Iowaflyguy

Welcome bass. Just jump rite in and have fun. -Tom

Stroke them repeatedly across a strong magnet. Only go in one direction. That should do it. -Tom

Nick I just purchased a copy of Essential Patterns volume 2 by Oliver Edwards. It is with out question the best teaching aid I have got. It seemed a little pricey at $38.00. I quickly changed my mind when I got it. It is worth every penny. He teaches 5 different weaves. He is a great teacher. He makes everything very clear. The dvd is over 3 hrs long. -Tom

FBI :hyst: :hyst: :hyst: :hyst: :hyst:

I am trying to go completely lead free. Does any one know of a substitute for adhesive lead strips and where to get them? Thanks -Tom

I'm not good at sending links but the sponsor of this site Jstockard also carries it. -Tom

So far I have never tried to skin a bird. But I have got a lot of feathers just plucking it for roasting. This week duck season opens and I will get at least a half dozen drake wood ducks. As you know the feathers are very expensive. I just pluck out the lemon barred flank feathers and the black and white barred feathers. Then I micro-wave them for 10 sec. I repeat this three times and put them in a tightly covered plastic container to keep critters out. I have also cured a few squirrel hides this fall with borax. Maybe this year I will try to skin out a bird. If you have the bird saving $ on feathers doesn't have to be that big a deal. Just my .02 regards -Tom

I was lucky enough to get one from day5. :thumbup: It will never see the end of a tippet. I keep it for a model of what they are supposed to look like. tight lines -Tom

I just use use regular dish washing detergent to wash my squirrel tails and duck feathers. I also spent 20 years in the dry cleaning and laundry business and here is a little trade secret for getting blood out. Dissolve yeast in tepid water (baby bottle temp) and soak the object or garment in it. The yeast is a living organism that will actually feed on the blood. Do not ever use hot water on blood. It will set the stain so it can never be removed. The dish washing liquid would still be my first choice. Hope this helps. Tom

Hamp, I too have to get most things on line. My favorites are Jstockard; very good service, selection and good prices. I also like madriveroutfitters.com. They have a smaller selection but VERY fast service and free shipping on orders over $25. Feather-craft in my experience is a little slower, but they often have that hard to find item the others don't. Their prices are also slightly higher. I used to like Hook & Hackle. At one time it was my second choice. His prices are often the best. However, since the business has changed hands I have been very unhappy with the service. My last two orders both were incomplete due to back ordered items. I am very dissapointed in the current service. I would still use him due to the low prices. I would not use him for something I needed in a hurry. One last thought is traditional angler. I think his shipping is a little high but I have never had a bad experience. Also his selection is limited. I hope this helps and as always your mileage could vary regards -Tom

I have had success with a simple red and white bouface. It is a very easy tie. Tight lines -Tom

I started tying about 11 months ago and bought 2 Keough capes and 2 Keough saddles. They were the only thing available at the nearest fly shop. As a beginner I needed everything and being on a fixed income I had to watch the budget. At first they were fine as I just used the good feathers. As I got farther into the capes and saddles I found a lot of very poor feathers. There is really a lot of waste. For my tying I have decided that hackle is not the place to scrimp. In the next couple of months I will need new hackle and intend to go with Whiting silver or Conranch. The savings in frustration will be well worth it. I would say go with high quality hackle if you can afford it. Regards -Tom

All I tye is bass, panfish, and trout flies myself. Not many steelhead here in Iowa. I'm still a beginner but I will tye the best ones I can. Still my box might go to someone who can't use a #24 midge or a #18 PT. So I will try to get a good enough box that they will at least have something seviceable. I really don't have any mentors here so I am looking forward to seeing some one elses work. I think not knowing what's coming will be half the fun. It is too windy today to fish or hunt squirrels so I will start tying this morning (after I tie weights on some duck decoys). regards -Tom

Can I get in? -Tom

Wow caddisfly!! :thumbsup: Tom

He sure looks happy. That is one awsome fishing partner you have there. The fish is great too. -Tom

I don't know about 12/0 but I do have two spools 14/0 that I got for midges from the sponsor of this site Jstockard. I hope this helps. -Tom

Thanks everyone. Al as usual you are a fount of information. -Tom

I have a friend who is going steelheading and wants some egg sucking leeches in a hurry. I don't have any purple hackle and even if I order from mad river outfitters I won't get it until Thursday. So I thought I would dye up some hackle I have on hand. I have found that dyed feathers, i.e. marabou, tend to bleed when using very bright colors red and oranges etc. These are commercial feathers (hareline) but can ruin a good fly. Does any one know a good way to "set" the dye to avoid the bleeding. I probably need to buy the book but I can't get it today. The good thing is that the whole fly except for the egg is purple so a little bleeding won't hurt too much. Any advice will be appreciated and implemented immediately. Thanks Tom

They look great from here! --Tom

You might want to try the warm water fly tyer. ( I hope I entered the link right). He has a lot of gill patterns. I have had success with the hum bug in black and yellow, and the gill getter. Best of all they are quick and easy ties. tight lines Tom

Most of my stuff came from Jstockard they have the widest selection and very good service. I also like madriveroutfitters.com. They have the fastest delivery I have found anywhere. They also offer free shipping on any order over $25. However, their selection is more limited. Feather-craft is another good choice. If the first two don't have what you are looking for they most likely will. They are a little higher priced than the other two and in my experience clearly the slowest of the three. Some people here will strongly disagree with my last statement but that is my repeated experience. Your mileage may vary. I think Nick is probably right about Conranch for hackle. At least they will get my next hackle order. I hope this helps. Good luck and tight lines Tom

I am trying to find a pic of a trico. Preferably Tricorythodes stygiatus. I have read that the body should be black, green, or blue. I have also read that the body has white stripes. Which one is right? :dunno: I decided to try and find a pic of the critter and get a better idea. Troutnut had pics of millions but not just one. I googled it and could only find one Dave Hughes pic. After that no pics. :wallbash: Can any one help? I have an idea how I want to tye the fly but I would like to get the colors right. Maybe one of you experts know a resorce I haven't found yet. Thanks Tom

I have not tried it through the ice but I think a waxie jigged up and down would work. I used it in early spring to fool some of the local hawkeye gills. Just go to the database and type waxie in the search window. Lucky for me it was easy to tye. Also if you just highlite panfish for a species it will take you to a page with many flys that should work including two more waxies and a mousie among many others. I don't know anyone who fly fishes through the ice so be sure to send in reports of your success. Tom

I have had some success with bass on a modified bugger. Leaving off the hackle and substituting legs.