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bowfin47

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Everything posted by bowfin47

  1. This is why I quite the Mystery Box after loading it up with bags of wood duck and teal feathers (enough for everyone on the list at that time), only to have them all taken by a single individual.
  2. New Orleans has a Federation of Fly Fishers affiliated club, The New Orleans Fly Fishers (NOFF): http://noflyfisher.blogspot.com/ Established in 1984, this club has a number of excellent fly fishers, casting instructors, and tyers. If you joined them, I'm sure that in a short time you'd learn a tremendous amount about local flies, techniques, and locations... Heck, it'd be worth the price of joining just to pick up the cooking tips that you'll receive! HA! Bowfin47
  3. Kirk, While I haven't tried to use them, the "Instructables" website has a bunch of easy to follow tutorials on rebuilding cordless tool battery pack & chargers, cording cordless tools, and other "adaptations" for cordless tools. Just go to: Instructables.com and search for: "cordless tool batteries" I think you'll enjoy the tutorials. Enjoy! Kyle
  4. A few times in the last 30 years, a couple of my bobbin tubes have become grooved... all while tying with Kevlar thread (which I no longer tie with). All in all, as the bobbin tubes are not that hard, I was able to "polish" out the grooves with a small piece of emery paper. It found it to be a simple and effective solution, and it only took a few minutes.
  5. If you can get your hands on a Streamer Fly Fishing in Fresh and Salt Water (1950)by Col. Joseph D. Bates, you will find that Col. Bates was an advocate of bucktails and that he was responsible (as I remember) for the addition of bead chain to bucktails in order to add more weight and to give a more "jiggy" action. Col. Bates also stated that the addition of the beadchain was not a large enough change in the classic fly for him to add his name to the fly or to otherwise change the fly's name. In the early '80s the FFF Southern Council's tyers were all tying bucktails with larger and larger bead chain. We were all purchasing brass and stainless bead chain in large quantities and complaining that we still needed "more weight." In the mid-80's Tom Schmuecker of Waspi Flies, http://www.wapsifly.com/index.html, designed and manufactured the first lead "dumbbell " eyes to be used to replace the beadchain on our bucktail streamers. These lead eyes were immediately adopted by tyers across the South and much of the rest of the country. At that time, many of those tyers thought that these patterns should be named after Mr. Schmuecker. Several YEARS later, Lefty Kreh wrote an article for Fly Fisherman magazine which touted his long time friend, guide and tyer, Bob Clouser as the originator of the lead-eyed bucktail streamer, i.e. "Clousers". When the issue arrived at my friend Bill's house and he saw this "new pattern", Bill walked over to his bench and asked me how-the-hell could be a "new" pattern when, as he showed me, he had three boxes full of the lead-eyed bucktails - exactly like those in the article, many well fished, on the very day that the article that introduced "Clousers" to the world arrived in his mailbox! A number of years later, I had the opportunity to ask Lefty (in private) why he named this already "well-known and utilized pattern" after Mr. Clouser, and Lefty smiled his little impish smile and said, "I take care of my friends." So in the end, as a tyer, understand that it is NOT important to most folks whether you are the originator of a pattern or not, what seems to matter is who gets it out in print FIRST... I know I've had several original patterns "claimed" by others, including one individual (who we'll just call Mr. Smith)who wrote on his club's web site that he "learned this pattern from a guy that taught it to him at a Southern Council Conclave" and that the pattern worked so well for him that he "renamed after himself!" Yeah... Ya' just can't make this stuff up!
  6. My OH My, Mr Sensitive! As another tyer of well over 30 years and a "materials hound", of course I understand that some animal parts will have an "off" odor, including many (but not all) bucktails, whether you personally harvested/processed or ya' purchased them. But all bucktails don't stink! I have a fair number of bucktails and a whole bunch of other animal pieces and parts that I have harvested/processed that have very little, if any odor. Often it depends upon the time that you wish to spend and the care that you take in processing your items. BUT when you have things that just STINK, you should probably toss 'em. That is NOT rocket science(nor an attack on anyone's collection/housekeeping). I've done that with bucktails, turkey wings, pheasant and other wings/tails, whole rooster hides, and a few duck skins. Most were gifts from tying friends, and all of those "malodorous" items were NOT fully processed. Therefore, the flesh was rotting/stinking. Plus IMHO, ya' can put these poorly processed items in with any "sweet smelling stuff" that you like, but they are rarely worth the trouble and possible risk. Bowfin47
  7. A number of years ago, while looking for a place to use my shorthair and hunt woodcock, I was traveling down a road that was just posted every 100 ft. or so on both sides with posted signs for several miles. This private land paralleled a Public Wildlife Management Area, and therefore was seen by many as an impediment to reaching the public land. When I reach the house of the landowner, I pulled in, knocked on the door, and hat in hand, politely asked if I could take my dog to hunt a small bottom that was within sight of the house. The landowner scowled and loudly stated that in the previous 30 years that he had chased hundreds of folks off his land. He told me that his fences and gates broken were regularly down every year, his property trashed, his had been trees cut, his cattle released onto the road and killed, his cattle had been shot, and he had guns pointed at him. He said that he'd often had to call the sheriff, as many of these "sportsmen" were so belligerent. He then smiled and told me that in all that time, I was the first person to ever stop and ask him for permission to hunt his land. He told me then told me which sections of his property held the most woodcock and gave me permission to hunt his property anytime... As long as I checked with him first, didn't hunt in the pastures containing his cattle, and closed his gates...
  8. Ya' did the right thing... Everyone needs to remember that you have animal parts that are malodorous, then they are not cured/dried completely, and the offending odors are from flesh that is rotting/spoiling. No matter how ya' try to cover up such odors, these materials are very prone to attract "little beasties" that will be quite appreciative of your other stored "animal parts." In the end, no matter where the malodorous parts came from/cost, they are not worth keeping...
  9. I've always been astonished by those people who request advice, but then when folks take the time to respond with excellent wisdom, the requester doesn't follow up. So...Although I am far too slow in responding, thank you all for the excellent advice, especially Bill. Now, after listening to Bill (and also to Al's comments above), I have now ordered: the Neewer's Macro Ring LED light; a set of Zykkor macro tubes - I found less expensive ones but the Zykkor's did not seem to have as many negative reviews - I hope they're o.k.; a wireless remote shutter release, and David Busch's Compact Field Guide for the Nikon D3000. Later, I'll pick up some CPL filters, as the inexpensive ones that I saw on Amazon had poor ratings... Currently, I'm borrowing a tripod, until I can find one... Any ideas? Some of my new "stuff" is in hand, while other orders are on their way. After having tyed at FFF conclaves and shows for some 25+ years, I have amassed a great collection of flies that other tyers have given to me - Many of these patterns are fabulous! If I can get this photography stuff down, I'll post some of these flies for everyone. Thanks again for the assistance! Kyle
  10. I was never pleased with the macro shots of my flies or tying shots that this non-photographer was able to take with any of my point and shoots, so I finally bought a SLR. It arrived this week, and I know NOTHING... or at least very little. I do know to build a light box with daylight lights, a tripod, that neat little trick about the crumpled foil under the fly, and to use correct backgrounds. In addition, I believe that I understand light balance and the need to shoot raw. I've already been to the Nikon web site and drooled all over my shoes looking at the macro lens that I'll never buy ($300 - 2 Grand). So, how about a little advice on relatively inexpensive macro set up for my entry level Nikon? By the way, as I am as near-sighted as an armadillo, I'd like to be able to shoot on auto as much as possible. Thanks in advance for suggestions. Kyle P.S. Yes, I do realize that when Kirk D. and I were discussing flies earlier this month at Red Stick Day, I should have picked his brain on this subject! AUGGHHH!
  11. Mark's right! Everyone should occasionally clean and lubricate your vise. You'll be surprised how dirty they can get over the years.
  12. Let's see 22 years ago would be about 1990... Sorry Peter, but Ms. Hanson's nail polish had already become an established product in the fly tying world long before then. When I started tying in the early 80's, Sally's was already being promoted by many tyers for all of the reasons stated by Bob and JSzymczyk... And Perchjerker must be closer to my age, because as a late as thirty years ago, lacquer was the choice of the "ol' timers". Just look in any of the old books by Helen Shaw or many other great tyers from the 1940's-1970's.
  13. What's old is new again.. I saw that fly tied in Arkansas in 1984... It worked then and I'm sure that it'll still work.
  14. My 17 year old daughter in south Louisiana received a feather weaving kit today as a "gag" gift... In my book, that is pretty much a declaration that it's over...
  15. The fly tying forum at the Washington Fly Fishing site has been inaccessible to me for two days now . I saw a note about a software upgrade. Apparently they have encountered significant problems. Or is it just me? Ron, No it appears to be down. Kyle
  16. Ray, I've only been to North Toledo Bend Rendezvous for almost every year since we started it about 23 years ago... Kyle a.k.a. Bowfin47
  17. I've been tying for 30 years and know a lot of the best hair men (and women) in the Midwest or Southern US, and to a person they ALL use tanned deer hide strip or patches. For instance, you won't find Billy Munn, Royce Dam, Chris Helms, Bill Sargent, Diane Blair, or any other top deer hair tyer with rawhide in their kit... We all go through the stage of attempting the utilization of rawhide patches, but those who stick with tying deer hair find that working t=with the rawhide chunks is not worth it... IMHO.
  18. Royce Dam and Billy Munn... these two taught many of those whom y'all are praising.
  19. Looks like long-bladed Ice, Cactus, or Chrystal Chenille... Each brand is a little different, so pick the one that YOU like!
  20. Lefty is 87 and goin' strong! For those of ya' going to Rich's show, do yourself an favor and bring a copy or two of one of the books from your library that Lefty has authored. He's great about signing 'em for ya! A few years ago Lefty gave my then 16 year old a casting lesson and then signed a book from my library to my son. It is one of my son's favorite possessions... If it wasn't soooo far from south Louisiana, I be there with Rich and Lefty! Y'all have fun! Bowfin47 PS While you're there, get Rich to show you his Shannon Streamer and Wonder Worm!! Those flies alone are worth whatever effort it takes for ya' to go to this show!
  21. Invasive/Transplanted Species: Black and Brown Rats (i.e. from early settlement/shipping); Nutria (i.e. brought in by a individual who thought they'd be good to have in south Louisiana); wild pigs (i.e. just ask you local farmers how happy they are with these "new" residents establishing a new equilibrium on their farms/ranches); Starlings (i.e. introduced into NY's Central park by folks who wanted to be able to hear all the birds listed in Shakespeare's plays); Common Salvinia, Giant Salvinia, and Hydrilla (i.e. from the aquarium trade); Didymo (i.e. rock snot); Alligator Weed; Water Hyacinths (i.e. who's seeds were given out at a world's fair), Kudzu and Johnson Grass(i.e. introduced as cattle feed); Chinese tallow and pepper trees (i.e. ornamentals promoted by nurseries); Apple Snails (i.e. Walmart just recently quite selling these to aquarium owners!); Zebra mussels; Boa constrictors - multiple species(i.e. still being sold across the country); walking catfish (i.e. another gift from the aquarium trade); lampreys; snakeheads (i.e. some orientals thought that these would be nice to have locally); Rio Grand Cichlids (i.e. in New Orleans this introduction was traced to two pet stores/tropical fish shops); Lion fish (i.e. thanks again aquarium trade!); multiple Asian AND European carp species (i.e. fish farms sold/sell these to pond owners across the US); gypsy moths; Mediterranean fruit flies, brown widow spiders; Mexican boll weevils, Formosan termites; Asian Prawns (i.e. currently showing up in shrimpers' nets in the Gulf); Australian Spotted Jelly; Asian Tiger Mosquitoes (i.e. came into the Port of Houston in a shipment of used tires imported from Taiwan); red fire ant, big head ant, and crazy ants; and bed bugs (i.e. originality brought in with European settlers, eliminated from the US after WWII, and reintroduced from the middle east into NY in the mid-90's)... Do I need to go on? Eye of the Beholder??? Please enlighten me as to which of the above were only bad in the "eye of the beholder"? Yep, "There's a huge difference between an invasive species and a transplanted species."... I wonder if you'll have that same opinion when: your local lake is destroyed by Giant Salvinia (i.e. the lake where I grew up fly fishing is no longer fishable due to Giant Salvinia!), your local river teems with silver carp or is coated with Didymo, or you wake up with bed bugs... 'cuz they're ALL coming to you, real soon... I live in Louisiana where in the last 100 years, we've lost as much land as the entire State of Delaware! One of the factors in this land loss is this the nutria. Yes, nutria have reached an equilibrium... that is to say that after 100 years, they still eat the hell out of marsh grasses thus still contributing to the continued erosion of those same marshes... Oh, and we're so happy down here that so many idiots just keep taking it upon themselves to keep releasing more and more exotic fish, plants, and insects into their ecosystems across the US... so that these species can come down here... Yes, I remember when we were told that the White Amur wouldn't make down here from Missouri, Kentucky, Ohio and other points north in the Mississippi drainage system and that even if they did, these introduced fish would NEVER be able to successfully breed. HA! Gee thanks a lot! Oh, and we really don't care to hear about your triploid fish, now that your fertile White Amur are already here feeding on our marsh vegetation (see above) in vast numbers! http://is.cbr.tulane.edu/ It is nice to know that YOU have "sixth sense" about these things. I guess the rest of us can all relax! Bowfin47 PS I recently saw a report that it is estimated by some wildlife biologists that within a very few years there will no longer be any large mammals left in the Everglades due to the introduction of Boa Constrictors... starting with elimination of the white tail deer, the wild pigs, the raccoons, opossums, bob cats, and perhaps even all the squirrels and rats (both native and exotic)... Now, won't that be nice a nice equilibrium? PSS I'm no wild-eyed tree hunger... Those who know me well tell have been telling me for over 30 years, that on the political spectrum, that I'm far to the right of Attilla the Hun!
  22. I've had 3 Ott lights, one "grew feet" at large tying event, my daughter took one to college, and the "10,000 hour bulb" in the third only lasted a fraction of that time. After the "promise of 10,000 hours", I was no longer a happy Ott customer, after all Ott wanted $25+ for a replacement bulb and a the time, the best price on the web for a replacement bulb was $17 + shipping, which IMHO was far too much for a 13 watt bulb. So, the Ott went to the garage "junk' shelf. However, just to posting this, I did a quick Google search, which revealed an Ott 13 watt bulb for $10, including shipping at Amazon... So I guess, I'll be resurrecting my last Ott light real soon.
  23. When purchasing items on the web, I still like to first use local shops and small suppliers. Support your local shops first, then your favorite non-local shops. For tungsten beads, I've always been very pleased with the wide variety of colors and sizes, i.e 13 colors in 7 sizes, and the great prices at Jimmy Traylor's Wishes and Fishes Fly Shop in Bull Shoals, Arkansas, 870-445-3848: http://flyfisharkansas.com/flyshop/?p=439 or http://flyfisharkansas.com/flyshop/?paged=2 I just copied this from his web site: "Special price on Natural Color Tungsten beads $3.00 per package of 25 up to 1/8 and $3.50 for the 5/32 and $4.50 for the 3/16 size. All other colors $4.00 per package of 25 and $4.75 for the 5/32 and $4.50 for the 3/16 size. Click on the Tungsten Bead page for pictures of all the colors.... Brass Beads in Black, Gold, Copper & Silver are now available in 100 count packs and 25 count packs. 25 count packages $1.75 and the 100 count packages are $5.50." When ordering from Jimmy, I almost always pick up some flies, hooks or other items, at usually at great prices/quality. Even though Jim's shop is 500 miles from my house, I still consider it one of my "local" shops. By the way, Jimmy is a excellent guide for the White and Norfork Rivers in Arkansas, and he's good guy! Bowfin47
  24. Because vises, like shotguns are a very personal items, do everything that Don advised and then go to an FFF EXPO/Fly Fair or FFF club show and look at the wide variety of vises that the invited tyers (not the "big names" but the regular tyers) are using... discuss their likes and dislikes... and you'll quickly figure out which vises are of interest to you. By watching them tie on their various vises and by listening to to the opinions of all those tying folks about their vises, you'll learn a lot more than ya' can in any article. You'll also find that most of those folks have owned a series of vises, and I'll bet that you find that a number of these folks have a older vise or two that they may part with to a new tyer for a more than reasonable fee...
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