[Neal Osborn]

Maybe I worded this all wrong…

I would love to know what other materials you use and how you get your hands on them…

I frequent Michael’s and Hobby Lobby and the dollar stores – often stopping in after work.  As you get more patterns under your belt you will soon learn what you need and what is available at certain stores.

Here are some staples that I get from craft stores:

Foam – all sorts, all colors.

Glue – Zap-a-gap CA and brush-on-superglue (i.e. the Dave Whitlock special – I use this stuff a lot).

Leather bonding glue for my double bunnies and rabbit fur.

Straws – all colors, all sizes.  

Toys – it’s amazing how many $1 kid or dog toys have rubber junk on them that can be used for tying.

Glitter – sprinkle it on epoxy before applying to your fly or just sprinkle it on super glue after application to the fly or on UV Knot Sense (Loon) before curing with the light.

Feathers and marabou.  

Brushes on the cheap – cut them up for dry fly tails.

Beads – be careful here because the craft beads don’t have a wider open hole on one side needed to make it around the bend of the hook.  However, small beads are wonderful to glue on for eyes and for a bubble head on midges.

Markers!  Go get a full pack of waterproof markers to color your flies.

Craft Fur!!!!!  You can get white, brown, and black at Michael’s.  Just use your markers to color them (or more effectively, mark up your fingers, spit on them, and rub it in to the white craft fur to give a “faint” gradient coloration.

Doll eyes for the “poor-man’s” bait fish patterns or for soft poppers (you can actually cut out the center black piece and glue it on your fly to avoid the bulk).

Yarn and Wool – especially at Hobby Lobby.  Look for Mohair (awesome stuff for leaches) or any billowy yarn that can be cut up and spun in a dubbing loop to make your own textured cord.

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Quick shots of some crap I’ve picked up at the craft store

These little dollar store toys and centipedes make great wiggle legs for saltwater and bass patterns.  

The uni-yarn, at Hobby Lobby, is a cheap way to get a pre-spun dubbing loop, just tie in at the back like a wooly bugger then palmer forward and trim to the desired length.

Sparkle foam balls – the sparkle is similar to flashabou

Yarn (especially Moh-Hair).  Pull the fibers out and spin in a dubbing loop for leach patterns or anything else you think up.

Leather bonding goop – This is at Michael’s and is the equivalent of Tear Mender http://www.tearmender.com/. Essential for bonding rabbit strips together (super glue or Gorilla or Zap, etc will never work on natural hide – trust me).

I am a NERD :-/

[Neal Osborn]

Mark,

I can’t thank you enough for posting that Pod/Videocast!!!  For anyone who has struggled with these types of shots and setups there are some reals pearls in there.  Also, I was thinking about doing a videocast on this topic myself but with Apple Keynote – now I know what has been done before and to avoid similar things.  

I love Martin Joergensen’s quote, “trust me, fly anglers are just as crazy as photogrphers.”

Again, thanks.

[Neal Osborn]

Z-

I have a thought about explaining these concepts with pictures, just a thought and might not be practical.

[Neal Osborn]

I would like to get a Dyna king cuda- but I have to buy more rods.

Man’s gotta have his priorities, Tim, LOL.

[Neal Osborn]

A few thoughts . . . Things a D70 can do that you might not know (or haven’t thought important). . .

1.  The D70 can run any lens vs the limited capability of the D40 – you know that already.

2.  The D70 has the ability to be a master flash trigger for the Nikon creative lighting system.  This is a big deal if you plan on doing off camera flash, for example fly tying shots or product shots that are often discussed/shown here.  That alone is a reason to get the D70.  

3.  The D70 processes pictures faster than D40; not much but still helpful.

4.  The D70 requires less menu manipulation to change manual settings – this allows for faster manipulation during “must get” shots (i.e. on the water shots of trophy fish).

5.  The sigma wide angle lenses typically range from $200-$400, so depending on the lens he is including that might be a good investment.  However, if it is the Sigma 18-50 that is not a high quality glass and goes for less than $100 on ebay; make sure you know which one is on the body.  

overall, with all the upcoming Nikon body changes you might be better off waiting until you know exactly what you need, but that is a personal thing and tough to define.

[Neal Osborn]

I forgot to mention that the big articulated flies commonly associated with “trophy” trout are also effective soft hackle streamers for warm water.

[Neal Osborn]

Shane,

Soft Hackle in general is great for warm water patterns.  Try and google search Schlappen http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=schlappen&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8.  That is the big wide and webby tail feathers that the warm/saltwater guys use and it basically means the same thing as “soft hackle” (more traditionally saddle (but that is getting pretty blurred now with just about any kind of feather growing on the saddles)).  Also, search out Whiting Farms (or other manufacturers) http://www.whitingfarms.com/ and go to the American Line of hackle http://www.whitingfarms.com/prod_am.html. This is the webby soft hackle that is perfect for warm water.  

Lee Church and I have been discussing a similar topic on the Tying Board here http://www.itinerantangler.com/cgi-bin/board/YaBB.pl?num=1231477916

If you don’t tie, then try and look for saltwater patterns on the internet or your local fly shop – I use tarpon flies for bass all the time and the Borski bonefish slider is a great bluegill/crappie fly (although it more of a deer hair fly vs soft hackle).  Also, do you tie wooly buggers?  If so, just get a big schlappen feather and palmar it in around the chenille – very easy and effective way to start. Finally, you can get some pseudo-hair chenille, which is basically what I use to tie my braided worms (see fly tying section) and you can palmar that stuff in to just about any streamer pattern to give the webby soft hackle look.

I have a feeling you will be tying your own soon . . . there just aren’t a lot of big buggy warm water patterns out there for purchase right now (but it is getting better).  And, as you mentioned, they are expensive to buy (but cheap to tie).

A few examples from my bench.

[Neal Osborn]

Have you ever taken a really really really close look at how drab we look in all tan!  I can only imagine how unnatural this looks to a fish to see a big “bare” spot in the background; I’m sure they notice the absence of pattern in the setting of otherwise varied natural cover. Seriously, I’m about ready to embrace camo patterns just to get some variation in the outfit.  What about Velcro camo patches, hahaha, just a thought.

BORING!

[Neal Osborn]

Grant, I will try and post some pictures in the next day or so.  There are a few tricks that make tying EP minnows easier.  Remember to use mono tying thread and SH HAN.  

Probably the best instructional on EP bait fish is by Charlie Craven http://www.charliesflyboxinc.com/.  Go to the EP minnow under the fly box section.  He does a very good job explaining the EP bend-back tie in technique.  

Also remember to KEEP THE PROFILE SKINNY!  Don’t over do it and use LESS material than you think is necessary.  Once you have tied in the layers take a sharp pair of scissors and trim away like a barber on crack.  It’s a blast.

Here are a few examples from my own bench (these are not all EP fibers but the technique is the same; notice the thin profile – that is the key to success with these flies, they “look” big but really are light weight and easy to cast.  Too much material and the damn things just “Wabble” in the water).

[Neal Osborn]

I have to object–the food shot simply does not meet the historical standards of this board, IMO.  ;D

LMAO Scott, and I fully agree!!! In fact, the chips were all I had ::).

[Neal Osborn]

Thanks Steve, that looks like a very effective warm water pattern.  Nice pattern, thanks for sharing.

I hope you don’t mind, but the link below describes the recipe for others to follow the instructions. Are you Southern Steve on that board?

http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/f40/mighty-myakka-minnow-3822.html

Do you use Epoxy to finish the fly?  

[Neal Osborn]

Welcome Steve.

[Neal Osborn]

Cool trip report Zach.  Can you believe we are dealing with ice in the guides here in GA?  Rocks stuck on the waders!!! NOW that is a weird story.

[Neal Osborn]

That is private farm land up in North Georgia and I am very lucky to get access once in a while.

[Neal Osborn]

meaning Nikon will be selling exactly 5 instead of 7 in 2009 QTR 1.

LMAO; I’m gonna miss those granite countertops.

[Neal Osborn]

So apparently the rumor is that Nikon is going to release two new flashes later this year – SB-400 and SB-700.

[Neal Osborn]

Regan and Eric,

I have wanted a down’s chest box every since the first Joe Humphrey’s video I watched.  Especially, “Fly Fishing Success” with Joe Humphrey’s.  It is old school footage and to this day I often re-rent it from my local library.  He uses one of the den’s packs and it is so geeky yet functional that it draws your attention.  Until now I didn’t know they were still manufactured.

[Neal Osborn]

I love your setup Jarrod and I want that net!!!

Is that wrapping paper on the right?  Violation of Man-Cave etiquette  😉

[Neal Osborn]

Very nice Lee.  I can’t wait to see some Muskie footage!  Also, do me a favor and take a quick clip of that hair fly you tied and let’s see how it performs underwater.  

If I had that setup it would be used most often shooting flies underwater.  I can imagine an interactive fly tying series with the fly recipe and high res pictures of the tying steps and then underwater footage of the fly.  Oh wait, Morsie, John Haenke and the Aussie’s are already doing this . . .  😉

[Neal Osborn]

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