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fbhenry

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About fbhenry

  • Rank
    Advanced Member
  • Birthday 08/17/1968

Previous Fields

  • Favorite Species
    brook trout
  • Security
    22

Profile Information

  • Location
    Princeton, NJ USA
  1. As always, you all are a cornucopia of information. I haven't thrown out the old Metz capes, but the quality of hackle I see online in videos makes them look unsatisfactory. I do realize they still have some good feathers and won't discard them. Aside from an Orvis 5 minutes away, which is a bit thin on capes/saddles, Shannon's is the closest (an hour away) that I could go to inspect by hand, so I typically buy online. Will look into Collins and consider the Whiting pro grade (which I think is just fewer feathers than bronze?) and some midge size 100s I think. Again, many thanks for the responses. Fred
  2. New Jersey now. Princeton. Grew up in SE PA and was in Chicago for too long. Back to East Coast now. Anyone in the central Jersey area?
  3. Thank you flytire. I have heard of collins but it isn't generally available on the sites I frequent like stockard I meant to say I will look at their site. Those prices seem reasonable.
  4. Hi all, I'm not really a beginner, because I have been tying since about 1987, but I've been very off and on over the years--intense all-day-everyday spells alternating with everything gathering dust in a plastic storage bin for years. As I have been acquiring materials again over the past several years, the one nagging issue is the cost of hackle. Clearly it has gotten much more expensive. The old Metz capes I have still have like a 12.95 sticker on them. And I know this topic is covered ad nauseam. Even so, after relentless googling I just can't figure out the best approach that won't break the bank. I want to tie mainly dries, size 12 and as small as 24. A cape will have some 24s on it but not many (correct me if I am wrong). A saddle will mainly have a narrower range of sizes. So if I am out to spend, say 150 bucks, and to replace my old moth-eaten Metz capes, is the best approach to start with a full Whiting brown cape, a full Whiting grizzly cape, and a couple Whiting 100s in midge sizes? I saw a Cree on ebay for 140 but I'm not sure about all the cree hype. I do like to tie small. I don't really want to buy half cape starter packs because I will be doing this way past my mid life and want to have the stock. So bronze grade? I do apologize if this is annoyingly simplistic to all of you who regularly shop for materials, but I would appreciate the guidance. Thanks in adavnce. I mostly lurk but you guys are the best source of info on the net. Best, Fred
  5. Wow, I was just struggling and getting pretty frustrated with this pattern today! Thank you! cheers, Fred
  6. Yes! McGnat chose the correct word. Understated beauty is the best sort. The golden pheasant just washes over that wing.
  7. fbhenry

    Podcasts

    I have listened to a few good ones from "2 Guys and a River" (http://www.2guysandariver.com). Looks like they have 36 total now. cheers, Fred
  8. That looks pretty darn elegant to me, flytire! I thought I was fairly organized until seeing this... cheers, Fred
  9. Thank you for this thread and the recommendations. I recently bought some at Cabela's and frankly it is terrible. cheers, Fred
  10. Thanks Jaydub, I mainly was confused whether 6/0 could tie small flies. And despite the confusion over denier, Danville 6/0 is 70 denier and definitely lies flat (it wraps flat unbonded when I tie it, and sometimes if I I have dry skin I catch an edge and fray it). I'm pretty much confused about most fly tying materials cheers, Fred
  11. Thanks flytire: I'll soon grab some 8/0 and/or 12/0 to compare on my smaller hooks. (On a side note, color naming schemes are a mess. I think color choice alone will propel me into other brands) cheers, Fred
  12. Thank you Dave and Scott for the informative responses! Getting back into this, I have to constantly resist the temptation to go buy whatever I see a tyer using in some tutorial or video, and work with what I have. I'm sure I will test out other threads, but I guess since I have a pile of Danville, I'll use that and distribute my dollars to other materials. I have to admit that besides the information I get from this forum, the reassurance that all is not lost if I don't have the latest and greatest is a huge morale booster. Fred
  13. One thing that I didn't have when I first started tying in the early '90s was youtube. It seems like every dry fly tying video I watch employs Veevus 16/0 or a statement to the effect that "I only tie with 8/0." Now I know the whole aught system and denier system are out of whack, and totally unstandardized, but can someone then explain to me the other tying sites and authorities that say a Danville 6/0 is fine to use for a size 18 or even 22? I primarily want to tie size 12-22 dries at present. I have a huge amount of Danville 6/0 spools. Is this OK or do I have to start shopping for finer threads? cheers, Fred
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