Neal Osborn
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That’s a big project Matt! Strong work (and lots and lots and lots of post editing, aagghh).
White balance is spot on.
Clark . . . I will never be able to fish my backyard again without the vision of that video playing in my head.
Mike, Baz (the guide) was so impressed with the smallmouth rod that he decided to order one on the guide program.
Adam, I agree the TWM fly is about perfect. Todd Boyer hit a home run on that pattern. I was pleased to find that it is effective in the surf. Unfortunately, the bluefish chewed it up quickly so in the future I am planning on coating it with epoxy.
Keith, the pictures are linked via SmugMug. Sometimes they are blocked via firewall filters (e.g. I am unable to view pictures on the IA board when at work).
Nathan, you tie some great flies – and it looks like you are having fun! That’s where it all starts.
As for the thread questions, I am just trying to get a feel for what you are using. Spinning deer hair is much more rewarding if you are able to “yank and tug” without breaking the thread. Most people get frustrated when starting out because they end up using any old thread laying around. Your flies will turn out best if you use at least 210 denier flat waxed, or better yet GSP (gel spun). It is the cheapest investment you will ever make for the greatest reward.
There is a picture of GSP below.
Here is a good article on spinning deer hair by Christopher Helm from Fly Fisherman Magazine Online http://www.flyfisherman.com/ftb/chdeerhair/
You might want to tie up a few with a bulkier head and maybe 2 inches shorter on the back end. Who knows? With articulated bulky flies I have found that the head needs to be proportioned to the body and length so it looks fat up front and gently tapered in the back (nothing in the water is bulkier at the back vs the front, that’s what I meant by a “rocket” shape). My articulated patterns are constantly evolving and it seems like I’m always cutting the material off and starting over once I see them in the water. I really think Kelly Galloup nailed it with the Sex Dungeon pattern; notice the loosely spun deer heads on that fly and the bulky profile which almost looks like a Dalberg Diver profile, that is about a perfect taper imho.
Notice this picture from my recent DIY shadow box post. I mention that these are collectable only to me and the reason is that the heads were all wrong. They were too skinny and lacked the bulky profile – i.e. they all have the undesirable rocket shape. My patterns have evolved greatly since these early attempts and thus I decided to keep the failures as a memory. If you look closely you will see the heads are all crap and out of proportion to the bodies; none of them fished well in the water, especially in moving river currents with a sinking line.
FYI; imho the key to creating articulated flies is to create a big profile with very very very little material.
Nathan, that is a good looking fly. If you don’t mind, could you please fully wet the fly in the sink and squeeze out the air bubbles and then post a picture of the fly wet. I want to see the profile wet because I’m concerned that the large amount of bulk on the back end (9 inches) might overpower the smaller spun deer head. It looks like you might end up with a reverse taper (rocket shape). Also, is that fly articulated? Does it tend to foul around the hook?
