(After two years.... continued) Step 3: set a hook in the vise and get started

In the prior two posts I wrote about getting going on fly tying after two years, with a simple clipped-hackle woolly called the Henry's Lake Special.  I read about it in Gary Soucie's Woolly Wisdom and also found the pattern in Terry Hellekson's Fishing Flies.

Very simple:  brown biots for tail, herl body, and clipped palmered brown hackle.  I was actually all set to substitute black biots and grizzly hackle, and wrote about this in the first post,  but changed my mind at the last minute. 

So... after work on Friday I finally sat down and got started.  Here's a look at my first tied fly in two years.  Pretty easy, but that's my kind of fly!

Insert hook and cover with thread.

Done.

Ten wraps of lead wire.  I used .20mm to match the shank diameter.

Done



Tie in two brown biots for tail.

Done.

Four herls tied in (spellcheck tells me there's no such word as herls).  Hackle tied in by the butt end.
Done

Wrap herl forward, once first behind the feather butt.  Tie off.

Done



Palmer hackle forward.  Tie off.

Done

Clumsily tie a small head using whip finish tool. No picture taken.

Done

Give the little beast a haircut. (I'd never make it as a barber!)

Done

Getting back to fly tying (after two years). Step 2: Sitting down at the tying table and hoping it all comes back to me

After setting up the tools and materials to tie for the first time in two years (see previous post), it is now time to get re-acquainted with the tools and techniques of the trade.

I have several nice vises and the JVice is perhaps my favorite. Designed and built by Jay Smit in South Africa I acquired mine in 2004 and wrote a review of it on my Website. My vise is #43 and was the second one sent to America... pretty cool.

Jay is always tinkering and has come up with many unique accessories. Check out his Web site. In particular he had developed a new jaw design and gooseneck arm which he sent to me perhaps two years ago. I did the retrofit per his instructions, and found the time to tie a bit with the new jaws before my hiatus from the tying table began.

Admiring the jaws today, they look like they'll be able to handle all the freshwater hooks I'm likely to tie with. As I recall, I liked the gooseneck arm because it made it easy to get my left hand behind the hook to hold materials. This is a rotary vise which I much prefer over standard designs.

After setting the vise on the table, I grabbed a couple of pairs of scissors from my tool box. One has straight tips and the other has curved tips. I have no recollection as to which I prefer or when I use one over the other. I will figure that out as I go along. These are Tiemco brand scissors, and therefore of reasonable quality.

My threads are pretty straight forward. Basically two dimensions of Danville: 6/0 and 3/0. I have flat-waxed too. I don't recall if 3/0 is something different from flat-waxed. My tying brain cells feel like they have a sock over them. I hope this all comes back to me.

I believe the black Danville thread I've got in the bobbin is 6/0. I can't remember what the bobbin brand is. I'm surprised that I don't remember, because I went out of my way to buy a couple of them. They are considered a classic, old design. But I think they were cheap. I think the brand disappeared for a while and then was re-introduced in recent years perhaps under a new manufacturer or distributor. The spool doesn't move too smoothly through this bobbin as I remember, and I used to break the thread often. If I start breaking thread again, I'll switch to one of the other bobbins in my kit with "ears". Can someone help me with the name of this brand of bobbin?

I did see in my tool box a bag of blue dental floss threaders. They work very nicely for threading bobbins, though I also remember sucking the end of the tube trying to get the thread through.

I grabbed my little whip finishing tool. I have a longer reaching one, too. They are very nice tools. I think they are something like Martinetti, or some other Italian name that starts with an "M". I never learned to whip finish with my fingers. Probably because it is so much fun to use the tool. I can't recall, however, how to use it. I am hoping that it comes back to me, and it probably will... unless I start thinking too hard about it. I have several brass half-hitch tools. I think I used them more for hackled flies and parachutes. Maybe the half-hitch tool will be better for the Henry's Lake Special. We'll soon see.



It was easy to find my hooks. They are kept in the original boxes inside bank check boxes. I have an entire box labeled R72. These are 2x wet fly hooks made by Mustad. I was pleased the see that this exact model is actually one of the listed hooks for the Henry's Lake Special as described in Terry Hellikson's Fish Flies.

Lead wire. That's another easy one. My lead wire spools are also in a bank check box, and I have a complete collection, starting at .10" and ending with .35". I almost always use 10 wraps of lead of a diameter to match the hook wire diameter.

I often finish my flies with a little nail polish on the head. It looks like I should buy some new bottles, or at least thin them out with _____ (heck, I don't recall what you thin nail polish with, but its the same stuff they make nail polish remover with, perhaps starting with the letter "a" or "e" ??)

The last tool I can think of is a set of magnifiers. I think mine are called Mag-eyes.

Now, let me get started.

Getting back to fly tying (after two years). Step 1 - getting out the materials and tools

I just checked the notebook I keep with my tying gear, in which I write down the flies I've tied, when I've tied them, and in what sizes I tied them. The last entry in the notebook was two years ago. No wonder a couple of my favorite beadheads and nymphs are completely missing from my boxes... I must have run out!

But what got me thinking about setting up the vise again is the very simple "clipped woolly worm" pattern Fred Bridge tied for me and which I featured in a post here on the blog in March and which become another "fly with a story" on the Web site. The simple fly is called a Wonder Bug. 

I checked out my copy of Gary Soucie's book, Woolly Wisdom, and found quite a number of clipped hackle woollys.  And I felt the urge to do some tying.  In particular I picked out the Henry's Lake Special on page 53. It's basically a peacock herl woolly worm with two brown biots for a tail (stonefly nymph?) and clipped brown hackle.  However, I think I will tie it with black biots and clipped grizzly hackle.

I certainly can appreciate well-tied and difficult-to-tie flies.  They are usually works of art.  But for me, I really like simple flies.  This is perhaps why I will never be an "expert" tier.  I am happy to tie and fish the easy flies.  In fact, I am always thrilled when I catch  fish on a fly that was made from only one or two materials. The Henry's Lake Special is right up my alley.

But step one was to set up my stuff, which I did this evening before catching up with my wife to watch some baseball on TV.  I took the peacock herl and grizzly hackle and biots out of the Sterilite box labeled "feathers".  I set up my J-Vice and put a couple of tools into its oak base.  My brain was a bit groggy as I tried to remember what was needed.  Let's see: scissors, whip finish tool, thread and bobbin.  Oh, in addition to the feathers, I would need lead wire and hooks.  I think that should do the trick.  Oh, and magnifiers!

So, here's my set up.  I have an L-shaped desk with the tying table actually inside a closet.  Overall, this gives me a very nice little office inside an extra bedroom.  This is as neat and clean as it will ever get.  Remember, I haven't started tying yet *LOL*.

I've got all my materials and I am ready to go!  The hooks are size 10 Mustad Signature R72s.  And I like hackling my small woolly worms with Whiting hen neck hackle. 

Tomorrow I will begin!!





Just posted: The Peacock Caddis Larva as tied by Fred Bridge

In a March blog post I mentioned a few flies I'd received from my friend from Pennsylvannia, Fred Bridge. A week ago I posted a closeup photo and the tying sequence for one of these flies, the Wonder Bug.  This evening I just posted a closeup photo and the tying sequence for the Peacock Caddis Larva.

Once again it is clear that Fred knows two to the greatest nymph tying materials: (1) lead and (2) peacock herl.

Check it out here: http://www.fishingwithflies.com/PeacockCaddisLarva.htm

The Wonder Bug, the Anytime-Anywhere Nymph and the C.K. Nymph

After posting an image and tying sequence for the Wonder Bug sample (go to http://www.fishingwithflies.com/WonderBug.htm)  sent to me by Fred Bridge of Pennsylvannia, another friend of mine from Pennsylvannia, Bill Long, wrote (see comments on my previous blog post) that it reminded him of a similarly tied "clipped hackle" fly called the Anytime, Anywhere Nymph.  It too, he wrote, was an old pattern.

Perhaps these two patterns are related, and perhaps they are not.  The patterns are simple enough to have been "invented" by many tiers.  After all, they are both essentially woolly worms with clipped hackle. 

I thought I would investigate further.

Referring to my copy of Gary Soucie's Woolly Wisdom (copyrighted 2005), I found a section on Clipped Hackle Woolly Worms (pp. 51-61).  The Anytime, Anywhere Nymph is included.  It is tied essentially like the Wonder Bug, except that instead of a herl body it has a black chenille body.

Using Google I found two other descriptions of the Anytime-Anywhere Nymph; one with a body of black wool and the other with a body of black dubbing.  So, a black body is a key feature.

Interestingly one site indicated that the Anytime-Anywhere nymph was originated by Charles Knight.  The sample shown was labeled the "C.K. Nymph". (http://retiredguysworld.com/Flies.aspx)

This is where I become confused.  Gary's book also has a "C.K. Nymph".  The C.K. Nymph is on the opposing page (p. 57) to the "Anytime, Anywhere Nymph" (p. 56).  Gary suggests that perhaps the later is a variation of the former. 

At this point in my research I assumed that C.K. stood for Charles Knight. However, Gary's interview with a couple of flyfishers, who remember the C.K. Nymph from their early days, place its introduction in the late 1940s or early 1950s, along the "C.K. Williams stretch" of the Bushkill Creek in Pennsylvannia. C.K. Williams was the name of an old pigment production plant situated near the creek.

Do any of my Pennsylvania friends have any additional insights or information about the origins of this simple fly?  Of course, you don't have to be from Pennsylvania to post a comment *grin*.

Just Posted: The Wonder Bug as tied by Fred Bridge

In my previous blog post I mentioned a few flies I'd received from my friend from Pennsylvannia, Fred Bridge.  I've posted a closeup photo and the tying sequence for one of these flies, the Wonder Bug. 

If I could pick only two materials with which to tie nymphs, I would pick (1) lead and (2) peacock herl.  Add some hackle and you've got the Wonderbug.

Check it out here: http://www.fishingwithflies.com/WonderBug.htm

I received a nice package in the mail from Fred Bridge last week

Fred has been a friend for years and sent me some of the first flies that I featured in the Flies With a Story page on fishingwithflies.com some 10 years ago.  [The 80+ stories I've collected over the years are listed here.]

So Fred emailed me a couple of weeks ago and asked if I might be interested in a couple of nice nymphs he'd been enjoying.  (Just to make it clear, the nymphs I'm talking about here are fishing flies *grin*.)  I've fished with Fred and he's one fantastic trout fisherman... so when he says a fly is good, I listen.  He sent them along and they look great and, importantly to me, easy to tie. 

I will take a few closeup pictures of them and get the images and directions onto the Web site soon. 

He also threw in a nice Hornberg.  Fred ties his Hornbergs complete with jungle cock eyes and he lacquers (head cement or "hard as nails") the wings.  I plan to use this sample for another project of mine, which will be a topic for a future post.



Fishingwithflies.com is 10 years old (nearly) !

Last week my electronic scheduler signaled that it was time to log into my account at Godaddy (which has hosted fishingwithflies.com since the beginning) to renew my domain name.  When I clicked on "my account" I saw that the domain was up for renewal in July.  But I always like to renew a few months early...just in case. Incidentally, Website domain names aren't particularly expensive, at about $10-$15 per year.

What surprised me, and I don't think I'd noticed this before, is that Godaddy maintains a complete record of all my transactions, in chronological order.  I went right to the first page and found my very first Godaddy order.  It was nearly 10 years ago, in July of 2001, that I registered my domain name.  Times flies!!



I recall being very pleased that it was available because I thought it was such a good name for the Web site that I was planning.  I saw, too, that I had ordered Godaddy's inhouse Web site software, Website Complete, in 2001.  It got things up and operating quickly, but they soon stopped supporting it and I found myself switching to Microsoft's Frontpage 2000 and then Frontpage 2003. 

Now, Frontpage is no longer supported by Microsoft, though I can still create Web pages and upload them to the servers at Godaddy.  I dread the day that I might have to switch to something else.

I also saw in my Godaddy account that I had signed up for "statistics" beginning in 2009 though I don't recall ever looking at the data.  But I did today.  I was pleased to see that I am getting about 4,000 unique visitors per week.  That's pretty cool.

I should point out that you are reading this post on my blog, which is a google blog.  This is located on google's servers and not on Godaddy. (You can learn more about blogs at http://www.blogger.com/.)  My blog has it's own separate domain name, fishingwithfliesblog.com, but I have connected my two domains with links and made the green background color as identical as possible, so that it appears that I have just one Web site.  Blogs have some advantages.  They are very easy to update, from anywhere and from any computer, because you don't need any software.  A disadvantage might be that they are not as customizable as having your own Web site software.  Though there are many templates for blogs, and you can change colors and fonts, etc., they all have a basic and recognizable format.

Panasonic TS3 ups the ante over the new Fuji GPS-featured waterproof camera by throwing in GPS, barometer, altimeter and compass!

In my last post I was pretty excited about the new Fuji "tough" camera that included GPS.  But my favorite modern "tough" cameras are coming from Panasonic, and Pany has just upped the ante.  Their new model (there are actually two new models, but I view the one shown here as the better one) is the DMC-TS3.  I'd add a link to the panasonic Web site, but the camera is so new (and not yet available) that it is not yet on the panasonic USA Web site.



I don't know how the image quality will be but I like the fact that this has fewer pixels (12 megepixels) than the 14 megapixel Fuji.  Even 12 megapixels is way too many on a camera with such a small sensor.  But more pixels is what marketing departments want.  Image quality would be far better with 6 megapixels on sensors of the size of 99% of all pocket cameras.  Did you know that even on a 24" monitor that images are downsized to about 2 megapixels to fit?!  About 5 megapixels is all you need for an uncompromisingly sharp 8"x10" print.  I've even had some gorgeous 9"x12" prints from my old Pentax 3.3 megapixel waterproof camera.  The problem with more pixels is that the camera's ability to take low-light images is decreased and there is much more noise (grain) in the image... all else being equal.

...So, here are some of the main features of this new panasonic:

GPS

Altimeter

Barometer

Compass

Image stabilization

28-140mm (effective field of view) lens

Full HD movie capability

Waterproof to 12' (40m)

Shock proof for drop of 6.6' (2m)

Dustproof

Freeze proof down to 14F (-10C)

Pretty awesome, I would say.



Fuji builds first compact waterproof camera with GPS (Fujifilm XP30)

I've been a big fan of the waterproof point and shoot cameras since acquiring the now "old" pentax 33WR in 2003.  I still keep this camera in my fly vest, but am always following the newest cameras and dreaming that I might buy an "upgraded" replacement.  The Fujifilm XP40 XP30 was announced earlier this month as a "pre-CES 2011" announcement.  CES is the International Consumer Electronics Show held annually in Las Vegas.

[In the "for-what-it's-worth" department: So far, my choice would be the Panasonic, for it's useful 5x zoom with 28mm wide angle, effective image stabilization, and arguably the best image quality of the "tough" camera category.  I say this after reading perhaps every review available on the Internet. Panasonic will remain my choice until I can read reviews on the Fuji's image quality. Perhaps some meaningful reviews will be available before the spring fishing season begins!]

So far, I believe Panasonic has offered a better camera than has Fuji, which until now did not have image stabilization.  I find image stabilization to be very important for low light photos because it allows you to take shots at slower shutter speeds, and therefore get a good exposure without increasing the ISO.  (Higher ISO settings increase the sensor's sensitivity to light so you can get a good exposure using a higher shutter speed, but image quality is compromised.)

The new Fuji has included image stabilization, but more importantly (or perhaps just more interestingly) it has included GPS features.  I can see using this whenever I find a "hot" fishing spot on a remote stream.  Just take a picture of the location... perhaps, if you're lucky, a picture of one of the fish caught there.... and this will record the location.  It is my understanding that it will record the more exacting latitude and longitude and/or simply the place name (such as Yellowstone National Park).  According to the press release, the camera has an imbedded list of over one-half million place names around the world.

It is waterproof to 5 meters, shockproof up to 1.5 meters, dust and sandproof, and freezeproof to minus 10C.  These features are all pretty common on this category of cameras.

The screen shot below is from the Fuji Web site.  My daughter will be happy that it comes in her favorite color, orange.

Here's a link so you can read more about this new model:
http://www.fujifilmusa.com/products/digital_cameras/xp/finepix_xp30/