Tim A

For smaller fish, the reel is just a line storage mechanism. For saltwater fish over 12", you want your drag to work. Even the first run of a steelhead will cause a bird's nest on a fly reel if the drag doesn't have a certain amount of tension on it. Ron, do you always use light tippet? I find with a locked-down drag I more often pull the fly out of the fish's lip than break the tippet.

Let us know what you think after putting it to the test day in and day out, Mike. That will tell us how much of a value it truly is.

This one is just plain awesome, Tom. For someone that doesn't even fish poppers...

Cool worms, Tom

Also check this out for better pics of dubbing loop, this time using craft fur & flash together: http://caseysmartt.com/2010/08/01/tying-the-deadhead-minnow/

Nice little fly, Tom. Very versatile and easy to experiment with different tail materials. John, he is using a dubbing loop for the head. You can google/YouTube this, but basically you leave a long loop of thread hanging off the fly, pull it taught, fill it with your material (in this case the clippings/underfur), and spin it to create a sort of "brush" or fuzzy rope that you can palmer forward just like you would chenille or any other rope-like material. Because this creates a messy fuzzball, Tom has trimmed it into a neater, tighter minnow head taper. I also use a dubbing loop in this pattern (with pics): http://illinoissmall...?showtopic=9662

Nice flies, Tom. I like all the color patterns you've chosen. How are the eyes sealed in place? Are you not only adhering them but also filling the gap between the eyes on top & bottom? I usually use CCG or UV knot sense here, coating lightly over the eyes too.

I echo that, want to thank the folks that organized it. I had fun as a tier sharing some patterns & techniques. I met and chatted with a variety of folks some of whom I will surely fish with in the future. I appreciate the opportunity to take part in the event.

Phil, the short answer is "yes." I have tied this as a bendback (with bent and non-bent shanks), which keeps the overall weight the same, but the material is basically all on the hook-point side of the shank, so it rides hook point up. You could also incorporate any sort of weighted dumbbell eyes either within the head or out front like a jig. I will try to play around with this idea tonight when I tie a few up. If you are fishing down low around a lot of snags, find a cheaper but strong-wire bronze hook as it's not worth loosing the Gamakatsu's. For the bendback-style, you could use a thinner-wire hook to help it stay upright.

Mike G, First I want to say I agree; both photos are fine by me. Like I said before, I have been guilty of all fish handling and photographing "crimes." I obviously am personally working on the handling issues but I care a lot less about the photographing issue. The blog by April was not intended to "sidetrack" the discussion or make it about salmonids. I brought it up because we were talking about different ways to take pictures of fish. I wanted to bring in a few ideas from multiple sources. Also, when I said I "like" photos of fish in/on water, I really meant just that--"like"--it is an aesthetic preference, not a prescription for others to follow or a requirement for fish survival. I think you make a great point that black bass species tend to be tougher fish that aren't as fragile as other species (therefore the comparison is less valid). I'm not here to criticize people or their photos. I am happy for the angler and his/her fine catch. I appreciate when they share it with us. I do want to say a few more things about the photography topic though. In most cases it is ridiculous to claim the angler mistreated/mishandled the fish because a photo is a mere snapshot capturing a single moment. That is, we have no idea what else they did before or after taking the pic. I could have a really nice picture of me releasing a fish that I had out of the water for 15 minutes, struggled to unhook, and then took 25 pictures of which I posted 1 online. On the other hand, like I assume is the case with the pics in this thread, the angler could treat the fish well, use a single hook, unhook the fish while it's in the water, place the fish down on a moist bank for 10 seconds while photographing, and then release. Survival is more likely in the second situation. Finally, as far as style goes, the "hero shot" or "grip and grin" is sort of a vestige of earlier non-digital photography. We are in a bind nowadays because in the online forum world, talk is cheap, so pictures are a requirement for validating one's abilities as a angler--it's a proxy for who knows what they are talking about and who is all talk. But this proliferation of pictures, including the ease of both taking pictures and sharing them online, drives us to take more creative pictures of our catch. Some mistake this for meaning that new styles of fishing photography are equivalent to better ways of treating fish. They are not, necessarily, and the drive to take the "coolest" pics can make you treat the fish pretty poorly just for the sake of one's online ego. Am I making any sense here? Sorry for taking up so much space. [bTW, April says she still takes "grip and grins" with all other species because she hasn't caught enough of them]

Thanks, Mike. Yea, Jonny's flies are sweet. He has been a lot of help in my fly tying (I have semi-frequent correspondence with him online). I know these are relatively simple ties, but it's more about the trimming to get the profile you want. There are benefits to using his v-style ("kinky") in this pattern over the original EP style, such as making fatter heads which not only push water but gives more action to the thin tail and can make the fly dart side-to-side when stripped. Jonny uses SF Blend for his flies, but I use his method with various synthetic materials.

Thanks, Steve. I appreciate the positive feedback. I agree the floating version is great, and using them as a buoyant subsurface fly with a sink-tip is a cool trick I hadn't thought of. Maybe I will bring some foam with me to the show and spin up a floating version. Thanks for the idea.

Ron, Since you quoted my whole post, I'm not sure where to clarify myself. I'll cover my bases like this I suppose... I like this photo: April likes something like this: What we're used to (grip and grin): In essence, April would prefer we do less posing for fish pics. Just land the fish, unhook it, revive it, release it--all as if there were no cameras around. Now when you go back and read her blog post, try to focus mostly on the words, a little on the fish, and not so much on her

I will be tying these minnows and variants (depends how bored I get ) at the Fly Tying Show on Saturday morning. [i just got some more material in different colors, too.] Just a heads up if you were curious about the pattern. I'll be the one taking scissors to what looks like cat puke and then gluing eyes on it.

And honesty, too! On pics and fish handling, I like Ron's idea of the fish in the hand, and my preference is held near or partly in the water (although I am guilty of all fish-handling and fish-photographing crimes in the past). Steelhead fanatic (and guide) April Vokey had some thoughts on this too: http://flygalventure...rin-debate.html She thinks we should get away from the "grip and grin" or "hero shot" in favor of a more accurate depiction of angler interacting with fish during capture and release (as if no photographer were there). She'll be in Chicago on Monday if you want to take it up with her

Berkley Big Game is good stuff. Thanks for the heads up.

Nice ties, Tom. Is that reverse-tied craft fur for the collar?

I agree with the others, very snug wading belt at all times and absolutely no cotton (retains water too long making you heavier and colder). But I'd also be more concerned with your jacket than your waders--make sure the cuffs are as close to water-tight as possible or that paddle drip will be down your who arm, and you'll be done with the trip in 5 minutes.

Dude, that looks awesome. You don't need any more hair on there unless you want it to be a true surface bug. But popping isn't the only reason to spin deer hair. What you have my friend is a very sexy streamer. It will catch just about anything. Nice job.

The great thing about TFO (besides well-performing affordable gear) is their lifetime no-fault warranty. $25 you get a new rod within a week

Interesting. Thanks for the tip.

Nice hybrid! I can only imagine in your understandable distraction you lifted the rod and "high-sticked" it causing it to blow. And it blew at the guides like william noted, although the bottom break isn't the same. It happens to all of us! I feel for ya

Both of these are still available. $20 for the backpack.

Cool pattern! I'll try to make it to Cory's when he hosts in Dec.

The whip don't slip!