Rocco

You also should be aware that having flies tied with protected species feathers/furs is in itself illegal. Hard to think of a situation in which you would be caught in such violations but.... It is a shame because owl primary feathers have interlocking fibers that make their flight silent. The feather strands make into unique , fuzzy, and highly mobile, body materials on nymphs and soft hackles.

I have not tried it and probably won't for a few reasons. Euronymphing in its original form uses very long, very light, leaders and very ltwt, flexible rods for a direct line. free drift, 'feel' of the bottom and fish takes and the nymph presentation is close -in -- nearly at boot tops. None of that works for steelhead which will get spooked by invasive wading and would destroy the Euro Nymphing leaders and rods in a heartbeat. Now you can -- and I do with success -- nymph for steelhead but with heavier gear and out at practical casting distances. That entails -- a conventional 6-7wt fly line and tapered leaders with 8-10 lb tippets; a heavily weighted point fly with an unweighted nymph above it; and a sighter -- preferably a @" fluror orange fly line segment threaded through the leader. Use lots of mends to let flies run deep and watch the sighter for a tick in its movement.

Actually, I wrote it.

An Ode To The PM The steelhead come on a rising spate. To holding waters til they mate. Your cast is right, crossing current seams. The line goes tight and the reel screams. On This River in the North. The fight is hard but he comes to hand Silver and bright on the river sand. The light then fails with the setting sun Oh, God, just one more steelhead run. On This River in the North.

Do the trout spit them out?

In my salad days my buddy and I used to bass fish out of a small 12' Sears Game Fisher with a 10 HP motor on a big impoundment, Lake Anna, in VA. We got checked once by the local State Game Commission guy who roared up in his full size Boston Whaler throwing spray all over and nearly capsizing us. He gave us a nasty once over and roared off again repeating his entry act. He was infamous for similar displays and made a lot of enemies. One of them put dynamite under his boat in his driveway and blew it over his roof into his backyard. Folks back then settled out court.

I just found out about Aqua Talon Salmon hooks that offer a strong, mid length, heavier, hook option in small sizes -- #10 and #12. I have been looking for this kind of hook for years/decades as a base for soft hackles and smaller black stoneflies to use on spring run GL steelies and on waters holding bigger trout. Prior to this find, most of the hooks I came across did not stand up well to the wild antics of these fish. They bent easily and did not hold a sharp point long, I bumped into the Aqua Talon hooks by accident on a Youtube video. A long search on the inet led me to the Portland Fly Shop which had them in stock in the sizes I want. Looking forward to tying with and using them.

Its a 280 Rem No 1B -- my first and best. It never missed or needed a second shot on a deer including my best -- a 16 pointer. We'll see which of my two sons gets it out of the box after the funeral. But I'm not going w/o it. The ashes of my best bird dog also will go along.

I have been an avid collector and dabbled in most of the upgrades/accurizing, and custom build options out here. I have sold off most of them -- over 40 at my peak -- and now am down to a few -- one of which goes into the box with me. Anyway, if any of you want to talk about your itch for #1s I'd be glad to do what I can to help you. Just remember that when I was first in the hunt for them the cost was crazy low by today's MSRP.

I recently realized that my stock of hackle wing streamer materials is depleted and the patterns on hand are pretty chewed up and in need of replenishment. Placed a good size order with Feather Emporium and the Whiting capes arrived today. Couldn't be more pleased with the quality of the dyed and natural colors. Looking forward to some quality time at the vise. These streamers are nearly as much fun to tie as to fish.

Mike, They are a lot of fun to fish. Playing big fish on them gives you a definite edge as they bend deep w/o the risks of breakage or pulling hooks. And freeing a snagged hook does not include the risk of hospitalization from the returning missile. Casting is also fun but you have to slow down the stroke like you do with bamboo and let the rod do the work. They are also more durable than graphite. The one downside is that they are heavier than state of the art graphite -- especially in spey rods -- and most modern reels are way to light to balance them. Older Hardy, other classics, and even some ORVIS reels do the job.

Steve, Wow, a 13' glass spey rod! I did not know you made them. What grain weights are available and what blank is used? Glad you re back at your craft too.

I just learned about your siege with health issues and I am very glad you are on the mend. Here's hoping things get back to normal for you and your Mom as fast as possible.

Ease of use, firm hook hold on a full range of hook sizes, and durability are the key qualities I look for. I have experimented a lot with the mid cost range vises and settled on the Peak Rotary. Only minor grumble is it is a little fussy readjusting the gap for different hook sizes but then I usually tie a bunch in one size before moving on. The HMH was also a top choice in terms of a life long commitment. I won't even begin to mention the low end vises I have gone through w/o finding one of any lasting quality. My one jump into high end vises was with the NOR VISE which is a brilliant design but I found the bobbins to be a PIA to load and use and the height was not right for me. .

We have two ORVIS stores within driving distance right in towns nearby but it isn't worth it. The fly fishing department in each is clearly an after thought judging by the space devoted and common, limited, offerings. And the service in one is clueless about the sport and spotty in the other one. FORGET Orvis "Sales" coupms which never apply to FF gear. Now if I wanted them to dress me..... The best non-chain shop is an hour drive away but very well stocked and staffed and near some good waters.

mikemac1, You really should name that bottom pattern Daredevil!

Simple nymph. Green and black deer hair trimmed, over .015 lead wt wound on a size 10 3x hook. Hammers trout too.

Calf tail has been used for divided wings on dries for a long time but not particularly for its floatation but for its easy handling, shape holding, and durability. Deer belly floats but is harder to use in some apps due to its tendency to flare. bulk up at its base, and lose its shape after a few fish. It works best tied in sparse on single wing, flared back. patterns like trudes IMO.

This is good stuff! I bet most of us have found similar excessive costs in the exclusive for fly tying world for materials and tools available much cheaper elsewhere. I'll look into some I've come to rely on and share them here too.

Philly, Your ties hit on an approach I've only been thinking about. The size 4s is larger than I was planning and the hackles a little more generous but they look lethal. Do you fish them on on a single hander or two hander? In slow or fast flows -- I'm assuming they are for river smallies. They might even work for steelhead --although the temptation would be to add JC eyes and a little flash. Pls let us know how they do for you on your trip and best of luck. Rocco e

Caddis pupa bodies!

Tell the truth! Did you use an air gun?

Border Terrier hair? Mine, named Murdo, is need of a coat stripping ....

Aside from early junk vises, I have tried and liked a Regal which I wore out over time; an HMH Spartan which was very good and robust; and a Nor-Vise. The progression has been towards a rotary function and a full range of jaw sizes/types. The Nor-Vise filled all those needs but the fussiness of the spool filling and use became a pain. I duck really high dollar gear and am now using a Peak with all the trimmings. I like it fine but find that changing hook sizes in the jaws requires more fiddling for a tight grip than I like.