Fly Tying: Carpet Caddis

I posted below about gathering fly tying materials where you find them. I remarked upon finding a carpet remnant and that I harvested a few patches. So, I experimented with a single, twisted strand of Antron yarn. I tied in a copper wire ribbing at the bend of the hook. Then I laid the strand atop the shank of a size 16 hook and secured the carpet fiber at the thorax area. Then the ribbing was wrapped over the yarn from the rear to the front…about 4 turns. The carpet fiber stayed atop the shank, much like the Poopah patterns. A CDC feather was tied in by the tip and wrapped a couple of times around the shank and followed by a CDC wing of two bunched feathers. The wire ribbing is a tad too heavy…I should go thinner. Nothing innovative here…just used a carpet fiber from a remnant headed to the dump. Recycling of sorts.

Antron Carpet Fiber (SB)

Carpet Caddis (SwittersB)

Carpet Caddis (SwittersB)

Fly Tying: Keep Eyes Open for Materials

By all means support your local fly shop and online resources for fly tying materials. But, also explore a bit in craft stores, bead shops, fabric stores, yarn shops and like today when cleaning out a house of this and that. This morning I came across a carpet remnant that appears to be comprised of Antron fibers. I exercised restraint and cut out a few patches of the carpet, enough to provide a decade of material.

Cut up and blended or brushed out for a shroud or left twisted for an extended abdomen, the Antron is a synthetic material that has several uses in fly tying. It was headed for the dumpster, but enough was salvaged to satisfy years worth of recreational tying.

Fly Fishing: A Couple Hours to Kill

A couple hours to explore. A co-worker told me of a nice stretch on the McKenzie R. to explore. Business trips afford little time to play. What little time there is seems wasted driving hither and yon to find a new place, so you settle on the tried and true spots. Last night, I decided to explore. I headed toward the McKenzie R. and found a the nice spot.

As I put on the gear and rigged the rod, those pesky mosquitos appeared. I had sprayed on some DEET, but  they didn’t mind and found sweet spots of opportunity. I walked quickly toward the river. Once there the water looked swifter than I had at first thought. I decided to walk up stream through the woods to find a safer stretch. Big mistake. The trail petered out onto a bluff and there were even more mosquitos in the woods…very aggressive and not the least bit put off by wimpy DEET %’s. If you are going to use it, go for the gusto (90%).

Eventually, I found access and waded out beyond a back channel and to the other side of an island. Beautiful water of rapids, riffles, seams, and an eddy. Easy wading. A few willing trout; a few large, unwilling trout porpoised for something beneath the surface. There were a midges aflutter above the quieter back water near the island. I could not tell if they were coming off or had already come off earlier. A very few Caddis (small/black, medium/brown, medium+/tan) elevated up from the riffles. No mayflies. No stoneflies. Pretty sparse. I nymphed, swung a small wet, used a dropper, fished the surface and in the film. I fished well. I caught a few and had several splat attacks. But, I didn’t draw the big trout I had seen porpoise a rod length away, directly in front of me. It was a perfect evening in most respects. Location, presentation were clicking along. Wrong fly selection? Maybe. Or, just the cosmic alignment of the boulders?

Plus, I  have learned to deal with rejection. There is a certain karmatic (I made that word up and you can use it) harmony to it all. The McKenzie River is a very beautiful river. On the way out to the rig and the mosquitos, a man asked if I connected with any steelhead. Hmm, next time. Now, where did I put that Scandi head?

Oh the above pic of me…just screwing around with some photo processing dealy (‘special effects’)….freaky hey?

Peacock Feather Tattoo: Hannah Grace Metler’s

Hannah was perusing the other peacock tat pics at SwittersB and said “well check this out!” Nice tat, pretty back. Perhaps Hannah will re-comment on who did the work and where.Tattoo’s of feathers are quite popular now, especially of peacock feathers. Thank you Hannah for sharing.

Hannah responded: “It was done by Zera Anderson in Ypsilanti, MI” (Ink For Life Studio on Huron St.)

Check Out Alpha Inventions for Random Blog stream, but come back!

Lake Chany, Russia (Float Tubing Prohibited)

I just love this crazy stuff. Something just prehistoric about it, as many of us muddle about in our urban/suburban fog or escape to our somewhat gentrified wilderness experiences. The Lake Chany area has reportedly lost 19 people and many have not been found. Reportedly a large creature has been seen. They would know their sturgeon. Something lurks.  Large lake, but not deep. Poor recovery efforts? Limited resources? No sonar research by some TV freak that likes to dive into brown waters to wrestle alligators or grab bizarre creatures in Africa? Seems like someone will eventually put in the effort like they did on Loch Ness. The creature, if it exists, is alive. Not a poor washed up Montauk something or other.

“Those who have reportedly seen the creature have likened it to the famous Loch Ness monster, describing a long neck, ‘huge tail’ and ‘snake-like’ appearance.

The latest in a string of deaths came last week, as a 59-year-old man was dragged beneath the surface of Lake Chany, located in the province of Novosibirsk.

‘I was with my friend… some 300 yards from the shore,’ said 60-year-old Vladimir Golishev told the Daily Mail. ”He hooked something huge on his bait, and he stood up in the boat to reel it in.

‘But it pulled with such force that he overturned the boat. I was in shock – I had never seen anything like it in my life.”

Metro.Co.Uk Alpha Inventions Random Blogs

Milka Duno: Less Posing, More Mirrors

Ah Milka Duno, a pity. I had hoped there was someone to take away the limelight from Danica Patrick and be able to race as well. The probationary status for Milka Duno brings into question: is she just a pretty face/hot babe only. Milka use your mirrors! This, of course, just plays into the rep of that obnoxious poser, Danica. Of course, if Milka places worse than Danica and most everyone else….well, then perhaps she is in over her lovely rear end.

“Though her track performances have never materialized, Milka continues to be a top drawing IRL personality, and a driver of ticket sales from fans who seem not to care about her lack of on-track success.    Duno’s corporate sponsorship from Citgo is likely what has kept her in the seat to date, a financial support that Dale Coyne Racing depends on to stay in business.    Though the Indy Car series has consistently ignored the problem in efforts to keep fields full, the lack of progression combined with increased frustration by other drivers have forced officials to take action.”  EXAMINER

Art: Dalton Ghetti (Micro Magic)

And, I complain about tying a size 20 anything….Dalton Ghetti

Dalton Ghetti's Alphabet

“Unless it’s in the hands of Dalton Ghetti. The 45-year-old Bridgeport resident has been carving sculptures into pencil lead, without the aid of a magnifying glass, for 25 years.” NY Times (Isn’t it pencil lead into sculptures?)

Eckman’s Native American Art

Sculptures of Native American scenes made out of paper by Allen and Patty Eckman.These stunningly detailed sculptures may only be made from paper, but they are being snapped up by art fans for tens of thousands of pounds.The intricate creations depict Native American scenes and took up to 11 months to make using a specially formulated paper.Husband and wife team Allen and Patty Eckman put paper pulp into clay molds and pressurize it to remove the water.

The hard, lightweight pieces are then removed and the couple painstakingly add detailed finishings with a wide range of tools.They have been making the creations since 1987 at their home studio, in South Dakota , America , and have racked up a whopping $3 million selling the works of art.

The pieces depict traditional scenes from Native American history of Cherokees hunting and dancing. Allen said:  ”We create Indians partly because my great, great grandmother was a Cherokee and my family on both sides admire the native Americans…

I work on the men and animals and Patty does the women and children” explains Allen.Allen explained their technique: “It should not be confused with paper Mache.  The two mediums are completely different.  I call what we do ‘cast paper sculpture’.”"Some of them we create are life size and some we scale down to 1/6 life size.

Fly Fishing Iran: Shomal Region Rivers for Fly Fishing?

آیا می توانم هر فیشر پرواز ایران دادن اسامی رودخانه های شمال ایران (شمال) انتخاب شدند. نظرات قدردانی مجدد هر رودخانه و هر مگس ها استفاده کنید. با تشکر از شما…  SwittersB

This post in Farsi to Iranian FFer’s was prompted by a comment from Phillippe Muller who wrote: is there a list of the rivers in the north of Iran (Shomal) that carry trouts? what are the good trout rivers, and why couldn’t we start an international trout fishing club to bring us all closer. ok so what about that list of rivers…. Any advice for Phillippe?

Fly Tying: Morning Thread Wraps

Got up early…that annoying back pain finally wins out. I tied a little this and that. A double hook Caddis pattern (found box in drawer with 4 left); deer hair thorax on a dubbed pupa; green condom left over from Vladi worm wrapped on pupa and ribbed w/ cdc underwing; jelly rope caddis abdomen and deer hair thorax; small little bead head with peacock herl ribbed with one strand of Krystal Flash. Off to work I go. There is the disconnect…I should be going to see if the flies/patterns work.

Double Hook Caddis Pattern (SwittersB)

Dubbed Pupa w/ Deer Hair Thorax (SwittersB)

Green Pupa, Left Over Condom for Abdomen (SwittersB)

Jelly Rope Ab and Deer Hair Thorax (SwittersB)

Krystal Flash Ribbed, Size 18 Bead Head (SwittersB)