Hellgrammite

I certainly wouldnt feel naked with that collection of nymphs!

I started with a cheap kit vise that served well for a while, then bought a used Thompson A, and have been using that for 5 or so years. Its a good vise, but the jaws dont grip as well as I'd like (reeeally gotta crank that lever down) I will be purchasing a new vise soon; stationary and simple, so probably a Griffin Montana. I Like the cam lock.

These might actually get me to give up my wheatleys... Do they crush largeish dries (like 12s or 14s) or do they have enough room between foam and lid? I had a SA box that was just too cramped for anything bigger than maybe an 18. I love the idea of the split foam, and I'd like to get down to 2 (or even 1) plastic, waterproof box instead of my 2 old, hefty, so-non-waterproof it makes you cry, expensive, fiddly wheatleys... I just need something that dosent crush hackles. Amanda

Sorry but what does the "GR" mean? Gold Ribbed, sorry. Youll see them abbreviated sometimes just as "GRHE", which means "Gold Ribbed Hares Ear", or like i did, "GR Hares Ear" PT is, of course, Pheasant Tail Nymph. Hope that clears it up!

GR hare's ears, PT nymphs, both in beadhead and regular flavors, and some March Brown Nymphs. If I were out west, I'd probably want some stonefly nymphs of some sort too.

The Orvis Fly Tying Guide is a great book; lots of pictures and beginner friendly patterns, and just about every chain sporting goods store (Cabelas, Gander Mountain) and bookstore I have been in carries it. Paperback and good price; about 15 dollars if i recall. Fly Tying by Helen Shaw is STILL hands down my favorite; clear pictures, step by step. I got a 1st edition for about 12 dollars, so not an expensive book. Also, Art Flick's Streamside Guide, while not a book of instruction in tying, is a great book explaining why certain flies work and what they work for. A fun read, and one every fly fisherman or tier should own, IMO. And, videos! Between videos ive seen linked here and on youtube, or for sale in certain places, a good video is an amazing help. A picture is worth a thousand words, but a video is worth a thousand pictures. I was puzzled about how to tie PT nymphs for a while, but a couple of youtube vids got me on track quickly. Amanda Edit: Forgot one...! DOH! as flymanj, who's post made me realize I forgot possibly the best, and others have mentioned, Essential Trout Flies by Hughes is an outstanding book; cheap, plenty of good, clear color pics, and quite a few patterns. I looked at my bookshelf and didnt see Hughes' book, and didnt think of it. I didnt see it because it is in the drawer in my tying desk =P

That is beautiful! I hope it brings him many hours of joy! Good brothers are awesome.

I actually do tie flies to save money, as well as to make some; I tie flies for a circle of friends and family, all of whom happily pay me my 1.50 per fly for the few patterns i tie; winged dries, variants, and a few nymphs (and once i get this cursed deer hair figured out, EHC). I do not keep absolute track, but the few times I have added them up, I am in the green; for a winged dry, hook, 8-10 cents (mustad, boxes of 100) dubbing; negligible, perhaps 2 cents? thread, also negligible... how many flies does 1 3 dollar spool tie? A few hundred? Ok, ill call thread 2-3 cents, hackle, most expensive bit; I get 200-300 feathers per Keough neck for 20-30 dollars; so, 20-40 cents, if i use 2 feathers, and dyed mallard flank for a wing (if i use it) perhaps 5 cents. So lets say 10 + 2 + 3 + 40 + 5 (and this is a very, very liberal price estimate) 60 cents in materials per fly. Keep in mind, both nymphs and EHC are cheaper. Now, I can make 8-10 winged dries an hour, maybe 15 nymphs on a good day. If my "profit" is then 80 cents per fly, I am making about 8 dollars an hour tying dries, perhaps 12 dollars an hour (if i am uninterrupted and in a *groove*) doing nymphs. I will never understand how people actually earn their entire living doing this. I can understand that people who tie a lot more patterns than me, and who do so for varied types of fishing, can spend a whole lot more. For me, its pretty economical. I also understand I tie cheap flies for use only on trout and panfish. My vise is an old Thompson Model A, my materials stock is relatively modest, though I have had mixed success with Keough hackles, and will need to find a better source for gingers, as Keough ginger necks have stems that make me want to cry, they twist so much. Obviously, everyone's mileage varies! Amanda

Yeah i frequent Classic Trout also, and had no idea a member over there was a fly shop owner! Gonna drop an email for the waiting list, thanks!

Hello folks, anyone know of a good source for rhode island red quills? I got a couple of packs of the stripped quills from a company called D's flies, but the color (at least on red ones, the creams are ok) is very inconsistent, and makes a "two tone" fly body switching from a nice brownish red to an orangish color halfway through winding the body. I doubt the fish would care, but kinda bothers me. Thanks

Another recommendation for Eastern Hatches, excellent work. The good old "Book of Trout Flies" by Preston Jennings is quite a great read as well, along with Art Flick's Streamside Guide. Both have color pics *photos in Flick's book* and both are part of fly fishing history. edited for clarity!

Im a student at Kent State University, where we have a unusually large population of Black Squirrels (as in, 10x as many as fox or normal greys) and ima try and "obtain" one... Im sure they get run over from time to time.... :devil:

I have a pair of old Thompson model As, and i truly love them. Well made, easy to use, and holds a hook...like a vise. Pretty much all i care about.

Traditional "Catskill" dries and their corresponding wets, i suppose. I like tying the dries more, but the wets are the better fish-getters.

Well....it depends? Once im familiar with a pattern (GRHE nymph, for example) i can make a good one on a bit under 10 minutes....8 an hour or so. Winged dries, 15 mins (im picky about my wings) a variant, perhaps 5 minutes. If its new to me, an hour or more isnt unreasonable.

With the number of Regals that seem to do this, I would say it is NOT a poor carpenter blaming his tools, but poor hardening of the jaws themselves (as in, intense hardening that isnt deep enough, resulting in a brittle structure). I have heard their customer service is decent, so I doubt it will be an issue, but for the cost of modern vises, i would simply expect better. FWIW, i used one of the aforementioned sunrise vises (mine was 7 bucks) for 2 years, and now own 2 Thompson Model As. Total vise cost...30 bucks for all three. And oddly, i havent broken a jaw. Good luck, hope they get it straightened out quick for you!

Gonna have to get one of those....at that price, yeesh. On the subject of feathers, i seriously need to start shooting my own wood ducks :ripped:

Im pretty traditional with my patterns, but i would fish that all day long...the light play from the beads is probably a great trigger. Im also in the "market" for new caddis patterns...! edited because my "n" key is going bad=(

That henrys fork caddis looks like a winner, thanks much! The reason i dont want to use deer hair is indeed due to allergies. That dubbing dispenser in my avatar left for the big scratching post in the sky 2 years ago, and while i loved him much, animal fur and me dont mix. Sadly, no more pets, and if i can help it, no animal hair (i had to give up trapping for the same reason) Thanks again!

Anyone have any decent caddis patterns that are easy to tie and do NOT involve any sort of deer or elk hair? Currently i tie my caddis with duck quill wings and palmered hackle, theyre good producers, but arent the most durable things. (It IS nice that i am able to use the same materials on all my mayfly and caddis imitations) Thanks.

With the exception of march browns, no mayflies seem as variable in color as sulphurs (ephemerella invaria) at least in the areas in PA where i have seen them (ive never bothered to look for them here in Ohio...) so i havent been really picky with their colors. A orangish or even pinkish yellow seems to be the color that shows up most often, but again, they seem to vary a LOT in actual "shade" of yellow. Are your sulphurs like that, or do they seem pretty consistent?

Ive been tying for about 2 years and have really enjoyed every minute of it. Try as i might, i cannot think of any other pastime that combines art and the outdoors so well, and its a way I can enjoy fishing even in the dead of winter, on a rainy day, or on all those days when I simply cannot get to the water. Im a pretty decent tier but a relatively horrible fly fisher (I started tying before i started flyfishing...wierd) but this dosent hinder my enjoyment, and I still manage to catch some fish. Im 33 now, wish id started younger (like so many things) but Ive got a looong time left ahead of me to get the most out of it.

How did i miss the ones on JS' site....thanks much Mike

Hello folks. I need to find a source for some stripped and dyed quills (hackle, peacock, whatevers) for a couple of patterns, but JS dosent seem to carry them. Anyone know of a place that does?

Ahhh, ok! I wasnt aware i could buy quills already stripped and dyed, that will make this much much easier. Thank You!