Ultimate Challenge - Your Greatest Nightmare Fly Swap

[breambuster 0]

WooHoo! The last 2 sets both arrived today and tomorrow is my day off. I have some errands to run, but I should have plenty of time to get the flies divided up and back in the mail to you before the close of the day tomorrow.

 

Vicente's second set of flies look MUCH more like trout flies. The H & L Variant and very nicely done. Great work, Vicente.

 

And Stilis, as usual, has sent us a beautiful set of flies. This time it's the Goddard Caddis and these are definitely shadow box quality flies. Beautiful work, Stilis.

 

OK. Thanks to everyone for participating and for being willing to face your worst nightmare. See, it was that bad, after all. Was it?

 

I'll let you know when I get them into the mail.

 

Take care

 

BB

[vicrider 0]

Wasn't that bad afterall? I hope the bass will hit dragonflies because I have about a dozen various assorted versions trying to find one I could be consistent on and not be ashamed of. Like many of us, the rejects are plenty good for my flybox and fish but not good enough for a swap.

 

And the H&L Variant. I like Ike and he might just have been the last scandal free President and if the H&L Variant was all he fished it's good enough for me.

[breambuster 0]

Just wanted to let you all know that the flies are in the mail. Thanks to everyone for participating. The flies all turned out very nice. Even the "Snake Doctor" which is what we call dragon flies (or damsel flies or whatever they are) in South Carolina. We call them that because they are often found around bodies of water which is where we also expect to see snakes. The old saying is that if you see a Snake Doctor, you can expect to see a snake. This particular fly will require a LARGE mouth bass to hit it. (Just kidding Vic.) Really they are a great set of flies.

 

OK, so it's time to reveal the mystery. You will all be getting 2 flies from me: the Mr. Rapidan which was my challenge to tie a fly with hair wings. The 2nd fly, which I have been calling the "Mystery Fly" is actually a Sunburst McPhail Caddis Pupa. Video on YouTube. That one turned out to be as much of a challenge, if not more so, for me than the Mr. Rapidan. But I persevered and got them done. Let me know if any of you catch anything on either of my flies. I haven't seriously fished in a couple of years now. Work, family concerns, etc have kept me from our place near the lake. I fished one afternoon a couple of months ago for about an hour, and that's all the fishing I've done this year. (I will be 69 in November. How old do you have to be to retire?)

 

I have a friend who has some land on a river about an hour and a half south of here who tells me about Red Breasts (a sunfish like a bluegill) that go up to a pound. I told him I would come and fish with him during the full moon in May, but my daughter was in the truck wreck on May 14 and we have all been homebound ever since. I think we are all suffering from "cabin fever." Anyway, enough of my problems. Let me know if either of my flies will catch fish.

 

Take care

 

BB

[stilis 0]

All,

 

I just received the flies back from the swap, and I am blown away. the quality of flies is excellent. I will not go and detail what I think, but each one I picked up was better than the previous. I am really pleased with this swap. Well done.

[vicente 0]

Must've picked up mine first.

[breambuster 0]

You guys really are too hard on yourselves. In fact, this is a very good set of flies. I just have to tease Vicrider when I get a chance. But stilis is right. It is an excellent set of flies.

 

BB

[vicrider 0]

Must've picked up mine first.

If so, then mine was second. :-)

[vicrider 0]

WOW...Like Christmas in Aug. from FlyTyingForum...

PO Box was full of goodies. A couple for wife but I just left those there...but for me...The return of the Challenge flies...The return of the Snook flies...Silver Creeks Resin including his new soft set Flex Resin and his new laser light hardener.

 

Flies from both groups are everything a guy could hope for. With so many small trout flies in here I hope my dragon fly didn't eat anyone's flies in transit. They are said to eat a lot of mosquitoes in the course of their life span. I would say everyone met their challenge quite well and hope I get a chance to use some of these yet, maybe on the White River trip in Oct.

[vicente 0]

Really great ties everyone, between this and the snook swap I feel like many of us regular swappers are improving noticeably as a group.

[GP flyfisherman 0]

Got my flies tonight and WOW they were awsome! Great job everyone I look forward to trying these in the early falls when weather cools. BB especially like yours.

 

BB thank you for hosting I enjoy your swaps very much and that is a credit to you my friend.

 

P.S. BB let me know if I owe you anything for postage I thought I had enough to send back but then There were stamps that I don't remember Putting on.

 

Thanks,

 

 

GP

[joeh 0]

My package arrived yesterday. The flies look great and I can not wait to give them a try.

 

BB tank you for hosting, you do a great job.

 

There were stamps on my package that I do not remember putting on as well. Please let me know if I owe you anything for postage.

 

Thanks,

Joe

[breambuster 0]

This was the first time that I can ever remember that I didn't have to pay ANYTHING for postage. Usually, someone will not have enough postage to cover it, and sometimes they forget to do postage. I've had to pay postage a time or two when someone used a metered mailing label instead of stamps. But NO ONE owes postage this time. You are all good. All of the envelopes had stamps put two, I think. One had a metered mailing label, I think, but the Post Office clerk let it slide and another person sent several "Forever" stamps which I put on the envelope. Six were sent and it took six. I don't remember who did what, but you can look at your envelope and tell from that. I guess if I weren't an honest guy I could tell you fellows that asked that you owe me some money, but I'm not going to do that. Everyone paid their own way and we're good.

 

Thanks for a great swap.

 

BB

[dflanagan 0]

Flies arrived yesterday and I am completely blown away by them. Can't wait to try them but, honestly, I almost want to put them on display.

 

Thanks, BB, for hosting a great swap.

[fishingbobnelson 0]

picked up a great box of flies, thanks to all the tyers and to BB for hosting. Unfortunately this was my last swap for a while. My cataracts have reached the point to where I can't figure out which of the four hooks I am supposed to be tying on. I am having cararact surgery later this year and then I will be back at the vise as soon as possible.

[vicrider 0]

fishin'bob, get that done and heal good and get back in the game. Hard to tell you had a problem on the beautiful fanwing you did except for one thing. Most of the fanwings I've seen and the couple I've done had a wing on each side. Yours are the first I've seen where both wings are tied on the same side on behind the other. Oh well, except for that I can't believe you had a hard time seeing the vise.

 

 

Ah HA HA HA...good luck in the surgery. They say it's a simple one and everyone I know who has had it done came out great and I'm wishing the same for you.