Phlybox
09-02-2007, 11:36 PM
After ten years of owning a shiny Regal vise and a grand or better in materials, and having arranged this assortment in a tyer-friendly bench, I have finally got the urge to actually tie. Not being the kid-around type with regard to my hobbies, I would value your recommendations on a book (or video) that will explain tying materials. Since I'm closer to Salt Lake than to saltwater fisheries, and since I'm really not that interested in warmwater species, I am content to limit my inquiry to those materials that are useful for pursuing trout.
Okay, okay...I'm a trout snob. There--I admitted it.
How stiff should a hackle barb be for a Palmer wrap? Should it be less stiff when used as a tail? And where on a neck or saddle does one find a stiff or supple hackle, anyway? How does one choose a good bag of goose biots, and what's the quickest way to determine whether the little rib will stick out or your segmentation will be smooth on a typical dry fly? (Just this evening, I figured out that some goose biots are, in my words, "right-handed" or "left-handed" depending on the notch location). Where did Z-lon come from, and how does it compare to antron, organza, poly-yarn, etc.? What are the practical differences between deer hair and elk hair, both at the bench and on the stream?
In other words, I'm not necessarily looking for a technical (as in technique-al) manual at this point, unless a book like the Benchside Reference covers materials thoroughly. Rather, I'm looking for something that will help me determine that microfibetts may be less buoyant than wood duck in a tail...this kind of thing. Preferably, this resource would cover age-old natural materials (with some history of improvements in genetic engineering, etc.) as well as ultra-modern artificial materials.
Incidentally, I'm one of those "outsiders" who defected to Idaho to become a trout bum and now I seek to mooch off of your state's online colloquium! But, for what it's worth, having grown up just north of Seattle, I remain loyal to my Mariners!
Thanks for your help, and congrats on having a better forum than Idaho has.
Okay, okay...I'm a trout snob. There--I admitted it.
How stiff should a hackle barb be for a Palmer wrap? Should it be less stiff when used as a tail? And where on a neck or saddle does one find a stiff or supple hackle, anyway? How does one choose a good bag of goose biots, and what's the quickest way to determine whether the little rib will stick out or your segmentation will be smooth on a typical dry fly? (Just this evening, I figured out that some goose biots are, in my words, "right-handed" or "left-handed" depending on the notch location). Where did Z-lon come from, and how does it compare to antron, organza, poly-yarn, etc.? What are the practical differences between deer hair and elk hair, both at the bench and on the stream?
In other words, I'm not necessarily looking for a technical (as in technique-al) manual at this point, unless a book like the Benchside Reference covers materials thoroughly. Rather, I'm looking for something that will help me determine that microfibetts may be less buoyant than wood duck in a tail...this kind of thing. Preferably, this resource would cover age-old natural materials (with some history of improvements in genetic engineering, etc.) as well as ultra-modern artificial materials.
Incidentally, I'm one of those "outsiders" who defected to Idaho to become a trout bum and now I seek to mooch off of your state's online colloquium! But, for what it's worth, having grown up just north of Seattle, I remain loyal to my Mariners!
Thanks for your help, and congrats on having a better forum than Idaho has.