Little time at the bench

[Nytracker]

Got down to the tying bench. Never tied alot of salmon flies . I'm learning .

[Nytracker]

Anybody else tie their own ... looking for  proven steelhead patterns 

[Steuben Jerry]

I’m not a fly fisherman, although interested some day. But I do know those look damn nice!

[Nytracker]

I have been tying for 30 years. You never get good on a pattern until you tie 4 or 5 dozen  of the same patterns . I learned from a guy that tied commercially  down in the catskills. He said you truly  know a pattern when you tie 10 or 12 dozen of the same . Salmon flies  are bigger so your flaws are bigger . I tie ugly flies  have an ugly cast but I catch fish.

[wolc123]

I tie bucktail jigs, mostly for smallmouth bass fishing.  That saves me lots of cash (don't need to buy bait or much tackle and family gets to eat "free fish" throughout the year.  The deer tails are "free" (If I cant shoot enough, I pick some off road kills) and I pour my own heads.   I only need to buy the hooks and I get a couple years out of a $ 5.00 hundred-pack.  On Labor day, I used a few of those jigs to finish securing our winter's fish supply, with a limit of smallmouths from the Upper Niagara.  I did loose one jig out there on a snag and almost lost another on a 40 inch musky.   Fortunately, he was hooked on the outer lip and I got him into the boat to remove it with the needle-nose pliers.            

Edited September 13, 2019 by wolc123

[Nytracker]

Couple of jigs I tie for pinning

[Nytracker]

I am planning on learning married wings this winter after deer season  closes.

[BizCT]

I tie bucktail jigs, mostly for smallmouth bass fishing.  That saves me lots of cash (don't need to buy bait or much tackle and family gets to eat "free fish" throughout the year.  The deer tails are "free" (If I cant shoot enough, I pick some off road kills) and I pour my own heads.   I only need to buy the hooks and I get a couple years out of a $ 5.00 hundred-pack.  On Labor day, I used a few of those jigs to finish securing our winter's fish supply, with a limit of smallmouths from the Upper Niagara.  I did loose one jig out there on a snag and almost lost another on a 40 inch musky.   Fortunately, he was hooked on the outer lip and I got him into the boat to remove it with the needle-nose pliers.            

Where do you get free gas for the boat?


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[wolc123]

49 minutes ago, Nytracker said:

I am planning on learning married wings this winter after deer season  closes.

Those are some very nice looking flies you have made.   I am also looking forward to tying some more this winter after my "free-time" schedule opens up a little.   A bass-fishing buddy called me the other day and said his dad retired and is moving out of state and he wondered if I wanted his old fly-tying equipment.  I have not done trout flies in many years, but it might be time to try that again.   Back when I was a kid in 4-H, showing livestock at the Erie county fair, there was often an older gentleman from Trout unlimited tying trout flies in the conservation building.  I would head over there every day, after feeding the animals, sometimes bringing him fancy hackle feathers that I found in the chicken barn.  He taught me how to tie and I would spend hours up there every day.  His favorite pattern was the "Royal Wulf" which he said worked wonderfully down on the Wiscoy creek.  I think that pattern, a slight variation of the "Royal Coachmen", used calf's tail hair for the wing. 

22 minutes ago, Biz-R-OWorld said:

 

Where do you get free gas for the boat?


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We stayed very close to the launch, probably burning less than 3 gallons, so the cost per pound of fish was kept to a minimum.   I had to run some stabilized gas thru the boat anyhow, to get it ready for winter, so I thought a short jaunt out on the river would be better than running it with muffs and a garden hose in the driveway.   I don't waste much cash on modern equipment either.   Notice the Eagle silenty-sixty on the dash next to my box of bucktail jigs.  I paid about $ 80 for that back in 1981 and it is still going strong.       

Edited September 13, 2019 by wolc123

[crappyice]

I have successfully tied some elk hair caddie for trout in various colors - by successful I mean they catch fish. Tried some more delicate sulphurs, mayflies or coffin flies with less success.


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[TreeGuy]

I tie bucktail jigs, mostly for smallmouth bass fishing.  That saves me lots of cash (don't need to buy bait or much tackle and family gets to eat "free fish" throughout the year.  The deer tails are "free" (If I cant shoot enough, I pick some off road kills) and I pour my own heads.   I only need to buy the hooks and I get a couple years out of a $ 5.00 hundred-pack.  On Labor day, I used a few of those jigs to finish securing our winter's fish supply, with a limit of smallmouths from the Upper Niagara.  I did loose one jig out there on a snag and almost lost another on a 40 inch musky.   Fortunately, he was hooked on the outer lip and I got him into the boat to remove it with the needle-nose pliers.            

I'm with biz


Cost of guns
Cost of ammo
Cost of license
Cost of land
Cost of taxes on land
Cost of knifes to cut up deer
Then
Cost of boat
Cost of gas in boat
Cost of gas in tow vehicle
Cost of Registration for boat
Cost of registration for tow vehicle
Cost of launch
Cost of rod
Cost of reel
Cost of line
Cost of hooks
Cost of tying equipment
Cost of lights to turn on to see what your tying..........

Add that up ÷ lbs of fish and get back to us.


I'll stop since I'm already hijacking what was the makings of a cool thread.

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[Pygmy]

2 hours ago, wolc123 said:

I tie bucktail jigs, mostly for smallmouth bass fishing.  That saves me lots of cash (don't need to buy bait or much tackle and family gets to eat "free fish" throughout the year.  The deer tails are "free" (If I cant shoot enough, I pick some off road kills) and I pour my own heads.   I only need to buy the hooks and I get a couple years out of a $ 5.00 hundred-pack.  On Labor day, I used a few of those jigs to finish securing our winter's fish supply, with a limit of smallmouths from the Upper Niagara.  I did loose one jig out there on a snag and almost lost another on a 40 inch musky.   Fortunately, he was hooked on the outer lip and I got him into the boat to remove it with the needle-nose pliers.            

Either you have huge hands or that is the shortest 40 inch musky I have ever seen......

[ATbuckhunter]

Only flies I can reliably tie well are soft hackles. They catch trout thankfully 

[sodfather]

3 hours ago, Nytracker said:

Anybody else tie their own ... looking for  proven steelhead patterns 

I always had luck with streamers for Steel Head.  Also black stone flies but I haven’t made a roll cast in years . Wish I could find the time 

[grampy]

4 hours ago, Nytracker said:

Got down to the tying bench. Never tied alot of salmon flies . I'm learning .

 

 

2 hours ago, Nytracker said:

Couple of jigs I tie for pinning

Really nice work!

[Robhuntandfish]

6 hours ago, Pygmy said:

Either you have huge hands or that is the shortest 40 inch musky I have ever seen......

PA Musky charted

[tarheel95]

When I first learned to fly fish (salt water), guy that taught me said "forget that river runs through it sh*t, fish don't care what your cast looks like". Best advice I ever got.

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[Robhuntandfish]

a friend of mine used to tie some once in a while and they were def not the best.  lol He just started. But i used to fish with them a lot cause he tied them .  Always thought it was great to catch them on the flies he tied.  

[sodfather]

9 minutes ago, tarheel95 said:

When I first learned to fly fish (salt water), guy that taught me said "forget that river runs through it sh*t, fish don't care what your cast looks like". Best advice I ever got.

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I was taught that it’s not so much the fly selection but the way the fly is presented that is more important so that starts with the cast. . 

[stubborn1VT]

8 hours ago, TreeGuy said:

Cost of guns
Cost of ammo
Cost of license
Cost of land
Cost of taxes on land
Cost of knifes to cut up deer
Then
Cost of boat
Cost of gas in boat
Cost of gas in tow vehicle
Cost of Registration for boat
Cost of registration for tow vehicle
Cost of launch
Cost of rod
Cost of reel
Cost of line
Cost of hooks
Cost of tying equipment
Cost of lights to turn on to see what your tying..........

Add that up ÷ lbs of fish and get back to us.

Some of that is the cost of living.  If he was a guide, then I could get adding in every single thing, but registration of tow vehicle?  Come on.  I bet he needed to register his vehicle to go to work.  Lights?  I get that you think he underestimates his cost, but what's the point of being so negative?  

You're with Biz, but I'm with Wolc on this one.  Divide his costs, over time, and consider the dollar value of his enjoyment/entertainment as well as the value of his fish vs store bought and I believe he does just fine.  

[Nytracker]

7 hours ago, sodfather said:

I always had luck with streamers for Steel Head.  Also black stone flies but I haven’t made a roll cast in years . Wish I could find the time 

I just got back into fly fishing for steelehead.  Before I just nymph fished for them under an indicator. Swinging streamers  is new for me for the most  part.  Last spring I picked  up  a  switch rod for the first time . It took one  steelehead blowing up on the fly  and I'm hooked . Hit like a freight train.  Wow just wow !!!!

[crappyice]

When I first learned to fly fish (salt water), guy that taught me said "forget that river runs through it sh*t, fish don't care what your cast looks like". Best advice I ever got.

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No UNTRUER words can be spoken regarding trout fishing when the hatch is going strong (ask AT and Chef from earlier this year). If the hatch is strong and the fish are feeding and you don’t have THAT fly, color, size, go home.

I have also seen guys catch blue using candy wrappers and candy bars when the school are crushing bunker close to the shore or boat. Fun fishing but different than above.

Dangerously close to a fly fishing vs spin casting debate....no likey.


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[chrisw]

Stoneflies and different color copper John's and glo bugs are hard to beat in various sizes are what you'll want.

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[The_Real_TCIII]

No UNTRUER words can be spoken regarding trout fishing when the hatch is going strong (ask AT and Chef from earlier this year). If the hatch is strong and the fish are feeding and you don’t have THAT fly, color, size, go home.

I have also seen guys catch blue using candy wrappers and candy bars when the school are crushing bunker close to the shore or boat. Fun fishing but different than above.

Dangerously close to a fly fishing vs spin casting debate....no likey.


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Im sure it's different on the salt water but a bad cast will knock down every rising fish in the run on a trout stream. Especially our wild streams like the Wiscoy. I don't worry too much about color I believe it's all silhouette, the right fly in the right size

[virgil]

Those look great.  I tie my own trout flies.  Nothing better than catching a fish on a fly that you tied yourself.  #12 Hares Ear has always been my go-to.