Fire Tiger Foam Diver

Just a quick post on a foam diver color combo I did.  I'm a big fan of the Fire Tiger color combo.  We have been doing foam divers for an order.  Love them.  Fished them twice this year with spectacular results.  These flies will be available when we eventually make it through our backlog.  Anyways, here is the Fire Tiger Diver color combo:

Hook: Gamakatsu B10S size 2
Thread: Flat waxed nylon
Tail: 20 pound mono loop
Tail: Hareline Dubbin Inc Micro Rabbit in Orange
Tail: Copper Flashabou
Marabou: Hareline Dubbin Inc Hot Orange
Palmer Chenille: Black
Marabou: Hareline Dubbin Inc Chartreuse
Eyes: Hareline 3/16" Oval Pupil 3D eyes Orange/Black Pupil
Finish it off with Loon Outdoors UV Clear Fly Finish flow
Dog hair not included.....golden retriever/yellow lab mix must be purchased separately

Some Streamer Love

I've been doing some streamer tying as of late.  Working on stuff for largemouth.  I have come up with a few color combos that I feel will work quite nicely.  There really isn't much to this fly.  It is tied on a size 6 Mustad R73-9671 hook.  I have run a mono loop of 20 pound test fishing line off the back of the hook.  Next up, I used mirco rabbit strips since it is a size 6.  I did some with and some without Krystal flash.  I then added layers of marabou and Palmer chenille as I made my way up to the eye of the hook.  Last, but not least, I added in a small amount of red Ice Fur for a throat.  After measuring, I added a Fish Skull to the front of the fly.  Tie in a thread dam in front of the Fish Skull and seal it with some Loon Outdoors UV Clear Fly Finish Flow and you are ready for action.  A short water test showed that the materials compress nicely.  I'm excited about these guys and I can't wait to see what people catch with them.  I am hoping the largemouth tear them up but they are also small enough for my local smallies.  Going to be good times!

A Tribute To France

I was recently on the Partridge Hook Forum on Facebook and read a post about the tragic events in Paris almost two weeks ago.  Mark Hamnett, Partridge Hooks, invited their friends and fellow tyers, no matter whose hook or whose vise they are tied on to tie their favorite fly in the colors of the French national flag which are red, white and blue.  Partridge Hooks is going to get them framed and send them to retailers in France in a show of solidarity.  Fly fishing and fly tying are truly international and there is a bond between us all regardless of who we are or where we live.  

Many probably do not know this, but I had the opportunity to visit France and in particular Paris last year.  It truly is a marvelous and spectacular city.  I loved every minute of it and I hope one day to be able to return.  Seeing the events unfold that Friday night really bothered me.  It was something I could connect with since I had been there.  Not only did it bother me because I had been there, but it bothered me to see innocent civilians lose their lives at the hands of terrorists.  Terrorism, regardless of the reason, has got to stop.  

As of late, we have been tying divers for orders.  I did well with divers over the summer when I was able to fish them.  I even managed to land a personal best largemouth on one.  Anyways, I felt the diver was a perfect fly to tie in the national colors of France.  

I used a Rainy's small diver head in white and tied it on a size 2 Gamakatsu B10S stinger hook.  Unfortunately, I did not have any Partridge Hooks.  At some point I would love to get my hands on some.  Starting from the back and working forward, I used Hareline Micro Rabbit in blue for the tail, I added Flashabou in Pearl, Red and Blue, I used Hareline marabou in blue with blue Palmer Chenille, white Hareline marabou with white Palmer Chenille and then red Hareline marabou with red Palmer Chenille.  Next, I used a blue and red Prismacolor marker to make the tricolor flag on the white diver head.  After it dried, I used an acrylic spray to seal it.  The lines aren't perfect by any stretch of the imagination but I am pleased with it.  It was finished with Hareline 3/16" Oval Pupil 3D eyes in pearl/black.  I hope it will bring some happiness to someone when they see it in a fly shop in France. One day maybe I will get there again to see it in person.  

Here are some in progress photos as well as the finished product.  Let me know what you think. Thanks.

A Swap Of Tying Materials?

Earlier this year, I posted a question as to whether or not anyone would be interested in exchanging tying materials on my blog.  A few answered up.  Winter is right around the corner and for a lot of us our fishing days are over until the Spring.  Most of us turn toward fly tying as a way to pass those dark, cold, and long winter nights.  I was thinking of hosting a swap of tying materials and I would like to know who might be interested.  Basically it would work like this: I would send a box of materials to a person, who would go through it, pick out what they want and then put stuff in it from their stash that they don't want.  They would, in turn, ship it to the next person on the list.  I would like it to not be a box of crap sent from person to person but rather quality materials no longer being used or needed.  I am attaching some photos of some of the stuff I would be willing to send along in the box from my stash. I am hoping we can get this thing up and running.  If you are interested, let me know please.  Looking for say 12 people.  You can email me at jandmflies@gmail.com.  I look forward to hearing from you all soon.  Thanks.

So I Went To The Fly Shop Last Week

and I came home with a few things......

All were "needed" items.  Do I have a problem?  I'm not sure.