New Scissors

Up until last year, I eeked by with one or two dull pairs of tying scissors for years. But over the last year my scissor collection has grown to over eight pairs of quality scissors and a bunch more destine for cutting foam, wire and anything else nasty. About a year ago I bought a pair of Dr. Slick bent shaft scissors and they are still my favorite. I had a $15 gift certificate from Sierra Trading Post and with free shipping last weekend, I decided to use it towards a couple more Dr. Slick bent shaft scissors. They arrived today and I am stoked to try them out. They have a much smaller cutting blade then my other bent shaft scissors, but I am sure they will get used regularly.

Paraloop Flies

I tried my hand at paraloop flies last week and horribly failed. I wasn't sure when I would try to do it again. But I recently stumbled across a great fly fishing/tying site with very clean flies and it inspired me to try paraloop hackles again. Upon searching for online videos on paraloop flies, I found two videos that showed the process. The first one required a para-post tool that attaches to the vise (which I will be investing in soon) the second had two really creative tying steps/materials that I plan to employee soon (CDC hackle in a dubbing loop, striped stem of feather for body).

I like the simplicity of this technique. But I about went nuts over how bulky and sloppy the dubbing was. I'm sure it adds to a buggy looking fly, but I cannot stand balled-up dub jobs. It also appears this method requires many turns of hackle. I assume he is using tippet material. I have some clear tying thread that should work nicely for the paraloop.


Be fore-warned, the music will put you to sleep. But I guess its better then hearing some guy explain the steps in a different language. I've never been able to master biot body flies. But with the striped stem technique, I might be able to achieve a similar result.

Quick Trip in my Backyard

I had a 75 minute window before I had to report to work. It would be close, but I thought I could get at least 45 min of fishing in. I left my house geared up in my waders and when I got to the parking spot, I bolted up the hill. I fished this small creek about a month ago; but with my son and wife in tow, I couldn't explore the harder to reach areas. I cut trail and dropped below my last starting point. It was way too brush-choked to think about throwing a decent cast so I cut my leader back from 8ft to about 5ft. I finally began to find fishable pockets within the labyrinth of branches and caught a couple fish before my alarm warned me I was out of time. I high-tailed it back and made it in to work with minutes to spare.