Thanks Cheech! Nice job. As an additional simple hack for the cap on “fly tyer’s z-ment” and similar style super glue bottles with applicators ,,, a bit of dubbing wax on the threads allows you to easily open the bottle throughout the life of the product without the need of vise-grips/ pliers. That idea came from your good buddy Tim Flagler many moons ago. It’s helped me tremendously!
Thanks for the tip about resin tips being interchangeable. It’s very helpful. You are right and the critic saying nobody uses goose biots anymore is wrong. I’m in the middle of tying a batch of BWO Emergers with goose biot bodies for the local Healing Waters chapter. Two suggestions: 1. Before cutting the super glue brush, give it a wipe with a paper towel to remove as much glue as possible. This will make it easier to shape the brush. This also works for nail polish or even paint brushes. 2. If Brigham is being to mean to you, get him back by switching out his hair product for some of the 77 spray adhesive. ;-) Side note: I ordered the 77 and wiil only use it outside after reading the precautions. Yikes. Upon further thought, don’t give it to Brigham and please check your own hair/beard products.
A friend of mine gave me a great advice on biots. Put them in a ziplock bag and put a small drop of olive/veggie oil in there. This will make them soft and easy to tie with.
Well done and I appreciate the picture-in-picture to show simultaneous side and top views. Applicator brushes: for smaller trout flies, I have one bottle of Sally Hansen’s with the brush removed and a hot needle inserted in the plastic stem. That allows me to cement the thread with no/minimal overage onto the adjacent feather barbs. I like this series featuring a Cheech at the bench. Shows that even folks with big fat sausage fingers can fly ties ;)
Hey guys, love these two Skill Builder series - thanks for taking the time out to share these techniques! Did you do one relating to tying standard hackle for dry flies? I just looked through the titles of them all and did not see one for this. I’m having the worst time tying off my hackle on standard dries?!? Tight lines! 🎣
I love using biots for bodies. On some fly patterns I could use as many as three goose biots. With turkey biots they are smoother and are good to use on longer bodied flies. As biots go, they make beautiful flys that are close to natural insects
My z-ment bottle lid keeps gluing itself to the bottle! ugh tried putting some chap stick on it, keep cleaning it off... have to keep using my leatherman to open the dang thing!! haha
Would this qualify as a "Skill builder"? Must Have's in both fly fishing and fly tying? like a shopping list of stuff if I wanted to get everything needed to tie almost every fly I want to fish, nymphs, streamers, and dries, or at least have enough to substitute appropriate things? Oooh Knowledge Builders: How certain materials behave under water, are the fish just eating the bead? cheap materials vrs expensive ones, all the different thread types and what they're for and do. A real skill builder: How to sneak up on a fish? how long should my leader be? ooh and "why do I suck at euro nymphing even after doing it every week for a few hours for almost 2 years. =)
