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Tim McCoy
ParticipantBob, I do not pretend to be Kenny. When I fish soft hackles I rig so that the fly floats in the film, first 2 inches or so below the surface, no split shot. I usually will dress my tippet with floatant about 6 to 8 inches above the fly. Then I will make a slow retrieve to keep the fly up in the film.
ParticipantThanks Ken for the video link. I have in the past tried to strip herls chemically with bleach and baking soda. My quills came out either over bleached or to brittle to use. I found years ago the method of using an eraser. I normally tie flies in batches of 6. So, it was no big deal for me to erase 6 or 7 herls.
Also, read the comments below the video. Many tiers had a problem with the chemical method or at least the baking soda as a neutralizer, but preferred vinegar. That could have been why my quills turned out poorly.
In the end game I think what we have learned is to buy quality peacock eyes with more feathers on the left side.
ParticipantThanks Dave, great information. So, now I have a shoe box full of inferior peacock herls. My wife, I discovered, has better peacock feathers in vases sitting around the house. I think she will notice if the left side of the feather is missing. The question is, what do we do with the poor quality herl. Pitch it and start over, or learn to convert it to quills and tie quill body flies. I think that is a pretty easy step. You just need an eraser, a poor quality herl and a little patience. Hold the herl down on a flat surface between your thumb and trigger finger and rub the hair off the herl with the eraser. You could color the quill with a magic marker if desired. Boy, I have a ton of poor quality peacock to convert to quills. Tie, tie, tie.
ParticipantThere you go, Dave simplified the technique. It depends on orientation of the herl and the quality of the material. Good going Dave.
ParticipantI tried Woolybugg’s method last night with good success. I did notice as I wrapped down the hook shaft I would have to twist the rope a few turns as I wrapped the hook.
ParticipantJim, Here is what I do to make a durable fly. Trim back the tips, they are dry and brittle. We are going to make a peacock rope or peacock chenille. Select several similar sized peacock herls (4-6) and tie them to the hook shank by their tips. Create a thread loop as long as the herls and insert your dubbing loop tool. Slide the herls into the loop and place pressure on the loop with the loop tool so that the herls hold in place. with the loop held tight, spin the tool to bind the herls. Keep spinning the loop until a thick bushy rope is constructed with a chenille looking appearance. Wrap the rope up the hook shank for the fly, creating a nice even peacock body.
ParticipantI like the Daiichi 1150 also, but may sub in some other emerger hook. Like a TMC 2487, it is a fine wire, 2x wide and 2x short. Also, I like to float my soft hackles in the film so I would use a dry-fly hook like a
TMC 100BL and grease the tippet 6 to 8 inches up from the fly. My soft hackles are thread bodies with Partridge or CDC hackles, nothing fancy, I go through a lot of them.December 31, 2017 at 11:53 am in reply to: Hooks comparable to the TMC 2499BL-SP but smaller than #18. #3845ParticipantI just placed an order with J.Stockard for the TMC 2499BL-SP, I was almost out. Timely post.
I also did a search on what a trout sees, found a couple three post. The first was from the Gink&Gasoline news letter, titled, “What Does a Trout See”. The second, “Fish Eye Sight: Does Color Matter?” Midcurrent.
If I may, I would suggest that, if you have not already, get hooked up with these two weekly news letters. Another I really like is, “DIY-5 Bullet Friday”.
Another site used to be, Trout University, I think it has changed to “The Trout Pro Store”.
Just an FYI, you can do your own search if interested. Or wait for Kenny to brief us.
Tim
December 30, 2017 at 11:43 am in reply to: Hooks comparable to the TMC 2499BL-SP but smaller than #18. #3837ParticipantThat is a good question, “what does a trout see”. The idea of tying small has been around a long time. The competition nymph guys use a lot of Perdigon nymph patterns. I have looked at these and even tied up a few. What is most visible the short bodies compared to the length of the hook, tying small. So, if the competition guys or doing it and catching fish, I would say the hook visibility is nile. Pretty bold statement, But it is Saturday morning. Besides I have to post something one time a week so that Kenny can make “Cannon Fodder” of me.
December 30, 2017 at 8:58 am in reply to: Hooks comparable to the TMC 2499BL-SP but smaller than #18. #3811ParticipantI have checked my comparison charts and can not come up with a substitute for the 2499. You might consider TMC 2487 or the TMC 2488. The gap is different but the 2487 is barbless. Here is what I do when I can’t match up the size I want. Say, I want to tie a size 20, but all I have is an #18 hook. I would use the #18 but tie small. That is to say tie a size 20 body on the 18, of course all the other portions of the fly would reduce down also.
As a side bar: I buy a bunch of hooks from Allen Fly Fishing. They have great hooks at a fair price. Or try
J. Stockard. Stockard is slow on delivery, my opinion, their stuff ships from the east coast.Sorry I could not help more.
Tim
ParticipantI recently read “UV Resin Shootout” on Fly Fish Food. http://www.flyfishfood.com/2015/10/uv-resin-shootout.html?m=1
I thought it a good read. I hope this will help.
ParticipantI us the Solarez 3 pack. Got the UV flash-lite from Walmart. I like the Solarez because it dries clear and tack free. Some UV dries tacky and then will cloud up. If that happens you can apply a coat of Hard as Nails.
ParticipantThere are FATC guys that sell things from time to time. I would trust them, unless his name is Judas, then Kenny would send someone from Chicago to make the deal good. I think a rod is pretty easy to judge the quality, unless it is bamboo. Reels, I am not sure what to look for. Outward appearance for wear, but then there is the drag mechanism. Not sure what to lookout for. Another thing would be to ask if the reel is CNN machined. Then the reel would have some tight tolerances. That still does not answer the question about the drag.
ParticipantBill,
I have purchased from Sierra Trading Post. Kenny is right, good deals, especially if you can find a discounted item or a coupon. Not used stuff, but new or seconds.ParticipantBill,
I look at used gear every time I want something, which is everyday. I think in terms of what is secure, safe and if the seller will live up to his word. I look at Ebay. There the seller has a rating, if less than 99% I will look else where. There is a site, “Fly Fishing, Buy, Sell or Trade.” It is self policing. If someone tries to make a purchase and the seller fails to follow up on the deal, the buyer will make a post ripping the seller. Everyone then knows. Plus, if you use Pay Pal you have recourse. Then there is “Upcountry Sport Fishing on the Farmington River.” This is a fly shop, pretty much all high end stuff, the pricing looks fair. Never bought from it, but I would. Then there is the WWW. The world is your oyster.
Tim
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