snipe hunt

I like a "Snipe and Peacock" soft hackle early in the season ... and

A couple days ago I noticed that the commercially purchased item I have in
my tying kit is actually called "snipe sub." Being a guy that likes real
more than 'sub,' and wanting to tie some up on this dreary day, I just now
grabbed the 20gauge and two shells and went for a walk through our pasture.
I'm now the proud owner of two dead snipe that are sitting on the counter
over there.

Not being too bright, or too likely to plan ahea
d, I didn't give any pre-thought to how to turn a dead snipe into tying
material :-(

I'm leaning towards skinning them, coating the meat side with borax and
letting them dry someplace ... is this anywhere close to the right
procedure?

Pointers ? Tips? Comments? Helpful Advise? Attacks? ( so the RD
Wolfenberry AbUseNet Club can feel included ;-)

Larry ( who is off to look for a scalpel or X-acto knife or single edged
razor, or moderately sharp Swiss Army tool, to start the skinning )

"Larry L" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
SNIP
Not being too bright, or too likely to plan ahea
d, I didn't give any pre-thought to how to turn a dead snipe into tying
material :-(

I'm leaning towards skinning them, coating the meat side with borax and
letting them dry someplace ... is this anywhere close to the right
procedure?

Pointers ? Tips? Comments? Helpful Advise? Attacks? ( so the RD
Wolfenberry AbUseNet Club can feel included ;-)

Larry ( who is off to look for a scalpel or X-acto knife or single edged
razor, or moderately sharp Swiss Army tool, to start the skinning )


Yep. Clip the wings close to the body, and borax the knuckles. skin the
birds, remove all meat etc, and borax the skins When the skin no longer wets
the borax, wash the lot, skin and wings in warm soapy water, rinse
thoroughly, and allow to dry thoroughly. Place in the freezer for at least
three days. Add moth crystals before final storage in zip loc bags or
similar.

That was it.

TL
MC

"Mike Connor" wrote

That was it.

Thanks, Mike, I knew I could count on you.

"Mike Connor" wrote:
Yep. Clip the wings close to the body, and borax the knuckles. skin the
birds, remove all meat etc, and borax the skins When the skin no longer wets
the borax, wash the lot, skin and wings in warm soapy water, rinse
thoroughly, and allow to dry thoroughly. Place in the freezer for at least
three days. Add moth crystals before final storage in zip loc bags or
similar.

That was it.

TL
MC

Mike,

I know you're experienced with this. I have some feathers that have been in
moth crystals for a long time, and they smell strongly of the stuff. A few
years ago I tied some wet flies with these feathers and they just wouldn't
catch any fish. I blamed the smell, do you think that makes any sense? I'm
sure it wouldn't matter in dries, but nymphs, wets, steelhead, and salmon
flies, what do you think?

Thanks

Chas
remove fly fish to e mail directly

On Fri, 09 Dec 2005 03:01:17 -0600, chas
wrote:

"Mike Connor" wrote:
Yep. Clip the wings close to the body, and borax the knuckles. skin the
birds, remove all meat etc, and borax the skins When the skin no longer wets
the borax, wash the lot, skin and wings in warm soapy water, rinse
thoroughly, and allow to dry thoroughly. Place in the freezer for at least
three days. Add moth crystals before final storage in zip loc bags or
similar.

That was it.

TL
MC

Mike,

I know you're experienced with this. I have some feathers that have been in
moth crystals for a long time, and they smell strongly of the stuff. A few
years ago I tied some wet flies with these feathers and they just wouldn't
catch any fish. I blamed the smell, do you think that makes any sense? I'm
sure it wouldn't matter in dries, but nymphs, wets, steelhead, and salmon
flies, what do you think?

Thanks

Chas
remove fly fish to e mail directly

Put them in a (fairly, at least) airtight container with some _plain_
charcoal briquettes - i.e., no "self-lighting" type soaked in starter.
In the alternative, put them in with a small dish of vinegar. Both
tricks are good for a variety of odor problems. For example, a few
briquettes under the seat of a car can help keep the air inside "smell
neutral." I just ask my SO to save her "run"...er, "ran"...well,
whatever they call them.. stockings and use the foot section to keep the
dust contained and the charcoal securely under the seats.

TC,
R

wrote:
Put them in a (fairly, at least) airtight container with some _plain_
charcoal briquettes
....

Thanks Richard, I'll try it in that box.

Chas
remove fly fish to e mail directly

"chas" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
SNIP

I know you're experienced with this. I have some feathers that have been
in
moth crystals for a long time, and they smell strongly of the stuff. A
few
years ago I tied some wet flies with these feathers and they just wouldn't
catch any fish. I blamed the smell, do you think that makes any sense?
I'm
sure it wouldn't matter in dries, but nymphs, wets, steelhead, and salmon
flies, what do you think?

Thanks

Chas
remove fly fish to e mail directly


I store a large quantity of materials, and a lot of finished flies using
napthalene moth balls. I air flies well before I use them, and with wet
flies I usually use a good dollop of riverside mud to "treat" them before I
use them. I have never noticed any difference in fish catching
capabilities, between these flies and "freshly" tied ones, from untreated
materials.

Napthalene, and Paradichlorbenzene ( The other commonly used crystals), both
sublimate strongly, and any residue disappears pretty quickly when the flies
or materials are aired.

I do think various smells can be detrimental to flies though. I have seen
fish spook thirty yards or more downstream of a wading angler, and I am
convinced because they got his "scent". I would always try to air my flies
well before use. It is not critical with dry flies it seems, as the fish
have not much chance to "smell" them, but I have always avoided dressings
and the like which cause the fly to produce oily rings etc, as I believe
these can indeed be detrimental. I now prefer the modern "hydrostop"
dressings.

TL
MC

"Mike Connor" wrote:

I store a large quantity of materials, and a lot of finished flies using
napthalene moth balls. I air flies well before I use them, and with wet
flies I usually use a good dollop of riverside mud to "treat" them before I
use them. I have never noticed any difference in fish catching
capabilities, between these flies and "freshly" tied ones, from untreated
materials.

Napthalene, and Paradichlorbenzene ( The other commonly used crystals), both
sublimate strongly, and any residue disappears pretty quickly when the flies
or materials are aired.

I do think various smells can be detrimental to flies though. I have seen
fish spook thirty yards or more downstream of a wading angler, and I am
convinced because they got his "scent". I would always try to air my flies
well before use. It is not critical with dry flies it seems, as the fish
have not much chance to "smell" them, but I have always avoided dressings
and the like which cause the fly to produce oily rings etc, as I believe
these can indeed be detrimental. I now prefer the modern "hydrostop"
dressings.

TL
MC


Thanks Mike. I'm going to try rdean's idea with the charcoal. I'm a bit
concerned that the Vinegar might effect the dyes.

I wonder about disturbing fish 30 feet downstream. It's awfully hard to be
silent, and impossible to avoid stirring silt off the bottom. Off hand I'd put
scent below those unless I knew more about the wader. ;-)

I know what you mean about the scent disipating on it's own, but I was
overenthusiastic years ago when I put the mothballs in this box, and it's
really a strong smell. A smart guy in my position would have thrown the old
stuff away years ago, recognizing that there's nothing of great value there.

Chas
remove fly fish to e mail directly

"chas" schrieb im Newsbeitrag
...
SNIP
Thanks Mike. I'm going to try rdean's idea with the charcoal. I'm a bit
concerned that the Vinegar might effect the dyes.

I wonder about disturbing fish 30 feet downstream. It's awfully hard to
be
silent, and impossible to avoid stirring silt off the bottom. Off hand
I'd put
scent below those unless I knew more about the wader. ;-)

I know what you mean about the scent disipating on it's own, but I was
overenthusiastic years ago when I put the mothballs in this box, and it's
really a strong smell. A smart guy in my position would have thrown the
old
stuff away years ago, recognizing that there's nothing of great value
there.

Chas
remove fly fish to e mail directly


If you want to get the smell off the materials quickly, just wash them in
warm soapy water, rinse thoroughly, and let them dry. The charcoal will
work, but even better is a box of silica gel. You can obtain this at any
flower shop, it is used for drying plants, among other things.

It is very loud indeed in a river. Wading is hardly heard even at a
comparatively short distance. Rocks, silt, etc etc are moving all the time,
and water rushing üast obstructions makes a very loud noise. I don´t worry
about noise at all, but I do worry about scent.

TL
MC