Author: thequiltedtyer

Material Talk: Articulated Wiggle Shanks
Fly Tying · Material Talk

Material Talk: Articulated Wiggle Shanks

thequiltedtyerLeave a comment

The first time I thought about tying something with an extended body I tried to cut the ends off of my hooks, and after a few sticks to my fingers, not to mention the waste of money.. I gave up.

So when I came across these small articulated shanks I was thrilled and began using them for flies that I wanted to give a little more movement to.

Articulated Wiggle Shanks to put it simply, are a long shanked hook without a point that can be used to give a lifelike movement to your flies without having to sacrifice a hook. They can be used to tie a variety of patterns, such as the Pompadour Iso Emerger and the Wiggle frenchie. The only limit is your imagination! They can also be used for bigger nymphs such as stone flies and hellgrammites.

Book Review: “The Triumph of Seeds”
Book Reviews

Book Review: “The Triumph of Seeds”

thequiltedtyerLeave a comment

I’m just going to start off with this: Wow.. just wow. I had NO idea there could be so much information, speculation and history about something so small, something in which is all around us in many forms, something in which (as i eat my bowl of oatmeal with blueberries, flax and chia seeds in it..) we may unknowingly overlook everyday.

Seeds!

And this book “The Triumph of Seeds” by Thor Hanson will quickly take the ‘overlooking’ out of your day.

You will find that seeds are just as complicated, and fascinating as they may have once seemed simple and boring to you. I have thrown many seeds into dirt, between landscaping and gardening; but only now do I find myself looking a little closer at exactly what is occurring as they sprout. I find myself inspecting them before I plant them, even wondering how long they have sat dormant before I put them into the ground.

Did you know that “Some species persist in the soil for decades, sprouting only when the right combination of light, water and nutrients make conditions right for plant growth.” p.xxiv

On The Vise Q & A: “How do I use the wiggle shanks?”
Fly Tying · On The Vise: Q&A

On The Vise Q & A: “How do I use the wiggle shanks?”

thequiltedtyer3 Comments

I have had quite a few questions in regards to the Isonychia Wiggle Emerger, and the best way to tie with the Flymen Fishing Company-Articulated Wiggle Shanks so I decided to keep this part in a separate post, so that you can refer back to it as needed.

“How do I tie on them? They’re too long. Should I cut them first?”

Affixing a shank in your vise

Trying to tie on a shank when its fully extended in the jaws of your vise, may prove to be somewhat aggravating. Not to mention you can easily lose track of the final length that you are looking to accomplish with the body. Tying with it already cut is harder to do, since you need the extra length to hold into the jaws while you tie. I recommend that once you decide on the length of the PHYSICAL body (not the tails that may be hanging loose on lets say a pheasant tail) that you keep only that amount of shank showing.

June 7th, 2017: Ridge & Valley TU Presentation
Fly Tying · Shows, Presentations and Events

June 7th, 2017: Ridge & Valley TU Presentation

thequiltedtyerLeave a comment

I would like to thank the Ridge & Valley TU Chapter for inviting me to tie a few patterns for some of their members on June 7th, 2017. I demonstrated the Renegade dry fly and the Isonychia Wiggle
Emerger.
Both step-by-step tutorials can be found by clicking the links to the fly names above. It was a great time and I hope that you were able to take something away from the demonstration, that you will be able to apply to your own tying.

It’s awesome when you have a whole room engaged and everyone discussing different aspects of patterns; as we all can learn different things from each other. There is a wealth of knowledge out there and to be able to share what I know with others, is what always makes this so much more enjoyable.

On My Vise: Isonychia Wiggle Emerger
Fly Tying · On the Vise

On My Vise: Isonychia Wiggle Emerger

thequiltedtyer3 Comments

The Isonychia is a decent sized mayfly that can be so numerous at times, you simply aren’t sure where to cast. There have been plenty of times at dusk where I see more trout taking emergers than I do the mayflies that are aimlessly drifting on the surface, when the hatch is in full swing. Some trout will even come barreling our of the water to take them as they rise and swim through the water column.
Some of them do make it, and the evidence can be found strewn all around the river bank where they had once climbed up onto the rocks to finish their transformation.

The next time you’re in the middle of an Isonychia hatch; try to divert your eyes away from the far bank for a few seconds, and look down. Concentrate on what is right in front of you at your feet. If you stand still, gazing into the water as it swiftly passes, you will see the nymphs. They are almost breaking dancing as they head down river! Many of them do not make it to adulthood, they become stuck in the film.
That is where this pattern comes in handy, and its for two reasons. When dead drifted tied just the way it is, it gives a little movement. A little extra attention grabber as it passes the eye of a hungry trout. Then after the fish have destroyed it to the point that your CDC bubble is ruined? Let it sink and swing it! It will wiggle and thrash around with those broken CDC fibers and continue to work.

Fly tying tips and tricks: “Taking the fear out of working with ‘Reel Wings'”
Fly Tying · Tips and Tricks

Fly tying tips and tricks: “Taking the fear out of working with ‘Reel Wings'”

thequiltedtyer3 Comments

A few years ago I picked up a package of Reel Wings at Dette Trout Flies and while I was super excited to use them once arriving home; I found that I broke more of them than I was able to use properly.
I tried and tried again, but after becoming frustrated, I put the few that I had left in the drawer, and honestly.. like many other materials before them.. I they were forgotten about.

Until I was made aware that they had revamped the packaging and material; for ease of use and durability!

So If you were like me, and had a little bit of trouble getting the hang of this material in the past; have no fear! Take a look at this step by step and the improvements made and I’m sure you will be running to the shop to pick some up, and wont be afraid to use up the old ones as well.

Fly tying tips and tricks: “Keeping mayfly tails separated”
Fly Tying · Tips and Tricks

Fly tying tips and tricks: “Keeping mayfly tails separated”

thequiltedtyer1 Comment

When it comes to dry flies, nothing looks better than the proper proportions, standing at attention to the point that the fly looks like it has a life of its own sitting on your desk top. Balancing, almost hovering, on nothing more than a tail and hackle.

..but like many things we learn to do, that’s not always the case in the beginning. When not properly supported, tailing material has a tendency to follow the bend of the hook and will continue to point downward once more material is added on.

During one of the fly tying shows I stopped over to watch Matt and Tim from Tightline Video tying flies at their booth, and they had shown me a trick that I would like to now share with you. (If you are familiar with their YouTube channel you may have seen this there as well)

Before you start, cut a section of thread off your bobbin a few inches in length, and put it aside. Then start your thread and grab those microfibetts!

Idle Hands: “My contribution to a mini quilt swap”
Everything Else · Idle Hands · quilting

Idle Hands: “My contribution to a mini quilt swap”

thequiltedtyer4 Comments

A Quilters guild that I had been a member of before I moved, had a large number of quilters who lived all across the United States. During one of our meetings I heard that we had a sign up sheet for a mini quilt swap. I decided to join and see what I could come up with, then I realized that it was a secret swap in which you had no contact to your recipient until you finished. We were all given the Instagram name of our partner and had to go off of clues they left you there or just come up with your own idea.

On My Vise: “The Bass Agitator”
Fly Tying

On My Vise: “The Bass Agitator”

thequiltedtyerLeave a comment

Before I began fly fishing I had been spin fishing since the age of 3, (and I’m not ashamed to say.. sometimes I still do! That’s right I said that disgusting phrase! 😂Oh no! How could she Sometimes I take a spinning rod out on a dock during a full moon and I start casting jitterbugs for largemouth for the whole world to see and just dont care?! 😂)

I am a bass fisher-woman at heart, and old habits die hard. I only started fishing for the ‘other’😂species of trout about 3 years ago when had a lull in between ice fishing and bass fishing. As much as I love this new world of learning what goes on in the world of trout, my heart still lives within the confines of those lily pad laden lakes and ponds.

When I fell in love with fly tying and began to come up with flies for bass, I couldn’t just forget everything I had taught myself with that spinning reel, so instead; I incorporated my old techniques in regards to how I tied and fished my flies. I tried to imitate my favorite go-to lures, with one of them being a very lightweight 4″ suspending jerkbait. Those lures are excellent at pissing off bass on their beds and also in cold water when they are still sluggish. The Bass Agitator is the fly I use in replace of a suspending jerkbait, and it produces well when stripped and paused veryyy slowly.