Inconnu

Hi again. I was talking to Casting for Life here in Alberta while I was at the show. I had supported them in the past, but due to some executive turmoil I was unable to continue the support due to lack of communication. I have since reconnected with them and chatted about what their needs are. While I promote the support of Casting for Recovery in the east, I wanted to also support the similar organization here in the west. Fortunately I found that we could do this without compromising the fly supply to the CFR, CFL here in Alberta does not need flies, mainly in part to the kindness of the volunteers who attend and help at the retreat they hold each year. What they do need however is wading boots. They are hoping to find people who have an unused pair of boots languishing in the closet or the garage, in smaller mens sizes or in womens sizes. I think a mens size 8 would be as large as you may want to go. If you have unused wading boots in useable shape and would care to donate them, please contact me and I will let you know about possible pick up or delivery points. They seem to be out of Calgary to give you an idea of the logistics. If you or someone else was travelling there we might be able to arrange a pick up. Thanks again folks....Kerry

I just wanted to say thanks here to Pacres, Ladystrange and Maxwell for donating a large amount of flies to the Casting for Recovery fly collection I am accumulation. The strange but large hearted Lady also donated a sieable sum of cash as well. I am continuing to collect flies for this organization until the end of April at which point I will mail them off with a card, bearing the names of the donators. LS I will be asking them to send you a receipt for the cash as well. Thanks again folks!

I will be at the booth on Saturday. If you want to drop donations of flies off there I will have a card for you to sign as well. Thanks.....Kerry

Moving the legs a little forward would be great. I agree with SJ it would be great to see a step by step. Many of the damsel nymphs I have seen are lighter on the bottom, but that may be water specific. Great job.....Kerry

LS if you are at the show on Saturday or Sunday I can leave some starling at the FACA booth if you like....Kerry

The wedge shape is more or less what you are looking for. When you fish it on a sinking tip line, you do a quick strip and rest retrieve and the low profile front end digs into the water and it splashes up over the rest of the mouse. Makes lots of noise, which is what you want. Good shape, it will work well for you I would think!

Man if a messy tackle box was lucky I would have caught more fish as a youngster. My ritual was Spring cleaning, you know on the day before the season opened, you sit up at night cleaning old line etc. out of the box and organize it for the first and only time in the season. Now I find a clean and ordered tackle box allows me to select and change lures easier and quicker than I would be able to with a messy one, sometimes that makes the difference between a couple of fish and a busy day

A few pairs of sun glasses.....over the years I guess, not much else.....and I leave my cell phone in the truck, do not want to be called while I am fishing and I went for years without being eaten by a bear so I don't need to call for help too often.

That has happened to me several times. Once with a cat, once with a dog. Just size them into zip-locks and wash the ones that need it. Looks bad but you can probably salvage quite a bit.

Hey Birchy I hope things get better for you from this point. Glad they didn't hurt anyone else, I figure they deserve what they get but nobody else needs to get hurt in the process. I had a company truck stolen, they parked it outside their apartment building and left their welfare cheque on the seat. How ironic is that? Somebody stole my flyfishing chest pack out of my truck, which left me pretty upset, but a couple of hours later the paper boy showed up with some of it and asked if it was mine, because he knew I was a flyfisher. He took me back to where he had found the stuff and I recovered all of the rest of it. The thief probably thought that it was a camera case. paper boy did a good thing and I tipped him pretty well. Keep us up to speed on how you are doing with a new car/insurance etc.

Great tutorial! To answer a question, if you start your thread at the back end of the hook where the first bundle goes and then flare it on the blank shank, it should be easier. I was taught many moons ago to flare on a bare shank. That being said you did a great job on this pattern regardless.

I usually avoid lifting the thing out of the water, though I have been coerced into it about four times in the last five years. Mainly for pictures for guides etc. I just think if I am going to let it go, the less it is handled out of the water, the better. That being said I have also seen the biologists handle the fish by their gill plates and would see no reason not to.

What a great gift and from what I can tell, you have done a great job of the presentation of the flies! I am sure he will love it!!

I had heard they had smaller flies in New Zealand, this just confirms it!!

Personally I like the vests with built in floatation. Stearns or Mustang make them, with a pull cord to inflate. Either way, wading or tubing they are a safe way to go.

That's ashame they won't be able to be displayed, but you did a heck of a job, great flies!

I've started collecting them from a carver out of Ontario. I can't post much until after boxing Day but I will. The old antiques/collectables are the pricey decoys, the guy I collect from is pretty reasonable, but I figure they are a good investment and a nice addition to the house....Kerry

I just bought an OTT lamp today for someone. The coupon will not work at Michaels because they are already on sale. The unit I bought was regular 239.95 and I paid 143.95 before GST. so it is still a good deal. I do not know if they are all on sale, in which case the coupon would work if there was a model you wanted that was not on sale. They make a nice desk lamp with magnifier, I think it was 169.00 regular and they make a floor lamp with magnifier that goes for 269.95 I think. I do not know if either of these was on sale as I did not find out the one I bought was on sale until I brought it to the 'till. Natural light tubes will not distort the colours of what you are tying and the tubes give off almost no heat.

Still waiting in the parking lot....no sign of the culprits.....I'll keep you posted....

I won't be as blunt as that but I have to agree with drbulltrout. Perhaps in a European manner flies have not evolved in the same direction as they have here. I cannot believe that anyone could think that mimic type or realistic patterns do not come with some imagination involved in the making. Many new materials have come about because of envisionment. This holds true to the alternate use of standard materials as well. While it is true there are many patterns that come from careful observation, there are just as many that come from a more casual stance. I think what we see more often than not, is the preference of a person, to one or two styles of flies and then we tend to bend our explanations and expectations to suit what we like. As for Atlantic Classic Patterns, I have to say that perhaps the more ostentacious the pattern the more self-important one could feel, but evolution is inevitable and I think that a lot of that evolution has happened in North America. This is not to say that Europe has been left behind, I believe it has moved in a different direction. Looking back at the many "traditional" wet fly patterns I see hundreds of them that relied on attractor qualities, there is one in the pictures we are voting on. Married wings which are prevalent in many of the patterns, were done with the same intent as using rare feathers, to show you could. That being said there are attractor qualities to them as much as to many other patterns and there is nothing wrong with how they are designed, or why they are designed. This is obviously my opinion here and I have no favourite patterns. I sort of prefer the patterns that catch fish for whatever reason the fish may come up with for biting it....

You are only as good as the competition and I can think of no reason you shouldn't. I was looking around for a negative post about this? You have inspired me to try Atlantic patterns, I am sure others feel the same way about either your flies or other tyers who work at a different level than many of us....Make that two XL hats Darren.....

Loon outdoors makes a product that is called Stanley's Ice Off Paste. Some people use vaseline but it is a petroleum based product that creates cleaning problems of its' own. http://www.loonoutdoors.com/cleaners.html

I think if you are imitating baitfish they help. Prey has large eyes on the side of the head, sort of a natural inidicator of your position on the food chain....Kerry

Nice stuff!! Great way to start a collection or do you already?

You know it is funny and sad at the same time 'cause the truth can hurt! Why is it that 99% of all accidents I have seen up here are on straight lear roads???