Minnow (generic)

Remove a couple of STIM-U-DENTS from the package and position 1 on top of the hook shank as shown, approximately at the barb of the hook.

Switch hands and continue to hold the toothpick. Mark the toothpick for length and for the forward shape of the body as shown.

Transfer the measurement to the other toothpick and tie the toothpicks onto the hook shank. At this time, you can head cement the entire body if desired. Then tie in the marabou tail. Tying Note: you could add flat strips of lead (such as TWISTONS) along the body or a piece of lead wire along the underside of the body for a weighted version.

Tie in a strip of bills body braid (green for the back) and a strip of bills body braid (silver or pearl for the body).

Wrap the silver braid forward and tie off. Pull the back braid forward over the top of the body and tie off.

Add eyes and whatever marking you want with the acrylic paint and let dry. Coat the body of the fly with a UV resin or epoxy. overcoat with Sally Hansen's hard as nail polish if necessary.

Minnow (generic)

Hook - Mustad 9671, 9672 or equivalent

Thread - White or clear mono

Under body - Shaped stim-u-dent toothpicks

Tail - Marabou

Back - Bills body braid or equivalent

Over body - Bills body braid or equivalent

Eyes and body markings - Acrylic paint

Coating - UV resin, epoxy and Sally Hansen's hard as nails

The shown above recipe is merely a suggestion of what to use. As a creative tyer you have the option to switch items in the recipe to suit your needs or material supply.

Weighting Options

An older fly pattern known as the "JANSSEN MINNOW" can be tied in this manner. Paint up your minnow to look like them or be creative.

Hal Janssens Minnow

Thanks for looking.

DuBois Hackle Gauge

I was lurking on Ebay one evening and I spied an item called the "Du Bois Fly Fisherman's & Fly Tier's Gauge". I am familiar with other types of hackle gauges but I had never heard about this on so I ended up buying it for a reasonable price. This gauge is multi functional as opposed to other hackle gauges. It allows you to check on hook sizes, wet and dry tail length, wet and dry hackle length and wet and dry wing lengths. All in one gauge. Simple enough.

The gauge comes in a clear plastic protective sleeve and an instruction sheet on how to use the gauge.

Hackle Gauge

Instruction Sheet

Fly Fishing is a Joke

                        

Fly Fishing is a Joke from Henry Harrison on Vimeo.

Buying Samples

I recently saw this on a fly tying forum. The tyer saw a pattern in a fly bin, got home and recreated it by memory and then asked other forum members if they knew the name of the pattern.

If you want to recreate that fly pattern you saw in whatever kind of shop you saw it in, buy 1-3 flies to have as samples and/or to deconstruct a fly to see how the pattern was tied. Shops will usually have the condiment cups or zip lock baggies to put flies in. Jot down the pattern name, size and where you bought it from for future reference. When you get home, take one out and photograph it for additional reference.

Don't try to go by memory after you get home.

Great for holding samples.

VERNON S. “PETE” HIDY

http://images.wolfpk.com/flyfisherscluboregon/pdf/hidy.pdf

The Whip Finish

By Hans Weilennman

John West Salmon

I Don't Know....

.....what I did right but I made it to the big

I just wish I could get more senior discounts!!

Iphone 5

Not that anybody cares but I finally got sick of that POS Motorola DroidX cell phone and pre ordered the I phone 5. Unfortunately the due date is OCT 5. Not that long of a wait I guess.

Now to find some cool apps (flyfishing of course)

If anybody has some cool apps worth downloading, please leave me a comment. Not really a gamer but gotta have Angry Birds!

As always, thanks for looking!

Parachutes

This may be of some interest. Other titles available for download.

https://www.smashwords.com/extreader/read/17437/1/who-packed-your-parachute?page=

Wire Heads

If you haven't seen or read about this innovative technique yet, here is your chance to do so. Have you ever run out of tying beads, then try this out!

Check out the articles and videos on Doug Korns "55 on the Fly" blog for all the details.

Wire Heads

A.K. Vise

On nearly all of fly fishing/tying bulletin boards and forums that I participate in, there is usually a question on the vise from A.K. Best that was manufactured by Mackenzie (McKenzie) many years ago. There has also been very little to go by in the way of photographs on the web. With a great big thank you to M. Valbano on the Washington Fly Fishing fly tying board we now have a very good visualization of the A.K. Best fly tying vise and all of its tools.

The above photo is the full version (larger base, third hand and bobbin cradle) but from what I've been told there also was a sorta stripped down model that did not come with he  bobbin cradle or third hand.

Trying to find these vises and/or the original tools today is next to impossible unless your the highest bidder on Ebay, some other sporting goods auction site, estate sale or just plain lucky at a flea market or yard sale.

As always, thanks for reading.

I want to tie flies, What materials do I buy..

This is a question often seen on fly tying/fishing forums. The obvious items would be a vise, bobbin holder, scissors, whip finisher etc. but you should also find 5-10 flies you want to tie. Check out the recipes. Buy the materials listed in those recipes. These materials now become the building blocks for many future flies you may want to tie. If you are a new tyer, it's obvious you can't go out and buy every tying material a fly catalog has to offer. Use that GOOGLE function that's comes on every computer and sign up for every free fly-tying catalog you can find. 

There is no one catalog to rule them all!

Something that is also of great value will be to take fly tying classes from your local fly shop. These guys have been teaching fly tying for more years than you have probably been alive, so they do know what they are doing. Teachers will sit down with each tyer and explain what each and every tool has to do with fly tying. Tyers on You Tube simply will not do that with you, they simply tie flies. Teachers have many more reasons to use this material over that material and will teach you about the different materials to use or not use. Some You tube tyers will have your head spinning faster than Linda Blair spitting up pea soup in the Exorcist movie! 

Tying lessons will reduce the learning curve drastically.

I've tied for 30+ years and I'm not ashamed to take a lesson every now and then or even attend a fly-tying seminar. I could spend hours in front of a famous tyer at fly tying/fishing shows just to learn a technique. I try to attend tying seminars somewhere in the local New England are at least 2-5 times a year. (Sometimes my job as a submarine designer just won't let that happen and I don't like tying while on the road at different assignments). So, I pay out the $75-100 bucks per lesson/seminar, but the wealth gained is much more valuable than the money. 

Sorry for the rant. I was just trying to help.

We Could Use a Little Rain....

Pray for a little rain!

Southern Trout

Southern Trout Issue #2

Bead Holders

Try using hackle pliers

USA Olympic Outfits made where???

Thank you Ralph Lauren. You can now join your buddy Donald Trump!

Black & Brown Bear Streamers

Black Bear

Hook - Mustad 79580 or equivalent

Thread - Black

Tail - Gray Squirrel. Tail should be 1/2 the length of the body

Hackle - Black tied palmered over the body

Body - Black chenille

Wing - Gray Squirrel 

Brown Bear

Hook - Mustad 79580 or equivalent

Thread - Black

Tail - Fox Squirrel. Tail should be 1/2 the length of the body

Hackle - Brown tied palmered over the body

Body - Brown chenille

Wing - Fox Squirrel 

Reference

Popular Fly Patterns - Terry Hellekson

Breadcrust

Breadcrust

Hook - Mustad 3906, 3906B or equivalent, size 8-16 

Thread - Black 

Ribbing - Dark brown neck hackle stem and fine gold wire

Reverse wrap the body with fine gold wire after ribbing has been wrapped

Body - Orange yarn or dubbed synthetic fur

Hackle - Grizzly hen hackle

Popular Fly Patterns by Terry Hellekson.

There are many version of this fly and its recipe. This is just another method of tying it.

Heather Nymph

Heather Nymph

Hook - Mustad 9671 size 10-12 or equivalent

Thread - Brown thread

Tail - Scarlet red hackle fibers

Ribbing - Oval gold tinsel

Bodu - Insect green rabbit fur or equivalent

Thorax - Peacock herl

Hackle - 2 turns of soft grizzly hen hackle

This pattern is very useful during damsel fly hatches on lakes. It was originated by Fenton Roskelley of Spokane, Washington, in 1960.

Reference: Popular Fly Patterns by Terry Hellekson

Royal Bobesh

Weight the hook if desired. Not all czech nymphs are weighted

Tie in gold ribbing wire

Tie in scud back at the bend of the hook

Dub the body

Pull scud back over body

Rib body with gold wire and build a small thorax area with wraps of gold wire. Pick out dubbing for legs if desired

Tying Note

You can tie off the ribbing wire in front of the body, tie in some tinsel and wrap that tinsel for the same effect as the wire.

A.P. Nymph

The "A. P." in this fly's name could stand for either "All Purpose" or the inventor, André Puyans. A generic nymph, it looks like a lot of things that live underwater and get eaten by trout. You can weight the fly with lead under the body or with a beadhead.

The following step-by-step tying process will assist you in tying the A.P. series nymphs.

The unique manner in which they are tied can be incorporated into many other patterns.

A.P. Nymph

Additional Recipes

A.P. Beaver Nymph

Hook: Mustad 3906B or equivalent

Thread: Black

Tail , Wingcase & Legs: Dark Moose Hair

Ribbing: Gold Wire (copper can also be used)

Body & Thorax: Dubbed Beaver Fur

Head: Dubbed Beaver Fur

A.P. Black Beaver Nymph

Hook: Mustad 3906B or equivalent

Thread: Black

Tail , Wingcase & Legs: Dark Moose Hair

Ribbing: Gold Wire (copper can also be used)

Body & Thorax: Dubbed Black Beaver Fur

Head: Dubbed Black Beaver Fur

A.P. Claret & Beaver Nymph

Hook: Mustad 3906B or equivalent

Thread: Black

Tail , Wingcase & Legs: Dark Moose Hair

Ribbing: Gold Wire (copper can also be used)

Body & Thorax: Dubbed blend of 40% medium color beaver, 

20% claret synthetic for, 20% seal brown synthetic fur & 20% hares ear

Head: Dubbed with body blend

A.P. Hendrickson Nymph

Hook: Mustad 3906B or equivalent

Thread: Brown

Tail , Wingcase & Legs: Bronze mallard

Ribbing: Gold Wire (copper can also be used)

Body & Thorax: Dubbed dyed reddish brown beaver or synthetic fur

Head: Dubbed with body blend

A.P. Muskrat #1

Hook: Mustad 3906B or equivalent

Thread: Gray

Tail , Wingcase & Legs: Blue Dun Hackle Fibers

Ribbing: Gold Wire (copper can also be used)

Body & Thorax: Dubbed dark muskrat fur taken from the back of the muskrat

Head: Dubbed with body blend

A.P. Muskrat #2

Hook: Mustad 3906B or equivalent

Thread: Gray

Tail , Wingcase & Legs: Moose Body Hair

Ribbing: Gold Wire (copper can also be used)

Body & Thorax: Dubbed dark muskrat fur taken from the back of the muskrat

Head: Dubbed with body blend

A.P. Olive Nymph

Hook: Mustad 3906B or equivalent

Thread: Brown

Tail , Wingcase & Legs: Dyed olive barred mallard

Ribbing: Gold Wire (copper can also be used)

Body & Thorax: Dubbed dyed olive beaver or synthetic fur

Head: Dubbed with body blend

A.P. Peacock & Pheasant Nymph

Hook: Mustad 9671 or equivalent

Thread: Black

Tail , Wingcase & Legs: Ringneck Pheasant center tail fibers. Select so that dark center portion covers wingcase area.

Ribbing: Copper Wire

Body & Thorax: Peacock herl

Head: Black tying thread

Tying Notes/Suggestions

Add a bead to make it a beadhead style fly

Add flash to make it a flashback style nymph

Try different colors & sizes to match the hatch

Try natural as well as synthetic dubbing

Tie the wing case similar to the Copper John

Use tinsel only as the wing case

Use your favorite hook

Try tying this pattern on a curved hook

Tie a light colored abdomen/dark colored thorax

Tie it with an all wire abdomen

Tie it weighted or unweighted

Use your favorite weighting material (lead or non lead)

You can weight the entire shank or just the thorax area

Dubbing the tiny heads on these patterns is optional

Length of tails should equal 1 to 1 1/2 times the hook gap

Tying techniques associated with this pattern

Wrapping thread on hook

Wrapping lead wire on hook

Tailing

Ribbing

Dubbing on thread and wrapping dubbed body, thorax & head areas

Wingcases

Creating legs

Disclaimer

The fly and recipes on this page is simply a demonstrated method of tying a fly. 

Every fly tyer has his or her very own tying style which allows them the freedom to tie how and what they want and not stick to predetermined rules but to be creative..

UV Resin Dispensing Needle Replacements

This is just an FYI so do with it as you please.

If you are looking for replacement dispensing tips like those shown below for your favorite uv setting acrylic resin bottles, there are numerous online sources for you to choose from.

Plastic Tapered Needles

Blunt Dispensing Needles

Angled Dispensing Needles

Syringe Tip Caps (These will cap off the bottles cover)

These needles and cap tips have a LUER thread on the end. 

These parts are generally used in the dental and electronics industries.

Betty McNall

Betty McNall

Hook - Mustad 94840, 7957B ore equivalent, size 8-14

Thread - Brown

Tail - Dyed red hackle fibers

Body - Red floss with peacock herl tied in at the butt

WING - White calf tail tied over the body and extending to length of body and tail

Hackle - Brown 

Originated by Betty McNall of Colorado. A variation of the Royal Coachman trude which is desirable when a little more red is wanted.

Popular Fly Patterns - Terry Hellekson

Royal Cubbage

Royal Cubbage

Hook - Dry fly style 

Thread -  Black

Tails - 2 peccary fibers or moose body hair tied in long a widespread at each side

Body - Royal Coachman style but with a twist. The rear peacock herl is tied in at the 

      rear BEFORE the tails. Then the tails are tied in on each side. Red floss is then

      tied in and wrapped to the wing position

Hackle - Brown tied palmer over the red floss only.
There should be 6-7 turns to give the fly good floating qualities

Wing - White calf tail tied over the body and extending to about the middle of the tail

Head - Peacock herl

The Royal Cubbage is named after Tom Cubbage of Texas, who found the Colorado King dressing out floated the Royal Wulff but the Browns liked the coloration of the Royal Wulff, hence the pattern

Reference: Popular Fly Patterns by Terry Hellekson

Nyerges Shrimp

With today's magic foil and scud back materials providing the exoskeleton of insects and crustaceans, the Nyerges Shrimp imitation shows that none of today's materials are even required to make a good pattern.

Nyerges Shrimp

Hook:: Mustad 9672 size 8-12 (or equivalent)

Thread: olive

Body: Olive Chenille

Legs: Brown hackle 

The hackle is wrapped over the body & then clipped off on the top & sides to suggest shrimp legs.

This fly was developed by Gil Nyerges. A very simple fly to tie and very good anywhere shrimp are present.

Reference: Popular Fly Patterns by Terry Hellekson