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Fly Tying

Futzer

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Everything posted by Futzer

  1. It depends quite a bit on the water you are fishing. A few examples I use while Trout fishing: Rivers, I like to float them and cast my streamer right off the bank, (as close as possible) then make a couple strips back into current. Then pick up and cast to the next pocket. If I am in a lake on my pontoon boat I will cast into cover, bank or shallow to deep depth change and strip the streamer out with more of a up/down jig like motion. In those two situations with a wet fly, I fish those in a river more like an emerging fly, I cast perpendicular to the current and let the wet fly swing (both deep and surface) really watch the fly on the swing as the wet fly rises in the current. You will often get a strike there. In a lake, most often I fish a wet fly like a drifting or swimming nymph, usually I troll in behind my pontoon, using my flippers to slowly move about. I will raise and lower my rod tip to get a swimming motion to the surface. Keep close attention as the take can be very subtle. Now that being said, there are complete books and volumes on the subject, so I suggest checking out those, also the "Bugs of the Underworld DVD" will really help you understand what is going on below the surface. http://www.hatches.tv/play.php?vid=325 Cheers, Futzer.
  2. Tell the truth, you are going to tell your stream side buddies, you are fishing with Spanish Fly, wink wink nod nod. Cheers Futzer.
  3. Futzer

    How Old Are You

    I'd hate to be 20 again starring at a $700 pricetag on a new rod. and still growing older, but not Up! Cheers, Futzer.
  4. I spin the dubbing in a CCW direction between my right hand thumb and forefinger. In Utah dry skin is a killer on hands, so I use hand lotion in the morning and before bed. If it is a dry fly you are doing, I use a little sticky wax on the thread first about 3/8 inch long, then I moisten my thumb and forefinger with a little tiny bit of mucilin. Imagine you are building a small carrot, thin point towards the hook and bigger side away. As Peregrine warned use far less than you think, you can always add more dubbing, but subtracting it is a pain. Any way spin CCW, release, reset fingers and spin again, do this until the dubbing is tightly wrapped to the thread, then tie it in. Don't spin back and forth, as it tightens then loosens the dubbing. It does take practice, but is not hard to master either. If I am dubbing a nymph, I keep a semi wet sponge by my vice and wet the tips of my thumb and fore finger ever so slightly, instead of the mucilin, that is if the dubbing is misbehaving. Usually you do not need the sponge trick. I use the dubbing brush methods when I want lots of guard hairs sticking out, or for large flies. Cheers Futzer.
  5. If you really learn to whip finish properly, so one wrap is next to the last one and the thread is underneath 5 wraps, you don't need any head cement and you are that much quicker tying each fly. Even streamers, just whip finish twice. Now if you are making them pretty with head cement, I use 1 coat Griff's thin cement and then as necessary coat with Dave's Fleximent or Griffs thick cement that I have thinned slightly. On flies to frame there can easily be four or five coats for the desired effect. The best advice I can give to beginners is always put the cap back on tightly. Spilling a bottle of cement on a Whiting Saddle will bring a tear to your eye. Also the cement will last much longer and in better condition with minimal air exposure. Lastly, don't store cement or any materials in direct sunlight. Cheers Futzer.
  6. If you aren't going for a perfect hackle tie on the herl i.e. a presentation Royal Wulff then, twist the herl two wraps around your thread in the bobbin, then wrap the herl on while holding the bobbin and end of the herl. The Thread overlaps the herl as it ties in. Definitely won't come apart from a fishes bite that way. Oh and it is quicker than the dubbing loop method. Works good lasts a long time. Cheers, Futzer.
  7. I use Tiemco & Gamakatsu. And Partridge for full dress Salmon Flies, but those don't get fished. All I can say is, yes you can get cheaper hooks, but we all have hooked or seen "The Fish" and there are enough handy caps without my hook being one of them to land that fish. I have never been dissapointed with Tiemco & Gamakatsu. I have straightened out or broke some of the others until I learned my lesson. Cheers Futzer
  8. "Fly tying materials" by Eric Leiser published in 1973 for skinning, preparing and preserving and "Dyeing and Bleaching" by A.K. Best Pub. 1993. A long time ago having more time than money I did attempt to procure my materials via the road kill highway. I have to say with limited success. Now I stick to the professionally prepared materials. I will still on occasion pluck a pheasant or grouse. Good Luck. Cheers Futzer.
  9. I use it for the belly side of my top water frogs, poppers and Dalbergs , also Muddler minnow heads. Also a few night time spun hair creations with a little glow in the dark material added. I have dyed some with decent results, but it is messy and hard to get really vibrant colors. Cheers, Futzer
  10. Hello FTF21, go to the fly pattern database and do a search then at the bottom do a text search on the word "soft". You will see tons of great examples of soft hackle patterns. This should help to make sense of the great info. from Old Hat. Cheers, Futzer
  11. Sharp ones, I use the paint scraper single edged ones from Home depot, they come in 100 packs. I like the reinforcement to keep a straight edge. Not as cheap though as the dollar store. Cheers, Futzer.
  12. I want to join Carp UL, do I need my own gloves? Cheers Futzer
  13. Hi Glen, Again great work and fun subject. But I got to ask, what brand of vacuum do you own, I just got to get me one of those babies. Cheers, Futzer
  14. I thought Will preferred finely engraved vintage Wheatley fly boxes, myself. of course delivered in the Challenger. :hyst: Cheers, Futzer.
  15. Hi Dart, The Royal Humpy first appeared in Jack Dennis' Western Trout Fly Tying manual 1976, page 85, the fly was the brain child of guide Charles Ridenour, but first tied by Jack, after Charles' death. It combines the standard humpy pattern but with Calf body hair wings like a Wulff. While the first ones had only thread underbody, usually black. I have seen Royal humpies tied with red floss or green floss underbodies. The tail is moose, the over body is tan elk, white calf body wings and Royal Wulff colored hackle. That Hersey's choclate with tint of red that we talked about. I am sure you can get some pics from Google, or let me know as I own this book. Cheers Futzer
  16. A fly rod is a very individual choice. I fish Sage, G. Loomis, Winston and cane. Find a good local shop that will let you cast a few and decide from there. 3W 4 piece is a great choice, and I use mine a lot. A light rod is great fun to fish. I like my Winston best for fishing, i.e. landing fish. Landing is an over looked aspect these days, I like a soft feel there. A 3 w, you will not be fishing typically in heavy wind or large rivers, so the action does not need to be fast like a Sage or Loomis. Using a local shop, if they are knowledgeable and most are, will be a pleasure in making the decision. And they will gladly help if a repair or problem arises. You could be spending upwards of $800 on a rod alone, so compare many rods in your own way. Admittedly I have only thrown a TFO at the Fly tackle dealers show in the pool, they seem to be a good value, well made, and easy to throw. My only Orvis rod is a 8 W 8 1/2' cane rod, which does not get fished very often, due to its age and heavy size. Orvis is not as popular west of the Mississippi as back East. Anyway, my best advise is to throw as many as you can get your hands on, in as many situations as you can. Then make up your own mind. You will have it and use it for a very long time. As for a reel, again many good choices, for a 3W, make sure it picks up line fast when you reel in, larger arbor. Also make sure it is balanced well "weight wise" (not line weight, but center of gravity) to the rod. Drag system to me is secondary for this weight class. Chose your rod first then shop for the reel. Thanks my $0.02 Cheers, Futzer.
  17. Admitting you have a problem is the first step to recovery, though that has never worked for me. Nice reptile!!!!! Cheers, Futzer.
  18. That will make the proper splat! Splendid. Cheers Futzer.
  19. Hello Jhangfk, I do the same as Fred does; I found a Barbeque rotisserie motor at a local flea market for about $5. It turns about 6 rpm. I mounted a 6-inch diameter, white, 2-inch thick foam circle, which was used as packing material on something I ordered. If you build your own rods you can adapt it with masking tape and a small v shaped stand for the far end of the rod section. Anyway. You can check out these links to see more options. http://www.jsflyfishing.com/cgi-bin/item/O...hing-Motor.html http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=29609 http://globalflyfisher.com/tiebetter/epoxy_rotor Cheers, Futzer.
  20. Think of it as a large soft hackle. The use of the spey hackle it the main characteristic that makes it so. Heron feathers were a main ingredient, as they were long enough to palmer up the body and end with a "hackle" that folds back the length of the hook or more. While palmering the hackle is not a requirement, the long hackle folded back is the key. Finding good spey hackle these days in the U.S. is a little difficult, as heron is protected. Large Schlappen hackles work, but for larger sizes it is not as good as Heron. The hackle should be folded back like the silhouette of a football. Anyway, this is a real basic explanation, and I am sure there will be many clarifying posts to your thread. Cheers, Futzer.
  21. Well Fred, I would love to see you tie a small bat. We see them at night here, usually they are about 3 to 4 inches across, I bet you could even articulate the wings. Love your realistic patterns, Cheers Futzer.
  22. Fur. Most fish 20 to 1, I have hooked on Crayfish took just as I stopped at the end of a strip. I think fur looks better for that. It also is more durable. Cheers, Futzer.
  23. Well Fred, Here it is "Deep Cricket". Let me know if that is what you are after. Cheers, Futzer
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