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M. saxatilis

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    Licensed cynic & sceptic

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  1. I have used both of these vises and prefer the Renzetti. They each have their place and are of high quality craftsmanship. However, the reason I prefer the Renzetti is that it does not have a hook groove in the jaws as the DynaKing does. It became obvious to me early on in my tying that there were some hook types (because of bend) that would not fit into the groove such that the hook shank rest horizontal with the tying surface. The hook would ride slightly pointed up and I was not satisfied as it eliminated the true rotary feature of the vise. Renzetti does not have this groove. In the market for a new vise, I revisited my biases against the DynaKing line believing that I might have outgrown my early dysfunctional tying abilities. But alas, I found that I could not get my fly tying groove on because of...wait for it...the grooves in the jaws. That said, I went in a completely different direction with a new vise with a Norvise. Couldn't be happier. But, my Father has a DynaKing Barracuda and he LOVES it light years over his old Renzetti traveler. So, I think it boils down to slight differences in personal preferences. The BEST piece of ad-vise (see what I did there?) I could offer would be to go somewhere where there are these two different vises (maybe a club tying nite) or to a friend to borrow one, then the other, and tie on them a lot to see which one you prefer. Regardless, I am sure you could buy either, the best model your money can afford, and you will be satisfied. So, no matter which brand you end up going with (or if some other not previously considered), please share your tying creations with us here on the FTF! Kevin
  2. Bob Clouser writes he sticks a dozen or more in a black ace comb then paints them all at once. Set the comb aside it stands upright and allowed to dry. Wash. Rinse., Repeat
  3. Pffft - that's so old. All the coolest kids are using composite loops!
  4. Liquid Fusion works excellent for applying 3D molded eyes to a fly. The problem you will always have is the flat back eye against the curvature of the thread wraps. A buildup of "other stuff" (as with a base of light cured acrylic) always helps followed up by a second coating over the eyes and cured. If you don't have any Light cured acrylic (e.g., Solareze, Tuffleye, Loon) Liquid Fusion straight from the bottle works well and is a much more affordable solution over the short term. Here's how I would do it. A small dollop on the back of the eye, then pressed to the fly where you want it. Once dried, apply a drop centered on the eye, spread evenly down onto the fly thread base while making sure it completely coats the eye. Place in rotary fly dryer as it cures up. I learned this by tying Jonny Kings Kinky Muddlers and Hoo Fly patterns. Done correctly, your fly will fall apart long before the eyes come off. At least in the case with the flies I mentioned. Good luck.
  5. Generally speaking, any small fish. Colors are attractor patterns in schemes I have found most productive in the waters where I fish. Steelhead flies, and to a greater degree salmon flies, have little to do with imitating a particular species of prey (as Striped bass flies tend to do). However, there are as many imitator patterns that do intend to mimic prey species. Many of the rabbit winged flies shown above, (not particularly the Intruders in the 1st & last pic) will imitate sculpin. To take a quote from Modern Steelhead Flies by Rob Russell and Jay Nichols... "After a thorough review of the flies and the literature, it’s clear there are certain flies that have proven to be exceptional. Often those flies happen to imitate something in the steelhead’s world. Something that steelhead are compelled to grab ahold of, if only for a quick nibble. The clearest examples are skated caddis patterns, dead-drifted egg patterns and nymphs, and swung “leeches” or sculpins of various sizes and colors."
  6. It’s been a long time since I’ve post any of flies here. And although they are not Striper specific, they are patterns that the Steelhead and Browns will devour. You know, because we keep fishing even during the Striper off season. Most are 2-3.5” long and tied on shanks. Made for swinging. Enjoy.
  7. Fox works very well if you are going for a supple material with a lot of movement and in need of a marabou surrogate.
  8. BNick, I do not have a floating line, sorry. But if we're good, I will trade the 2 saddle packages, popper package, and the EZ package for the spool. I also have a package of mustad popper hooks and some estaz, prism eyes, and threads of various colors I will toss in. I cannot account for how much thread is on each spool but I know they're not used very often and are just sitting around in the spare spool draw. I will not be returning to town until Thursday this week and will send out the materials at the end of my workday Thursday if that works for you. I will get a USPS tracking number so you know all is on the up and up. If you prefer, wait until you receive my tracking information before you send the spool. PLease PM your mailing information. Thank you for the transaction.
  9. BNick, not sure the best way to move forward with putting together an offer so I thought I'd offer up a few material lots and what I think are fair trade values. Hopefully it will give us a starting point. If there is something in particular you are wanting please ask, I may have it. If we are able to come out with a trade without me having to add $, I would happily throw in bonus 'stuff'. To the SOL community members that may view this post, THESE ITEMS ARE NOT FOR SALE, I am ONLY offering these items to BNick for partial or full trade for the posted item; a Lamson Hard Alox 3.5 spool. Out of respect for the OP and TimS, Please do not post offers for any of the materials post to this thread. Thank you. Hooks TMC 811s $20.00 ea 3/0 (24 hooks) 4/0 (23 hooks) TMC 911s $25.00 ea. 3X Strong/4X Long (Discontinued) 1/0 (25-new in package [NIP] ) 2/0 (25) 3/0 (25 NIP) 4/0 (25 NIP) Mustad C683 SS $10.00 (Discontinued?) 2X Heavy/2X Short 3/0 (30) Gamakatsu. SL12S 1/0 $5.00 E-Z Body Package $15.00 Medium pearl (nip) Small pearl (nip- Hareline) Small pearl (partial) Small tinsel (nip, 3’) Large pearl (3’ 6”) Foam Popper package (Bob’s Bangers) $4.00 Foam Cylinders 3/4” (x4) 1 cylinder is cut in half 5/8 (x3) Holographic Tape multi color Holographic Tape gold Slinky Fiber package $20.00 Natural, Olive, Dark Grn (nip) Light Purple, Brown (nip) Misty, Sea Blue, Grey, White (all >70%) Tuffleye Light $30.00 (Missing rubber gasket to affix light shield to flashlight) Saddle/Neck Package #1 $25.00 Neck, Yellow (~80%) Saddles Gray (~70%), Purple (~80%) Saddle Package #2 $25.00 Turquoise Grizzly (~90%) Olive/Gray (~80%)
  10. Hello BNick, what’s your lowest price for the spare spool? Interested in any partial/full trades for fly tying materials at all? Saddles, TMC 911s? maybe? Thanks for your reply.
  11. Are you using the wall power adapter or batteries? If the latter I suggest changing out for newer batteries. If they are fully charged, I suggest you got a bad batch of tuffleye or are not using a tuffleye brand light. It has been my experience that other product lights (Loon UV light for example) will not fully cure Tuffleye product. It's been a while since I used Tuffleye but I still use light cured acrylics regularly.
  12. I don't see the need to do this at all for the tying I do with bucktail. If I pull the hair straight up at 90 degrees from the hide I get nice close cuts without a lot of waste. I get the appeal the prepped tails in the video present but again, for me it's an added step that I have no need for. Given I have somewhere between 75-100 bucktails in my tying drawer right now this is not a time saving endeavor.
  13. The in-line design of the Clouser attachment will work against you if you are tying most flies other than Clousers. When applying material to the hook it is good to have room to work behind the bend of the hook. This is important with material placement and having the ability to get your fingers in there where it matters most. The Clouser arm puts a lot of the vice jaws right there at the back of the hook bend whereas the regular traveler vise puts the hook offset, lower down on the hook bend. Not only for access to the hook (as previously described) but the regular jaws will not interfere with the materials once they are tied in. This will allow you to better see what the fly would look like out of the vise. Does this make sense?
  14. Pete Gray is the master at this technique. He calls it Phly Welding. If you can take your eyes away from the damascus steel jaws of his JLaw vise long enough to look at the flie it is holding, you'll see some amazing work. He's been doing it for maybe 2 years now. You could even pull a search here on SOL and get some of his work.
  15. I was pretty sad when Down n Trout left the scene. The box alone...
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