Various random observations (mostly on-topic)

Conan the Librarian wrote:

Those 7 or 14 days pill containers really do make nice flyboxes for
cheap, but they are probably even better as dubbing containers. Take
your handbrace and chuck a fluted drill bit of whatever size you think
appropriate (1/2" is a pretty good size). The brace's speed is
totally controllable, so you don't have to worry about shattering or
melting the plastic. Drill the holes on the side of the container
that does *not* open. If necessary, take a small file to smooth the
edges of the hole.

You can do the same with plastic storage boxes you can get at a hardware
store. More and bigger compartments.


It's become part of my standard tying routine these days to treat
all dries with Watershed as the last step. That combined with using
Frog's Fanny when I'm on the water has really made an improvement in
how my dries ride. No Gink for me.

I still use Gink when fishing conventionally hackled flies on heavy water.

Frog's Fanny is great stuff. Its use has caused me to use many more CDC
patterns instead of just saving them for a tough fish like I used to do.



Once you learn some basic mechanics of tying and familiarize
yourself with the characteristics of the materials, flytying is about
90% a matter of proportion. Or, better yet, proportion and
repeatability. (I now understand why Harry stresses those elements so
much.)


Proportion is important and its something I still have some problems
with. However, I also think it's good to vary some of your ties from the
"conventional" proportions. These flies are going to both look and act
differently. For example, I tie one of my favorite flies with an
undersized hackle with a couple of extra wraps of hackle and I tie the
downwing elk hair wing extra long. This makes for a fly that's great to
skitter across the surface.

A couple different things I'm been doing this past year:

Using foam for the posts of parachutes. It really grabs the hackle when
wrapping making it much easier. It's also very visible and adds flotation.

Tying and fishing wet hackles for specific hatches instead of just using
them as attractor patterns.


Willi

Willi wrote in message ...

[making dubbing storage from plastic pill boxes]

You can do the same with plastic storage boxes you can get at a hardware
store. More and bigger compartments.

In the future I'll probably need to have more storage, but I like
the locking feature on the pill boxes for storing dubbing. And they
are a nice compact size that's easy to store in the drawer of my tying
station. They also fit the contents of those little dubbing packs
almost perfectly.

Frog's Fanny is great stuff. Its use has caused me to use many more CDC
patterns instead of just saving them for a tough fish like I used to do.

It was because of your recommendation that I first tried the stuff.
I had played around with various products before I gave it a try, and
it is truly outstanding. (Anybody need a jar of Albolene? :-)

Proportion is important and its something I still have some problems
with. However, I also think it's good to vary some of your ties from the
"conventional" proportions. These flies are going to both look and act
differently. For example, I tie one of my favorite flies with an
undersized hackle with a couple of extra wraps of hackle and I tie the
downwing elk hair wing extra long. This makes for a fly that's great to
skitter across the surface.

Certainly. But you are doing those things consciously. And that's
partially why I added the caveat, "repeatability". If you make the
decision to vary the proportions of the fly, it would be nice to be
able to consistently tie it that way.

A couple different things I'm been doing this past year:

Using foam for the posts of parachutes. It really grabs the hackle when
wrapping making it much easier. It's also very visible and adds flotation.

After reading the recent thread about foam, I've been tying some
that way too. It has raised a question for me. You talk about it
grabbing the hackle; are you not wrapping up the post with your tying
thread when using foam? I'm accustomed to tying the hackle off on the
post itself when tying paras with calf or poly yarn. But I worry
about foam compressing too much and weakening the foam in the process.

Tying and fishing wet hackles for specific hatches instead of just using
them as attractor patterns.

After reading that thread you started on soft hackles, I tried
using CDC as the hackle on a few flies. I substituted it on the
Stewart's Spider, and a few other ties (i.e., soft-hackle hare's ears
of various colors, and some standard partidge and ... ties) and it
looks like it has possibilities. I haven't had a chance to try them
out yet, but they sure look "buggy" in the vise. I'm thinking that
the Spider in particular will be a good fly for sunfish.


Chuck Vance

Conan the Librarian wrote:


A couple different things I'm been doing this past year:

Using foam for the posts of parachutes. It really grabs the hackle when
wrapping making it much easier. It's also very visible and adds flotation.


After reading the recent thread about foam, I've been tying some
that way too. It has raised a question for me. You talk about it
grabbing the hackle; are you not wrapping up the post with your tying
thread when using foam? I'm accustomed to tying the hackle off on the
post itself when tying paras with calf or poly yarn. But I worry
about foam compressing too much and weakening the foam in the process.

I use foam that is pretty firm. It does compress but after the tension
is released, it has a tendency to hold the hackles in place. I usually
cut off the foam when finished, leaving just a small nub. I then press
down on that nub which flattens it. This helps hold the hackle and
compresses it. Works good for me.

Willi