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Fly Tying

scott.bearden

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About scott.bearden

  • Rank
    Advanced Member
  • Birthday February 3

Previous Fields

  • Favorite Species
    trout
  • Security
    2007

Profile Information

  • Location
    Virginia
  1. I have long held the same belief. It just makes mechanical sense. Normally when I am teaching someone else how to tie a fly and it calls for a counter wrap I explain why I don't do it for the same reasons listed above. Personally I want durable flies. I can't see who wouldn't? I am glad to know Charlie Craven agrees. I will have to read that book.
  2. I exclusively use the nor-vise automatic bobbin with the exception of spools of wire, in which I have a couple of rite-bobbins that I love dearly and need the ceramic tube due to the wire's ability to chew through metal tubes.
  3. I don't know how you are applying the CCG, but it sounds as though that is where the problems lays. The more you mess with it, the more likely you are to introduce bubbles. Just dab some on. And don't keep dabbing it. Use gravity to get the goo to the shape or place you want it.
  4. I have been using Togen's for a couple of years now and have been quite happy with them. I order 1000 hooks at a time and to be honest maybe only two or three are bad. A.K. Best once said about the trend of newer, more expensive hooks, "Just think about all of those trout we landed on those hooks (Mustad). How many failures do you remember?"
  5. He's always come through for me and has responded to my emails. Last Christmas I sent him an email after all of the first batch of boxes went out and he had my order turned around in 10 days. I think the thing to keep in mind is that he has to semi-manufacture all of this stuff. Even if he doesn't make the material itself, he still dyes it, sorts it, and packages it, and quite often that is what we are waiting for. If you don't like the wait then I guess you can pay 4 times as much for half as much material at your local fly shop. Cheap, fast, or good. Pick two.
  6. Hand tie and I don't mix and match. With the exception of connecting same brand flouro tippet to same brand mono leader. I prefer Frog Hair.
  7. The purpose of the hole on the sixth finger is borrowed from professional seamstress scissors that have a finger loop to promote permantly holding the scissors while working. If you are just tying casually at your own leisurely pace, then there isn't much benefit, but in production tying where speed and efficiency matter, you don't ever want to put them down. Picking them up and putting them down adds seconds and seconds can add up fast in a couple of hours of tying. But you should use whatever makes you happy.
  8. I tie mainly midges and they don't have anything to offer sub 20.
  9. Generally speaking, yes, you get better steel jaws with the more expensive vises. A lot of the third world made vises use questionable materials, but they can still do a decent job if taken care of. Don't clamp any hook of any size really close to the tips of the jaw. This tends to chip or bend jaws. Never apply more pressure than is needed to hold a particular hook without slipping. Just because a vise manufacturer boasts of their ability to hold hooks so tight they can bend the hook in a circle doesn't mean that we should tie like that. Also, don't use your vise jaws to crimp down the barb. I cringe whenever I see someone do that.
  10. Just stick with one size for right now. There is no apples to apples comparison of thread brands when it comes to measuring by the #/0 system. Denier is more equal footing and there are a few charts out there to show how thin each brand/size of thread really is. 6/0 of most brands will serve you well starting off.
  11. Now that's a Nor-vise! Excellent work.
  12. When I was a kid I used hemostats to hold my flies and basically tied one handed. Years later when I got back into it I bought a cheapie Thompson knock-off which I soon replaced with a Danvise. I later donated the Danvise to Project Healing Waters and replaced that with a HMH. And then I added a Nor-vise. I tied on the Danvise for maybe 5 years though and really regretted letting it go, except that I knew it went to a good cause. It is a lot of vise for the price and should be well within reach of most any budget. Tie on what you have now (because in the end all they need to do is hold a hook). Then pinch your pennies and get the one you really want. I usually push the cheap vises on beginners only because not a lot of people stay with the hobby.
  13. There is an individual going around doing that with bamboo fly rods as well. There is a international fly tyer on here that once caught an ebay store hot linking to his photos to sell their products. He had a little fun at their expense by putting hilarious photos with the same name in their place on his server. They were unaware for a week or two.
  14. It isn't that they are over priced, its that they can't compete with sweat shop labor knock offs. Hardy went through the same problem a few years back with their reels. Hardy's solution was to offshore some but not all of their reels. There is a small but loyal segment of the market who has the money and makes purchases on pride or principle.The living wage of someone in the UK is drastically different than that of someone in Korea or China. I believe there is a place for both, the higher priced item has to have the higher quality to justify the cost. To be honest I think the cost of most Wheatley products have been flat for the last 20 years. Try to run a business like that and you will go under too. Cheap, fast, or good. Pick two and your company should do all right all other things considered. It is too bad he is going under.
  15. Personally I use my norvise for all rotary tying, but when it comes to midges or other small flies I revert back to my HMH. There isn't any advantage to rotary tying something that small. Actually I have two HMH vises and I use them for teaching as well. A lot of the people I teach are never going to spend more than $30 on a vise, so the HMH at least resembles and functions like a cheap import thompson knockoff they are likely to buy. But I want them to try both a great vise and a cheapie so that they see what exactly they get for their money.
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