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Fly Tying

tjeeper

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About tjeeper

  • Rank
    Beginner
  • Birthday 01/01/1954

Previous Fields

  • Favorite Species
    Trout
  • Security
    22

Profile Information

  • Location
    Loveland, CO
  1. I have never tried tying a popper with the flat side up. With flat up, and round side down, does the popper float and pop with the hook down? I would think it would want to roll around, hmmm, that might attract a finicky bass. Good quality foam bodies are very durable. Good ones, in the sizes I like, can be a bit pricey at upwards of a dollar each. However, I rarely lose a popper and when one breaks off, often the fish kicks it out and I find it floating a few minutes later. I have some foam bodies that I have recycled more than once. I pull off the foam body, retie the tail (which usually gets beat up the worst), refresh the sharpie decor, and glue it back up. On my annual trip to western Ontario, I have caught and released hundreds of smallies on the same popper. The tail got chewed beyond recognition, but the fish did not care. Brought it home, tied up a new tail, and took it back the next trip. Here is a photo of one of my rehab'ed foam poppers:
  2. I use marabou, webby feathers or schlappen, crystal flash for the tails. Like others have written, I cover the hook shank with some coarse thread and cement that good. I like to use preformed foam bodies for my poppers. Over the years, I have tied with deer hair, balsa wood, cork, and foam. The deer hair bodies are very artistic, but if the fishing is fast, deer hair poppers get chewed up and soggy. I found myself changing flies often. Then I discovered foam bodies, and have never went back. I epoxy on the foam body, then use a strong needle to push through the foam and pull through rubber legs. I finish up with a sharpie pen to add eyes, gills, and mottling. Lately, the best source for foam bodies has been Rainys.
  3. December fly tying was terrestrials, mostly for a xmas gift for my sister. She fishes on high mountain lakes and last summer, ants were productive. She had called me one night while out on a lake, and when I asked how fishing was, she said "nothing biting". I suggested she try an ant pattern. She called me back and hour later, very pleased with six nice trout. The kicker was, she said she was heading to the fly shop to buy some more ants. Shame on me, nobody in my family should have to buy flies. So, I spent some time at the vise and equipped her for next summer with 4 dozen. My tying does not compare to most I see here, but I think it will be functional.
  4. I have been tying beetles this past week. I use either peacock, with a wire rib for durability, or I use Ice Dub Peacock Black. No real reason other than just doing something different at the vice. For the foam body, I like to use a River Road Creations beetle foam cutter. The cutter makes easy, perfect foam shapes, with a tag for the initial tie in. Rubber legs, a few strands of crystal flash, and an indicator on top finish out the fly. I used peacock herl on the fly in the photo.
  5. I have had good luck in the spring using an old steelhead pattern, Silver Hilton. I tie it in bluegill sizes, 10-14 on a 2XL hook. Can't explain why, but the bluegills in my pond really go for them. Tie 2 or 3 on the leader, let the first fish to bite "animate" the others. Retrieve a stringer.
  6. When I first learned to tie flies, the instructor taught me to whip finish by hand. I hand whipped my flies for 20 years. Last winter, I attended several fly tying shows to pick up new ideas on flies and materials. I was impressed by the precision and speed of the show tiers who used whip finish tools. Especially on flies size 18 and smaller. So, I bought a materelli and taught myself to use the tool. Now, I use the tool about 90% of the time, and only hand whip on big flies and in special situations.
  7. JSzymczyk. I could very well have had a mouse die in the wall of my tying room/office. However, the problem with flies ended shortly after I double bagged all my natural materials, adding a mothball. I have since inspected the bags, and did not see any evidence of maggot larvae or flies. So, I cannot confirm what happened either way. We do get a influx of mice this time of year, looking for a warmer place to winter. Most find the Dcon and either leave, or die and dry up quickly.
  8. I looked up "carrion fly" on the internet, and the photo of the fly and the size of the fly looked like what I was swatting. And, its correct, I am not seeing damage to materials. It's just an annoying hatch of flies in my tying room. I think the "dead meat" might be deer tails, that is where the nose leads. I have a lot of dyed deer tails that I use to make large streamers, buck tails for big pike spinners, and tails for popping bugs. I also have several whole grouse skins, pheasant, and of course, Metz and Whiting necks & saddles. Those dont seem to smell much. I guess I could do the microwave thing, but like someone said, it might have been a fly that got into my material put down some eggs, and then I had a hatch. Not sure microwaving deer tails will do much more than make them smell worse, freezing on the other hand will help. Thanks for the suggestions.
  9. Nice setup. One idea that came to mind as I looked over your photo... I would consider sawing a hole near the back of the table for the lamp clamp. That would allow you to get the lamp away from your elbow. I have a similar mag-lamp, clamped off my table to the side. However, I dont have the nice cabinets you have, so the side of my table is about 18" from my tying position.
  10. Last week, I battled a hatch of carrion flies in my fly tying office/tv room/den. For a while, I was hoping a mouse got in and died. While hoping it was a mouse, I made a trip to the super and picked up a box of mothballs and jumbo ziplock bags. I bagged every natural "thing" in my fly tying bins, with a mothball (wrapped in a paper towel). That was mid-last week. A couple days later, the hatch seems to have ended. Meanwhile, my den/office/fly tying/rod building room smells a bit like mothballs. I have not had to use mothballs and double-ziplock storage for a few years. I am wondering how this hatch got started? I have bought a few new materials, mostly all new synthetics. I kept all my deertails bagged, those were a problem in the past. I had a lot of deerhair patches (died and natural) unbagged, but those are all old and inert? Nothing there new. The only thing I can think of... last winter I picked up some Whiting Farms bug feathers at a fly tying shop and misc other non-organic things from a garage sale (hooks, threads, flosses). Anyway, the hatch has ended. I inspected all the bags, and did not see any evidence of larva, dead flies, moths, or any other insect. I have used mothballs in the past, years ago, for the same problem... carrion flies. I have never observed an invasion of moths or beetles which I read about searching this forum. Now what? The wife will not tolerate putting materials in our freezers or microwave. I guess I will have to live with the smell of mothballs. Any ideas on how to get back to a non-mothball fly tying den?
  11. Nice setup. I especially like the croc-pot full of old fishing rods. I might grab one and do the same. Cheers!
  12. The marabou I saw on my last visit to Hobby Lobby was strung up into a feather boa. I was looking it over and my wife was snickering, asking me if I was also looking for a brass pole. I have plenty of marabou, so I did not buy a boa. I cannot attest to the quality of the dye, but on any given string, there were a lot of colors.
  13. I have looked for chenille in our local craft stores (Joanns and Hobby Lobby), and all I find is the metal core these days. Years ago, I bought hanks of brown and cream color chenille, and have a lifetime supple of that, but I am not finding it lately. I do find a nice variety of glass beads (Czech beads) all sizes and colors down to 10/0 and 11/0, one tube will last forever. Smaller beads and brass beads I only find at fly shops. Other things I get at craft stores: sewing thread, yarn, markers, plastic storage boxes for organizing materials, stretch magic, marabou.
  14. Re-filling the midge box. I have tied up 200 midges, and still have half of my foam box to fill. For sanity sake, its about time to tie up some bass bugs.
  15. tjeeper

    Thread

    Many midge patterns, especially larva and pupa, consist of a thread body and a bit of feather or floss for the head. I have seen tiers use sewing thread for midges. Coats and Clark makes a line of sewing thread on spools that fit the typical fly tying bobbin, and I use C&C thread for midge bodies. I wrap a base layer with the thread laying flat, then spin the bobbin clockwise to tighten it into a fine cord. Wrap the spun thread forward with touching turns. The sewing thread leaves a subtle segmentation, so wrapping with a rib is optional.
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