kerusso

You are right .... he did go by Sturgeon Catcher. Thank you. i hope all is well with him.

Years ago I met a fellow from this forum whose real name was Fred Pelky (I think). His screen name was Sturgeon Hunter or Sturgeon Man. Does anyone remember him or know of his whereabouts today? Thank you.

Several months ago while tying up some streamer patterns I noticed some of the hooks I was using were .... soft. After placing them in the vise I bent three while winding on chenille and that had never happened. They weren't brittle, they simply bent with the slightest pressure. So I pitched those three hooks and kept tying. I purchased the hooks from a pretty well known business and they were also not expensive hooks. My take is this.... seems that there is always the possibility of having brittle or soft hooks whether you get top of the line hooks or economy. I have also heard of people getting bad batches where most of the hooks in the pack have the same weakness. Hopefully the shop or manufacturer will replace an entire box or pack with mostly defective hooks with premium hooks costing 35 to 50 cents per hook (and I know that is a low estimate for a lot of you who fish premium hooks).

Lots of good info; thank you for sharing some of what you've learned. Robo7's monster gill ...... awesome fish!! Would love to get into some like that.

I use straight hooks often and have not noticed any difference with my hook ups ...... I am sure others could offer a much more in depth explanation ...... but for me the straight eye hooks work as well as the down eye hooks. BTW, send me your addy and I will send you some smaller hooks if you'd like........... enough to get you through quarantine. Hope all goes well.

You will always have your memories of your dad, and those memories will serve to encourage/strengthen/motivate/ inspire etc from now on. Your dilemma is very personal and I hope you choose a course that brings the most peace to you. Others have shared what they would do and i will add my thoughts as well .......... most fly tiers want their flies fished (unless of course they are realistics or tied for a shadow box). There are so many "what if" and "buts" from this point on that the issue again is very personal. I think when I tie a fly, somewhere in that process I think about catching a fish on the fly I am tying and that brings a smile to my face. I would fish the flies and if I got skunked remind myself "that's fishing" and maybe catch some on the next time out. If I lost one or both I would regret it but could live with it. There's also the possibility something could happen to the flies in your home i.e. get lost, destroyed by flood or fire etc. Good luck, and Happy New Year!

Thank you flytire for your response. And thank you niveker ...... the thread I am looking for is exactly what flyshack is selling. Thank you very much.

I have been using the 12/0 and 8/0 European thread sold through Hook and Hackle for several years. I understand H&H is no longer selling materials. Anyone aware of who manufactured the thread and if something very similar is offered in the U.S.? I used some Bennecchi threads about 12 years ago and liked them very much but that particular brand has increased too much in price. Thank you?

Years ago my go to hook was Tiemco, and I also like the Lightening Strike small emerger hooks much like the Tiemco 2488. I had always heard the "overseas" hooks were poo and I bought some at a fly show which, according to the proprietor, were Korean hooks. The diameter was larger than what I was used to but I tied up some bluegill and bass flies and they worked just fine. About 5 years ago I bought some professional dry fly hooks and nymph hooks and have used them with great success. In 20 years of fly fishing I can remember having hook failure three times and two of those times were on premium hooks. I've also had some hooks that break in the vise (8-10 times after thousands of flies) and again that is something, I assume, that happens with all manufacturers hooks. Everybody's mileage will vary. One day two years ago I caught 5 slot fish one afternoon on the same fly on a hook that cost 1.2 cents ..... two of the fish were over 20 inches. I am certain they are not the best hooks made, but for me they will do.

A good friend of mine does well on the tan or brown ones. Another friend said he uses white with good luck.

As some have already said, people tie flies for different reasons. I have not tied a fly out of necessity for several years, but I have tied dozens of dozens because I enjoy it. The patterns I typically tie are not overly complicated and the materials are not that expensive. Over the years I have traded with others and as a result have a lot of feathers/materials. I still use the whip finisher that came with my fly tying kit from 20 years ago. Do I save money? No, I don;t think so. I budget a small amount for "stuff" each year and I don't lose that many flies. Is it worth it? To me it is ..... like most any hobby there is a cost ..... but the peace tying provides for me as I'm winding down some days is priceless.

Thanks for all the replies gentlemen; all input has been very helpful.

This may sound like a silly question but I have looked around and cannot find the information I am looking for. I hope I can explain it ....... if I have a sz8 standard streamer hook what are some of the equivalent hooks in the "x" series that would be a very close match. Would a sz 12 3x be the same as a standard sz 8. I've also seen 5x and 6x hooks .... so would sz8 5x be the equivalent of a standard 00? Ive been tying streamers of late and need to order some sz 8 streamer hooks. When i started reading in the hook description I see that some hooks are 3x-6x ..... and i don't know how that translates into actual hook size. i believe each "x" increment equals one hook eye but even that does not help me a lot. I also understand 3x means 3 extra long. So, if anyone has info they can share I would appreciate it. Thank you in advance.

Thank you.

Nice!! Loved the biot antennae and legs.

Wanted to get some feedback from you all ...... I've been tying a lot of Pat's Rubber flies of late in some various colors. I enjoy tying them and the question I have concerns the 3 sets of legs behind the antennae. I have seen some pattern have two sets of legs while most patterns have three sets of legs. Stoneflies that I have seen have three sets of legs. My question is: does the pattern need two or three sets of legs? Have you fished the fly with two sets of legs with success? I have always fished three sets of legs ....... but does it really matter? I'm curious to know if any of you have seen a decrease in your angling acumen due to using a two legged pattern as opposed to a three legged pattern. Thanks

Awesome pics Mark; thank you for sharing. The grilled salmon made my mouth water. A 10 day float trip catching fish like you caught .... wow, that's the trip of a lifetime.

FWIW, to those who may want to dye the feet themselves ..... the best dye I have found and used with the best success is Veniard's.

I would echo the previous thread .... soak them in water for a couple of minutes then apply some hair conditioner ....... let set for 3-4 minutes then rinse. Worth a try before throwing the feathers away.

That looks like a lot of fun. I've never ice fished. Sounds like you guys had a very good day with size and numbers.

That skinned out bear really gives a different perspective.. Unbelievable! Thanks for sharing.

Those will definitely fish ...... thanks for sharing.

Very nice ties; thanks you for sharing. Welcome to the forum.

The mole fly has been a great pattern for me over the past 3 years. I have made successful substitutions regarding the beaver hair. I dyed some goose biots to a brown hue I liked and it worked well. I also used dark brown thread as a body along with a segmentation that will contrast with the dark brown thread. I also fish the mole fly tied with beaver (certainly nothing wrong with that). Good luck! FWIW, I prefer tying this fly using a dark brown body

Nice flies! Proportions appear to be spot - on. I have always been told the wing volume is supposed to be full as opposed to sparse. Great fly for moving water. Thank you for posting.