Al Beatty

Hi Graham, Another good substitute is the silver colored blatter inside those boxes of wine you can purchase at the grocery store. Cut into strips, it is one of the best body tinsels I've ever used. Now, I suspect some of you drink wine that comes in bottle; the real good stuff has lead foil covering the cork - save it. On the other hand I drink "cardboard wine" and as a result have several of the silver bladders. Anyone into a trade of silver for lead <G>? Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Group, This is a tough question. It's puts you in a kind of "damned if you do, damned if you don't" position. I've been introduced at demo's or programs I do as a master tier but I really don't know what that is. When people ask me what level I'm at I have alway responded "darned good." I don't feel threatened by anyones skills and can tie just about any pattern. BUT! Have you ever noticed there is always a BUT? Recently I've been looking over flies on the salmon and steelhead section of this site and DARN there are some really great tiers over there. Four names that immediately come to mind are Will, Scottie, Jerry, and Charlie. I know there are others but I'm having a senior moment so forgive me for missing several others. By the way, I did get a box of flies from Will today and they were beautiful. I don't know what level he is at but his flies are as good as the same flies tied by Marvin Nolte or Paul Jorgensen. I guess there is a point when you can not get any better on a particular style. Are you a Master Bass Bug Tier but a beginner at another discipline? No, I don't think so. I think there is a point when a person can not get any better at material control/selection and that's what fly tying is about. Poorly tied flies are the result of a person who didn't control the material or know how to select the proper material for the job. Oh, well what do I know about it? <G> There is a saying that as we get older we become more child like; I guess that means I'm becoming a beginner again!! Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Wilcara, Another way to make extended bodies is to dip the tip of a bodkin into Aqua Flex or Flexcement. Take a small clump of dubbing in the left hand and the bodkin in the right. Dub the dubbing on the end of the needle, slip it from the needle, and allow it to dry before tying it on the hook. With a little practice you can also tie extended bodies with a tail by laying moose fibers (or what ever you want to use as a tail) in the middle of the clump of dubbing before applying it on the end of a "glued needle." Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty

Hi kc, That is a very reasonable price. I usually charge $25.00 per hour per student with everything supplied. The price your shop is charging is a real bargain. Good luck & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi I've found Corn Husker's to serve me really well. You might give it a try. Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Charlie, You had me going for a minute when I first read your post before scrolling down to look at the fly. I must admit I never heard of Lead Cahill before. I figured it was some color variation from the standard Cahill. I should have looked at the recipe first. I think (based on your picture) that you've over dressed the tail a bit or maybe I should reference the over dressed "under tail" constructed of lead. I've been fly fishing quite a few years and I don't think you have a snow balls chance in hell of ever making that fly float. Sorry, for being so blunt about it. <G>! On a serious note: Charlie, I didn't know hooks/lead were available in that configuration. OR Did you make it yourself? Good joke! Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Victor, I'm with Streamside on this one. I also use the 1 part hydrogen peroxide (20%) to 2 parts of amonia. Be sure the amonia in the non-sudsing type; the sudsing type will really mess up the process. Also in a pinch I've used the 3% peroxide normally available in the drug store in the brown plastic bottle but it takes days instead of hours to get the job done. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Will, I have the first fly I ever tied (46 years ago) a red bucktail streamer. I also have the first full dress Atlantic salmon fly I tied in about 80 or 81. I mounted it in a glass dome so I could be reminded how aweful it looked. I sure get a kick out of showing it to people so I can poke a little fun at myself. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Henry, I sure like the looks of your flies. Click on my web site if you are interested in publishing them in Fly Fish America magazine. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Mcfly, I use Tulip Slick 3D fabric paint. It is a florescent paint that I think shows up better under water. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

My thanks to Will and the group for your kind words. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi OSD & group, Keep the ideas coming. I like OSD's about using it to hold toilet paper in hunting camp. I don't hunt but a bunch of friends do; hummmm maybe a fun Christmas idea is formulating <G>! Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Group, My business brings me many empty spindle cases from DVD's and CD's - the ones that hold 50 or 100 discs. My question is what to do with all of them; I hate to throw them out. Maybe some of you have an idea what to do with them; hopefully a fly tying use. Thanks in advance for any ideas. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Jim, A Blue Charm is a favorite of mine and looks good both as a traditional feather wing and as a hair wing. When you finish the flies, share them with us; I know I'd sure like to see them. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi J. Johnson, I tied an order of Sandy Mites with moose hair instead of the regular horse hair. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Jim, I've never had a problem with any tying materials but Gretchen breaks out in hives if she ties using any animal hide that is cured with Borax. As a result today we only tie with hides that are tanned. Also, over the years I've developed an allergy to toulene based head cements so I use Aqua Head instead. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi, I've never worried much about hook brand names or numbers; just the size and style. Personally if I could have only 2 hook styles it would be dry fly (like Mustad 94840 or equivalent) and streamer (like Mustad 9672) in a range of sizes. For a lot of years they are the only hooks I used for freshwater fishing. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Group, 48 years. Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi John, In 1981 I fished for one season with muddlers in various sizes and colors. It was a very successful season. Years later in conversation with Gary LaFontaine I learned he had done the same thing in the late 70s. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Jim, I tie a fly I call a Swimming Pheasant Tail. Just substitute the regular tail on a PT Nymphs with a short clump of Chickabou or marabou. It has served me well in both moving and still waters! Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Bamboo, You are right, sometimes the caddis turns out looking kind of "ragged" and other times it doesn't. I've never found the fish to care much one way or the other and a pair of scissors can "pretty up" the fly if you want to take the time. If you don't like the way your caddis looks, you might consider tying a body like I suggest tying the Woolly Bugger using the back and forth technique. By the way, last month I sent the manuscript for the book version to Frank Amato Publications so in about a year and a half it will be available. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi group, Maybe one of you has already bumped into this problem with pheasant tail fibers for nymphs (and found the solution) but I had not until yesterday. Here is the problem: When wrapping the fibers for a PT Nymph body they are often not long enough for me to maintain control of them (artheritis in the last few years in my hands has changed a lot of things for me). Often I would get the body wrapped part of the way and I would loose the fibers causing me to have to start over. The solution (for me anyway): I tie the PT fibers to the back of the hook shank by their tips and trim any waste ends. Next pull the fibers and the thread tight together holding them near the base ends of the PT fibers with the right thumb and forefinger. Use the left hand to "throw" a single half hitch of thread around the butt ends of the PT fibers. Grasp the bobbin with the right hand (assuming a right handed tier) and bring the thread/bobbin under tension. The half-hitch will slip tight binding the PT fibers tight to the tying thread. Now you can wrap the thread/PT fibers around the hook using the bobbin tension to place the assembly in place. Tie it off as you normally would and preceed to the next step. This technique has sure made the tying of PT Nymphs a lot easier for my old/artheritic hands. Maybe you will find it helpful as well. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Will, Great addition! AND after reveiwing it more closely than I have in the past I AM HUMBLED by the superb quality fly tying I see. Great job everyone! Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Hillbilly, Cabela's, Hook&Hackle, and Bob Mariott's have all treaed me well and they are as close as you mail box. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com

Hi Dutchman, I've not used the product you mentioned. If you can't find it you might consider knoted turkey or goose biots. Take care & ... Tight Lines - Al Beatty www.btsflyfishing.com