epzamora

NOW you've done it Mike (chuckling) eric fresno,ca.

Capt Bob LeMay shared this tidbit: "kid, we'll make a small fortune in the tackle business... first we'll start with a large fortune..." hilarious eric fresno, ca.

What part of Yosemite? Ants can work very well in the central Sierra. eric fresno, ca.

The ant bruce shows is similar to the ant i've bought many times in past years and has proven an irresistible morsel in my sierra streams. except mine were purchased as barbless and had white calf's tail for the post. the shop has since stopped selling them, i'll have to try tying my own. eric fresno, ca.

I don't think the evidence in this thread exactly proves saber hooks are a bad hook overall these days. allen and dai-riki also have their detractors. i've bought a few packs of saber hooks in small trout sizes over the winter and have tied a few dozen up so far. none broke in the vise. hopefully they're fine, but trout season for me hasn't really begun yet so the verdict is still out for me. all have been barbless. eric fresno, ca.

Try a different web browser. eric fresno, ca.

If you have experience with older fiberglass, you're only seeing a bit of what's out there. the new ones are a much different breed. If anyone is interested in checking out a list of modern fiberglass rod sources, here's a nice list i stumbled across yesterday. The links do not always go straight to the fiberglass offerings, but it's worth perusing the sites. One builder that stands out is Shane at Graywolf. http://thefiberglassmanifesto.blogspot.com/p/rod-shops.html eric fresno, ca.

From what i've read, fishing for carp requires a rod with some backbone. and 8wt is generally the recommended size. again, from what i've read, and i must point out this is from advertising (lol) a saltwater rod is built tougher than a freshwater rod to handle larger fish. does anyone have knowledge to counter that? i'm curious. when shopping for your next fly rod, it is generally recommended that you buy rod in weights that cover the bases well, not too close together. if you already have an 8wt, go down to a 6, not a 7. wait, if you have a saltwater 8, MAYBE a freshwater 7 would offer enough of a difference in performance... or if you have a 9 foot 8wt saltwater, you may be able to use a medium-fast freshwater 8'-6" 7wt.... hold on, my head hurts, this is getting confusing... see how the sickness of acquisition begins? eric fresno, ca.

I started out buying a spool here and there until i amassed quite a collection of UNI thread in 6/0 for my trout flies. Then I discovered UTC 70. my main problems as a beginning fly tyer was too much thread bulk would build up on size 12 and 14 trout flies, particularly at the head. UTC solved that, though i admit, more skill could have too (i think danville flymaster 6/0 is similar). once you learn the trick of spinning your thread to flatten it out (or opposite direction to create a rope) you've taken your fly tying skill to a new level. If i was starting out again (with trout flies), I'd start with UTC 70, and that's what i've suggested to my buddy who is just now starting out and with limited funds. one color? many say a thread in an olive-brown (an actual color UTC offers) could be used for almost all of my trout ties. good luck to the OP and have fun. eric fresno, ca.

Thanks! None of these various styles are my "thing." just yet. I'm new to top water bass fishing but i've pulled a few along the top just to see how they pop. topwater hasn't begun here yet. I've been catching almost everything on clouser minnows. wanna see my version of a clouser minnow? Naw, i didn't think so lol eric fresno, ca.

As to the original poster's issue with heat reaction, it may be that your skin/system is simply reactive to a chemical in zap a gap. try a different brand. or go without. eric fresno, ca.

Brian Myers said: Especially anywhere with a healthy crawfish population. I'm thinking this is the reason for orange working so well... eric fresno, ca.

I use Zap A Gap but I hope you've gleaned that it is not necessary. Plus Zap A Gap is just one brand of CA glue. Search Zap A Gap at amazon. com and you'll find a ton of versions, including the tiny tips for detailed application. Pacer Technologies markets Zap A Gap. Pacer also offers a product called Z-7 Debonder which claims it works for removing all CA glues. http://www.supergluecorp.com/?q=zap/zap-z-7-debonder eric fresno, ca.

They can also be found on that really big mega online auction site eric fresno, ca.

you're close, don't give up. learn to walk before running. tie a traditional clouser minnow before branching off with unusual colors. you already have chartreuse, buy some white buck tail, it's the traditional standard color combo. white is used so often, anyone tying clousers needs to have white bucktail. and clousers catch so many different species of fish in so many waters as a chartreuse/white combo, it's a great investment. ANOTHER GOOD INVESTMENT, is to BUY a clouser from a fly shop. keep it right next to the next one you tie so you can see how yours follows or branches off from the design, and correct as needed. also buy some white thread. it too is used often, a staple in a tyer's supplies. clousers are often tied with white or red thread. get both. the flash material is supposed to resemble the dividing line between top and bottom coloration of a baitfish. do not tie it on the top/bottom. again, the flash material is supposed to resemble the dividing line between top and bottom coloration of a baitfish. do not tie it on the top/bottom. and as somone already posted, white is the bottom portion of the baitfish/fly when selecting the bucktail (from the center portion of the backside), you need to pull out the short hairs (and any really long ones), so all hairs are similar in length. someone posted a video link to prepping bucktail. watch it. and really REALLY work on tying the head portion. you want a nicely tapered, clean head on front, all thread, do not allow bucktail to peek through at the front. it's a simply designed fly but the details make it a clouser. those big eyes just look too big to me (are they dumbbell eyes?) but if positioned better, just a tad farther back. they would look better proportionally. I'm looking forward to version 3.0! eric fresno, ca.

The Truckee has a great reputation for quality fish AND being very difficult to figure out. A buddy of mine guides there. Consider a guide for at least a half day. And pyramid cutthroat are legendary. In my area midges bigger than an 18 are too big. but right, start tying 16s. then to 18s, then 20s down once you get 16s down. i also found using a flat thread (like UTC 70) helps a lot, especially once you learn to spin the bobbin to release the twist. UNI 6/0 just doesn't work very well. not sure what thread you're using. you're wire wraps look great! eric fresno, ca.

Thanks Bryon! That bottom frog, and the other similar, are using wapsi's hard foam saltwater model. Two more tied after posting last night/this morning: eric fresno, ca.

Although it seems we've had a reprieve from the drought this year in California, I started fishing for bass 2 months ago, ignoring moving water and concentrating on still. I haven't been out as much as I would like but plan on going again tomorrow (it's been almost a month!). I started tying trout flies with my new vise over the fall and winter, but bass flies are so much more fun (and easier). I've been bringing a buddy new to fly fishing and he's loving the foothill lake we've been concentrating on this spring. Here are some of the flies I've been trying out for largemouth bass. Let me know what you think. Here's a shot of the lake we've been fishing. That's the buddy in the distance And though targeting LMB, i stumbled across this crappie fishing a grey and white clouser. and now for a few of the bass bugs i've tied today. (cutting the blue floor tile by hand is NOT the way to go eric fresno, ca.

I started going through the same search two years ago. after a year of pondering, i started just smashing the barb in my vise before i start tying. so much easier and no need to buy another specialized tool. so many of those as it is. and these days, i rarely if ever buy a fly. in my experience, hemostats/clamps only work on small hooks (16 and smaller), hopefully micro barbed. otherwise they just don't offer enough mash. eric fresno, ca.

Beautiful. eric fresno, ca.

Catching a fish with a fly you tied is fine and dandy, but once you start wrapping your own rods too, now THAT'S something cool tightline productions makes some of the best high quality videos for tying fly patterns. google their name or find some on youtube. here's one for the American Pheasant Tail nymph: https://youtu.be/oRMWxob305o?list=PLz42K_a_F18S8jpgZngdeOj-TDL-uyHLo eric fresno, ca.

I have a Wolff Atlas vise. I don't think anything about the design has changed from Anvil to new company Wolff. I've tinkered with tying size 20 and 22 flies, and lately, size 1/0 Clousers for bass, and usually 12-18s, so it can handle a wide range. The base does not move with my tying the bigger flies but then i'm not putting much pressure to it. One criticism is that the vise is not as nicely machined everywhere as other much more expensive vises are machined. non-critical portions are left a satin finish. The designer of the vise, easily reachable by phone, explained this is is why it can be sold cheaper than the more expensive vises. He also explained that the rotational drag is controlled from the left end knob, not the lock screw near the head. this was a misunderstanding on my part when i first received the vise last summer. Duh. the lock screw at the head either fully locks the rotation, or you back it out all the way for free rotation. again, the amount of drag for rotation is controlled by the end knob. one nice thing is that the price, i think less than $120 from a forum member who represents Wolff, included both pedestal base and c-clamp. there is also just one set of jaws for a wide range of hooks. no need to buy bigger or midge jaws. one con to the vise is it does not include a bobbin cradle, but the seller i bought mine from sold me one of his own design (as an option) and it works really well, but any standard bobbin cradle will fit the standard stem of the vise. i rarely use the true-rotational feature of the vise, but it was there when i wanted to use it. I was strongly considering the Peak myself but i fell for the styling of the Atlas. It has a cool mid-20th century/space race/futuristic form factor to the outward design AND holds the hook securely, which is what it needs to do. I think this vise is a where I bought minegreat deal. Here's where I bought mine: http://www.southwestcustomrods.com/products/fly-tying-related/wolff-indiana-vises eric fresno, ca.

I've used purple curved tails (not sure if they were silicone) for LMB flies. worked great. eric fresno, ca.

The very, very best tutorial I know of was by Harry Mason who passed a few years ago. Fortunately his SBS instruction for the Copper John is still available although his web site no longer is. It can be found at the web archive... Copy and save Harry's step by step instruction because who knows how long it will still be available. His technique is impeccable. RIP Harry. You were one of a kind and your instructions still hold up to this day. https://web.archive.org/web/20130222022739/http://www.troutflies.com/tutorials/cjohn/index.shtml While you are at it, you might want to copy the rest of his tutorials: https://web.archive.org/web/20100421201255/http://www.troutflies.com/tutorials/ Harry's Troutflies web site was Da Bomb. I found that when I restarted fly fishing a decade ago. Great design, incredibly highly informative, and excellent flies to buy. I always considered some of the flies to be worth buying and keeping as models for future ties. Does anybody else offer nicely tied flies like Harry did? Some of the SBS pages no longer load the images but the copper john is still there in its entirety eric fresno, ca.

If you have an iPhone, use the included free iMovie. If you are on a Mac, again, use iMovie. I use it on my Mac laptop just about everyday for work (newspaper photographer) and it is ridiculously simple to use and produces great videos. eric fresno, ca. (quite Mac-centric in my needs)