swellcat

Let us never read anything that suggests otherwise.

A. Jensen Akita Alec Jackson Allcock Allen Bergman Blue Heron Cabelas Castor Charles Jardine C'ultiva Daiichi Dai-Riki Demmon Dohiku Dragonflies Competition Drennan Eagle Claw Elite European Barbless Hook Fly Tying Boutique Fulling Mill — Hayabusa Gaelic Supreme Gamakatsu Green Caddis Outfitters Grip Hanak Hayabusa Hends Heritage Herters Hook and Hackle J:son Jstockard Kamasan Ken Sawada Knapek Kobe Kumho Lazer Sharp Leeda Lightning Strike Maruto Matzuo Maxcatch MFC Mustad Orvis Osprey Owner Partridge Saber Sakuma SFFT Skalka Spear-It Sprite Stealth Stewart Forster Sundridge Syndicate Comp Hooks Talon Targus The Fly Shop Tiemco Togen Topfly Trokar Tunca Turrall Umpqua Varivas VMC White River Fly Shop Wizard Thanks to the OP for the interesting exercise. It might also be useful to match brands with their OEMs; reason being, if say, Fulling Mill hooks are adored but difficult to source in a particular country, maybe another Hayabusa-made hook would be worth a look.

Your question is appreciated. The answer may be, frame it in a way that's most satisfactory, and go with that. You might ask yourself, how would I advise the new owner of the item were the roles reversed? Having visited a few estate sales and confronted the sense of feeling something like a vulture, I think I know where you're coming from. Maybe giving items a new lease on life is in some small way a bit of immortality for the prior user. I'd like to think these guys would be pleased someone is using and appreciating their old tools. When I'm fishing with Fred Schneider's Cortland Pro-Crest, I can always roll it over to the engraving on the reel seat and say, "Fred . . . I hope you casted this thing better than I do."

What, other than epoxy, are some of the alternatives?

There is a lot of fun to be had on vintage gear: new-and-exorbitant isn't the only option. Get ahold of a fiberglass Fenwick from 40 to 50 years ago; you may find that it has aged well, indeed.

Coq de Leon bird gets a gentle plucking and an olive oil massage: http://flymphforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=5515 .

Must be operator error, then. (Several wee 3906s became projectiles this evening.)

How do you find the jaws on small hooks? With size-20 Mustad 3906s today, midge jaws might've been less obtrusive.

Has anyone seen the original, the one tied to target walleye? The salmon version is nice, of course, and it makes one wonder about the earlier fly.

Holger — welcome! Please consider adding your wiggle-fox to the fly pattern database. I'm sure many of us would appreciate seeing a step-by-step or at least some instructions.

The "Foundation Forty"?

E Minor? Hoping it strikes a chord with Northern pike?

Interesting subject. Natural Dyes from Plants Anyone ever try with white hackle stems?

Is Charlie's (Flybox) technique the "compensated collar" method? Here's a nice demo of Allen's "distributed collar" technique. Both of these above-linked methods involve cutting out some of the hackle's stem.