-
Content Count
383 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Calendar
Everything posted by Hatchet Jack
-
.
-
I have completely mis-judged the demographics of FlyTyingForum. Please lock the thread, call it a day, lesson learned.
-
My post was out of a deep concern for when an oil pipe line bursts over or under a major waterway, such as one of our Great Lakes or one of our rivers that we fish. It affects everyone.
-
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/16/us/keystone-pipeline-leaks-south-dakota.html If this gets me banned, well then so be it, but we're living with our heads in the tar sand.
-
There was an old man from Nantucket who kept his dead wife in a bucket. He said with a grin as he rubbed his bruised shin, "If I hit that again I shall chuck it."
-
STEELIE! Sorry for shouting but after reading 'bout your trip, my shoulder hurts. Not sure if you have enough back-cast room for overhead casting with a switch rod but if so, give it try next time. An ortho doc told me years ago that joints are like tires - just so many miles on them ☺ Nice trip you had there, wish I was with you as fly fishing for snot rockets is my favorite.
-
One - two whip finishes with a Materelli whip finish tool + some plain old bee's wax rubbed into the thread prior to whipping. Then I apply a heated bodkin point to the hook eye - this melts the wax into the thread & head. Works great for small flies & no glue is clogging the hook eye. BTW, Silver Creek posted an excellent detailed drawing* here in the forum some time back on how to properly do the whip finish, but it appears to be lost in the ether. Main idea is to make your wraps with touching turns going forward, from hook shank to hook eye. *Maybe he could re-post it here for all to see?
-
(a must do fix-it for ya, Piker) I gained 2 stone watching the video plus chest pains to boot. Is there not a smoke alarm going off in the background? Have not a clue as to why ☺
-
Tenkara is just for little fish...
Hatchet Jack replied to Fisherboy0301's topic in Fly Fishing Gear & Techniques
Not sure how you managed to land a catfish with your Tenkara & not break the tip. What model and make is your rod? The cats I've caught on my fly rods have fought like demons possessed. -
"I tried contacting Rio but no response...At least acknowledge my email." I recommend that you call Rio and explain your situation. Many companies have an email contact but they won't answer a query that way. I've had good luck with them when I've called with questions - give it a try, let us know what happens.
-
PrairieDrifter's post about Carrie Stevens & her feathered streamers got me thinking about a fishing experience from long ago, back in the day when Jungle Cock nails were within my reach and Grey Ghosts were my favourite streamer fly. I had been fishing for steelies on a well-known river for some days without any luck. Throwing spoons & even spawn sacks with a Shakespeare Ugly Stick 8 wt. 9' fly rod, Martin multiplier reel & Maxima mono just didn't charm the stubborn buggers. I was tired and worn out and in a fish-fueled funk. What in Dog's Creation did they want? I chucked the 8 wt. and rigged up my old 6-er with SA Wet Cell 3 full sink and a #10 Grey Ghost & settled down to fish a pool known as the Box Car. I was tired of casting & flinging & half froze up so I said to hell with it all, let the streamer whirl about downstream in the current and depths. Just long-line the bastage and see what happens. For some time, I sat there on the bank, watching a few snowflakes drift down, & occasionally twitching the rod tip. Finally a solid, strong tug woke me up and it was fish on. Long story short...a 24" Brown, fresh in from the Big Pond came into my net and then later, into a hot cast iron frying pan. Upon cleaning the fish, I discovered that the greedy Pig-'O-Fish had devoured an entire 12" milt sack that someone had flung into the river from a previous catch. That Brown looked 20 months pregnant and then some. Why he took my streamer, well who knows? When I'm fishing now & my luck is grape-sour, I remind myself of that day, and to slow down. 'Tis a perpetual lesson, often forgotten yet happily re-learned. Good fishing to all!
-
oldtrout58, stellar joke, that.
-
10ft 3wt Xi Series rod
Hatchet Jack replied to Steeldrifter's topic in Fly Fishing Gear & Techniques
I vote for a new name: Steelie "Picasso" Drifter. The level of detail you put into your rods is astounding - I'd be hard pressed to fish such a beautiful rod. -
Looking for an advanced fly tying book
Hatchet Jack replied to JoeLePaul's topic in The Fly Tying Bench
A third vote for Oliver Edwards' "Flytyers Masterclass", c. 1995! A superb book with detailed drawings and a level of complexity you will find challenging. Also mentioned in the book for suggested reading are Mike Dawes' "The Flytyer's Manual" & "The Flytyer's Companion". BTW, one cannot go wrong with flytire's Visegrip ® array of vises. They'll hold and crush any size hook ya throw at 'em. Have a size 40/0 for sturgeon flies? No problem. -
Cortland "MICRON" fly line backing
Hatchet Jack replied to Hatchet Jack's topic in Fly Fishing Gear & Techniques
Rocco, woven hollow core Dacron is the backing used for decades, then came along the Spectra/Dynema zero-stretch type lines. One can fashion a loop on the backing, using a bobbin threader and a wee jar of finely tuned elbow grease ☺ The backing is pulled back into itself with a bobbin threader, then pulled back into itself again, thus locking the loop. Once you've done a few, it goes fast and a big plus is that the fly line loop/backing loop junction goes through the fly rod guides fairly easily. Carp can show you that connection right quick, so can a mad goose.... I've got a hunch you're bang-on regarding Cortland's Micron and it's thinness. It's hard to tell from their advertisements if it's a 'solid' woven line, or other. -
Does anyone out there know if this is a hollow core woven Dacron? I'm re-doing some fly reels and need to know if this backing lets one make a blind splice loop.
-
(this is a spin-off of flytire's post about the smoker at the gas station) Most of you chaps probably know this but just in case..... Long ago, I had gotten my first truck and of course, that involved getting a cap and bed-liner too. I was way up north on a fishing trip and I stopped in at the gas station to fill up the tank, and to fill up my 5 gallon plastic fuel jug. I was going further on & needed some extra fuel out in the bush. As I slid the empty fuel jug out from the plastic bed-liner, I heard a LOUD snap and sensed a huge static electricity spark near the jug. I was surprised as it being July; the humidity was off the charts and I thought how odd to hear such a spark under these conditions. I put the jug down on the ground near the pump and filled it up. As it was filling, I read a posted sign on the pump that any jug must be filled on the ground, as the likelihood of static build-up with a jug not grounded is very high. This was brand new info to me, and I had never heard of such a condition, but my experience was fresh and first-hand. And fortunate! So, be mindful of this hazard and stay un-burnt. I have been on fire once and it's an experience one should never go through. Thanks for reading, stay safe.
-
Good on Extinguisher Man! Years ago during a dark winter evening at the pumps (a balmy -15ºF or so), I saw a young inebriated woman examining her car's gas tank port with a lit Bic lighter. Just a small flame, mind. She evidently was trying to stuff a diesel nozzle into her petrol car and couldn't figure out what was the matter. Nothing blew up but I left there rather quickly in a cold sweat. Best guess is the cold temps kept the ignition point suppressed.
-
Everything posted above is pretty much bang on, at least based on my own measuring/weighing experiences. My scale also weighs in grains and has a small platen too, so what I've done is measure out 30' of line, coil it up small & snug, lay it on the platen, whilst holding up a little of the extra line. The measured weight comes out right to specs, +/- a few grains. Rocco, you might want to try weighing a known weight fly line just to see how the technique works and how close you come out. OT, but given the number of different lines and spools I've acquired, I now have I.D. tags that rest inside the spools. The 'notched' tags have the basic line information and stay right between the spool spokes, as shown below. A few of my reels do not have spokes and I'm still working out a similar way for their I.D. tags.
-
SilverCreek wrote: "The next step is to bend this metal burr to the outside of the blades. Use finger pressure to keep the blades from touching and close the scissors. Now open the blades and the burrs will hook each other and bend to the outside." Now that's just plain clever/brilliant, thanks. I like to use wet/dry silicon carbide sandpaper - expensive but worth it. I can water rinse the sandpaper whilst sharpening and this offers up a continuous, clean abrading surface. My experience with ceramic type sharpeners is that they work great for about the first 5 - 10 strokes, then the ceramic is clogged with metal particles and it's very difficult (for me) to get the ceramic clean again. So I've binnned all of them & just stick with more traditional methods. But, YMMV as they say.
-
Someone who remains hidden hid your note of where your hidden flies were hidden...........
-
Got that monkey off my back, permanently. Never had nor wanted a cigarette since and I breath nice & easy now. Lordy knows how much $$$ I've saved since then? Thinks I'll go out & buy a fly-fishing sumthin' or other, maybe two. Maybe three ☺ (BTW - if you're struggling to quit, never give up, keep trying, you can do it)
-
Yes, I've been wondering about this too. Could someone please comment? On my computer, I see "Please update your account blah-blah-blah...." on a grey square which also contains a 100% 'speedometer' type image. So.......is this my computer or is it the outside world? (I've become a computer Luddite and am rather of proud of that)
-
As long as they're in the water & being pulled, they'll pulse. Other than that, they are well-mannered and behave nicely (one can't really tear them out at distance unless you're Arnold) I just fish them like any large fly, figure-of-eight, lift out, wag line, back-cast, shoot. Have not seen any sailing in crosswinds due to the disc. I consider a fly with disc completely castable under any decent fishing conditions, and taking a swag guess, I might lose maybe 5 feet off my total distance from the disc, not a deal breaker by any means.
-
I was experimenting with the 'salt water' size group but the lakes around here this spring and summer have been so filthy with farm run off and algae that I've given up on these waters for now & am waiting for fall. The discs are a hoot to play with - when one gets just the right size disc/fly match, they can feel the 'pulse' coming up the fly line on retrieve, just like if they were bringing in a lipped lure. I've also spoken with Jim Matson, the inventor of these discs and he has been overwhelming helpful with my questions and getting me started; I can't say enough good about the man. If you're interesting in trying them, go ahead but mind, they do take some experimenting. Well worth it!