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Thanks Silver! We have vacationed in NZ and will be going back sometime! Nice find!!! Mike

Nice advice Chase! Superglue is a great way to "seal" the label on !!!! PLUS super glue is in my med kit for similar purposes! I filleted my hand two nights ago preparing some "Pho" for my wife......what was my GO TO repair? Super Glue!!!!! Works like a charm and I didn't have to go to the ER for it! Mike

Can't wait for the "jabbing"!!! Perhaps they can put that in their warranty claim.....Vacuuming!......LOL

Jbieg, I would fish it....hell I would fish anything I tied!!! My critique is on the quality of the pic....can you post a higher resolution one? Second....it appears that you snipped the top of the PT off with scissors. I personally am not sure that it matters but it seemed to me that you did. GOOD spacing on the wire. Get acquainted with that! You are doing well for your first one...by the way good for future ones as well IMO! Cheers, Mike By the way WELCOME!!!

As a new fly tying guy I feel your pain!!!! As quoted above and I will infer some experience from my end, hook sizes KILL ME! When I was taught from the Project Healing Waters mentors we tied on one size hook and type. Terrific! I can tie a fly on that size hook but that fly might not work according to the season (read size). So I have been spending a ton of time going to fly shops and gathering "reading materials" for a few months now. Hook sizes kill me and I still have yet to crack the code on the best hook or the "proper" type for my area. I am now trying to STICK to one or perhaps TWO brands of hooks and make them work according to recipes online or from mentors around my area. For the "stock" that I spent money on (assortment packs)....I try to match the hooks that were in them to the staples I am using now. I am still brand new and the advice above is invaluable but I wanted to pass on my two cents on the whole "hook thing" that is still killing me....LOL! Mike

Great Topic! I like the plastic bag idea and the Baseball Card Holder for the hooks!!!! I am going to incorporate the hook keeper card holder shortly! Since I began this passion, my wife has been bringing me home empty dental supply containers from work. Some are small and some are large but they come in various sizes and "stackability"...my term...LOL...... Once I figure out a way, such as Rotary's cabinet, they are going to be placed into use! Labeling is another story.....Bryon Anderson, member here, clued me into a label maker that I have yet to get....if he chimes in this would be something that ANYONE could use to label things. I used to just use my printer and Office Depot sheets of labels (read address ones) but over time they simply came off. Mike

Hey Switch I might actually look into this!!! Dave....the vacuum certainly works! I am still kicking myself for the whole incident but it was an inexpensive lesson to learn EARLY on in my fly fishing life! I have had tackle stolen, broken tips from bass rods when bringing my boat onto the trailer, lost gear in swells, etc...but NEVER had a rod break from cleaning our house! LOL!!!! I will be placing this in the book of knowledge!!!!!!\ Mike

Nice Setup! This is one area that I desperately NEED to get involved in!!! Heading down into my "fly cave" is fine most of the time but spending time with my family (wife and dogs) is very important to all of us. I used to do the tying and rod building on the kitchen table but after some "scars" on the top of the table I was "banned for life" until a better solution was developed. I picked up a Hobico cutting mat and that fixed 95% of the problems. Time for me to revisit the kitchen table tying station!!! Mike

What a great thing to do!!!! Thanks for passing this on to a new fly tying person!!!! Once I get my skills up I will be giving back by passing on some flies for those that don't have the time or resources to tie themselves! Mike

Great topic! I fished for all species for over three decades but NEVER saw an actual angler using a Fly Rod during that time. Yes I saw things on TV and in the movies but NEVER saw an angler actually fishing. I think that having a MENTOR or a friend show someone how to fly fish would really help young people get involved. The costs can be minimal...on par with just about any other fishing area if one looks at sales at big stores such as Cabelas or BPS. The Boy Scouts actually have a Fly Fishing Merit Badge and if there are people that volunteer their time and patience to teach a young scout how to fly fish this is another way to get young people involved. Mike

Hi Everyone! Well it was a SAD weekend for me! I have two fly rods that I own. I made a 5wt 9' 4 piece that I am going to be taking out fishing on a trip to Falcon's Ledge in Altamont Utah tomorrow. I also have an Orvis 3wt 7'6" rod that my wife got me in March. I have been practicing casting with both of them but unfortunately I learned a very harsh lesson this weekend. While casting the Orvis 3wt, I stayed in the yard a bit too long and the extreme weather we got here along the Front Range in Colorado hit with a vengeance! I gathered up the dogs and went inside..... I did NOT want to remake the scene from "Caddyshack" with the Reverend on the golf course so it was a FAST run into the house. I did NOT take the time to break down my two rods and place them in their cases. Fast forward to the next day and I started vacuuming the house. (Can you see what is coming???) I did not notice the piece of yarn I use for a practice fly and simply thought it was a clump of dog hair or lint on the carpet. Within seconds the "fly" was sucked up and my leader and two feet of my 3wt line was wrapped around the brushes within the vacuum!!! SNAP SNAP SNAP.... The tip section of my 3wt (that has never been fished!) was in three pieces on the floor with my fly line entangled in the brushes of the evil vacuum. I was heartbroken and still am. The worst part was this was a gift from my wife and I simply did not have the heart to tell her that this happened at the time. No chance of salvaging this with my rudimentary rod building skills. No amount of wrapping and epoxy can fix this. So my Orvis rod is out of commission and I am going to call them to have it fixed under warranty. Glad they have the warranty but really disappointed that I won't be bringing it out to Utah for fishing tomorrow. I did tell my wife and she gave me a good "talking to"....LOL. Lesson Learned: ALWAYS PUT UP YOUR GEAR!!!! Not certain if I can salvage the line but when I get the rod back from Orvis, I will see what I can do. I think it will work but it might be relegated to a practice line for the foreseeable future! Just wanted to pass this off to all of you and REMEMBER....put your gear up when you are done with it!!! Cheers, Mike

Agreed with Bryon......if I came across as being harsh I simply did not intend to do so.... Mike

Will do Shoe! I think my dubbing is not "spikey" enough but will try to fix it!

The "Frog" came out just fine!!!! Glad you got it figured out! Mike

Hi Andy! I may be a day late and a dollar short but WELCOME just the same! I am a brand new fly tier and fly fisherman so take my comments with a grain of salt! The folks here wont steer you wrong at all! Post up some pictures of your flies.......you will simply get some OUTSTANDING critiques on your flies with regards to proportions and some suggestions to make YOUR fly work in your local waters. Mike

My choice for fishing small TINY streams here in the Rockies is a 3wt 7'6" rod that I have been diligently practicing on for the past month! I will admit that I have NOT caught a trout on it because I am practicing my presentation with a "yarn fly" but it works really well for getting close in situations where my 9' 5wt just is too big! I have had a fish rise to the yarn and was pissed that I did not have a fly on the end! Take my info with a grain of salt as I am just starting out but the 3wt will be my go to rod when fishing the small "snake like streams" in the mountains here! Mike

Thanks a TON folks!!!!! Fly you are correct on the stuff for Deckers......tons of folks (wife and I scouted up by the YMCA camp and all the way up to Cheesman this past weekend and everyone had them in their boxes AND on their lines!). We are literally getting BLOWN OUT from the rain and run off here on the front range and it is TOUGH fishing probably for the next few weeks as Denver Water releases stuff. My wife went up to a gentleman that we watched for a few minutes and he was using a Dry Dropper rig.....he told her that the Hare's Ear is a staple and won't go anywhere without it. I have to get this down!!!!!! Now that I have like twenty of them in various states of "perfection"...LOL.....I simply have to GIVE UP and attempt it next week. I think my dubbing is off, it has way less guard hairs in it and I simply cannot figure it out. Time to ask my mentor on this fly!!!! Mike PS....I'm still going to fish the hell out of them but I still want to be a perfectionist and get it right....next fly is an RS2 and then a Parachute Adams!

I do as well on the MRE Subject Mike!!!! We made an entire "chess set" sitting in the sandbox out of the little bottles in there! Here is a pic that will bring back a few memories for you!!!! No I did not get out before the MH53J replacement in AFSOC. Sad state of affairs when that happened but we all can't dwell on the past! Bring on the MH-53 "K" to AFSOC and replace the gap that was left when the Pave Low left!!!! Mike BTW my MRE of choice was TUNA.....sad to see it TOO left years ago!

Good info Shoe! I just wanted to see a source from a community I am active in to hear thoughts if anyone has been there! I am excited to NO END at the opportunity to learn about fly fishing from some Orvis experts! Can you tell that I am so excited about this!!!!?!!!? Mike

OK....NOW I will chime in!!! I am probably the MOST avid scientific mind in my OWN world....( LOL just ask my wife)...but I actually crave for science on TV!!!! I OWN the original Cosmos series and recognize Carl Sagan as a true hero in the scientific world. (Please don't debate the politics on it as I don't care to). Neil Degrasse Tyson is a really good spokesman for science. Whether or not you agree with the way the NEW Cosmos series is going, He is bringing science to the forefront and IT SHOULD BE IMO! It was painful for me to see some of the things presented in the series as in my opinion (IMO), there aren't enough thoughts about just how our planet works. Anything, ANYTHING, that get's kids to embrace the scientific method and question certain "respected" opinions is WAY OK in MY book! Science, in my honest opinion, evaluates ALL the facts (and by the way OPINIONS).....it creates debate and thinking outside of the paradigms that exist. Just my 2.5 cents.... Mike

Thank You Scott! Memorial Day is a sacred day in our home. Your picture brought a tear to my eye just now. Mike

Sorry for the delay on my response.....real world car issues have been occupying my time. My intent of the post was not to cause an argument. There are those that like barbed hooks and those that don't.... I fished tournaments both salt and fresh for different species over the years and ALWAYS used barbed hooks. Perhaps it was because that was what I was raised on but in actuality NO ONE used barbless (granted we were NOT using a fly rod). I stand by my statements on barbless for fly fishing for trout and other freshwater species. It makes sense to me especially now that I have had three...count them THREE hooks in my foot in the tying room! That is enough for me to stay with barbless hooks. The only other thing I would say is that for ME, once landing a fish (trout in my case), the release is important. Getting the hook out swiftly and easily is IMO an important thing. I also do NOT like having a barb stuck in the net (whether plastic or mesh). This gets me fishing SOONER! Thanks for the posts on the studies......I really liked reading them!!! Gives EVERYONE whether you are a barbed or barbless fisherman some good information! Mike

Great Pictures! Thanks for actually having the presence of mind to snap them. I would be diving for the underside of my Jeep trying to stay away from their talons!!!! Mike

Hi Everyone, I was just called the past evening for an opportunity to head out to Falcon's Ledge in Altamont Utah in a few days!!!! Has anyone been there? What types of flies would you have for a June trip? God Bless Project Healing Waters in Denver!!! I have learned so much and have been blessed at the opportunities I have been given! I am nervous and happy at the same time! This will be my FIRST time fishing on an actual river and I want to get some flies in my box that I actually tie! I will be bringing my rod that I built and it is a 9' 5wt so I think it will be good for the trip! Best wishes, Mike

Steel! Beautiful Rod! Tyler.....thank you for your service and WELCOME HOME! I am a retired veteran and am so proud of you! Keep on fishing and be certain to post the pictures of your first fish on that work of ART that Steel made for you! You also might want to look into Project Healing Waters. The organization literally saved my life! Best wishes and tight lines! Mike