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Just spent the weekend in Mt Home, Arkansas
attending this event for the second time. It
is the only tying event that I have ever attended,
but I highly recommend it. If you can get to any
tying event I think it would be a good experience.
Got some new patterns and found a few new tying
tricks. I have a new minnow tied with Lions Brand
Eyelash yarn. This has very long fibers coming off
the main yarn. Also found a minnow pattern tied
with pipe cleaners that have the thick and thinner
sections and a dual-layered mylar piping minnow
that I have more directions for coming to me. I got
several other patterns also along the way.
Met Richard Komar, who has several patterns on this
site. I have one of his Peacock Widows now. Dennis
Conrad was there with several boxes of hackle that
I drooled over. I have made a commitment to use up
some of the hackle I have now before I go getting
any more. I did get to talk with Dennis for a few
minutes but then he had folks come up that he needed
to take care of.
I will have to admit one thing before I go any farther
on this. Wednesday night just before we left was a
very hectic time in the office. I also had another
place I HAD to be at 5:15. In the rush of trying to
get everything put in the bag to go, and taking a
phone call, I left without my vice and without any head
cement.
I realized this when I looked in the bag to get a fly
for a person I saw had just arrived at the hotel. This
is not good when you go to a tying meeting and don't
bring a vice to tie with.
Fortunately for me, Mark Delaney had another vice
with him that he graciously loaned me to use Friday
and Saturday. Also the tyer that I sat next to Saturday
let me use his head cement for getting a couple of
flies. It was very nice to have people so willing
to help.
A few of the tricks that I learned there everyone
else probably knows. The first one that I saw was
in tying in any type of flash material for a tail.
This tyer used fibers twice as long and half as
numerous as the tail called for. He the folded
them over the thread, pulled them down to the hook
just off to the side of the hook and then wrapped
the thread around the hook to secure the flash. I
think if you try it a few times it will be easy to
see how far down you hold the flash so that it ends
up centered on the top of the hook.
The second was one that I saw several folks do but
I had not noticed before. When the thread falls down
the stem of the bobbin, especially when I get heavy
handed and break it, put the end of the bobbin in
your mouth and inhale. It pulls the thread up the
bobbin so you can use it again.
One of the things that makes it easier to tie.
Richard Komar showed me to use pieces of soda
straws as hackle guard. Cut the straw about 3/4
inch long and slit the side. When ready to whip
finish, slip the straw over the thread and then
up over the fly. Makes it much simpler to whip
finish and is much simpler than a hackle guard
for my big clumsy hands.
Fourth was a trick to put bead chain eyes on the
hook. Wrap the thread on to start and then as you
bring the bead chain eyes near the hook, make a
wrap around the eye and then place the thread
under the hook. You can then pull the eyes down
to be on the hook without falling on the floor or
any of the other many things they have done to me.
You can make a few wraps around the eyes and then
place them on the top of the hook where you want
them.
It was a fun two day event. If you get a chance
make it to one of these meetings, then tell me
all the new tricks that you learned.
Hope you can get out on the water. ~ Rick ziegeria@grm.net
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