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COMike

BE GENTLE! Feathers are delicate!

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WOW..........

 

So I have tied midges and San Juan worms well and I am happy with doing so.....

 

However dealing with Peacock and other feathers I think I have a HEAVY hand.......

 

If there are tips and tricks I am open to all advice!

 

 

Mike :)

 

 

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Spray your hands with Helium to make them lighter.

 

Without seeing what you're speaking of, "heavy handed" doesn't make much sense. But sparser is usually better, so I am told.

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Spray your hands with Helium to make them lighter.

 

Without seeing what you're speaking of, "heavy handed" doesn't make much sense. But sparser is usually better, so I am told.

 

 

Really Mike???????

 

Don't be an ass.....

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Haha mikechell I think he means he uses too much pressure and breaks the herl, COmike are you using hackle pliers, I found on herl it breaks it a lot more. As for using too much pressure, just keep practicing and over time you'll develop a "feel" for it.

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Hey, man, lighten up ... it was a joke. :)

 

When we first begin to tie, we all find ourselves breaking thread and abusing other materials as well. It's just a part of the learning process. It does take a light touch, but it will come with practice.

 

Peacock herl is one of the more fragile materials in common use. The tip 1/2" breaks off extremely easily, so most of us just break it off to begin with.

 

Anyway, as Mike was suggesting, if you'll tell us what you are trying to tie, we will be happy to overwhelm you with a combination of useful, not so useful, and, at times downright contradictory advise. What that means, of course, is that there is more than one way of doing most things in fly tying.

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Done with the topic........delete it please because I am simply not worthy of "helium hands".....back at you Mike

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Spray your hands with Helium to make them lighter.

 

Without seeing what you're speaking of, "heavy handed" doesn't make much sense. But sparser is usually better, so I am told.

 

 

Really Mike???????

 

Don't be an ass.....

Okay, I am sorry ... you haven't been here long enough to recognize me. Stick with the topic, these guys can really help you. I, on the other (heliumless) hand, can't help myself. Just ask some of the others members ... they don't like me much, either. Right, FLyFishin'Jam?

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Mike......

 

I am sorry.....I took what you said the wrong way.

 

Please accept my apologies...

 

Mike :)

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LOL after returning home from the pub at 4am in i am assuming my own place i have been known to harass Mike Chell!

 

Anyway to keep it on topic (sorry i have not had any beers yet)...Maybe later...

 

http://www.peninsulaflyfishers.org/Default.aspx?pageId=878836

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See the PM ... but no apology needed. I AM an ass. But you can consider me the class clown. It's all intended in fun.

 

I'll accept the apology just to be civil, but I honestly don't require one.

My humor plays completely different in person, when you can see the looks on my face. I know it doesn't play the same way online, but I just can't help myself.

 

Oh, and I can take the harassment, too.

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There is definitely a learning curve with peacock herl. I have found it works better to use two or three herls, rather than just one. As noted, clip off the extreme tip, as it is too fragile to mess with; tie in by the tip, as that is where the best herl is found; and one trick I have picked up is to wrap the herl around my tying thread, forming a herl rope. This will reinforce the herl and keep it from coming loose when it is chewed on by a fish. Peacock herl is about the best material there is for fishy flies, and well worth learning to use.

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Break off about 1/2 to 1" of the herl tips before you start wraping.OR... In some cases you can make a "pecock herl rope" by twisting 2 or more herls together with the tying thread (much like a dubbing loop). This method might be too bulky for small dry flies though.

 

 

 

Mike is an ass tongue.png ph34r.png

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Hey, man, lighten up ... it was a joke. smile.png

 

Almost sir, almost.

 

Peacock herl is a pain. I've got into the habit of grabbing the herl by the butt and running my finger and thumb down the herl, using quite a lot of pressure, to find the weak point. If you use a single herl, it is going to break at some point every time. Better to get it out of the way before you start to tie it in. You can use several herls and wrap it with thread and / or wire to make it stronger. For your flies this may be the best solution. Sometimes though a single herl wound is what is needed. That's when I break them first. They don't always break in the first 1/2 to 1 inch. I don't want to break or cut the first inch off to find later the weak spot is 1 1/4 from the tip.

 

Cheers,

C.

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COMike, most of the time I let the herl gently slip through my fingers as I wrap it and it tends to not exert quite as much pressure on it. Get some really small feathers used for a soft hackle and tie them in by the tip and then wrap a couple of turns without breaking it and it will let you get used to the light pressure required. If you can wrap the feathers without breaking then the peacock should be no problem at all.

 

Mikechell, we all (well, most of us) love you and find you really funny but it does take a little time to get used to you. I just imagine a kooky facial expression when I read some of the things that you post and get a good laugh instead of increased blood pressure.

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