What did you tie today?

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NativeSon
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Re: What did you tie today?

Post by NativeSon »

karstopo wrote:I found this Neolt Drafting table by the dumpster behind my office. There’s nothing wrong with it other than it was dirty. I cleaned it up and it’s now a tying table. Even comes with a view of the water. ImageImage


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Good to see I'm not the only scrounger out there. It's amazing what people throw out.
I guess I just hate seeing usable stuff go to the landfill.
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Cuervo Jones
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Re: What did you tie today?

Post by Cuervo Jones »

Wrapped up a few #10 Lafontaine foam ants. Closed cell packing foam gives them a nice translucency that I dig.
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NativeSon
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Re: What did you tie today?

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That is cool, Cuervo.
Now here's a dumb question I've wondered about, why do dry flies typically have down turned eyes?
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Re: What did you tie today?

Post by Cuervo Jones »

Good question about the down-turned hook eye. I dunno. But here are some more dries. Some of Gary Lafontaine’s Shroud in #14.
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Roger S
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Re: What did you tie today?

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Up-eye hooks: Used for happy flies.
Down-eye hooks: Used for sad flies
Straight eye hooks: Can only be used for flies that do NOT use flamboyant colors, boa feathers or beads ... roadkill, kevlar thread and manly materials only !!!
:dance:
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Roger S
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Re: What did you tie today?

Post by Roger S »

A stacked muddler tied on a #6 streamer hook.

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Re: What did you tie today?

Post by Cuervo Jones »

That’s a mighty nice muddler!
Here’s today’s work. Some #12 Chernobyl Ants in anticipation of a trip to the Green River next month. I first saw this pattern at the shop there in Dutch John in 2000. Couldn’t believe how simple it looked and how awesomely inappropriate the name was. But by gods they catch fish!!!
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Roger S
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Re: What did you tie today?

Post by Roger S »

Nice Ants CJ. :clap: Good to chase trout in the warm weather especially on top. I'm stuck only doing winter trout in OK.
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Re: What did you tie today?

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I've not had much luck with Chernobyl ants....,except when fishing the tail water of the San Juan below Navaho dam. And, I really had lots of luck there!

Wading the water and bumping into all those large, fly weary rainbows was always exciting. But a long cast up river with an all black chernoble ant behind twenty five inches of very light leader always got me Hooke up to some good fish.
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karstopo
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Re: What did you tie today?

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I like the muddler, the ants, and the tip on fishing the San Juan.

I’ve gotten into stacking and spinning deer hair. It’s been stimulating putting various colors of deer hair on top of the next. I’m starting to think I like the colorful ones more than the fish do. Does that muddler float or sink? It looks similar in some ways to the divers I’ve be working on. The next batch I do I swear I’m not going to layer so much or pack too tight. My loose, rough, low floating, neutrally buoyant ones have been fishing better than the more fancy ones I’ve done lately.

One of the first trout flies (and only) I ever tied up was a few Chernobyl ants. I like yours better. Mine didn’t have those wispy wings. I don’t believe mine ever saw action. Tying those ants got me into the craft stores. I’ve got a nice stack of craft foam now. I must of gotten the bad foam that comes without preloaded mojo because I don’t remember catching anything on any fly I’ve made out of foam.

The story about the Chernobyl ants working below the dam on the San Juan makes me want to go there more. I’ve been nearby on many occasions, but have never made the short drive over. Drifting little foam ants seems appealing. Standing in a river amidst interesting scenery has its appeal. I really haven’t done enough of it to be mad at the trout. I can’t ever seem to get down to the business of fishing in mountain and high desert country. Too many other distractions get in the way. Are there trout gulags or re-education camps where I can get my mind right? I don’t usually have trouble with trying to torture bass or redfish, the animosity works both ways, but trout are just there enjoying their river and the scenery and we are brothers in that. Maybe someday I’ll get to a saturation point on the sights and smells of the west and really get down to fishing.

Anyway, I sure like the stories and flies and photos of the fish and scenery.
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Re: What did you tie today?

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The wing helps the Chernobyl land upright, otherwise, being a surf board-shaped piece of foam on a hook, it lands upside down half the time. Try the ones you have for sunfish and bass, Karst. They chomp Chernobyl patterns like there’s no tomorrow. Maybe they know something we don’t. Now I’m worried.
I never fished the San Juan. Keep thinking I should. Just never find the time. And the crowds freak me out. Somebody might try talking to me while I’m finishing. Or cast over my line. Or throw rocks at me on account of my tendency to sing ABBA tunes as I drift flies at trouts.
My terrestrial tying continued last night with some Lafontaine foam beetles. I tried them years ago and didn’t feel very confident in them. But I’m going to give them another shot this summer on some mountain lakes in Wyoming. Hopefully I’m not abducted by a UFO while I’m camping up there. Wish me luck!
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Roger S
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Re: What did you tie today?

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Does that muddler float or sink?

I like my muddlers to sink and will fish them on a sinking line at times. I try to not pack or use too much hair so they water log quickly and become neutrally buoyant. Lost my pics when my old PC died or I could show you how good they work as a streamer.

I’m starting to think I like the colorful ones more than the fish do.

I really think that the "stacking" of the different color hair does more for us than for the fish. Usually just tying them in a single color is successful except for divers. Stacking divers is different as the bass see the profile while floating and when you strip it gets a shot of the color(s) that may help it decide to take the bait. I use dry fly paste on my divers to keep them floating as long as possible.
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karstopo
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Re: What did you tie today?

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Roger S wrote:Does that muddler float or sink?

I like my muddlers to sink and will fish them on a sinking line at times. I try to not pack or use too much hair so they water log quickly and become neutrally buoyant. Lost my pics when my old PC died or I could show you how good they work as a streamer.

I’m starting to think I like the colorful ones more than the fish do.

I really think that the "stacking" of the different color hair does more for us than for the fish. Usually just tying them in a single color is successful except for divers. Stacking divers is different as the bass see the profile while floating and when you strip it gets a shot of the color(s) that may help it decide to take the bait. I use dry fly paste on my divers to keep them floating as long as possible.
I miss out on so many things about fly fishing. I'll have to hunt down my Chernobyl ants and try them on the local fish.

I have sink tip line for a couple of rods and never use it. It just seems "weird" casting and stripping in a sink tip. I try to avoid sinking line at all cost and would rather wrench out my shoulder joint casting a pound of Tungsten. It's my party and I can cry if I want to.

Dry fly paste, what is that like Gink that I hear about but have never used?

My divers, the heavily packed and stacked ones, are impossible to sink. They refuse to get waterlogged enough to even dip very much on the strip. I'm thinking of putting the razor to them to remove some of the buoyancy. I'll probably leave them the way they are and just tie up less buoyant ones. It's nice to have options and sometimes the high floaters seem to work well. Bass are about as moody as redfish as far as I can tell. Those are the two fish I have the most experience with. Maybe all fish are moody. The other divers I've done get lower and lower after a bit of fishing to where they hover in the water column. Seems like there's a point where those divers cross a line and become a muddler. I may have to look into this paste to keep a diver a diver.
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Re: What did you tie today?

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Since these things hatch in some of the places I chase trout in the mountains, here are a few #14 Callibaetis spinners.
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Re: What did you tie today?

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Dr's say I shouldn't go above 6,000 feet anymore, so most of my mountain trout fishing is left to my memories. No regrets. I have more great trout fishing memories than most.. If I did head to the high country, however, I would have a pocket full of those spinners. I saw similar insects on the water darn near wherever I fished.
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Re: What did you tie today?

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Image

My first shot at the Borski Slider. I think they came out alright. Looks like they will get a shot at some action mañana.

These are pretty fast and not real complicated to tie. I used a size 4 Gamakatsu bonefish hook. Nice, fairly long hook with a black finish.


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Re: What did you tie today?

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Dry Pheasant Tail fly

Something new for me. I haven't tried to tie a traditional style dry fly with this style of hackle wing in probably 10 years. A very simple pattern, but surprisingly challenging to get the proportions right.

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Re: What did you tie today?

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Terrestrial madness continues with #12 pink pookies and some ants. Good for trouts, sunfish, Bass, and anything else eating non-extraterrestrial bugs.
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Tie safely my friends.


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Re: What did you tie today?

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And a few #18 foam flying ants. Viva la terrestriales!!
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Roger S
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Re: What did you tie today?

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A streamer for bass

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Re: What did you tie today?

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Some #18 WD40’s for an upcoming Green River trip.
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kickingback
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Re: What did you tie today?

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Very nice work CJ!!
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Roger S
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Re: What did you tie today?

Post by Roger S »

Wish I could tie that many of the same pattern in one sitting. After 3 flies I'm going nuts and if I tie a 4th one I start changing the pattern. Kudos to you for having that kind of patience and determination.
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What did you tie today?

Post by Cuervo Jones »

Extreme end members:
#4 Morrish Mice for chasing night time gator browns and #18 beadhead pheasant tails for daylight Baetis work.
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Re: What did you tie today?

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Cuervo Jones wrote:Extreme end members:
#4 Morrish Mice for chasing night time gator browns and #18 beadhead pheasant tails for daylight Baetis work.
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Those are extremes! Funny they can be used to catch the same fish.


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