Sunday 8 May 2011

Man-crafts

I talked myself into getting a new flytying vice, the conversation going something like "there isn't going to be a time in the future when you won't use a flytying vice, and you have a real job now, so might as well get a good one". The result of my discussion (with myself) is this:


It's pretty good - I wasn't sure I'd use the extra bits (bobbin holder, material clip), but they're actually pretty handy, and the cam-based vice closure is easy to use one-handed and holds solidly. The rotary bits are still a bit stiff, I'll have to work out exactly how to adjust them. Anyway, with a fancy new vice, I've been tying these:

Intruders (this fly) are a long step from #12 pheasant tail nymphs, and I've yet to finish one in under an hour. Losing one on a rock is going to be painful. Still, I've convinced myself that these are going to work really well for steelhead (and all the other river salmonids), and they're fun to tie, so I'm going to try to amass a bunch of them for a return to the Skeena system this fall.

I spent Friday and Saturday ostensibly conducting angler interviews at Johnson's Crossing, about an hour out of town, but as the weather was lousy, the days mostly consisted of sitting in the truck and waiting for anglers to show up (which, on Friday, they didn't). Luckily, I came prepared:

7 comments:

  1. Anything that makes crafting possible in the car is awesome in my books. However I'm hoping you're not trying to multi-task driving & tying at the same time. I know there's not much traffic in the Yukon but...

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  2. When some folks showed up at the boat launch with a big trailer, I did end up having to move the truck with the vice still on the wheel. It was awkward.

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  3. looks awesome.

    Do you have any easy streamer patterns?

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  4. Those flys are beautiful!!

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  5. Hmm, lots of streamer patterns to choose from - I don't want to suggest pike patterns if you're looking for cutthroat... What kind of fish are you looking to target? I tied up some yesterday for inconnu, which I thought looked promising, but so far they've gone unbitten.

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  6. That's a pretty sweet set up. I imagine by 'awkward', you mean you hope you don't sack yourself when you go over a bump.

    I have yet to put your old device to any use yet (too busy with chicken coop). However, seeing as Alana has monopolized the craft room, it will soon be time for me to launch my attack and win back some space. This should result in a new found Clong pastime... Craft Wars.

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  7. nice. craft wars is the kind of crafting i could get into.

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