Fellow Blues Swappers, I also want to say nice job to you all. I was the last to submit my flies so the reason it was late is me. Been a little busy lately, but nothing like what my wife and I face in the months ahead.
If you all can indulge me, our second child was born last Tuesday afternoon, 7lb7oz, 19.75 in. (perhaps next project or purchase is a 7 wt for me, I mean him?). Mom, baby and his older brother are doing fine, dad really just needs a little sleep. Jimmy, do you just want me to mail the Soundtrack CD's directly ? Jake ----- Original Message ----- From: "DonO" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Sunday, December 14, 2003 1:13 PM Subject: [VFB] Blues Swap plus... > 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 > > > ----- > >
