Maction17

Just a quick update here. I've been offline for a few days because-- BOOM-- baby #3 has arrived. My two daughters have a healthy baby brother. My wonderful wife is recovering/sleeping, and I'm on the convertible cot in the post-delivery room. And yeah, I'm staring at the blinds in front of the hospital window wondering if anyone would miss the chain pull because, well...bead chain eyes...

Thanks!

And I work at a school. Crafty stuff is everywhere.

Thanks. I've read some good advice on here, and one in particular has really stuck-- if a step looks wrong, rewind and do it again. Not to mention, those of us learning to tie in these days owe a lot to those who post on YouTube. Videos undoubtedly accelerate my learning curve. Here's another one from this morning, right before I made pancakes for kids: Megalopsicle (Courtesy of Nick @ 239flies) Gamakatsu SL12S 1/0 Danville Flat Waxed Shell Pink Painted Dumbbell Eyes Hotspot/gills: med cactus chenille- red Tail: White bucktail Body: Medium palmer chenille- brown; tan arctic fox tail Head: White deer belly

Well, these responses are just delightful. Indeed, I'm not alone. I should mention the best part-- As of 1/1/21, the Commonwealth revamped what parental leave looks like for child birth, which means I get 12 weeks of full pay when kid #3 arrives (any day now). Just think of all the flies I can tie...

About two months into my newfound *hobby*, and I'm feeling really good about this one. This is the first time I've spun a deer hair head that-- at this point in my skill-building-- I feel really good about. Backcountry Sweeper (SS Flies Pattern) Gamakatsu SL12 1/0 20lb Hard Mono Danville Flat Waxed White Rabbit Zonker White/Pink Marabou Pearl Flash White/Red Deer Belly

I started tying last month for the first time ever. There's a great many red flags that have been raised since that fateful day, but I'm just going to fast-forward to right now, today. I've spent the better part of today (at work) deviously making shrimp/crab eyes, simply because I can get away with it without people noticing, unlike busting out the vise to spin a deer head. A couple of subsequent thoughts loosely associated with today's activity: I'm looking over my shoulder like I'm about to get caught, as if I were passing notes in grade school. My daily waking thought is now, "how can I tie at least one fly today?", despite a daily schedule full of responsibilities (notably two toddlers children, a dog, a cat, *work*, a house closing, an upcoming move, a job search when said move happens, and...oh yeah, a wife that's 39 weeks pregnant). It's possible that my otherwise noteworthy moral compass has disappeared entirely. This is all pretty confusing to me. I guess I'm just looking for someone to tell me it'll all be ok, I'm on the right path, and supporting any number of fly shops with weekly orders is really about stimulating the economy, proof positive that my moral compass is exactly as it should be.

Thanks, Kim. I think it will fish, too!

I've only been tying for a couple of weeks now, and this is my first attempt at packing deer hair. My own self-assessment: I think I made the first round of deer hair (collar) a bit too long, and the second round (head) I could've packed in a bit more. Overall I'm pleased with how it spun for me, and I suspect my trimming will get better. Borski Slider Tiemco 811s Size 4 UTC 210 Large Dumbell Painted Eyes Tan Craft Fur Orange Saltwater Saddle Deer Hair- Natural

thanks for sharing this! It’s really helpful to see something similar with different materials. Is that just an EP fiber or similar off the back?

Thanks for all of this, everyone. A couple of clarifications: I'm tying salt stuff. I'm a huge fan of Scott over at Bear's Den, and I do 90% of my shopping there, but to make the trip and then spend time there, and drive back-- that's like an afternoon of fishing, and with two small kids and one on the way, I have to choose my hall passes wisely! I do think I get hung up on materials matching what I'm told to tie, but thanks to you folks, I can let that go. I know this is part of the learning curve-- bucktail, deer hair, deer belly hair, rabbit strips, crosscut rabbit strips...and feathers. So many damn feathers. But Poopdeck, you're right-- I need to tie it up, fish it, and adjust. I'm presently working on McKnight's Homeslice, a saltwater version of the Home Invader. I hope to have this fly dialed in before a summer trip to Belize that's been delayed since last summer. I abandoned the first one because I realized I started tying too far back by the bend of the hook, so this is version #2. I appreciate any and all feedback. Marabou, bleached grizzly rooster neck, fox fur...

Any recommendations out there for purchasing tying materials online? Though I certainly prefer shopping in person (and supporting my local store), I simply seldom have the time to trek 40 minutes both ways (blame the toddlers). I guess I'm looking for an online source with a fairly comprehensive list of materials. For whatever reason, as I begin to explore various patterns, many places I've ordered (gear) from in the past will only have 80% of the fly pattern recipe in stock. I'm also not knowledgeable enough about materials to substitute, so I'm fairly limited to sticking with the exact recipe. Thanks for the insight. -Mac

Thanks for the report. Fly or not, I love hearing about fish in ENP. -Mac

Ha, complimentary and discomforting all at once. Thanks for the nod. -Mac

This weekend, I kicked off my new hobby with about a dozen flies on a pattern (and variations) that my guide ties on in the Everglades. This morning, I moved onto another pattern, "Redfish Ritalin", which is a pattern the guys at 239 Flies in Bonita Springs feature. My fly selections are in part based on the availability of "kits". So far, the most difficult part of fly tying has been just how overwhelming all the material choices are. The EP fibers alone I can't keep straight. Starting off by buying a couple of these kits-- each one makes roughly a dozen flies, sometimes more-- eliminates that part of the process and allows me to get comfortable with a couple materials at a time. I also can't overstate how helpful it is to have videos. Anyway, here's fly #13, the Redfish Ritalin

Thanks! I'm on it...

Interesting as in trying not to hurt my feelings interesting? It's cool, I have thick skin. It's Giacobba's Skrimp, which (tied properly) caught me my first twenty juvenile tarpon. I have a soft spot for this fly. -Mac

Flies #4 and 5. A toothbrush really helps get the underhair out of the craft fur. I've also cut my time in half to tie a fly (30 minutes 🤪)... The sculpting needs some work, but it's progress!

Thanks for posting this.

Having just started tying and focused on tropic salt species, this is great for me. Thank you!

Keep these ENP posts coming-- it'll help get me through the winter until we move to south FL in June. I run trips out of Flamingo with Capt. Mark Giacobba. There's just nothing like the 'Glades. Probably my favorite place on earth, and I've only been there three times (but many more to come!).

Great point. And the trips I've taken down there have often resulted in fish coming to hand on a deceiver or clouser.

Boosting my posts here on day one. I can already tell I'm going to get fed up with having one bobbin to constantly rethread. What would folks on here recommend? 90% of my tying will be for salt flies, mostly size 4 to 2/0. On a related note, is it recommended that I have more than one pair of scissors? I have the all-purpose Loon Outdoors pair that comes with their tying kit. While I'm at it, if there's any tool that you feel is indispensable, let me know, please! The kit I have comes with: dubbing spinner, all-purpose scissors, bobbin, whip finisher, hackle plier, bodkin, dubbing brush, vise pawn, d-loop tweezer, medium hair stacker. Cheers!

Ah ha! Yep, that would do it! I was removing the fluff as best I could, but the resin suggestion is a great one.

Hi folks, New to tying, so new to the forum. A northeasterner born and bred, I'm moving with my family to south Florida in June 2021. While I'll miss the seasons, my favorite place to fish is Everglades Nat. Park, so I'm pumped about that. I turned 40 over the weekend, so I kicked off the new decade by diving into tying for the first time (since I was probably 12 and lost patience). Here are my first two flies; both attempts are patterns my favorite guide in ENP ties on for me when we're on his skiff. The part I've found most challenging is getting the craft fur to cooperate-- even when I've wrapped thread over it down the entirety of the shank, a fair bit still seems to pull out. This was less of an issue when I tied my third fly, so I'm optimistic I'll figure it out. Happy to be aboard. -Mac