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Fly Tying

P-Quad

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About P-Quad

  • Rank
    Beginner
  • Birthday 04/14/1958

Previous Fields

  • Favorite Species
    Trout
  • Security
    22

Profile Information

  • Location
    St Cloud, MN
  1. I had a lot of vices when I was younger. Most of them were bad for my health, so as I grew older I gave up most of those vices. Fly fishing and fly tying could be considered vices, but they aren't bad for your health, just your wallet. If fly tying is a vice of yours, you might as well have a good vise. :-) Seriously though, get the best vise you can afford. A good one will last a lifetime. My vise/vice of choice is the HMH Standard. I've had it for 25 years and it's never missed a beat. There are a lot of choices these days, get a good quality vise with the features you like. Mark
  2. Hairwing, That's an impressive vise collection. I agree that the Model A can still fo the job. But I'm wondering if you have a favorite among your vises, or is it the Thompson? I have my Thompson, the HMH Standard, a HMH Spartan for a travel vise, a collection of Herter's vises, including my Dad's Herter's vise (which sparked my collecting other Herter's vises), a Price vise a friend gave me, and I think a Sunrise vise that came along with the Price. I should take one of the senior members of collection down and tye a fly in them occasionally. Except maybe the Herters Model 11, that one is kind of clunky looking to say the least. Mark
  3. I think a large percentage of tyers who started "back in the day", used a Thompson Model A vise. I did, and I still have it of course. But it couldn't compete for my attention after I fell in love with and purchased the HMH Standard vise. And to make matters worse, I purchased the HMH vise with money I made selling flies I tyed on the Thompson. There is nothing wrong with the Thompson Model A vise. It's a very serviceable tool, just not as fancy as its pricier competitors, especially in today's market. So many choices out there. I've had my HMH vise for 25 years now and I still love it. I've tyed thousands of flies on it without a problem, still works as good as it did when new. I won't be leaving her anytime soon. Mark
  4. An old dog can learn new tricks. I've used Wiss snips since I saw them in A.K. Best's first book. I feel strange if I don't have them in my hands while tying a fly. I don't stab myself in the eye when holding a pen, pencil, knife or other sharp item, so I'm not to concerned about having a pair of Wiss snips in my hand. It does save time picking up a scissors everytime they are needed. It's whatever you're used to. Mark
  5. I've been doing this for awhile, and my hoard never gets smaller, even though I give away stuff to the needy. I have a cheap roll top desk with drawers, a fairly wide old 3 drawer dresser, some rubbermades, a bunch of bins, etc. I have everything in zip lock bags. It is fairly organized, fur with fur, hair with hair, etc. I know where everything is. I'll take. Picture after I get it straightened up a bit. Mark
  6. When I bought my FM whip finisher I think there were just 2 different whip finishers you could buy, the Matarelli and the Thompson. There weren't any knockoffs out yet, or fancy wood handled ones. I do have a knockoff I keep in my travel kit, but I do like my Frank because it was the original. I don't collect them, I just use it, as I do my FM bobbin. I thought, and still do that it was cool having fly tying tools made by one guy, Frank Matarelli, especially after reading an article on him in a FF magazine. And not made in some factory in China or India. Oh yeah, I know I could use my fingers to whip finish, but I've always been a sucker for a cool tool. Mark
  7. Yup, the 3366 is one of my favorite hooks for smallmouth flies. Mark
  8. I don't use the exclusively either. I production fly tyed for 10 years and as a by product of that, I have a lot of hooks of various manufacture. But for certain patterns I only use Mustad. I'm probably odd in this, but my favorite Wooly Bugger hook is the 3906B, a 1XL hook. It gives me a bigger hook gap, and extra weight and strength. I use them in size 1 thru 10 for tying buggers and similar patterns. Mark
  9. I use Aunt Lydia's, but I think they stopped making it. It was kind of like Antron in that it added some sparkle. I would go to the craft store and see what they have that looks similar to Antron, with some sparkle. I'll have to look and see what they have available here. Rule #1 in fly tying materials, if you find something you really like, they will quit making it. Mark
  10. Oh yeah, I make my own dubbing all of the time. I have a cheaper coffee grinder/blender that works perfect. It's like 25 years old by now. When I lived in ND I had a friend who was a taxidermist, so I have a great selection of fur. I also have an assortment of seal and angora goat in many colors, very blendable. I have about every color of Aunt Lydia's rug and crafty yarn, perfect for making synthetic dubbing blends. I use it all the time to quickly make the blend and color I want. Add some Crystal flash to give it some sparkle, no problem. I wouldn't be without it. Mark
  11. Like the 3906B, or 3366, 2 of my favorites. Sure, they aren't chemically sharpened, but I find them sharp enough to hook fish, and I've never had one break on me. My favorite thing about them, other than the price, is that when you pinch the barb down it doesn't break off, and leaves a hump. I don't seem to loose as many fish with them because of that. When I pinch the barb down on a micro barbed super sharp hook it usually breaks off, leaving smooth metal. The fish slide off the hook easily. I've read reports on hooking mortality with the new hooks. Because they are so sharp, they penetrate easier, and deeper. This can sometimes cause excess bleeding which can increase fish mortality. Something to think about. Mark
  12. Here you go: Tail: pheasant tail Body: peacock herl Wing: pintail flank Hackle: partridge Tye it on a mustard 3906b, wrap some gold wire over the peacock and call it a P-Quad. :-)
  13. I always bring a fly rod with when I travel. I have a 7.5' 4 piece 4 weight, and a 9' 5 piece 7 weight that will fit into my wheeled duffel. I used to carry my reels in my carry on till I was forced to check it as baggage at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. The airport personel there looked at the fly line as a threat. They thought it would be possible to tye up the pilot and copilot with fly line and take over the plane. Or something like that. Mark
  14. There actually is no "Lake Wobegon". But I do live a few miles away from the start, or the end of the Lake Wobegon Trail. "P-Quad" is a fly pattern of mine tyed with pheasant tail, peacock, partridge and pintail flank. See the YouTube video below.
  15. I think I meant for this to be in the "Introduce Yourself" area. :-) Whoops, Mark
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