jcozzz

10 hours ago, flytire said:

 

Gartside Sparrow

 

Category - Nymph/Streamer

 

Hook - R73-9671

Thread - Gray

Tail - Pheasant rump marabou

Body - Dubbing

Hackle - Pheasant rump feather

Head - Pheasant filoplume/aftershaft feather

Nice take on a great fly.One of the first flies i ever tied.

I have my own tying room and i am the only person that uses it.Lots of storage and rod racks bows guns treasures and trinkits..I clean it when i feel like it which isn't often.I tie on a big old roll top so i can just close it so stuff doesn't get far.My problem is not putting away my carefully organized materials that i finally labeled after 20 years.My other problem is tying 1 pattern then deciding i need it in 3 sizes and 5 colors.It really becomes mad scientist kind of stuff at times.But it sure is a lot of fun.Then comes spring,time to fish.After a few outings i decide that half the flies i tied are crap and start making adjustments or i observe the fish have changed their behavior since last year and are on to me and i need a completely different line up of flies.

7 hours ago, skeet3t said:

Copper strands from a lamp cord or extension cord work for weight and for over-wrapping a fly.

Absolutely,and copper is much softer.I just cut the cord off a lamp we were tossing and it had very fine strands.Hobby lobby had some very fine vinyl  that is a good ribbing material in many colors.

On 1/6/2021 at 7:08 PM, Poopdeck said:

Throw me in the cheapskate club. I'm not really I just like spending on a wizbang retirement over a wizbang rod. With that said, I do believe fly line and leader is the rump shaker of fly fishing. Far more important than rod or reel and way less sexy. I would think if there is anything worse than the guy you meet out on the stream who wants to show you his tenkara  rod it's a guy showing off his SA amplitude trout taper line. As with anything there is a point of diminishing returns so I don't get stupid over fly line either. I do search out premium line on sale and if I can double down with a store coupon of some sort, expensive fly line becomes middle of the road fly line and middle of the road line becomes cheap fly line. Now we're talking business. 

Totally agree,i have bought a few of the 9 dollar flylines .The finish actually got sticky in the heat.I buy quality lines on sale and have gotten some really good lines on used reels i have bought.I fish mostly vintage glass and certain lines do work better.

A fishing forum i belonged to,now gone,was mostly pansish and bass.a few of us that flyfished got a lot of inquiries about rods flies etc.Some of us that tied made a couple bucks or took stuff in trade it was fun.I am still friends with a couple of those guys and we still buy sell and trade a little.I have ended up with some pretty sweet little vintage flyrods.I love to tie but HAVING to tie was like WORK after work,I got to the point where i could tie a dozen or so an hour and they were simple bluegill bugs.Like the OP stated i would have to 10.00 for a 1.00 fly.

I see flies on this forum that i could never tie or hope to amass the varied materials. then dye them to custom colors.For the fishing i do i am set for life as far as materials go.This site has always been very inspiring and humbling at the same time.I do tie just to tie but mostly to fish with and try to keep things simple.

Hippy stompers and Stimulators..I have yet to fish a stimi but i really like tying them. lately.I do good with hippy stompers. I tie them up to sz6 and the bass just seem to love them.I originally tied them for pansish in 12 and 14.First time i saw one thought it would be the ultimate bluegill fly.First time i used one i caught a 5lb bass on a sz12 on a 3wt rod,Quite a  battle,

just amazing ties so far this year.

Thanks for the lead down  another rabbit hole.I also saw other useful vides.

1 hour ago, flytire said:

Hooks

http://www.wholesaleflycompany.com/category/page=2/catId=4559236

Make sure you carefully read their descriptions as some hooks i purchased were 2 SIZES over.I would say 4 sizes.12s were 8s by anyone elses standards and 14s were between 10 and 12.The fine print says over sized by 2 which is kind of ridiculous as they are bulk chinese hooks sorted into little zip locks.

I got a rock.

If your fishing primarily warmwater,bass panfish etc,look online for vids and websites.Ward Bean is good one.All the basic tying techniques over lap but doubt you will want to tie anything smaller than sz 12 and for bass quite a bit bigger.So a vise that holds hooks better in the larger size range would be better.There are bass bug rods out there that will give you an easier time throwing bigger flies for bass .Buy a decent outfit but no need for a 600 dollar rod ,you may decide you dont like it or flyfishing in general.I started with a flea market vintage heddon glass fly rod and moved to graphite and now use only glass rods,mostly  from the 60s and 70s.If you can find a group,many of the BPS now have weekly tying sessions you will pick up the basics much quicker than self taught,i learned from books pre youtube etc.All warmwater species can be caught on flies,i regularly catch bass,blugills,crappies perch carp white bass catfish and i even caught some bullheads last spring.

I just suck.

I have no issues with acetone and use SH as well as dollar store nail polish.I DO put a couple BBs in all the little bottles to shake them up and mix them.Some of the colors seperate like any paint does.For some reason i find Bic brand permanent markers last longer than Sharpies.I also prefer gorilla super glue over all the others.

On 12/9/2020 at 9:41 AM, JDM1 said:

Thanks @jcozzz! I debated weighted eyes, but since I plan to use a fast sinking poly leader I decided not. Do you think the action would be improved with the weighted head? Also, what shanks do you prefer?

I've caught some big rainbows and lost a handful of others in a little tailwater this year(biggest was 22 1/2"). Spin fisherman tell me that there are some 24"+ fish and so that's what I'm after. I'll fish it for smallies in the spring too.

I would be using this as a warmwater fly so i would want it to get down but on an intermediate line the weight would not be necessary .But i still like the concept .I like to keep things simple,although i am impressed with the multi section articulated flies.All you can do is test and let us know how it did,We all tie flies that look like winners but just dont work the way we imagine,

On 12/7/2020 at 11:17 AM, JDM1 said:

Greedy Grizzly Articulated Bait Fish

Front Hook: Mustad R74-9672 size 2 (I snipped the hook after tying).

Tail Hook: Gamakatsu T10-6H size 4 up-eye salmon hook.

Thread/Head: 6/0 Metallic silver thread(unsure of brand) used throughout and built up and coated with uv resin for the head.

Front Section: Silicone Rubber Legs, Purple Sparkle/B&W Barred, 4 each approx 2" long. Twisted marabou, black and white, 2 feathers each color.

Tail Section: Silicone Rubber Legs, Purple Sparkle/B&W Barred, 4 each approx 1" long. Extra long UV polar chenille, lavender and black, twisted and wrapped rear to front. 4 med/lg grizzly feathers, aligned in a tail shape with a dot of thin superglue to lock them in place and maintain profile.

This is my first big articulated streamer design and it's basically a small streamer I tied and posted last month on steroids. I'd love some feedback, especially from anyone who ties or fishes these kinds of flies regularly. I feel like I might have overdone the marabou a little?

- Jason 

 

Really like the concept,i would use an articulated shank forward with weighted eyes and rigged hook point up.The bulk is a plus.I would be using it for warm water predator species my self but the design is very sound and should have a good  swimming motion.

On 9/23/2020 at 1:00 PM, Meeshka said:

Another issue might be it may be illegal to remove live wild native species from home waters and keep them in aquariums.  It is here because there is such a fear that it will be dumped into a water body that it dosent belong.  We have that with perch being introduced into many of our stocked trout lakes.

No offence but perch,a native to central north america is the "invasive fish"in STOCKED trout lakes?Here in Illinois you are allowed to keep native fish for aquariums.I have seen bass in pet stores.

Flytire -those are knock offs or homemade versions.The real heddon and creek chub bugs were as nicely made as their wood lures.Some even have glass eyes.I have some of the ones similar to yours in sz 10 or so.They are not balsa,maybe basswood or similar.Not soft like balsa although i would use balsa as it is so easy to shape vs cork.

Just started using these,thrilled with the results.

I store bulk flies in compartments and my bigger bass bugs in compartments that have just long rows,I put a couple of each pattern that i plan on using that day in a fly box.I love fly boxes and the ones i want are handy and the ones that i cut off to try something else go into a different fly box to dry and be sorted later.I keep like flies in small compartment boxes in my bag.I use a tackle bag with zippered compartments.i try to be ready for anything i encounter,Several species in any given lake pond or creek.I always carry 2 fly rods.

I don't know if there IS a better way to store flies. Seems to me, the boxes do the job.

 

HOWEVER ... I've been thinking of putting up a 2'x2' sheet magnet on my wall. (You can get them from hobby outlets, for making car stickers or fridge magnets, etc.) With that on the wall, I can lay out a row of what ever I'm tying, then pick off enough for a particular trip. As long as I hang it high enough to keep it out of the cat's paws, it'll be okay with Wife.

An added bonus is small foam bugs when magnetized will orient N/S on the water.Think i'm kidding put one in a cup of water.

Rubber legs decay as they are organic like rubber bands.I get extra fine and regular spinner bait skirts 3 for a 1.00 in any color imaginable.I love fly shops but they are very good at repackaging and renaming common products for 10x or more what the stuff costs.Places like Netcraft sell silcone skirt/leg material in bulk.I still tend to spend a fortune on feathers and hooks,Pretty dumb being i only fish warmwater and really only need a few patterns,It' a hobby dam it.that's what i tell the wife any way.

I have a telescopic magnet thing like you use working on a car.It will pick up a couple pounds,I dont tie in the living room anymore,bought a house with 2 extra bedrooms,One is for all my fishing and tying crap,

I have some that is tiny.Can never have enough.I have some huge stainless used on commercial blinds if i ever need giant clousers .I buy the brass painted white in bulk at Menards and is easily painted with nail polish etc.I fish weedy warm water ponds lakes and rocky creeks .Inverting most of my flies is a must.

Flip flops or laminated sheet foam, cut out with hole punches.

Me too,but like lether punches you hit with a hammer..I make mine on #12 hooks for gills and use a jewelry punch pliers thing and pop a hole thru the cylinder bodies.I tie everything on the hook and then slide the body on with super glue.You can make quite a few in a couple hours.