KevCompton

Kelly: -- How has your tying experience in the Great Lakes area influenced your tying, your use of materials and techniques, out West? -- With increasing barbless fishing regulations and the importance of ethical considerations, do you fish with barbless flies and/or sell them at Slide Inn? Randall Kaufman, the father of the Stimulator series of patterns, recently mandated that Umpqua tie all of his patterns on barbless hooks; and Rene Harrop of the House of Harrop on the Henry's Fork in Idaho, uses babrless hooks in his popular 36-Fly Assortment, sold largely by supply houses such as Cabelas. Do you anticipate that this trend in commercial tying will continue to grow? and why? -- Instead of using simply barbless equivalents of the standard barbed hooks designed by the major hook manufacturers, competition anglers here in the States and around the world, who are required to fish barbless, have recognized the need for different, specifically barbless hooks. These hooks typically have longer spears, sharper points, deeper throats, 'tweaked' or off-set, and beaked, points -- similar to the TMC 2499SP-BL hook. These designs hold fish much better than crimped, barbed hooks or mere barbless equivalents of standard hooks. Do you think that with an increasing demand for barbless hooks/flies, the manufacturers' designs will, in turn, evolve? As a shop owner, do you think there will be a market for new, barbless hooks? Thanks, Kevin

Hi Ray, Here's a better photo of a pattern tied with the same Hyperfine Thread (Olive). I believe it is an #18. It has an almost glossy look to it, no? (It's probably the lighting)

Hi Ray, The body on that Micro Soft-Hackle is Hyperfine Thread in the nude. It was manufactured/distributed by Siman Ltd. in the Czech Republic. It is no longer available. It is a very fine two-stranded monofilament thread with an almost waxy appearance. It is spooled on a sewing machine sized spool. But as far as I know, there is no wax on the thread. It makes great small fly bodies. Moreover, since there are two strands, dubbing loops cam be used for very small flies -- simply twist the bobbin as you would with the 'split-thread' technique of spinning loops. It's too bad it has disappeared. There are other, similar threads in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. I'm trying to corral a source. Regards, Kevin

Ray, The aftershaft feather: "Although every single feather on the pheasant can be used to tie a fly, there is one particular feather found on a pheasant that I have a special fondness for the aftershaft feather (often mistakenly called the filoplume ). This humble, hidden feather — Hypor hachus for the Latin lover — is the downy insulating feather attached to the base of most body feathers not only on the pheasant but on birds throughout the avian world, from partridges to penguins, in a wide range of sizes and colors. On the pheasant the aftershaft feather may be long or short (depending on the size of the body feather it's attached to) but mostly it's a dun-gray plume thick with very soft barbs attached to a pulpy stem that is exceptionally strong at its butt end and extremely weak at its tip. Above all, it's a feather with many uses for the imaginative flytyer." -- Jack Gartside Yes, the body is thread. Kevin

Redwings -- Any interest in carpooling up to Mason? I may be thumbing it that weekend. Kevin

Golden Mess Stonefly Nymph Hook: Grip 14681 Stonefly Nymph Hook (ScientificFly, S. Africa) #10. Weight: Tungsten Stretch Lace (.025") or Tungsten Wire. Thread: G. Benecchi 12/0 White. Tails: Natural Grey Goose Biots. Body/Thorax: Dubbing Brush: 50% Dave Whitlock SLF, Red Fox Squirrel Nymph Blend. 50% Golden Stone Dyed Hare's Ear. Legs: Angler's Choice Superfloss, Tan. Eyes: X-small Black Mono Eyes. Head: G. Benecchi 12/0 White (tinted with Chartpak Sepia). What a complicated mess...

For me, the smaller the pattern goes, the smaller denier thread I use. I try to use the finest thread possible -- one I'm comfortable using, one that will minimize both thread bulk and hefty thread heads. I try to stick to the method of finishing the head of the fly no wider than the width of the eye of the hook. Narrowing the thread head on a small soft-hackle also allows you to wrap more hackle onto the the hook shank -- if that's deisred. I remember AK Best saying that that you can often judge the quality of a tie by looking at the head of the fly... Here's a photo of what I'm trying to describe. It's a #18 Micro Soft-Hackle, similar to Ed Engles pattern. It is tied on a Grip Barbless hook (11011BL). The hackle here is a ringneck pheasant aftershaft feather.

Dartigan et al., (Not intending to one-up ya.) Here's a nymph with a beaver fur thorax. With the dark, back fur of a beaver, I chop up the guard hairs and blend them into the dubbing mix. Spikes things up. Perhaps Harold will appreciate the hot spot. Kevin

What kind/size of thread are you using?

Hi Ray, NO. It's a variation of Tim Wade's (North Fork Anglers, Cody, WY) North Fork Special -- referring to the North Fork of the Shoshone River outside the east entrance of Yellowstone Park. Another variation: blue seal's fur and everything else black. Both color schemes are intended for steelhead. The blue variation will have to prove itself this season. The lead weight, bead, and the clipped biot wingcase drive this fly to the bottom -- quickly. A true plopper. Kevin

Halloween Special Daiichi 1120 #12. Square Lead: weighted thorax. 3mm Hot Orange Bead. Natural Grey Goose Biots: tails, outriggers, 'wingcase' (clipped). Black Seal's Fur: abdomen and thorax. Orange Wire: rib.

Hey Chad. I really like those nymphs. How did they work? How small are you tying them for your tailwaters? You know, I sorta expected that you'd throw a hotspot somewhere in there between the abdomen & thorax

Another material, unlike deer hair or Australian 'Possum, & technique: http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=27805

I've had a look at these tungsten bodies. They come in varying weights and create great segmented scuds -- but expensive. Here's a finished scud pattern using one of the Biodz. There is more information and a source for these bodies at: http://shop.siman.cz/

Chad see PM

I find myself using both brushes and dubbing loops -- in fact, used both in the Brush Hog (sorry to re-run this pattern). The brushes can add the weight of copper, stainless steel, or tungsten wire, while providing flash and more durability. Or the choice of a thread core that may differ from the working thread. The 'bugginess' of the brushes looks better to the tier. Dubbing brushes have limitations, though. They can be time-consuming to spin, and often too costly. The smaller the fly, the more difficult to use a brush. With smaller and smaller patterns, 'split-thread' loops, or two-stranded mono threads from Europe allow one to spin loops quickly and to size. So I fall somewhere in the middle. A given application or desired effect often will dictate the technique.

Cotontail Caddis Hook: Daiichi 1560 #12. Thread: Uni 8/0 Olive-Dun. Underbody: Tying Thread. Body: Sparkle Jelly Rope Tubing. Thorax: Black Pseudo-Seal Dubbing. *Hackle: Cottontail Back Guard Hairs. *The tips of the guard hairs are spun in a dubbing loop and 'hackled' to the eye a la Jean-Paul Dessaigne's technique.

Brush Hog Nymph Hook: Dohiku Barbless Nymph Hook #12. Beadhead: Gold 3mm Bead. Thread: Uni 8/0 Black. Tail: Coq de Leon. Body: Siman Natural Pearl Squirrel Dubbing Brush. Thorax: 1/2 Black Seal's Fur, 1/2 Black Hare's Ear (chopped and spun in a dubbing loop).

Yes.

Thread Brand/ Aught Size/ Material/ Denier/ Breaking Strength/ Thickness (.000) UNI Caenis 20/0 mono 20 3 oz 1.7 Gudebrod 10/0 polyester 45 9 oz. 1.0 UNI Trico 17/0 nylon 40 5 oz 2.0 Danville Spiderweb N/A mono 30 5 oz 2.0 With a greater breaking strength, finer diameter, and a range of colors, I'll stick with Gudebrod 10/0. It's too bad, though, that Gudebrod closed the thread shop in Pottstown.

Bruce, No. Wrap, or 'hackle', a very narrow mink zonker strip to the eye. The guard hairs form the collar. ******** VERN-O, See PM.

The colorful, barred flank feathers are distinctive (yet similar to those on a French Partridge) and make great hackle material -- softs, nymphs, etc. Chukar: Chukar flank hackle:

Mink Head Sculpin for Vern-O Hook: Daiichi 2220 #2. Thread: Benecchi Ultra-Strong Thread (White). Tail: Australian 'Possum Tail. Body: 1/2 Burgundy, 1/2 Black Siman Crystal Sparkle Antron Dubbing Brushes. Body Hackle: Black Hen Saddle. Pectoral Finns: Australian 'Possum Tail. Hackle: Natural Mallard Flank. Flash: Tiewell Flash #? (pulled back with hackle wraps). Sculpin Head & Collar: Dark Brown Mink Strip (narrow) Wrapped to Eye. Head: Benecchi Ultra-Strong Thread (White) Tinted Dark Brown & Lacquered.

Olive & CDC Hook: ScientificFly Grip Hook 11011BL #16-20. Thead: Siman Hyperfine Thread (Olive). Tail: Coq de Leon Barbs (Pardo). Body: Siman Hyperfine Thread (Olive). Hackle: Natural Dun CDC (2 Feathers).

I'll have to check this again, but I believe Grip Hooks from ScientificFly in South Africa has a fine wire scud hook down to a #20 with a larger eye, which anglers in South Africa need for the larger tippets they use with smaller flies to hook yellowfish. http://scientificfly.com/show_prod.php?pro...&category=1 What are anyone's favorite small fly hooks? Thanks.