FLYMPH FORUM

I'm enjoying the Swiss CDC clamp. It works better than long tweezers to load small composite loops. Images show a pine squirrel soft hackle and an experimental sparse deer hair hackle.

bocast, Howdy;

Well done. The flies, as well as the photography.

hank

I've had one of those clamps on my shopping list for the past couple months, but held off due to the price.

Looks like a useful tool. Nice flies. I especially like the deer hair hackle version. Seems like a really interesting idea to play around with.

Please keep sharing your creations.

Hank and Ray, thank you for the encouragement. Posting flies on the Flymph Forum seems like "bringing coal to Newcastle" since I see such exquisite work here by folks so accomplished that I am often struck with awe at the artistry on display. It's inspiring and daunting at the same time. I especially appreciate the elegance of flies tied with sparse hackle and perfect proportions. I have so much to learn.

I'll be trying a variety of deer hair, moose, etc in sparse hackles. I'm eager to find out how they fish; perhaps the intrinsic buoyancy of the hackle may change the attitude of the fly when "pulsed" or briefly dead drifted. I intend to try them as the top dropper on a cast of two or three wets first. I've also done a pale deer hair hackle, then trimmed off all but the "wing" area, then added a second collar in front consisting of a darker hair or a grouse feather. The "sector" wing which results doesn't photograph well but gives a cool impressionistic wing along with an automatic thorax bulge. Time on the water will tell. I hope to be able to post fish proven flies soon! Thanks again for the kind words!