davy_wotton
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Mike, just keep me informed, if l am not working l can get away at least for a few days. As long as it is above the mid 40s.
You are right a clouser is a dam good fly for Walleye and stripers. l do use them myself in other colors other than C/W. as ; have found on some days the choice does differ.
Just need to get the fly right on the deck for the Walleye.
They work well here on Bull shoals and Norfork lakes.Dam zone will not open till the Ist Feb, l do not bother to fish it then as it can be like a zoo
Scott,
To be honest about that. I often give my worn flies to others. For myself l can tie em faster most of the time than messing arould like that, it is not as if l am short of hooks.
This week , l have tied some 36 doz so far.
Willl get into clousers to day for some orders in hand.These conditions are about to get me down. As you know l can launch the boat in 10mins from my house, and right now the flow rates have been real good out there.
20f is for me not condusive to go fishing, been there and done that too many times, and l do not enjoy it these days when lines, guides and flies ice up.Likewise, l have never found that this reduces temper to the hook, as a rule the heat is not there long enough.
The heat used to temper hooks during manufacture is way hotter than the act of burning off materials.Davy
Mike,
Love to see you here at BSD, your scud versus my sowbug !!
Let me know when conditions are good out your way also, like to get into some of those Stripers out there.
Way it is looking with this cold weather we may well see a shad kill this year, you never know. The lakes are way up at this time and that takes a while before the temps drop down out there.Zack,
I do not use eggs myself, l do use other patterns for the same reason, as attractors to another fly. Which is one of the techniques l use for wet fly fishing, its all down to color most of the time related to prevailing conditions and water color.
But it works for sure at times.Davy
Zack,
I have to tell you this. Dave is a very good friend of mine and we fish to gether often, not so much now that he has moved back to OK.
Anyway, l have no doubt at at all how good a fly the RFSN is, but for me it just is one of those flies that does not produce the goods.
I use the Hares ear, in various guises.
Kind of funny that as we have both fished side by side and there is no real difference so far as catch rates are concerned.
Dave uses his fly and l mine.No doubt that the confidence deal has a great deal to do with that.
Such things at times defy logical explanation. What works for one may not do so for another.
Woman l like that too!!Davy.
Carter,
If you are not able to find it, send to me a sample, which l will return to you, l will know how to formulate that blend.
I promise to keep it only to myself.There are many variables with antrons, nylons, and synthetics our there, and they differ in many ways.
As a rule Zack ,having at one time developed the SLF series of dubbings and using tons of natural fiber for dubbing blends, there is not too much l do not know about the process of dubbing manufacture.
I sold that company to Wapsi a few years ago. They moved the manufacturing base l owned in the UK back here to Mtn Home, lock stock and barrel, and continue to produce all my original blends a dubbing series.There is a little confusion here in the USA.
There is a very great difference between rabbit and hare. Rabbits are what you guys call cotton tails.
The hare is a European species imported to South America, mainly Argentina and Chile, there are millions of them there, and that is the source that we obtain hares masks and hides from, after which they have to be dealt with.
HaresZack,
A match or lighter works real well also, thats my way of doing it, rigth now also adds some extra heat to the house.
Davy
Mike,
I do not for one moment disagree with that train of thought, l think that way also to be honest. I get to wonder myself at times why my 6ins bait fish lure is dismissed by that big old fish l know is down there looking at it.
On the other hand l do base much of my ways on what
Zach,
Thanks for the info. Its hard to keep up these days with who innovated new patterns, and l know well enough that in some cases commercial flies are credited to a person who did not innovate that fly, l know that at my cost l can tell you.
Some of the flies l innovated that were published years back in the UK, found their way into the Umqua collection, amongst others. At least many of them are available via the orvis outlets, that is due to the fact that it is a UK co that produces many of the flies they market and l have a contract with them.Wapsi do sell dyed PC herl, just need to take care when you strip it.
Another great material not used to day is horse hair. It makes perfect bodies, again it can be dyed to any color, very strong fiber also.
It is translucent and provides for great segmentation effects.so far as l am aware of not available from a fly shop here. I just wrote a article for Fly Tyer related to its use, again a material at one time very popular in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
Davy.
Mike,
As a matter of interest here. Both Dave and l have often discussed issues related to flies. One of which being, does the profile of the fly really matter, in so far as scuds, sowbugs and other bottom dwellers.
In all honesty l do not believe that it does, If such a small matter did matter then the numbers of fish caught would be greaty reduced to start with.
In many cases the perception of a fly being good is held in the eyes of the human and not the fish.
I used to tie scuds with profile and l know longer do that.
Tying small flies of course also elminates the addition of weight to any great extent. And in that case, you have to add weight by other means to get the fly down.More or less l use straight shank hooks for crustaceans, and if needed wind a lead underbody, as a rule for flies less than 18, l do not bother to do that, as that creates bulk for the fly body and does not allow for a good profile for the material used.
I am sure a guy by the way of Mike Mclelland coame up with that idea, l stand to be corrected here if l am wrong.
Just my thoughts here Mike, by no means am l suggesting you are wasting your time with your fly.
It is the answer to a question l am often asked, amongst others.Davy.
The words of advice from Scott really should be considered, and as he also states, for mtself there is not much l have not seen one way or the other in my life time of fishing and guiding, some of it you would not believe.
But l would like to add this.
In the case of taking care of yoru flies. Above all else, techiques used and so on, it is teh fly that the fish will eat.
And l for one am real fussy about my flies, and teh condition that they are in at the time of fishing them.Dry flies.
They are way best contained in a fly box that does not crush the hackles to start with. I never subject dry flies to any kind of fly box that holds the fly by the hook. Always use the open sections that allow the flies to move around.
Wet days.
Almost all flies lines will have some memory, line twist is something that will also happen.
Most of these problems are the result of stored line and casting style, particularly when shorter length of line is continually used.
In the case of some lines of a certain brand, they would always retain a memory, that due to the nature of the core and manufacturing process.
They are worthless.I am no egg man either, l have a deal about certain flies to be honest, just my way based on how l got into fly fising in the 50s.
So far as thread,
Kelley is a very good friend of mine, and he is a very good fly fisher.
Not to mention his contribution so far as new fly patterns.
After the TU meet he will be with me here for a few days to fish. This coming year we will also shoot a DVD related to fly fishing still waters in MT, cannot wait for that, l love fishing large lakes.
Spent two weeks iwth him this past year, great fishing.For myself, my fly fishing life began in the 1950s back in the UK my homelands.
The publications that l first read and still own were.1. The Fly Fishers Entomology by Ronalds, a very rare book to day.
2. Sunshine and the dry fly by J.W.Dunne
3.Brook and river Trouting by Edmonds and Lee
4.A dictionary of trout flies by Coutrney Williams
5.The Fly dressers guide by John Veniard.I have a very large collection of both UK and USA publications. What is interesting to myself is how many of the US publications pre 1950s are very much related to what was published back in the Uk in the late 1700s to early 1900s.
Not surprising really when you consider that the essence of fly fishing has its roots back in the UK and in some cases other places that are now termed as the ECI also own many of the Hardy catalogues of the late 1800s. Many of you guys would be very surprised to see what was available in those time. Great fly fishing history here that few are aware of to day.
Many flies of that time were exqusite works of art, by to days comparisons, there were no synthtics in those times.
Great skill was used to fashion flies from fur and feather.Zack.
On the matter of bug life here in the White river system compared to others.
Given my wordly experience of fly fishing more than 40 countries, and most of the well known systems here in the USA.
My view is that the White river is a very diverse body of water. I have seen caddis emergences here like l have seen in no other river system.
It does have great midge hatches, mayfly and stonefly.Granted you do not see mayfly species in numbers you may well see for short periods of time elsehwere, on the other hand we have a food base of difference that others do not have.
Fish here as you know can feed 365 days a year, not so for other systems.Also there are not many who know the river for its 100 miles of trout habitat. I
Having had the experience of dying fly tying material in mass, when l Owned the SLF dubbing co, l can tell you that any material that contains the residue of fat content is a problem. Be it fur or feather.
You have to remove all residue of matter from the material before you subject it to a dye bath, or you will not achieve good color definition.
As the process of heat used to dye causes the fatty residue to leech, and it is very difficult as such to boil it out.
The fatty residue will mix with the dye bath in solution.
In fact you will likely destroy the property of the material if you do subject it to intense boiling temperature for long periods of time.Veniard dyes are ok, but there are dyes out there that are way better and contain different chemical content which works better for certain materials. Unless you are in the business and purchase in large qty you will not be able to obtain it.
Some of those dyes also contain toxins and should not be used, unless in a controlled situation.
Same also applies for some of the fixing agents needed for those dyes.In the case of Veniard dyes, which by the way set the standard years ago so far as fly tying material color, you can use both acetic acid and salt.
Most vinegars contain about 5% in solution of acetic acid.Many of the chemicals that you need to prep material, before subjecting to the dye bath are not easy to obtain, one of those being formaldahyde, in high percentage solution.
Deer hair is
