Yeti Sighting! - Northern Minnesota

As the snowpack is finally diminishing here in northern Minnesota there have been some strange sightings as of late. Most recently has been a confirmed sighting of a YETI in Detroit Lakes. I intially spotted the YETI out of the corner of my eye. I was unsure of what exactly I saw, wondering if my eyes had been playing tricks on me. It's not uncommon for mirages to appear over snow, much like the apparition of water in a desert. But a YETI? Something came tumbling out of the woods, right at my truck. I came to a screeching halt as my front tire made contact with the object. What was it? I hopped out of the truck to see just exactly what it was.


I couldn't believe I was seeing this with my own eyes, a YETI in Detroit Lakes! A perfectly unscathed specimen too! Wow, the press will have a field day with this one! I quickly looked over the YETI for any signs of injuries and none were to be found. I quickly secured the YETI in the cab of my truck and made haste back to the Roughfisher Command Post.


After a closer inspection back at home base, I identified the YETI as a 50 quart specimen from the Tundra. A beautiful specimen indeed! There was so much potential with this YETI! I was practically giddy with excitement, dreaming of all the possibilities for good times I can share with the YETI! Think of all the fishing and camping trips we can go on! I can't wait to dress up my YETI. I'll be sure to post stories of my new YETI's adventures. Stay tuned!


Thanks YETI!

Soda Pop

So, it's not exactly my genius idea, but I'll share it anyway. Thanks to the fine folks from the Fly Chuckers fly club of St. Paul, MN to pointing this one out to me: Offray Soda Pop wire edge ribbon. All you need to do is pull the wire out from each edge of the ribbon and you the makings for a perfect baitfish body. If you want, you can separate each individual strand of flash and you have an endless supply of tinsel, much like the Kreinik or Sulky Holoshimmer. At $2.97 for nine feet of ribbon, there's plenty to go around before needing to re-stock.




Excuse me, I've got a few delicious bass I need to go tease with some shiny, sparkly goodness. Peace out.

Friends In Low Places

A nicely preserved Plains sharp-tailed grouse skin, harvested from central North Dakota. Soft hackle heaven.

squirrelz

I recently scored on a bunch of squirrel pelts off of ebay. Five for $12, plus free priority mail shipping to boot. To add to the awesomeness, there were two extra hides thrown in the box. Price per pelt was down to $2.18, the cheapest I've been able to find, even cheaper than Coffin Creek Furs when you factor in shipping and handling costs. The hides were in great condition, all fleshed out, salted, and dried. I didn't find any bugs, but I'm taking no chances. The hides have already been quarantined and sent to the deep freeze chamber for a week's sentence. Between the freeze, a dye bath, and some borax for the non-dyed skins, that should take care of all the critters. Besides, there's nothing a little trip into the microwave can't take care of.


You may wonder what in the hell I'm gonna do with 22 squirrel pelts. No, I'm not gonna make myself a toupée or a squirrel suit. And I'm not gonna use them for Zonkers, though that is a great idea but better suited for a tanned skin. I'm gonna dye up a bunch of them skins and chop them furs for dubbin'. I've got a few big batches I need to make for use down the road. Squirrel is the ultimate fur for a buggy nymph blend.

flossie

Awhile back, I mentioned a quick and easy substitute for seal fur, floss. 4 strand rayon floss works great, and most fly shops carry it for a $1/spool for 10 yards of material. For those of us without access to a nearby shop, embroidery floss will work just the same. For one dollar you can get an 8 yard skein of rayon floss that is between two to three times the amount of floss of that four strand floss. Better yet, your wife or significant other may already have a stash hiding in her sewing kit. If you get caught yoinking her floss, however, don't go blaming me for the idea. Just tell her that you wanted to make her a "friendship bracelet". Yeah, that's the ticket...


If you want to get an even better deal on floss, then look no further than some twisted lip cord. Found in the fabric section of most craft and fabric stores and even some big box stores, this is the motherload of cheapo DIY floss. The cord at the Hobby Lobby runs $0.99/yard, plus there was an additional 30% off sale price; can't beat that. There are many varieties out there so keep a close eye on the composition of the cord materials. Many will contain a cotton blend; stay away from those. Look for cord made up of rayon, nylon, polypropelene or a blend. I opted for a rayon/polypro blend, as the cord can serve double duty. The cord is composed of a polypro core, coated with a rayon outer that easily separates from each other. I can use the rayon and the polypro for dubbing, but I can also use the polypro for wings or posts.



I love a good bargain.

Bargain Basement Bonanza

You can never have too much wire.

Roadside Treasures: Morality Check

Hypotheticals:
You find a fresh roadkill in the morning hours, victim of someone's commute to work. Normally it's a no-brainer situation; you pull over, grab the critter, and process the fur/feathers when you get a chance, further down the road. But what happens when the animal is protected or closed to possession? It's already dead right?

What do you do?


The Score:
The ring-necked pheasant is a treasure trove of feathers and hackle to the casual fly tyer. Everyday patterns like the PT Nymph would not be possible were it not for the beautifully barbed tail feathers from a rooster ringneck. Aside from the vibrant and iridescent flank and rump feathers, however, there isn't a ton of uses/patterns for the remaining feathers off of the rooster. Enter the hen ringneck. While much more subdued in coloration, the tan, cream, and brown-mottled feathers of the hen contain some wonderful soft hackles, even rivaling those of the Hungarian Partridge. While legal for purchase stateside, hen ring-necked pheasant skins are much harder to find off the rack, and the $15 to $30 price tag can be a bit hard to swallow for a female ditch parrot. And everyone knows that the feather quality of shot birds is second to none over those chemically treated commercial skins.

Legalese:
Minnesota Rule states that only cock roosters may be taken (albeit by firearm or bow and arrow), whereas State Statute provides contradictory language, such that "A person may not take more than one hen pheasant in one day or possess more than two hen pheasants". Which supersedes which, Statute or Rule? Of course, the regulations booklet trumps all, stating that "Road-killed animals may not be legally possessed, except by special permit from a DNR conservation officer, state patrol, county sheriff or other law enforcement officer."

So what do you do? Do you take the bird and secretly pluck and "possess" the feathers off the hen, I mean, It's already dead right? No harm, no foul? Or do you leave the bird lay, as it's just not worth the risk of getting caught for possession?


That's what I thought....

Caveat Emptor: The author, nor roughfisher.com, condone the breaking of any federal or state game and fish laws. 
Take the post for what it's worth. No statutes, laws, or rules were broken for the creation and purpose of this post.

bonanza

The China connection hooked a brother up. Look at them tasty carp hooks, all shiny and whatnot. Extra strong, chemically sharpened, forged stainless steel, with a slight beak. Available in black or unpainted.



You'd be upset to hear what I paid for them sumbitches, so I'll spare you the agony. Let's just say that they were between Two-buck Chuck and a Five Dollar Whore, per hundred.

bass materials

I know it's August, but at 40% off, I don't mind celebrating Christmas a little early...


Normally I hold the save the sheets of tinsel for esocid streamers, but this stuff is just a bit narrower than the standard stuff, perfect for some bassin'. Shades of deep gold, cherry red, and pearl will get those scruffy looking nerfherders to hand. Time for some bass thumb action.


Check out the fatty-bo-batty rolls of chenille; 15 mil wide. I'm thinking bunnies all the way. Substitute rabbit with the chenille and you've got game. This stuff is live!

Dr. Hook

I recently came into a score of British hooks, though I suspect their origin being of Chinese descent. Curved shank, barbless, at minimum 2X strong. Size 8.



A comparison of size 8 hooks between: secret carp hook, Tiemco 2457, Tiemco 3761, and Mustad 34007. Hands down winner, the secret carp hook is the winner. Stouter than any hook on the table and cheaper by at least half the price per 100. The kicker? I have a shipment coming in from China that may be even more dank than this stuff. Stay tuned.

For Your Eyes Only

When Singlebarbed told me that he literally had risked life and limb to smuggle some Classified materials into the Roughfisher Command Post, I thought he was putting me on until I saw proof. He warned me of the inclement danger inherent when handling this stuff and told me to survey my surroundings before opening. He was right, this stuff should be locked in a vault in Fort Knox.


Regarding the classified contents of the container:

You all are on a need to know basis, and right now you don't need to know.

All I can divulge is that this stuff rocks the shit and will blow your mind. It will change the face of fly tying forever.


End Transmission.

Watchout Rocky

Next time those squirrels are gorging at the bird feeder or damaging your trees, think smart and put those critters to use.


Harvested from the American Red Squirrel, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus. The red squirrel has a distinct dark barring and almost a bleached out look at the tip of the tail hair fibers. This will will make for an interesting presentation when tied in as a tail, almost like that of Coq de Leon, but heavier. Fairly short, coarse, and inexpensive, red squirrel tails are also great for using as a dubbing base for a buggy nymph blend. I can't wait to apply this to some Thunderbirds or Admiral Akbars.

DIY Bugger Barns: Revisited

The end result to the DIY Fly Boxes. I finally got around to putting together some of the larger Bugger Barn sized fly boxes this past weekend. Only available in case quantity, I went in with fellow bloggers Ben, Cameron, and Tony and split a case of the Flambeau 4040-2 boxes. I steered away from the traditional brown foam that I use on my boxes and made some in several different colors, including a crazy orange that will be home to my carp nasties. I even tipped the sticker to resemble a tailing fish. All that awesomeness for just under $6 a piece. Bitchin'.

I'd like to see how those other guys' boxes turned out.

Holy Camel Toe!

The beauty of the MindTrap is that people will flock and bend over backward to hook you up with some sweet shit, even your own mother. At least that's how it went in my mind, though I must confess that I really don't posses any tangible superpower. It's more of a pipe dream really. Regardless of how it really played out, I nonetheless ended up with a couple of baggies of some fine-ass Alpaca fiber to play around with. Camelidae.



Ma Roughfisher hooked me up with some Alpaca fiber from a fellow co-worker who also raises Alpacas at the Fossum Family Farm. I didn't even have to beg, she just handed it over from the goodness of her heart. I wish I could be that nice. I received a variety of colors from two breeds of Alpaca, Suri and Huacaya. The Suri contains a bunch of fine strands of silky hair, much like mohair or angora. This is similar to the llama fibers I have, but much finer. The Huacaya contains a dense lot of fine crimped hairs. This holds the real appeal to me. Much like the advantages of crimped Angelina, the Huacaya fibers will add body to any nymph dubbing, as well as add a bit of depth and dimension to a spectral blend. The fibers almost remind me of Enrico Puglisi fibers, so I bet they could also be put to great use for baitfish patterns.





Alpaca fiber contains no lanolin, thus does not repel water; a feature great for nymph bodies. The lack of lanolin will easily allow the fiber to take a dye. I would like to experiment with some reds, blues and yellows for constructing spectral dubbing blends. Perhaps this could make a good seal substitute. Only time will tell. Too many ideas, not enough time.

Thanks Ma.

Emo

Finally found a useful pattern for the pastel colored beadchain I picked up a while back. Sage green is a subdued enough color to put in to service on most traditional patterns, however, hot pink and orange are a bit too loud for ordinary use. But for an Emo fly, it's craptacular.


Another Hobby Lobby score: normally $3.99 per four 20" strands, %50 off the pack of beadchain equals thirty cents per foot. 30¢! Compare that to #6 (1/8"/3.2mm) nickel plated steel ball chain at $0.31 per foot (100 foot spool), and you've got a deal. Under fly tyer principles, you have to stock up on this kind of bargain.



Go hang yourself.

Jayhawk love

Brother Mike Grose from the Free State Fly Fishers recently sent the roughfisher a stash of angora and other goodies as part of the brownliner fly tyer exchange program. Mike has been featured on the blog before, and is best known for his killer pattern, Mike's Carp Candy. Mike graciously shared some of his angora, as well as a top secret scud dubbing recipe and sample, baggie of kitty fur, a and a few of his signature fly pattern.



I can't wait to start playing with this stuff. It just scream spectral dubbing.



Thanks again Mike, the carps will love their new play toys.

Color Me Bad

Another trip to the Hobby Lobby, another score. Some new jewelry items showed up on the shelves, ripe for the picking. 4mm colored beads, anodized I believe, then dyed and thermally sealed. Hopefully, this should increase the durability of the finish somewhat as painted beads will flake off down to the base metal on the first bounce off the bottom. Painted beads aren't the right tool for the application, anodized ones are. 40 beads at $4.99.


The next item up for bid were some beads with an antiqued like finish, like a tarnished brass. The finish is earthy and will make for some sweet ass nymphs. 200 pieces of 3.2mm beads at $2.99, and 110 pieces of 4mm beads at $2.99.


20" black ball chain for $1.47. New ball chain colors red, green, royal blue, and light blue, $1.99 per 16". Not the best of deals, but I have definitely never seen these colors of ball chain before. Again, these are anodized so they should hold up to the rigors of combat. 20" pastel colored ball chain in sage, orange, pink, and baby blue, all for $3.99. I picked up these colors in a previous score, but couldn't resist picking up another package.


Something about spring in the air; egg patterns and flesh flies are stuck on the brain, even though none of those scenarios are present in the situations I typically angle. Found some bitching colors of rug yarn and I couldn't pass them up. Nonetheless, those of you with the opportunity to fish to a spring run of any of the pacific salmons would enjoy these colors. I'll likely end up using them for caddis and mayfly patterns after I've ground them up with a bit of Angelina. Not on sale, but at a buck a pack they are still a deal. They are so creamy looking.


So now, take everything you just saw above (except the rug yarn) and divide the price in half. That's right, %50 off. YEEAHH-HA!! That's how we do it in my neighborhood, bitch!

Pedro's cousin with all the sweet hook-ups

Many thanks to Mr. Muncy for his generosity. Switters B always has the hookups on cool patterns and tying materials. Singlebarbed is good, but even he misses out on a few interesting finds on occasion.




Gary posted a few cool czech nymph tying materials on his blog recently. His caddis ties were wonderful, almost abstract looking. At times, I wish my style of tying was more like that. No matter how much of a rut and tyer's block I may find myself in, a visit over to Gary's site always snaps me out of my funk. Funny how another's perspective and interpretation of a pattern can be so different, yet so wonderfully enlightening. Like the far side of the Moon.

friends in low places

Much can be said about your coworkers. Everyone has a few horror stories to share, and there always seems to be a Milton Waddams, Tom Smykowski, or Bill Lumbergh in the crowd. Love 'em or leave 'em, every once in a while one of them will come through and hook you up.




The beauty of working in a co-located office are the perks with working alongside other sections and divisions. One of my wildlife cohorts surprised me the other day by bringing two boxes of feathers into my office. When I opened them up, I discovered a bounty of pheasant, grouse, turkey, and mallard feathers. Now this was the mother lode. Now I've got more hackle than I could ever use in 20 years. Once I sorted, treated, and packed all of the feathers, I managed to fill up an entire grocery bag, to the top. That's over 7 gallons of feathers.



Speaking of sweet ass hackle, I couldn't pass up a chance at picking up a starling skin when I was over at the Fly Angler last week. Thanks to Justin over at WFF for piquing my interest earlier this winter. One major bonus at the shop: they had pheasant rump in golden yellow! Hot damn! Been looking for this stuff for a couple years now, and this is the first shop I've come across that actually had some in stock. I was just about ready to mail order some from a company in the PNW, but luckily I was able to procure some "locally". That is if you consider a 200 mile distance local. Unfortunately for me, that's the closest fly shop around. Now I can finally get started tying up a patch of carp carrots, but that's for another story.

Has anyone seen my red Swingline stapler?