Mark Knapp

Thanks everybody. I'm going to Anchorage for more procedures on Mon. so I'll be off-line for a bit starting Monday.

I'd sure love to go to a few of those, but we will see.

Now that I have plenty of Royal coachmen and Mydas flies, These are all in 12,14, and 16 sizes. Now I've begun tying another important grayling pattern, the Adams dry fly. I'll tie them in sizes 14 and 16. For them, I'm using musk rat dubbing because it's classic, I have a bunch and there's a certain allure for me to use naturals. I'm also using Cree hackle for the tail fibers and the hackle. I have two Cree skins, one I got for pennies on the dollar in an estate sale and one I got from one of our great members here at a very reasonable price. If I never use my Crees, I will never use them. For me, It's a little faster for each fly to use the one feather instead of the two if using brown and grizzly. Spread out over a couple of dozen flies, that's some time. Also, especially on the size 16 flies, it's easier for me to get it right (or close enough to right) with one feather. and, I really like Cree. After the Adams are done, I'll round the dry flies off with Blue Sparkle Dun flies, and then the nymphs. PS, all comments are welcomed.

It looks like you had a great time, lots of people only dream of those things.

I have the Boga grips and like them but the problem with them is (1) you need the fish to open their' mouths for you to grab them. Many of our fish are reluctant to open their mouths, like rockfish. (2) They only hold fish up to a limited size. we pick up fish up to about 50 pounds with the one I made. The Bogo doesn't come very close to that.

Yes, I think the gill tool would a very useful tool to aid in releasing fish like cats and pike too. Tough species you can't kill a with a stick if you wanted too. For more delicate fish, I wouldn't use it.

Just trying to be funny again. failed at it again. If you're about as big as me, I can't call you a shrimp. I probably shouldn't any way. Your flies are all fine, but please don't send me any. I already have way too many. I have a better plan, come back up to Alaska and you can use them yourself. Let me know when you are coming and I will see if we can plan a trip together on my boat. I lave the pictures. They are tops.

Nice shrimp. If I knew how big you were I could say "Nice, Shrimp" maybe.

As I said in an earlier post, it's UHMW, (Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene) It's tensile strength is 3100 psi which means, since the bottom of the "hook" is about .500" by 1.00 inches, the tensile strength of it is 1550 pounds. It should handle a 100 pound flatty. That's beside the point though, because, the tool is designed for the user to hold a fish with one hand while unhooking it and otherwise preparing it for ice, (We bonk the fish, cut the gills and bleed it in a bleeding bucket, a 15 gallon drum with the top cut off) The gill hook has only room for one hand in the handle. Not a lot of people can handle a 100 pound, thrashing, flathead with one hand. I'd use the gill hook to drag the big cat up on the beach, bonk it, etc. Not necessarily to lift the whole fish. Thanks for asking. Have fun, catch those hundred pounders, and be safe, Mark

I know, I was trying to think of something clever to say.... couldn't.

That's a great idea. 😄 I don't think UHMY comes in the color gold though. They do float. Thanks.

I may have inadvertently mislead people about the use of these tools. They for picking up dangerous fish by the gills that you are going to keep. In Alaska we like to use them for big pike, ling cod and rock fish. Those species post the most harm to humans while taking out hooks, because they are spiky and/or have teeth or toothy gills. A lower 48 species they would work well on would be large cat fish. Thanks everybody for looking and the kind comments.

Yeah, these are strictly for fish.

OH Boy, I'm not sure if it's ever good to ask a store owner what they paid wholesale for anything.

I hate it when that happens.

I call it the Gill Finger. This one was made for a friend of mine "CAPT. Ronnie of the Jenny Lynn. There are others for other friends of mine and some for me. Thanks guys.

As part of my occupational rehabilitation I wanted to re-learn (remember) how to write a program and make something with my CNC mill. I decided to make a tool I saw years ago but is becoming more rare. They are useful for picking up fish by the gills that you are planning to keep. We like them especially for anything with spikes like rock fish, ling cod and fish with spiky gills and are hard to handle like pike. These are not for sale, it was just a personal project.

I use it and like it. I like hairs mask too, and beaver. What ever the fly calls for. For original flies (that aren't on a recipe) I use whatever simulates what I am trying to do the most.

Ick!

I use whatever kind of dubbing will do what the fly I am tying calls for. I have a whole drawer of synthetic dubbing and at least a whole drawer of natural including hairs mask and underfur of all manner of fur bearers. What I don't have is kapok. I like it that way, I don't feel a need to cut back.

I like it very much. It makes a great dubbing noodle.

I like this one too

Boo back to ya. Hope you had a good one.

I like to weld the loops like norms video shows.

Thanks a lot Nick, I will keep you guys posted.