mikechell

Sorry, I have no idea what that is supposed to be. I'll assume that it's something for trout or steelhead. It looks like a miniature plastic brillo pad. Is it an egg sack? I am not trying to be funny, I really don't know what you've tied.

Well done, on the tying and the catching!

Sorry, I was just remembering your post from August 27th when you said you were just getting the hang of deer hair spinning. I was under the impression you were looking for help on your designs. Sorry to underestimate. Won't happen again.

Spent the morning and early afternoon trying to catch fish on the Stanislaw River in Oakdale, California. I say trying because I was not catching many. The fish were hitting, but for one reason or another ... well, here's the story.The river is beautiful, cold and running strong.

I caught several of these fish, I don't know what they are. I think they are fall fish, or some other type of chub. Sorry for the quality ... I took these pictures, other's got away before I could snap the shot.

So then comes the "trying" part. I also caught two trout. Since I am not sure of the smaller one (6"), I think it was a brook trout (bright red coloring down the side?). The larger one (10"), was definitely a rainbow. I hate using barbless hooks, but it's the law on this stretch of the river. I managed to get both of these fish to hand, but while fumbling with the camera, both manage to slip the hook.On the plastic worm pictured above, I hooked a beautiful brown trout (I know that one because I caught a couple of them years ago in Wyoming) that took off for one more run when I reached for it. It found a submerged branch and wrapped the line around it not once, not twice, but three times. I tried to get it off, but it slipped the hook also.

So, pretty river, pretty fish ... Hate my first experience with barbless fishing ... Although true, nothing but fish stories about the trout.

kauha-apina,

Your pictures are in real size ... just click on it and it brings up the actual picture. What's displayed on the post is the thumbnail.

To glue pieces of foam together, 3M contact cement works well. It can also be applied thick enough to leave a yellow stripe between the colors of foam.

Marabou is marabou ... the only problem I foresee with craft store supplies is whether the colors are water proof. Since feathers for craft work usually don't see a washing machine, the dyes don't necessarily need to be water resistant. But the feather material should hold up just fine.

There are some really good deals for fly tying materials online. There's one source, http://www.flytyersdungeon.com That has outstanding prices ... I don't know how they sell so cheaply.

Good looking wooly buggers.

Flytire,

I think you should use Dawn or Joy dish washing liquid, or maybe Oxy-clean. Use Newspaper to blot dry or re-apply salt or Borax.

They appear to be Burrowing Owls.

If you are looking for pretty flies, you need to look up Pat Cohen ... rusuperfly.com and look at the photos of "punks of the past". Oh, can he tie a pretty looking fly !!!

Just a note ... if you are online with a laptop and wireless, there are some GREAT step by steps and videos online that you can watch and tie along with.

Teach the boyfriend to fly fish, then he'll be chomping at the bit for your next fly, so he can go try it out.

I think you are being too hard on yourself. For a beginner, you are doing very well. As for the ant being fuzzy ... probably catch more fish than a real ant.

Nice looking frogs. Especially if these are post strike pictures. They held up very well !!!

Yep ... she's hooked. She's going to buy more stuff. I'll apologize if I stole anyone's bench picture for this, since I got them all off the internet. But here's the progression ...

It starts simply enough:

Maybe you went right to a table top set up:

Then you take over a whole desk top:

Then the whole corner:

Finally, you have your own room ... nobody else can come in without your written approval. If you can't be reached anywhere else ... you'll be found here. And the hunchback, and the overly large eyes are just side effects ... really!

Flytire ... I think you've gotten your answer to what kind of detergent, yes? I hope so, because this question might high-jack the thread.

Just before leaving home for two weeks to come out here to California, I cut the tail off a fresh roadkill raccoon. It looks like it might be good fur for tails and dubbing. But I didn't have any salt. I skinned the tail and put the skin in a container with cat litter.

My question: Will this work? I did put it in the fridge to keep it from rotting if it doesn't. Has anybody ever tried drying out a pelt with kitty litter rather than salt or borax?

I count eight hooks in that beautifully creative fly. Does that mean you have to have eight anglers tied to and casting in unison to fish this? Eight fly rods in one anglers hand? A 12 weight rod with the largest reel possible and spooled with eight #2 lines side by side?

It's a great looking fly, and I am SURE it'll catch the largest ReinDeerBow Trout in the BOW, if you can just figure out how to cast it.

Wow !!! That's a very cool looking assortment of flies !!!

I use some black bead chain eyes, but I've had them for years and didn't even remember where they came from. I didn't even think of all those colors. Some of those eyes must be fish catchers without any of the rest of the fly!!!

I am heading to the craft store as soon as I am done typing. :-)

Jeepers Creepers ... where'd you get those peepers??? Those are some neat looking eyes. I haven't seen any like that yet. Where did you get those?

I agree with all the suggestions for reading glasses. Take a fly that's hard to see, go into a "dollar" store, a Walmart or any drugstore and head for the reading glasses kiosk. try on glasses until you find a pair that will give you great views of the fly at the distances you tie. Then you'll have your dedicated tying glasses !!!

I've caught plenty of large chain pickerel and northern pike on Stren Superbraid ... 20# test, 8# diameter line, while fishing for bass with baitcasters and spinning gear. I don't see any reason why a spool of good braid fishing line won't hold any pike you catch. Sorry, McFluffChucker, but I disagree that "Ol' Esox" will cut through braided fishing line.

Those flies are so neat! Are those the ones called "brush flies"? I want to try tying some of those, but I really need to research the brush making, etc. If you tied those without brushes ... then I really need to look at your recipes and SBS's.

Back ... I just watched a video from Spanglefish and I have GOT to get me some Glint and Gliss !!!

WOW! That is a monster!!! Beautiful fish !!!

It was just a thought.

Thank you, people, for the responses. I started looking around at fly styles and recipes and I realized that the small flies I've been calling "carp flies" were just mini clousers. They are as full as a clouser, but they sink hook up, eyes on the "top" of the hook, which becomes the bottom when it's sinking, etc. So, I am following all your advices without knowing it.

Nicely done, Cream. You need to learn how to tie in a weed guard if you plan on fishing any of your flies in weed or pads. Most of your flies look like good fish catchers, but those exposed hooks are going to frustrate you every time.