This weekend featured continuous sustained downpour that blew the Little Stinking into the Great Muddy – one 24 hour monsoon turned a sleepy fetid little brook into a chocolate gravel throwing monster – increasing its size tenfold.
I went out and admired the snarling beast, watching Audi’s and Toyota’s tumble past intermingled with goat guts and lawnmowers.
There will be new holding water aplenty – and while the bridge reverberated from log strikes and abandoned farm equipment – I couldn’t resist a couple of fist pumps, all we need is three or four more storms of the same quality, and us Californian’s can start to breath easy.
Enforced idleness allowed me to finish the Purple, Olive, Gold, Rainbow, and Red stonefly nymphs that SMJ and I’ll be testing come April. I’ll only share the magnetic versions, but he should fall for it repeatedly and often. I still have four dozen rubberleg versions to finish this weekend and I’ll have an even 10 dozen stoneflies – enough to get into all manner of trouble.
… after that we start working the mid sized caddis.
I’ve located a current source of the Polyamide double eyelash yarn I’ve been using on the streamers, figured to pass it along if anyone’s interested.
The Plymouth Yarn Company makes “Parrot” – a full sized double eyelash identical to the Gedifra Costa Rica that I’ve been using (and no longer made). Crystal Palace Yarns makes “Rave” a half size double eyelash that is no more than an inch wide – yielding a polyamide “hackle” about a size #16 (once trimmed from the yarn and prepped).
Both are posing next to my collection of bead equipped, full shank leaded, color-imbued, stonefly nymphs. I’ll mention the “Rave” hackled damselflies in the top left corner of the fly box once I’ve stuck something other than my finger..
KB,
Some good looking nymphs and some hot new colors from the new sources. What hook sizes are you using for most of these?
Can we get a closeup picture of those flies in your fly box there – I like the looks of them, but want a closer view!
Harry: I’m using mostly a Togen 3X long #8 hook for the bulk of these. I’ll also make them with the #10 and the #6 for the large rubberleg variant.
Brandon:I have a closeup of the Golden here:
http://singlebarbed.com/2009/02/09/is-the-next-truly-indispensable-material-a-mutt/
I’ll post a closeup of the other colors tonight if you’d like.
Your creative skills and productivity never cease to amaze me.
I figured you had some sort of evil plan in mind when you graciously offered to bring all the flies for our upcoming trip. While I’m wasting time messing with the magnetized bugs you’ve tossed me, you’ll be off fishing all the choice water.
It’s much more nefarious – I’ll be loading you up with experimentals (while assuring you I catch all my fish on these), meanwhile I’ll be using the “good stuff” and pantomiming “Purple” whenever you yell across asking what that big sumbitch ate…
Could I trade you a couple of flies and a stamped envelope for a couple of feet of that Moonlight Camel Mohair? I’m making chironomid pupae at the moment – don’t know if you run into those in your neck of the woods but I’d be happy to make the exchange.
Or are you selling any of these cool materials on the ‘net anywhere?
That’s just plain evil. Funny as hell, but evil.
Just remember who’s cooking.
Jeff,
Drop me an email with your address – I’ll be happy to tear off a hank from each color so you can fiddle with it. My email address is on the “about” page – top of the screen.
Moonlight Mohair is stunning stuff, I prefer to buy it from Ebay as it’s 1/3 the price as the craft store. Only the “Everglades” (olive) color has not been available via ebay – I ordered it directly from the maker.
If memory serves the link to the makers site is available in the “Mutt” article..
http://singlebarbed.com/2009/02/09/is-the-next-truly-indispensable-material-a-mutt/