Kingfisher

Actually, I'd like a smaller decal to put on my stripping baskets.

I would go along with the idea of a donation, and quite frankly wouldn't care about getting a hat or whatever in return. If it comes down to it, I'll sell my hat on eBay; should fetch a ton of cash!!!

Sure, that sounds fine. Any particular sort of striper patterns you're interested in?

Try this...

I'm willing to volunteer to meister the swap on this side of the pond, unless someone else wants to step forward.

What hooks do you guys typically use? Standard nymph, 1XL, 2XL, curved shank, etc.?

No one is interested in this, huh?

I'd be interested in one skin. Trade or cash, I'll leave it to you.

It appears that the YK12ST is very similar to the Mustad C53S and the TMC 200 series.

I would be interested in this, as well. One consideration might be for all the folks in the states and Canada to send their flies to one participant, who would then send a package of all the flies over to the swap meister in Europe. Then, once all the flies had been received by the meister, the ones coming back to the states could be sent to that one person again, who would divide them out and send them the rest of the North American participants. It might save on postage. I, for one, would be interested in nymphs.

Thanks for your replies, guys. It's good to get a conversation going once in a while to see what people's views are on these sorts of topics. I know that we're all interested in preservation of our natural resources, it's just that sometimes the line between what's acceptable and what's not becomes blurred.

The Krystal-Butt Hopper and Cricket, as outlined in Harrison Steeves' book (Tying with Foam, Fur, and Feathers) are good patterns that don't take more than a few minutes to tie.

Wow! Thanks for such a detailed account of the steps!

I take a view that these predators are doing what comes naturally to them, and the unfortunate fact is that their natural tendencies seem to be an inconvenience or annoyance to humans. This, and the fact that their ranges overlap with areas that are developed, and are being developed, for human residence, means that encounters are unavoidable and the animals get slaughtered. You're right in your assertion that the animal should be completely utilized if it's going to be killed, but to say that there are "too many" predators? By whose standards? This is why I asked the question regarding the use of fur from predatory species that are under pressure. Sure there are too many deer; there are fewer natural predators now than ever before. There sure aren't too many big predators out there in terms of population viability, though. I'm not trying to stir the pot, just putting my own thoughts on the table, as it were. Perhaps it's hypocrisy that I'll use materials from certain animals but not from others, but then I have my reasons.

See the gathering page if you'd all be so kind...

Many of us were too far away to reach the last steelhead gathering on the Erie Tribs, and I believe we have a handful of people from NY and PA that are a little further East, so I was wondering if anyone was interested in a gathering sometime in the next few months for steelhead on one of the tribs. I'm going to open the floor up to suggestions on location and the best possible time frame to hit your suggested area.

I saw the article in Flyfishing and Tying Journal as well, and plan to tie some of these up.

As fly fishermen (and women), we are often labelled as conservationists. We strive to maintain natural habitat for all species of fish pursued with fly rod, or any rod for that matter, to the extent that we join special organizations, become involved with local politics, flame wildlife management personnel and policies, and participate in heated discussions with those that have an opposing opinion. As fly tiers, we make use of materials that are often, but not necessarily, obtained by hunting and/or trapping, decreasing the population of predators that are often already in trouble as a species. Perhaps they are not recognized as such by "authorities", but we all know how reliable those authorities can be as sources of viable information. Without getting into a drawn out discussion of ethics, I'll simply pose a few questions that may be answered, or just pondered, whichever you prefer. Is it ethical to take part in the preservation of fisheries yet contribute to the decrease in population of land animals? Are there any species of animals that you will not purchase or use fur/feathers from because you feel it violates a moral code? If so, which animals, and why? Off the top of my head, wolf, coyote, fox, and bear are examples of predators that might be best left alone. Do you ever look specifically for sources of materials that come from animals raised on a farm or ranch? Do any such places even exist?

So who would be up for a New Yorker conclave on one of the tribs for steelhead sometime in the next few months?

Sounds good to me!

Will - I'd like 1 pack each of the following: R70 - 12, 14, 16 C53S - 8, 10, 12, 14, 16 C49S - 12, 14, 16, 18 I have a question: do you need a certain number of people need to participate in each group purchase to get the pricing shown? In other words, is the pricing likely to remain unchanged or is it tentative with the number of people that actually place orders?

Hey Will, Ditto what everyone else said. This site is an unrivaled source of tying information and provides some great instruction and cameraderie. Thanks for working so hard to keep it going. My order for hooks will be coming shortly.

I think I would say I'm competent. I spend a fair amount of time looking through pattern books and field guides, thinking of how to tie flies and then doing a few as I go. Generally, I work on something until I'm happy (or at least satisfied) with the result. When someone shows me how to tie a pattern, I pick up on the steps and technique fairly quickly. All of these things, as well as more time spent on the vise, have led me to be a much better tyer than I was a few years ago, so I definitely don't think I would consider myself as a beginner. Frankly, if I was spending as much time as I do tying flies and they were no better than the ones I came up with "in the beginning" I'd be ashamed and take up some other hobby.

I believe that's more of a funnel-dun style than a water wisp; I've been saying for years that tying in the inverted style would make far more sense than with the hook down, since this gives the fish a clear view that this is no normal insect. However, it's just like anything else, hook down or not, flies catch fish when the fish are agreeable. Great patterns, I need to get that technique mastered, myself!

Just wondering how many NY members we have? I'll be the first to stand up: Bronx is in the house!