Home Forums Fishing Flyfishing Here they are, 1minute

You were curious about the other Aztec versions of steelhead standards.
I tied up a box for our club's silent auction. It's not often these flies are all together for a family reunion so I took some group photos to commemorate the occasion:

Purple Peril.........Silver Hilton
Thor...................Fall Favorite
Sockeye John......Skykomish Sunrise
Boss...................Skunk




And the other fancies:

Rainbow Trout..........Golden Shiner
Mickey Finn..............Threadfin Shad
Black-Nosed Dace.....Silver Comet





Just for fun, for the person whose one guess is within $1.99 of the winning bid for that flybox, I'll tie one of his choice of these.
I'm at a loss for any hint- I don't know if the bar that night will be hosted or not.

Macrabbit: Wow! Good imagination there. Several hours into that collection! I hope they do well. I did try one early this month on our JohnDay trip. Water temp was 35, and air temp was in the low 20's. We had one hit, one on, and one landed with a full 8 hours of fishing from a party of three. I was not the one that scored.

I've not submitted flys for fundraisers, but have done shadow boxes with some of my flintknapping efforts. Some have done well, and in other instances I've bought them back myself when the action wasn't going to cover costs.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, 1Minute

What sorta objects do you knapp? Knives and spear points, presidential busts, or computer circuit boards?

And you didn't put in your guess. You might as well- the entrance fee of 0 is worth the risk.

where are the guesses to be posted?

That's a tough one. How about right here in this thread?


The silent auction isn't until sometime in February, BTW.

Macrabbit: Arrow heads and spear points. The only cheap hobby I've ever taken up, as I have truck loads of obsidian all around.

I hate to go first as folks can tuck in 1 cent above or below me. I know they are worth more, but I'll go $30.00

You mean to tell me that there's obsidian in volcanic eastern Oregon? What a lucky find!
Do you whack out arrow heads and then scatter them around just off highway pullouts, to make the tourists feel lucky?
I might have found some of your work in NW Nevada.


Should I allow changes in guesses until auction time?

No I don't scatter them around. Most are given away. My neighbor may experience some frustration though, as the two halves of my broken specimens are usually lobbed across the fence into his pasture. If I screw them up, it's usually in the last steps of getting the ears notched in. They may find both halves of some beautiful pieces, but they will never find an intact point.

As to the bid estimates, keep it simple. One guess per person. Otherwise some clown with his blackberry might be attending the auction and snipe it in real time.

I hope I'm waaaay too low.

All the water around here is dry matter right now (ice). It will be a few months before one can lay out a fly line.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 1Minute

The only things I've ever chipped are my front teeth, eating Cornnuts. I salute the patience you must have to enjoy that hobby.

As far as I know, no one here is a member of my club. Besides, if someone wants one that badly, I'll whip 'em up one for free!

A hard-core fisherman would be out on the John Day boring holes in the ice and dabbling pretty salmon flies!

I was thinking a hard core fisherman would move to the Bahamas. Also some shorter pink or flesh colored Aztecs would be the cat's meow on bonefish, and the full size versions great on tarpon. I just need to figure a way to get down there.

Yeah, that's another option.
Splitting residence between Alaska, Montana, the Caribbean, and New Zealand, with vacations to a few other destinations, would be one way to go.


This took a red and yellow version-




I'll wave at you as your plane flies over.

my guess is $40

Macrabbit: Splitting residence up between that many locales would mean I'd not have residency anywhere. Is that you in red with the tarpon? Good legs and pretty cute!

Nah. I'm all varicosed up, with knobby knees.

90.00

Ouch! They'd have to get pretty soused to lay down that much. Or else I'm in the wrong business- should be tying flies.

25.00

$28.00

I haven't tried Aztecs. Do they work well even for trout?

Those are "Made in Taiwan" prices. The club will have to raise my annual dues if the auction gets low-balled like that!

I've not used them for stream trout yet, but they do well in still water. I'd guess they preceived as leeches or perhaps fry of some sort. I confess to being a gold ribbed hares ear addict in trout streams. Fishing has to be totally off, before I start experimenting with flys in a stream.

I've landed steelhead with Aztecs, but I think steelhead will take anything that invades their space or gives them a perception that it's trying to escape.

I'd love to get back east and try them on either lake or river bass.

In a word, Yes.
In three words, Try it yourself. PM me a mailing address, I'll send along some fishing flies. I can always use the tying practice; you're my excuse.

But ya gotta post a "success pic" later!

macrabbit-- what do you use for your wing and tail....antron, Puglisi's material?

good looking flies, looks like they would fine for tarpon...red with some silver for the worm hatch. do you wrap lead too?

Acrylic knitting yarn (not stiff rug yarn). "Sparkle Acrylic" sometimes, which has 50% nylon, as in most of the white and yellow seen in these pics.

For fresh, they're rarely weighted. But an underbody of lead, attached in any of the usual ways, is surely possible; as is a conehead.
A simple Aztec is fairly neutral, can be controlled by choice of line or attached weights.

thanks macrabbit. We're going fishing in the Keys in Apr. I will tie one or two for some 'poons.

If ya wanna practice tying, send me one and I'll adjust my guess accordingly...grin

Now you dunnit! PM on the way.

Tying Aztec's is a lot like building Jock Scott's. I take on an Aztec only when I have several days in a row to kill. I'm convinced that macrabbit is a Chinese ivory carver for his day job. No one else could have that much patience.

Still they are the best moving pattern I've seen in the water. Much more life than feathers or hair wings. Going to try some out on steelhead again in mid Feb on Oregon's Wallowa River.

Oh, man! I really need to get up there and take you through the paces.
It's an incredibly simple tie! Hook, thread, yarn. Six to seven minutes (plus same combing and trimming).
I've the patience of a two-year old. Fine, exacting work isn't anyways my bag. The Aztec goes together with big, bold moves; no finesse to it.
You're the flint knapper.

Art, Riley-- come to my defense, here!

Hey Mac, got the package, will return something soon...

A picture-- a big grin on your face, and a big Aztec in the fish's-- is what I want returned.

these flies seem great, can you pass on a recipe

PM sent.

Thank you

i may be late here, but i'll go 136 for the lot.
dem tings is pricey !
and nice ties ! i fish the san juan mostly. tailwater fishery, so midges are what i tie mostly.
some pheasant tails and caddis, but midges do the best.

Better late than Neverland.

$136 would be great- Nearly ten bucks per fly!
Then I'd know I'm in the wrong business!

No midges in the repertoire. Closest an Aztec gets is a ladybug and an ant.
Though I have tied a standard Aztec on a size 16 hook! Anything that size could be mistaken for a midge.

try size 22's and 24's !!

Yeah, I know real midge flies go down there. But I never do.
I'd be a happy man if I never again had to touch a hook smaller than 14.

And my reaction towards those who can well do the bitties is a mix of awe, appreciation, and perverse fascination, about the same as when I visit the freak show when the circus comes to town.

Those will easily pass through the eye of the hooks I use most of the time with no turning or threading required.

We have a lake on our Steens Mts that goes to a 24-28 midge hatch each evening. One can catch a hundred fish in the afternoon with a size 14 gold ribbed hare's ear. At sunset, the lake comes alive with ripples, and one can't buy a fish unless he threads on an invisible midge. Quite frustrating if one is not equipped.

Hey who won?

I wasn't there, don't know yet. I have a request for info in.
Gotcha on the edge of yer seat, eh?

Laffin, yeah, I was running through and hopin' I was going to get a few more....Still have a package here for you too...I've been busy and it's been cold....

Even if you don't win the pool, if you ask 'with a cherry on top' I just might tie a few more for you.

What????!!! Aztecs suck and do not catch fish!

Or not...

Late to the party again!

Actually, I wanted your support about:


But thanks, anyway.

Riley has tied more of them than I have... I tend to look at a fly and decide I can tie without instructions... Aztecs made me look at the instructions you sent... and it took a bit of getting used to, but they are not difficult.

Doing a run of Carrie Stevens streamers right now with 9 different materials... They take longer than an Aztec...
art

See, 1minute!

(I think )




Good luck with your Carrie Fishers, Art. I hear they like to go in the drink!

Macrabbit: Your mom wears combat boots.

Tossed an Aztec and several other patterns into Oregon's Wallowa river last weekend for steelies. Got a small steelie and 2 trout, with all going back into the water. Water temp was right at 40 degrees, and while gear fishermen were doing well, it was tough with flies. the run is good, and it's pretty well combat fishing. I don't know the water all that well up there, but one might be able to score some of the better runs on a weekday. All of our water is still good solid dry matter around here. Later,

Gotta love fishin' in Feb.

Ice fishing here in Feb means casting to a very small hole in the ice....Thanks for the offer for more flies, but the ones you sent were so much appreciated and I would not feel right taking any more. They will get a workout the first weekend in April on the Brule....

One of my purposes in life is to make people not feel right.

Laffin...I am pretty good at that myself sometimes..

I finally got to the man in charge. But was told that they didn't keep track of anything, didn't write down who, what, how much, to whom. (But the auction raised good $.)

So I'm unable to satisfy our pool, at least until some sucker in my club admits to spending his hard-earned money on my fun.

I've not forgotten my debt. But no one's yet admitted to bidding on my flies.