Futzer

Good work Taylor, Very good head size, and I am being ultra critical now, The hackle proportion is correct, 1.5 times the gap length, the tail is a tiny tiny bit long. I use from right behind the hook eye to where the shank just starts to bend. The body is a tiny bit thick. but proportioned well like a carrot shape. What size is that a 14? Keep it up, Tie 10 of them and post the first one of the ten and the best one of the ten. Tying multiples in a row will really help, Ask Dart, I harped on him with Royal Wulffs. Don't get discouraged, I can get Super picky about flies and am not afraid to point that out. I sense from your posts that you are looking for some deep pointers. BTW, how old are you? I started when I was 7, and have tied for 41 years now. Cheers, Jeff, aka Futzer.

Watch out Flykid, Day5 will call late at night asking for his box back! Cheers, Jeff.

How long have you been tying Taylor? Proportions are pretty good, nice and buggy, work on making the head a little shorter. Welcome to posting on the forum. Hope to see more of your work. Cheers, Futzer.

Hi Lykos, my mistake, and my first answer is mostly Chickens. Cheers, Futzer With Pics I can help.

Hi TitanFlies, I reserve my Whiting silver and bronze saddles and capes for dry flies, I like the webbier, thicker barbules of the Whiting Hen, bugger packs and Euro styles, Rooster dyed packs, or even small schlappen feathers. The looser feathers ungulate more in the water making buggier movement. And good news a lot less expensive than the 100 pack, saddle feathers. Cheers, Futzer.

Hi Lykos, Well, to be honest you are probably SOL. Metz did tattoo the skin side for a while. More importantly would be the information to grade the quality yourself, and basically be able to use that information to apply the feathers in the correct situation. With Photos I would be happy to help get you started. Cheers, Futzer

Hi Carl, Hank Roberts used an overhand weave or a Pott's weave on his nymphs. Those two techniques are demonstrated in The Flytier's benchside reference. And down Gunnison way, black stone flies are some of my favorites. Mostly in that area I have fished the Black Canyon. Cheers, Futzer.

Yep, West is a whole lot different, you'd still remember Strozi's bar from the outside at least. A whole lot more homes now. If you do go back, make a point to get a cheese burger and onion rings at the Happy hour bar on the north side of Hebgen, a mile or so from the dam. And hit TJ's Italian restaurant on the north side of West, on the opposite side of the road from Blue Ribbon flyshop. TJ's food is excellent, just remember that the service is typically West Yellowstone style. And the Firehole is full of cleanly pressed Orvis vests and matching waders. Even in Oct. Ahh to relive sleeping in the dirt. Nice. Cheers, Jeff.

Aught sizing is not standard across manufacturers, so Uni 6/0 may not be the same size as Gudebrod. Denier is an industry standard. As for Uni thread I use 8/0 for trout flies, dries and nymphs. I use 6/0 for light hair work, say a muddler head. I use 3/0 occasionally for Spinning hair bass bugs. I use 12/0, 14/0 and 16/0 for small dries below 24s. So in a nut shell, but large the aught number the finer i.e. smaller diameter it is. Hope that helps. Cheers, Futzer.

Safety Tip, Dezod, when you have all the flies out on the coffee table, what ever you do, don't sneeze! Cheers, Jeff.

Hi Utyer, Great story, I bet you own a copy of Noll's guide to trout flies. That was my first tying book, and I still have it. I regret not having spent more time in West in my 20's, back then there were Green Drake hatches on Henry's that blanketed the water and you could fish the Madison and not see another person all day long. Your post took me back, I could even remember the smell inside Bud Lilly's shop. Thanks. Cheers, Jeff.

Very nice work Luciv, Great Photos! Cheers, Futzer.

Excellent work Dronlee, you have been posting some fine flies, I especially like the tail, I use marabou or rubber legs for mine, but they are 5 inches long. Keep up the fine posts, Cheers, Futzer.

Well Kevin, Time of year will help, right after ice off Lake trout will be in more shallow water, 20 feetish, I have taken a few on dark large wooley buggers. Also smaller lake trout can be found in streams just off the lake edge, same technique, stripping buggers as deep as you can get. If you have a fly shop around, hang out there, some one may offer for you to tag along on a trip. Cheers, Futzer.

Nice Nav37, throw in a few chartruse and black grubs with dangly rubber legs. Cheers, Futzer.

I second that Oatka, nicely woven body! Cheers, Futzer.

I'd name it the Bart Simpson, Dronlee. Nice bug, googly eyes and all. Cheers, Futzer.

L shaped desk is a fine idea. As for Peg board, I like to keep more mobile, so I use those plastic crates and shelves. I always take my tying stuff on trips and out to tie with friends, atleast a mobile sized kit. For space I now take up over 700 sq feet, so keep a growth plan in mind. Cheers, Futzer.

You know Dezod, the rarest and finest "Big Trees", just happen to grow next to the best Steelie runs. Really! Cheers, Jeff.

Pure Pity from Jim Poor and the staff at Angler's All in Littleton, Colorado on Santa fe Drive. It is still there and still a fine shop. Back in 1968 when I wandered in for a new spinning rod with birthday money, and saw the display cases, each fly in each size mounted to a needle, no bins full back then. I was captivated. Jim was famous for his tiny dries and the South Platte river. 18s and 20s were the smallest available and seemed impossibly small to tie, no 14/0 thread available, 8/0 was the smallest and painfully easy to snap. The beautifully formed duck quill wings on a #20 black gnat got me, soon I had a Thompson A vice and never looked back to spin fishing again. I remember the shops smell, tanned hide, that little gold can of pine tar used for dubbing wax (can't remember the name) and cigarette smoke. They had a bench set up, as all the flies were tied on site, no umpqua feather merchants. I would ride my bike there on Saturday and watch Jim tie, I could not get enough. Remember the bobbin, you had to wind your thread on the small spools, it was chrome tear drop shaped. No internets, Youtube, DVDs, VHS, you had to be face to face with someone willing to teach. I miss that part, mentors were much better social networks. My Grandfather also knew how to tie, he helped quite a bit. Great times. Cheers, Futzer.

Yessir, I do, but I have my own variation. I do a #24 neon green spinner with white crinkle z-lon wings and call it the gang green. I scored a 26 inch Cutty, just below lunch counter in the back eddy on it. I would be happy to do 13 of those in addition to my 13. I plan on a real winged dry, or an emerger. I got to send some wow bugs out. We ain't messing around here, bring the big guns. Cheers, Jeff.

Fish don't see the post, they may pick up the reflection, but I use many colors even neon ones. I tend towards a bigger fly 18 inches from a realistically tied dropper, it soothes my fragile ego. Cheers, Futzer.

I would most definately have a hook point and eye, I don't want to get Fred on my bad side. I was thinking I would send a bare #32 and tell you that you need an electon microscope to view it or I could tie a Krill or plankton fly so you can catch a Whale shark, I recommend lots of backing and a fast boat/submarine. Cheers, Jeff.

I am waiting for someone to say Southern Alabama for JSzymczyk's enjoyment. J/King. I misspent my youth sneaking on a few different Golf courses in the greater Denver area. I have fished with Bison wading near by in Yellowstone. Had a moose wade in with me on the middle Provo once, He got about 5 feet away, and I was deep enough that I was considering a swim for it, but he kept on his way. Cheers, Futzer.

"Ok. I caught two bluegills and and a crappie yesterday. Had two on the line and lost them both. Then a female Kayaker in a white bikini drifted by. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. " Rich, you sure it wasn't an itsy bitsy teeny weenie yellow poka dot bikini? Sorry, you youngsters will have to google that one. Cheers, Jeff