Ribs1

Chris is the worlds foremost expert on Deer hair and Gel spun Thread. Chris just did a presentation at our local fishing club and it was very informative. If you need deer hair, or Gel spun thread (or any thread) Call Chris. Chris Helm has every brand of thread in every size and every color. No joke. Thanks

See my post above. Never jump out of a moving vehicle.

Jumped out of a moving car. I have actually tried this more than once, and it doesn't really matter how fast the car is going. Even if you are going 5 miles per hour, you will get hurt. The first time, I jumped out of the side of my friends van. I wouldn't have gotten hurt too bad accept I hit a street sign and bent it over. I was hurt bad.

The cheapest fly tying hooks are Mustad 3366. I really like these hooks and use them for a lot of flies. Bob Clouser uses this hook for his minnows. I bought them at lurecraft for 3.85 per hundred. Jann's Netcraft also has them. Thanks

Chris Helm has English Jay. www.whitetailflytying.com I'm sure John McClain can get English Jay also. Thanks

I am currently working on making a lifetime supply of dry fly dubbing. I'm following the instructions in AK Best's book "Dying and Bleaching fly tying materials". I spent the entire day today cutting up rabbit skins and removing the guard hairs from the fur. Tomorrow I will begin the dying and blending process. I highly recommend the book. Lots of instruction for blending rabbit fur.

I also use ring neck pheasant on many of my soft hackles. Use the feathers up near the neck and head. I just bought 10 pheasant skins from a guy on Ebay for 25 dollars total. You can't beat that price. Thanks

I would call the police and tell them the truth.

This is a very interesting subject. I am a part time commercial tier supplying 2 shops and a few private clients and guides. Even in my own small world, the celebrity thing is a big factor. My flies usually fly out the door faster than I can tie them because people around here know that I tailor the flies to our specific river and fishing conditions. People also know that I personally fish our local river 60-70 days a year and test my flies before selling them. On the flip side, we have a huge hatch of Ephoron Leukon in August and the best pattern for that around here is a white wulff. I can't tie a white wulff as cheap as I can buy them and I can't even tie them as well as the Umpqua tiers, so I buy them from the shop (or trade my flies for them). I think there is a place for both. Another good resource for your research would be Rusty Gates who owns Gates Au Sable lodge in Grayling Michigan. Rusty is a celebrity tier in his own right, but more interesting is that at least 90% of the flies sold in his shop are tied by local tiers, and he probably sells more flies than anyone else in Michigan. It seems every part time or full time fly tier that I meet has tied flies for Rusty's shop at one time or another. Here in Michigan we have only a few fly tiers who I would say tie close to full time and have earned celebrity status, including Bear Andrews, Jerry Regan, and Rusty Gates. Thanks

We have 2 very good shops in the Ann Arbor area. Colton Bay Outfitters is a fully stocked Orvis shop on Jackson road. Also, we have Golden Drake Outfitters inside the Log Cabin Hardware store in Pinckney. Both shops have very good managers who know their stuff, and I try to buy as much of my stuff from these two shops as I can. If you are ever in the area to fish the Huron, then you should stop in. Thanks

Thanks, That sounds like the way I will go. Can someone recommend the best type of spray paint for this job? and the best type of paint for the pupils? Also a clear coat spray paint? I am pretty sure these eyes will hold the paint. The are not polished to a shiny surface, it's just that they are made of brass but they are black. Thanks

Hey Guys, I just got a bunch of brass hourglass eyes for clousers. These are polished black color. I would like to paint them and here is my plan. 1. Put them in a box and spray paint red. 2. After they are dry, roll them around and hopefully the paint side will be heavier and the unpainted side will be exposed, then I spray them again. 3. Put them in a comb and hand paint the pupils 4. Throw them back in the box and spray with some sort of clear finish. Here's my questions 1. What sort of spray paint would be best? 2. What's the best paint for hand painting the pupils? 3. What should I use for the clear coat? I will probably end up painting 1000 eyes. Thanks

Yes

Because I'm cheap, I look for anything I can make into a fly box. What do you guys use to make cheap fly boxes? By the way, I will never, ever buy a c&f fly box. 40 bucks for a plastic box with a hinge and foam? That's garbage. Thanks

Anybody ever make there own loco foam? Or anybody ever do any other fancy treatments with foam? I'm thinking of getting some metallic paint and other stuff to treat regular foam for tying Gartside Gurglers and Gartside Bass Bugs. Any suggestions? Thanks

I also like Daiichis better, but I'm suprised that they are cheaper. I keep using Mustads most of the time because of the price. I got my 3366 hooks for $3.09 per hundred, which is just about as cheap as I have seen for any hook. This is were I got them http://www.lurecraft.com/catalog.cfm/hooks/mustad-3366:777 As for Daiichi, I really like the 2451. Jack Gartside turned me onto this hook. He uses this hook for a lot of his freshwater patterns now including soft hackle streamers and Gartside Gurglers, soft hackle deceivers etc. The shape is very similar to a 3366 except the O'Shaughnessy bend is a little different than the sproat bend. I bought some from Canadien Llama. I think they are having a sale on this hook right now. http://www.canadianllama.com/item228.htm Thanks

Why not keep using the 3366? Did they stop making them? I just bought 500 of them a couple weeks ago.

Tie it in a hollow fly style.

Thanks Guys, I think we might be on to something with the Angelina fibers. They do look the same as the gartside secret stuff and the Mike Martinek stuff. The only thing is, Gartside's material has 8" fibers and so does Martinek's. The Angelina fibers are 4" long. Maybe the order the same material and have it cut 8" instead of 4". Any other ideas? Thanks

I also met Mike Martinek at the Midwest expo. I am aware that Awesome hair is the same as gartside secret stuff. What I would like to know is what do they call this stuff in the fabric industry? Mike's price is actually worse than Gartside's price. He charged 5 dollars for an 1/8 ounce bag. 1/8 ounce is about enough to tie 4-5 flies. I'm looking to buy this stuff in larger quantities so I can actually tie a few dozen flies without spending 50 dollars. Thanks

Does anyone know what this stuff actually is? I've been tying some baitfish patterns using this stuff and I'm tired of paying the 8 bucks for a 1/4 package. Seems like something from the fabric industry, but I haven't been able to find it. Thanks

Borcher's Special Bob Smock Sulphur Robert's Yellow Drake Madsen's Barber Pole drake

Canadien Llama also sells hooks but it looks like they don't have a huge selection. Some of the prices are very attractive however and he sounds like the kind of guy who will negotiate if you are willing to buy in large numbers. I have also heard that Hook and Hackle will negotiate for large orders and their listed prices are pretty good with the 20% online discount.

I just checked them out. Looks like great prices. I do not have a tax ID yet, do you know if these guys require it? From what I can see they will sell to anybody? Thanks

Hey Man, Those aren't too bad. They look as good as mine and I've been tying them for years and I've even had a few lessons with Chris. I just can't get the hang of it. The videos should help a ton.