Jimr1961

The thread on tracking materials got me thinking "again" on pattern organization. These days, there are several different media sources and it can be difficult to bring them all together in one place. I used to use something call alot notes for simple hierarchical notes, but it was sorely lacking. I found a much richer note organizer program called "RightNote". The freeware version seems to fit the multi-media bill very well. It's set-up so you can add tabs along the top and within each tab, maintain a note tree system. It can handle simple text editing, cut and paste, etc. You can attach a spreadsheet with editability, word processing documents, pictures (sized as if you were going to add them to your posts here), hyperlinks to youtube videos or other web pages, pdf files, etc. I really like the ability to bring together many forms of media into one note and keep locally saved files in one place while accessing them in their logical context. You can also create several note files; one for patterns, one for materials, one for work, etc. I created one for tying recipes to start with. I created several tabs along the top categorizing fly types; Dry, wet, nymphs, emergers, streamers, bugs & poppers, salt water flies. In the dry fly tab, I created several 1st level notes each for a particular pattern that can hold general instructions and variants, then each 1st level note has several 2nd level (child) notes for individual patterns. Some notes have youtube links, some have pictures of flies I've tied with hand typed instructions, one has a pdf file of a printed web page SBS, etc. I spend time every day playing on the internet and running across patterns I'd like to try, but they get buried in bookmark He!!, or stuffed in a folder with no particular order. Hopefully, this program will help organize this stuff without much labor. I thought I'd store a copy on the cloud so I can access it from home or work.

I don't either, but you'd think differently if you saw what I did last night. I tied up a new Silhouette, finished off the head, looked at it and was amazed at how much body I got from a couple of hackle feathers; nice and full. I pulled it off of the vice and noticed half of the tail feathers were missing. I know I tied them on because I removed them and re-tied them to better position them. Where did they go? What's going on? Evidently, as I made the first body wrap I inadvertently caught the tail feathers and wrapped them into the body. I did notice a couple of tips running shorter than the rest and thought it was odd since the feathers were all the same length when I started.

Probably more a case of tying with the Ale on

I've only recently played around with foam poppers in size #1 Mustad 34007. I started with Capt. Bob's speed bug, but wanted to make my own heads. I found most of the info from this forum, google searches and Kirk's vids on youtube. Materials & tools for making the head: 99 cent flip flops, any color punch. I used a half inch dia. piece of steel wire conduit and sharpened one end to make a cutting edge. Dremel type moto tool emery board or 120 and 220 grit sand paper. Krazy glue Punch out cylindrical plugs with punch. I used a hammer to punch it through. Glue two pieces together end to end with krazy glue. May not be needed, but the heads I made went on #1 Mustad 34007 salt water hooks. The finished head was a little less than 1/2 " dia. by about 3/4 " length. It takes about 30 seconds for a permanent bond. Find a 2" headed SS nail, thin. Push the nail through the center of the plug as near as possible. Put the tip of the nail in the collet of the moto tool and clamp the tool to the bench (picnic table). Turn it on about mid speed, slower if needed. Use the course side of the emery board or 120 grit sand paper to slowly shape the head. They'll be fine dust everywhere, so use eye protection. Once the head is shaped, you can use the fine side of the emery board or 220 grit sand paper to give a finer finish. Remove the nail from the plug and cut to length. I used a utility razor knife with snap off tips. I'm going to build a template for consistency, but for these, I used a pencil to mark the back of the eye on the bottom and the front of the eye on the top and just eyeballed it. Find the bottom and make a slit for the hook slot. For a concave mouth (the mouths on mine are concave and painted red,not shown in picture, obviously). I used a bullet shaped grinding dremel bit and held the piece while carefully hollowing in on the face. Then, I filled the hole in the face with Krazy Glue and touched it up. I put a thread base on the hooks and sealed with krazy glue before installing the head. Once the head is where you want it, fill the cut with krazy glue and hold it for about a minute to assure it bonds. It won't stick for several seconds, then suddenly, permanent adhesion. Once installed, the head may be painted as you desire. I cleaned up any imperfections with wood dough and lightly sanded with 220 grit for a good starting surface, then applied two coats of acrylic primer, two coats of acrylic white for the overall color (your color variation will vary). I have several SS finishing and headed nails nailed into wood dowels and use them to paint on eyes/spots, etc. I choose a head about half the diameter I want the spot to be. After everything has dried well, I seal coated with 5 minute Gorilla glue two part epoxy. It dries clear. I beat my brains out looking for a cheap rotisserie motor or mirror (disco) ball motor, then realized I had a variable speed drill motor that I never use. I cut out a circular disk from non-corregated card board and made a foam cylinder from some scrap foam. The foam is the same diameter as the disk and about 8" long. I put a hole in the center of the disk and inserted a long bolt with a flat head, then backed it up with a nut and glued the foam on. Then, made about 10 3" slits along the length so the hooks may be buried leaving the heads sticking out of the foam face. 5 minute epoxy leaves time for two heads before it becomes unworkable. After each head is completely coated and brushed evenly, I'd stop the motor (the trigger was tied in with rope at it's lowest speed, so I had to unplug it to stop the motor), add the fly and turn it back on to keep the heads rotating until they dried. This keeps the epoxy from sagging. Viola! flip flop poppers. All that's needed is to feather it up. If you want to add legs to the heads, you can push an upholstery needle through it and thread silli legs into the eye and pass it through.

I made one of those. http://www.flytyingforum.com/index.php?showtopic=71559&do=findComment&comment=535865 It's getting pretty full now. I'm thinking of lining the under side of the tray so I can put flies on both sides. The tray fits upside down in the lid very nicely and reverses to fit in it's home so either side can face up.

Every hobbyist seems to go through this these days. I had about 600 orchids at one time. I had a nice database system, but quickly realized that updating was time consuming and turned my hobby into a chore. I played around with a few of the freeware fly tying databases and quickly realized I didn't want to start that again. I keep my materials in plastic boxes. A large sweater box for capes and saddles (stacked on their sides to avoid compression), one for maribou, one for strung hackles, one large box for bucktail and animal skins, one for large feathers, etc. I've often bought things I had too much of already. Normally, I make a note of what I want to buy (it's an hour drive to the fly shop). I've recently started keeping a small list of what I definitely do not need to help reduce the overkill.

Hey, stream urchin looks just like me!

If I were you, I'd go out and buy a whole pheasant skin. It will probably come without the tail, I'd get one or two of them as well. They're cheap and you will have many feathers of various types to play with, including an abundance of aftershafts.

Thanks. I'm really having a lot of fun with these flies. With a few minor changes to my method, I managed to cut 4 more heads the other day in about 15 minutes. They're now painted up in a chartreuse ready for eyes. I just need to decide on color. The tails will be grizzly and collars red and some other color. I'll probably try to tie in the eye color a bit with the collars. I think copic marker airbrushing will be next on my list. It may have to wait until after I'm back from FLA in April.

I can't understand Davie either. I usually watch him with the sound turned off, then back up and listen if I feel the need. I read Lefty's book on casting and get a tickle out of him. All of his pictures showing him casting, he has his tongue out. It looks like he has a fat upper lip.

They CAN do the dishes, but will they without further manipulation? Or get off of youtube and do their homework without argument? We parents spend our first couple of years of parenthood trying to get our kids to talk and the rest of the time trying to get them to shut up. But, I wouldn't trade it for the world. If you think you can love, you have no idea what love is until you have kids. Then, they learn to talk

First poppers, made from flip flops and strung hackle

The first thing I noticed was the hole in the wall leading to the kitchen. "Hun, would you pass me a sandwich?", "Would you mind filling my coffee cup?". She'll stop talking again in no time.

Joanne Fabrics was having a 40% off sale.

I thought they'd make good Punji Stakes or chopsticks. I have a Hawaiian sling type pole spear, so I don't need that. I can't seem to picture it. These things are a foot long. I can picture a bobber, but I can't for the life of me picture bobber material of that size in in a strictly fly shop. Does anybody have a pic of something made from those?

Cost me about 15 bucks to make.

I was at the fly shop the other day and they had African Porcupine single quills for sale. They're about a foot long and about 1/4" thick at the mid-section. What on earth would you use that for? I never got around to asking the store keeper.

Hackle feathers have a concave side and a convex side. The concave side is duller and faces the body of the bird. When tying dry fly hackle, the concave side should be tied in to face the eye of the hook and kept in that orientation with every wrap. This will allow the barbs to stick straight our of slightly curve toward the eye of the hook. It's just the opposite for a wet fly hackle. The convex (shiny) side of the feather is oriented toward the eye of the hook and kept in that orientation. This will allow the barbs to curve back toward the bend of the hook.

Nice job. I like the shaping as well. To keep the wife happy, I clip the fly with forceps and sit outside on the grass to do my shaping. First with scizzors, then a final with a razor blade. One of my cats loves to sniff around whenever I'm out there trimming deer hair.

No offense taken Shoebop. Nothing asked, nothing learned.

A little food grade (environmental) silicone on the o-ring once every couple of years will keep it in good shape. I wish they used black instead of blue. The blue become brittle faster than the black, but red becomes brittle faster than the blue. How do I know? Many years of rebuilding diving regulators. Scubapro used many colors and the blues and reds became hard and cracked much faster than the black ones used on most other regulators. The amber silicone o-rings were best for lasting suppleness.

What about just throwing a dryer sheet of your preferred scent into a perforated bag and stick it in the container? Leave the zip loc bags that the capes come in open. Or, crazy glue a small strip of dryer sheet to the back of the skin? Just thinking out loud. Mine smell like chemicals and I kinda like it.

I've never fished saltwater and never fished a fly with a weed guard. I'm following Capt Bob's recipes in preparation for a trip this coming spring, so I'll fish them per his instructions. Swamp Rabbit

They're made from wire for shark leader, #4 for below 2/0 and #5 for 2/0 and larger.

More stuff, These are a lot of fun. Colorful Clousers Swamp Rabbits Silhouettes Crystal Schminnows