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hairwing

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Everything posted by hairwing

  1. A taste of fishing pulp fiction for your soul ? "Pale Morning Done" Jeff Hull. Nick Lyons Press 2005. Inside look at the modern era Montana fishing scene.It's worth every ounce of the $3.47 it'll cost ya ....http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?isbn=1592286844&clickid=zWDWcRVa5yyoSgvXFI3LN2pkUkQwNPXMeRPI0o0&cm_mmc=aff-_-ir-_-64613-_-77798&afn_sr=impact
  2. JR......If I understand your question correctly, I'd have to answer that there is no final result. I've tied many variations over the years and can't see an end to what can be tied. You can mix anything long enough to pull through the loop and make a fly. All it takes is a little imagination. Have you tried to tie one ? They are pretty simple and easy once you get the idea.
  3. I think that most folks should consider that the more micro-bubbles are in the fly line coating the better the line will float. The heavier the fly weight the thicker the fly line but hence more micro-bubbles because the diam. is bigger. Your 2,3 and 4 weight lines just don't have the capacity for bubbles as it tapers to the end. The end of the fly line will sink with the accumulation of any debris on these thin diameter lines. Even the heavier weight lines taper to a point where the diameter of the line restricts the amount of micro-bubbles and added debris weight helps to sink the tip. ....and whats wrong with fishing a 6-7-8 floating bigger weight line to fish trout in delicate situations, nothing as far as I am concerned. Your leader gives you the fine end you need for both the size of the fly and delicacy needed to present the fly softly to the target not the fly line taper. In my thinking a "level" fly line with a properly tapered leader will satisfy the cast of most fisherman. It would satisfy my requirements. 99% couldn't tell what they were casting and the difference. A level end in the line has the most micro-bubbles because it's bigger ! More bubbles and it floats better ? I like a foating line tip. The question is all about preference and the decision is yours but I'd like you to consider the relationship between the line and the leader and where your "delicate" cast happens for your best fishing results..My comments are all about dry fly presentation but to me wets ,nymphs and streamers follow my thinking.
  4. Well I've never caught a fish on an ant, could be because I have never fished an ant pattern <eek!>. I'm well prepared though, there are ant flies in my flybox, albeit old school without the white post, I'm waiting for the day to find fish gorging on the little morsels but to date it hasn't happened. I fish mostly rivers and streams and have always found the "bank feeders" opportunistic and ready to take most well cast and drifted flies that come down their feeding lane that looked anything like a terrestrial. I don't fish stillwater very much and can understand that a raft of wind blown ants can excite a fish or two to the point of selectivity. Fishing flies on a dead drift slacks line cast is hard work if you can't see the fly. I don't enjoy it but now I'll add some ants to my box with a post that I can see. Maybe some day these flies will come in handy..donno. My river ant is typically size 22 to 28...should be a challenge with a white post.
  5. Here is an example of the fly with one loop. I tied it small, a #14, the fly measures 7/8th inches long or about 2 cm if your mind is metric. The mono loop is .007" Thread: Danville 6/0 Hook: EC057 #14 Tail: Gold Pheasant Tippet Body: fine white floss Throat: red acrylic yarn Wing: grey acrylic, white nylon, yellow acrylic..yarn
  6. Western Green Drake and a couple of "one loopers"..... The Drake is #10, the loopers are #10 and #14.
  7. Green Caddis Pupa...........
  8. add147 I like that word "indeed" mister........... thanks !
  9. This fly takes a spot right there with the fly I tied in post #47 (Canadian Killer). One of my favorites, the "Dr. Mummy".......
  10. The main idea I had in mind for the loops was to prevent the wing from fouling around the hook. Like the Matuka design. I really like the Matuka patterns but had a hard time replacing the feathers I was using, so I went the synthetic route. ....and yes the loops hold the material and keeps a nice fish shape form in the water.
  11. What do I think ? ...I think you got your mojo fly tying mind working and that's a good thing. Carry on.
  12. You've made a good choice on the Whiting Intro Pack. I'm with utyer on the light ginger or a cream. You'll need it for the "Sulfurs" on the East Coast.
  13. So personally I didn't think the #1 post would turn into this legal debate, but it sure opened up quick in that direction. My thoughts on exotic fly tying materials is something I learned early on and it's based solely on supply. I'm simply not even interested in material that will not tie the flies I use again and again and again. I've found renewable cheap materials have best served me over a life time of tying. When materials get in short supply the prices skyrocket and are not worth the cost ! I gave up on the venerable Muddler Minnow because mottled oak turkey feathers went to 6 bucks a pair, that was 40 years ago. Polar Bear and Seal prices were ridiculous; and you would only get a small....very small amount of material to tie your flies. Cock necks prices drove us to the "no-hackle" flies....and beware the synthetics also, a case in point is Zelon. The manufacturer stopped making it and because of it's press by the fly tying illuminate it became the material you couldn't get by without for killer flies...the price went way too high. Starling and Pheasant have always been there for me. Price wise and it's availability. Hare's mask is a good one too along with good ole cheap India cock necks. In my on case I wouldn't have to worry about the MBTA and the legal status of feathers because I will simply not use fly tying material which I can't replenish at a reasonable cost. Finding a feather on the trail of let's say a protected Hawk, while it might be attractive in a fly tying kinda way, does not interest me at all because the feather will only tie a few flies and the cost of replacement would be outrageous. It is in this regard that the law has done it intended job....so be it.
  14. JR...I was hoping folks would key in on the Gordon fly and look at it's history. You did good by pushing the extra keys and researching the pattern. There is a lot there in it's history. I'm glad you enjoyed it. Most will label the Bumblepuppy a trout fly because it's associated with Gordon, but Gordon used the fly for everything, Bass, Trout, Pike, any fish that swims. If anyone thinks of Gordon as a purist you'd better consider history.
  15. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oj8RIEQH7zA .....I'd trade the dead starling for the dead parrot in a heartbeat ! .....and tie up some of Don Martinez "Whitcraft", a vintage fly aka the "Macaw Adams".
  16. The idea was a brain fart of mine in the mid 1970's. I tied a few simple ones up that were black and white winged with a splash of red near the throat for gills with a white body. The fly caught a fish on it's very first cast, in Cheesman Canyon I might note.... and that's not a very easy place to fish for most. I named this first fly the "Family Hole Special" but soon found that because of all the variations possible, the name became meaningless . So now I just refer to the fly as "the fly with mono loops". The original I tied had three mono loops and I soon found that two was enough. Today when I tie smaller streamers one loop is enough if it is placed just past the point opposite the hook point, otherwise I mostly tie using two loops. A secret to the loops is to make "hoops" so the wing material maintains it's shape and stays tight to the body. The legs of the mono are tied on the SIDE of the shank. The loop is raised up and the tying thread is built up to help it stand vertically. A drop of your favorite cement helps the loops stay up....they have a tendency to get lazy and lay down. The wing on the fly is tied forward over the eye and then folded back through the loops. To make this an easy operation I take another loop of mono (or your leader) and thread it through he loops from the rear to catch the wing and pull it back. Many years after I was using the technique I noticed that tyers were using a mono loop at the tail of the fly to prevent fouling. An idea close to what I'd come up with but not the same.
  17. From "The Complete Fly Fisherman, The Notes and Letters of Theodore Gordon" Edited by John MacDonald C. 1947. Gordon gives his pattern for the "bumblepuppy": Tag: silver and red silk Tail: Scarlet Ibis, two mated feathers, back to back and quite straight on the hook Butt: Red or yellow chenille; and tried black Ostrich Body: white silk chenille, ribbed flat silver tinsel...must be bright, body full, not thin Hackle: Badger, large,long, and lots of it Wings: Double or single , according to the size of the hook; strips of white swan or goose, over white hair from deer, white bear, or goat Sides: Jungle fowl, low Shoulder hackle: Over-wing, a good Wigeon feather as long as or longer than the badger Head: Red or yellow chenille, or black, plain varnished I think it's been accepted by most guys that follow the history of our sport that the "bumblepuppy " was an on going experiment by Gordon and the fly I posted here on this thread is carrying on this idea. No one has to tie it but to do so makes me feel like I was part of fly fishing. My regular fly fishing box is full of flies I use for my fishing and I know I can count on them to catch me some fish. My design in the pic above is a proven fish taker for me and I'll stand by that with no reserve; and because the fly I tie changes with different materials makes no difference. The fly will catch fish for me ! I'm not the type fisherman to carry 100's of different patterns to the stream for an outing. My fishing boxes are full of the flies I need because I know my local water; but fly tying is also my hobby and I enjoy tying the flies I find from past and present. Some different flies are a challenge and I enjoy the learning experience and the history. It's eye candy.
  18. Some might say there's too much stuff on the hook ;--0. We don't know how it got the name "Canadian Killer" since the fly has it's roots in the States. Anyways.....
  19. History says that Gordon and his fellow fly tyers used too play with his pattern and change it to suit their whims, "the Bumblepuppy" has lots of different interpretations, here is mine. I hope Ted would approve. I think Ted's fly is a cool one and I hope the variations keep going on. Materials for my interpertation: Hook: South Bend Aberdeen Thread: Danville 6/0 white Tip: silver oval tinsel Tail: Dyed red calftail Butt: Buttercup yellow chenille Body: White firestar nylon with 2 14lb. mono loops to keep the wing from fouling Eyes: Jungle cock nails Hackle collar: Pheasent rump feathers and teal Wing: Grey acrylic over white firestar nylon tied forward and pulled through the loops
  20. Inspired by the thread "some old flies"................
  21. I like my fly line tip to float. I don't find any benefit from a sinking floating line tip. When I nymph I use the short line technique and do it without a cheater, bobber, strike indicator. Whatever the circumstances are I will also grease the leader which allows me more visual information as to what's going on with the underwater fly and the closer I can get to the point where the leader enters the water the better my results. English nympher Frank Sawyer used this method, greasing the butt of his leader to use as a tell and detect subtle takes. Fishing dry fly style, a lot of my casts are to the far bank 30-40-50 feet. I need a line that helps me pick the fly up for the next cast. A high floater and a roll pick up will lift my leader and fly clear of the water at a distance and prevent the dry fly being stripped sodden by the fly being dragged underwater by a sunk fly line. Wets and streamers need action, the most responsive twitch from the rod tip will travel best to the fly if the line sits as high as possible all the way to the fly. The perfect floating fly line will sit right on top, that's what the fly line manufacturers have been after ever since the modern floating fly line was marketed. Same goes for me and I will go so far as to say that how it floats is more important to me than the taper of the line. .....and just a thought, the heavier the line the more micro bubbles can be put in the makeup of the line, i.e. a 6 wt vs a 3 wt.
  22. Check out ...https://www.google.com/search?q=Hibbard,+Spencer,+Bartlett+and+Co.+of+Chicago&rlz=1C1GGIE_enUS320US325&es_sm=93&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Qqq0U_3pMcGayASh2oKwCw&ved=0CFUQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=657#imgdii=_ for some history.
  23. The flies looked to be snelled on a blind eye hook....before my time. If it's a mono snell it's prolly after WWII...gut snell and it's prolly early 20th century....anyways, The Red Ibis was a fly that was part of my intro to fly fishing. The Ibis was one of the flies I got that was included in a 50 cent rotary box fly pack. The fly actually inspired me with some "this flies a killer" confidence, to wit, I flogged the water to death with the Ibis and then the Yellow Sally along with a few others from the box and was ignored by even the most recent rainbow stockers in my little home town brook who could have been caught on a bare hook. After several weeks of rejection I figured catching the trout was a little harder than I made it out to be. I could get 'um on a worm or salmon egg. Fortunately one of the local kids my age, who could fish and was catching trout showed me his flies. He showed me a Jassid and a Grizzly hackle fly. He said he tied them himself and that made me get a fly tying kit and some material to tie the flies he showed me. The flies worked ! Hey that's when fly fishing really got to be interesting and a lot of fun. That was a long time ago....thanks for the memory jog. Cool.
  24. Those (American Goldfinch) are good looking little birds. I really like the yellow gold, would make some great material for a pale morning dun in some form or another. ....but, that bird is protected and it's well you went on to work and left the bird be.
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