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Fly Tying

FliesbyNight

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Everything posted by FliesbyNight

  1. Wow. This thread is a little self-righteous and probably hypocritical. if I choose to have a beer or three, as long as I am not breaking the law, it is not your concern. if I am breaking the law, it's still none of your business until it affects you directly. Yes, I know some people can't handle it or don't know when to stop. That's some, not all. You're convicting people before they commit a crime. if you don't want to have a beer while you're fishing then don't. If you don't want to fish with me if I crack a cold one, then don't. We'll probably both be better off. There would be a whole lot less fuss and bother in this world if people just minded their own damn business. And for the record, no story worth telling ever started with milk.
  2. Thanks, @Poopdeck. Seems like this might be a cheap enough experiment.
  3. Following this conversation and I have a question: Does the ring cause hinging in the leader? It seems like it would break to transmission of energy down the leader. I don't use rings as my tippet sections are more robust and I've always just tied new sections and leaders as needed but I can see the need when you have small diameter tippets. It might be something to look into since I use a fluorocarbon tippet section almost exclusively.
  4. Thanks, TroutTramp. I'll check that out. Thanks Poopdeck. That's about the dimensions of my table as well. I do have a variable speed motor with a foot pedal. I was thinking of doing the hand crank version but I had this motor sitting on the shelf, see, and well...... I can't help thinkering.
  5. Ok, so I am almost finished making a dubbing brush machine. The trial run works fine but I just used string to make sure the static side pulled in with tension about 1 1/2" My question is: How do I know when I have enough twists? Run it until the wire breaks? Just figure it out with use? The rotary force is an old sewing machine motor I had in the shop so counting is not really an option.
  6. @flytire, what application is that screen shot from? And what is the library like? I'm intrigued.....
  7. Agreed, @Poopdeck. I never paid more than $240 for a rod but I have had a few I was less than satisfied with. I always shop the outlets for discontinued models. That's why I have a lot of Orvis stuff, there's an outlet in Rehoboth Beach Delaware where my wife and I spend long weekends. I'm much more loyal to the dead presidents in my wallet and it always amuses me that what was the hottest rod ever 3 years ago I just bought for less than 35% of the original price.
  8. Thanks, @Jaydub. Looks like it. I may have to google those and see if I can figure an application for tying I'm salt only so maybe...
  9. Someone already PM'd me so they are alloted.
  10. So a friend of mine who recently passed away was getting into fly tying and I am slowly inheriting his stuff as his wife goes through it. I came across some pieces in his kit that I cannot identify. I assume he intended to use them for tying because they were in the kit with beads and hooks but I have no idea what the flying hell they might be used for. You might not be able to see it but there is a small hole in the tip. Any ideas?
  11. I have always enjoyed looking at the great patterns in this section and may be able to give a little back. A friend of mine was getting into fly tying as a hobby and was trying new things to amuse himself. He passed recently and I have been inheriting his fishing stuff as his wife has the heart to go through it. Dunno what he was planning but i came across some salmon hooks he had and I have no use for them. The manufacturer is Harrison Bartleet. There are 6 7/0 blind hooks and 2 dozen or so (didn't count them) wet salmon down eyes in 2/0. If anyone is interesting, please PM me and I'll get them in the mail to you.
  12. @SilverCreek, Based on your recommendation, I was contemplating trying a Norvise bobbin. At ~$95 a pop, I'll stick with $5 spring arm bobbins. This kinda ties in with the "Is fly tying worth it?" thread. It can save you money depending on your outlook and needs. I'll manually roll up my excess thread and spend that money elsewhere, like say on materials or fly line. To each their own, which is part of the beauty of this hobby.
  13. As with everything else in this ridiculous hobby, it all depends on your goals and practices and what you want out of it. I agree with @mikechell. If you tie what you need, stay away from the exotics and do it over a long time, you will save money. If you are into classic salmon flies that call for select plumage from a red-necked fuzzwort harvested under the light of a full moon, probably not. Even adding in the expense of all the tools and kit, I have saved money over the course of my tying and fishing. I tie about 24 different patterns, unless I'm going on a trip. I tie to imitate the bait fish local to my home waters. I tie each pattern in two sizes and maybe three color variations at most. That cuts down on the materials I need on hand. I'm strictly saltwater because of where I live and what I like to do so that simplifies my problem. When you consider that the flies I fish with cost between $4.00 and $15.00 each if bought commercially, but costs me around $2.00 each to tie at most, it doesn't take too long to start realizing some savings. I'm also a DIY type. I bought a good roll-top desk for a song and modified it to suit my needs. I made my own dubbing brush machine and twist my own brushes. When you add in the hours of enjoyment I get out of tying, it's a clear win-win.
  14. @Silver Creek, I'm not sure how you made that leap but it is incorrect. I've tied on a rotary vise for over twenty years and actually use the functionality for palmering and sculpting epoxy. I find the spring arm bobbins simpler and easier to use. Any bobbin with a mechanical tensioner has to be adjusted for different tensions even if you can squeeze the spool. The Norvise bobbin you mention must have a spring to control the length of the thread that requires periodic adjusting. Any mechanical device will eventually fail. It may take a long time but it will happen and no manufacturing process is perfect. The more mechanically complicated a device, the greater the probability of failure. I still own and use the first bobbin I ever bought well over two decades ago. I only own three bobbins, all spring arms with long throats and ceramic inserts. The only reason own three is because I often use more than one thread color or type in the same fly. I've tried a few other types and given them all away.
  15. I've tried several technical bobbins and always end up back with my plain old style. I learned to control thread tension by squeezing the spool and find any other mechanism awkward. I like simple and shy away from the complicated types that can fail.
  16. @Poopdeck, I second that. Love the magnetic tool holder. I'm thinking about redesigning my tool caddy next winter, after fishing season is over of course! I'll be working that into the new version. Brilliant!
  17. There are a few on eBay. I'll have to keep an eye out for the right sizes. Thanks @Mark Knapp and @The Mad Duck
  18. @flytire, that was the first place I looked. That's how I found out the original company wen tout of business and was bought out in 2008. No dice.
  19. @Mark Knapp, Thanks. I'll give that a try. Amazon came up with nothing.
  20. Does anyone know where, or even if, I can pick up extra spools for the old Teton Tioga reels? There were purchased sometime ago when the calendar still read 19XX for the year. They work great and take a lot of abuse and I don't want to get rid of them but would like more than the one spare spool for each. I have an 8 and a 10. It looks like Teton went out of business in 2008 and was picked up by Teton USA but I'm not sure if the new spools will fit the old frames.
  21. The Rainchovy This one is a good imitation of your basic bay anchovy or rainfish or rainbait, depending on where your are when you fish it. The bonita and false albies seem to like it. Hook: O’Shaughnessy style hook, sizes 6-1/0 Thread: Use your favorite. The thread will not be visible in the finished fly. I tend to stick with a color represented in the fly, just in case Underbody: Saltwater Flash-a-bou or similar wide silver tinsel Body: Light purple Ultra Hair or similar Flash: Fine Silver Flash-a-bou or similar Wing: Tan EP Fibers or similar. Yak Hair makes a good substitute for a more translucent fly Throat: White Rabbit Fur Eyes: Stick-on type. Make these large for the size of the fly Adhesives: Head Cement (I prefer Sally Hanson’s Hard As Nails) and UV Resin in thin and thick viscosities
  22. @redietz, so the REMF's objected to RTFM?
  23. @skeet3t, I am particularly fond of FUBAR, but I do not think that originated in the Navy. Whiskey Tango Foxtrot is also high on my list.
  24. I fish exclusively in saltwater and learned my lessons the hard way. Now, I strip the fly line off my reels at the end of every trip or set of trips, meaning when I am not expecting to fish for a few days, and wipe it down with clean water. I also rinse the reels and rods at the same time. Regardless of water conditions, I strip all the backing off my reels every other year and replace it with new. The reason is sand and silt will get into your reels and line if you fish in the surf or there is particulate suspended in the water. Eventually it will abrade the backing and you can lose not only the fish but the fly line as well. Ask me how I know... New backing is cheap insurance every other year. If I fished more often, like when I finally retire, I would do it every year during reel maintenance. BTW, I have reels I have used for 3 decades that are still as good as new, minus the inevitable nicks and scratches. Tiogas, as a matter of fact, which were never high-end reels by any stretch. Take care of your stuff or run the risk of losing it.
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