Archimedes

Crackaig, thanks for posting the pics, I like the loop parachute idea

SilverCreek, Thanks for the video, I like the way he ties that fly too. He makes it look so simple lol.

Well the first thing I did was wrap the hook down to the bend and then I tied in some calf hair for the tail, this part went well. It's when I began to wrap back to the eye and tie on the parachute that I had trouble. I only did a few wraps around the calf hair to position it where I wanted so I could stand the hair in an upright position. The hair just didnt want to co-operate with me. I dont know if I didnt have long enough hair or what. I just bought one of the 2" square patches of calf hair from Hareline. In the videos I have been watching they usually have a nice long strand of whatever it is they are using for the para.

So I made my fist attempt at tying an Adams Parachute today for my very first fly. Needless to say it went well untill it came time to tie the calf hair on as the para post. First let me just say that the calf hair was non-cooperative! I definitley see the importance of a hair stacker now especially since I dont have one yet(ordering today). But even after I managed to get a good clump tied on with 3-4 wraps, it's very hard to get it to stay in an upright position to begin tying a figure 8 around it. I tried using the guillotine with the hackle pliers which only started pulling hair out of my tied down clump(I hope someone is laughing by now at my plight of the calf hair). So needless to say I dont think I am ready for calf hair yet. I saw this video on Youtube with a guy who used Antron as the parachut material and I have to say it looked like it was much more manageable than calf hair. So I went online to look for Antron and it seems like there are several kinds to choose from. Can anyone suggest what kind of Antron I should use or maybe an easier material to use for the parachute? Thanks!

Thanks lol

Normaly I would post this in the beginner thread since I am a beginner, but I wanted to hear from people who have been taking care of their vise's (fly tying vise, not bad habbit vise's ) for years. I got my Renzetti Traveler 2200 in the mail today and while reading the very brief instruction manual I came across the part that talks about putting oil or rust inhibitor on your jaws after use and applying silicone grease to all moving parts and the o-ring. What I'm needing help with is how often should I oil the jaws, how much oil each time, should I try not to touch the jaws very much and how often do I need to silicone the moving parts, etc. Any advice on types of oil and silicone, or any other tips, tricks and storage ideas would be very helpful to this beginner! Thanks...

Nice looking fly!

If your near the Lower Mountain Fork River in Broken Bow? Then you can go to Three Rivers Fly Shop by the state park entrance and talk to Jesse. He carries TFO rods. Hope this isnt too late!

This is my all time favorite trout recipe! It is delicious... Panfried Trout with Bacon and Red Onions Makes: 2 servings Time: 45 minutes Think of this as campfire food, made at home. Other seafood you can use: salmon or any thick fillets or steaks or whole sardines. 4 thick slices bacon 1 large red onion, thinly sliced 2 whole trout, about 12 ounces each, gutted and split or filleted Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 cup cornmeal 1/2 cup beer (a strong ale is good) or water Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish 1. Put the bacon in a large skillet, preferably cast-iron, over medium heat. Cook, turning several times, until it just begins to get crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove and drain. Immediately put the onion in the hot bacon fat and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to turn golden, about 5 minutes, then remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Roughly chop the bacon. 2. Rinse and dry the fish and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish in the cornmeal, put in the pan, and raise the heat to high. Cook on both sides until nicely browned and the interior turns white, 8 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to a platter. 3. Turn the heat under the skillet down to medium-low and add the beer, scraping up any browned bits that have stuck to the pan. Let the beer bubble and thicken a bit, then return the onion and bacon to the pan. Spoon the bacon and onions and pan sauce over the fish, garnish with parsley, and serve.

Also, since you "never" use it, want to sell your gallows tool for the Renzetti?

What it is about the Peak Vise that you dont like? I bought the Renzetti 2200 but I have a friend looking at the Peak for himself.

Thanks C LeBo, I ended up buying some Mustad 94840 hooks and bought some of the Low Tack Wax from Hairline. I decided to tie an Adams Parachute for my first fly, when I get my vise and all of my supplies in the mail I'll get started it on it and post a pic. I picked up a few books based off of recomendations from the Beginer Book thread, Tying Dry Flies by Randall Kaufmann, The Complete Book of Fly Tying by Eric Leiser, and The Masters on the Dry Fly by J Michael Migel & Dave Whitlock.

I ended up buying the Hairline Low Tack wax from http://www.jimsflyco.com/. Actually got just about everything I needed from their website including my vise and most of my tools except for scissorcs and a bobbin. They were cheaper on thread and dubbing than most other sites I looked at. And 2-3 day shipping is only 5.65$ Oops, I forgot this forum is sponsored by J.Stockard lol. Sorry J.Stockard... I think I'm going to get a pair of the Tungsten 6th Finger scissors. They look pretty nice and a good inovation.

Streamcaddis, rockworm and utyer thank you for the help and suggestions. It seems like the more I try to research the materials I will use, the more questions I need to ask. So here it goes, now I am trying to find a good dubbing wax. I was just going to buy the hairline wax and then I saw there are light tack and reg tack. I also see a lot of people leaning to using cobblers wax but I guess it comes in black or brown and can color your white thread and dubbing pretty bad. Since I will be tying dry flies mostly in gray, olive, light cahill and tan what would you suggest?

Hello everyone, I'm new to the forums and also new to fly tying, or about to begin fly tying. I will be mainly focusing on tying dry flies and emergers but occasionaly tying nymphs and midges. I have narrowed my vice choices down to two vises. I'm looking at a Renzetti Traveler 2200 Cam and a Peak Rotary vise, but I'm leaning strongly toward the Renzetti based off of the reviews I have read. I have always read that you should tie on a vise before you buy it but since I have never tied before, I wouldnt know what I should be looking for or feeling in a vise for selection. What I am mainly needing help with is tying materials that I am having a hard time finding reviews on. Materials like hook brand selection, thread and wire brand selection, dubbing, and other dry fly tying materials needed. I have a good idea on feathers for dry tying, the majority of tiers seem to like Whiting's Farms hackle & saddles for dry dlies. I also have a good idea of the tools I will need for tying like, bobbins, whip finishers, etc etc but if you can think of some obscure tools that might come in handy it would be appreciated. I would like to emphasize that I am not looking for or trying to get a debate started on these subjects, just your reasons for tying with the materials you choose. Thank you for all of your help in advance! Sorry for the repost, it wouldnt let me edit the topic title!