Soft Hackles

On Dec 11, 7:48 pm, Jeff Marso brachycentrus@hotmaildotkom wrote:
"Larry L" wrote :





"Scott Seidman" wrote

I'm actually not this way with most books.

I didn't think you were ... or worded better .. I knew I was, to a
degree, misreading you when I tapped out my reply.

It's just the phrase struck me, and not really as it applies to
fishing books, but to all our culture and our reverence for books.
Every stupid thing ever thought has been published in a book ... and
then again on ROFF G. The first semester in an honors program at
college my son was required to take a course designed to make more
careful in their choices of sources of information ... I thought that
was a great idea.

Hughes is one of my favorite modern authors ... well presented,
documented and helpful ...never inflexible or "my way is the one right
way".

IMO Hughes seems to be the same way in person. I've attended a couple of
tying sessions at shows with him as the lecturer and enjoyed them
immensely. I've recently acquired a book on soft hackles put out by Frank
Amato Publications by Allen McGee that looks informative and useful. More
info at:http://tinyurl.com/35x5u2

As always YMMV.

one of the JM's

There is a serious danger to reading these books. I end up wanting to
tie about every pattern they rave about. I just ordered the materials
to tie a soft-hackle army (even some of Hughes "variations" like the
Hare's Ear Spider et. al.). I gotta lay off the books for awhile!

"mdk77" wrote


There is a serious danger to reading these books. I end up wanting to
tie about every pattern they rave about. I just ordered the materials
to tie a soft-hackle army (even some of Hughes "variations" like the
Hare's Ear Spider et. al.). I gotta lay off the books for awhile!


Don't hesitate to tie one or two of anything that strikes your fancy ....
tying is, and should be, fun

My suggestion is to just resist the temptation to tie a bunch ( or every
size and variation ) of any given fly until YOU have tested it on your fish
with YOUR approach


Trust me, I've been there done that on the box full of worthless crap that
was in a book. Not worthless to many other people, just me. Probably
every fly in a decent book will work well someplace at some time, but test
at your place and time before you commit too much box-space, time, and
materials

To my mind, one of the hardest things about Winter is the fact that it's a
time when we want to tie, but it's a crappy time to be tying personally
untested patterns and filling boxes ( except with the tried and true ) ...
it's a frustrating mix

... for instance, I've tied a few of a pattern Littleton suggest to me, and
I have ZERO doubt that it works exceptionally well for Tom and am tempted to
tie up a big supply

.... I also have ZERO doubt that if I sit down and tie 3 dozen I will never
catch a fish on the pattern, BUT if I stop at the three I'll lose the third
one to a big fish ( not the biggest around but he wants one too and nothing
else ) at the begining of the best baetis spinner fall I ever see !! Life
is just like that G

On 14 Dec, 19:51, "Larry L" wrote:

... I also have ZERO doubt that if I sit down and tie 3 dozen I will never
catch a fish on the pattern, BUT if I stop at the three I'll lose the third
one to a big fish ( not the biggest around but he wants one too and nothing
else ) at the begining of the best baetis spinner fall I ever see !! Life
is just like that G

So what´s the problem? Most people lose them to trees!

TL
MC

On Dec 14, 10:27 am, mdk77 wrote:
On Dec 11, 7:48 pm, Jeff Marso brachycentrus@hotmaildotkom wrote:



"Larry L" wrote :

"Scott Seidman" wrote

I'm actually not this way with most books.

I didn't think you were ... or worded better .. I knew I was, to a
degree, misreading you when I tapped out my reply.

It's just the phrase struck me, and not really as it applies to
fishing books, but to all our culture and our reverence for books.
Every stupid thing ever thought has been published in a book ... and
then again on ROFF G. The first semester in an honors program at
college my son was required to take a course designed to make more
careful in their choices of sources of information ... I thought that
was a great idea.

Hughes is one of my favorite modern authors ... well presented,
documented and helpful ...never inflexible or "my way is the one right
way".

IMO Hughes seems to be the same way in person. I've attended a couple of
tying sessions at shows with him as the lecturer and enjoyed them
immensely. I've recently acquired a book on soft hackles put out by Frank
Amato Publications by Allen McGee that looks informative and useful. More
info at:http://tinyurl.com/35x5u2

As always YMMV.

one of the JM's

There is a serious danger to reading these books. I end up wanting to
tie about every pattern they rave about. I just ordered the materials
to tie a soft-hackle army (even some of Hughes "variations" like the
Hare's Ear Spider et. al.). I gotta lay off the books for awhile!

The good news though, is that they're easy to tie and to watch
partridge come to life on a hook is a minor miracle in and of itself.
Not such a bad thing.

Bone