BuzFly

I have been doing it for a few years. At the end of my YouTube video you will see some examples of bucktail on a wire dubbing brush. Here are a few of the flies. Brad

I have been using my Master Vise since 1995 and have no regrets. I am a commercial tier and tie saltwater flies. The biggest (thickest wire diameter) hook I tie is 7/0 VMC Open Eye Siwash Hook and it has no problem holding it. I also have a SW Traveler and one of the newer Master Vise. I would opt for the Old Style Master Vise with the Bright Chrome Finish with the Solid FLAT Black base. The Solid FLAT Black base is very heavy and is a perfect place to mix epoxy on a post-it note. You vise will not move on the table. You cant do that with the base that has the cut-outs. The new model are also great and a lot lighter, so if you travel with it that might be the option for you. Best of luck.

You could make it weedless by inverting the hook but then you might need to keel the fly a little so it wont flip upside down not that the fish would care. You could also put a weed guard on the hook with some mono. Nice Rapala. I went the synthetic route because spinning takes longer but they will float higher with deer hair. The body is made of Baitfish Emulator spun on wire and then wrapped around the shanks. They start off white and are brushed later. Brad

You actually want to brush the feathers and other materials. The body was white before I hit it with the airbrush. Since the pens are alcohol based they will last a long time on most of materials. When they fade just hit them with the brush. The tail feathers have some olive airbrushed on them. It's all good....

A few of the Articulated Topwater Flies I have been working on. The shanks are 25mm and the soft foam head was airbrushed and attached to the shank. All body material was white/pearl/clear to start with and was airbrushed once it was applied to the shanks/hook and then trimmed to size. Brad

Bob. The best way is for you to mix a small batch of epoxy and try adding some of the suggested materials from above. Learning from reading is great but learning from boing is the best. Mix small batches on post it notes and write on the note what you did. Get a big long hook and wrap white thread in it and put small blobs of each of your mixed on it.Doing is better than reading. Asking questions is the best place to start but then you have to do it..... Post your results and pictures. Brad

I have read the link above and it is one that anyone who is going to dye more that a few things should read. A lot of good information if you read it and re-read it.

Well if you don't know much about dying, I would get yourself a dozen bucktails and practice on them. A.K. book is good but is dated and know you can get better dies besides Rite and Jacquards. To "Get it right" the first time" might happen, but more likely not. I am not saying dying is hard and complicated, but to get the exact color you are looking for the first time dying is a long shot. Take a lot of notes on the amount of water, how much dye, weight of materials, water temp and such so when it is show time you will have a good chance at getting close to what you want. I would watch the bath the whole time and keep on checking the color every few minutes and dont turn down or throwout the dye bath until you have gotten the color. Best of luck.. Brad PS - Some of the harder colors for me is golden olive because of the color and black because of the time and sometimes having to over dye it and not ruin the hide or material.

Most of what has been said is true. A.K. Has a good book that takes you through basic dying using one of the most readily available dies in the US at the time it was first published. It is where I started. Kook-Aid works and so does the tablest you get in Easter Egg Dye Kits. Ritt works because because it is a union dye as stated before and you are basically only using one of the multiple types of dye it includes. One bonus using Ritt is that it already has salt in it to help get a level color. Kool-Aid is basically a bunch of chemicals and sweetners plus an Acid Dye for the color. If you get into dying you will find out that most dyes are manufactured by only a few companies that then sell them to other companies. So most of the dyes sold as "fly tying dye" are just being repackaged. Why is this important? Some companies will mix dyes to get a specific color and can also be mixing brands and sometimes types of dye . If you get black dye from different companies some will be more purpleish and another more red for an example. Ask an artist to mix a specific color of paint and you will get many different combinations of paint to get the same color. Look at the color wheel and you will learn a lot. Why is this important to dyers? Different colors get absorbed at different rates into a material. So if you look at a dye bath it may start off one color then turn another color and so on.One more thing about dying that I have read and learned is water temp, hardness and PH will affect your end result. You will notice that the brighter colors will typically require higher temps. The use of salt, like Glubber Saly, will help get more even color. Synthrapol is a must in your dye bath and cleaning your materials. Some dyes will be taken up faster than others. You can also varry the shade by using different types of acid. Lastly more dye in the dye bath does not always result in darker colors. Brad.

A Flies that I been tying a lot of for the Stripers in the NE Surf...... Brad

Here are a few pictures of some flies that I make using a very large Dubbing Brush made out of Bucktail and Stainless Steel wire for Saltwater. Here is a link to a YouTube Video that I did that shows you how they are made. YouTube Link Dubbing Brush Fly Brad

Dr. Slicks 4" are worth a try. I dont have to put them down. It saves me time, but it also lets me concentrate on tying and not looking for my scissors.

Here is what I don’t get. Everyone comments on the price of the show and who disappointed they are with most of the shows. Has any one ever talked to the promoters about this, they probably would like to know. If you paid $15 to get into a show and wend through the in an hour or two and left because you were disappointed with it, I think you should rethink what you just did and be disappointed in yourself. Did you stop and talk to the tiers - they love to talk and love to learn what you do as well as tell you what and why they do it. Did you go thought the manufactures booths and look at what they are pushing this year or ask them questions about you rod that you may have trouble casting or ask about a reel that you have that makes a funny sound. Did you go a talk to the outfitters - they are a wealth on info. My biggest beef is how many people don’t go to see any of the speakers. Even if you don’t fish say in Oregon, go and sit in the presentation on it you will learn a lot that you can use on your home waters. I know that may of us go to the same shows year after year and see the same people and go through the show that same way. We all miss a lot of opportunities at these shows. This year their are a lot fewer of them and sooner or later we may be left with only a few and that would be a bad thing. Support the show and your shops they are all slowly disappearing. Sorry for the long rant.. Brad

Coating for Crease Flies - The best is a thin - thin - thin coat of 30 min epoxy. You dont need a lot to get a good finish. You will take more off than you put on. I am not a big fan of Softex, but it does have some good applications. You can try loon hard head, but it will crack. The Lonnd Soft Head works ok, but you have to thin it out alot.

I have been using a Renzetti Master for about 7 years. I like it but, like most vices, it dows have some bad points. I think it is a little tight between the tip o the jaws and the shaft. If you tie large saltwater flies, this can be a pain in the but. I is one of the most solid vices that I have. I dont like the knob that keeps the vice from rotating. It should have been a little bigger and made better. I also have the Renzetti Travler, nice vice for that it is and works fine.

Tripod a must. Use your 2 sec or 10 sec delay on the camera to take the shots. Now you can get your hands in the picture to show or hold the fly or to show off something. Also it gets rid of any camera movement caused by you pressing the button and makes the pictures sharpper. Brad

If you have the space go for a rolltop desk. You can get them from about 400-800. It sounds like a lot, but if you are in it for the long hall it is well worth it. Also if you have young kids or pets it is a great thing. Once I roll the top down, everything on my desk is secured, the six draws on the out side are locked. It works great. Plus now you have your own space that does not have to be in the basement or attic. I have mine in our living room and now I can tie around my Wife (sound strange) or my 6 1/2 year old son. Since it is in the main room of the house, my son now ties and is into fishing and my wife has accepted it as a part of life (a very good thing). I alos get to spend more time with the family. If you cant afford it, start small. Try getting one of the tall plastice sets of bins on rollers (5 draws) from Staples for about $40. Holds alot and you can hide/secure your materials. You can use a scrap of plywood for a table top to put your vice and other stuff on and tack 2" strip of wood along the back and sides to keep your stuff from rolling off. When you are done, put the table top on top of your storage biin and you are done. You can also you a large storage tub for your materials and make the table top so that it fits inside. Be creative and keep looking, you will find what works for you. No matter what you end up with, make sure you have a good light and alot of it.