Skill Builder Trout Swap Series

[breambuster 0]

Got you covered, Pica. I thought they were probably yours but wanted to be sure. No problem. I'll tag them for you.

 

Take care

 

BB

[PJ2 0]

Bream i sent mine this morning should be there in a day or two. Had to wait for more hooks. finished them sat night.

[PJ2 0]

Did my flies arrive?

[breambuster 0]

I have updated the original post to see what flies are in and whose are still missing. We have 3 sets still out. I will be sending out some PM's later tonight unless I hear something before then. The due date was Dec 15. I'll let you guys know when we get them all in.

 

Take care

 

BB

[EastTNoutdoorsman 0]

Breambuster,

I'm fairly new to tying and very new to the forum (first post as a matter of fact). I'm looking forward to participating in some swaps to improve my skills and if there is an opening in future rounds of this series I'd appreciate the chance to get in on it!

[breambuster 0]

Thanks EastTNoutdoorsman, I will keep you in mind. There will be a second round of the skill builder swaps, probably right after the first of the year. I'll keep you in mind and send you a PM (personal message) when I'm ready for people to sign up. There will probably be some openings, but people who participated in this first one will get the first chance at the slots for the second one.

 

Take care

 

BB

[kennebec12 0]

Glad to know mine made it down there, I tried to get them as similar as I could, the articulated part definitely adds an extra challenge because you can't really measure against the hook shank to get the same length materials so I tried to base all the flies off the first one. Getting the legs to be a similar length was the biggest challenge.

[breambuster 0]

Guys, I know you're all wondering about the swap, so let me take a minute to bring you all up to speed. Here's where we are. There are 3 sets still out. J-Kno has been in touch and has had a family emergency. Therefore, he won't be able to complete the swap. I told him that we certainly understand and that family ALWAYS come before a fly swap.

 

Riff will be getting his in the mail to me today, and I should have them shortly. I'll post when they arrive.

 

I've sent Branden_FritzeMeier_67 a PM but so far I haven't heard from him. I'm going to send him another PM, but he may be away from the internet due to Christmas. But unless I hear from him by the time Riff's flies arrive, I'll consider him a "no-show" and complete the swap with what I have. If anyone knows him or has an email for him, Please see if you can get in touch with him. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

 

Take care

 

BB

[PJ2 0]

All good Bream. Merry Christmas.

[kennebec12 0]

You can keep my extra/s breambuster.

[pica 0]

Good deal, thanks for the heads up. Merry Christmas!

[PJ2 0]

Cant wait for the next one. I've been practicing ...

[breambuster 0]

Fellows, I apologize for not being back on until now, but there is actually very little to report. We have had one guy to drop out, another that I assume has dropped out and I'm still waiting on one more set of flies. They were supposed to be in the mail the Tuesday before Christmas, but I still haven't received them. As soon as I hear something about them, I'll let you know.

 

In other things, the next round will be for soft hackle flies. I had a fly tying lesson just before Christmas with my fishing guide and he showed me a neat way to tie a soft hackle. But even better than that, he gave me hook sizes and material lists for all the major hatches on the river near our eventual retirement home. That includes both mayflies and caddis flies. So that's what I will be tying, and to sweeten the pot, the materials are all UV materials! There have been a couple of requests from some would-be swappers to join the 2nd round, but I've told them that you guys get first choice. Don't reply now. Wait until I post the next round, but be thinking about what you want to do.

 

Take care

 

BB

[vicrider 0]

I know what I want to do. I want see some SBS pictures of the soft hackle tips you got. I just got some fresh partridge and woodcock from a member on a different board and am anxious to go thru them and see what we've got. I use partridge all the time but never had woodcock. Hope there is some nice soft hackle on it but haven't even looked it over yet.

 

This has caused some arguments on another part of this board but I'm a believer in the old rule of limited hackle sticking out. When I use hen hackle, which is more dense that partridge, I peel the feathers off one side and just give a couple of wraps with the feathered edge. No feathers trapped underneath, very easy to pull back as you tie (or forward for tenkara), and just the amount of feathers I think look right. When tying a long hackled North Country Spider I do the same with a partridge feather, though with normal size I leave partridge and starling full for a couple of wraps.

[breambuster 0]

Vic, what we used that day was actually a hackle from a dry fly neck, but we tied it in by the tip and tied it back rather than standing straight out like a dry fly hackle. And we used some "fuzzies" from near the stem for the tail. Then the dubbing for the body and a peacock thorax. Only a couple of turns of hackle, & a very short tail. The hackle fibers shouldn't be any longer than the shank of the hook. That's a good way to measure them. Tie it in and lay it back along the shank to measure.

 

You may have to define "partridge." I grew up thinking that was another name for a "Bob White Quail." That's what they are called here. I think in some places a ruffed grouse is called a "partridge." And is it the case that in other parts of the country, there is a bird for which the true name is "partridge?" All I have ever used in tying is Hungarian Partridge that you buy from the fly shop. I have never used woodcock, but I would like to try it. I have a guy here who is hoping to get some Wood Duck feathers for me next time they come in season. The only real game bird in this area is Quail, and they are becoming really, really few and far between. Not much farming any longer in this area besides beef cattle and pulp wood and neither is conducive to the quail population.

 

The reason I haven't been around much lately is internet problems. The local phone company and internet provider here is truvista. And I've been fighting the truvista wars. Ended up buying a $100 router that wasn't the problem and trying to get everything else to talk to it. The main problem was the Brother Printer. I kept saying "Oh Brother!" But I think I'm good to go now. The router really is a nice one, and everything seems to be working well. (Fingers, toes & eyes crossed! Ha!)

 

BB