Last Shed Hunt of the Season

Link to video of how the shed hunt ended: https://youtube.com/shorts/twrIHg72G9Q?si=9vUIDJpb9Lluju3t

Cody, Waylon, and I headed up to our family farm for what was presumably our last shed hunt of the season.  As always, it was a nice walk that included spotting wildlife, finding some of nature's hidden treasures, and being silly.  We tend to make nonsensical jokes and rekindle old ones when we walk.  We also observed that things are starting to green up in the woods which made me realize that this was probably going to be the last shed hunt of the season.  Between the grass covering up the antlers, me being allergic to poison ivy, and the fact that fishing should start heating up soon, we will probably stop pursuing antlers in the woods.  However, the highlight of the hunt came about 300 yards away from the truck.  

Cody and I hadn't found any antlers during our hunt and were about to wrap things up.  We approached a pond that was between us and my truck.  We decided that we would split up and each take a side of the pond to scour.  As I was just about to meet up with Cody on the opposite side of where we started, I stopped.  I decided to take in the scenic views and look for fish activity in the water.  I knew that I was going to be leaving this beautiful place soon and wanted to soak everything up before it ended.  I decided to also look over the dead grass that I was standing in when something irregular caught my attention.  

I might have yelled with excitement and that caught Cody's attention.  For some reason, Cody didn't react to my exultation.  I decided to request his presence and he came running.  It took him a few seconds, but he found the antler and his excitement was almost palpable.  The video illustrates the story better than I can, and in true Cody fashion, he felt inclined to add some humor to the situation in only a way he can.  After some celebration and laughter, we headed for the truck.  While it was a little bitter sweet to see the shed hunting season come to an end, the only thing that is constant in life is change.  As I took one last look on the harvested fields and sections of timber, I felt a little sadness knowing that I wouldn't be coming back here until turkey season.  At the same time though, with shed hunting ending, the fishing should start heating up really soon...which is a welcome respite.

Link to video of how the shed hunt ended: https://youtube.com/shorts/twrIHg72G9Q?si=9vUIDJpb9Lluju3t

The Conclusion & Optimal Design for a New Pattern with a 3D Printed Head

Link: https://youtube.com/shorts/h-VlcybSkMI?si=ScPjLTbikhX2LEu3

So I tied a third variation of this fly.  This one incorporated craft fur as a back and, in my opinion, is the optimal design.  The action of the fly was a little less than the marabou but also caused it to hold a better profile.  What I really mean is that the marabou made the fly appear more fluffy, which didn't seem very realistic.  The craft fur gave more of a wavy, swimming motion and the profile of the fly looked more lifelike due to a taper that had most of the mass towards the head with a taper towards the tail.  Check out the YouTube video for a visual on what I am attempting to describe.  All that's left now it field testing!  

Link: https://youtube.com/shorts/h-VlcybSkMI?si=ScPjLTbikhX2LEu3

A Long Walk, A Shed, and the Biggest Squirrel I Have Ever Seen Harvested

Somehow, I forgot to post this back in early February.  My buddy Corey, my youngest son Cody, my dog Waylon, and I went to our family farm for some shed antler hunting and squirrel hunting.  We wound up with one of each and it was a great day in the woods!  We walked about 6 miles and Waylon took 75,000 steps.  Yes, Waylon has a collar that tracks his movement and location and while it is indeed a little excessive, it sure is fun to analyze.  I found a shed in the timber which is always exciting to me.  I (not Waylon) flushed a covey of quail but couldn't pick out one to shoot.  Congratulations nature, your adaptation worked.  Cody had a blast collecting bones that we found and just doing kid-type things in the timber.  Corey ended up shooting the biggest squirrel that I have ever seen.  It was absolutely beautiful as well.  He is going to tan the hide and I have the meat in the freezer.  The boys and I are going to fry it up soon because we all love to eat squirrel.  

Testing a New Pattern with a 3D Printed Head in the Tester Tank

Back in January, I posted about a fly pattern that I had learned to tie.  It incorporates a 3D printed head on the fly and I like how the fly turned out.  To read that post, just click here.  To follow up on this post, I wanted to share what I learned after putting it in a tester tank and a small change that I made as a result of what I observed.

I always like to get the negative out of the way so the positive feels like some sort of reward.  Lets start with the bad news.  I had expected the the gray version of the fly with the rabbit strip to have some great action in the water.  While it did have action, it was underwhelming.  That fly also struggled to sink at all which was also a bummer.  

The good news is that the olive fly with the marabou back sank a little better (it almost had neutral buoyancy actually) and the action was just as good as the fly with the rabbit strip.  The lack of a rabbit strip means that the fly just became cheaper to tie as well as the fact that the marabou doesn't seem to foul as much as the rabbit strip does.  However, anyone that knows me is aware that I'm not the type of person to leave "good enough" alone.

So I tied a third fly.  This one incorporated craft fur as a back and, in my opinion, is the optimal design.  The action of the fly was a little less than the marabou but also caused it to hold a better profile.  What I really mean is that the marabou made the fly appear more fluffy, which didn't seem very realistic.  The craft fur gave more of a wavy, swimming motion and the profile of the fly looked more lifelike.  Check out the videos, as well as the pictures below, for visuals on what I am attempting to describe.  All that's left now it field testing!

So Many Flies!

Link: https://theshowmeflyguy.etsy.com

Between being off last Monday for President's day and then missing school for three days, I spent a lot of time at a vise cranking out flies.  I turned so many out, that my back and shoulders were actually sore and I had to stretch.  There is a pretty full inventory in the online store right now, especially if you are in need of some streamers.  All purchases are greatly appreciated and I promise that I tie these fly to the best of my abilities.  I only sell flies that I use and if I tie something that doesn't live up to my high standards, it goes in my fly box so it can't end up in yours!  Thank you for reading this and for any business that you send my way!  

Link: https://theshowmeflyguy.etsy.com

 

Reminder: Frontline Fly Fishing Fly Tying Gala is THIS Saturday!

This is a reminder that if you live in the Kansas City area (or really like to travel to the Kansas City area), it would be a pleasure to see you at the first ever Frontline Fly Fishing's Fly Tying Gala!  It will be held on February 22 from 11-3 at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall near Arrowhead Stadium at 2902 Blue Ridge Blvd. in Kansas City, Missouri, 64129.  There will be 4 fly tyers offering demonstrations and instruction on a variety of patterns.  I was flattered to be asked to be one of the presenters and it will be an honor to show attendees some patterns and techniques.  I will also be selling flies, some 3D printed items, and buttons too!  

Food will be provided and after the cold weather that we have experienced lately, it will be nice to get out of the house and engage with folks that have the same passion for fly fishing.  There will also be a rummage sale with fellow anglers selling new and gently used fly fishing items.  With this being the first time that this event has been held, I'm not exactly sure what this is going to look like, but Frontline Fly Fishing has put on some great events in the past and I have no doubt that this will be well ran as well as a lot of fun.  I hope to see you there!

 

Missouri Trout Park Buttons & More!

With the lousy weather that has been draped over the Kansas City area, I have been afforded some time to dedicate to my new hobby.  There has been a small learning curve but I think I have a system in place and understand most of the intricacies with the button making process.  I've cranked out some buttons for Missouri trout parks, some fly fishing organizations, and some designs that I just thought looked cool.  I am getting closer to selling my creations in my online store but I'm first going to test the market this Saturday at the Frontline Fly Fishing's Fly Tying Gala.  It will be held this Saturday, February 22, from 11-3 at the Sheet Metal Workers Union Hall.  There will be folks selling flies, a rummage sale, and fly tying demonstrations.  I'm going to see how these buttons are received at the booth that I will have and use that as a gauge to see what level of interest fly anglers have.  I hope to see you there and maybe get one or two of these buttons in your hands!

I Made a Stovetop Cover to Give to Wendy on Valentine's Day!

From the minute that I saw a stovetop cover, I knew that I wanted to make one for Wendy.  While I thought she would like to have something that appears new and trendy in our kitchen, I also saw its functionality as well.  We would always like to have more counterspace so this cover not only gives us a surface to put things on but also protects our glass stovetop as well.  I found a piece of edge-glued wood at Lowe's that was going to fit really well.  I only had to rip the wood length-wise and when I cut the wood length-wise, the leftover pieces got glued along the edges where the handles were later installed.  I got lucky with the handles as they were on clearance and matched our existing hardware perfectly.  I also added some stick-on rubber feet to make sure the cover didn't touch the stove directly and didn't slide along the glass either.  

While I have some more sanding and staining to do, I am really happy how this project is coming along.  I had the pleasure to give this to Wendy as a Valentine's Day present and her excitement as well as appreciation showed me that I had selected a good gift to make.  That's what it was all about anyway.  Don't get me wrong, I wanted a project to take on and I hadn't put any carpentry skills (mine of which, are very limited) to use in awhile.  Usually, with most of my woodworking projects, I run into a problem or two but not with this one.  I guess it helps that it was an extremely simple project that doesn't have many parts to it.  I believe that the easier the path is that you are walking down in life, the more likely it is that you are following the right path.  I'm glad this was a project that I feel was meant to do and that adds to the romanticism on this special day.

 

Now I Own a Button Making Machine

Yep, I bought a button making machine.  I have wanted one for a few weeks now and when the urge to buy one didn't fade away, I decided to purchase one.  I feel like part of my desire to make buttons can be tied to the same reason that I bought a 3D printer.  The more I think about it, I believe there is a theme to my hobbies.  I like to make things.  I also tie flies and do some basic woodworking which only reinforces the idea I enjoy both the process and product of crafting.  

You might be wondering, "Why a button maker?"  Well, there are multiple answers to that question.  One is that it was inexpensive.  Two, it seems pretty easy to use, but not so easy that it doesn't offer a little challenge and creativity.  Three, it wasn't very expensive (found this one for about $50 on eBay).  Finally, I have a purpose that I think other people might appreciate.  

I want to make small, thoughtful, and creative buttons that fly fishers will appreciate.  My thinking is that I know anglers like stickers and put them on things like coolers, their vehicles, and other hard surfaces.  However, buttons could fill a void because they can be placed on soft surfaces like fabric.  I can see fly anglers putting buttons on vests, sling packs, and hats.  The buttons that I have made are only about an inch wide so they are visible but not cumbersome.  I know fly line, leader, and flies like to catch on almost anything so I'm keeping things small and proportional to what I think the buttons will be displayed on.  I'm still perfecting the fabrication process but you should expect to see some buttons in the online store soon.  If you have any requests or ideas for designs, feel free to leave a comment on this page of shoot me an email at showmeflyguy@gmail.com.  

 

I 3D Printed a Deer Hair Packing Tool

While browsing through some different 3D printing files online, I ran across a fly tying tool that caught my interest.  While I don't do a lot of deer hair packing in my tying, I might one day.  If that day comes, I want to make sure that I have the right tool for the job.  I also wanted to save some money (about $20 after shipping) on a tool that I might or might not ever use.  So with a downloaded file and some curiosity, I started printing a hair packing tool.

To make a long story short, it turned our really well!  It's light but I can feel that it is strong enough to perform the job that it might perform.  I like the color too as well as the dimensions.  I also found out that the tool can perform some other functions as well such as tying half hitch knots and tying hairs and fibers with a reverse tying technique.  The bottom of the tool (the side that was facing the build plate) is a little rough though.  I might try to sand it down or I might just live with it.  Either way, I dig it and might start looking at some new patterns to use just so I can put it to use.

Some images of a hair packing tool at work.

Waylon Treed It, Then I Bagged It! (Part 2)

 

As I approached the tree, I saw the varmint and he appeared extremely concerned with the attention Waylon was giving him.  The squirrel was on the right side of the tree and hiding from Waylon that was on the left side of the tree and standing on his hind legs with his front paws on the tree.  His excitement was also expressed through his barking that gave no reprieve.  With all of this commotion, and the squirrel's focus squarely on Waylon, I don't think it ever saw me.  I raised my gun, but a bead on the tree rat, and squeezed the trigger.  Thankfully, I think the little guy was dead before he hit the ground.  While I understand that when I hunt, I am trying to kill something but I take no joy in watching an animal suffer.

Waylon and I both saw the squirrel hit the ground and while I was excited to harvest an animal that I was hunting, I was also curious what Waylon was going to do now that he could get to the squirrel.  This was not the first time that Waylon had encountered a squirrel, but he was about to get closer to one than he had ever been.  If I had a nickel for every squirrel that I have seen Waylon chase, I would need a full size van to haul my nickels around.  He had never caught one so I was interested to see how he was going to treat the furry little thing now that it wasn't going anywhere.  

For a moment, he picked the squirrel up and gave it a shake.  It wasn't as violent as I have seen him play with his toys, but he wanted to be certain it was dead.  He then dropped it on the ground and gave it a few licks.  After that, he was done.  I was hoping that he would bring it to me or do something amazing, but I had to settle for him standing my the squirrel until I picked the squirrel up.  I guess that's better than just running off to find the next squirrel.  

Waylon spent the rest of the day with a little more motivation and even barked at a few trees that didn't seem to have anything in them other than leaves.  While we only left with one squirrel, just as importantly, we walked away with a good story.  Sure, Waylon is a German Shorthaired Pointer that is typically used by hunters to locate and flush birds like pheasant and quail, but my dog came with an extra setting apparently.  He's also a squirrel dog which is pretty cool!  That's fine with me because I'm pretty sure we have more squirrels on our property than quail.

Waylon Treed It, Then I Bagged It! (Part 1)

I don't hunt much.  I hunt during rifle season for deer and might try to call in some coyotes a couple of times per year but other than some rare occasions, that's about all my hunting consists of.  However, I recently had an itch to do some squirrel and rabbit hunting (and get out of the house) so on a cold January day, I grabbed a gun, some warm clothes, and Waylon before I set off on a little hunting excursion.

In all honesty, I didn't know if having a bird dog around was going to help my chances at hunting a couple of wary mammals.  I didn't know if he would scare them off or help me find them.  Regardless, we were going to hunt together.  When we got out of the truck, we saw four turkeys wandering through the snow.  Shortly after that, we kicked up a couple of deer.  I noticed that one of them still had a complete set of antlers on his head so my hopes at finding a few fresh sheds were dashed.  

For the next hour and a half after those sightings, we didn't see much and we certainly didn't see the quarry we were after.  Part of it was my fault.  I noticed that the areas that we were hunting didn't have many oak trees or squirrel nests.  After scanning the horizon, I found some oaks that were still holding their leaves and quite a few nests that looked like they could have been built by squirrels.  We headed that way but doubt started to enter my mind.  Did we start hunting too late in the morning?  Was it too cold for our prey to leave their warm, safe confines?  Was Waylon scaring everything off?  Was I walking around too much?  

As I was about to give up hope and head toward the truck, I watch Waylon streaking through the timber.  He was moving at a pace that was faster than he had moved at any point of our hunt, and this got my attention!  As Waylon approached a large oak tree, I saw a furry critter make its way up the tree in a manner that I can only describe as "motivated".  It didn't take much time or effort to identify the animal as a squirrel and I quickly got as excited as Waylon.  

A New (to me) Fly and a New (to me) Tying Material

While looking for something to make with my 3D printer, I ran across a file that caught my attention.  It was similar to a Fish Skull in the sense that it is a head that gets attached to a fly.  It gives a fly a tapered look and covers up what could be a messy head.  It makes the fly look a lot cleaner and gives it a more realistic profile.  I tie a few patterns with heads like these so when I saw that I could make some on my own and for cheaper, I wanted to make a few and see how they looked on flies.

The person that posted the file online also created an instructional video that included a fly pattern and how to incorporate the 3D printed head.  This pattern was intended to imitate an anchovy but I figure most freshwater baitfish have similar profiles.  They tend to be 3-4 inches long, have dark backs, and white bellies.  I tied up a few of these flies with olive backs and white bellies.  Once those were done, I thought I would try to create a shad imitation so I replaced the olive marabou with a gray and white rabbit strip.

Overall, I am thrilled about how this fly turned out.  I love the profile and color but there are some unproved aspects that I need to investigate.  This is an unweighted fly so I am curious to see how it sinks.  I'm not sure if I will be able to fish it on a floating line or if it will require a sink tip line.  More importantly, I want to see the profile and action that it has in the water.  I also want to see the difference (if there is any) between the fly with the marabou versus the fly with the rabbit strip.  Only field testing will reveal the answers to my questions...and spring can't get here fast enough!

 

My Fly Tying Hit a Roadblock

For the last few weeks now, I haven't been able to tie many flies due to a lack of fly tying materials in my inventory.  Whenever I sat down to tie some flies to add to the inventory of my online store, I was always out of something.  If I wanted to tie a Lunch Money, I would have the hooks, the rabbit strips, and laser dub but no dumbbell eyes.  If I wanted to tie wooly buggers, I would have marabou, chenille, and hackle but no cone heads.  So there was only one solution.  I need to order some materials and I needed a lot of them.

I used to watch a show called "Justified."  There were a lot of good one-liners in the show and there was one that I will never forget.  Boyd, a character with a quick wit, once said, "If you're going to be a bear, be a grizzly."  I thought of that line before I clicked on "Place Order" on the J. Stockard Fly Fishing website.  $250 dollars later, my materials were ordered and I received them a few days later.  So if you've ever wondered what $250 dollars worth of fly tying materials looks like, this is it!  On top of that, I even got a free beanie too!  

I hope you have a great weekend and find some time to relax and do something you enjoy.  And while I enjoy working on posts for this blog, I now have flies to tie!  

PS- I also ordered a bunch of Show Me Fly Guy stickers because I was almost out of those too!  They came from MakeStickers.com.

A Fly I Tied with Materials I Wanted to Use Up

So there I was with some dumbbell eyes that had some paint chipped off (can't use these on flies for customers), a limited amount of materials (lots of materials on the way though), and a fly that I was going to tie for myself.  I wanted to use up some materials that I don't use very much but wanted to make something that would catch fish.  It took me awhile to put this puzzle together.

I started off with some olive materials because I like fishing with olive streamers.  I had just enough light olive laser dub, olive rabbit strips with black tips, and dark olive laser dub to tie one fly.  I don't use this color of rabbit strip very often and I don't really care for the light olive laser dub so I wanted to use them up just to be rid of them.  I have a bunch of other fly tying materials that I don't use but they didn't fit the theme of this build.  

Overall, I used a rabbit strip with black tips, light olive marabou, a light olive rabbit strip, black sili legs, light olive laser dub, olive laser dub, large red dumbbell eyes, and olive thread.  The fly is a variant on Bennet's Lunch Money.  It's a fly that I have caught a lot of largemouth bass and a few smallmouth bass on.  As a result, I have a lot of confidence in this fly.  I have so much confidence in this fly that I sell it in my online store as well.  The taper, the profile, and the action make it, well, I would say lethal, but I'm a catch and release guy.

I tend to employ darker colors on the tops of my streamers and lighter colors on the bottom.  In scientific terms, I believe this is called countershading.  It's probably the side of me that is a trout angler that attempts to "match the hatch".  I use countershading because that's the coloration scheme that most fish utilize.  When trout anglers are on the water, they try to make their flies the same size, profile, and color of the current trout's prey.  I'm just trying to use the same tactic.  

So while I don't tend to lean towards monochromatic color schemes very often, I do make a few exceptions.  Black, white, and olive are colors that I will use throughout an entire fly.  I like all black for stained water, white for clear water, and olive for both.  After looking this fly over, I think I accomplished both of my goals.  I used up some materials that I didn't have a need for anymore and produced a fly that I think will catch fish.  Now all I need is for some fish to let me know what they think!

My New (To Me) Moonshine Reel via Facebook Marketplace

Link to Moonshine Rod Co.- https://moonshinerods.com

I have no problem admitting that I am frugal.  I try not to spend more money than necessary on things if I don't have to.  There is also a possibility that I have a small addiction to Facebook Marketplace.  It's not that I buy a lot of things off marketplace, I just like to peruse a lot and see what people are selling.  I think marketplace is a great resource when looking for things like bed frames, used 3D printers, and yes, fly fishing equipment.  I'm also a fan of Moonshine Rod Company.  I've heard nothing but great things about their rods and reels but have never had the opportunity or need to purchase from them.  So when I saw a band new Moonshine reel come up on the marketplace that had never been used and was less than half the price of a new one, I jumped on it.

While I have not put any line on the reel, and thus not actually used it yet, I already see some things that I like.  First of all, the crescent that is cut out of the housing is eye-catching to say the least.  As if that wasn't enough, the spool is silver on the side that faces the housing.  This means that the silver makes the crescent appear silver with the rest of the housing appear black.  It is a subtle detail but is an aesthetic that I greatly appreciate.  

Second, I the drag system appears to be well-designed.  It is sealed which always points towards less maintenance and fewer malfunctions.  Another component that I dig is that the cap that connects the spool to the housing isn't removable.  As a result, you don't have to worry about dropping it in a lake/stream and you really can't lose it anywhere else for that matter.  The only thing that I don't like is that the traditional clicking sound (that most reels make) is produced when drag is taken AND when the reel is turned to bring in line.  I prefer that my reels only click when the drag system is engaged.  I'm sure I will just get used to this characteristic so it's not a large concern of mine.

I am extremely happy with my purchase and I can't wait to hit the water with it.  I will post a review of the performance reel after some field testing.  I'm also going to keep perusing Facebook Marketplace for good deals on fly fishing equipment.  It's a great place to look for deals so you might want to do the same...just please don't beat me to any good deals!  I'm totally kidding.  If I snooze, I lose.

Link to Moonshine Rod Co.- https://moonshinerods.com