knotjoe

47 minutes ago, DWSmith said:

I've had this phone for about 3 years.  It's a Google Pixel 3A.  I know I would never allow something like this in the settings but an update might have initiated it.

Well, it's a Google phone so that kinda explains it right there.  I've always had iPhones and the updates always require me to reset and shut off a bunch of things they turn on by default while updating.  Not paranoid about any of it, but some of these nifty features devour the battery when left on.  Too much for a little device with a small power source so I just adopted the regular ritual of resetting post-update.

Cell phone companies probably record samples of calls all the time for quality whether you know it or not.   Things have been creepy like that for a long time.

On 8/3/2023 at 11:24 PM, richmce said:

 was in our local home depot . walked past a display of new floor mops .  

Yeah, I gave in to those at HD recently as well because they were a beautiful yellow.  No matter where you're at or what you're doing, you're always a flytyer.

Have also tested the newer RIT Synthetic dyes on mop and craft fur and the color does take well to those materials.  WIth mops, base color does affect the hue of whatever dye is used, but it usually turns out to be a nicely muted natural color in the end.  The brightest greens which are popular mop colors can be made a murky olive fairly easily which has some utility for me.  Bight green ain't bad either for murky waters.

On 5/4/2023 at 2:54 PM, vicrider said:

That ought to fire up the anti-livescope people.

Not necessarily, when it comes to record class LM there's a great deal of visual recon involved in the pursuit.  Be it clearwater observation of the big spawners or electronic monitoring from the boat, they often pick and choose the target fish.  Some call it "camping" when waiting and plying wears at a large, but not-yet-hungry fish lurking around.  

Not a knock on any of it, just wouldn't float my boat (even if I had one).

Yeah, you can't so easily use a net or sling when ice fishing.

Would make a decently effective personal protection device as well, you're kinda teetering on the  karambit notion there.  More of a tooth/spike than blade, but still.  None for me though, I'd hurt myself with it somehow.

31 minutes ago, WWKimba said:

I'm not only NOT a pro, I'm a klutz!

Kim

I can identify with such plights.  Thus, any wire has to be re-spooled on something a bit more manageable in size and, most importantly, NOT under production speed tension.  I have used the rubber "keeper" ring as shown below, but it's not really necessary if the tension is kept reasonably low on re-spooling.  On the big spools, the line keeper both is plenty and even when the wire is freed there is no danger of springing.  

You think regular sized flytying wire sucks for bird's nesting?  Try gold 32 gauge hobby wire, this stuff is absolutely insane when it gets loose from little spools.  I use the 32 for dubbing brushes and learned my lesson about not transferring it to something other than what it came on.  Nylon toilet seat bolt and a keyless chuck drill makes it a cinch.   

10 hours ago, robow7 said:

Alright then, after a near unanimous vote of no confidence in the loop above holding up in the long term, I have cut it off and created a loop using my old tried and true method of wrapping the loop with Kevlar tying thread, whip finishing and coating lightly with a thin layer of super glue. 

Looks good!  Heck, I even make my wrapped section about twice as long as yours and never had a problem hanging in the guides.  

While the welding method is interesting to me,  I just don't have that much faith in the structural integrity of remelted PVC material.  Perhaps it's from working with various vinyls in soft plastic lure making or even hot melt glue use.  The first cook and cure is the toughest, beyond that it's different and remelting seems to change some of these materials a bit.  Admittedly, it's probably all tough enough for the vast majority of flyfishing with possible exceptions in the larger weights.

4 hours ago, robow7 said:

 I tied on a 40 lb piece of mono and pulled my hardest and could not pull the loop out but I'm wondering about durability, what do you think, will this hold up to actual fishing?

 

For awhile it will hold, but not reliably.  Best bet?  Take a flytying bobbin and wrap a few layers of light 6/0 thread where that UV glue is.  Not over it, but in place of it on a clean line.  Then cement or coat, you’ll not have to worry about it.  Thread tension kinda smooths it and makes the loop a bit more streamlined via even compression on the doubled line.

Doesn’t take much tension or thread and it’s a very easy solution for a flytyer (we’ve miles of thread and many bobbins).  Out on the water and in a pinch?  Once you know how to do this any type of line (tippet, thread, backing, bobber stop knot, etc) can be used in an emergency.  Gar and pike attacks happen to flyline thus a good idea to learn how to remake loops when damage occurs.

18 hours ago, vicrider said:

For years hers has been one of yards that goes into the monthly showing in the paper and it is sad to see her getting down more and more with the hoppers attacking every thing growing at ground level except the weeds which seem to have developed natural defenses over the eons against them.

Native wildflowers usually do pretty well and are quite attractive while being pleasantly low maintenance.  That's how I groove with it, anyway.  Take note of what grows naturally when out fishing and birding, grab seeds after the bloom seasons and plant them at home.  If your spouse is the talented horticulturist you describe her as, this can open up a whole new realm for her to explore.

Some get munched...Butterfly Milkweed, Dill, and anything for butterfly attraction/propagation because that's it's main purpose.  Beebalms, salvias, coneflowers...there's a huge category of botanicals to work with here and they seem largely resistant to most insects.  There's something in Okie you can work with outside of what I suspect are attractive, yet very weak choices in marketed cultivars.

For what it's worth, my horticulture hobby started as a vegetable gardener (actually growing weed earlier in life😁) and evolved into a native pollinator gardener largely for the reasons your wife is bummed.   I'm no chem on herbicide/pesticide and it works great, but you gotta plant the right stuff.  My sister lives down in Okie and does great with the same approach, actually vastly better due to the awesome sun exposure and long growing season.  

Get out for a few hikes with a camera and take note of what's out there, nice to look at, and doing well in the conditions present.  A different look, but surprisingly attractive and very rewarding approach to playing in the dirt and growing stuff.  

Looks like a fun day, those Koi are stalking you.

What's up with the dropper, you getting more on the top or more on the dropper fly?  I've done it before, but it always seems to end up a tangled mess or snagged fish on a missed strike.  Then there's the part where I forget the dropper is attached and wonder WTH is going on with the topwater bug...then it disappears, I remember, feel dumb.

23 hours ago, DarrellP said:

The only difference between your version and Lefty's is that he just twists off a clump of feathers and lashes them on, rather than carefully matching them.  I wonder if that gives the fly a more erratic action?  

Kreh also likely tied a lot of (very) large Deceivers for stripers and salt species where a more casual approach to feather orientation might be perfectly reasonable, maybe even preferable.  On smaller ties, the random orientation might spin or end-up looking more like a craw or frog pattern and kill the minnow profile.  

11 hours ago, vicrider said:

 Turn your mop glove inside out, cut one of the strands and start pulling it out. You have to pull the mop strands sticking through fairly hard but this gives you a strand as long as you want of curly single strand mop fly yarn. 

Thanx, man!👊

I did not know this and just assumed they were mostly a clip-off source.  They're actually one piece, continuous twist/pull-throughs and can be used several ways.  Here's an autopsy pic of my gray & green...

This does give more options for working up the shank after tail tie-in or perhaps even incorporating the remaining section of material in a brushy dubbing loop.  

On 3/21/2021 at 6:43 PM, TIER said:

This is what cats do at 3 in the morning

Dude, you're a flytyer.  You have a stash of fur, feathers, and dubbings galore.  Cats hock-up hairballs at 3 in the morning.

Do I really need to spell this out further for you?

I suggest a slow-mo hairball expulsion into the camera eye.  This would be proper use of all the nifty video effects folks try to use on YouTube, but often do so lamely.  You can be different there, you can be the shining ray of light they all look to.  Make it (the hairball) pretty with Steelhead colors, flash, etc and for crying' out loud don't choke on the friggin' thing.  Do it soon for I have a feeling your video equipment may be the victim of parental confiscation sometime in the near future.  Never jive your Ol' Man on the internet or there'll be a foot headed for your a$$ soon.

The microwave quip on the push-up video was pretty good.😁

Love the Porkchop fly🤣. Absolutely imperative that you catch at least one bass on it...just because.

Think the hook-up problems on smallies was due to them hitting the head of the fly?  I've always wondered this on longer streamers, seems the smaller fish are hard to hook and I think it's because they aim more for the head section on bigger baitfish patterns.  Kelly Galloup mentions this theory quite a bit with trout, never seems a problem with LM bass, but smallies have given me fits in the past with it.  Great big one's get hung fine, but a lot of misses on the smaller customers.

That’s exactly the idea I speak of, Joe.  Good bead bearing there, solid metal or even a tungsten bead is a smart option.  The wear and tear with props is no big deal underwater, but whizzing back & forth with flyline can spin them at incredible speeds so a hard metal bearing is essential.  Overtime, some of the more used blades would develop a slightly larger hole and polish the hook shank pretty well, but they still functioned just fine for me.  It’s the airspeed that does it.

Bigger blades can actually clean algae off themselves on the false cast, too.  The 3/8” dumbbell shape from Jann’s are freaking salad choppers on the double haul.😁

If the blade doesn't spin freely, just play with the bead to blade size a bit.  Small blades do better with smaller beads, big blades spin against anything.  I liked a 2 bead stack...one large and secured, one smaller against the blade surface so the blades don't rub if they tilt a bit.  You might need a bit smaller diameter bead against that little blade so the only contact point is the "center bearing surface" around the hole.  Small props can be quite sensitive to friction, bead sizing is a huge factor with them.

Fortunately as a flytyer you probably have every imaginable size of high quality bead to select from.

Have to correct myself here, the lure alluded to above is NOT called a Sweet P…it’s actually a Cutie Pie and they are still produced.  Used to make a smaller size, now they appear to just make the bigger one’s and have a slightly different look.

https://www.hhlure.com/products/cutie-pie

I think one can do this idea pretty effectively with tungsten Insta-Jig weights these days, they keel hooks even more efficiently than dumbbells in most cases.  Take up little room on shank as well, nice if adding a bearing bead or two for a prop.  Not something I’m going to pursue in the near future in current waters, but just an FYI from a guy who played with some spinner flies in the past.  Definitely work better when stabilized for flight and swim on fly tackle.

On 3/17/2021 at 11:05 AM, Joe A said:

I know this is a very old Thread...but did anyone try and tie these as a balanced Leech/Bugger to get them to ride point UP?? 

Yeah, long ago I played with some prop flies which was mostly a remnant/revisitation of my GL Yellow Perch fishing era.  We used a lot of Roostertails and Sweet P’s with propellors on them, the latter lure had a small lead(?) body which keeled it better.  You won’t find a Sweet P anywhere these days, it’s an old lure.

For what you seek, dumbbell eyes worked for me in terms of keel/upriding hook.  Just tie the eyes in mid shank with a bead/prop in front and you’re good to go.  Works best with Clouser style ties because you have the advantage of a bucktail wing to help keep position upriding.

They caught fish, but I hate flycasting  spinners and probably fish a standard fly better without the prop blade.  Then there’s the moss thing and it takes very little to stop a small prop from spinning.  I spent way too much time cleaning moss off those lures and don’t care to revisit the experience.  Same for tail spins and Roadrunner style ties.

However, if you are in less weedy/mossy water and need to cover areas and find fish, they are a pretty decent option.   Kinda noisy on the cast and make a Whistler fly seem rather quiet by comparison.  I used the larger prop blades from Jann's, they are a bit thinner and more contoured, but easier spinning.

You wouldn't believe how loud these guys are when they go at it with their reflection.  The Cardinal's beak is a stout seedcracker and when he puts it to the window, there's no ignoring it.  Uses the trim piece as a foothold anchor for extra power.😆

Good article and illustrations, probably could answer a great many questions about rigs.  Folks always ask when it comes to EN, this could be a useful bookmark if one cares to address their inquiries.  

Have to hand it to the anglers cited in the article, they make a clear and strong argument for the method regarding strike detection and presentation.  Heck, even one of April Vokey's recent podcasts was a chat with Clint Goyette so it's gaining acceptance.  Possibly because I'm a lifelong multi-tackle angler I like it when flyfishing lore and discourse directly addresses strike detection and the advantages/disadvantges of flytackle in general.  It's a good concept to understand by a broad range of experience regardless of whether one is rigging to optimize at any given moment.

20 hours ago, Steeldrifter said:

 About 9 year ago I made some changes in my life and dropped 180lbs going from 400lbs to 220lbs (I'm 6'5" so that's a good weight for me).

Impressive!  That's like losing an entire person, no small feat unless you have the Siamese twin thing going on.  Even then, it's big load to shed.  No doubt you'll achieve the current goal and probably just extended your life by more than a few years.  

Being fat's great in the cold, but if you're not already feeling the absence of it's wonderful insulating properties you certainly will.  Gotta dress warmer now, at least that's been my experience.

13 hours ago, Steeldrifter said:

Mostly applies to mobile homes. 

It works quite well everywhere, I learned of it back in my apartment days when management sent out fliers in winter.

I still do it in my house, cabinets on outer walls can get cold when doors are shut.

Contour for slick weedless heads.

Revisit some patterns of old in my fishing history, there's a few I'd like to see with newer materials and techniques.

Fish less productive ties which are often more fun at the vise and water.  Yeah, I know...that's somewhere between counterintuitive and downright asinine, but it's the truth.  I know longer care as much about absolute effectiveness and I've caught both numbers and sizes in my time so it's no sacrifice.  There's a rut one can get into when everything is distilled down to what works best, sometimes who cares and Oh, WTF is a more fulfilling approach to selecting a fly on the water.  Definitely more interesting and entertaining.

Look forward to torrential floods which compromise most fishing options and head for the Fertile Crescent.  Scoped a good floodplain which gets loaded with carp on high water and I think I might try to get some on topwater this year.  Iffy, but compelling.  If not, still gonna whore out on 'em with standard streamers like last year.  One of the few chum-free stillwater zones I've found where a Purefly Carp is not only possible, but common.

Get some Partridge feathers, on skin or in a bag.  There's some materials that don't have attractive synthetic subs (I'm done trying).

Finally build that new dubbing board I have plans for!  Still cranking off the 2x4 throw together after my old board warped and got weird in a moisture event.  Works, but it make me feel cheap.😞

2 hours ago, Poopdeck said:

At first glance  I thought this was going to be about glue. 

Me too.  Was like daaaang, this dude's passionate about his adhesives😆

Sounds like an annoying state to fish in, but the final verdict depends on how the actual fishing is.  It might be pretty good despite the unusual regulations one has to learn and navigate through.  Although the 9-5 rule is a crippler, there might be a midday bite to enjoy or a species which is not as hungry at dawn as they are by mid-morning.  

I'll take afternoons on a smallie creek any day over the morning bite, some fisheries just turn on better with a bit of sun exposure and all the bio activity it brings with it.  Stay positive...you're there now, healthy enough to rant, and committed to fishing.

On 1/18/2021 at 6:53 AM, flytire said:

Gartside Sparrow

Really diggin' the proportions on that tye.  

Plenty of "breathing room" relative the more bugger-esque type notions of the idea.  Saved and labeled in a file.  Thanx! 

On 1/18/2021 at 4:03 PM, Poopdeck said:

Must just be me but i don't find the process of tying a fly that messy.

Depends on what you tie, but for me it’s more about material work and prep that makes the messes.  Cutting, combing out short fluff, and brush blending techniques often call for a vacuum cleaner conclusion.  Making longer wire brushes on boards also tends to get a bit of scatter, especially on the wind-up.  Woolhead clipping on larger flies has it’s place in the rankings as well, it’s the final fine-snipping that produces the drift prone shorties.

I think many synthetics are worse for mess and wander relative naturals (with marabou "pinch trimming" being a possible exception, of course☺️).

Tools of the trade below for making the place look like a disheveled nest in short order…