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Hairstacker
06-06-2005, 01:31 AM
Well, we've reached the deadline for the June Fly Swap sign-ups. The list of fly tyers and patterns for this swap, in sign-up order, are as follows:

SullyTM -- Sully's Sparkling Bendback, 2/0, 3-4" long
Darian -- Mullet pattern, 1/0 or 2/0, 4" long
Jgoding -- Awesome Hair Fly
Brian -- Glass Minnow
PaulC -- Razzler, size 2 or 4
David Lee -- Chartreuse/White Clouser, 1/0
Hairstacker -- Cactus Charlie, size 2
Slack_in_the_box -- olive and white bucktail baitfish, 1/0

I will keep this list updated as further details emerge. As you can see, there are 8 tyers so each tyer will tie 9 flies, so I can send a box of 'em to a good cause, which I will post once I figure one out. Once again, it looks like we'll each get back a pretty neat box of flies!! 8) 8) 8) And, just a reminder, they're due to me by 5 July -- please look for a Private Message on this board from me within the next couple days indicating where to mail 'em. Have fun!!! :D

Darian
06-07-2005, 05:19 PM
Hi Mike,.... Sorry to bring this up but I'm finding that my flies are tying up at 4" in length instead of 3 1/2".... :oops: :oops: . That'll be the new length 8) . That's my story and I'm stickin' to it :lol: :lol:

Hairstacker
06-07-2005, 10:01 PM
We have one more tyer! 8) Slack_in_the_box just PM'd me this evening to confirm his participation. His pattern to be decided at a later date. The list is now final with 8 tyers, so each tyer will tie a total of 9 flies.

Slack -- good to have ya, thanks for joining in!! :D

Darian
06-11-2005, 08:33 AM
I don't know about you guys but I'm realizing that the real motivation behind having a fly swap is to bring materials to the top of your storage boxes that you haven't seen in years. :shock: :shock:

Maybe it's good to use up all of those hooks and buck tail I've gathered for years. 8) 8) But,.... Look at it this way, the flies you guys'll receive will run higher in the water............... :lol: :lol:

SullyTM
06-11-2005, 03:15 PM
Darian...U 'da man :lol: Hey, look what I found :!:

David Lee
06-15-2005, 07:33 PM
How goes the tying , June Swappers ??

I haven't decided if I should tye some Jiggys , Siliclones , Deceivers , or something really "west-coast esoteric" like a Pink-Keel bugger , Black Bonsai , or Gold Buccaneer 8)

Or maybe those cool "rockcod flies" you used to see in OSH .... you remember them , don't ya ?? The ones w/ the mono snelled thru the eyes .... the "fly" was a wing of nylon , and a cheneille body ?? :P

I could never figure out how anyone could cast the string of them (10 flies) without the mother of all tangles ..... :twisted:

David

PaulC
06-15-2005, 09:37 PM
Hey Guys,
It sounds like most of you are tying large, so i figured I would throw this out there.
I've got a ton of those black gami bonefish hooks burning a hole in my pocket and was thinking of tying some razzlers down to size 6.
Is that too small for what you guys were looking for in this swap?
For corbina and perch down here, we're fishing mostly 6's & 8's.
I figure with the larger surf up there size 6 would be on the smaller end of the spectrum.
Let me know if this isn't of interest, I can tie larger no problemo.
-Paul

Darian
06-15-2005, 09:39 PM
Finished my flies and put 'em in the mail today..... Priority Mail to Mike... All of this with a solid case of tendonitis or "tennis elbow". (Wow, This guys good... :shock: ) Gonna give my tying activities a rest. Can't let this stuff interfere with casting.... 8)

Time for some Irish medicine over da rocks.... :roll: :lol: :lol:

Hairstacker
06-22-2005, 12:42 PM
Well, so far, have received June swap flies from Thom and Darian and, I've got to tell you, these are some VERY nice flies. I KNOW everyone will be happy with 'em. This is shaping up to be another GREAT swap! 8) 8) 8)

Brian
06-25-2005, 12:10 PM
Done with mine. Simple flies but I had this thing called a trip to Yellowstone intterupt my life :wink: Looking for something to mail them out in now.
Brian

PaulC
06-25-2005, 03:33 PM
I'm still tying, but I will try my best to finish them this weekend.
Been too busy with work and fishing.
Hope I'm not holding the swap up.
-Paul

PaulC
07-02-2005, 04:39 PM
Flies should go out on Tuesday. My apologies for the delay.
Ran out of material and the coastal fog puts a hamper on the UV cure epoxy. 3 gluing steps in this fly.
Tying instructions can be found on gary's site www.garybulla.com or
Jeff's guide site www.eefishent.com.
Dean Endress is the originator.
I believe they also have them now in feather craft's catalogue...

I sent size 4's as the small bonefish gami hooks are just...well...small.
This is one of my goto flies for corbina tied in a size 8 with 1/8 dumbells or beadchain. Larger sizes are great for perch, croaker, whatever. Guys have done well in baja fishing over structure with 1/0's and slow strips. If you come down south for corbina season, this is a good fly to have in your box. Caught a nice 22 incher a couple weeks back on a size 8 razzler. The fish broke from the group, followed, nosed down and had me in my backing like a rocket.

If you happen to be down south, the beans are in and tailing...sight fishing should be good hopefully for the next month barring red tide moving north into our parts.
Best of luck to you guys in the salt and thanks for letting me participate!
For those of you going to Baja, hope you have a blast.
Take care,
Paul

David Lee
07-03-2005, 09:01 AM
After a hectic week or two , I have decided to submit a non-exotic Chart/White 1/0 Clouser as my June Swapfly . :roll:

It'll pull the trigger on Stripes and 'Butts at Pacifica , Kings in Monterey , and Leopards at Tomales .

My flies will be just a little late (going to the Post office on the 5th) , sorry for being a A-dragger this time around ... :oops:

Thanks for letting me take part in the swap !!

David

Hairstacker
07-03-2005, 11:14 AM
David, the Chart/White Clouser is one of my top 10 favorites of ALL flies and it will be a real treat getting one from you. As you know, folks tie these with quite a bit of variation, with different emphases on quantities and lengths of materials, variations on thread wrapping, eye placement, etc. I am really looking forward to having a copy of your version. In fact, I thought it might be cool someday to do a Clouser swap just to see everyone's favorites and tying approaches.

Aside from Thom and Darian, who mailed their swap flies 15 minutes after the swap category was decided upon, I've only received swap flies from Brian. So don't sweat the plan to mail the flies on the 5th AT ALL. I suspect others are planning to mail their flies during the coming week as well. 8)

I remember when I tied up the 3 dozen or so stoneflies for the first swap in order to get a dozen or so that looked like they came from freshwater, I was constantly looking at the calendar and worrying about the due date. I don't want anyone to feel that way on this one. I certainly don't want it to (gasp!) feel like work. So, let's all just relax and look at the week of July 5 as a target for getting 'em in the mail.

slack_in_the_box
07-05-2005, 10:34 AM
Hey Folks!

Flies are in the mail! And should be in Mike's hands on Thursday. Sorry for the delay. :oops:

I went with a basic 1/0 Olive and White bucktail baitfish pattern. I experimented with a new (to me) material for the flash effect. It's more "ratty" than krystal flash, but I couldn't find the color I wanted in the KF, so I thought I would try something new. :?

I use this pattern around bait dumps in bays and the fish seem to like it. :D :D

Hope you all had a great 4th :!: :!: :!:

PaulC
07-07-2005, 09:06 PM
My flies should go out tomorrow.
Hope they work for you guys in the salt.
Paul

Hairstacker
07-08-2005, 05:37 PM
Hi all! Just a quick note to update status. Still waiting on a couple but the ones received so far are very nice! I think you guys are going to really like these flies. :D

By the way, what happened to the July fly swap? Are we taking a collective break?

Jgoding
07-11-2005, 08:52 AM
Hey Guys,

Paul, are you using the UV knot sense?? I used that to finish the head on my flies as well. Pretty cool stuff but I bought the mini-lamp to cure it so no waiting around on foggy/rainy/nighttime days for me!

Flies will go out tomorrow or maybe this evening as our postman is a major slacker!!

I ended up tying some simple awesome hair flies. White belly, light green, darkish green, then blue back (tied in that order so blue is on top...) 3-d eyes fixed with uv knot sense. I've never tied salt before so let me know if the color combo is a good one or not... but I think the profile should be nice.

Jeff

PaulC
07-11-2005, 08:04 PM
Hey Jeff,
I use that UV knotsense quite a bit for flies. I like it as it provides a hard coating and is viscous enough to hold form prior to UV exposure. Makes it great for building nice heads on a sunny day.
I have one of their handheld lamps also, but I find it doesn't have enough intensity to cure quick enough when dealing with 2 dozen patterns, etc.
I still tend to tie the flies up to the epoxy stage, take them to work and coat/cure each one with immediate exposure to minimize sag in the epoxy. Be careful with even the reflected light off those handhelds....not good for the retina. I'll let you know if I come up with a curing box. Have one in the works, but probably won't get it really started until after Alaska. Just going to put something together that takes a C&F insert with commercial grade UV lamp and a lid. I might just modify a C&F box if I can get a smaller grade lamp than the ones we used in fiberoptic assembly. It would save me a bit of machining on the mill.

For something like the razzler, the epoxy really helps make it "Bomb proof" as Dean, the originator, likes to say. Dragging this stuff on the bottom definitely puts some wear and tear on a pattern. Alot of our down south patterns are tied to ride upsidedown with the hook out of the sand.
The dumbbell section takes the brunt of the abrasion from the sand.

Caught one of the biggest perch of the season on leftover patterns from the swap. It was about the size of a dinner plate and started taking line off the reel. Thought I had a corbina, but a perch like that is a pleasant surprise. We usually get those godzilla perch earlier in the season, but well....this season has been odd down here.
-Paul

Jgoding
07-12-2005, 10:15 AM
Hey Paul,

Do you know if they sell bigger bottles of that stuff? I only found that little bottle for like $7. Kind of expensive for my tastes for that little. I wouldn't mind paying more for a larger supply tho. I haven't used it that much so my eyes are safe for now. I am going to get a pair of UV shielding safety glasses tho. A face mask would probably be better... I guess I could put sun screen on...LOL. I just bought the mini lamp and I think I will get the bigger one as well. I like your assertion about the viscosity, i noticed it as well. It's nice stuff to work with as it does hold a fairly nice shape before drying. Supposedly will not yellow either.

This was my first time tying for salt and I enjoyed it.

Jeff

Hairstacker
07-12-2005, 12:23 PM
Well, got a box of swap flies from PaulC yesterday. Really cool looking flies, you're going to like these a lot! One more set to go. . . . 8)

PaulC
07-12-2005, 01:09 PM
Hey Jeff,
So far they only have the smaller bottles of that stuff. It is pretty pricey.
I was thinking at looking at some of the adhesives used in fiberoptic assembly to see if they have more of a bulk pricing.
Obviously, that stuff has to dry optically clear and I recall there being varying vicosity grades available.
I'll let you know if I find a better priced alternative.
-Paul

Jgoding
07-12-2005, 02:35 PM
Hey Mike,

My flies are in the hands of the USPO! The last 3 are better than the first 5 so feel free to take one of those as you are the SM! It is a mere placement of the eyes and head configuration that was changed. It took awhile to figure out how to tie these. I think I have 4 junkers.....which is a lot for me and I mean these are real junkers, didn't even complete them as they started off or ended up that bad... I found the awesome hair to be very flashy but yet creates a nice profile and should have a lot of movement in the water. They are unweighted as well.

Paul, let me know what you find. I sent an email off to loon inquiring about larger bottles etc... Let you know what I hear.

Jeff

Hairstacker
07-16-2005, 01:47 PM
I received the last of the June swap flies yesterday! 8) I will try to complete the sorting and packaging this weekend and, if all goes well, they will be dropped off at the post office on Monday. Many did not come with toe tags, so I plan to add those as well, assuming I can figure them all out.

Great bunch of flies, I extend a big THANK YOU to all who participated!!! Sadly, those who didn't participate are missing out on some great pattern ideas and examples. . . . Ah well, there's always the August fly swap -- sign-ups are in process under another thread. If you're sitting on the fence trying to decide whether to join in, I can tell already the August fly swap will have some VERY interesting flies. You really won't want to miss out on that one. . . .

Hairstacker
07-18-2005, 11:47 AM
Hi all! I just dropped off all of the June swap flies at the post office -- they should be arriving sometime during the latter half of this week. Special thank you (!!!) to those who provided return postage, I very much appreciated it! A very thoughtful gesture that I plan to emulate on my future swap submissions.

As I was sorting the swap fly submissions last night, I got my first detailed look at each one. . . . As has been typical of all previous swaps, a full range of abilities were represented, including some stunning flies. :shock: Of course, the fish are going to love 'em all just the same. 8) You're going to love these flies, I guarantee it. Thanks again everyone!!

SullyTM
07-19-2005, 11:49 AM
BOY HOWDY! Just got the Swap flies! Niiiiiiiice! I'm sure these would even work in fresh water!? Good job everyone. Great use of colors.......now which one to use first :twisted: Thom

P.S. Hey Darian, your fly has NORTHERN PIKE written all over it!

Jgoding
07-20-2005, 01:10 PM
Hi guys,

I got my flies yesterday as well. Damn they are some sweet flies. I kind of feel I cheated you guys with the ones I submitted....LOL. I wasn't sure about one thing in salt either. Are they typically weighted (for baitfish patterns that is...) or do you rely on a shooting head/sinking line etc.. to get the fly down if needed??

Paul, I contacted loon, they only sell the knot sense in that size bottle and say they will only offer more sizes if the demand arises.... so I guess we're stuck with that puny bottle for awhile....

Darian, I really liked that fly you tied...

Everyone else did a great job as well but I haven't really had the chance to analyze everything in detail yet but I was impressed with them all.

Jeff

Darian
07-20-2005, 03:42 PM
While sitting here watching "Man On Fire" (a really bloody shoot 'em up :shock: :shock: ), I've been looking at the June flies. Like Jeff, I'm very much impressed. 8) 8) 8)

Jeff,.... For the first time salt water tie, you really excelled. Your color choices not only look good but the silhoutte is A+. 8) Iike the way you transitioned thru from the pearl to the blue with that subtle color between. All in all a very good tie. :D :D

As tied, the fly could be fished in Baja surf..... With a floating, sink-tip or head. Weighted flies (such as a clouser) are used there, in the surf, and offer the chance to fish for deeper species over rocks as well. 8) 8)

I'll be looking to see if Paul C., has any comments for you. He was recently down in Baja and is a big surf guy in SoCal.... Should be a good perspective. 8) 8) 8)

Jgoding
07-20-2005, 03:49 PM
Thanks Darian,

Not sure if you got one of the better looking flies (last 3 i tied...) but I will try to post a pic of what my final patterned ended up as. So, 3 of you got lucky and got the improved fly. Nothing major, just a cosmetic for the head area really.

Jeff

Hairstacker
07-20-2005, 05:20 PM
Jeff, now, now, I don't want anyone to feel gyped -- ALL of your flies looked GREAT. :D

PaulC
07-20-2005, 08:09 PM
I haven't made it over to the PO box yet. Can't wait and hope to go tomorrow.
I'll post pictures of the patterns at some point this weekend.
Great tides, but I should be able to slip in some photography between tides.
As for fly type, etc. Alot of what I fish in the surf down here is dumbell weighted to keep the fly hook point up and out of the sand, sometimes to give a desired action (nosing into sand, crippled, etc.), and with really long leaders it keeps the fly from floating too high off the bottom (i.e. for corbina). Lead weight is used in some small sand crab patterns (epoxy deer hair mole crabs, etc.)

We mostly use 200-300 grain line depending on surf and rod to get the fly on the bottom or close to. Some guys fish for halibut with clear intermediate or floating depending on conditions and a weighted fly.
Keeps the line from dragging across the fish, although I've had fair hooked halibuts with sink tips. Probably not as productive I guess. They'll definitely pop up and slam a fly not dragging on the bottom.

Hook size is varied based on what you're trying to imitate of course. For corbina I'll be fishing size 8 flies...with general baitfish patterns being more of a #2 size. Offshore, things get bigger with 1/0's and 3/0's. More like Baja.

Baja from shore, I was fishing primarily clear intermediate on an 8wt with an unweighted sardina imitation. Busted the braided loop on the clear during one walk and switched to a 300 grain for the walk back.
If you want to spook roosters from shore...that is the ideal setup:) Soon as the sink tip hit the water they were gone faster than my wife driving to a deparment store sale.
Big 3/0 dumbell flies seemed to spook almost as bad.
I'm no Baja expert...just sort of adapting what I use in Santa Barbara while fishing to the conditions at hand. I think alot of guys fishing from pangas are using sink tips on the heavier 10/12 wt rigs and clear on the 8/10 wt rigs with a few rods rigged up at any given time.
Only went one day on a panga and the wind was up...no bueno.
I'm sure Jay or other veterans have more pointers in that arena compared to my novice experience.
Yikes...thats a long message.
Dunno if that helps ya out, but hopefully it does.

Welp...I look forward to seeing the flies and thanks again for letting me tie in the swap. Hope you guys have fun on the water this weekend.
-Paul

David Lee
07-21-2005, 09:49 PM
Frightningly beautiful box of bugs -

I think EVERY ONE of those flies will be a killer , thank you all so much for taking part in the June swap .

Now - off to copy some stuff .... :twisted:

David

slack_in_the_box
07-22-2005, 08:38 AM
Got my Flies! :D

Everyone did a great job :!:

I'd like to see what we all catch on these patterns. When I do I will post some pics with your fly.

Have a great weekend :!: :!:

PaulC
07-24-2005, 10:03 PM
Here goes with the pictures. Sorry...had to rush it. Spent more time on the water than I thought I would. Must get sleep....
A- Baja Mullet (Darian Calhoun)
B- Clouser Deep Minnow (David Lee)
C- Razzler (Paul Cronin)
D-Cactus Charlie (Mike Schobey)
E- Bucktail Baitfish (Slack in the box)
F- Sparkling Bendback (SullyTM)
G- Awesome Hair Fly (Jeff Goding)
H- Glass Minnow (Brian Brothers)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v715/Cronin/saltwater_collage_05.jpg

David Lee
07-24-2005, 10:09 PM
Very cool of you to post the flies , Paul .

Thank you .

David

Darian
07-24-2005, 10:38 PM
Hey Paul,..... Thanks for the photo's. :D :D It made the swap complete for me. 8) 8) 8)

Hairstacker
07-25-2005, 12:29 PM
Paul, thank you very much for posting the photos and providing a legend!! Appreciate you took the time, and it definitely provides a nice additional means of keeping track of the swap flies. 8) 8) 8)

Tony Buzolich
07-25-2005, 06:15 PM
Those are some great looking flies you guys. I'm going to have to get in on more of these swaps.
TONY