AK Skim

The Winter 2013 edition of Fly Tyer magazine featured article by Al & Gretchen Beatty. One of many great tips they provided was the use of soft hackle There are TIPS and then there are GREAT TYING TIPS !!! This is one of them in my book. Thanks Gretchen and Al for very nice and useful article.

That is the best part about tying, you can do as you please, rules or "No Rules." The Ray Bergman Collection - Hatches Magazine.

Bergman inspired

I did not know that. Good point.

You can legally purchase real seal dubbing in Canada, just don't get caught bring it across the boarder. Same with Cuban cigars. You try and get caught, a mistake you wish you never made.

I agree. My tying room has one window, that the blind is always closed, and I can grow mushrooms in there. I have an overhead ceiling light that I only turn on when cleaning the place, a desk lamp on my computer table, a lamp on the tying station, and two small lamps shinning down on my book cases. As I stated, I can grow mushrooms in there.

FT15, I have seen a lot of Royal Wulffs in my time, but yours just jumps out at ya... Very nice tie.

Outstanding engineering and craftsmanship. Reading the above posts everyone has their own taste in everything. I drive a Ford, I like it, but I wouldn't want to own or drive a Lamborghini.

Using a Jens Pilgaard style Origami Wing

Through the years I have tried just about everything to manage and store tying thread, floss, uni-stretch, and tinsel. Use to hang the thread racks I got at Wal-Mart (they still carry them) on the wall above and to the side of my tying area. I still use a desk thread rack. For bulk storage That is stored under my tying station I do like the Rib Runner, but you see it still has its draw backs Tube storage, but the color thread I needed seemed to be always at the middle or bottom. Then I saw one of my TU members use Craft Mates to store his thread in. I liked it. They come in 7 or 14 containers Made it easier to carry a number of different threads, tinsel, and floss in my travel bag, than the thread tubes it came with.

Since the time that man has taken thread and materials to a metal hook controlling it been a challenge. First we learned to use the slit cut into the bottom of the spool to prevent it from unwinding. Many years ago I found the pattern pending Duckie Bobbin, very nice but expensive. Then came the stretch material glued to a bead, does a nice job but about a dollar each. Now comes along something easy, and readily available from any Target store Double pack of 20 for $5.00

The wing can be used on not only on dry flies No Hackle Yellow Sally wet fly. The No Hackle is white Coq De Leon, Yellow Sally is schlappen feather.

I mostly use Coq De Leon Rooster Cape Hackle and is very durable. I have on earlier ones used Hard as Hull, head cement, and flex cement on the wing to ensure they hold up. As it turns out they are durable enough where I no longer use cement on the fibers.

Early Brown Stonefly

Terry Sulphur Cripple Using the Jens Pilgaard's Origami wing

Ditto on that !

ABOUT time Hans got a book out of his flies!!! It is #1 on my list.

THANK YOU FOR ADDING TO THE LIST FOR US TO PONDER. That is all you had to do. Again, thank you for your time and effort to add to our knowledge.

Moose13, his bio says it all. "This year marks my 63th year of fishing, and my 53th year of fly-fishing. I have been tying flies to fish with for almost 50 years." In other words, I know more than you do, naw, naw, naw, naw ,nawwwww..................

Great list THANKS !

Remember those days myself.

Me to AK you could get two slightly used sons at one time, I'm just 61 I could be the older brother. Oarfish, Is that the Golden Gate behind you? I can't see the other tower so I am not sure. Doesn't look the VZ, or the Mackinac. What bridge is it?

Thread Management I belong to the Rahway River Chapter of Trout Unlimited in New Jersey, twice a month the chapter meets for Fly Tying Nights. It is free for TU member and non-member alike. What makes this chapter different is that we provide FREE TYING lessons to everyone. We provide the materials, tools, vise, all's anyone interested in learning to tie is show up. I show up because I really like hanging out with my chapter members. Like everything else, if you have an open mind to learning .. anything... you will learn. Brian pictured here in the lower right hand corner of the photo carried his thread in Craft Mates. They come in 7 & 14 containers. Most fly tying travel bags you get plastic tubes to hold extra thread, wire, ribbing. After placing your thread in the tubes, it always seems like the color thread you want is in the middle. Craft Mates ends that. Each compartment is locked so there is very little chance of them opening until you want to. You can get this product on line or your local craft store in the bead section.

I have had them a long time. I got them at Jo-Ann's Fabric http://www.joann.com/artbin-thread-box-9002ab-/prd1045/ On sale now for $14.99

Murray, I appreciate you having my back. However, I been divorced more a dozen years. THAT IS WHY I HAVE WHAT I HAVE.