Wanderer From The Land Of Wind And Ghosts

[Barracuda8u 0]

Hi everyone.

Dropping in to say hi to the forum.  I'm a 40+ year old angler from the Windy City of Chicago.  I've been around the fishing scene for almost 30 years now and love the diverse experiences in both fresh and saltwater mother earth gives to us.  From wading the rivers of central Illinois, chasing flatheads on the Mississippi or running down reds and snook in the salt...I fish what the earth gives me.  Native browns in Colorado or carp on lower Wacker Drive in downtown Chicago, I love it all.

While a traditional spin caster I am, I've been tying silicone skirted jigs for over 20 years.  About 6 years back I started tying marabou jigs for smallmouth up in Door County.  I have better than basic tying skills and over the last 6 months, my move into more advanced tying has begun.  My first fly rod and reel will be coming shortly.  It's a funny way of getting into all things fly, tying first and then getting a rod/reel...but that's my journey folks.

I've built up a good supply of materials, hooks and recipes that will fill my winter with enjoyment. While the classics are all being made already, my mind is wandering into exciting adds and experimenting as well. I am a high school educator who is lucky to find a new excitement in the adventures we call fishing.  I've had the privilege to talk with some well known names in the industry over the last few months that have helped me out a ton, and I am excited to learn from all of you as well.

I am a smaller ambassador for Do-it Molds and my tying adventures will include traditional flies and some new jig styles for river and salt fishing adventures.  The mind is the limit it seems, and I am happy to find another artistic outlet to let my wandering self explore.

I'm here to learn, share my ideas and struggles, and connect with good people. 

 

Respect to all and Happy Holidays!

 

Cuda 

[mikechell 0]

Welcome to the site, Cuda.  Richmce is from up in your neck o' the woods.  He was a great host to me when I was up there for work, and can point you to some great tying groups and shops in the area.

[Barracuda8u 0]

30 minutes ago, mikechell said:

Welcome to the site, Cuda.  Richmce is from up in your neck o' the woods.  He was a great host to me when I was up there for work, and can point you to some great tying groups and shops in the area.

Thanks, Mike!  At the end of the day, making some connections would be awesome.  A ton of info here and hopefully I'll contribute some good stuff as time passes.

[Guest]

Welcome....jigs huh?

 

[Barracuda8u 0]

40 minutes ago, denduke said:

Welcome....jigs huh?

 

Nice thread my man.  Some cool looking shrimp patterns you posted in that thread as well.  If you are on Instagram, you can check out some of the  silicone skirted jigs  I have been putting together over the years. 

@barracuda8u

I'll be moving on to incorporating more materials into my stuff now, but you can get an idea as to the stuff I have done. Good thing is I probably have enough silicone skirt material to last several lifetimes of fly tying now lol.  Thanks for the share, denduke.

[cphubert 0]

Welcome to the site Cuda, or should  I say the addiction, sounds like you already have the same mindful wanderlust just arrived here from a different angle. Post a few of your silicone jigs please, no one has been banned for other types of fishing yet..🙂 ( I don't subscribe to social media). As a educator I hope you can pass the torch to a few younger future fisherpeople. Hope you enjoy the new fly rod and time at the vise. 

[Barracuda8u 0]

On 12/8/2020 at 6:40 AM, cphubert said:

Welcome to the site Cuda, or should  I say the addiction, sounds like you already have the same mindful wanderlust just arrived here from a different angle. Post a few of your silicone jigs please, no one has been banned for other types of fishing yet..🙂 ( I don't subscribe to social media). As a educator I hope you can pass the torch to a few younger future fisherpeople. Hope you enjoy the new fly rod and time at the vise. 

Here is an example of one of my jigs, CP.  Silicone can be just as magical as any other tying material.  The mind is the limit, and this one is my version of a bluegill.  While many in the jig world use pre-made skirts, I learned to mix recipes from a very old and wise jig maker who took me under his wing about 20 years back.  He always told me to either shock ‘em with color, or make them see the nuances of that which you seek to replicate.  While I would describe my style as more of a blend and replicate, the shock stuff does have it’s purpose.  
 

This pattern has caught everything from largemouth and smallmouth to lake run brown trout on the Great Lakes and many other species in between.

This jig pattern is probably my favorite creation over a designing career, and I’m damn proud of it.

Thanks for the welcome, and nudging me a bit to post my stuff.

[cphubert 0]

3 minutes ago, Barracuda8u said:

I’m damn proud of it.

You should be it is a nice jig. I never used silicone for jigs (yet) I started my addiction by tying bucktail jigs, cod teasers, and mackerel rigs then went to flies after that. Thanks for posting. 

[Philly 0]

Welcome.  Don't lose the knack for tying jigs.  You can tie some nice bass flies with those silicone skirts.

 

[WWKimba 0]

Welcome to the site Cuda!  Kim here from (usually!) snowy central NY.  Been tying for ~50 years - love to work and share my (and pick-up new) knowledge on tying.  I come from a skill teaching background (20+ years in charge of first aid/CPR programs for local Red Cross chapters and 5 years a teaching faculty on the Boy Scout Camp School Programs).  I love to work with youth - I have through Red Cross, BSA , and Camp TaKumTa (a resident camp for kids with cancer located in Vermont) - I was on staff their first 7 years.  And, as anyone on my swaps can verify, can be quite longwinded! I hope you get what you are looking for from this site - most members are quite nice (and, yes, there are a few questionable ones - like me!).

Enjoy and have fun!

Kim

Tie an ugly fly and go out on an ugly day and catch an ugly fish!

[skeet3t 0]

Welcome! Been tying for about 25 yearsand flinging flies for about 57 years. For a challenge, try fly fishing for carp.