Hi, everyone Seems like I'm totally out of the loop for now on the vfb, but this gas project won't last forever, although they are talking about another expansion. (I've had to relocate my office and cad pc to the field trailer as the construction phase is in full swing.) Really missing being part of the 'group', but it seems like you guys do just fine without me. *sniff* :o( But I am signed up for at least 6 shows now for next year, and am planning at least 3 fishing trips to Florida, Baja, and Portland. Although my fishing and tying time has been cut into severly this fall by this project, I'll have the wherewithall now to make these other events and hopefully get my back operated on too. First show is Furimsky's show in early Jan. in Denver, then the ISC in Denver. I'll be tying in the video theater on Saturday, so if any vfb'ers are around, I'l like to meet'cha.
JimmyD, got the blues flies- very nice batch. Really love the fly with the golden hackles. Some very talented tiers in this batch of swappers. Will listen to the blues cd Monday morning at 3am while driving back to the field. Got a couple of nice flies from Deborah, too. Don't want to swell her head up, but for the length of time she's been tying, I am really impressed with her tying. Got home to 520 emails, probably 3/4 vfb, some business, and the rest spam. Took some time to wade through it all. On the hackling thread: Lots of good posts on the subject, but I'd like to add just a couple of thoughts. Hackles have changed and so have the methods for tying them. Old 'barnyard chicken' hackles don't tie up as neatly as today's genetics, so change your methods to suit. The old stems were so thick that underside hackles were pinched and outside hackles were overlaid, requiring special wrapping techinques. But the new hackles are a joy to work with, as almost any wrapping technique turns out great results. Stripping or folding are no longer necessary for hackling dry flies, since the stem is so thin and strong now, especially in the saddles. Just prep and wrap. The long length of the feather allows for consistent wrapping patterns to suit the fly you're tying. For palmered bodies, tip 1st or butt 1st is a matter of pp or pattern requirements. Here one must choose whether to use a new genetic or streamer-type feather to get the limberness required for soft-hackled bodies. The underfeathers of the Hebert line work well for palmered bodies, like buggers. But if you tie a lot of buggers (and who doesn't?), try a Whiting bugger cape. (Maybe an idea for a new co-op swap- bugger capes?) I use the wire-core rope-dub method for palmering most wet-fly bodies- for ease of tying and for durability. If I'm tying with peacock or dubbing for the body, I use the rope-dub to wrap both the body material and the hackle onto the wire core. If I'm tying over a chenille body, or foam, or anything I'm not going to rope along with the hackle, I leave a wire or mono tag with the hackle tied in next to it. Last step is to rope the hackle on the wire or mono core (usually for a foam fly for lightness), then palmer it forward and tie off. A neat effect is to rope two colors of hackle onto the wire- very buggy results. Roping a Speckled Champagne Badger (Hebert) on a dark brown or black bugger looks awesum- can wait for spring to try it. An easy technique for roping hackle onto wire or mono is to grab it with a material clip and spin the clip around the core material. The hackle-rope forms in just seconds. Just don't overdo it, or you'll break the hackle off at the anchor-point. As far as the spey hackle thread goes, I'm like most people. I just haven't had a chance to use it enough to have much to say about it. I sent a half dozen batches of colors out to a bunch of vfb'ers when I first got it from Tom, probably a couple of years ago now. Didn't get a lot of feedback, other than the feathers were awesome. I have a dozen spey capes in all colors, so I'm hoping to develop some patterns this year. These are really awesome 'feathers', and they really do look more like hair than feathers. I have incorporated the darker colors as top colors on awesome hair saltwater streamers, and they were very effective. It's not easy to know how much they increased the effectiveness, since the awesomehair flies are so effective anyway. Got an email from Tom Whiting, and he's not planning any shows for next year. So I'm planning to have a lot of Whiting stuff with me when I do the shows. Those of you who have made the Pro-Staff will have the honor of representing Whiting at the shows this year. Will anyone be around to chat tonight before I head back? Need to hit the hay early, though. Best Regards to all my 'buds' here, DonO -----
