Ron. No. I did not split the yarn, but I do untwist it to make the fly a little more slender. Old Helen Shaw technique for working with yarn.

As they used to say, it’s a “capital killer” (meaning lethal pattern).

Carl - When you “tweak” the hook, are you clamping the eye in the jaws of the vise and pressing the hook? It looks like your including a small fraction of the hook shank too. Neat way to adjust the proportions of the shank.

Great tip.

Very nice “hatch”.

Doug - I read your review and immediately bought the audio book version. Thanks for the push.

Once again, this site makes me richer (in knowledge) and poorer (financially) at the same. At this rate I may become the smartest pauper you’ll ever met.

Doug - If you’ve got a smart phone or tablet, you can download Kindle software on it and read Kindle books. I have an iPhone and iPad, with the kindle app on each. It allows me to read books whenever I’m sitting around waiting. Lately I’ve been finding digital versions of some older out of print boo...

Tell Vicki I say Hello.

Thanks for the suggestion. Amazon has the Audible version available for $7 bucks. I will probably download it and listen to it over the summer. I used to listen to audio books during my commute (45 min each way), but have gotten away from it over the past year (working from home).

The hackle is tyed in by the stem, right behind the eye of the hook. The tying thread hangs at the back of the thorax, after the herl is wrapped. I then wrap the hackle back over the thorax, in open spiral turns. The tying thread is wound forward thru the hackle fibers, reinforcing both the herl and...

The dun color of the young starling is extremely appealing. What region of the bird are these feathers from? Are they body feathers, or wing feathers (coverts)?