boba

I agree with the Ed on the best sharpener for freshwater hooks.

I use a lot of different hook brands, including a lot of Mustads. Pay attention to the way the hook is originally sharpened when using whatever you choose. Mustads can be triangulated, but chemically sharpened hooks usually have a rounded hook point. You should try to match that shape if the point is rounded when using whatever sharpener you choose.

For saltwater, a mill file will do it. There is a small angled version I use with a yellow handle, but d**mned if I can remember the brand (been using the same one for 5 years) and it's not imprinted on the product. It's commonly available in most well-equipped bait shops. It really moves metal. Test the sharpness of the hook on your fingernails. If it doesn't dig in (without any real pressure), sharpen it more.

Sorry, I forgot another tip. When storing Flexament, nail polish(which often has colorants if not clear) or other adhesive, store it upside down if you don't plan to use it soon. Many of the good head cements or polishes are quite volatile (will evaporate quickly once the seal is broken). If you store them upside down, the sticky stuff in the adhesive will seal the material in and it won't evaporate. Do test the top to see if it leaks before you do this and leave it on your tying area. Otherwise it may cost you some real change.

You single guys are obviously missing an opportunity in the nail polish section of your local mart or pharmacy. I use a lot of Hard As Nails and often get curious looks and comments from attractive women. (Note that I am older, fat, and balding but I still get looks and conversation; once you have conversation ...) I am happily married and plan to stay that way, so I don't follow up on these opportunities but what are you young guys thinking? If I were still single and had thought of this then ... It's almost as effective as walking with a lovable dog.

More appropriately, I like Flexament on most working flies, especially when building fly bodies or heads where I'm not concerned about appearance. I like Hard As Nails for streamer heads, especially for coating over eyes. From what I've seen at shows, Bob Clouser, Dave Whitlock (it is his brand after all), and Lefty Kreh use a lot of Flexament; also in the class I took with Gary LaFontaine. The sole exception is Jack Gartside who seems to hate the stuff for some reason and shuddered when I tried to question him about adhesives. He seems to use nail polish, any brand.

I also use Revlon Top Speed if it's a fly I am tying at night and need to use early the next morning. Put a moveable light over it, and it dries well enough to fish in one minute. However, I prefer Hard As Nails if I have 24 hours for the fly to dry.

When using Flexament, I apply it with a bodkin; when using any nail polish, I angle cut the brush built in to the bottle top, and then reduce it to half-width with my scissors before applying.

If you need to thread a bobbin and don't already use a looped floss threader (made of mono for tooth care to insert floss between tight teeth) and your bobbin doesn't have too much crud/wax built-up in the tube, stretch a 1"+ length of thread from the spool, cut the end at a sharp angle, wet it and insert it in the bobbin end and suck it through to the delivery end. It takes about ten seconds and is way better than trying to poke the thing through.

Credit for this goes to several of my instructors at United Fly Tyers meetings years ago. I have no idea who originated it, but that's how I learned it. It is much quicker than any other method I've seen.

Following advice in a tying book which I shall not name, I dumbly tried cleaning the tube of one of my bobbins with piano wire and ceramic tips. The steel completely scoured the steel tube and ceramic ends. I then managed to fray every thread I put through it. There is a better way. You can buy floss threaders (for teeth) which consist of what appears to be heavy-ish blue mono thread with a loop at the end. Push that through a couple of times and you can clean out all the old wax build up. The thought of pushing steel wool through ceramic tubes is frightening. I hope it's very, very fine steel wool.

I just keep about a 1" piece of bicycle inner tube on my lanyard for straigtening leaders/tippets.

I put deet on the backs of my hands and use those to rub my face and neck. No deet on the fingertips on palms. The outside of my clothes are sprayed with it first. I do the same with sun protection whatever the brand.

Deet and sun protection doesn't only mess up fly lines. It can also destroy plastic lenses, flipdown lenses, sunshades or plastic lense glasses, plastic wristwatch straps, nosepads on real glass glasses, etc. in fact almost anything plastic can suffer bad effects from deet or sunscreen. I've ruined enough of both to know from my mistakes.

8/0 thread is (at least UNI is) pretty strong. Unless you were seriously over-torquing it, I'm suprised it broke. I've broken thread in lots of ways but not that one. If the breaking happened with one particular thread (and I have had this happen), it could be that the thread has a defect or has been weakened by having something spilled on it. You might want to try pulling a couple of feet off the bobbin and giving the thread a tug. If it breaks with less pressure than it takes to break another thread of same brand and size, it's defective and not your dubbing technique that's the issue.

One can never have to many vices ... er, vises!

I picked up my empty shells at a firing range. Nice selection of sizes- .22, .38, .44. To clean them, I soaked them overnight in water and dishsoap, then swabbed them out with a Q-tip soaked in rubbing alcohol which eliminated the last of the powder residue and odor.

No argument with any of the suggestions, and I sure have my problems with that situation.

I tie well and fish less well. I would only add you might try a hopper to the mid/late season mix if there is grass in the area.

One tip, regardless of season, would be to make sure you aren't too visible to the fish if it's a small stream situation. Kneel, bend or do whatever you can to make sure the fish can't see your casting. I can't kneel because of my knee problems but use cover if available or try just plain staying still for a long time and minimizing my casting motion upstream if I can.

Al,

&?

Ebay fly prices are lowballs. If you try to sell there, you will be lucky to make back the price of your labor, never mind your materials cost. See if you can find local shops who will pay a slight markup for quality flies.

Aye, I agree with brother maddog. We need more specific information in order to be able to help.

Mozes has it right. If you tie a dozen of a pattern (or better, even more), you will figure out more efficient ways to tie each type with fewer wraps and more speed. Don't let mistakes discourage you or make you throw them away unless they are really awful; most of them will still catch fish no matter what you do. The patterns suggested will all catch fish.

Try searching Google or other Internet search to see if there is a fly tying club that meets somewhere near you. Nothing replaces the experience of seeing a good tyer model how to tie a fly. I also don't know how to make a good whip finish from any diagram or photo. I had to see it done.

I started tying because of a close friend who gave me a book and basic tying kit when I was laid up after a knee operation, and then started going to United Fly Tyers meetings in Massachusetts. I could tie well enough from the book and kit to catch fish, but it wasn't until I took some tying instruction from real tyers that my flies started looking right. Try to find a club near you. Besides, it's nice to find a bunch of nuts of like mind. You will also pick up some good fishing locations, as well as the best flies that will work for your location.

I assume that since you found this site, you are competent on the Internet in searching. If this is not so, email me, and I will help you find a club near your location.

I'm sorry, but I am very disappointed with the article. Gretchen wasn't included in the interview, and she is an integral part of their (please note the plural) columns. My wife is rarely interested in articles in my fishing magazines, but she does show some interest in their columns.

I have several nieces and nephews whom I am trying to interest in fly tying and fishing. I want them to see both male and female role models. Nuff said.

Bitstreamer, what region are you in? East, NE, Midwest, West or? I've been successful with the Wooly Bugger, especially those that are primarily olive or black with a chartreuse butt and matching marabou tail, but never with the Wooly Bear. They just don't seem to work for me in ME or MA where I usually fish.

37" Striped bass on a 2" sand eel fly on a #4 hook.

23" Landlock salmon on a #20 hooked emerger fly. I can't even see a hook smaller than that without a magnifier.

Cdc stands for cul de canard (French term: since my brother-in-law is French and I respect him greatly, I won't say anything like trust the French to find the duck's --s). It's the circular bunch of feathers near the rump of a duck which is called the preen gland. It emits an oily substance that makes the feathers outstanding floaters (do not use floatant on these feathers or you will screw up their floatation. Wipe them dry, use dessicant, dry them with false casts, etc., but do NOT put floatant on them.). The preen gland secretes an oil which ducks spread over their other feathers with their bills/beaks to improve their other feathers' flotation, i.e. they keep the bird from sinking.

The feathers look sort of like small versions of marabou but in a slightly fan-like pattern, and they really do float a fly very well. They are superb for midge wings and emergers. They can also be used well to create floating bodies as dubbing on small flies.

Ditto re: Cabelas and Hook and Hackle, especially if you need hooks, thread and other relatively standardized stuff when you know exactly what you want, especially by brand name, i.e. 8/0 Unithread or hooks in a specific model and size. Their prices are reasonable. It does help you save if you compare prices via their websites.

While I much prefer to personally pick through dyed hackle, marabou, bucktail and similar materials at a store to get exactly what I want in terms of color, hair or feather characteristics and so on, Hunter's Angling Supplies <http://www.huntersangling.com/> and English Angling Trappings (phone:1-845-855-5182) done a good job for me when I've been in a hurry before a trip and was able to be very specific about the use and type/color/characteristics of materials needed.

I haven't tried Green Caddis <http://www.greencaddis.com/contact_us.php> yet or the others and so can't comment on them. Smallie seems to run it and I suspect he would probably also be crazy enough to pick through his supplies to help you if you don't find a reliable local supplier and have to mail order something. After all, he's passionate enough about tying to keep this website going.

I don't know a dealer in your area, but if you don't find one and have to order without seeing and handling the materials, I recommend calling the dealers you choose, along with a list of your needs and work through it with them exactly what you need and what you need it for. See where you get the best response. Some dealers will really go through their stuff to find what you need and to try to pick out the exact shade or quality you need. Often, its smaller scale dealers who are willing to do that, and you sometimes may pay a tad more. Don't expect Cabelas to do that. Many mail order dealers use an answering service (like Hook and Hackle) to answer order phones; don't expect the phone answerer to know what you're talking about. If you need custom stuff in a specific shade, they won't have a clue.

To find some local dealers, try a Google search or your yellow pages and then go visit their shops. I tried a quickie search for WV, Ohio and Kentucky and found a lot of irrelevant businesses, not much fly tying material. Try searching using your town name or the nearest large city. There has to be a dealer there somewhere since it's supposed to be a good fishing area.

For flies to use the crochet method on, this site and its links might be of interest:

<http://www.acc.umu.se/~widmark/lwcrochb.html>

Torill Kolbu's flies are amazing. If you Google her name, you can pick up lots more links related to crochet flies.

You might want to add one or two coats to the "gills" of epoxy, nail polish, Soft Body or similar to protect them when you coat the head. Add it after the "gills" are thoroughly dry to protect the coloring.

Heh. Hehe. Heheh. Steel, I will take your advice. A pic of me in that state would be even more frightening.

Smallie, that new avatar is frightening

Has anyone ever had a fish take a wooly bear (not bugger)? Everyone I fish with in Maine says it's a no-go fly. I haven't had any luck with the pattern, not that represents a representative pattern of experience since I gave up on it after the first five years of tying.