Machocheese

I'm fairly sure that the Orvis hooks are made by Daiichi. At least the "big eye" ones. I have several packs of these from Daiichi that say, "made in cooperation with the Orvis Corp." Those over sized eyes are hard to beat on the real small stuff.

FYI: Just in case anyone here was planning to attend this show and hasn't heard the news, the show has been cancelled. More specifically its been indefinitely postponed, but for all intents and purposes its cancelled.

I have one, but have never been able to get entirely comfortable with it. It's mostly me and I don't deny that it's a well engineered and built piece of equipment. The midge jaws are second to none. In the end though, I think if a non rotary vise is on your agenda, you can't beat the Regal stainless. The simplicity can't be beat and it's an equally beautiful vise. Granted, it's not from Maine, but it is made in New England. Of course your Peak isn't too shabby either. It has the second best midge jaws I've used. I love mine for when I want a true rotary vise (woolly buggers), but mostly I use the Regal. Man, I need to stop acquiring vises.

HI Mike, I expect the weather will keep you off the water, but in case your crazy, I'll second the previous poster who mentioned the Swift river out around Belchertown. Its a tail-water about 2 hours west of Boston and is really your only realistic option this time of year. The only other place would be the Farmington river in Connecticut. The sea run brown fishery was more or less eaten by the Stripers although they still stock browns into Scorton and Sandwich creeks on Cape Cod. I fled MA a few years ago, but I assume they are still doing it. The weather is only one of many reasons that you would have to be nuts to live there. Most of the rest are related to politics, taxes and traffic. As for the temperature, it's 15 F here in southern PA and tomorrow promises more of the same. Best of luck for the next three weeks, I hope you like drinking... -Matt

I use a swing arm style drafters light with a 23w CFL daylight bulb. Not the brand name bulbs, just from the HW store. They are, I believe, 6500K. The long arm light is great as it keeps out of my way and I've found the light to be just as good as the OTT/daylight brands for less money.

I'm putting in a write in vote for beetles. More specifically foam beetles. They're quick to tie, durable and the damn things just work everywhere I go. They're also great in a dry dropper rig and when the fish hit them they do so with a vengeance.

I'm going. I'll be working at the Cumberland Valley TU booth on both Sundays. If you attend the show, please stop by the booth and throw a little support behind CVTU. They do a tremendous amount of work on the waters in this area. Hope to see some of you there. Matt.

Hello. Welcome, I'm new here too but I saw your name and had to say hi. I went to Paul Smiths and spent several years fishing the Ausable, Saranac, Boquet and other streams in the Adirondacks. I sometimes miss that area, but not so much at this time of year...

Greetings, My name is Matt and I am a 35 year old life long fly fisher and more recently tyer. About two years ago I moved from the coast of Massachusetts where I was an avid Striper fisherman to limestone spring creek country in Pennsylvania. I now live in Boiling Springs, PA, minutes from the storied waters of the Letort, Big Springs and the Yellow Breeches and spend every minute I can on them (in that order). Tying my own flies has taken on a whole new dimension since then and I look forward to learning a lot from this site. -Matt

Has anyone used the ones from "Brite Beads" over at the big auction site? It's $28 for 200 mix and match size and color. I usually go with the poor man approach myself, save for the real little stuff.

I've been using a Peak for years and it is a great vise. I think the midge jaws are the best around with the exception of HMH. The D arm, brass screws and material clip are all worthwhile upgrades. The base is one of the sturdiest around, though I don't really care for the white. I hear you on feeling crowded when tying in tails, although I've felt that way on most true rotary vises. It's the "V" shaped head. Since moving away from the salt and into PA trout country, I've gotten away from the rotary and have been using a Regal stainless. It's the most comfortable vise I've found. The broad flat head provides a very stable resting place for your hand when tying in little bits of nothing. That being said I'm not getting rid of my Peak.

I have an older model that I use for stripers and blues. I forget the name off hand but I have had absolutely no complaints in about five years. The fit and finish is excellent and the drag could stop the proverbial freight train. The company (guy) is great too. When I ordered the reel, I ordered an extra spool as well. When it arrived they had sent me two complete reels. I called them to let them know and he said,"oh well good for you, keep it." I would definitely buy from them again. Edit: it is a CRG II.

Mostly mustad signature for me. They seem a good quality hook for a little less money than the other name brands. I do like the Daiichi big eye hooks for real small dries. Otherwise I will buy most any brand if its a good deal. The only hooks I shy away from are the real bright gold ones that a lot of big retailers sell as their house brand. The metal seems softer to me and I just don't like the color.

First off hello everyone. I've been tying for the last few years with a peak rotary that I got as a gift when they first came out. It was a " pikes peak" package and came with almost everything. Recently I bought a Regal medallion with stainless jaws and and absolutely love it. It is the most comfortable, simplest vise I've ever used. I'll hold onto the Peak for the rare occasions when I need a rotary, but the Regal is my new love.