TheCream

On 9/5/2020 at 4:49 PM, knotjoe said:

The longish chamois looking strip on the tail probably doesn't hurt, either, if that is indeed what the material is.  When wet, it has a texture and action like none other.

Pretty much, it's Fly Suede from Pat Cohen. What I really like about it is that it moves and wriggles really well but is also sort of neutrally buoyant in the water. At rest, it doesn't just sag/flop down.

On 9/4/2020 at 11:01 AM, DFoster said:

Nice flies and vise!  That looks like the Orvis edition HMH Standard?

Yes, it's an old Orvis Edition Spartan. I've had it for a long time, I'm not even sure if they do those green Orvis models anymore. 

30 minutes ago, DOUG STOUT said:

There are occasions when I see a fly and think, "Now THAT design will catch fish for sure",  this is one of those.  Very VERY nice concept and design.  Congrats!   

It's a crappie killer. 

The guts make it work.

1 hour ago, McFlyLures said:

Which cutter do you use for the rigged tail on that dragonfly nymph?  
 

also what is that latex sheets?  Where do you get that stuff if you don’t mind me asking? 

It's Jonathan Kiley's stuff. The sheets are what he calls Exo Skin. The dragonfly bodies are pre-cut when you buy them, and he actually calls them Damzel Tails. They look more like dragonfly than damsel fly bodies to me. Look up Flyskinz, that's his company. 

This is how I do the single strand guards on the small crappie streamers. They will still get hung off and on, but most of the time they come out unscathed. 

Deer hair popper trimmed slim and slender, more like a Crease fly.

Playing with split case materials. I like this combo. Yellow uni stretch over yellow Veevus holotinsel, topped with Loon thin.

My favorite is none. I don't like them. 

But when I do use them, it's usually on small streamers I intend to put into brush piles for crappies and such. In those situations, usually a single strand of 20lb mono cut just short enough it can't tick the hook point works well. 

1 hour ago, Kimo said:

Nice Jeff.
How do like the MGC platform?
I'm still playing if you can't tell.
The olive/orange combo has been killer on the smallies.

Kimo

That was my first MGC, so can't say much at this point. Pretty simple tie the way I did it. I'll do a few and fish them, then I'll probably have a more solid opinion. 

My little piece of foam is filling up. All tied for the upcoming weekend in Eastern TN. 

I don't. I lose some, cost of doing business on the bottom. Paying the tax. One bit of advice I didn't see here, if you do fish without a weed guard and fish rocky areas, invest in a small hook file. Hook it to your pack on a zinger and keep it handy. Check your hook point often. A few "half snags" and I typically find a damaged hook point. A few quick passes on a notched hook file and you're good as new. 

A couple of styles of split case sulfurs.

Harrop's short wing emerger.

2 hours ago, Mogup said:

Nice flies Cream !  How old is that HMH vise ?  When I was just a lad I belonged to a local tying club and a fellow

there who was a good guy and tyer had an HMH vise which I coveted but I had to settle for my knock off Thompson A.

I don't know exactly when I bought it. I'd ballpark it at roughly 10 years. It's the Orvis Edition Spartan. My only semi-local shop is an Orvis dealer and I got it through them.

I've been padding the nymph box lately.

Egan's GTI Caddis

Fly Fish Food Slick Willie Caddis

And a freestyle jig nymph with a little pink thrown in.

42 minutes ago, Poopdeck said:

Cream, this has become my go to crayfish pattern so thanks for sharing it. I still can't hot tip the zonkers and gave up trying in a cuss filled fit of rage. I have fished many crayfish patterns and this one is worth the effort. I tend to lose a few everytime but that's part of the game. It's a great pattern and relatively quick to tie if you build the "chassis" first, as you pointed out. 

If you clamp the strip in the vise, the trick is starting those fist thread wraps as close to the vise jaws as you can. It stiffens the strip up fast with just a few wraps of thread, then add the tips.

And yes, cost of doing business on the bottom. Gotta pay the tax. 

1 hour ago, TSMcDougald said:

What is the recipe for the crayfish? They look really good!

I lost two of these on Saturday, so replaced +1.