the bottom of your posts -- to the Norwegian board -- and had a lot of fun poking around. Thanks for all your great posts. All winter long, I tie saltwater patterns at the various shows, symposiums, etc., but your posts (like others on this board) keep yanking me back to dry flies. Thanks!!
  6. To follow up on Flyslinger's thread below, here's an ant pattern I've used for several years now. Floats well, is visible, and has caught some really nice fish on the Delaware system in the Catskills. The Delaware is not a great terrestrial river, but there is a significant fall of flying ants in the Fall, usually look like rusty little wasps, and the trout like them. This has the typical two lumps of fur, and then a downwing of white poly yarn split by a Hackle Stacker loop, also known as a Paraloop. I learned the technique via Bob Quigley (Mr. Quigley Cripple), but I know Ian Moutter in Europe uses it as well. For this pattern, you create the Hackle Stacker loop, then tie the poly in as a clump down wing immediately ahead of it. Dub over the butts of the poly, split the poly with a bodkin or scissor points, and then split the wing with the hackle stacker loop. I use this technique for spinners, caddis and mayflies, and split poly, zelon, CDC, deer hair, whatever. One tip -- use the "Siliconized Polypropylene" yarn by Niche -- it floats and the fibers keep separated and untangled better than any other stuff I've used.
  7. Beautiful, Flyslinger. You seem to tie the Paraloop perfectly. Maybe what you saw is something else, but you may be thinking of a pattern that I think I posted on the Net a while ago (don't remember where??). It's an ant pattern with the wings split by a Hackle Stacker (aka Paraloop). I'll post pix in a separate thread. I never tried it with hackle tips for the wings, however. Yours looks just great. Jonny
  8. Flyslinger -- It's pretty easy to tie. You just use the butts of the CDC feathers for a post for the parachute hackle. Also, use a light wire scud hook or a relatively short shank dry fly hook. My favorite is the Tiemco 206BL, but lots of hooks work. Here's the procedure I follow: Tie in a trailing shuck of zelon or something similar in an amber color, right at the hook bend. Pair two CDC feathers and tie them in by their tips, concave sides up, right on top of the wraps holding the shuck in place. The feathers should be trailing back over the shuck. Dub a chubby body with some fuzzy, emerger type dubbing about 4/5 up the hook shank, leaving just enough room for a small thorax and parachute area. Fold the CDC over the body to make a bubble back and push the CDC slightly back towards the bend to make the humped back a little more pronounced and spread the CDC fibers a little laterally. Holding the feathers in this orientation, tie down the butts of the CDC with several very tight wraps and then post the butts up to create the parachute post. Attach a hackle vertically to the post (at least that's how I tie parachutes, but other methods work). Before wrapping the parachute hackle down the post, dub a darker colored thorax around the post and leave the thread hanging just behind the post. Wrap the hackle down the post and bind it to the post with one or two wraps underneath the hackle wraps. Tie off the thread with your favorite method, and clip the post to just above where the hackle starts. Obviously, you can use other parachute hackling methods -- I just like this method because it's quickest for me. Finally, clip the hackle fibers that lay over the hook eye, leaving a semicircle covering the back of the bubble. Oh yeah, if you use three dark CDC feathers and pull them a little more tightly over a peacock abdomen, you can tie a cool beetle almost the exact same way. Hope the above was clear.
  9. Here's a CDC bubble back caddis pupa with a parachute hackle wrapped around the butts of the CDC used for the bubble. I've used flies with the CDC bubble for more than 10 years. I learned a version with a deer hair downwing (like a LaFontaine Pupa) on the Missouri a long time ago, but have just started playing with "parachutizing" it. Happy Holidays all. Jonny
  10. Smallie Fanatic -- As Hans knows, I'm a devoted LAW vise user, but recently was given another terrific (and very expensive) vise to play with -- the C&F Reference Vise. Very beautiful vise, like all the C&F products, with lots of unusal bells and whistles and good at holding tiny to gargantuan (up to 11/0 offshore) hooks. I'll never move off my LAW Vise, but this one is a lots of fun too.
  11. Firetiger -- The hook with the funky bend is a Varivas Floating Nymph & Pupa, IWI F-2000. Hans -- are you suggesting that I've been anything less than prompt? Just because it's taken me a half a decade doesn't mean I'm not reliable! Maybe this winter will be the one? You shame me, my friend. Well, at least I have a couple of flies for the set... Watch, and I may surprise you. Jonny
  12. Thanks guys. I already have the folding Ott Lite, which I've used at shows for a number of years but isn't big or bright enough for a lot of the bigger patterns I tie. The table top Daylight has a bigger and brighter bulb. What I liked about my brief borrow of the McKenzie is that it was automatically positioned over the fly, but the heat and lack of true color are issues too. One shop told me the Dyna King equivalent is much brighter and more reliable --????? Anyway, thanks for the input.
  13. I'm really enjoying this excellent forum and so will contribute a few more flies. Here are a couple of Caddis Adults -- dubbed body and hackle stacker loop splitting CDC wings. The wings are reversed (wonder wing) style on the bottom fly and tied conventionally on the top one. From underneath, the wings appeared splayed a bit, like a Delta Wing. Again, great flies, everybody, and inspiring me to give me big ole striper flies a break. Jonny King
  14. Dave -- that is a great looking emerger and captures a lot of what goes on when a mayfly is wiggling free. I tend to use a lot of split wings and thoraxes too. I often split them with a hackle stacker (paraloop), but have used CDC, poly, and zelon. One of my favorite materials for splitting wings/legs, etc. in the thorax area is Medallion Sheeting. I just found a post from about a year ago showing the sheeting. It makes for a good "splitter," because it ties down with zero bulk and also gives a shiny, glossy bulge that looks just like the thorax cover of a late stage nymph or (as in this case) a spinner nearing the end. Excellent fly you got there. Here's the link: http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?sho...dallion+spinner Jonny King
  15. My tying light just went on the fritz. I have one of those Daylight lamps with the 18 watt bulb, and I like it, but it's a bit bulky and takes up some room -- and now it appears to be broken. Tying at the Symposium last month, I forgot my light and borrowed a McKenzie from a friend. Seemed decent, and I liked that it clamped to my vise. Someone else also recommended a similar Dyna King product, called the "Flex Lamp," which also clamps to the vise stem. I do need lots of light -- especially for some of the very large salt patterns I tie -- so I was wondering if anyone had any experience with the Mckenzie vs. the Dyna King. Must say I like the "true color" aspect of that big Daylight lamp, but any input appreciated. Thanks. Jonny King
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