Well, did I, punk?

Reading my mind were you?

My three-footed beagle could read your mind, Pinky!


Now all we need is a SwapMaster. And a theme. And some rules. And more participants. And a due date. And interest-generating photos of success with last year's Swap's goodies.

I'll be the swap mistress, and I came up with a theme already. I think any uniquely yours variation. In other words, what normal pattern have you tied, but tweaked it so it's unique? I know already what I'm going to tie! Ms. Keeto will be disappointed because she already has some. But she's the only one.

I'm thinking the deadline should be Valentine's day. Sign up now, start after the holidays.

Rules? We don't need no stinking rules!

How many participants to we want/need?

Pictures here.

No. Pictures HERE. And far too few.

That sounds good.
Does it have to be proven, or even original? I thought up one a few days ago, but for all I know it's been done before.

A dozen has seemed to work fairly well. But there's so often one guy who notices late- too late. So how about a baker's dozen? (Publish that it's 12; then when you need to, pull the curtain back and reveal the hidden 13. )

I'd like to sign up, if you'll have me.

Original, as far as you know....

Okay, here's the list started...
1. mACrABBIT
2. misty
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
??.

If you're gonna mess with my name, might as well use "tibbarcam", mitsy.

okay, tib.

And I think I like Mitsy better than Misty, fwiw.

You found a way to stymie me.

Sweet!

I'm sooo disappointed about MITS's fly. But, this will be easy for me (what recipe?) is valentine's day January 14? That's only a month away. Maybe I should tie first and then sign up.

Yes, you're right! Valentine's day IS February 14. (Kinda like be here at 4 for the 6 o'clock dinner)

Oops!!! you were right, it IS January!

You know, when you google XLGGWWW this thread comes up as the first hit! Gotta guess XL is the obvious. Stumped on the rest....

My wife (She Who Must Be Obeyed) tells me that Valentine's Day is the fourteenth of every month.

Google's spiders creep and crawl through every nook and cranny of our little home here.

Yes, XL. The rest will be made clear later (like after I make sure it's tyable!).

Signed, Tarmacbib

there's no A in the line up. How can you tie and name an Aztec without an A?

Nope. About as far from an Aztec as can be. Not a wisp of yarn in it, all natural. With no polyunsaturated fats. But wait, there's more!

Has anyone complained to Rick about the way we two digress these threads into spider webs and corn mazes?

If they have, they did it by PM.

Okay, here's the list started...
1. mACrABBIT
2. misty
3. Scott_Thornley
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
??.

Is that line in your name braided or fluorocarbon?

No, but I've opened the thread twice to join the swap and become so side-tracked trying to follow your side-tracks that both times I left without joining.

If you want to joke on this thread, you have to tie also. So--



There. You've been enjoined.

Shoot, I thought "cat sand blats" was another mystery encoded fly pattern name so I shaved my cat for dubbing fur but then gave up when I couldn't source the other two ingredients.....

cool. doubled the list in such a short time!

driven to distraction...

Add troutfly to the list of tyers!
No idea what I'll tie but it'll come too me.
First winter storm rolled through Southern Alberta today and I was thinking I should be tying flies.

Whatever you tie, name it the Alberta Storm.
Come to think of it, I dated miss Storm my junior year of high school.

It will certainly have an Alberta storm theme to it now you mention it. Not sure if it will be a winter or summer storm though. Ice out in only 5 months!

Wow! Ice out comes earlier there in the interior!

I was thinking the same thing, remembering back to my canoe trip down the Yukon.

Here in California, "ice out" is what you do when making margaritas to sip while lounging in your beach chair.

Ok, might be a bit of wishful/hopeful thinking. Probably closer to six but a guy can hope.
Cool little lake called Bullshead that is managed as a trophy trout fishery, located +- an hour from home. It hits ice out around mid Apr every two out of three years give or take a couple days.

I'll play... but where is MsKeeto on the list?

I agree. She popped in at the beginning of the thread, but then went back into hibernation. I really, really liked her Mosquito Book.

Oops! Sorry I left you off, didn't do it on purpose.
I guess now we know why I'm not SwapMaster!

No panic. I just came up with my pattern this AM.
Now......Too the tying bench......!

I'll check with Ms. Keeto.

Buzzzzzz. OK I'm in if ya'll have me. Maybe UV larva or a crane fly in a coffin... I'll aim for the MLK Valentine's Day ... Or work hard this weekend to beat Mr Aztec to "first flies in" award. Buzzzzz

Beizzzzzz ok it's going to be a box of blind mosquito larva AKA blood worms
Buzzzzit

1. macrabbit - XLGGWWW
2. misty -
3. Scott_Thornley -
4. castandblast -
5. Sitka deer -
6. troutfly- Prairie Thunder
7. MsKeeto
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
??.

Welcome aboard, buzzer.
Don't worry about beating my time. I learned my lesson last year.
Not to mention, right now I'm buried under tying projects.

1. macrabbit - XLGGWWW
2. misty -
3. Scott_Thornley -
4. castandblast -
5. Sitka deer -
6. troutfly- Prairie Thunder
7. MsKeeto Buzzer
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
??

Buzzer was an "also ran" in a very, very good book!

Ishmael, I know. Also Ivanhoe, Captain Nemo, Orrin Sackett, and Bob Cratchit. But Buzzer?

I think there are 3 zzzzzzzzs

Anyone ever tell you snore?

I've heard that I znore.

What are the tying projects?

The local club wants boxes of flies for its annual dinner/auction; a feller wants to experiment with differently weighted versions of two flies (one of which already takes nearly an hour to tie), and he has a separate theory he wants to test, so I have to dream up ways to put together the thing he's imagining; the Swap, now, which entails a new tie I've got to think through and prove; and a big run of test Aztecs using some special materials (Sitka deer will like the results of this last project).
Now you've gotten me depressed! I just estimated and calculated and totted: I've got a good(?) 60 hours of tying ahead of me!

Ya wanna buzzz down and give me a hand?

Wheewwwwww that's a lot in only 60 hours and sounds like fun. I'd love to fly down and help (except for the hibernation factor). I'm looking at 60 hour to get the 13 swaplets done - and the special packaging. Presentation is everything.

OK, now you've committed yourself to giving us each 4 hours worth of flies in the Swap. Don't disappoint!

The experts agree with you. I've often heard that presentation is more important than choice of fly.
Your mosquito matchbook is a jewel.

And caught fish to boot!
Is there a fly called urge "Impostrophy" yet? I have an idea....

urge?

her good ol' iphone, at its best, editing her every keystroke!

Ah.

But, no, Zzzubber, there doesn't appear to be an Impostrophy fly. Yet.

I wonder what my iPhone was trying to say?

I'm on board. Cabin fever is about a month from setting in anyhow.

Can it be more than just a 'tweak'? My XLGGWWW hasn't worked out, but something else I'm working on for a feller could be a great little fly. But it's a major overhaul, a combination of a couple of flies, plus a unique addition. (Tying a dozen for the Swap would also help me perfect it and become proficient.)
Pretty please, can I?

Sure! I just thought 'tweak' because some may not want to invent a whole new fly. So, by all means, major overhaul will be just fine!

Thank you, Colonel Treated. Major Overhaul signing off.

Glad you got the chain of command correct!

After hearing so many of Art's "ball and chain" comments, I knew.

LOL

Happy Birthday Misty Punky

Ah, to be Sweet Sixteen again. Enjoy it while you can.

Supposed to be Pinky - bad iPhone.

Siri was right:

Sheesh! I'd take 26! Hell, I'd even take 36!!!!

Thanks for the well wishes, my friends!

Is this still open?

I tie a much modified wooly bugger with which I've had good success locally using it as a dropper. I can't find a picture of it....thought I had one. Anyway, throw my hat in the ring, if I'm welcome. We're tying a dozen, right? And where do we send them?

Yes, it is!

1. macrabbit - (Von Shuck?)
2. misty -
3. Scott_Thornley -
4. castandblast -
5. Sitka deer -
6. troutfly - Prairie Thunder
7. MsKeeto Buzzzer -
8. rob p -
9. sharps4590
10. Huntinfool?
11.
12.
??

Actually, I think it's going to be 40 lb wire leader. I'm articulated, donchanoe.

Well, that reply was a long time a'comin'. You need to waste more time at the 'Fire.

Not much time lately, unfortunately.

On the good news front, we're now the proud owners of a 16' Fish Rite drift boat in pretty darn good condition. And this was a fully wife approved purchase Watching our boys and our niece climbing all over it this past weekend was a hoot. Priced low enough that it shouldn't depreciate much further.

On the bad news front - I've got to go subdue the trailer wiring. Running lights work on one side, a blinker on the other, goodness knows if the brakes work on either side, as I didn't have someone to push the pedal. Had a bit of fun driving the backroads home from Plymouth. Stinkin' boats....


Scott

I want a drift boat like you wouldn't believe! (put it in your carryon next time you come north!)
I recommend clamp on lights.

Can't you use the lifeboats from hubby's cruiseliner?

Hardly! It's a deflatable I mean inflatable.

ok im in

1. macrabbit - (Von Shuck?)
2. misty -
3. Scott_Thornley -
4. castandblast -
5. Sitka deer -
6. troutfly - Prairie Thunder
7. MsKeeto Buzzzer -
8. rob p -
9. sharps4590
10. Huntinfool
11.
12.
??

The idea man who sparked my project hopes to fish it in the Truckee soon. I'm not sure it'll be finalized before the Swap deadline, so I'll tie a batch of V1.0 for our group, and if I hear back some modifications I'll tie up V2.0 also. (So you folks get to be my guinea pigs. Nyaa-ha-ha. )

I've tied up a couple dozen of these concoctions, now, and don't have a one that is perfect. I don't know that anyone could tie a flawless example. Why can't I dream up an easy fly? (Except for that damsel egg in the last Swap- that one was a cinch! )
So you folks will not only be guinea pigs� you'll all get "seconds", to boot. (But I think it's gonna be a winner.)


(In other words, BTT.)

macrabbit: Perfection means one can put together a dozen and see no discernible differences. If each participant only gets one, flaws will not be an issue.

Now, don't start taking me seriously...

All that and no picture????

You slapped my hand last time for posting pictures prematurely. I'll let you snap and show after all the submissions are in.

I did? Well, shame on me!!!

Those weren't quite the words that I grumbled under my breath, but they'll do.

Bad me.

So you're in then, great! What are you going to tie?

Well done, castandblast!
Are you a Jewish mother in real life? Or just a used car salesman?

I hardly call that a hand slapping. It was in response to colors of others' flies, hoping they would get their flies in so they would get to see their flies sooner. You, my friend are waaaayyyy toooo sensitive!

Hah! Made ya look!

But your quote was followed by


Anyway, don't impose facts on my conversations. They have no place there.
I had that wonderful opportunity to appear beat upon and offended, make you feel bad, and now you've gone and ruined it. (Hmm, maybe I can milk this one...)

And I am not sensitive.
When I was a kid we were so poor that my dad, a cabinetmaker, made all our bedsheets himself, out of old scraps of sandpaper; and our underwear, too. Accustomed to it, I still do that.

You sir are one gritty dude!

Those aren't quite the words that my wife grumbles under her breath, but they'll do.

There you go again, makin' us think someone would actually put up with you.

I'm none of the above but I do covet a 1minute original!

Mine are on the way?

Huh.

Am I being referenced because I get done early?

Fact is, I'm having a little trouble with "a fly pattern I improved on" because I only tie about 10 flys. I ordered some odd ball stuff from Cabela's I'm waiting on. I saw a muddler minnow tied out of Puglisi's material I thought was neat enough to learn to tie. My friend I tie with has been in Delaware for his Son's wedding for a couple weeks now and I'm going to ask him too.

You see, my problem is that I fly fish in one place, and I know and tie the flys that catch fish there. I've never had a very big catalog of patterns. I'm spinning on this challenge.

That reference was from the last swap, don't panic.

I've got a dozen ready, dozen't seem like we need them all.
C'mon, 1minute� join the chaos. I know you're a tweaker (no disrespect intended)(this time).
AKGrayling hasn't chimed in. In fact, he hasn't posted since last March. Somebody throw a loop around him, drag him back into the 'Firelight.

So, would I be allowed to join in if I wanted too ..... after my former reputation in the last swap and all?

Have you got the due date jotted down, this time?

There's a due date?

Don't act innocent with me!

If you give that Boots fella the slightest bit of wiggle room, we won't see his flies until June.
('Course, maybe he'd tie us an extra again to assuage his guilt. That'd be nice.)

We could do what we have been known to do with others.... Give a fake time (say a few weeks or a month ahead of time) and maybe actually get them on time.

Welp, mine are done, in a little fly box and will be mailed tomorrow. Now I tie to catch feesh...not fishermen...so these olive quasi-buggers ain't necessarily purty...but they catch feesh around my parts!!!!

An early bird. I like it.


BTW, all, here is a help from an earlier Swap:

Anyone else even started?

Yea, we tried that with our BIL and it didn't work....

I didn't think I saw a true due date .......... grin.

If you don't get them in by Valentine's I'll tell your wife you had a date for that day.

Getting close to ready to ship. Are we tying a bakers doz or just 10?

Since this is the Tweaker Swap, I hope that each Swapper will explain the tweak and the reason therefore: the expected benefit, etc.
(What if we put up our own pic with explanation? That'd keep info and pic together (rather than Mistress posting pic and then Swapper describing it some posts below, disconnected). I'm trying to get these thoughts out before mailers are sealed.)

Good idea, mac.

troutfly, we'll tie the dozen (or baker's doz), then if we have some late entries, they'll be covered.

We told MsKeeto the due date was MLK day. (or we told her valentine's day was in January!)

In other words, troutfly, Mitsy is hoping to profit from leftovers.
And if she sends you an extra-large personal check and asks for a money order of the difference, run.

Someone told me that every day is MLK day.
(Got MiLK?)

Hey, there has to be some benefits for being the swap mistress!

Whatever happened to virtue being its own reward?

I came out ahead when I ran the Swap a couple of years ago- a little postage $, a couple of bonus flies, and even a couple of nice little gifts. Warm fuzzy.

Yes, indeed! But why tell everyone, maybe someone will take all the fun away from me!

That's what the "warm fuzzy" was for. Most of these Swappers (the Alaskans who know you, excepted) will race each other to make you warmer & fuzzier.

Alaskans excepted, indeed, since half of them on the list live with me.

First set of flies have arrived!!!

Yippee-ki-yi-yay!

Looks like I posted that too late for the most prompt of us.

But here's mine-
As noted far above, my fly isn't quite a tweak to an existing fly. (Has anyone else noticed that I never seem to quite follow the rules? )
It's more an answer to a wish, one that I tacked onto a randomly chosen foundation.
Well, not quite random. I think that my idea man might have mentioned in our phone conversation something like, "...a white Nymphomaniac".
Anyway, his idea, what he wanted, related to a white or off-white insect, one simulating a nymph at shuck time.
I expostulated, thinking that nymphs don't usually puff their entire cuticle out thereby making themselves all white. They crack and expand from the front and wriggle forward; so the leading edge, pushed aside and away from the colored bug, will be a translucent whitish color, as will the rear as it is left behind, what with the insect's abdomen slinking forward. But in between, the darkness of the insect should show through the shuck; not as a solid color but as a dark shape seen through a semi-transparent envelope. He also was of a mind that the freshly emerged adult is pale. I say, pale, maybe, but certainly not white.
I didn't convince my friend; but that's ok, because I could be altogether wrong!
But I decided that no matter what he wanted, "I'm from the government and I'll give you what I say you want".
(Since I'm not the only -heck, not nearly the first- one he turns to to realize his ideas, another fella, I've heard, has come up with a white bug of some kind for him. I haven't seen it yet; I'm trying to get my hands on one.)
So I've come up with this Von Shuck. (And it's still in beta, as also mentioned far above. My friend had time only to rush by to pick up a half dozen, and hasn't yet fished them and given me feedback and suggestions. There might yet be a version 2.0.)



I'm not a photographer. Pictured is not what I see when I look at the fly. And it looks closer to my intention underwater.

White tail barbs, having been emptied. (And my newer pattern makes the tails shorter than pictured, as a nymph's are vs an adult.)
A whitish shroud over the abdomen (similar to LaFontaine's caddis pupal case, but tight against the abdomen, not puffed out, and ribbed), an attempt to get the impression of depth, of the dark underneath the light.
A "cowl" of whitishness, to represent the split front of the shuck. And that, I expect, should wave about in the water, adding some attractive movement.
And the front is more or less that of a Nymphomaniac, rubber legs and all, the dark new adult coming out.

It's a wet emerger.
Most mayflies emerge on or in the surface, but some do so on the bottom and then swim up, and others -type A's, no doubt- try to save time by changing clothes during their ride to the surface. Consider the Von Shuck one of those, or as a failed emerger who hasn't made it out and is now swept down the current, helpless.

It's cool!

Thanks. Cool is as cool does, though...

Bummer. Don't expect much from me, then.

Boy, that one went right over my head.
I'm pretty sure that I, in my best Forrest Gump manner, meant that it'll only really be cool if you'all bring in fish hand over fist on it.

I only meant that your flies are always really cool and mine are not.

Talk about fishing for a compliment!!! That post is pitiable!

Here for all to see is what she calls "not cool"--

Not compared to the stuff you do!!! (but the fly FINALLY caught something, your compliment!)

Not "FINALLY". Again and again and again-

That is a cool tie! Can I steal it for one of my columns?

Sure.

Sheesh! You have way too much time on your hands!

Thanks!
Jeff

Pssst-- MissTreated. Do ya think they all got struck dumb at that view of my monstrosity, and are too bewildered and befuddled, haven't yet figured out how to comment on it without hurting my feelings? Or do you just think that they spent their weekend doing constructive and worthwhile things, aren't yet back at work where they waste away their employers' time fiddling on the internet?

Really, I think they're all trying to figure out how to turn the hook purple...

WWHHIIIZZZZZZ
Over my head again.

Conundrum. Should I submit to you the flies already tied with their long tails 'as is', or should I take scissors to them, snip them shorter?
That's the long and short of my conundrum. I'll let you vote one choice off the island.

Miss, those first flys come from the Ozarks?

Indeed they were!

Learning during the Swap-

I've not really played with beads before, so haven't paid them much attention.
For the Swap I'm tying two Von Shucks for each person, mainly so that the "hoarders" might actually fish with an 'extra'. I'm tying with two different beads (OK, three or four, using up random beads), one a small glass bead, the other a 1/8th-inch brass one, to give you two different sink rates.

I pulled out my reloading scale- a bead can make a real difference in weight!
The metal bead weighs more than 10 times the glass, is heavier than either the hook or the dressing, and is almost half the weight of the finished fly. The small glass bead, on the other hand, is not worth any consideration at all.
The effect of weight is relative, and perhaps even a heavy Von Shuck is of no account in a given current or with whatever line/leader is on your reel; but in its own little world, the choice of bead makes a difference.

Well good! I'm glad to know they made it. Thank you!

Mine are ready to send. Same Alaska address as last year?

troutfly, are you all packed up, or can you still do this?

Not completely packed up, just done tying. Forgot about this aspect.....working too many night shifts lately. I'll have to figure out how to post a pic.

If you don't have a Photobucket or suchlike account, email the pic to me.

Thanks. PM me your e-mail and I'll send a pic tomorrow.
I send all my pics via FTP to my editor or on CD so no Photobucket.
I'll post up the details of the fly after you post the pic.

Works for me. Comin' atcha...

Right on,
Pic headed your way in the AM.

You should have an e-mail.

Coming soon to a mailbox near you:




Courtesy of troutfly.

Here it is folks.
The Steelhead Prairie Thunder is an adaptation of a featherwing streamer I tied up a number of years ago while watching a massive storm brewing. The original fly works quite well as a trolled fly for lakers and rainbows. I suspect it would work for Arctic Char but I haven't had the opportunity to try it yet. For this version I dropped the Silver Badger hackles over black hackles. As well there is a substantially thicker bundle of flashabou in this version. The flowing hackles represent the black clouds while the flashabou represents the lightening.

Hook: Partridge CS42 Bomber size 2-6
Thread: Black UNI 6/0
Tail: Complete Golden Pheasant Tippet
Body: Black Wapsi Bugger Chenille
Wing: Holographic Flashabou (any bright colour)
Hackle: Dyed Black Ringneck Pheasant Rump by Wapsi

Have fun with it gang.

It's what's for dinner.

Next?

LOL!!!
Thanks for helping out.
Jeff

Yes, Jeff, the mailing address is the same as last year. Thanks! Looking forward to seeing them in real life! they look great!

Thanks, I'll get them out Friday.
They do look pretty cool if I say so myself.

Some flies just "have it" when seen as a crowd in a box, don't they?

guys hate to do it but i need to bail on this one

A bail is on a spinning reel. This is the flyfishing section, so you can't do that.

Out in todays mail.

Awesome!

For the rest of you, tick-tock. 2 weeks left!

Into the gentle hands of the Post Office tomorrow.

I got mine in the mail today. I wanted to avoid being stereotyped for always getting mine in first. I managed to tie the standard fly and two improvements (I think). I tie this mayfly pattern my friend taught me called a thorax fly. My trout love the fly but after 2 minutes, the thing sinks. I tied it with a kip tail wing as a parachute. I tried it with a little Enrico Puglisi fur this time that weighs nada and hope it might float a little longer. I also tied it with a deer hair body with 3 moose mane fibers for a tail and hope that will float a while longer too. I find myself tying on fresh flys to toss to fish and then hanging them on my hat. It'd be nice to leave one on for a while.

That's what they invented foam for.

No pics?
Thanks for the extras.

And Gink.

The point of the thorax ties is to move the hackle, which imitates legs, to the body segment that the legs, and wings, actually sprout from. With a parachute tie your "legs" are sort of already pointed back that way, and toward the middle, and the front, presenting a fairly realistic silhouette. But a thorax parachute does sound interesting. And yeah. A foam parachute post would certainly help float it too.

I am too impatient to see Mitsy's pics of you guys efforts. I'm going over there. I got to drop stuff off anyway- and drink SD's. Booze. And give AKG crap about... Everything.

The price for peeking is to take Huntinfool's place in the Swap. Start tying! (And stay out of the bourbon until after you've tied the last whip-finish.)

Does a married wing on an intruder count as a tweak?


I might have a few tricks up my sleeve... When is the deadline? I've never started tying for a swap on a board til about a week after its passed...

I've no authority, daren't give you answers.
Oh, mamaT- can Johnny come in to play?

(Deadline is Valentine's Day.)

There's a good reason why there's no pictures!!!

I tried to improve a pattern when I saw a Muddler Minnow tied out of Puglisi fibers. It looked awesome. $150 of materials from Cabela's and I couldn't tie the dumb thing. I couldn't get the fibers to stand up for the head so I could trim it. Deer body hair, it is not. Then I made a bunch of minnows with the fibers that don't look like much. Yeah, I tied another 2 dozen flys I couldn't send along.

Improving fly patterns isn't my forte.


By the way, I use Gink. It doesn't keep them on top more than a few minutes.

You know, I've been a fly fisherman since I was a kid and I was tying flys in the first grade. I always fished them in ponds. There aren't any rivers around here. My Brother used to talk about the Wood River growing up and it wasn't until 4 or 5 years ago that I took the hour drive to see it. I fish it now, and found a friend who has for a while that was willing to show me a few patterns. I think floating a dry down on a rising trout is one of the coolest things I've done in this life but my experience is pretty limited.

You've got more than tricks up your sleeve....

Like the man said, deadline is February 14th. Don't wait, you should be using that day to be nice to your wife.

Whoooooo-hooo! Two more packages showed up in my mailbox today!

Okay! One more today!

A couple more, you'll be all set for another season of fishing.

Considering how much fishing I'm anticipating being able to do this summer, you're just about right.

1. macrabbit - Von Shuck
2. mitsy -
3. Scott_Thornley -
4. castandblast -
5. Sitka deer -
6. troutfly - Prairie Thunder
7. MsKeeto Buzzzer - blind mosquito larva AKA blood worms
8. rob p -
9. sharps4590 - much modified wooly bugger
10. Huntinfool -

This is what I have so far. If'n it isn't right, let me know.

I know HuntinFool bowed out (Jan. 27). And did this 175rltw feller bow in?

Thanks for letting me know that my box reached its destination safe & sound.
One can never be sure about the trustworthiness of the bush pilots who carry the mail on its last leg up there in the Great White. I've heard that some of them can be almost as bad as charter boat captains.

And some are worse! Amazing!!!

I'll fix the list.

[quote=MissTreated]1. macrabbit - Von Shuck
2. mitsy -
3. Scott_Thornley -
4. castandblast -
5. Sitka deer -
6. troutfly - Prairie Thunder
7. MsKeeto Buzzzer - blind mosquito larva AKA blood worms
8. rob p -
9. sharps4590 - much modified wooly bugger
10. 175rltw

okay, it's the 14th. Missing flies from Scott, castandblast, Buzzer, mitsy and 175rltw. DANG! I'm in the list!!!

You let your hubby beat you?
(Take that any way you'd like. )

Well, I suppose there is something to be said for not having her drew a line through me... but my flies are in.

That's right-- she hasn't crossed you off her list. Yet.

(Thanks for the lead-in, Sitka. I'd wanted to use that, didn't have sufficient build-up. Your timing as a straight man is mpeckable.)

1. macrabbit - Von Shuck
2. mitsy -
3. Scott_Thornley -
4. castandblast -
5. Sitka deer -
6. troutfly - Prairie Thunder
7. MsKeeto Buzzzer - blind mosquito larva AKA blood worms
8. rob p -
9. sharps4590 - much modified wooly bugger
10. 175rltw

There. He's been struck!

I've heard that's it's risky to cross Sitka deer.

I thought MLK day was next Tuesday. Oh, MLK doesn't stand for Mardi Gras! Well mine will be delivered before Fat Tuesday - maybe on President's Day. So many holidays that I'm confused. Still working on the "presentation".

You won the presentation prize last go-'round, so expectations are high!

"Better late than never" was a favorite saying of my great uncle Marvin. At least it was until the Titanic sank while he was still sauntering down the hall leading from his stateroom.

Oh, that's bad....

Certainly not better never than late? Just to keep up the suspense, I'll mention my fly is a "UV Wolf".

I'm on tenterhooks...

Are you going to put up a pic and an explanation? I'm all a'tingle.

Just got a camera but having trouble getting pictures out of the thing. I took it to the dark room to remove the film and I can't even find the compartment with the the film. Maybe M Tee will help. Perhaps I should finish the "presentation" first. My fly is best viewed in a dark room.

"My fly is best viewed in a dark room."


I have known girls like that...

It's D...I...G...I...T...A...L, silly.
That thing you thought was a cute little coaster for a demitasse cup is its memory card. Put it back in and get to work!

OK I see that it has a picture in it on the cute little TV in the back. So I pointed the camera at every hole on the computer and pushed the button and still couldn't get the picture on the computer TV. I also tried setting first the computer and then second the "mouse" on the demitasse coaster and still nothing. I remember hearing about uploading but I can't balance the computer on top of the camera. It seemed backwards but I thought maybe the camera is the "load" so I put the camera on top of the computer and left it there to upload. I have heard that this digital stuff is magic. We'll see in the morning.

Candle light and wine helps......sometimes lol

Lots and lots of wine, and very little candlelight helps more...

...or someone to help use the windshield scraper...

Great Fur Rondy outfit MsT!

It is, but she's late with her flies because she keeps changing clothes!
I sent my box in two weeks ago, and I'm still wearing the same socks. So there's your lesson for the day.

There once was a man named Macrabbit
Who changed his socks seldom by habit
Shielded by luck from these socks
He'd pick a fly from his box
In hopes a big fish would come grab it.

Hahahahaha!

Or Hot Spiced Wine and campfire coals just glowing in a winter wonderland......this is beyond fly tying now isn't it.

Just a tad...

I need to get out fishin soon!

You do. Your cabin fever is trending in a dangerous direction.

My wife keeps telling me the same thing for some reason. I think she now realizes that Sex Dungeon really is a fly pattern! Open water will arrive, open water will arrive.......

Some of our local stillwaters are partially open, and folks are doing well wit brown wolly bugges (about size 8)

Introducing the UV ATV, a multipurpose dark water UV bucktail streamer designed to be effective for trout, stealhead, silvers, and bonefish -- based on the traditions of the Royal Wuff and the Coachman.
Hook: Size 8 3XL Streamer Down-eye
Thread: Black 6/0
Tail: Krystal Flash UV tan dozen strands and Florescent Yellow Bucktail dark hairs
Body: UV Olive Cactus Chenille with florescent pink waxed fly master center band
Throat: florescent red poly yarn
Head: On the Rocks China Glaze (www.chinaglaze.com)

just magic - you'll see

Neaty-keeno, Misy Keeto.

(well that took all day)

Hee-hee.

China Glaze? Sally Hansen not good enough for you?

What's that red corset made from? Your list reads like it's thread, but the pic looks more like yarn.

It is a waxed thread from Danville called Flymaster +plus+. Wait until you see the actual color. By the way, those posts required a serious learning curve... thanks for the challenge.

Dealing with me is always a challenge, from what I hear.

I'll check out the Flymaster after I get back from our tying class tonight...

"China Glaze? Sally Hansen not good enough"...
broaden your horizons, check it out

Still not seeing it as thread. I'll wait 'til the fly is in my grubby little hands.

Horizons, my foot!

Foot -- socks -- there again.... I'll think on that

See
http://www.danvillechenille.com/flymstrp.htm
color 501

Scott_Thornley,
castandblast,
175rltw and
Buzzer. (I don't have them in my hot little hand yet )
Oh, yeah. And me.
C'mon! Guys!

Cool background! Did you get an alien to hold his exposed brain behind the fly?

That UV Wolf should bring some wolf whistles, for sure.

Improved photo coming when I figure out light stand for UV light. That no flash pic in the dark was too much for two hands to perfect. Posted anyway because I am so excited that I know how!

Yes, that is Alien gray matter with UV illumination. I have many Alien photos if you are interested - now that I know how to post.

How was the fly tying class? What are you making?

That pic is just fine; don't sweat it.
You've learned a lot this week.

First night of the Intro Course- orientation, tools, a little about materials, misc. handouts; no tying.
I was making jokes, mainly. I'm just an assistant.
Next week: Woolly Worm & Gray Nymph. The muskrat fur for the GN is courtesy of our very own Sitka deer. He's not such a bad guy, after all, no matter what you said in the PM.

Buzzer just dropped off her flies!!!

Scott_Thornley,
castandblast,
175rltw

C'mon! Guys!








Oh, yeah. And me.

We might have scared off 175rltw. He hasn't posted since the end of January....

But he was here last weekend... fishing with your son...

Perhaps because he's out enjoying his new freedom....

What, he bought his own freedom at the slave auction?

Pretty much something like that. He just got out of the Army.

TICK TOCK msT!

one more to go!!!!

You're a heckuva one to call the kettle black!!
No wonder I enjoy swatting skeeters!

Hers are here. She had to get hers in so she could give me grief!

Just off the phone with Scott. He forgot. He'll get them here asap.

I only tie in crappy weather and we finally got some today so I'm on it.....

Yeah, but she was late. Late is late.

Mine are done.

I give you.........



...the "Mmumble Bee"

tweaked from a cicada pattern

Great bee - grayling will eat it up

Dat's purty! Do I even see a stinger?

Yup!

That bee has two "stingers"!

I love it

How're yours coming along?

Done. Should get then in the mail today.

Arrived today!
Waiting on 2.

Yoo-hoo, you two.

Yoo-hoo!

Ahhhh....such promptness.

She is still trying to round up two sets...

Yoo-hoo

So what does everyone want me to do? Just send 'em out? Divide them up sort of evenly?

Send us the miscreants' names. We'll call 'em after 10 pm, visit them at their jobs, send them letters in official-looking envelopes, etc. That'll get some action!

I'm willing to wait, if you have something like PM confirmation that they're trying.

Stalk them!
There is nowhere they can hide.

I believe I would do just that Miss. The deadline was Valentines Day, not Memorial Day. Even I am never 6 weeks behind.

If I had my taxes done I'd tie up another batch of something to get this going....

If the AFF auction was over, I'd have the darn things out the door. Maybe for someone's birthday!!!

What? Did you auction off all our Swap flies, and are now racing to tie up reasonable facsimiles to send to us?

Uh-oh. You're on to me. You didn't walk fast enough......

Hi all,

Work and the move absolutely fouled me up on the swap. Leaving the flies in CA didn't help either. Or at least that's what I surmise happened. Though I swear I packed the cursed things. For all I know their with my son's stuffed dog lost somewhere between CA and CO. The good news is now I have yet another vise and assorted tying tools (regular tying setup also left in CA). Even better news is that the replacement flies were sent up to AK last week, and could even be there now.


My humblest apologies to all. Let me know what next years swap is now though, and I'll have them ready on time

they made it! i'll get them out soon.

WAIT!



I haven't got mine done yet ................





















grin

I hope nobody used foam in their flies; by now it's probably brittle and crumbling...

A package came from Alaska today! I haven't opened it yet, but- Good job, folks.

Wow!!! That was FAST!

Now that I have opened the package- Again, good job, folks.

I'm thinking that one of those flies qualifies as an 'attractor'.
(But what does Old Crow have to do with it?)

MissT, what percentage of rubber legs do you break when tying a knot in them?

Nice ribbing job, castandblast. That's more even than I ever manage.
I have a friend who loves midges. She'll like this one.


Now get out there and catch some fishies on 'em!

I got mine yesterday all the way over in Rhode Island. I was going to feed them to the fish today but it's blowing a gale and a front is supposed to stay parked on top of us all week. The State stocked all our trout waters on Friday and there's a lot of fish around. I'd love to catch fish on all of the flys. These fly swaps remind me that there are a lot of flys out there and any one could be the magic for the river I fish. I only know how to tie a few so it's a nice way to get a variety.

PICS PLEASE......

...I'm too lazy....

Raven. Brings the light. UV catches the fish.

Flys received. It was immediately evident I was in the wrong class of fly tyers!!!!!

There ain't a member of the Swap that has any class. You fit right in.

Hey!!! Speak for yourself! I at least have low class!

I'm sorry. You're correct. You are low class.

Thank you.

Nice avatar.
You've even got your pants drooping off your butt, as seems to be the fashion.

how do you know those aren't waders with khaki colored pants underneath????

OK-- not only are you low class but you have no sense of fashion!

This time, you are right. Any fly fisher with any sense of fashion would be wearing waders, not hip waders. Some people's kids......

At least the outfit should include polarized specs and a hat ... Wait! Are those felt soles?

(comment removed)

Felt soles!!! They've been banned here in RI. A lovely algae we lovingly refer to as "Rock Snot" is spreading everywhere and fish and wildlife feels felt sole waders are part of the problem. So no felt soles.

Well, I went out to a pond that was stocked "special" for a tournament last weekend, which was our free weekend where no license was needed. They put a bunch of fish in a 30 acre pond including 100 Golden Trout. I caught a nice 2 pound rainbow on my third cast. I got nothing more for about an hour of casting and then I hooked a big one. I had the fish on for 10 minutes before I saw it and it looked like a salmon. I got it up top and it was a golden trout. 20" long and 5 or 6 pounds. I got it out of the net and it was so wide I couldn't pick it up. I had to lip it. I gave the fish a little c.p.r. and let if swim. I got 2 more rainbows and another golden trout. The 2 pound rainbow was the smallest fish. It was great.

I watched a guy in a belly boat with a fly rod dragging a floating line through the water kicking across the pond. He caught 3 fish I saw and all were small, under 12". Interesting. They obviously put smaller fish too, but I was hooking the good ones. I tried every wet fly I could find and got all 5 fish on a red and black leach. Nothing else interested them at all. I'm going to try again ASAP. I've got to get fish on the swap flys. Got to. My buddy said the fish get hammered and a unique fly would get their attention. They're unique. The modified bugger should have done it. It was a neat couple hours of fishing.

Nice report. We need more of those, guys.

They stocked 20" fish? Wow!

Will they ban bathing suits, waders, ducks, geese, flylines, and anything else that touches the waters?

Ssssshhhhh! Don't suggest it!

I didn't sleep all night last night. I got out at 5 AM this morning and fish were rolling all over the pond. I fished for 4 hours and caught........... a catfish! I thought I had another monster golden trout. 10 minutes of watching a bent rod and up comes this big grinner. The only fish of the day, and on a wooly bugger at that! I had to take a ride to the river. No bugs. No trout rising. I fished another 3 hours and got 7 or 8 trout. I lost 3 or 4 fish I think to the hydrilla / milfoil. Oh, what a pain that stuff is. The fish are nice though. After 2 years of floods and little or no stocking program, they did a good job this year. The water is still cold too. I'm buying a new battery for my point and shoot so I can get pics of these fish. They don't fit on the screen of my phone camera! The 2 golden trout are the biggest trout I've ever caught. When I got to the pond this morning a guy had a big rainbow on his stringer too. They're there.

My buddy suggested a fly for the cruising fish called a footballer. I looked it up, tied up a dozen size 16s and a few 18s and am going to wait until the next feasible day to try. I have yet to find a good way to catch cruising pond fish.

What were the pond rollers doing, if not taking your fly?

What did you use for the river fish? (Since you didn't say, I'll guess "nightcrawlers".

Keep us posted...

I could see swirls all over the pond and from time to time, you could see the fish cruising under the surface. You could see the dorsal fins and they looked like nice fish. Swimming on top and swirling. I never saw a bug on the water so I didn't really know what to do. I tried the leach again. Nada. I tried the hare's ear on a floating line. 4' deep pond! Bead head hare's ears and caddis pupa. The Chironamids, little 16's and 18's in yellow, white, brown. Nada. I tried dries, stripping dries wet... I got zero interest. The footballer which is basically a hook wrapped in olive thread ribbed with yellow kevlar thread is supposed to be an old favorite there. I can't see what it imitates. I think the fish are cruising around in the surface film picking out something. Emergers? I don't know!

The river fish, by the way, took the drys stripped back under water. That's working pretty well. No bugs, cast a dry at the fish, pop it under and strip it back. They take it. I don't know what a dry looks like under water swimming, but they take it.

It's like a mystery novel!

And good reading!

I paid attention this morning. There was a breeze and ripples on the pond. There were still fish swirling. They wanted nothing to do with the footballer. I called my friend and he said there can't be any wind. You cast it, let it sink, and you watch your leader. The fish will take it, spit it out, and you'll never know they were on. He said he bet people more than once that he could catch trout on a bare hook and did it the same way. It has to be quiet though. No waves. I then went to plan B which was to strip flys on a floating line pausing to let them sink. I used my new 4 weight and caught a couple fish on the black and red leach. Either on quite literally the first strip or on the drop. I saw a very light colored caddis come up from the bottom and I tied on a light Hare's Ear and tossed it out the same way. Strip, drop, strip, drop... I got one, two, three. I was on to something. The swap flys came out.

I got Sharps modified bugger out and caught a fish. It didn't drop like my weighted. James "fly" too. Strip. Stop. Strip. Stop. Line goes tight. Lift rod. Pretty simple. It got so good I got 3 fish in 4 casts. Then, an hour of nothing. I got about a dozen nice fish 2 or 3 pounds. I let them all go. One bellied up and an osprey grabbed him right in front of me. The canoes around me thought that was pretty neat. They were stringing up fish. Doing a little culling. It's the law here that you have to kill your fish immediately if you are going to keep them. Nobody was doing it. Fish were flopping on stringers everywhere. Man, I hate it when they do that.

The wind got up today, and as luck would have it, I had a reel spooled with 6wt line in my bag. I put that on and after fighting the wind all day with a 4 wt, that puppy boomed out. I had to let out more running line. A 6wt would have been better to throw it but it went flying on the 4! It's supposed to rain and blow tomorrow (whaah) but I get to stay home and rest my shoulders. Lugging around the canoe and paddling the last few days has found old muscles rusty. I've also got line stripping cuts on my first 2 finger. Typical for early season. Well, I tied some caddis for next time, anyway. People keep stringing up fish, the fun might not last for much longer.

I got schooled by Rick today. I got the goose egg and Rick got about 20 fish. Jerk! The rising fish I couldn't catch today were jumping on his hook. He was using elk hair caddis. Casting to rising fish and giving a couple twitches. If the fish didn't grab it right off, re-cast at another one. I cast, strip it back and cast again. He just cast, cast, cast... He picked up fish. Light and dark hair elk caddis. My flys... nada! It rained an inch last night and it was a bit colder today. I blamed that. He's just so darn good! He did catch an eel today on a caddis. I had that criticize him for. Far worse than the catfish I caught yesterday.

Criticize?? I'd love to catch an eel!

Anybody else tried any of these?

This has been a dreary Swap all around! I think our members have been suffering the "Holiday Blues" ever since King day.
Shake it off, folks! And give these flies a shake-down!

Just got mine the other day.
Stellar ties folks!
I'm hoping to get out next week to a local trout lake.

Holy cow! That took just about long enough!

It usually takes a week longer for me to receive stuff like fly fly swaps. Customs processing etc....