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StevenOjai
01-01-2006, 11:10 AM
Happy New Year!!! to all my friends at Bill Kienes Fly Shop Forum. :D
To celebrate the New Year, I'm announcing a Mayfly Emerger Swap. Just in time for those little BWO's that show themselves around noon or the early March Browns that wake up in afternoon to start the day. The swap will commence Feb 1st and flies will need to be received by me by Feb.15th. I'll have the assortment back to you by Feb 28th. We'll limit this to ten swappers. Please contact me and I'll get my addy as well as other info back to you.8) 8)
My thanks to Bill and his staff for providing this wonderfull forum and wishing all of you the best for a New Year in 2006. :)
Steve
Swap if Full !!!!
Participants:
1. FlyTier - Harrop's Green Drake Emerger
2. Darian - Green Drake Emerger
3. PaulC - Stalcup's BWO
4. Jake Halderman - D-rib Mayfly/caddis emerger
5. Cyberfish - Olive Biot CDC Emerger
6. PM - Baetis Sparkle Dun
7. StevenOjai - Quigley Cripple
8. Flyfishingbear - Crippled Mayfly emerger
9. Nightgoat - March Brown Hacklestacker
10. HappyOD - Sparkle Dun

PatrickM
01-07-2006, 04:10 PM
Hey, Steve. I just saw this, and am interested in doing another swap. Hopefully some of the other guys will join in and we can get this thing rolling. :)

Darian
01-07-2006, 05:44 PM
Hey Steve,.... Count me in on this one. 8) Haven't decided on the exact pattern but it will be an emerger.... :? :? I'll do some thinkin' and post the pattern....

Darian

PaulC
01-07-2006, 06:56 PM
If you don't care if its original and don't mind small patterns I'll bite.
One stalcup BWO pattern does real well out on the east side hot spots.
I'll tie up some for the swap unless someone objects...size 22-24ish.
Its a stillborn pattern.
Hey...its winter right?
-Paul

PS just let me know how many to crank out.

StevenOjai
01-07-2006, 07:27 PM
Obviously, there are many things on our plates during the holidays like football games, family trips, storms etc. Perhaps Jan 1st is not the best time to announce a swap. :D It might be better to delay the swap date to Feb 1st. Try to get flies back to me by Feb 15th and I'll get them back to you by Feb 28th. So far we have five participants and I'd like to make it a solid ten. Thanks for joining and I'll get back to you with the info.
Steve

nightgoat
01-08-2006, 02:23 PM
Hey guys, I'd like to get in on this one. Pattern TBD.

StevenOjai
01-10-2006, 09:40 AM
:D Looks like this will be another excellent swap coming together. Only one more spot. We will be starting Feb 1st, rather than Jan. 15th, as one tier is in the midst of moving and I really wanted to accomodate him. :) :)
Putting out a question to swappers and nonswappers....
What is your favorite Mayfly Emerger pattern?? :?:
Mine is the Quigley Cripple.... Not a difficult tie but has all the features of an emerging mayfly. Can be tied in a multitude of sizes with different materials to represent nearly every mayfly possible.
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/images/quigcrip/quigcripvar1.jpg
Any other favorites??

:!: Also...I understand Little Striper would like to start a Striper Fly Swap soon. Since we will fill up soon, I see no reason for delaying his swap and, thus, give others a chance to get involved. I appreciate the protocol of allowing one swap to fill before announcing another. Just my 2 cents.


Steve

PatrickM
01-10-2006, 10:59 PM
Where's David Lee hiding? I don't think he's missed a swap yet.

David Lee
01-11-2006, 12:23 AM
Where's David Lee hiding? I don't think he's missed a swap yet.

Er ..... sorry , fellas -

#1- recovering from hand surgery .

#2- Moving to Fair Oaks , CA (we just bought a house !!) .

#3-Mayfly emergers are a bit small for me these days , how 'bout 4/0 Mullet ???


While I won't be a Swapper this time around , I'd like to thank Steve (and you fellas) for keeping the monthly swap a monthly thing .

I should be able to take part in Lil' Stripes Feb. swap , and will be more than happy to host the SHAD SWAP in March .

Thanks for thinking of me , Patrick .... you're a sweet cat , though I won't tell anyone :evil:

David

SullyTM
01-11-2006, 09:41 AM
Movin' to Fair Oaks!!! Is that closer to the "Secret Spot"? Remember to label your boxes!! :lol: Thom

StevenOjai
01-30-2006, 02:17 PM
Well, tommorrow is the official commencement of the New Year's mayfly emerger swap. We have ten tiers. Please send ten toe-tagged emergers as well as a materials list.

Hope everyone has been having a good winter-time fishing season. I've been practicing on our local streams with the single-hand spey casts and have come to really enjoy it. I never knew a modified roll cast could be so much fun.

Please have the flies back to me by Feb 15th. I'll be resending my address to each of you.

Thanks, Steve

Darian
02-03-2006, 04:12 PM
Hi Steve,.... I think I've settled on a Green Drake Emerger for my contribution to the swap.... 8) I'm tying as I write this note (....multi-tasking doncha know :lol: :lol: ). Let me know if that pattern is already taken. 8)

nightgoat
02-03-2006, 06:21 PM
here's a pic of my swap fly


http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/nightgoat/100_0735.jpg


March Brown Hacklestacker

sorry for the poor pic, but my camera isn't that great. (It has nothing to do with my photography skills :lol: )

Darian
02-05-2006, 02:41 PM
Hey Steve,.... The flies are complete and will be in the mail tomorrow AM. The pattern is the Green Drake Emerger; a version tied by Craig Matthews of Blue Ribbon Flies. This is a very easy tie and looks to be effective in the Sierra's.... No photo's as I still don't have a digital camera. :(

At any rate, thanks for hosting the swap Steve. You always seem to pique my curiosity/interest with your choice of flies. 8) 8) 8)

StevenOjai
02-07-2006, 08:38 PM
The first batch of flies I've recieved was from HappyOD.
His contribution is a Sparkle Dun using a grey dubbed body that should imitate an emerging Callibaetis dun fairly well.
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/images/flyswap2/spardun.jpg

This is a pattern developed by Craig Mathews and John Juracek out of Yellowstone, MT. It's forerunner is actually a pattern designed by Fran Betters called the Haystack. Craig and John added Z-lon for a shuck to the comparadun pattern of Al Caucci and Bob Nastasi in the mid-1980's and a successfull emerger was born. 8)
Three things are important in tying this fly. First, the wing should have a length of about one hook shank and be positioned at the 3/4 position on the shank. The wing should be splayed about 180 degrees over the top of the shank. Second, the abdomen should be dubbed thin and evenly. Gradually tapering to the wing base. Third, the z-lon should be sparse and about the length of the hook shank. You can always trim the shank after you tie it in.
Selecting the proper hair is really important to this fly. Try to find Coastal Deer Hair with small blunt tips and heavy butts. The heavier butts will help to splay the hair.
:D Thanks to HappyOD for tying up a nice set for us. I understand that we have about 3 other selections arriving in the next day or two. Try to get yours to me right after this weekend.

Thanks, Steve


Nice looking Hacklestacker, Nightgoat. I really like the use of turkey biots for the abdomen. It gives a thin profile and depicts the small gills that the mayflies have along their abdomen. :nod:

StevenOjai
02-10-2006, 07:26 AM
Got two emergers in today. The first one is from Darian. It's a size 8 Green Drake Emerger designed by Craig Mathews of Blue Ribbon Flies in Montana. This fly uses a Z-lon trailing shuck, Olive Superfine body with a yellow floss rib, and a wing pad made of black foam. The hackle is a yellow saddle.
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/images/flyswap2/grndrake.jpg

The second fly is from Bill (Cyberfish). A size 18 Olive Biot CDC Emerger. It uses a single strand of Krystal Flash for the trailing shuck, a dyed olive biot for the body, and a olive Antron collar thorax under the looped CDC wingcase.
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/images/flyswap2/olivecdc.jpg
Shane Stalcup discusses CDC Loop Wings in his book, "Mayflies, Top to Bottom". He points out that creating the CDC loopwing is usually the most difficult part for his students. Shane's technique is to tie the CDC tips of two feathers at the thorax position with the concave facing up. He dubs in the thorax and then, pulls the CDC over the top tightly against the dubbed thorax. Then he pushes the CDC backwards creating a looped spread of fibers and secures.

Well done guys! :D
More on the way...
Steve

Darian
02-10-2006, 09:15 AM
Steve,.... I AM impressed with your photo's. They make everyones flies look so good.... 8) 8) 8)

I'm really looking forward to receiving those small flies. :) :) Especially since I don't tie anything smaller than a #16 by choice.... :lol: :lol:

StevenOjai
02-11-2006, 06:12 AM
As Jake promised, his flies arrived the next day. :D
Jake tied a Caddis emerger in a size 16 . What I really like about this fly is the proportions. Note how the wing tips do not extend beyond the bend of the hook. The Antron underwing extends about 2/3 the length of the Elk Hair overwing. The Antron trailing shuck is about the same as the hook gap and the partridge throat fibers sweep back to the bend, not beyond it.
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/images/flyswap2/cadem.jpg

This is a really well-tied fly. Thanks, Jake :) :)

Steve

StevenOjai
02-12-2006, 02:42 PM
Boy, these emergers keep rolling in...Went fishing this morning and came back to three more additions to our swap by evening.
The first selection is Bear's Midnight Emerger. Bear must have got excited about his first swap since he sent me 5 extras. :D
He uses Orvis Poly wings, uni-glow yarn for the thorax, and grizzly hackle fibers for the tail. Poly wings are difficult to cast or to keep a proper orientation in the water. Bear stiffened the wings with head cement so they can be adjusted to small 'V'. He also kept the wing size small enough to keep the fly from acting like a helicopter during the cast. Good Job, Bear!
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/images/flyswap2/bearem.jpg

The next selection is NightGoat's March Brown Hacklestacker. I really like this fly. The shuck is brown Z-lon with a Tan Goose Biot Body and Brown Superfine thorax. The Hacklestacker is, sometimes, credited to Bob Quigley and, sometimes, to Ned Long and Jim Cramer. :?
It may have been one of those patterns in which they each came up with a great idea at the same time. The pattern uses a paraloop method of wrapping the grizzley hackle around a looped monofilament. (Nightgoat used 7X tippet). The hackled loop is then brought over the thorax and tied down behind the eye. This technique allows the hackle to be placed well above the shank and allow the emerger to sit deeper within the film.
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/images/flyswap2/hairstacker.jpg

The third selection is from a replacement tier for Artin... FlyTier. FlyTier sent a nice example of Rene Harrop's Green Drake Emerger which he designed for the Henry's Fork in the late 1970's. The tail is 4-5 Teal hackle fibers with a Pale Olive Turkey Biot Body. The thorax is Dark Olive Seal Sub (Angora Goat). The hackles are tied much like a wet fly. He folds the Grizzly Saddle and gives it three wraps, then ties on a Dun Hen Hackle and gives it two more wraps.

http://stevenojai.tripod.com/images/flyswap2/hargrndrake.jpg

Only have two more to come and I've been assured they're on their way. I appreciate everyone's approach to this swap.
Great way to begin a New Year!

Steve

StevenOjai
02-16-2006, 07:06 AM
The last group arrived and this completes the ten patterns, so I'll get these shipped back to you within the next few days. The first pic is a BWO Sparkle Dun by Patrick (aka PM). We went into the details of this pattern earlier and Patrick did a nice job with this pattern.
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/images/flyswap2/bwospardun.jpg

The second pattern is from PaulC , a Stalcup's BWO stillborn emerger that he tied in a size 22. Anytime you try to tie anything under a size 18, it's a challenge. But... :shock: look at the intracacies of this fly!! It uses a Z-lon Shuck with rear gills of Ostrich herl. The body is Micro Tubing with a wingcase of CDC. The thorax is Superfine dubbing with a ginger hackle using a twisted hackle method protruding the fibers out from the side. I'm impressed but how long does it take to tie 10 dozen??? :twisted:
http://stevenojai.tripod.com/images/flyswap2/bwostill.jpg

The last pic is a PMD Quigley Cripple from myself. Since A.K. Best will be at the Fly Fishing Show in Ontario, CA next week showing his quilled body techniques, I wanted to adapt that body style to a Quigley Cripple. I used a size 16 Daiichi 1130 scud hook. The thorax is PMD Superfine with a Yellow-dyed Deer Hair wing and a Olive-Yellow Grizzly hackle. The shuck is cream Z-lon.

http://stevenojai.tripod.com/images/flyswap2/pmdcrip.jpg


So there you have it. :D A nice group of emergers for any flybox. I encourage questions and comments for the tiers. They did an outstanding job for this swap.

Cheers, Steve

Hairstacker
02-16-2006, 09:50 AM
Wow, nice job to each and every one of ya! I agree, great collection of emergers for any fly box.

PatrickM
02-16-2006, 11:41 AM
I second that, Mike. This looks like it's shaping up to be one of the best swaps so far. Can't wait to get the bugs.
Big thanks to Steve for putting this swap on.

PaulC
02-16-2006, 06:24 PM
I think 10 dozen of those would land me in a padded room. Works really well as a dropper on the lower O when the fish are a bit picky.
Mainly fished that way so I have an idea of where the little bug is.
Thanks for hosting Steve!
Now back to 2/0 for a bit of rehab. lol.
-Paul

PaulC
02-23-2006, 08:36 PM
Hey Guys,
Just received the flies today and got a chance to check em out.
Great patterns and excellent tyes as always!
Until the next swap....
-Paul

Brian
02-23-2006, 11:39 PM
I didn't participate in this swap, but wow :shock: ! those flies are killer. Steve, I really enjoyed your narratives and your knowledege of fly pattern history.

Hairstacker
02-25-2006, 10:57 AM
Yep, I totally agree with Brian, have really enjoyed your running commentary on each pattern Steve -- sure adds a lot of value to each picture you display. Not to mention, you take outstanding pictures!