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peregrines

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    surf plugging, SW & FW FF, Tying
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  1. Gadabout gave you great advice. A tapered, knotless monofilament leader is thicker and stiffer at the butt where it attaches to the fly line and thinner and limper at the other end where attaches to the fly or a short length of tippet. The taper helps to roll out the leader at the end of the cast-- as opposed to just collapsing in a tangled heap of mono at the end of the fly line. The tippet is level mono of a specific diameter designated by it's X-- the higher the number X, the thinner and limper the tippet. For small flies you use a thinner tippet with a higher X, for larger flies a thicker tippet with a lower X. For simplicity sake, you can get a rough idea of the size tippet to use by dividing the hook size of the fly by 3 to get the X tippet--- so for a size 12 fly, dividing 12 by 3 = 4, so 4X tippet. for a size 14 or 16 fly, dividing by 3 = 5X is a better choice For a heavier, larger fly like a size 8 woolly bugger, 8 divided by 3 = 2.6 so a 2X or 3X tippet would be ideal, but if you don't have tippet that heavy use the heaviest you have As Gadabout suggested a tapered 9' 4X leader with 2 spools of tippet (4X and 5X) should be great to start-- 4x for size 12 and larger ( including streamers and and buggers) and 5x for size 14 and smaller. Down the road you can add other size tippet spools as you start throwing smaller flies or throwing large flies on bigger water By the way, leaders are usually much simpler for saltwater where the weight of the flies is often enough to extend the leader.
  2. As Grousechaser gave you good advice for the basics and Hendrickson's hatching in the afternoons are good bet when you're there. There are traditional Catskill style dry flies (with a hackle collar) for these hatches as well as other versions such as comparadun, thorax style and parachute versions for each of these hatches which sit lower in the film that might more effective. Some dark colored dries to match Blue Wing Olives 18 hatch all day with brownish olive bodies and gray wings Hendricksons (female) with pinkish tan body and gray wings and Red Quills (male) with dark brown bodies and gray wings hatch in the afternoon size 14, Gray Fox size 12 hatch afternoons (tan body, gray wings) and some lighter colored dries for Light Cahills 14 hatch afternoon have creamy yellow body, light gray wings and owards end of May you might also run into Sulphurs size 16 hatch afternoon have creamy yellow to orange tinged bodies and light gray wings Depending where you'll be fishing you should also have a bunch of caddis hatches going on so having some caddis dries dries is a good idea, but you may have more luck swing wet flies to imitate emerging caddis pupa since the adults don't sit on the water long. Swinging a Lafontaines Deep Sparkle Pupa down and across are a good bet if you have them (or if you have wet flies like a Lead Wing Coachman or soft hackles like a Partridge and Green that might be close enough if you already have them):. Black size 18 Dry= Black CDC and Elk or Black Elk Hair Caddis, Pupa= Black LaFontaines Deep Sparkle Pupa Green size 16 Dry= dark deer hair wing, olive body, pupa Brown and Bright Green Deep Sparkle Pupa Tan size 14-16 Dry= Light elk hair wing, tan body Pupa= Bright Green Deep Sparkle Pupa All of the above mayflies and caddis should be hatching in May in most of the streams in central NY when you're up there. Good luck!
  3. Your 9' 5 weight is a great all around trout rod and will give you a little more oomph for casting heavier flies like woolly buggers and weighted nymphs and larger stuff like streamers and poppers for bass. Your 7 1/2 ' 3 weight would e great for really small streams and/or throwing short casts with small flies like midges for trout-- and it would be a blast for throwing stuff like mini poppers and foam spiders for bluegills. A couple things about leaders -- a tapered leader helps a lot when casting flies for trout-- it helps to lay the fly out at the end of a cast so it doesn't collapse at the end of your fly line in a bird's nest. - Start with a tapered, knotless mono leader as long as your rod-- - In addition to a tapered leader, you'll also want spools of mono tippet material-- this is limp, untapered mono, and you tie about 2' of it on to the end of your tapered leader with a double surgeon's knot or blood knot. This way you won't be hacking up your tapered leader every time you change flies. - The thickness of the tippet- or thin end of the leader-- is measured in X's-- the thinner the diameter, the higher the X number. Ideally, the thickness of the tippet should correspond to the hook size of the fly== thicker heavier tippet for larger flies, thinner lighter tippet for smaller flies. A decent rule of thumb is to divide the hook size of the fly by 3 to get the X size of the tippet-- so a size 12 fly would use a 4x tippet.-- a size 8 or 10 bugger about a 3X, a size 16 dry fly about a 5X. It doesn't have to be exact, for example you could throw a size 6 bass popper on 3X, or a size 14 nymph or dry on either 4x or 5x, but the general idea is smaller fly thinner tippet, bigger fly thicker tippet. So since you'll be throwing a bunch of different flies-- from weighted buggers to nymphs and dries with your 9' 5 weight you might want to get a 9' 3x knotless tapered mono leader with spools of 3X, 4X and 5X for now. Tie a short 2' section of tippet to the end of your leader to match the fly size you're using 3X- stuff sized 10 and up, weighted buggers, streamers, poppers 4X- weighted nymphs, large size 10-12 dry fly patterns like grasshoppers, foam spiders for panfish 5X- small nymphs, trout dry flies size 14-16-18, (you'll want some 6X for size 18 and 20's eventually too) A 7 1/2 ' long leader for your 3 weight tapered to 5x and spool of 5X tippet should be fine for now. Hope this helps a bit-- good luck
  4. The NE Hatch guide is an excellent book for you. There are 4 main groups of aquatic insects-- at least as far as trout fishing goes Mayflies Caddis Stoneflies and Midges Mayflies have 3 major stages in their lifecycle with no pupal stage: Larvae (mayfly larva are called Nymphs) patterns like Pheasant Tail Nymph, Gold Ribbed Hares Ear imitate mayfly nymphs. Mayfly nymphs have 2 or 3 tails depending on the species. Subimago (called Mayfly Duns) these are sexually immature with upright wings-- they look like little sailboats on the water. Many of the most famous dry fly patterns imitate this stage, Blue Wing Olives Hendricksons, March Browns etc Imago ( called "Spinners") After the mayfly duns fly off the water they go to the underside of leaves on streamside bushes and trees where they undergo another metamorphosis into sexually mature spinners. The spinners mate, females return to the water to lay eggs and die. Mayfly spinners usually have clear "spent" wings-- instead of upright wings, the wings stick out horizontally like airplanes. The spinner form of the same mayfly species may look completely different from the dun of the same mayfly. Fly patterns of this stage of mayfly include the Rusty Spinner (which imitates the spinners in a wide variety of mayfly species), Sulphur Spinner and the Coffin Fly (which imitates the spinner stage of the Eastern Green Drake) Caddis also have 3 stages in their lifecycle, but it's differnt from mayflies-- larva- pupa - adult more or less the same as butterflies go through (caterpillar- pupa - butterfly) Larva- Caddis larva are worm like squiggly things with no tail. Depending on the species, caddis larvae construct cases out of sticks and vegetation, small pieces gravel etc. You can often tell which family of caddis are in by the type of cases they make-- some are long and tapered and look like chimneys, some look like saddles etc. There are also some types of caddis that are "free living" ( without cases or that build nets to trap food that drifts by. There aren't too many caddis larva fly patterns, but some are the Green Rockworm ( which imitates a free living caddis larva found in riffles) and the Peeking Caddis (which imitates one of the chimney cased caddis larvae) Pupa - like caterpillars changing into butterflies, caddis larva go through a metamorphosis in the pupa stage. They are very vulnerable to trout at this time. Patterns like LaFontaine's Sparkle Pupa, Z Wung Caddis etc are very realistic modern imitations of this phase. Other old school classic patterns, including many winged wet flies Lead WIng Coachman and Soft Hackles are also decent imitations Adult caddis pupa swim to the surface and split out of their pupal skin emerging as winged adults- They fly off, mate and the females return to lay eggs, either depositing them on the surface or actually swimming to the bottom to deposit eggs. Unlike mayfly duns with upright wings or mayfly spinners with spent wings, adult caddis have "tent wings" that are held over their back. Adult caddis imitations include Elk Hair Caddis, Henryville Caddis, CDC and Elk etc. Some patterns imitate caddis females that dive to the bottom to lay eggs-- LaFontaine's Diving Caddis is one example, but Softhackles like the Partridge and Orange also do a decent job of imitating this phase. Caddis don't have tails in any stages of their life cycle Stoneflies undergo 2 phases in their life cycle: Larvae (stonefly larvae are called nymphs) Stoneflies may live as nymphs for 2-3 years in the stream, growing in size and undergoing several molts, but having the same basic form. They have 2 tails. Popular stonefly nymph patterns include Kaufmann's Stonefly Nymph, Little Black Stone etc. Popular patterns like the Copper John, and Prince also do a decent job of imitating many stonefly nymphs. Adults- At some point the stonefly nymphs crawl up on rocks in the stream, split their nymphal skin and the winged adult emerges. A tell tale sign is finding split stonefly skins on rocks where they have emerged. Adult stoneflies range in size from smallish size 12- 14's to huge size 4's depending on the species. They tend to have longer bodies than caddis or mayflies and are usually tied on 3 or 4xl hooks. Popular adult stonefly patterns include Stimulators, Sofa Pillows, and various foam creations. Stoneflies fly like drunk drivers. Because the larva split out of their nymphal cases on land or on rocks, stoneflies don't have an "emerger phase" where they sit helpless on the surface trying to crawl out of their nymphal skin. Midges- like caddis they go through go 3 stages in their life cycle. They do not have tails in any of their stages: Larvae- these are generally thin and wormlike. Patterns that imitate this stage include the Zebra Midge, Blood Midge, Disco Midge and simple thread midges like the Black Beauty-- just black thread Pupa- Midge pupa generally have a slightly fattened thorax and always have feathery looking white gills at the head.. Patternsthat imitate them include Serendipities, Chironomid Pupa etc Adult- Winged adults emerge on the surface from the pupal skin. The wings are clear and held over the back. Unlike Mayflies, caddis and stoneflies, Midges have only 2 wings. Popular Midge Adult patterns include the Griffith's Gnat which also imitates clusters of other small stuff including small mayflies. Other adult midge patterns often include wings of clear synthetics like Z-lon or CDC feathers on small hooks, but other patterns the same size as the naturals often work well too. Midges are particularly important in stillwaters (lakes and ponds), in tailwaters (below dams), spring creeks and fertile rivers with low gradients. Although midges hatch all year, they tend to be most important on streams in winter when little else is hatching. To get a sense of the general timing of differnt hatches you're likely to run into, google "New England Hatch Chart" and check in with your local fly shop for specific info about the hatches on your particular streams. Good luck I hope this helps.
  5. As far as the merits-- having a vise with some sort of rotation that lets you view a fly from all sides is a plus. But as you point out there're 2 types of rotary vises-- those that are "true rotary" (also called "in-line rotary") that rotate the axis of the hook shank in the same plane and "360 Rotary" vises. 360 rotaries have jaws that rotate, and the flies can be viewed from all sides, but the hook shank doesn't rotate in the same plane. Examples of 360 rotaries are all the HMH vises, Dyna-King King Fisher, Regal Medallion etc. In this type of vise, tying is done in the traditional way by actually wrapping thread around the hook shank by hand. True rotaries include vises like the Renzetti Traveller, Peak Rotary, Dyna-King Trekker and Dyna- King Barracuda as just some examples. True rotary vises let you tie in the traditional way, but also let you do some things like wrapping thread or some other materials by holding the thread (or other stuff) stationary and spinning the jaws, the same way you might wrap a guide on a rod blank by spinning the blank. For rotary tying you'd want a wire arm that attaches to the stem of the vise called bobbin cradle to hold the thread bobbin-- these usually come standard with a true rotary vise. How much rotary tying folks actually do on a true rotary vise varies by tyer and by pattern -- I have both a true rotary Dyna King Ultimate Indexer (a Barracuda type) and a 360 rotary Regal Medallion ( with big game jaws that handles the wide range of hook sizes from small trout stuff to big saltwater hooks). Honestly, I haven't found a true rotary function to be that useful on most saltwater patterns and pretty much wrap everything by hand even on the true rotary vise. Another useful feature to consider is the ability to adjust the angle of the jaws up or down. Many 360 rotary vises (including the HMH Spartan and Regal Medallion etc) allow you to also adjust the angle of the jaws-- most "true rotary" vises ( with some expensive exceptions) have a fixed jaw angle that hold the jaws at about 30 degrees. Being able to adjust the angle is helpful for tying some patterns like inverted flies that ride hook point up. There are many excellent vises out there including models by HMH, Peak, Renzetti and Dyna King and others used by forum members here, so a lot comes down to personal preference. It pays to try tying on a bunch of different vises if you can get your hands on a few if you have some buddies that tie or a local shop nearby. Whatever vises you look at, just make sure the jaws will handle the range of hook sizes you intend to use-- especially since you will be tying for saltwater. Many vises have a single set of jaws that will accommodate a wide range of hook sizes, and some offer optional jaws for around $40 or so for tying really large or small sizes so consider the hook size range of the jaws and any necessary costs for optional jaws you might need. Good luck, and keep asking questions-- hopefully others will weigh in on how often they actually use the rotary tying techniques on their true rotary vises. Mark
  6. Mojo7-- you've gotten some good suggestions- you can go crazy getting all kinds of stuff-- and if you're like most of us, you probably will... but to just start off, you can do a lot of damage with a few standard patterns and some basic materials. Materials to start: Saltwater Hooks size 2 and size 1/0 or 2/0 Bucktails get large ones labeled “Saltwater Length“, “Extra Large” or “Jumbo” to get longest hair in colors White, Chartreuse (add yellow, olive, light blue if you can) $5-6 each Thread Danville’s Flat Waxed Nylon—a good strong thread: 2 spools each in colors black, chartreuse, white ($2 each) Flat Braided Mylar (for bodies on flies). Goes by many names, but stuff like Sparkle Braid, Diamond Braid, Bill’s Body Braid etc are all fine. Colors: Pearl, (add Silver, Gold) (about $2 each) 1/8 oz or ¼ oz pack of strung peacock herl ($2-4 a pack) ¼ oz pack of strung 6-7” long Saddle Hackle: White ($4 pack) Krystal Flash: Pearlescent ($3.50) Flashabou: Silver ($3.50) Lead Dumbbell eyes, size extra small ($3) Sally Hansens’ Hard As Nails (for use as head cement) ($3) Flies you can tie with this stuff: Glass Minnow: Chartreuse over white, brown over white (using the brown hair from the "wrong" side of the white bucktail) Ray’s Fly (made with olive over yellow over white bucktail) Bucktail Deceivers and Lefty Deceivers: White, Chart over white (Olive over white, blue over white,) Clousers: White, Chartreuse, Chartreuse over White These patterns are pretty simple to tie, use inexpensive materials and have caught tons of bass over the years. Tying these will also teach you techniques you'll use down the road for tying more complicated stuff. Once you've knocked out a bunch of these you can move on to more complicated patterns and add different materials
  7. Seems like a lot of folks are getting ready for steelhead-- here are a few more flies, just variations of some Western hairwing patterns originated by Randall Kaufmann. Freight Train (Top 2 rows) Hook: Salmon hook (Tiemco #7999 size 6 and 4 and Mustad #36890 size 2 here) Thread: Black Uni 6/0 Tag: Chartreuse flashabou wound as tinsel (none on original dressing) Tail: Purple Hackle fibers Rib: Fine gold wire (original dressing uses oval silver tinsel) Underbody: White Uni Underbody wrap (not used in original dressing) Body: Rear 1/4 Orange UV Ice Dub, next 1/4 Red UV Ice Dub, front 1/2 black UV Ice Dub (original dressing uses orange and red yarn and black chenille)) Wing: White Calf tail and a few strands of Pearl Krystal Flash Hackle collar: Purple dyed Chinese Hen cape (on size 4-6 here) or Purple Schlappen on size 2 here (original dressing uses stiffer purple dyed rooster cape or saddle feathers) Head: Black Coal Car (Bottom 2 rows) Hook: Salmon hook (Tiemco #7999 size 6 and 4 and Mustad #36890 size 2 here) Thread: Black Uni 6/0 Tag: Holographic silver/blue/gold flashabou wound as tinsel (none on original dressing) Tail: Black Hackle fibers on size 4-6 here, or hair from black dyed squirrel tail (on size 2) Rib: Fine gold wire (original dressing uses oval silver tinsel) Underbody: White Uni Underbody wrap (not used in original dressing) Body: Rear 1/4 Orange UV Ice Dub, next 1/4 Red UV Ice Dub, front 1/2 black UV Ice Dub (original dressing uses orange and red yarn and black chenille)) Wing: Black dyed Squirrel Tail fibers and a few strands of Black Krystal Flash Hackle collar: for flies 2-6 here, black Hebert Miner Hen Saddle (original dressing uses stiffer black dyed rooster cape or saddle feathers) Head: Black __________________
  8. BassAssassin In terms of brands you might want to look for " Danville's Flat Waxed Nylon" -- it's a strong thread ( 210 denier) so you can torque down on it to bind stuff to the hook on teasers and saltwater flies without breaking. It comes in a bunch of colors-- i mostly use black, white and chartreuse, about $2 per spool
  9. Wow! Outstanding. Great job Fred, your flies are always a pleasure to look at.
  10. No--- The ones in the pic are dry fly capes (actually 1/2 capes since they are cut lengthwise) from the neck of the bird. The stuff in the most demand now are dry fly saddles. The feathers from a dry fly saddle are longer (sometimes 12-14" long from something like a Whiting dry fly saddle), than the typical feathers from a dry fly cape (which typically range in length from 2" at the top of the neck to 8-10" for a relatively few narrow feathers on a cape). Dry fly capes like the one in the pic can still be found pretty easily in fly shops. It's the dry saddles that are now pretty rare in shops that are going for crazy prices. Hopefully this fad will burn itself out quickly.
  11. Yes the Pate Tarpon is heavy at 13 oz and has a smaller backing capacity of 300 yards of 20 lb micron (with a 12wt fly line) compared to the Tibor Gulfstream at 11 ounces and with a larger backing capacity of 300 yards of heavier 30 lb micron (also with a 12 wt fly line). On the plus side, the Tarpon is built like a tank and about $200 less expensive than a Gulfstream, and sometimes you can find a used one for a great price. I don't have any experience with the Signature, but do have some experience with some of Ted Juracsik's other reels (direct drive Pates and Tibors) and have caught several tarpon up to 140lb+ on Tibor Riptides (which seems like a comparable size reel to the Signature 9/10). Hopefully folks on the forum with experience with the Signature will chime in but the Tibor Signature 9/10 sounds like it is more than enough reel for bluefish and false albacore and should handle other species that can be hard on tackle like roosterfish, mahi mahi, permit and some of the smaller tunas as well.
  12. Venus- There are excellent fishermen that fish for big powerful fish like tarpon and tuna in both camps, some prefer Direct Drive and some prefer Anti Reverse. With an Anti-Reverse reel, the handle turns with the spool when you reel in line onto the spool (of course), but is stationary when line is being taken out off the reel against the drag. Pros: When a powerful, fast fish runs, the clutch in the Anti Reverse prevents you from getting your knuckles rapped by very rapidly turning reel handle, which can be very painful. You can also keep your hand on the handle when a fish is taking line, because it doesn't move when line is being taken out. Cons: Some feel that the clutch in Anti- Reverse reels does not allow as much maximum pressure to be put on the reel fighting a fish-- for example when trying to turn a fish or pumping and reeling in a large fish, some feel that AR reels are more subject to slippage. With Direct Drive reels, the handle turns whenever the spool revolves- either forward to reel line onto the spool (of course) , or backwards when the spool is turning and line is being taken off the reel against the drag. Pros: The direct drive reels allow a direct connection to the fish, and some believe that they can place more pressure on a fish with a Direct Drive reel than an Anti Reverse reel, where the AR clutch might be susceptible to slippage. Cons: Because the handle spins when line is taken off the spool, it is very easy to get your knuckles rapped by the handle when a large fish takes off and it can really hurt. But after a little experience most people seem to catch on quickly and adjust. There are other folks with more experience chasing big fish on this forum, and although I prefer direct drive, I don't think you could go wrong with either a DD or A/R from a high quality reel manufacturer, but if you have a particular reel in mind, or are looking for a reel in a particular $ range, you might want to provide more info and mention the fish you'll be chasing. (Most fish like stripers don't have the stamina and speed to stress reels the way big tarpon, tunas, billfish etc will) mark
  13. You might want to give these guys a call: Kelly White's Fly Shoppe in Sheperdstown, WV, about 30 miles from Berkeley Springs They're near the Potomac and Shenandoah Rivers (should be decent smallmouth fishing about now). They have a full service fly shop and run guided float trips, but they might also be able to tell you where you might access some stretches for wading that might be fishing well (maybe Packhorse Ford, down stream of Sheperdstown) , and/or recommend some trout streams you can access. There's also some excellent trout fishing in the upper sections of the North Branch of the Potomac and on the Savage River (across the border in MD)
  14. Hardtail, Sorry, I forgot to include this classic from the 1800's : "How to Dress Salmon Flies: A Handbook for Amateurs" by Dr Thomas Pryce-Tannatt Because the book is so old, its contents are now in the public domain so you can actually download the whole book in pdf format. (If you enter the title of the book into google it will take you to archive.org where you can grab it) The book will walk you through a series of flies from a simple grub to simple strip wings then on to much more complex full dress married wing patterns and spey and dee style flies. Although the illustrations are in black and white and its reference to many of the materials are dated (since a lot of stuff is off limits because of endangered status), the techniques are still very much valid and the step by steps are pretty good. It's also a pretty cool piece of tradition and history of these types of flies. Good luck! mark
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