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Everything posted by Steve P
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If someone wants to host the Feather swap I'm completely in and ready for that. Steve
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I picked up 10 yards of easy body (mylar tubing) from Michaels today for 2.99 per package they had 5 colors I got 4 of them. Lots of good craft store materials if you look a little.
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I would fish it unweighted or if I weighted it I would lead wrap the front hook. Rabbit strips like that will glide in the water much like a swim bait only with a thousand times more movement. Steve
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Video for the extras had been shot and edited. We are in the process of building a blog and as soon as it's live were hiring it with about 12 new videos. Glad you liked them. Steve
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I did a video on the fly I am sending a while back. Here is the link to it. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=k7Z0Txd26bA Steve
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Headed your way!!
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If realistic flies catch more fish then why is Kelly Galloup notorious for fishing very large yellow steamers in rivers that contain zero fish that are bright yellow? Why is the hottest colors for Steelhead purple and pink? No fish in those waters that are hot pink and purple? Realistic flies catch fishermen and fish add well. I personally don't believe they catch more fish at all. More specifically since I've given up on tying anything complicated at all and gone to generic simple patterns that produce. Steve
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Mike a lot of materials will also foul on a cast or even on the fall. Zonker strips for instance are notorious for fouling. A simple loop of mono over the back of the hook usually solves that problem. Longer hackles on things like flat wins can also be an issue from time to time on some of the pike and muskie flies I tie but I usually solve all of that with the simple weed guard described above. Steve
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Most people seem to buy into the whole "it's not a true rotary" thing. For a non-rotary vise, I do a lot of rotary things on it. I'd be lost without it. I've tied on 9 different vises in the 24 years I've been tying and not yet been as satisfied with anything as much as I am with my HMH. I recommend one to everyone. I have both the spartan and a standard. Great tools with well above par customer service. Steve
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Add a simple mono weed guard. Instead of using heavier line that you typically would for a weed guard but something more like a 12 or 15 pound test. It works well for me on some things. On others I like to use a hollow tied bucktail spreader. What are you tying if I may ask? Steve
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I love your feet hair work Cream. It never ceases to amaze me how many people tie on an HMH and yet not to often do you hear it suggested as a great vise. Steve
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Plano boxes have been my god send. The deeper ones for flash and dubbing, normal size for hooks, beads, glue, rubber legs and string feathers, then the giant ones with handles got hackle and large patches of hair/bucktail. They stack and can be labeled to find stuff quickly. I have roughly 40 or so but also use them to store flies.
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On a side not... hides from trapping that are intended to be sold to a garment industry will (or should be) NOT salted. The simple act of removing all of the membrane and fat by fleshing the hide then stretching it to dry is enough. Salting a hide is highly frowned upon by the industry as it reacts poorly to the tanning solutions. The saw dust on the other hand is rather common... Not for drying the fur but for tumbling the fur. When dried I tumble my coyotes, Bobcats, and foxes in a large drum with borax, sawdust, and corn cob media to clean, shine, and fluff the fur. Steve
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If it's stretched and dried that's not a true tan. Being thin skinned like a fox can be part of the problem there. Basically the hide is like raw hide strips. We used to soak them in water to repair split rail fence. If you forgot and left a piece overnight it would be goop by morning. Thin skins deteriorate much faster and heat only speeds up the process. With Fox my way of dying raw hide as opposed to tanned (stretched and dried is not tanned soft and pliable like suede is tanned) pelts is to get the bath just below a boil. Drop a dry but clean piece into the bath and immediately remove from heat. It should have never reached a boil. I then allow it to set where it will cool very quickly so that it gets to room temp fast. As soon as I get to room temp I dump it and allow it to dry. Cold water rinse after it has dried. Steve
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Is it really tanned or just dried (raw hide) if tanned it should be soft pliable leather. If just dried it would be stiff and crunchy. Steve
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The owner 5320 spinnerbait hook has been great for me. I buy the 3/0 and the 5/0. Good heavy hunk of iron. Sharp as a tack. Considering the quantity size and quality is a great hook for the money. I buy them from a local guy and he charges 20 or there abouts for 100 packs. Steve
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Saltpeter mixed with borax is what I use or just borax when I have trouble getting the saltpeter. Then lay it on 8 or 9 layers of need paper both skin and gather side with skin side down. Stack some heavy books or boards or plywood and bricks.... whatever is handy on top of it. Let sit for 3-5 days (depending on humidity) then remove all the song powder. Re apply and press it again. Repeat this until it's no longer leaving oily clumps of the powder. I do maybe 40 chickens (rosters and hens) a year this way. Works like magic. And they will be good for ever.
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Any way to get a pic of the actual fly? Looks to be articulated and tired with buck tail and I don't know what. Maybe some saddles in there as well or marabou. Hard as heck to tell when it's all wadded up and soaking wet like that. Steve
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Post your maggots, grubs and worms here
Steve P replied to Simplejack's topic in The Fly Tying Bench
Bowfin, I still personally tie and fish that same pattern with both the normal colored and red rubber bands. I use a little dubbing for a head usually a pink or cream color and they are absolute killers when the bluegills are being difficult. Steve -
Need some feedback - Fiberglass series of rods-
Steve P replied to Steeldrifter's topic in Fly Fishing Gear & Techniques
Steve, when and if you find a maker for a reasonably priced glass rod I am seriously looking for a good 10wt. Stev -
I've used a lot of roving for spinning wool in the past. I worked part time at a fiber farm for almost 6 years and got to play with a lot of different stuff. You'll find roving to be a good bit cheaper than sculpin or spinning wool. Steve
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Some tiers even prefer hen capes for dry fly hackling as the generic capes tend not to be very webby and the barbules are only slightly softer than the cock hackle of old. It's said that the softer hackle collar will spread slightly giving you better surface area contact to float the fly as opposed to the spiny sharp barbules of cock hackle. It's all a matter of opinion and don't let anyone ever convince you theirs is right. Steve
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Not to mention it wouldn't make a lick of sense anyhow. The only predictable thing I've learned with fishing is that nothing is predictable. Put as much science to it you want and you're still dealing with a random living organism... Tomorrow the science is different because the variables are far too great. As per UV reflective materials... I love them. Steve Steve
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No there are no schlappen feathers on a cape (from the neck of a bird) they are from a saddle (back of a bird) spade hackle and schlappen could not be any more opposite. Spades do not have much webbing and are extremely stiff barbules while schlappen is nothing but web and very limp barbules. Steve
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So very bitter sweet to hear that. I love knowing he'll be spending his time doing something he loves but hate to know I can't call him with questions any more. Bummer. Steve