The North American Fly Fishing Forum - Blogs http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/ This fly fishing forum consists of fly fishing techniques, advice, tips, news, gear reviews and fly fishing discussions among fellow anglers. en Sun, 19 May 2013 00:55:06 GMT vBulletin 30 http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/images/misc/flyfishing_red/rss.jpg The North American Fly Fishing Forum - Blogs http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/ looking not to break the bank http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/connahhh/268-looking-not-break-bank.html Mon, 06 May 2013 15:03:14 GMT Do you have an orvis outlet near by? Ive found some incredible deals there in the past. Do you have an orvis outlet near by? Ive found some incredible deals there in the past. ]]> connahhh http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/connahhh/268-looking-not-break-bank.html Attempt 1 at Building a Rod http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/random-user/267-attempt-1-building-rod.html Sun, 05 May 2013 13:34:51 GMT Much of this is cross posted here. Putting all of this in a blog, becasue this is the kind of thing I was really looking for to push me over the edge to try it.

This is a revamp of an 5 weight, 8'6" rod I am not even sure how I ended up with. The reel seat was messed up, cork was damaged where the reel seat slips under it and the guides were spiraled around the blank. The plan is to replace what I need to and leave the rest alone.

What I have learned so far:
  • More light is better and 1.25 cheaters really help.
  • Embroidery thread is not for beginners.
  • Don't fight with the wrapping jig. Take the time to modify it to do what you need so you have one less thing to worry/think about/pay attention to.
  • Adjustable ends on the rod wrapper are a good thing because the guides tend to always seem to end up in the "V" to support the rod.
  • Working off center helps a lot with pulling the thread back onto the wrap and prevents having to thumbnail it tight so much.
  • Don't wrap guides when you are tired and not concentrating / focusing well.
Materials Used so far:
Guides & Spacing:
Tip Top = 5.0 (5/64, yes a 4.5 is 4 and one-half/64 or 9/128)
Size 2 @ 4” from Tip Top
Size 2 @ 9” from Tip Top
Size 2 @ 15” from Tip Top
Size 3 @ 22” from Tip Top
Size 3 @ 30” from Tip Top
Size 4 @ 39” from Tip Top
Size 4 @ 49” from Tip Top
Size 10 @ 60” from Tip Top
Size 12 @ 71” from Tip Top
Hook Keeper just above winding check
Seat and Cork:
Pac Bay A5 reel seat, up-lock (not sure what the insert is, rose wood maybe?)
Bleached AAA cork rings
FishHawk "A" nylon thread
Flex Coat Color Preserver
Flex Coat 50/50 Mix / High Build Polymer Rod Wrap Finish
Flex Coat Epoxy Rod Builder's Glue

5MAY13
Progress is slow right now. Have most of the kinks worked out of my rather crude rod wrapper. Am still just wrapping on the two stripper guides and unwrapping them because I am not satisfied with wraps. Am finally able to get the trim bands on accurately and and the correct size without too much extra effort. Had a set back last night when I finished a wrap that I was really happy with. Without thinking I coated it with head cement. The neat little trim band I put it became much more subtle that it should be, as in mostly disappearing. Three wraps for the trim bands may not be enough and the color change may need to be a bit more vivid.

7MAY13
Waiting on an order from Hook&Hackle - Ron has been very helpful.

11MAY13
Hook&Hackle order arrived yesterday - quick, accurate and fast.

Did some more work last night. Re wrapped the #12 and #10 stripper guides again, this time with "A" nylon. The "A" nylon is much easier to work with, compared to the much fine and more delicate embroidery rayon thread.

I knew the wraps were not the best ones I had done, but decided to keep them because I was tired and lazy. Put the first coat of color preserver on them and the seemingly minor flaws really showed up, and I am going to live with them.

I realized that an easy 1/2 or more of the time I spend on a guide is just getting the trim bands symetrical and even. Wrapping a stripper guide has actually become rather easy, suprizingly easy.

Time to go get the second coat of color preserver on and make a final decision about which snake guides to use. Planning on match the smallest guides to the diameter of the tip top and working back down to the stripper guides from there.

12MAY13
This is the bottom half of the rod with the hook keeper, #12 stripper guide and the #14 stripper gides wrapped on and with 2 coats of color preserver applied.

They are far from perfect. Should have waited till I was less tired, but... I know what the flaws are and how to correct them, so they are staying. I'm looking for effective on this project. I need more practice and experience to get perfect wraps. Just racking in the time right now.

As a reference point, I have done maybe 20 stripper guides at this point. So, it's not hard to get effective wraps. Perfect wraps are just a lot of practice away for me. I can live with that.

Hook Keeper


#12 Stripper Guide


#14 Stripper Guide


Alignment


Not the greatest of pics, but I am still figuring out the new camera.

18 MAY 13
Got so more time to work on it. Have teh ferrule wrapped, both #4's on, both #3's and one of the three #2's. Will post images when I get the upper half finished.

Funny thing is that as I am working up through the smaller snake guides, it is getting easier to wrap them on even though they smaller guides are harder to handle. Am still loosing count and miscounting wraps so my trim bans are still inconsistent.


 ]]> random user http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/random-user/267-attempt-1-building-rod.html Rod Building Notes http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/random-user/266-rod-building-notes.html Sun, 21 Apr 2013 14:14:34 GMT This is actually looking pretty easy and affordable with okay quality components - not what I was expecting. Still a bunch of nit-pincky details to decypher, but it isn't too bad. Am sure it gets very expensive with the uber top end stuff. Blanks on the other hand, are what they are.

MATERAIL SOURCING:
Your source for flyfishing and flycraft resources since 1975 - Hook & Hackle

JS Fly Fishing: Rod Building, Fly Tying: Rod Building
GENERAL NOTES:
  • Perfect cork is impossible to find and really good cook is a bit pricy and difficult to find.

  • Pre-fabbed handles are easier then stacking the cork rings and shaping.

  • There are cork sealers/protectants available.

  • Color preserver is only necessary when using silk threads and possible thread darkening is a concern . Nylon thread hold color over time much better than silk, but may darken with application of rod coating.

  • The Bushing or Arbor under the reel seat can be just about anything so long as the ends are sealed up well with water proof glue. Seems a bit silly to me to use anything which could swell, deteriorate or feed a mold/bacteria colony.

    • Fiber glass or polyester rings would not be expensive nor difficult to wind up, micarta style.

    • Arbor under the reel seat should be light.

STRIPPING THE OLD ROD:
  • Reel seat and tiptop can be removed by a soak in boiling water and a strait pull off once the epoxy softens up. Do not twist because it can cause the graphite to splinter. Use a plastic bag if you want to protect the components finish.

  • When Removing the guides, etc. cut against the guide feet to protect the graphite from scratches and nicks. Unwrap what cannot be cut safely.

  • Removing the finish from the blank can be done with a hair dryer the back of a plastic knife. Use only enough heat and force to get the job done. Faster is not necessarily better.
TOOLS & APPERATI:
  • Nothing too special needed for tools: fine scissors, razors, bodkin, mixing cups, craft store disposable paint brushes …

  • Rod Winding Station can be as simple as a cardboard box with a couple of “V”’s cut into it and a bobbin of thread poked into the box.

  • Drying /Turning Station – not completely necessary. They generally turn about 5-7 RPM per minute. Wiper motor should do fine so long as the speed control is installed. Wooden dowels can be shaped to insert into the ferrules to hold the rod.

  • ROD WRAPPER

    • The rod tip thread tensioner a-al-Diver-Dan is a very good thing.

    • Spool tension needs to be smooth. Larger (fender) washers seem to work better than standard size washer. Standard nylon washers didn't seem to make a difference.
8’6” #5 REVAMP: ($60 for 'parts' for a blank I already have which still has a passable grip. This works for me.)
PB UL Reel Seat Black-Hook & Hackle

Cork Rings / AAA / Bleached-Hook & Hackle (to replace damaged lowest cork ring.)

Black 8 1/2 Guide Set-Hook & Hackle

Hookkeeper Black / U - Shaped-Hook & Hackle

Hook & Hackle Premium Black Finished-Hook & Hackle (4.5, 5, 5.5, 6 - Get a few they are tricky to size and inexpensive)

Rod BuildingThreads-Hook & Hackle

Flex Coat 50/50 Mix / High Build Polymer Rod Wrap Finish-Hook & Hackle

Flex Coat Epoxy Rod Builders Glue-Hook & Hackle (Would Glue of Gorilla or a water proof epoxy be enough?)
THREADS
  • "A" nylon seems to be the standard. It's pretty strong and hard to break. Nylon need color preserver or it goes translucent when the wrap finish is applied.

  • NCP is nylon pretreated with color preserver and comes in far fewer colors.

  • 30-weight Embroidery thread will work but is much more delicate. Embroidery thread has a silicone lubricant on it, so the first coat of wrap finish needs to be really thin/light. Not sure about color preserver and rayon embroidery threads. If the first coat of wrap finish is heavy, the lubricant on the thread will cause the wrap finish to fish-eye.

GUIDES: PREP-ING, SIZING AND SPACING:
  • GUIDE SPACING seems to be pretty consistent across many sources, give or take a fraction. Typically, spacing is measured from tip top to the center of the guide.

  • GIUDE SIZING however, seems to be a bit more diverse. There are many opinions and suggestions out there.

    Guide sizing has everything to do with minimizing drag on the line while maintaining enough contact with the line to get a positive energy transfer from the rod to the line and keep that energy headed in the correct direction,

    • Source I purchased from offered 12, 10, 3, 3, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1.

    • Another source in offering 12, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 3, 3, 3.

  • GIUDE PREP: With the stripper guides, it is helpful to file down the very ends of the feet so they are a little thinner / less tall and have a smooth taper for the thread to climb up as the turns re wound on.

    • With black guides be sure to re blacken the filed, now shiny area so the doesn’t glow under the thread wraps when the wrap finish is applied.
]]> random user http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/random-user/266-rod-building-notes.html www.fishacrosscanada.com http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/suttonk11/265-www-fishacrosscanada-com.html Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:02:19 GMT FOLLOW TWO FRIENDS ON THEIR DREAM FISH ING TRIP ACROSS CANADA. FOLLOW TWO FRIENDS ON THEIR DREAM FISH
ING TRIP ACROSS CANADA. ]]> suttonk11 http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/suttonk11/265-www-fishacrosscanada-com.html The Eve of the trip http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/jaybo41/264-eve-trip.html Thu, 18 Apr 2013 03:17:51 GMT I have not blogged before and am not sure how much I'll follow through with it, but if any event calls for some writing, its this. The eve of my annual trout fishing trip. I figure my bud (Chiflyfisher) and I have been fishing together for trout and steelhead for nearly 20 years. Wow, where has the time gone?

When we first started together, our fishing was more of a modest trip and we were using spinning gear. Our local stream on the first few weekends of opening day, take a few trout and watch the NFL Draft was our annual ritual. Back then, we had just gotten to know one another. His family had a camp in the Allegheny National Forest and eventually I got to make the trek there with him to fish. We did this for a number of years, even after he had moved to Chicago.

We eventually evolved to fly fishing and I started tying shortly thereafter. What drew me to fly fishing is another story for another time. Back to tying...I cannot imagine fly fishing without tying. Back then I wasn't that great at it, but there's something to be said for being self taught I suppose.

My tying started before the boom of the tying videos and recipes on youtube and other websites. You had books, recipes, lessons and that was about it. After years of progression I finally feel as though I'm a skilled tier. There are still lots of patterns I don't attempt, but I can look at the patterns I use or need to have for where I fish and tie most of them.

I love tying. When I can't be on the river, I'm at the vise as often as possible. It's a both a necessity to produce patterns I can't find in stores and an outlet for me. When I sit down at the bench and start spinning flies, all the stressors of work and life fade away. I'm taken to the stream and think about when I'll use this pattern or when I look upstream and watch Chi landing a fish. I can hear the stream rolling.

Anyway, the eve of the trip. It is finally here. I'm off work for a week and a half, I'll be fishing and somewhat disconnected from the world for almost 2 weeks by the time the trip is over with. I have spent countless hours at the bench tying ridiculous number of flies (something in the 20+ dozen range) in preparation for this trip. Tying for two will do that to you, but it's all good. As much as I enjoy landing fish on my flies, nothing is better for me than watching someone else do it.

In a few short hours, I'll be rolling out the door and on my way to the airport for the first leg of my trip. Then a 4 hour trip to the cabin and it's on! Few things in life for me are better than being at trout camp. Great company, outstanding fishing, delicious foods and a good cigar or two are all in order. Do you get the impression I'm excited to get away and get on the trout streams? :thumbsup::thumbsup:

I'll see you guys and gals in a little while... ]]> jaybo41 http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/jaybo41/264-eve-trip.html <![CDATA[Discovering "No-Tellum" Spring Creek - The Glissmeyer Adventures Blog]]> http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/kglissmeyer1/263-discovering-no-tellum-spring-creek-glissmeyer-adventures-blog.html Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:36:30 GMT Hey, all! I decided I needed a bit of an outlet to report recent musings, adventures and opportunities in my life - both fishing and personal. I figure a blog is the way to do it, so here goes.

Many know me from this forum and I like to participate as often as I'm able. I still work full time, so my adventures are constrained by my need to work to pay the bills.

I live in Rigby, ID with my wife Cathy and our two dogs, Aspen and Griz. Our oldest son, Michael, currently lives at home, but he leaves next Tuesday for Chicago for summer work. Our youngest son, Geoff, lives nearby and appears to be staying put for a while.

I was born and raised in northern Utah and am now glad to call southeast Idaho my home.

I've been fishing most of my life and seriously fly fishing since 1984. I've been tying flies since 1984 also. A few years ago I was able to realize one of my dreams of publishing an article in an outdoor magazine with my first ever article published in the Fall of 2010 in Flyfishing & Tying Journal where I wrote about a niche method of presenting nymphs to spooky fish in spring creeks.

I have since been published numerous times in several different magazines as well as being asked to be the "Tips & Tactics" column writer for Flyfisher magazine, the official publication of the International Federation of Fly Fishers.

I wrote several forum posts over the past years about the outings and adventures we've been able to enjoy in the Greater Yellowstone area, and felt that it would be more appropriate to now share those in a blog format.

This is my first foray into blogging, so don't beat me up too bad. I look forward to sharing with forum members regarding our local adventures, the places we visit, the experiences we have, and the fish that we catch.

Here are a few pictures of where we fish, with "No-Tellum" Spring Creek as my preferred 'Home Water', and a very, very special place in my life.

My Brother-in-law and I discovered this little gem as we were chasing the Salmon-fly hatch on a local river. At the time we found this spring we thought it to be a side-channel of the main river, but soon found out otherwise. Since our discovery of the water, we have spent countless hours in discovering it's secrets and go there often to get our spring creek fix, to experiment with new fly patterns and to just soak up the raw beauty of the place.

We have seen deer, elk, moose, otters, muskrats and beavers along the lengths of this spring's course. I have personally seen fish reaching 36-inches in length (I know, many will think it a fish tale..), but it's true. We have caught browns, cutthroat, rainbow, cutt-bow hybrids and whitefish out of this water. We have been skunked more than once, yet we still go back. We have experienced snow, sleet, hail, micro-bursts and what we considered "gale-force" winds. (I left another forum due to some comments about my use of gale-force. Too bad some people feel the need to always be "right" in the face of being kind...)

I have 'hunted' big browns on the shallow flats-like water where they go a "scudding" (nose down, tail up and rooting through the aquatic vegetation to root out scuds and other tasty morsels), and I have been schooled my more than one wary and worthy opponent.

I have truly been perplexed with multiple hatches of insects with fish turning everywhere on the surface and been unable to fool even one fish (the first day my brother-in-law and I fished this water there were huge fish jumping clear out of the water, sometimes as close as two-feet from us and we finally caught one on a Renegade dry fly...).

While we consistently catch fish subsurface using what I've dubbed the "Parasol Method", we struggle still to fool fish consistently on the surface during an emergence.

In the Fall of the year we watch October Caddis emerge and skitter across the surface of the spring with nary a boil. Early in the season, as early as late April we have seen PMD emergences along with BWO's. Later in the summer we see regular daytime emergences of PMD's as well as PED's - Pale Evening Duns, yellow wings, yellow body, yellow legs - what a kick!

And, ever present, are the resident scuds, Gray/olive, pale olive, amber olive and amber. The fish love them all. Scuds rule this water as a source of food for the resident trout. We've developed several patterns to imitate the local life-forms and they all catch fish, and a lot of them.

My favorite combo is a Schollmeyer's Parasol Emerger as an indicator fly, from which I hang a weighted bead-head nymph - usually a bead-head flashback Pheasant-tail nymph, trailed by an amber scud. It is a deadly setup and accounts for more than 80% of the fish we catch.

So, let me introduce to you my favorite spring creek and show you some of its residents:

"No-Tellum" Spring Creek, somewhere in southeast Idaho:








What we catch:






And, what we catch them on:

Parasol Emerger:


Bead-head, Flashback Pheasant-tail Nymph:


Amber Scud:


I'll be back with more from the spring as well as other places such as the South Fork of the Snake, Henry's Fork, Henry's Lake, Box Canyon, Madison River, and many others that we fish throughout the year.

Thanks for stopping by.

Let me know if you find this entertaining and/or interesting. I will also start to post some recipes and fly pics with step-by-step photos and instructions.

Best Fishes,

Kelly. ]]> kglissmeyer1 http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/kglissmeyer1/263-discovering-no-tellum-spring-creek-glissmeyer-adventures-blog.html More musings http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/kerry-pitt/262-more-musings.html Sun, 14 Apr 2013 10:56:16 GMT I miss my Kids. Someone, a friend told me I would get over the "Empty Nest" syndrome soon enough. I really hope I don't. I mean sure it hurts to miss them, but off all the things I have done in this world, being a Parent has been the best thing, the most enjoyable and rewarding thing, but it also came with its share of pain and hurt. I remember another friend telling us to stop having children because we were giving pregnancy a bad name. We were a High Risk pregnancy situation so things were always tense until, well actually for weeks and months afterwards.
I know this may sound foolish but I did not truly understand what love was until I looked my newborn Daughter in the eyes. She was very sick, they did not think she would live out the day, but when she looked at me for the first time I knew that no matter what, I would help her live.
My next Daughter was healthy at birth then my Son was born with a lung issue. The Doctors and Nurses assured me that he would be ookay but they flew him to a Children's Hospital so there was little solice.
I remember when he came home he was on oxygen for a few weeks and I used to sit in this big rocking chair and rock him to sleep. If I fell asleep first he would grunt and wake me up. Little bugger would look smug I am certain.
I focused on doing whatever I could to be a good Dad. I had been a bad father in a previous marriage, too young, too immature, but I knew I was getting another chance and I wanted to make things good for my kids. Over the years I believed I succeeded in doing everything that I could to give my children a good life. We took them fishing, camping hiking. I almost never missed a school function. I am sure their Teachers thought I was unemployed but my job gave me the ability to attend almost whenever I wanted to.
During this time I started trying to find a relationship with my Daughter from my first marriage and today I have a better one with her as well. I have four Grandchildren by her and now I am working on getting to know them as well.
When my second marriage went bad, my now ex wife sought to alienate me from my children, she told them many things about me that were not true in order to have them on her side. My Daughter's bought into it for a time but my Son did not. I think there is a bond between Daughter's and Mother's that is very strong. I called her on it, but it still took a couple of years for my girls to start talking to me again. In all that time, if I knew they needed something I tried to make sure they got it. I loved them, it is unconditional what else could I do.
Of all the things I have done in this world the most worthwhile thing has been raising my children and if it hurts a little when I think of them and they have gone to have their own lives, then so be it. I want to feel it because it reminds me of what is important in this world, in my life. The only legacy I will ever leave behind that means anything, is my children. ]]> Kerry Pitt http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/kerry-pitt/262-more-musings.html Some Photographs From Out At The Cabin; http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/hardyreels/260-some-photographs-out-cabin.html Sun, 14 Apr 2013 02:38:12 GMT It took until March 18th at 2:30 AM before I saw a display of the Aurora but I was dressed and outside by 3:00 and then took the snowmachine out to the back field to get some shots.

The show lasted for hours and I made many changes of lens's and settings as I enjoyed the -14* morning air.









Shooting to the north east you see them streaming over Mt. Yenlo. When they are streaming overhead everything gets green.


After a while I drove back to the cabin and finished the night. This was taken from in front of the cabin looking north by west.


And this one looking back at the cabin silhouetted by the sky.
]]> Hardyreels http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/hardyreels/260-some-photographs-out-cabin.html <![CDATA[It Wasn't All Northern Lights;]]> http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/hardyreels/261-wasnt-all-northern-lights.html Sun, 14 Apr 2013 02:37:40 GMT In early January Nancy got herself a new Ski Doo Skandic Super Widetrack snowmachine. After riding it out she took my Tundra LT back when she went home and left me this to test out. Image: http://i542.photobucket.com/albums/gg406/Hardyreels/IMG_2688_zpse675545c.jpg ... In early January Nancy got herself a new Ski Doo Skandic Super Widetrack snowmachine. After riding it out she took my Tundra LT back when she went home and left me this to test out.


I was amazed at how these things will crawl through the thick woods over 4 - 5 feet of powder snow. They have a 156" long by 24" wide track under them that is like a giant snowshoe. The skies are 10.5" wide and so the skis float right on top also.

Boss and I took our share of quiet walks on the trails I had packed with the 2 machines and along the way a few pictures happened.

Snow drifts on the lake after a big wind storm;






An old twisted and gnarled spruce stump bears witness to the hard times endured by everything that lives and grows in Interior Alaska.


The sunset on this day lent itself to everything I took a second look at.




Once we hit the field just behind the cabin Boss had some fun just running through the snow. I always tell him how he's got it made getting to do all these things and I know he really enjoys being out there.


This was sunset on the same day when we got back. There were more dark & gray days than sunny but they made the sunny ones all the more special.


This last shot was taken after Nancy had returned and then rode the big fat daddy Skcandic back home. I was beginning to build my second wood pile and had my tundra back.


I just purchased that machine last October so it too is new here. Like the Skandic it has a long track but this one is 16" wide. it is longer and the machine is lighter with the same 10.5" skis up front. I can go about anywhere on this thing and haul a load if need be. ]]> Hardyreels http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/hardyreels/261-wasnt-all-northern-lights.html Relearning to tie. http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/random-user/259-relearning-tie.html Fri, 12 Apr 2013 19:59:03 GMT Been Relearning to tie again since I am able to go fishing again.

It's a very frustrating thing. I know what to do and how to do it, but my fingers and eyes are being a bit cantankerous most of the time. Seems like every bad habit I had went out and made a bunch of new friends. Really Noticing the difference in my eye sight. Ah, the glories of getting old!

So far I have learned my new focal range and can adapt to it. Finger-wise, it is just a matter of working the roughness out of them so the thread and materials aren't catching and hanging up. I know the sand them down and wait routine. That's under control.

I fought my way threw some pheasant tail nymphs and company in #12's and #14 (wasn't going to try #16's yet). I am positive a #12 pheasant tail nymph should not take 45 minutes to tie.

Went to some bigger wets, Picket Pins, Moby Dicks and the like. These went better. These went better. Stated large with #8's and a few #6's. Then did some in #12 which went okay. Tried #14's and had fighting with them. Good thing is I am now down to 20 minutes or less between flies.

Pretty sure the days of a 3 minute pheasant tail are a long ways past and a long ways in the future for me. That's kind of an odd feeling. That did get me to the point where I understand that it is not about what I could tie well, but all about how well I can tie what I can tie now. I can live with having to retake a summit which I walked away from and left guarded. So the bulk of the frustration is gone.

Want to go after some yellow perch or similar and kick up the fryer since mostly what I am looking around here is warmer, still water. So I decided to tie up a couple of Bo river buggers with Clouser eyes: #6 9672, 1/50th dumbbell, one olive over brown, the other brown over olive. This shouldn't be too bad. (I should have heard the calliope music start up in the back ground.

Okay Switch out the bobbin to 3/0 olive thread. Not a problem. Dumbells went on okay after I cut the first two attempts off and was rather liberal with the brush on super glue. Not so un-passable. Two tone marabou tail. Easy enough. Double check the saddle for fiber length and down size because I see things differently now. That and the fine copper wire went on without a hitch. Strip the end of the chenille, tie in a wrap forward. All going well still. Palmering the saddle and counter wrapping the wire. went will enough. Pick out the trapped saddle fiber with a bodkin. All good.

(This is where the circus music starts to be rather audible). I know the deer hair isn't going to spin well around the dumbbells, so I go with small clumps and sort of flair it snuggly into place and repeat as needed. ... Oh yeah.. kevlar thread... or at least flat waxed nylon.

Back up to the front of the body. tie off and cement well. Tie on again over the wet cement. Not there is no chance of spinning the hair. [Coffee and smoke break.]

Clip the deer hair. Strip out the fuzz. Stack tips down. (Feeling confident and not noticing the smell of roasting peanuts wafting in with the calliope music.) Lay the tips in just past the saddle to get a smooth transition between the collar and the body. Keep the butts long so they are easier to trim out. Olive belly side went in well with pulling down hard on a couple of loose wraps. Just have to repeat with the top side brown.... opps... damn I forgot the half hitches behind the olive. ... opps..... opps.... it's getting an olive head to match the olive chenille ....

Well over an hour form getting the hook in the vice, there is deer hair stick out from all angles around the dumbbells.

Trimming- that went about as well as the spinning. Where did the saddle fibers go? Did I remember to tie in that saddle?

It ain't right and it ain't purdy, but I'll fish it. Should stay together for at least a fish or two.

What I learned from this: When I am paying attention / focused and not thinking about what I am doing and just doing it, things go okay. As soon as I start to think about it, the calliope starts up. If I loose a bit of focus, opps. It's sort of this strange equilibrium of letting my eyes guide my fingers, keeping my brain out of it and not letting my fingers rely on long forgotten 'muscle memory'.

End result is I have to be sitting in front of the vice to get my fingers and eyes there, but I have to not be there at the same time so my eyes and fingers can tie a decent fly. ]]> random user http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/random-user/259-relearning-tie.html The Long Winters Work At The Cabin; http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/hardyreels/256-long-winters-work-cabin.html Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:24:40 GMT Like many of the entries here this will be a multiple part story. I'll identify the pages; Part Two, and etc. until we reach the current time.
The story starts back on December 22, 2012 and I stayed out there until March 27, 2013. Over this time I did a lot of work but somehow it seems there is still so much to do that I'm not sure I'll live long enough to finish it all. I do intend to try.

Getting ready to leave home for a long trip into the Bush country is stressful, at least it is for me. The morning of the 22nd I was not really ready and I still needed a pert for the hitch on the snowmachine. By the time I had everything sorted out and got to Deshka Landing which is 38 miles from home and 75 more miles from the cabin it was after 2:00 PM and the temperature at Deshka was -27 degrees. Since I knew it would be dark by 4:30 and that the trip would take at least 3 hours or more I backed out and that was perhaps the best decision I made in all of 2012.

I stayed in touch with a friend who lives at Deshka and waited 3 long days for the weather to warm up at least to -10* and when it did on Christmas day I was ready to leave the next morning at 8:00 AM. I got to the launch area at about 9:15 and was loaded to go by 10:30. There is no need to hurry for this trip when it's -20 and you know you'll make it in daylight so I took my time and enjoyed the heater in the truck several times while packing up the sled and my snowmachine to go. I took a large container filled with emergency gear and food along with a fuel cube with 16.5 gallons of gas to grubstake me until I could get some 55 gallon drums hauled in.

By 10:30 it was light and I left Nancy and the warm truck behind. I stopped a couple miles down river from the launch and checked the binder straps on my sled to be sure things were good. With Denali and Foraker on the Northern horizon I snapped a couple pictures with fingers that could feel the bite of being out of my big leather & fur mittens and then I drove for 75 miles.



Here's a cropped shot of the big mountains;

To help put this trip into perspective, think of some town or creek that you drive to that is 75 miles away. Now consider driving a snowmachine that distance on river trails that will get very rough in some stretches for miles at a time. When you add the fact that the little sled you're pulling with your supplies & fuel has no suspension you must be very careful when you get into mogles and ice shelves. Very seldom does the river freeze in the late fall and stay that way. They freeze and breakup several times, each successive freeze forms ice ridges and shelves that can be 2 - 6 foot high. These make for a long trip.

I made it by about 2:30 in the afternoon and found the place perfectly frozen inside and out.


When I reached Hewitt lake there was very little snow out there, only 14 - 16" covered the ground and that's the least I've ever seen in December. That would all change over the next 3 months. By the time I would leave the snow would be piled up to just beneath the windows.

When I said that not leaving late on the 22nd was the best choice I made for 2012 I didn't know it until I got inside the cabin. My stove pipe cap had been torn off by wind during the summer and I had not replaced it. The first thing you do after a ride here in -25 degree weather is build a fire. When I opened the stove door to remove the ashes from the last use I knew why the decision not to leave and arrive in the dark on the 22nd was the best choice I had made in 2012.

Remember the blog post about the great flood of 2012? Well I opened the stove to find a pile of snow but that was the least of the problem. The bottom of the stove had filled with water from the endless rains of fall and was a 3" deep slab of ice. This would have been a disaster in the dark with colder air temps but it was bad enough as it was. The inside thermometer said -25 and I was a long way from a fire. With daylight wanning I had to think & move quickly. I took our little charcoal grill apart and found that the lid would fit through the stove door. I used kindling and charcoal to make fire & heat that would loosen the ice by warming the body of the stove. After removing the snow I placed my heater into the stove and waited. It took about half an hour for the ice to loosen and then I used a wood splitting maul to break it up so the pieces would fit through the door. I used the trash can to load up the ice and carry it outside.

What an incredible mess!


Almost done here.

I got my fire going and by 3:00 AM I had the place up to 45* inside and was able to sleep comfortably. All I could think of was how bad this would have been had I arrived in the dark. Anything like this is worse in the dark and when you are so cold that you're shaking from head to toes it seems even worse than it is.

I'll leave that as this entry and continue with things in the pages that follow. The weather did take a turn to the warm, too warm by the end of January but the first 2 weeks things were a steady negative reading on the thermometer. What a start that was with the ice in the stove :D

Your comments are most welcome. ]]> Hardyreels http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/hardyreels/256-long-winters-work-cabin.html Winters Work part 2; http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/hardyreels/257-winters-work-part-2.html Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:24:13 GMT With the difficulties of my arrival behind me it then became clear that the insulation under the cabin floor has needed work for years. I spent 2 days remedying this during which time the temps never passed negative readings. Finding the offending areas was tough because the insulation had been... With the difficulties of my arrival behind me it then became clear that the insulation under the cabin floor has needed work for years. I spent 2 days remedying this during which time the temps never passed negative readings. Finding the offending areas was tough because the insulation had been installed by someone other than myself................ The bottom of the floor joists were covered by heavy plastic stapled in place and then a sort of wire mesh also stapled up to hold the rolled fiberglass in place. Inspection reveled many bare spots and fortunately I had 2 rolls of R-33 insulation each 32' long to tighten things up. For the time being I replaced the plastic and wire mesh but had 20 4 X 8 sheets of styrofoam insulation shipped out to seal things up for good this coming summer. Yes, summer will be work time too if this place is ever to improve.

Once things were sealed from below it was easy to keep the place 65* or better inside and that is the warmest we've ever had it out there. Warm & happy I began to work on framing up an 'indoor privy room', this is for a canister commode and a small wash counter with a basin for the sake of better hygiene. The idea of not visiting an outdoor toilet at -30* appeals to us greatly :)

Under way;


Ready for wiring and then sheeting with ceder boards.

I intend to wire the place for 4 overhead electric lights and a ceiling fan all the way up in the peak of the second floor ceiling. This little room is where I'll put the breaker box and on the outside wall by the door a gang of 4 switches. I knew as I worked that it will be springtime before I run the wires even though the supplies for the job are on site.

After the room was framed I went to work leveling floor joists from the loft upstairs over to the windows in the gable in front. This area was open space and although we have 2 large windows facing north we can't really sit and look out of them at the Aurora at night.

Hanging the joists on the loft side was easy but on the gable end they had to nest on the log beam that spans the front wall. This meant notching, shimming, and blocking them fast with pieces of 2 X 4 to hold them in place. Getting things level and plumb in a log cabin is not as easy as conventional construction but I'm level and plumb on everything I did.







I'm seeing a carpeted deck with 2 comfy chairs and a little table here.

After getting the bridge frame in place I finished the ceiling upstairs. It is sheeted with 3/4 X 3.5" X 8' pine boards. I cut each to square the butts with a hand saw miter box and staggered them so that butt joints are all separated by 2 or 4 runs of ceiling boards.



I'm not sure whether I'll use finish on them or not, it took over 600 boards to sheet the entire ceiling.

By the time I had done all of this it was getting cold again and time to start clearing trees from the lake shore up the slope to the cabin. I should have done a before and after picture but didn't think of that. When I was done, the day before I left in March, I had cut over 60 trees. 30 of the trees were large with the biggest being 30" at their base and over 60' tall. I cut them all into either fire wood size or 16' logs to be used for out buildings. All the cutting and hauling was done over a 4 week period and at that time we had about 4.5 feet of snow on the ground or more. Some days I wore snow shoes to work from 9:00 AM until 6 or so.

I'll show you the pictures of the work, the trees, and the finished job on the next page.

Your comments are most welcome. ]]> Hardyreels http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/hardyreels/257-winters-work-part-2.html Winter Work part 3, Clearing The Hill; http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/hardyreels/258-winter-work-part-3-clearing-hill.html Thu, 11 Apr 2013 22:23:25 GMT The adventure was all about work and some of it was as hard and heavy as any I've done in my life and I've not been shy about manual labor. The cabin looks great from the outside in the summer............... Even in the winter the outside looks good.

By the date I took this the snow had been deepening every day and the skies stayed steel gray for weeks on end.




Boss and I were so glad to see the sun when it finally came out and began climbing above the horizon in late January the change of pace was noticeable.

Between fighting off the bush every summer trying to create a good clearing and cutting firewood every winter there has never seemed to be time to get serious about the interior. Essentially our downstairs was one large room, 24 X 24' and the loft was a 24 X 16. The framing and second floor work changed the scope of work for the interior and I needed to get busy outside. Over the spring and summer I'll wire it up and install the insulation in the first floor ceilings all around and then sheet them with the twenty 4 X 8 1/4" sanded plywood I had brought in by sled. I have ordered a 12' long custom freight sled for pickup this coming fall. With one of those and the new Ski Doo Skandic Superwide we got in January I'll be able to haul in loads up to 1200 pounds safely. This will pay for itself quickly because current freight charges are .30 per pound. Every thousand pounds = $300 and the loads I had this winter cost almost 800 dollars in freight delivery fees on top of a couple thousand paid for all the materials.

All of that inside stuff went pretty quickly, then came the outdoor work. We have 650' of shoreline but it has been pretty much covered with large birch and spruce trees since the place went up. I'm talking lots of trees in the 20 - 30" base size along with plenty of small alder and willow spread among the young birch. The trees present a 2 fold problem, first they block sun & a good view of the lake, secondly they acted as a wind break from the breezes that often move over the lake. No breeze = a great environment for mosquitoes! I've traveled, camped, and fished from Newfoundland to Alaska and never have I seen so many mosquitoes! They make summer not so fun.

So I spent 5 weeks cutting trees and hauling them in either firewood size logs 22 - 24" length or taking the spruce trees in pole length between 10 & 16' logs for use as construction logs. Over the 5 weeks I cut and hauled over 50 large trees. My little Tundra 550 long track got a real workout but it hauled even the largest spruce logs up the hill to the stack. Oh, I forgot to mention that all this cutting took place on a slope / hill that leads down to the lake shore and in 4' of snow. Because of the snow much of this work was done while wearing snowshoes.

If I live long enough I want to use the cabin as a base camp for guiding fishing trips to the upper reaches of the local rivers. By starting from the cabin you can easily get yourself 100 miles from the nearest boat launch and that cuts the crowd significantly........

These pictures will help to show how the shore is now cleared. I should have done a before & after but it didn't occur to me to do that.



Each tree had to be dug out to the ground leastwise you end up with a forest of 6' stumps when the snow melts.


The saw has a 25" bar on it and for some of the trees it was not enough to make it in one cut.........


I ended up with one of the fire wood piles being 22' long - 6' high - and 10' wide. There are also a huge batch stowed under the cabin until I split them in spring along with several huge piles of camp fire wood up to 4" diameter.


I got enough pole logs to start another cabin but they will make the upright framing for the 'New & Large Woodshed' and snowmachine parking spot. I need a generator shed too...........


Here's a couple medium size down and the stumps ready to be cut out. These were among the first trees cut and the snow had not gotten real deep yet.


A stump being cut out, you use plunge cuts to take out the roots below ground level.


All this cutting is accompanied but chopping all the small limbs from the trees into pieces that can be burned so you don't leave a snarled mess of tree tops behind your work. The fire shown was when I started. I pretty much had a constant burn going for weeks at a time. The snow fell as well as the trees and when I was done I had a hole in the snow 4 feet deep with a diameter of 15 feet.


With everything cleaned up I loaded for home rigging 2 sleds in order to carry everything that needed to go with me.



By the time that March 27 rolled around the part of the hill I had cleared first was covered in fresh snow and no trace of all the work could be seen. The area I finished the day before I left shows the sawdust covering the snow.

I stopped and took this picture as I rode away from my place in the Bush Country.




I'll be glad to write something about fishing soon but this is what I was doing all that time I was away from the forum here and home. By the time I can break out a Spey rod and go fishing I will have earned it I'd guess.

Your comments are most welcome.

Ard ]]> Hardyreels http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/hardyreels/258-winter-work-part-3-clearing-hill.html How can you verify line type? http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/bobbrown/255-how-can-you-verify-line-type.html Sun, 07 Apr 2013 01:08:51 GMT The first thing I do with a new fly line is mark the backing end..permanent marker. Long mark = 5...short mark = 1. so, an eight weight would be one long mark followed by 3 short marks. The first thing I do with a new fly line is mark the backing end..permanent marker. Long mark = 5...short mark = 1. so, an eight weight would be one long mark followed by 3 short marks. ]]> bobbrown http://www.theflyfishingforum.com/forums/blogs/bobbrown/255-how-can-you-verify-line-type.html