niveker

3 hours ago, Flat Rock native said:

Nice flock..👍👍🎣🎣😎😎

Thanks, FR.  Though this pattern is nearly 200 years old, it was new to me, so I took one of the rejects for a test drive down at the lake other evening and caught a few sunfish and one crappie (kivver and calicos, as we call them up here in my part of New England), so I know they won't be totally useless.  

My sleuth of Grizzly Kings hit the PO this am.  Tracking # send by PM.  

ETA is 5/2, sorry for the delay, all.  DarrellP - thank you for hosting.  

On 4/24/2020 at 5:52 PM, DarrellP said:

Now that is over the top.  Mark, you win.  

Really.  This forum has some really great and interesting topics, and I enjoy reading and seeing the photos and comments, but its going to be near impossible to top the subject of this thread, Mark.  

And your ties look great.  They would never see the water if it they were mine, I'd keep them on display.  

 The hair at the base of the tail has the best marking/coloration

Those are some nice looking flies Capt. 

Sounds like a great day, MD and some nice fish pics. 

59 minutes ago, mikemac1 said:

Although I would agree with all the comments above that Fly position is somewhat irrelevant with buggers, don’t underestimate the influence of your tippet on the fly position in the water. A stiff tippet (3X -0X) tied with a clinch knot will transfer that stiffness to the fly.  Any natural twist in the tippet will be reflected in the fly’s position in the water.  If you are using a clinch knot, experiment by tying the knot starting both from the top of the hook eye and the underside.  See if the two different starting positions makes a difference.  Then try a non-slip loop knot to see if that makes a difference.  The loop knot gives the fly more independence from any twist in the tippet.

That's a good point, mikemac1, something that is often overlooked.  

Good luck on your search, kid.  I think I remember reading on another forum a while back that she is no longer making it due to lack of quality possum, but I may be wrong. 

You can probably find someone's version of the recipe out there, or someone here may chime in.  I use my dogs fur (a yellow hound mix) dyed orange (Kool-Aid) and mix in some brown/mahogany fur from a hares mask, and a little sparkle.  

I just posted a video of Mr. Betters tying his Ausable Wulff over in Chugbugs thread 'Videos of Fly Tying Notables"

Fran Betters Ties the Ausable Wulff

What's that old saying?  Oh yeah:

There are lies, damned lies and statistics. - Mark Twain

What??? No pictures of the star of the day?  

Good fish pics anyway.  

1 hour ago, dave said:

I made this tool holder out of scrap mahogany a few years ago.  It's mounted on a lazy susan turret so you can easily rotate it. 

Haa - I've had one of those lazy susan bases hanging above my workbench for at least 15 years.  Now I know what I've been saving it for!

On 4/21/2020 at 2:45 AM, Mark Knapp said:

Not that it matters, but all my hooks that are marked "Steelhead hooks" have a down-eye, and all of them that are marked "salmon flies" are up-eye. I think it's a fairly new thing. The ones marked "salmon/steelhead are up-eye.

That interesting. 

Well the only reason I mentioned it is that when I see 'classic' I think of an up eye hook, though I suppose a real 'classic' would use a blind eye.  

Anywho, my hooks are somewhere in the USPS netherworld, so mine will be on down eyes. Will send them off by the end of the week

2 minutes ago, DarrellP said:

Very professional looking.  Of course, the fish I catch wouldn't fit in it.!

Yeah, right.

Darrell, thanks. Actually, alot of mine I can scoop up in my truckers cap. 

 That's some impressive stuff right there. 

Thanks gentlemen. It turned out better than I anticipated. My biggest concern was how to attach the net and how it would lay around the frame.  After thinking through a few different approaches, the circumference of the net and frame were similar enough that a series of cow hitches on the inside allow the net to be 'reversible'  

Landon, my first thought when I read your post was to make sure he doesn't have a sinking line on there, or maybe his floating line has been compromised. 

1 hour ago, Piker20 said:

I like that. Great idea. A lot of racket handles are hollow too so you could add foam so it floats if dropped. 

Yeah, this one has a handle of molded, dense foam around racket frame forming the handle.  Might give some buoyancy, but I doubt it would float with the weight of the net.  My net rarely comes off the bungee attached to my vest, so its not an issue for me.    

Scott, I hear you about the whole 'ethics' question regarding harvesting out of season.  Living in a somewhat rural area, and having a dog, I often come across that type of bounty on our frequent hikes, so much so that I carry a few plastic bags on me when out in the woods. I've resigned myself to live with my outlaw status (but I'm always looking over my shoulder.) 

There are, however, some lines I won't cross.  I came across a dead snowy owl two winters ago.  It was all I could do not to take a few of those feathers.  I was glad it was gone the next day when I went back "see if it was still there".  By that time the temptation had grown mighty powerful.  

Finally took the time to finish this little project: upgrading my cheap, mesh nylon net with a rubber one. 

- tennis racket from thrift store - @ $3

- rubber landing net from the auction site - @ $12

- spray paint from another project - $0

- para-cord scrounged from the daughter's old craft box - $0. 

Measures  10 x 13 x 13 deep.  Big enough for most of my fishing. Alone, the replacement net is heavier than the racket frame itself.      

Well, 'tinker' isn't the work my wife uses. 

I have never had to use them, but have heard they get the job done.  Are you sure it needs rebuilding?  A good soak and light air hose are what I usually do.     

Just an update on my contribution to the swap, as I had some trouble getting supplies.  I'll now be tying a Grizzly King (hair wing).  Still waiting on hooks, though.  If they're not here by Monday, I'll have to use down eye streamer hooks.   

I cut it into sections from the skin side.  

Pretty much what everyone above says, they're all good feathers, keep as much as you can, just be sure to clean them thoroughly. 

Fly recipes often call for feathers from specific birds, but I will substitute something else as long as the properties of the feathers match.  I tie pheasant tail nymphs using the fibers from turkey tail instead of pheasant.  They have great mottling to them.  The fluffy fibers at the base of many turkey feathers make a great leech pattern as is, no dying needed.  I use a permanent marker on the wing quill fibers to make quill bodies in different colors, and soften them at the same time.   The iridescent flats make great tails and wingcases, and soft hackles.    

The same goes for squirrel, just use it as a substitute for similar materials.   Tails make great smaller Clouser type flies, it takes a little getting used to as it is very slick, as DarrellP says.  The body hair make great dubbing.