Cutting Board Backdrop for Fly Vise

Ok I have made several back drops for my fly tying vise from trash and junk. Here's a new take on the back drop idea. I was in a small junk shop (Daily Deal) in the near by town of Marshall, NC. I spotted these little cutting board for a $1.50 a piece. The light went off. At those prices you couldn't pass them up?

Here's where I went. Take the two boards and fabricate a hing and lock.

Two 1/4-20 Eye Bolts, 1/4-20 Stove Bolt, Thumb screw and some assorted washer for spacer and alignment.

This is what you wind up with. A white back drop and a white work surface below the vise as well.

Feedback and opinions are welcome.

Dedicated to my son. I love you.

Material Strip Cutting Tool for the 'Chip Bag' Fly Pattern Family

There is a world of great materials out there that make some awesome Trash Flies. That material lies in some obvious places and sometimes some not so obvious places. I have found gems of recyclable material in all sorts of places. The problem with a lot of found treasures is that the shape of the material not conducive to a hook. Sheets of Mylar and Mylar ( Balloon and chip bags) like material becomes tedious to cut down to narrow enough to make small flies like size 18 or 20's.

This sort of made some major batch ties of good Trash Fly Patterns is tough to get into. All the scissor work wasn't efficient or terribly satisfying.

Awhile back I came across a really cool video while researching Zonker strips. A Zonker strip is a narrow strip of rabbit skin or some similar pelt. If you harvest your own or buy pelts intact this strip, cutting process takes a turn to the tedious as well as not giving a good final product. The Video I refer to is below.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wxWSpL22RuA

 It is a really great tutorial. I recommend you watch it.

That video got me to thinking about my own material forming issues. Here's how I adapted the idea to Mylar and Mylar like materials.

My version of the tool that is shown in the video. Only difference is my spacer may be thinner.

Cool Ranch Doritos bag cut into strips. The logo side of chip bags have some really 'buggy' colors. The inside is usually silver. Silver is great for some patterns and always a great flash strip in a wing case.

Check some previous articles for examples of flies tied with chip bag materials. Your feedback is always appreciated.

Please remember razor blades are extremely sharp. I would suggest you be careful and safe. 

Dedicated to my son. I love you.

Tie-One-On-Athon 2012 'Brief Recap'

Here's a few pictures of the Southern Culture on the Fly ,Tie-One-On-Athon 2012.

#20 Midges I tied using recycled 'headphone wire and insulation'

Pink 'Headphone' insulation.

Red 'Headphone' wire midge.

Project Healing Waters member tying some fishy looking streamer patterns.

Josh Garris " Great guide, fly tyer, and person in general."

Where great flies are born :)

Forrest rocking the vice making the bugs that get the fish.

Awesome Sculpin Pattern (Nice)

Randy Ratlif tying and teaching those how to make some awesome pattern. I learned some stuff. That's usual when I watch Randy at the bench. Great guy.

Thanks folks at SCOF for inviting me to participate and hangout. Project Healing Water is a great cause that attracts some awesome people as participants and volunteers. It was a honor to be involved.

Thin wire between a good midge and a great one.

Midges for those of you that are not familiar are the non-blood sucker cousin to a mosquito. They are very similar in appearances. They are found around the south eastern US in small streams to the grand trail-waters. In the tail-waters they can be counted on to catch fish year round. In the smaller streams a midge larvae can do a wonder on fish in the colder months of winter. It is a pattern worth learning to tie.

A lot of folks fear the midge larvae. This fear is not necessary, it is a easy pattern and one that can be tied with or with out the Trash Fly component. You know I went with the Trash Fly twist :)

 Tic-Tac bead tamer courtesy of my friend Overbrook

 Pringles lid hook keeper salvaged from a co-workers waste basket.

Hook: #18 Up-turned eye scud hook

Bead: Small brass

Thread: 8/0 Olive

Tail: two strands of flash

Rib: Salvaged wire strand from a communication cable.

Thread the hook with the bead already on it. Build the body up. Tie in strands for the tail and tip of the thin wire rib. Palmer the rib forward. Build a head behind the bead of thread. Coat the body in super glue, lacquer, or similar product.

Dedicated to my son. I love you.

Tie-One-On-Athon 2012

Wire from trash to Trash Flies

Started some long over due cleaning at work today. Got into a cabinet for a class I probably haven't taught in 13 years. Lots of stuff I am going to donate to other folks and a lot of stuff that just falls into the category of trash. I noticed the partial rolls of wire pictured above. I ask and nobody really wanted that sort of stuff. I guess they figured they were just relocating my garbage to their areas :)

Well that wire looked like maybe something that could be used for a fly pattern or two. Below is where I went with it. All tied on scud hooks.

Thread the hook prior to attaching the salvaged wire.

Wing cases were made from the chip bag picture.

Under wing made from royal blue poly yarn.

Feedback welcome. Be glad to hear from you.

Dedicate to my son. I love you.

Wreaths, Plastic and Blue Winged Olives

Christmas is a special time of the years. It is a time to remember loved ones and the reason for the season it's self.

Unfortunately the modern world has added a lot of trappings that just seem silly. One of the things I personally found weird is the odd attraction to faux or just plain fake decorations.

Enough of the righteous indignation's. To each his own. I don't really get into the over the top decor, but I really do like the cheap materials that appear this season. Those fake decorations make some fine and affordable tying materials.

This year I thought maybe 'have we done it all with Christmas trappings'? Had all the ribbon and wrapping paper ideas been exhausted? With that in mind I ask the question to the Facebook Group, Trash Flies. Here's one response.

Joshua Garris
How about the strands from artificial wreaths or trees? Would think it would make a neat segmented BWO body.

Josh is a top notch fly tyer and a highly sought after guide. He can be contacted at Curtis Wright Outfitters here Western North Carolina. He know fish and fly fishing.



The idea seemed pretty interesting and here's my attempt.

Hook: #16 Nymph
Bead: Sm brass
Tail and legs: Gadwell Flank
Thorax: plastic pine tree needle
Wingcase: Plastic pine tree needle
Abdomen: Peacock hurl


I'll have to say I was surprised and pleased with the outcome. I believe fake plastic needles might just have a place at the bench. To change there shade apply pressure and stretch the material some.




Dedicated to my son. I love you.