EricF

I noticed pond skaters were added, and I've often wondered for both them and whirligig beetles (who are also cool) why fish don't seem to eat them and why imitations of them are not tied. Does anybody know if they taste bad? Have defensive smells? I have to admit, I've never tried one, but then it is a separate question as to the similarities between my gustatory preferences and a trouts...

Re: finding old Herters shell holders - that is what I like about Maine. Finding these old gun shops in the middle of nowhere, asking if they have any, and then, sometimes they'll get a funny look on their face, go to a back drawer, dig around and voila - out comes a Herter's shell holder. Always a good conversation starter.

Love hunting - used to do more reloading. On my list this winter is to build a new reloading bench next to my fly tying bench. I have my dad's old Herter's press ... probably as old as I am. It is a pain to find shell holders for, but I do love the thing.

http://www.fullwingburners.com/cart/ Here is a link to some patterns to print. I've seen others as well, but I can't lay my hands on them ...

I had a hernia surgery awhile back. It hurts - you won't want to get back on the river until it is healed and you won't want to do anything to make it happen again. Patience now means lots of fishing later.

Thanks guys, excellent ideas - these will keep me busy. -E

Hey Guys and Gals – sorry for the long post, but… I got this bud – he is a REALLY good bud. The kind of guy who, when I was going through my horrible divorce, handed me the keys to his camp and said, “Here, you’ll need this”. This is his camp just an hour away from Grand Lake Stream. Really nice guy. And, I’ve done my best to be a good bud back – including keeping him supplied with flies. Anyway, he’s a Mainer through and through, although he didn’t take up fly fishing until he was in the military posted out west. Since he’s returned, he’s gotten a real kick learning about Maine’s history in fly fishing and flies. He grew up in a lot of the areas where he thinks he knew the families of some of these folks. So, we talked about it, and I’m going to tie up a presentation box for his camp with a lot of the flies from tiers from Maine. As you know, Maine has a rich history with Carrie Stevens and the salmon streamers. So, I’m thinking Carrie Stevens/Grey Ghost; Chief Neebedah (sp?); J Herbert Sanborn/9-3; AW Ballou/Ballou special; Joseph Stickney/Wardens Worry; Bill Edson/Edson Tiger; Geo Baughman/Barred Lady; Letourneau/Ligget Special; Joe Henderson/Nimrod Special; Eddie Rief/Rip Smelt; Joe Sterling/Woods Special. But I’d also like to include some flies that aren’t streamers. And there, I’m having a harder time with some ideas. I’m interested in bass, dries, nymphs, saltwater. Some of the ideas I have so far include: Peter Sang/Sang’s Frog, Bob Mallard/Killer Emerger; Dave Pecci/Obsession Green Crab… I’d love to have a pattern from Dan Legere – my bud and I used to work one of the sportsman’s shows together and we were always across the aisle from him…. Something from Ian Cameron would be nice too. And Selene Dumaine … who I can ask as I semi-know her. ANYWAY, who am I forgetting (and, to be honest, I didn’t ‘remember’ any of these – they are mostly from my library!). Rules are has to be a fly they designed, preferably not one just modified from an old pattern. Has to be a reasonably well known fly tier or guide – meaning, not some schmoe like me who just ties for himself in the evenings. Living or dead is fine. Thoughts? Go to it! Thanks - Eric

My daughter and I took a road trip to Columbia SC this last week (from Maine). Besides being a blast, we stopped at the Columbia Zoo - which my daughter loved (she is 10). I have to admit, tho, while I know almost all of it is illegal, I couldn't stop thinking about all that fly tying material! anyway, very nice pix.

Very cool and thoughtful.

Crane flies, dobsonflies/Hellgramites, and Giant Water Bugs (aka toebiters) might be good additions (and they are fun to tie and fish).

I gotta admit, they don't catch the biggest fish, but I LOVE damselfly imitations. When the bass are going for the adults it is hellacious topwater action. I've settled on a really simple imitation - dubbed body, maybe some hackle, long strip of foam for thorax and abdomen, and then some long hackle tips for wings - I don't even bother tying them splayed. Plop it down where the adults are and BOOM. What a hoot.

OK, rather than rely on my memory, I grabbed the book - An Angler's Guide to Trout Fishing in Massachusetts by the Mass/RI Council of TU. 1988 Excellent book, I highly recommend it. Here's their "Formerly Secret Dyeing Formula for the Mummichog Muddler" (basically a olive dyed muddler minnow). 2 Q water (they say water from one of the South Cape (Cod) streams is advisable, altho I don't know if it is worth heading over from the UK to get some) 2 T each of Rit liquid #41 (olive-green), #1 (yellow) and #20 (cocoa-brown). Bring to boil, turn down to medium-low (180 F) simmer deer body hair on skin for 6 to 7 minutes. Rinse in warm water to rinse out excess dye. Rinse in cold water to set dye." Unfortunately, the stars have never aligned for me and sea run browns. On my bucket list. eric

Here it is - AK Best. Dyeing and Bleaching Natural Fly-Tying Materials. It is a good straightforward book.

Agreed re: fun. What I like about it is being able to dye multiple materials to the same shade so they match well on a fly. My recollection is that John Gierach ... or his buddy who tied flies ... god I'm getting old. He wrote a good book on dyeing materials - using Ritt, if I'm not mistaken.... There was even a book from Mass TU that gave some recipes for the proper shade of olive for going after sea-run browns on the cape.

I have to admit, given all the stuff I have, which is reasonably organized, it is too much to take the effort to list. So I went the other way - when I want to tie a fly and I don't have any particular material, I write it down in a little memo book - that way I keep track of what I need, not what I have. then the question is whether or not I remember to bring the little memo book to the fly shop....

I don't know whether it was growing up in Kansas or what, but I kind of like the smell of dead skunk in the middle of the road. Sort of has that same homey smell of chicken soup.... That said, the Charlie Brooks cased caddis fly is quite nice - I use it a lot and there is also a description of it in that book, "flies for trout" - you know, that series that came out maybe 10 or 15 years ago - flies for trout, flies for bass, etc.

Very much agreed. When my daughter was an infant she used to sleep next to me while tying. When she got older I would tie for 15 to 20 minutes after she went to sleep (recognizing that when she was asleep and I was not, as my ex-wife would say, "she's gaining on us"). Now, she and I tie together. We have more flies than we know what to do with (if that can truly happen) and we enjoy it when we do have time to wet a line.

Not so much now, but later in the season, when bass are feeding on damselfly adults - that is a hoot. Find a spot where they are feeding on them, toss an adult imitation out there and watch them explode. The fly is simple, furled synthetic hair, small deer hair body, white hackle tip wings and hackle legs. Or I also do just a foam adult body/tail, dubbing thorax and hackle tip wings.

I gotta say my best panfish flies are those that twist. Throw it out there and the movement drives the fish nuts. Pain in the rear w/ the leader, but fun.

Right - I remember the guy who sold me the danvice made a point of having me watch the DVD that came with it - keeping the jaws from flaring is dependent on proper adjustment of the jaws before cranking them down. Especially if you are doing stuff like saltwater flies.

I'd wait for other folks with more vice experience than I to respond, but I just got one and I love it. That said, I'm a cheapskate and I tied with a Thompson A vice for ... 15 or so years. Here is a set of reviews on vices: http://www.flyfishohio.com/Vise%20Review%201/so_many_vises_$50-$100.htm I guess what I'm not sure about is if a beginner should start on a rotary. but like i said, I'll let others comment on that.

I'm kind of fond of UKFlyDressing - they have a nice pile of step by steps. http://ukflydressing.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=sbs&action=display&thread=381 I don't participate in the forum or anything, just use them as a reference.

Nice - I like the electric fan as a desk cleaning device. Turn it on and mess gone!

On the last pic - the tool caddy - looks like some bone or antler handled tools? What are they? They look nice.

While not a fly shop, American Science Surplus has all sorts of whacky stuff that you can use for fly tying and fishing for dirt cheap, including craft wire, hook boxes, pill boxes, hemostats. They copy writing is brilliant and you can also pick up such treasures as fossilized dinosaur poop and brass sextants (for a REALLY long float tube outing?). www.sciplus.com/