BowLurker

I was nymphing in the Springtime, in murky, knee-deep water, having a fun day. All of a sudden, it felt like something was thumping the bottom as I was wading. The banging and thumping got more and more pronounced and I promptly got out of the way as a full-sized semi wheel and tire bumped and rolled down current no more than 1m away!! One day later, there was a weird scraping, banging and thumping yet again in the same channel. I looked upstream to see a giant root system from a severed tree flipping and rolling and tumbling downstream. It was at least 2m in diameter, and whipping in the runoff. Weirdness!

Picked up the new issue of Fly Fusion magazine today for a quick read. Pretty obvious spelling error right on the cover. Wow. Arsenal folks, arsenal! Eeesh!

That rod must be so out of balance with a reel/line. Ingenuity! Great effort, though. I guess one could fish with the tip and a second from a regular rod as well!

Some folks still think that an 8-foot tall bank below the walking path hides them as they smoke/snort/shoot drugs. Little do they realize there are 4-6 fly fishers across the river on the shallow 'inside elbow' watching it unfold!! Weird.

Wading at a very early hour, with some wind in the Rockies, some of the weird sounds coming from Spruce & Pine rubbing together can sound altogether spooky. Try tying on a Sz20 Adams with shaking fingers!

Here we go!!! When you catch a seagull completely by accident, during the forward portion of a deliberate Snap-T...it's weird that they can pull some backing.

Tied a new 'Intruder' - style streamer today. My own pattern, but very similar to many. ...and under the marabou and rabbit strip...

I think it depends on which kind of nymphing one chooses. I used to fish the 'corkies' all the time, and caught some fish, but nothing to write home about. I even tried 'naked nymphing' which doesn't involve any kind of sighter or indicator. When I switched over to Euro-style nymphing, I was into fish almost every outing, even through the winter. Obviously the Euro technique isn't the best choice for every situation, but as a wading angler, this technique has given me more fish in one day than I had caught in a year trying streamers, swinging wet flies and dries. I need more experience with streamers, so I need some time with my 6W. Obviously @monger you are a master of the streamer technique...getting bored?

@WayneMYour fly looks just fine! Brush out the Hare's Ear fibres a bit and it'll look really buggy. With dubbing, less is more. Start with a smaller pinch, a lot less than you might think, and get used to how long the noodle has to be to reach the thorax or bead. Then, if one has to add some more to gain the taper needed, spin a little bit more on. It's always much easier to add dubbing compared to taking it off! Also, dubbing wax can help in some situations, especially with slippery silk or waxed threads. However, dubbing wax can gum-up the natural fibres, such as hare's ear or squirrel, and is easier to use with synthetic dubbing. If one is right-handed, spin the dubbing on the thread in a clockwise fashion, that way when one starts wrapping away from one's self, the twist is covered over and over with each wrap. Spinning the dubbing on counter-clockwise opens the noodle before wrapping and makes the dubbing loose and prone to unravelling. Good luck!

I've been really happy with my Redingtons for close to 3yrs now. Only issue I had was blowing out a few wear points on the neoprene heel, easily solved with green Solarez. I also bought the BPS branded waders and had success there too. Good waders don't seem like a big deal until the weather gets cold!

Tied a salmon fly called 'Kelsie's Hope'... Hopefully I showed some respect.

Hi Smitty, Hoo boy, depends which 'mudslide' you are speaking of...I can only speak for Canmore and Exshaw 2013. Talk to any guide up there, hey..maybe your spot wasn't touched! The fish, in my tiny opinion, have come back in different areas, but the Upper Bow has changed forever. Not bad Upper Bow places though, Seebe is weird. Maybe I know nothing about you! Haha... it's different these past few yrs. Happy Stampede!

Little bit of OT for my topic, but it's kind of related... Old-style website, very informative and to the point. https://www.jackgartside.com/art_pheasant_feathers.htm I know some of the individual Ringneck Pheasant feathers, but I had no idea how many uses there were for such a skin. My particular one will last me a wee while. -M.

Hope they didn't forget anything up top after all that! Pretty sweet!

Thanks a bunch, El Doctor Argento (), it's a commercial skin that is still very pliable, and just a touch of oil on the skin itself. The feathers are in great shape, however, so I think I'll hold off washing until I get down closer to the skin. Surprised I found a high-quality skin at the 'big box store' north of Calgary... -M.

Hi folks, hope everyone is staying cool out there. oofdah! I was able to purchase a full Ringneck Pheasant skin, (minus the head) and it's obviously been treated with Borax, or a similar substitute. There are many beautiful feathers on this skin, and I wouldn't want to wreck them by cleaning the wrong way. I did some research, and dish soap seems to be the standard, but I would appreciate any input before I take it out of the plastic bag to start washing. Thanks in advance, and I look forward to your response. -M.

I was in Private Schoolbut I remember her book.....

Thanks SilverDoctor Finally got my Macro setup going properly... I'm looking at presenting some of my flies to the local shops this year, so trying my best to get at least 25-30 patterns in a box I could show. My past few years I've been using smaller and smaller hooks as well. It's tough tying, but wow do they work! PM'd....thanks. -M.

Jig-hook Lightning Bug in Sz 16. Love these all year!

Red-butt Yellow Sally in Sz 16. The tiny red bead makes it sit just right...

I'm a Red Seal Journeyman, but with no equipment. Had to sell my truck a long time ago, due to the economy. Could put some feelers out if you like..? Otherwise we'd have to rent a machine, but it would never break... -M.

I'll definitely send off a package as well. Great idea!

I'm calling it a Valentine's Egg. First tie of this pattern, need to make it more bushy...steelhead will probably bite it...you know who you are!

Incredible ties, ggp! Wow...