deeky

I had posted way back about a patch of black dyed deer hair that I had purchased. When I work with it, the dye rubs off and stains my fingers. That patch has resurfaced, so I need to do something with it. Some one had talked about using a vinegar bath to set the dye, but left no recipe for it. I am assuming I'm not going to soak the thing in straight vinegar. Any ideas? Thanks in advance for the help. Deeky

I've been tying a few articulated streamers lately and working on ways to get the rear half to have more of a side-to-side action. Here's my thought: On the trailer, what if I use a somewhat stiff material (like bucktail rather than marabou) and tie it offset so that it sticks out slightly to one side or the other? My thought is that the force of the water would kick it out the other side until the pressue on that side becomes too great and forces it back. I understand there is some inherent action in a trailer tied in line. But, at least in my mind, the physics would naturally tend to keep the trailer in line with the rest of the fly. I've also thought about line twist with an offset fly. But with the weight and heavy leader used with larger streamers, I don't think that would be much of a problem. Thoughts? Anyone tried it? Just curious and thinking out loud. Deeky

I like the Elk Hair Caddis. I think there are a bunch of variations out there, but a pattern that most everyone can take a crack at. Hairwings would be fun too. Deeky

Ok, here's what I've got - the Tandem Clouser. It's true to the Clouser style, but juiced up for the big predators. The black/natural tan/white, when wet, looks very close to the original Rapala minnow color. The tandem hook gives it extra motion that, when you watch it, makes you want to yell "Shake that thang!!!" Enjoy! Deeky

Bluegill has it right - I've had problems before until I compressed the file. If you aren't familiar with it, double click the file to open the picture in your default photo program. You may have to click on 'edit' first, but there should be a button to compress the photo. Should take care of your issue and cut the upload time while you are at it. Deeky

If you want a tube, cut a piece of the stem of a q-tip. Cut it to the length you want for a given fly, a little epoxy on the end of your eye post, and stick the whole shebang together. The q-tip tube is fairly stout and should work for you. Deeky

Lykos - There's the adventure. No shop, but I'm guessing you have something in your materials that can imitate it if used just a little differently than normal. TO ALL SWAPPERS - I took pics of the flies, but didn't keep track of who got what fly. We seem to have lost one in the mail. Can you all send me a PM of a short description of your fly and I'll figure by deduction which one we are missing. Then at least I can send on a pic of the fly. If you could do that ASAP so they have some time to work on it. Thanks! Deeky

Are you in Canada? Should have been there anyway. Deeky

Probably got pulled for customs inspection again. Gotta love government efficiency.

One other tip I picked up from another tyer here is to tie in your wing with 3 wraps at the back of the head. Keeping tension on your thread, pull a few of the butts up and make a wrap just ahead of them and against your previous wrap. Work your way forward on the head until you have all of the hair sticking straight up between wraps of thread. It will look like your fly has a mohawk. Clip all of the butts short and finish your head. The kink created when you pull each small bunch back helps to hold the hair in place. Deeky

All right, as promised, here are a few pics of my set up that I use. Like I said before, I put my broad spectrum lamp just above the difuser and slightly in front of the fly. The pieces: From the outside: Looking in: Hope that helps. Deeky

Hey, I forgot to put up a deadline for the flies to be back to me. This is 9 of your pattern, keep the original you were sent. Due to the holidays, flies are due back to me by Monday, January 9th. If you didn't throw in last time, make sure to include postage on your self-addressed return envelope. And remember, if it is more than a piece of paper, it won't bend through the machines at the post office and will cost more to send. Deeky

I have to agree that it sounds mostly like you need to switch to macro mode. But it will require a rest for your camera (tripod) as movement is magnified in macro mode. Also, macro mode usually shuts off your flash, so lighting is important to look at. I would also recommend a little bit of a photo set up. If you have any handy skills at all, you can put one together. I used a scrap of 2x12 that I had in the garage. With a circular saw, I cut a groove along both edges and across the back. The whole thing got painted high-gloss white. The paint was more than just a finish for the wood - the high gloss reflects light back up onto the fly, giving you better lighting. I picked up a piece of the plastic difuser that lays in the bottom of flourescent lights (there was a broken one on the shelf that was still big enough for me but I got cheaper because it was cracked) and cut it to size. The ends of this get inserted in the groove along either side of the base. I have a piece of cardstock that goes in the groove along the back for a background. Along the center of the base, I drilled holes just large enough for the base of the electrical clips that I use to hold flies. Then my broad spectrum lamp goes right over the whole thing and slightly ahead of the fly. Camera on a tripod finishes the whole thing off. It was cheap to put together: Board: nothing, scrap from garage Diffuser: maybe $3 Paint: $3 Cardstock: $1 plus change When I started typing this all out, I thought I had a picture of the whole thing, but don't. So rather than retyping, I'll get a picture later and put it in. While the photo set up certainly helped my photos, I think the macro setting is your biggest issue at the time. Deeky

I really like the copper/gold combination of tinsels. So I tried to put something around it that would do it justice. I pulled in dace elements, thought it came out nice. Enjoy.

Originally a trout/salmon pattern, can you say panfish/bass? Use regular chenille and you can tie it large. I think yellow/black is also in order. Deeky

Kirk, Thanks for the compliment. I'm still working on my waterfowl hunter contacts. But I have to say, man you went way back for this one. It's a little early in the season to be reading back through two years of threads, isn't it? Deeky

Another approach to the same end - tie a slip knot in the end of your body material so that the running end of the material pulls the loop tight. Loop the running end up through the loop of the slip knot and use it to pull the loop of the slip knot tight. Repeat the looping until you have the body length you want. The is also called the Daisy Chain. It is the same method that climbers, Boy Scouts and other used to store ropes. I've also seen contractors do the same with their extension cords. Deeky

Beautiful fly! As beautiful as the body is, I have to say the coloration of the hackle grabbed me first. Deeky

Simply for the sake of discussion, there has been considerable discussion here in the past over particularly fish consuming hooks that are lost, swallowed, or broken off. If I recall, someone had actually found a fish that was in the process of passing a hook through its vent. Then there is the arguement that either the water or stomach acid dissolve the hooks. Either way, the hook is by no means a guarantee of fish mortality. But like the hook, the lead is broken down and absorbed into the fish for the next person that does catch the fish and decides to consume the fish themselves (along with the lead). So as not to entirely hijack the thread, I do lay a base wrap for my wire. Then I wrap the lead over the thread and flatten the ends of the wire to make it easier to overwrap with thread. I like to put a good thread wrap over the top of the wire so that wraps of materials don't fall in between the wraps of lead. Deeky

Send a total of 9 flies, then everyone gets the full set in their return. NOTE FOR ALL - postage will be more than a single first class stamp if there is anything solid in the envelope because it cannot bend and needs to be hand canceled.

No need to send the original back. That one is yours to keep.

I think the biggest change in action would actually be the fly's attitude sitting in the water. At least in the test tank of my mind, as the point where the chamois is attached moves up the back of the body, the lower it is going to pull the back of the fly in the water. This, in turn, may affect the diving action as the angle of attack at the front changes. May not be a bad thing, but different. Deeky

I'm guessing FlexiFloss on the body? Very similar to some micro hairwings over in the Warmwater area.

My authority on all things spelling - Microsoft Word spellcheck - lists both spellings as correct. It even gives the same synonyms for both. So I guess both are correct. But having to pick one, I went with 'woolly' simply because the double 'l' looks better to my eye. Deeky

If you want to attach it to the body, I think you are going to want to glue it into a hole in the body. By just gluing it to the back of the body, I can see it just peeling away at the first pull. I think a hole in the body will be a more firm hold on the chamois. I guess my question is why you want to attach the chamois to body instead of the hook, which would be the firmest attachment. And besides, most divers have a skirt tied on behind the body anyway. I'd like to see what you are working on. Deeky