I know it may sound crazy but when I use fur that has long guard hairs that are too long or I don’t like, I’ll pull them out put them in a stacker and then put them back into my bundle. It may not be for everyone but that’s what works for me. I can’t believe I’ve been tying flies for 52 years now! I’ve tied commercially for about 28-30 years and now I’m getting a little older and there is a burnout factor! I not only tied for 4 shops and I also built fly rods and tied flys out of my house. I remember when Coz and Paul Whemer opened the Blue Wing Outfitters shop in Hancock, NY I was the guest fly tier for the weekend and Charlie Meck came Sunday for book signing. Paul and I were fishing on Spring Creek in Bellefonte, Pa just before they were scheduled to open and he asked me if I could help them out with tying flies to fill their boxes before they open. I told Paul of course I’d help him and Coz out. Well, Paul and I sat on the bank and got a pad out of my truck to right down some patterns to tie for them. When I got done writing I had 128 dozen flies to tie! That wasn’t the bad part but when he said he needed them in 3 weeks I was shocked! I promised I would have them done and I sure get them all done! Thank God I could get some time off from my law enforcement job to get them done! It kind of started for me like that at Pinewood Flies with Ray Grandner in Pine Valley, NY. I was tying so many flies that I retired and started working for Ray in the fly shop. I can’t even tell you how many flies I tied a day for him in the shop besides sales and building rods! I’d love to do it all over again if I were younger because I love tying flies and designing flies! I only had one guy steal and copy my patterns and they were some killer steelhead flies! The shop was Bill’s Hooks in Dunkirk, NY on Canadaway Creek. Oh well, I love your flies and videos so keep up the good work. God Bless.
Thanks man I appreciate that. That was a good read. I definitely get the burnout. I'm in the middle of a job for a shop right now and yes, it gets to you quick haha.
Here in NW Michigan ….. we call this an “ OH - SOB - L “ pattern ….. for Our AuSable River !! I appreciate Your Tutorial and I plan to Twist Up a number of these ….. to use on the AuSable this coming Season ‘24 🎉 🌟🎣💫
Aaaah! You really had to bring up dai-riki! Haha. I loved dai-riki, they were my go especially with their curved nymph hooks. Problem is I have a hard time finding them these days. I did, however, find a great alternative. Check out the j20h from jstockard. It's their own hook. They're fantastic and come in packs of 50
Idk what im doimg wrong with dubbing. Im not using too much , buy it just wont fucking wrap around the thread. Idk if im using the wrong wax or whatever it is or what. Looks like a mini stick of deoderant i found in my old mans stuff. Probably 20 years old
I doubt you're doing anything wrong, the dubbing is a bit of a pain to wrap. Try with less and build up from there. If it's still loose don't worry about it as you're going to tease it all out and secure it with wire anyway
It's an adirondack pattern, like betters' flies, but it was originated by Rich Garfield. He's a guide in Northern NY. His website is flyfishtheadirondacks.com
Jeez, you even make an extremely messed up buggy fly like this look like a Troutslayer. Great tie! I have to ask, I have coyote , raccoon ,but running low on muskrat. Is there another fur I can substitute for the muskrat? Thanks for this turorial. You do a great job explaining differant aspects as you tie. 😊
Thanks man, I appreciate that. You could use some regular dubbing or, another comment from brianfeeney9493 makes a good point. Could use woodchuck. Mink would work too but it'll be much lighter than mink I'd think.
