johnnyquahog

Golden Olive Bumble / frankenfly version hook - 3906B in #10 thread - 70D red tail - two Golden Pheasant Crests rib - silver oval tinsel body - gold seal dubbing wing - olive yellow grizzly (Metz magnum) wound with a Collins brown hen hackle collar - blue grizzly saltwater saddle hackle next up is a Vladi Worm

Back around 97 or so I was fortunate enough to have spent a couple of days in one of Bob Pops small fly tying classes in Salem NH. Bob has inspired thousands of fly tiers and fly fishers around the world with his innovative designs and easy going humble demeanor. His influence will be around for generations. The way he died is tragic. If there is a heaven then he is fishing along side Lefty and Ted Williams and dozens, make that hundreds of other legends and just regular people all while Bob Pops is making them pizza. Thanks and RIP.

Thursday eve about 7:30 from South Coast / Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts.

Thanks for the positive comments on my flies back a page or two. Saw this pattern on the Mainley Flies channel. I like their innovative stuff and their videos are well done / move right along. I subbed a wool body versus their thread body and round tinsel versus their wire rib. They didn’t give it a name or maybe I just missed it. Unproven Brook Trout streamer hook: 4xl streamer in #8 and #6 thread: orange under body and black head tail: bunch of golden pheasant tippets rib: round silver tinsel over body: 4 to 7 peacock herls to be pulled over body body: orange wool yarn (2 strands) wing: white bucktail throat: orange and white hackle tips

Working on a batch of streamers for nephew to be trolled in remote Maine ponds for brook trout. This has been the most successful pattern to date and he and his guests go through quite a few. Wood Special (Joe Sterling) hook: #8 3xl or 4xl streamer tail: gp tippets ribbing: either flat or round silver tinsel body: orange, pumpkin or flour orange chenille or wool yarn wing: single lemon wood duck flank feather tied on top flat wing style collar: grizzly hen eyes: optional jc nails (I leave them off)

Ditto! Thanks for sharing. This story put a smile on my old face. I had to refresh my memory but I was pretty close. Hoagy only made 106 bamboo rods and Garrison about 650. The odds of owning and fishing one of each puts you in a rare group. Tell me you also played a Stradivarius with the NY symphony for the hat trick… or better yet, you fished for Atlantic Salmon with Teddy (ballgame) Williams? Memories are what fuel us.

You hit this one out of the park!

That is something! I’m sure there is a great back story here? Given that the Garrison book was completed by Hoagy and published in 77, he was still in his twenties. Your rod would be one of his real early ones. Hope it is preserved and admired.

I have no idea if Walt or Mary or a contract tyer tied this Coffin fly. I purchased a few dozen flies, including a couple of these ~1987 by just calling the Dette shop and talking to Winnie.

There is also sticky lead tape which used to be popular for weighted zonkers. Jstockard still sells a couple brands of the tape. Lead is not legal everywhere (for good reasons) which may be one small factor for the huge popularity of beads. Check your local regulations.

On my fourth 4Runner, a 1987 4 cyl, a used 92 manual shift, a 2006 8 cylinder and currently a 5th generation 2017 Off Road. Made a big error in judgement and got a Mercury Mountaineer 8 cylinder in 2000. Wife drives a 2018 RAV4 and contemplating another, probably a hybrid.

Yak streamer hook - 2/0 saltwater friendly thread - clear mono eyes - stick on glued and coated with clear glue wing & belly - yak hair

December 1, 1969 was the first draft lottery for those born between 1944 and 1950. I remember stressfully listening to the radio. I didn’t have to listen very long because my birthday came up as #12. I was in community college at the time and promptly got my draft notice when I graduated even though I kept my deferment by transferring to a state college which was always the plan. I paid my own way. So in 72 and just getting a BS in education and a teaching certificate I went to see the navy recruiter to see what chance I had of getting into the reserves. The recruiter had a billet for a builder in the Seabees. Other than a song we sang in the eighth grade music class and a John Wayne movie, The Fighting Seabees, I knew nothing of the Seabees. There was a small caveat and that was that since time in San Diego boot camp, Port Hueneme building school, and Gulfport Mississippi military training with the marines added up to more than 180 days that I would need to sign a waiver that I would accept not being classified as a veteran. The story goes on but unrelated to the topic. I always make it very clear that I am not a veteran. My wife and I were in a country sandwich shop that we frequent this last Veterans Day. The owner asked me if I was Vet and I said no. My wife smiled and the lady stared at me and I said I’m definitely not a veteran just an x reservist and declined the free lunch. She said “thanks for your service and you are not paying for your lunch”. ps: while we were told not to wear uniforms traveling it was pretty obvious who was military.

The approach I used to take was to shape and trim up to the point where the whiskers were to be set, then tie the moose whiskers and then stack and trim the nose. Bruce’s technique is much more efficient of course. mouse rats

Beautiful. Looks like you have a mouse factory going on.

Nice job on the DH Diver. Saltwater guys swear by that color combo for nighttime fishing.

Much improved! I’d say you hit a triple.

Way to go! Hope you weren’t in one of those folding chairs for two days. I’ll bet you had hundreds of visitors and a thousand compliments. Lots of hours of work in those cases and on that table. Can’t read that poster over your head but very kool indeed.

Crease Fly - Tinker Mackerel hook #2/0 saltwater perfect bend wide gap thread - big fly tail - arctic fox over flash over buck tail body - sticky back foam, transfer foil, markers, stick on eye, use CA gel glue (try not to glue fingers) coating - clear gorilla glue brushed on and dried on turner this is a Joe Blados pattern. There is a recent Masters on The Fly 2024 video on YouTube that I thought was a great watch. Maybe cause we are a year or two apart.

I thought I’d share this here. A few days ago there was a question about bone handle tying tools. I went to the Etsy site to look since this is where unique crafts are offered that you can’t find elsewhere except eBay but the pictures are much better on Etsy. Struck out on the bone handle tools but this oversized cast aluminum vise base with an impressive HMH TVR vise really caught my eye. I read the description and checked the seller to see that he had a couple of even larger pedestal bases for sale and some custom options. Looking at the larger bases I thought that the profile plate on my vise would bang into the tool rack on the base so I messaged the seller. Ten minutes later I get a response that it wasn’t a concern. A couple more messages and he offered me a striper second for a decent discount. I couldn’t refuse. This is 11 pounds of aluminum and arrived 2 1/2 days later to pair up with my 25+ year old vise.

I have an antler bodkin somewhere that I acquired years ago. I’m thinking it was from a guy on a web forum that made them and offered them to fellow tyers. I just searched and you can find them on Etsy

Bruce. Love the mouse family.. Each one has their own personality. I have one of Chris Helm's in my collection. I was looking just yesterday to see if anyone posted any of his videos and disappointed to see just a few ~ 4 minute clips. Good to see you (and a few others) carrying and refining the deer hair torch. Thanks for sharing your stuff.

Lots of videos out there. Master Wire Supply on Amazon is popular for brush makers looking for inexpensive 50’ or 550’ spools of stainless wire. I suggest you look on oasis benches.com and his video on dubbing table to get ideas and pit falls to avoid if you are making your own. The oasis bench can spin from both sides and keeps the fibers (hair, flash, synthetics) under just enough tension to hold the material at right angle while you comb out with dog/pet brush. I don’t see the reasoning or advantage for a 40” brush, especially with a wire core. I’m probably missing your intent.

Simply elegant. This is a beauty. To me the “Wow factor” is the tapered body that puts it over the top. Don’t know if the underbody is built of thread or all floss but thanks for sharing this one and all of your others. the body is danvilles 4 strand floss

Put me down for a dollar on grizzly schlappen. I guess I could dig out my copy of Veverka’s Innovative Saltwater Flies where capt. Lemay’s flies are featured.