Fred H.

Those should be illegal. the poor fish don't stand a chance.

Fred, you just described three-quarters of what we do. Nothing's ever complicated enough to satisfy a fly tyer. That is true and of all people, Fred. Fred, you meticulously melt joints in mono for bug legs and put glue on kleenex to make fly wings, carve scales on foam snake head sliders and you think a little flec of glow tape would be a pain. You realize how funny that is, you must be trying to throw us off the trail of a great idea that you intend on putting into production! Kirk No actually it just came to me. Although a shrimp eyes usually show an orange/gold reflection like that of a frog. May have to do some experimenting to get close.Just kinda wondering out load , so to speak, if it's worth the effort. Fred

Fred, you just described three-quarters of what we do. Nothing's ever complicated enough to satisfy a fly tyer. Spoken like a true kindred spirit.

Great stuff Kirk. I have thought about placing a small refective circle on top of the bead, before the epoxy. Have you ever hit a live shrimp's eyes at night with flashlight? It might be something fish would key on, or it might just be an extra step that is a pain in the arse for nothing. Fred

I once argued with people in the realistic coloumn . No more . People do not have to fish with flies unless they are on a flyfish only waters. Other than that you need only worry about potential records with the IGFA . They have a criteria for what is and is not an exceptable fly for their record purposes. Also some tournements have rules concerning flies. Other than that you are not forced to fish with flies. Use live bait . Fred

A friend of mine shut the car door on his rod as we were leaving the vehicle to wade a stretch of water. He said," can you believe it , the rod bent without breaking" . The first cast where he loaded the rod for distance it snapped.It was a TFO rod. He contacted them told them he shut the door on it ,and they sent him a new section free of charge. I'm not saying this is what happened to your rod . It could be a defect. But it is possible for damage to happen to a rod and it appear to be ok until put it under stress. Good luck, I hope you can get back on the water soon. Fred

"Challenge accepted" HIMYM reference

Thanks alot. Yeah their editor called me for that particular fly . It is not one of my favorites but I was honored to be asked. Fred

Thanks Murray ,I'll see what I can do. Fred

Thanks Paul . Do you have any minnows that are unique in size and color that would be fun to try? Fred

Thanks Peterjay ,Tex dawg and Kirk .Between the flexament wanting to float this fly and the weight of the hook and small amount of lead I added ,this fly has almost a neutral bouyancy (sp)

Tried to see if this stacking mono technique could be expanded on . I may have to keep experimenting with tail materials until I get the right look with enough movement. This one is'nt as stiff as it looks but it does seem to me to be more of a lure than a fly.

That's a good first attempt. Now comes the fun part. Take it to the water and see if it preforms like you want it to. You may find you need to change the hook size or do some other tweeking. But be warned , working with poppers can be addicting. Fred

I have not used the Peak or Griffin. I have an Anvil and love it. They are a great company that stand behind their products.Sorry , that's not much help. It would be best if you could try each of them yourself before making the choice. Fred

My link It looks like a any number of salt forage fish . Similar to a silverside in size and appearance.It could be an anchovy. If so, here is a pattern I did a while back that you could adapt to fit this species.

Nice job. I would do some in gray and white to immitate striped mullet. I think they would be killer on stripers and reds. There is a tyer I know from New Orleans area that ties wool head flies like these and he uses Fabric Fusion , that he gets from a craft store on the heads. Don't know if it holds up better or worse than silicone though. Fred

Bob Popovic's was using Tuffleye the last time I saw him . His earlier flies such as the surf candy and ultra shrimp , were originaly made with epoxy. Fred

and what fly should we use to catch gators? Any large popper will do as long as you follow it up with a Remington 270..........choot um!!!!!!!

When LMB's are on their beds I like to throw salamander or bluegill imitations. Both are known to feed on eggs. But lately I've been throwing just shinner and minnow patterns . Not that I don't think other patterns wont work. With a minnow immitation I will get takes from LMB , crappie and larger bluegill and redears. Fred

Good job . Those are very nice. Fred

Very nice . Fred

Very nice as always. Fred

http://www.realisticflytying.net/id12.html Here's a link that shows a frog slider. This foam is cheap and can be cut down to various shapes large enough to make a decent bass popper. It is possible to get carried away.

The diamond hard is very tough and clear . It has a ton of aplications. You can do the same things to alter it as you can with epoxy . Such as add glitter , color ..etc.

I really like the finish on those . They look like they were factory made. Just perfect. Fred