…that despite all warnings to the contrary, despite all the advice, I have succumbed to the temptation.
I did attend bassman’s fly tying class last night accompanied by my lovely wife and step-daughter. Please forgive the words I said the many times that dang-blasted red thread broke. Oh yeah, and the thoughts when I saw lovely wife zipping along on her second fly and I was still working on the initial wrapping on my first fly with that dang red thread.
6 flies later… 3 bloodworms and 3 brassies… we brought John’s spare tools home. Wife said, “Practice.” (I can just see she’ll spend the time I’m at work sitting there tying… wrapping… cutting… tying… )
John did a great job with us. Very patient. Let us make our own mistak… ummm… follow the beat of our own drums. Provided us with everything we needed to make a go of this. Thanks John!
Excuse me now… I must seek forgiveness on my way to the store to get some hooks… :roll:
Low though I walk through the the shadow of the valley of death I shall fear no tying materials… Blessed is the rotary vise… Lead me not into the temptation of high priced chicked feathers…
You might as well give up now. Welcome to the Dark Side!
Do your best to forgive John as soon as possible, or at least before your next credit card statement arrives!
Don’t ya just hate it when a girl shows you up? Especially a wife girl!:mrgreen: I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO glad my honey doesn’t like my hobbies. LMAO
Oh, there’s no turning back at this point. You have been sucked into the vortex with no means of escape. Just listen to John, do what he says, and the pain will only be in your wallet.
JohnR has one more step to make to be completely embraced by the Dark Side. Catch a fish on a fly he’s tied!
Do not let bassman introduce to Rod Building as there is no turning back then! :mrgreen:
John;
How about “Furled Leaders”? They will certainly seal your fate!! You can get started for about 10 - 12 bucks and have something else to do while the rod epoxy cures. :mrgreen:
If the fly’s will work on the Duck they will also work on the Elk which is fishing very well right now. Hopefully they will start stocking the Duck again in November (it’s too warm right now). I’ll know more next week after our club meeting, one of the speakers will be filling us in on the stocking plans for this area.
As Jack said, this is the real Dark Side…first fish caught on your first hand built rod using your hand tied flies. Here’s the little brown that tightened the noose for me. 6’-6" 2wt and #16 Copper John.
John, John, John… so you’ve “started tying flies”, as has your lovely bride!? Well, neXt I suppose, you’re under the VERY FALSE impression, that “You’re still going to have money for totally unneeded things” like groceries, beverages, clothing, (non-fishing, clothing), food for the family pet, house mortgage payments, car insurance, car loan payments, kid’s college funds, right?
Well, I have only one, very, small bit of advice to let you in on…
… "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
You, say, that “You want to save up, for a family vacation”, but you’re also considering “rod building” and possibly “furled leaders”, too?
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!! PLEASE STOP! My sides hurt!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Oh, that’s tooooo funny!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!
I too once was one of the naieve set that was invited to a tying class. Whoa unto me .Whoa unto you sad unwitting victim. You may as well go get a nice $250 rotary vise right now because whatever you have aint going to be good enough in two months. Renzetti is a nice step into it gently brand. Get rid of those all metal bobbins. Ceramics with adjustable tension is the only thing that will satisfy. Build ,dont buy your on tying bench cause whatever is available commercially wont have the features that you want and DESERVE. If you have a good blue print and cut sheeet along with accesability to an industrial mill works it should only take about a hundred and fourty hours. Get good opitcs preferably lighted for later night sessions when you just have to tie another dozen or so.
Get a good pair of kitchen sicsors to carry in the car or truck (remember baggies cause the first few times may not be pretty) for when you find good new road kill (dont laugh, you will think this way, ask other folkes that have spun down this path) that you know will work so nicely.
When you have gotten all of this starter gear , (and theres so much more)
well,
you better go out ,
and get some for you too,
cause it sounds like your bride may have got bit by the bug too.
Welcome to the club, yer gonna have a ball.
Perch
p.s if she ties better than you all the better . You can borrow the flies she ties.
About a year ago, Paul posted a similar response to a message I had put up about me starting to tie flies.
At the time, I paid about as much attention to him as a guy does when he is about to get married and people tell him to run and change his mind. Like a new groom, I thought things would be different for me.
Well, I now have more chicken, partridge, and grouse feathers, thread and other goodies. Paul warned me to get a good attorney because I’d start really looking over other women. Not so much because I liked thier form (which I very much do by the way) but more because some fabric on their dress or fur on their coats would make the perfect fly and I would get lost in thought about tying flies with the material. The temptation to snip just a little off the hem of their dress would be nearly irrestible.
Paul warned me about experimenting with combining non traditional materials and creating my own flies. I laughed. I thought I would be tying only flies from the books. Go search FAOL for “Hairy Weenie” and you’ll see how long me being a purist lasted.
Yes, Paul speaks words of wisdom. John, you’re hooked…:mrgreen:
We are blessed to have JohnR on the site. He and his family are real fine folks. They are very good students. I have assured him that he will get over the heavy hand on the thread with practice. I do very simple tying classes. I do warn all of my students that this is a very addictive hobby. I do explain how in a short while you start to look at everything you see as maybe tying material. It has been great to meet John and his family and do my best to pass on a lot of the knowledge I have gained here on FAOL. John
JohnR let me say this first…You could not have a better instructor then John aka bassman. Very knowlagable and down to earth. Yes tying is addictive, very addictive. It just so happens that I have a excess of materials and if you need something let me know I will check my supplies and if I have it it is yours. I do not have extra capes or hooks but just about everything else. Also you can get very good vises for under $100.00 and I built my tying bench out of a piece of osb and some 2X4’s. Cost was under $20. I use a old kitchen chair to sit on. I built my own thread stand out of pieces off of a pallet and wooden dowls. My bead holder was also built out of pallet material and some plastic cups I bought at the craft store for $2.
Paul aka flybinder is right. Everything you look at will be hmmmm what can I tie with that. Unless I want to feel very very lonely I do not pick up road kill although it is very good for tyiing. I wish you all the luck in your new adventure. It is very nice that your wife shares this with you now you don’t have to make up stories to get materials. LOL
Jack: well, if the fishing is good maybe I can drag John over your way and we can try some of these flies out? Oh, and I don’t know nuthin’ 'bout furled leaders.
Paul: ummmm… don’t forget the pipes (refurbishing mostly), pipe tobacco… and refurbishing (limited, though it might be) old fountain pens… And the kid keeps telling me he’s gonna graduate next summer. (Though he’s threatening to go to Pharmacy School next.)
Jeff: I was afraid of that. Now your Harry Weenies is just scaring me!
Joe: dang it! Ya hadta throw in the pic, didn’t ya? (Cool!)
Perch: She’s got much better thread control. Her’s will be the good lookin’ flies, mine’ll be the ugly ones.
John: Good thing its a simple fly tying class, I’m a simple kind of student.
HarleyBob: Thank you for your kind offer. The only things I’ve got so far are the loaner tools that John provided, and the tying materials he’s providing for the class. (I did manage to swap, on a pipe bulletin board, for an old, basic vice… for some tobacco.)
Ummm… so you mean roadkill isn’t just for supper?? :rolleyes:
