The other day I tied up a pair of Zug bugs on 14 1x's.  They look alright but the bead heads were too big really.  Leaves them looking short and fat in my opinion. 

I started my bussers for the swap to see how they are coming and they look good so far.  I have a brown olivy sort of colored thread I used and black with silver wire and they look pretty good.  I still need to pick up some Sally Hanson hard as nails clear polish to apply the varnish coats to them however.  (Thanks for the tip Stephen!)

I also played with Nic's suggestion for peacock swords on the upper portion of my copper john like nymphs and I like the result.  It wasn't easy to get it right but in the end I got it.  The swords I had were pretty short, and of course the brilliant green part I hoped to utilize is at the tip end.  So after tying in the feather end once I quickly realized my error.  (With giant club fingers it can get frustrating!)  I now tie them in tip first to use the beautiful green portion on the fly and handle the drab black end.

So I made a fly with red copper wire like a copper john, peacock sword upper body and used red dyed pheasant tippet for legs and black goos biot for the tail.  It looked pretty cool in a size 12 caddis hook. 

After I started getting creative.  I saw a blood worm fly a while back that was red floss on a hook, with clear fishing line wrapped over it giving it a cool semi-transparent look.  So I tied in a Black Beadheadd on size 12 caddis hook, wrapped with 28ga copper wire, tied with bright red thread, and over wrapped the whole body in it, then I tied in some 8lb test and three scraggly strips on thin flashabou.  I wrapped the flashabou sparsely around the red body, tied off and then went over it witht he line.  I used more flashabou for a wing casing and peacock swords for the upper body portion (thorax?  I can't remember.)  I folded the flashabou back over and cut off a length that was equal to the casing that sticks up and back like developing wings.

I did another just like it with out the flashabou under the line.  It looks good, but not as cool.

Pretty cool looking nymph, but I'm not entirely certain a photo can capture it's true essence.  I will be trying later probably next week when I get some time.  I have been a bit busy lately.

Thanks for the ideas, you might think they are mere rambles destined to be forgotten in text amongst billions of characters floating through cyber space, but I use your input alot! 

I cannot wait to try the wire polish nymph, I have some ideas for my own spin on it as well.  I once tried to do the same thing with floss, but with out a rotary vice the floss just got really tangled on me.

Theron

Theron

Sounds like you are on the Star Ship Enterprise going where no man has gone before   There is no doubt in my military mind that before it is done there will be a fly named the T-Bone in the archives of time, destined to become a classic.

I caught a couple of small mouths on a zug bug the other day in the Tooky.  Then I lost it.  I can't remember if it was a snag or some bad casting that broke it off, but I lost it and it wasn't to a fish sadly!

I am really getting good at tying nymphs generally speaking.  I need some more practice tying fancy streamers.  A guy I know is really impressed with my work thus far and wants my to tie him some salmon flies to frame in glass.  He said he has some close friends' flies already on the wall, but he seems to think I will be one of thee greats and wants some of my work.  HUH?

I actually met the guy because he listed and sold me a large collection of materials and tools from craigslist.  Nice old gent he is.  Apparently he took a similar fancy to me as well.  He sends me random emails to see what I have been up to here and there.

Well time for sleep.  Take care folks!

Theron

With out further a due....  Here are some pics.

The streamer I am most proud of thus far.  I thought this one looked "professional."  This is the one I mentioned making a body from sire and silver thread.  Very cool I think.

This is a streamer I made up with left overs that were in my box after tying on a couple of occasions.

Another similar to the first.  But different body and has green mallard for tail and throat.

The pair of streamers I tied with turkey wing as their outer wing.

What's everyone think so far.....?

Theron

 Theron!

First of all...Congratulations!!!!  I'm so happy for you, being a dad myself it's the greatest thing in the world!  My little girls is 3 and it seems like just yesterday I was at the hospital as she was born!  Happy for you man!  We better get some fishing in this fall because we all KNOW you aren't going to be out fishing in April!  

Your flies look great!  I really think the one in the second to last picture could really slay some fish!

Congrats again! 

-Nic