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JoeBillingsley

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Everything posted by JoeBillingsley

  1. .....and any natural hair wings, like deer, elk, etc., or any natural materials. Makes them look like new.
  2. Very much agree. Even though I mention saving money by utilizing the materials you have on hand and not buying the newest stuff because most of it is probably very similar or the exact same as what you already have, I don't practice what I preach. Living in Fort Worth, I'm a long way from fishing in small mountain streams for trout. Tying has always transported me to the places where I'd rather be but can't get there very often and I can picture using a fly I'm tying on a particular spot on a stream. I also still get excited when an order I placed comes in and to see if the new "different" materials I purchased really are different. It's hard to place a $ value on that, and, if you could, it would still be worth it. Joe
  3. When I first started tying I would see a recipe using a certain type or brand of dubbing or flash material or feather that "had to be used" to get the proper action for the particular fly and I would send off for it, only to find out it was the same as what I already had only with a different name. The cost would add up pretty quickly falling for this. Joe
  4. I can't see that a vertical eye would close the gap any more than a down-turned eye. On very small curved-shanked hooks I, like most people, use a straight or up-turned eye hook (TMC #2488 or #206 vs. #2487, for example) and that opens the gap fractionally and I can see that a vertical eye on tiny hooks would keep that gap slightly more closed like a down-turned eye. But, as Crackaig said, if you use a tightly cinched knot you can orient the fly in any direction you want with any eye. Except on small flies, I can't see the advantage or disadvantage of the vertical eye. Enlighten me, please. Joe
  5. I am not a great fan of dubbing wax, probably because I'm not very good at applying it properly, but I do like using the touch dubbing technique with it to apply certain kinds of dubbing to the thread before twisting it on since I saw it done in a book many years ago. I can make a much tighter and more evenly tapered body doing it that way than by just teasing out the dubbing and twisting it on the thread. It doesn't work well with all types dubbing, though. Joe
  6. I wore a vest for years. My shoulders would hurt so bad at the end of the day I switched to a waist pack. I've now gone back to a vest because I missed the convenience of not having to dig through the pack to find what I wanted. Also, I bought the Umpqua Swiftwater Tech vest that has a belt attached to it and it takes a lot of the weight off my shoulders. Joe
  7. Lime Trude. I don't know why it works so well or what the fish like about it so much, but it works. Second choice would be a smallish (#16) Stimulator. Joe
  8. I bought a couple in both the large and small sizes a few months ago. I like them. They are very well made and the silicone is much harder and denser than foam, that's for sure. The magnetic closures are strong. The holes/slits are staggered on every other row which I like, too. They are on the heavy side, though. Joe
  9. Yes, it can and does. Even with floatant. Here is the description of Jim Cannon's great Snowshoe Dun from The Blue Quill Angler website, which Mr. Cannon owns with Pat Dorsey: "The inherent properties of snowshoe rabbits feet make it the perfect material for dry fly wings. The fibers are very kinky which trap air and make it float extremely well. **Use only powdered type dry fly floatant on these flies. The liquid will matte the fibers and make the flies sink.** Again, I don't know if this was written before Dry Magic came on the market and if it doesn't stick snowshoe rabbit fibers together. Joe
  10. Here is Charlie Craven's description on his website for restoring CDC flies in his tutorial for the CDC Comparadun. I think this was written before Dry Magic (and his FlyFisherman article that NohackleHS noted) came out. "One thing to keep in mind when fishing this, or any other CDC pattern, is to use Frog's Fanny dessicant to treat the pattern both before and during fishing. Once you've caught a fish, be sure to RINSE THE FLY OFF IN THE WATER to eliminate the fish slime, dab it dry on your shirtsleeve and dust with Frog's Fanny. This has been the best process I've found for keeping the CDC wing in good shape and floating high." I know a few famous tiers used to say that they loved the look, properties, and effectiveness of CDC, but on dry flies they were mostly one-fish flies. Their opinions could have changed now since the newer floatants that don't ruin CDC have come on the market. Joe
  11. I have the same problem tying Stayner's Ducktails. I've tried holding the feathers over steam and it straightens the stems a little, but not much. I have no answer. I wish I did. Joe
  12. As I said in an earlier post, Kevin Compton at Performance Flies has them. I talked to him about 7 weeks ago about being out of a couple of colors and lots of sizes and he said he had just placed an order and should get them in in about 10 days. He still hasn't gotten any, I guess, because they still aren't on the website. I would use either medium or large for a #14, depending on how segmented and fat you want the nymph. It's great stuff. Joe
  13. I agree with Jaydub. Do you mean those eyelets that had "barbs" on them that went into the center of the fly line? I, too, used them when I first started fly fishing as a kid many years ago. I remember they rusted really fast. They are probably better now but I still wouldn't use them. Joe
  14. I have the G3's and they are terrific. I added both the Simms' HardBite and AlumiBite cleats to their rubber soles (according to the recommendation of the placement of them. Mine are a couple of years old and I don't know what name they are calling their rubber soles now) and I believe they have as good if not better traction than felt with cleats. Joe
  15. Very informative site. Thank you. I have emailed several fly shops in the area and have only heard back from one. He said "mayflies, caddis, midges, etc., will work." I want a little more detailed information. He said it was too difficult to give patterns and sizes in an email. Huh? I completely understand they want me to come in their shop and buy their stuff and I will, but I've requested information from shops and even guides before from other places and usually they are more than happy to help. Joe
  16. Kimo, Thanks for the link for those nippers. I've been looking for some since seeing them being used by a guy on the InTheRiffle YouTube channel. Joe
  17. I'll be camping at the Blue Mountain Campground just south of Lake George in Colorado the first week of August. I've never fished this area and about all I know is the South Platte and Elevenmile Canyon is nearby. Any help on hatches, flies, other streams in the area, helpful websites, etc., would be greatly appreciated. Also - was this area hurt by the fires around Colorado Springs from a couple of years ago? Thanks in advance. Joe
  18. Oliver Edwards wraps his thread towards himself AND is left handed and he's been pretty good for a long time, so..... Joe
  19. If the materials in the flies that get crushed and misshapen are natural materials, then holding them over steam will bring them back to original condition in seconds. It's fun to hold, say, a deer hair fly that is crushed and the hair going in all directions in the steam (with forceps or tweezers - not fingers. Don't ask how I know this. Steam is hot!) and see it immediately return to its original shape. Synthetic materials will not, however. Joe
  20. I use individual compartment boxes for bushy dries and slit foam for everything else. I just bought a couple of the new Tacky boxes with silicone instead of foam that's not supposed to tear up like foam. So far they are great. But, they are heavy. Joe
  21. I think the Bird's Nest is an extremely underrated and under used fly. It works and I believe its messy appearance contributes to its effectiveness. . Tying it with D-Rib as a body material might "clean" it up and make it less effective. Joe
  22. A couple of years ago I traded emails with him about his Easy Peasy USD Mayfly. Very nice man and extremely helpful. I don't know if he is still available. Larger sizes could certainly help. I tied a couple last night in #18's but, as Bruce said, once the body broke the surface tension there wasn't enough CDC on the little fly to float the ends. I added a little tungsten thread in the middle of the fly to get it properly oriented when it would land on the water but that didn't help either. Poly yarn might help and I know a larger fly would make tying easier...... Joe
  23. Tremendous pictures, Silver and Piker (sorry, Piker. I forgot that you started the thread with the pictures so I went back and edited this). Looking at Roy's simplified version, do you think an up-turned hook eye might be even better? I know Roy is big on sinking the tippet below the surface and just that minute angle difference could help it stay off the surface. Joe
  24. Barr recommends using UTC thread that will lie on the hook flatter and smoother if it is spun and flattened out. I'm sure any floss-like thread will work. I have tied a few recently with several strands of dark colored Krystal Flash running along the back of the abdomen and securing it with every fourth wrap of wire, like Morrish's Iron Sally, and then covering it lightly with UV resin or head cement. I have no idea if it will be any more or less effective than the original, but it looks really good in the fly box. Joe
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