What's in your vise?

[clarkman]

@clarkman what kind of action are you looking for in a steelhead stripper?
I have caught a few on the strip, most of them I felt on the swing and hang down. I stripped back at about the pace the fly was swinging when they were pulling on it. I have had them eat on strip 4 of a fairly quick, but actively fished retrieve from hang down. And I have toyed with a few with erratic short strips and pauses until they ate.

Similar to my smallie flies that act a little like a jerk bait with a nice pause once it kicks. These will give me that action. All of my winters I've gotten in the strip have come from deep slow pools that you can't swing or nymph. I've honestly rarely employed the technique outside of that. Just changing things up a bit for my own satisfaction because I get bored to death swinging and sometimes tire of nymphing (even though I move through runs pretty quickly with that). Besides, actively fishing streamers is fun. Lots of fun!

 

[Mike Cline]

Scored some primo pheasant tail clumps over the holidays on Ebay. Thought I’d put them to use with some PT adaptations.

PT Klink

PT Trude

PT Humpy

PT Parachute

PT Adams

PT Wulff

PT Caddis (EHC style)

PT Ant

 

[Tom Butler]

Scored some primo pheasant tail clumps over the holidays on Ebay. Thought I’d put them to use with some PT adaptations.

PT Klink
View attachment 49278
PT Trude
View attachment 49279
PT Humpy
View attachment 49280
PT Parachute
View attachment 49281
PT Adams
View attachment 49282
PT Wulff
View attachment 49283
PT Caddis (EHC style)
View attachment 49284
PT Ant
View attachment 49285

Nice looking flies and creative use of the material, neat photo montage.

 

[Norm Frechette]

Nine Three

Hook - Mustad 3665A

Thread - Black

Body - Silver tinsel

Wing - A small bunch of white bucktail extending beyond the bend of the hook (or hooks, if in tandem), over which are three medium green saddle hackles tied on flat, over which are two natural black hackles tied on upright. All hackles and the bucktail are of the same length.
Cheek - Jungle Cock

Fly Angler's OnLine "Nine-Three - week 154 - Part 90 (flyanglersonline.com)

Streamers & Bucktails - Joseph D Bates Jr

 

[Scottp]

H+F Hopper 2.0

Simplified.

hook - WFC Model 6 #10
thread - SemperFli 8/0 tan
tail - yarn chartreuse
body - medium tinsel opal
underwing - Congo Hair shiner tan
wing/lip - 2mm foam tan
collar - deer hair

Regards,
Scott

 

[Jack Devlin]

We learn something new everyday. Some bees have red/orange butts.
Who knew.

 

[Tom Butler]

We learn something new everyday. Some bees have red/orange butts.
Who knew.

View attachment 49367

Just like a McGinty. Great ties.

 

[_WW_]

Thanks guys, I was so frustrated yesterday. I know that's Dave's feeling on wings, and I've been using fibers for about 15 years since reading that and it works, but........ As a tier I would like to be able to do it. Setting wings, and getting a proper wing case, not to short, not to long, not a few fibers pulled over on top, are still things I'd like to get good at instead of working around.

You can cheat by coating the under side with head cement while still on the feather. Then secure with loose wraps so as not to disturb them...like maybe 6-7 turns, then cover those with tighter wraps.

 

[Tom Butler]

You can cheat by coating the under side with head cement while still on the feather. Then secure with loose wraps so as not to disturb them...like maybe 6-7 turns, then cover those with tighter wraps.

Thanks. I could see that helping. I have little micro tremors and no fine motor skills. I didn't even count the number I ruined trying to even the tips and meld the shape a bit. I tried duck and turkey and they held together better but even with waxed thread and following the thread control directions, getting them to sit right, just, well shit, I can't get both sides even on top/sides and/or straight. And the partridge wing/tail feathers or pheasant just disintegrate to individual barbs.
Like folks said, I'm not expecting it make the flies magically better. I catch fish, what I've been doing works. But they look good, and it just frustrates me when I can't get a handle on something.

 

[Zak]

You can cheat by coating the under side with head cement while still on the feather. Then secure with loose wraps so as not to disturb them...like maybe 6-7 turns, then cover those with tighter wraps.

The biggest lesson on wet wings for me was that after the intial wrap over the wing slips I must make all further wraps toward the eye of the fly, never back behind that first wrap.

 

[_WW_]

The biggest lesson on wet wings for me was that after the intial wrap over the wing slips I must make all further wraps toward the eye of the fly, never back behind that first wrap.

This too!

I didn't even count the number I ruined trying to even the tips and meld the shape a bit.

Try to even the tips while they're still on the feather by stroking them out to 90 degrees or even more, then apply the cement.

 

[James St. Clair]

@Tom Butler as @Zak Said, once you have the wings set, you cant wrap backwards over them. They really ahould be the last thing you tie in, or if there is a throat or hackle, just make sure when you tie in and wrap it, you are not tying back over the wings.

The method that works best for me, which you likely saw on your Google search, is the pinch wrap over the pinched wings. So basically even up the wings, and then pinch them where you want the tie in point. Hold them on top of the hook, kind of pinching them down on the hook, and do a pinch wrap, allowing your fingers to release just enough pressure to let the thread slide through. Do not pull tight yet! Hold the thread in the pinch, and bring your thread all the way around and straight up on the near side of the hook (above the fly) and pinch the thread in your fingers again. Continuing to pinch the feathers (and thread) pull the thread straight up to cinch the feathers down on to the hook shank.

Hopefully that makes sense, and helps!

 

[rattlesnake]

@Tom Butler @Zak @James St. Clair I’ve never really tied any of the patterns you’re all referring to for the above (usually just leave the wing off my wets) and re the wing set but I tie and fish cut wing duns and Henryville specials - the old school trick was to use hair spray or now you can use larva lace’s flex loc. have you tried these? Or would that be problematic since it’s a wet and not a dry? I certainly understand not doing it on some traditional wet but for a fishing fly wasn’t sure if that would help

 

[Tom Butler]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone. Like I did with the muddler heads I'm just going to have to practice. Last night during that totally engrossing game I put a hook in, wrapped some thread and just started putting wings on. Somewhere thumb and middle finger came into it instead of index finger, and that helped a bit, along with one loop, let gravity pull the bobbin down straight, then add a second and third wrap in front. I got a couple to collapse on top, but often they folded over, then go crooked. I think I need to make sure my wing pinch is vertical and hold it the whole time with even pressure, and pull the thread down a bit to collapse. I think I'm letting my finger pressure go at the wrong time and it folds. I'll get there.

 

[Kfish]

Dreaming of warmer locations on these wet dreary days.

 

[Zak]

@Tom Butler @Zak @James St. Clair I’ve never really tied any of the patterns you’re all referring to for the above (usually just leave the wing off my wets) and re the wing set but I tie and fish cut wing duns and Henryville specials - the old school trick was to use hair spray or now you can use larva lace’s flex loc. have you tried these? Or would that be problematic since it’s a wet and not a dry? I certainly understand not doing it on some traditional wet but for a fishing fly wasn’t sure if that would help

I have not tried that. The issue for me and maybe Tom is that we want the matched slips to collapse straight down, so that the wing is straight, positioned correctly, and looks the same from both sides. Often, instead, the slips fold to one side (almost always with the concave side toward me, now that I think of it).

Do you take a matched pair of whole wing feathers outside and spray them with hairspray, then cut slips out as needed?

 

[Tom Butler]

I have not tried that. The issue for me and maybe Tom is that we want the matched slips to collapse straight down, so that the wing is straight, positioned correctly, and looks the same from both sides. Often, instead, the slips fold to one side (almost always with the concave side toward me, now that I think of it).

Do you take a matched pair of whole wing feathers outside and spray them with hairspray, then cut slips out as needed?

Pretty good description of the problem. I did not try spraying, cementing yet. I do have matched feathers I believe. I measured a hook gap and separated, then cut, then put them together so the good sides are out, and even them. Often here is where things start to go wrong. I'll try to align the tips and one may split, can't push them aligned, have to pull on one, anyway by the time I offer them to the hook something has already started to go wrong. Heavy hands I think. Maybe not the best quality feathers. I'll continue to work at it.

 

[Zak]

Hare's ear wet with a bunched Mallard fiber wing, size 12.

 

[Dr. Magill]

A Gunnar Brammer fly. The body tubing is very interesting to me. Can’t wait to fish it:

 

[Scottp]

DHH Muddler

If avian flu drives hackle prices up and supplies down, I’m covered (unless the ungulates are wiped out by chronic wasting disease).

hook - WFC Model 6 #6
thread - SemperFli 8/0 tan
tag - medium tinsel opal
body - deer hair (loop dubbed)
wing - Congo Hair shiner tan
shoulder - pheasant rump
collar - deer hair

Regards,
Scott