I've done the deed!

[flyfishingpastor]

Trent came over today, ostensibly to bring my grandaughters by for breakfast, but really to force me to put aside sermon prep and tie flies - he frequently leads me astray. I confess - I'm a weak man! I DID tie my first black/gold wooly bugger, however, and that's pretty cool. Now if I can just find a fish that has a serious jones for really ugly, non-proportional buggers - I'm in! Alas, now it's back to the grind.

Trent however, has taken over the dining room and has feathers and stuff all over the place. I THINK his wife threatened him with bodily harm if he messed up their house again - so he moved to mine! Still, it was a pleasant diversion!

Pat

[rstaight]

Well it seems we have converted another.

HHHMMM a black/gold bugger, a Purdue bugger. Whats wrong with a crimson/cream?

Congrats on your first fly. Maybe Trent, the good son-in-law that he is, will get you a starter kit.

[flyfishingpastor]

Rick;

Ummm...are we talking about MY son-in-law? I'd hate to mess with our established system, so I'll buy my own!

As far as the crimson/cream bugger; I've been told that smallie's in our area won't touch 'em. They just turn up their gills and swim the other way!

Pat

[krebsie]

Congratulations Pat,
Make sure you keep that one. ;D So this means you'll be at the meeting on Thursday right? Bobbin in hand? Ready to spin some deer hair? You'll love it, I promise. Let the addiction begin.
Krebsie

[flyfishingpastor]

Krebsie;

I probably will keep it; I'm not sure any self-respecting fish would eat it, but I'm assuming I'll get better. I'd hate to think I'd get worse!

I think I'll probably be there on Thursday (schedule permitting) but I'll probably be more of an observer. I'll be there for the fellowship and watch you guys. And, Lord knows I DON'T need another addiction - and so does my wife!

Pat

[krebsie]

Pat,
I really would encourage you, and anyone else, to come prepared to tie. It's the best way to learn, hands on. Dustin is teaching the class so I will be available for those who need some help.
Krebsie

[radioflyer]

Pastor,

You'll find tying is like the bestest no-bake cookie in the world...you can't have just one! Welcome to the addiction. No you'll forever stop not only at fly and fishing shops to look for materials, but Hobby Lobby, Micheals, the craft section at every Walmart you pass...

Ladies and Gentlemen. It may be too late to help Fishingpastor...but it's not too late to help others like him. Give generously!

rf

[trent]

Speaking of yesterday, we did complete the aforementioned Wooly Bugger and it is actually far and away light years ahead of the first one I did. It was interesting, because I was walking through the step by step in the Orvis tying book. Funny how some of the little things in there were different from some of the ways I found online when I was figuring out how to tie my first fly. The basic approach and result was the same, but it is obvious everybody ties a little bit differently.

RF, you are right...ever since I got the tying itch, I have been combing through the bargain bins, Christmas closeouts, and plotting how to murder some of the resident squirrels and bunnies to obtain materials. It seems to be a fairly pervasive illness. I can't drive by a roadkill or a bunch of geese swimming on a pond without thinking what I might be able to use those for.

BTW, Hobby Lobby rocks!!! I say that in the most manly, masculine, machismo bearing way possible. They have beads way cheaper than the Warehouse, carry different hackle feathers, peacock and pheasant, rabbit hides, goose biots, and who knows what else. I know they are going to be an excellent source of the rubbery ribbon stuff (don't know technical term) used on some nymph bodies. I didn't do a price or quality comparison, but it looks like they carry the copper and gold wire stuff as well.

I also picked up some organizer type things at Lowe's to start keeping things separated and in some semblance of order. Keeping everything thrown in a bag didn't seem to be the best possible method for finding what I needed when I needed it.

So, I'm doing my part to support this economy and spreading my "wealth" around.

Now, if I could just improve on my 1 fly per hour rate of output, life would grand. Oh yeah, and get that whip finisher mastered.

[rstaight]

So the addiction is getting serious!!

In regards to the different methods of tying the same fly. You are going to see alot of that. For example: when I tye a dry fly with wings such as an Adams, I put the wings on the backwards.

All of the "instructions" say to have the wing tips pointing toward the hook eye. I have them pointing toward the bend. I then pull the stripped quills back through the wings and this helps keep them splayed apart while I am tying the rest of the fly.

In regards to the hobby houses, they are a good source of in expensive materials but you need to pay attention.

Sometimes the quality is not that great for tying. Quills that you might want to use for quill wings aren't matched so you will need to get these from a source that is specifically for fly tying. I can show you this before we get started Thursday.

I recieved some pheasent hen feathers one year for Christmas that was from a hobby supply and they were glued on a piece of canvas.

I do however have several items that I have purchased from Hobby Lobby, Micheals, and Joy Ann.

Your 1 fly an hour will get quicker, it just takes practice. It didn't work for me but you may try, "Gee dear I can't mow the lawn today, I have to get better at tying flies. I spent all this money I just have to get better."

We won't say what my loving wife said on a comment similar to this. It's not fit to post.

[flyfishingpastor]

RadioFlyer;

Ain't that the truth! It's too late to help me, BUT give generously so we can supply gear for those that are lost - without bankrupting 'em. ;D When I get started on my next fly fishing addiction, my wife just shakes her head - no doubt already envisioning us homeless because FF-ing gear is over-running our home.

Next step for Trent, I believe, is hanging around the mall waiting for someone to run over a pigeon! I would NEVER have suspected to hear "Hobby Lobby rocks!" coming out of Trent's mouth (or computer). It's not natural I'm telling ya. And, it's not pretty...

Pat

[trent]

Yes, it's true. I have to mourn on Sundays because Hobby Lobby is closed. Something about quality of life for their employees and spending time with their families. What's up with that? Don't they know people have addictions to feed on Sundays too!

I've had some very frustrating moments of late. Obviously the wooly bugger is on a big hook and there are not a lot of fancy moves involved. I decided to try out a couple of nymphs. I don't remember the exact name, but the fly of choice was some kind of flashback pheasant tail number. Out of 4 or 5 attempts consuming several hours of my life I will never get back, I now have 1 fly (sans the flashback) to show for it. Granted, that one is tied on a dry fly hook as I didn't have any nymph hooks when I started out. Seeing as that didn't go terribly, I picked up a few nymph hooks in 12, 14, and 16. I decided to try out the old size 14. I can't tell you how many times I was basically done and all I had to do was whip finish that sucker, and the wheels fell off the bus.

Main lesson learned on those attempts is that when they say don't get too close to the hook eye, you should listen. So, there are a couple of messed up nymphs heading to a landfill near you. I really wanted to go out and stomp on them in a rage, but didn't want to risk bodily harm.

However, not all is lost...I certainly learned a bunch from the experience. I learned how to use peacock herl, wire, tinsel, and how tying in the pheasant tail barbs ultimately results in little leggy, wing looking things.

I'm going to need a demonstration on dubbing hare's ear. The Orvis book also calls for a dubbing brush (basically dubbing stuff already attached to a wire?) but I didn't find any at the Warehouse.

There are also recipes calling for Antron (sp?) yarn? Does that come from a fly shop or a Hobby Lobby kind of place? I looked at the Warehouse for that too, but if they have it, it may be called something else?

Another question...how much difference is there in the properties of bucktail versus other deer hair? I was going to try a fly that called for bucktail, but it needed black and all I have is white and tan on an undyed bucktail. Can I use black dyed deerhair instead?

[rstaight]

Trent,

Ur a learin. I think all of us have used dry fly hooks for wet flies and nymphs. Dry fly hooks are a smaller diameter then wet fly or nymph hooks.

Here's a tip. If your not happy with the fly, don't throw it out. Take a razor blade or an
X-Acto knife and cut the materials off and reuse the hook. You can even use your scissors in a pinch.

The dubbing brush that the Orvis book mentions is another tying tool that resembles an itty-bitty bottle brush. It is used to pull some of the fibers out from the body of nymph to help it look a little "buggier". I don't have one but one can use your bodkin to achieve the same affect. Just pick at it a little bit.

Antron comes on a card like chenille. Yes it can be found at the hobby houses.

In regards to bucktail versus deer hair. Bucktail is used for streamers such as a Mickey Finn or a Clouser Minnow. It's not hollow and won't flair when tied to the hook.

If you try to use deer body or belly hair it will flair out. If you recall the December tying session on spinning deer hair, we were using mostly deer belly hair.

But hey man keep pluggin away. It brings back some memories from when I first started tying.

[trent]

Regarding the belly hair vs. bucktail. I was tying a black nosed dace (sans the black nose because I couldn't find any black thread!). Since I didn't have the black bucktail I needed, I tried the black deer hair I bought. It is tied in, but it definitely is not meant to be there. I'll fish it, but I won't be putting that one on display.

As for saving hooks, you are correct I should have saved it, but it was more of a moral victory for me to throw it out and start over.

As for the dubbing brush, I may have called it the wrong thing. What I am talking about looks like a wire that has been pre dubbed and is then wrapped in for the nymph body. Does that right any bells?

[rstaight]

Trent,

Without seeing the particular picture I would be making a guess. However, Sportsman's does carry two items that is along the line of what you are describing.

One is Mohair thread, it comes on a spool. The other is Leech yarn, it comes wound on a card.

Both of these items are with the chenille.

[flyfishingpastor]

Trent;

Cabela's has a peacock herl brush - is that what you're thinking of? And, by the way, I was by the SW tonight - they are out of darned near everything I was wanting to get - I only managed to get one shopping cart full of stuff. Who knew elk were pink?

I did talk with the fishing manager tonight who really apologized that stock was so low. He said they were supposed to be getting a truck in, the first of the week, loaded with tying stuff. He also mentioned the TFF and said "...those guys were alright."

My wife hid her disappointment well at the lack of stuff. I told her she was just delaying the inevitable... and when I told her I thought it was time to get new furniture for our guest bedroom upstairs; like a fly tying desk and cabinets and special lighting (I think guests are WAY over-rated anyway), well, she was darned near moved to tears. I could tell she was happy. And, I have it all to BLAME on you guys (and my son-in-law). I think she really wants to meet you guys.

Pat